Method and apparatus for control station

Abstract

To provide a control station that can be configured to control and / or monitor a variety of devices, including new industrial devices.SOLUTION: A control station may include communication circuitry, a first processor, and a second processor configured to communicate with one or more devices via the communication circuitry. Information from the one or more devices are configured to be processed by at least one of the first processor and the second processor, and at least one of the first processor and the second processor is configured to output the processed information to one or more of an electronic display of the control station, a display external to the control station, and a server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Claiming priority This international application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 741,254, entitled "Methods and Apparatus for a Control Station," filed October 4, 2018, and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 590,501, entitled "Methods and Apparatus for a Control Station," filed October 2, 2019. The entireties of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 741,254 and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 590,501 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices configured to communicate with other electronic devices, and more particularly, to control stations. [Background technology]

[0003] The limitations and disadvantages of conventional systems of control stations will become apparent to those skilled in the art through a comparison of such approaches with certain aspects of the present method and system described in the remainder of this disclosure with reference to the drawings. Summary of the Invention

[0004] There is provided a control station method and system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to at least one of the figures, and as more fully set forth in the claims.

[0005] These and / or other aspects will become apparent and will be more readily understood from the following description of several illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example control station according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a diagram of an example control circuitry of a control station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is an exemplary processor diagram of the control circuitry of FIG. 2A according to an embodiment of the disclosure. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C is a diagram of another example processor of the control circuitry of FIG. 2A, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 2D] FIG. 2D is a diagram of yet another example processor of the control circuitry of FIG. 2A, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example control station communicating with various devices according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example control station communicating with various devices in a network according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example control station communicating with various devices in another network, according to an aspect of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Where appropriate, like or identical reference numbers are used to identify like or identical elements.

[0008] A control station is used to control one or more devices, for example, for a factory, an assembly line, a conveyor belt, etc. For example, a control station may be used to control / monitor at least one electrostatic charging / neutralizing device and / or at least one sensor device configured to determine a surface potential of a target object(s). Although a control station may be used to control / monitor a particular group of devices that may be related, for example, electrostatic charging / neutralizing devices and sensor devices configured to determine a surface potential of a target object(s), a control station with appropriate functionality may also be used to control / monitor a variety of devices.

[0009] Thus, by way of example, a control station of the present disclosure can be understood to be capable of communicating with a particular set of products that may be provided by a first manufacturer and using a first communication protocol, which may be proprietary or non-proprietary. Various aspects of the present disclosure can also provide a control station that can further communicate with devices, such as PLCs and / or additional industrial devices, that may be provided by a second manufacturer and using a second communication protocol, which may be proprietary or non-proprietary.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example control station according to aspects of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a control station 100 is shown that includes a control circuitry 102, a first device 112, a second device 114, a third device 116, and a fourth device 118. A power control circuitry 104 is also shown. The example shown in FIG. 1 is limited to four devices for simplicity. However, it should not be inferred that various aspects of the disclosure are limited to only four devices or at most four devices communicating with the control station 100. Various aspects of the control station 100 can be used with a different number of devices.

[0011] The control station 100 can be used, for example, to receive the surface potential of the target object from the first device 112. This surface potential can then be used by the control circuitry 102 to control the second device 114 to generate a ratio of positive to negative ions in the airflow to the target device. The device 114 can be, for example, an electrostatic charging device, such as, for example, an air ionizing blower.

[0012] The first device 112 can be, for example, an electrostatic voltmeter configured to directly measure the surface potential of the target object, or the first device 112 can be, for example, an electrostatic field meter configured to indirectly infer the surface potential of the target object by measuring the electric field of the target surface. The surface potential can be used to control the second device 114 in generating ions.

[0013] The second device 114 can be an electrostatic charging device that can be used to neutralize or apply a static charge to a surface. The static charge can be neutralized to reduce surfaces from sticking to each other. For example, for rolls of newspaper paper, the surface static charge can be neutralized to prevent the paper from sticking to itself. In other applications, for example, when plastic bags are stacked, some static charge on the plastic bags may help them stay stacked together.

