Programmable automatic controller - Patent Review 3969703

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A programmable automatic controller for controlling at least one machine, said at least one machine including a plurality of cyclically movable components which are actuated in a timed relationship with respect to one another, said movable components each being actuated at respective relative times in each of a plurality of machine cycles, and said at least one machine including machine cycle position indicating means for cyclically moving in synchronism with the cyclic operation of said at least one machine, said controller comprising:

timing means responsive to said machine cycle position indicating means for generating a digital signal in synchronism with the movement of said cycle position indicating means, said digital signal providing an instantaneous indication of the time elapsed in each cycle of operation of said machine,

a storage means for storing the sequential relative times in a cycle of machine operation when each of the plurality of components is to be actuated,

means coupled to said storage means for selectively varying the actuating times of selected components stored in said storage means while said machine is operating to thereby change the relative times in each machine cycle when said selected machine components are to be actuated,

means for cyclically reading out the contents of said storage means,

comparator means responsive to said timing means and said readout means for comparing the digital signal corresponding to the time elapsed in each cycle with the relative component actuating times stored in said storage means, said comparator providing an actuating signal when a favorable comparison results, and

addressing means receiving said actuating signal from said comparator means for providing a component operating command to the component whose component actuating time compared with the cycle time elapsed.

2. The programmable automatic controller of claim 1 further comprising means for initiating a machine starting or stopping sequence at any time during a machine cycle, said machine starting and stopping sequences being preselected to inhibit or enable machine components in a desired sequence.

3. The programmable automatic controller of claim 2 further comprising means for controlling a plurality of machines wherein each of said machines operates in a preselected interdependent timed relationship with respect to one another.

4. The programmable automatic controller of claim 2 wherein said storage means is a circulating storage comprising a sequential access memory means, a set-reset gating means for storing the output of said sequential access memory and for writing into said sequential access memory the data stored in said gating means, and

wherein said timing means further comprises means responsive to said machine cycle position indicating means for generating cycle clock pulses in synchronism with the movement of said cycle position indicating means, and

an internal clock pulse generating means for stepping said circulating storage means through one cycle of operation each time a machine cycle clock pulse is generated.

5. The programmable automatic controller of claim 4 wherein said sequential access storage means includes a plurality of COS/MOS shift registers connected in parallel to provide a plural bit storage means, said internal clock pulses stepping the data stored therein into said set-reset gating means and then back into the shift registers.

6. The programmable automatic controller of claim 4 wherein said means for selectively varying the component actuating times comprises:

an up-down counter,

means for presetting said up-down counter to the cycle actuating time of the selected machine component,

means for energizing said up-down counter to selectively count up or down, and

means for reading the count of said up-down counter into said sequential storage means when the desired cycle time for component actuation is reached.

7. The programmable automatic controller of claim 6 wherein said means for selectively varying the component actuating times further comprises:

a machine cycle preset enable circuit, said circuit comprising means for detecting when the count of said up-down counter reaches 360 when counting up, means for detecting when the count of said up-down counter reaches 999 when counting down, means for coupling the count of 000 to the jam input of said up-down counter when counting up, means for coupling the count of 359 into the jam input of said up-down counter when counting down, and means responsive to said detecting means for presetting said up-down counter to the count of 0 when the counter reaches the count of 360 when counting up and for presetting the up-down counter to the count of 359 when the count of said up-down counter reaches 999 when counting down, said cycle preset gating circuit thereby forcing said up-down counter to count continuously through 360 counts when the up-down counter is energized to count.

8. The programmable automatic controller of claim 2 wherein said means for initiating a machine starting or stopping sequence comprises:

a first start-stop address memory for storing the addresses of each of the machine components to be enabled or inhibited during the starting or stopping sequence,

address means for comparing the address stored in said first start-stop address memory means with the address stored in said addressing means when the cycle time elapsed corresponds to the time a component is to be enabled or inhibited,

means in response to a compare by said address comparing means for enabling a selected one of a plurality of random access memory units, and

means for reading out the machine actuating commands stored in said random access memory units in sequence, said commends controlling the operation of said machine components.

9. The programmable automatic controller of claim 8 wherein said means for initiating a machine starting or stopping sequence further comprises

means for sequentially enabling said random access memory units and for sequentially stepping the addresses stored in said start-stop address memory means as each compare is made by said address comparing means.

10. The programmable automatic controller of claim 9 wherein said start-stop address memory means is a random access memory.

11. The programmable automatic controller of claim 9 further comprising means for initially writing into said sequential storage means and said addressing means the order in which the respective machine components are to be enabled and inhibited.

12. The programmble automatic controller of claim 11 further comprising means for writing into said random access storage means and said start-stop address memory means the order in which the machine is to be started up or shut down.

13. The programmable automatic controller of claim 12 further comprising means for storing the respective times with which the machine components are enabled and inhibited.

