SI25645A - Control platform for connection between the computer processor and the input and output controllers - Google Patents

Abstract

The control platform according to the invention consists of a processor adapter, a power board, and a connector board. An appropriate processor adapter is created for each type of processor or processor board. The processor adapter has connectors for connecting the processor or processor board and connectors for removable and unique connection to the power board. Depending on the selected processor, we select or create the appropriate processor adapter and program the selected processor accordingly, so that the pre-defined functions always have the same pre-defined functions at the terminals of the processor adapter with the power board. The power board is connected to a connector board with two flat cables. The connector board is intended for the connection of plug-ins, that is, the input and output control devices through which the automated production process is controlled. For this purpose, the external connection points, preferably made as holes, are provided on the connector board at predetermined locations. The external connection points are arranged in four equally large fields, with the first pair of field fields separated from the second pair of field fields with a central power supply. The contiguous fields of the first pair have the same arrangement of terminal points, with each terminal site having one duplicate in the same field (the same function) at the corresponding terminal point in the adjacent field. The power connectors of the first pair of boxes are located in the center of the power supply. The contiguous fields in the second pair have the same content arrangement of connection points (functions) as the contiguous fields of the first pair, except that the functions brought to these connection points are not the same but the same, and that each field in the second pair is rotated 180 degrees with respect to box in the first pair. The contiguous fields of the second pair have the same arrangement of connection points, with each connection point in one field of its duplicate (the same function) at the corresponding terminal point in the lying field. The power connectors of the second pair of fields are also located in the center of the power supply. The processor adapter with the corresponding connections made on it thus depends only on the type of processor and not on the specific application. The platform thus remains the same regardless of the application.

Description

Control platform for the connection between the computer processor and the input and output control devices

The invention falls within the field of control systems for automated production processes. For this we need: a properly programmed processor unit (computer processor) that is connected to or directly connected to the power supply, input devices such as on / off switches, sensors to monitor the production process (temperature, pressure, rotation speed, counting), and output control devices for switching on, off and otherwise controlling e.g. heaters, electric motors, etc. in the production process.

In the state of the art, the following are used to program and control automated manufacturing processes:

PLC modules that allow assembly in the way of building units. The advantage of PLC modules is their easy assembly and programming. The bad feature is the high price, so they are not suitable for smaller users;

for each specific manufacturing process, a custom control circuit to which the processor unit is connected. These circuits are suitable for performing a specific specific function (process management), but as a rule they cannot be used if the need arises to extend or otherwise modify the controlled process. Moreover, such circuits cannot be used for functions other than those for which they are designed.

The present invention takes advantage of PLC modules, namely modular assembly mode and the possibility of using different processors or changing processors, the subsequent possibility of modularly adding input or output devices without having to re-construct the entire control circuit each time. In addition, the present invention allows an application for a specific production process to be developed on the platform, thus no additional development circuit is needed. When the application is developed, the platform of the invention enables easy and relatively cost-effective batch production, since most parts of the platform are the same regardless of the specific application.

The platform of the invention consists of a processor adapter, a power board, and a connector board.

A processor adapter is a board that is adapted to be connected to the processor or processor board in known ways, preferably via connecting strips. An appropriate processor adapter is created for each type of processor or processor board. For example, any platform or processor board of the SOM (System on module) type, including but not limited to ARM, INTEL, VIA and others, is suitable for the platform of the invention.

On the processor adapter, the terminals for removable and unambiguous connection to the power board, preferably to the connecting strip, are even more preferred over two 80 pin connecting strips. The processor adapter, in combination with appropriate standard programming of the SOM processor, is designed in such a way that the pre-defined functions are always the same at these terminals of the processor adapter with the power board, the function term in this context being power, any function, signal or protocol processor, regardless of the type of processor or processor board used. The functions that are connected to the power supply via the terminals are mainly slow signals designed to control the production process, such as: L / O, ADC, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, CAN, 1-Wire, GPTimer . In the context of the invention, slow signals are defined as signals whose data rate does not exceed 50 Mbit / s, and these signals are connected to the power board (transmitted to the power board) via the connection points. Signals with a speed greater than 50 Mbit / s are defined as fast signals and remain on the processor adapter, as explained below.

The processor adapter provides at least two USB ports, at least one LAN port, and other connectors for fast signals such as JTAG, SATA, PCIe, LVDS, HDMI, VGA, SD Card, I2S, Touch Controller, but not connected to the power board and remain on the processor adapter. The JTAG port is for signal transmission, this is the development and control protocol, SATA and PCIe are for the data storage protocol, LVDS, HDMI, VGA are for the display protocol, I2S is for the audio protocol, the Touch Controller is intended for data entry protocol.

