Encoder and measurement system

Abstract

To provide an encoder for enabling a user to switch the communication speed of the encoder.SOLUTION: An encoder 100 sets a communication unit 130 to read a communication speed setting value stored in a memory 120 when power is turned on, and perform reception or transmission at a communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value, controls to transmit state detection information generated by a signal processing unit 160 to a controller 10 via the communication unit 130 when receiving a transmission request signal from the controller 10 via the communication unit 130, and stores a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120 when receiving a communication speed setting memory access command including the new communication speed setting value as data from the controller 10 via the communication unit 130.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an encoder and a measurement system, and more particularly to setting the communication speed between a controller and an encoder. [Background technology]

[0002] The encoder detects the state of the device to be measured, for example, the rotation angle of a motor or a wheel. Upon receiving a transmission request signal from the controller, the encoder transmits detected state information relating to the state of the device to the controller.

[0003] The encoder stores a communication speed setting value in non-volatile memory, and communicates with the controller at a communication speed based on this communication speed setting value. The communication speed setting value is written to the non-volatile memory by the manufacturer before the encoder is shipped. For this reason, it was not possible for the user to change the encoder's communication speed.

[0004] On the other hand, a technique for switching the communication speed of an encoder on the user side is disclosed in the following Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-54536 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described in Patent Document 1, by providing a command determination unit, setting unit, storage unit, etc. in the communication unit, it becomes possible for the user to switch the communication speed of the encoder. However, this requires dedicated circuits and components in the communication unit, which cannot be handled by general transmission and reception circuits, resulting in a problem of a complicated configuration.

[0007] For this reason, it is desirable to enable the user to switch the communication speed of the encoder without complicating the configuration of the communication unit.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an encoder and a measurement system that allows the user to switch the communication speed of the encoder without complicating the configuration of the communication section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The encoder according to the present invention comprises a memory controller, a signal processing controller, a non-volatile memory for storing a communication speed setting value, a sensing unit for detecting the state of a device to be measured, a signal processing unit for generating state detection information from the detection results of the sensing unit, and a communication unit for communicating with the controller; when the power is turned on, the memory controller reads the communication speed setting value written in the memory and sets the communication unit to receive or transmit at the communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value; when the signal processing controller receives a transmission request signal from the controller via the communication unit, it controls the state detection information generated by the signal processing unit to be sent to the controller via the communication unit; the memory controller responds to memory access from the controller and has a function of writing data to a specified address in the memory; and when it receives a communication speed setting memory access command from the controller via the communication unit, which includes a new communication speed setting value and an address in memory for the new communication speed setting value, it writes the new communication speed setting value to the address in the memory.

[0010] In the encoder of the present invention, the memory controller may start up when the power is turned on in a state in which it does not accept writing of a new communication speed setting value to the memory, and when it receives a memory access command for communication speed change permission, which includes a change permission flag and the address of the change permission flag in memory, from the controller via the communication unit, it may enter a state in which it is possible to write a new communication speed setting value to the memory.

[0011] In the encoder according to the present invention, the memory controller may return to a state in which it does not accept writing of a new communication speed setting value to the memory after writing the new communication speed setting value to the memory.

[0012] In the encoder of the present invention, when the memory controller is in a state where it is possible to write a new communication speed setting value to memory, and receives a memory access command for disallowing a communication speed change from the controller via the communication unit, the memory access command including a change disallowance flag and the address of the change disallowance flag in memory, the memory controller may return to a state where it does not accept the writing of a new communication speed setting value to memory.

[0013] In the encoder according to the present invention, the memory controller has a function of responding to memory access from the controller and reading data from a specified address in the memory, and when it receives a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value, which includes the address of the communication speed setting value written in the memory, from the controller via the communication unit, it reads the communication speed setting value from the address in the memory and transmits the read communication speed setting value to the controller via the communication unit.

[0014] In the encoder of the present invention, the communication unit may have a receiving unit that is capable of changing the communication speed and receives at a communication speed set by a communication speed setting value, a transmitting unit that is capable of changing the communication speed and transmits at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value, and a fixed-speed receiving unit that receives at a predetermined fixed communication speed.

