Method for programming timer to execute timing operations
First Claim
1. A method for making a timer module that performs a desired timer function, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a programmable timer module having a power supply circuit, an output circuit, and a programmable control circuit adapted to control at least one function of at least one of said power supply circuit, and said output circuit;
establishing a program builder system for building a timer operating program for transmission to said timer module, said program builder system adapted to build a timer operating program including a plurality of timer subfunction code segments each corresponding to a different subfunction, wherein said program builder system includes a lookup table correlating each of a plurality of timer functions with a specific set of said subfunctions, wherein said program builder system is adapted to receive a timer function request input, and wherein said program builder system is adapted to build a subfunction ordering table based on said function request input and based on timer subfunctions correlated with said function request in said lookup table;
making available a model number data page correlating a plurality timer model numbers with information respecting said timer model numbers;
presenting a function request to said program builder system so that said program builder system develops for incorporation into said timer operating program a subfunction ordering table in accordance with said function request input, wherein said presenting step includes the step of selecting a timer model number based on said information of said model number data page; and
loading said timer-operating program into said timer module.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In the present invention, several timer functions (e.g. delay on make, delay on break, recycle, single shot, etc.) are expressed in terms of a series of timer subfunctions, and code segments are developed for each identified subfunction. A program of a timer is established to include a plurality of subfunction code segments and a subfunction ordering table for determining the ordering of execution for the subfunction code segments. The ordering of subfunctions of the subfunction ordering table may be selectable in accordance with a model number input received at a program builder system adapted for use in programming the programmable timer. In one embodiment, the programming method provides for reprogramming of a timer including a control circuit having a one-time programmable processor.
-
Citations
105 Claims
-
1. A method for making a timer module that performs a desired timer function, said method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a programmable timer module having a power supply circuit, an output circuit, and a programmable control circuit adapted to control at least one function of at least one of said power supply circuit, and said output circuit;
establishing a program builder system for building a timer operating program for transmission to said timer module, said program builder system adapted to build a timer operating program including a plurality of timer subfunction code segments each corresponding to a different subfunction, wherein said program builder system includes a lookup table correlating each of a plurality of timer functions with a specific set of said subfunctions, wherein said program builder system is adapted to receive a timer function request input, and wherein said program builder system is adapted to build a subfunction ordering table based on said function request input and based on timer subfunctions correlated with said function request in said lookup table;
making available a model number data page correlating a plurality timer model numbers with information respecting said timer model numbers;
presenting a function request to said program builder system so that said program builder system develops for incorporation into said timer operating program a subfunction ordering table in accordance with said function request input, wherein said presenting step includes the step of selecting a timer model number based on said information of said model number data page; and
loading said timer-operating program into said timer module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method for making a timer module that performs a desired timer function, said method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a programmable timer module having a power supply circuit, an output circuit, and a programmable control circuit adapted to control at least one function of at least one of said power supply circuit, and said output circuit;
establishing a program builder system for building a timer operating program for transmission to said timer module, said program builder system adapted to build a timer operating program including a plurality of timer subfunction code segments each corresponding to a different subfunction, wherein said program builder system includes a lookup table correlating each of a plurality of timer functions with a specific set of said subfunctions, wherein said program builder system is adapted to receive a timer function request input, wherein said program builder system is adapted to build a subfunction ordering table based on said function request input and based on timer subfunctions correlated with said function request in said lookup table, and wherein each of said plurality of timer functions of said lookup table is selected from the group consisting of a delay on make timer function, a delay on break timer function, a single shot timer function, a recycle timer function, and an interval timer function;
presenting a function request to said program builder system so that said program builder system develops for incorporation into said timer operating program a subfunction ordering table in accordance with said function request input; and
loading said timer-operating program into said timer module. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A method for making a timer module that performs a desired timer function, said method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a programmable timer module having a power supply circuit, an output circuit, and a programmable control circuit adapted to control at least one function of at least one of said power supply circuit, and said output circuit;
