Is RM series certified that Cat.4/PLe of ISO13849?

Hello Yuji-san,

Please note that the document you referenced is not a certification. It is an endorsement of a concept proposed by TI to eliminate the need for a second channel in a CAT3 PLd system which was previously a required architecture for this safety level. Note that although TUEV SUED found that was viable, they did place some limitations or caveats on their findings. This included the disclaimer that each implementation would need to be evaluated on a case by case basis since ISO13849 is a system level standard. 

With that said, I would also like to add that ISO13849 is a system level standard and does not apply to component level like IEC61508 and ISO26262 so certification of the device itself is not possible. CAT4 PLe has specific requirements that are difficult to meet with a single MCU so usually this will take a 2-channel approach at a minimum. Note that I state "usually" since there could be scenarios that may be possible with only one MCU but usually this means it is paired with some other mechanism to protect the safety function such as a mechanical interlock preventing use of the application in the event of an fault  (effectively a 2-channel system with MCU+mechanical interlock).

Unfortunately, it is really difficult to give guidance on achieving CAT4 PLe because there is so much dependency on the system implementation and the safety function being protected on the system level. For this reason, it is necessary for the application designer to evaluate the best approach given the specific application needs and the specific safety requirements relative to the standard. A good starting point would be to evaluate any current design that is CAT4 PLe certified and identify how the safety function is protected and how Hercules might be used in such a system to reduce the overall complexity given the high DC capability of Hercules.This level of discussion would usually be best handled in the SafeTI Private forum which is covered by NDA or on a direct email support route if there are concerns with posting proprietary information on a publicly accessible forum (even with NDA requirements in place, the private forum is accessible by potential competitors and conversations are not private within the community.)

Certainly, we are here to discuss/aid in identification of specific MCU features and diagnostic capabilities that can be used within the system and develop the needed evidence to support these claims with a third party assessor. 

Please let us know if there is any way that we can be of further assistance or if there is any additional guidance that we might be able to provide.