Patent EP0346141A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0346141A2
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High performance memory imaging network for a real time process control system
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
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Filing: 1989-06-09
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-06-09
Abstract
Abstract A data communications arrangement for a distributed processor control system having a number of stations (12, 32) which can send and receive control data, includes a communications processor at each station effective for controlling the flow of control data over a serial communications bus. The communications processor (66) is coupled to a dual ported memory device (68) along with a functional processor (70) which is effective for carrying out the actual operations of the process. The communications control processor is further effective for assembling frames of control data (Fig. 4) according to a predetermined arrangement which gives a timing preference to a first category of data over a second category of data. The assembled frame of control data will then include all of the first category of data and, with time remaining from a timing goal, will include a portion of the second category of data.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Thornton Ihrman
- 👤 Donald James Jones
- 👤 Carl Joseph Staab
- 👤 Robert William Boehmer
- 👤 Kirk Douglas Houser
- 👤 Donald Awbert Poepsel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 15:34
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/14; G06F13/36; G06F13/368; G06F13/37
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
139 words
A method of efficiently communicating data between a plurality of stations in a distributed process control system comprising the steps of: separating data at each station into at least a first and a second category of data; designating said first category of data as fast data; and characterized in that preselecting a timing goal by which all of such fast data must be refreshed to at least a portion of the plurality of stations; calculating an actual time by which such fast data will be refreshed; determining a time difference between such timing goal and such actual time; calculating a remainder amount of said second category of data that can be transmitted during such time difference; and adding such remainder amount of said second category of data to such fast data to be transmitted during such preselected timing goal.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
139 words
A method of efficiently communicating data between a plurality of stations in a distributed process control system comprising the steps of: separating data at each station into at least a first and a second category of data; designating said first category of data as fast data; and characterized in that preselecting a timing goal by which all of such fast data must be refreshed to at least a portion of the plurality of stations; calculating an actual time by which such fast data will be refreshed; determining a time difference between such timing goal and such actual time; calculating a remainder amount of said second category of data that can be transmitted during such time difference; and adding such remainder amount of said second category of data to such fast data to be transmitted during such preselected timing goal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
48 words
A data communication method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said data is separated between said first category of data and said second category of data as a function of a predetermined priority designation of all of the data present at each of the plurality of stations.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
A data communication method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of assigning a bus mastership to one of the plurality of stations for the transmission of one frame of data and, following such transmission, passing such bus mastership onto a next station as determined from a bus allocation list.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
90 words
A data communication method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of assigning a distinct timeout period to at least a first and a second station among the plurality of stations, the first and second station being determined by a reading of an order of the plurality of stations as set out in a bus allocation list, the distinct timeout period corresponding to a time after which, if there has been an absence of activity of a communication bus, a restart of transmissions of data will occur.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
64 words
A data communication method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of designating data originating from any of the plurality of stations as stale data if a node in service flag is set to indicate that a counter at a particular one of the plurality of stations has been decremented to a zero count without having refreshed the data originating therefrom.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
A data communications method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said counter originates with a count of three and is decremented one count each time a data transmission of the data for all of the plurality of stations is completed without new data being originated from the one particular station.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
238 words
An arrangement for communicating data which has been separated into at least a first and a second category as a function of a predetermined timing priority for refreshing such data among a plurality of processor controlled stations of a distributed process control system, said communicating arrangement comprising: a communications processor at each of the plurality of stations which is in signal communication with a communication bus on which the plurality of stations are disposed; a dual port memory element at each of the plurality of stations and coupled on one port to said communications processor; a control processor in signal communication with a second port of said dual port memory element and effective such that the process of the distributed process control system is carried out thereby; and characterized in that said communications processor including means for assembling a frame of such data in which the first category of data is assigned a timing preference such that all of the first category of data is transmitted before the second category of data; means for calculating an actual time for transmitting all of the first category of data and subtracting such actual time from a preselected timing goal to determine a timing difference; and means for determining a remainder amount of the second category of data as can be transmitted in the timing difference and adding such remainder amount to the first category of data to be transmitted therewith.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
238 words
An arrangement for communicating data which has been separated into at least a first and a second category as a function of a predetermined timing priority for refreshing such data among a plurality of processor controlled stations of a distributed process control system, said communicating arrangement comprising: a communications processor at each of the plurality of stations which is in signal communication with a communication bus on which the plurality of stations are disposed; a dual port memory element at each of the plurality of stations and coupled on one port to said communications processor; a control processor in signal communication with a second port of said dual port memory element and effective such that the process of the distributed process control system is carried out thereby; and characterized in that said communications processor including means for assembling a frame of such data in which the first category of data is assigned a timing preference such that all of the first category of data is transmitted before the second category of data; means for calculating an actual time for transmitting all of the first category of data and subtracting such actual time from a preselected timing goal to determine a timing difference; and means for determining a remainder amount of the second category of data as can be transmitted in the timing difference and adding such remainder amount to the first category of data to be transmitted therewith.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
A data communicating arrangement as set forth in claim 7 wherein said data is separated between said first category of data and said second category of data as a function of a predetermined priority designation of all of the data present at each of the plurality of stations.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
51 words
A data communications arrangement as set forth in claim 7 further comprising means for assigning bus mastership to one of the plurality of stations for the transmission of one frame of data and, following such transmission, passing such bus mastership onto a next station as determined from a bus allocation list.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
89 words
A data communication arrangement as set forth in claim 7 further comprising means for assigning a distinct timeout period to at least a first and a second station among the plurality of stations, the first and second station being determined by a reading of an order of the plurality of stations as set out in a bus allocation list, the distinct timeout period corresponding to a time after which, if there has been an absence of activity of a communication bus, a restart of transmissions of data will occur.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
63 words
A data communications arrangement as set forth in claim 7 further comprising means for designating data originating from any of the plurality of stations as stale data if a node in service flag is set to indicate that a counter at a particular one of the plurality of stations has been decremented to a zero count without having refreshed the data originating therefrom.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
A data communications arrangement as set forth in claim 11 wherein said counter originates with a count of three and is decremented one count each time a data transmission of the data for all of the plurality of stations is completed without new data being originated from the one particular station.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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