US 7,107,358 B2 · Bridge for an industrial control system using data manipulation techniques

Abstract

A bridge usable in a highly reliable industrial control system provides an interface between a producer module transmitting redundant messages in accordance with a communication protocol and a consumer module receiving the messages in accordance with a different communication protocol. The bridge includes a first network interface receiving two messages from the producer, a microprocessor capable of converting the messages from the producer communication protocol to consumer communication protocol, and a second network interface transmitting the messages to the consumer. One of the messages is reversible altered with respect to the other message. The altered message is uninverted in the consumer module, and compared to the other message to ensure that no transmission errors have occurred.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A network safety control system comprising:

a bridge for connecting a first and second communication network, each with communication protocols;
a first communication module attached to the first communication network to transmit two messages on the first communication network to pass through the bridge to the second network, the two messages containing redundant data, the redundant data of a first message reversibly altered with respect to a second message;
a second communication module attached to the second communication network to receive the two messages on the second communication network and compare the data of the first and second messages to detect any alteration of the redundant data by the bridge;
and
wherein errors in an operation of a standard bridge may be detected without modification of the bridge.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Bridge for an industrial control system using data manipulation techniques

Life of this patent

Bridge for an industrial control system using data manipulation techniques

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24