COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, FIRST COMMUNICATION DEVICE, SECOND COMMUNICATION DEVICE, PROCESSING SYSTEM AND PROCESSING DEVICE

Abstract

To provide technology that enables a device to receive sensor information acquired at a timing close to when it is desired to acquire sensor information.SOLUTION: A communication system includes a first communication device that communicates with a processing device and a second communication device that acquires sensor information from a sensor unit having at least one sensor and performs acquisition and transmission processing to the first communication device. The first communication device transmits the sensor information from the second communication device to the processing unit according to an acquisition desired timing when the processing unit requires to acquire sensor information. The second communication device determines the start timing of the acquisition and transmission process based on a first time required for communication between the first communication device and the second communication device when sensor information is transmitted from the second communication device to the first communication device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for transmitting sensor information. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique relating to processing of a sensor signal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-20756 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is room for improvement in the technology for transmitting sensor information.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and aims to provide a technology that enables a device to receive sensor information acquired at a timing close to the timing at which the device wishes to acquire the sensor information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the communication system includes a first communication device that communicates with a processing device, and a second communication device that performs an acquisition and transmission process to acquire sensor information from a sensor unit having at least one sensor and transmit the sensor information to the first communication device. The first communication device transmits the sensor information from the second communication device to the processing device according to a desired acquisition timing at which the processing device wishes to acquire the sensor information. The second communication device determines a start timing of the acquisition and transmission process based on a first time required for communication between the first communication device and the second communication device when the sensor information is transmitted from the second communication device to the first communication device.

[0007] Moreover, one aspect of the first communication device is a first communication device included in the above communication system.

[0008] Moreover, one aspect of the second communication device is a second communication device included in the above communication system.

[0009] Moreover, a processing system according to a first aspect includes the above-mentioned communication system and a processing device that receives sensor information from the above-mentioned communication system.

[0010] A processing system according to a second aspect is the processing system according to the first aspect, in which the desired acquisition timing occurs multiple times. In the processing system according to the second aspect, the first communication device transmits to the processing device the sensor information and the time elapsed from the time the sensor information was acquired to the processing device or the desired acquisition timing, in accordance with the desired acquisition timing. The processing device estimates the sensor information to be acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit based on the sensor information and the elapsed time transmitted multiple times from the first communication device.

[0011] Moreover, one aspect of the processing device is a processing device included in the processing system according to the second aspect. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The processing device can receive sensor information acquired at a timing close to a desired acquisition timing at which the sensor information is to be acquired, at a timing close to the desired acquisition timing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a processing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a servo system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a processing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a first communication device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a second communication device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the processing system. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an initial setting. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a synchronization process. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the processing system. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the processing system. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a second communication device. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of parameters. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of parameters. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of parameters. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of parameters. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a first communication device. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the processing system. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of parameters. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the processing system. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a processing system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing system 1 includes, for example, a communication system 10, a sensor unit 20 having at least one sensor, and a processing device 30. The communication system 10 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20. The sensor information is information indicating a detection result by the sensor unit 20. The communication system 10 transmits the acquired sensor information to the processing device 30 at a timing according to a timing at which the processing device 30 wishes to acquire the sensor information (also referred to as a desired acquisition timing). The processing device 30 executes processing based on the sensor information received from the communication system 10. The communication system 10 may be configured of one device or may be configured of multiple devices. Note that the sensor unit 20 does not have to be included in the processing system 1.

[0015] The processing system 1 can be used for various purposes. For example, the processing system 1 may be used in a servo system 50 that controls an actuator 71. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the servo system 50 including the processing system 1. The servo system 50 is capable of detecting the state of the actuator 71 and feedback-controlling the state of the actuator 71 based on the detection result.

[0016] 2, the servo system 50 includes, for example, a servo amplifier 60, a servo actuator 70, and a cable 80 that electrically connects the servo amplifier 60 and the servo actuator 70. The servo actuator 70 has an actuator 71. The actuator 71 is, for example, a motor. The servo amplifier 60 is capable of driving the actuator 71. In addition, the servo amplifier 60 is capable of controlling the state of the actuator 71. Hereinafter, the actuator 71, which is a motor, may be referred to as the motor 71.

[0017] The communication system 10 included in the processing system 1 includes, for example, a first communication device 11 and a second communication device 12 that are capable of communicating with each other. The first communication device 11 is capable of communicating with the processing device 30. The second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 and transmits it to the first communication device 11. The first communication device 11 transmits the sensor information received from the second communication device 12 to the processing device 30 in accordance with the desired acquisition timing of the processing device 30.

[0018] The servo amplifier 60 includes, for example, a drive unit 61 that drives the actuator 71, and a processing device 30 and a first communication device 11 of the processing system 1. The processing device 30 is capable of controlling the drive unit 61. The actuator 71 is, for example, a three-phase motor. The drive unit 61 is, for example, an inverter, and can supply three-phase power to the motor 71 to drive the motor 71. The processing device 30 functions, for example, as a control device that controls the actuator 71 through the drive unit 61. The drive unit 61 and the actuator 71 are electrically connected to each other by a cable 80. The cable 80 has three power lines (in other words, three power lines) that transmit the three-phase power output from the drive unit 61 to the actuator 71. The cable 80 can also be called a power cable or a power cable.

[0019] The servo actuator 70 includes, in addition to the actuator 71, for example, a sensor unit 20 and a second communication device 12 of the processing system 1. The sensor unit 20 includes, for example, a rotary encoder that detects the rotational position of the motor 71. The sensor unit 20 is capable of outputting sensor information including rotational position data indicating the rotational position of the motor 71. The motor 71 may be used, for example, to drive a robot, may be used to drive a belt conveyor, or may be used for other purposes.

[0020] The first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 can perform power line communication (PLC) with each other, for example, through a cable 80. The communication method between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 is, for example, HD-PLC (High Definition Power Line Communication). For example, the first communication device 11 may function as a master, and the second communication device 12 may function as a slave.

[0021] The second communication device 12 superimposes the sensor information acquired from the sensor unit 20 onto the cable 80 and transmits it to the first communication device 11. The first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 can, for example, perform differential communication with each other. A differential signal transmitted by the first communication device 11 is superimposed onto two of the three power lines of the cable 80 and transmitted to the second communication device 12. Similarly, a differential signal transmitted by the second communication device 12 is superimposed onto two of the three power lines of the cable 80 and transmitted to the first communication device 11.

[0022] The communication method between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 may be a PLC method other than HD-PLC. Also, the communication method between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 is not limited to PLC and differential communication.

[0023] The processing device 30 controls the motor 71 through the drive unit 61, for example, based on sensor information received from the first communication device 11. For example, the processing device 30 may control the motor 71 so that the rotational position or rotational speed of the motor 71 becomes a target value, based on rotational position data (also called a sensor value) included in the sensor information.

[0024] In this way, in the servo system 50, the sensor information is transmitted superimposed on the power cable 80 that transmits power to the actuator 71, so there is no need to provide a cable for transmitting the sensor information separately from the power cable 80. This reduces the number of cables used in the servo system 50, making it possible to reduce the cost of the servo system 50 and to reduce the risk of cable breakage. Furthermore, the reduction in the number of cables makes it possible to reduce the weight of mechanisms such as robots in which the cables are mounted.

[0025] The sensor unit 20 may include a sensor other than the rotary encoder. For example, the sensor unit 20 may include a torque sensor that detects the torque of the motor 71. In this case, the sensor information includes torque data (also called a sensor value) indicating the torque of the motor 71. The sensor unit 20 may also include a current sensor that detects the current flowing through the motor 71. In this case, the sensor information includes current data (also called a sensor value) indicating the current of the motor 71. The processing device 30 may control the motor 71 so that the torque of the motor 71 becomes a target value based on the torque data or the current sensor included in the sensor information from the first communication device 11. The sensor unit 20 may also include a vibration sensor that detects the vibration of the motor 71. In this case, the sensor information includes vibration data (also called a sensor value) indicating the vibration of the motor 71. The processing device 30 may determine a failure of the motor 71 based on the vibration data included in the sensor information from the first communication device 11.

[0026] Furthermore, the actuator 71 may be something other than a motor. For example, the actuator 71 may be a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, or an electric actuator that does not use a motor.

[0027] <Example of processing device configuration> Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the processing device 30. As shown in Fig. 3, the processing device 30 includes, for example, a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, and an interface 330. These components are electrically connected to a bus 300. The processing device 30 can also be referred to as, for example, a processing circuit. The processing device 30 is, for example, a type of computer device. The processing device 30 can also be referred to as, for example, a circuit configuration.

[0028] The interface 330 is capable of communicating with the first communication device 11. The interface 330 may be, for example, an interface circuit. The interface 330 may also be, for example, a communication unit or a communication circuit. The interface 330 may perform wired communication with the first communication device 11, or may perform wireless communication.

[0029] The control unit 310 can generally manage the operation of the processing device 30 by controlling other components of the processing device 30 through the bus 300. The control unit 310 can also be called, for example, a control circuit. The control unit 310 includes, for example, at least one processor. The at least one processor includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0030] The storage unit 320 may include a non-transitory recording medium readable by the CPU of the control unit 310, such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). For example, a program for controlling the processing device 30 is stored in the storage unit 320. Various functions of the control unit 310 are realized, for example, by the CPU of the control unit 310 executing the program in the storage unit 320.

[0031] When the processing device 30 transmits information to be transmitted to the first communication device 11, the control unit 310 outputs the information to be transmitted to the interface 330. The interface 330 generates a transmission signal including the received information to be transmitted, and transmits the generated transmission signal. When the processing device 30 receives a signal transmitted by the first communication device 11, the interface 330 receives the signal. The interface 330 then acquires information contained in the received signal, which is the received signal, and outputs the information to the control unit 310 via the bus 300. This allows the control unit 310 to acquire the information transmitted by the first communication device 11.

[0032] The configuration of the control unit 310 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 310 may include multiple CPUs. The control unit 310 may also include at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). All or some of the functions of the control unit 310 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the function. The storage unit 320 may also include a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium other than ROM and RAM.

[0033] <Configuration Example of First Communication Device> Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first communication device 11. As shown in Fig. 4, the first communication device 11 includes, for example, a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a register 113, a buffer 114, a timer 115, an interface 116, and an interface 117. These components are electrically connected to a bus 110. The first communication device 11 can also be considered, for example, as a communication circuit. The first communication device 11 is, for example, a type of computer device. The first communication device 11 can also be considered, for example, as a circuit configuration.

[0034] The interface 116 is capable of communicating with an interface 330 of the processing device 30. The interface 116 may also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit. The interface 116 may also be referred to as, for example, a communication unit or a communication circuit.

[0035] The interface 117 is capable of performing power line communication with the second communication device 12 through the cable 80. The interface 117 may also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit. The interface 117 may also be referred to as, for example, a communication unit or a communication circuit. The interface 117 may also include, for example, a coupling circuit connected to the cable 80.

[0036] The control unit 111 can comprehensively manage the operation of the first communication device 11 by controlling the other components of the first communication device 11 through the bus 110. The control unit 111 can also be called, for example, a control circuit. The control unit 111 includes, for example, at least one processor. The at least one processor includes, for example, a CPU.

