Line merging device, line merging system and contact information transmission method

Abstract

Line merging device (1) with at least one subunit (3), wherein the subunit (3) comprises: at least one input / output module (20) for outputting to a control module (10) a first serial signal containing contact information obtained by performing a parallel-to-serial conversion from a plurality of parts of contact information collected by a plurality of devices (6), and for outputting to a corresponding device (6) each of the plurality of parts of contact information obtained by performing a serial-to-parallel conversion from a second serial signal containing contact information acquired by the control module (10); and the control module (10) for generating a transmission frame by arranging the first serial signal, which was detected by the input / output module (20) at a defined frame position, for transmitting the generated transmission frame to another line merging device (1) connected to the control module (10), for extracting the second serial signal, which is located at a defined frame position, from a receive frame detected by the other line merging device (1), and for outputting the extracted second serial signal to the input / output module (20) according to the second serial signal, and the control module (10) the number of input / output modules (20) connected to the control module (10) of the line merging device (1),and the number of connected input / output modules (20) from a control module (10) is checked by the further line merging device (1).

Description

Area

[0001] The present invention relates to a line merging device, a line merging system and a contact information transmission method used in a rail vehicle. background

[0002] In conventional rail vehicles, contact information is transmitted and received between numerous devices. In a method of allocating a line to a portion of contact information, the number of lines in the rail vehicle increases with the amount of contact information. As a result, the limited space in the rail vehicle is occupied by many lines, and the vehicle's weight increases. Furthermore, routing the lines becomes more complex. To address these problems, Japanese Patent Application JP 2011-205777 A discloses a technique for constructing a network within a train and transmitting and receiving contact information over this network, thereby reducing the number of lines required.

[0003] German patent application DE 199 46 970 A1 describes a system of sensor elements that capture a variety of physical characteristics of objects being conveyed along a conveyor. These elements transmit electrical signals, indicating the results of the capture, asynchronously to a processing unit. The processing unit uses an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to convert the analog electrical signals transmitted by the sensor elements into digital signals. A mixer adds a marker to the data, indicating the sensor element from which the data was transmitted, in order to output the data for each sensor element sequentially. A data processing unit receives the data output by the mixer and uses the markers contained in the received data to identify the sensor element from which the data was transmitted. This unit then executes a process for capturing the various physical characteristics.

[0004] German patent application DE 10 2005 038 850 A1 describes a first control circuit section that performs input / output control in cooperation with a microprocessor, a program memory, and a RAM. A second control circuit section cooperates with the communication control section and the data memory to perform serial communication with the first control circuit section. A switching signal input to the second control circuit section is stored in a first report packet, a digital conversion value for an analog signal input is stored in a second report packet, and the first and second packets are transmitted alternately and periodically to the first control circuit section.A multi-channel A / D converter included in an analog signal input circuit begins to perform an A / D conversion a prescribed time period after a first report packet is transmitted, and finishes a conversion before a second report packet is transmitted, so that current A / D conversion data is transmitted. Brief description of the technical problem

[0005] However, according to the conventional techniques described above, an address is assigned to each device that communicates, and a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) is set up within the train's network depending on the content of the communication. Therefore, every time the network configuration in the train is changed—for example, if a device's contact information transmission and reception is increased or if the VLAN configuration changes—a re-setting process is required, which is time-consuming.

[0006] The present invention was made in view of the foregoing problems and an object of the present invention is to provide a line merging device which is capable of transmitting and receiving contact information without performing a fixing, while reducing the number of lines or avoiding an increase in a case in which any change to a connection configuration of equipment in a railway vehicle has been made. Solution to the problem

[0007] To solve the aforementioned problems and achieve the objective, one aspect of the present invention provides a line merging device comprising at least one subunit. The subunit comprises: at least one input / output module for outputting, to a control module, a first serial signal containing contact information obtained by performing parallel-to-serial conversion of a plurality of contact information components collected from a plurality of devices; and for outputting, to a corresponding device, each of the plurality of contact information components obtained by performing serial-to-parallel conversion of a second serial signal containing contact information obtained from the control module.The subunit further comprises the control module for generating a transmission frame by arranging the first serial signal, obtained from the input / output module at a defined frame position, for transmitting the generated transmission frame to another line merging device connected to the control module, for extracting the second serial signal, arranged at a defined frame position, from a received frame obtained from the other line merging device, and for outputting the extracted second serial signal to the input / output module in accordance with the second serial signal. Advantageous effects of the invention

