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SICK AG, Waldkirch, Germany ©

Safety Light Curtain Basics

Dr Martin Kidman, PhD Follow
Product and Marketing at SICK (… 121 7 10

Introduction
The Safety Light Curtain is relied on to protect the safety of factory personnel all over the world.  Yet,
although the technology was developed almost 70 years ago, many applications may still not be
making full use of its capabilities. Here I have tried to re-appraise what light curtains could be
contributing to your machinery safety, factory control and productivity with a breakdown of the
functions and features that are currently available. 
The light curtain has become so ubiquitous, that it is all too easy to regard it as a simple on/off
device - a fail-safe, fit-and-forget substitute for protective fencing. However, an expanding and
versatile range of light curtains has evolved to perform multiple functions and they can contribute
positively to productivity and integrate with factory local area networks to support better plant-wide
automation.

History
In 1951, Erwin Sick presented the first wooden model of his light curtain to the “German Inventor
and New Development Trade Fair” in Munich. Later the same year a patent registration of the light
curtain based on the autocollimator principle was regarded as the technical breakthrough that
began the development of technology we know today – one that has saved countless people from
injury and death at the hands of dangerous machinery.
Since that time hardware and software development have transformed the versatility and use of
safety light curtains. The key attributes of light curtains remain the same, but their potential may still
be under-exploited.

Light Curtain Specifications

There really is no such thing as a straight like-for-like off the shelf ‘menu’ of safety light curtains
since all manufacturers offer their own ranges including different sizes, shapes and resolutions etc.
However, the starting point of any safety application is always the danger you want to guard against
and the space that it is in. Based on this, there are different attributes to consider regarding the
physical properties of the light curtain. Currently, the document EN ISO 13855 is the harmonised
standard for positioning safety light guards, and it can assist in determining which of these physical
attributes to go for and in this section I have tried to explain the main specifications to consider.
However, there are also additional properties such as IP rating, current consumption, visible
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indications etc. that are not covered here.
Range
The range is the maximum distance between transmitter and receiver. Products are available with
either a fixed range, a selectable range (e.g. Low/High) or they an auto-adjusting range (at startup,
the sensitivity is adjusted based on the distance between sender and receiver).  Choosing the correct
range ensures that the light curtain is best fit for the application, for example, if a high power, long
range, device is used over a short distance, reflections off nearby surfaces may make the installation
unsafe. On the other hand, a long range device may be required for protecting large areas which
require high beam strength and sensitive detectors. 
Height
The height of a safety light curtain is must be chosen based on the access to the hazard. For
example if a light curtain is protecting against "point protection" then the light curtain must cover
the whole aperture. However, if the safety light curtain is for access protection then different heights
can be used based on the number of beams required and the height from the floor plus possible
reach over. See examples below.

Figure 1: Point and Access protection

Resolution
The resolution of a light curtain can also affect the mounting position with respect to the hazard.
The terms “finger protection” and "hand protection" are often used often which refer to resolutions
of 14 mm and 30 mm respectively. however, light curtains can also have different resolutions (e.g. 20
mm, 40 mm , 200 mm etc.). The higher the resolution then the better the detection capability is for a
safety light curtain and therefore the device can be mounted closer to a hazard. (i.e. a 14 mm light
curtain can be mounted closer then a 30 mm light curtain). EN ISO 13855 contains lots of different
calculations for mounting distances and resolution can have a large impact but the basic equation
is, figure 2:

Figure 2: Safety Distance

The standard also covers additional things such as direction of approach, possible reach over etc.
For larger distances and access protection a resolution of 400 mm is normally sufficient, but then
additional devices may be required for presence detection if the machine can be reset whilst a
person is behind the light curtain. A thorough risk assessment according to the harmonised
standard EN ISO 12100 should be performed to take these points into consideration.
Higher resolution light curtains are usually more expensive than lower resolutions, but switching to
a lower resolution means that the distance between the safety light curtain and the hazard needs to
be increased which may be impractical or not possible on the factory floor. 
Type
When choosing a safety device for an application, the harmonised standard EN ISO 13849 or IEC
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62061 can be used to design the safety related parts of the control system (SRP/CS). Following the
definition of a safety function (e.g. Initiating a stop using an light curtain) it is important to
determine what performance level (PL) or Safety integrity level (SIL) that the associated SRP/CS
should achieve based on the risk. I'll not go into detail about Functional Safety here but for
electrosensitive protective equipment, the safety light curtain "Type" according to IEC 61496 is
directly related to what PL/SIL that the safety function can achieve. The following figure reflects the
relationship, figure 3.