[0037] The storage unit 112 may include a non-transitory recording medium such as a ROM and a RAM that can be read by the CPU of the control unit 111. For example, a program for controlling the first communication device 11 and the like are stored in the storage unit 112. Various functions of the control unit 111 are realized, for example, by the CPU of the control unit 111 executing the program in the storage unit 112.

[0038] When the first communication device 11 transmits information to be transmitted to the processing device 30, the control unit 111 outputs the information to be transmitted to the interface 116. The interface 116 generates a transmission signal including the received information to be transmitted, and transmits the generated transmission signal. When the first communication device 11 receives a signal transmitted by the processing device 30, the interface 116 receives the signal. The interface 116 then acquires information contained in the received signal, which is the received signal, and outputs the information to the control unit 111 via the bus 110. This allows the control unit 111 to acquire the information transmitted by the processing device 30.

[0039] When the first communication device 11 transmits information to be transmitted to the second communication device 12, the control unit 111 outputs the information to be transmitted to the interface 117. The interface 117 generates a transmission signal including the input information to be transmitted. At this time, the interface 117 performs, for example, a modulation process using the information to be transmitted. Then, the interface 117 converts the generated transmission signal into a differential format, superimposes the differential format transmission signal (i.e., a differential signal) on the cable 80, and transmits the transmission signal to the second communication device 12. Also, when the first communication device 11 receives a signal transmitted by the second communication device 12, the interface 117 receives the signal through the cable 80. Then, the interface 117 converts the received signal, which is the received signal, into a single-end format, and performs a demodulation process or the like on the received signal in the single-end format to obtain information contained therein from the received signal. Then, the interface 117 outputs the obtained information to the control unit 111 through the bus 110. This allows the control unit 111 to obtain the information transmitted by the second communication device 12.

[0040] The configuration of the control unit 111 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 111 may include multiple CPUs. The control unit 111 may also include at least one DSP. All or some of the functions of the control unit 111 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the function. The storage unit 112 may also include a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium other than a ROM and a RAM.

[0041] The register 113 stores setting information that the processing device 30 transmits to the first communication device 11. The setting information is information for setting the operation of the communication system 10. The setting information will be explained in detail later. The register 113 can also be called a storage unit or a storage circuit. The control unit 111 stores the setting information received by the interface 116 in the register 113 via the bus 110. The control unit 111 can also read out the setting information from the register 113 via the bus 110.

[0042] The buffer 114 stores the sensor information transmitted by the second communication device 12. The buffer 114 can also be called a storage unit or a storage circuit. The control unit 111 stores the sensor information received by the interface 117 in the buffer 114 via the bus 110. The control unit 111 can also read the sensor information from the buffer 114 via the bus 110.

[0043] The timer 115 is capable of measuring the current time. The timer 115 increments a count value at regular intervals (e.g., nanoseconds or microseconds). The count value counted by the timer 115 represents the current time. The timer 115 can also be considered a measurement circuit that measures the current time. The control unit 111 can obtain the current count value from the timer 115 via the bus 110. This allows the control unit 111 to recognize the current time managed within the first communication device 11.

[0044] <Configuration example of second communication device> Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second communication device 12. As shown in Fig. 5, the second communication device 12 includes, for example, a control unit 121, a storage unit 122, a register 123, a buffer 124, a timer 125, an interface 126, and an interface 127. These components are electrically connected to a bus 120. The second communication device 12 can also be considered, for example, as a communication circuit. The second communication device 12 is, for example, a type of computer device. The second communication device 12 can also be considered, for example, as a circuit configuration.

[0045] The interface 126 is capable of communicating with the sensor unit 20. The interface 126 may be, for example, an interface circuit. The interface 126 may also be, for example, a communication unit or a communication circuit. The interface 126 may acquire sensor information from the sensor unit 20 in response to an instruction from the control unit 121.

[0046] The interface 127 is capable of performing power line communication with the first communication device 11 through the cable 80. The interface 127 may also be referred to as, for example, an interface circuit. The interface 127 may also be referred to as, for example, a communication unit or a communication circuit. The interface 127 also includes a coupling circuit connected to the cable 80.

[0047] The control unit 121 can generally manage the operation of the second communication device 12 by controlling other components of the second communication device 12 through the bus 120. The control unit 121 can also be called, for example, a control circuit. The control unit 121 includes, for example, at least one processor. The at least one processor includes, for example, a CPU.

[0048] The storage unit 122 may include a non-transitory recording medium such as a ROM and a RAM that can be read by the CPU of the control unit 121. For example, the storage unit 122 stores a program for controlling the second communication device 12. Various functions of the control unit 121 are realized by, for example, the CPU of the control unit 121 executing the program in the storage unit 122.

[0049] When the second communication device 12 transmits information to be transmitted to the first communication device 11, the control unit 121 outputs the information to be transmitted to the interface 127. The interface 127 generates a transmission signal including the input information to be transmitted. At this time, the interface 127 performs, for example, a modulation process using the information to be transmitted. Then, the interface 127 converts the generated transmission signal into a differential format, superimposes the differential format transmission signal on the cable 80, and transmits the transmission signal to the first communication device 11. Also, when the second communication device 12 receives a signal transmitted by the first communication device 11, the interface 127 receives the signal through the cable 80. Then, the interface 127 converts the received signal, which is the received signal, into a single-end format, and performs a demodulation process or the like on the single-end format received signal to obtain information contained therein from the received signal. Then, the interface 127 outputs the obtained information to the control unit 121 through the bus 120. This allows the control unit 121 to obtain the information transmitted by the first communication device 11.

[0050] The configuration of the control unit 121 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 121 may include multiple CPUs. The control unit 121 may also include at least one DSP. All or some of the functions of the control unit 121 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the function. The storage unit 122 may also include a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium other than a ROM and a RAM.

[0051] The register 123 stores the setting information that the first communication device 11 transmits to the second communication device 12. The register 123 can also be called a storage unit or a storage circuit. The control unit 121 stores the setting information received by the interface 127 in the register 123 via the bus 120. The control unit 121 can also read the setting information from the register 123 via the bus 120.

[0052] The buffer 124 stores the sensor information acquired by the interface 126 from the sensor unit 20. The buffer 124 can also be called a storage unit or a storage circuit. The control unit 121 stores the sensor information acquired by the interface 126 in the buffer 124 via the bus 120. The control unit 121 can also read out the sensor information from the buffer 124 via the bus 120.

[0053] The timer 125 is capable of measuring the current time. The timer 125 increments a count value at regular intervals (e.g., nanoseconds or microseconds). count The value indicates the current time. The control unit 121 can obtain the current count value from the timer 125 via the bus 120. This allows the control unit 121 to recognize the current time managed within the second communication device 12. The count-up interval of the timer 125 matches the count-up interval of the timer 115.

[0054] Hereinafter, the count value counted by the timer 125 of the second communication device 12 may be referred to as a second count value, and the count value counted by the timer 115 of the first communication device 11 may be referred to as a first count value.

[0055] For ease of explanation, the process in which the first communication device 11 transmits a signal and the second communication device 12 receives the signal is called downstream communication. The process in which the second communication device 12 transmits a signal and the first communication device 11 receives the signal is sometimes called upstream communication. When there is no need to particularly distinguish between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12, each is simply called a communication device.

[0056] <Example of processing system operation> The communication system 10 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 in advance according to the desired acquisition timing of the processing device 30. The communication system 10 transmits the sensor information acquired in advance to the processing device 30 according to the desired acquisition timing. This allows the processing device 30 to acquire sensor information acquired at a timing close to the desired acquisition timing, at a timing close to the desired acquisition timing.

[0057] When the processing device 30 wishes to acquire sensor information, it transmits, for example, acquisition request information indicating a request to acquire the sensor information to the communication system 10. The acquisition request information can also be said to be information indicating that the processing device 30 wishes to receive sensor information. By receiving the acquisition request information, the communication system 10 can recognize that the processing device 30 wishes to acquire sensor information. For example, the communication system 10 sets the timing at which the acquisition request information is received (also referred to as acquisition request reception timing) to the timing at which the processing device 30 wishes to acquire the sensor information (i.e., desired acquisition timing). The communication system 10 Acquisition request information In response to receiving the acquisition request information, the communication system 10 transmits the sensor information to the processing device 30. When the processing device 30 transmits the acquisition request information, the communication system 10 acquires the sensor information from the sensor unit 20 in advance in accordance with the timing of receiving the acquisition request, and transmits the sensor information acquired in advance to the processing device 30 in accordance with the timing of receiving the acquisition request.

[0058] The communication system 10 includes a processing device. 30 After performing the initial setting according to the instruction of 30 The sensor processing to be transmitted to the processing device 30 During the sensor processing, the processing device 30 repeatedly transmits, for example, acquisition request information. In the sensor processing, the communication system 10 repeatedly acquires sensor information and transmits the acquired sensor information to the processing device 30 each time acquisition request information is received. 30 Send to.

[0059] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the processing system 1. As shown in Fig. 6, in step s1, the processing device 30 transmits initial setting instruction information instructing the first communication device 11 of the communication system 10 to execute initial setting. The initial setting instruction information includes setting information for setting the operation of the communication system 10. The communication system 10 executes sensor processing based on the setting information. When the first communication device 11 receives the initial setting instruction information, in step s2, initial setting is executed in the communication system 10.

[0060] 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the initial setting. When the initial setting starts, in step s20, a synchronization process is executed in the communication system 10. In the synchronization process, a time managed by the first communication device 11 (also referred to as a first time) is synchronized with a time managed by the second communication device 12 (also referred to as a second time).

[0061] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the synchronization process. In the synchronization process, as shown in FIG. 8, in step s210, the first communication device 11 transmits the first information to the second communication device 12. The first information includes time information T1 indicating the transmission time of the first information. The transmission time of a certain information may be, for example, the timing at which the transmission of the certain information starts (also referred to as the transmission start timing). The transmission start timing of a certain information is, for example, the timing at which the generation of a transmission signal including the certain information starts. For example, a first count value (also referred to as the first downlink transmission start count value) at the transmission start timing of the first information (in other words, the transmission time of the first information) is adopted as the time information T1. The first downlink transmission start count value indicates the time at which the first communication device 11 starts transmitting the first information.

[0062] In step s220, the second communication device 12 receiving the first information acquires time information T2 indicating the reception time of the first information. The reception time of certain information may be, for example, the timing at which reception of the certain information is completed (also referred to as reception completion timing). The reception completion timing of certain information is, for example, the timing at which various processes such as demodulation processing are performed on a signal including the certain information and acquisition of the certain information from the signal is completed. For example, the second count value (first downlink reception completion count value) at the reception completion timing of the first information (in other words, the reception time of the first information) is used as the time information T2. ​​First downlink reception completion count The value indicates the time when the second communication device 12 completed receiving the first information.

[0063] After step s220, in step s230, the second communication device 12 transmits the second information to the first communication device 11. The second information includes time information T3 indicating the transmission time of the second information, and time information T2. ​​As the time information T3, for example, a second count value (also called a first upstream transmission start count value) at the transmission start timing of the second information (in other words, the transmission time of the second information) is adopted. The first upstream transmission start count value indicates the time when the second communication device 12 starts transmitting the second information.

[0064] In step s240, the first communication device 11 that receives the second information acquires time information T4 indicating the time when the second information is received. For example, the time information T4 may be the first time when the second information is received (in other words, the time when the second information is received). count The first upstream reception completion count value is used. count The value indicates the time when the first communication device 11 completed receiving the second information.

