Patent ID: 7319406
Filing Date: 2008-01-15
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
1. A system that serializes control signals within a safety control architecture, comprising: a safety serial interface that at least one of receives and transmits signals from one or more processing components; a serialization component that receives and serializes at least one data packet from the safety serial interface to control at least one of an input and an output associated with the safety control architecture; a safety related test circuit that verifies input signals associated with the serialization component are not internally falsifying the state of the input signals; and a heartbeat watchdog component that verifies a true heartbeat bit in the at least one data packet is opposite a complement heartbeat bit in the at least one data packet within a predetermined time interval and shuts off power to at least one of an output and an input if the true heartbeat bit in the data packet is not opposite a complement heartbeat bit within the predetermined time interval.