Figure 3: Relationship between ESPE Type and PL/SIL

Therefore if PLe/SIL3 is required, for example for protecting power presses, the a Type 4 device
would be reqired.
Active/Passive
To save on wiring and to keep costs down for access protection applications, active passive systems
can be used. An active/passive system consists of two devices. One device contains both LED
senders and photo-diode receivers and the other device contains mirrors that are used to deflect
the LED beams back to the receivers, figure 4.

Figure 4: Active/Passive System

Mirrors reduce the strength of a light beam and therefore active/passive systems will normally have
a much shorter distance than sender/receiver systems.

Light Curtain Functions

The simplest function of the light curtain is: Light beams are broken and the outputs turn off which
then stops any hazardous movement. If no incident has occurred and the area is safe then a reset
can be performed. This stop/start style of safe operation can be disruptive to factory flow and
productivity and therefore the light curtain has evolved over the last half century to perform
multiple functions such as internal reset, external device monitoring (EDM), beam
coding, blanking etc. etc. As a beginner all of these terms can be daunting and therefore I will take a
look at the most common functions.
Restart Interlock
The two main interlocking modes that can be set in are Automatic – OSSD’s go high when the
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beams are free. Manual – OSSD’s go high when the beams are free and then a reset button is
pressed. It is important that an automatic restart can only be used in specific case when it is not
possible to stand behind the light curtain without being detected (e.g. small press with arm only
access), figure 5. Further requirements may also apply.

Figure 5: Small press with point protection

A manual reset can be performed using either an external safety relay, safety PLC or internally if the
light curtain has the capability. Before safety PLC/Relays the reset was performed using relay logic.
Eternal Device Monitoring (EDM)
To level of safety of a safety function can be increased if fault detection is implemented. The
harmonised standard EN ISO 13849, which is used for calculating performance level of a SRP/CS
describes the term diagnostics coverage (DC) which measured this capability. It is a measure of how
many dangerous failures are detected. If you would like to know more then this is discussed in in
detail in another article that I have written:

Diagnostics according to EN ISO 13849 and IEC 62061

linkedin.com
Introduction When the effect of a protective measure on a machine is dependent on the correct functioning of a
control system, the term functional saf

Figure 6: Martin Kidman - Article on Diagnostics Coverage

One method which is listed in this standard and is used extensively in industry to assume a
diagnostics coverage of 99% (Can detect 99% of dangerous failures) is "External Device Monitoring",
or EDM or "Check Back".
This monitoring function is a means in which a safety device actively monitors the state of external
devices that it controls such as machine primary control elements (MPCE's), contactors or relays.
This is needed because the external devices usually have no diagnostics of their own and are pretty
much "Dumb" devices. If an unsafe state is detected in the external device then the safety device can
lock out. This is performed by monitoring complimentary channels of the external devices which are
physically linked internally. So that if the outputs of a safety device go high then the returning EDM
signal from the final switching devices must go low if the system is healthy. Otherwise there is a
fault. See figure 7 examples of implementation in a safety relay and directly in a safety light curtain.
In these examples the reset
No alt text provided for this image
Figure 7: Two example of the implementation of EDM
Blanking
In some applications, it might be desirable to permit certain objects to protrude through the light
curtain field, for example a support table or rack required to feed the machine with a heavy work-
piece. In this case, a blanking facility allows the user to “turn off” some of the beams and hence not
interrupt the work flow. It can either be fixed or floating to allow a variable position for the object,
figure 8.
 No alt text provided for this image
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Figure 8: Example of Blanking 
Enabling Material Throughput - Muting 
In many applications of light curtains, particularly on conveying lines with goods passing from one
area of production to another, or in automated warehousing operations where staff are excluded
from the automated stacking and shelving areas, a light curtain must be able to allow objects
through whilst still reacting to people. Sensors can be used to identify the object such as a car body
and allow passage, while not allowing an operative through due to the shape and size; this is
automatic and known as muting. The two most popular methods of muting are cross beam and 4
sensor muting, figure 9.
No alt text provided for this image
Figure 9: Cross Beam and 4 Sensor Muting
However, there are many different methods of muting including the use of photocells, ground
inductive loops, the use of safety laser scanners, partial muting (partial blanking) etc. The technical
specification IEC/TS 62046 can assist in the application of protective devices to detect persons. It is
important to understand though that muting is not the same as bypass - muting is automatic whilst
bypass is a mode selected by an operator whilst other protection measures (e.g. enabling device) i.e.
manual.
Another term related to muting is "Override" which is a manual triggering of the muting after an
error in the muting conditions. This is needed to make a system clear for example when a pallet is
stuck in a safety light curtain which has stopped the conveyor and the conveyor temporarily needs
power to remove the pallet.
Enabling Material Throughput - Pattern Recognition
There are some safety light curtains which can perform complex algorithms on individual beams.
This means that not only can it detect if a the beams are broken or not but also which beams and in
which sequence...
This means that rather than muting, the safety light curtain can safely detect patterns, objects and
direction etc. This means that the safety is always active whilst allowed known patterns to enter and
leave the light curtain and furthermore, does not require any additional sensors or control. This
powerful function can dramatically increase availability but at the same time increase safety by
protecting at the same time as allowing material to pass through. The C4000 Fusion is an example
of such a device, figure 10.
No alt text provided for this image
Figure 10: Object Pattern Recognition
Beam Coding
Because safety light curtains work over similar optical frequency in the Infra Red spectrum, if several
safety light curtains are used in close proximity interference can occur between the systems. This
could cause a dangerous situation. To overcome this some safety light curtains offer beam coding
so that a receiver can distinguish the beams from a specific sender and not be affected by another
device in close proximity. When beam coding is activated though, this may affect the response time
and/or range of the safety light curtain and should be taken into account as this may affect the
mounting distance.
Summary
Today’s light curtain installations are much more attuned to production needs, capable of a wide
range of manual and automatic actions that ensure a light curtain assists safety and productivity
rather than sacrificing efficiency.
However, it is important to know what features and functions are available on a safety light curtains
and also if the application requires them or not? It is extremely common for light curtains to have
many features which are not used and therefore there may be a more cost efficient solution.
The application of a light curtain isn't always as straight forward as sticking it in front of an access
point and further thought may be required.
I hope that you have found this article useful and if you have any questions or comments then
please feel free to either add them below or contact me directly.

