US 4,870,590 AGranted

Manufacturing line control system

AssigneeYokogawa Electric Corporation

InventorsYasunori Kawata, Fujio Kanno

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Abstract

A manufacturing line control system wherein the hardware region of a main memory is divided on basis of different pieces of information to be stored, the main memory being in a CPU board within a line computer which synthetically judges and processes data transmitted from a manufacturing line; and access control portions are disposed on each of the regions for performing high speed access upon instruction of identical page by a microprocessor. Various analog signal, digital signal and status signal issued from a product passing through the manufacturing line are inputted from the line computer into various equipment installed on the manufacturing line, and control signals are transmitted to the various equipment by a line controller including an input-output portion with which a plurality of card equipment is detachably provided for the application of various types of manufacturing line. The system achieves automation at the manufacturing line site, reduces power consumption, stabilizes manufacturing at high quality, enables efficient small scale manufacture of many different types of products and enhances operability.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In a manufacturing line control system comprising a line controller which performs various processing to products passing through a manufacturing line, and a line computer which conducts data processing from the line controller and send instructions thereto, the improvement comprising

said line controller comprising an input portion which receives signals indicative of information as to said products passing through said manufacturing line and transmitted from various equipment installed on said manufacturing line;
an output portion which supplies control signals to said various equipment;
and a transmission interface for communicating with one of a host line computer and other line controllers;
and
said line computer comprising a microprocessor;
a first bus connected to said microprocessor;
a main memory consisting of a DRAM, a SRAM and a EPROM, said main memory being connected to said first bus and subjected to access by said microprocessor;
a second bus whose bit number is smaller than that of said first bus;
a bit number converting interface for controlling operation timing and connected between said first and second buses;
a keyboard connected to said second bus through an interface;
a back plane bus connected to said second bus through a bus interface;
a CRT display device;
a display control means connected to said back plane bus for controlling said CRT display device;
and a bus interface connected to said back plane bus and performing transmission relative to said line controller.

11 more elements

In a manufacturing line control system comprising a line controller which performs various processing to products passing through a manufacturing line, and a line computer which conducts data processing from said line controller and send instructions thereto, the improvement comprising

said line controller comprising an input portion which receives signals indicative of information as to said products passing through said manufacturing line and transmitted from various equipment installed in said manufacturing line;
an output portion which supplies control signals to said various equipment;
and a transmission interface for communicating with one of a host line computer and other line controllers;
and
said line computer comprising a microprocessor;
a main memory which is subjected to access by said microprocessor;
a CRT display device;
a display control means for controlling said CRT display device;
and a keyboard input means;
wherein
said main memory comprises an EPROM including starting edge program;
a SRAM for stack segment of the microprocessor;
and a DRAM in which stored information is subjected to page control, said DRAM being physically allotted with a data segment and a program segment, said data segment storing therein an intermediary language as a machine language routine with respect to a plurality of basic user task program inputted externally, and said program segment storing therein a machine language and a basic interpreter functioning portion to which the microprocessor refers;
and wherein
said line computer further comprising an access control portion, said access control portion comprising a page memory means for holding page information which is previously subjected to access in the data segment and the program segment through the microprocessor;
a comparator for comparing row address given by a present cycle from said microprocessor with said page information;
and a DRAM controller for performing access by a column address when a coincident signal is outputted from said comparator, and for controlling page change when a non-coincident signal is outputted from said comparator.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.