The power board is intended to power the entire system (eg 5V and / or 3.3V), that is, the processor adapter, including the processor, and the connector boards, and the connection between the processor adapter (or processor or processor board) and the connector board. The power supply board provides connection points for the aforementioned uniquely removable connection to the processor adapter, preferably the connection is made via slats, preferably with the aforementioned connecting slats, and more preferably via two 80 pin connecting slats. In one embodiment, the power board has a cutout preferably made in the middle of the power board and large enough to accommodate the processor board and small enough for the power board to maintain its load capacity. In this embodiment, the processor board is connected to the processor adapter on the side facing the power board. In this way, we reduce the thickness of the entire platform, which is an advantage in certain cases.

The power supply board is connected to the connector board in known ways, whether fixed, for example via one or more flat cables, or removable (via one or more slats). Preferably, the power supply board is connected to a connector board by two flat cables, which are attached to the adjacent side of the power board and the connector board. This allows the power board and the connector board to be mounted on top of each other, either side-by-side or at any other angle, as permitted by the spatial options in the particular situation.

The connector board is intended for connection of plug-in modules, ie input and output control devices through which we control the automated production process. For this purpose, the external connection points, preferably made as holes, are provided on the connector board at predetermined locations. The external connection points are arranged in four equally large boxes. One plug module can be connected to one box on one side, so if the external connection points are made as holes, two plug modules can be connected to one box, one on one side of the connector board and the other on the other side of the connector board. The first pair of subfields is separated from the second pair of subfields with a central power supply. The contiguous boxes of the first pair have the same arrangement of connection points, with each connection point in one field of its duplicate (the same function) at the corresponding terminal point in the lying field. The power connectors of the first pair of fields are located in the center of the power supply.

The collision fields in the second pair have the same content arrangement of docking points (functions) as the collision fields of the first pair, except that the functions brought to these attachment points are not the same but the same, and that each field in the second pair is rotated 180 degrees relative to to the field in the first pair. The contiguous fields of the second pair have the same arrangement of connection points, with each connection point in one field of its duplicate (the same function) at the corresponding terminal point in the lying field. The power terminals of the second pair of fields are also located in the center of the power supply.

A 180 degree rotation of the second pair is required so that all the fields have a power connector in the same area (the power section), thus achieving the shortest possible power connections.

The boxes have the same layout of the connection points so that plug-ins of the same size and functionality can be used.

In the preferred embodiment of the connector board, where the connection points are made as holes, it is possible to include two plug-ins in each box, one on the underside of the connector board and the other on the top of the connector board, without both plug-ins having the same function , this is the same dock in the box.

This enables us to produce standard plug-ins regardless of the processor type, that is, the power board and connector board are independent of the specific application and processor. The processor adapter with the corresponding connections made on it thus depends only on the type of processor and not on the specific application. The platform thus remains the same regardless of the application.

The application platform for a specific automated manufacturing process control application is as follows. Depending on the number of measured and controlled signals, we select a properly capable SOM processor. Depending on the selected SOM processor, we select or construct the appropriate processor adapter and program the selected SOM processor accordingly, so that the predefined functions are always the same at the terminals of the processor adapter with the power board. The processor adapter and processor program need not be made for each specific application, but can be pre-fabricated for each type of SOM processor. Then it is necessary to create a software user interface, which depends on the specific application, which will allow the user to control and control the production process, as well as plug-ins, which also depend on the specific application. If the connector boards are left blank, we can later use them to extend the production process by adding plug-ins and, if necessary, customizing the user interface, but we do not need to modify the SOM processor programming or modify the platform configurations.

The invention will now be described in the following with an embodiment and will be presented in the drawings showing:

Figure 1 shows a schematic control platform of the invention with a processor board and plug-in module attached

Figure 2 shows the power board

Figure 3 shows the connector board

Figure 4 shows the schematic of the pin connectors on the connector board of the two opposite arrays, the pin scheme of the other two opposite arrays being identical.

The control platform shown in Figure 1 consists of a processor adapter 1, a power board 3, and a connector board 4. A processor 2 is connected to the processor adapter 1 via the connecting strips. The processor adapter 1 has connecting points la as connecting strips for connection to the power board 3. The processor adapter 1 is designed to be pre-defined in combination with the programming of the processor 2, the arrangement of the functions of the processor 2 at the individual terminals 1a, i.e. on the connecting strip on the processor adapter 1 with the power board 3. This is accomplished by appropriate connections on processor adapter 1 and by proper programming of processor 2. Therefore, the functions at the terminal points 1a on the processor adapter 1 with the power board 3 have a predefined arrangement independent of the type of processor 2 used. power board 3 is thus always the same pre-defined function.

