Control system for a storage/retrieval machine in an automated material handling system

• US 4,232,370 A
• Filed: 12/07/1978
• Issued: 11/04/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Trust Company of New York (Bank of America Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Clark Equipment Company (Doosan Enerbility Company Limited)
• Inventors: Tapley, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Krass, Errol A.
• Application Number:
  US05/967,321
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200, 364/900, 364/478, 364/120, 364/300
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/027 four
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/31 Programming languages or programming paradigms
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A control system for an automated storage/retrieval system (AS/RS) machine includes a programmable, general-purpose logic unit that operates under the control of a stored program. The program is functionally divided into two distinct blocks, including a host control program that is encoded in an elementary program language, and a second, application program that is encoded in a second, non-elementary program language. The second, non-elementary language is chosen to be emulatable by the first, elementary program language so that the host control program may implement the application program. In preferred form, the application program is formed of a plurality of independently programmed routines having a hierarchal relationship to one another. A feature of the host control program permits an operator to selectively trace through an execution of one or more of the routines of the user application program to permit diagnosis of the program logic of the user application program.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling the operation of a storage/retrieval (S/R) machine in a material handling system, the S/R machine being directed by the control system to perform an ordered sequence of movements between addressable stations in response to a control command for the stacking and/or retrieving of material units, the control system comprising:

input means for operator communication of a control command specifying an S/R machine operation;

programmable processing means operatively coupled with the input means and responsive to an operator control command for directing the S/R machine to perform an ordered sequence of movements corresponding to the specific control command, the programmable processing means being controlled by a stored program and including,

memory means for storing program instructions, and

central processing means operatively coupled with the memory means and responsive to the stored program for executing the instructions to cause the S/R machine to perform the specified S/R machine operation,

the memory means comprising a first memory block having a host control program of instructions encoded in an, elementary program language, and a second memory block having a user application program of instructions encoded in a non-elementary program, the central processing means including first means operatively coupled with the first memory block and the second memory block and being responsive to a selected instruction in the first memory block for accessing selected instructions in the second memory block,

the first memory block including second means operatively coupled with the first means for emulating the selected instructions from the second memory block,

the central processing means including third means operatively coupled with the second means for producing control signals for the S/R machine in accordance with the selected instructions from the second memory block,

said first memory block being physically separate from the second memory block and being a read only memory.

2. The control system as defined in claim 1, wherein the user application program of the second memory block comprises a plurality of independently programmed routines having a heirarchal relationship with respect to each other.

3. The control system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first memory block comprises a first programmable read-only-memory (PROM) and the second memory block comprises a second PROM.

4. The control system as defined in claim 3, wherein the first memory block stores the instructions of the host control program in an elementary program language which is an assembly language associated with the programmable processing means, and the second memory block stores the instructions of the user application program in a non-elementary program language which is a functional user language comprising a plurality of elementary program instructions and wherein each of the plurality of elementary program instructions is based on the assembly language.

5. The control system as defined in claim 4 wherein the user application program of the second memory block comprises a plurality of independently programmed routines, and wherein the first memory block includes means operatively coupled with the input means and responsive to operator communication through the input means for selectively emulating said independently programmed routines step-by-step whereby the operator may selectively trace through an execution of the user application program.