Object-oriented operating system for a spray controller
First Claim
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1. An interrupt-driven system for controlling a spray system including a plurality of spray nozzles, a fluid supply, and a spray controller having a processing unit and memory, the interrupt-driven system comprising:
- an application file residing in the memory, the application file being a binary version of a functional block representation created using an object-oriented software program, the functional block representation including a plurality of software objects representing the physical and logical properties of the spray system and including at least a regulator object and a spray gun object representing a spray gun in the spray system, the plurality of objects being interconnected to create the functional block representation, the regulator object generating a regulating control signal based on measured pressure data and flow rate data of the spray gun, the spray gun object generating operation control signals for controlling operation of the spray gun in response to the regulating control signal; and
a runtime engine residing in the memory for processing the application file, said runtime engine enabling communication between the plurality of objects and for processing interrupt signals provided by at least one of the plurality of objects, the interrupt signals being responsive to a stimulus detected by the spray controller.
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Abstract
A method and system for implementing a spray controller uses object-orientated software code and an interrupt-driven operating system for processing and interpreting the code.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. An interrupt-driven system for controlling a spray system including a plurality of spray nozzles, a fluid supply, and a spray controller having a processing unit and memory, the interrupt-driven system comprising:
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an application file residing in the memory, the application file being a binary version of a functional block representation created using an object-oriented software program, the functional block representation including a plurality of software objects representing the physical and logical properties of the spray system and including at least a regulator object and a spray gun object representing a spray gun in the spray system, the plurality of objects being interconnected to create the functional block representation, the regulator object generating a regulating control signal based on measured pressure data and flow rate data of the spray gun, the spray gun object generating operation control signals for controlling operation of the spray gun in response to the regulating control signal; and a runtime engine residing in the memory for processing the application file, said runtime engine enabling communication between the plurality of objects and for processing interrupt signals provided by at least one of the plurality of objects, the interrupt signals being responsive to a stimulus detected by the spray controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for enabling operation of a spray controller for a spray system according to contents of an application file loaded into a storage medium located on the spray controller, the application file comprising one or more data structures and associated parameters that are representative of physical and logical properties of the spray controller, wherein the spray controller is capable of responding to interrupts generated during runtime, the method comprising:
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initializing the one or more data structures specified by the application file for execution by a runtime engine; and executing a set of function block code that corresponds to the one or more data structures executed by the runtime engine, wherein the function block code includes instructions for interacting with a physical component of the spray controller in response to processing of the one or more data structures and associated parameters that are representative of the physical and logical properties of that component, and wherein the function block code includes code for a regulator object and code for a spray gun object representing a spray gun, the regulator object generating a regulating control signal based on measured pressure data and flow rate data of the spray gun, the spray gun object generating operation control signals for controlling operation of the spray gun in response to the regulating control signal. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A control system for a sprayer of the type comprising a plurality of spray nozzles, a fluid supply system, and a spray controller including a processing unit and memory and being operable to provide output signals for controlling said plurality of spray nozzles, comprising:
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means for receiving and storing in the memory spraying system characteristic data; means for transmitting command signals to said plurality of spray nozzles to thereby control the flow of fluid; an application file compiled from an object-oriented software program including a plurality of software objects, said objects being accessible from a function block library and representing certain physical and logical properties of the control system, said objects exchanging, with other of said objects, messages indicative of an operation to be carried out or a status of a sending object, said object-oriented software program being compiled into an application file located in the memory of the spray controller, the objects including at least a regulator object and a spray gun object representing a spray gun, the regulator object generating a regulating control signal based on measured pressure data and flow rate data of the spray gun, the spray gun object generating operation control signals for controlling operation of the spray gun in response to the regulating control signal; and a runtime engine residing within the memory of the spray controller for processing the application file, said runtime engine enabling communication between the plurality of objects and for processing interrupt signals provided by at least one of the plurality of objects, the interrupt signals being responsive to a stimulus detected by the spray controller.
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Specification