[0014] When the first device 112 provides signals that are not surface potentials, those signals can be processed by the control station 100. The control station 100 can then use the processed signals to control the second device 114. These processed signals can indicate a representation of the surface potential or some other criterion. Various aspects of the present disclosure can provide the control station 100 to be connected to the first device 112 and the second device 114 via a wired connection, while other aspects of the present disclosure can provide a wireless connection between the control station 100 and one or both of the first device 112 and the second device 114.

[0015] The third device 116 may be, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and the fourth device 118 may be another electronic device capable of communicating information with the control station 100. The third device 116 may be used to control the first device 112 and the second device 114 together with or instead of the control station 100. The fourth device 118 may be, for example, a user interface configured to allow a user to input information and / or commands and also to display status provided by the control station 100. Thus, the fourth device 118 may be a dedicated user interface device or an application running on a PC, laptop, tablet PC, smartphone, etc.

[0016] Various aspects of the disclosure may provide multiple processors in the control circuitry 102 (discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 2). Multiple processors may allow for sharing of tasks, allowing for faster execution. For example, when the control station 100 is configured to control / monitor multiple devices, a first processor may be used to perform polling or otherwise communicate in real time with the multiple devices, while a second processor may be used to perform other tasks, such as, for example, receiving input from a user interface, providing output to a user interface, communicating with external electronic devices, etc.

[0017] When the first processor is now free to focus on controlling / monitoring the multiple devices, communication between the control station 100 and the multiple devices can occur at faster intervals to allow for more up-to-date control / monitoring. This therefore has the effect of stabilizing the messaging time base and improving message throughput. That is, when a control station with a single processor is engaged in a task not related to polling, the messaging time base, which includes the polling periods of all devices connected to the control station 100, does not need to be delayed for a given poll.

[0018] Various aspects of the present disclosure may provide for the control station 100 to be connected to the third device 116 and the fourth device 118 via a wireless connection, while other aspects of the present disclosure may provide for a wired connection between the control station 100 and one or both of the third device 116 and the fourth device 118.

[0019] Although particular devices are disclosed as being controlled by the control station 100, various aspects of the present disclosure may provide a control station 100 that controls, monitors, communicates with, and the like, other devices.

[0020] Power control circuitry 104 can handle the power input to control station 100 and the power provided to one or more of devices 112-118. Thus, power control circuitry 104 can convert the input power into the appropriate voltage(s) and current(s) used by control station 100 and any of devices 112-118.

[0021] 2A is a diagram of an example control circuitry for a control station. Referring to FIG. 2A, an example control circuitry 200 that can be used with various aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The control circuitry 200 can be similar to the control circuitry 102 of FIG.

[0022] The control circuitry 200 may include, for example, a processor 210, a memory 220, a communication circuitry 230, and an IO interface 240. The processor 210 may include, for example, one or more processors, each of which may include multiple cores. Thus, as an example, FIG. 2B illustrates the control circuitry 200 as a multi-core processor 210 with two cores 210-1 and 210-2. In another example, FIG. 2C illustrates the processor 210 as two discrete processors, a first processor 210A and a second processor 210B. In yet another example, FIG. 2D illustrates the processor 210 as a first processor 210A with two cores 210A-1 and 210A-2 and a second processor 210B with two cores 210B-1 and 210B-2. Thus, this disclosure does not limit processor 210 with respect to the number of discrete processors, nor with respect to the number of cores of each of the discrete processor(s). Thus, processor 210 can range from a single processor-single core configuration to a multiple processor-multiple core configuration. For ease of explanation, the term "processor" can refer generically to a processor having one core or multiple cores, or to cores plus various other hardware devices configured to execute code, such as, for example, digital signal processors, graphic processor units, application specific ICs, and / or logic circuitry that can replace or augment a processor or core.

[0023] Memory 220 may include non-volatile memory 226 and volatile memory 228. Storage devices described for holding local data may be part of memory 220 or may comprise separate memories. Operating system 222 and applications 224 may, for example, be stored in non-volatile memory 226 and copied to volatile memory 228 for execution by processor 210. Various aspects of the present disclosure may use different memory architectures depending on the design and / or implementation. For example, some aspects of the present disclosure may cause operating system 222 and applications 224 in non-volatile memory 226 to be executed at least partially from non-volatile memory 226.