[0065] After step s240, in step s250, the control unit 111 of the first communication device 11 obtains an offset value OS indicating a difference between the first time managed by the first communication device 11 and the second time managed by the second communication device 12. countCompletion of first downstream reception as value and time information T2 count value, start of first upstream transmission as time information T3 count Completion of first upstream reception as value and time information T4 count The values ​​are respectively designated as C1, C2, C3, and C4. The offset value OS is expressed, for example, by the following formula (1).

[0066]

number

[0067] The second count value being counted by the second communication device 12 is offset by an offset value OS from the first count value being counted by the first communication device 11. When the second count value is ahead of the first count value (i.e., when the second time is ahead of the first time), the offset value OS is a positive value. On the other hand, when the second count value is behind the first count value (i.e., when the second time is behind the first time), the offset value OS is a negative value.

[0068] After step s250, in step s260, the first communication device 11 transmits third information including the calculated offset value OS to the second communication device 12. In step s270, the second communication device 12 that has received the third information corrects the second count value based on the offset value OS included in the third information. For example, the control unit 121 of the second communication device 12 sets a value obtained by subtracting the offset value OS from the second count value as the corrected second count value. As a result, the corrected second count value becomes substantially equal to the first count value, and the second time is synchronized with the first time. In other words, the second count value is synchronized with the first count value. When using the second count value, the control unit 121 uses the corrected second count value. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the second count value means the second count value corrected with the offset value OS (in other words, the second count value synchronized with the first count value).

[0069] As shown in Fig. 7, when the synchronization process of step s20 is completed, in step s21, the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 record the setting information included in the initial setting instruction information. In step s21, the control unit 111 of the first communication device 11 stores the setting information received by the interface 116 in the register 113. As a result, the setting information is recorded in the first communication device 11. The control unit 111 also causes the interface 117 to transmit the setting information. In the second communication device 12, the control unit 121 stores the setting information received by the interface 127 in the register 123. As a result, the setting information is recorded in the second communication device 12. When the setting information is recorded in the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12, the initial setting is completed.

[0070] The setting information includes, for example, an interval L at which the processing device 30 transmits acquisition request information (also referred to as an acquisition request transmission interval L). The acquisition request transmission interval L is, for example, constant and is also referred to as a loop period. The acquisition request transmission interval L can also be said to be an interval at which the processing device 30 wishes to acquire sensor information (also referred to as a desired sensor information acquisition interval). The setting information also includes a margin time M and an upstream communication time estimate Dux, which will be described later.

[0071] When the initial settings in step s2 are completed, as shown in Fig. 6, in step s3, the first communication device 11 transmits completion notification information to the processing device 30 notifying that the initial settings have been completed. Having received the completion notification information, the processing device 30 transmits operation start instruction information to the first communication device 11 instructing the start of sensor processing in step s4. When the first communication device 11 receives the operation start instruction information, the sensor processing starts in the communication system 10. The processing device 30 transmits acquisition request information an acquisition request transmission interval L after the transmission of the operation start instruction information. Thereafter, the processing device 30 transmits acquisition request information at every acquisition request transmission interval L. The first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information at every acquisition request transmission interval L.

[0072] Hereinafter, the period from when the first communication device 11 receives the operation start instruction information until when it receives the acquisition request information after the acquisition request transmission interval L, and the period from when it receives the acquisition request information until when it receives the next acquisition request information after the acquisition request transmission interval L, may be referred to as the unit sensor processing period. In the processing system 1, unit sensor processing periods appear repeatedly in succession from the timing of receiving the operation start instruction information in the first communication device 11. The unit sensor processing period that appears Pth (P is an integer equal to or greater than 1) from the timing of receiving the operation start instruction information is referred to as the Pth unit sensor processing period. The period from when the operation start instruction information is received until when it receives the acquisition request information after the acquisition request transmission interval L is the first unit sensor processing period. Also, the unit sensor processing period to be described (in other words, the unit sensor processing period of interest) may be referred to as the target unit sensor processing period.

[0073] In step s5, the first communication device 11 that has received the operation start instruction information transmits acquisition instruction information instructing the second communication device 12 to acquire sensor information. The second communication device 12 that has received the acquisition instruction information performs an acquisition transmission process of acquiring sensor information in advance and transmitting the sensor information to the first communication device 11 in accordance with timing T10 at which the first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information (i.e., acquisition request reception timing T10) (step s6). In the acquisition transmission process in step s6, first, the control unit 121 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 via the interface 126 and stores the acquired sensor information in the buffer 124. Then, the control unit 121 reads out the sensor information from the buffer 124 and causes the interface 127 to transmit first response information including the read sensor information.

[0074] After step s6, in step s7, the first communication device 11 receives the first response information. Then, the control unit 111 of the first communication device 11 stores the sensor information included in the first response information in the buffer 114. Then, in step s8, the processing device 30transmits the acquisition request information to the first communication device 11, in step s9, the first communication device 11 transmits second response information including the sensor information in the buffer 114 to the processing device 30 in response to receiving the acquisition request information. As a result, the sensor information is transmitted from the first communication device 11 to the processing device 30 at a timing according to the acquisition request reception timing T10 (in other words, the desired acquisition timing). Furthermore, in the first communication device 11, in response to receiving the acquisition request information, step s5 is executed again, and acquisition instruction information is transmitted to the second communication device 12. Thereafter, step s6 is executed again, and thereafter, the processing system 1 operates in the same manner.

[0075] The processing device 30 may transmit operation end instruction information instructing the end of the sensor processing to the first communication device 11. In this case, the first communication device 11 transmits the received operation end instruction information to the second communication device 12. As a result, the communication system 10 stops acquiring sensor information and ends the sensor processing.

[0076] The second communication device 12 determines the start timing (also referred to as the acquisition / transmission process start timing) of the sensor information acquisition / transmission process (i.e., step s6) based on, for example, the setting information in the register 123. The second communication device 12 starts the acquisition / transmission process at the acquisition / transmission process start timing. The acquisition / transmission process start timing can also be said to be the timing at which the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 (also referred to as the sensor information acquisition timing). FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a method for determining the acquisition / transmission process start timing. In FIG. 9, the processes from step s4 onward in the flow shown in FIG. 6 are shown in detail.

[0077] The acquisition instruction information transmitted by the first communication device 11 in step s5 includes time information T11 indicating the transmission time of the acquisition instruction information. For example, the first count value (also referred to as the second downlink transmission start count value) at the transmission start timing of the acquisition instruction information is used as the time information T11.

[0078] After step s5, in step s11, the second communication device 12 receives the acquisition instruction information. In step s11, the second communication device 12 acquires time information T12 indicating the reception time of the acquisition instruction information. For example, the second count value (second downstream reception completion count value) at the reception completion timing of the acquisition instruction information is adopted as the time information T12. In step s11, the control unit 121 of the second communication device 12 determines the acquisition transmission process start timing based on, for example, the time information T11 and the time information T12 included in the acquisition instruction information received by the second communication device 12, and the acquisition request transmission interval L, the margin time M, and the upstream communication time estimate value Dux included in the setting information in the register 123. Then, when the acquisition transmission process start timing arrives, the second communication device 12 starts the acquisition transmission process of step s6.

[0079] In this example, the acquisition / transmission process start timing is determined so that the first communication device 11 receives the first response information from the second communication device 12 at a timing close to the acquisition request reception timing T10 (in other words, the desired acquisition timing).

[0080] The upstream communication time estimate Dux used in determining the acquisition / transmission process start timing is an estimate of the time Du required for upstream communication between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 (hereinafter also referred to as the upstream communication time). The upstream communication time Du (see FIG. 9) is, for example, the time from the timing when the second communication device 12 starts transmitting information (i.e., the transmission start timing) to the timing when the first communication device 11 completes receiving the information (i.e., the reception completion timing). In determining the acquisition / transmission process start timing, for example, a fixed value of the upstream communication time estimate Dux is used. The upstream communication time estimate Dux may be, for example, a design value, or may be a value determined in advance using an actual device of the communication system 10.

[0081] The actual upstream communication time Du is not constant, and may vary depending on, for example, the operating conditions of the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12. The margin time M is for absorbing the variation (also called fluctuation) of the upstream communication time Du. The margin time M is, for example, a fixed value. The margin time M is set, for example, to be equal to or greater than the degree of variation of the upstream communication time Du. For example, the standard deviation of the upstream communication time Du is adopted as the degree of variation of the upstream communication time Du. The margin time M may be set, for example, to the design upper limit value of the standard deviation of the upstream communication time Du. Note that, in the communication system 10, when the degree of variation of the upstream communication time Du is very small, the margin time M may not be set. In other words, the margin time M may be zero.

[0082] In this example, the time handled by the communication system 10 is represented, for example, by the count numbers (simply referred to as count numbers) of the timers 115 and 125. Therefore, the actual value of a certain time is the product of the count number representing the certain time and a fixed count-up interval of the timers 115 and 125. The upstream communication time estimate Dux and the margin time M included in the setting information are represented by count numbers.

[0083] In step s11, the control unit 121 obtains an actual measurement value of a time Dd required for downstream communication between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 (hereinafter also referred to as downstream communication time) based on the time information T11 and T12. The downstream communication time Dd is, for example, a time from the timing when the first communication device 11 starts transmitting information (i.e., transmission start timing) to the timing when the second communication device 12 completes receiving the information (i.e., reception completion timing). The control unit 121 determines, for example, a difference value (in other words, a count number) obtained by subtracting the second downstream transmission start count value as the time information T11 from the second downstream reception completion count value as the time information T12 as the actual measurement value of the downstream communication time Dd (also referred to as downstream communication time actual value Ddy).

[0084] In step s11, the control unit 121 determines the waiting time W by using the following formula (2).

[0085]

number

[0086] When the control unit 121 determines the waiting time W, the control unit 121 adds the waiting time W to the second downlink reception completion count value as the time information T12, and sets the obtained value as the acquisition transmission process start count value. Then, the control unit 121 sets the timing at which the second count value counted by the timer 125 becomes the acquisition transmission process start count value as the acquisition transmission process start timing. The second communication device 12 waits until the second count value becomes the acquisition transmission process start count value, and starts the acquisition transmission process of step s6 when the second count value becomes the acquisition transmission process start count value. In other words, the second communication device 12 waits for the waiting time W from the time at which the second count value becomes the second downlink reception completion count value, and then starts the acquisition transmission process. This allows the first communication device 11 to receive sensor information acquired at a timing close to the acquisition request reception timing T10 immediately before the acquisition request reception timing T10. Therefore, the first communication device 11 can transmit sensor information acquired at a timing close to the acquisition request reception timing T10 to the processing device 30 immediately after receiving the acquisition request information. As a result, the processing device 30 can immediately acquire the sensor information acquired close to the timing of transmission of the acquisition request information from the communication system 10. In other words, the processing device 30 can receive the sensor information acquired close to the desired acquisition timing from the communication system 10. 30can acquire sensor information in real time, and can appropriately feedback-control the actuator 71 based on the latest sensor information, for example. In addition, since the processing device 30 can acquire the sensor information immediately after transmitting the acquisition request information, the processing device 30 can reduce the waiting time from transmitting the acquisition request information to receiving the sensor information. In other words, the processing device 30 can reduce the waiting time from the timing at which it is desired to acquire the sensor information to actually receiving the sensor information.

