Precisely timed execution of a measurement or control action and synchronization of several such actions

• US 7,457,601 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Maier, Rupert, Sykosch, Ralf, Foltyn, Roman
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hai V
• Application Number:
  US10/595,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20070093226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 455/265
• US Class Current: 455/265
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/26 Reference-signal-transmitting devices, e.g. indicating moment of firing of shot

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for a particularly precise execution of a measurement or control action and to a corresponding controller (9). A temporally periodic synchronization signal (S, S′) generated by a receiver (9) based on a timing reference signal (Z) is divided by a switching frequency (F) generated by a timing generator (14) into a plurality of switching intervals (I_n). A switching command (C_n), which triggers a corresponding switching process of the action, is associated with each switching interval (I_n). Several measurement and control actions can be accurately synchronized by performing each action with the aforedescribed method using a common timing reference signal (Z).

Claims

1. A method of executing a measurement or control action, comprising the steps of:

generating a temporally periodic synchronization signal by a receiver based on a timing reference signal;

dividing the temporally periodic synchronization signal by a switching frequency generated by a timing generator into a plurality of switching intervals; and

associating a switching command to each of the switching intervals to trigger an associated switching process of the measurement or control action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises a GPS receiver for outputting a pulse-per-second (PPS) signal for use as the temporally periodic synchronization signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing generator comprises a quartz oscillator.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of continuously correcting the synchronization signal by a correction value.

5. A method for synchronizing several measurement and/or control actions, with each of the measurement or control actions being executed by a method of claim 1, wherein the timing reference signal is a common timing reference signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the timing reference signal is a GPS signal.

7. A controller for executing a measurement or control action, comprising:

a receiver configured to generate a temporally periodic synchronization signal based on a timing reference signal;

a timing generator configured to generate a switching frequency;

a pulse divider configured to divide the temnorally periodic synchronization signal into a plurality of switching intervals based on the switching frequency and associating a switching command to each of the switching intervals; and

a device receiving the switching command from the pulse divider for triggering a corresponding switching process and executing the measurement or control action.

8. The controller of claim 7, further comprising a stored program control for supplying a sequence of switching commands to the pulse divider.