US 12,267,030 B2
Systems and methods of distributed and dynamically configurable motor control
Benjamin W. Edwards, Rolesville, NC (US); Kevin M. Jefferies, Raleigh, NC (US); Gerald B. Carson, Raleigh, NC (US); Konstantin A. Filippenko, Grenoble (FR); and Christian Pillot, Angouleme (FR)
Assigned to Schneider Electric USA, Inc., Boston, MA (US)
Appl. No. 17/291,091
Filed by Schneider Electric USA, Inc., Andover, MA (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 8, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/060539
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 4, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/097506, PCT Pub. Date May 14, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/758,245, filed on Nov. 9, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0006407 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. H02P 23/00 (2016.01)
CPC H02P 23/0077 (2013.01) 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
receiving a request to implement a first controller for a motor control switch for an industrial application;
determining a plurality of functional modules for the first controller, wherein each of the plurality of functional modules comprises an instance of computer logic configured to perform a respective function;
determining a respective Motor Control Function Set (MCFS) for performing the respective function of each of the plurality of functional modules;
identifying a plurality of configurable hardware blocks that are available for implementing the first controller, wherein the plurality of configurable hardware blocks include at least one of a bus coupler module, a starter module, a safe starter module, a Power Interface Module (PIM), an analog/digital Input/output Module (IOM), Voltage Input Module (VIM), and a Safety Interface Module (SIM);
allocating one or more of the plurality of configurable hardware blocks to each of the plurality of functional modules, wherein at least two of the plurality of configurable hardware blocks are allocated to a first one of the plurality of functional modules;
configuring each of the plurality of configurable hardware blocks based on the MCFS of the functional module to which the respective configurable hardware block is allocated; and
executing the configured plurality of configurable hardware blocks as a distributed system to control the motor control switch for the industrial application,
wherein allocating one or more of the plurality of configurable hardware blocks to each of the plurality of functional modules further comprises:
determining two or more potential allocations of configurable hardware blocks from the plurality of configurable hardware blocks to a first functional module of the plurality of functional modules, wherein a different number of configurable hardware blocks are allocated to the first functional module in at least two of the two or more potential allocations; and
selecting one of the two or more potential allocations.