Method and control and data-transmission system for checking the installation location of a safety communications component

• US 20090299503A1
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Schmidt, Joachim, Horn, Steffen, Oster, Viktor
• Granted Patent: US 8,134,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/81
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25111 Using broadcast message
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/423 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method and also a control and data-transmission system is presented, with which the installation location of at least one safety bus component connected to the control and data-transmission system (10) can be checked.

For this purpose, in two separate communications cycles, a respective position identifier, which had been allocated to the safety bus components (60) in a prior configuration process, is transmitted to each safety bus component via a non-safety communications control device (30). The safety bus components compare the position identifiers received in the two communications cycles to the contents of a memory, in which a reference position identifier has already been stored or which is still empty. Based on a comparison of the transmitted position identifier to the reference position identifier and the configuration dataset stored in a safety control device (50), it can be tested whether each safety bus component is connected to the predetermined installation location within the control and data-transmission system (10).

Claims

1. Method for checking the installation location of at least one safety component (60) connected to a control and data-transmission system (10), wherein a non-safety communications control device (30), to which a safety control device (50) is allocated, is connected to the control and data-transmission system, wherein the non-safety communications control device (30) recognizes the position of each connected component in the control and data-transmission system (10), the method comprising:

storing, in the non-safety communications control device (30), a first configuration dataset, which contains information on the position of all of the connected components with respect to the control and data-transmission system (10) and an individual position identifier for each safety component (60);

storing, in the safety control device (50), a second configuration dataset which contains a list of only the connected safety components and also an individual position identifier for each safety component;

transmitting, in a first communications cycle, each individual position identifier from the non-safety communications control device (30) to each safety component (60);

transmitting the individual position identifiers contained in the second configuration dataset, in safety messages from the safety control device (50) to the non-safety communications control device (30);

transmitting, in a second communications cycle, the individual position identifiers contained in the received safety messages, from the non-safety communications control device (30) to the corresponding safety components (60);

comparing, at each safety component, the individual position identifiers received in the first and second communications cycles;

if a safety component determines that the individual position identifiers match, testing whether a reference position identifier is stored in the corresponding safety component;

if a reference position identifier is stored in the corresponding safety component, comparing the individual position identifier to the reference position identifier; and

if the individual position identifier matches the stored reference position identifier of the corresponding safety component, signaling, via the safety control device (50), that the corresponding safety component is connected at the predetermined installation location.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the individual position identifier transmitted in the first and/or second communication cycle is stored as a reference position identifier in the corresponding safety component, if a reference position identifier has not yet been stored;

that

the safety control device (50) receives, from the corresponding safety component, a safety message that contains information on the fact that the position identifiers transmitted in the first and second communication cycles match and that no reference position identifier has yet been stored in the corresponding safety component; and

that

as a response to the received safety message, the safety control device (50) informs an operator that the position identifiers transmitted in the first and second communications cycles match and that no reference position identifier has yet been stored in the corresponding safety component, and requests the operator to confirm that the corresponding safety component is connected at the predetermined installation location.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

if the individual position identifiers received in the first and second communications cycles match, the reference position identifier stored in the corresponding safety component is compared to the individual position identifier, that

if the reference position identifier does not match the individual position identifier, the reference position identifier is overwritten by the individual position identifier, that

the corresponding safety component informs, by means of a safety message, the safety control device (50) that the individual position identifiers received in the first and second communications cycles do not match the stored reference position identifier, and that,

as a response to the received safety message, the safety control device (50) informs an operator that the position identifiers transmitted in the first and second communications cycles match, but that the position identifiers do not match the reference position identifier in the corresponding safety component, and also requests the operator to confirm that the corresponding safety component is connected at the predetermined installation location.

4. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that

the corresponding safety component (60) and/or the control and data-transmission system (10) are moved into a safety state if the operator does not confirm that the corresponding safety component is connected at the predetermined installation location or if the corresponding safety component determines that the individual position identifiers received in the first and second communications cycles do not match.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the reference position identifier in the corresponding safety component is replaced by the individual position identifier only when the operator has confirmed that the corresponding safety component is connected at the predetermined installation location.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the control and data-transmission system (10) has a ring-shaped construction.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the control and data-transmission system (10) contains a field bus (70) according to the Interbus standard, that the first communications cycle is the ID cycle and the second communications cycle is the data cycle of the Interbus protocol, and the individual position identifiers are transmitted at predetermined positions within a summation frame from the non-safety communications control device (30) to the corresponding safety components.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

in the second configuration dataset, at least one component-specific parameter is included for each safety component, and that

in the first start-up of the control and data-transmission system or in the replacement of safety components, the safety components transmit at least one component-specific parameter and the serial number in at least one safety message to the safety control device (50), wherein the serial number of the corresponding safety component is fed to the second configuration dataset.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the safety messages, which come from the safety control device (50) and which contain the individual position identifiers, are forwarded in the second communications cycle from the non-safety communications control device (30) to the corresponding safety components.

10. Control and data-transmission system, comprising:

a transmission device (70), to which at least one non-safety communications control device (30) and at least one safety component (60) are connected, wherein the non-safety communications control device (30) knows the position of each connected component and has a memory device for storing a first configuration dataset, which contains information on the position of all of the connected components with respect to the control and data-transmission system (10) and an individual position identifier for each safety component (60); and

a safety control device (50) allocated to the non-safety communications control device (30) with a memory device for storing a second configuration dataset, which contains a list of only the connected safety components and also an individual position identifier for each safety component;

wherein the safety control device (50) is constructed for generating and transmitting a safety message containing the individual position identifier of a safety component (60) to the non-safety communications control device (30),

wherein the non-safety communications device (30) is constructed for transmitting individual position identifiers to safety components (60) during a first communications cycle and for transmitting the individual position identifiers received from the safety control device (50) to the safety components (60) during a second communications cycle,

wherein each safety component has a memory device (96) for storing a reference position identifier, a device (92) for comparing the individual position identifiers received during the first and second communications cycle, a device for comparing the received individual position identifiers to a reference position identifier, and a device for transmitting at least one safety message to the safety control device, wherein the safety message contains information on the comparison results, and

wherein the safety control device (50), as a response to the safety message received from a safety component, requests an operator to confirm that the safety component is connected at the predetermined installation location.

11. Control and data-transmission system according to claim 10, characterized by

a device for moving a safety component and/or the control and data-transmission system into a safety state, if the operator does not confirm that the corresponding safety component is connected at the predetermined installation location or if the corresponding safety component determines that the individual position identifiers transmitted in the first and second communications cycles do not match.

12. Control and data-transmission system according to claim 10, characterized in that

the safety control device (50) is connected to the non-safety communications control device (30) via a coupling memory (40).

13. Control and data-transmission system according to claim 10, characterized by

a programmable control unit (90), which, as a response to the fact that the individual position identifiers transmitted in the first and second communications cycles do not match the reference position identifier stored in the memory device of each of the safety components, causes the corresponding safety component to overwrite the reference position identifier with the individual position identifier.