SAFETY AUTOMATION BUILDER

• US 20160313724A1
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Eitzman, Mark, Brogli, Christopher, Jones, Derek W., Johnson, Jonathan B., Murgatroyd, Ian James, Main-Reade, David, Maher, Brian J., Schriver, Brian Haley
• Application Number:
  US15/204,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20160313724A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4063 Monitoring general control system G05B19/4062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4068 Verifying part programme on screen, by drawing or other means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50193 Safety in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/20 Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A safety automation builder that assists in development of compliant safety functions for industrial safety systems is provided. The safety automation builder imports a system drawing or image of a user'"'"'s manufacturing line, machine, or production area, and guides the user through a workflow that facilitates configuration of safety functions for each hazardous access point. The safety automation builder leverages a library of safety devices and encoded knowledge of industrial safety standards to guide the user toward selection of suitable safety devices for mitigating risks associated with the access points. Once configured, the safety automation builder can export the safety function data to an external verification system for confirmation that the configured safety functions comply with the prescribed industrial safety standards.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components; and

a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising;

an interface component configured to receive, via interaction with an image of an industrial automation system, access point configuration data relating to a hazardous access point of the industrial automation system, wherein the access point configuration data comprises zone information defining a first location of one or more zones of the industrial automation system, access point information defining a second location of the hazardous access point associated with the one or more zones, and performance level information defining a performance level requirement for a safety function to be installed at the hazardous access point;

a device search component configured to, in response to receipt of the access point configuration information, select, from a safety device library that stores safety device data representing a set of safety devices, a first subset of the safety device data corresponding to a subset of the safety devices that satisfy the performance level specified by the access point configuration data, wherein the device search component is further configured to filter the first subset of the safety device data in accordance with received selection data identifying a selected safety device, of the subset of the safety devices, to be associated with the hazardous access point, yielding a second subset of the safety device data corresponding to the selected safety device; and

a safety function table generator configured to format the access point configuration data and the second subset of the safety device data to yield formatted data conforming to a format required by a performance level verification system.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a performance level verification interface configured to export the formatted data to a performance level verification system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the performance level verification interface is further configured to receive verification data from the performance level verification system indicating whether one or more safety functions defined by the formatted data satisfy a standardized performance level required for the hazardous access point.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bill of materials generator configured to generate a bill of materials for a safety function represented by the access point configuration data and the second subset of the safety device data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point configuration data further comprises at least one of category data identifying a category of a safety function required for the hazardous access point, safety function type data identifying a type of the safety function, hazard data identifying a type of hazard associated with the hazardous access point, or guard information identifying a type of guarding in use at the hazardous access point.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the formatted data comprises at least one of a name of one or more safety functions defined by the access point configuration data and the second subset of the safety device data, an input device comprising the one or more safety functions, an output device comprising the one or more safety functions, a logic device comprising the one or more safety functions, a triggering event for the one or more safety functions, a safe state of the one or more safety functions, or a reaction of the one or more safety functions in response to the trigger event.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the safety function table generator is further configured to organize the formatted data for one or more safety functions according to the one or more zones defined by the zone information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to render a graphical icon on the image based on the interaction with the image, and wherein the graphical icon represents at least one of an input safety device represented by the second subset of the safety device information, an output safety device represented by the second subset of the safety device information, a logic safety device represented by the second subset of the safety device information, an access point indicator, a hazard indicator, a separating guard, a non-separating guard, or a zone boundary.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the safety device library, the interface component, the device search component, or the safety function table generator is configured to reside on at least one of a web server or a cloud platform.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to render a sequence of prompts to facilitate receipt of the zone information, the access point information, the performance level information, and the selection data.

11. A method for configuring a safety function for an automation system, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising at least one processor and via interaction with an image representing an industrial automation system, access point configuration data specifying criteria for a safety function to be associated with a hazardous access point of the industrial automation system, wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving zone information specifying one or more first locations of respective one or more zones on the image,

receiving access point information specifying a second location of the hazardous access point associated with a zone of the one or more zones, and

receiving performance level information indicating a performance level requirement for the hazardous access point, and

in response to the receiving the access point configuration data, retrieving, by the system from a safety device library containing safety device data representing a set of safety devices, a first subset of the safety device data describing a subset of the safety devices that satisfy the performance level specified by the performance level information;

receiving, by the system, selection data identifying a selected safety device, of the subset of the safety devices, to be associated with the hazardous access point;

in response to the receiving the selection data, filtering, by the system, the first subset of the safety device data in accordance with the selection data, wherein the filtering yields a second subset of the safety device data describing the selected safety device; and

formatting, by the system, the access point configuration data and the second subset of the device data to yield formatted data that conforms to a format capable of being processed by a performance level verification system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising exporting, by the system, the formatted data to the performance level verification system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, by the system, verification data from the performance level verification system indicating whether the safety function defined by the access point configuration data and the second subset of the safety device data satisfies a standardized performance level required for the hazardous access point.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating, by the system, bill of material data for the safety function represented by the access point configuration data and the second subset of the safety device data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the access point configuration data further comprises receiving least one of category data identifying a category of the safety function, safety function type data identifying a type of the safety function, hazard data identifying a type of hazard associated with the hazardous access point, or guard information identifying a type of guarding in use at the hazardous access point.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising organizing the formatted data for one or more safety functions, including the safety function, according to the one or more zones defined by the zone information.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising rendering a graphical icon on the image based on the interaction with the image, and wherein the graphical icon represents at least one of an input safety device represented by the second subset of the safety device information, an output safety device represented by the second subset of the safety device information, a logic safety device represented by the second subset of the safety device information, an access point indicator, a hazard indicator, a separating guard, a non-separating guard, or a zone boundary.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the access point configuration data and the receiving the selection data comprise rendering, by the system, a sequence of graphical guides that prompt for receipt of the zone information, the access point information, the performance level information, and the selection data.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

exporting the formatted data to the performance level verification system; and

receiving verification data from the performance level verification system indicating whether the safety function defined by the access point configuration data and the second subset of the safety device data satisfies a standardized performance level required for the hazardous access point.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

rendering an image representing an industrial automation system;

receiving, via interaction with the image, access point configuration data defining criteria for a safety function to be associated with a hazardous access point of the industrial automation system, wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving zone information defining one or more locations of one or more zones on the image,

receiving access point information defining a second location of the hazardous access point associated with a zone of the one or more zones, and

receiving performance level information defining a performance level requirement for the hazardous access point, and

in response to the receiving the access point configuration data, retrieving, from a safety device library containing safety device data representing a set of safety devices, a first subset of the safety device data identifying a subset of the safety devices that satisfy the performance level specified by the access point configuration data;

receiving selection data identifying a selected safety device, of the subset of the safety devices, to be associated with the hazardous access point;

in response to the receiving the selection data, filtering the first subset of the safety device data in accordance with the selection data, wherein the filtering yields a second subset of the safety device data corresponding to the selected safety device; and

formatting the access point configuration data and the second subset of the device data to yield formatted data that conforms to a format compatible with a performance level verification system.