TÜV Rheinland: First-ever Certification of a Safety Laser Scanner for Outdoor Use as per TS 62998

New test basis for outdoor applications

Until now it used to be the case that safety laser scanners could only be certified for indoor use – e.g. for machinery operated inside production halls. “When safety laser scanners are used outdoors, the sensors also have to function reliably even in adverse weather conditions such as fog, rain or snow,” says  Peter Robben, an expert in Functional Safety at TÜV Rheinland. Until now, there was no easy way for manufacturers to demonstrate this. “Over the course of several years of collaboration with the International Electrotechnical Commission, our customers, suppliers and testing companies – including TÜV Rheinland – we have established a test basis for certifying these scanners for outdoor use too,” says Michael Badeja, product manager at SICK. The result of this work and the basis for certification of “outdoorScan3” is the new globally recognized standard IEC TS 62998.

Safety defined

Until now, many solutions for automated vehicles operated outdoors were implemented in a non-safe manner. “This new standard represents a real improvement when it comes to protecting people in hazard zones,” says Robben. Manufacturers can now have their products certified accordingly, thereby demonstrating that their safety laser scanners also function reliably outdoors in accordance with the current state of the art – and protect lives in the process.