Abstract: A system for communicating between redundant devices balances the desired attributes of a high availability (HA) control system and a safety control system. The system includes concurrent connections as a fault tolerant mechanism for industrial protocol connections at the transport layer. The concurrent connections establish multiple paths for redundancy from a data producer to a data consumer. Concurrent connections increase availability of the HA control and safety instrumented systems. More specifically, concurrent connections and architectural redundancies eliminate a single point of failure within the control system and further reduce safety connection timeouts during fault detection and/or recovery. Concurrent connections may be used to keep a HA system operational or to provide detection of a failure in a safety system. The industrial control network may be configured to function as a HA control system, as a safety control system, or with certain degrees of both HA and safety-related operation.

Abstract: A system of communicating data over a high availability industrial control system is disclosed. The industrial control system includes a first data producer, a second data producer in communicative connection with the first data producer, a first data consumer, and a second data consumer in communicative connection with the first data consumer. The system further includes the first producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the first producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules, and the second producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the second producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules. Also disclosed is a method of communicating data over the high availability industrial control system.

Abstract: A system for communicating between redundant devices balances the desired attributes of a high availability (HA) control system and a safety control system. The system includes concurrent connections as a fault tolerant mechanism for industrial protocol connections at the transport layer. The concurrent connections establish multiple paths for redundancy from a data producer to a data consumer. Concurrent connections increase availability of the HA control and safety instrumented systems. More specifically, concurrent connections and architectural redundancies eliminate a single point of failure within the control system and further reduce safety connection timeouts during fault detection and/or recovery. Concurrent connections may be used to keep a HA system operational or to provide detection of a failure in a safety system. The industrial control network may be configured to function as a HA control system, as a safety control system, or with certain degrees of both HA and safety-related operation.

Abstract: A system with multiple processing domains sharing a memory resource accessed via a shared memory controller detects a memory error. As data is written to the shared memory resource, each processing domain generates a diagnostic code as a function of the data, the memory address for the data, and of a unique identifier corresponding to the processing domain. The diagnostic code is stored with the data for verification when the data is read back. As the data is read back, the processing domain separates the diagnostic code from the data being read and generates another diagnostic code in the same manner as the original diagnostic code. The other diagnostic code is compared to the initial diagnostic code. If both diagnostic codes are the same, the processing domain can be confident that the data read from the shared memory resource is the same as the data that was originally written.

Abstract: A system with multiple processing domains sharing a memory resource accessed via a shared memory controller detects a memory error. As data is written to the shared memory resource, each processing domain generates a diagnostic code as a function of the data, the memory address for the data, and of a unique identifier corresponding to the processing domain. The diagnostic code is stored with the data for verification when the data is read back. As the data is read back, the processing domain separates the diagnostic code from the data being read and generates another diagnostic code in the same manner as the original diagnostic code. The other diagnostic code is compared to the initial diagnostic code. If both diagnostic codes are the same, the processing domain can be confident that the data read from the shared memory resource is the same as the data that was originally written.

Abstract: A system of communicating data over a high availability industrial control system is disclosed. The industrial control system includes a first data producer, a second data producer in communicative connection with the first data producer, a first data consumer, and a second data consumer in communicative connection with the first data consumer. The system further includes the first producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the first producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules, and the second producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the second producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules. Also disclosed is a method of communicating data over the high availability industrial control system.

Abstract: A system of communicating data over a high availability industrial control system is disclosed. The industrial control system includes a first data producer, a second data producer in communicative connection with the first data producer, a first data consumer, and a second data consumer in communicative connection with the first data consumer. The system further includes the first producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the first producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules, and the second producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the second producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules. Also disclosed is a method of communicating data over the high availability industrial control system.

Abstract: A method and system for interacting with data frames passing through a module connected to an industrial network is disclosed. Each module includes an aggregation unit located on the network interface above the physical layer. To transmit data, the aggregation unit reads a header from a dynamic data packet to determine if the module is a participant module for the packet. If so, the aggregation unit inserts data from the module into the data packet and transmits the packet to another module. To receive data, the aggregation unit reads a header from the data packet to determine whether the data packet includes data for the module. If so, the aggregation unit reads the data and passes the data packet to another module. If the aggregation unit determines that a data packet is not intended for the module, the data packet is passed to another module with no further interaction.

Abstract: A method and system for interacting with data frames passing through a module connected to an industrial network is disclosed. Each module includes an aggregation unit located on the network interface above the physical layer. To transmit data, the aggregation unit reads a header from a dynamic data packet to determine if the module is a participant module for the packet. If so, the aggregation unit inserts data from the module into the data packet and transmits the packet to another module. To receive data, the aggregation unit reads a header from the data packet to determine whether the data. packet includes data for the module. If so, the aggregation unit reads the data and passes the data packet to another module. If the aggregation unit determines that a data packet is not intended for the module, the data packet is passed to another module with no further interaction.

Abstract: A method and system for interacting with data frames passing through a module connected to an industrial network is disclosed. Each module includes an aggregation unit located on the network interface above the physical layer. To transmit data, the aggregation unit reads a header from a dynamic data packet to determine if the module is a participant module for the packet. If so, the aggregation unit inserts data from the module into the data packet and transmits the packet to another module. To receive data, the aggregation unit reads a header from the data packet to determine whether the data packet includes data for the module. If so, the aggregation unit reads the data and passes the data packet to another module. If the aggregation unit determines that a data packet is not intended for the module, the data packet is passed to another module with no further interaction.

