Safety Controller Integration of Wired and Wireless Protocols
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial safety systems face increased costs and complexity due to the need for additional gateway devices and protocol converters to connect wireless safety devices to safety controllers, limiting seamless integration and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A safety management controller with both wired and wireless interfaces supporting open industrial protocols like PROFIsafe and openSAFETY over communication protocols such as ISA100, PROFINET, and SafeNet, enabling direct connections and peer-to-peer communications independent of communication channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless safety devices are integrated into safety controllers, then ease of installation and maintenance is improved, but system complexity increases due to need for additional gateway devices and protocol converters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines wired and wireless communication interfaces into a single safety management controller, eliminating the need for separate gateway devices. The controller integrates multiple communication protocols (PROFIsafe, openSAFETY, ISA100, PROFINET, SafeNet) within one device, reducing system complexity while maintaining ease of wireless device installation and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety management controller is designed with multi-functionality to support both wired and wireless communication interfaces simultaneously. It can handle multiple industrial protocols through a single device, providing universal compatibility that simplifies system integration while maintaining operational ease for different device types.
2Reliability
If proprietary communication protocols are used for wireless safety devices, then communication reliability is improved, but adaptability to different industrial protocols deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The safety management controller implements multiple communication protocol stacks (PROFIsafe, openSAFETY, ISA100, PROFINET, SafeNet) within a single device, enabling it to communicate reliably with various industrial protocols while maintaining wired and wireless interface support. This multi-functional design ensures both reliability and broad adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary device that translates between different communication protocols. It receives data from wireless safety devices using various protocols and converts it into a unified internal format for processing, enabling reliable communication across different protocol standards without sacrificing adaptability.
3Reliability
If wired communication is used for safety device integration, then communication reliability is improved, but ease of installation and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges wired and wireless communication capabilities within the same safety management controller. This allows the system to maintain the reliability of wired connections while also supporting the installation and maintenance ease of wireless devices, providing flexibility in interface selection based on specific application requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides an apparatus, system and method for supporting wired and wireless communications in industrial safety systems. The apparatus, system and method involve a safety management controller comprising one or more processors, one or more wired interfaces, and one or more wireless interfaces; wherein the safety management controller supports an application stack associated with an open industrial protocol that operates over multiple communication protocols, at least one of the communication protocols comprising a wired communication protocol, at least one other of the communication protocols comprising a wireless communication protocol.