Method and apparatus for a control station

Abstract

A control station is provided that can be configured to control and / or monitor various devices, such as industrial devices. The control station can include communications circuitry, a first processor, and a second processor configured to communicate with one or more devices via the communications circuitry. Information from the one or more devices is 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 Figure] Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Priority Claim This international application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 741,254, filed October 4, 2018, entitled "Methods and Apparatus for a Control Station", and U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 590,501, filed October 2, 2019, entitled "Methods and Apparatus for a Control Station". The entire contents 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 an electronic device configured to communicate with other electronic devices, and more particularly to a control station. Background Art

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

[0004] Substantially, as illustrated and described in connection with at least one of the figures, and as more fully set forth in the claims, methods and systems for a control station are provided.

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

[0006] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a diagram of an example control station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] Figure 2A is a diagram of a control circuitry in an example of a control station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] Figure 2B is a diagram of a processor illustrating an example of the control circuit section of Figure 2A according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 2C] Figure 2C is a diagram of another exemplary processor of the control circuit section of Figure 2A, according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 2D] Figure 2D is a diagram of yet another exemplary processor of the control circuit section of Figure 2A, according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a control station communicating with various devices according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a control station communicating with various devices in a network, according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a control station communicating with various devices in another network, according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] The drawings do not necessarily adhere to a constant proportional scale. Where appropriate, similar or identical reference numbers are used to identify similar or identical elements.

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

[0009] Therefore, as an example, it can be understood that a control station of the present disclosure can communicate with a specific product group that a first manufacturer may provide and can use a first communication protocol that may be proprietary or non-proprietary. Various aspects of the present disclosure may also provide a control station that can further communicate with devices such as PLCs and / or additional industrial devices that a second manufacturer may provide and can use a second communication protocol that may be proprietary or non-proprietary.

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram of an exemplary control station according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 1, a control station 100 is shown comprising a control circuit unit 102, a first device 112, a second device 114, a third device 116, and a fourth device 118. A power control circuit unit 104 is also shown. This example shown in Figure 1 is limited to four devices for the sake of brevity. However, it should not be assumed that the various aspects of the present disclosure are limited to having only four or at most four devices communicating with the control station 100. Various aspects of the control station 100 can be used with different numbers 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 circuit unit 102 to control the second device 114 to generate a positive-to-negative ion ratio in the airflow to the target device. Device 114 can be, for example, an electrostatic charging device such as an air ionization fan.

[0012] The first device 112 may be, for example, an electrostatic voltmeter configured to directly measure the surface potential of an object, or it may be an electrostatic field meter configured to indirectly estimate the surface potential of an object by measuring the electric field of the object's surface. The surface potential can be used to control the second device 114 during ion generation.

[0013] The second device 114 can be an electrostatic charging device that can be used to neutralize or apply electrostatic charge to a surface. Electrostatic charge can be neutralized to reduce the tendency of surfaces to stick together. For example, in the case of rolled newspaper, surface electrostatic charge can be neutralized to prevent the paper from sticking together. In other applications, for example, when plastic bags are stacked, a small amount of electrostatic charge on the plastic bags may help maintain their stacked state.

[0014] When the first device 112 provides signals other than surface potentials, these 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 may represent surface potentials or some other reference. Various aspects of the present disclosure may provide a control station 100 connected to the first device 112 and the second device 114 via a wired connection. On the other hand, other aspects of the present disclosure may 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 can be, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and the fourth device 118 can be another electronic device capable of communicating information with the control station 100. The third device 116 can be used to control the first device 112 and the second device 114 together with or in place of the control station 100. The fourth device 118 can be, for example, a user interface configured to allow the user to input information and / or commands, and also to display the status provided by the control station 100. Thus, the fourth device 118 can be a dedicated user interface device, or an application that runs on a PC, laptop, tablet PC, smartphone, etc.

