Method for determining a safety step and safety manager

1. A method for determining a safety-relevant capacity within a safety-relevant standard in an automation network with non-safety-relevant subscribers and safety-relevant subscribers, the method comprising:

operating the automation network, wherein the subscribers comprise a control layer and a plurality of distributed devices arranged in a sensor/actuator layer to carry out an automation task, the safety-relevant standard defining safety steps for categorizing differing safety-relevant capacities of the safety-relevant subscribers and the safety steps representing differing average probability values for a dangerous failure of one of the safety-relevant subscribers in the automation network per hour while carrying out the automation task;

automatically determining data and process-specific links between the safety-relevant subscribers in the automation network by a configuration-detecting module, the data and process-specific links being logic links of inputs and outputs of the safety-relevant subscribers configured within a control logic for carrying out the automation task, detected by the configuration detecting module while the automation task is executed;

determining subscriber-specific safety parameters to calculate the safety steps; and

calculating the safety-relevant capacity within the safety-relevant standard in the automation network by an algorithm which connects the determined data and process-specific links of the subscribers in the automation network and the automatically determined subscriber-specific safety parameters, wherein the safety steps are determined.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the algorithm takes the safety-relevant standard into account such that the safety-relevant standard categorizes the safety-relevant capacities of the safety-relevant subscribers.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the subscriber-specific safety parameters are determined automatically by a parameter-detecting module to automatically take modifications in the automation network into account when calculating the safety steps.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the subscriber-specific safety parameters are stored in the respective subscriber and automatically retrieved by the parameter-detecting module such that new or unknown subscribers are included when calculating the safety steps.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising switching the automation network off or to a safe state if one of the safety-relevant subscribers fails.

6. A non-transitory computer readable data storage medium with program code executable on a computer processor to perform the method according to claim 1 .

7. A hardware safety manager for an automation network with non-safety-relevant subscribers and safety-relevant subscribers forming a control layer and a plurality of distributed devices arranged in a sensor/actuator layer to carry out an automation task, the safety manager comprising:

a configuration-detecting module for automatically detecting data and process-specific links between the safety-relevant subscribers in the automation network from an automation network configuration, the data and process-specific links being logic links of inputs and outputs of the safety-relevant subscribers configured within a control logic for carrying out the automation task, detected by the configuration detecting module while the automation task is executed,

a parameter-detecting module for automatically detecting subscriber-specific safety parameters to calculate the safety steps, and

a calculation module for calculating a safety-relevant capacity within a safety-relevant standard by an algorithm which connects the data and process-specific links of the subscribers in the automation network to the subscriber-specific safety parameters, wherein the safety steps are determined,

the safety-relevant standard defining safety steps for categorizing differing safety-relevant capacities of the safety-relevant subscribers and the safety steps representing differing average probability values for a dangerous failure of one of the safety-relevant subscribers in the automation network per hour while carrying out the automation task.

8. The safety manager according to claim 7 , wherein the algorithm takes the safety-relevant standard into account such that the safety-relevant standard categorizes the safety-relevant capacities of the safety-relevant subscribers.

9. The safety manager according to claim 7 , whereby the parameter-detecting module automatically detects the subscriber-specific safety parameters to automatically take modifications in the automation network into account when calculating the safety steps.

10. The safety manager according to claim 7 , wherein the safety manager is configured to switch the automation network off or to a safe state if one of the safety-relevant subscribers fails.

11. An automation network comprising:

a safety manager and a plurality of subscribers comprising a control layer and a plurality of distributed devices arranged in a sensor/actuator layer to carry out an automation task,

wherein the safety manager comprises a configuration-detecting module for automatically detecting data and process-specific links of the subscribers in the automation network from an automation network configuration, said data and process-specific links of the subscribers being logic links of inputs and outputs in the subscribers configured within a control logic for executing the automation task,

said automation network configuration being converted into a system model representing the data and process-specific links of the safety-relevant subscribers in the control logic of the automation network, the system model automatically detected in a test mode while the automation task is executed, and

wherein each subscriber comprises a parameter memory in which assigned subscriber-specific safety parameters are stored, the subscribers being configured to transfer the safety parameters to a parameter-detecting module upon request.

12. The automation network according to claim 11 , wherein the safety manager further comprises:

the parameter-detecting module being configured for automatically detecting the subscriber-specific safety parameters, and

a calculation module for calculating a safety-relevant capacity of the subscribers within a safety-relevant standard by an algorithm which connects the data and process-specific links of the subscribers in the automation network to the subscriber-specific safety parameters,

the safety-relevant standard defining safety steps for categorizing differing safety-relevant capacities of safety-relevant subscribers in the automation network, the safety steps representing differing average probability values for a dangerous failure of one of the safety-relevant subscribers in the automation network per hour while carrying out the automation task;

wherein the subscriber-specific safety parameters are automatically retrieved from the respective subscribers to calculate the safety steps.

13. The automation network according to claim 12 , wherein the algorithm takes the safety-relevant standard into account such that the safety-relevant standard categorizes the safety-relevant capacities.

14. The automation network according to claim 12 , wherein the parameter-detecting module of the safety manager automatically detects the subscriber-specific safety parameters to automatically take modifications in the automation network into account when calculating the safety steps.

15. The automation network according to claim 12 , wherein the safety manager is configured to switch the automation network off or to a safe state if one of the safety-relevant subscribers fails.