[0008] According to the present invention, an effect is achieved by which the line merging device can transmit and receive contact information without performing a fixing, while reducing the number of lines or avoiding an increase in a case where any change has been made to a connection configuration of equipment in a rail vehicle. Brief description of drawings Fig. Figure 1 shows a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a line merging system. Fig. Figure 2 shows a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a conduit merging device represented by modules. Fig. Figure 3 shows a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of the line merging device. Fig. Figure 4 shows a diagram illustrating an example of a frame format of a transmission frame generated by a frame generation unit of a control module. Fig. Figure 5 shows a flowchart of an operation for determining whether the line merging device can transmit and receive a frame containing contact information to and from another line merging device. Fig. Figure 6 shows a flowchart of an operation that is carried out when the line merging device transmits a frame containing contact information to another line merging device. Fig. Figure 7 shows a flowchart of an operation that is carried out when the line merging device receives a frame containing contact information from another line merging device. Fig. Figure 8 shows a diagram that represents another example of a frame format of a transmission frame generated by the frame generation unit of the control module. Fig. Figure 9 shows a diagram illustrating an example of a case in which a processing circuit of the control module provided in the line merging device is configured by a processor and a memory. Fig. Figure 10 shows a diagram illustrating an example of a case in which the processing circuit of the control module provided in the line merging device is configured by assigned hardware. Description of embodiments

[0009] A line merging device, a line merging system, and a contact information transmission method according to embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is limited to these embodiments. embodiment

[0010] Fig. Figure 1 shows a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a cable merging system 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cable merging system 5 comprises cable merging devices 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4. The cable merging devices 1-1 to 1-4 have the same configuration and are referred to as "cable merging device(s) 1" unless specifically distinguished from one another. Each cable merging device 1 is connected to the other cable merging device 1 via device-to-device cables 4. Each cable merging device 1 comprises a power supply module 2 and subunits 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3. The subunits 3-1 to 3-3 have the same configuration and are referred to as "subunit(s) 3" unless specifically distinguished from one another.The power supply modules 2 supply power to the subunits 3. The number of subunits 3 can be increased in an area where power can be supplied to it by the power supply module 2. Each subunit 3 is connected one-to-one to one of the subunits 3 present in the other line junction devices 1, via the device-to-device cable 4.

[0011] Although in the Fig. The fact that each line merging device 1 has three subunits 3 is merely an example. The number of subunits 3 can be two or fewer, or four or more. This means that each line merging device 1 has one or more subunits 3. In the line merging system 5, the subunits 3 in the line merging devices 1 transmit and receive contact information to and from each other. The contact information is a signal that is transmitted and received between devices installed in a rail vehicle. Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, a driver's cab, a door, and an air conditioning system. The device and the content of the contact information assumed in the present embodiment are common in a rail vehicle, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.The line merging device 1 is a device used to reduce the number of lines between devices that transmit and receive contact information. Therefore, in a one-way flow of contact information, two line merging devices 1 are required between the devices that transmit and receive contact information to and from each other. One line merging device 1 is used to merge multiple pieces of contact information from a plurality of devices, and the other line merging device 1 is used to convert the merged contact information back to the original number of pieces of contact information.In the stream of contact information in opposite directions, the aforementioned line merging device 1 serves to convert the merged contact information back to the original number of parts of contact information as a device that merges multiple parts of contact information and the aforementioned line merging device 1 serves to merge contact information as a device that converts the merged contact information back to the original number of parts of contact information.

[0012] Fig. Figure 2 shows a diagram illustrating an example configuration of the line aggregation device 1 according to the present embodiment, represented by modules. The line aggregation device 1 comprises the power supply module 2 and subunits 3-1 to 3-3. Each subunit 3 comprises a control module 10 and input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2. The input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2 have the same configuration and are referred to as "input / output module(s) 20" unless specifically distinguished from one another. While the line aggregation device 1 may comprise one or more subunits 3 as described above, each subunit 3 may also comprise one or more input / output modules 20.The control modules 10 control the operation of subunit 3, enabling subunit 3 to transmit and receive contact information to and from a further line aggregation device 1. The input / output module 20 is connected to a device, such as a driver's cab or a door (not shown), and transmits and receives contact information to and from that device. The number of devices that can be connected to the input / output module 20—that is, the maximum number of pieces of contact information that can be handled—is determined by the type or similar characteristics of the input / output module 20. For example, the input / output module 20 is connected to sixteen devices and transmits and receives contact information to and from each of the connected devices.In this example, the number of facilities to which the input / output module 20 is connected is sixteen; however, there is no limit to this.