[0016] Various aspects of this disclosure can provide a control circuit unit 102 (more specifically discussed with reference to Figure 2) with multiple processors. Multiple processors can enable task sharing and thus faster execution. For example, when the control station 100 is configured to control / monitor multiple devices, a first processor can be used to perform polling, or, if not polling, to perform real-time communication with the multiple devices, while a second processor can be used to perform other tasks, such as receiving input from a user interface, providing output to a user interface, or communicating with external electronic devices.

[0017] When the first processor is now free to concentrate on controlling / monitoring multiple devices, communication between the control station 100 and the multiple devices can be performed at faster intervals to enable more up-to-date control / monitoring. Therefore, this 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 that does not involve polling, it is not necessary to delay the messaging time base, which includes the polling period of all devices connected to the control station 100, for a given polling.

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

[0019] Although a specific device is disclosed as being controlled by a control station 100, various aspects of this disclosure can provide a control station 100 that controls other devices, monitors other devices, communicates with other devices, and so on.

[0020] The power control circuit unit 104 can handle power input to the control station 100 and power provided to one or more of the devices 112 to 118. Accordingly, the power control circuit unit 104 can convert input power into appropriate voltage(s) and current(s) for use by the control station 100 and any of the devices 112 to 118.

[0021] FIG. 2A is a diagram of an exemplary control circuit unit of a control station. Referring to FIG. 2A, there is shown an exemplary control circuit unit 200 that can be used with various aspects of the present disclosure. The control circuit unit 200 may be the same as the control circuit unit 102 in FIG. 1.

[0022] The control circuit unit 200 may include, for example, a processor 210, a memory 220, a communication circuit unit 230, and an I / O interface 240. The processor 210 may include, for example, one or more processors, each of which may have multiple cores. Thus, as an example, Figure 2B shows the control circuit unit 200 as a single multi-core processor 210 having two cores 210-1 and 210-2. In another example, Figure 2C shows the processor 210 as two discrete processors, namely a first processor 210A and a second processor 210B. In yet another example, Figure 2D shows the processor 210 as a first processor 210A having two cores 210A-1 and 210A-2, and a second processor 210B having two cores 210B-1 and 210B-2. Therefore, this disclosure does not limit the processor 210 to the number of discrete processors, nor to the number of cores in each of the discrete processors (which may be multiple). Accordingly, the processor 210 can range from a single-processor-single-core configuration to a multi-processor-multi-core configuration. For ease of explanation, the term “processor” may comprehensively refer to a processor having one or more cores, or, in addition to the cores, various other hardware devices configured to execute code, such as digital signal processors, graphics processor units, application-specific ICs, and / or logic circuitry units that can replace or enhance the processor or cores.

[0023] The memory 220 may include a non-volatile memory 226 and a volatile memory 228. The storage device described for holding local data may be part of the memory 220, or may include a separate memory. The operating system 222 and the application 224 can be stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 226, and can be copied to the volatile memory 228 for execution by the processor 210. Various aspects of the present disclosure may use different memory architectures depending on the design and / or embodiments. For example, some aspects of the present disclosure may cause the operating system 222 and the application 224 in the non-volatile memory 226 to be executed at least partially from the non-volatile memory 226.

[0024] The communication circuit unit 230 can enable the control circuit unit 200 to communicate with other devices via wired protocols such as USB, Ethernet (registered trademark), and FireWire, or wireless protocols such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Near Field Communication (NFC), and Wi-Fi, for example. The wired protocol or wireless protocol may be a non-proprietary protocol such as, for example, Controller Area Network (CAN) or Profibus, or may be a proprietary protocol. The proprietary protocol may have, for example, a fixed packet message format across all products. Various types of radio devices for communication are sometimes referred to as transceivers for simplification. Communication can be performed with, for example, various sensors and / or devices. The communication circuit unit 230 can also be used to communicate with other networks such as a local network and a cellular network. Accordingly, the communication circuit unit 230 may include one or more sockets for receiving wired cables.

