Production monitoring system for plurality of work stations

Claim 2

A production monitoring system including a plurality of work stations; means at each work station for sensing a production parameter and generating a signal in response thereto; means at each work station selectively operable by an attendant at said station to generate a selected one of a pluralitY of distinct signals; a central station; means connecting said sensing means and said selectively operable generating means at each work station with said central station; a computer coupled to said central station to respond to said production signal means and said selected signal means; display means at said central station, common to a plurality of said work stations to issue an intelligible signal corresponding to said work station attendant selected signal of said plurality of distinct signals from a selected one of said work stations to an attendant at said central station; means at said central station, individual to each work station to alert an attendant at said central station to the generation of a work station attendant selected signal at said work station; and means at said central station, individual to each of said work stations to enable an attendant at said central station to actuate said signal display means for any one of a plurality of work stations for issuing a work station attendant selected signal generated by said generating means at said respective work station.

Claim 3

A system according to claim 1 wherein at least two of said work stations have selectively operable signal generating means which produce a different set of distinct signals and at least two of said work stations have selectively operable signal generating means which produce a like set of distinct signals; said system including at least two means to display issue intelligible signals at said central station wherein one of said signal issuing means is for work stations having generating means for one set of distinct signals and another of said signal issuing means is for work stations having generating means for another set of distinct signals.

Claim 4

A system according to claim 1 including means to alter the operating mode of said alerting means for a work station in response to operation of said actuating means for said work station.

Claim 5

A system according to claim 3 including means to institute operation of said alerting means in its original operating mode in response to the selective operation of said signal generating means to a new signal without first terminating signal generation from said signal generating means.

Claim 6

A system according to claim 1 including work station status indicators for each work station, and means to alter the mode of operation of said status indicators for a work station in response to the selective operation of a signal generator at said work station.

Claim 7

A production monitoring system including a work station; means at said work station for sensing a production parameter and generating a signal in response thereto; means at said work station selectively operable by an attendant at said station to generate a selected one of a plurality of distinct signals; a central station; means connecting said sensing means and said selectively operable generating means at said work station with said central station; a computer coupled to said central station to respond to said production signal means and said selectively operable signal means; generating means to issue an intelligible signal corresponding to said work station attendant selected signal from said work station to an attendant at said central station; a first ground common to said work station signal generating means, to said connecting means, and to said signal issuing means; a first power supply for said elements having said first ground; a second ground for said computer independent of said first ground; a second power supply connected to said second ground and independent of said first power supply and said first ground; a transformer having a primary connected to a signal generating means and said first ground; a secondary for said transformer statically shielded with respect to said first ground and connected to said second ground, said second power supply and said computer; and a signal clipping means and a high pass filter to said first ground in circuit with said signal generating means and said transfOrmer primary whereby spurious signals of high frequency or high voltage tend to be excluded from said primary.

Claim 8

A production monitoring system including a work station; means at said work station for sensing a production parameter and generating a signal in response thereto; means at said work station selectively operable by an attendant at said station to generate a selected one of a plurality of distinct signals; a central station; means connecting said sensing means and said selectively operable generating means at said work station with said central station; a computer coupled to said central station to respond to said production signal means and said selectively operable signal means; generating means to issue an intelligible signal corresponding to said work station attendant selected signal from said work station to an attendant at said central station; a first ground common to said work station signal generating means, to said connecting means, and to said signal issuing means; a first power supply for said elements having said first ground; a second ground for said computer independent of said first ground; a second power supply connected to said second ground and independent of said first power supply and said first ground; a transformer having a primary connected to a signal generating means and said first ground; a secondary for said transformer statically shielded with respect to said first ground and connected to said second ground, said second power supply and said computer; and a signal clipping means and a high pass filter to said first ground in circuit with said signal generating means and said transfOrmer primary whereby spurious signals of high frequency or high voltage tend to be excluded from said primary.

Claim 9

A system according to claim 6 including a smoothing capacitance across the secondary of said transformer.

Claim 10

A system according to claim 6 including a first transistor having its base connected to the secondary of said transformer at a point remote from said second ground; an emitter of said first transistor connected to said second ground; a second transistor; a first source of cut off bias for said second transistor base connected to the collector of said first transistor; a computer input circuit connected to the collector of said second transmitter; and means to apply selectively a second source of cut off bias for said second transistor base whereby conduction in said first transistor reduces the signal from said first source of cut off bias and causes said input to issue a computer input signal when the signal is reduced from said second source of cut off bias.

