Schneider Electric Usa, Inc.

Schneider Automation Gmbh

Kerry Van De Steeg

Kenneth Lee

Richard Blair

Heinz Schaffner

Nitin Dhayagude

Torsten Joachim Brune

Sascha Michael Kreβ

Michael Streubel

Sascha Michael Kress

A modular distributed I/O system for an industrial automation network that allows one or more modules of an island to be omitted without requiring reconfiguration of the system by maintaining a consistent I/O image representation of the distributed I/O network for various physical distributed I/O configurations, and managing reconfiguration changes using Virtual Placeholder objects.

Virtual placeholder configuration for distributed input/output modules

The invention described herein provides a system and method for distributing and applying a configuration file from a master device () to a slave device () in a distributed control system (). According to aspects of the invention, a configuration file is saved at a master device () and distributed to the slave device () via the data payload of a fieldbus protocol, such as the CANopen protocol. Aspects of the present invention may be used to further configure an I/O island or sub-network () that is attached to the slave device (). Further aspects of the present invention may be used to repair or replace failed devices in a distributed control system ().

Method and apparatus for distributing configuration files in a distributed control system

Each device in an industrial automation system network or other network may have its own associated one or more performance characteristics, such as response time and/or reset time of the network device. Data may be stored representing a plurality of performance characteristics each associated with a different one of a plurality of devices in the network including a first device and a second device. The stored data may be retrieved, representing the performance characteristic of the second device. The first device may communicate over the network with the second device in accordance with the performance characteristic of the second device.

Tuning of industrial automation system performance based on device operating characteristics

A modular distributed I/O system for an industrial automation network that allows one or more modules of an island to be omitted without requiring reconfiguration of the system by maintaining a consistent I/O image representation of the distributed I/O network for various physical distributed I/O configurations and managing reconfiguration changes remotely using Virtual Placeholder objects.

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Windham, NH, United States of America

Kerry Van De Steeg