Network equipment and network systems

Abstract

To achieve a network device capable of immediately stopping the operation of at least a portion of a slave device that has an abnormality and at least a portion of other slave devices that are linked to the slave device, even when an abnormality occurs on the slave device.SOLUTION: A control unit (23) of a network device (2N) transmits a response instruction to the other slave devices (2) registered on a configuration list, transmits to the other slave devices (2) registered on the configuration list an instruction to stop at least a portion of the operation thereof when any of the other slave devices (2) does not respond to the response instruction, and stops at least a portion of the operation of the network device (2N).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a network device and a network system using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of factory automation (FA), various types of devices that share the work process are controlled. In order to link various controllers, remote I / O, and manufacturing devices used for work in a certain area such as a factory facility, industrial networks, also called field networks, that connect these devices are constructed.

[0003] A typical industrial network uses a master-slave system consisting of various slave devices and a master device. The slave devices are devices that control the equipment installed in the factory or collect data. The master device is a device called a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), for example, that centrally manages these slave devices.

[0004] In conventional network systems, a technique is known in which a master device transmits a PING to each of a plurality of slave devices to determine whether each of the slave devices is controlled by the master device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-99777 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the conventional network system as described above, when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, it may be difficult to immediately stop at least a part of the operation of the slave device and at least a part of the operation of other slave devices linked to the slave device. In particular, in the conventional network system, when the number of slave devices installed on a production line increases due to an increase in the number of parts of a product or subdivision of the manufacturing process, the communication load on the master device for the slave devices increases, and the master device may not be able to smoothly monitor the slave devices. As a result, in the conventional network system, when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, it may be difficult to immediately stop at least a part of the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality occurs and at least a part of the operation of other slave devices linked to the slave device.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a network device and a network system that, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, can immediately stop at least a portion of the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality has occurred and at least a portion of the operation of other slave devices linked to that slave device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure employs the following configuration.

[0009] A network device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a network device that is a slave device used in a network system to which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected, and includes a communication unit that transmits and receives data between the other slave devices, a memory unit that pre-stores a configuration list of a group including the network device and at least one of the other slave devices, and a control unit that controls each unit of the network device, and the control unit is configured to send a response instruction to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list via the communication unit, and if there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, to send an instruction to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list via the communication unit to stop at least a portion of the operation of the other slave devices, and to stop at least a portion of the operation of the network device.

[0010] According to the above configuration, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality occurred and at least a portion of the operation of other slave devices linked to that slave device can be immediately stopped.

[0011] In the network device relating to the above-mentioned aspect, the network device may further include an abnormality notification unit that executes an abnormality notification, and the control unit may be configured to cause the abnormality notification unit to execute an abnormality notification when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction.

[0012] According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device, the occurrence of the abnormality can be reliably notified.

[0013] In the network device according to the aforementioned aspect, the abnormality notification unit may have a light-emitting element, and the abnormality notification may be performed by lighting up the light-emitting element.

[0014] According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device, the occurrence of the abnormality can be visually confirmed.

[0015] In the network device relating to the above-mentioned aspect, the memory unit may pre-store a notification list in which at least one of the master device and the other slave devices is registered, and the control unit may be configured to send a notification that an abnormality has occurred to the master device or the slave device registered in the notification list when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction.

[0016] According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, the occurrence of the abnormality can be notified to the master device or the slave device.

[0017] In the network device relating to the above-mentioned aspect, the notification list may further include a display device that displays the occurrence of an abnormality, and the control unit may be configured to send a notification that an abnormality has occurred to the display device registered in the notification list when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction.

[0018] According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device, the occurrence of the abnormality can be notified to the display device.

[0019] Moreover, a network system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a network system to which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected, and is configured such that any of the above network devices is connected as the slave device.

[0020] According to the above configuration, it is possible to configure a network system in which, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality occurred and at least a portion of the operation of other slave devices linked to that slave device can be immediately stopped. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a network device and a network system that, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, can immediately stop at least a portion of the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality occurred and at least a portion of the operation of other slave devices linked to that slave device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a network device (slave device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 6 is a flowchart showing a setting operation of setting information in the network system. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a configuration list set in the network device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a notification destination list set in the network device. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of an abnormality operation setting list that is set in the network device. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the network device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] §1 Examples of application First, an example of a scene to which the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration example of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a network device (slave device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following description, a case will be exemplified in which the network device of the present embodiment, which is a slave device, has the same configuration as other slave devices as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, in the network system 100 of the present embodiment, for example, a case will be exemplified in which eight slave devices 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H (hereinafter collectively referred to as "2") are connected as multiple slave devices. In addition, when the slave device 2 constitutes the network device of the present embodiment, it is also referred to as a network device 2N.

[0024] The network system 100 of this embodiment is a network system to which a master device 1 and a plurality of slave devices 2 controlled by the master device 1 are connected. Also, a network device 2N of this embodiment is connected to the network system 100 as one of the slave devices 2. In the network system 100 of this embodiment, for example, one network device 2N is connected as the slave device 2.

[0025] The network system 100 of this embodiment also includes an information processing device 3. An administrator of the network system 100 can execute various settings of the master device 1 and the slave device 2, acquire data, and the like, through the information processing device 3. The network system 100 of this embodiment also includes a display device 4, which is capable of displaying the operating status of the network system 100, and the like.

[0026] Moreover, the network device 2N of this embodiment includes a communication unit 21 that transmits and receives data to and from other slave devices 2, an abnormality notification unit 22 that executes abnormality notification, a storage unit 24 that stores in advance a configuration list of a control group (group) including the network device 2N and at least one other slave device 2, and a control unit 23 that controls each unit (component) of the network device 2N. Predetermined setting information including the configuration list of the control group described above is set in the storage unit 24 by the information processing device 3 in advance.

[0027] The control unit 23 transmits a response instruction to the other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list through the communication unit 21. After that, if there is another slave device 2 that does not respond to the response instruction, the control unit 23 transmits an instruction to stop at least a part of the operation of the other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list through the communication unit 21. Furthermore, the control unit 23 stops at least a part of the operation of the network device 2N.

[0028] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to configure a network device 2N and a network system 100 using the same, which are capable of immediately stopping, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device 2, at least a portion of the operation of the slave device 2 in which the abnormality has occurred and at least a portion of the operation of other slave devices 2 linked to that slave device 2.

[0029] §2 Configuration Example <Network System> In the example of Fig. 1, the network system 100 of the present embodiment includes a master device 1, a plurality of slave devices 2 connected to the master device 1 via communication devices (communication hubs) 5A and 5B, and an information processing device 3 and a display device 4 connected to the master device 1 via the communication device 5A. In the network system 100 of the present embodiment, for example, a network system conforming to the ETHERNET / IP standard is used (ETHERNET: registered trademark). In the network system 100 of the present embodiment, for example, the master device 1, the slave devices 2, the information processing device 3, the display device 4, and the communication devices 5A and 5B are connected using communication cables as illustrated in Fig. 1, and communication is performed via the communication cables.

[0030] The master device 1 includes, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The master device 1 is configured to control each of the multiple slave devices 2 by operating in accordance with a predetermined program set by an information processing device 3.

[0031] For example, four slave devices 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D are sequentially connected to communication device 5B, and four slave devices 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H are sequentially connected to communication device 5B. Also, in the slave devices 2, the slave devices are grouped into two control groups C1 and C2, for example, as surrounded by dotted lines in Fig. 1, based on a control group configuration list set by information processing device 3. That is, control group C1 includes four slave devices 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and control group C2 includes four slave devices 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H.

[0032] Furthermore, for example, in the control group C1, one slave device 2A configures a network device 2N in the control group C1 by previously storing the setting information Si from the information processing device 3. Then, this network device 2N is configured to monitor the slave devices 2B, 2C, and 2D registered in the configuration list of the control group C1 in place of the master device 1, and to stop the operation of at least some of the slave devices 2 in the configuration list of the control group C1 when an abnormality occurs in any of the slave devices 2 (details will be described later).

[0033] For example, when the network system 100 of this embodiment is applied to manufacturing equipment in a factory, it is preferable to determine the slave devices 2 to be included in the control group taking into consideration the scope of influence of a slave device 2 in which an abnormality has occurred, such as a production line unit or a production processing unit of a product included in the manufacturing equipment. In other words, in such a case, it is possible to quickly identify the slave device 2 in which an abnormality has occurred and the slave devices 2 linked to it, and further to quickly take measures against the abnormality, which makes it easy to prevent a decrease in the production efficiency of the product.

[0034] The information processing device 3 is configured using, for example, a computer (PC), and is operated by a user to control each part of the master device 1, the slave device 2, and the display device 4. Furthermore, in response to the user's operation, the information processing device 3 pre-sets, for example, setting information Si in the control group C1 for a slave device 2A included in the control group C1, and sets this slave device 2A as a network device 2N in the control group C1. In this way, in the network system 100 of this embodiment, the configuration of the slave devices 2 and the settings of the network devices 2 in each of the control groups C1 and C2 can be freely changed by the user appropriately operating the information processing device 3.

