Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
283 words
Method for transmitting information between a plurality of producer and receiver entities of a control and checking system of an industrial equipment, comprising sensors as producing entities, actuators as receiving entities and programmable controllers as producing/receiving entities, said information being transmitted by means of a series-multiplexed type transmission line on which said entities may be connected to form a network and brought into service so as to transmit information on said line and to have access to all the information flowing on said line, said information being modelled by a distributed data base including a collection of data grouped together so as to form a plurality of objects, each having a specification and a value, each entity comprising a memory storing a copy of the specification and the value of at least one object which concerns it, wherein, for each new entity brought into service on the line and which processes and consumes one of said objects, said method comprises the following steps: a step of transmitting on the line the specification of said object, a step of receiving said transmitted specification by every entity concerned by said object, a step of comparing in each of said entities the received specification with the specifications included in the memory of said entity, a step of generating an invalidation information of the object in one of said entities when the comparison effected in this entity reveals a difference, a step of generating a validation information of the object in one of said entities when the comparison effected in this entity reveals an identity, only the entity which has generated a validation information being habilited to participate in an exchange of the value of the object.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
283 words
Method for transmitting information between a plurality of producer and receiver entities of a control and checking system of an industrial equipment, comprising sensors as producing entities, actuators as receiving entities and programmable controllers as producing/receiving entities, said information being transmitted by means of a series-multiplexed type transmission line on which said entities may be connected to form a network and brought into service so as to transmit information on said line and to have access to all the information flowing on said line, said information being modelled by a distributed data base including a collection of data grouped together so as to form a plurality of objects, each having a specification and a value, each entity comprising a memory storing a copy of the specification and the value of at least one object which concerns it, wherein, for each new entity brought into service on the line and which processes and consumes one of said objects, said method comprises the following steps: a step of transmitting on the line the specification of said object, a step of receiving said transmitted specification by every entity concerned by said object, a step of comparing in each of said entities the received specification with the specifications included in the memory of said entity, a step of generating an invalidation information of the object in one of said entities when the comparison effected in this entity reveals a difference, a step of generating a validation information of the object in one of said entities when the comparison effected in this entity reveals an identity, only the entity which has generated a validation information being habilited to participate in an exchange of the value of the object.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein the entities generating validation information for the same object have a common specification which corresponds to said transmitted specification and which is able to be exchanged at any time so as to allow new entities t participate in the exchange.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein, when transmitting an invalidation information, one producer entity suspends the updating not only of its own memory, but also of the memory of said receiver entities.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein the invalidation of an object, by a receiver entity takes place by the reception, by said receiver entity, an invalidation information which comes from another entity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein in order to invalidate an object, a receiver entity generates a signal monitoring a refreshment of the network.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
64 words
Method according to claim 1, which further comprises sequence modifying an object, while guaranteeing the consistency, said sequence comprising the following two steps: a first step of invalidating the object in all the entities concerned, beginning by the producer; a second step which takes place when the entities concerned have invalidated the object, this step consisting in introducing the object with a new specification.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
Method according to claim 6, characterized in that broadcasting over the transmission line of the new specification is effected by one entity and only one.