Patent ID: 7565660
Filing Date: 2009-07-21
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
1. A method of providing an open development kit (ODK) subsystem, the method comprising the steps of: executing a programmable logic controller (PLC) application program in the ODK subsystem, wherein the ODK subsystem having a virtual CPU, the virtual CPU executing the PLC program in a real-time operating environment and executing one or more extensions, the one or more extensions providing access into a scan cycle of the PLC program and replaceable functionality to the operation of the PLC program; sending a specific formatted load application request message from the PLC program to the ODK subsystem; converting at the ODK subsystem the specific formatted load application request message to a generic formatted load request message; sending the generic formatted load request message from the ODK subsystem to an application for requesting the one or more extensions to be loaded by the application; and requesting execution of the application, including checking whether there are requests for application execution in the PLC program and, if so, sending a specific formatted execution request from the PLC program to the ODK subsystem, converting the specific formatted execution request to a generic execution request, and sending the generic execution request from the ODK subsystem to the application, the application comprising an Application Wizard, the Application Wizard providing a first mode and a second mode; checking whether any requests for information are waiting in the application and, if so, requesting information from the PLC program by the application; executing a function in the ODK subsystem specified by the application; performing a task in the PLC program associated with the executed function in the ODK subsystem; returning a specific formatted response from the PLC program to the ODK subsystem, the ODK subsystem converting the specific formatted response to a generic response; and returning the generic response from the ODK subsystem to the application, the ODK subsystem comprising an ODK Real-Time (RTX) Proxy Dynamic Link Library (DLL) usable in the deterministic environment, the ODK RTX Proxy DLL communicating through shared memory with an ODK System Block (SB) Add-on DLL in the non-deterministic environment, wherein, in the first mode, the Application Wizard generates a Real Time Dynamic Link Library project that is usable in a deterministic environment with fixed scan cycles, and in the second mode, the Application Wizard generates a Dynamic Link Library project that is usable in a non-deterministic environment with non-fixed scan cycles, and the deterministic environment is a WinAC RTX environment.