A bottom plate safety barrier system with system networking

Abstract

A baseplate safety barrier system with system networking belongs to the field of communication and safety barrier technology. The present invention includes an intelligent baseplate, several safety barriers installed on the intelligent baseplate, and an intelligent gateway that is communicatively connected to several intelligent baseplates. The intelligent baseplate is provided with: a signal channel that transmits the intrinsically safe signal transmitted from the safety barrier to the control system via an integrated cable according to the safety barrier model; an alarm DO signal channel that converts the alarm DO signal transmitted from the safety barrier into an RS485 signal through the baseplate alarm signal processing circuit and transmits it to the intelligent gateway; the intelligent baseplate transmits the intrinsically safe signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the control system via the signal channel, and transmits the alarm DO signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the intelligent gateway via the alarm DO signal channel. The intelligent gateway transmits the RS485 signal to the control system via a digital channel. The present invention has a high degree of integration, convenient wiring, is suitable for dense installation, simplifies engineering workload, is highly reliable, and is easy to maintain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of communications and safety barriers, and in particular to a bottom plate type safety barrier system including system networking. Background Art

[0002] Industrial control systems, PLCs, and field instruments require safety barriers to isolate signal transmission between field devices and the control system, ensuring the safety of both electrical equipment and personnel. Safety barriers meet intrinsically safe explosion-proof requirements and possess strict isolation capabilities. Installed in safe locations, they work together with intrinsically safe explosion-proof equipment installed in hazardous locations to form an intrinsically safe explosion-proof system. Internal isolation devices, voltage-limiting, and current-limiting components limit the flow of fault energy into hazardous areas, thereby ensuring the safety of both electrical equipment and personnel in these locations.

[0003] Industrial control systems often utilize numerous low-voltage DC signal points (large systems can exceed 10,000 points), requiring dense installation of safety barriers (hundreds of them installed in a single cabinet, often across numerous cabinets). The installation and wiring of numerous safety barriers is complex, and to detect damage to the safety barriers, it is often necessary to connect the alarm terminals of each surge protector to the system's DI points. This large number of safety barriers consumes significant wiring resources and system DI resources. Furthermore, the cumbersome wiring significantly reduces system reliability, affordability, and maintainability.

[0004] The currently used safety barriers have the following disadvantages:

[0005] Guide rail type safety barriers are designed to achieve dense installation. Due to size limitations, they are generally not designed with alarm circuits. Even if they are designed with alarm outputs, they require separate wiring, making assembly more complicated and inconvenient for maintenance.

[0006] Conventional baseplate safety barriers have emerged to address the low integration of guide-rail safety barriers, the heavy wiring workload during large-scale centralized installation, and the proneness to manual installation errors. For medium- to large-scale projects with a large number of I / O points, baseplate products offer significant advantages: enhanced system security, easier signal redundancy, easier maintenance and repair, simplified engineering, reduced human error, and resolved on-site wiring issues between I / O cabinets and DCS cabinets.

[0007] However, conventional baseplate safety barriers simply integrate alarm signals as DO channels into prefabricated wiring harnesses, and do not fundamentally solve the problem of resource waste caused by one alarm corresponding to one DO. Tens of thousands of safety barrier alarm ports in medium and large projects still correspond to tens of thousands of DI points in the DCS. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art and provide a baseplate safety barrier system with system networking, which has high system integration, convenient wiring and is suitable for dense installation, simplifies engineering workload, has strong reliability and is easy to maintain.

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0010] A baseplate safety barrier system with system networking includes an intelligent baseplate, a plurality of safety barriers arranged on the intelligent baseplate, and an intelligent gateway communicating with the plurality of intelligent baseplates; the intelligent baseplate is provided with:

[0011] The signal channel transmits the digital or analog intrinsically safe signal transmitted from the safety barrier to the control system through an integrated cable according to the safety barrier model;

[0012] The alarm DO signal channel converts the alarm DO signal transmitted from the safety barrier into an RS485 signal through the alarm signal processing circuit on the bottom board, and transmits it to the intelligent gateway;

[0013] The intelligent baseboard transmits the intrinsically safe signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the control system through the signal channel, and transmits the alarm DO signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the intelligent gateway through the alarm DO signal channel. The intelligent gateway transmits the RS485 signals transmitted by all the intelligent baseboards connected to it to the control system through a digital channel.

