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US 8,352,651 B2Granted
Devices, systems, and methods regarding programmable logic controller communications
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorSteven Perry Parfitt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, which can comprise a signal interface that is adapted to transmit a signal between a programmable logic controller and an Input/Output (I/O) module. The programmable logic controller can be communicatively coupled to the I/O module via an opto-coupler, which can be adapted to electrically isolate the programmable logic controller from the I/O module.
Claims21
A system comprising:
- a signal interface circuit including circuitry for integrating a control sub-signal within a clock sub-signal, wherein the signal interface circuit:
- forms an integrated signal comprising the clock sub-signal and the control sub-signal;
- and
- transmits the integrated signal between a programmable logic controller and an Input/Output (I/O) module, said programmable logic controller communicatively coupled to said I/O module via a single opto-coupler,
- wherein said clock sub-signal provides temporal information regarding said integrated signal,
- wherein said control sub-signal comprises a framing signal indicative of a completion of a register transfer, and
- a circuit recovers said clock sub-signal and said control sub-signal from said integrated signal, wherein the control sub-signal is recovered via said circuit detecting said control sub-signal by differentiating short length pulses from pulses that have a longer length.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- integrating a control sub-signal within a clock sub-signal using a signal interface circuit including circuitry forming an integrated signal, the integrated signal including the clock sub-signal and the control sub-signal;
- and
- causing the integrated signal to be transmitted between a programmable logic controller and an Input/Output (I/O) module via the signal interface circuit, said programmable logic controller using said integrated signal to control a process, said programmable logic controller communicatively coupled to said I/O module via an opto-coupler,
- wherein:
- said clock sub-signal provides temporal information regarding said integrated signal,
- said control sub-signal comprises a framing signal indicative of a completion of a register transfer, and
- a circuit receiving said integrated signal recovers said clock sub-signal and said control sub-signal from said integrated signal, wherein the control sub-signal is recovered via said circuit detecting said control sub-signal by differentiating short length pulses from pulses that have a longer length.
4 more elements
A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for activities comprising:
- integrating a control sub-signal within a clock sub-signal using a signal interface circuit including circuitry forming an integrated signal, the integrated signal comprising a clock sub-signal and a control sub-signal;
- and
- causing the integrated signal to be transmitted between a programmable logic controller and an Input/Output (I/O) module via the signal interface circuit, said programmable logic controller using said integrated signal to control a process, said programmable logic controller communicatively coupled to said I/O module via an opto-coupler,
- wherein:
- said clock sub-signal provides temporal information regarding said integrated signal,
- said control sub-signal comprises a framing signal indicative of a completion of a register transfer, and
- a circuit receiving said integrated signal recovers said clock sub-signal and said control sub-signal from said integrated signal, wherein the control sub-signal is recovered via said circuit detecting said control sub-signal by differentiating short length pulses from pulses that have a longer length.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.