Configurable controller for next generation control system
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsDarren Woodman, Kevin G. Hawes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An environmental control system includes a broadcast-type controller area network (CAN) bus and a plurality of configurable modular controllers coupled to the CAN bus. Each of the plurality of configurable modular controllers includes a modular controller card with a microprocessor and a modular driver board configured to connect and disconnect to and from the controller card. The environmental control system further includes one or more sensors and a primary controller. The sensors are configured to sense one or more parameter values and to provide the one or more parameter values on the CAN bus. The primary controller is configured to communicate with each of the configurable modular controllers via the CAN bus.
Claims13
An environmental control system (ECS) comprising:
- a broadcast-type controller area network (CAN) bus;
- a plurality of configurable modular controllers coupled to the CAN bus, each of the plurality of configurable modular controllers including a modular controller card have a local microcontroller included therewith and a modular driver board configured to connect and disconnect to and from the controller card;
- a mass storage device in signal communication with the CAN bus and configured to store a plurality of different types of driver software, wherein each driver software is dedicated to driving a different type of load;
- and
- a primary controller configured to communicate with the plurality of configurable modular controllers via the CAN bus,
- wherein the primary controller obtains from the mass storage device the driver software corresponding to the dedicated load in response to establishing the signal communication between the between the modular controller card and the modular driver board, and loads the driver software in the local microcontroller.
A configurable modular controller comprising:
- a modular controller card including a local microcontroller;
- and
- a modular driver board configured to connect and disconnect to and from the controller card, the modular driver board including electronics dedicated to drive a load connected thereto,
- wherein the local microcontroller is configured to communicate with a primary controller that communicates with a mass storage device configured to store a plurality of different types of driver software, each driver software dedicated to a different type of modular driver board dedicated to drive a load among a plurality of different modular driver boards dedicated to drive a different type of load and obtains from the mass storage device driver software corresponding to the load in response to establishing the signal communication between the between the modular controller card and the modular driver board, the local microcontroller configured to receive the driver software from the primary controller, and controls the modular driver board according to the drive software received from the primary controller.
A method of programming a configurable modular controller, the method comprising:
- establishing signal communication between a local microcontroller included on a modular controller card and a mass storage device storing a plurality of different types of driver software, each driver software dedicated to a different type of modular driver board dedicated to drive a load among a plurality of different modular driver boards dedicated to drive a different type of load;
- establishing signal communication between the modular controller card and a given modular driving board;
- delivering the driver software dedicated to the given modular driver board from the mass storage device to the modular controller card;
- and
- loading the driver software in the local microcontroller included on a modular controller card to program the configurable modular controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.