Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Rockwell Technologies, Inc.

John D Crabtree

Gregg M Sichner

David S Wehrle

Jerry L Penick

Robert J Kretschmann

Michael Wolfgang Kessler

Martin Junker

Robin-David Slater

A programmable routing module is disclosed for interconnecting field wiring with a control system. The routing module includes a field connection to connect field signals from a controlled process to the routing module, an I/O connection to connect I/O signals from the control system to the routing module, and a configurable interconnection system that selectively couples particular field and I/O signals with one another.

Programmable routing module

Low voltage logic circuitry is used to permit an entire subsystem of an industrial controller to be placed within a hazardous environment to receive a high speed serial link and undertake the control of multiple control points without expensive and awkward long cable runs and electrically isolating circuits for each cable run. Energy and bandwidth limiting on the high speed link allows power levels commensurate with high data rates yet intrinsic safety of the media allowing it to freely pass in and out of the hazardous area. A mixture of intrinsically safe and non-intrinsically safe equipment on the same logical rack is allowed through a bus isolator providing isolated data communication in backplane fashion between modules while wholly isolating power transmission along the backplane.

Low voltage industrial control system providing intrinsically safe

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Akron, OH, United States of America

John D Crabtree