[0015] In the encoder of the present invention, the communication unit may have a plurality of receiving units that are capable of changing the communication speed and receive at different communication speeds set by a communication speed setting value, a plurality of transmitting units that are capable of changing the communication speed and transmit at different communication speeds set by a communication speed setting value, and a plurality of fixed-speed receiving units that receive at different predetermined fixed communication speeds.

[0016] In the encoder according to the present invention, the fixed communication speed in the communication section may be set to be lower than the lowest communication speed set by the communication speed setting value.

[0017] In the encoder according to the present invention, the fixed communication speed in the communication section may be set to be lower than half of the minimum communication speed set by the communication speed setting value.

[0018] The measurement system according to the present invention comprises a controller that communicates with an encoder, and the encoder that communicates with the controller, and the controller and the encoder communicate at a communication speed set by a communication speed setting value written in memory based on a communication speed setting memory access command from the controller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the encoder of the present invention, the communication speed of the encoder can be switched on the user side without complicating the configuration of the communication section. According to the measurement system of the present invention, the communication speed of the encoder can be switched on the user side without complicating the configuration of the communication section of the encoder. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a measurement system including a controller and an encoder according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a format of a memory access instruction used in the first embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a measurement system including a controller and an encoder according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an encoder according to a second embodiment together with a speed setting value. [Figure 5] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a measurement system including a controller and an encoder according to a third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing an encoder according to a third embodiment together with a speed setting value. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a measurement system including a controller and an encoder in a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An encoder and a measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0022] Embodiment 1 First, the configuration of a measurement system 1 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system 1 including a controller 10 and an encoder 100 in the first embodiment. Here, the controller 10 functions as a host computer, and the encoder 100 functions as a terminal device.

[0023] [Configuration of the Encoder 100 of the First Embodiment] 1, an encoder 100 is configured to be able to communicate with a controller 10. The encoder 100 mainly includes a control unit 110, a memory 120, a communication unit 130, a sensing unit 150, and a signal processing unit 160.

[0024] The control unit 110 includes a memory controller 111 and a signal processing controller 112 .

[0025] The main functions of the memory controller 111 are as follows: When the encoder 100 is powered on, the memory controller 111 reads the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120 and sets the communication unit 130 to receive or transmit at the communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value. When the memory controller 111 receives the communication speed setting memory access command from the controller 10, it stores a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120. The communication speed setting memory access command includes the new communication speed setting value and the address in the memory 120 of the new communication speed setting value. When power is turned on, the memory controller 111 sets the memory 120 to a state in which it does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120. At this time, the memory controller 111 refers to a change permission flag or a change non-permission flag stored in a predetermined address in the memory 120. When the memory controller 111 receives the memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed from the controller 10, it enables the memory 120 to store a new communication speed setting value. The memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed includes a change permission flag and the address of the change permission flag in the memory 120. The memory controller 111 stores the change permission flag at a predetermined address in the memory 120. When the memory controller 111 receives the memory access command for disallowing a change in communication speed from the controller 10, the memory controller 111 returns to a state in which it does not accept writing of a new communication speed setting value to the memory 120. The memory access command for disallowing a change in communication speed includes a change disallow flag and the address of the change disallow flag in the memory 120. The memory controller 111 then stores the change disallow flag at a predetermined address in the memory 120. When the memory controller 111 receives a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value, which includes the address of the communication speed setting value, from the controller 10, it reads the communication speed setting value from the specified address in the memory 120 and transmits the read communication speed setting value to the controller 10 via the communication unit 130.

[0026] In response to a transmission request signal from the controller 10, the signal processing controller 112 transmits the state detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 to the controller 10 via the communication unit .

[0027] The memory 120 stores various setting values, a change permission flag, a change non-permission flag, and a communication speed setting value at predetermined addresses under the control of the memory controller 111. Note that with respect to the memory 120, the terms "memory," "storage," and "write" have the same meaning.

[0028] The communication unit 130 includes a receiving unit 131 and a transmitting unit 132. The receiving unit 131 and the transmitting unit 132 communicate with the controller 10 at a communication speed set by the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120 by the memory controller 111.

[0029] The receiving unit 131 is configured to be able to change the communication speed. The receiving unit 131 receives from the controller 10 a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting a communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value, at the communication speed set by the memory controller 111 from the memory 120.

[0030] The transmitting unit 132 is configured to be able to change the communication speed. The transmitting unit 132 transmits the state detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 and the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120 to the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120 by the memory controller 111.

