Decentralized safety architecture for cyberphysical production systems

In the context of the paper, a research work is shown to implement a networked decentralized safety architecture that replaces the central architecture. Thus, the safety system fits better into the rest of the automation structure. On the one hand, this is done by a clearer hardware structure, as there is now one safety controller per decentralized unit, which, analogous to the distributed automation system, communicates with the other stations via an Ethernet-based bus system, thus greatly reducing the wiring and commissioning effort. On the other hand, the decentralized processing allows a local shutdown of the safety-relevant components and an escalation of the emergency shutdown to other areas, depending on the emergency stop situation. This means that in the event of a safety-critical situation, the shutdown is reduced to what is necessary from a safety point of view, which increases system availability.