[0014] The present invention primarily uses the baseboard alarm signal processing circuit on the intelligent baseboard to convert the alarm DO signals transmitted from all safety barriers on the intelligent baseboard into RS485 signals. The intelligent gateway then receives all RS485 signals transmitted from several intelligent baseboards and transmits them to the control system via a single digital channel. For example, if each intelligent baseboard is equipped with 16 safety barriers, each intelligent baseboard transmits 16 RS485 signals to the intelligent gateway. If one intelligent gateway is connected to four intelligent baseboards, then one intelligent gateway can transmit 64 RS485 signals to the control system via a single digital channel. Compared to the conventional method of transmitting one alarm DO signal via a single channel, this greatly simplifies on-site wiring and saves control system DI points.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multiple smart gateways connected to the smart backplane are all communicatively connected to a superior smart gateway. The superior smart gateway transmits the RS485 signals received by all smart gateways to the control system via a single digital channel. For example, if each smart gateway is connected to four smart backplanes, and all four smart gateways are connected to the superior smart gateway, the superior smart gateway can transmit 16*4*4=256 RS485 signals via a single digital channel, further conserving DCS point resources.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, multiple intelligent gateways are cascaded to form a secondary communication network. In the secondary communication network, the intelligent gateways connected to the intelligent backplane transmit the received RS485 signals step by step to a highest-level intelligent gateway. The highest-level intelligent gateway transmits the received RS485 signals to the control system via a digital channel. Since the number of intelligent backplanes connected to each intelligent gateway is limited, and the number of lower-level intelligent gateways connected to a higher-level intelligent gateway is limited, in order to further increase the signal transmission capacity of a digital channel, the intelligent gateways are cascaded to form a secondary communication network. By increasing the number of levels in the secondary communication network, the signal transmission capacity is increased exponentially.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the intelligent baseboards is configured with a different hardware address to accurately locate the position where the alarm DO signal is sent.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method for configuring hardware addresses for the intelligent backplane is as follows: a hardware address is preset for the first intelligent backplane, and then other hardware addresses are sequentially generated in a counting manner and respectively configured for other intelligent gateways. Automatically generating hardware addresses avoids errors caused by manual setting. The counting manner means that, for example, if the hardware address preset for the first intelligent backplane is 1000, the subsequently automatically generated hardware addresses are 1001, 1002, 1003, and so on.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the hardware address is preset for the first intelligent backplane, when a new intelligent backplane is connected to the network, the hardware address of the intelligent backplane that most recently connected to the network is found, and a new hardware address is generated in sequence based on the hardware address and assigned to the newly connected intelligent backplane. In this way, hardware addresses are assigned in the order in which the intelligent backplanes were connected to the network, which is more orderly and does not waste resources.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the baseboard alarm signal processing circuit adopts the FM33LC045N chip, which can convert 16 alarm DO signals at the same time.

[0021] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the smart base plates is equipped with 16 safety barriers, and each of the smart gateways is communicatively connected to 4-16 smart base plates. The number of smart base plates connected to a smart gateway can be appropriately selected based on physical conditions such as the number of hardware interfaces, so as to take into account the convenience of disassembly and maintenance.

[0022] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0023] 1. The intelligent base plate is used to realize the centralized and dense installation of the safety barrier, which is easy to install and has a high installation density. It is also more convenient to maintain and disassemble the safety barrier in the later stage.

[0024] 2. The alarm signal processing circuit on the intelligent baseboard converts the alarm signals of 16 safety barriers into RS485 signals. Then, multiple intelligent baseboards are connected through the intelligent gateway. The single digital interface of the intelligent gateway replaces a large number of DI interfaces to monitor the alarm signal output and accurately locate the intelligent baseboard where the abnormal safety barrier is located, greatly saving the system's DI port resources for monitoring safety barrier failures.