[0031] The sensing unit 150 magnetically or optically detects the state of the measurement target device, for example, the rotation angle of a motor or a wheel. The sensing unit 150 supplies the detection result regarding the state of the measurement target device to the signal processing unit 160.

[0032] The signal processing unit 160 processes the detection results of the sensing unit 150 and generates state detection information including the position, angle, or speed. The state detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 is transmitted to the controller 10 via the communication unit 130 under the control of the signal processing controller 112 in response to a transmission request signal from the controller 10.

[0033] Comparative example. Here, the configuration of a measurement system 1x as a comparative example to the measurement system 1 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a measurement system 1x including a controller 10x and an encoder 100x in the comparative example. In FIG. 7, in the configuration of the measurement system 1x, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and components different from those in FIG. 1 are given an "x" at the end of the reference numerals. Therefore, redundant explanations will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the parts different from FIG. 1.

[0034] [Configuration of Encoder 100x in Comparative Example] 7, an encoder 100x is configured to be able to communicate with a controller 10x. The encoder 100x mainly includes a control unit 110x, a memory 120x, a communication unit 130, a sensing unit 150, and a signal processing unit 160.

[0035] The control unit 110x includes a memory controller 111x and a signal processing controller 112.

[0036] Before the encoder 100x is shipped, the memory 120x stores the communication speed setting value via a dedicated port or the like indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 7. After the encoder 100x is shipped, the memory 120x cannot store a new communication speed setting value via the memory controller 111x.

[0037] When the encoder 100x is powered on, the memory controller 111x reads out the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120x, and sets the communication unit 130 so that reception or transmission is performed at the communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value.

[0038] The communication unit 130 includes a receiving unit 131 and a transmitting unit 132. The communication unit 130 communicates with the controller 10x at a communication speed set by the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120x by the memory controller 111x.

[0039] That is, the receiving unit 131 receives a transmission request signal from the controller 10x at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120x by the memory controller 111x. The transmitting unit 132 transmits the state detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 to the controller 10x at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120x by the memory controller 111x.

[0040] [Operation of Encoder 100x in Comparative Example] The encoder 100x shown in FIG. 7 communicates with the controller 10x via a communication unit 130 to which a communication speed setting value stored in a nonvolatile memory 120x is set. The communication speed setting value is written into the memory 120x by the manufacturer before shipping the encoder 100x via a dedicated port or the like indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 7. For this reason, the user cannot change or switch the communication speed of the encoder 100x.

[0041] [Operation of the Encoder 100 of the First Embodiment] Below, the operation of the encoder 100 will be explained separately for when the power is turned on, when a request signal for a transmission request is received, when a memory access command for setting the communication speed is received, when a memory access command for allowing a communication speed change is received, when a memory access command for not allowing a communication speed change is received, and when a memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value is received.

[0042] Here, the request signal for transmission request is a general request signal known as RTS (Request To Send), which is a signal requesting that the status detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 based on the detection results of the sensing unit 150 be transmitted to the controller 10. The communication speed setting memory access command is a command that includes as data a new communication speed setting value to be stored in memory 120 and the address in memory 120 of the new communication speed setting value, and stores the new communication speed setting value in memory 120. The communication speed change permission memory access command includes a change permission flag and the address of the change permission flag in memory 120, and is a command that enables memory 120 to store a new communication speed setting value. The communication speed change disallowance memory access command includes a change disallowance flag and the address of the change disallowance flag in memory 120, and is a command that makes it impossible for memory 120 to store a new communication speed setting value. The memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value includes a command to read the communication speed setting value written in memory 120 and the address of the communication speed setting value in memory 120, and is a command requesting that the communication speed setting value read from memory 120 be sent to the controller 10.

[0043] The above-mentioned memory access command for setting the communication speed, memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value can be realized using the communication format of a general direct memory access command shown in Figure 2(a).

[0044] For example, the fields in the format shown in FIG. 2(a) are as follows: The control field CF contains command information relating to the type of command. The address field ADF contains address information for writing to or reading from memory 120. The data field EDF contains information on the communication speed setting value or various flags to be written to memory 120. In the case of a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value, the data field EDF is composed of dummy data. The check field CRC contains error check information using CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) for all bits excluding the start bit and delimiter of all fields other than the CRC field.

