Control device, control method and program

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention pertains to a control apparatus comprising: a reception unit which receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of devices to be controlled; a control information derivation unit which derives, in accordance with the transmission information received by the reception unit, control information for controlling the device to be controlled that has transmitted the transmission information; a transmission interval acquisition unit which acquires, as an interval at which the control information derived by the control information derivation unit is to be transmitted, a transmission interval defined for each piece of control information; a priority level calculation unit which calculates, as the priority level for transmitting the control information, priority levels indicating that the control information with a shorter transmission interval acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit is to be transmitted with higher priority; and a transmission unit which transmits the control information in accordance with the corresponding priority level calculated by the priority level calculation unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program technology. [Background technology]

[0002] Industrial Ethernet protocols such as PROFINET, Ethernet / IP, and EtherCAT are used as networks for communication between controlled devices and the control devices that control the controlled devices. PROFINET has three classes: NRT, RT, and IRT. Of these, RT, which guarantees real-time performance within 10 ms, guarantees real-time performance by uniformly setting the "priority" in the Ethernet frame shown in Figure 15 to 6. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] PROFINET System Description (Japanese version), June 2011. [Non-Patent Document 2] PROFINET Design Guidelines (Japanese version), December 2014. [Non-Patent Document 3] Which settings do you have to comply with in a PROFINET RT network in conjunction with VLAN switches?https: / / support.industry.siemens.com / cs / document / 24947500 / which-settings-do-you-have-to-comply-with-in-a-profinet-rt-network-in-conjunction-with-vlan-switches-?dti=0&dl=en&lc=es-PA Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of delays of control information D1, D2, and D3 transmitted from a control device. The left side shows the transmission timing in the control device, and the right side shows the reception timing in the controlled device. The control information D1 requires a transmission interval of 1 ms and is transmitted at the minimum transfer clock. The transmission interval of control information D3 is 4 ms. Normally, a real-time network is operated by limiting the number of devices connected to the network to prevent the situation shown in Fig. 16 from occurring, but if the control device operates by software or the communication distance between the controlled device and the control device is relatively long, there is a possibility that the real-time performance requirements of RT will not be met even if "priority" is set to 6 uniformly.

[0005] As such, with conventional technology, even if the priority was set to 6, it may not have been possible to guarantee real-time performance.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can ensure real-time performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a control device comprising: a receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation unit that derives control information to control the controlled devices that transmitted the transmission information in accordance with the transmission information received by the receiving unit; a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit; a priority calculation unit that calculates a priority for transmitting the control information indicating that the shorter the transmission interval acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit, the higher the transmission priority of the control information; and a transmitting unit that transmits the control information in accordance with the priority calculated by the priority calculation unit.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a control device that includes a receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices, a control information derivation unit that derives control information to control the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in accordance with the transmission information received by the receiving unit, a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit, a bandwidth acquisition unit that acquires the bandwidth of the network through which the control information is transmitted, and a transmitting unit that transmits the control information, wherein when a piece of control information cannot be transmitted because the bandwidth when the piece of control information to be transmitted in a certain time slot is transmitted exceeds the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition unit, the transmitting unit is a control device that transmits a piece of control information by transmitting the control information with a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the piece of control information in the next or subsequent time slot.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a control method comprising: a receiving step of receiving transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation step of deriving control information to control the controlled devices that transmitted the transmission information in accordance with the transmission information received by the receiving step; a transmission interval acquisition step of acquiring a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation step; a priority calculation step of calculating, as a priority for transmitting the control information, a priority indicating that the control information having a shorter transmission interval acquired by the transmission interval acquisition step is to be transmitted with higher priority; and a transmission step of transmitting the control information in accordance with the priority calculated by the priority calculation step.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention includes a receiving step of receiving transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation step of deriving control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in accordance with the transmission information received by the receiving step; a transmission interval acquisition step of acquiring a transmission interval determined for each of the control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation step; a bandwidth acquisition step of acquiring the bandwidth of the network through which the control information is transmitted; and a transmission step of transmitting the control information, wherein the transmission step is a control method for transmitting one of the control information by transmitting the control information with a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the one of the control information in the next or subsequent timeslot when the one of the control information cannot be transmitted because the bandwidth when the one of the control information to be transmitted in a certain timeslot is transmitted exceeds the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition step.

