Random data acquisition interface system

Claim 2

A data handling system for translating input signals which occur randomly in time into usable form for transmission to a data processing system comprising: means responsive to said input signals for producing control signals indicating the occurrence of predetermined relationships between said system input signals, component means selectively responsive to said input signals and said control signal producing means for producing output data and control signals related to said input signals, and control means monitoring the control signals produced by said control signal producing means and said component means for selectively controlling the transfer of output data signals from said component means to said data processing system in accordance with the occurrence of said control signals.

Claim 3

A data handling system according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for processing said control signals in a predetermined sequence.

Claim 4

A data handling system according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for processing concurrently occurring control signals on a predetermined priority basis.

Claim 5

A data handling system according to claim 2 wherein said control means includes means for monitoring later occurring control signals while said processing means is processing a current control signal.

Claim 6

A data handling system according to claim 4 wherein said control means includes means for transferring said later occurring control signals from said monitoring means to said processing means after processing the current control signal, said processing means processing said later occurring control signals in a predetermined sequence regardless of the order in which such control signals occurred.

Claim 7

A data handling system according to claim 2 which includes means for inhibiting said processing means from responding to subsequently occurring control signals while said processing means is processing a current control signal.

Claim 8

A data handling system according to claim 2 wherein said control means includes means for monitoring later occurring signals while said processing means is processing a first group of control signals.

Claim 9

A data handling system according to claim 7 wherein said control means includes means for transferring said later occurring control signals as a group from said monitoring means to said processing means after said first group of control signals has been processed.

Claim 10

A data handling system according to claim 8 wherein said control means includes means for selectively controlling said transferring means to transfer said later occurring group of control signals after processing one of said first group of control signals during which said later occurring group occurred.

Claim 11

A data handling system according to claim 9 wherein said processing means processes the remaining ones of said first group and said later occurring group in said predetermined sequence.

Claim 12

A data handling system according to claim 2 wherein said control means includes means for monitoring a later occurring control signal while said processing means is processing a first group of control signals, means for transferring said later occurring control signals from said monitoring means to said processing means after said first group of control signals has been processed, and means for selectively controlling said transferring means to transfer said later occurring control signal after processing one of said first group of control signals during which said later occurring control signal occurred, said processing means processing said later occurring event before processing the remaining control signals of said first gRoup which are of lower priority in said predetermined sequence.

Claim 13

A data handling system according to claim 1 wherein said control signal producing means includes means producing a control signal indicating the coincident occurrence of predetermined ones of said input signals.

Claim 14

A data handling system according to claim 12 wherein said control signal producing means includes means producing a control signal indicating the coincident occurrence of the presence and absence of predetermined ones of said input signals.

Claim 15

A data handling system according to claim 1 wherein said component means includes at least a monitor register component for registering the condition of discrete input signal lines, said monitor register component including component control means responsive to said control means for transferring output data signals from said monitor register to said data processing system.

Claim 16

A data handling system according to claim 1 wherein said component means includes at least a scaler component containing a counter for counting signals, said scaler component including component control means responsive to said control means for transferring output data signals from said counter to said data processing system.

Claim 17

A data handling system according to claim 1 wherein said component means includes means for producing signals at a predetermined frequency, and at least a timer component containing a counter responsive to the signals from said signal producing means for counting time increments as a function of said predetermined frequency, said timer component including component control means responsive to said control means for transferring output data signals from said timer counter to said data processing system.

Claim 18

A data handling system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said component means includes means for generating signals, and at least an analogue to digital conversion component containing a counter responsive to said signal generating means during the measurement of an input signal for providing an output data signal as a function of the amplitude of the input signal, said analogue to digital conversion component including component control means responsive to said control means for transferring the output data signals from said conversion counter to said data processing system.

Claim 19

A data acquisition system for acquiring data relative to randomly occurring input signals for transmission to a data processing system comprising: means responsive to said input signals for producing control signals indicating the occurrence of predetermined relationships between said input signals, a plurality of data acquisition components selectively arranged to respond to said input signals and predetermined ones of said control signals for producing output data signals and other control signals indicating the availability of data related to the occurrence of predetermined ones of said input signals, and control means monitoring the control signals produced by said control signal producing means and predetermined ones of said data acquisition components for selectively controlling said plurality of data acquisition components to transfer output data signals as a block of data to said data processing system in accordance with the occurrence of said control signals.

Claim 20

A data acquisition system for acquiring data relative to randomly occurring input signals for transmission to a data processing system comprising: means responsive to said input signals for producing control signals indicating the occurrence of predetermined relationships between said input signals, a plurality of data acquisition components selectively arranged to respond to said input signals and predetermined ones of said control signals for producing output data signals and other control signals indicating the availability of data related to the occurrence of predetermined ones of said input signals, and control means monitoring the control signals produced by said control signal producing means and predetermined ones of said data acquisition components for selectively controlling said plurality of data acquisition components to transfer output data signals as a block of data to said data processing system in accordance with the occurrence of said control signals.

Claim 21

A data acquisition system according to claim 18 wherein said control means includes means for transferring data signals identifying each control signal which has occurred prior to the transfer of the data block associated with the occurrence of each said control signal.

Claim 22

A data acquisition system according to claim 18 wherein said control means includes means for multiplexing the output data signals from said plurality of data acquisition components to said data processing system.

Claim 23

A data acquisition system according to claim 18 wherein said control means includes: means for storing the occurrence of said control signAls, means responsive to said storing means for producing selection signals in a predetermined sequence corresponding to said control signals, and means responsive to said selection signals for producing component selection signals to select said data acquisition components in a predetermined sequence to transfer the output data signals to said data processing system.

