I/O MODULE WITH CONFIGURABLE ASICS THAT INCLUDE A MATRIX SWITCH
First Claim
1. An input/output (I/O) module for interfacing with an I/O device used in an industrial application, the I/O module comprising:
- a housing;
an electrical connector, accessible from outside the housing, for connecting the I/O module to at least one I/O device, the electrical connector comprising multiple electrical signal interfaces for making an electrical signal connection between the at least one I/O device and the I/O module;
within the housing, multiple application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) associated with the electrical signal interfaces, wherein each of the ASICs comprises a matrix switch and signal processing circuitry configured to process signals related to the at least one I/O device;
within the housing, electrical signal paths between the ASICs and the electrical signal interfaces; and
within the housing, electrical signal paths between the matrix switches of the ASICs.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An I/O module for use with I/O devices such as pumps, valves, thermocouples, and mass flow controllers includes an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) associated with each electrical signal interface to an I/O device. Additionally, a matrix switch is incorporated into each of the ASICs in order to enable electrical signals related to the I/O device to be distributed between the ASICs. Matrix switches within the different ASICs are electrically connected by at least one signal path that is dedicated to electrical signal distribution within the I/O module and the matrix switches are configurable on an ASIC-by-ASIC basis such that the desired electrical signal distribution can be achieved on a per-application basis. Incorporating configurable matrix switches into the ASICs enables electrical signals to be easily distributed among the ASICs in an I/O module.
145 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An input/output (I/O) module for interfacing with an I/O device used in an industrial application, the I/O module comprising:
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a housing; an electrical connector, accessible from outside the housing, for connecting the I/O module to at least one I/O device, the electrical connector comprising multiple electrical signal interfaces for making an electrical signal connection between the at least one I/O device and the I/O module; within the housing, multiple application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) associated with the electrical signal interfaces, wherein each of the ASICs comprises a matrix switch and signal processing circuitry configured to process signals related to the at least one I/O device; within the housing, electrical signal paths between the ASICs and the electrical signal interfaces; and within the housing, electrical signal paths between the matrix switches of the ASICs. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An input/output (I/O) module for interfacing with an I/O device used in an industrial application, the I/O module comprising:
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a housing; an electrical connector, accessible from outside the housing, for connecting the I/O module to at least one I/O device, the electrical connector comprising multiple electrical signal interfaces for making an electrical signal connection between the at least one I/O device and the I/O module; within the housing, multiple application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) associated with the electrical signal interfaces, wherein each of the ASICs comprises a matrix switch and signal processing circuitry configured to process signals related to the at least one I/O device; within the housing, electrical signal paths between the ASICs and the electrical signal interfaces; and within the housing, an electrical signal path between the matrix switches of the ASICs; within the housing, a microprocessor and memory, the memory having computer readable program code stored thereon, which when executed by the microprocessor allows a user to configure the I/O module to support an I/O device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method for configuring an input/output (I/O) module for use with an I/O device in an industrial application, the method comprising:
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connecting an I/O device to at least one electrical connector of an I/O module, wherein the I/O module comprises application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and wherein each ASIC comprises a matrix switch and signal processing circuitry; accessing a configuration program, which is stored within the I/O module, from a remote host computer; and configuring the I/O module to correspond to the I/O device to which the I/O module is connected, wherein configuring the I/O module comprises; generating a matrix switch configuration command; communicating the matrix switch configuration command to at least one of the matrix switches; and configuring the matrix switch in response to the matrix switch configuration command. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification