Patent ID: 9632492
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: G05B,G06F

Claim:
1. An industrial automation controller comprising: a first processing unit including a first processor, a first memory, a first clock source, and a first fault indicator signal, the first processing unit configured to execute a first safety loop; a second processing unit including a second processor, a second memory, a second clock source, and a second fault indicator signal, the second processing unit configured to execute a second safety loop; a communication link operatively connected to the first processing unit and configured to provide data communications including status information between the first processing unit and the second processing unit; an external communications device operatively associated with I/O (Input/Output) communications between the first processing unit and one or more remote devices; and an integrated logic circuit operatively connected to the first processing unit, the second processing unit and the external communications device, the integrated logic circuit configured to receive as inputs the first fault indicator signal and the second fault indicator signal, provide data communications between the first processor and the external communications device, and directly disable the I/O communications between the first processing unit and the one or more remote devices if the first fault indicator signal and/or the second fault indicator signal represent a fault condition associated with an execution of the first safety loop and/or the second safety loop.