[0025] The control circuit unit 200 may also include an I / O module 240 for communicating with the user via an input device 242 and output information displayed on an output device 244. The input device 242 may include, for example, switches, slide switches, buttons, a touchscreen which can be part of a display, a microphone, etc. The input device 242 may also include one or more sensors. The touchscreen may have soft buttons, switches, slide switches, etc. that emulate physical counterparts. The input device 242 may also include, for example, various sensors, cameras, etc. The output device 244 may include, for example, a display, speaker, LED, vibration motor, etc.

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

[0027] Various embodiments may utilize other architectures that allow different functions to be grouped separately. For example, the grouping may be on different integrated circuit chips. Alternatively, the grouping may be a combination of different devices such as the IO module 240 and the communication circuit section 230. In addition, the control circuit section 200 can logically refer to various physical devices. For example, one or more of the output devices 244 may be located in a different location from one or more of the input devices 242.

[0028] The control station 100 can be interfaced using various physical devices, including a touch panel, but voice can also be used to provide commands or inputs to the control station 100. Voice input can be received, for example, by a microphone which is part of the input device 242 of the control circuit unit 200. Digitized commands can be processed, for example, by a processor 210 to identify a specific command or response. Software for voice recognition can be, for example, part of the operating system 222 and / or application 224 in memory 220.

[0029] In addition, power sources are generally grouped separately from the control circuit unit 200, but various aspects of this disclosure allow power sources to be grouped together with the control circuit unit 200. For example, the control station 100 can receive power wirelessly or via a wire, and any power supplied to one or more of the devices 112, 114, 116, and / or 118 can be supplied wirelessly or via a wire. In some configurations, the power control circuit unit 104 can be considered a function of the I / O module 240 if the input device 242 receives power and manages the power used by the control station 100 and the power supplied to any of the devices 112-118.

[0030] Figure 3 shows an example of a control station communicating with various devices. Referring to Figure 3, a control station 100 is shown communicating 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 is plugged into the video jack of the control station 100 or configured to receive video signals 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 a PLC 304, or it may be connected to the PLC 304 via a video cable. The external display 302B may also be connected to an electronic device 308 via a cable, or it may receive wireless video signals from an electronic device 308 that is not the control station 100. The electronic device 308 that provides the video signals to the external display 302B may be, for example, a PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet PC, server, etc., or it may be a PLC 304, remote terminal 306, memory device 310, etc. Therefore, the term "electronic device 308" can comprehensively refer to any computing device, display device, memory device, and / or communication device, or specifically to one of these devices.

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

[0033] PLC304 can communicate with control station 100 regarding the status of the devices to which PLC304 is connected. For example, PLC304 can partially control the first device 112 and the second device 114. Therefore, PLC304 can provide control station 100 with information regarding its control of devices 112 and / or 114 and the status of devices 112 and / or 114. In addition, when control station 100 controls devices 112 and / or 114 at least partially, control station 100 can provide PLC304 with information regarding its control of devices 112 and / or 114 and the status of devices 112 and / or 114.

[0034] The remote terminal 306 can be, for example, similar to the fourth device 118, and therefore can be a dedicated user interface device. The remote terminal 306 may be equipped with 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 the user to input commands and / or responses. Thus, the user can use the input device 242 to input commands to update, for example, the control station 100 and / or one or more of the devices 112-118, or the user can use the remote terminal 306 or the PLC 304 to input commands to update one or more of the control station 100 and / or devices 112-118.

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

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

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

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

[0039] In network 400, control station 402 can communicate wirelessly with WiFi-enabled computer 404, wireless router 406, and junction box 420. Computer 404, which can be similar to electronic device 308, can be, for example, a PC, desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. Computer 404 can be capable of receiving status / data from various devices connected to network 400 and can be capable of providing commands to configure control station 402 and / or various devices connected to 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 from various devices to which the power junction box 420 can be connected. Therefore, the control station 402 can obtain status / data from the power junction box 420, power supply devices 422 and 426, and sensor interface 430, and can provide commands to them. In addition, the control station 402 can obtain status / data from static bars 424 and 428, and sensor bar 432, including receiving sensor signals from sensor bar 432, and can provide commands to them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0048] Accordingly, various aspects of this disclosure can provide control stations 100, 402, or 502 capable of communicating with various devices in networks of various sizes.

