Patent ID: 8055814
Filing Date: 2011-11-08
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
1. A system that facilitates communication of safety and non-safety data within a control network, comprising: a universal safety block that receives safety and non-safety data from an outside source via one or more of a network interface that receives and/or transmits data directly from a network, a backplane interface that receives and/or transmits data from a backplane, and a backplane extension that receives and/or transmits data from a backplane; a processing component that receives data from at least one of the network interface, the backplane interface and the backplane extension, determines if the received data is safety data or non-safety data, and routes the safety data to a safety channel and the non-safety data to a non-safety data channel; and safety input/output (I/O) circuitry that receives the safety data from the processing component via the safety channel, wherein the safety data is utilized to communicate to at least one control device within the control network.