Distributed drum emulating programmable controller system

A programmable controller system for monitoring a plurality of input conditions and input events and for controlling a plurality of output conditions and output events in accordance with a stored control program and said input and output conditions comprising:

• A. a plurality of identical electrical inputs, and
• B. a computer system connected to said plurality of electrical inputs,
• a. said computer system adapted to repetitively record for each of said inputs the value of an identical analog condition at all of said inputs and a binary condition defined by whether said analog condition has become greater or lesser than at least one preselected value, and
• b. said computer system being user programmable to select said analog condition or said binary condition derived therefrom as an input condition or event.

A programmable controller system comprising:

• A. a Central Intelligence Unit for executing a control program,
• B. a local bus connected to said Central Intelligence Unit,
• C. a plurality of electrically identical inputs,
• D. a plurality of outputs,
• E. a plurality of Input/Output Units to which said inputs and outputs are connected
• a. said Input/Output Units being repetitively polled at a polling rate by said Central Intelligence Unit as to the condition of their inputs,
• b. each of said Input/Output Units recording repetitively for each of said inputs, at a greater rate than said polling rate, an identical analog condition and a binary condition defined by whether said analog condition has become greater or less than at least one predetermined value, both said records being transmitted to said Central Processing Unit when polled.

In a programmable controller system for monitoring a plurality of input conditions and input events and for controlling a plurality of output conditions and events in accordance with a control program and said input and output conditions, comprising:

• A. an input unit comprising,
• a. a plurality of input terminal pairs,
• b. an analog to digital converter,
• c. multiplex means for connecting each of said input terminal pairs in turn to said analog to digital converter,
• d. a first table for storing the digital value of an identical electrical condition at each of said terminal pairs,
• e. a second table for storing a first binary value when the value of said condition increases to above a predetermined value and the opposite binary value when the value of said condition decreases to below a predetermined value, and
• B. a Central Intelligence Unit connected to said input unit for storing a control program and providing for user selection of whether the digital value stored in said first table or the binary value stored in said second table shall be used by said program as the input condition of the corresponding input terminal pair.

A programmable controller system comprising:

• A. a data exchange bus;
• and
• B. a plurality of Central Processing Units connected to said data exchange bus,
• a. each of said Central Processing Units comprises a memory and has assigned to it the transmission of one or more data exchange variables on said bus,
• b. a plurality of said Central Processing Units storing all of said data exchange variables in their memories, and
• c. a plurality of Input/Output Units, each controlling a plurality of output circuits and responsive to a plurality of input conditions, and each of said Central Processing Units having connected thereto a local bus and a plurality of said Input/Output Units connected to each local bus, wherein at least one of said Input/Output Units is provided with a plurality of identical electrical inputs and repetitively records an analog electrical condition at all of said inputs and whether said analog condition has become greater or lesser than at least one preselected value.