Jog control for industrial control network
AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
InventorThomas M. Keeley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The method and system for an industrial control system network jog control of the present invention provides responsive jogging of a machine for a consistent, fixed duration that minimizes the effects of network and processor delays. A jog message is input at a human machine interface by an operator directly observing the operation the machine. The jog message includes an address indicator corresponding to a network location of the controlled equipment and a jog duration period. The jog message is sent along the network directly to an output device attached to the controlled equipment. A jog pulse is then transmitted for the proper duration by the output device. Clock circuitry within the output device is used to limit the jog pulse to the jog pulse duration period of the jog message.
Claims18
In an industrial control system for controlling the operation of a machine, the industrial control system having a communications network connecting a jog button to at least one output device, the communications network introducing a variable delay in the transmission of messages, a method for jogging a machine attached to an output device, comprising the steps of:
- (a) in response to a pressing of a jog button by a human operator who is observing the operation of the machine, transmitting a predefined jog message on the network, the jog message including a jog duration period defining the beginning and ending of jogging the machine and an address corresponding to the machine;
- (b) receiving the jog message at the output device corresponding to the machine;
- (c) at the output device, reading the message to:
- (i) turn on the machine corresponding to the address for a period equal to the jog duration period;
- (ii) turn off the machine corresponding to the address such that the time the machine is turned on is the same as the jog duration period despite delay introduced by the communications network.
In an industrial control system, a system for jogging a machine, comprising:
- a jog button for receiving input from an operator observing the operation of the machine and initiating a jog message including a jog duration period defining the beginning and ending of jogging the machine and an address indicator corresponding to a network address for the machine;
- a communications network for transmitting the jog message from the jog button to the network address of the machine, the network introducing a variable delay in the transmission of messages;
- and
- an output device corresponding to the machine at the network address of the jog message connected to the jog button via the communications network, the output device reading the jog message to turn on the machine, wait for a time period equal to the jog duration period and then turn off the machine such that the time the machine is turned on is the same as the jog duration period despite delay introduced by the communications network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.