establishing a program builder system for building a timer operating program for transmission to said timer module, said program builder system adapted to build a timer operating program including a plurality of timer subfunction code segments each corresponding to a different subfunction, wherein said program builder system includes a lookup table correlating each of a plurality of timer functions with a specific set of said subfunctions, wherein said program builder system is adapted to receive a timer function request input, and wherein said program builder system is adapted to build a subfunction ordering table based on said function request input and based on timer subfunctions correlated with said function request in said lookup table, and wherein said establishing step includes the step of establishing said builder system so that said builder system makes said timer operating program with blank code segments adapted to accommodate at least one new subfunction ordering table, whereby said module can be reprogrammed in accordance with a new desired timer function without rewriting of a plurality of said subfunction code segments;
presenting a function request to said program builder system so that said program builder system develops for incorporation into said timer operating program a subfunction ordering table in accordance with said function request input; and
loading said timer-operating program into said timer module. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A timer module comprising:
-
an output circuit; and
a control circuit including a one-time programmable memory, said one-time programmable memory storing thereon an operating program for operating a timer, said program including;
a plurality of subfunction code segments each of said subfunction code segments corresponding to a different timer subfunction; and
a subfunction ordering table determining an ordering of subfunctions for execution of said subfunction code segments, wherein said operating program includes a reprogramming status code section, wherein said reprogramming status code section is adapted to be read to determine a number of times said module has been reprogrammed. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
-
38. A timer module comprising:
-
an output circuit; and
a control circuit including a programmable memory, said programmable memory storing thereon an operating program for operating a timer, said program including a plurality of subfunction code segments each of said subfunction code segments corresponding to a different timer subfunction; and
a subfunction ordering table determining an ordering of subfunctions for execution of said subfunction code segments, wherein said subfunction ordering table establishes an ordering for execution of said subfunction code segments so that a timer function is executed by execution of said ordering of subfunction code segments. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
-
-
49. A timer module comprising:
-
an output circuit; and
a control circuit including a programmable memory, said programmable memory storing thereon an operating program for operating a timer, said program including a plurality of subfunction code segments each of said subfunction code segments corresponding to a different timer subfunction; and
a subfunction ordering table determining an ordering of subfunctions for execution of said subfunction code segments, wherein said operating program further includes at least one blank code segment for accommodating a new subfunction ordering table, without requiring rewriting of any subfunction code segment of said program. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
-
-
59. A timer module comprising:
-
an output circuit; and
a control circuit including a programmable memory, said programmable memory storing thereon an operating program for operating a timer, said program including a plurality of subfunction code segments each of said subfunction code segments corresponding to a different timer subfunction; and
a subfunction ordering table determining an ordering of subfunctions for execution of said subfunction code segments, wherein said program further includes at least one timer operating parameter code segment, said operating parameter code segment selected from the group consisting of a timer range code segment, a fixed/adjustable code segment, and a fixed time delay code segment. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
-
-
69. A timer module comprising:
-
an output circuit; and
a control circuit including a programmable memory, said programmable memory storing thereon an operating program for operating a timer, said program including a plurality of subfunction code segments, each of said subfunction code segments corresponding to a different timer subfunction; and
a subfunction ordering table determining an ordering of subfunctions for execution of said subfunction code segments, wherein a timer function is established by execution of said subfunction code segments in accordance with said ordering table, wherein said established timer function is a timer function selected from the group consisting of a delay on make timer function, a delay on break timer function, a single shot timer function, a recycle timer function, and an interval timer function. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
-
-
84. A method for programming a plurality of processor-controlled timers, wherein each of said timers has a low-cost processor system, and wherein each timer is to have a different timer function, said method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) defining each of said different timer functions in terms of a set of timer subfunctions wherein each of said different timer functions is selected from the group consisting of a delay on make timer function, a delay on break timer function, a single shot timer function, a recycle timer function, and an interval timer function;
(b) creating a list of timer subfunctions, said list of timer subfunctions comprising the sum of all subfunctions defined in step (a);
(c) developing a program code segment for each of said timer subfunctions of said list created in step (b);
(d) loading each program code segment developed in step (c) into each of said plurality of timers; and
(e) storing a subfunction ordering table into each of said plurality of timers. - View Dependent Claims (85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
-
-
94. A method for programming a plurality of processor-controlled timers, wherein each of said timers has a low-cost processor system, and wherein each timer is to have a different timer function, said method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) defining each of said different timer functions in terms of a set of timer subfunctions;
(b) creating a list of timer subfunctions, said list of timer subfunctions comprising the sum of all subfunctions defined in step (a);
(c) developing a program code segment for each of said timer subfunctions of said list created in step (b);
(d) loading each program code segment developed in step (c) into each of said plurality of timers;
(e) making available a model number data page correlating timer functions with information respecting said timer functions;
(e) selecting a subfunction ordering table for input into at least one of said timers utilizing information of said model number data page; and
(f) storing a subfunction ordering table into each of said plurality of timers. - View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105)
-
Specification