[0024] The communication circuitry 230 may enable the control circuitry 200 to communicate with other devices via wired protocols, such as, for example, USB, Ethernet, Firewire, or wireless protocols, such as Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), Wi-Fi, etc. The wired or wireless protocols may be non-proprietary protocols, such as, for example, Controller Area Network (CAN) or Profibus, or may be proprietary protocols. Proprietary protocols may have, for example, a fixed packet message format across all products. Various types of radios for communication may be referred to as transceivers for simplicity. Communication may be with, for example, various sensors and / or devices. The communication circuitry 230 may also be used to communicate with other networks, such as local networks, cellular networks, etc. Thus, the communication circuitry 230 may include one or more sockets to receive wired cables.

[0025] The control circuitry 200 may also include an IO module 240 for communicating with a user via input devices 242 and outputting information displayed on an output device 244. The input devices 242 may include, for example, switches, slide switches, buttons, a touch screen that may be part of a display, a microphone, etc. The input devices 242 may also include one or more sensors. A touch screen may have soft buttons, switches, slide switches, etc. that emulate physical counterparts. The input devices 242 may also include, for example, various sensors, cameras, etc. The output devices 244 may include, for example, a display, a speaker, LEDs, a vibration motor, etc.

[0026] Processor 210 may operate using different architectures in different embodiments. For example, processor 210 may use memory 220 to store instructions to be executed, or processor 210 may have its own memory (not shown) for its instructions.

[0027] Various embodiments may use other architectures in which different functions may be grouped separately. For example, the grouping may be on different integrated circuit chips. Alternatively, the grouping may be combining different devices together, such as IO module 240 and communications circuitry 230, etc. Additionally, control circuitry 200 may logically refer to different physical devices. For example, one or more of output devices 244 may be in a different location than one or more of input devices 242.

[0028] Although a variety of physical devices can be used to interface with the control station 100, including a touch panel, voice can also be used to provide commands or input to the control station 100. Voice input can be received, for example, by a microphone that is part of the input devices 242 of the control circuitry 200. Digitized commands can be processed, for example, by the processor 210 to identify a particular command or response. Software for voice recognition can be part of the operating system 222 and / or applications 224 in the memory 220, for example.

[0029] Additionally, while the power source may generally be grouped separately from the control circuitry 200, various aspects of the disclosure may group the power source with the control circuitry 200. For example, the control station 100 may receive power wirelessly or via wires, and any power provided to one or more of the devices 112, 114, 116, and / or 118 may be provided wirelessly or via wires. In some configurations, the power control circuitry 104 may be considered a function of the I / O module 240, where the input device 242 receives power and manages the power used by the control station 100 and the power provided to any of the devices 112-118.

[0030] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example control station in communication with various devices. Referring to Figure 3, the control station 100 is shown in communication with a local display 302A, an external display 302B, a PLC 304, a remote terminal 306, an electronic device 308, and a memory device 310. The local display 302A can be an integral part of the control station 100. The local display 302A can also be a separate display that plugs into a video jack on the control station 100 or is configured to receive a video signal wirelessly.

[0031] The external display 302B may be located elsewhere and is not connected to the control station 100 via a video cable. The external display 302B may be integrated with another device, such as the PLC 304, or may be connected to the PLC 304 via a video cable. The external display 302B may be connected to the electronic device 308 via a cable or may receive a wireless video signal from an electronic device 308 that is not the control station 100. The electronic device 308 that provides the video signal to the external display 302B may be, for example, a PC, a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a server, etc., as well as the PLC 304, a remote terminal 306, a memory device 310, etc. Thus, the term "electronic device 308" may refer generically to any computing device, display device, memory device, and / or communication device, or may refer specifically to one of these devices.

[0032] The local display 302A may be considered part of the IO module 240. Information to the external display 302B may be communicated, for example, via the communications circuitry 230. If the external display 302B also has an input module, the external display 302B may provide input to the control station 100 via the communications circuitry 230.