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as a control device, the program causing the computer to function as follows: a receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation unit that derives control information to control the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in accordance with the transmission information received by the receiving unit; a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit; a priority calculation unit that calculates a priority indicating that the shorter the transmission interval acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit, the higher the transmission priority of the control information; and a transmitting unit that transmits the control information in accordance with the priority calculated by the priority calculation unit.

[0012] One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as a control device, the program causing the computer to function as a receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices, a control information derivation unit that derives control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in accordance with the transmission information received by the receiving unit, a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as the interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit, a bandwidth acquisition unit that acquires the bandwidth of the network through which the control information is transmitted, and a transmitting unit that transmits the control information, wherein when a piece of control information cannot be transmitted because the bandwidth when the control information to be transmitted in a certain time slot is transmitted exceeds the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition unit, the transmitting unit transmits the control information with a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the piece of control information in the next or subsequent time slot. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The present invention makes it possible to ensure real-time performance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system including a control device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another connection example of the communication system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another connection example of the communication system. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another connection example of the communication system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control device in the first embodiment. [Figure 6A] 1 is a transmission interval database showing transmission intervals of control information. [Figure 6B] 1 is a priority database showing the priority of control information. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing transmission timing and reception timing. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing performed by the control device in the first embodiment when receiving transmission information. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart showing a process flow when a transfer cycle arrives in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control device in a second embodiment. [Figure 11A] 1 is a transmission interval size database indicating a transmission interval of control information. [Figure 11B] 1 is a priority database showing the priority of control information. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of changing the transmission order. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing performed by a control device in a second embodiment when receiving transmission information. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow when transmitting control information in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 illustrates an Ethernet frame. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a delay. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system 1 including a control device 100 in an embodiment. The communication system 1 includes the control device 100, a switch 300, and N pieces of control target devices 200-1, 200-2, and 200-N. When there is no particular need to distinguish between the control target devices 200-1, 200-2, and 200-N, they are expressed as control target devices 200.

[0016] The control device 100 receives transmission information transmitted from each of the control-target devices 200. The control device 100 derives control information for each of the control-target devices 200 based on the transmission information received from each of the control-target devices 200, and transmits the derived control information to the control-target device 200 that is the transmission source. The switch 300 is a network switch. The control-target devices 200 are IoT (Internet of Things) devices (for example, industrial devices such as sensors, motors, inverters, and robots). Therefore, the transmission information transmitted by the control-target devices 200 is information indicating sensor values ​​and the like.

[0017] The connection between the control device 100 and the controlled device 200 is not limited to the connection shown in Fig. 1. Other examples will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a connection form in which the control device 100 and the controlled device 200 are connected by one or more switches 300. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a connection form in the case where the control device 100 and the controlled device 200 belong to different bases. Base A and base B may be connected by Ethernet or an optical line. In Fig. 3 as well, they may be connected by a plurality of switches 300. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a connection form in the case where the control device 100 and the controlled device 200 belong to different bases and there are a plurality of bases.

[0018] An embodiment that can be applied to each of the above-described connection configuration examples will be described. (First embodiment) 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 100 in the first embodiment. The control device 100 is made up of a receiving unit 101, a control information derivation unit 102, a transmission interval acquisition unit 103, a priority calculation unit 104, a transmitting unit 105, and a storage unit 110.

[0019] The receiving unit 101 receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices 200. The received transmission information is output to the control information derivation unit 102. The control information derivation unit 102 derives control information for controlling the controlled device 200 that transmitted the transmission information, according to the transmission information received by the receiving unit 101. The transmission interval acquisition unit 103 acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information from the storage unit 110 as the interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit 102. The transmission interval here is the interval for transmitting the control information, and therefore can also be said to be the interval for updating the control information.

