February 18, 2008
TTControl – TTTech Off-Highway, the specialist in electronic control systems for off-highway vehicles, has announced that TÜV NORD has certified TTControl's TTC 200 electronic control unit (ECU) according to the international IEC 61508 standard. TTC 200 is the first ECU in the worldwide off-highway market that allows applications to be created up to Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3. The device enables a maximum level of reliability, thus minimizing costs for development and failure.
IEC 61508 is an international standard for functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic safety-related systems. The TTC 200 stand-alone version fulfills SIL 2 requirements; two TTC 200 ECUs in a TTP® network have been the first to achieve SIL 3 certification. "Our comprehensive certification process has shown that TTC 200 provides a maximum level of reliability. It is thus best suited for off-highway vehicles in on-road traffic", states Dr. Tomislav Lovric, project leader at TÜV NORD, when summarizing the test results.
TTC 200 is a programmable, general-purpose ECU for off-highway vehicles. It was designed from the outset to meet the high requirements of safety-critical applications. With TTC 200, failure rates can be reduced. Its compliance with IEC 61508 enhances development processes, resulting in higher product quality. Costs of defective and idle machinery can be kept at a minimum.
TTC 200 contains an independent watchdog CPU that communicates with the main CPU. The watchdog CPU operates redundantly, monitoring activities, detecting faults, and shifting the vehicle to a safe state in case of failure. Both CPUs monitor each other and the watchdog CPU is able to switch off the power supply in order to stop safety-critical applications.
Examples of some current applications that use TTC 200 are ice resurfacing machines, snow groomers, and mobile work machines. The safety-critical functions of the vehicles are carried out by TTC 200, ensuring safe working conditions for users and people in the immediate vicinity of the machines.
