Programmable controller communication module
First Claim
1. In a programmable controller having a processor module and a number of functional modules located in a rack and electrically interconnected by a backplane of the rack;
- a communication module for interfacing the programmable controller to external devices via a plurality of communication links, said communication module comprising;
a plurality of ports including a plurality of link ports with each link port coupling one of the communication links to the communication module, and a backplane port coupling the communication module to the backplane of the rack;
a mechanism separate from the programmable controller, by which a user of the programmable controller is able to provide for each link port a designation of one or more of said plurality of ports to which messages are to be sent;
a first memory means, connected to said mechanism, for storing the designation for each link port; and
means for transferring the messages received through a given link port to one or more ports as defined by the designation stored in said first memory means for that given link port.
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Abstract
A module interfaces a programmable controller to several serial communication networks for the exchange of data carrying messages. A central processor controls the transfer of data between the module and other programmable controller components. The module has a separate port circuit for each of the networks permitting communication using different protocols. Messages received through one port circuit can be routed to another port circuit or other programmable controller components as specified by routing data stored in the module. The module also can be configured to detect when a given sequence of data is contained in a received message or to parse a section of data from the message. In these cases, an indication of whether the data sequence was found or the parsed data is routed to a designated output of the module.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. In a programmable controller having a processor module and a number of functional modules located in a rack and electrically interconnected by a backplane of the rack;
- a communication module for interfacing the programmable controller to external devices via a plurality of communication links, said communication module comprising;
a plurality of ports including a plurality of link ports with each link port coupling one of the communication links to the communication module, and a backplane port coupling the communication module to the backplane of the rack; a mechanism separate from the programmable controller, by which a user of the programmable controller is able to provide for each link port a designation of one or more of said plurality of ports to which messages are to be sent; a first memory means, connected to said mechanism, for storing the designation for each link port; and means for transferring the messages received through a given link port to one or more ports as defined by the designation stored in said first memory means for that given link port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- a communication module for interfacing the programmable controller to external devices via a plurality of communication links, said communication module comprising;
Specification