Universal tool for supervising and controlling automatons

• US 6,968,239 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2000
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Crouzet Automatismes (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Crouzet Automatismes (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Chatenay, Alain, Chovin, André
• Primary Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US09/719,537
• Time in Patent Office: 2,055 Days
• Field of Search: 700/3, 700 18- 19, 700/20, 709/208, 709/211, 710/110
• US Class Current: 700/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence

Abstract

A tool which is entrusted with supervising and driving automatons that are “smart”; namely the tool can communicate with a microcomputer. This tool has a microcomputer, with a spreadsheet program connected through a driver, an operating system of the microcomputer, and a connection line to the automatons. The driver emulates the proprietary language for controlling and supervising the automatons.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one automaton, said at least one automaton provided with a data-exchange function, said at least one automaton connected to at least one of a sensor or an actuator;

a communication line; and

a microcomputer connected to communicate with said at least one automaton through the communication line connected to a microcomputer input, said microcomputer comprising an automaton interface driver, an operating system, and a spreadsheet program, wherein said automaton interface driver cooperates with the operating system to provide commands from said spreadsheet program and to receive data from said at least one automaton through said communication line and microcomputer input, and the automaton interface driver emulates the proprietary language of said at least one automaton and wherein said spreadsheet program sends commands to said automaton interface driver.

2. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one automaton comprises remote inputs/outputs, and said at least one of a sensor or an actuator connected to said at least one automaton is configured to communicate data to the communication line and is configured to receive at least one of a microcomputer command or a data from the microcomputer via the communication line.

3. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said automaton interface driver emulates the proprietary language for at least one of a control function, a dialog function, a parameterizing function or a program download function of said at least one automaton.

4. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one automaton further comprises memory operatively arranged to store a characteristic of operation of said at least one automaton.

5. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said spreadsheet program is dynamically associated with at least one other program, said system further comprising means for processing said data received from said at least one automaton by said at least one other program.

6. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said automaton interface driver organizes spreadsheet program commands into messages for transmission to said at least one automaton.

7. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said automaton interface driver is configured to manage and optimize a dialog between the microcomputer and the at least one automaton.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the automaton interface driver is a software running on said microcomputer.

9. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said automaton interface driver emulates the proprietary language for a control function of said at least one automaton.

10. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said automaton interface driver emulates the proprietary language for a dialog function of said at least one automaton.

11. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said automaton interface driver emulates the proprietary language for a parameterizing function of said at least one automaton.

12. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said automaton interface driver emulates the proprietary language for a program download function of said at least one automaton.

13. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one automaton is connected to at least one sensor.

14. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one automaton is connected to at least one actuator.

15. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one of a sensor or an actuator is configured to receive a microcomputer command via the communication line.

16. The system recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one of a sensor or an actuator is configured to receive data from the microcomputer via the communication line.