[0033] PLC 304 can communicate with control station 100 regarding the status of the devices to which PLC 304 is connected. For example, PLC 304 can partially control first device 112 and second device 114. Thus, PLC 304 can provide information to control station 100 regarding its control of devices 112 and / or 114 and the status of devices 112 and / or 114. Additionally, when control station 100 at least partially controls devices 112 and / or 114, control station 100 can provide information to PLC 304 regarding its control of devices 112 and / or 114 and the status of devices 112 and / or 114.

[0034] The remote terminal 306 may be, for example, similar to the fourth device 118 and thus may be a dedicated user interface device. The remote terminal 306 may include a display, for example, similar to the local display 302A or the external display 302B. The remote terminal 306 may also have an input interface that allows a user to input commands and / or responses. Thus, a user may use the input device 242 to input commands, for example, to update the control station 100 and / or one or more of the devices 112-118, or a user may use the remote terminal 306 or the PLC 304 to input commands to update the control station 100 and / or one or more of the devices 112-118.

[0035] The electronic device 308 may be, for example, a server, a PC, a laptop, a tablet PC, a smartphone, etc.

[0036] The control station 100 may be configured to receive commands to control one or more of the devices 112-114 from external devices, such as, for example, a PLC 304 and / or a remote terminal 306. Similarly, the control station 100 may be configured to send commands to the PLC 304 that cause the PLC 304 to control one or more of the devices 112-114.

[0037] The memory device 310 may plug into a socket in the control station 100, may be connected via a cable, or may communicate wirelessly with the control station 100. Line 311 may represent a cable when a cable is used, or a wireless connection when the communication is wireless. The memory device 310 may be used by the control station 100 as a removable storage device, or the memory device 310 may be used to provide updates to the data and / or code of the control station 100. Thus, the memory device 310 may be a FLASH drive, a hard drive, an optical drive, or any other type of memory device that may be suitable for storing data.

[0038] 4 is a diagram of an example control station communicating with various devices in a network, according to an aspect of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, a network 400 having a control station 402 is shown. The control station 402 may be similar to the control station 100. Thus, the control station 402 may be capable of communicating with various devices via wireless and / or wired communication. For example, the control station 402 may be capable of communicating using a WiFi protocol.

[0039] In the network 400, the control station 402 can communicate wirelessly with a WiFi enabled computer 404, a wireless router 406, and a junction box 420. The computer 404, which can be similar to the electronic device 308, can be, for example, a PC, desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. The computer 404 can be capable of receiving status / data of various devices connected to the network 400 and can be capable of providing commands to configure the control station 402 and / or various devices connected to the network 400.

[0040] The control station 402 can communicate with the power junction box 420 to obtain status / data from the power junction box 420 as well as status / data of various devices to which the power junction box 420 may be connected. Thus, the control station 402 can obtain status / data from, and provide commands to, the power junction box 420, the power supplies 422, 426, and the sensor interface 430. Additionally, the control station 402 can obtain status / data from, and provide commands to, the static bars 424, 428, and the sensor bar 432, including receiving sensor signals from the sensor bar 432.

[0041] Although the control station 402 may not be able to communicate directly with the power junction box 410, the control station 402 may be able to communicate with the power junction box 410 via the wireless router 406. Thus, the control station 402 may be able to receive status / data from and send commands to the junction box 410, the power supply 412, the static bar 414, the sensor bar 416, and the static bar 418, including receiving sensor signals from the sensor bar 416.

[0042] Thus, it can be seen that the control station 402 can communicate directly with various devices, and in the case of devices with which the control station 402 cannot communicate directly, can communicate with those devices via an access point or router.

[0043] 5 is a diagram of another example control station communicating with various devices in a network, according to an aspect of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, a network 500 having a control station 502 is shown. The control station 502 can be similar to the control station 100 and the control station 402. Thus, the control station 502 can be capable of communicating with various devices via wireless and / or wired communication. For example, the control station 502 can be capable of communicating using a WiFi protocol.

[0044] In the network 500, the control station 502 can wirelessly communicate with a WiFi enabled computer 504, a wireless router 506, and junction boxes 530 and 540. The computer 504, which can be similar to the electronic device 308 or the computer 404, can be, for example, a PC, desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. The computer 504 can be capable of receiving status / data of various devices connected to the network 500 and can be capable of providing commands to configure the control station 502 and / or various devices connected to the network 500.