[0020] The priority calculation unit 104 calculates a priority for transmitting the control information, which indicates that the shorter the transmission interval of the control information acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit 103, the higher the priority, for example, six levels from 1 to 6, and the higher the level, the higher the priority, and the higher the priority, the higher the transmission priority. The calculated priority is stored in the storage unit 110. The transmission unit 105 refers to the storage unit 110 and transmits the control information according to the priority calculated by the priority calculation unit 104.

[0021] Fig. 6A is a transmission interval database showing the transmission intervals of control information. The transmission interval database is a database that stores transmission intervals corresponding to the type of control information. The type of control information corresponds to the type of device to be controlled, and is used to distinguish the control information. The transmission interval acquisition unit 103 acquires the transmission interval corresponding to the type of control information derived by the control information derivation unit 102. Fig. 6A shows control information A to D, and indicates that the transmission intervals are 1 ms, 2 ms, 4 ms, and 1 ms, respectively.

[0022] FIG. 6B is a priority database showing the priority of the control information. The priority calculation unit 104 calculates a priority indicating that the shorter the transmission interval of the control information acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit 103, the higher the transmission priority. FIG. 6B shows the priority when the control information A, B, and C are transmission information transmitted by the control device 100 among the control information as an example. The transmission intervals of the control information A, B, and C are 1 ms, 2 ms, and 4 ms, respectively. Therefore, the priority of the control information A is the highest, the priority of the control information B is next highest, and the priority of the control information C is the lowest. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 104 calculates the priority of the control information A to be 6, the priority of the control information B to be 5, and the priority of the control information A to be 4. Such calculated priorities are stored in the storage unit 110 as a priority database as shown in FIG. 6B.

[0023] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the timing of transmission of control information from the control device 100 and the timing of reception of control information from the controlled device 200. Fig. 7 shows an example of transmission and reception in the case of the priorities shown in Fig. 6B.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 7, transmitting unit 105 sets the longest interval (4 ms for control information C) among the transmission intervals acquired by transmission interval acquiring unit 103 as a transmission cycle, and transmits control information in order of priority (control information A, B, C) each time a transmission cycle arrives. For example, in time slot A, control information A, B, C are transmitted in that order. Also, in time slot C, control information A, B are transmitted in that order. By transmitting control information in order of priority in this way, control information with a higher priority can be received earlier, and even if a delay occurs, there is more time to spare compared to conventional technology, making it possible to ensure better real-time performance.

[0025] The flow of processing of the control device in the first embodiment described above will be described using a flowchart. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the control device in the first embodiment receives transmission information. In Fig. 8, the receiving unit 101 receives the transmission information (step S101). The control information derivation unit 102 derives control information for controlling the controlled device 200 that transmitted the transmission information according to the received transmission information (step S102). The transmission interval acquisition unit 103 acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as the interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit 102 (step S103).

[0026] The priority calculation unit 104 sorts the transmission intervals acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit 103 as the priority for transmitting the control information (step S104), and calculates a priority indicating that the shorter the transmission interval of the control information is to be transmitted with a higher priority (step S105). The transmission unit 105 stores the longest interval among the transmission intervals acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit 103 as a transmission cycle in the storage unit 110 (step S106).

[0027] 9 is a flowchart showing a process flow when a transfer cycle arrives in the first embodiment. When a transfer cycle arrives, the transmitting unit 105 acquires a priority (step S201). Next, the transmitting unit 105 transmits the control information in descending order of priority, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0028] As described above, by calculating the priority according to the transmission interval, the transmission information for which delay is not tolerated is given higher priority, making it possible to ensure better real-time performance compared to the prior art where the priority is set uniformly.

[0029] Second embodiment In the second embodiment, the control device changes the transmission order depending on the bandwidth of the network through which the control information is transmitted. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device 500 in the second embodiment. The control device 500 is composed of a receiving unit 501, a control information derivation unit 502, a transmission interval acquisition unit 503, a priority calculation unit 504, a transmitting unit 505, a bandwidth acquisition unit 506, and a storage unit 110.

