Manufacturing System and Method
First Claim
1. An automated manufacturing system comprising:
- a first sensor that provides a first output signal;
a first controllable device;
a first process controller capable of issuing a first command to the first controllable device; and
a first intermediate control device coupled between the first sensor and the first process controller,wherein the first intermediate control device receives the first output signal and determines, based at least in part upon the first output signal, whether to send an additional signal to the first process controller indicative of a failure condition.
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Abstract
An automated manufacturing system, intermediate control device for implementation in such a system, and method of performing a manufacturing operation are disclosed. In at least some embodiments, the automated manufacturing system includes a first sensor that provides a first output signal, a first controllable device, and a first process controller capable of issuing a first command to the first controllable device. The system further includes a first intermediate control device coupled between the first sensor and the first process controller. The first intermediate control device receives the first output signal and determines, based at least in part upon the first output signal, whether to send an additional signal to the first process controller indicative of a failure condition.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. An automated manufacturing system comprising:
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a first sensor that provides a first output signal; a first controllable device; a first process controller capable of issuing a first command to the first controllable device; and a first intermediate control device coupled between the first sensor and the first process controller, wherein the first intermediate control device receives the first output signal and determines, based at least in part upon the first output signal, whether to send an additional signal to the first process controller indicative of a failure condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An intermediate control device for implementation in an automated manufacturing system, the intermediate control device comprising:
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a plurality of input terminals capable of being coupled to a plurality of sensors and receiving a plurality of sensor signals therefrom; a first output terminal capable of being coupled to a programmable logic controller and sending an output signal thereto; and a processing component capable of determining whether to send the output signal based at least in part upon at least one of the sensor signals, the output signal indicating a failure of at least one of the plurality of sensors. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of performing a manufacturing operation, the method comprising:
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sensing a presence of a component at a sensor; conducting a manufacturing operation that is capable of effecting a stress on the sensor; determining whether an output signal from the sensor has taken on a characteristic indicative of a failure of the sensor; and if it is determined that the output signal has taken on the characteristic, sending an output signal to a controller. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification