Coupling of safe fieldbus systems

• US 7,809,449 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Esch, Rainer, Landwehr, Heinz-Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, SUNRAY
• Application Number:
  US11/368,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/21
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25205 Encrypt communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40208 characterized by the use of a particular bus standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play

Abstract

Generally, a means for coupling widely differing fieldbus or network systems to their own respective safety mechanisms is provided, in such a way as to ensure the transmission of safety data between at least two bus/network systems with different safety mechanisms.

A method and an apparatus are provided for coupling at least two (field)bus/network systems to respectively different safety mechanisms, in particular respective proprietary safety mechanisms, with safety data which is to be transmitted between the different system-based safety mechanisms being processed additionally using a safe data structure which is defined but is system-independent.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data between at least a first (field) bus/network system and a second (field) bus/network system, which are to be coupled, wherein for safety data to be transmitted within a system, the first system has different safety mechanisms for protecting the safety data and converting between the safety data and a safe data structure than the second system has, wherein the respective safe data structure depends on the safety mechanisms of the respective system, wherein safety data to be transmitted between the different system-based safety mechanisms is processed additionally using an independent safe data structure, wherein the independent safe data structure is a data structure that is defined independent of the (field) bus/network systems to be coupled and is configured to bypass the safety mechanisms of the (field) bus/network systems to be coupled, in such a way that the safety data, which is to be transmitted, is protected and converted to the independent safe data structure on a system-independent basis and after being transmitted the safety data is converted from the independent safe data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the safety data is converted from a system-dependent safe data structure (321, 322, 366), which is in the form of one or more channels, before being transmitted using the independent safe data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the safety data is converted to a multiple-channel or single-channel system-dependent safe data structure (321, 322, 366) after being transmitted using the independent safe data structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in each case, one data structure which is to be converted from one safe data structure to another safe data structure is evaluated (10, 20, 301, 302, 311, 312) on a safety basis, and a data protocol (20), which is in the form of one or more channels after evaluation, is converted (10, 20, 301, 302, 311, 312) to the corresponding other safe data structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, the safety data which is processed additionally using said independent safe data structure (215) is transmitted within a unit, which is involved with a process to be controlled, of one of the systems to be coupled, to be precise between a safety-related device, which processes safety data that is relevant for this process, of the unit and at least one (field)bus/network connection of the unit.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, safety data which comprises a set of input/output data, which is in the form of one or more channels, of the process to be controlled, is converted to the independent safe data structure, or is obtained from the independent safe data structure by evaluation of that independent safe data structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, the independent safe data structure is protected for single-channel transmission.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, the data structure is protected using safety mechanisms in accordance with IEC 61508 and SIL 3.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, the transmission is carried out using non-safe components (200, 201, 202).

10. An apparatus for transmitting data between at least a first (field) bus/network system and a second (field) bus/network system, which are to be coupled, wherein for safety data to be transmitted within a system, the first system has different safety mechanisms for protecting the safety data and converting between the safety data and a safe data structure than the second system has, wherein the respective safe data structure depends on the safety mechanisms of the respective system, comprising at least one first and one second safety-based data processing module (10) for processing safety data to be transmitted between the different system-based safety mechanisms using an independent safe data structure, wherein the independent sale data structure is a data structure that is defined independent of the (field) bus/network systems to be coupled and is configured to bypass the safety mechanisms of the (field) bus/network systems to be coupled, wherein each of the data processing modules (10) is coupled to a system-based safety mechanism (30, 301, 302, 311, 312), in which case at least the at least one first data processing module is designed to convert the safety data, which is to be transmitted, to the independent safe data structure, wherein the safety data is protected on a system-independent basis, and at least the at least one second data processing module is designed to convert the safety data from the independent safe data structure.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least the at least one first data processing module is designed to convert safety data, which is to be transmitted and is in the form of one or more channels, to the independent safe data structure, and at least the at least one second data processing module is designed for safety-based evaluation of the independent safe data structure in order to produce safety data in the form of one or more channels.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the data processing modules (10) are integrated in a unit, which is involved with a process to be controlled, of one of the systems to be coupled, with at least one of the at least two data processing modules being integrated in a safety-related device which processes safety data that is relevant for this process, and at least one other of the at least two data processing modules being integrated with a (field)bus/network connection in the unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, furthermore comprising at least one data processing module, which is integrated in the safety-related device, for conversion of safety data which comprises a set of input/output data, which is in the form of one or more channels, for the process to be controlled, to the independent safe data structure, or for safety-based evaluation of the independent safe data structure, for single-channel or multiple-channel production of a set of safety data comprising input/output data.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, the unit is a modular unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, the unit is a bus subscriber unit or a bus control unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, the unit is in the form of a unit with a gateway functionality.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the data processing modules (10) are designed to process a data structure which is protected on a system-independent basis for single-channel transmission between, in each case, at least two data processing modules.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising at least one non-safe coupling component (200, 201, 202) in the transmission path for the single-channel transmission between respective data processing modules.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, one data processing module comprises at least two redundant, interacting module units (10), with the module units being coupled on the output side to a non-safe coupling component (200, 201, 202) for transferring a data structure, which is jointly protected on a system-independent basis, to this coupling component, and/or are coupled on the input side with a non-safe coupling component (200, 201, 202) for safety-based reading of a data structure, which is protected on a system-independent basis, from this coupling component thereto.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a non-safe coupling component comprises at least one microprocessor, serial bus and/or coupling memory (200, 201, 202), in particular in the form of a DPM.

21. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the data processing modules (10) comprise hardware and/or software.

22. An article of manufacture, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

transmitting data between at least a first (field)bus/network system and a second field(bus)/network system, which are to be coupled, wherein for safety data to be transmitted, the first system has different safety mechanisms for protecting the safety data and converting between the safety data and a safe data structure than the second system has, wherein the respective safe data structure depends on the safety mechanisms of the respective system, wherein safety data to be transmitted between the different system-based safety mechanisms is processed additionally using an independent safe data structure, wherein the independent safe data structure is a data structure that is defined independent of the (field) bus/network systems to be coupled and is configured to bypass the safety mechanisms of the (field) bus/network systems to be coupled, in such a way that the safety data, which is to be transmitted, is protected and converted to the independent safe data structure on a system-independent basis and after being transmitted the safety data is converted from the independent safe data structure.