Safety Protocol for Automation Control Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automation systems face challenges in ensuring safety and reliability, particularly in isolating safety-related control functions from non-safety-related functions, which leads to increased hardware complexity and limitations in executing safety programs in arbitrary operating environments.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating safety modules with encapsulated input and output parameters, using a safety protocol for data transmission, and logically combining these modules to ensure safe data interchange, allowing safety functions to be executed in any non-safe program environment without errors, and reducing program complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety-related control functions are isolated from non-safety-related control functions using a standalone safety program, then safety and reliability are improved, but hardware complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines safety-related control functions and non-safety-related control functions into a single integrated safety program that can execute on standard automation hardware. This merging approach eliminates the need for separate standalone safety computers and dedicated safety wiring, thereby reducing hardware complexity while maintaining safety integrity through logical isolation within the unified program structure.
2Reliability
If safety programs are executed on a standalone automation computer with dedicated wiring, then complete isolation of safety and non-safety functions is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a safety program as an intermediary layer that runs on standard automation hardware. This safety program acts as a mediator between safety-critical inputs (from sensors, emergency stops) and safety-critical outputs (to actuators, alarms), providing logical isolation and safety assurance without requiring physically separate hardware systems. The safety program filters and processes signals through safety-certified logic while sharing the underlying hardware infrastructure with non-safety functions.
3Device complexity
If safety programs are integrated with non-safety-related control programs on common hardware, then hardware complexity is reduced, but the risk of errors from non-safety functions influencing safety functions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control program into distinct functional modules: a safety program portion and a non-safety control program portion. The safety program is further divided into safety input processing, safety logic evaluation, and safety output generation modules. This segmentation allows the safety functions to be logically separated and independently verified within the integrated program structure, preventing interference from non-safety functions while sharing common hardware resources.
Data Source
AI summary
For the purpose of controlling safety functions as part of a system controller which is not oriented to safety functions in an automation system, the invention provides safety modules having a sound functionality and provides a safety protocol which transmits data in the form of safety messages, wherein input and output parameters from each safety module are encapsulated by the safety protocol, and the individual safety modules are logically combined with one another in terms of data and flow by means of a data transmission link in line with the system's safety functions which are to be controlled, the data interchange taking place between the safety modules on the basis of the safety protocol.