Patent ID: 8634964
Filing Date: 2014-01-21
Classification: A61M,G05D,G06D,G16H,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling valves for flow path control in a machine having a plurality of processes for establishing flow paths by controlling a plurality of valves, said valves in said plurality of valves, before being claimed by a particular process, being available to, and controllable by, more than one process, said method comprising the steps of flooding open valves from at least one starting point to determine a plurality of connections resulting from a valve switching state and storing said connections in a connection matrix; comparing the connection matrix with a control matrix containing non-permitted connections to avoid switching states that result in use of a non-permitted connection; a first process claiming or taking control of a group of valves from said plurality of valves to establish a flow path for executing the first process before said first process is executed, said machine comparing connections resulting from said flow path with said control matrix to determine whether said resulting connections include any non-permitted connections; in an absence of non-permitted connections, said first process setting a switching state for said claimed group of valves so that other processes cannot change the switching state of said claimed valves while said valves are claimed by said first process, said claimed valves being non-available to other processes while said valves are claimed by said first process; polling of a non-available valve by a second process resulting in a request to the first process claiming said non-available valve for a release of said non-available valve, said non-available valve, if released by said first process, being controllable by said second process; said first process itself making a decision on said request for the release of the non-available valve claimed by said first process; and said machine monitoring the current and scheduled switching states of the valves to determine resulting connections and comparing said resulting connections with said control matrix to avoid a non-permitted connection.