Arrangement with a signal processing connection and a functional unit

• US 5,935,222 A
• Filed: 05/07/1997
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Knauer, Detlev
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hossain, Abu
• Application Number:
  US08/793,192
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 395/834, 395/846, 395/848, 395/651, 395/866, 370/346, 370/449, 340/825.08
• US Class Current: 710/14
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25296 Identification module, type connected I-O, device

Abstract

An arrangement wherein peripheral modules of a decentralized peripheral system connected to an automation unit can be identified. To do so, the peripheral modules of the decentralized peripheral system are equipped with a device that converts a polling signal sent to it into an identification signal during an identification mode. The arrangement can be used in decentralized peripheral systems of programmable control systems.

Claims

1. A module identification arrangement, comprising:

a functional unit including an identification device; and

a signal processing connection connected to the functional unit via a power supply line and a signal line,

wherein, in a normal operation mode, the functional unit receives a supply voltage from the signal processing connection, and

wherein, in an identification mode, the signal processing connection does not provide the supply voltage and supplies a polling signal to the functional unit via the signal line, the identification device generating an identification signal as a function of the polling signal, the identification signal indicating a type of the functional unit, the identification device transmitting the identification signal to the signal processing connection via the supply line.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, in the identification mode, the identification device converts the polling signal into the identification signal.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing connection initiates the identification mode at predetermined times.

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the signal processing connection initiates the identification mode cyclically.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the identification signal includes one of a first identification signal and a second identification signal, and the functional unit includes one of a digital output module and a digital input module, wherein, when the functional unit is the digital output module, the identification signal is the first identification signal, and when the functional unit is the digital input module, the identification signal is the second identification signal.

6. A module identification arrangement, comprising:

a plurality of functional units, each of the plurality of functional units having an identification device; and

a signal processing connection, each of the plurality of functional units connected to the signal processing connection via a respective power line and a respective signal line,

wherein, in a normal operation mode, each of the plurality of functional units receives a supply voltage from the signal processing connection,

wherein, in an identification mode, the signal processing connection does not provide the supply voltage and supplies a polling signal to each of the plurality of functional units via the respective signal line, each identification device generating an identification signal as a function of the polling signal, the identification signal indicating a type of the respective functional unit, each identification device transmitting the respective identification signal to the signal processing connection via the respective supply line, and

wherein the signal processing connection includes a device which analyzes the identification signal.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein each identification device converts the polling signal into the identification signal.

8. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the signal processing connection initiates the identification mode at predetermined times.

9. The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the signal processing connection initiates the identification mode cyclically.

10. The arrangement according to claim 6,

wherein the identification signal includes one of a first identification signal and a second identification signal, and each of the plurality of functional units includes one of a digital output module and a digital input module, and

wherein, for each of the plurality of functional units, when the functional unit is the digital output module, the respective identification signal is the first identification signal, and when the functional unit is the digital input module, the respective identification signal is the second identification signal.

11. A functional unit, comprising:

an identification device; and

a plurality of terminals for connection, via a power line and a signal line, to a signal processing connection, each of the terminals connected to the identification device,

wherein, in a normal operating mode, the signal processing connection supplies a supply voltage to the identification device, and

wherein, in an identification mode, the signal processing connection does not provide the supply voltage and supplies a pooling signal to the functional unit via the signal line, the identification device generating an identification signal as a function of the polling signal, the identification signal indicating a type of the functional unit, the identification device transmitting the identification signal to the signal processing connection via the supply line.

12. The functional unit according to claim 11, wherein the identification device converts a polling signal into the identification signal, the polling signal being supplied by the signal processing connection via one of the terminals during the identification mode.