Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Allen-bradley Company, LLC

Raymond R Husted

Scott A Pierce

Kendal R Harris

Kenwood H Hall

Robert J Kretschmann

Sivaram Balasubramanian

Gregg M Sichner

Anthony Gerard Gibart

Jonathan D Bradford

David M Fort

Charles Martin Rischar

David R Rohn

Mark A Flood

David Allen Johnston

Ronald Edwin Schultz

Terence Scott Tenorio

Gregory A Majcher

Bret S Hildebran

Eric D Decker

Otomar S Schmidt

Kyle E Neet

Chandresh R Chaudhari

Patrick D Telljohann

Edward C Korsberg

Wayne C Van Sickle

Michael D Yoke

Terrence L Dauterman

Douglas W Reid

Jacob Strickler Baker

Douglas Brian Sumerauer

Robert R Sepsi

Jeffery W Brooks

Michael S Pelley

Luis A Capriles

Amir S Ansari

Donald A Westman

David A Karpuszka

James A Meeker

Donald Alan Westman

Dennis J Dombrosky

A system of communicating data over a high availability industrial control system is disclosed. The industrial control system includes a first data producer, a second data producer in communicative connection with the first data producer, a first data consumer, and a second data consumer in communicative connection with the first data consumer. The system further includes the first producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the first producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules, and the second producer communicating the data over multiple connection paths from the second producer to the first consumer and the second consumer through intermediate modules. Also disclosed is a method of communicating data over the high availability industrial control system.

System and method of communicating data over high availability industrial control systems

An improved system for handling events in an industrial control system is disclosed. A module in an industrial controller is configured to generate an event responsive to a predefined signal or combination of signals occurring. The event is transferred to an event queue for subsequent execution. The event queue may also be configured to store a copy of the state of the module at the time the event is generated. The event queue may hold multiple events and each event is configured to trigger at least one event task. Subsequent events that occur during execution of the event task are stored in the event queue for later execution. An event, or combination of events, may trigger execution of an event task within the module, within the controller to which the module is connected, or within multiple controllers.

Method of managing event generation for an industrial controller

A method and system for interacting with data frames passing through a module connected to an industrial network is disclosed. Each module includes an aggregation unit located on the network interface above the physical layer. To transmit data, the aggregation unit reads a header from a dynamic data packet to determine if the module is a participant module for the packet. If so, the aggregation unit inserts data from the module into the data packet and transmits the packet to another module. To receive data, the aggregation unit reads a header from the data packet to determine whether the data packet includes data for the module. If so, the aggregation unit reads the data and passes the data packet to another module. If the aggregation unit determines that a data packet is not intended for the module, the data packet is passed to another module with no further interaction.

Method and system for data aggregation in an industrial communication protocol

Event generation management for an industrial controller

An industrial control system includes an industrial controller and a programming interface. The programming interface is operable to communicate a plurality of operations for modifying a control program maintained by the industrial controller followed by a commit transaction command. The industrial controller is configured to designate the plurality of operations with a pending status and preprocess the plurality of operations. The industrial controller is further configured to commit the operations and clear the pending status responsive to receiving the commit transaction command.

Method and apparatus for communicating transactions between an industrial controller and a programming interface

A system and method for industrial control I/O forcing is provided. The invention includes a processor, shared memory and an I/O processor with cache memory. The invention provides for the cache memory to be loaded with I/O force data from the shared memory. The I/O processor performs I/O forcing utilizing the I/O force data stored in the cache memory. The invention further provides for the processor to notify the I/O processor in the event that I/O force data is altered during control program execution. The invention further provides for the I/O processor to refresh the cache memory (e.g., via a blocked write) after receipt of alteration of the I/O force data from the processor.

System and method for industrial controller with an I/O processor using cache memory to optimize exchange of shared data

A coordinated system time is established for spatially separated components of an industrial control system using synchronizing messages transmitted over a communication link between those parts. Precisely coordinated actions may be obtained at separated components by the use of a time conditional command received by those components prior to a time of execution the command instructing the component to execute the command only when at execution time in the future has been reached. The coordinated system time may be used to time stamp received triggering events for use in coordinating subsequent actions based on those triggering events.

Method of scheduling spatially separated control events with an

An industrial controller having a number of addressable I/O modules, employs an I/O map table linking software addresses used for developing the control program to actual physical addresses of the I/O modules on a network. By employing software addresses for connection points to the control process, the program may be developed independent of the topology of the network connecting the processor to the I/O modules and changes in that topology may be made without affecting the control program, but simply by changing the I/O map table. A single change in the I/O map table re-connects an I/O module for all references in the control program.

Industrial controller with I/O mapping table for linking software

A compiler for an industrial controller uses a user modifiable instruction table to contain code fragments necessary to compile particular instructions. During compilation, the instructions are replaced with the code fragments. Thus new instructions recognizable by the compiler may be added simply by editing this instruction table. Multiple instructions having the same name are resolved through a best match of operand types which examines the possible data loss in conversion of operand types to select a particular one of the instructions.

Industrial controller compiler with expandable instruction set

In an industrial controller associated with independent I/O modules for exchanging signals between a controlled machine and the controller, a control program executed by the controller is associated with an I/O map identifying functionality of the independent I/O modules. At initialization of the controller, function keys are transmitted to the I/O modules, the latter which confirm that they are capable of the functions expected by the control program. The I/O modules may change their function according to the function keys and may accept functions not identical to those performed by the I/O module if the I/O module performs at greater functionality.

Method for operating inductrial control with control program and I/O map

A multitasking industrial controller for real-time control of machinery and the like permits the use of both periodic and event driven tasks by establishing a hierarchy of both task types in the form of priorities that resolve conflicts between events of the same and different types. The unpredictability of the event driven tasks on scheduling of tasks is addressed by watchdog time values assigned to each task which confirm timely execution of the task in practice despite the risk of preemption by other tasks. Flexible software definition of event driven tasks is made possible by delegating the detection of the events to input/output modules executing independently of the processor executing the operating system.

Multitasking industrial controller

A programmable controller has a rack that electrically connects a number of I/O modules to a processor module. The processor module includes a external device communication interface section and a general purpose processor section electrically coupled together by a set of common buses. Both of these module sections include a microprocessor and memory connected by an internal set of buses which are isolatable from the set of common buses. The isolation capability permits the different sections to perform their operations simultaneously. A shared system memory and an rack interface are coupled to the common buses for the exchange of data with the I/O modules. A unique ladder logic processor also is connected directly to the common buses. The ladder logic processor includes a hardwired Boolean bit logic processor and a custom microcoded processor to execute instructions of a ladder type control program. Program instructions which are too complex for execution by the ladder logic processor are executed by the general purpose processor section.

Processor for a programmable controller

Programmable controller processor module having multiple program

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Middlefield, OH, United States of America

Raymond R Husted