Configurable safety system for implementation on industrial system and method of implementing same
a safety system and industrial controller technology, applied in the field of industrial systems, can solve problems such as difficult and costly to implement safety systems by way of industrial controllers within industrial systems, create safety risks, damage to equipment or product losses,
Active Publication Date: 2010-12-28
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECH
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AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
The present invention is about a control system for an industrial system that can operate safely and reliably. The control system includes a safety controller that can communicate with different safety subsystems of the industrial system. The safety controller has a memory with a master safety control program that can be used to operate the industrial system. The control system also has a configuration mechanism that can receive a configuration input and validate the information provided. The validation process involves communicating with the safety subsystems and confirming their presence or absence. Once the validation is complete, the safety controller automatically modifies the master safety control program to create a configured master safety control program that can operate the industrial system safely. The technical effect of this invention is to provide a flexible and efficient way to operate industrial systems safely and reliably.
Problems solved by technology
Industrial systems can be highly productive when operating properly, but also typically include hazards that have the potential to cause damage to equipment or product losses and to create safety risks.
Additionally, the safety systems often include complicated hardware controls (e.g., relay circuits) or software programs that are executed on system control devices, which control and monitor the operation of the safety systems.
Although industrial controllers are effective in providing reliability and safety, it is often difficult and costly to implement safety systems by way of industrial controllers within industrial systems.
This custom-writing of safety control programs can become expensive as new safety control programs are repeatedly written for new industrial systems.
Additionally, the safety control programs for the industrial controllers of an industrial system generally increase in complexity with the complexity of the industrial systems for which the control programs are intended, which depends upon (among other things) the number of safety-enhancing devices employed in the industrial systems and the number of different types of safety-enhancing devices that are employed.
In particular, the safety control program(s) for a main industrial controller, which typically is in communication with all or most of the other components of an industrial system, can be particularly complicated to write so that proper control, monitoring, diagnostics, etc. of the industrial system and its safety-enhancing devices are performed and so that appropriate safety status information is made available to operators.
The complexity of the safety control programs further exacerbates the costs associated with writing those programs and implementing safety systems using such programs.
Method used
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[0023]Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary station or area 10 of an exemplary industrial system 5 includes a main control panel 20 that is coupled to and in communication with a plurality of safety subsystems 30 as well as a human / machine interface (HMI) 40. Additionally, as shown, the main control panel 20 can be (but need not be) coupled to other stations of the industrial system such as a previous station 50 and a next station 60, as well as to an overall plant information system 70. The particular safety subsystems 30 of station 10 are shown to include robots 80, gateboxes 90, and operator stations 100, although in alternate embodiments the types of safety subsystems could vary from those shown. For example, the robots 80 are representative of a variety of different types of power motion devices such as motors, conveyors, etc., the gateboxes 90 are representative of a variety of different types of maintenance access interfaces / points, and the operator stations 100 are representativ...
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A configurable control system for operating an industrial system in a reliable, safety-enhanced manner, and method of implementing such a system in any of a variety of particular industrial systems of a given class, are disclosed. The method includes storing, onto a controller of a particular industrial system, a master program capable of being used to operate a generalized industrial system having a maximum number of safety subsystems of a given type, where the particular industrial system falls within a class defined by the generalized system. The method also includes receiving a configuration input indicative of an absence / presence of a safety subsystem of the first type; validating the input; automatically configuring the master program to arrive at a configured program capable of operating the particular industrial system; and activating the controller for operation according to the configured program, which can include activating visualization or annunciation mechanisms representing the configured system.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60 / 394,976, which was filed on Jul. 9, 2002, and also claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60 / 442,847, which was filed on Jan. 24, 2003.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to industrial systems that employ industrial controllers, safety interlocks and other components to provide for high reliability and safety-enhanced operation of the industrial systems.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Industrial systems commonly include multiple subsystems and components such as power motion devices (e.g., robots), maintenance access interfaces / points (e.g., gateboxes), operator access points (e.g., operator stations), etc., which can be arranged in one or more stations of the overall system to perform industrial processes. Industrial systems can be highly productive when operating properly, but also typically include hazards tha...
Claims
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IPC IPC(8): G06F19/00G05B9/02G05B15/02G05B19/406
CPCG05B9/02G05B15/02G05B19/058G05B19/406G05B2219/34465
Inventor SCHUSTER, GEORGE K.
Owner ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECH