Scalable automation system

Assembly Automation

ISSN: 0144-5154

Article publication date: 1 March 2001

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Keywords

Citation

(2001), "Scalable automation system", Assembly Automation, Vol. 21 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2001.03321aad.013

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited


Scalable automation system

Scalable automation system

Keywords: Automation, Safety

Applicants: Herbert Barthel (DE), Andreas Schenk (DE), Hartmut Schütz (DE) and Siemens AG (DE)Patent number: WO0038021Publication date: 29 June 2000Title: Automation system which can be scaled with respect to its availability and safety

The invention relates to an automation system which can be scaled with respect to its availability and safety. It comprises at least one central processing unit (CPU1) or a plurality of central processing units (CPU1, CPU2) which are interlinked to communicate with one another. The system further comprises at least one local peripheral component and at least one communications channel between the central processing unit(s) and the peripheral component(s). Availability and safety of the system are scaled by means of the following measures: redundant and non-redundant use of central processing units, peripheral components and communications channels, use of non-error-protected standard components or error-protected special components, integration or reloading of the functionality required for the various availability or safety levels into the corresponding components and activating the functionality required for the desired availability and safety level by design or programming.

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