Published By

Dr Dr Martin Kidman, PhD Follow

Product and Marketing at SICK (UK)…
Martin
Kidman
Hi, I've completed another article today on safety light curtains. This may prove useful for the beginner but may
, PhD
also reveal some new solutions to the more experienced user. I hope you find it uesful!

7 comments

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 John 11mo
John P. Leseganich,
Occupational CPEA
Regulatory Compliance Consultant
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Leseganich,
Dr. Kidman; As an "EH&S Consultant" with my focus being placed on "Regulatory
CPEA
Compliance" I'm often asked "Fixed Barrier Guard or "Sensing Device" (aka: Light Curtain)
for my machine guarding concern"?  I won't get into the "Pro's and Con's" of each but
when asked I have to quickly "Beef-Up" on my "Light Curtain Knowledge".  With that said I
found your article extremely useful.  Wondering:  Do you have a short, layman version
PowerPoint?  If not I can use some of you information and develop one.  I like to keep it
simple so all involved at least walk out with a basic understanding of the device itself. 
Again, great article, thank you.
Like Reply 1 Like 1 Reply

Dr Dr Martin Kidman, PhD

11mo
Product and Marketing at SICK (UK) Ltd for Safety Products | BSI Committe member (Robot
Martin Safety - ISO 10218) | Certified FS Application Expert Trainer (SGS-TUV Saar)
Kidman,
Hi John, thanks for the email and kind words. I'm currently on holiday (meeting
PhD
santa with the kids!) so can't respond properly but I don't have a short layman
PowerPoint sorry. This article was developed from a PowerPoint but it is from
something I use for a one day training course (many many pages) :/ feel free to
use the content above for your own educational use though 👍
Like Reply

Carl Carl Kidman 2y

Managing Director at Formwork Direct International
Kidman

Well done Martin👍

Like Reply 1 Like

Eunice Ang
2y
Eunice Strategic Product Manager (Industrial Safety System) at Sick Product Center Singapore
Ang
Nice article!
Like Reply 2 Likes

Sunil Sunil Rosario 2y

link between cutting edge researched technology for application in Industry
Rosario

Nice article. We are using the same principle in belt rupture detection in conveyor system,
to detect early defects in belt damage
Like Reply 1 Like

andrew killick
2y
andrew Sales Engineer at Underwood Electrical
killick
Martin  Could you please send a copy to me in a format that i can use as a mail shot for
our Customers at Underwood's 
Like Reply 1 Like 1 Reply

Dr Dr Martin Kidman, PhD

2y
Product and Marketing at SICK (UK) Ltd for Safety Products | BSI Committe member (Robot
Martin Safety - ISO 10218) | Certified FS Application Expert Trainer (SGS-TUV Saar)
Kidman,
It was developed on LinkedIn Andrew, this is the only format I have it in sorry. I
PhD
have original pictures but not sure about copyright usage etc. Outside of the
company... Might see if we can develop a short pdf for the UK? Andrea Hornby?
Like Reply

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