[0045] When the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120 is transmitted from the encoder 100 to the controller 10 in response to a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value, the communication format shown in Figure 2(b), which is similar to Figure 2(a), can be used. In (b) of Fig. 2, the control field CF uses the field contents of (a) of Fig. 2 as is. The address field ADF contains address information when read from memory 120. The data field EDF contains information on the communication speed setting value read from memory 120. The check field CRC contains error check information by CRC for all bits excluding the start bit and delimiter of all fields other than the CRC field.

[0046] ·When powering on: When the power supply to the encoder 100 is turned on, the control unit 110 initializes each part and executes the following initial operations. The memory controller 111 reads out the communication speed setting value stored in a predetermined address of the memory 120. The memory controller 111 sets the receiving unit 131 to receive at the communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value, and sets the transmitting unit 132 to transmit at the communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value. The memory controller 111 may start up in a state where it does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120, in order to prevent erroneous storage of the communication speed setting value in the memory 120 and unauthorized operation.

[0047] When a request signal for requesting transmission is received: The receiving unit 131 receives the transmission request signal from the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. The receiving unit 131 sends the received transmission request signal to the signal processing controller 112. In response to a transmission request signal from the controller 10, the signal processing controller 112 sends the status detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 based on the detection result of the sensing unit 150 to the transmitting unit 132. The transmitting unit 132 transmits the status detection information to the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value.

[0048] When receiving a memory access command to enable a change in communication speed: When the encoder 100 is powered on, the memory controller 111 may start up in a state where it does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting in the memory 120 . The receiving unit 131 receives the memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed from the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. The receiving unit 131 sends the received memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed to the memory controller 111. This memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed includes a change permission flag and the address of the change permission flag in the memory 120. The memory controller 111 writes a change permission flag to a specified address in the memory 120 in response to a memory access command for permission to change the communication speed from the controller 10 . The memory controller 111 references the change permission flag at the specified address in the memory 120, cancels the state in which the memory 120 does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value, and makes it possible to store a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120. Therefore, until a memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed is received from the controller 10, the memory 120 is not allowed to store a new communication speed setting value, thereby protecting the communication speed setting value in the memory 120 and improving reliability. After the memory controller 111 has enabled the memory 120 to store a new communication speed setting value using a memory access command for permitting a communication speed change, the memory controller 111 may return to a state in which the memory 120 does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value after a certain period of time has elapsed or after the new communication speed setting value has been stored in the memory 120.

[0049] When receiving a memory access command to disable communication speed change: The receiving unit 131 receives the memory access command for disallowing a change in communication speed from the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. The receiving unit 131 sends the received memory access command for disallowing a change in communication speed to the memory controller 111. The memory access command for disallowing a change in communication speed includes a change disallowance flag and the address in the memory 120 of the change disallowance flag. In response to the communication speed change disallowance memory access command from the controller 10, the memory controller 111 writes a change disallowance flag to a specified address in the memory 120. The memory controller 111 references the change prohibition flag at the specified address in the memory 120, sets the memory 120 to a state that does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value, and makes it impossible to store a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120. As a result, the state changes from one in which it is possible to accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value in memory 120 to one in which it is not possible to accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value in memory 120, thereby protecting the communication speed setting value in memory 120 and improving reliability.

[0050] When receiving a memory access command for setting the communication speed: The receiving unit 131 receives the communication speed setting memory access command from the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. The receiving unit 131 sends the received communication speed setting memory access command to the memory controller 111. The communication speed setting memory access command includes the new communication speed setting value and the address in the memory 120 of the new communication speed setting value. In response to the communication speed setting memory access command from the controller 10, the memory controller 111 writes a new communication speed setting value to a specified address in the memory 120. In this case, the memory controller 111 overwrites the communication speed setting value already stored in the memory 120 with the new communication speed setting value.

[0051] When receiving a memory access command to check the communication speed setting: The receiving unit 131 receives the memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value from the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. The receiving unit 131 sends the received memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value to the memory controller 111. The memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value includes a command to read the communication speed setting value written in the memory 120 and the address in the memory 120 of the communication speed setting value. In response to a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value from the controller 10, the memory controller 111 reads out the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120 from the specified address, and transmits the read communication speed setting value from the transmitter 132 to the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. This allows the controller 10 to reliably know the communication speed setting value in the encoder 100.

