Safety device

• US 8,887,000 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Teranishi, Keiichi, Muneta, Yasuo, Koshiro, Chiaki, Ikeno, Naoaki, Nakamura, Toshiyuki, Suganuma, Hiromu, Matsui, Asahi, Yoshida, Katsufumi, Fujiwara, Shohei, Hioka, Takehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): GUYTON, PHILIP A
• Application Number:
  US11/405,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,129 Days
• Field of Search: 714/43, 700/21, 700/79, 700/81
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/058 Safety, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/14054 Self test
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24054 Self diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25123 Change controller pin configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/2406 Generation of an interrupt or a group of interrupts after a fixed or calculated time elapses

Abstract

A safety device of the invention includes at least one of an input unit having one or more input terminals and an output unit having one or more output terminals, a testing unit having one or more test terminals, a rewritable nonvolatile memory configured to store setting information of a terminal specification which can be set from outside via the tool, and wherein the terminal specification of the one or more test terminals included in the testing unit is determined in accordance with the setting information of the terminal specification.

Claims

1. A safety I/O terminal for connecting to an input device designed based on a safety standard, to which an on-off signal is input, connecting to a safety controller designed based on the safety standard via a network, and transmitting an input signal from the input device to a communication master unit of the safety controller, comprising:

one or more input terminals configured to be given the input signal from the input device compliant with the safety standard;

a test terminal, configured to be used in a test out specification in combination with at least one of a nonuse specification, a standard output specification, a power supply specification and a muting lamp specification;

a memory configured to store a specification setting regarding the test terminal, wherein the specification setting allows the safety I/O terminal to switch the structure of the one or more input terminals and test terminal in accordance with the input device to be controlled; and

a microcomputer configured to output a test signal for determining presence of abnormality when the specification setting regarding the test terminal is specified as the test out specification and to carry out a process regarding the test terminal based on the specification setting when the specification setting regarding the test terminal is specified as one of the other specifications, in accordance with the specification setting in the memory, wherein the process includes at least one of;

stopping use of an output from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

nonuse specification”

,

outputting a signal regarding operating conditions of the safety I/O terminal from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

standard output specification”

,

outputting power voltage from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

power supply specification”

, and

outputting a signal to a muting lamp from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

muting lamp specification”

.

3. The safety I/O terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the safety I/O terminal is connected so as to communicate with a setting tool device for setting operation for the test terminal,

a preferable specification regarding the test terminal is determined by receiving a signal of setting operation from the setting tool device,

a content of setting is stored in the memory, and

after the setting, the microcomputer switches processes regarding the test terminal in accordance with the specification setting in the memory.

2. A safety I/O terminal for connecting to an input device designed based on a safety standard, to which an on-off signal is input, connecting to a safety controller designed based on the safety standard via a network, and transmitting the on-off signal input from the input device to a communication master unit of the safety controller, comprising:

one or more input terminals configured to be given the input signal from the input device compliant with the safety standard;

a test terminal configured to be shared in two or more of a test out specification, a muting lamp specification, a power supply specification, a standard output specification, and a nonuse specification;

a memory configured to store a specification setting regarding the test terminal, wherein the specification setting allows the safety I/O terminal to switch the structure of the one or more input terminals and test terminal in accordance with the input device to be controlled; and

a microcomputer configured to switch processes regarding the test terminal in accordance with the specification setting in the memory wherein the processes include at least one of;

stopping use of an output from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

nonuse specification”

,

outputting a signal regarding operating conditions of the safety I/O terminal from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

standard output specification”

,

outputting power voltage from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

power supply specification”

, and

outputting a signal to a muting lamp from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

muting lamp specification”

.

4. A safety device, comprising:

at least one of an input unit having one or more input terminals and an output unit having one or more output terminals;

a testing unit having one or more test terminals;

a rewritable nonvolatile memory configured to store setting information of a terminal specification which can be set from outside via a tool, wherein the setting information allows the safety I/O terminal to switch the structure of the one or more input terminals, the one or more output terminals and the one or more test terminals in accordance with an input device to be controlled, and wherein

the terminal specification of the one or more test terminals included in the testing unit is determined in accordance with the setting information of the terminal specification wherein the terminal specification of the test terminal includes at least one of a test out specification, a muting lamp specification, a power supply specification, a standard output specification, and a nonuse specification, and

wherein the setting information is configured to perform at least one of;

stopping use of an output from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

nonuse specification”

,

outputting a signal regarding operating conditions of the safety I/O terminal from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

standard output specification”

,

outputting power voltage from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

power supply specification”

, and

outputting a signal to a muting lamp from the test terminal when the specification setting is specified as the “

muting lamp specification”

.

5. The safety device according to claim 4, wherein

the terminal specification of the one or more input terminals included in the input terminal is determined in accordance with the setting information of the terminal specification.

6. The safety device according to claim 4, wherein

the terminal specification of the one or more output terminals included in the output terminal is determined in accordance with the setting information of the terminal specification.

7. The safety device according to claim 4, wherein

the terminal specifications of the one or more input terminals included in the input terminal and the one or more output terminals included in the output terminal are both determined in accordance with the setting information of the terminal specification setting information.

8. The safety device according to claim 4, wherein

the terminal specification of the input terminal includes at least one of a safety input specification, a standard specification, and a nonuse specification.

9. The safety device according to claim 4, wherein

the terminal specification of the output terminal includes at least one of a safety output specification, a standard specification, and a nonuse specification.