Redundant control system and control computer and peripheral unit for a control system of this type
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorUlrich Lehmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A redundant control system having at least a first and a second control computer (1,2) and at least one peripheral unit (5) that is connected to the control computers (1,2) by a bus system (3,4). Both control computers transmit cyclically changing signs of life (LzX, LzY) to the peripheral unit (5), which checks whether a change in the signs life has taken place within a given time period and which switches to the other control computer for executing the control tasks if the change in the sign of life is not timely received.
Claims21
An automation system with redundant control comprising:
- at least one first control computer and one second control computer;
- at least one peripheral unit;
- and
- at least one bus system connecting the peripheral unit to the first control computer and to the second control computer for exchange of control data;
- wherein the peripheral unit analyzes control data from only one of the control computers to execute a control task;
- wherein the first control computer and the second control computer transmit cyclically changing signs of life to the peripheral unit via the bus system;
- and
- wherein the peripheral unit checks whether a change of a sign of life has occurred within a predetermined duration, and, in the absence of the change, the peripheral unit recognizes a fault of a respective one of the control computers and changes over to another of the control computers to execute the control task.
A peripheral unit for a redundant control system, said control system having at least two control computers and at least the one peripheral unit connected via at least one bus system to the control computers for exchanging control data, and said peripheral unit analyzing control data from only one of the two control computers for executing a control task;
- wherein said peripheral unit checks whether a change of a sign of life has occurred within a given duration, and, in absence of the change, recognizes a fault of a respective one of the control computers and switches from the respective one control computer to the other control computer in order to execute the control task.
A method comprising:
- transmitting control data and first signs of life from a first control computer to a peripheral unit;
- transmitting the control data and second signs of life from a second control computer to the peripheral unit, wherein the first signs of life differ from the second signs of life;
- monitoring receipt of the first signs of life and the second signs of life in the peripheral unit;
- processing the control data from the first control computer in the peripheral unit if the first signs of life are received in said monitoring step;
- and
- switching to processing the control data from the second control computer in the peripheral unit if the first signs of life are not received in said monitoring step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.