[0052] [Effects obtained by the first embodiment] The encoder 100 of embodiment 1 includes a control unit 110, a non-volatile memory 120 that stores a communication speed setting value, a sensing unit 150 that detects the state of the device to be measured, a signal processing unit 160 that generates state detection information from the detection result of the sensing unit 150, and a communication unit 130 that communicates with the controller 10. When powered on, the memory controller 111 reads the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120 and sets the communication unit 130 so that reception or transmission is performed at the communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value. In response to a transmission request signal from the controller 10 via the communication unit 130, the signal processing controller 112 controls the state detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 to be transmitted to the controller 10 via the communication unit 130. When the memory controller 111 receives a memory access command for setting the communication speed from the controller 10 via the communication unit 130 , it writes a new communication speed setting value into the memory 120 at a specified address. According to the encoder 100 described above, it becomes possible for the user to switch the communication speed of the encoder 100 from the controller 10, without complicating the configuration of the communication unit 130. According to the measurement system 1 having the controller 10 and the encoder 100 described above, it becomes possible for the user to switch the communication speed of the encoder 100 from the controller 10, without complicating the configuration of the communication unit 130 of the encoder 100.

[0053] In the encoder 100 of the first embodiment, when the memory controller 111 receives a memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed from the controller 10 via the communication unit 130 while not accepting the storage of a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120, the memory controller 111 enters a state in which it is possible to store a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120. Therefore, until a memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed is received from the controller 10, the memory 120 is not allowed to store a new communication speed setting value, thereby protecting the communication speed setting value in the memory 120 and improving reliability.

[0054] In the encoder 100 of the first embodiment, a memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed enables storage in the memory 120, and after a new communication speed setting value is stored in the memory 120, the memory controller 111 returns to a state in which it does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120. Therefore, after a new communication speed setting value is stored in memory 120, the memory 120 is again put into a state where it will not accept new communication speed setting values ​​to be stored therein, thereby protecting the communication speed setting value in memory 120 and improving reliability.

[0055] In the encoder 100 of the first embodiment, when a memory access command for permitting a change in communication speed is received from the controller 10 via the communication unit 130, the memory controller 111 enters a state in which it does not accept the storage of a new communication speed setting value in the memory 120. Therefore, since the memory 120 is in a state where new communication speed setting values ​​cannot be stored, the communication speed setting values ​​in the memory 120 are protected, and reliability can be improved.

[0056] In the encoder 100 according to the first embodiment, when the memory controller 111 receives a memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value from the controller 10, the memory controller 111 transmits the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120 to the controller 10. As a result, even if the controller 10 does not recognize the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120 of the encoder 100, the controller 10 can reliably know the communication speed setting value of the encoder 100.

[0057] Embodiment 2 Next, the configuration of the measurement system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system 1 including the controller 10 and the encoder 100 according to the second embodiment. Next, the configuration of the measurement system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system 1 including the encoder 100 according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 3, the same components as those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, so duplicated explanations will be omitted and the following explanation will focus on the parts that differ from Fig. 1.

[0058] [Configuration of the Encoder 100 of the Second Embodiment] The encoder 100 shown in FIG. 3 differs from the encoder 100 shown in FIG. 1 in the following respects.

[0059] In addition to the receiving section 131 and the transmitting section 132, the communication section 130 further includes a fixed rate receiving section 133 that receives at a fixed communication rate. The fixed-rate receiving unit 133 receives in parallel with the receiving unit 131 at a communication speed that does not overlap with that of the receiving unit 131. The fixed communication speed of the fixed-rate receiving unit 133 is predetermined to be slower than the communication speed of the receiving unit 131 determined by the speed setting value.

[0060] The control unit 110 is further provided with a switching unit 113 in addition to the memory controller 111 and the signal processing controller 112 . The switching unit 113 provides the signal processing controller 112 with a request signal for transmission request received from the controller 10 by the receiving unit 131 or the fixed-rate receiving unit 133 . The switching unit 113 provides the memory access command for setting the communication speed, the memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, the memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and the memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value received from the controller 10 by the receiving unit 131 or the fixed speed receiving unit 133 to the memory controller 111.

