Safety switch with protective locking mechanism

Abstract

To provide a safety switch which is designed in a small size and in compact so as to allow a guard locking via a bolt and can effectively and safety perform the guard locking in an energy-saving type.SOLUTION: A safety switch (10) comprises: a movably mounted locking bolt (30) configured to lock an actuator (12) in a defined locking position relative to the safety switch (10); and a movably mounted locking bulkhead (60) capable of moving in and out between a first position and a second position. The locking bulkhead (60) is configured to fix the locking volt (30) in the second position via a form fit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention (hereinafter, the invention may sometimes be referred to as "disclosure") relates to a safety switch and a safety switching mechanism including the safety switch and an actuator.

Background Art

[0002] Safety switches and corresponding safety switching mechanisms are used in safety technology to reduce the risks posed by machines and technical systems to an acceptable level. Usually, such a safety switching mechanism is used to safely access a dangerous area, for example, in connection with a safety door that acts as a separation protection device to safely access the dangerous area. In such a case, if the safety switching mechanism can ensure that the safety door is properly locked, the safety switch alone can enable the operation of a dangerous system within the dangerous area. The system can be realized via a safety controller that is coupled to the safety switching mechanism and receives corresponding safety-related control signals from the safety switching mechanism.

[0003] This type of safety switching mechanism complies with standard rules that define the safety in case of a predetermined malfunction of the safety switching mechanism. The required safety in case of a malfunction can be achieved by additional safety-related devices of the safety switching mechanism. For example, transmitters and receivers respectively arranged on the actuator and the safety switch can interact to ensure the presence of the actuator at a predetermined locked position regarding the safety switch.

[0004] In addition to monitoring interlocking, the aforementioned types of safety switching mechanisms also include guard locking. Guard locking not only monitors the position of moving safety components but also locks them in place. Such guard lockings are known, for example, from Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2. The guard lockings described therein have a guard locking bolt that can move between an unlocked position and a locked position by a rotary drive, and the guard locking bolt and the drive are kinematically coupled to each other via a transmission device.

[0005] Another form of protective locking is described in Patent Document 3, which teaches a safety switch with a small and compact design. The safety switch according to Patent Document 3 does not have a locking bolt. Rather, a locking unit is provided, and a locking element in the locked position protrudes into an opening of the locking unit, reducing its size. The actuator can be held within the locking unit, with its front end having a cross-sectional area larger than this reduced opening but smaller than the opening alone. The locking element can be moved against the operating force to allow the actuator to pass through the opening, and as soon as the actuator is inserted into its locked position, the operating force moves the locking element back into the locked position, fixing the actuator in place. An additional locking unit can be used to lock the locking element so that it cannot move any further against the operating force. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 10, 2009 041 101, Specification A1 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2016 / 058718, Specification A1 [Patent Document 3] European Patent Application Publication No. 3 474 304 Specification A1 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The protective locking described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 has the disadvantage that the bolts are always kinematically coupled to their respective drive devices, and therefore the forces acting on the bolts are also transmitted to the drive devices. On the other hand, the device described in Patent Document 3 separates the locking element and the protective locking, but is limited to a specific actuator shape.

[0008] In light of these circumstances, the object of this disclosure is to provide a safety switch that enables protective locking via a bolt, has a small and compact design, and enables effective, safe, and energy-efficient protective locking. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a safety switch is provided comprising a movably mounted locking bolt configured to lock an actuator to a predetermined locked position relative to the safety switch, and a locking bulkhead mounted to be retractable between a first position and a second position, the locking bulkhead being configured to fix the movably mounted locking bolt to the second position via a positive fit.

[0010] Therefore, the idea of ​​the present invention is to provide a safety switch having a locking bolt that can be locked via a movable locking bulkhead. Through form closure in a second position, the locking bulkhead prevents the movement of the locking bolt and absorbs the forces acting on the locking bolt. The forces on the locking bolt increase, for example, when attempting to open the safety door against the protective locking, and thereby these forces can be transmitted to the structure of the safety switch, particularly to the housing, without being transmitted to the bolt's actuating element or the locking bulkhead's drive mechanism. In particular, the drive mechanism can then be designed for lower loads and can be operated with lower energy. This means that the safety switch as a whole can be designed to be smaller, more compact, and less expensive.

