Expandable safety light curtain meets your exact requirements

Citation

(2000), "Expandable safety light curtain meets your exact requirements", Assembly Automation, Vol. 20 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2000.03320bad.004

Expandable safety light curtain meets your exact requirements

Expandable safety light curtain meets your exact requirements

Keywords: Keyence, Safety

Keyence has launched an expandable safety light curtain that allows you to build up exactly the curtain coverage you need to provide optimal safety in your application, and to easily adapt the system to meet changing safety needs (see Plate 5).

The PJ-V safety curtain uses a revolutionary modular design that allows you to snap together individual light curtain elements to provide detection coverage zones from 140mm to 1,260mm. The optimal detection zone can be configured with up to seven expansion units in increments of 80mm to create anything up to a 15 level system. The expansion system comprises just three different components, which allows inventory to be kept to a minimum.

Plate 5PJ-V safety light curtain

A key feature of the system is its easy optical alignment, ensuring a stable light reading. An incorporated LED bar indicator is used to provide a guide to allow fast and easy alignment. The number of illuminated LEDs confirms the signal strength, and a colour change from red to green is used to indicate optimal alignment. In operation, the same LED indicators are used to inform operators of the detection status in real time. Operating range of the light curtain is up to 7m.

The safety light curtain sensor head combines a slim, compact design with sturdy construction. The sensor head is protected against vibration and impact, and the construction is sealed to IP65.

The PJ-V sensor controller is the smallest multi-functional controller in its class, and offers the expandability to connect a sub-controller to control a second safety light curtain sensor head. The sub-controller connects to the main control unit using a single connector, eliminating the need for wiring to a power supply or output lines. The sub-controller reduces set up times and offers substantial cost savings in the implementation of dual curtain applications. In-built mutual interference protection ensures reliable and stable detection in such applications.

For further information please contact: Shinji Furuta, Keyence UK Ltd, 504-510 Elder House, Station Square, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK9 1LR, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1908 696900; Fax: +44 (0) 1908 696777; E-mail: market@keyence.co.uk