Patent ID: 6813523
Filing Date: 2004-11-02
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
A method for distributed programmable control of process devices to operate in cooperation to perform a predetermined process wherein each process device is capable of independent operation and of performing one or more related operations and each process device is associated a corresponding one of a plurality of device controllers wherein each device controller controls the operations of the associated process device as directed by a process stored in the associated device controller and wherein a process is a sequence of process steps wherein each step is defined by one or more operations of one or more of the process devices, comprising the steps of:storing a device process in each device controller, wherein each device process controls the operations of the associated process device and includes one or more device steps wherein each device step corresponds to a process step and controls one or more corresponding operations of the associated process device; and in a master controller, during an execution of a device process, generating only step execute identifiers to each device controller, wherein each of the device controllers s responsive to the step execute identifiers for cooperatively performing corresponding device steps of the device processes, in a device controller generating and providing to the master controller an indication of a completion of a device step by the associated process device, and in the master controller and responsive to the indication of the completion of a device step of a process step by each of the device controllers directing associated process devices in performing a process, generating a next step execute identifier to the device controllers directing the associated process devices in performing a process.