[0011] Since locking is performed by a bolt, there are many possibilities for the design of the corresponding actuator, or how the actuator is combined with the safety switch. The shape of the actuator only needs to be such that the bolt can engage, and the angle at which the actuator approaches the safety switch radially relative to the bolt can be arbitrary. In addition to being smaller and more compact in design, the safety switching mechanism consisting of a safety switch and an actuator can be used more flexibly in this way.

[0012] Structurally separating the locking mechanism with protective bolts and bulkheads has the advantage that both devices can be designed solely for their respective purposes, and therefore can be designed particularly efficiently.

[0013] In a preferred improved form, the locking bolt may be attached to a guide body having a recess, through which the locking bulkhead is movable within the guide body, and a proper fit is formed between the locking bulkhead and the guide body.

[0014] Therefore, the locking bulkhead can be pushed into the guide body of the locking bolt, thereby locking the locking bolt. The force acting on the locking bulkhead through the bolt is transmitted through the locking bulkhead to the guide body, and thereby to the structural elements of the safety switch. This allows the bolt drive mechanism and the locking bulkhead drive mechanism to be isolated from this force.

[0015] For proper engagement of the locking bolt with the guide body, it is sufficient to use a very short bulkhead that only moves a short distance from the first position to the second position. This also makes it possible to design a drive unit for the locking bulkhead in a simple and compact manner.

[0016] In a further improved form, the safety switch further comprises a transmission element configured to move a locking bulkhead from a first position to a second position, lateral to the longitudinal direction of the transmission element, and particularly perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the transmission element, during motion along the longitudinal direction of the transmission element.

[0017] The transmission element allows for lateral movement to set the bulkhead, which can be substantially parallel to the movement of the locking bolt. This allows the safety switch to extend essentially along the longitudinal direction of the locking bolt, enabling a narrower design for the safety switch. The transmission element further allows the locking bulkhead's drive mechanism to be decoupled from the bulkhead. In other words, the transmission element and the locking bulkhead may be arranged such that the forces acting on the locking bulkhead are not transmitted to the transmission element's drive mechanism.

[0018] In a further improved form, the transmission element may include a first projection that rises in a first direction traversing the longitudinal direction of the transmission element, and a second projection that rises in a second direction opposite to the first direction and is offset longitudinally from the first projection.

[0019] The upward and downward movement of the locking partition across the longitudinal direction of the transmission element can be realized in a simple manner via the protrusion without the need for additional components. At the same time, this type of force direction change enables the implementation of force disconnection in a simple manner.

[0020] In a further improved form, the safety switch may further include an actuator configured to move the locking partition from a first position to a second position.

[0021] The actuator enables the controlled protection locking of the safety switch. Since the distance that the locking partition described in this specification has to move to lock the bolt is short, the drive device for the partition can be designed very simply, small, and energy-saving.

[0022] In a further improved form, the drive device may be an electromechanical actuator, particularly a linear solenoid, which performs a first linear motion along a predetermined direction of motion.

[0023] Therefore, the drive device may be a simple lifting device that can be designed particularly simply when it only performs a short movement. In this case, this is made possible by the corresponding design of the locking partition.

[0024] In a further improved form, the locking bolt can be configured to perform a second linear motion along a predetermined direction of motion.

[0025] According to this improved form, the directions of movement of the bolt and the drive device therefore correspond. Thereby, the safety switch can be made to extend essentially longitudinally and thus be as narrow as possible.

[0026] In a further improved form, the locking bolt and the drive device may be mechanically disengaged.

[0027] This improved configuration allows for an economical and simple drive mechanism. This is because the drive mechanism does not need to counteract the locking force acting on the locking bolts, since they are separated through a proper fit.

[0028] In a further improved form, the safety switch may include an actuator that has an actuation force that biases the locking bolt to a pre-centering position.

[0029] In this improved configuration, the safety switch has a pre-centering function. Pre-centering means holding the actuator in a position suitable for locking without locking it beforehand. Pre-centering eliminates the need to move the locking bolt itself again for the actual locking, because it is already in the locked position. For the final locking, only the movement of the locking bolt against the operating force should be prevented.

[0030] In a further improved form, the safety switch may further include an additional unlocking mechanism for moving the locking bulkhead from a first position to a second position.

[0031] The additional unlocking mechanism can function as an auxiliary unlocking device and also allow for manual unlocking. It is also conceivable to upgrade the auxiliary unlocking to an emergency unlocking. The additional unlocking device can also be configured to move only the locking bulkhead. In this way, auxiliary or emergency unlocking can be performed in a simple manner.

