Since the European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC has came into effect in December 2009, mining machine manufacturers have had to comply with and therefore have to assess the risks resulting from their mining equipment. An important measure for risk reduction is functional safety, based on the harmonised standards IEC 62061 and ISO 13849. The new Rexroth joystick 4THEC5 SIL2 is a key component for advanced mobile working machines and offers a unique solution. The Rexroth device is fully SIL2/PL d capable including handgrip functions (on/off push buttons and rockers, proportional rollers). In addition, the company says that its design increases robustness, safety and user ergonomics.
Manufacturers who need to offer safety-related functions on their machines can simply incorporate this “plug & play” unit into their safety system, because the electronic module manages signals from the joystick and provides the interface with the machine wiring on a single 4-pin connector. With its unique SIL2 and Performance Level d capability, the joystick supports mining machine manufacturers who are facing the assessment of the safety level of their products to achieve a certificate of European conformity. This safety level applies to all controls operated using the joystick (shaft and handle functions).

The 4THEC5 SIL2 is compact and robust and has been validated for 5 million cycles. It is suitable for a wide variety of demanding applications, such as quarrying, mining and material handling machines. It is compatible with BODAS, CANOpen and J1939 protocols and can be used alongside the existing Rexroth range of multi-function handgrips to achieve any Human Machine Interface configuration an OEM may require. It features the comfortable ergonomics that users have come to expect from high quality joysticks.

To ensure maximum reliability, the 4THEC5 SIL2 joystick incorporates contactless sensor technology. Internal product architecture features total redundancy for all data flows. For each control element, two position sensors send separate signals to two microcontrollers, which check the consistency of the information using software specially developed by Bosch Rexroth. This redundant architecture ensures that the signals on the bus are fully safe as defined by the applied standards.