Meta-interpreter

• US 4,905,138 A
• Filed: 10/20/1988
• Issued: 02/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Bourne, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Application Number:
  US07/260,214
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200, 364/300, 364/900
• US Class Current: 717/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/06 Notations for structuring of protocol data, e.g. abstract syntax notation one [ASN.1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention includes an interpreter in which a parser examines a message using grammar and lexical tables to produce a parse table. The parse table is compared to data needed in a semantics table to fire a rule. The firing of a rule causes a function table to be evaluated. The function table includes function calls which can perform user desired functions. Among the functions is a generate function which will take the contents of a table and turn it into a message and route the message to a destination where the destination can be a table, process or device. Plural interpreters can be created where each interpreter includes a workspace containing the above-mentioned tables. Each interpreter can perform a different task such as recognizing the meaning of a message in one language and performing some action such as sending out a message in a different language or updating a database. The present invention is particularly suitable for managing a machining workcell including machines from different vendors.

Claims

1. An interpreter apparatus, comprising:

parser means for converting an input message into a parse table using a grammar table, said parse table having contents thereof;

processing means cooperatively associated with said parser means for comparing the contents of the parse table to data needed in a condition to execute a named function; and

execution means cooperatively associated with said processing means for executing the named function.

2. An interpreter as recited in claim 1, wherein said processing means compares the contents of the parse table to data needed by a rule in a rules table including a pathname designating a function table name and said execution means executes the named function by executing user designated functions designated in the named function table.

3. An interpreter as recited in claim 1, further comprising message generation means cooperatively associated with said executing means for generating a message as a result of executing the function.

4. An interpreter as recited in claim 1, further comprising update means cooperatively associated with said executing means for updating a data table as a result of executing the function.

5. A machine workcell, comprising:

a first device sending messages relative to a first action performed by or a state of said first device;

a first protocol handler, coupled to the first device, for receiving messages from said first device and producing an interpreter message having a meaning associated therewith;

a first device specialist, coupled to said first protocol handler, for interpreting the meaning of the interpreter message and producing a cell specialist message;

a cell specialist coupled to said first device specialist, for interpreting the meaning and evaluating the cell specialist message, updating a cell status table and producing a device interpreter message;

a second device specialist, coupled to said cell specialist, for interpreting the meaning of the device interpreter message and producing a device message;

a second protocol handler, coupled to said second device specialist, for receiving the device message and creating a protocol modified device message; and

a second device, coupled to said second protocol handler, for receiving the protocol modified device message and performing a second action in dependence on the protocol modified device message.

6. A machine workcell as recited in claim 5, further comprising a system dispatcher, coupled to said first and second device specialists, said cell specialist and said first and second protocol handlers, for routing the interpreter message, the cell specialist message, the device interpreter message and the device message.

7. A workcell as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

a first device mailbox for holding messages from the first device;

a first protocol handler agenda mailbox for holding messages for the first protocol handler;

an interpreter agenda mailbox for holding messages for the first and second device specialists and the cell specialist; and

a second protocol handler agenda mailbox for holding messages for the second protocol handler.

8. A workcell as recited in claim 7, wherein messages from the device are received by said first and second protocol handlers at an interrupt level and messages in the interpreter agenda mailbox are first-in-first-out priority ordered.

9. A workcell as recited in claim 5, wherein said first device specialist, said cell specialist and said second device specialist each comprise:

parsing means for converting an input message into a parse table using a grammar table said parse table having contents thereof;

processing means for comparing the contents of the parse table to data needed by a rule in a rules table including a pathname designating a function table; and

execution means for executing the functions defined in the function table when a rule fires.

10. A workcell as recited in claim 6, wherein said system dispatcher, said first device specialist, said second device specialist and said cell specialist reside in a single computer.

11. A workcell as recited in claim 5, wherein said first device specialist, said second device specialist and said cell specialist reside in different computers.

12. An interpreter, comprising:

a memory storing a data structure including a first workspace which is effective for pointing to a second workspace and including a first table, the first table including a first field, a first entry and a first item and which is effective for pointing to a second table; and

a processor coupled to said memory for receiving a message having a meaning associated therewith and using the data structure to perform at least one function in dependence on the meaning of the message.

13. An interpreter as recited in claim 12, wherein the first workspace includes a table pointer pointing to the first table, the first table includes a field pointer pointing to the first field and an entry pointer pointing to the first entry, the first field pointer includes a first item pointer and is effective for pointing in a field direction to a second field, the first entry pointer includes a first item pointer and is effective for pointing in an entry direction to a second entry, the first item includes a value and is effective for pointing to a second item in the field direction and to a third item in the entry direction.

14. An interpreter as recited in claim 13, wherein the first workspace includes a grammar table defining a message grammar, lexical tables defining legal words in a massage, a semantics table defining the meaning of messages and a function table defining functions to be performed in dependence on the meaning of the messages.

15. An interpreter as recited in claim 14, wherein said first workspace includes a states table which stores a state as defined by the messages.

16. An interpreter as recited in claim 12, wherein the first table represents programs as data.

17. An interpreter as recited in claim 12, where the first table is a program table and programs are generated from the program table.