Sick Ag

Franz Dold

Klaus Weddingfeld

Christian Hulm

Jonas Weidenmüller

Frederik Behre

Martin Geiler

Irina Hippenmeyer

Jens Niehus

Stephan Henneberger

Patrick Bornstein

Craig Kendall

Jim O'Laughlin

Michael Pfister

Patrick Eyerich

Jonas WEIDENMÜLLER

Oliver Köpcke

To enable an increase in a service life of a modular safety relay circuit, a modular safety relay circuit is provided for the safe switching on and/or off of at least one machine comprising at least one relay module to which the at least one machine is connected, wherein the relay module comprises at least two relay contacts that are connected in series and that can be brought from a first position into a second position and vice versa; and wherein one relay contact switches in advance by a delay of the other relay contact; and a control unit controlling the relay contacts that alternatingly controls the relay contacts in accordance with a state detection of the relay contacts with the delay.

Modular safety relay circuit for the safe switching on and/or off of at least one machine

The present invention relates to a driverless transport system for transporting goods and/or persons that comprises a plurality of driverless vehicles and at least one stationary monitoring device for monitoring a respective travel path zone, wherein the monitoring device comprises at least one sensor that is configured to detect the presence of objects in the travel path zone and to output a detection signal when an object is located in the travel path zone and a control unit that is connected to the sensor and that is configured to receive the detection signal from the sensor and to generate a control signal for the at least one driverless vehicle based at least on the detection signal.

Driverless transport system

To avoid additional costs, in particular by replacing a switching element too early or by expensive monitoring measures thereof, a control apparatus for controlling a switching element is provided. The control apparatus has an operating unit for setting a load stage at which the switching element can be operated, a control unit for calculating a first numerical value which reflects expected switching cycles of the switching element estimated on the basis of the set load stage and which corresponds to an expected service life of the switching element in dependence on the set load stage, and for determining a second numerical value which reflects effected switching cycles of the switching element. Information from a difference between the first and second numerical values or from a quotient from the second numerical value to the first numerical value during operation of the switching element is provided to a user.

Control apparatus for controlling a switching element

A safety system includes a safety unit and at least one safety related participant which comprises a protective device and a first and a second interruptible signal transmission path which can be interrupted together on the occurrence of a non-secure state of the protective device. The safety system includes at least one test signal path which runs through the safety related participant to a safety input of the safety unit starting from an output of the safety unit and comprises at least one of the first and the second interruptible signal transmission paths. The safety related participant comprises an interruption switch arranged in the test signal path and an evaluation unit which is connected to the first signal transmission path and/or to a first switching signal output of the protective device and to the second signal transmission path and/or to a second switching signal output of the protective device.

Safety system

The invention relates to a method for the programming of a safety controller to be interconnected with encoders and actuators, wherein a wiring plan or a specific wiring is first prepared, whereupon an automated programming of the safety controller takes place using the wiring information.

Method for the programming of a safety controller

A modular safety switching system () with at least one output module () and a central control unit (), which is connected to all output modules () via a bus (). The output module () receives input data of at least one sensor () or switch () and has at least one output () for an actuator. The central control unit () is designed to receive at least a portion of the input data which is evaluated for the transferring of the output data to the output (). The output module () has its own, dedicated output module control unit (), which evaluates the input data in collaboration with the central control unit for the purpose of transferring the output data to the output (). A suitable method is also disclosed.

Modular safety switching system and method

The present invention relates to a method for process control, wherein at least one process device to be controlled is controlled by at least one process module and at least one safety module in that process signals of the process module not relevant to safety and safety signals of the safety module relating to process safety are logically linked to one another and at least one local safety signal of a local safety sensor is supplied directly to at least one control output of a local control unit associated with the process device while bypassing this logical linking operation in order to effect a fast change in state at the process device to be controlled which is connected to the control output, wherein the fast switching path includes a fast switching function with which the result of the logical linking operation and the local safety signal are evaluated together and wherein a fast change in state at the process device to be controlled effected via the fast changing path is changed again, and is in particular reversed again, when the common evaluation produces a predetermined result. The invention moreover relates to a system for process control, in particular for the carrying out of the method in accordance with the invention.

Method and a system for controlling a process device

The invention relates to a method for process control, wherein at least one process device to be controlled is controlled by at least one process module and by at least one safety module, in that process signals not relevant to safety are transmitted to a local control unit associated with the process device by the process module and safety signals relating to the process safety are transmitted by the safety module, wherein the process signals and the safety signals are logically linked to one another in the control unit and the result of the logical link is made available at a control output of the control unit to which the process device to be controlled is connected. The invention moreover relates to a system for process control, in particular for the carrying out of the method in accordance with the invention.

Process control

A method of secure transmission of data signals over a bus system is described, where the data signals are generated by at least one sensor and are transmitted over the bus system to at least one actuator. The data signals generated by at least one of the sensors are encoded according to a predetermined secure encoding method before being introduced into the bus system. The encoded data signals are fed into the bus system and transmitted over it. The encoded data signals are received by at least one of the actuators and decoded according to a decoding method corresponding to the predetermined secure encoding method. In addition, an electronic monitoring system is described for carrying out this method.

Method and device for secure transmission of data signals over a bus system

A safety switching arrangement has at least two break switches ( ) which are connected in series to an evaluation unit ( ), in which case the evaluation unit ( ) initiates a safety signal, in particular an alarm signal and/or disconnection signal, when at least one of the break switches ( ) opens, and determines which of the break switches ( ) has opened. At least one, and preferably all, of the break switches ( ) has or have an associated code signal generator ( ) which, when the associated break switch ( ) opens, supplies to the evaluation unit ( ) a code signal which is characteristic of the relevant break switch ( ) via a line, in particular a diagnosis line ( ) or safety line sections ( ), which leads to the evaluation unit ( ) and is common to all the break switches ( ) associated with a code signal generator ( ), which code signal is analyzed in the evaluation unit ( ) and is identified as coming from the relevant break switch ( ).

Safety switching arrangement

An apparatus for the monitoring of a protection region which comprises a monitoring unit for the detection of an object penetrating into the protection region is described. The monitoring unit has at least one output at which a control signal for the excitation of a device to be monitored, in particular a switching signal for the switching off of the device, can be produced when an object penetrates into the protection region. Furthermore, the apparatus comprises at least one connection for a switch, in particular for an emergency off switch, through which the device can be excited, in particular switched off. The connection is designed as input of the monitoring unit, with it being possible to generate the control signal for the device to be monitored at the output of the monitoring unit through actuation of a switch which is connected to the input.

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Furtwangen, Germany

Franz Dold