Distributed networking system and method to implement a safety state environment

• US 10,514,683 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Profire Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Profire Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Fisher, Patrick David, Northcott, Benjamin Ryan, Dublanko, Curtis Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khiem D
• Application Number:
  US14/856,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/05 Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41855 by local area network [LAN], network structure
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31001 CIM, total factory control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A distributed networking system and protocol is provided to a networking system with a modular design. The distributed networking system may include a networking system, modules, control module, user interface module, input/output module, network module, data transmission network, hybrid modules and composite modules. A method to interface with accessories of a system with a modular design using the distributed networking system and protocol is also provided.

Claims

1. A distributed network system comprising:

modules communicable via a network, the modules comprising;

a control module comprising a safety core to communicate data and affect operation of at least part of the modules, the control module substantially implementing a safety state environment by verifying compliance with a safety standard and distributing the safety state environment that is in compliance among the modules,

an interface module communicably connectable with the control module to facilitate interaction with the distributed network system, and

an I/O module communicably connected with the control module for at least partially interfacing with an accessory connected to the distributed network system, the I/O module being operable in a sensing configuration and a directing configuration, wherein interfacing with the accessory while operating in the sensing configuration comprises receiving sensor data from the accessory, and wherein interfacing with the accessory while operating in the directing configuration comprises providing operational instruction to the accessory;

wherein at least part of the network is a safety network managed by the control module to facilitate reliable communication and substantially prevent unsafe failure conditions in compliance with the safety standard;

wherein the safety core comprises a processor to analyze and verify the data;

wherein the control module is logically associable with one or more additional control modules as an appliance, wherein the control module and at least one of the one or more additional control modules collectively direct the appliance to accomplish related tasks, and wherein the safety state environment, reliability, or both of the safety state environment and reliability of the distributed network system is improvable via redundancy provided by the appliance.

2. The distributed network system of claim 1, wherein the safety core redundantly analyzes the data and wherein the safety core comprises voting logic to verify the data that is analyzed.

3. The distributed network system of claim 1, wherein the network is operated over a data link layer comprising Ethernet, and wherein the modules comprise a descriptor communicable via a transport layer.

4. The distributed network system of claim 1, further comprising a network module communicably connectable among the modules to relay the data communicated among the modules connected to the distributed network system via the network module, wherein the data relayed via the network module is not altered by the network module.

5. The distributed network system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a first network section configurable between the interface module and the control module, wherein the network comprises a second network section configurable between the control module and the I/O module.

6. The distributed network system of claim 5, wherein a plurality of control modules is communicable with the interface module via the first network section, and wherein a plurality of I/O modules is communicable with the control module via the second network section.

7. The distributed network system of claim 1, wherein a hybrid module is includable with the distributed network system, wherein the hybrid module comprise the modules that are assimilated and identifiable as a single module of the distributed network system.

8. The distributed network system of claim 1, wherein the modules are collectable as a composite module, and wherein the modules included in the composite module are identifiable as discrete modules of the distributed network system.

9. The distributed network system of claim 1, wherein the safety standard is at least substantially SIL3 compliant.

10. The distributed network system of claim 1, wherein the control module further comprises power distribution aspects to distribute power from the control module to at least part of the modules of the distributed network system.

11. A distributed network system comprising:

modules communicable via a network, the modules comprising;

a control module comprising a safety core to communicate data and affect operation of at least part of the modules, the control module substantially implementing a safety state environment by verifying compliance with a safety standard and providing the safety state environment that is in compliance to the modules, and

an I/O module communicably connected with the control module for at least partially interfacing with an accessory connected to the distributed network system, the I/O module being operable in a sensing configuration and a directing configuration, wherein interfacing with the accessory while operating in the sensing configuration comprises receiving sensory data from the accessory, and wherein interfacing with the accessory while operating in the directing configuration comprises providing operational instruction to the accessory;

wherein at least part of the network is a safety network managed by the control module to facilitate reliable communication and substantially prevent unsafe failure conditions;

wherein the safety core comprises a processor, a memory, and redundancy to analyze and verify the data, the safety core further comprising voting logic to verify the data that is analyzed;

wherein the network is operated over a data link layer comprising Ethernet;

wherein the modules comprise one or more descriptors communicable via a transport layer;

wherein the control module is logically associable with one or more additional control modules as an appliance, wherein the control module and at least one of the one or more additional control modules collectively direct the appliance to accomplish related tasks, and wherein the safety state environment, reliability, or both of the safety state environment and reliability of the distributed network system is improvable via redundancy provided by the appliance.

12. The distributed network system of claim 11, wherein the modules further comprise an interface module communicably connectable with the control module to facilitate interaction with the distributed network system.

13. The distributed network system of claim 12, wherein the network comprises a first network section configurable between the interface module and the control module, wherein the network comprises a second network section configurable between the control module and the I/O module, wherein a plurality of control modules is communicable with the interface module via the first network section, and wherein a plurality of I/O modules is communicable with the control module via the second network section.

14. The distributed network system of claim 11, further comprising a network module communicably connectable among the modules to relay the data communicated by the modules, wherein the data relayed via the network module is not altered by the network module.

15. The distributed network system of claim 11, wherein the control module further comprises power distribution aspects to distribute power from the control module to at least part of the modules of the distributed network system.

16. A method of interacting via a distributed network system of modules communicable via a network, the method comprising:

communicating data via the network;

affecting operation of at least part of the modules via a control module comprising a safety core;

verifying compliance with a safety standard and providing a safety state environment that is in compliance with the safety standard to the modules; and

at least partially interfacing with an accessory connected to the distributed network system via an I/O module communicably connected with the control module, the I/O module being operable in a sensing configuration and a directing configuration;

wherein interfacing with the accessory via the I/O module while operating in the sensing configuration comprises receiving sensory data from the accessory;

wherein interfacing with the accessory via the I/O module while operating in the directing configuration comprises providing operational instruction to the accessory;

wherein at least part of the network is a safety network managed by the control module to facilitate reliable communication and substantially prevent unsafe failure conditions;

wherein the safety core comprises a processor to analyze and verify the data;

wherein the control module is logically associable with one or more additional control modules as an appliance, wherein the control module and at least one of the one or more additional control modules are configured to collectively direct the appliance to accomplish related tasks, and wherein the safety state environment, reliability, or both of the safety state environment and reliability of the distributed network system is improvable via redundancy provided by the appliance.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the network is operated over a data link layer comprising Ethernet, and wherein the modules comprise a descriptor communicable via a transport layer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps:

facilitating interaction with the distributed network system via an interface module communicably connectable with the control module;

logically associating the control module with an additional control module as an appliance;

directing the control module and the additional control module to accomplish related tasks via the appliance; and

improving the safety state environment, reliability, or the safety state environment and reliability of the distributed network system via redundancy provided by the appliance.