[0035] Furthermore, the information processing device 3 is configured to preset, in response to a user's operation, operation setting information for instructing at least one of the master device 1 or the display device 4 to operate in the event that an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2. Specifically, by presetting the operation setting information, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, the information processing device 3 can stop the operation of the master device 1 or cause the display device 4 to display the occurrence of the abnormality.

[0036] The display device 4 is configured using, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel having a touch panel function. The display device 4 also operates based on, for example, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) to display predetermined information and perform input operations such as instructions.

[0037] <Network devices> 2, the network device 2N of this embodiment includes a communication unit 21, an abnormality notification unit 22, a control unit 23, and a storage unit 24. The network device 2N of this embodiment communicates with other slave devices 2 in the control group based on setting information Si pre-stored in the storage unit 24, thereby determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the other slave devices 2.

[0038] The communication unit 21 is a functional block that performs bidirectional communication with other devices in the network system 100. That is, the network device 2N transmits and receives data such as a response instruction and a response to the response instruction between the other devices through the communication unit 21. In addition, the network device 2 uses, for example, a PING command as the response instruction and the response.

[0039] The abnormality notification unit 22 has, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 22L as a light emitting element, and performs an abnormality notification by lighting up the LED 22L of the abnormality notification unit 22 in a predetermined abnormal pattern according to an operation instruction from the control unit 23. Note that the abnormality notification unit 22 is not limited to the LED (light emitting element) 22L in any way as long as it can notify the user of an abnormality. Specifically, the abnormality notification unit 22 can be configured by, for example, a sound output unit having a speaker and emitting a predetermined beep or siren sound, an image display unit having a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or a micro LED and displaying a predetermined image, or an appropriate combination of these.

[0040] In the above description, the abnormality is notified by turning on the abnormality notification unit 22, but the method of abnormality notification by the abnormality notification unit 22 is not limited to this, and is not limited in any way as long as the unit lights up in a predetermined abnormality pattern when an abnormality occurs. For example, the LED 22L may be turned on when no abnormality occurs (normal state), and may be configured to change the light emission state or light emission cycle of the LED 22L, such as blinking when an abnormality occurs.

[0041] The storage unit 24 is, for example, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and stores various processing programs executed by the control unit 23. The storage unit 24 also stores in advance setting information Si set by the information processing device 3. As will be described in detail later, this setting information Si includes a control group configuration list, a notification destination list indicating destinations to be notified of an abnormality when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, and an abnormality operation setting list indicating operation commands to be issued when an abnormality occurs.

[0042] The control unit 23 is a functional block that includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and controls each component in response to information processing. In addition, the control unit 23 checks whether or not an abnormality has occurred in each slave device 2 of the control group that is preset in the storage unit 24, and when it determines that an abnormality has occurred in any of the slave devices 2, it stops the operation of at least a portion of all the slave devices 2 of that control group.

[0043] Specifically, when the control unit 23 does not receive a response from one slave device 2 in transmitting and receiving the response instruction and response with other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in that slave device 2 and transmits an instruction to all slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list to stop at least a portion of their operations, thereby stopping at least a portion of the operations of the network device 2N and all slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list. As a result, in the network device 2N of this embodiment, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device 2, it is possible to immediately stop at least a portion of the operations of the slave device 2 with the abnormality and at least a portion of the operations of the other slave devices 2 linked to that slave device 2.

[0044] Furthermore, when the control unit 23 transmits an instruction to the slave device 2 to stop at least a part of its operation, the control unit 23 causes the abnormality notification unit 22 to execute an abnormality notification. As a result, in the network device 2N of this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, the occurrence of the abnormality can be reliably notified.

[0045] §3 Example of operation <Settings> First, the operation of setting the setting information of the control group will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of setting the setting information in the network system. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a configuration list set in the network device. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a notification destination list set in the network device. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of an abnormality operation setting list set in the network device. In the following explanation of the operation example, a case will be explained in which setting information Si is set for the slave device 2A of the control group C1 shown in Fig. 1, and this slave device 2A is set as the network device 2N.

[0046] First, in step S101, the information processing device 3 creates setting information Si for the control group C1 based on a user operation. This setting information Si includes, for example, a configuration list Si1 shown in Fig. 4, a notification destination list Si2 shown in Fig. 5, and an abnormality operation setting list Si3 shown in Fig. 6. In addition, the setting information Si also includes a period for issuing the response instruction to the other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1.

