Use Intelligent High-Side Power Switch To Satisfy Safety Requirements In Process Control And Industrial Automation

Focus:

To satisfy safety integrity level (SIL) criteria in process control applications, a high-side switch must have certain protection features associated with it. In this article, an integrated solution is presented in the form of a smart high-side switch that is intended to serve as a versatile building block in SIL systems up to level 3. (SIL levels come from IEC 61508 and a specific version of this standard known as IEC 61511 is used in the process industry.) This intelligent power switch, STMicroelectronics’ L6370Q, is well suited to process control in very hazardous and risky areas like petrochemical or pharmaceutical installations. The L6370Q’s protection features (including how they work) are described at length. The article also presents an L6370Q evaluation board representing the output stage of a programmable logic controller designed for industrial automation or process control. This board is then used to test the EMC robustness of the L6370Q according to IEC 61131-2 and the part’s immunity to fast transient bursts according To IEC61000-4-4 and high energy surges according To IEC61000-4-5. The results of these tests are shown here.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the protection features available in a high-side switch developed to meet safety integrity level 3 requirements in process control applications

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Author & Publication:

Giuseppe Di Stefano, Michelangelo Marchese, STMicroelectronics, Catania, Italy, How2Power Today, Nov 30 2011

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