Abstract: A method of transmitting high speed serial data with reduced levels of radiated emissions is disclosed. A transmitting device scrambles data utilizing a pseudo-random number sequence generator. Scrambling the data eliminates transmission of repeated data sequences. The transmitting device similarly scrambles idle pairs of data between data transmissions to eliminate an additional source of repeated data sequences. The scrambled and encoded data is transmitted to a receiving device. The receiving device also includes a pseudo-random number sequence generator. Synchronization of the two pseudo-random number sequence generators occurs by utilizing control characters of the data frame being transmitted. Each of the pseudo-random number sequence generators is configured to generate the same sequence of numbers and is initialized to start with a first number in the sequence of numbers corresponding to the first byte of data being transmitted or received.

Abstract: A method of transmitting high speed serial data with reduced levels of radiated emissions is disclosed. A transmitting device scrambles data utilizing a pseudo-random number sequence generator. Scrambling the data eliminates transmission of repeated data sequences. The transmitting device similarly scrambles idle pairs of data between data transmissions to eliminate an additional source of repeated data sequences. The scrambled and encoded data is transmitted to a receiving device. The receiving device also includes a pseudo-random number sequence generator. Synchronization of the two pseudo-random number sequence generators occurs by utilizing control characters of the data frame being transmitted. Each of the pseudo-random number sequence generators is configured to generate the same sequence of numbers and is initialized to start with a first number in the sequence of numbers corresponding to the first byte of data being transmitted or received.

Abstract: A method and system for interacting with data frames passing through a module connected to an industrial network is disclosed. Each module includes an aggregation unit located on the network interface above the physical layer. To transmit data, the aggregation unit reads a header from a dynamic data packet to determine if the module is a participant module for the packet. If so, the aggregation unit inserts data from the module into the data packet and transmits the packet to another module. To receive data, the aggregation unit reads a header from the data packet to determine whether the data packet includes data for the module. If so, the aggregation unit reads the data and passes the data packet to another module. If the aggregation unit determines that a data packet is not intended for the module, the data packet is passed to another module with no further interaction.

Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein describes a method to allocate and prioritize data communications on an industrial control network. A transmission schedule including multiple priority windows and multiple queues is established. Each queue is assigned to at least one priority window, and each priority window may have multiple queues assigned thereto. A control device communicating on the control network transmits data packets according to the transmission schedule. Within each priority window, data packets corresponding to one of the queues assigned to the priority window may be transmitted. The data packets may be transmitted at any point during the priority window, but will only be transmitted if no data packet from a higher queue is waiting to be transmitted.

Abstract: An input module for an industrial controller is configurable to simplify setup and commissioning. The input module includes input terminals configurable, for example, as a counter input. Still other input terminals may be configured to trigger events as a function of the input signals present at the terminals. Time signals corresponding to transitions in state of the input terminals, triggering of events, or operation of the counters may be recorded. The input module is further configurable to transmit data back to the processor or to transmit data directly to another module in the industrial control network.

Abstract: An output module for an industrial controller configurable to simplify setup and commissioning is disclosed. The output module includes configurable PWM outputs that may be scheduled to start at different times within the PWM period, that may be configured to generate a fixed number of PWM pulses, and that may have an extendable PWM period. The output terminals are configurable to enter a first state upon generation of a fault and further configurable to enter a second state after a configurable time delay following the fault being generated. The output module may receive inputs signals directly from another module and set output signals at the terminals responsive to these signals.

Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein describes a method to allocate and prioritize data communications on an industrial control network. A transmission schedule including multiple priority windows and multiple queues is established. Each queue is assigned to at least one priority window, and each priority window may have multiple queues assigned thereto. A control device communicating on the control network transmits data packets according to the transmission schedule. Within each priority window, data packets corresponding to one of the queues assigned to the priority window may be transmitted. The data packets may be transmitted at any point during the priority window, but will only be transmitted if no data packet from a higher queue is waiting to be transmitted.

Abstract: System(s) and method(s) that facilitate utilizing biometric sensors (e.g., fingerprint, hand scan, voice recognition . . . ) in manufacturing systems in order to maintain accurate safety audit trails. A safety audit system, utilizing a biometric sensing device, facilitates determining if a user is allowed to access and change the configuration of the manufacturing system. Once a user is allowed to change the configuration (e.g., programmable electronics, tooling changes, software updates, etc.) the changes are automatically recorded in a safety audit database. Automatic storage of configuration changes mitigates manual recording of changes thereby enhancing the safety audit data often necessary to meet safety standards for manufacturing systems.

Abstract: A system serializes control signals within a safety control architecture wherein a safety serial interface at least one of receives and transmits signals from one or more processing components. A serialization component receives and serializes at least one data packet from the safety serial interface to control at least one of an input and an output associated with the safety control architecture. A safety related test circuit verifies input signals associated with the serialization component are not internally falsifying the state of the input signals. A heartbeat watchdog component verifies a true heartbeat bit in the at least one data packet is opposite a complement heartbeat bit in the at least one data packet within a predetermined time interval and shuts off power to at least one of an output and an input if such a condition is not met.

Abstract: An input/output (I/O) module has a programmable memory having a first memory address for receiving a module number and a second memory address for receiving a signal direction indicator. The I/O module is for use with a programmable controller system having a master controller serially connected to a plurality of I/O modules. The I/O module has a signal line operatively coupled with the memory. The signal line has a pair of inputs. Both inputs are configured and adapted for receiving a module number signal across a line connected therewith. The other one of the inputs will then propagate the module number signal downstream. A logic circuit sets the second memory address with the signal direction indicator corresponding to the module number signal being received by a particular one of the inputs.