[0013] Fig. Figure 3 shows a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of the line merging device 1 according to the present embodiment. Although only subunit 3-1 is shown in detail, and representations of subunits 3-2 and 3-3 are simplified, subunits 3-2 and 3-3 have a configuration identical to subunit 3-1. As described above, subunit 3-1 comprises the control module 10 and the input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2. First, the configuration of the control module 10 is described. The control module 10 comprises a module-to-module interface (IF) unit 11, a frame generation unit 12, a line-side IF unit 13, a frame processing unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0014] The module-to-module interface unit 11 receives a plurality of serial signals from the input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2. Each of these signals is converted by performing a parallel-to-serial conversion to obtain a plurality of pieces of contact information. The unit then outputs these serial signals to the frame generation unit 12. The serial signals output from the input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2 to the module-to-module interface unit 11, i.e., the control module 10, are referred to as the first serial signals.Furthermore, the module-to-module interface unit 11 receives from the frame processing unit 14 a plurality of serial signals extracted from a receive frame received by further line merging devices 1, each obtained by the other line merging device 1, which performs parallel-to-serial conversion to the plurality of parts of contact information, and outputs each of the acquired serial signals to a corresponding input / output module 20-1 and 20-2. The serial signals output by the module-to-module interface unit 11, i.e., the control module 10, to the input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2 are referred to as second serial signals.

[0015] The frame generation unit 12 arranges each of the first serial signals acquired by the input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2 at the frame position defined by the corresponding input / output module 20 to generate a transmission frame to be transmitted to a further line merging device 1.

[0016] Fig. Figure 4 shows a diagram illustrating an example of a frame format for a transmission frame generated by the frame generation unit 12 of the control module 10 according to the present embodiment. This example assumes that the maximum number of devices 6 that can be connected to each of the input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2 is sixteen. The frame generation unit 12 assigns the first serial signal acquired by the input / output module 20-1, which represents contact information for sixteen devices 6, to the frame positions from "20-1 0" to "20-1 15" from left to right in the diagram shown. Fig. The frame format shown in Figure 4 is used. Furthermore, the frame generation unit 12 assigns the first serial signal acquired by the input / output module 20-2, i.e., contact information via sixteen devices 6, to the frame position from "20-2 0" to "20-2 15" to the right of the frame position where contact information via the input / output module 20-1 is located. The size of the defined frame position is such that it can accommodate the maximum number of pieces of contact information that can be handled by the input / output module 20 from which the first serial signal to be located at that frame position is output. In a case where only one input / output module 20 is connected to the control module 10, a transmission frame has a first serial signal acquired by that single input / output module 20.

[0017] In a case where the input / output module 20 is actually connected to only eight devices 6, although it can be connected to a maximum of sixteen devices 6, the input / output module 20 generates the first serial signal by utilizing sixteen locations, omitting one location for vacant contact information, as described below. Therefore, the contact information for a specific device 6 of a specific input / output module 20 is stored at a specific location within the... Fig. The subunit 3 is arranged in the frame format shown in Figure 4. The specific position corresponds to a specific port of the input / output module 20 to which the device 6 is connected. Furthermore, the subunit 3 can have multiple input / output modules 20 as described above. For example, by designating the input / output module 20 as input / output module 20-1, input / output module 20-2, ... in sequence starting with the input / output module 20 closest to the control module 10, as shown in Figure 4. Fig. As shown in Figure 2, it is possible to uniquely determine the arrangement order of the input / output modules 20 in a frame format. In this way, the arrangement order of the input / output modules 20 and the arrangement order of contact information in the first serial signal in the frame format are preset.

[0018] Even if an address or similar is not assigned to every input / output module 20, and every piece of contact information is not assigned to every input / output module 20, the control module 10 can assign a further line merging device 1, which contains a frame in the frame format specified in Fig. As shown in section 4, it has been received, ensuring which facility 6 from which input / output module 20 the contact information at a specific position in the frame belongs to. The example of the Fig. Section 4 assumes that the number of input / output modules is two; however, even in a case where the number of input / output modules is three or more, a similar frame format can be used. For example, in a case where the number of input / output modules is three, it is sufficient if "20-3 0" to "20-3 15" are further provided on the right side of "20-2 15" in the Fig. 4 frame format shown.