[0087] Furthermore, since the second communication device 12 determines the acquisition / transmission process start timing based on the upstream communication time Du, the first communication device 11 can transmit the sensor information acquired closer to the acquisition request reception timing T10 to the processing device 30 immediately after receiving the acquisition request information. This enables the processing device 30 to acquire the sensor information acquired closer to the transmission of the acquisition request information immediately after transmitting the acquisition request information.

[0088] Furthermore, since the second communication device 12 determines the acquisition / transmission process start timing based on the degree of variation in the upstream communication time Du, the first communication device 11 can transmit the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the acquisition request reception timing T10 to the processing device 30 immediately after receiving the acquisition request information. This enables the processing device 30 to acquire the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the transmission of the acquisition request information immediately after transmitting the acquisition request information.

[0089] The control unit 121 may set a value obtained by adding the acquisition request transmission interval L to the second downlink transmission start count value as the time information T11 included in the acquisition instruction information as an estimated reception count value indicating an estimated value of the timing at which the first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information. The control unit 121 may set a value obtained by subtracting the margin time M and the upstream communication time estimate Dux from the estimated reception count value as the acquisition transmission process start count value. The estimated reception count value indicates an estimated value of the time at which the first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information. The estimated reception count value also indicates the desired acquisition timing of the processing device 30.

[0090] Furthermore, the processing device 30 may change the acquisition request transmission interval L. In this case, the processing device 30 transmits, for example, acquisition request information including the changed acquisition request transmission interval L to the first communication device 11. In step s5, the first communication device 11 transmits acquisition instruction information including the changed acquisition request transmission interval L included in the received acquisition request information to the second communication device 12. In step s11, the second communication device 12 determines the acquisition transmission process start timing using the changed acquisition request transmission interval L included in the received acquisition instruction information. The processing device 30 may change the acquisition request transmission interval L every time it transmits acquisition request information, or may change the acquisition request transmission interval L every time it transmits acquisition request information multiple times.

[0091] The above-mentioned synchronization process may be performed not only during the initial setup but also after the initial setup. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the processing system 1 in this case.

[0092] 10, the first response information transmitted by the second communication device 12 includes time information T13 indicating the transmission time of the first response information and time information T12 included in the acquisition instruction information. As the time information T13, for example, a second count value (also referred to as a second upstream transmission start count value) at the transmission start timing of the first response information is adopted.

[0093] In step s7, the control unit 111 of the first communication device 11 that receives the first response information acquires time information T14 indicating the time at which the first response information is received. For example, the time information T14 may be the first time when the first response information is received. count Value (Second upstream reception complete count Then, in step s7, the control unit 111 updates the offset value OS based on the acquired time information T14, the time information T11 included in the acquisition instruction information transmitted in step s5, and the time information T12 and T13 included in the first response information. count Completion of second downstream reception as value and time information T12 count value, start of second upstream transmission as time information T13 count Completion of second upstream reception as value and time information T14 count The values ​​are respectively designated as C1, C2, C3 and C4 and substituted into the above equation (1) to update the offset value OS.

[0094] When the first communication device 11 updates the offset value OS in the first unit sensor processing period, in step s5 of the next second unit sensor processing period, it transmits acquisition instruction information including the updated offset value OS and time information T11. The control unit 121 of the second communication device 12 that has received the acquisition instruction information re-corrects the second count value based on the offset value OS included in the acquisition instruction information in step s11 of the second unit sensor processing period. For example, the control unit 121 sets the value obtained by subtracting the offset value OS from the second count value as the corrected second count value. This makes it difficult for the second count value to deviate from the first count value even if the count-up interval of the timer 125 deviates from the count-up interval of the timer 115.

[0095] In the second unit sensor processing period, step s6 is executed after step s11. In step s6, first response information including the sensor information, time information T12, and time information T13 is transmitted to the first communication device 11. In step s7 in the second unit sensor processing period, the offset value is updated similarly to step s7 in the first unit sensor processing period. Thereafter, the processing system 1 operates in a similar manner, and the second count value is re-corrected in each unit sensor processing period after the third unit sensor processing period. Note that the re-correction of the second count value may be executed only once in multiple unit sensor processing periods after the second unit sensor processing period.

[0096] In the above example, the upstream communication time estimate Dux is a fixed value included in the setting information transmitted by the processing device 30, but the upstream communication time estimate Dux may be determined by the second communication device 12. Various examples of a method in which the second communication device 12 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux will be described below.

[0097] <First Example of Method for Determining Estimated Uplink Communication Time> In this example, in the initial setting, a time D required for communication between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as communication time D) is measured. The communication time D (see FIG. 8) is, for example, the time from the timing when one communication device starts transmitting information (i.e., transmission start timing) to the timing when the other communication device completes receiving the information (i.e., reception completion timing). The communication time D can also be said to be the delay time from when one communication device transmits information until the information reaches the other communication device. The second communication device 12 determines an upstream communication time estimate Dux for a unit sensor processing period based on the communication time D measured in the initial setting (in other words, the actual value of the communication time D).

[0098] In the initial setting, for example, in step s250, the control unit 111 of the first communication device 11 calculates the offset value OS and calculates the communication time D based on the time information T1, T2, T3, and T4. The control unit 111 calculates the communication time D using the following formula (3).

[0099]

number

[0100] In step s260, the first communication device 11 transmits the third information including the offset value OS and the communication time D to the second communication device 12. This allows the second communication device 12 to acquire the communication time D determined in the initial setting. The control unit 121 of the second communication device 12 employs the acquired communication time D (i.e., an actual measured value) as an upstream communication time estimate Dux to be used when determining the acquisition and transmission process start timing.

[0101] In addition, in the initial setting, the process consisting of steps s210, s220, s230, s240, s250, s260, and s270 may be repeatedly executed multiple times, so that the second communication device 12 may acquire the measured communication time D multiple times. In this case, the control unit 121 may adopt an average value of the communication times D acquired multiple times as the upstream communication time estimate Dux. Alternatively, the control unit 121 may adopt the maximum value of the communication times D acquired multiple times as the upstream communication time estimate Dux.

[0102] When the second communication device 12 acquires the communication time D multiple times in the initial setting, the control unit 121 may use the standard deviation (in other words, the degree of variation) of the communication time D acquired multiple times as the margin time M.

[0103] <Second Example of Method for Determining Estimated Uplink Communication Time> In this example, the control unit 121 acquires the target unit sensor processing period. send The upstream communication time estimate Dux used in determining the processing start timing is determined based on the actual measurement value of the upstream communication time Du acquired prior to the target unit sensor processing period (also referred to as the upstream communication time actual measurement value). send The timing to start the process is determined based on the estimated upstream communication time Dux. send It can be said that the timing for starting the process is determined based on the actual measured upstream communication time.

[0104] In this example, the first response information includes the above-mentioned time information T13. Furthermore, the first communication device 11 acquires the above-mentioned time information T14 in step s7. Then, the control unit 111 of the first communication device 11 acquires the time information T13 and T14 For example, the control unit 111 determines the actual upstream communication time based on the second upstream reception completion time T14. count From the value, the second upstream transmission start as time information T13 count The value obtained by subtracting the value (i.e., the count number) is set as the actual upstream communication time value. In this way, the first communication device 11 can obtain the actual measurement value of the upstream communication time Du during the object unit sensor processing period.

[0105] When the first communication device 11 acquires an actual value of the upstream communication time Du in the Pth unit sensor processing period in the Pth unit sensor processing period, in step s5 in the (P+1)th unit sensor processing period, it transmits acquisition instruction information including the acquired actual value of the upstream communication time to the second communication device 12. In step s11 in the (P+1)th unit sensor processing period, the second communication device 12 adopts the actual value of the upstream communication time included in the acquisition instruction information as an upstream communication time estimate Dux to be used in determining the acquisition transmission process start timing in the (P+1)th unit sensor processing period.

[0106] As the upstream communication time estimate Dux in the target unit sensor processing period, an average value of the upstream communication time actual values ​​acquired before the target unit sensor processing period may be adopted, or the maximum value of the upstream communication time actual values ​​acquired before the target unit sensor processing period may be adopted. For example, as the upstream communication time estimate Dux in the Qth unit sensor processing period (Q is an integer of 3 or more), an average value of (Q-1) upstream communication time actual values ​​acquired from the first unit sensor processing period to the (Q-1)th unit sensor processing period (i.e., an average value of all communication time actual values ​​acquired before the Qth unit sensor processing period) may be adopted, or the maximum value of the (Q-1) upstream communication time actual values ​​may be adopted.

[0107] In this way, by determining the acquisition / transmission process start timing based on the actual measured upstream communication time value, the first communication device 11 can transmit the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the acquisition request reception timing T10 to the processing device 30 immediately after receiving the acquisition request information. This allows the processing device 30 to acquire the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the transmission of the acquisition request information immediately after transmitting the acquisition request information.

[0108] As can be understood from the above description, since the acquisition instruction information transmitted in step s5 of the first unit sensor processing period does not include an actual upstream communication time measurement value, the second communication device 12 cannot determine the upstream communication time estimate value Dux to be used in the first unit sensor processing period. In this way, the second communication device 12 cannot determine the upstream communication time estimate value Dux to be used in the first unit sensor processing period due to a lack of necessary information, etc. process When it is not possible to determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux to be used during the period, a value included in the configuration information may be used as the upstream communication time estimate Dux. Alternatively, the upstream communication time estimate Dux may be determined based on the communication time D obtained in the initial setting, as in the first example of the method for determining the upstream communication time estimate.

[0109] <Third Example of Method for Determining Estimated Uplink Communication Time> As described above, the upstream communication time Du may change depending on the operation status of the second communication device 12. Therefore, in this example, the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate value Dux based on the operation status of the second communication device 12. send The timing to start the process is determined based on the estimated upstream communication time Dux. send It can be said that the timing of starting the process is determined based on the operation status of the second communication device 12. The control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate value Dux based on, for example, the degree of congestion of the process in the control unit 121 included in the second communication device 12 and the degree of congestion of the bus 120 in the second communication device 12.

[0110] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second communication device 12 of this embodiment. The second communication device 12 shown in FIG. 11 includes a bus congestion degree acquisition unit 128 that acquires the congestion degree of the bus 120 in response to an instruction from the control unit 121. The bus congestion degree acquisition unit 128 acquires the congestion degree of the bus 120, for example, by monitoring a bus request signal output to the bus 120. For example, the bus congestion degree acquisition unit 128 acquires the number of times the bus request signal is output to the bus 120 per unit time as the congestion degree of the bus 120. The bus congestion degree acquisition unit 128 outputs the acquired congestion degree of the bus 120 to the control unit 121 through the bus 120. Hereinafter, the congestion degree of the bus 120 in the second communication device 12 may be referred to as a second bus congestion degree.

[0111] Also, in this example, the control unit 121 obtains a congestion degree of the processing in the control unit 121. For example, the control unit 121 obtains a ratio of time other than idle time per unit time as the congestion degree of the processing in the control unit 121. Hereinafter, the congestion degree of the processing in the control unit 121 included in the second communication device 12 may be referred to as a second control processing congestion degree.

