Powered safety curtains

A safety barrier assembly to control access to equipment, comprising:

• a track defining slot;
• a barrier extending through the slot into the track, the barrier moveable within the track between an open position and a closed position, the open position to enabling access to the equipment, the closed position to substantially preventing access to the equipment;
• a guide member to be attached to the barrier and retained entirely within the track, the guide member having a thickness greater than a width of the slot to retain the guide member within the track;
• a sensor to identify when the barrier is in the closed position by detecting a target on the guide member, the target retained entirely within the track;
• a lock lo engage a receptacle of the guide member in response to the signal, an interaction between the lock and the receptacle to prevent the barrier from moving out of the closed position;
• and
• a controller to provide a first electrical input to cause the lock to engage the portion receptacle of the guide member in response to the signal, the controller to provide a second electrical input responsive to feedback indicating the equipment is in a safe state, the second electrical input to cause the lock to disengage the receptacle of the guide member to enable the barrier to move to the open position.

A method of providing a safety barrier assembly to control access to equipment, comprising:

• providing a track;
• providing a barrier that includes a guide member to be retained entirely within the track, the barrier to be moveable within the track between an open position and a closed position, the open position to enabling access to the equipment, the closed position substantially preventing access to the equipment;
• coupling a sensor to the track, the sensor to trigger a signal that identifies when the barrier is in the closed position;
• and
• coupling an electrically activatable plunger to the track, the electrically activatable plunger to extend into the guide member in response to the signal and to retract from the guide member based on feedback indicating that the equipment is in a state safe to be accessed, the barrier to automatically move the open position in response to the feedback.