Safety
Two CANopen approaches exist that serve the need for extra safety: the safety-relevant protocol described in CiA 304 and the CANopen Safety Chip 02 (CSC02) 16-bit micro-controller, which complies to CiA 304 and is certifed by the TÜV according to SIL 3.
The CiA 304 CANopen framework for safety-relevant communication is an add-on to the CANopen application layer and communication profile. It is assumed, that a device which requires safety-relevant communication uses all the other features defined by the communication profile. Safety is an additional property of such devices. Only special communication objects support safety, all other objects remain normal. The CiA 304 framework describes just the data transport mechanism on a CANopen network, which allows the exchange of safety-relevant data. Up to 64 suppliers of safety-relevant objects can operate in a CANopen network.
The CSC02 chip was certified by the TÜV Rheinland Group. The report of the certification test is released under the number 968/EL 215.02/09 on the date 2009-10-23. The CSC02 is certified for safety-relevant applications up to Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3, according to IEC 61508, and Safety Category 4, according to EN 954-1.
