Safety network system

• US 7,103,422 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2002
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hisashi, Kawaike, Noboru, Shimokawa, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THOMAS K
• Application Number:
  US10/479,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 700/21, 700/3, 700/9, 700/12, 700/26, 700/79, 700/80, 700/81, 700/82, 700/27, 709/208, 709209-211
• US Class Current: 700/21
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric

Abstract

A network master (M) having charge of an operation of a main device (L) and one or more network slaves (S1 to S3) each having charge of a safety determining device (A to C) for determining safety which is an operating permission condition of the main device (L) are connected on the network. Each network slave comprises means for selectively performing a first operation for transmitting information including data for maintenance of the safety determining device or both determination output of the safety determining device and data for maintenance of the safety determining device, to the network master and a second operation for transmitting information including the determination output of the safety determining device but not including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device at all or hardly including it to the network master. The first operation in the network slave is performed when the main device is in a stopped state and the second operation in the network slave is performed when the main device is in an operating state.

Claims

1. A safety network system comprising a network master having charge of an operation of a main device and one or more network slaves each having charge of a safety determining device for determining safety which is an operating permission condition of the main device, which are connected on the network, wherein the network master comprises:

means for monitoring a determination output of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and stopping the operation of the main device when danger is recognized based on the determination output of the safety determining device; and

means for monitoring data for maintenance of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and producing an output to the effect that necessity of maintenance is recognized in any safety determining device based on the data for maintenance of the safety determining device,

each network slave comprises means for selectively performing a first operation for transmitting information including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device or both determination output of the safety determining device and data for maintenance of the safety determining device to the network master; and

a second operation for transmitting information including the determination output of the safety determining device but not including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device at all or hardly including it to the network master, and

the first operation in the network slave is performed when the main device is in a stopped state and the second operation in the network slave is performed when the main device is in an operating state.

2. The safety network system according to claim 1, wherein the safety determining device comprises a safety light curtain, a safety door switch or a safety limit switch.

3. The safety network system according to claim 1, wherein the data for maintenance of the safety determining device comprises data of the number of on-off times of an output, data of energized hours, data of past record of malfunction detection, time data of light shielded time or malfunction detected time and the like.

4. The safety network system according to claim 1, wherein a time matching operation has been performed on a clock circuit of each network slave.

5. The safety network system according to claim 4, wherein the time matching operation in each network slave is performed by a command from the network master.

6. A safety network system comprising a network master having charge of an operation of a main device and one or more network slaves each having charge of a safety determining device for determining safety which is an operating permission condition of the main device, which are connected on the network, wherein the network master comprises:

means for monitoring a determination output of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and stopping the operation of the main device when danger is recognized based on the determination output of the safety determining device; and

means for monitoring data for maintenance of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and producing an output to the effect that necessity of maintenance is recognized in any safety determining device based on the data for maintenance of the safety determining devices,

each network slave comprises means for selectively performing a first operation for transmitting information including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device or both determination output of the safety determining device and data for maintenance of the safety determining device to the network master; and

a second operation for transmitting information including the determination output of the safety determining device but not including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device at all or hardly including it to the network master, and

selection between the first operation and second operation in each network slave is controlled depending on the content of a transmission request command sent from the network master.

7. The safety network system according to claim 6, wherein the network master transmits the transmission request command corresponding to the second operation to each network slave when the main device is in the operating state, and transmits the transmission request command corresponding to the first operation to each network slave when the main device is in the stopped state.

8. The safety network system according to claim 6, wherein the safety determining device comprises a safety light curtain, a safety door switch or a safety limit switch.

9. The safety network system according to claim 6, wherein the data for maintenance of the safety determining device comprises data of the number of on-off times of an output, data of energized hours, data of past record of malfunction detection, time data of light shielded time or malfunction detected time and the like.

10. The safety network system according to claim 6, wherein a time matching operation has been performed on a clock circuit of each network slave.

11. A network master used in a safety network system comprising a network master having charge of an operation of a main device and one or more network slaves each having charge of a safety determining device for determining safety which is an operating permission condition of the main device, which are connected on the network, comprising:

means for monitoring a determination output of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and stopping the operation of the main device when danger is recognized based on the determination output of the safety determining device;

means for monitoring data for maintenance of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and producing an output to the effect that necessity of maintenance is recognized in any safety determining device based on the data for maintenance of the safety determining device; and

means for transmitting a transmission request command corresponding to a first operation for transmitting information including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device or both determination output of the safety determining device and data for maintenance of the safety determining device to each network slave when the main device is in a stopped state, and transmitting a transmission request command corresponding to a second operation for transmitting information including the determination output of the safety determining device but not including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device at all or hardly including it to each network slave when the main device is in an operating state.

12. A network slave used in a safety network system comprising a network master having charge of an operation of a main device and one or more network slaves each having charge of a safety determining device for determining safety which is an operating permission condition of the main device, which are connected on the network, characterized by comprising means for performing a first operation for transmitting information including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device or both determination output of the safety determining device and data for maintenance of the safety determining device to the network master when a first request command is sent from the network master, and performing a second operation for transmitting information including the determination output of the safety determining device but not including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device at all or hardly including it to the network master when a second request command is sent from the network master.

13. A safety network system comprising a network master having charge of an operation of a main device and one or more network slaves each having charge of a safety determining device for determining safety which is an operating permission condition of the main device, which are connected on the network, wherein the network master comprises:

means for monitoring a determination output of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and stopping the operation of the main device when danger is recognized based on the determination output of the safety determining device; and

means for monitoring data for maintenance of each safety determining device through reception information from each network slave, and producing an output to the effect that necessity of maintenance is recognized in any safety determining device based on the data for maintenance of the safety determining device,

each network slave comprises means for selectively performing a first operation for transmitting information including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device or both determination output of the safety determining device and data for maintenance of the safety determining device to the network master; and

a second operation for transmitting information including the determination output of the safety determining device but not including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device at all or hardly including it to the network master, and

the first operation in the network slave is performed when a value of the data for maintenance of the relevant safety determining device is not more than a predetermined threshold value, and the second operation is performed when the value of the data for maintenance of the relevant safety determining device is more than the predetermined threshold value.