[0025] 3. By cascading multiple intelligent gateways to form a secondary communication network, the amount of signals transmitted on a digital channel increases exponentially to meet higher requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a principle block diagram of a bottom plate type safety barrier system including system networking according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the networking of a small system in which the intelligent gateway cooperates with the intelligent baseboard in the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the networking of the intelligent gateway and the intelligent baseboard medium-sized system in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the networking of a large-scale system in which the intelligent gateway cooperates with the intelligent baseboard in the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom plate alarm signal processing circuit of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0032] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the present invention provides a baseplate type safety barrier system with system networking, including an intelligent baseplate, a plurality of safety barriers arranged on the intelligent baseplate, and an intelligent gateway communicatively connected to the plurality of intelligent baseplates; the intelligent baseplate is provided with:

[0033] The signal channel transmits the digital or analog intrinsically safe signal transmitted from the safety barrier to the control system through an integrated cable according to the safety barrier model;

[0034] The alarm DO signal channel converts the alarm DO signal transmitted from the safety barrier into an RS485 signal through the alarm signal processing circuit on the bottom board, and transmits it to the intelligent gateway;

[0035] The intelligent baseboard transmits the intrinsically safe signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the control system through the signal channel, and transmits the alarm DO signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the intelligent gateway through the alarm DO signal channel. The intelligent gateway transmits the RS485 signals transmitted by all the intelligent baseboards connected to it to the control system through a digital channel.

[0036] The intelligent gateway is designed to meet industrial-grade product requirements, integrating data acquisition, data forwarding, RS485 and Ethernet communications, and 4G wireless networking. It enables remote network access for PLCs, DCSs, and various intelligent devices, and is widely used in smart factories, intelligent manufacturing, safety and environmental protection, and other fields. Based on standard components and personalized structural design, it can meet various industrial control and edge networking needs. Its edge computing capabilities allow customers to build specialized algorithms to meet personalized application scenarios. It also has powerful remote transmission capabilities, supporting multiple communication protocols including Modbus-RTU, Modbus-TCP, OPC-UA, and MQTT, and providing remote measurement, control, debugging, and diagnostic services.

[0037] This system primarily uses the alarm signal processing circuit on the intelligent backplane to convert the alarm DO signals transmitted from all safety barriers on the intelligent backplane into RS485 signals. The intelligent gateway then receives all RS485 signals transmitted from several intelligent backplanes and transmits them to the control system via a single digital channel. For example, if each intelligent backplane is equipped with 16 safety barriers, each intelligent backplane transmits 16 RS485 signals to the intelligent gateway. If one intelligent gateway is connected to four intelligent backplanes, then one intelligent gateway can transmit 64 RS485 signals to the control system via a single digital channel. Compared to the conventional method of transmitting one alarm DO signal through one channel, this greatly simplifies on-site wiring and saves control system DI points.

[0038] The above method is mainly for small sites (within one thousand points) that do not require secondary networking. That is, one intelligent gateway transmits the signals of multiple intelligent baseboards to the control system. For medium-sized sites with more points, the following method can be used: Figure 3 The illustrated approach involves multiple smart gateways connected to a single intelligent backplane, each communicating with a single higher-level intelligent gateway. This higher-level intelligent gateway transmits RS485 signals received by all these gateways to the control system via a single digital channel. For example, if each smart gateway is connected to four smart backplanes, and all four gateways are connected to the higher-level intelligent gateway, the higher-level intelligent gateway can transmit 16*4*4=256 RS485 signals via a single digital channel, further conserving DCS point resources.

[0039] If the target is a large site with more points, the following measures need to be taken: Figure 4 The method shown: Multiple intelligent gateways are cascaded to form a secondary communication network. In this secondary communication network, intelligent gateways connected to the intelligent backplane transmit received RS485 signals step by step to a top-level intelligent gateway. The top-level intelligent gateway transmits the received RS485 signals to the control system via a single digital channel. Because each intelligent gateway is connected to a limited number of intelligent backplanes, and a top-level intelligent gateway can only connect to a limited number of lower-level intelligent gateways, to further increase the signal transmission capacity of a single digital channel, intelligent gateways are cascaded to form a secondary communication network. By increasing the number of levels in the secondary communication network, the signal transmission capacity increases exponentially.