[0045] The control station 502 can communicate with the power junction boxes 530 and 540 to obtain status / data from the power junction boxes 530 and 540 as well as the status / data of various devices to which the power junction boxes 530 and 540 may be connected. Thus, the control station 502 can obtain status / data from, and provide commands to, the power junction box 530, the sensor bars 532 and 536, and the static bars 534 and 538. The control station 502 can obtain status / data from, and provide commands to, the power junction box 540, the power supplies 542, 546, and 55, and the devices connected to those power supplies, such as the static bars 544 and 548, and the sensor 552.

[0046] Although the control station 502 may not be able to communicate directly with the power junction boxes 510 and 520, the control station 502 may be able to communicate with the power junction boxes 510 and 520 via the wireless router 506. Thus, the control station 502 may be able to receive status / data from and send commands to the junction boxes 510 and 520, the power supply 512, the static bars 514 and 524, and the sensor bars 516 and 522.

[0047] Thus, it can be seen that the control station 502 can communicate directly with various devices, and in the case of devices with which the control station 502 cannot communicate directly, can communicate with those devices via an access point or router.

[0048] Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure can provide a control station 100, 402, or 502 that can communicate with a variety of devices in networks of various sizes.

[0049] Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure provide a control station 100 that includes communications circuitry 230, a first processor as shown in any of Figures 2A-2D, and a second processor as shown in any of Figures 2A-2D that is configured to communicate with one or more devices via communications circuitry 230. For ease of explanation, the first processor will be referred to as processor 210A and the second processor will be referred to as processor 210B, although this is not intended to construe Figure 2C as the only configuration of two processors, nor is it intended to limit various aspects of the present disclosure to only two processors.

[0050] Information from one or more devices 112-114 (and 116-118, as appropriate) is configured to be processed by at least one of a first processor 210A and a second processor 210B, which are configured to output the processed information to one or more of an electronic display 302A of the control station 100, a display 302B external to the control station 100, and a server 308.

[0051] The communication includes the second processor 210B polling one or more of the devices 112-114. The second processor 210B is configured to assign each of the one or more devices 112-114 a predetermined time slot for responding to the poll of that device, the predetermined time slot being one of a plurality of predetermined time slots.

[0052] The second processor 210B is configured to log a timeout error for a particular device when the particular device does not respond by the end of the time window for that device. When a predetermined number of timeout errors have been logged for a particular device, the control station 100 is configured to provide an alert. The alert can be one or more of an audible alert via a speaker in the output device 244, or a visual alert via the displays 302A and / or 302B, or a tactile alert via a vibration motor, which can be one of the output devices 244. The alert can also be communicated to the electronic device 308, which can log the error and / or provide its own alert.

[0053] The communication circuitry 230 may be configured to receive messages of a critical message type from a particular one of the one or more devices 112-114 during one or both of the time slots assigned to the particular device and outside the time slots assigned to the particular device, the critical message type being predefined. A critical alert may be sent by any of the devices 112-114 at any time, even outside the polling time slots assigned for that device. Thus, any event deemed critical by the device may be quickly communicated to the control station 100 without the device having to wait until it is polled by the control station 100. The control station 100 is the nominal master since the device that initiates the communication may be considered the master. However, when any of the devices 112-114 transmits a critical message, it may be considered the master at that time until the control station 100 starts polling again.

[0054] The second processor 210B is configured to modify the assigned time slot of a particular device of the one or more devices 112-114 based on at least one response time of the particular device.

[0055] A code update, updating code executed by one or more of the first processor 210A, the second processor 210B, or at least one of the one or more devices 112-114, is configured to be received via the communications circuitry 230. When the code update is for at least one of the one or more devices 112-114, the control station 100 can control the update of the one or more devices 112-114. When the code update is for at least one of the one or more devices 112-114, the control station 100 can communicate the update code to the one or more devices 112-114.

[0056] One of the first processor 210A or the second processor 210B can be configured to read the code update and determine whether the code update is for at least one of the one or more devices 112-114. Upon determining that the code update is for at least one of the one or more devices 112-114, the second processor 210B is configured to perform one of communicating an update code to the one or more devices 112-114 and updating the one or more devices 112-114.