[0019] Returning to the descriptions of the control module 10, the line-side IF unit 13 transmits a transmission frame, generated by the frame generation unit 12, to another line aggregation device 1 connected to it. More precisely, the line-side IF unit 13 transmits the transmission frame to the line-side IF unit 13 of the control module 10, which is located in the subunit 3 of another line aggregation device 1 connected to it. Furthermore, upon receiving a frame from another line aggregation device 1, the line-side IF unit 13 outputs the received frame to the frame processing unit 14. The frame received by the line-side IF unit 13 from another line aggregation device 1, that is, the received frame, has a Fig. 4. The frame format shown is similar to the transmission frame.

[0020] The frame processing unit 14 extracts, from the received frame captured by the line-side IF unit 13, a plurality of second serial signals arranged at the frame positions defined by the respective input / output modules 20. Specifically, when capturing the received frame in the Fig. In the frame format shown in Figure 4, the frame processing unit 14 extracts the second serial signal, which has sixteen pieces of contact information from the left, as a signal for input / output module 20-1. Furthermore, the frame processing unit 14 extracts the second serial signal, which has sixteen pieces of contact information to the right of the second serial signal for input / output module 20-1, as a signal for input / output module 20-2. The frame processing unit 14 outputs the second serial signal for input / output module 20-1 and the second serial signal for input / output module 20-2, thus extracted, to the module-to-module interface unit 11. In a case where the number of input / output modules 20 connected to the control module 10 is one, the number of second serial signals present in the receive frame is one.

[0021] The control unit 15 controls the transmission and reception of a frame, i.e., contact information, to and from another line aggregation device 1. More precisely, when the subunit 3, which contains the control module 10, is started, the control unit 15 checks the number of input / output modules 20 connected to the control module 10 in which the control unit 15 itself is located. Furthermore, the control unit 15 requests information about the number of connected input / output modules 20 from the control module 10 of another line aggregation device 1 that is connected to the control module 10 in which the control unit 15 itself is located, and receives this information from the control module 10 of the other line aggregation device 1.The control unit 15 then compares the number of input / output modules 20 connected to the control module 10, in which the control unit 15 itself is located, with the number of input / output modules 20 connected to the control module 10 of the other line aggregation device 1. If these numbers match, the control unit 15 initiates the transmission and reception of a frame containing contact information to and from the other line aggregation device 1. If these numbers do not match, the control unit 15 does not transmit or receive a frame containing contact information to and from the other line aggregation device 1.

[0022] Next, a configuration of the input / output module 20 is described. Since the input / output modules 20-1 and 20-2 have the same configuration as described above, the descriptions for input / output module 20-1 are given as an example. The input / output module 20-1 has an input unit 21, a parallel-to-serial (hereafter, PS) converter unit 22, a module-to-module IF unit 23, a serial-to-parallel (hereafter, SP) converter unit 24, and an output unit 25.

[0023] The input unit 21 collects multiple pieces of contact information from the devices 6 and outputs the collected contact information to the PS converter unit 22. The maximum number of devices 6 from which the input unit 21 can collect contact information is equal to the maximum number of devices 6 that can be connected to the input / output module 20.

[0024] The PS converter unit 22 performs a parallel-to-serial conversion of the contact information acquired by the input unit 21 to convert parallel signals into a serial signal, thereby generating the first serial signal. In a case where the number of devices 6 connected to the input / output module 20 is less than the maximum connectable number, for example, sixteen, the PS converter unit 22 generates the first serial signal by utilizing sixteen spaces, including one vacant space for contact information. This, as described above, provides contact information about a specific device 6 of a specific input / output module 20 at a specific position in the frame format defined in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the connections can be arranged as follows. In a case where, although the input unit 21 can acquire contact information from the devices 6 connected to terminals #0 to #15, no devices 6 are connected to terminals #4 to #11, for example, the PS converter unit 22 generates the first serial signal without changing the arrangement of the terminals, while omitting spaces for contact information for terminals #4 to #11. The PS converter unit 22 outputs the generated first serial signal to the module-to-module IF unit 23.

[0025] Upon receiving the first serial signal from the PS converter unit 22, the module-to-module IF unit 23 outputs the first serial signal to the control module 10. Furthermore, upon receiving the second serial signal from the control module 10, the module-to-module IF unit 23 outputs the second serial signal to the SP converter unit 24.