The power board 3 shown in Figure 2 is provided with connecting points lb as connecting slats for connection to the connection points la on the processor adapter 1. The power board 3 is connected to the connector board 4 by two flat cables 3a which are attached to the mounting plate. the side of the power board 3 and the connector board 4. The power board 3 has a central notch 3b in which, when connecting all elements of the connector platform, the processor 2 is inserted to reduce the thickness of the entire connector platform. Processor 2 is connected to processor adapter 1 on the side facing the power board 3, and processor 2, when the processor adapter 1 is attached to the power board 3, fits into the notch 3b.

The connector board 4 shown in Figure 3 is preferably 12cm x 12cm. Connector board 4 has external PM connection points as holes. External connection points

The PMs are arranged in four equally large fields 4a-4d, with the first pair of bearing boxes 4a, 4b separated from the second pair of bearing boxes 4c, 4d by the central power portion 4e. The adjacent boxes 4a, 4b of the first pair have the same arrangement of PM connection points, with each PM terminal, that is, each hole in box 4a, having its own function and its duplicate, that is, the PM terminal or hole with the same function, on the corresponding PM docking point in box 4b. The pin scheme of the connectors of the two opposite boxes 4a and 4c is shown in FIGS. 4, wherein the pin scheme of the connectors of the other two opposite boxes 4b and 4d are identical. Therefore, if the hole X _{14a of} field 4a has an ADC1 function, then the same function ADC1 will also be located on bore X _{lj4b of the} box 4b.

The adjacent boxes 4c, 4d in the second pair have the same substantive arrangement of the PM terminal points as the first pair couple boxes 4a, 4b, except that the functions that are attached to the PM terminal places of the field boxes 4c, 4d are not the same as the functions that are attached to the terminal points of PM of the fields 4a, 4b but of the same type. The arrangement of the outer PMs in box 4c is rotated 180 degrees with respect to box 4a, and the layout of the outer PMs of box 4d is rotated 180 degrees with respect to box 4b. Therefore, if the hole X _{1 (4a of the} first field 4a contains the function ADC1, then the hole AD ₂ , _{4c of the} field 4c will have the function ADC2, therefore not the same function but the same function.

The adjacent boxes 4c, 4d in the second pair have the same arrangement of PM connection points, with each PM connection point, that is, each hole in box 4c, having its own function and its duplicate, i.e., the PM connection point or hole with the same function, respectively. the associated PM docking station in field 4d. Therefore, if the hole _1/ 1c of box 4c contains the 1/01 function, then the same function 1/01 will also appear on hole Y _{1 (4d of} box 4d).

Each field 4a-4d has 80 connection points, so that they have two and two fields, rotated one on top of each other, i.e., fields 4a and 4c and fields 4b and 4d, with 160 PM connection points, so that the number of all external PM connection points on the connector board 320.

The power connectors of all boxes 4a-4d are located in the center power supply portion 4e.

Plug-in modules 5 are connected to the connector board 4 in the auxiliary locations of the PM, that is, the holes 5. The architecture of the connector-plate 4 allows a maximum of eight plug-ins 5 to be connected at the same time, two plug-ins can be included in each box 4a-4d, one to the underside of the connector board 4 and the other to the upper side of the connector board 4, wherein the plug-in module 5 may not use the same hole in the box, that is, the same connection point or function.

An example of the use of the control platform according to the invention in the case of the control of a portable microbrewery:

A control platform according to the invention is used to control the beer production process. Based on the selected brewing hardware consisting of a boiler, heater, pump, thermometer, etc., a control platform according to the invention with selected plug-ins is used to control the brewing process. To properly control beer production, you need to select an appropriately powerful SOM processor, use a processor adapter that is pre-fabricated with the selected SOM processor, and program the SOM processor to have the appropriate functions in predefined locations, so that the processor functions are allocated at individual ports on a processor adapter with a power board on the platform predefined, and create a software user interface for a specific beer brewing application that e.g. Allows the user to enter the necessary data to control the process, such as specific recipes for a particular beer. In one embodiment, one plug module will be used to measure the temperature in the boiler, and another plug module will be used to control the heat and coolant pumps that control the temperature in the boiler. The programming of the SOM processor will be typical of the SOM processor and does not depend on the specific application, while the programming user interface needs to be programmed according to the specific application, in this case brewing in one boiler.

Minor changes in the welding process, e.g. in the recipe, the user will self-regulate through the user interface. However, if the user wants to use two boilers instead of one boiler, it will only be necessary to add two new plug-ins (one for measuring the temperature in the other boiler and one for controlling the pumps for the other boiler) to control the brewing process in the other boiler. If the user interface does not support two boilers, the user interface must be further programmed. The platform configuration itself remains unchanged.

Since we used four plug-in modules for two boilers, and eight adapter plug-in panels (four on each side of the adapter board) are effectively located on the adapter board, which has external connection points as holes; hardware changes can be used to control four beer boilers, only by adding plug-ins and adjusting the user interface accordingly.

