Input/output station for a field bus system, field bus coupler for the input/output station, and placeholder module for the input/output station

An input/output station for a fieldbus system with a fieldbus coupler, which has a system bus interface and a fieldbus interface, the input/output station comprising:

• a plurality of slots for pluggable input/output devices, one or more placeholder devices being pluggable into the plurality of slots besides the input/output devices,
• wherein an empty slot is admissible for the plurality of slots,
• wherein the fieldbus coupler comprises firmware which is configured for a full configuration of the input/output station,
• wherein the firmware is configured to communicate with a control station in such a way that the fieldbus coupler receives the full configuration of the input/output station as a planned target configuration from the control station,
• wherein the firmware is configured to confirm the full configuration of the input/output station in an operating mode irrespective of the actual occupancy of the input/output station with the pluggable input/output devices of the control station,
• wherein the firmware of the fieldbus coupler is configured to communicate with the input/output devices of the input/output station via a system bus with a reduced process data width in the operating mode with confirmation of the full configuration, and
• wherein the reduction of the process data width corresponds to the number of data scheduled per communication cycle for the unoccupied input/output modules.

An input/output station for a fieldbus system with a fieldbus coupler, which has a system bus interface and a fieldbus interface, the input/output station comprising:

• a plurality of slots for pluggable input/output devices, one or more placeholder devices being pluggable into the plurality of slots besides the input/output devices,
• wherein an empty slot is admissible for the plurality of slots,
• wherein the fieldbus coupler comprises firmware which is configured for a full configuration of the input/output station,
• wherein the firmware is configured to communicate with a control station in such a way that the fieldbus coupler receives the full configuration of the input/output station as a planned target configuration from the control station,
• wherein the firmware is configured to confirm the full configuration of the input/output station in an operating mode irrespective of the actual occupancy of the input/output station with the pluggable input/output devices of the control station,
• wherein the firmware of the fieldbus coupler is configured to communicate with the input/output modules of the input/output station via a system bus in full process data width in the operating mode with confirmation of full configuration, and
• wherein the one or more plugged-in placeholder devices are configured to transmit simulated process data to the fieldbus coupler via the system bus and to receive simulated process data from the fieldbus coupler per internal communication cycle.