[0061] [Operation of the Encoder 100 of the Second Embodiment] In embodiment 2, when the controller 10 does not recognize the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120 in the encoder 100, it transmits a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting the communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value to the encoder 100 at a fixed communication speed. Various access commands transmitted from the controller 10 at a fixed communication speed are received by the fixed speed receiving unit 133. The various access commands received by the fixed speed receiving unit 133 are sent to the control unit 110.

[0062] A specific and effective usage example is that when the controller 10 does not recognize the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120 in the encoder 100, it sends a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value to the encoder 100 at a fixed communication speed. The fixed-speed receiver 133 receives the memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value transmitted from the controller 10 at the fixed communication speed. The received memory access command for checking the communication speed setting value is sent to the memory controller 111 via the switching unit 113. In response to a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value from the controller 10, the memory controller 111 reads out the communication speed setting value stored in the memory 120, and transmits the read communication speed setting value from the transmitting unit 132 to the controller 10 at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. This allows the controller 10 to know the communication speed setting value in the encoder 100 with certainty. In addition to the above description, in the second embodiment, the receiving unit 131 and the transmitting unit 132 can be used to perform the same operations as in the first embodiment.

[0063] [Specific Example of Communication Speed ​​Setting in Encoder 100 of Embodiment 2] A specific example of the communication speed setting of the communication unit 130 in the encoder 100 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the encoder 100 according to the second embodiment together with the speed setting value. The receiving unit 131 receives from the controller 10 a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting the communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value at a second communication speed within the range of 1.25 Mbps to 10 Mbps set by the communication speed setting value. The transmitting unit 132 transmits the status detection information generated by the signal processing unit 160 and the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120 to the controller 10 at a second communication speed within the range of 1.25 Mbps to 10 Mbps set by the communication speed setting value. The fixed speed receiving unit 133 receives from the controller 10 a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting the communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value at a predetermined fixed communication speed of 0.5 Mbps.

[0064] In the above specific example, in order to ensure reliable communication between the controller 10 and the encoder 100, the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiving unit 133 is set lower than the lowest communication speed of the receiving unit 131 and the transmitting unit 132. On the other hand, in order to improve the responsiveness of the encoder 100, the communication speeds of the receiving unit 131 and the transmitting unit 132 are set higher than the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiving unit 133. If the communication speed of the receiving unit 131 overlaps with the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiving unit 133, the receiving unit 131 and the fixed-speed receiving unit 133 will receive the same data simultaneously, which is undesirable. Therefore, to prevent the communication speed of the receiving unit 131 and the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiving unit 133 from overlapping, the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiving unit 133 is set lower than the minimum value of the communication speed of the receiving unit 131. In order to prevent the fixed-rate receiving unit 133 from responding at a period half the minimum value of the communication speed of the receiving unit 131, the fixed communication speed of the fixed-rate receiving unit 133 is set lower than half the minimum value of the communication speed of the receiving unit 131. With this configuration, the controller 10 and the encoder 100 can communicate at either a slow but reliable fixed communication speed, or a changeable communication speed that is faster than the fixed communication speed.

[0065] [Effects obtained by the second embodiment] According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.

[0066] In the encoder 100 of the second embodiment, the communication unit 130 has a receiving unit 131 that receives at a communication speed set by a communication speed setting value, a transmitting unit 132 that transmits at a communication speed set by the communication speed setting value, and a fixed speed receiving unit 133 that receives at a predetermined fixed communication speed. With this configuration, in the encoder 100, either the receiving unit 131 or the fixed-speed receiving unit 133 can reliably receive communication from the controller 10, depending on the communication speed on the controller 10 side. This allows the controller 10 and the encoder 100 to communicate at either a slow but reliable fixed communication speed or a changeable communication speed that is faster than the fixed communication speed. This allows the user to switch the communication speed of the controller 10 to the encoder 100 without complicating the configuration of the communication unit 130 of the encoder 100.

[0067] In the encoder 100 of the second embodiment, the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiving unit 133 is set to a low speed that is lower than the lowest value of the communication speed of the receiving unit 131 . Therefore, the controller 10 and the encoder 100 can reliably communicate at a slow fixed communication speed. On the other hand, the communication speed between the receiver 131 and transmitter 132 is set higher than the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiver 133, so the responsiveness of the encoder 100 can be improved.