[0032] In a further improved form, the safety switch may further include a reader configured to read a signal from the corresponding transponder of the actuator when the actuator is in a predetermined locked position.

[0033] The actuator's position can be verified via a transponder housed within the actuator. The transponder / reader combination ensures compliance with normative requirements for safety switches as an additional safety device. Since the actuator can be flexibly configured according to the embodiment of the invention, various transponder / reader unit combinations can also be designed.

[0034] In a further improved form, the safety switch may further include a socket into which an actuator can be inserted to occupy a predetermined locked position, the socket having an opening angle of 180 degrees into which the actuator can be inserted.

[0035] By allowing the actuator to be positioned at a 180-degree angle to the safety switch, the safety switching mechanism can be designed flexibly, and the safety switch can be positioned in a different orientation relative to the actuator.

[0036] The features described above and those described below are understood to be usable in other combinations or individually, as well as in the combinations suggested in each case, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0038] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a safety switching mechanism according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the safety switch configuration. [Figure 3] A further cross-sectional view of the safety switching mechanism shown in Figure 1 is presented. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a safety switching mechanism according to an embodiment. The safety switching mechanism, as a whole referred to herein by reference no. 100, essentially comprises two mutually movable and interacting components, namely a safety switch 10 and an actuator 12.

[0040] The actuator 12 includes a mounting section 14, through which the actuator 12 can be connected to a movable safety component, such as a safety door. The actuator 12 also includes an actuator section 16, which can be made to make an operative connection with the safety switch 10 based on the position of the movable safety component.

[0041] The safety switch 10 comprises a base 18 that can be fixed to a device (e.g., a door frame) that is fixed to a movable safety component, and a housing having a socket 20 into which the actuator portion 16 of the actuator 12 can be inserted to establish an operating connection.

[0042] The operating connection may include interlock monitoring and protective locking. The status of the operating connection can be visualized via a display element 22 on the base 18. Furthermore, the status can be reported via interface 24 to other devices (particularly a safety controller) to trigger a response corresponding to the status detected by the safety switch 10. For example, the safety controller can shut down the operation of the technical equipment if the actuator unit 16 is not properly detected at the receptacle 20.

[0043] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the safety switch 10 further includes an auxiliary release device 26 that enables auxiliary or emergency release of the actuator 12. As will be described in more detail below, the auxiliary release device 26 can be used to manually release the protective locking by the safety switch 10.

[0044] Referring to Figure 2, the exemplary structure of the safety switch 10 will be described in more detail below. Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the safety switch 10 of Figure 1, taken longitudinally from the base 18. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts as in Figure 1.

[0045] In Figure 2, as already shown with reference to Figure 1, the actuator 12 is in a predetermined locked position relative to the safety switch 10, where the actuator unit 16 is positioned within the receptacle 20 of the safety switch 10 in such a manner that proper locking of the safety-related movable component with respect to the fixed component to which the safety switch 10 is mounted can be assumed. The proper position of the actuator unit 16 within the receptacle 20 can be determined, for example, via a transponder 28 in the actuator unit 16 and a corresponding reader 29 in the safety switch 10, as suggested herein. However, it should be noted that the safety switch 10 is not limited to this design for interlock monitoring, and other methods for determining the position of the actuator unit relative to the safety switch 10 can be considered.

[0046] At a predetermined locked position, the actuator unit 16 can be locked within the receiving opening 20 by the safety switch 10 so that the movable safety-related components can no longer move relative to the fixed components (protective locking).

[0047] For this purpose, the safety switch 10 has a movably mounted locking bolt 30 that can engage with the actuator unit 16. For example, the actuator unit 16 may have a recess 32 in the form of a hole, as shown herein, or in the form of an engagement recess into which the locking bolt 30 engages to secure the actuator unit 16. Simple engagement is sufficient for securing, and engagement on the back of the actuator unit 16 is not required.

[0048] Using the locking bolt 30 in the manner described for fixing, the actuator unit 16 can be supplied to the safety switch 10 at any radial angle relative to the locking bolt 30 and fixed in place. For example, the receiving opening 20 may have a slot-like shape with a wide opening of 180 degrees to receive the actuator unit 16, as shown herein. The actuator 20 may be formed, for example, by a closing surface 34 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal body axis 36 of the bolt, a fastener 38 on the opposite side of the bolt 30, and a transverse member 40 connecting the fastener 38 to the base 18. Alternatively, a receiving opening 20 made of two parts from which the fastener 38 is removed from the base 18 is conceivable. In this case, the actuator unit 16 could be fed radially to the locking bolt 30 at a 360-degree angle.