Claim 11

A system according to claim 6 including polarizing means for said signal generator to generate selected polarized signals, said connecting means transmitting signals of both polarities; means to segregate said signals as to polarity; a plurality of transformers; a primary for each transformer connected between said segregating means and said first ground whereby signals of a first polarity are applied to a first group of said primaries and signals of the second polarity are applied to a second group of said primaries; and a secondary for each transformer connected to issue a signal of a given polarity with respect to said second ground to said computer for all transformers, each of said secondaries being shielded with respect to said first ground.

Claim 12

A production monitoring system comprising a plurality of work stations; a signal generating means for each work station; means responsive to a predetermined condition at each work station to actuate said generating means for said station; an output to a computer for a signal for each work station generating means; a first solid state active element directly coupled to each output; a first transformer directly coupling said signal generating means and said solid state active element; a first primary for said transformer; a first ground for said signal generating means and said primary; a secondary for said transformer; a second ground independent of said first ground for said computer, said solid state active elements, and said secondary; a shield for said secondary coupled to said second ground to isolate said secondary from said first ground; and signal clipping means and a high pass filter to said first ground in circuit with said signal generating means and said transformer primary whereby spurious signals of high frequency or high voltage tend to be excluded from said primary.

Claim 13

A production monitoring system comprising a plurality of work stations; a signal generating means for each work station; means responsive to a predetermined condition at each work station to actuate said generating means for said station; an output to a computer for a signal for each work station generating means; a first solid state active element directly coupled to each output; a first transformer directly coupling said signal generating means and said solid state active element; a first primary for said transformer; a first ground for said signal generating means and said primary; a secondary for said transformer; a second ground independent of said first ground for said computer, said solid state active elements, and said secondary; a shield for said secondary coupled to said second ground to isolate said secondary from said first ground; and signal clipping means and a high pass filter to said first ground in circuit with said signal generating means and said transformer primary whereby spurious signals of high frequency or high voltage tend to be excluded from said primary.

Claim 14

A combination according to claim 10 including signal polarizing means for said signal generating means, a second solid state active element, a second transformer directly coupling said signal generating means and said second solid state active elements; a first unidirectional conductive device admitting a first polarity signal to said primary of said first transformer; a second unidirectional conductive device poled opposite said first device for admitting a second polarity signal to a primary of said second transformer; and the secondaries of said first and second transformers being connected to issue signals of like polarity in response to the admission of respective signals to their primaries.

Claim 15

A production monitoring system for a plant comprising a work station, a central station, means for indicating production status at said work station, a transmission line between said work station and said central station, means for selectively transmitting polarized electrical signals on said transmission line from said work station, solid state switching means for decoding said signals, a visual display characteristic of selected signals at said central Station and responsive to said switching means, a plurality of outputs for said selected signals adapted to be connected to a computer, an interface circuit including a clamp, a polarizing diode, a transformer primary coupled to plant ground, a transformer secondary coupled to computer ground and polarized to produce a positive going signal in response to an effective input signal, a first transistor switch responsive to said positive going signal and referenced to computer ground, a second transistor switch responsive to a computer address signal and referenced to computer ground and a transistor coincidence gate referenced to computer ground and passing a signal to an output adapted to be connected to said computer.

Claim 16

A production monitoring system for a plant comprising a work station, a central station, means for indicating production status at said work station, a transmission line between said work station and said central station, means for selectively transmitting polarized electrical signals on said transmission line from said work station, solid state switching means for decoding said signals, a visual display characteristic of selected signals at said central Station and responsive to said switching means, a plurality of outputs for said selected signals adapted to be connected to a computer, an interface circuit including a clamp, a polarizing diode, a transformer primary coupled to plant ground, a transformer secondary coupled to computer ground and polarized to produce a positive going signal in response to an effective input signal, a first transistor switch responsive to said positive going signal and referenced to computer ground, a second transistor switch responsive to a computer address signal and referenced to computer ground and a transistor coincidence gate referenced to computer ground and passing a signal to an output adapted to be connected to said computer.