[0068] In the encoder 100 of the second embodiment, the fixed communication speed of the fixed-speed receiver 133 is set to be lower than half the minimum value of the communication speed of the receiver 131 . This makes it possible to prevent the fixed-rate receiver 133 from responding at a cycle that is half the minimum value of the communication rate of the receiver 131.

[0069] Embodiment 3 Next, the configuration of the measurement system 1 in the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system 1 including the encoder 100 in the third embodiment. In Fig. 5, the same components as those in Figs. 1 and 3 are given the same reference numerals, and components different from those in Figs. 1 and 3 are given the suffix "a" or "b". Therefore, redundant explanations will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the parts that are different from Figs. 1 and 3.

[0070] [Configuration of Encoder 100 of Third Embodiment] In FIG. 5, the communication unit 130 is provided with a plurality of receiving units 131a, 131b that receive at different communication speeds set by a communication speed setting value, a plurality of transmitting units 132a, 132b that transmit at different communication speeds set by a communication speed setting value, and a plurality of fixed-speed receiving units 133a, 133b that receive at different predetermined fixed communication speeds.

[0071] [Specific Example of Communication Speed ​​Setting in Encoder 100 of Embodiment 3] A specific example of the communication speed setting of the communication unit 130 in the encoder 100 will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the encoder 100 according to the third embodiment together with the speed setting value.

[0072] The receiving unit 131a receives from the controller 10 a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting the communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value, at a communication speed within the range of 1.25 Mbps to 10 Mbps set by the communication speed setting value. The receiving unit 131b receives from the controller 10 a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting the communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value, at a communication speed within the range of 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps set by the communication speed setting value.

[0073] The transmitter 132a transmits the status detection information generated by the signal processor 160 and the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120 to the controller 10 at a communication speed within the range of 1.25 Mbps to 10 Mbps set by the communication speed setting value. The transmitter 132b transmits the state detection information generated by the signal processor 160 and the communication speed setting value read from the memory 120 to the controller 10 at a communication speed within the range of 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps set by the communication speed setting value.

[0074] The fixed speed receiving unit 133a receives a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting the communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value from the controller 10 at a predetermined fixed communication speed of 0.2 Mbps. The fixed speed receiving unit 133b receives a request signal for requesting transmission, a memory access command for setting the communication speed, a memory access command for allowing a change in the communication speed, a memory access command for not allowing a change in the communication speed, and a memory access command for confirming the communication speed setting value from the controller 10 at a predetermined fixed communication speed of 0.5 Mbps.

[0075] Receiving units 131a and 131b are configured with circuit configurations and elements suitable for their respective communication speed ranges. Similarly, transmitting units 132a and 132b are configured with circuit configurations and elements suitable for their respective communication speed ranges. Similarly, fixed-rate receiving units 133a and 133b are configured with circuit configurations and elements suitable for their respective communication speed ranges. Therefore, by dividing the receiving units 131a and 131b, the transmitting units 132a and 132b, and the fixed-speed receiving units 133a and 133b into low-speed and high-speed units, it becomes possible to more easily accommodate wideband communication speeds than by using a single receiving unit 131, a single transmitting unit 132, and a single fixed-speed receiving unit 133.

[0076] In the specific example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, there are two receiving units 131a and 131b, two transmitting units 132a and 132b, and two fixed-rate receiving units 133a and 133b. Alternatively, it is possible to set the number of times to three or more and receive and transmit at low, medium, high, and ultra-high speeds. In this case, too, by configuring the circuitry and elements appropriate for each communication speed range, it becomes possible to efficiently support wideband communication speeds.