[0057] The code update may be for more than one of the one or more devices 112-114, and the control station 100 may be configured to communicate the update code to two or more of the devices 112-114.

[0058] The code updates may be provided via an external memory device such as, for example, memory device 310, which may be coupled to control station 100 using communication cable 311. Communication cable 311 may be, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) cable. External memory device 310 may be, for example, a FLASH memory drive.

[0059] The code update execution may be initiated automatically when the external memory device 310 having the code update is coupled to the control station 100 via the communications circuitry 230. Alternatively, the code update execution may be initiated after receiving input from a user, where the input from the user may include a selection of which of one or more devices 112-114 to update.

[0060] The second processor 210B may be configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more of the devices 112-114. At least one of the first processor 210A and the second processor 210B may be configured to update configuration information of newly connected hardware. The "newly connected" hardware may be any device that is attached to be polled at least by the control station 100. Thus, the newly connected device may be a device that is added to increase the number of existing devices 112-114 or to replace one of the existing devices 112-114.

[0061] At least one of the first processor 210A and the second processor 210B may be configured to output the processed information to one or more formatted screen views, including a hidden screen view that may be for access by authorized persons.

[0062] The communications circuitry 230 can be configured to address each of the one or more devices 112-114 with a unique product identifier. This product identifier can be an identifier unique to a particular device or can be a unique identifier assigned to the device by the control station 100. The assigned identifier can be, for example, a simple number or the assigned identifier can be based on characteristics of the device, such as the type of device, the make of the device, the serial number of the device, etc. As can be seen, identifiers can be generated in many different ways.

[0063] Communications with the control station 100 may be via wired or wireless and proprietary formats.

[0064] Various aspects of the present disclosure may also provide a control station 100 comprising a local display 302A, a communications circuitry 230, a first processor 210A configured to operate an operating system 222 and at least one application 224, and a second processor 210B configured to communicate with one or more electrostatic charging devices 114 and / or one or more sensor devices 112 via the communications circuitry 230, wherein information from the at least one electrostatic charging device 114 is configured to be processed by the second processor 210B, and the first processor 210A is configured to output the processed information to the display 302A.

[0065] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a control station 100 comprising a communication circuitry 230 configured for one or both of wireless and wired communication, a first processor 210A configured to operate an operating system 222 and at least one application 224, and a second processor 210B configured to communicate with one or both of an electrostatic charging device 114 and a sensor 112 via the communication circuitry 230, wherein information from one or both of the electrostatic charging device 114 and the sensor 112 is configured to be processed by at least one of the first processor 210A and the second processor 210B, and at least one of the first processor 210A and the second processor 210B is configured to output the processed information to a device, such as, for example, a memory device 310, an electronic device 308, a remote terminal 306, a PLC 304, an external device 302B, and / or a local display 302A.

[0066] The communication includes the second processor 210B polling at least the electrostatic charging device 114 and the sensor 112. The second processor 210B can be configured to assign each of the one or more devices a predetermined time frame for responding to the polling of the device, the predetermined time frame being one of a plurality of predetermined time frames. The second processor 210B can also be configured to log a timeout error for a particular device when the particular device does not respond by the end of the time frame. The second processor 210B can be further configured to modify the assigned time frame of a particular device of the one or more devices based on at least one response time of the particular device.

[0067] As can be seen, at least some of the methods and systems can be implemented in hardware, software, and / or a combination of hardware and software. The methods and / or systems can be implemented centrally in at least one computing system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are distributed across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind of computing system or other device adapted to perform the methods described herein is suitable. A typical combination of hardware and software can include a general-purpose computing system, with a program or other code that, when loaded and executed, controls the computing system to perform the methods described herein. Another typical embodiment can include one or more application-specific integrated circuits or chips. Some embodiments can include a non-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium (e.g., flash memory, optical disk, magnetic storage disk, etc.), which stores one or more lines of code executable by a machine, thereby causing the machine to perform a process as described herein. As used herein, the term "non-transitory machine-readable medium" is defined to include all types of machine-readable storage media and to exclude propagating signals.