[0049] Accordingly, various aspects of this disclosure provide a control station 100 comprising a communication circuit unit 230, a first processor as shown in any of Figures 2A to 2D, and a second processor as shown in any of Figures 2A to 2D, configured to communicate with one or more devices via the communication circuit unit 230. For ease of explanation, the first processor will be referred to as processor 210A and the second processor as processor 210B. However, this does not mean that Figure 2C represents only one configuration of the two processors, nor does it limit the various aspects of this disclosure to only two processors.

[0050] Information from one or more devices 112-114 (and optionally 116-118) 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 one or more of the electronic display 302A of the control station 100, the external display 302B of the control station 100, and the server 308.

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

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

[0053] The communication circuit unit 230 can be configured to receive messages of a critical message type from a specific device among one or more devices 112 to 114, either during the time frame allocated to that device or outside the time frame allocated to that device, or both, where the critical message type is predetermined. Critical warnings can be sent at any time by any of the devices 112 to 114, even outside the polling time frame allocated to that device. Therefore, any event deemed critical by a device can be quickly communicated to the control station 100 without having to wait for the device to be polled by the control station 100. The control station 100 is the nominal master because the device initiating communication can be considered the master. However, when any of the devices 112 to 114 sends a critical message, that device can be considered the master at that time until the control station 100 starts polling again.

[0054] The second processor 210B is configured to change the allocated time frame of a particular device among one or more devices 112-114 based on the response time of at least one of that particular device.

[0055] Code updates that update code executed by the first processor 210A, the second processor 210B, or at least one of the devices 112-114 are configured to be received via the communication circuit unit 230. When a code update is for at least one of the devices 112-114, the control station 100 can control the update of one or more devices 112-114. When a code update is for at least one of the devices 112-114, the control station 100 can communicate the update code to one or more devices 112-114.

[0056] Either the first processor 210A or the second processor 210B may be configured to read a code update and determine whether the code update is for at least one of the one or more devices 112-114. If it is determined that the code update is for at least one of the one or more devices 112-114, the second processor 210B is configured to either communicate the update code to the one or more devices 112-114 or update the one or more devices 112-114.

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

[0058] Code updates can be provided via an external memory device, such as a memory device 310, which can be connected to the control station 100 using a communication cable 311. The communication cable 311 can be, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable. The external memory device 310 can be, for example, a Flash memory drive.

[0059] The code update can be automatically initiated when an external memory device 310 containing the code update is connected to the control station 100 via the communication circuit unit 230. Alternatively, the code update can be initiated after receiving input from a user, in which case the user input may include a selection of which of one or more devices 112-114 to update.

[0060] The second processor 210B can be configured to communicate wirelessly with one or more devices 112-114. At least one of the first processor 210A and the second processor 210B can be configured to update the configuration information of newly connected hardware. The "newly connected" hardware can be any device installed to be polled by at least the control station 100. Thus, the newly connected device can be a device 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 can be configured to output the processed information to one or more formatted screen views, the one or more formatted screen views including a hidden screen view which can be accessed by authorized persons.

[0062] The communication circuit unit 230 can be configured to address each of the one or more devices 112 to 114 using a unique product identifier. This product identifier can be a unique identifier for a particular device, or it can be a unique identifier assigned to a device by the control station 100. The assigned identifier can be, for example, a simple number, or it can be based on device characteristics such as the device type, device manufacturer, and device serial number. As can be seen from these, identifiers can be generated in many different ways.

[0063] Communication by the control station 100 can be via a proprietary format, whether wired or wireless.

