Patent ID: 7286886

Claim:
A safety controller for failsafe disconnection of a machine or a machine system in response to process signals from the machine or machine system, the safety controller comprising an input module for automatically reading the process signals, a failsafe signal processing module for fail-safely processing the process signals, and a failsafe output module for producing control signals in response to the signal processing module, the control signals controlling the disconnection of the machine or machine system, wherein the signal processing module comprises at least one programmable processor and at least a first operating program stored in a non-volatile form in a first read only memory, wherein a second read only memory is provided in which a first hardware information item is stored which is characteristic at least of a current hardware configuration of the signal processing module, and wherein a download device is provided, the download device being designed to transfer a second operating program into the first read only memory, wherein the second operating program comprises a second hardware information item which is characteristic of a minimum required hardware configuration, and wherein the download device is designed to fail-safely inhibit the transfer of the second operating program into the first read only memory as a function of a comparison of the minimum required hardware configuration for said second operating program as defined by said second hardware information item, with the current hardware configuration of the signal processing module as defined by the first hardware information item.