Safety switching device and safety-related device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11209789-B2
Application number	US-201615998897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2016
Priority date	Feb 16, 2016
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a safety switching device (10) comprising a control side (40) with at least one single-error tolerance, having a first and second control unit (12, 14), each formed on an actuation side (50) for emitting a switch command (20) to at least two switching elements (52, 54, 56), and comprising a monitoring unit (30, 30.1, 30.2, 30.3) having a first and a second connection element (31, 36), and which monitoring unit (30, 30.1, 30.2, 30.3) is designed to emit the switch command (20) to at least one switching element (52, 54, 56) of a load circuit (23), characterised in that the at least two switching elements (52, 54, 56) are each designed as standard components that are free from a forced guidance of the contacts (62) thereof, and the first connection element (31) is directly connected to the second control unit (14) via a first feedback channel (42) and the second connection element (36) is directly connected to the first control unit (12) via a second feedback channel (44).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A safety switching device comprising:
a control side with at least one single-failure tolerance;
a first control unit and a second control unit, each of the first control unit and the second control unit being configured for emitting a switch command and each comprising at least one monitoring unit having a first connection element and a second connection element,
wherein the first control unit is configured to emit the switch command to the first connection element and the second control unit is configured to emit the switch command to the second connection element,
wherein the first connection element and the second connection element are configured to emit the switch command to at least one switching element of at least two switching elements on an actuation side,
wherein the at least two switching elements are configured to interrupt a line of a load circuit,
wherein the at least one switching element of the at least two switching elements is connected in series with the first connection element and the second connection element,
wherein the at least two switching elements are each configured as standard components that are free from a forced guidance of contacts of the at least two switching elements, and
wherein the first connection element is directly connected to the second control unit via a first feedback channel, and the second connection element is directly connected to the first control unit via a second feedback channel.

2. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the first connection element, the second connection element, or the first connection element and the second connection element comprise a collector terminal, a base terminal, and an emitter terminal.

3. The safety switching device of claim 2 , wherein the emitter terminal of the first connection element is directly connected to the collector terminal of the second connection element, or the collector terminal of the first connection unit is directly connected to the emitter terminal of the second connection element.

4. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the first control unit is directly connected to a base terminal of the first connection element, the second control unit is directly connected to a base terminal of the second connection element, or the first control unit is directly connected to the base terminal of the first connection element and the second control unit is directly connected to the base terminal of the second connection element.

5. The safety switching device claim 1 , wherein the actuation side comprises at least one two-failure tolerance, has a safe failure fraction of at least 60%, or comprises at least one two-failure tolerance and has a safe failure fraction of at least 60%.

6. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the first connection element, the second connection element, or the first connection element and the second connection element are in each case configured as a transistor, a field-effect transistor, a thyristor, a TRIAL, an IGBT, a driver module, an integrated circuit, or an AND module.

7. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the control side of the safety switching device comprises the first control unit, the second control unit, or the first control unit and the second control unit, the monitoring unit, or a combination thereof and is configured as an ASIC.

8. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein a first switching element of the at least two switching elements is actuatable by a first monitoring unit, and a second switching element of the at least two switching elements is actuatable by a second monitoring unit.

9. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the at least two switching elements are actuatable via a common signal line.

10. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the at least two switching elements are in each case configured as a relay, an auxiliary contactor, a main contactor, or as a magnet valve.

11. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the at least two switching elements are configured as diverse.

12. The safety switching device of claim 1 , wherein the first control unit and the second control unit are connected to one another for mutual diagnosis.

13. A safety-related device configured as a safety switching device, as a safe coupling relay, safe relay module, as safe PLC relay output as a safety module in a PLC, the safety-related device comprising:
a safety switching device comprising:
a control side with at least one single-failure tolerance:
a first control unit and a second control unit, each of the first control unit and the second control unit being configured on an actuation side for emitting a switch command to at least two switching elements; and
a monitoring unit having a first connection element and a second connection element, the monitoring unit being configured to emit the switch command to at least one switching element of a load circuit,

wherein the at least two switching elements are each configured as standard components that are free from a forced guidance of contacts of the at least two switching elements, and
wherein the first connection element is directly connected to the second control unit via a first feedback channel, and the second connection element is directly connected to the first control unit via a second feedback channel.

14. The safety switching device claim 5 , wherein the actuation side has a safe failure fraction of 70% to 90%.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Maier Mario

Classifications

• H01H47/005

  Safety control circuits therefor, e.g. chain of relays mutually monitoring each other · CPC title

• G05B19/0423 Primary

  Input/output · CPC title

• G05B2219/24182

  Redundancy · CPC title

• G05B2219/24024

  Safety, surveillance · CPC title

• G05B2219/21152

  If output defect, switch it off · CPC title