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

[0065] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a control station 100 comprising a communication circuit unit 230 configured for one or both of wireless and wired communication, a first processor 210A configured to run 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 device 114 and a sensor 112 via the communication circuit unit 230, wherein information from one or both of the electrostatic device 114 and the sensor 112 is 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 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 device 114 and the sensor 112. The second processor 210B can be configured to assign each of one or more devices a predetermined time frame for responding to the polling of that device, which is 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 if that device does not respond by the end of its time frame. The second processor 210B can be further configured to change the time frame assigned to a particular device among one or more devices based on at least one response time of that particular device.

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

[0068] As used herein, the terms “circuit” and “circuit section” mean physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) and any software and / or firmware ("code") that can constitute the hardware, can be executed by the hardware, and / or can be otherwise associated with the hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory may include a first “circuit” when executing one or more first lines of the code, and a second “circuit” when executing one or more second lines of the code. As used herein, “and / or” means any one or more items in the list linked by “and / or”. For example, “x and / or y” means any element of the set of three elements {(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” means to serve as an unrestricted example, case, or illustration. As used herein, the term “for example” begins a list of one or more unrestricted examples, cases, or illustrations. As used herein, whenever a circuit section includes the hardware and code (if any) necessary to perform a certain function, the circuit section is “operable” to perform that function, regardless of whether the performance of that function is disabled or not (e.g., by a user-configurable setting, factory trim, etc.).

[0069] While the Method and / or System has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of the Method and / or System. In addition, many modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the Disclosure to adapt the teachings of the Disclosure to specific circumstances or materials. Therefore, the Method and / or System is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. Instead, the Method and / or System includes all embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents. Furthermore, this disclosure includes the following inventions. The first aspect is, It is a control station, Communication circuit section, The first processor, A second processor configured to communicate with one or more devices via the aforementioned communication circuit section, Equipped with, The information from one or more of the aforementioned devices is configured to be processed by at least one of the first processor and the second processor. The control station is configured such that at least one of the first processor and the second processor outputs the processed information to one or more of the following: the electronic display of the control station, an external display of the control station, and a server. The second aspect is, The communication is a control station in a first embodiment, which includes the second processor polling one or more devices. The third aspect is, The second processor is a control station in a second embodiment, configured to assign each of the one or more devices a predetermined time frame for responding to polling of that device, wherein the predetermined time frame is one of a plurality of predetermined time frames. The fourth aspect is, The second processor is a control station in a third embodiment, configured to log a timeout error for a particular device if that device fails to respond by the end of its time frame. The fifth aspect is, A control station in a fourth embodiment is configured to provide a warning when a predetermined number of timeout errors are logged for the particular device. The sixth aspect is, The warning is a control station in the fifth embodiment, wherein the warning is one or more of an audible warning, a visual warning, or a tactile warning. The seventh aspect is, The aforementioned warning is communicated to an electronic device by a control station in a fifth embodiment. The eighth aspect is, The control station in a third embodiment is configured to receive a message of a critical message type from a specific device among the one or more devices, during either or both of the time frame assigned to the specific device and outside the time frame assigned to the specific device, wherein the critical message type is predetermined. The ninth aspect is, The second processor is a control station in a third embodiment, configured to change the allocated time frame of a particular device among the one or more devices based on the response time of at least one of the particular devices. The tenth aspect is, The second processor is a control station in the first embodiment, configured to communicate wirelessly with one or more of the devices. The eleventh aspect is, At least one of the first processor and the second processor is a control station in the first embodiment, configured to update configuration information of newly connected hardware. The twelfth aspect is, At least one of the first processor and the second processor is a control station in the first embodiment, configured to output the processed information to one or more formatted screen views. The 13th aspect is, The one or more formatted screen views are control stations in a twelfth embodiment, including hidden screen views for access by authorized persons. The 14th aspect is, The communication circuit unit is a control station in a first embodiment that addresses each of the one or more devices using a unique product identifier. The 15th aspect is, The aforementioned communication is conducted via a proprietary format, and this is a control station in the first embodiment. The 16th aspect is, A communication circuit section configured for either wireless communication or wired communication, or both; 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 aforementioned communication circuit section, Equipped with, The system is configured such that 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 a control station configured to output the processed information to an electronic device. The 17th aspect is, The communication is a control station in a 16th embodiment, which includes the second processor polling one or both of the electrostatic charging device and the sensor. The 18th aspect is, The second processor is configured to assign a predetermined time frame to each of the electrostatic charging device and the sensor, or both thereof, for responding to polling of the device, wherein the predetermined time frame is one of a plurality of predetermined time frames, in a control station in a 17th embodiment. The 19th aspect is, The second processor is a control station in an 18th embodiment, configured to log a timeout error for a particular device if that device fails to respond by the end of the device's time frame. The 20th aspect is, The second processor is a control station in an 18th embodiment, configured to change the allocated time frame of a particular device, one or both of the electrostatic charging device and the sensor, based on the response time of at least one of the particular device.

