# US 12,001,371 B2 · Connection of input and / or output modules to a fieldbus with a higher-level controller

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- Number: US 12,001,371 B2
- Document ID: US12001371B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/690,820
- Filed: 2022-03-09
- Published: 2022-09-15
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2021-03-10
- Assignees: WAGO Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
- Applicants: WAGO Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
- Inventors: Dirk Buesching
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12001371B2

## CPC

- G06F 13/4221: {being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus}
- G05B 19/0423: {Input/output}
- G06F 13/20: for access to input/output bus
- G06F 13/385: {for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices}
- G06F 13/4022: {using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network (G06F13/4009 takes precedence)}
- G06F 13/4068: {Electrical coupling}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)

## Abstract

An I/O module comprising an input interface, designed for connection to at least one sensor for input of an input signal, and/or an output interface, designed for connection to at least one actuator for output of an output signal, with a data interface for connection to a sub-bus for the transmission of an input datum and/or output datum, and with a control unit connected to the data interface and connected to the input interface and/or the output interface, wherein the control unit is set up to process the input datum and/or output datum and exchange it via the data interface, wherein the control unit is further set up to store a predetermined input value and/or output value which replaces the input datum and/or output datum.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An I/O Module comprising:
an input interface that connects to at least one sensor for input of an input signal and an output interface that connects to at least one actuator for output of an output signal;
a data interface that connects to a sub-bus for the transmission of an input datum and output datum to and from a fieldbus head; and
a control unit connected to the data interface and connected to the input interface and the output interface,
wherein the control unit is set up to process the input datum and the output datum and to exchange the input datum and the output datum via the data interface,
wherein the control unit is set up to store a predetermined input value and a predetermined output value,
wherein the control unit is set up to receive a control value via the data interface and, based on the control value, to switch the I/O module into a first operating mode (normal mode) or into a second operating mode (control mode),
wherein in the first operating mode (normal mode), the output datum is received via the sub-bus and the output signal is based on the output datum and is output via the output interface, and the input signal is received via the input interface and the input datum is based on the input signal and is output to the sub-bus, and
wherein in the second operating mode (control mode), the output datum is received via the sub-bus and the output datum is replaced with the predetermined output value stored in the control unit and the output signal that is based on the predetermined output value is output via the output interface and the input datum is replaced by the predetermined input value stored in the control unit and the predetermined input value is output to the sub-bus.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The I/O module according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is set up to detect a current state of the input interface and/or of the output interface and to assign a state identifier to the current state, wherein at least one state identifier indicates a deviation from a normal operation, wherein the control unit is set up to receive the control value via the data interface and, based on the control value, to switch the I/O module to the first operating mode (normal mode), to detect the current state of the input interface and/or of the output interface and to output the associated state identifier to the sub-bus, or to the second operating mode (control mode) to initiate the current state that has a deviation from the detected state and to output the associated state identifier to the sub-bus.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The I/O module according to claim 1, wherein the input interface and/or the output interface has multiple channels, and wherein the control unit is set up to assign an input signal to each channel of the input interface and/or assign an output signal to each channel of the output interface, to assign an input value to each channel of the input interface and/or an output value to each channel of the output interface and to assign, for one or more channels, a state to each channel of the input interface and/or each channel of the output interface, wherein each state is associated with at least one state identifier.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A device comprising:
the I/O module according to claim 1; and
the fieldbus head that has a fieldbus connection that connects to a fieldbus and a sub-bus connection that connects to the I/O module via the sub-bus,
wherein the fieldbus head is set up to receive the control value via the fieldbus and output the control value on the sub-bus, and based on the control value, to switch the control unit of the I/O module to the first operating mode (normal mode) or to the second operating mode (control mode), and
wherein the fieldbus head is set up to receive a state identifier of the I/O module from the sub-bus and output the state identifier on the fieldbus.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A device comprising:
the I/O module according to claim 1; and
the fieldbus head that has a fieldbus connection that connects to a fieldbus, a sub-bus connection that connects to the I/O module via the sub-bus and a service interface that connects to an operator computer,
wherein the fieldbus head is set up to receive the control value via the service interface and output the control value on the sub-bus, and based on the control value, to switch the control unit of the I/O module to the first operating mode (normal mode) or to the second operating mode (control mode), and
wherein the fieldbus head is set up to receive a state identifier of the I/O module from the sub-bus and to output the state identifier on a display unit of the operator computer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

An automation system comprising:
the device according to claim 5; and
a higher-level controller with a connection interface set up to send the output datum and to receive the input datum and/or the state identifier via the fieldbus,
wherein the higher-level controller is set up to output the output datum on the fieldbus based on the input datum received from the fieldbus, and
wherein the higher-level controller is set up to query the state identifier and output a current state of the I/O module based on the state identifier to the display unit of the operator computer.

### Claim 7

A method for operating an I/O module, the method comprising:
receiving a control value via a sub-bus;
evaluating the control value and based on the evaluation of the control value: (a) starting a first operating mode (normal mode), in which an output datum is received from a fieldbus head via the sub-bus and an output signal based on the output datum is output via an output interface that connects to at least one actuator and an input signal is received from at least one sensor via an input interface and an input datum based on the input signal is output to the fieldbus head via the sub-bus, and (b) starting a second operating mode (control mode), in which the output datum is replaced with a stored output value and the output signal that is based on the stored output value is output via the output interface and the input datum is replaced with a stored input value and the stored input value is output on the sub-bus.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method for operating an I/O module according to claim 7, further comprising:
detecting a current state of the input interface and/or of the output interface;
assigning the current state to a state identifier, wherein at least one state indicates a deviation from a normal operation;
evaluating the control value by a control unit and based on the evaluation of the control value: starting the first operating mode (normal mode) and outputting the state identifier of the detected state to the sub-bus, or starting the second operating mode (control mode) and initiating the state that represents a deviation from the detected state and outputting a stored state identifier to the sub-bus.

### Claim 9

A method for operating a device with a fieldbus head and an I/O module, the method comprising:
transmitting a control value from the fieldbus head to the I/O module via a sub-bus;
evaluating the control value, by the I/O module, and based on the evaluation of the control value:
starting a first operating mode (normal! mode), in which the I/O module receives an output datum from the fieldbus head via the sub-bus and an output signal based on the output datum is output via an output interface of the I/O module that connects to at least one actuator and the I/O module receives an input signal from a least one sensor via an input interface of the I/O module and an input datum based on the input signal is output to the fieldbus head via the sub-bus; and
starting a second operating mode (control mode), in which the output datum is replaced with a stored output value and the output signal that is based on the stored output value is output via the output interface and the input datum is replaced with a stored input value and the stored input value is output to the sub-bus.