Method and apparatus for executing control system functions in a computer system

• US 5,386,558 A
• Filed: 02/24/1992
• Issued: 01/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adapsys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Adapsys Incorporated
• Inventors: Maudlin, Craig L., Adler-Sherman, Susan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US07/840,741
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 395/1, 395/10, 395/50, 395/51, 395/52, 395/60, 395/63, 395/64, 395/912, 395/904, 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32011 Operator adapts manufacturing as function of sensed values
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34261 Windows, microsoft windows
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34262 DDE direct data exchange, DLL dynamic library linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/904 Manufacturing or machine, e.g. agricultural machinery, machine tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A control system is implemented by provision of parts which are data structures with identities, properties, and references to other parts, and clusters which are structures of associated parts. Clusters are assembled into meanings, and contexts are built from meanings and logic components. A current behavior expression consisting of a cluster is established and a meaning analysis procedure searches a set of meanings in a current context for correspondence between one or more meanings and the current behavior expression. When correspondence is found, further analysis switches the current behavior expression to a meaning matched in the current context. The process continues, switching context if necessary, until no meaning can be matched to a portion of the current behavior expression. Those portions of the current behavior expression for which no meaning is found represent primitive actions which are executed to carry out a system intention.

Claims

1. In a computer system which executes a computer program, the computer system including a storage unit, a central processing unit, input means for providing input data to the storage unit and central processing unit, and output means for providing discernible indications of actions performed by the central processing unit, a machine-executable method for implementing a control system, using:

a plurality of parts, each part including a data object and having a first portion identifying the part, a second portion including a series of associated data items, and a third portion for referencing another part; and

pluralities of interrelated parts, each part in any plurality of interrelated parts including a reference to, or being referenced by, another part in the plurality of interrelated parts; and

a plurality of clusters, each cluster including a data structure with one part or a plurality of interrelated parts;

the method including the steps of;

storing at least one cluster;

storing a plurality of meanings, each meaning including;

a template having one part or a plurality of interrelated parts; and

a definition cluster;

storing a plurality of logic components, each logic component including an invocable procedure which is executable by the central processing unit;

providing a plurality of contexts, each context including an associated set of meanings and an associated set of logic components, and means for identifying a context as a definition context;

designating a first context as a current context;

designating a first cluster as a current behavior expression;

(a) comparing parts of the current behavior expression with templates of the set of meanings associated with the current context;

(b) for a meaning of the set of meanings whose template matches a part or a plurality of interrelated parts of the current behavior expression;

designating the definition cluster of the meaning as the current behavior expression; and

designating as a new current context, a second context identified as a definition context by the current context;

(c) performing steps (a) and (b) until a part in the current behavior expression is found which does not match a part in a template in the current context;

invoking a logic component associated with the current context and which is identified by a data item in the second portion of the part found in step (c);

performing a control system action by executing the logic component; and

providing a discernible indication of the control system action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes recursively performing steps (a) and (b) and accumulating a plurality of parts in the behavior expression which do not match parts in a template in the current context, further including executing the invoking and performing steps for each part of the plurality of parts and executing the second providing step for one or more parts of the plurality of parts.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (a) the parts form a candidate cluster in which each part of the candidate cluster includes a reference to, or is referenced by, another part of the candidate cluster, step (a) further including:

(a1) comparing the candidate cluster with the templates; and

(a2) detecting one or more meanings in the current context having templates matching the candidate cluster.

4. The method of claim 3, further including performing steps (b) and (c) for each meaning of the one or more meanings after all of the one or more meanings are found.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed for each meaning of the one or more meanings when said each meaning is detected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cluster includes a plurality of interrelated parts, further including performing steps (a), (b), and (c) until substantially all parts of the plurality of interrelated parts have been compared with templates.

7. In a computer system which executes a computer program, the computer system including a storage unit, a central processing unit, input means for providing input data to the storage unit and central processing unit, and output means for providing discernable indications of actions performed by the central processing unit, a machine-executable method for implementing a control system, using:

a plurality of parts, each part including a data object and having a first portion identifying the part, a second portion including a series of associated data items, and a third portion for referencing another part;

a plurality of clusters, each cluster including a data structure with one part or a plurality of interrelated parts such that each part of the plurality of interrelated parts includes a reference to, or is referenced by, another part of the plurality of interrelated parts; and

means for controlling recursions in response to third portions of parts;

the method including the steps of;

storing at least one cluster;

storing a plurality of meanings, each meaning including;

a template having one part or a plurality of interrelated parts such that each part of the plurality of interrelated parts includes a reference to, or is referenced by, another part of the plurality of interrelated parts; and

a definition cluster;

storing a plurality of logic components, each logic component including an invocable procedure which is executable by the central processing unit;

providing a plurality of contexts, each context including an associated set of meanings and an associated set of logic components, each meaning of the associated set of meanings including means for identifying a context as a definition context;

designating a first context as a current context;

designating a first cluster as a current behavior expression;

