Industrial control system utilizing high speed digital computer

Claim 2

A computer-operated industrial process control system comprising: a plurality of sensors each responsive to a condition of the process such as temperature or flow rate and arranged to produce pulse signals containing information indicating the respective condition; first transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels coupling the pulse signals from said sensors to a control station; a high-speed digital computer at said control station; memory means associated with said computer; means at said control station responsive to the incoming pulse signals from said sensors and operable to store in corresponding memory locations digital measurement signals reflecting the status of the process condition represented by the received pulse signals; a plurality of process operators for setting the values of selected process variables which influence at least certain of said measured process conditions; said computer including means arranged to operate on said stored measurement signals to produce corresponding command signals, each representing an instruction for a corresponding process operator, and to store such command signals in corresponding memory locations; output means at said control station to produce a set of output pulse-train signals each having an average frequency determined by a corresponding command signal; and second transmission circuit means coupling said output signals to respective process operators; said process operators being responsive to said pulse-train output signals for setting said variables in accordance with the corresponding signal frequency.

Claim 3

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said sensors include means to produce pulse-train signals having a frequency responsive to the measured process condition.

Claim 4

A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said processor includes input logic circuitry operating under program control and serving to produce measurement signals representing the number of incoming pulses received during predetermined time intervals.

Claim 5

A computer-operated industrial process control system comprising: a plurality of sensors each responsive to a condition of the process such as temperature or flow rate and arranged to produce pulse signals containing information indicating the respective condition; first transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels coupling the pulse signals from said sensors to a control station; a high-speed digital computer at said control station; memory means associated with said computer; means at said control station responsive to the incoming pulse signals from said sensors and operable to store in corresponding memory locations digital measurement signals reflecting the status of the process condition represented by the received pulse signals; a plurality of prOcess operators for setting the values of selected process variables which influence at least certain of said measured process conditions; said computer including means arranged to operate on said stored measurement signals to produce corresponding command signals, each representing an instruction for a corresponding process operator, and to store such command signals in corresponding memory locations, said command signals comprising a series of command words the bits of which are stored in said memory means with all of the data bits of common binary weight being accessable as individual and separately addressable sets of data bits; output means at said control station to produce a set of output pulse-train signals each having an average frequency determined by a corresponding command signal, said output means including means operable with said individual sets of data bits in a predetermined sequence to develop said pulse-train output signals; and second transmission circuit means coupling said output signals to respective process operators; said process operators being responsive to said pulse-train output signals for setting said variables in accordance with the corresponding signal frequency.

Claim 6

A computer-operated industrial process control system comprising: a plurality of sensors each responsive to a condition of the process such as temperature or flow rate and arranged to produce pulse signals containing information indicating the respective condition; first transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels coupling the pulse signals from said sensors to a control station; a high-speed digital computer at said control station; memory means associated with said computer; means at said control station responsive to the incoming pulse signals from said sensors and operable to store in corresponding memory locations digital measurement signals reflecting the status of the process condition represented by the received pulse signals; a plurality of prOcess operators for setting the values of selected process variables which influence at least certain of said measured process conditions; said computer including means arranged to operate on said stored measurement signals to produce corresponding command signals, each representing an instruction for a corresponding process operator, and to store such command signals in corresponding memory locations, said command signals comprising a series of command words the bits of which are stored in said memory means with all of the data bits of common binary weight being accessable as individual and separately addressable sets of data bits; output means at said control station to produce a set of output pulse-train signals each having an average frequency determined by a corresponding command signal, said output means including means operable with said individual sets of data bits in a predetermined sequence to develop said pulse-train output signals; and second transmission circuit means coupling said output signals to respective process operators; said process operators being responsive to said pulse-train output signals for setting said variables in accordance with the corresponding signal frequency.