Claim 24

A data acquisition system according to claim 18 wherein said control means includes: means for storing the occurrence of said control signals, means responsive to said storing means for producing selection signals in a predetermined sequence corresponding to said control signals, programming means responsive to said selection signals for producing component signals identifying predetermined ones of said plurality of data acquisition components associated with the occurrence of said control signals, and means responsive to said component signals for producing component selection signals to select said data acquisition components in a predetermined sequence to transfer the output data signals to said data processing system.

Claim 25

A data acquisition system according to claim 22 wherein said programming means includes means permitting any of said data acquisition components to be associated with any of said control signals.

Claim 26

A data acquisition system according to claim 23 wherein said control means includes control exclusion selector means responsive to the occurrence of a control signal for inhibiting said storing means from responding to subsequent control signals which share the data acquisition components associated with said first occurring control signal.

Claim 27

A data acquisition system according to claim 18 wherein said plurality of data acquisition components includes means for inhibiting the further operation of said components until the completion of data signal transfer to said data processing system.

Claim 28

A data acquisition system according to claim 18 wherein said control means includes: storage means for storing the occurrence of said control signals, control scanner means for scanning the condition of said storage means to produce control selection signals in a predetermined sequence corresponding to said control signals, means responsive to said selection signals for producing component selection signals to select said data acquisition components in a predetermined sequence to transfer the output data signals to said data processing system.

Claim 29

A data acquisition system according to claim 26 wherein said control scanner means includes means responsive to the occurrence of a control selection signal to inhibit said control scanner means from producing control selection signals having a lower rank in said predetermined sequence until the selected data acquisition components have completed the transfer of output data signal to said data processing system.

Claim 30

A data acquisition system according to claim 22 wherein said component selection signals producing means includes: component storage means for storing the occurrence of said component signals, and component scanner means for scanning the condition of said component storage means to produce said component selection signals.

Claim 31

A data acquisition system according to claim 28 wherein said component scanner means includes means responsive to the occurrence of a component selection signal to inhibit said component scanner means from producing component selection signals having a lower rank in said predetermined sequence until the selected data acquisition component has completed the transfer of output data signals to said data processing system.

Claim 32

A data acquisition system according to claim 26 including: means responsive to said control selection signals for producing identification data signals corresponding to said control signals, and means for multiplexing the identification data signal followed by the output signals from said selected data acQuisition components to said data processing system.

Claim 33

A data acquisition system for translating randomly occurring input signals into usable form for transmission to a data processing system comprising: means responsive to said input signals for producing event signals indicating the occurrence of predetermined relationships between said input signals, a plurality of data acquisition components selectively arranged to respond to said input signals and predetermined ones of said event signals for producing output data signals and other event signals indicating the availability of data related to the occurrence of predetermined ones of said input signals, first storage means for storing indications of the occurrence of said event signals, second storage means, first control means for selectively controlling the transfer of indications stored in said first storage means to said second storage, event scanner means for scanning the condition of said second storage means to produce event selection signals in a predetermined order corresponding to the event signals stored in said second storage means and an event outstanding signal indicating the storage of one or more event signals in said second storage means, said first control means being responsive to the absence of said event outstanding signal to permit the transfer of indications stored in said first storage means to said second storage means and responsive to the presence of said event outstanding signal to inhibit the transfer of indications stored in said first storage means to said second storage means, programming means responsive to event selection signals for producing component identification signals identifying predetermined ones of said plurality of data acquisition components associated with the occurrence of said event signals, third storage means, second control means responsive to occurrence of said event outstanding signal for selectively controlling the transfer of component identification signals to said third storage means, component scanner means for scanning the condition of said third storage means to produce component selection signals to select said data acquisition components in a predetermined order, and means for multiplexing the output data signals from said selected data acquisition components to said data processing system.

Claim 34

A data acquisition system for translating randomly occurring input signals into usable form for transmission to a data processing system comprising: means responsive to said input signals for producing event signals indicating the occurrence of predetermined relationships between said input signals, a plurality of data acquisition components selectively arranged to respond to said input signals and predetermined ones of said event signals for producing output data signals and other event signals indicating the availability of data related to the occurrence of predetermined ones of said input signals, first storage means for storing indications of the occurrence of said event signals, second storage means, first control means for selectively controlling the transfer of indications stored in said first storage means to said second storage, event scanner means for scanning the condition of said second storage means to produce event selection signals in a predetermined order corresponding to the event signals stored in said second storage means and an event outstanding signal indicating the storage of one or more event signals in said second storage means, said first control means being responsive to the absence of said event outstanding signal to permit the transfer of indications stored in said first storage means to said second storage means and responsive to the presence of said event outstanding signal to inhibit the transfer of indications stored in said first storage means to said second storage means, programming means responsive to event selection signals for producing component identification signals identifying predetermined ones of said plurality of data acquisition components associated with the occurrence of said event signals, third storage means, second control means responsive to occurrence of said event outstanding signal for selectively controlling the transfer of component identification signals to said third storage means, component scanner means for scanning the condition of said third storage means to produce component selection signals to select said data acquisition components in a predetermined order, and means for multiplexing the output data signals from said selected data acquisition components to said data processing system.

Claim 35

A data acquisition system according to claim 31 wherein said multiplexing means includes means for producing a control signal corresponding to each output data signal transfer to said data processing system, and third control means responsive to each control signal for controlling said third storage to terminate the storage of the component identification signal corresponding to the data acquisition component whose output data signal is being transferred to said data processing system.

Claim 36

A data acquisition system according to claim 32 wherein said component scanner includes means for producing a signal indicating no further component identification signals are stored in said third storage means, and fourth control means responsive to said indicating signal for controlling said second storage means to terminate the storage of the event signal corresponding to the data acquisition components associated with the event which have completed the transfer of output data signals to said data processing system.