Distributed Real-Time Operating System
AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
InventorSivaram Balasubramanian
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Abstract
A distributed control system and methods of operating such a control system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the distributed control system is operated in a manner in which interrupts are at least temporarily inhibited from being processed to avoid excessive delays in the processing of non-interrupt tasks. In another embodiment, the distributed control system is operated in a manner in which tasks are queued based upon relative timing constraints that they have been assigned. In a further embodiment, application programs that are executed on the distributed control system are operated in accordance with high-level and/or low-level requirements allocated to resources of the distributed control system.
Claims22
1-18. (canceled)
A method of scheduling messages being transmitted on a network among spatially-distributed control components of a distributed control system, the method comprising:
- receiving a message;
- receiving a relative timing constraint concerning the message, wherein the relative timing constraint is indicative of an amount of time;
- and
- inserting the message into a queue at a location that is a function of the relative timing constraint.
24-30. (canceled)
A communication card for interfacing between a network medium and a spatially-distributed control component configured to operate in an industrial control system, the communication card comprising:
- a queue operable to store a plurality of messages for transmission on the network medium;
- a scheduler operable to receive each of the messages, extract scheduling data from the message, and insert the message into the queue according to the scheduling data;
- and
- a memory device storing a record of execution of the messages received by the queue.
A communication interface for a spatially-distributed control component configured to operate in an industrial control system having a plurality of spatially-distributed control components connected by an industrial network, the communication interface comprising:
- a transceiver device configured to communicate with a network medium connecting at least two of the spatially-distributed control components and with a processor on the spatially-distributed control component;
- a processor in communication with the transceiver device;
- and
- a plurality of instructions executable on the processor to:
- receive a message,
- extract scheduling data from the message,
- insert the message into a queue at a position which is a function of the scheduling data, and
- transfer the message from the queue to the network medium via the transceiver device according to the position in the queue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.