Claim 7

A computer-operated industrial process control system comprising: a plurality of sensors each responsive to a condition of the process such as temperature or flow rate and arranged to produce pulse signals containing information indicating the respective condition; first transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels coupling the pulse signals from said sensors to a control station; a high-speed digital computer at said control station; memory means associated with said computer, said memory means including first and second sections each providing a group of separate locations for storing separate data words which are individually addressable; means at said control station responsive to the incoming pulse signals from said sensors and operable to store in corresponding memory locations digital measurement signals reflecting the status of the process condition represented by the received pulse signals; a plurality of process operators for setting the values of selected process variables which influence at least certain of said measured process conditions; said computer including means arranged to operate on said stored measurement signals to produce corresponding command signals, each representing an instruction for a corresponding process operator, and to store such command signals in corresponding memory locations; said command signals being stored as separate command words in separate locations in said first section; means for shifting the data in the stored command words into the second section with the corresponding bits of the same binary weight of all of the command words being placed in respective storage locations, whereby all MSB''s can be addressed individually, all NMSB''s can be addressed individually, etc.; output means at said control station to produce a set of output pulse-train signals each having an average frequency determined by a corresponding command signal, said output means including means to use said transposed words in a predetermined sequence to produce said pulse-train output signals; and second transmission circuit means coupling said output signals to respective process operators; said process operators being responsive to said pulse-train output signals for setting said variables in accordance with the corresponding signal frequency.

Claim 8

A computer-operated industrial process control system comprising: a plurality of sensors each responsive to a condition of the process such as temperature or flow rate and arranged to produce pulse signals containing information indicating the respective condition; first transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels coupling the pulse signals from said sensors to a control station; a high-speed digital computer at said control station; memory means associated with said computer, said memory means including first and second sections each providing a group of separate locations for storing separate data words which are individually addressable; means at said control station responsive to the incoming pulse signals from said sensors and operable to store in corresponding memory locations digital measurement signals reflecting the status of the process condition represented by the received pulse signals; a plurality of process operators for setting the values of selected process variables which influence at least certain of said measured process conditions; said computer including means arranged to operate on said stored measurement signals to produce corresponding command signals, each representing an instruction for a corresponding process operator, and to store such command signals in corresponding memory locations; said command signals being stored as separate command words in separate locations in said first section; means for shifting the data in the stored command words into the second section with the corresponding bits of the same binary weight of all of the command words being placed in respective storage locations, whereby all MSB''s can be addressed individually, all NMSB''s can be addressed individually, etc.; output means at said control station to produce a set of output pulse-train signals each having an average frequency determined by a corresponding command signal, said output means including means to use said transposed words in a predetermined sequence to produce said pulse-train output signals; and second transmission circuit means coupling said output signals to respective process operators; said process operators being responsive to said pulse-train output signals for setting said variables in accordance with the corresponding signal frequency.

Claim 9

A computer-operated industrial process control system comprising: a plurality of sensors each responsive to a condition of the process such as temperature or flow rate and arranged to produce pulse signals containing information indicating the respective condition, at least a portion of said sensors including means to produce pulse-train signals having a frequency responsive to the measured process condition; first transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels coupling the pulse signals from said sensors to a control station; a high-speed digital computer at said control station, said couputer including input logic circuitry operating under program control and serving to produce measurement signals representing the number of incoming pulses received during predetermined time intervals; memory means associated with said computer, said memory means comprising an input storage section having a plurality of separate storage locations each corresponding to one of said sensors producing pulse-train measurement signals; said input logic circuitry including means to periodically sample the individual channels of said first transmission circuit means and to increment a storage location in said input storage section whenever an input pulse is received from the corresponding sensor so that each storage location maintains a continuously up-dated number representing the count of pulses received from its associated sensor; a plurality of process operators for setting the values of selected process variables which influence at least certain of said measured process conditions; said computer including means operable after a predetermined time interval of counting to read-out the accumulated data as measurement signals, and further including means to operate on said stored measurement signals to produce corresponding command signals, each representing an instruction for a corresponding process operator, and to store such command signals in corresponding memory locations; output means at said control station to produce a set of output pulse-train signals each having an average frequency determined by a corresponding command signal; and second transmission circuit means coupling said output signals to respective process operators; said process operators being responsive to said pulse-train output signals for setting said variables in accordance with the corresponding signal frequency.

