Abstract: A circuit arrangement allows data, which are necessary for building up fault-tolerant structures, to be transmitted on standard ring-shaped bus systems. Its implementation requires a monitoring unit and input and output units which transmit or receive data for control. The circuit arrangement handles the task of detecting any faults which can become a danger for the process within a machine or plant. Due to its internal configuration, the circuit arrangement identifies any fault even before the detection of the fault and initiates a protected switch-off. In this arrangement, it is of no importance whether it is the external control unit or the bus system used which is responsible for the fault.

Abstract: The invention relates to the location-based adaptation of an intelligent unit. One object of the invention is to indicate a way in which, particularly in the case of network-compatible intelligent units, the intelligent units can be configured on the basis of the respective application and/or the respective installation location in order to ensure reliable, secure and thus simple association, essentially without any further steps. For adaptation of an intelligent unit, the invention provides that a configuration device (21, 22, 24, 25) can be associated with a defined application and/or a defined location and have the capability to store application-based and/or location-based configuration data and/or behavior description data, such that data can be transmitted from the configuration device (21, 22, 24, 25) to a logic device for processing of data for configuration of the intelligent unit (11, 12, 13, 14, 15).

Abstract: There is provided a method for the transmission of data via a bus network to which a plurality of subscribers are connected. The method includes a first step of transmitting data from at least one subscriber, e.g., Master, to at least another subscriber, e.g., TNx or STNx, by employing a data transmission protocol designed for point-to-point transmission. The method includes a second step of defining a broadcast message, within which selected data can be transmitted in a broadcast transmission mode, within the point-to-point transmission protocol. In a supplementary or alternative embodiment, the method includes inserting a safety broadcast message in addition to a standard or general broadcast protocol. There is also provided an apparatus for transmission of data via a bus network.

Abstract: A data processing system ensures maximum reaction times. A novel and significantly improved way of ascertaining, checking and/or observing maximum reaction times in data processing systems includes complex or distributed, safe and/or nonsafe systems, particularly between a safe input signal and the corresponding safe output signal, in a flexible and universally applicable manner. Input and/or output data, which are present on the input side of users incorporated in the system, are read in synchronously during each data cycle and checked in relation to currency parameters, which are based on at least one data cycle and associated with the input and/or output data An error is identified in response to a defined discrepancy being reached between at least one currency parameter and a defined currency threshold, and a defined function, particularly a safety-oriented function, are triggered in response to identification of an error.

Abstract: The invention relates to the transmission of safe process signals between input and output units in a safety system.

Abstract: The invention concerns a control and data transmission installation and a process for the transmission of safety-related data in a control and data transmission installation.