US 5,950,006 A · Object-oriented programmable controller

Abstract

A controller for one or more pieces of industrial equipment is configured to perform a series of control functions each organized into one or more procedures for performing particular machine actions. The progress of an action, or some parameter of the action-taking machine (which may or may not be associated with an action), is represented by one or more "states." A database associates entries corresponding to the items of an object (including the action(s) and the state(s)), and contains storage locations where the associated procedural instructions and/or data are to be found. The action can be independent of state information, or can instead be executed in a manner responsive to a sensed state. The controller may also include diagnostic capability, as well as accumulation and processing of performance data for subsequent analysis.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A programmable apparatus for performing a plurality of user-selectable control functions, the apparatus comprising:

a. a database for storing a plurality of items associated with each of the control functions, the items including, for each function:
i. at least one procedure for performing a plurality of actions associated with the control function;
ii. a specification of at least one state associated with each procedure;
b. means facilitating selection of a procedure in the database;
c. means responsive to the selection for accessing the database and causing performance of the selected procedure to achieve the states specified therein;
and
d. means for monitoring at least one resource associated with the actions of the procedure and, based thereon, determining whether the specified states have been achieved.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Object-oriented programmable controller

Life of this patent

Object-oriented programmable controller

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16