If it turns out that the selected SOM processor is not capable enough to control four boilers, but otherwise they already have enough plug-ins and a properly programmed user interface, then only the SOM processor, adapter board and the SOM processor should be replaced to suit them functions in predefined places. However, there will be no need to change the power board, connector board, plug-in modules, and you will not have to change the programming user interface.

Claims (9)

Patent claims A control platform for connecting a computer processor to input and output control devices, characterized in that it consists of a processor adapter (1), a power board (3), and a connector board (4), with a processor adapter (1) ) has a processor (2) connected, and has a processor adapter (1) ports (1a) for connecting the processor adapter (1) to the connector slots (lb) on the power board (3) and the power board (3) is connected to the connector board (4) ), wherein the processor adapter (1) is configured to be pre-defined in combination with the programming of the processor (2), the arrangement of functions of the processor (2) at the terminals (1a), and is independent of the type of processor used (2) and wherein the connector board (4) has external connection points (PM) for plug-in modules (5) and the external connection points (PM) are arranged in four equally large fields (4a-4d), with the first pair of adjacent fields (4 a, 4b) separated from the second pair of thrust fields (4c, 4d) by a central power supply (4e) and the thrust fields (4a, 4b) of the first pair have the same arrangement of connecting points (PM), with each connecting point (PM) field (4a) defines its function and its duplicate, that is, a docking station (PM) with the same function at the corresponding docking station (PM) in the lying field (4b) and the lying boxes (4c, 4d) in the second pair having the same content arrangement of the connection points (PM) as the socket boxes (4a, 4b) of the first pair, except that the functions that are brought to the sockets (PM) of the socket boxes (4c, 4d) are not the same as those that are brought to the sockets (PM) ) of field fields (4a, 4b), but of the same type, and the arrangement of the outer terminal points (PM) in the field (4c) is rotated 180 degrees relative to the field (4a), and the arrangement of the outer terminal points (PM) of the field (4d) is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the field (4b) and the adjacent fields (4c, 4d) in the second pair have the same arrangement of connection points (PM), each terminal point (PM) in field (4c) having its own function and its duplicate, that is, terminal connection (PM) with the same function at the corresponding terminal point (PM) in the lying field ( 4d). Steering platform according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer connection points (PM) of the connector board (4) are made as holes in the predetermined locations, where, if the hole (X _14a ) of the field (4a) is located function ADC1, the same function ADC1 will also be located on the bore (Xi, _4b ) of the bearing field (4b), and if the bore (X _{Xf 4a} ) of the first field (4a) is located on the bore (Y ₂ , _4c ) of the field (4c) the function ADC2 was located, therefore not the same but the same function, and if the hole (Y _{1 / 4c} ) of the field (4c) contains the function 1/01, then the bore (Yi, _4d ) of the bearing field ( 4d) also found the same function 1/01. Control platform according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the connection points (1a, Ib) for connecting the processor adapter (1) to the power board (3) are made with a connecting strip. Control platform according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the functions of the processor (2), which are connected to the power board (3) via the connection points (1a), in particular slow signals, the slow signals being signals, Data rates not exceeding 50 Mbit / s for control of the manufacturing process, such as: 1/0, ADC, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, CAN, 1-Wire, GPTimer. Control platform according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least two USB ports, at least one LAN port and fast signal ports are provided on the processor adapter (1), the fast signals being signals whose data rate is is greater than 50 Mbit / s such as JTAG, SATA, LVDS, HDMI, SD Card, PCIe, VGA, I2S, Touch Controller. Control platform according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the power supply board (3) is connected to the connector board (4) by two flat cables (3a), which are secured to the anchor side of the power board (3) and the connector board panels (4) such that, when used end-to-end, the power board (3) and the connector board (4) are mounted either one above the other, or side-by-side or at any other angle, depending on space. Control platform according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the power supply plate (3) has a central notch (3b) into which, when connecting all elements of the connector platform, a processor (2) is inserted to reduce the thickness of the entire connector platform and the processor (2) is connected to the processor adapter (1) on the side facing the power board (3) such that the processor (2), when the processor adapter (1) attaches to the power board (3), notch (3b). Control platform according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the connector board (4) preferably has dimensions of 12cm x 12cm and each box (4a-4d) has 80 connection points (PM) so that they have two and two fields rotated on top of each other, ie fields (4a) and (4c) and fields (4b) and (4d), each with 160 connection points (PM), so that the number of all external connection points (PM) per connector plate (4) 320. Control platform according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a maximum of eight plug-ins (5) are connected simultaneously to the connector board (4), two plug-ins (4a-4d) can be included in each box (4a-4d). 5), one on the underside of the connector board (4) and the other on the upper side of the connector board (4), with the plug-in modules (5) not using the same hole in the field, ie the same connection point (PM) or the same functions.