Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc.

Other

Siemens Industry, Inc.

Michael Ross Massie

Alan D McNutt

Ned Cox

James Allen Knoop

Sorin Homescu

Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a slide connector that can be adapted to electrically couple a first circuit board to a second circuit board. The first circuit board can comprise a first receptacle. The second circuit board can comprise a second receptacle. The slide connector can be adapted to be slideably releaseably coupled to each of the first receptacle and the second receptacle.

Method of coupling circuit board connectors

Devices and/or systems for coupling a PLC bus

A communication interface responds to a communication protocol for interfacing a controller and any of a plurality of discrete I/O devices. Each discrete I/O device has a different configuration. The interface has a plurality of modes of operation to accommodate the discrete I/O devices. In a first mode of operation, the interface accommodates a first discrete I/O device wherein a plurality of input pins input signals from a particular discrete I/O and a plurality of output pins output signals to the particular discrete I/O device. In a second mode of operation, the interface accommodates a second discrete I/O device wherein the input pins form a bidirectional input/output port and the output pins form a control and address line for controlling the second discrete I/O device and other discrete I/O devices.

Communication interface method

A communication interface involves a processor that communicates to expansion modules in order to read and write discrete input/output, analog input/output, intelligent module control, and expansion module status. The expansion modules can be application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), each having a state machine architecture that responds appropriately to the input/output expansion bus signals. The ASIC can include error detection using the first byte of messages from the controller. Thus, the ASIC detects when an erroneous message from the controller has been communicated and transmits a message to expansion modules that their output states not be changed in response to the message from the controller.

System for and method of interfacing expansion modules with programmable logic controllers (PLC)

A universal expansion module interfaces a logic controller to a plurality of types of input/output expansion modules that communicate input/output data between the controller and automated devices. A communication interface establishes communication between the controller and at least one of the plurality of types of an input/output expansion module. An expansion module having a physical configuration accommodates signals from the plurality of types of input/output expansion modules.

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Bristol, TN, United States of America

Michael Ross Massie