IEC / EN 62745 (Wireless Control Systems)
Sets the functional and interface requirements for the wireless control systems of machines. Frequency, range, protocol and IP rating are outside it.
IEC/EN 62745 is the standard that sets out the functional and interface requirements for the wireless control systems of machines; it targets in particular the portable control stations the operator carries. It is applied in addition to the basic standard that gives the general requirements for the electrical equipment of machinery: everything required on a wired machine keeps its validity, and the additional risks brought by being wireless are closed by this standard.
The main subjects it covers
- Prevention of unintended operation.
- Prevention of unauthorised use.
- Serial data integrity and error detection.
- Establishment, indication and loss of communication.
- Behaviour in the event of loss of supply.
What it does not determine
A frequent mistake is to think the standard prescribes a particular frequency or range. The standard is silent on these matters; the radio side is the domain of radio regulations, and the protection rating that of the IP standard. In the same way it does not determine the communication protocol, the encryption method or the electromagnetic compatibility limits either. The physical design of the operator interface — button layout, marking, direction consistency — is the subject of the crane control devices standard. Knowing this distinction is useful at the moment of purchase: a statement of conformity given for a product does not on its own contain any commitment to a range, a frequency or a protection rating.
What it corresponds to in the field
The requirements of the standard look abstract on paper but their counterparts are concrete. Preventing unintended operation means the remote control not starting a movement when it is dropped into a pocket; how this is achieved is explained separately. Preventing unauthorised use means that the remote control cannot drive the machine when it falls into anyone's hands. The loss of communication behaviour, meanwhile, is the answer to the question of what the machine should do when the signal is cut: if there is no valid command, the movement does not continue.
Indicating the state of the communication is a concrete requirement too. The operator must be able to tell by looking at the device whether the remote control's link to the machine is established; only this indication distinguishes between a button pressed before pairing is complete being quietly swallowed and the movement genuinely not starting. On an installation without an indicator the operator tries pressing the button harder, and fault hunting begins in the wrong place.
Consequences for whoever does the installation
Adding a wireless remote control changes the control architecture of the machine. Whether the stopping element on the transmitter takes the place of the machine's wired emergency stop chain is a separate question; whether emergency stopping over the wireless link is sufficient on its own depends on the risk assessment. Do not remove or bridge the existing wired chain, and position the wireless system not as its backup but as a convenience added on top of it. Preventing unauthorised use is largely the installer's job as well: keeping the remote control in a locked cabinet at the end of the shift is the simplest field counterpart of the protection the standard asks for.
How a claim of conformity is built
Since no declaration of conformity appears in the product data for the AXI ST and SF sets, do not attach a claim of conformity with this standard to the product; build the conformity of your machine through your own risk assessment and your supplier documentation. Conformity is a property of the assembled machine and not of a component, and the document is produced by the party that places that machine on the market. The practical route is this: assess the wireless remote control as a component, meet the headings the standard lists one by one through the control architecture of your machine, and put in writing which requirement you have met with what. That record is also the ground you will come back to at every change made later.
The context in which this term is used: Wireless remote control installation: pairing, relay, safety