Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Richard W Boyd

Derek William Jones

Kevin M Zomchek

Wayne R Foster

William E Waltz

Brian Haley Schriver

James J Boschuetz, Jr

Kevin Zomchek

In distribution networks for safety sensors and devices, aspects of the invention provide routing individualized status signals in parallel to potential safety sensor locations in addition to serially routing safety signals to provide substantially increased protection. A shorting plug that electrically shorts together an individualized status signal to a voltage reference level at a safety sensor location, in addition to electrically shorting together the safety signals for electrical continuity, provides individualized status information for each potential safety sensor location in addition to the serial safety information provided by the safety signals. Another aspect of the invention provides a remote monitoring device coupled to one or more adapter ports, with each adapter port coupled to one or more safety sensors, wherein adapter ports are coupled via cabling with cable endings of the same type, thereby preventing circumvention of a safety sensor simply by coupling together adjacent cables.

Distribution networks for safety sensors and devices

Aspects of the present invention provide an RFID system for safely controlling an auto guided vehicle, an automated robot or other moving object ('AGV'). The system may include a plurality of radio frequency identification ('RFID') tags, and each may store a unique identification in a first memory location, a position in a second memory location and/or an instruction in a third memory location. An AGV having an RFID transceiver or antenna and a computer with a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing a predetermined table may read one or more of the memory locations. The table comprises a plurality of data elements with certain data elements associated with particular RFID tags. The AGV safely determines its location upon matching the one or more memory locations read with one or more data elements, or triggers a fault upon failing to match. The AGV may also predict the next RFID tag.

Radio frequency identification in safety applications

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Holliston, MA, United States of America

Richard W Boyd