[0026] The SP converter unit 24 performs a serial-to-parallel conversion of the second serial signal captured by the module-to-module IF unit 23 to convert it into parallel signals. In this process, the SP converter unit 24 captures the second serial signal, which has a size corresponding to the sixteen parts of contact information in the left half or the right half of the received signal in the frame format specified in Fig. The SP converter unit 24, as shown in Figure 4, converts the second serial signal, which has a amplitude corresponding to sixteen parts of contact information, into parallel signals. The SP converter unit 24 outputs the parallel signals, which contain contact information obtained through serial-to-parallel conversion, to the output unit 25.

[0027] The output unit 25 outputs each of the parallel signals containing contact information obtained from the SP converter unit 24, that is, each of the plurality of parts of contact information, to a corresponding device 6. As shown in Fig. The facilities 6 from which input unit 21 collects contact information and the facilities 6 to which output unit 25 outputs contact information are the same. The input / output module 20 transfers contact information between the facilities 6; that is, it collects and outputs contact information to and from the facilities 6.

[0028] Next, the operation of the line merging device 1 is described. First, a description is given of the operation of determining whether the line merging device 1 can transmit a frame containing contact information to and from another line merging device 1. Fig. Figure 5 shows a flowchart of an operation for determining whether the line merging device 1 according to the present embodiment can transmit and receive a frame containing contact information to and from another line merging device 1.

[0029] First, in control module 10, when subunit 3, which contains control module 10, is started, control unit 15 checks the number of input / output modules 20 connected to control module 10, in which control unit 15 itself is present (step S1). Control unit 15 checks the number of connected input / output modules 20 via the module-to-module interface unit 11, for example. Control unit 15 then receives information from control module 10, via the additional line aggregation device 1, about the number of input / output modules 20 connected to control module 1 (step S2). The control unit 15 receives information about the number of input / output modules 20 from the control module 10 of the further line merging device 1 via the line-side IF unit 13, for example.

[0030] The control unit 15 compares the number of input / output modules 20 connected to the control module 10, in which the control unit 15 itself is located, with the number of input / output modules 20 connected to the control module 10 of the other line aggregation device 1 (step S3). If the number of input / output modules 20 matches (YES at step S3), the control unit 15 executes a control operation to transmit and receive a frame containing contact information to and from the other line aggregation device 1 (step S4). An operation that is executed when the line aggregation device 1 transmits and receives a frame containing contact information to and from the other line aggregation device 1 is described separately with reference to another flowchart.In a case where the number of input / output modules 20 does not match (NO at step S3), the control unit 15 does not transmit and receive a frame to and from the further line merging device 1 (step S5).

[0031] When a frame containing contact information is transmitted and received between two line merging devices 1, the line merging device 1 that first requests information about the number of input / output modules 20 from the other line merging device 1 at step S2 transmits a frame first. However, the method for determining which line merging device 1 transmits a frame first is not limited to this.

[0032] Next, a description is given of an operation that is carried out when line merging device 1 transmits contact information collected by itself to another line merging device 1. Fig. Figure 6 shows a flowchart of an operation that is carried out when the line merging device 1 according to the present embodiment transmits a frame containing contact information to another line merging device 1.

[0033] First, in each input / output module 20, the input unit 21 collects a plurality of contact information pieces from the devices 6 connected to it (step S11). The input unit 21 outputs the collected contact information to the PS converter unit 22. The PS converter unit 22 performs a parallel-to-serial conversion of the plurality of contact information pieces acquired by the input unit 21 to convert parallel signals into a serial signal (step S12). The PS converter unit 22 outputs the first serial signal generated by the parallel-to-serial conversion to the module-to-module IF unit 23. The module-to-module IF unit 23 outputs the acquired first serial signal to the control module 10 (step S13).

[0034] In the control module 10, the module-to-module IF unit 11 acquires the first serial signal from each input / output module 20 (step S14). The module-to-module IF unit 11 outputs the acquired first serial signals to the frame generation unit 12. The frame generation unit 12 generates a transmission frame in the frame format specified in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the first serial signals acquired by the module-to-module IF unit 11 are used (step S15). The frame generation unit 12 outputs the generated transmission frame to the line-side IF unit 13. The line-side IF unit 13 transmits the acquired transmission frame to another line aggregation device 1 (step S16).

[0035] Next, a description is given of an operation that is carried out when the line merging device 1 receives contact information from another line merging device 1. Fig. Figure 7 shows a flowchart of an operation that is carried out when the line merging device 1 according to the present embodiment receives a frame containing contact information from another line merging device 1.

