Real time control of hardware and software via communications network
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A Hard Real Time Control Center (HRTCC), comprised of hardware, software and firmware, with time synchronisation and time delay compensation methodologies that allows Application Hardware and/or User Input Devices to be networked together on any communications network as if there were negligible network delays in the system, is disclosed. This will allow Application Hardware and/or User Input Devices (connected to an HRTCC at one location (node) on the network) to control or operate Application Hardware and/or User Input Devices connected to another HRTCC at a remote location without the detrimental effects of network time delays. The time synchronisation of the various HRTCCs on the network can be enabled using hardware (e.g. a global positioning system (GPS)) or any other software method (e.g. Network Time Protocol). Using time stamps from the time synchronisation, the time delay of the signals (data) transferred over the network can be determined. The main embodiment of the time delay compensation methodology is an estimator/predictor algorithm. The estimator generates signal information that allows the predictor, using the time delay, to project the signal information characteristics into the future by an amount equal to the time delay. If this predicted signal is used rather than the delayed signal, there will be no readily apparent time delay in the system thereby significantly improving the stability and performance of the associated application. Any software architecture can be used such as servant-client, token ring or peer to peer.
61 Citations
86 Claims
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1-58. -58. (canceled)
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59. A network system for implementing hard real time control through a communications network, comprising:
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a plurality of control systems, the control systems being capable of communicating with each other through the communications network, each of the control systems including;
one or more interfaces for application hardware and associated software and/or a user input device;
a synchronizer for substantially synchronizing clocks of the control systems;
a transmitter for sending data associated with the application hardware and associated software and/or the user input device to one or more control systems via the communications network;
a receiver for receiving data from one or more control systems via the communications network; and
compensating means for compensating the received data for a time delay associated with a transmission via the communications network to remove an effect of the time delay for the hard real time control; and
means for providing the compensated data to the interface to operate the application hardware and associated software and/or the user input device. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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69. A method of implementing hard real time control in a network system, the network system including a plurality of hard real time control systems, each of which has an application hardware/software and is capable of communicating with each other via a communications network, the method comprising steps of:
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substantially synchronizing clocks of the hard real time control systems, one of the hard real time control systems being a transmitting side and the other being a receiving side;
estimating data from an application hardware/software on the transmitting side, the estimated data being related to operating status of the application hardware/software;
determining a time delay associated with a transmission via the communications network;
compensating the estimated data for the time delay to remove an effect of the time delay for the hard real time control; and
providing the compensated data to an application hardware/software on the receiving side for the hard real time control. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A server-client system for implementing a hard real time control between server and client systems via a communications network, the server-client system comprising:
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a synchronizer for substantially synchronizing clocks of the server system and the client system, one of the server and client systems being a transmitting side and the other being a receiving side;
an estimator for estimating data from an application hardware/software on the transmitting side, the estimated data being related to operating status of the application hardware/software; and
a predictor for determining a time delay of the estimated data associated with a transmission via the communications network, and compensating the estimated data for the determined time delay for the hard real time control, and means for providing the compensated data to an application hardware/software on the receiving side. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80)
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81. A server-client system for implementing hard real time control via a communications network, the server-client system comprising:
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a server system including a user input device for controlling an application hardware/software via the communications network;
a client system including the application hardware/software to be controlled by the user input device via the communications network;
a synchronization device operatively associated with each of the server system and the client system for substantially synchronizing clocks thereof; and
compensating means for compensating data transmitted between the server system and the client system for a time delay associated with the transmission via the communications network for the hard real time control between the application hardware/software and the user input device. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86)
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Specification