Development environment for a safety relay configuration system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9361073-B2
Application number	US-201414563587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2013
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A safety relay configuration system for configuring safety functions to be carried out by a safety relay is provided. The configuration system comprises a number of features that facilitate intuitive and simplified configuration of an industrial safety relay, including but not limited to features that guide the user through the configuration process using an intuitive sequential procedure that provides feedback and prompts based on user interaction, enforce design consistency throughout the configuration project by intelligently limiting user selections, and visually organize configuration and status information in a manner that efficiently utilizes display space and allows the user to quickly evaluate available configuration options.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for configuring an industrial safety relay, comprising:
a memory that stores computer-executable components; and
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the computer-executable components, the computer-executable components comprising:
a graphical interface component configured to render a safety logic editor display comprising four columns of blank function targets for placement of graphical function block elements, to receive configuration input that associates graphical function block elements with respective blank function targets of the four columns of blank function targets, and to programmatically associate an output of a first function block element of the graphical function block elements with an input of a second function block element of the graphical function block elements in response to a reference parameter located on the second function block element being set to an identifier of the first function block element; and
a configuration component configured to create a configuration program for a safety relay based on the configuration input,
wherein the graphical interface component is further configured to enforce association of designated types of graphical function block elements to respective columns of the four columns, the four columns comprising:
a first column designated for placement of safety monitoring function block elements corresponding to respective safety input devices;
a second column designated for placement of AND, OR, or pass through logical operator function block elements;
a third column designated for placement of AND, OR, or pass through logical operator function block elements; and
a fourth column designated for placement of safety output function block elements corresponding to respective safety outputs of the safety relay.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a spacing between two of the four columns is fixed for all rows of the graphical function block elements.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein a width of the graphical function block elements within one of the four columns is fixed for all rows of the graphical function block elements.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration input further comprises input that creates a signal flow line between an output of a first function block element of the graphical function block elements in a first of the four columns to an input of a second function block element of the graphical function block elements in a second of the four columns in response to the configuration input.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a number of the blank function targets corresponds to an amount of memory available for creation of the configuration program.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the graphical interface component is configured to associate a graphical function block element, of the graphical function block elements, with a blank function target, of the blank function targets, in response to an input operation that drags the graphical function block element from a function tree to the blank function target.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the graphical function block elements are configured to display selectable elements using a first color that is different than a second color used to display non-selectable elements of the graphical function block elements.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein inputs and outputs of the graphical function block elements are represented by respective circles located on the graphical function block elements and inside a periphery of the graphical function block elements.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the graphical interface component is further configured to display a tooltip window containing information regarding a status of a graphical function block element, of the graphical function block elements, in response to a cursor being hovered over the graphical function block element during runtime monitoring of the configuration program.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the graphical interface component is further configured to change a color of a graphical function block element, of the graphical function block elements, based on a status of the graphical function block element.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the graphical function block element is a safety output function block element, and the graphical interface component is further configured to, during a monitoring mode, cause the safety output function block element to blink between two different colors in response to a safety circuit associated with the safety output function block element satisfying a condition.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the condition comprises a ready state whereby the safety circuit is ready to be reset and is awaiting a reset command.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
rendering, by a graphical interface component implemented by the processor, a safety logic editor display comprising four columns of blank function targets for placement of graphical function block elements, the graphical interface component enforcing association of designated types of graphical function block elements to respective columns of the four columns, the four columns comprising
a first column designated for placement of safety monitoring function block elements corresponding to respective safety input devices,
a second column designated for placement of AND, OR, or pass through logical operator function block elements,
a third column designated for placement of AND, OR, or pass through logical operator function block elements, and
a fourth column designated for placement of safety output function block elements corresponding to respective safety outputs of the safety relay;

receiving, via the safety logic editor display, first configuration input that associates graphical function block elements with respective blank function targets of the four columns of blank function targets;
programmatically associating, by a configuration component implemented by the processor, an output of a first function block element of the graphical function block elements with an input of a second function block element of the graphical function block elements in response to receipt of second configuration input that sets a reference parameter located on the second function block to an identifier of the first function block; and
creating, by the configuration component, a configuration program for a safety relay based on the first configuration input and the second configuration input.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the rendering comprises rendering the four columns to have a fixed spacing between two of the four columns for all rows of the blank function targets.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving further configuration input that creates a signal flow line between an output of a first function block element of the graphical function block elements in a first of the four columns to an input of a second function block element of the graphical function block elements in a second of the four columns.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein a graphical function block element, of the graphical function block elements, comprises a safety output function block element, and the operations further comprise, during a monitoring mode, causing the safety output function block eleme

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Prosak Bradley A
• Helpenstein Thomas
• Papenbreer Rudolf
• Lorenz Dirk
• Burke Christopher
• Bubar Todd
• Trinh Nhat Nam

Classifications

• G05B2219/23278

  Program by data flow · CPC title

• G05B2219/13049

  Display progress of program, state, highlight, colour · CPC title

• G05B19/41865 Primary

  characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow · CPC title

• G06F8/34 Primary

  Graphical or visual programming · CPC title

• G05B2219/25067

  Graphic configuration control system · CPC title