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US 6,173,207 B2Granted
Real-time control system with non-deterministic communication
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorJohn C. Eidson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A control system that provides accurate timing information for sensor data samples and accurate timing for the application of control values to actuators in the face of non-deterministic communication. The control system employs circuitry for accurately associating sensor data samples and sensor time-stamps and circuitry for triggering the application of the control values to an actuator.
Claims17
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps such that the sensor node runs a control loop at a reduced rate if the event storm is detected.
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the means for obtaining the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps comprises:
- circuit for generating a strobe signal;
- circuit for obtaining the data samples from the sensor in response to the strobe signal;
- circuit for obtaining substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit in response to the strobe signal.
2 more elements
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the sensor node further comprises means for transferring the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps via the communication path in a series of sensor data packets and wherein the means for detecting an event storm comprises a monitor node that snoops the communication path and examines the time-stamps to determine whether one or more of the sensor data packets is missing or delayed.
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the sensor node further comprises means for transferring the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps via the communication path in a series of sensor data packets and wherein the means for detecting an event storm comprises an actuator node for interfacing an actuator to the communication path that snoops the communication path and examines the time-stamps to determine whether one or more of the sensor data packets is missing or delayed.
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the sensor node further comprises means for transferring the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps via the communication path in a series of sensor data packets and wherein the means for detecting an event storm comprises means for transferring an emergency notification message via the communication path if one or more of the sensor data packets is missing or delayed and wherein the emergency notification message causes one or more other nodes on the communication path to stop transmitting messages on the communication path for a predetermined time interval.
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the sensor node further comprises means for transferring the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps via the communication path in a series of sensor data packets and wherein the means for detecting an event storm comprises means for transferring an emergency notification message via the communication path if one or more of the sensor data packets is missing or delayed and wherein the emergency notification message causes one or more other nodes on the communication path to transmit messages on the communication path at a reduced rate.
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the sensor node further comprises means for transferring the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps via the communication path in a series of sensor data packets and wherein the sensor node transfers the sensor data packets at a reduced rate if the event storm is detected.
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the sensor node further comprises means for transferring the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps via the communication path in a series of sensor data packets and further comprising an actuator node for interfacing an actuator to the communication path wherein actuator node switches off the actuator if the event storm is detected.
A control system comprising:
- sensor node for interfacing a sensor to a communication path, the sensor node having a clock circuit and means for obtaining a series of data samples from the sensor and a series of substantially contemporaneous time-stamps from the clock circuit thereby enabling a relatively accurate computation of a series of actuator control values and a series of actuator time-stamps in response to the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps;
- means for detecting an event storm in the control system in response to the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps wherein the sensor node further comprises means for transferring the data samples and the substantially contemporaneous time-stamps via the communication path in a series of sensor data packets and further comprising an actuator node for interfacing an actuator to the communication path wherein actuator node applies a last successfully received actuator control value to the actuator if the event storm is detected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.