Control device including a conductively isolated depluggable controller
OwnerRodger T. Lovrenichinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control device includes an electrically contactless depluggable logic module such as a computer that is used to interface between a power supply and input and output elements to process a system of control signals. There are no electrical connections to the logic module. This eliminates electromagnetic interference and conducted line interference. The power supply is magnetically coupled to the logic module. Information and control signals are optically coupled to the logic module. It is a free standing, environnmentally immune unit, electrically isolated from the outside world.
Claims8
A control station constructed for use in a multi-station control system in an automated production line or the like, said control station comprising station support structure, control module means including means for removably mounting said control module means to said support structure, means on said support structure for identifying station character to said control module means mounted on said support structure, means on said control module means for selectively reading said character-identifying means, and means functioning in mounting of said control module means onto said support structure to bring said selectively-reading means into operable position adjacent to said character-identifying means.
A control station which comprises station support structure including a backplane having a multiplicity of module mounting positions and I/O modules mounted to said backplane in selected ones of said positions, and station control module means mounted on said support structure including means for transmitting and receiving optical communication signals to and from said I/O modules for conducting controlled operations at said station,
- said I/O modules including at least one output module with means responsive to optical control signals from said control module means for selectively applying current to a load, current sensor means for sensing current draw at the load, and optical feedback transmitting means responsive to said current sensor means for transmitting optical feedback signals to said control module means indicative of current draw at the load,
- said control module means including means responsive to said optical feedback signal for indicating operation at the load responsive to said optical control signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.