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Real-time-control-system-and-method-for-replacing-software-in-a-controlled-system

***WITHDRAWN PATENT AS PER THE LATEST USPTO WITHDRAWN LIST*** *** NO IMAGES AVAILABLE***

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Real time control system and method for replacing software in a controlled system

Details

Inventors: Scholz, Stephan; Becker, Wolfgang; Doellinger, Carl-Heinz; Wollensak, Martin;
Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (Munich, DE)
Primary Examiner: Heckler; Thomas M.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hill, Steadman & Simpson

In order to save development costs, a real time control system should offer the possibility of being upgraded or of growing by replacing software during operation. This ability is achieved in that every message for communication contains a version identifier in addition to containing a designation of the addressed software unit that is unambiguous system-wide. This version identifier indicates the version of the addressed software unit to the operating system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a control system that is flexible with respect to the exchange of software.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for replacing software in a control system during operation, that is, without interrupting operations.
In general terms the present invention is a real time control system comprising at least one control processor, a software system and an expansion manager.
The software system is subdivided into an operating system and into a plurality of software units hierarchically lying thereabove which can be individually loaded into a main memory of the control processor.
The software units communicate with one another via the operating system for the implementation of their control jobs on the basis of messages.
Each message contains a version identifier, such as an upgrade token, in addition to a designation of the addressed software unit that is unambiguous system wide.
The version identifier indicates the version of the addressed software unit to the operating system.
The expansion manager within the software system informs the software units of the version identifier to be employed in a message.
The method of the present invention for replacing software in the control system has the following steps.
A software unit of the new version is first loaded into the main memory of the control processor and is activated.
The communication traffic is then switched to the newly loaded software unit without interruption in that the version identifier of the newly loaded software unit is communicated to the other software units of the software system.
Finally, the old software unit is deactivated and the memory area with respect thereto is again released by the operating system.
In a further development of the present invention, the version identifier of the newly loaded software unit is communicated only to specific software units, namely to what are referred to as event sources that trigger actions of the control system as a consequence of an event in that they send source messages to other software units the version identifier for a sequential or string message is transferred into the sequential message from the message triggering the sequential message

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