[0112] In step s11, the control unit 121 acquires the current second control processing congestion degree. In addition, in step s11, the control unit 121 causes the bus congestion degree acquisition unit 128 to acquire the current second bus congestion degree. In addition, in step s11, the control unit 121 calculates the average value of the upstream communication time actual measurement values ​​acquired in the past. For example, in step s11 of the Qth unit sensor processing period, the control unit 121 calculates the average value of (Q-1) upstream communication time actual measurement values ​​acquired from the first unit sensor processing period to the (Q-1)th unit sensor processing period. Then, in step s11, the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimated value Dux based on the acquired second control processing congestion degree, the second bus congestion degree acquired by the bus congestion degree acquisition unit 128, and the calculated average value of the upstream communication time actual measurement values.

[0113] When determining the upstream communication time estimate Dux, the control unit 121 determines, for example, which of the three categories of "high", "medium", and "low" the second control processing congestion degree belongs to. For example, when the second control processing congestion degree is less than a first threshold, the control unit 121 determines that the category of the second control processing congestion degree is "low". When the second control processing congestion degree is equal to or greater than the first threshold and less than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, the control unit 121 determines that the category of the second control processing congestion degree is "medium". When the second control processing congestion degree is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the control unit 121 determines that the category of the second control processing congestion degree is "high". When determining the upstream communication time estimate Dux, the control unit 121 determines, for example, which of the three categories of "high", "medium", and "low" the second bus congestion degree belongs to. The method of determining the category of the second bus congestion degree is, for example, similar to the method of determining the category of the second control processing congestion degree. The control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux in accordance with a combination of the second control process congestion level category and the second bus congestion level category.

[0114] In this example, the setting information transmitted by the processing device 30 includes parameter information B1 including nine parameters b1 corresponding to nine combinations of the second control processing congestion level category and the second bus congestion level category. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the parameter information B1. In the example of Fig. 12, for example, the parameter b1 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level category "high" and the second bus congestion level category "high" is "1.6". Also, the parameter b1 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level category "medium" and the second bus congestion level category "medium" is "1".

[0115] In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out parameter information B1 from the setting information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 acquires a parameter b1 according to a combination of the current classification of the second control processing congestion degree and the current classification of the second bus congestion degree from the parameter information B1. For example, when the classifications of the second control processing congestion degree and the second bus congestion degree obtained in step s11 are both "low", the parameter b1 of "0.4" is acquired from the parameter information B1. Also, for example, when the classifications of the second control processing congestion degree and the second bus congestion degree obtained in step s11 are "medium" and "high", respectively, the parameter b1 of "1.3" is acquired from the parameter information B1. The control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by multiplying the acquired parameter b1 by the average value of the actual upstream communication time measurement values ​​as the upstream communication time estimate value Dux.

[0116] The control unit 121 may use the parameter information B2 shown in FIG. 13 instead of the parameter information B1. The parameter information B2 includes nine parameters b2 corresponding to nine combinations of the second control processing congestion level classification and the second bus congestion level classification. In the example of FIG. 13, for example, the parameter b2 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level classification "high" and the second bus congestion level classification "low" is "0". Also, the parameter b2 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level classification "medium" and the second bus congestion level classification "high" is "1.5σ". The σ in the parameter b2 means the standard deviation of the actual upstream communication time measurement value in the past. The parameter information B2 is included in the setting information in the register 123. It can be said that the standard deviation of the actual upstream communication time measurement value is the degree of variation of the actual upstream communication time measurement value.

[0117] In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out parameter information B2 from the setting information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 acquires a parameter b2 according to a combination of the current classification of the second control processing congestion degree and the current classification of the second bus congestion degree from the parameter information B2. For example, when the classifications of the second control processing congestion degree and the second bus congestion degree obtained in step s11 are both "low", the parameter b2 of "-3σ" is acquired from the parameter information B2. Also, when the classifications of the second control processing congestion degree and the second bus congestion degree obtained in step s11 are both "high", the parameter b2 of "3σ" is acquired from the parameter information B2. Also, in step s11, the control unit 121 calculates the standard deviation of the past actual upstream communication time values. For example, in step s11 of the Qth unit sensor processing period, the control unit 121 calculates the standard deviation of (Q-1) actual upstream communication time values ​​acquired from the first unit sensor processing period to the (Q-1)th unit sensor processing period. Then, in step s11, the control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by adding the acquired parameter b2 to the average value of the actual measured upstream communication time as the estimated upstream communication time Dux. At this time, the standard deviation of the actual measured upstream communication time calculated by the control unit 121 is used as σ in the parameter b2. In this example, the standard deviation of the actual measured upstream communication time is used to determine the estimated upstream communication time Dux. send It can also be said that the processing transmission start timing is determined based on the degree of variation in the actual measured value of the upstream communication time.

[0118] Furthermore, when the amount of data of the sensor information changes, the upstream communication time Du of the first response information including the sensor information may change according to the amount of data of the sensor information. For example, when the sensor unit 20 includes multiple sensors, the amount of data of the sensor information output by the sensor unit 20 may change. For example, when the sensor unit 20 outputs sensor information including all detection results of the multiple sensors at a certain timing, the amount of data of the sensor information becomes relatively large. On the other hand, when the sensor unit 20 outputs sensor information including detection results of some of the multiple sensors at another timing, the amount of data of the sensor information becomes relatively small. Note that even when the sensor unit includes only one sensor, the amount of data of the sensor information may change.

[0119] When the data amount of the sensor information changes, the control unit 121 may determine the upstream communication time estimate value Dux based on the second control process congestion degree, the second bus congestion degree, and the data amount of the sensor information.

[0120] In step s11, the control unit 121 determines which of the three categories, "large," "medium," or "small," the category of the data amount of the sensor information acquired in the immediately following step s6 belongs to. The method of determining the category of the data amount of the sensor information is, for example, the same as the method of determining the category of the second control processing congestion level. The control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux according to a combination of the category of the second control processing congestion level, the category of the second bus congestion level, and the category of the data amount of the sensor information.

[0121] In this example, the setting information transmitted by the processing device 30 includes parameter information B3 including 27 parameters b3 corresponding to 27 combinations of the second control processing congestion level category, the second bus congestion level category, and the data volume category. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the parameter information B3. In the example of FIG. 14, for example, the parameter b3 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level category "high", the second bus congestion level category "high", and the data volume category "large" of the sensor information is "1.6". Also, the parameter b3 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level category "medium", the second bus congestion level category "medium", and the data volume category "medium" of the sensor information is "1".

[0122] In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out parameter information B3 from the setting information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 acquires a parameter b3 from the parameter information B3 according to a combination of the current classification of the second control processing congestion level, the current classification of the second bus congestion level, and the classification of the data amount of the sensor information acquired in step s6. For example, if the classification of the second control processing congestion level obtained in step s11 is "low", the classification of the second bus congestion level obtained in step s11 is "low", and the classification of the data amount of the sensor information acquired in step s6 is "small", the parameter b3 of "0.4" is acquired from the parameter information B3. Also, for example, if the classification of the second control processing congestion level obtained in step s11 is "medium", the classification of the second bus congestion level obtained in step s11 is "low", and the classification of the data amount of the sensor information acquired in step s6 is "large", the parameter b3 of "1" is acquired from the parameter information B3. The control unit 121 multiplies the obtained parameter b3 by the average value of the actual measured values ​​of the upstream communication time, and adopts the resulting value as the upstream communication time estimate Dux.

[0123] The control unit 121 may use the parameter information B4 shown in FIG. 15 instead of the parameter information B3. The parameter information B4 includes 27 parameters b4 corresponding to 27 combinations of the second control processing congestion level classification, the second bus congestion level classification, and the sensor information data amount classification. In the example of FIG. 15, for example, the parameter b4 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level classification "high", the second bus congestion level classification "medium", and the sensor information data amount classification "small" is "0". Also, for example, the parameter b4 corresponding to the combination of the second control processing congestion level classification "medium", the second bus congestion level classification "medium", and the sensor information data amount classification "large" is "σ". σ in the parameter b4 means the standard deviation of the past upstream communication time actual measurement value, like σ in the parameter b2. The parameter information B4 is included in the setting information in the register 123.

[0124] In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out parameter information B4 from the setting information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 acquires a parameter b4 from the parameter information B4 according to a combination of the current classification of the second control process congestion level, the current classification of the second bus congestion level, and the data amount of the sensor information acquired in step s6. For example, when the classification of the second control process congestion level obtained in step s11 is "medium", the classification of the second bus congestion level obtained in step s11 is "low", and the classification of the data amount of the sensor information acquired in step s6 is "medium", the parameter b4 of "-σ" is acquired from the parameter information B4. Also, in step s11, the control unit 121 calculates the standard deviation of the past actual upstream communication time measurements, as in the case where the parameter information B2 is used. Then, in step s11, the control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by adding the acquired parameter b4 to the average value of the actual upstream communication time measurements as the upstream communication time estimate value Dux. At this time, the standard deviation calculated by the control unit 121 is used as σ in the parameter b4.

[0125] The control unit 121 may determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on only one of the second control processing congestion degree, the second bus congestion degree, and the amount of data of the sensor information. For example, consider a case where the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the second control processing congestion degree. In this case, the setting information includes parameter information including three parameters corresponding to three classifications of the second control processing congestion degree. The control unit 121 reads out a parameter corresponding to the classification of the current second control processing congestion degree from the parameter information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux, for example, based on the read out parameter and the average value of the actual measurement value of the upstream communication time. For example, when the read out parameter is the same as the above parameter b1, the control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by multiplying the read out parameter by the average value of the actual measurement value of the upstream communication time as the upstream communication time estimate Dux. The control unit 121 operates in the same manner when determining the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the second bus congestion degree. The control unit 121 also operates in a similar manner when determining the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the data amount of the sensor information.

[0126] The control unit 121 may determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the second control process congestion level and the data volume of the sensor information, or may determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the second bus congestion level and the data volume of the sensor information. For example, consider a case where the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the second control process congestion level and the data volume of the sensor information. In this case, the setting information includes parameter information including nine parameters corresponding to nine combinations of the second control process congestion level classification and the data volume classification of the sensor information. The control unit 121 reads out parameters corresponding to the combination of the current second control process congestion level classification and the data volume classification of the sensor information acquired in step s6 from the parameter information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the read out parameters and the average value of the actual upstream communication time measurements. For example, when the read parameter is the same as the parameter b1, the control unit 121 adopts the value obtained by multiplying the read parameter by the average value of the actual measured values ​​of the upstream communication time as the upstream communication time estimate Dux. The control unit 121 operates in the same manner when determining the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the second bus congestion degree and the data amount of the sensor information.

[0127] In this way, the acquisition / transmission process start timing is determined based on the operation status of the second communication device 12, so that the first communication device 11 can transmit the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the acquisition request reception timing T10 to the processing device 30 immediately after receiving the acquisition request information. This allows the processing device 30 to acquire the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the timing of transmitting the acquisition request information immediately after transmitting the acquisition request information.