[0047] The configuration list Si1 shows the other slave devices 2 included in a group (e.g., control group C1) to be monitored by the network device 2N, and this configuration list Si1 lists, in table format, information (e.g., IP addresses) for identifying the slave devices 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D included in the control group C1, information indicating that they have been selected by the network device 2N (e.g., the device itself), and information indicating that they have not been selected by the network device 2N (e.g., other devices to be monitored), as shown in FIG. 4.

[0048] 5, the notification destination list Si2 lists, in table format, information (e.g., IP addresses) for identifying the master device 1 and the display device 4, which are notification destinations to be notified of the occurrence of an abnormality when an abnormality occurs in any of the slave devices 2 in the control group C1. Note that, apart from this description, other slave devices (e.g., slave device 2B) 2 may also be registered in the notification destination list Si2.

[0049] The abnormality operation setting list Si3 indicates whether or not to stop the group in the event of an abnormality, that is, whether or not to stop at least a portion of the operation of all slave devices 2 included in the group to be monitored. Furthermore, the abnormality operation setting list Si3 indicates whether or not to light up the LED 22L of the network device 2N to notify of an abnormality.

[0050] Note that stopping at least a part of the operation of the slave device 2 may mean that the slave device 2 is shut down by turning off the power of the slave device 2. Alternatively, it may mean that the power is not turned off but various controls by the slave device 2 are stopped and the slave device 2 is put into a standby state waiting for the next command.

[0051] Next, in step S102, the information processing device 3 transfers the created setting information Si to the slave device 2A selected as the network device 2N. As a result, the setting information Si including the configuration list Si1, the notification destination list Si2, and the abnormality operation setting list Si3 is stored in the storage unit 25 of the slave device 2A.

[0052] Next, in step S103, the information processing device 3 creates operation setting information for at least one of the master device 1 or the display device 4 based on a user operation. This operation setting information includes information for instructing the operation of at least one of the master device 1 or the display device 4 registered in the notification destination list Si2 when an abnormality is detected in any of the slave devices 2 included in the group to be monitored.

[0053] Specifically, for example, the operation setting information for the master device 1 may include information instructing whether or not to stop the control program in the master device 1 when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2. In addition, the operation setting information for the display device 4 may include information instructing whether or not to display the occurrence of an abnormality in the slave device 2 on the display device 4 when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2.

[0054] Next, in step S104, the information processing device 3 transfers the operation setting information to at least one of the master device 1 and the display device 4 that created the operation setting information. As a result, the operation setting information is preset in at least one of the master device 1 and the display device 4, and when notified of the occurrence of an abnormality in the slave device 2, the information processing device 3 operates according to the operation setting information.

[0055] <Anomaly detection operation> Next, the abnormality detection operation in the network device 2N of this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the network device. In the following description, the operation of the slave device 2A as the network device 2N will be described as an example.

[0056] First, in step S1, the control unit 23 transmits a response instruction through the communication unit 21 to the other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1.

[0057] In step S2, the control unit 23 determines whether or not responses to the response instruction have been received from all of the slave devices 2 to which the response instruction was transmitted. If responses have been received from all of the slave devices 2 (YES in S2), the control unit 23 determines that no abnormality has occurred in any of the slave devices 2 that transmitted the response instruction, and proceeds to step S1; otherwise (NO in S2), the control unit 23 determines that an abnormality has occurred in any of the slave devices 2 that transmitted the response instruction, and proceeds to step S3 (step S2).

[0058] In step S3, the control unit 23 determines whether or not the notification destination list Si2 is stored in the storage unit 24. If the notification destination list Si2 is stored (YES in S3), the process proceeds to step S4, and if the notification destination list Si2 is not stored (NO in S3), the process proceeds to step S5 (step S3).

[0059] In step S4, the control unit 23 notifies the devices registered in the notification destination list Si2 stored in the storage unit 24, via the communication unit 21, that an abnormality has occurred in the slave device 2. Here, the devices registered in the notification destination list Si2 may be the master device 1, the display device 4, and other slave devices 2. Next, the flow proceeds to step S5.

[0060] In step S5, the control unit 23 determines whether or not a group stop setting has been made by referring to the abnormality operation setting list Si3 stored in the storage unit 24. If a group stop setting has been made (YES in S5), the process proceeds to step S6, and if a group stop setting has not been made (NO in S5), the process proceeds to step S7 (step S5).

[0061] In step S6, the control unit 23 transmits an instruction to all of the slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1 to stop at least a portion of the operation thereof via the communication unit 21. Next, the flow proceeds to step S7.

[0062] In step S7, the control unit 23 refers to the abnormality operation setting list Si3 and determines whether or not an instruction is set to cause the abnormality notification unit 22 of the network device 2N to execute an abnormality notification. If an instruction is set (YES in S7), the process proceeds to step S8, and if an instruction is not set (NO in S7), the network device 2N ends the processing operation (step S7).

