Abstract: A unit property for defining the manufacturing industry software unit is described with the use of the action of an access to a domain concept data model element of an activity that is realized by the software unit described in an implementation specification format. As a result, the manufacturing industry software unit can be formally described as the property that defines the action of the description when it is described by using the software unit profiling template described in the implementation specification format defined by ISO 16100-2. Also, a request in conducting retrieval can be described in the same format as the above, and the process semantics of the existing manufacturing industry software unit can be efficiently registered in the directly expressed and in a common form, and effectively retrieved.

Abstract: The gateway device that connects a control device and a controlled device includes a receiving unit that receives a control request written in an abstract interface description language from the control device; a converter that converts the control request to driver control information; a driver that converts the driver control information to controlled-device control information and controls the controlled device based on the controlled-device control information; and a transmitting unit that transmits the controlled-device control information to the controlled device.

Abstract: A process for monitoring fuzzy control information of a programmable controller having a fuzzy control function and at least one input converting module and/or output converting module by using a fuzzy control monitoring device. This process includes the steps of defining fuzzy membership functions, fuzzy output functions and/or fuzzy result functions using a format comprising a plurality of points, and storing data representing these functions in at least one of the input converting modules and/or output converting modules. Data is generated which includes first fuzzy grade numbers, second fuzzy grade numbers and/or a composite fuzzy set based on the functions. The process further includes the step of monitoring production of the generated data by using the monitoring device.

Abstract: A programmable controller (PC) to which fuzzy logic principles have been applied is disclosed. The controller improves operational speed by performing several of the fuzzy logic functions in the A/D and D/A converters traditionally used in PC units, thereby allowing portions of a fuzzy logic control operation to proceed in parallel and independently. The invention dispenses with the use of look-up tables and the like for fuzzy membership functions, fuzzy output functions, etc., by defining the functions in terms of (typically) three points in an orthogonal coordinate system, saving memory space. The invention also includes a fuzzy control process having the described aspects and a method of monitoring a PC or PCs having a fuzzy control function.

Abstract: A sequence controller having a memory for storing predetermined control sequences, an operation device for sequentially reading the contents of the memory and executing the control sequences stored therein in accordance with externally supplied instructions, a programming panel for reading and displaying data from the memory and for writing the control sequence in the memory, bus lines coupled to the operation device and the panel, respectively, to permit parallel operation thereof without lowering the processing speed and to permit programming of the operation device without using conventional input-output instructions by supplying input and output data for operating an external controlled process from the operation device via an output memory.