[0036] First, in the control module 10, the line-side IF unit 13 receives a frame containing contact information, which was transmitted by another line merging device 1 (step S21). The line-side IF unit 13 outputs the received frame to the frame processing unit 14. The frame processing unit 14 extracts the second serial signal, located at a defined frame position, from the received frame (step S22). The frame processing unit 14 outputs the extracted second serial signal to the module-to-module IF unit 11. The module-to-module IF unit 11 outputs the second serial signal, captured by the frame processing unit 14, to the corresponding input / output module 20 (step S23).

[0037] In input / output module 20, the module-to-module IF unit 23 acquires the second serial signal from the control module 10 (step S24). The module-to-module IF unit 23 outputs the acquired second serial signal to the SP converter unit 24. The SP converter unit 24 performs a serial-to-parallel conversion on the second serial signal acquired by the module-to-module IF unit 23 to convert it into parallel signals (step S25). The SP converter unit 24 outputs the parallel signals generated by the serial-to-parallel conversion to the output unit 25. The output unit 25 outputs each of the parallel signals containing contact information acquired by the SP converter unit 24—that is, each of the multiple parts of contact information—to a corresponding device 6 (step S26).

[0038] In this way, in the line merging system 5, in the line merging device 1, each subunit 3 present in the line merging device 1 is connected one-to-one with one of the subunits 3 present in the other line merging device 1, converts several parts of contact information, which are parallel signals, into a serial signal, and transmits the serial signal. Therefore, in a rail vehicle with the line merging device 1 mounted on it, it is possible to reduce the number of lines for transmitting contact information compared to a case in which one line is required for each part of contact information.Furthermore, in the line merging system 5, for example, in a case where the number of devices 6 mounted on the rail vehicle is increased and the contact information to be transmitted is increased, or in a case where the system in the rail vehicle has been changed, it is possible to work with this increase, that is, to transmit and receive the contact information by increasing the number of input / output modules 20 in subunit 3 and without increasing the number of lines and without setting an address or similar.Specifically, even if the contact information to be handled is increased to an area that can be covered by the number of input / output modules 20, which can be increased in each subunit 3, the line merging device 1 can handle this increase without increasing the number of lines, i.e., the setup-to-setup cables 4. Furthermore, in the line merging system 5, the wiring can be simplified by using the line merging device 1, compared to a case where one line is provided for a portion of the contact information.

[0039] When the line aggregation device 1 transmits a frame to another line aggregation device 1, the frame generation unit 12 can overwrite contact information at a fixed frame position in the first serial signal and transmit the overwritten first serial signal. For example, the frame generation unit 12 overwrites contact information at a specific door of a particular vehicle to "open". If the specific door of the particular vehicle is open as a result of a transmission of a frame from the line aggregation device 1 that overwrote the contact information to the other line aggregation device 1, a user can easily verify that wiring is correctly connected from the line aggregation device 1 to the specific door of the particular vehicle.Regarding a procedure for overriding contact information, the control module 10 can be provided with an operating unit (is described in . Fig. 3 not shown) to allow the user to perform a fixing or an end device can be connected to the control module 10 to allow the user to perform the fixing.

[0040] Furthermore, the line aggregation device 1 can be configured so that the frame processing unit 14 can check contact information at a fixed frame position in the second serial signal provided in a frame received from another line aggregation device 1. Accordingly, by referring to the result of the check by the frame processing unit 14, the user can check the status of the connection from the device 6, which is connected to the other line aggregation device 1, to the line aggregation device 1 to which the user refers, and can check the content of the contact information on the other line aggregation device 1. With regard to a procedure in which the user refers to the result of the check by the frame processing unit 14, the control module 10 can be equipped with a display unit (in Fig. 3 not shown) be provided to allow the user to refer to the result, or an end device can be connected to the control module 10 to allow the user to refer to the result.

[0041] Additionally, in the line merging system 5, the subunits 3 of both line merging devices 1, which are connected on a one-to-one basis, are connected to each other identically. Therefore, it is unnecessary to define a ratio in which one of the line merging devices 1 is a master and the other a slave.

[0042] Furthermore, while the module-to-module IF unit 11 of the control module 10 and the module-to-module IF unit 23 of each input / output module 20 are directly connected to each other in the line merging device 1 in the example in Fig. Since 3 are connected, the form of the connection between the control module 10 and the input / output module 20 cannot be limited to this. The form of the connection between the module-to-module IF unit 11 and the control module 10, and the module-to-module IF unit 23 of each input / output module 20, can be a ring network form, for example.