Claim 10

A computer-operated industrial process control system comprising: a plurality of sensors each responsive to a condition of the process such as temperature or flow rate and arranged to produce pulse signals containing information indicating the respective condition, at least a portion of said sensors including means to produce pulse-train signals having a frequency responsive to the measured process condition; first transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels coupling the pulse signals from said sensors to a control station; a high-speed digital computer at said control station, said couputer including input logic circuitry operating under program control and serving to produce measurement signals representing the number of incoming pulses received during predetermined time intervals; memory means associated with said computer, said memory means comprising an input storage section having a plurality of separate storage locations each corresponding to one of said sensors producing pulse-train measurement signals; said input logic circuitry including means to periodically sample the individual channels of said first transmission circuit means and to increment a storage location in said input storage section whenever an input pulse is received from the corresponding sensor so that each storage location maintains a continuously up-dated number representing the count of pulses received from its associated sensor; a plurality of process operators for setting the values of selected process variables which influence at least certain of said measured process conditions; said computer including means operable after a predetermined time interval of counting to read-out the accumulated data as measurement signals, and further including means to operate on said stored measurement signals to produce corresponding command signals, each representing an instruction for a corresponding process operator, and to store such command signals in corresponding memory locations; output means at said control station to produce a set of output pulse-train signals each having an average frequency determined by a corresponding command signal; and second transmission circuit means coupling said output signals to respective process operators; said process operators being responsive to said pulse-train output signals for setting said variables in accordance with the corresponding signal frequency.

Claim 13

The method of claim 7, wherein the conversion step further includes the step of utilizing said transposed data words in a predetermined sequence, based on the relative binary weights thereof, to develop said pulse-train signals for the process operators.

Claim 14

In a process control system of the type including a time-shared digital computer arranged to receive a plurality of measurement signals reflecting the states of corresponding process conditions such as temperature, flow rate and the like, and wherein the computer includes means functioning under program control to perform computations respecting said measurement signals so as to develop corresponding command signals providing instructions for operating elements such as process valves, each command signal being stored in a respective location in the computer memory; that improvement in such a process control system wherein the command signals comprise a set of separate multi-bit digital instructions stored with all of the data bits of the same binary weight capable of being accessed as separate individually-addressable output words; output means operable with the command signals stored in said memory to produce from each command signal a pulse-train output signal having an average frequency corresponding to the instruction data contained in the command signal, said output means including means for accessing said individually addressable words in a predetermined sequence and for controlling each output pulse signal in conformance with the state of the corresponding bit of the accessed words; and transmission circuit means coupling said pulse-train output signals to respective process operators.

Claim 15

In a process control system of the type including a time-shared digital computer arranged to receive a plurality of measurement signals reflecting the states of corresponding process conditions such as temperature, flow rate and the like, and wherein the computer includes means functioning under program control to perform computations respecting said measurement signals so as to develop corresponding command signals providing instructions for operating elements such as process valves, each command signal being stored in a respective location in the computer memory; that improvement in such a process control system wherein the command signals comprise a set of separate multi-bit digital instructions stored with all of the data bits of the same binary weight capable of being accessed as separate individually-addressable output words; output means operable with the command signals stored in said memory to produce from each command signal a pulse-train output signal having an average frequency corresponding to the instruction data contained in the command signal, said output means including means for accessing said individually addressable words in a predetermined sequence and for controlling each output pulse signal in conformance with the state of the corresponding bit of the accessed words; and transmission circuit means coupling said pulse-train output signals to respective process operators.

Claim 16

A process control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein each bit position of each of said output words is assigned to a corresponding channel of the transmission circuit mean and a pulse-producing device for each of said channels; said output means including means operable to direct the individual bits of each accessed output word to the respective pulse-producing device to control the activation of each channel in accordance with the state of th bit position assigned to such channel, the sequential accessing of said output words providing for each channel a sequential series of high and low pulse states relfecting the binary states of the corresponding bit positions of the accessed output words.

Claim 17

In an industrial process control system of the type comprising a central station including a digital computer with an addressable memory, said memory comprising a large number of separately accessable locations each capable of storing a plurality of data bits, the process control system serving to measure the magnitudes of a number of different process conditions and to produce respective ouptut signals for process operators and the like; the combination of; sensor means responsive to said process conditions including means for developing separate pulse-train signals the repetition rates of which reflect the magnitudes of respective conditions; coupling circuit means for directing said pulse-train signals to said central station; program control means including stored program instructions operable in repetitive periodic base cycles each establishing a series of sequential operating functions; input means for periodically sampling the signals at said coupling circuit means and for developing binary signals identifying all of the individual pulses of said pulse-train signals; said program control means including first means operable with said input means at selected first times of each program base cycle for transferring and storing in separate locations of said addressable memory, in accordance with stored program instructions, respective data signals each representing the accumulated number of input pulses received from a corresponding pulse-train input signal over a predetermined portion of each base cycle period; said program control means including second means operable at selected second times of each program base cycle to perform on each of said stored data signals predetermined computations in accordance with stored program instructions to develop a series of corresponding digital command signals; and said program control means including third means operable at selected third times of each program base cycle to perform manipulations on said digital command signals in accordance with stored program instructions to develop corresponding binary pulse output signals.