[0077] [Effects obtained by the third embodiment] In the encoder 100 of the third embodiment, the communication unit 130 has a plurality of receiving units 131a and 131b, a plurality of transmitting units 132a and 132b, and a plurality of fixed-speed receiving units 133a and 133b. Here, the multiple receivers 131a and 131b receive at different communication speeds set by communication speed setting values, the multiple transmitters 132a and 132b transmit at different communication speeds set by communication speed setting values, and the multiple fixed-speed receivers 133a and 133b receive at different predetermined fixed communication speeds. The multiple receivers 131a and 131b, the multiple transmitters 132a and 132b, and the multiple fixed-rate receivers 133a and 133b can be configured with circuit configurations and elements suited to their respective communication speed ranges, making it easier to support a wider range of communication speeds than with a single fixed-rate receiver 133, a single receiver 131, and a single transmitter 132. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 measurement system, 10 controller, 100 encoder, 110 control unit, 111 memory controller, 112 signal processing controller, 113 switching unit, 120 memory, 130 communication unit, 131, 131a, 131b receiving unit, 132, 132a, 132b transmitting unit, 133, 133a, 133b fixed speed receiving unit, 150 sensing unit, 160 signal processing unit.

Claims

1. A memory controller (111); a signal processing controller (112); a non-volatile memory (120) for storing a communication speed setting value; a sensing unit (150) for detecting the state of a measurement target device; a signal processing unit (160) that generates state detection information from the detection result of the sensing unit (150); a communication unit (130) that communicates with the controller (10); Equipped with When power is turned on, the memory controller (111) reads the communication speed setting value written in the memory (120) and sets the communication unit (130) to receive or transmit at the communication speed set by the read communication speed setting value; When the signal processing controller (112) receives a transmission request signal from the controller (10) via the communication unit (130), the signal processing controller (112) controls the signal processing unit (160) to transmit the state detection information generated by the signal processing unit (160) to the controller (10) via the communication unit (130); The memory controller (111) The memory controller (10) has a function of writing data to a specified address in the memory (120) in response to a memory access from the controller (10), When a communication speed setting memory access command including a new communication speed setting value and an address of the new communication speed setting value in the memory (120) is received from the controller (10) via the communication unit (130), the new communication speed setting value is written to the address of the memory (120). Encoder.

2. The memory controller (111) When powered on, the device starts up in a state where writing of the new communication speed setting value to the memory (120) is not accepted, When a communication speed change permission memory access command including a change permission flag and an address of the change permission flag in the memory (120) is received from the controller (10) via the communication unit (130), the new communication speed setting value becomes ready to be written to the memory (120). The encoder of claim 1 .

3. After writing the new communication speed setting value to the memory (120), the memory controller (111) returns to a state in which it does not accept writing of the new communication speed setting value to the memory (120). The encoder of claim 2 .

4. When the memory controller (111) receives a memory access command for disallowing a change in communication speed, which includes a change disallowance flag and an address of the change disallowance flag in the memory (120), from the controller (10) via the communication unit (130) in a state in which the new communication speed setting value can be written to the memory (120), the memory controller (111) returns to a state in which it does not accept writing of the new communication speed setting value to the memory (120). The encoder of claim 2 .

5. The memory controller (111) The memory controller (10) has a function of reading data from a specified address in the memory (120) in response to a memory access from the controller (10), When a memory access command for confirming a communication speed setting value, which includes the address of the communication speed setting value written in the memory (120), is received from the controller (10) via the communication unit (130), the communication speed setting value is read from the address in the memory (120), and the read communication speed setting value is transmitted to the controller (10) via the communication unit (130). The encoder of claim 1 .

6. The communication unit (130) a receiving unit (131) that can change the communication speed and receives at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value; a transmission unit (132) that can change the communication speed and transmits at the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value; a fixed rate receiving unit (133) for receiving at a predetermined fixed communication rate; The encoder of claim 5 .

7. The communication unit (130) a plurality of receiving units (131a, 131b) that are capable of changing the communication speed and receive at different communication speeds set by the communication speed setting values; a plurality of transmitting units (132a, 132b) capable of changing the communication speed and transmitting at different communication speeds set by the communication speed setting values; a plurality of fixed rate receiving units (133a, 133b) for receiving at different predetermined fixed communication rates; The encoder of claim 1 .

8. In the communication unit (130), the fixed communication speed is set to be lower than the minimum value of the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. The encoder of claim 6.

9. In the communication unit (130), the fixed communication speed is set to be lower than half of the minimum value of the communication speed set by the communication speed setting value. The encoder of claim 6.

10. a controller (10) in communication with the encoder (100); The encoder (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 in communication with the controller (10), The controller (10) and the encoder (100) communicate at a communication speed set by the communication speed setting value written in the memory (120) based on a communication speed setting memory access command from the controller (10). Measurement system.

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