[0128] <Fourth Example of Method for Determining Estimated Uplink Communication Time> As described above, the upstream communication time Du may change depending on the operation status of the first communication device 11. Therefore, in this example, the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate value Dux based on the operation status of the first communication device 11. sendThe timing to start the process is determined based on the estimated upstream communication time Dux. send It can be said that the processing start timing is determined based on the operation status of the first communication device 11. The control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate value Dux based on, for example, the degree of congestion of processing in the control unit 111 included in the first communication device 11 and the degree of congestion of the bus 110 in the first communication device 11.

[0129] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of first communication device 11 of this example. First communication device 11 shown in Fig. 16 includes bus congestion degree acquisition unit 118 that acquires the congestion degree of bus 110 in response to an instruction from control unit 111. Bus congestion degree acquisition unit 118 acquires the number of times bus request signals are output to bus 110 per unit time as the congestion degree of bus 110, for example, in the same manner as above-mentioned bus congestion degree acquisition unit 128. Bus congestion degree acquisition unit 118 outputs the acquired congestion degree of bus 110 to control unit 111 through bus 110. Hereinafter, the congestion degree of bus 110 may be referred to as a first bus congestion degree.

[0130] Also, in this example, control unit 111 obtains a congestion degree of processing in control unit 111. Control unit 111 obtains, for example, a ratio of time other than idle time per unit time as the congestion degree of processing in control unit 111. Hereinafter, the congestion degree of processing in control unit 111 may be referred to as a first control processing congestion degree.

[0131] In step s5, the control unit 111 acquires the current first control processing congestion degree. Also, in step s5, the control unit 111 causes the bus congestion degree acquisition unit 118 to acquire the current first bus congestion degree. Then, in step s5, the control unit 111 causes the interface 117 to transmit acquisition instruction information including the acquired first control processing congestion degree and the first bus congestion degree acquired by the bus congestion degree acquisition unit 118.

[0132] In the second communication device 12, in step s11, the control unit 121Similarly to the third example of the method for determining an upstream communication time estimate, the controller 121 determines an average value of the upstream communication time actual values ​​acquired in the past. Then, in step s11, the controller 121 determines an upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the first control process congestion degree and the first bus congestion degree included in the acquisition instruction information and the calculated average value of the upstream communication time actual values.

[0133] The control unit 121, in the same manner as when the second control processing congestion level is used, determines, for example, which of the three classifications of "high," "medium," or "low" the first control processing congestion level belongs to. Also, the control unit 121, in the same manner as when the first bus congestion level is used, determines, for example, which of the three classifications of "high," "medium," or "low" the second bus congestion level belongs to.

[0134] In this example, the setting information includes parameter information similar to the parameter information B1 described above. This parameter information includes nine parameters b1 corresponding to nine combinations of the first control processing congestion level classification and the first bus congestion level classification. In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out the parameter information from the setting information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 acquires a parameter corresponding to the combination of the first control processing congestion level classification and the first bus congestion level classification from the parameter information. Then, the control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by multiplying the acquired parameter by the average value of the actual upstream communication time measurement values ​​as the upstream communication time estimate value Dux.

[0135] The control unit 121 may use parameter information similar to the parameter information B2 described above, instead of parameter information similar to the parameter information B1. This parameter information includes nine parameters corresponding to nine combinations of the first control processing congestion level classification and the first bus congestion level classification. In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out parameter information similar to the parameter information B2 from the setting information in the register 123. Also, in step s11, the control unit 121 calculates the standard deviation of the past actual upstream communication time measurements, similar to the third example of the method for determining the upstream communication time estimate. Then, the control unit 121 acquires a parameter corresponding to the combination of the first control processing congestion level classification and the first bus congestion level classification from the parameter information. Then, in step s11, the control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by adding the acquired parameter to the average value of the actual upstream communication time measurements as the upstream communication time estimate Dux. At this time, the standard deviation calculated by the control unit 121 is used as σ in the parameters.

[0136] Furthermore, when the amount of data of the sensor information changes, the control unit 121 may determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the first control processing congestion degree, the first bus congestion degree, and the amount of data of the sensor information. In this case, the control unit 121 determines in step s11 to which of the three categories of "large," "medium," or "small" the category of the data amount of the sensor information acquired in the subsequent step s6 belongs. The setting information transmitted by the processing device 30 includes parameter information similar to the parameter information B3 described above. This parameter information includes the category of the first control processing congestion degree, the category of the first bus congestion degree, and the category of the data amount of the sensor information. 27 Each corresponds to a combination of 27The parameter b3 is included. In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out parameter information from the setting information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 acquires, from the parameter information, parameters according to a combination of the classification of the first control process congestion level, the classification of the first bus congestion level, and the classification of the data amount of the sensor information acquired in step s6. Then, the control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by multiplying the acquired parameters by the average value of the actual upstream communication time measurements as the upstream communication time estimate value Dux.

[0137] The control unit 121 may use parameter information similar to the parameter information B4 described above, instead of parameter information similar to the parameter information B3. This parameter information includes 27 parameters corresponding to 27 combinations of the first control process congestion level classification, the first bus congestion level classification, and the data amount classification of the sensor information. In step s11, the control unit 121 reads out the parameter information from the setting information in the register 123. Then, the control unit 121 acquires a parameter corresponding to the combination of the first control process congestion level classification, the first bus congestion level classification, and the data amount of the sensor information acquired in step s6 from the parameter information. Also, in step s11, the control unit 121 calculates the standard deviation of the past actual upstream communication time measurements, similar to the third example of the method of determining the upstream communication time estimate. Then, in step s11, the control unit 121 adopts a value obtained by adding the acquired parameter to the average value of the actual upstream communication time measurements as the upstream communication time estimate Dux. At this time, the standard deviation calculated by the control unit 121 is used as σ in the parameter b4.

[0138] The control unit 121 may determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on only one of the first control processing congestion degree, the first bus congestion degree, and the data amount of the sensor information. In this case, the operation of the control unit 121 is the same as that in the case where the control unit 121 determines the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on only one of the second control processing congestion degree, the second bus congestion degree, and the data amount of the sensor information.

[0139] The control unit 121 may also determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the first control processing congestion degree and the data amount of the sensor information. The operation of the control unit 121 in this case is similar to the case where the upstream communication time estimate Dux is determined based on the second control processing congestion degree and the data amount of the sensor information. The control unit 121 may also determine the upstream communication time estimate Dux based on the first bus congestion degree and the data amount of the sensor information. The operation of the control unit 121 in this case is similar to the case where the upstream communication time estimate Dux is determined based on the second bus congestion degree and the data amount of the sensor information.

[0140] In this way, the acquisition / transmission process start timing is determined based on the operation status of the first communication device 11, so that the first communication device 11 can transmit the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the acquisition request reception timing T10 to the processing device 30 immediately after receiving the acquisition request information. This allows the processing device 30 to acquire the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the timing of transmitting the acquisition request information immediately after transmitting the acquisition request information.

[0141] In the above example, the margin time M is fixed, but the second communication device 12 may adjust the margin time M. An example of a method for adjusting the margin time M will be described below.

[0142] <Example of how to adjust margin time> The control unit 121 may adjust the margin time M based on the degree of variation in the actual measured value of the upstream communication time. send Since the processing start timing is determined based on the margin time M, if the margin time M is adjusted based on the degree of variation in the actual measured upstream communication time, send It can be said that the timing for starting the process is determined based on the degree of variation in the actual measured upstream communication time.

[0143] In this example, similarly to the second example of the method for determining an upstream communication time estimate, the first communication device 11 acquires an actual upstream communication time value during a target unit sensor processing period during a target unit sensor processing period. Then, in step s5 during a unit sensor processing period next to the target unit sensor processing period, the first communication device 11 transmits acquisition instruction information including the acquired actual upstream communication time value to the second communication device 12.

[0144] In the second communication device 12, in step s11, the control unit 121 adjusts the margin time M based on the recent degree of variation in the actual measured value of the uplink communication time. Then, in step s11, the control unit 121 uses the adjusted margin time M to determine the acquisition and transmission process start timing.

[0145] The control unit 121, for example, calculates the standard deviation of the actual upstream communication time values ​​obtained relatively recently, and adopts the calculated standard deviation as the latest degree of variation of the actual upstream communication time values. For example, when adjusting the margin time M in step s11 of the target unit sensor processing period, the control unit 121 adopts the standard deviation of R actual upstream communication time values ​​obtained from the unit sensor processing period R before the target unit sensor processing period to the unit sensor processing period one before the target unit sensor processing period as the latest degree of variation of the actual upstream communication time values. The value of R is set to, for example, several tens to several hundreds.

[0146] In step s11, if the recent degree of variation in the actual measured upstream communication time (e.g., the standard deviation of the most recently acquired actual measured upstream communication time) is less than the threshold, the control unit 121 decreases the margin time M by a predetermined amount. On the other hand, in step s11, if the recent degree of variation in the actual measured upstream communication time is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 121 increases the margin time M by a predetermined amount.

[0147] When the degree of variation in the actual measured upstream communication time is on a decreasing trend, the control unit 121 may decrease the margin time M by a predetermined amount. When the degree of variation in the actual measured upstream communication time is on an increasing trend, the control unit 121 may increase the margin time M by a predetermined amount.

[0148] In this way, the acquisition / transmission process start timing is determined based on the degree of variation in the actual measured upstream communication time, so that the first communication device 11 can transmit the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the acquisition request reception timing T10 to the processing device 30 immediately after receiving the acquisition request information. This allows the processing device 30 to acquire the sensor information acquired at a timing closer to the timing of transmitting the acquisition request information immediately after transmitting the acquisition request information.

[0149] The processing device 30 may estimate the sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit 20, based on the sensor information transmitted multiple times from the first communication device 11. An example of the operation of the processing system 1 in this case will be described below.

[0150] <Estimation of sensor information> In step s6, the second communication device 12 transmits first response information including time information T13 to the first communication device 11. In the first communication device 11, the control unit 111 calculates the elapsed time De (see FIGS. 9 and 10) from the time when the sensor information was acquired from the sensor unit 20 (also referred to as the sensor information acquisition time) based on the time information T13 included in the first response information. The elapsed time De is, for example, First communication device 11 The sensor information transmission start count value is the time elapsed until the time when the sensor unit 20 transmits the sensor information to the processing device 30 (also referred to as the sensor information transmission time). The time when the sensor information is acquired from the sensor unit 20 can also be said to be the time when the sensor information is acquired by the sensor unit 20. In this example, since the sensor information acquisition time is substantially the same as the time indicated by the time information T13, the control unit 111 sets the time indicated by the time information T13 as the sensor information acquisition time. Furthermore, the control unit 111 sets, for example, the timing at which the transmission of second response information including the sensor information starts as the sensor information transmission time. The control unit 111 acquires the first count value at the timing at which the transmission of the second response information starts as the sensor information transmission start count value. The control unit 111 The second upstream transmission count value as the time information T13 from the sensor information transmission start count valueThe time obtained by multiplying the value obtained by subtracting the count value from the count value (in other words, the count number) by the count-up period of the timer 115 is set as the elapsed time De. 30 The unit of the elapsed time De when transmitting the elapsed time De is included in the second response information. Examples of the unit of the elapsed time De include microseconds, milliseconds, and seconds. The control unit 111 matches the unit of the elapsed time De with the unit included in the setting information in the register 113. In step s9, the control unit 111 causes the interface 116 to transmit second response information including the determined elapsed time De and the sensor information.