Claim 18

In an industrial process control system of the type comprising a central station including a digital computer with an addressable memory, said memory comprising a large number of separately accessable locations each capable of storing a plurality of data bits, the process control system serving to measure the magnitudes of a number of different process conditions and to produce respective ouptut signals for process operators and the like; the combination of; sensor means responsive to said process conditions including means for developing separate pulse-train signals the repetition rates of which reflect the magnitudes of respective conditions; coupling circuit means for directing said pulse-train signals to said central station; program control means including stored program instructions operable in repetitive periodic base cycles each establishing a series of sequential operating functions; input means for periodically sampling the signals at said coupling circuit means and for developing binary signals identifying all of the individual pulses of said pulse-train signals; said program control means including first means operable with said input means at selected first times of each program base cycle for transferring and storing in separate locations of said addressable memory, in accordance with stored program instructions, respective data signals each representing the accumulated number of input pulses received from a corresponding pulse-train input signal over a predetermined portion of each base cycle period; said program control means including second means operable at selected second times of each program base cycle to perform on each of said stored data signals predetermined computations in accordance with stored program instructions to develop a series of corresponding digital command signals; and said program control means including third means operable at selected third times of each program base cycle to perform manipulations on said digital command signals in accordance with stored program instructions to develop corresponding binary pulse output signals.

Claim 19

Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sensor means comprises a plurality of sensors located remotely from said cenTral station and adjacent the process; each such remote sensor including means to develop a pulse-train signal having a frequency proportional to the measured condition; and transmission means connecting each remote sensor to said cnetral station to carry the respective pulse-train signal to that station.

Claim 20

Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said coupling circuit means comprises separate channels for each pulse-train signal; said input means comprising means to sample all of said channels periodically and at a high rate of speed, sufficiently fast to sample all of the lines during the time duration of any one incoming pulse; and register means coupled to said sampling means and having a plurality of separate stages to receive and temporarily store binary sample signals from respective transmission channels.

Claim 21

Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first means includes means operable between each sampling operation to analyze the pulses stored in said register means to determine whether it represents a change of state from the preceding pulse.

Claim 22

Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said third means comprises means to produce output signals in the form of pulse-train signals the average frequencies of which represent the magnitude of the corresponding command signal.

Claim 23

Apparatus as claimed in claim 15, including output means responsive to said output signals for directing to process operators signals corresponding to said pulse-trains signals respectively.

Claim 24

Apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said process operators are located remotely from said central station, adjacent the controlled process; said output means including transmission circuit means having a plurality of channels each carrying one of said pulse-train signals to a corresponding process operator.

Claim 25

In an industrial process control system of the type comprising a central station including a digital computer with an addressable memory, said memory comprising a large number of separately accessable locations each capable of storing a plurality of data bits, the process control system serving to measure the magnitudes of a number of different process conditions and to produce respective output signals for process operators and the like; the combination of; sensor means responsive to said process conditions including means for developing measurement signals reflecting the magnitudes of respective conditions; program control means at said central station operable in repetitive periodic base cycles each establishing a series of sequential operating functions; input means at said central station for periodically sampling said measurement signals and for developing corresponding digital measurement signals; said program control means including first means operable with said input means at selected first times of each program base cycle for transferring and storing in separate locations of said addressable memory respective data signals each representing a corresponding digital measurement signal; said program control means including second means operable at selected second times of each program base cycle to preform on each of said stored data signals predetermined computations in accordance with stored program instructions to develop a series of corresponding digital command signals; and said program control means including third means operable at selected third times of each program base cycle to perform manipulations on said digital command signals in accordance with stored program instructions to develop corresponding pulse-train output signals, each having an average frequency representing the information contained in the corresponding command signal.