14. In a programmable automatic controller for controlling at least one machine, said at least one machine including a plurality of cyclically movable components which are actuated in a timed relationship with respect to one another, said movable components each being actuated at respective relative times in each of a plurality of machine cycles, and said at least one machine including machine cycle position indicating means for cyclically moving in synchronism with the cyclic operation of said at least one machine, a method of controlling said machine comprising the steps of:

generating a digital signal in synchronism with the movement of said cycle position indicating means, said digital signal providing an instantaneous indication of the time elapsed in each cycle of operation of said machine,

storing the sequential relative times in a cycle of machine operation when each of the plurality of components is to be actuated,

selectively varying the stored actuating times of selected components while said machine is operating to thereby change the relative times in each machine cycle when said selected machine components are to be actuated,

comparing the digital signal corresponding to the time elapsed in each cycle with the stored relative component actuating times,

generating an actuating signal when a favorable comparison results, and

providing in response to said actuating signal a component operating command to the component whose component actuating time compared with the cycle time elapsed.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of initiating a machine starting or stopping sequence at any time during a machine cycle, said machine starting and stopping sequences being preselected to inhibit and enable machine components in a desired sequence.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of controlling a plurality of machines wherein each of said machines operates in a preselected interdependent timed relationship with respect to one another.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said selectively varying the component actuating times step comprises the steps of:

presetting an up-down counter to the cycle actuating time of the selected machine component,

energizing said up-down counter to selectively count up or down, and

reading the count of said up-down counter into said sequence storage means when the desired cycle time for component actuation is reached.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said selectively varying the component actuating times step further comprises the steps of:

detecting when the count of said up-down counter reaches 360 when counting up,

detecting when the count of said up-down counter reaches 999 when counting down,

coupling the count of 000 to the jam input of said up-down counter when counting up,

coupling the count of 359 into the jam input of said up-down counter when counting down,

presetting said up-down counter to the count of 0 when the counter reaches the count of 360 when counting up, and

presetting the up-down counter to the count of 359 when the count of said up-down counter reaches 999 when counting down.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said step for initiating a machine starting or stopping sequence comprises the steps of:

storing the addresses of each of the machine components to be enabled during the starting or stopping sequence,

comparing the address stored with the address in an addressing means when the cycle time elapsed corresponds to the time a component is to be enabled or inhibited,

enabling a selected one of a plurality of random access memory units when a compare is made, and

reading out the machine actuating comments stored in the random access memory units in sequence, the commands controlling the operation of the machine component.

20. In a glassware forming machine having a plurality of sections, each of which includes a plurality of movable components which operate in timed relationship with respect to one another, means for feeding gobs of molten glass at a uniform rate from a predetermined location to each of said sections, said sections forming rigid glassware articles from the gobs taken from said feeding means, wherein said movable components are each actuated at respective relative times in each of a plurality of machine cycles, and said machine including machine cycle position indicating means for cyclically moving in synchronism with the cyclic operation of said machine, said controller comprising:

timing means responsive to said machine cycle position indicating means for generating a digital signal in synchronism with the movement of said cycle position indicating means, said digital signal providing an instantaneous indication of the time elapsed in each cycle of operation of said machine,

a storage means for storing the sequential relative times in a cycle of machine operation when each of the plurality of components is to be actuated,

means coupled to said storage means for selectively varying the actuating times of selected components stored in said storage means while said machine is operating to thereby change the relative times in each machine cycle when said selected machine components are to be actuated,

means for cyclically reading out the contents of said storage means,

comparator means responsive to said timing means and said readout means for comparing the time elapsed in each cycle with the relative component actuating times stored in said storage means, said comparator providing an actuating signal when a favorable comparison results, and

addressing means receiving said actuating signal from said comparator means for providing a component operating command to the component whose component actuating time compared with the cycle time elapsed.

21. In a glassware forming machine having a plurality of sections each of which includes a plurality of movable components which operate in timed relationship with respect to one another, means for feeding gobs of molten glass at a uniform rate from a predetermined location to each of said sections, said sections forming rigid glassware articles from the gobs taken from said feeding means, wherein said movable components are each actuated at respective relative times in each of a plurality of machine cycles, and a machine cycle position indicating means for cyclically moving in synchronism with the cyclic operation of said machine, said controller comprising:

timing means responsive to said machine cycle position indicating means for generating digital signals in synchronism with the movement of said cycle position indicating means, said digital signals providing an instantaneous indication of the time elapsed in each cycle of operation of said machine,

a storage means for storing the sequential relative times in a cycle of machine operation when each of the plurality of components is to be actuated,

means coupled to said storage means for selectively varying the actuating times of selected components stored in said storage means while said machine is operating to thereby change the relative times in each machine cycle when said selected machine components are to be actuated,

means for cyclically reading out the contents of said storage means,

comparator means responsive to said timing means and said readout means for comparing the time elapsed in each cycle with the relative component actuating times stored in said storage means, said comparator providing an actuating signal when a favorable comparison results,

addressing means receiving said actuating signal from said comparator means for providing a component operating command to the component whose component actuating time compared with the cycle time elapsed, and

means for simultaneously controlling a plurality of machine sections wherein each of said machine sections operates in a preselected interdependent timed relationship with respect to one another.

22. In a glassware forming machine having a plurality of sections each of which includes a plurality of movable components which operate in timed relationship with respect to one another, means for feeding gobs of molten glass at a uniform rate from a predetermined location to each of said sections, said sections forming rigid glassware articles from the gobs taken from said feeding means, wherein said movable components are each actuated at respective relative times in each of a plurality of machine cycles, and machine cycle position indicating means for cyclically moving in synchronism with the cyclic operation of said machine, a programmable automatic controller for controlling said machine comprising

generating a digital signal in synchronism with the movement of said cycle position indicating means, said digital signal providing an instantaneous indication of the time elapsed in each cycle of operation of said machine,

storing the sequential relative times in a cycle of machine operation when each of the plurality of components is to be actuated,

selectively varying the stored actuating times of selected components while said machine is operating to thereby change the relative times in each machine cycle when said selected machine components are to be actuated,

comparing the time elapsed in each cycle with the stored relative component actuating times,

generating an actuating signal when a favorable comparison results, and

generating in response to said actuating signal a component operating command to the component whose component actuating time compared with the cycle time elapsed.