Abstract: The computer system is comprised of three main components: the core processing trait, the software rules/protocols, and the system architecture. The complete system consists of a number of distributed core processing units distributed in a hierarchical architecture. Core processing units at the top of the hierarchy and at all intermediate levels perform supervisory control, monitoring, and message passing functions. Core processors at terminating points in the hierarchical structure: control and/or monitor devices, machines, and instruments; or execute applications and perform computational functions. Because of the inherent flexibility of the computer system, it can be structured to accomplish any computational task including industrial control and monitoring, data acquisition, instrument control, embedded control, process control and monitoring, general purpose computing and virtually any other computing task.

Abstract: The present invention constitutes a deterministic real time hierarchical distributed computer system. This invention constitutes a computer system using specific computer hardware and computer software designs combined in a hierarchical structure that is inherently deterministic and operates in real time with processing distributed among a number of different processors. In addition to real time deterministic operation, the other benefits of the invention are: ease of design, use, and maintenance; transparency; scalability; design re-usability; and inherent design longevity.