Control Architecture for Separate Safety and Standard PDO Cycles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional control devices cannot independently stop standard and safety parts in a slave unit, leading to communication abnormalities and the need to halt the entire system for updates or maintenance, compromising security and convenience.
Innovation Solution
A control device that separates standard and safety PDO communications into independent packets and cycles, allowing selective stopping of parts for maintenance while ensuring security through separate processing of control and security information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If standard and safety PDO communications are processed together in the same communication cycle, then communication simplicity is maintained, but selective stopping of parts for maintenance becomes impossible and system downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the communication processing into separate standard PDO communication and safety PDO communication cycles. This segmentation allows the control device to independently manage and selectively stop standard part communication while maintaining safety part communication, enabling maintenance without complete system shutdown.
2Productivity
If the entire device is stopped for standard part program updates, then update integrity is ensured, but productivity and convenience are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By separating standard and safety PDO communications into different cycles, the patent enables updates to standard parts during periods when safety communications continue normally. This eliminates the need to stop the entire device for standard part maintenance, thereby improving productivity while maintaining reliability through independent communication monitoring.
3Adaptability or versatility
If standard and safety communications are updated simultaneously, then resource allocation is simplified, but maintenance flexibility and convenience are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements separate communication cycles for standard and safety PDOs, allowing independent configuration and maintenance scheduling. This segmentation provides flexibility to perform maintenance on standard parts without affecting safety functions, while the separate cycle management handles the increased complexity through structured organization.
Data Source
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AI summary
This control device is connected to a master device and controls a drive target on the basis of the content of communication with the master device, and is characterized by comprising: a communication means which periodically sends to and receives from the master device first information, which is information relating to control of the drive target, and second information, which is information relating to safety; a first processing means which controls the drive target by processing the first information; a second processing means which, by processing the second information, performs processing to ensure safety of the drive target; and an abnormality determining means which determines that an abnormality has occurred if both the first information and the second information have not been processed within a prescribed period.