[0151] The first response information may include time information indicating the actual time when the sensor information was acquired (for example, the second count value at the timing when the sensor information was acquired). In this case, the time indicated by the time information may be the sensor information acquisition time.

[0152] In the processing device 30 that has received the second response information, the control unit 310 estimates the sensor information acquisition time based on the elapsed time De included in the second response information. For example, the control unit 310 may estimate the time before the elapsed time De from the time when the processing device 30 received the second response information as the sensor information acquisition time. information The time when the processing device 30 receives the second response information may be, for example, the timing when the second response information is completely received. The processing device 30 includes, for example, a timer similar to the timers 115 and 125, and the processing device 30 determines whether the second response information is completely received based on the count value of the timer. 30The control unit 310 manages the time (in other words, timing) within the second response information. The control unit 310 stores the sensor information acquisition estimated time and the sensor information included in the second response information in the storage unit 320 in association with each other. By executing such processing every time the processing device 30 receives the second response information, the storage unit 320 stores a plurality of combinations of the sensor information and the sensor information acquisition estimated time which is the estimated time when the sensor information was acquired. Hereinafter, a combination of the sensor information and the sensor information acquisition estimated time which is the estimated time when the sensor information was acquired may be referred to as a sensor information time combination.

[0153] The control unit 310 obtains an approximation formula indicating a relationship between the sensor information and the sensor information acquisition estimated time, which is the estimated time when the sensor information is acquired, based on a plurality of sensor information time combinations stored in the storage unit 320. The approximation formula may be a linear function, a spline function, or another formula. Then, the control unit 310 estimates the sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit 20 based on the obtained approximation formula. The sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit 20 can also be said to be the sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the second communication device 12 from the sensor unit 20. For example, the control unit 310 substitutes the time when the acquisition request information is transmitted to the first communication device 11 (also referred to as the acquisition request transmission time) into the approximation formula as the sensor information acquisition estimated time. As a result, the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 20 at the acquisition request transmission time is estimated. As a result, the processing device 30 can obtain an estimate value of the sensor information acquired at the transmission timing of the acquisition request information. The acquisition request transmission time may be, for example, the timing at which the acquisition request information starts to be transmitted. The control unit 310 updates the approximation formula using the new sensor information time combination every time it receives second response information, that is, every time a new sensor information time combination is stored in the storage unit 320. Then, the control unit 310 uses the updated approximation formula every time it receives second response information to estimate, for example, the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 20 at the acquisition request transmission time. This allows, for example, the processing device 30can always perform appropriate feedback control of the actuator 71 based on the latest sensor information.

[0154] In addition, since the processing device 30 can obtain the sensor information obtained close to the timing of transmission of the acquisition request information, the processing device 30 can obtain the approximation formula using the most recent sensor information, thereby improving the accuracy of the approximation formula.

[0155] The elapsed time De may be the time elapsed from the sensor information acquisition time to the timing T10 at which the first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information (in other words, the desired acquisition timing). The acquisition request reception timing T10 can also be said to be the time at which the first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information. In this case, the timing at which reception of the acquisition request information is completed may be used as the acquisition request reception timing T10 (in other words, the desired acquisition timing). The control unit 111 acquires the first count value at the timing at which reception of the acquisition request information is completed as the acquisition request reception count value. Then, the control unit 111: The second upstream transmission start count value as the time information T13 from the acquisition request reception count value The time obtained by multiplying the value obtained by subtracting the value from the elapsed time De by the count-up period of the timer 115 is set as the elapsed time De. In step s9, the control unit 111 causes the interface 116 to transmit second response information including the determined elapsed time De and the sensor information. In the processing device 30 that has received the second response information, the control unit 310 sets the time before the elapsed time De from the acquisition request transmission time as the sensor information acquisition estimated time. Then, the control unit 310 stores the sensor information acquisition estimated time and the sensor information included in the second response information in the storage unit 320 in association with each other.

[0156] In this way, the processing device 30 can estimate the sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit 20 based on a combination of the sensor information and the elapsed time De transmitted multiple times from the first communication device 11. Therefore, the processing device 30 can acquire the sensor information at a desired time.

[0157] In addition, since the processing device 30 can acquire sensor information acquired at a timing close to the desired acquisition timing, the processing device 30 can estimate the sensor information at a desired time using the most recent sensor information, thereby improving the estimation accuracy of the sensor information.

[0158] The processing device 30 may estimate the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 20 at the time of receiving the second response information based on the approximation formula, or may estimate the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 20 at another time. The processing device 30 can estimate the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 20 at a desired time based on the approximation formula.

[0159] If the upstream communication time Du varies more than expected, or if the upstream communication time Du is longer than expected, the first communication device 11 may receive the sensor information later than the acquisition request information. In this case, the processing device 30 may receive the sensor information (in detail, Second response information ) may take a long time to actually receive.

[0160] Therefore, when the first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information from the processing device 30, the first communication device 11 30 In other words, when the first communication device 11 has not yet received the sensor information to be transmitted from the second communication device 12, the first communication device 11 may notify the processing device 30 of the sensor information to be transmitted from the second communication device 12 to the processing device 30 in accordance with the desired acquisition timing. 30If the first communication device 11 has not yet received the sensor information to be transmitted from the second communication device 12 from the second communication device 12, the control unit 111 may notify the processing device 30 of this. For example, if the first communication device 11 has not yet received the first response information including the sensor information when the first communication device 11 receives the acquisition request information, the control unit 111 may send an error notification indicating that the sensor information has not yet been received to the processing device 30 via the interface 116. The control unit 111 may determine, for example, that a timing for completing reception of certain information has occurred as the time when the certain information has been received. Furthermore, if a timing for completing reception of certain information has not occurred, the control unit 111 may determine that the first communication device 11 has not yet received the certain information.

[0161] When the processing device 30 receives an error notification from the first communication device 11, the processing device 30 may, for example, immediately transmit the acquisition request information. In this case, the processing device 30 may transmit the acquisition request information after an acquisition request transmission interval L from the transmission of the acquisition request information in response to the error notification (for example, from the start timing of transmission of the acquisition request information). Furthermore, when determining an approximation formula as described above, the processing device 30 that has received an error notification may estimate the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 20 at a predetermined time based on an approximation formula that has not been updated (in other words, the current approximation formula).

[0162] In addition, when the first communication device 11 has not yet received sensor information from the second communication device 12 when it receives acquisition request information from the processing device 30, the first communication device 11 may transmit the sensor information to the processing device 30 when it receives the sensor information within a predetermined time from the reception of the acquisition request information. In other words, when the first communication device 11 has not yet received sensor information from the second communication device 12 when the desired acquisition timing arrives, the first communication device 11 may transmit the sensor information to the processing device 30 when it receives the sensor information within a predetermined time from the desired acquisition timing. In further other words, when the first communication device 11 has not yet received first response information from the second communication device 12 when it receives acquisition request information from the processing device 30, the first communication device 11 may transmit second response information to the processing device 30 when it receives the first response information within a predetermined time from the reception of the acquisition request information. Then, the first communication device 11 may notify the processing device 30 (for example, the above-mentioned error notification) when it does not receive sensor information within a predetermined time from the reception of the acquisition request information. In other words, the first communication device 11 may notify the processing device 30 when it does not receive sensor information within a predetermined time from the desired acquisition timing. In other words, the first communication device 11 may notify the processing device 30 when it does not receive the first response information within a predetermined time after receiving the acquisition request information. The predetermined time may be, for example, several hundred microseconds to about one second.

[0163] Furthermore, when the first communication device 11 receives acquisition request information from the processing device 30 and has not yet received the sensor information from the second communication device 12, the first communication device 11 may transmit error information indicating that to the second communication device 12. In other words, when the first communication device 11 has not yet received the sensor information from the second communication device 12 when the desired acquisition timing arrives, the first communication device 11 may transmit error information indicating that to the second communication device 12. In this case, the first communication device 11 may, for example, include the error information in the next acquisition instruction information. When the second communication device 12 receives acquisition instruction information including the error information, the second communication device 12 may increase the margin time M by a predetermined time.

[0164] The second communication device 12 may acquire sensor information multiple times between two successive receptions of acquisition request information in the communication system 10 (specifically, the first communication device 11) and transmit the sensor information to the first communication device 11. In other words, the second communication device 12 may acquire sensor information multiple times between two successive desired acquisition timings in the processing system 1 and transmit the sensor information to the first communication device 11. Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the processing system 1 in this case.

[0165] In this example, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 at least once during the waiting time W, between two successive receptions of acquisition request information by the first communication device 11 (in other words, between two successive acquisition desired timings), in addition to the acquisition and transmission process of step s6 described above. Then, the second communication device 12 transmits the acquired multiple pieces of sensor information together to the first communication device 11 in the acquisition and transmission process of step s6.

[0166] Furthermore, in addition to the acquisition and transmission process of step s6, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 at least once during the waiting time W from when the first communication device 11 receives the operation start instruction information until when the first communication device 11 receives the next acquisition request information. Then, in the acquisition and transmission process of step s6, the second communication device 12 transmits the acquired multiple pieces of sensor information together to the first communication device 11.

[0167] The setting information includes parameter information E that specifies the acquisition interval and the number of acquisitions of the sensor information. Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the parameter information E. The parameter information E includes, for example, an acquisition interval E1 of the sensor information based on the acquisition and transmission process start timing, and the number of acquisitions E2 of the sensor information. The unit of the acquisition interval E1 is, for example, milliseconds.

[0168] For example, consider the case where the acquisition count E2 = 1 and the acquisition interval E1 = 0. In this case, the second communication device 12 does not acquire sensor information other than the sensor information acquired in step s6 during the unit sensor processing period. In other words, the operation of the processing system 1 is the same as that of FIGS. 9 and 10 described above.

[0169] As another example, consider a case where the acquisition count E2=2 and the acquisition interval E1=1. In this case, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information once in the unit sensor processing period in addition to acquiring the sensor information in step s6. In addition to executing step s6, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 1 ms before the acquisition and transmission process start timing.

[0170] As another example, consider a case where the number of acquisitions E2=3 and the acquisition interval E1=1. In this case, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information twice in a unit sensor processing period in addition to acquiring the sensor information in step s6. In addition to executing step s6, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 1 ms before the acquisition / transmission process start timing, and acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 another 1 ms before that (i.e., 2 ms before the acquisition / transmission process start timing).

[0171] As another example, consider a case where the acquisition interval E1=0. In this case, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information the number of acquisitions E2 at a time interval obtained by dividing the waiting time W by the number of acquisitions E2. For example, consider a case where the acquisition interval E1=0 and the number of acquisitions E2=3. In this case, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 three times at an interval of a value obtained by dividing the waiting time W by "3" (i.e., W / 3 hours). One of the three acquisitions of sensor information is the acquisition of sensor information in step s6. In addition to acquiring the sensor information in step s6, the second communication device 12 acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 W / 3 hours before the acquisition and transmission process start timing, and further acquires sensor information from the sensor unit 20 W / 3 hours before that (i.e., 2W / 3 hours before the acquisition and transmission process start timing).

