Configurable safety system for implementation on industrial system and method of implementing same

• US RE42,017 E1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Schuster, George K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta; Kidest
• Application Number:
  US11/526,297
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 700/79, 700/21, 700/80, 700/178, 700/245, 700/83, 700/179, 438/21, 438/16, 438/40, 709/248, 714/47, 714/755, 714/781
• US Class Current: 700/21
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/058 Safety, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34465 Safety, control of correct operation, abnormal states
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric

Abstract

A configurable control system for operating an industrial system in a reliable, safety-enhanced manner, and method of implementing such a system in any of a variety of particular industrial systems of a given class, are disclosed. The method includes storing, onto a controller of a particular industrial system, a master program capable of being used to operate a generalized industrial system having a maximum number of safety subsystems of a given type, where the particular industrial system falls within a class defined by the generalized system. The method also includes receiving a configuration input indicative of an absence/presence of a safety subsystem of the first type; validating the input; automatically configuring the master program to arrive at a configured program capable of operating the particular industrial system; and activating the controller for operation according to the configured program, which can include activating visualization or annunciation mechanisms representing the configured system.

Claims

1. In an industrial system having a first safety subsystem, a control system comprising:

(a) at least one control device capable of controlling operation of at least a portion of the industrial system including the first safety subsystem, wherein the at least one control device includes;

(b) a memory in which is stored a muster safety control program, and

(c) at least one input mechanism by which the at least one control device has received a configuration input;

(d) wherein the master safety control program is executed by the control device to;

(i) receive a configuration input;

(ii) validate that information indicated by the configuration input matches the industrial system and first safety subsystem;

(iii) modify itself based on the configuration input to generate a configured safety control program capable of being used to operate the industrial system in a safety-enhanced manner; and

(iv) control the safety subsystem; and

(e) wherein the master safety control program provides;

(i) a control program capable of being used to operate a generalized industrial system in a safety-enhanced manner, the generalized industrial system having a predetermined maximum number of different types of possible safety subsystems and safety related interlocks associated with the types of possible safety subsystems of which the particular industrial system is a subset; and

(ii) configuration program portions determining a safety system configuration mechanism for receiving the configuration input; and

(iii) validation program portions determining a validation mechanism that can be used to confirm an accuracy of configuration information by communication with the safety subsystems.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one control device includes:

a standard controller that includes at least a portion of the memory and that is capable of controlling the operation of a portion of the industrial system other than the first safety subsystem; and

a safety controller that includes the input mechanism and that is in communication with the first safety subsystem and the standard controller.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the configuration input is validated if the safety controller determines, based upon a communication with the first safety subsystem, that a status of the industrial system matches a status indicated by the configuration input.

4. The control system of claim 2, wherein the input mechanism includes two terminals of the safety controller and the configuration input includes a connecting of a jumper between the two terminals.

5. The control system of claim 2, wherein the input mechanism is a switch coupled to the safety controller, and the configuration input includes a switching of a status of the switch.

6. The control system of claim 2, wherein the input mechanism is an electrical communications interface capable of being, coupled to a network, and the configuration input includes electronic data received by way of the communications interface.

7. The control system of claim 2, wherein the input mechanism is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a port capable of being coupled to an additional memory, and an I/O port, and wherein the safety control program includes at least some information in a ladder logic format.

8. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of additional safety subsystems.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the safety subsystems are selected from the group consisting of robots, gateboxes, operator stations and motor controllers.

10. The control system of claim 2, wherein the safety controller is a safety programmable logic controller (PLC) and the standard controller is a standard PLC.

11. The control system of claim 2, further comprising other non-safety systems and wherein the configuration program and validation program automatically configure the non-safety systems using the confirmed configuration information.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the non-safety system is a human/machine interface (HMI) providing at least one of monitoring of the industrial system, diagnostics of the industrial system, and visualization of the industrial system.

13. The control system of claim 12, wherein the displayed content includes a first cluster of regions relating to statuses of a first set of safety subsystems of the industrial system of a first type, and a second cluster of regions relating to status of a second set of safety subsystems of the industrial system of a second type.

14. A method of configuring an industrial control system to operate a particular industrial system having a plurality of safety subsystems in a safe manner, the method comprising:

storing, onto a safety controller, a master safety control program capable of being used to operate a generalized industrial system having a maximum number of safety subsystems of a first type;

receiving, at the safety controller, at least one configuration input indicative of at least one of a presence and an absence of a safety subsystem of the first type;

validating, by way of a communication between the safety controller and another component of the industrial system, information indicated by the at least one configuration input;

automatically modifying the master safety control program to generate a configured master safety control program capable of being used to operate the particular industrial system in a safety-enhanced manner; and

activating the safety controller for operation in accordance with the configured master safety control program;

wherein the master safety control program is generated by;

identifying types of possible safety subsystems in the generalized industrial system;

identifying types of safety related interlocks associated with the types of possible safety subsystems in the generalized industrial system;

determining maximum possible numbers of different types of safety subsystems in the generalized industrial system;

determining at least one safety system configuration mechanism that can be used to indicate at least one of an absence and a presence of at least one safety subsystem to a safety controller for the purpose of receiving the configuration input; and

determining at least one validation mechanism that can be used to confirm an accuracy of indications provided by the safety system configuration mechanism for a purpose of validating the configuration information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving of the at least one configuration input includes the receiving of a plurality of configuration inputs indicative of absences of a plurality of safety subsystems of the first type and at least a second type, and further comprising communicating information to a human/machine interface (HMI) indicative of a status of at least one of the safety subsystems.

