Abstract: A master programmable controller is linked to one or more processing units by a network that enables communication to or from the units under system program control. The communication is based on data link instructions that are organized in blocks, as a series of a one or more data link instructions for corresponding units, and are accessed for execution in a sequence established by a sequence program, stored at the programmable controller. One or more of the data link instructions have a corresponding operation completion flag addressing instruction for specifying the address of a flag that is set where the respective operations of the data link instructions are complete. The efficient programming and execution of the sequence program is provided by assembling the data link instructions that define communications with one or more units into a group that is served by a single operation completion flag addressing instruction.

Abstract: A heat wave shielding lamination consisting of at least two In.sub.2 O.sub.3 shield layers containing different amounts of Sn is provided on the surface of a glass substrate to provide shielding against heat waves without causing heat wave pollution in the surrounding environment. The amount of tin contained in the respective layers increases with increasing proximity to the substrate. The heat wave shielding has good transmittance to visible light and good shielding effect against rays in the infrared spectrum by virtue of the fact that the shield layers containing different amounts of Sn exhibit maximum infrared absorption at different wavelengths to give high infrared ray absorption over a wide wavelength range. It also suppresses the reflection of heat waves into the surrounding environment since each shield layer of the lamination absorbs the infrared rays reflected by Drude reflection from any shield layer containing more Sn than itself.

Abstract: A heat wave shielding lamination consisting of two types of infrared shield layers having different optical characteristics laminated alternately one on top of another is provided on the surface of a glass substrate to realize shielding against heat waves, particularly infrared rays near the visible light range, without impairing transmittance to visible light. Both types of infrared shield layers have approximately the same refractive indexes in the visible light range but have different refractive indexes in the heat wave spectrum against which shielding is desired. The thickness of one type of infrared shield layer is made to equal .lambda./4n.sub.A (where .lambda. stands for the wavelength at the center of said heat wave spectrum and n.sub.A stands for the refractive index at the wavelength .lambda.) and the thickness of the other type of infrared shield layer is made equal to .lambda./4n.sub.B (where .lambda. stands for the wavelength at the center of said heat wave spectrum and n.sub.

Abstract: An infrared shielding lamination comprises alternate infrared shield layers and interferential reflection layers. These layers have good transparency to visible light and the infrared shield layers are able to prevent the transmission of the infrared rays. The interferential reflection layers along with adjacent infrared shield layers cause an interferential reflection effect on the wavelengths in the near-infrared spectrum, thus preventing the transmission of near-infrared rays. When a composite lamination according to this invention is applied to a glass plate or other plate transparent to visible light, the so-treated plate will exclude infrared and near-infrared rays without impairing the transparency of the plate to visible light.