Claim 26

In an industrial process control system of the type comprising a central station including a digital computer with an addressable memory, said memory comprising a large number of separately accessable locations each capable of storing a plurality of data bits, the process control system serving to measure the magnitudes of a number of different process conditions and to produce respective output signals for process operators and the like; the combination of; sensor means responsive to said process conditions including means for developing measurement signals reflecting the magnitudes of respective conditions; program control means at said central station operable in repetitive periodic base cycles each establishing a series of sequential operating functions; input means at said central station for periodically sampling said measurement signals and for developing corresponding digital measurement signals; said program control means including first means operable with said input means at selected first times of each program base cycle for transferring and storing in separate locations of said addressable memory respective data signals each representing a corresponding digital measurement signal; said program control means including second means operable at selected second times of each program base cycle to preform on each of said stored data signals predetermined computations in accordance with stored program instructions to develop a series of corresponding digital command signals; and said program control means including third means operable at selected third times of each program base cycle to perform manipulations on said digital command signals in accordance with stored program instructions to develop corresponding pulse-train output signals, each having an average frequency representing the information contained in the corresponding command signal.

Claim 27

Apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said third means comprises a set of storage locations in said computer memory, each adapted to store a multi-bit word; means to store in each of said set of storage locations a multi-bit word each indiVidual bit of which represents a portion of a respective command signal; and means to access said set of storage locations in a predetermined order to sequentially transfer the bits of each word to respective output channels, thereby to produce said pulse-train output signals.

Claim 28

Apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein one of said set of storage locations contains the MSBs of said command signals, a second contains the NBSBs of said command signal, etc.

Claim 29

In an industrial process control system of the type comprising a central station including a digital computer with an addressable memory, said memory comprising a large number of separately accessable locations each capable of storing a plurality of data bits, the process control system serving to measure the magnitudes of a number of different process conditions and to produce respective output signals for process operators and the like; the combination of; sensor means responsive to said process conditions; circuit means coupled to said sensor means for developing measurement signals reflecting the magnitudes of respective conditions; said circuit means including means for developing said measurement signals as pulse-train signals with repetition rates corresponding to said process conditions respectively; program control means at said central station operable in repetitive periodic base cycles each establishing a series of sequential operating functions; input means at said central station responsive to said pulse-train signals; said program control means including first means operable with said input means at selected first times of each program base cycle for transferring and storing in separate locations of said addressable memory respective data signals each representing by a corresponding digital measurement signal the number of pulses developed in a respective pulse-train signal during a predetermined time interval; said program control means including second means operable at selected second times of each program base cycle to perform on each of said stored data signals predetermined computations in accordance with stored program instructions to develop a series of corresponding digital command signals; and said program control means including third means operable at selected third times of each program base cycle to perform manipulations on said digital command signals in accordance with stored program instructions to develop corresponding digital pulse output signals each representing the information contained in the corresponding command signal.

Claim 30

In an industrial process control system of the type comprising a central station including a digital computer with an addressable memory, said memory comprising a large number of separately accessable locations each capable of storing a plurality of data bits, the process control system serving to measure the magnitudes of a number of different process conditions and to produce respective output signals for process operators and the like; the combination of; sensor means responsive to said process conditions; circuit means coupled to said sensor means for developing measurement signals reflecting the magnitudes of respective conditions; said circuit means including means for developing said measurement signals as pulse-train signals with repetition rates corresponding to said process conditions respectively; program control means at said central station operable in repetitive periodic base cycles each establishing a series of sequential operating functions; input means at said central station responsive to said pulse-train signals; said program control means including first means operable with said input means at selected first times of each program base cycle for transferring and storing in separate locations of said addressable memory respective data signals each representing by a corresponding digital measurement signal the number of pulses developed in a respective pulse-train signal during a predetermined time interval; said program control means including second means operable at selected second times of each program base cycle to perform on each of said stored data signals predetermined computations in accordance with stored program instructions to develop a series of corresponding digital command signals; and said program control means including third means operable at selected third times of each program base cycle to perform manipulations on said digital command signals in accordance with stored program instructions to develop corresponding digital pulse output signals each representing the information contained in the corresponding command signal.

Claim 31

A process control system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said input means comprises counter means operable independently of said program control means for developing signals responsive to the accumulation of pulses in the incoming pulse-train signals; said first means being operable to sample the count in the respective counter to transfer to said addressable memory said corresponding digital measurement signals.