[0040] In addition, to accurately locate the location where the alarm DO signal was emitted, each intelligent baseboard is configured with a different hardware address. The specific method for configuring hardware addresses for intelligent baseboards is as follows: a hardware address is preset for the first intelligent baseboard. When a new intelligent baseboard is connected to the network, the hardware address of the intelligent baseboard that was most recently connected to the network is searched, and a new hardware address is sequentially generated based on the hardware address and assigned to the newly connected intelligent baseboard. Automatically generating hardware addresses avoids errors caused by manual settings. Sequentially generating hardware addresses means, for example, that if the hardware address preset for the first intelligent baseboard is 1000, then after the second intelligent baseboard is connected to the network, the hardware address assigned to it is 1001, the third is 1002, and so on. This is done in an orderly manner and does not waste resources.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, the baseboard alarm signal processing circuit adopts FM33LC045N chip, which can convert 16 alarm DO signals at the same time.

[0042] Generally, each smart baseboard is equipped with 16 safety barriers, and each smart gateway is connected to 4-16 smart baseboards. The number of smart baseboards connected to a smart gateway can be selected appropriately based on physical conditions such as the number of hardware interfaces, so as to take into account the convenience of disassembly and maintenance.

[0043] In summary, the present invention, based on the transmission of intrinsically safe signals by integrated cables of conventional baseplate safety barriers, centrally processes the alarm signals of baseplate safety barriers through an intelligent baseplate, and then connects the intelligent baseplates in series through an intelligent gateway to build a project local area network. A single digital interface replaces tens of thousands of DI interfaces to monitor the output of alarm signals and accurately locate the intelligent baseplate where the abnormal safety barrier is located. This solves the following problems: 1. The problem of complex wiring and heavy workload when rail-type safety barriers are densely installed. By integrating system-side wiring through baseplate installation, engineering efficiency is improved, making the system safer and more reliable. 2. The problem of resource waste caused by one alarm signal of a conventional baseplate safety barrier occupying one DI channel of the DCS can be saved thousands of times by converting the alarm signals of tens of thousands of safety barriers into one digital signal output after centralized processing.

[0044] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is one implementation method based on the overall concept of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A baseplate safety barrier system including system networking, characterized in that: The system comprises an intelligent baseboard, a plurality of safety barriers arranged on the intelligent baseboard, and an intelligent gateway connected to the intelligent baseboards; the intelligent baseboard is provided with: The signal channel transmits the digital or analog intrinsically safe signal transmitted from the safety barrier to the control system through an integrated cable according to the safety barrier model; The alarm DO signal channel converts the alarm DO signal transmitted from the safety barrier into an RS485 signal through the alarm signal processing circuit on the bottom board, and transmits it to the intelligent gateway; The intelligent baseboard transmits the intrinsically safe signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the control system through the signal channel, and transmits the alarm DO signals transmitted by all the safety barriers on it to the intelligent gateway through the alarm DO signal channel. The intelligent gateway transmits the RS485 signals transmitted by all the intelligent baseboards connected to it to the control system through a digital channel.

2. A bottom plate type safety barrier system with system networking according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of intelligent gateways connected to the intelligent baseboard are all communicatively connected to a superior intelligent gateway, and the superior intelligent gateway transmits the RS485 signals received by all intelligent gateways to the control system through a digital channel.

3. The bottom plate type safety barrier system with system networking according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple intelligent gateways are cascaded to form a secondary communication network. In the secondary communication network, the intelligent gateway connected to the intelligent baseboard transmits the received RS485 signal step by step to a highest-level intelligent gateway, and the highest-level intelligent gateway transmits the received RS485 signal to the control system through a digital channel.

4. A bottom plate type safety barrier system with system networking according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each of the intelligent baseboards is configured with a different hardware address.

5. A bottom plate type safety barrier system with system networking according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method for configuring the hardware address for the intelligent baseboard is specifically as follows: presetting the hardware address for the first intelligent baseboard, then generating other hardware addresses in sequence according to the counting method, and configuring them to other intelligent gateways respectively.

6. A bottom plate type safety barrier system with system networking according to claim 5, characterized in that: After the hardware address is preset for the first intelligent baseboard, when a new intelligent baseboard is connected to the network, the hardware address of the intelligent baseboard that has recently connected to the network is found, and a new hardware address is generated in sequence according to the hardware address and allocated to the newly connected intelligent baseboard.

7. The bottom plate type safety barrier system with system networking according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom plate alarm signal processing circuit adopts FM33LC045N chip.

8. The bottom plate type safety barrier system with system networking according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the intelligent base plates is equipped with 16 safety barriers, and each of the intelligent gateways is communicatively connected to 4 to 16 intelligent base plates.

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