[0049] As shown in this specification and the drawings, the locking bolt 30 may be a cylindrical body having a round head portion 42 and ending with a radially projecting flange portion 44 on the opposite side of the head portion 42. The locking bolt 30 may be movably mounted on the guide 46 along its longitudinal body axis 36.

[0050] The locking bolt 30 is movable between a locked position in which the locking bolt 30 protrudes toward the closed surface 34 and a released position in which the locking bolt 30 releases the actuator 16. The flange portion 44 can be placed inside a hollow cylindrical guide body 48, in which case the upper fastener 50 and the lower fastener 52 of the guide body 48 define a movement path 54 along which the locking bolt 30 can move between the two positions.

[0051] The reaction spring 56 (actuator) biases the locking bolt to move to the locked position. The flange portion 44 and the guide body 48 may each include opposing holes 58 to receive and support the reaction spring 56. The reaction spring 56 may exert a force on the locking bolt 30 sufficient to pre-center the actuator portion 16, but not to the extent that it prevents the actuator portion from moving from the locked position. Rather, the acting force of the reaction spring 56 may be selected to allow a person to pull the pre-centered actuator portion 16 out of the socket 20 with normal force. This can be further facilitated by rounding the head of the locking bolt 30 and / or, accordingly, rounding the recess 32 of the actuator portion 16. When the actuator unit 16 is moved in and out, the locking bolt 30 is preloaded, or biased, in the locked position, and therefore moves against the operating force of the reaction spring 56.

[0052] The safety switch 10 further includes a locking bulkhead 60, which is positioned to fix a movably mounted locking bolt 30, at least in its locked position. The locking bulkhead 60 may be a rapidly displaceable shutter that can be inserted laterally, and particularly perpendicularly, into the movement path 54 of the locking bolt 30 with respect to the longitudinal body axis 36 of the locking bolt 30. For example, the locking bulkhead 60 may be insertable into the guide body 48 through a radial recess 62, where it occupies a first position (locked position).

[0053] In the locked position, the locking bulkhead 60 prevents the movement of the locking bolt 30 via a positive fit. The positive fit may be formed by the engagement of the locking bulkhead 60 with the flange portion 44 and the stop surface 64 of the guide body 48. The force pushing the locking bolt 30 longitudinally against the operating force of the reaction spring 56 acts perpendicular to the locking surface 66 of the locking bulkhead 60 with the side opposite to the locking surface 66 in contact with the contact surface 64 of the guide body 48. The guide body 48 absorbs the force acting on the locking bolt 30 via the locking bulkhead 60 and may be fixedly attached to the base 18, and therefore fixedly attached to the component to which the housing is attached together with the base 18.

[0054] In the second position (release position), the movement of the locking bolt 30 is released, allowing it to move along the longitudinal body axis 36 within the guide body 48. When the locking bulkhead 60 is in the release position, the actuator unit 16 can be pulled out from the receiving port 20 to push the locking bolt 30 against the operating force of the reaction spring.

[0055] As shown in Figure 2, the locking bulkhead 60 can lock the locking bolt 30 in the locked position. In various embodiments, the locking bulkhead 60 may additionally hold the locking bolt 30 in the released position, i.e., in a position where the locking bolt 30 does not protrude through the closing surface 34. For this purpose, the locking bolt 30 and the locking bulkhead 60 may be arranged such that the locking bulkhead 60 engages with the flange portion 44 to hold the locking bolt 30 against the operating force of the reaction spring 56. Here again, the locking bulkhead 60 may cooperate with the guide body 48 so that the force applied to the locking bolt 30 by the operating force is resisted by positive fit.

[0056] The rocking bulkhead 60 is movable laterally, and particularly vertically, with respect to the longitudinal main shaft 36 of the rocking bolt 30. The driving force for the movement of the rocking bulkhead 60 may be supplied by a drive unit 68. The drive unit 68 is coupled to the rocking bulkhead 60 by a transmission element 70. The transmission element 70 may perform linear motion generated by the drive unit 68 and transmit this motion to the rocking bulkhead 60.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2, the drive unit 68 may be a linear solenoid, particularly a bistable linear solenoid, that causes the rod 72 to move linearly. In this specification, the rod 72 transmits the linear motion of the drive unit 68 to the transmission element 70, and the lower part of the transmission element 70 78 It ends with a radially protruding head portion 74 that engages with a receiving opening 76 located therein.

