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IEC 61508 is in high demand
IEC 61508 has a long history in a wide range of markets as the "parent" standard for various functional safety standards. In the automotive market, where functional safety is widespread, the automotive functional safety standard ISO 26262 is used as the safety standard for new technologies found in autonomous driving and EVs. autonomous driving and EVs require more redundant design than other conventional systems due to the high level of safety required. Safety arguments using reliability block diagrams (RBDs) for this redundant design and quantitative evaluation of common cause failures are not described in the dedicated"child"standard ISO 26262, so the "parent" standard IEC 61508 is referenced.
In addition, in recent years, the technology of industrial equipment such as AGV, AMR, and factory automation has evolved significantly, and individual"child"standards such as ISO3691-4 are applied as safety standards in these cases. Even for dedicated"child"standards, the "parent" standard IEC61508 is referenced for components that employ complex software.
Although it is a standard with a long history, there is a trend toward increased demand due to redundancy and the increasing complexity of software, so we will explain IEC 61508 again.
Background to the formulation of the "parent" functional safety standard IEC 61508
As electronic control has come to be used in various industrial fields, the increase in incidents and hazards has become an issue. For complex systems (complex HW/ semiconductors, complex SW), simply "performing complete evaluation / testing" is not enough; a methodology for systematically ensuring safety is required.
After analyzing the causes of incidents and hazards, we found that the following three perspectives are important in terms of countermeasures:
1. Educating people
It is necessary for personnel involved in design / development, operation, and maintenance to fully understand each risk and how to deal with it. Through regular training and qualification systems, we aim to clarify the scope of responsibility and reduce human error (systematic failures). Quality management (QM) rules are often used as is.
2. Establishment of organizational development rules (processes)
In the development of systems and software, we will establish standardized development processes and conduct reviews and tests. We will establish project management and assessment processes and foster a culture that realizes quality and safety throughout the organization.
3. Design and implementation of system safety functions
Technical measures such as safety functions to detect and control failures, fail-safe design, and redundancy are required. The failure rate will explain whether the probability of hazard occurrence has been sufficiently reduced after applying safety functions. In functional safety product development projects, this is the most time-consuming aspect of the process.
Taking these circumstances into consideration, IEC 61508 was established as a standard that comprehensively deals with functional safety in electrical, electronic and programmable electronic safety-related systems (E/E/PE safety-related systems).
Sub-standards with IEC61508 as the parent standard
The concepts of IEC 61508 have been reinterpreted and expanded to suit the requirements of various industries and are passed on to sub-standards specialized for each field.
- IEC61511(for process industries)
A standard specialized for safety systems in the process industry, such as chemical plants and oil and gas facilities. - IEC62061(for machine safety)
This standard targets safety systems in the machinery field, such as machine tools and industrial robots. It is used for risk assessment and SIL compliance to comply with European machinery regulations. - ISO26262(for automobiles)
A standard based on the concepts of IEC 61508, adapted to the requirements and development processes specific to automobiles. - EN50126/EN50128/EN50129(for railway systems)
A group of standards dealing with safety in railway signaling and control systems.
Comparison of IEC 61508 and its representative child standard ISO 26262
When IEC 61508 is applied to child standards, various changes are made to suit the target product field. Even if development rules that comply with IEC 61508 are applied as is, it will not be possible to comply with the child standards, so standard compliance activities will be required again.
|
IEC61508 (General-purpose functional safety standard) |
ISO26262 (Automotive Functional Safety Standard) |
|---|---|
| Events that affect human and/or environmental safety | Physical injury or damage to a person's health (Does not include leakage of substances into the environment) |
| Safety Integrity Level (SIL) SIL 1 SIL 2 (also commonly referred to as SIL 2) SIL 3 (also commonly referred to as SIL 2+) SIL 4 (aerospace, nuclear, etc.) |
Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) ASIL A ASIL B ASIL C ASIL D none (ASIL E was considered for large vehicles, but was not adopted because there was no clear increase in risk compared to passenger cars.) |
|
IEC61508 (General-purpose functional safety standard) |
ISO26262 (Automotive Functional Safety Standard) |
|---|---|
| Mean probability of dangerous function failure (PFD) | none |
| Time-average frequency of dangerous failures PFH | Probabilistic metric for random HW failures PMHF |
| Safe failure fraction (SFF) | Single Point Fault Metric SPFM |
| none | Latent Fault Metric LFM |
|
IEC61508 (General-purpose functional safety standard) |
ISO26262 (Automotive Functional Safety Standard) |
|---|---|
| NR (Not recommended) It is necessary to devise a system architecture that does not assign SIL to safety requirements including AI. |
To be mentioned in 3rd Edition There is no specific prohibition in the current standards. |
SGS Japan's IEC 61508 Services
SGS Japan provides one-stop solutions for your efforts in IEC 61508. Below are some of our representative services, but we will flexibly propose and implement services according to your circumstances.
- training(IFSP TUEV Certification Training)
- Process construction support
- Project application support
- Authentication services (development process / product)
- Single topic Q & A Workshop
Partnership: Macnica and SGS Japan Inc.
Macnica and SGS Japan have formed a cooperative relationship due to the high compatibility between their respective business formats. SGS Japan's testing, analysis, and certification services cover Macnica 's wide-ranging range of activities. This allows comprehensive support from upstream to downstream at development sites in each market. The two companies will provide seamless support for any problems customers may have.
SGS Japan Co., Ltd.: A world-leading testing, inspection and certification company headquartered in Switzerland. It is recognized as an international standard for quality and integrity. With 99,600 employees operating a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, SGS Japan strives to create a better, safer and more interconnected world.
IEC61508 certified real-time OS
The QNX® OS for Safety sold by Macnica has been certified to meet IEC 61508 Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL 3).
It provides system developers with a certified platform that can be implemented in mission-critical systems with the most stringent functional safety requirements.
If you would like more information, please contact us at the following URL.
Related Links
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