Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Dieter Wollscheid

Peter Ninnemann

Waldemar Wenzel

Siegfried Stoll

A memory-programmable controller is disclosed having a bit and word processor for controlling a peripheral process. A process control program is stored in a user program memory. The controller includes a data memory in which process images of the controlled process are stored. A supplemental memory is coupled in parallel with the data memory. Bit-wide data is stored in the data memory and change bits associated with individual ones of the bit wide data in the data memory are stored in the supplemental memory. The change bits determine whether the associated bit in the data memory can be changed during processing by the control program. Definite control states can thereby be simulated for test purposes.

Memory-programmable controller

A memory-programmable multiprocessor controller having a word processor and a bit processor is disclosed. The word processor is coupled to a separate peripheral bus for providing communication with a peripheral module coupled to the process being controlled. An internal system bus separated from the peripheral bus provides communication between the bit processor, user program memory and data memory. The bit processor accesses the user program memory and the data memory via separate dedicated buses. Rapid command execution can thereby be achieved.

A memory-programmable controller of the multiprocessor type, has both a fast bit processor for processing bit oriented operations and a slower word processor for processing word oriented operations. The bit and word operations are stored in a user program memory by the user. These operations are the program which controls the peripheral process controlled by the controller. The bit processor reads the user program memory and sequentially stops when a word command is recognized. The bit processor furnishes information which the word processor uses as the entry address for a program routine associated with the word command in an operating system memory. This provides freedom in the choice of the word processor and in the design of the bit processor to a high degree.

Memory programmable controller with word and bit processors

A memory programmable controller of the multiprocessor type having both word and bit processors is disclosed. The controller has a data memory in which process images of the process being controlled are stored and a user program memory in which a control program is stored. In order to increase the rate at which commands are executed by the controller, means are employed by which the bit processor fetches commands from the user program memory at the same time that it is executing a prior command. Accordingly, two sequential commands are respectively executed and fetched simultaneously, thereby increasing the speed of the controller. Separate bus systems dedicated to the bit processor which enable the bit processor to access the user program memory and the data memory are employed.

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Erlangen, Germany

Dieter Wollscheid