Claims

1. It is a control station, Communication circuit section, A first processor that can be used to perform polling, or, if not polling, to perform real-time communication with one or more industrial devices, A second processor configured to communicate with one or more industrial devices via the aforementioned communication circuit section, Equipped with, The information from one or more industrial devices is configured to be 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 one or more of the following: the electronic display of the control station, an external display of the control station, and a server. Commands can be entered to update the control station and / or one or more industrial devices. The communication includes the second processor polling one or more industrial devices. The second processor is configured to assign each of the one or more industrial devices a predetermined time frame for responding to polling of that device, wherein the predetermined time frame is one of a plurality of predetermined time frames. A control station in which the second processor is configured to change the allocated time frame of a particular device among the one or more industrial devices based on the response time of at least one of the particular devices.

2. The control station according to claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to log a timeout error for a particular device if that device does not respond by the end of the device's time frame.

3. The control station according to claim 2, wherein the control station is configured to provide a warning when a predetermined number of timeout errors are logged for the particular device.

4. The control station according to claim 3, wherein the warning is one or more of an audible warning, a visual warning, or a tactile warning.

5. The control station according to claim 3, wherein the aforementioned warning is communicated to an electronic device.

6. The control station according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit unit is configured to receive a message of a critical message type from a specific device among the one or more industrial devices between the time frame assigned to the specific device and outside the time frame assigned to the specific device, or both, and the critical message type is predetermined.

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

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

9. The control station according to 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.

10. The control station according to claim 9, wherein the one or more formatted screen views include a hidden screen view for access by an authorized person.

11. The control station according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit unit addresses each of the one or more industrial devices using a unique product identifier.

12. The control station according to claim 1, wherein the communication is conducted via a proprietary format.

13. A communication circuit section configured for either wireless communication or wired communication, or both; A first processor that can be used to perform polling, or, if not polling, to communicate in real time with one or more industrial devices, and is configured to run an operating system and at least one application, A second processor configured to communicate with one or both of the industrial electrostatic charging devices and sensors via the aforementioned communication circuit section, Equipped with, The information from one or both of the industrial 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. Commands can be entered to update the control station and / or one or both of the industrial electrostatic charging device and the sensor. The communication includes the second processor polling one or both of the industrial electrostatic charging device and the sensor. The second processor is configured to allocate a predetermined time frame to each of the industrial electrostatic charging device and the sensor, or one or both thereof, for responding to polling of the device, wherein the predetermined time frame is one of a plurality of predetermined time frames. A control station comprising a second processor configured to change the allocated time frame of a specific device, one or both of the industrial electrostatic charging device and the sensor, based on the response time of at least one of the specific device.

14. The control station according to claim 13, wherein the second processor is configured to log a timeout error for a particular device if that device does not respond by the end of the device's time frame.

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