[0063] In step S8, the control unit 23 causes the abnormality notification unit 22 to execute an abnormality notification. Specifically, the control unit 23 causes the LED 22L of the abnormality notification unit 22 to light up in a predetermined abnormality pattern.

[0064] As described above, in the network device 2N and network system 100 of this embodiment, if an abnormality occurs in any of the slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1 of the control group C1, at least a portion of the operation of all of the slave devices 2 included in the configuration list Si1 can be stopped.

[0065] As a result, in the network device 2N and network system 100 of this embodiment, even if an abnormality occurs in any of the slave devices 2 in the control group C1, it is possible to immediately stop the operation of at least a portion of the slave device 2 with the abnormality and at least a portion of the operation of at least a portion of the other slave devices 2 linked to that slave device 2, that is, the operation of at least a portion of all of the slave devices 2 in the control group C1.

[0066] Therefore, in the network device 2N and network system 100 of this embodiment, unlike the conventional examples described above, for example, when one slave device stops operating due to the occurrence of an abnormality, it is possible to easily prevent problems such as trouble in the production of manufactured goods caused by other linked slave devices continuing to operate.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, one of the slave devices 2 in the control group C1 is set as a network device 2N, and the network device 2N is used to monitor whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the other slave devices 2 in the control group C1. Therefore, even if a huge number of slave devices 2 controlled by the master device 1 are installed on a production line, for example, it is possible to easily monitor whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the slave devices 2 on the production line without increasing the processing load, such as the communication load, on the master device 1 or improving the performance of the master device 1. In addition, when an abnormality occurs in a slave device 2, the operation of at least a portion of all of the slave devices 2 in the control group C1 can be quickly stopped without going through the master device 1.

[0068] In addition, in this embodiment, a notification list Si2 for notifying an abnormality when an abnormality occurs is preset in the memory unit 24 of the network device 2N. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, the abnormality can be notified to the master device 1 and the display device 4 registered in the notification list Si2, and the occurrence of the abnormality can be promptly notified to the user.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the LED 22L of the abnormality notification unit 22 lights up in an abnormality pattern when an abnormality occurs, when an abnormality occurs, the control group C1 including the slave device 2 in which the abnormality occurred can be easily visually identified. Note that, in addition to the above description, when an abnormality occurs, the LEDs of the abnormality notification units may be lighted up in an abnormality pattern in all slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list S1i.

[0070] In the above description, the network device 2N and the slave device 2 are configured in the same way, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the network device 2N and the slave device 2 may be configured separately. However, the case where the network device 2N and the slave device 2 are configured in the same way is preferable in that it is easier to select and change the network device 2N in the control group.

[0071] [Software implementation example] The functional blocks of the network device 2N (particularly, the control unit 23) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

[0072] In the latter case, the control unit 23 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program, which is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, one or more processors, and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. In the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present disclosure.

[0073] The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium may be a "non-transitory tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like. The device may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program.

[0074] The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave). Note that one aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0075] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 Master device 2 Slave Device 2N Network Equipment 21 Communications Department 22 Abnormality Notification Section 22L LED (light emitting element) 23 Control Unit 24 Memory section 100 Network Systems

Claims

1. A network device which is a slave device used in a network system in which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected, comprising: a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data between the slave device and the other slave device; a storage unit that stores in advance a configuration list of a group including the network device and at least one of the other slave devices; A control unit that controls each unit of the network device, The control unit is Transmitting a response instruction to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list via the communication unit; A network device that, when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, sends an instruction to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list via the communication unit to stop at least a portion of their operation, and stops at least a portion of the operation of the network device.

2. An abnormality notification unit that executes an abnormality notification is further provided, The control unit is The network device according to claim 1 , wherein, when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, the abnormality notification section is caused to execute an abnormality notification.

3. The network device according to claim 2 , wherein the abnormality notification unit has a light-emitting element, and the abnormality notification is performed by lighting up the light-emitting element.

4. the storage unit prestores a notification destination list in which at least one of the master device and the other slave device is registered; The control unit is 4. The network device according to claim 1, further comprising: a network device configured to transmit, when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, a notification that an abnormality has occurred to the master device registered in the notification destination list or to the other slave device registered in the notification destination list.

5. A display device that displays the occurrence of an abnormality is further registered in the notification destination list, The control unit is 5. The network device according to claim 4, wherein if there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, a notification that an abnormality has occurred is transmitted to the display device registered in the notification destination list.

6. A network system in which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected, A network system, in which the network device according to claim 1 is connected as the slave device.

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