[0068] As used herein, the terms "circuitry" and "circuitry" refer to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) and any software and / or firmware ("code") that may comprise, be executed by, and / or otherwise be associated with hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory may include a first "circuitry" when executing a first one or more lines of code, and may include a second "circuitry" when executing a second one or more lines of code. As used herein, "and / or" refers to any one or more of the items in the list linked by "and / or". As an example, "x and / or y" refers to any element of the triplet {(x),(y),(x,y)}. In other words, "x and / or y" means "one or both of x and y". As another example, "x, y, and / or z" means any element of the seven-element set {(x),(y),(z),(x,y),(x,z),(y,z),(x,y,z)}. In other words, "x, y, and / or z" means "one or more of x, y, and z." As used herein, the term "exemplary" is meant to serve as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the term "for example" begins a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As used herein, whenever circuitry includes the necessary hardware and code (if either is necessary) to perform a function, the circuitry is "operable" to perform that function, regardless of whether implementation of that function has been disabled or enabled (e.g., by a user-configurable setting, a factory trim, etc.).

[0069] Although the method and / or system have been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and equivalents can be substituted without departing from the scope of the method and / or system. In addition, many modifications can be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the method and / or system is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Instead, the method and / or system includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims, both literally and under the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims

1. 1. A control station comprising: A communication circuit unit; A first processor; a second processor configured to communicate with one or more devices via the communications circuitry; and Equipped with information from the one or more devices is configured to be processed by at least one of the first processor and the second processor; A control station, wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor is configured to output the processed information to one or more of an electronic display of the control station, a display external to the control station, and a server.

2. The control station of claim 1 , wherein the communication includes the second processor polling the one or more devices.

3. 3. The control station of claim 2, wherein the second processor is configured to assign to each of the one or more devices a predetermined time slot for responding to a poll of that device, the predetermined time slot being one of a plurality of predetermined time slots.

4. 4. The control station of claim 3, wherein the second processor is configured to log a timeout error for a particular device when the particular device does not respond by the end of the device's time window.

5. The control station of claim 4 , wherein the control station is configured to provide a warning when a predetermined number of timeout errors have been logged for the particular device.

6. The control station of claim 5 , wherein the alert is one or more of an audible alert, a visual alert, or a tactile alert.

7. The control station of claim 5 , wherein the alert is communicated to an electronic device.

8. 4. The control station of claim 3, wherein the communications circuitry is configured to receive messages of a critical message type from a particular device of the one or more devices during one or both of the time slot assigned to the particular device and outside the time slot assigned to the particular device, the critical message type being predetermined.

9. The control station of claim 3 , wherein the second processor is configured to modify the assigned time slot of a particular device of the one or more devices based on at least one response time of the particular device.

10. The control station of claim 1 , wherein the second processor is configured to communicate wirelessly with the one or more devices.

11. The control station of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor is configured to update configuration information for newly connected hardware.

12. The control station of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first processor and the second processor is configured to output the processed information to one or more formatted screen views.

13. 13. The control station of claim 12, wherein the one or more formatted screen views includes a hidden screen view for access by authorized personnel.

14. The control station of claim 1 , wherein the communications circuitry addresses each of the one or more devices with a unique product identifier.

15. The control station of claim 1 , wherein the communication is via a proprietary format.

16. A communication circuit configured for one or both of wireless communication and wired communication; a first processor configured to run an operating system and at least one application; a second processor configured to communicate with one or both of the electrostatic charging device and the sensor via the communications circuitry; Equipped with information from one or both of the electrostatic charging device and the sensor is processed by at least one of the first processor and the second processor; At least one of the first processor and the second processor is configured to output the processed information to an electronic device.

17. 17. The control station of claim 16, wherein the communication includes the second processor polling the one or both of the electrostatic charging device and the sensor.

18. 20. The control station of claim 17, wherein the second processor is configured to assign each of the one or both of the electrostatic charging device and the sensor a predetermined time period for responding to polling of the device, the predetermined time period being one of a plurality of predetermined time periods.

19. 20. The control station of claim 18, wherein the second processor is configured to log a timeout error for a particular device when the particular device does not respond by the end of the device's time window.

20. 20. The control station of claim 18, wherein the second processor is configured to modify the assigned time frame of a particular one of the electrostatic charging device and the one or both of the sensors based on at least one response time of the particular device.

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