[0030] The receiving unit 501 receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices 200. The received transmission information is output to the control information derivation unit 502. The control information derivation unit 502 derives control information for controlling the controlled device 200 that transmitted the transmission information, according to the transmission information received by the receiving unit 501. The transmission interval acquisition unit 503 acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information from the storage unit 510 as the interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit 502. The transmission interval here is the interval for transmitting the control information, and therefore can also be said to be the interval for updating the control information.

[0031] The priority calculation unit 504 calculates a priority for transmitting the control information, which indicates that the shorter the transmission interval of the control information acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit 503, the higher the priority, the higher the transmission priority. The calculated priority is stored in the storage unit 510. The transmission unit 505 refers to the storage unit 510 and transmits the control information according to the priority calculated by the priority calculation unit 504.

[0032] The bandwidth acquisition unit 506 acquires the bandwidth (bps) of the network for transmitting the control information. Examples of the acquisition method of the bandwidth acquisition unit 506 include the following methods. First, a method of sniffing packets flowing through the network. Alternatively, a method of acquiring the bandwidth from a communication device such as an OLT (Optical Line Terminal). Furthermore, if there is a communication device subordinate to the control device 500, a method of acquiring the bandwidth from this communication device in the form of a gate report or the like. The acquisition method is not limited to these methods. The acquired bandwidth is output to the transmission unit 505. Note that an increase in the number of controlled devices 200 can be cited as a case in which the bandwidth becomes narrower.

[0033] Fig. 11A is a transmission interval size database indicating the transmission interval and size of control information. The transmission interval size database is a database that stores the transmission interval and size corresponding to the type of control information. The type of control information corresponds to the type of device to be controlled, and is used to distinguish the control information. The transmission interval acquisition unit 503 acquires the transmission interval corresponding to the type of control information derived by the control information derivation unit 502. Fig. 11A shows control information W to Z, and indicates that the transmission intervals are 1 ms, 4 ms, 2 ms, and 1 ms, respectively. Also, it is shown that the sizes of the control information W to Z are w bytes, x bytes, y bytes, and z bytes, respectively.

[0034] Fig. 11B is a priority database showing the priority of control information. The priority calculation unit 504 calculates a priority indicating that the shorter the transmission interval of control information acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit 503, the higher the transmission priority. Fig. 11B shows, as an example, the priority of control information W, X, Y, and Z, which are transmission information transmitted by the control device 500. The control information W to Z are shown, and the transmission intervals are 1 ms, 4 ms, 2 ms, and 1 ms, respectively.

[0035] Therefore, the priority of the control information W and Z is the highest, followed by the priority of the control information Y, and the priority of the control information X is the lowest. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 104 calculates the priority of the control information W and Z to be 6, the priority of the control information Y to be 5, and the priority of the control information X to be 4. These calculated priorities are stored in the storage unit 110 as a priority database as shown in FIG. 11B.

[0036] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the transmission order. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the transmission timing before and after the change of the control information of the control device 500. Fig. 12 shows an example of transmission in the case of the priority shown in Fig. 11B.

[0037] 12, if control information W, X, Y, and Z were transmitted in that order in time slot A before the change, the transmittable bandwidth would be exceeded, and control information Z would not be able to be transmitted within the time. Therefore, transmitting unit 505 transmits control information X, which has a lower priority than control information Z, in the next or subsequent time slot. As shown in the timing after the change, control information X is transmitted in the next time slot B. In this way, control device 500 can transmit control information Z within the time limit.

[0038] In this way, when transmitting unit 505 is unable to transmit one control information to be transmitted in a certain time slot (control information Z in FIG. 12) because the bandwidth when transmitting the one control information exceeds the bandwidth acquired by bandwidth acquisition unit 506, transmitting unit 505 transmits control information having a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the one control information (control information X in FIG. 12) in the next or subsequent time slot, thereby transmitting the one control information. Also, transmitting unit 505 regards the control information having a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the one control information as control information having a lower priority than the priority of the one control information.

[0039] In the example of Fig. 12, the control information with the lowest priority is transmitted in the next or subsequent time slot, but it does not necessarily have to be the lowest priority control information. For example, if control information Y can be transmitted in the next or subsequent time slot, control information Y may be transmitted in the next or subsequent time slot instead of control information X.

