Method for operating an industrial controller and industrial controller

An industrial controller comprising:

• a processor for an executable control program which is sub-divided into a main block and several program blocks and including a multi-core processor having a plurality of independent sub-processors;
• the program blocks being operated under event control with a processing priority taken into consideration, and a first sub-processor being assigned to the main block for running a program part associated with the main block and each additional sub-processors being assigned to at least one program block for running program parts associated with program blocks;
• a control device having a first input for a processing priority of the respective program blocks and a second input for an event assigned to the respective program blocks, the control device being adapted to switch each of the plurality of sub-processors into an active or inactive state based on the processing priority and the event;
• and
• a pulse counter adapted to evaluate a repetition rate of the events and to pass a switching command to the control device when a predetermined rate is exceeded;
• wherein the control device is further adapted to permanently switch a corresponding sub-processor into the active state.

A method for operating an industrial controller, a control program executable in a processor arranged in the industrial controller being subdivided into a main block and several program blocks, the program blocks being processed under event control that takes a processing priority into consideration, and the processor including a multi-core processor having a plurality of independent sub-processors, the method comprising:

• assigning the main block to a first sub-processor;
• executing a program part associated with the main block in the first sub-processor;
• assigning each of the program blocks to additional sub-processors;
• executing program parts associated with the program blocks in respective sub-processors;
• operating a control device to evaluate as input variables the processing priority and an event assigned to a respective program block;
• and
• switching each of the plurality of independent sub-processors into one of an active state and an inactive state using an outcome generated by the control device from the evaluation of the input variables, events which recur in a specific time interval being assigned to a specific program block, and a start-up time for the sub-processors being assigned to respective program blocks;
• and
• activating a corresponding sub-processor earlier based on the start-up time.