(a) recursively performing meaning analysis steps (a1) and (a2) until a part in the current behavior expression is found which does not match a part in a template, the meaning analysis steps including;

(a1) comparing parts of the current behavior expression with templates of the set of meanings associated with a current context;

(a2) for each meaning whose template matches the parts;

(a21) saving references to the parts in a working pool;

(a22) changing the current behavior expression to a new behavior expression including the definition cluster of the meaning; and

(a23) changing the current context to a new current context including a definition context identified by the meaning;

then

(b) invoking a logic component which is associated with the current context and which is identified by a data item in the second portion of the part found in step (a);

(c) executing the logic component and providing a discernible indication of the execution; and

(d) obtaining references to parts from the working pool, changing the current behavior expression to a new behavior expression including a cluster including the reference to parts; and

recursively performing steps (a)-(d) until one or more parts of the first cluster having third portions without references to parts are encountered in step (d).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (a) is recursively performed to accumulate a plurality of parts in the behavior expression which do not match a meaning template, further including executing steps (b) and (c) for each part of the plurality of parts and executing the second providing step for one or more parts of the plurality of parts following completion of step (a).

9. The method of claim 7, wherein in step (a) the parts form one or more candidate clusters in which each part of a candidate cluster of the one or more candidate clusters includes a reference to, or is referenced by, another part of the candidate cluster, step (a1) further including, for each candidate cluster of the one or more candidate clusters:

(a11) comparing the candidate cluster with the templates; and

(a12) detecting one or more meanings in the current context having templates matching the candidate cluster.

10. The method of claim 9, further including performing step (a2) for each meaning of the one or more meanings after all of the one or more meanings are found.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein step (a2) is performed for each meaning of said each one or more meanings when the meaning is detected.

12. A combination for executing functions of a control system in a computer complex, the combination including:

a plurality of parts, each part including a computer-addressable data object and having a first portion identifying the part, a second portion including a series of associated computer readable data items, and a third portion for referencing another part;

a plurality of clusters, each cluster including a data structure with one part or a plurality of interrelated parts, each part of the plurality of interrelated parts referencing or being referenced by another part of the plurality of interrelated parts;

a plurality of meanings, each meaning including;

a template having a part or a plurality of interrelated parts, each part of the plurality of interrelated parts referencing or being referenced by another part of the plurality of interrelated parts; and

a definition cluster;

a plurality of logic components, each logic component including an invocable computer-executable procedure;

a plurality of contexts, each context including an associated set of meanings and an associated set of logic components, and means for identifying a context as a definition context; and

means for;

designating a first context as a current context;

designating a first cluster as a current behavior expression;

comparing parts of the current behavior expression with templates of the set of meanings associated with the current context;

designating the definition cluster of a meaning of the st of meanings whose template matches parts of the current behavior expression as a new current behavior expression, and designating a definition context identified by the meaning as a new current context; and

invoking a logic component associated with the current context and identified by a data item in the second portion of any part in the current behavior expression which does not match a part in a meaning template.

13. A combination for executing functions of a control system, the combination comprising:

a computer system having a storage unit, a central processing unit, input means for providing input data to the storage unit and the central processing unit, and output means for providing discernable indications of actions performed by the central processing unit;

a plurality of parts stored in the storage unit, each part including a data object and having a first portion identifying the part, a second portion including a series of associated data items, and a third portion for referencing another part;

a plurality of clusters stored in the storage unit, each cluster including a data structure with one part or a plurality of interrelated parts, each part of the plurality of interrelated pads referencing or being referenced by another part of the plurality of interrelated parts;

a plurality of meanings stored in the storage unit, each meaning including;

a template having one part or a plurality of interrelated parts, each part of the plurality of interrelated parts referencing or being referenced by another part of the plurality of interrelated parts; and

a definition cluster;

a plurality of logic components, each logic component including an invocable procedure executable by a central processing unit;

a plurality of contexts, each context including an associated set of meanings and an associated set of logic components, and means for identifying a context as a definition context; and

means for;

designating a first context as a current context;

designating a first cluster as a current behavior expression;

comparing parts of the current behavior expression with templates of the set of meanings associated with the current context;

designating the definition cluster of a meaning of a set of meanings whose template matches parts of the current behavior expression as a new current behavior expression, and designating a definition context identified by the meaning as a new current context; and

invoking a logic component associated with the current context and identified by a data item in the second portion of any part in the current behavior expression which does not match a part of a meaning template.