US 6,260,058 B1 · Process for controlling technological operations or processes

Abstract

In the process for controlling industrial operations and processes, a complex control program is processed by a microprocessor of a controller (10) under real-time conditions. The complex control program is divided into tasks. Each task is assigned a priority and an activation event. The activated task with the highest priority for processing is selected. Processing of a task can be interrupted on the basis of a subsequent request for processing a higher-priority task Processing of the lower-priority task is continued at the point of the interruption, after the processing of the higher-priority task is concluded. This process is characterized in that tasks can be divided into a number of subtasks to be processed sequentially, and within configurable, coherent and non-overlapping priority ranges, tasks can interrupt other lower-priority tasks only between two successive subtasks or at interruption points explicitly inserted by the user. Processing of the higher-priority task requested later is not begun until processing of the subtask during which the request for processing the higher-priority task was issued has been completed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for controlling technological operations or processes, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a control program, the control program including control program tasks, each of the control program tasks being assigned a corresponding priority and a corresponding activation event, at least one of the control program tasks being subdivided into corresponding subtasks;
(b) processing a first task of the control program tasks using a microprocessor of a controller;
(c) receiving a request to process a second task of the control program tasks, a priority of the second task being higher than a priority of the first task;
(d) as a function of the request for processing the second task, storing a table pointer with information associated with an address of a first subtask of the second task;
(e) interrupting step (b) as a function of the request for processing the second task, step (e) being delayed until an executing subtask of the first task during which the request for processing of the second task was issued is completed;
(f) processing the first subtask of the second task as a function of the stored table pointer after the executing subtask of the first task is completed;
and
(g) resuming the step of processing the first task after the second task is completed.

5 more elements

A method for controlling technological operations or processes, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a control program, the control program including control program tasks, each of the control program tasks being assigned a corresponding priority and a corresponding activation event, at least a first and a second of the control program tasks being subdivided into corresponding subtasks;
(b) processing a first task of the control program tasks using a microprocessor of a controller;
(c) receiving a request to process the second task of the control program tasks, a priority of the second task being higher than a priority of the first task;
(d) as a function of the request for processing the second task, storing a table pointer with information associated with an address of a first subtask of the second task;
(e) interrupting step (b) as a function of the request for processing the second task, step (e) being delayed until an executing subtask of the first task during which the request for processing of the second task was issued is completed;
(f) processing the second task as a function of the stored table pointer after the executing subtask of the first task is completed;
(g) receiving a request to process a third task of the control program tasks, a priority of the third task being higher than a priority of the first and second task;
(h) as a function of the request for processing the third task storing a table pointer with information associated with an address of a first subtask of the third task;
(i) interrupting step (f) as a function of the request for processing the third task, step (i) being delayed until an executing subtask of the second task during which the request for processing the third task was issued is completed;
(j) processing the first subtask of the third task as a function of the stored table pointer after the executing subtask of the second task is completed;
(k) resuming the step of processing the second task after the third task is completed;
(l) resuming the step of processing the first task after the second task is completed.

9 more elements

A method for controlling a technological operation or process, comprising:

(a) providing a control program, the control program including a first control program task and a second control program task, each of the first control program task and the second control program task being assigned a corresponding priority and a corresponding activation event, each of the first control program tasks and the second control program tasks being subdivided into corresponding subtasks;
(b) selecting for processing a first one of the subtasks of the first task using a table pointer, the table pointer including information about an address of the first one of the subtasks of the first task;
(c) processing a first one of the subtasks of the first task using a microcontroller;
(d) before processing the first one of the subtasks of the first task, receiving, by the table pointer, information regarding an address of a next one of the subtasks of the first task;
(e) if, during the processing of the first one of the subtasks, a request to process the second task is received, and the second task has a higher priority than a priority of the first task,
(i) receiving, by the table pointer, information regarding an address of a first one of the subtasks of the second task,
(ii) after processing the first one of the subtasks of the first task, selecting for processing the first one of the subtasks of the second task using the table pointer,
(iii) processing the first one of the subtasks of the second task,
(iv) receiving, by the table pointer, information regarding an address of a next one of the subtasks of the second task,
(v) after a completion of the processing of a subtask being processed, selecting the next one of the subtasks of the second task using the table pointer;
(vi) processing the next one of the subtasks of the second task,
(vii) repeating steps iv-vi until a last one of the subtasks of the second task has been processed, and
(viii) before processing the last one of the subtasks of the second task, receiving, by the table pointer, the information regarding then address of the next one of the subtasks of the first task;
and
(f) after step (e), processing the next one of the subtasks of the first task.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Process for controlling technological operations or processes

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Process for controlling technological operations or processes

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20