[0040] By transmitting low priority control information in the next or subsequent time slots in this manner, it becomes possible to transmit high priority control information even if the bandwidth becomes narrower, thereby making it possible to ensure better real-time performance.

[0041] The flow of processing by the control device in the second embodiment described above will be described using a flowchart. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the control device in the second embodiment receives transmission information. In Fig. 13, the receiving unit 501 receives the transmission information (step S301). The control information derivation unit 502 derives control information for controlling the controlled device 200 that transmitted the transmission information according to the received transmission information (step S302). The transmission interval acquisition unit 503 acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as the interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit 502 (step S303).

[0042] The priority calculation unit 504 sorts the transmission intervals acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit 503 as the priority for transmitting the control information (step S304), and calculates a priority indicating that the control information with a shorter transmission interval is to be transmitted with higher priority (step S305).

[0043] Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when transmitting control information in the second embodiment. In Fig. 14, the bandwidth acquisition unit 506 acquires the bandwidth of the network through which the control information is transmitted (step S401). Next, the transmission unit 505 acquires the size (step S402). Here, the size is the sum of the sizes of the control information to be transmitted. In the case of the time slot A before the change in Fig. 12 as an example, the size is the sum of the sizes of the control information W, X, Y, and Z (w+x+y+z).

[0044] The transmitting unit 505 judges whether the size exceeds the bandwidth (step S403). Here, taking the time slot A before the change in Fig. 12 as an example, when the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition unit 506 is P (bps), the transmitting unit 505 judges whether the sum of bytes converted to bits is 8 × (w + x + y + z) > P.

[0045] If the size does not exceed the bandwidth (step S403: NO), the transmitting unit 505 transmits the control information as is (step S406). On the other hand, if the size does not exceed the bandwidth (step S403: NO), the transmitting unit 505 excludes control information with a low priority from the control information to be transmitted this time (step S404). The transmitting unit 505 decides to transmit the excluded control information in the next or subsequent timeslots (step S405). The transmitting unit 505 transmits control information other than the excluded control information (step S406).

[0046] The number of pieces of control information excluded in the above step S404 is not limited to one, and low-priority control information is excluded until the control information to be transmitted in the current time slot becomes transmittable. Also, when there is no control information that can be excluded, the transmitting unit 505 transmits the control information in order of priority.

[0047] As described above, by transmitting low priority control information in the next or subsequent timeslots, it becomes possible to transmit high priority control information by assuming that the bandwidth has become narrower, thereby making it possible to ensure better real-time performance.

[0048] The control devices 100 and 500 may be configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. In this case, the receivers 101 and 501, the control information derivation units 102 and 502, the transmission interval acquisition units 103 and 503, the priority calculation units 104 and 504, the transmitters 105 and 505, and the bandwidth acquisition unit 506 function as the receivers 101 and 501, the control information derivation units 102 and 502, the transmission interval acquisition units 103 and 503, the priority calculation units 104 and 504, the transmitters 105 and 505, and the bandwidth acquisition unit 506 by the processor executing a program. All or part of the functions of the receiving unit 101, 501, the control information derivation unit 102, 502, the transmission interval acquisition unit 103, 503, the priority calculation unit 104, 504, the transmitting unit 105, 505, and the bandwidth acquisition unit 506 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, or a semiconductor storage device (for example, an SSD: Solid State Drive), or a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor storage device built into a computer system. The above program may be transmitted via an electric communication line.

