| New application standard IEC/UL 62368 for consumer products
In recent decades, information and communication technology (ICT) products and audio/video equipment have increasingly converged technologically. For this reason, a new, common safety standard has been developed which unites the previously different standards under a new name: IEC/UL 62368-1. |
Consumer products not only have to meet functional and performance-related targets and requirements in terms of energy efficiency and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), they also have to comply with a large number of safety requirements. These legal requirements are sometimes highly complex.
Until 20 December this year, such legal safety specifications will be ensured by two different standards. This is often an unnecessary hurdle for many ICT and AV developers, as the technologies used have now come much closer together. They are often even identical.
What is the new standard about?
The new safety standard IEC/UL 62368-1 is not a mere summary of the two old standards. It is based on the HBSE (Hazard Based Safety Engineering) principles for the physical protection of equipment users and also measures the effectiveness of safety measures.
The HBSE principles protect users by identifying potentially hazardous energy sources and the mechanisms by which energy can be transmitted to a user. It proposes appropriate means to prevent these transmissions – both in normal operation and under faulty conditions. Although the 62368-1 standard is risk-based, it does not require a risk analysis such as IEC 60601-1. For device designers, this is an important change in the standard that must be considered for future certification.
SCHURTER is ready
All marked SCHURTER components are suitable for use in applications according to the new IEC/UL 62368-1. The correct use of the SCHURTER component must be checked by the device designer in the final application for conformity with the standard.
