The Microprocessor in Programmable Logic/Computing Controllers for the Industrial Environment

The design of programmable controllers and related support electronics has grown in complexity beyond limits considered manageable in pure hardware electronics. In some design areas, such as functional programming, the use of close to 600 IC chips including MSI-and LSI-types made modifications, updates, and troubleshooting an enormous task with heavy commitment of engineering manpower. The proliferation of these systems prompted a search for new approaches in digital design and the identification of primnary design objectives.