16. In an industrial system having a first subsystem and a human machine interface (HMI), a control system comprising:

a controller capable of controlling operation of at least a portion of the industrial system including the first subsystem and the human machine interface, wherein the controller includes;

(a) an input by which the controller may receive a configuration input designating types and numbers of physical components of the subsystem; and

(b) a memory holding;

(i) a master control program capable of being used to operate a generalized industrial system, the generalized industrial system having a predetermined maximum number of different types of possible components representing a superset of the industrial system, the generalized industrial system limited to a class of specific industrial control systems;

(ii) at least one program executed by the controller to;

(1) receive configuration data from the configuration input a configuration data designating physical components of the class of specific industrial control systems;

(2) validate the accuracy of configuration data by communication with the first subsystem;

(3) modify the master control program based on the validated configuration data to produce a configured control program based on the designated physical components, capable of being used to operate the portion of the industrial control system having the designated physical components;

(4) control the first subsystem according to the configured control program; and

(5) configure the HMI according to the validated configuration data to display information concerning operation of the industrial control system according to the configured control program.

17. The industrial system of claim 16, wherein a graphic visualization or annunciation content displayed by the HMI is determined by the configured control program.

18. The industrial system of claim 17, wherein a graphic visualization or annunciation content displayed by the HMI relates to at least one of monitoring of the industrial system, diagnostics of the industrial system, and visualization of the industrial system.

19. The industrial system of claim 17, wherein the graphic visualization or annunciation content displayed by the HMI depicts a first cluster of regions relating to statuses of a first set of subsystems of the industrial system of a first type, and a second cluster of regions relating to status of a second set of subsystems of the industrial system of a second type.

20. The industrial system of claim 16, wherein the input includes at least two terminals of the controller and the configuration input includes a connecting of a jumper between the two terminals.

21. The industrial system of claim 16, wherein the input is a switch coupled to the controller, and the configuration input includes a switching of a status of the switch.

22. The industrial system of claim 16, wherein the input is an electrical communications interface capable of being coupled to a network, and the configuration input includes electronic data received by way of the communications interface.

23. The industrial system of claim 16, wherein the input is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a port capable of being coupled to an additional memory, and an I/O port, and wherein the control program includes at least some information in a ladder logic format.

24. The industrial system of claim 16, wherein the first subsystem consists of safety components selected from the group consisting of robots, gateboxes, operator stations and motor controllers.

25. The industrial system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of additional subsystems.

26. A method of operating an industrial system having a first subsystem and a human machine interface (HMI), a control system, the control system including a controller capable of controlling operation of at least a portion of the industrial system including the first subsystem and the human machine interface, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) inputting a configuration input to the controller indicating a configuration of components in the subsystem designating types and numbers of physical components of the subsystem;

(b) validating the accuracy of configuration data by communication with the subsystems;

(c) modifying the master control program based on the validated configuration data to produce a configured control program capable of being used to operate the industrial control system having the designated physical components, based on the designated physical components, where the master control program is capable of being used to operate a generalized industrial system, the generalized industrial system having a predetermined maximum number of different types of possible components representing a superset of the industrial system, the generalized program limited to a class of specific industrial control systems;

(d) control the subsystem according to the configured control program; and

(e) configure an HMI according to the validated configuration data to display information concerning operation of the industrial control system according to the configured control program.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a graphic visualization or annunciation content displayed by the HMI is determined by the configured control program.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein a graphic visualization or annunciation content displayed by the HMI relates to at least one of monitoring of the industrial system, diagnostics of the industrial system, and visualization of the industrial system.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the graphic visualization or annunciation content displayed by the HMI includes depicts a first cluster of regions relating to statuses of a first set of subsystems of the industrial system of a first type, and a second cluster of regions relating to status of a second set of subsystems of the industrial system of a second type.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the input is provided by a connecting of at least one jumper between at least two terminals.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the input is provided by a switching of a status of at least one switch.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the input is provided by data received by way of an electrical communications interface coupled to a network.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein the input is provided by an input means selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a port capable of being coupled to an additional memory, and an I/O port, and wherein the control program includes at least some information in a ladder logic format.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the first subsystem consists of components selected from the group consisting of robots, gateboxes, operator stations and motor controllers.

35. The method of claim 26, further comprising a plurality of additional subsystems.