[0043] Furthermore, in a case where a frame is transmitted from the control module 10 to the line merging device 1, the frame generation unit 12 can add an error correction code to the last frame of the transmitted frame format, which is in Fig. Add to the section shown in 4. Fig. Figure 8 shows a diagram that represents another example of a frame format of a transmission frame generated by the frame generation unit 12 of the control module 10 according to the present embodiment. The diagram in Fig. The frame format shown in section 8 is achieved by adding an error correction code at a footnote position in the document. Fig. The frame format shown in Figure 4 is obtained. In a further line merging device 1, which has received the frame with the added error correction code, the frame processing unit 14 can perform error detection by using the error correction code. The frame processing unit 14 outputs a frame in which no error was detected to the input / output module 20 via the module-to-module IF unit 11 as described above, and discards a frame in which an error was detected and does not output it to the input / output module 20. Therefore, the line merging device 1 can improve the quality of contact information to be transmitted and received.

[0044] Next, a hardware configuration of the line merging device 1 is described. In the control module 10 present in the line merging device 1, the module-to-module IF unit 11 and the line-side IF unit 13 are interface circuits. The frame generation unit 12, the frame processing unit 14, and the control unit 15 are implemented by a processing circuit. This means that the line merging device 1 has a processing circuit for transmitting and receiving a frame in which a serial signal containing contact information is located at a defined frame position. The processing circuit can be a processor that executes a program stored in memory, or it can be dedicated hardware.

[0045] Fig. Figure 9 shows a diagram illustrating an example of a case in which a processing circuit of the control module 10, present in the line aggregation device 1 according to the present embodiment, is configured with a processor and a memory. In a case in which the processing circuit is configured with a processor 91 and a memory 92, the respective functions of the processing circuit of the control module 10 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and is stored in the memory 92. The processing circuit implements its functions by the processor 91 reading and processing the program stored in the memory 92.This means that in the control module 10, the processing circuit has memory 92 for storing a program that transmits and receives a frame containing a serial signal with contact information located at a defined frame position. Furthermore, it can also be said that these programs cause a computer to execute a procedure and process of the control module 10.

[0046] The processor 91 can be, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), a processing unit, a computing unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (digital signal processor). The memory 92 corresponds, for example, to non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory and is comprised of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), Flash Memory, EPROM (Removable Programmable ROM), and EEPROM. ® (electrical EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a minidisk and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0047] Fig. Figure 10 shows a diagram illustrating an example in a case where a processing circuit of the control module 10, present in the line merging device 1 according to the present embodiment, is configured by assigned hardware. When the processing circuit is configured by assigned hardware, a processing circuit 93, which is located in Fig. Figure 10 shows, for example, a single circuit, a compound circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or a combination of these elements. These functions of the control module 10 can be implemented by the processing circuit 93 on a per-function basis or can be implemented collectively by the processing circuit 93.

[0048] The respective functions of the control module 10 can be implemented partly by dedicated hardware or partly by software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit can implement the respective functions described above by dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0049] The hardware configuration of the control module 10, which is present in the line merging device 1, has been described. The input / output module 20 is configured similarly. Interface circuits are present in the input / output module 20, the input unit 21, the module-to-module interface unit 23, and the output unit 25. The PS converter unit 22 and the SP converter unit 24 are implemented by processing circuits. The processing circuits can also include a processor that executes a program stored in memory, as shown in [reference to relevant section]. Fig. 9 is executed or can be assigned hardware, as in Fig. 10 shown.

[0050] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the line aggregation device 1 has one or more subunits 3, and each subunit 3 is connected one-to-one to one of the subunits 3 present in a further line aggregation device 1. In the subunit 3, the input / output module 20 performs a parallel-to-serial conversion of a plurality of parts of contact information acquired by the devices 6 to generate a first serial signal containing contact information, and the control module 10 arranges the first serial signal in a defined frame position to generate a transmission frame and transmits the generated transmission frame to the subunit 3 in the further line aggregation device 1.Furthermore, the control module 10 extracts a second serial signal, positioned at a defined frame position, from a received frame received by the additional line merging device 1. The input / output module 20 performs a serial-to-parallel conversion on the second serial signal and outputs each of the multiple parts of the contact information to a corresponding device 6. Therefore, in a case where any change has been made to a connection configuration of the devices 6 in a rail vehicle, the line merging device 1 can transmit and receive contact information without performing a fix, while reducing or avoiding an increasing number of lines.