[0058] The motion of the transmission element 70 may be substantially parallel to the longitudinal main axis 36 of the locking bolt 30. With respect to motion, the transmission element 70 may be attached to a guide 80 that extends parallel to the guide body 48. Furthermore, the transmission element 70 may move the locking bulkhead 60 laterally with respect to the longitudinal main axis 36 of the locking bolt 30 to lock it as described above.

[0059] The rocking bulkhead 60 may be supported such that the forces acting on the rocking bulkhead 60 laterally with respect to this axis are absorbed by the support, so that it can move only along this horizontal axis 82. As shown in Figure 2, the rocking bolt 30, the rocking bulkhead 60, and the transmission element 70 can be force-decoupled by appropriate bearings. The bearing of the rocking bulkhead 60 may be provided, for example, by a recess 62 in the guide body 48.

[0060] To transmit movement from the transmission element 70 to the locking bulkhead 60, the transmission element 70 may include projections 84 and 86 that extend laterally relative to the linear movement of the transmission element 70. The projections 84 and 86 may be, for example, in the form of round cams, and may cooperate with the locking bulkhead 60 so that the latter selectively occupies a locked or unlocked position when the transmission element moves laterally. For example, the locking bulkhead 60 may include an opening 88 through which the transmission element 70 passes longitudinally, in which case the projections 84 and 86 move (deflect) the locking bulkhead 60 in the direction in which the projections extend.

[0061] The distance over which the locking bulkhead 60 can deflect, i.e., the distance between the first position and the second position, may be very small, for example, less than 5 mm. In addition, the locking bulkhead 60 may be supported without restraint so that the force required to move it from the first position to the second position is small. Therefore, a small and very compact drive unit 68 would suffice to provide effective protective locking. Furthermore, since the force acting on the locking bolt 30 against the operating force of the reaction spring 56 is not transmitted to the actuator 68, the actuator 68 does not need to be designed to resist such forces.

[0062] Overall, the small size of the drive unit 68 and the simple locking mechanism make it possible to make the safety switch 10 very small and compact. Furthermore, the drive unit 68 requires very little energy to provide the effective protective locking described.

[0063] The safety switch 10 may have an auxiliary unlocking device 26 (Figure 1) that provides additional unlocking options, as shown in the embodiments described herein. The safety switch 10 can be manually unlocked via the auxiliary unlocking device 26, for example, with the help of a wrench or square wrench.

[0064] In the embodiments described herein, the auxiliary unlocking device 26 is coupled to the transmission element 70 at its lower portion 78, and the rotational motion of the auxiliary unlocking device 26 is converted into linear motion of the transmission element 70 as described above. Subsequently, the locking bulkhead 60 is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position by the linear motion in the manner described above.

[0065] The drive unit 68 only needs to be designed to apply force to move the locking bulkhead; otherwise, it will be mechanically disconnected from the locking bolts, so in this configuration, an auxiliary release can be directly actuated against the driving force of the drive unit 68.

[0066] In contrast to known safety switches, the protective locking described herein via the locking partition 60 thus allows for auxiliary and / or emergency release, particularly in a simple design, because it does not require providing additional disconnection from the drive unit 68. Thus, the design of the safety switch 10 can be further simplified.

[0067] The electronic device 90 may be provided for interlock monitoring by transponder / reader combinations 28, 29, for visualization of the status of the safety switch 10 by the display element 22, and for control of the drive unit 68.

[0068] The electronic device 90 may include integrated and individual components and is arranged in this specification on a single printed circuit board 92.

[0069] The printed circuit board 92 extends substantially along the longitudinal direction of the safety switch 10, directly along the upper surface 94 of the housing of the safety switch 10. This positioning has the advantage that all the necessary electrical components of the safety switch 10 can be placed on a single circuit board.

[0070] The circuit board may include a reader 29, a display element 22, a drive controller 96, and a sensor system 98 for detecting the operating status of each of the protective locking components.

[0071] The sensor system 98 may be a photoelectric sensor in which light rays are blocked depending on the position of the transmission element 70.