[0049] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Industrial Applicability]

[0050] The present invention can be applied to a control device that communicates with a controlled device while ensuring real-time communication. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Communication Systems 100, 500 Control device 101 Receiving unit 102 Control information derivation unit 103 Transmission interval acquisition unit 104 Priority calculation unit 105 Transmitter 110 Storage section 200, 200-1, 200-2, 200-N Controlled Equipment 300 Switch 501 Receiving unit 502 Control Information Derivation Unit 503 Transmission Interval Acquisition Unit 504 Priority calculation unit 505 Transmitter 506 Bandwidth Acquisition Unit 510 Storage section

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation unit that derives control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in response to the transmission information received by the receiving unit; a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit; a priority calculation unit that calculates, as a priority of transmission of the control information, a priority indicating that the control information having a shorter transmission interval acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit is to be transmitted with a higher priority; a transmission unit that transmits the control information in accordance with the priority calculated by the priority calculation unit; Equipped with the transmitting unit determines the longest interval among the transmission intervals acquired by the transmission interval acquiring unit as a transmission cycle, and transmits the control information in descending order of priority each time the transmission cycle arrives. Control device.

2. A receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation unit that derives control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in response to the transmission information received by the receiving unit; a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit; a bandwidth acquisition unit that acquires a bandwidth of a network for transmitting the control information; A transmitter for transmitting the control information; Equipped with A control device that transmits one of the control information by transmitting the other control information having a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the one of the control information in a next or subsequent time slot that is within the transmission interval specified for the other control information when the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition unit when the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition unit when the transmission unit transmits the one of the control information in a certain time slot exceeds the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition unit.

3. a priority calculation unit that calculates, as a priority of transmission of the control information, a priority indicating that the control information having a shorter transmission interval acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit is transmitted with a higher priority; The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the transmission unit sets the control information having a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of one of the control information pieces as control information having a lower priority than the priority of the one of the control information pieces.

4. A receiving step of receiving transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation step of deriving control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in response to the transmission information received in the receiving step; a transmission interval acquisition step of acquiring a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived in the control information derivation step; a priority calculation step of calculating, as a priority of transmitting the control information, a priority indicating that the control information having a shorter transmission interval acquired in the transmission interval acquisition step is transmitted with a higher priority; a transmitting step of transmitting the control information in accordance with the priority calculated in the priority calculation step; Equipped with in the transmitting step, the longest interval among the transmission intervals acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit is set as a transmission cycle, and the control information is transmitted in order of priority every time the transmission cycle arrives. Control methods.

5. A receiving step of receiving transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation step of deriving control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in response to the transmission information received in the receiving step; a transmission interval acquisition step of acquiring a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived in the control information derivation step; a bandwidth acquisition step of acquiring a bandwidth of a network for transmitting the control information; a transmitting step of transmitting the control information; Equipped with The transmission step is a control method for transmitting one of the control information by transmitting another of the control information having a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the one of the control information in a next or subsequent time slot that is within the transmission interval specified for the other control information when the bandwidth when the one of the control information to be transmitted in a certain time slot exceeds the bandwidth acquired in the bandwidth acquisition step.

6. A program for causing a computer to function as a control device, The computer, A receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation unit that derives control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in response to the transmission information received by the receiving unit; a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit; a priority calculation unit that calculates, as a priority of transmission of the control information, a priority indicating that the control information having a shorter transmission interval acquired by the transmission interval acquisition unit is to be transmitted with a higher priority; a transmission unit that transmits the control information in accordance with the priority calculated by the priority calculation unit; and make it work. the transmitting unit determines the longest interval among the transmission intervals acquired by the transmission interval acquiring unit as a transmission cycle, and transmits the control information in descending order of priority each time the transmission cycle arrives. program.

7. A program for causing a computer to function as a control device, The computer, A receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted from a plurality of controlled devices; a control information derivation unit that derives control information for controlling the controlled device that transmitted the transmission information in response to the transmission information received by the receiving unit; a transmission interval acquisition unit that acquires a transmission interval determined for each piece of control information as an interval for transmitting the control information derived by the control information derivation unit; a bandwidth acquisition unit that acquires a bandwidth of a network for transmitting the control information; A transmitter for transmitting the control information; and make it work. The transmitting unit is a program that, when the bandwidth when transmitting one of the control information to be transmitted in a certain time slot exceeds the bandwidth acquired by the bandwidth acquisition unit, transmits the other control information having a transmission interval longer than the transmission interval of the one of the control information in a next or subsequent time slot that is within the transmission interval specified for the other control information, thereby transmitting the one of the control information.

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