[0051] Configurations in the preceding embodiment are merely examples of one aspect of the present invention. These configurations can be combined with other known techniques, and parts of each configuration can be omitted or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. Reference symbol list

[0052] 1, 1-1 to 1-4 Line aggregation device, 2 Power supply module, 3-1 to 3-3 Subunit, 4 Setup-to-setup cable, 5 Line aggregation system, 6 Setup, 10 Control module, 11, 23 Module-to-module IF unit, 12 Frame generation unit, 13 Line-side IF unit, 14 Frame processing unit, 15 Control unit, 20-1, 20-2 Input / output module, 21 Input unit, 22 PS converter unit, 24 SP converter unit, 25 Output unit.

Claims

Line merging device (1) with at least one subunit (3), the subunit (3) comprising: at least one input / output module (20) for outputting to a control module (10) a first serial signal containing contact information obtained by performing a parallel-to-serial conversion from a plurality of contact information components collected by a plurality of devices (6), and for outputting to a corresponding device (6) each of the plurality of contact information components obtained by performing a serial-to-parallel conversion from a second serial signal containing contact information acquired by the control module (10); and the control module (10) for generating a transmission frame by arranging the first serial signal acquired by the input / output module (20) at a defined frame position.for transmitting the generated transmission frame to another line merging device (1) connected to the control module (10), for extracting the second serial signal, located at a defined frame position, from a received frame captured by the other line merging device (1), and for outputting the extracted second serial signal to the input / output module (20) according to the second serial signal, and the control module (10) checks the number of input / output modules (20) connected to the control module (10) of the line merging device (1), and the number of input / output modules (20) connected from a control module (10) to the other line merging device (1). Line merging device (1) according to claim 1, wherein in a case in which the input / output module (20) present in the subunit (3) is a plurality of input / output modules (20), the control module (10) extracts the transmission frame from the received frame by arranging each of the plurality of first serial signals acquired by the input / output modules (20) at a frame position defined by a corresponding input / output module (20), and a plurality of second serial signals arranged at frame positions defined by the respective input / output modules (20), and outputting each of the extracted second serial signals to a corresponding input / output module (20). Line merging device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a size of the defined frame position is a size that allows a maximum number of parts of contact information to be arranged that are able to be handled by the input / output module (20) from which the first serial signal or the second serial signal arranged at the frame position is output. Line merging device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in a case where the number of input / output modules (20) connected to the control module (10) of the line merging device (1) is equal to the number of input / output modules (20) connected to the control module (10) of the further line merging device (1), the control module (10) of the line merging device (1) transmits a frame to and receives a frame from the further line merging device (1), and in a case where the number of input / output modules (20) connected to the control module (10) of the line merging device (1) is different from the number of input / output modules (20) connected to the control module (10) of the further line merging device (1),the control module (10) of the line merging device (1) does not transmit a frame to and receive from the further line merging device (1). Line merging device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control module (10) rewrites contact information at a fixed frame position in the first serial signal and transmits the rewritten first serial signal. Line merging device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control module (10) checks contact information at a fixed frame position in the second serial signal. Line merging device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control module (10) transmits the transmission frame with an error correction code added to it and performs error detection on the receiving frame by using an error correction code added to the receiving frame. Cable merging system (5) with a plurality of the cable merging devices (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a subunit (3) in each of the cable merging devices (1) is connected one-to-one with a subunit (3) in further of the cable merging devices (1). Contact information transmission method in a line aggregation device (1) with at least one subunit (3), wherein the subunit (3) comprises at least one input / output module (20) and a control module (10), wherein the method performed by the subunit (3) comprises: a verification step of the control module (10) that verifies the number of input / output modules (20) connected to the control module (10) of the line aggregation device (1) and the number of input / output modules (20) connected from a control module (10) of another line aggregation device (1) that is connected to the control module (10) of the line aggregation device (1); a collection step of the input / output module (20) that outputs to the control module (10) a first serial signal containing contact information.which is obtained by performing parallel-to-serial conversion of a plurality of parts of contact information collected by a plurality of devices (6); a transmission step of the control module (10) that generates a transmission frame by arranging the first serial signal, which is captured by the input / output module (20) at a defined frame position, and that transmits the generated transmission frame to the further line merging device (1); a receive step of the control module (10) that extracts a second serial signal, which has contact information arranged at a defined frame position, from a receive frame captured by the further line merging device (1), and outputs the extracted second serial signal to the input / output module (20) corresponding to the second serial signal; and an output step of the input / output module (20) that outputs,to a corresponding device (6), each of the plurality of parts of contact information obtained by performing a serial-to-parallel conversion of the second serial signal acquired by the control module (10).

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