[0072] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the safety switching mechanism 100 described above. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts as those shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0073] In this specification, the cross-section is the normal plane to the longitudinal axis 36 of the locking bolt 30 and passes through the locking partition 60. As in the previous embodiment, the locking partition 60 is in a locked position, preventing the movement of the locking bolt 30. The locking bolt 30 is attached to the guide body 48 so that the bolt 30 can move along its longitudinal axis 36. The locking partition 60 is movably attached to a recess 62 in the guide body 48 and is movable laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis 36.

[0074] In this embodiment, the locking bulkhead 60 includes an opening 88 through which the transmission element 70 passes. The transmission element 70 is, as specified herein, movable parallel to the longitudinal body axis 36. In this regard, projections 84, 86 deflect the locking bulkhead 60 to a locked or unlocked position. Additional fasteners on the guide body 48 prevent the locking bulkhead from being inserted too deeply into the guide body 48.

[0075] It should be noted that the locking partition 60 is not limited to the embodiment shown herein, and other modifications may be considered regarding ways in which the locking partition 60 may be constructed. All that is required is that the locking partition 60 can engage with the movement path of the locking bolt 30 so that the locking bolt 30 is locked in its movement through the forward fit. The forward fit can be formed by the guide body 48.

[0076] Furthermore, the embodiments described herein should be understood as merely illustrative, and different embodiments may be conceived without departing from the scope of the present invention. In principle, the scope of protection of the present invention is determined by the following claims and is not limited by the features described in the description or shown in the drawings.

Claims

1. Safety switch (10), A movable locking bolt (30) is configured to lock the actuator (12) to a predetermined locked position relative to the safety switch (10), A movable locking latch (60) is provided, which is movable between a first position and a second position. The locking latch (60) is configured to hold the movable locking bolt (30) in the predetermined locked position by fitting when the locking latch (60) is in the second position. The device further comprises a transmission element (70), wherein the transmission element (70) is configured to move the locking latch (60) from the first position to the second position in a direction lateral to the longitudinal direction of the transmission element (70) when the transmission element (70) moves along its longitudinal direction. Safety switch (10), wherein the transmission element (70) includes a first projection (84) that rises in a first direction traversing the longitudinal direction, and a second projection (86) that rises in a second direction opposite to the first direction and is offset in the longitudinal direction relative to the first projection (84).

2. The movable locking bolt (30) is attached to a guide body (48) having a recess (62), The safety switch according to claim 1, wherein the locking latch (60) is movable into the guide body (48) through the recess (62), and the fitting for locking the locking bolt (30) is formed between the locking latch (60) and the guide body (48).

3. The safety switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmission element (70) is configured to move the locking latch (60) from the first position to the second position perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the transmission element (70).

4. The safety switch according to claim 1, further comprising a drive device (68) configured to move the locking latch (60) from a first position to a second position.

5. The safety switch according to claim 4, wherein the drive device (68) is an electromechanical actuator that performs a first linear motion along a predetermined direction of motion.

6. The safety switch according to claim 5, wherein the drive device (68) is a solenoid.

7. The safety switch according to claim 5, wherein the movably mounted locking bolt (30) is configured to perform a second linear motion along the predetermined direction of motion.

8. The safety switch according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the movable-mounted locking bolt (30) and the drive unit (68) are mechanically disconnected.

9. The safety switch according to claim 1, further comprising an actuator element (56) configured to bias the locking bolt (30) to its locked position.

10. The safety switch according to claim 4, further comprising an auxiliary unlocking device (26) configured to move the locking latch (60) from the first position to the second position.

11. The safety switch according to claim 10, wherein the auxiliary unlocking device (26) is coupled to the drive device (68), and the locking latch (60) is movable against the driving force of the drive device (68) by the operation of the auxiliary unlocking device (26).

12. The safety switch according to claim 1, further comprising a reader (29) configured to read a signal from a corresponding transponder (28) of the actuator (12) when the actuator (12) is in the predetermined locked position.

13. The safety switch according to claim 1, further comprising an evaluation unit configured to directly or indirectly detect the position of the actuator portion (16) of the actuator (12), the position of the locking bolt (30), and / or the position of the locking latch (60), and to notify a controller connected to the safety switch (10) of the detected positions.

14. The safety switch according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving port (20) into which the actuator portion (16) of the actuator (12) can be inserted to occupy the predetermined locked position, wherein the receiving port (20) has an opening angle of 180 degrees into which the actuator portion (16) can be inserted.

15. A safety switching mechanism (100) comprising a safety switch (10) as described in claim 1 and an actuator (12) that is movable relative to the safety switch (10).

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