Abstract: An operating system particularly designed for application programs to be used on embedded computers in appliances and the like is constructed in a modular basis. The application program is scanned for calls to the operating system and the particular modules of the operating system required for the application program are collected into an operating system kernel which may be linked and loaded with the application system into the embedded application.

Abstract: A quick mount base provided to attach electrical components to a mounting rail features a housing composed of plastic. At least one retainer spring wire is inserted in a hollow space of the housing that faces the mounting rail. An end area of the retainer spring wire terminates as a sharp edge that rests in a self locking manner with one tip on an edge strip of the mounting rail, whereby the retainer spring wire is secured from longitudinal movement in the direction facing away from the end area at the edge strip of the mounting rail, but permits outward bending.

Abstract: An industrial controller for injection molding machines models the injection molding machine by observing ram state in response to control variables to alert the user when a control profile may be physically unrealizable and to inhibit a learning process to avoid extreme actuation of the controlled components such as may be detrimental to later control accuracy. Simultaneous velocity and pressure control of the ram, with separate profiles, may be obtained by open-loop control of either pressure or velocity and continuous closed-loop control of the other control variable.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating programming objects of a control program configured to control a distributed control system having a plurality of distributed control modules. A graph model of the distributed control system is constructed which represents all the possible allocations of the control program's virtual programming objects to the processing resources associated with the system's control modules. A maximum matching algorithm is applied to the graph model to determine an optimum allocation, which, for instance, may be the allocation that provides the maximum benefit. The system and method also provide for intervention by the user to refine or "tune" the allocation process.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calculating an accurate estimate of an unregulated DC bus voltage to be used with a DC-to-DC converter including a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the primary winding in series with a switch between the positive and negative rails of the unregulated DC bus voltage, an electrically insulating coupler linked to a switch control line to provide a trigger pulse to a sample and hold circuit, and a sample and hold circuit linked to the transformer secondary winding for measuring the secondary winding voltage when the sample and hold circuit is triggered, the sample and hold circuit providing an output voltage which can be used to calculate the DC bus voltage estimate.

Abstract: A rolling mill system associates an autonomous control unit with each piece of equipment in the rolling mill system. The autonomous control unit has a model of the particular piece of equipment, for example, of the rolling mill, a reheat furnace or a cooling bath, and data indicating constraints on the operation of the equipment. A metal shape to be produced is described as a set of machine independent steps, and the performance of these steps is bid upon by the autonomous control units according to the constraint models and internal goals. Bids having conflicting requirements may generate counterbids until a complete plan for the production of the product is generated.

Abstract: A network, network connector and method are provided for transmitting power and data signals between device nodes. The network utilizes a trunk cable in which a pair of power conductors and a pair of signal conductors are embedded in an insulative cover. The connector makes contact with the power and signal conductors during installation, such as by contact members which pierce the insulative cover of the cable. The connector has a base portion and an interface portion fitted to the base portion. A capacitor is disposed in the base portion and electrically coupled across the power conductors when the connector is installed. A node device is coupled to the cable via the interface module. When the device draws power from the cable, the capacitor limits perturbations of the supply voltage to reduce differential mode noise on the signal conductors.

Abstract: A method of calibrating a thermal trigger for an electrical switching device starts with fastening bimetal strips (1) for each phase in the housing of the trigger. Thereafter, the bimetal strips (1) are heated-up with a predetermined calibration current for a predetermined time, and are thus brought into a calibrated position. In the calibrated position, the positioning of each of the free end sections of each bimetal strip (1) is measured on both folded ends opposite each other. Then, two slides (3,4) are fitted with two hinged drive arms (5,6) and are retained in a calibration device. Stops (9) bring the drive arms (5,6) into the previously measured calibrated position of the assigned bimetal strip (1) by sluing. In the calibrated position, the other single-piece arms (8) with the trigger arms (5,6) are attached to the slide (3,4).

Abstract: An optical code reader comprises an integrated optical resonator that is disposed within a housing and that includes a substrate, a cantilever beam, and a bimorph actuator. The cantilever beam is affixed at one end to the substrate, and at least a portion of the cantilever beam has a reflective transmit surface on one side and a photodetector on an opposite side. The bimorph actuator is affixed to the cantilever beam and is responsive to an electrical stimulus to cause the cantilever beam to move in accordance with the stimulus. Movement of the cantilever beam causes the reflective surface to cooperate with a light beam generated by a light source to provide a spot of light that moves on a code pattern, and also causes a field of view of the photodetector to be dynamically altered such that the photodetector tracks movement of the moving spot of light.

Abstract: An industrial control system associates an autonomous control unit with each piece of equipment in an industrial process, the autonomous control units having a model of the equipment's operation and data indicating constraints on the equipment's operation. A product to be produced is abstracted as a set of machine independent steps and performance of these steps bid upon by the autonomous control units according constraints models and internal goals. Bids having conflicting requirements may generate counterbids until a completed plan for the production of the product is generated.

Abstract: An improvement in an industrial controller having a processor with a memory holding an I/O table used for storing inputs and outputs transmitted between the industrial controller and a controlled process, via multiple I/O devices, uses templates associated with each I/O device to define the partitioning of the I/O table for the data. The templates define data types and ordering of data required for the particular I/O device permitting the space in the I/O table to be efficiently and intuitively allocated. The templates also relate physical addresses in the I/O table to program variables used by the control program.

Abstract: A pin-less retainer for mounting a press-pack device, which includes circumscribing fins for preventing arc formation between terminal faces thereof, onto the rods of a clamping mechanism used to stack a plurality of such devices and heat sinks together. The retainer is constructed out of a semi-flexible sheet having two mirrored sections, each section having a void therein and at least two extending tabs. The voids are sized such that the retainer may be press-fitted into interstices between the fins, and the tabs are shaped and sized to suspend the press-pack device from the rods and axially align the press-pack device with other elements of the stack. The retainer, being a pin-less mount, facilitates the easy and rapid removal of a press-pack device from a stack without having to completely disassemble it.

Abstract: The present invention provides a spring integrally formed in a face plate of a housing for use with printed circuit board mounted operators having a central portion and J-shaped extensions. Stresses incurred when the central portion of the spring is pressed are distributed along the length of the extensions thus reducing maximum stress concentration in the spring. Additionally, material surrounding the spring is only minimally deflected when a spring is deflected, adjacent operators are not inadvertently actuated.

Abstract: An editor apparatus for programming industrial controllers in relay ladder language, the apparatus used to provide RLL logic to control a machine axis. The apparatus includes a display for creating an axis behavior profile that represents input devices, output devices, actuators, and required movements. The apparatus gleans information from the profile and, based on the information, creates modules that include logic required to provide a program section for controlling the axis. A compiler then compiles the modules to provide an RLL program section to control the axis.

Abstract: A reflex I/O card for an industrial controller receives enabling inputs from the executed control program and triggering inputs from an industrial process to provide outputs at a fixed delay in time or portion of a machine cycle after the inputs through dedicated hardware thus avoiding transmission delays and processing delays associated with the communication of information to a central processor and the execution of the control program.