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Electrical control apparatus including a plurality of programmable modules

  • US 6,501,368 B1
  • Filed: 09/21/1999
  • Issued: 12/31/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A control apparatus comprising:

  • a plurality of sources of input signals;

    a plurality of controlled elements;

    a communication bus;

    and a plurality of separate control modules each having;

    connection to the communication bus for transmitting communications on and receiving communications from the bus;

    a plurality of input terminals arranged for receiving at least one input from a respective one of said plurality of sources of input signals;

    a plurality of output terminals at least one of which is arranged for connection to a respective one of the controlled elements;

    a plurality of switches each associated with a respective one of the output terminals for effecting control of the respective controlled element;

    a processor programmable so as to actuate the switches in response to data from the input terminals and in response to said communications on the communication bus in accordance with a predetermined program stored in the module;

    the modules each having a different function such that each receives input from a different one or more of the sources of input data and each effects control of a different one or more of the controlled elements;

    wherein said predetermined program is the same in each of the modules and includes a base program and an operating program portion having respective sub-portions thereof with each sub-portion arranged to control the function of the respective module in which the program is stored;

    and wherein the modules and the predetermined program therein are arranged such that, at a predetermined condition of the apparatus, the processor of each module emits to the communication bus a signal indicative of the operating program portion stored in the respective module, such that there is effected a comparison of the emitted signals, and such that, in the event that the emitted signal of one of the modules is different from that of the others, a selected one of the others is arranged to download the operating program portion from said selected one to said different one.

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