Secure Motor Starter with Modular Connection Module
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current motor starters require complex and error-prone customer wiring for connecting safety evaluation devices to safe switching devices, increasing effort and costs, particularly in ensuring redundancy and diversity for safety-related applications.
Innovation Solution
A motor starter design featuring a connection module with specific interfaces that mechanically couples the safety evaluation device and safe switching device, establishing an electrically conductive connection for control commands, allowing direct or processed switching of supply voltage without additional cabling, thereby simplifying the connection process and reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If customer wiring is used to connect safety evaluation device to safe switching device, then the motor starter can be controlled safely, but the customer effort and error risk increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The connection module merges the safety evaluation device and safe switching device into a single integrated unit where the control connection is pre-established internally. This eliminates the need for customers to perform complex wiring between separate devices while maintaining safety functionality through the integrated control path.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor starter is segmented into distinct functional modules (safety evaluation device, safe switching device, connection module) that can be independently manufactured and tested, yet function as an integrated system. This modular approach allows pre-verification of safety functions while simplifying customer installation.
2Reliability
If separate safety evaluation device and safe switching device are used, then redundancy and diversity are achieved, but the device complexity and cabling requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate safety and switching devices are merged into a single integrated motor starter unit with internal connections. This maintains the redundancy and diversity benefits of having separate functional components while eliminating the external cabling complexity that would be required to connect them.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated connection module serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the control connection pathway, houses the internal wiring infrastructure, and enables both safety evaluation and switching functions within a single universal component that replaces multiple separate devices.
3Reliability
If additional cabling is required for safety device connection, then reliable control is achieved, but manufacturing costs and installation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control connection infrastructure is merged into the connection module itself, which is pre-assembled during manufacturing with all necessary internal wiring and contacts. This eliminates the need for additional field installation of cabling and reduces both manufacturing and installation costs while maintaining control reliability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a secure motor starter having a security evaluation unit (1), having a first interface (11), and a secure switch unit (2) having a fourth interface (21), wherein the secure switch unit (2) can securely control a supply voltage of a consumer (4), wherein the security evaluation unit (1) can transmit a control command via the first interface (11) to the fourth interface (21) of the secure switch unit (2). According to the invention, in order to provide an improved motor starter, the motor starter further comprises a connection module (3), which comprises a second and third interface (31, 32), wherein the second interface (31) is electrically conductively connected to the third interface (32), wherein the security evaluation unit (1) can be mechanically coupled to the connection module (3) so that an electrically conductive connection is produced between the first and second interfaces (11, 31), and the secure switch unit (2) can be mechanically coupled to the connection module (3) so that an electrically conductive connection between the third and fourth interfaces (32, 21) is produced, so that, in the coupled state of the security evaluation unit (1) and the secure switch unit (2) to the connection module (3), there is an electrically conductive connection between the first and fourth interfaces (11, 21) via the connection module (3), so that the control command can be transmitted from the security evaluation unit (1) via the connection module (3) to the secure switch unit (2).