An I/O system having redundant removable and/or replaceable components. Each of the removable/replaceable components can be removed by displacement parallel to a common axis. An I/O device having an I/O base with a lock-out toggle to prevent installation of one or more I/O modules to the I/O base unless a ground screw has been secured to supporting structure.

A control device having an integrated switch and being configured to logically enable and disable an Ethernet port of the integrated switch. Further disclosed is a device network consisting of at least two field devices, a primary control device and a primary switch, a secondary control device and a secondary switch, which are connected in a daisy chain loop topology. And wherein the secondary control device is configured to logically enable and disable an Ethernet port of the secondary switch. Further disclosed is a flat network consisting of such a device network. Further disclosed is a method for controlling a redundant connection in a flat network, consisting of detecting failure of the primary control device, initiating failover, enabling the Ethernet port of the secondary switch, and disabling the Ethernet port of the primary switch.

A safety instrumented system (SIS) includes safety controllers, and safety input/output (I/O) modules coupled to safety field devices that are coupled in parallel with a process control system's field devices to processing equipment which is configured and controlled to run a process. An I/O mesh network between the safety controllers and the safety I/O modules is configured for selecting any safety controller to become coupled to any safety I/O module to function as a pool of safety I/O modules so that any safety controller is configurable to receive sensor signals from and transmit control signals to any safety field device. The safety field devices are for monitoring process variable(s) for the process so that when one of the safety controllers recognizes a hazardous condition regarding the processing equipment, the SIS independently takes action to keep the processing equipment under control or bring it to a safe state.

A modular I/O system for an industrial automation network includes a network adapter including first and second adapter modules, wherein each adapter module is configured for connection with an industrial network. The I/O system further includes a first I/O device with first and second I/O modules each configured for operative connection to a controlled system for input/output of data with respect to the controlled system. The I/O system further includes first and second independent backplane data networks that connect each of the first and second adapter modules to each of the first and second I/O modules. The network adapter includes first and second removable backplane network switches and the first I/O device includes third and fourth removable backplane network switches that establish the backplane networks. The backplane network switches can be Ethernet gigabit switches.

The present invention provides a method for operating dual controller which monitors the state of a dual controller to determine whether the dual controller is faulty and enables operation thereof with a controller in a normal state. An operation method of a dual controller according to the present invention dq-converts control command output values of first and second controllers to calculate rates of change in dq conversion values and dq-converts feedback input values, fed back to the first and second controllers, to calculate average rates of change in dq conversion values. When the average rates of change in the dq conversion values for the control command output values and the average rates of change in the dq conversion values for the feedback input values for the respective first and second controllers are identical, the corresponding controller is determined to be in a normal state, and to be in a faulty state otherwise. According to the results of the determination, the controller in the faulty state is set to a standby state and the controller in the normal state is set to an active state.

Method for operating a redundantly configured automation system which includes has a first subsystem, a second subsystem and a third subsystem, wherein a sequence program is implemented in each of the subsystems of the automation system and is executable in a runtime environment to fulfill automation tasks, and wherein a data memory is implemented in the subsystems in each of the automation systems, where the sequence program includes at least a first subprogram and a second subprogram, the data memory in each of the subsystems includes at least a first submemory and a second submemory, the first subprogram and the first submemory are synchronized with a first synchronization clock between the first and second subsystems, and the second subprogram and the second submemory are synchronized with a second synchronization clock between the first and third subsystems, and where the first and synchronization clocks differ from one another.

A multi-channel control system includes at least a primary control microprocessor and a back-up control microprocessor operable to control a device. The primary control microprocessor and the back-up control microprocessor assert control over a controlled device according to a locally stored method of controlling a back-up microprocessor assumption of control of a device.

An industrial controller with a modular backplane includes multiple modules, where each module includes a base and a chassis. Electrical connectors located on each side of the base engage the base of an adjacent module such that the bases are electrically connected. The backplane is defined by and extends through each of the bases connected to each other. A chassis is inserted into each base. Each chassis includes an embedded switch and a local circuit. The embedded switch is in communication with the base, and the local circuit performs the operation of the corresponding module. The embedded switch receives data transmitted along the backplane between bases. The embedded switch reads the data intended for the module and passes the data to the local circuit for further processing. Similarly, the embedded switch receives data from the local circuit and inserts the data on the backplane for transmission to the appropriate module.

A control device (1) includes a master-information processing unit (10), and a slave-information processing unit (20) including an information processing CPU (220) that performs information processing through a general-purpose OS, and a distribution control CPU (210) that measures an operating state of the information processing CPU (220) through a real-time OS. The master-information processing unit (10) acquires, from the slave-information processing unit (20), information indicating the operating state of the information processing CPU (220) in the slave-information processing unit (20), determines, based on the acquired information, whether to request the slave-information processing unit (20) to perform information processing, and transmits, when determining to request the slave-information processing unit (20) to perform the information processing, a signal requesting the information processing to the slave-information processing unit (20). The information processing CPU (220) in the slave-information processing unit (20) performs the information processing upon receiving the signal requesting the information processing.

In order to enable a seamless configuration modification during operation, a first automation device sends a second automation device a request for parameter modification. The second automation device responds to the request, such that a standby acknowledgement of the request is sent. Immediately with the transmission of the standby acknowledgement in the second automation device, an output process image is frozen, and the modification of the communication parameters for the second automation device is carried out. The first automation device responds, such that after receiving the standby acknowledgement in the first automation device, the communication is immediately stopped and the modification of the communication parameters is carried out for the first automation device. An input process image is frozen.