[0172] Fig. 17 shows that sensor information is acquired twice during the unit sensor processing period, in addition to the acquisition of sensor information in step s6. The first response information transmitted by the second communication device 12 in step s6 of the target unit sensor processing period includes all of the multiple pieces of sensor information acquired during the target unit sensor processing period (three pieces of sensor information in the example of Fig. 17). The first response information also includes sensor information acquisition time information indicating the sensor information acquisition time of each piece of sensor information. The sensor information acquisition time information is, for example, a second count value at the timing when the sensor information is acquired from the sensor unit 20. Note that time information T13 may be used as the sensor information acquisition time information of the sensor information acquired in step s6.

[0173] The first communication device 11, which has received the first response information including the plurality of pieces of sensor information and the plurality of pieces of sensor information acquisition time information, calculates the above-mentioned elapsed time De for each of the plurality of pieces of sensor information. Then, the first communication device 11 transmits to the processing device 30 second response information including the plurality of pieces of sensor information received from the second communication device 12 and the plurality of elapsed times De corresponding to the plurality of pieces of sensor information, respectively.

[0174] In the processing device 30 that has received the second response information, the control unit 310 estimates the sensor information acquisition time for each piece of sensor information included in the second response information based on the multiple elapsed times De included in the second response information. Then, for each piece of sensor information included in the second response information, the control unit 310 stores the sensor information and the estimated sensor information acquisition time of the sensor information in association with each other in the storage unit 320. Thereafter, the control unit 310 updates the approximation formula based on the multiple sensor information time combinations currently stored in the storage unit 320. Then, the control unit 310 estimates the sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit 20 using the updated approximation formula.

[0175] In this way, when sensor information is acquired multiple times between two consecutive desired acquisition timings, the processing device 30 can update the approximation formula based on the multiple pieces of sensor information most recently acquired in each unit sensor processing period. This can improve the accuracy of the approximation formula. This can improve the estimation accuracy of the sensor information acquired at a specific time by the sensor unit 20.

[0176] In the above example, the sensor information acquired multiple times between two consecutive desired acquisition timings is transmitted collectively to the first communication device 11, but it may be transmitted sequentially to the first communication device 11. Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the processing system 1 in this case.

[0177] In the example of Fig. 19, the second communication device 12 executes the acquisition and transmission process of acquiring sensor information and transmitting it to the first communication device 11 at least once other than step s6 between two consecutive receptions of acquisition request information by the first communication device 11. That is, the second communication device 12 executes the acquisition and transmission process of acquiring sensor information and transmitting it to the first communication device 11 multiple times at different timings between two consecutive desired acquisition timings. The second communication device 12 transmits the first response information to the first communication device 11 multiple times at different timings. Fig. 19 shows that the acquisition and transmission process is executed three times between two consecutive receptions of acquisition request information.

[0178] In this example, the acquisition and transmission process starts at the acquisition timing of the sensor information specified from the parameter information E. For example, consider a case where the acquisition count E2=3 and the acquisition interval E1=1. In this case, the second communication device 12 performs the acquisition and transmission process twice in addition to the acquisition and transmission process of step s6. In addition to performing step s6, the second communication device 12 starts the acquisition and transmission process 1 ms before the acquisition and transmission process start timing of the acquisition and transmission process of step s6, and then starts the acquisition and transmission process 1 ms before that. Acquisition and transmission processAs another example, consider a case where the acquisition interval E1=0 and the acquisition count E2=3. In this case, the second communication device 12 executes the acquisition / transmission process three times at intervals of a value obtained by dividing the waiting time W by "3" (i.e., W / 3 hours). One of the three acquisition / transmission processes is the acquisition / transmission process of step s6. In addition to the acquisition / transmission process of step s6, the second communication device 12 starts the acquisition / transmission process W / 3 hours before the acquisition / transmission process start timing of the acquisition / transmission process of step s6, and further starts the acquisition / transmission process W / 3 hours before that.

[0179] The first response information transmitted in each acquisition / transmission process includes sensor information acquisition time information of the sensor information included therein. Each time the first communication device 11 receives first response information, it calculates an elapsed time De for the sensor information included in the first response information. Then, in response to receiving acquisition request information, the first communication device 11 transmits second response information to the processing device 30, which includes a plurality of pieces of sensor information received after receiving the previous acquisition request information and the elapsed time De for the plurality of pieces of sensor information.

[0180] The processing device 30 that has received the second response information operates in the same manner as in the example of FIG. 17. The control unit 310 estimates the sensor information acquisition time for each piece of sensor information included in the second response information based on the multiple elapsed times De included in the second response information. Then, the control unit 310 stores in the storage unit 320, in association with each piece of sensor information included in the second response information, the sensor information and the estimated sensor information acquisition time of the sensor information. After that, the control unit 310 updates the approximation formula based on the multiple sensor information time combinations currently stored in the storage unit 320. Then, the control unit 310 uses the updated approximation formula to estimate the sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit 20.

[0181] 19, even if the acquisition and transmission process is executed multiple times at different timings between two consecutive desired acquisition timings, the processing device 30 can update the approximation formula based on the multiple sensor information most recently acquired in each unit sensor processing period, thereby improving the accuracy of the approximation formula.

[0182] In addition, when the upstream communication time Du becomes large or the variation of the upstream communication time Du becomes large, some of the E2 pieces of sensor information transmitted by the second communication device 12 in the unit sensor processing period may arrive at the first communication device 11 after the acquisition request reception timing T10. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing an example of such a state. In the example of FIG. 20, the last transmitted sensor information (i.e., the sensor information transmitted in step s6) among the three pieces of sensor information transmitted by the second communication device 12 in the unit sensor processing period arrives at the first communication device 11 after the acquisition request reception timing T10 (in other words, the desired acquisition timing). In other words, in the example of FIG. 20, the last transmitted first response information among the three pieces of first response information transmitted by the second communication device 12 in the unit sensor processing period arrives at the first communication device 11 after the acquisition request reception timing T10 (in other words, the desired acquisition timing). In such a case, if the first communication device 11 transmits the second response information after receiving all E2 pieces of first response information, the processing device 30 may wait a long time from the desired acquisition timing until receiving the second response information.

[0183] Therefore, the first communication device 11 may transmit, in response to reception of the acquisition request information, sensor information received before the reception timing T10 of the acquisition request information among E2 pieces of sensor information transmitted by the second communication device 12 in a unit sensor processing period. In other words, the first communication device 11 may transmit, in response to reception of the acquisition request information, sensor information received before the desired acquisition timing among E2 pieces of sensor information transmitted by the second communication device 12 in a unit sensor processing period. In the example of FIG. 20, the first communication device 11 may transmit, in response to reception of the acquisition request information, second response information including two pieces of sensor information received before the reception timing T10 of the acquisition request information among three pieces of sensor information. This allows the processing device 30 to receive the second response information immediately after the arrival of the desired acquisition timing, thereby reducing the waiting time in the processing device 30. In addition, the processing device 30 can update the approximation formula using the most recent sensor information included in the received second response information, thereby improving the accuracy of the approximation formula.

[0184] The processing device 30 does not need to transmit the acquisition request information. In this case, the setting information includes a desired sensor information acquisition interval (i.e., an interval at which the processing device 30 desires to acquire sensor information) that replaces the acquisition request transmission interval L. The first communication device 11 estimates the desired acquisition timing at which the processing device 30 desires to acquire sensor information based on the desired sensor information acquisition interval included in the setting information. For example, the control unit 111 of the first communication device 11 determines the timing at which the desired sensor information acquisition interval has elapsed from the time of receiving the operation start instruction information as the first desired acquisition timing. Then, the control unit 111 determines the timing at which the desired sensor information acquisition interval has elapsed from the Xth desired acquisition timing (X is an integer equal to or greater than 1) as the (X+1)th desired acquisition timing. This allows the first communication device 11 to estimate the desired acquisition timing that appears repeatedly. The first communication device 11 transmits the acquisition instruction information to the second communication device 12 not only when the operation start instruction information is received, but also when the desired acquisition timing arrives. The second communication device 12 uses the desired sensor information acquisition interval included in the setting information instead of the acquisition request transmission interval L to determine the acquisition transmission process start timing in the same manner as described above. When the desired acquisition timing arrives, the first communication device 11 transmits the sensor information received from the second communication device 12 to a processing device. 30 That is, the first communication device 11 transmits the sensor information to the processing device 30 at the estimated desired acquisition timing.

[0185] Note that a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver that measures time may be used instead of the timer 115 of the first communication device 11 and the timer 125 of the second communication device 12. In this case, it is possible to omit the synchronization process in the initial setting.

[0186] The functions of the elements disclosed herein may be implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry including general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs ("application specific integrated circuits"), conventional circuitry, and / or combinations thereof configured to execute the disclosed elements or programmed to execute the disclosed functions. A processor is considered to be a processing circuitry or circuitry when it includes transistors and other circuitry therein. In this disclosure, a circuitry, unit, or means is hardware that performs the recited function or hardware that is programmed to perform the recited function. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein or other known that is programmed to perform the recited function or configured to perform the recited function. When the hardware is a processor, which may be considered as a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, software used to configure the hardware, and / or processor.

[0187] As described above, the processing system and the communication system have been described in detail, but the above description is merely illustrative in all respects, and the disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the above-described various examples can be combined and applied as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. It is understood that countless examples not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0188] The present disclosure includes the following aspects.

[0189] A communication system according to a first aspect includes a first communication device that communicates with a processing device, and a second communication device that performs an acquisition and transmission process to acquire sensor information from a sensor unit having at least one sensor and transmit the sensor information to the first communication device, wherein the first communication device transmits the sensor information from the second communication device to the processing device in accordance with a desired acquisition timing at which the processing device wishes to acquire the sensor information, and the second communication device determines a start timing of the acquisition and transmission process based on a first time required for communication between the first communication device and the second communication device when the sensor information is transmitted from the second communication device to the first communication device.

[0190] A communication system according to a second aspect is a communication system according to the first aspect, in which the processing device transmits acquisition request information indicating a request to acquire the sensor information to the first communication device, and the first communication device transmits the sensor information to the processing device, with the timing of receiving the acquisition request information as the desired acquisition timing.

[0191] A communication system according to a third aspect is the communication system according to the first or second aspect, in which the second communication device determines the start timing based on a data amount of the sensor information.

[0192] A communication system according to a fourth aspect is a communication system according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the second communication device determines the start timing based on an operating status of the second communication device.

[0193] A communication system according to a fifth aspect is a communication system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the second communication device is provided with a control unit that controls operation of the second communication device, and the operating status includes a degree of processing congestion in the control unit.

[0194] A communication system according to a sixth aspect is the communication system according to the fourth or fifth aspect, in which the operation status includes a congestion degree of a bus in the second communication device.

[0195] A communication system according to a seventh aspect is a communication system according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the second communication device determines the start timing based on an operating status of the first communication device.

[0196] A communication system according to an eighth aspect is a communication system described in the seventh aspect, wherein the first communication device is provided with a control unit that controls operation of the first communication device, and the operating status includes a degree of processing congestion in the control unit.

[0197] A communication system according to a ninth aspect is the communication system according to the seventh or eighth aspect, wherein the operation status includes a congestion degree of a bus in the first communication device.

[0198] A communication system according to a tenth aspect is a communication system according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, in which the second communication device determines the start timing based on an actual measurement value of the first time.

[0199] A communication system according to an eleventh aspect is a communication system according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, in which the second communication device determines the start timing based on a degree of variation of the first time.

[0200] A communication system according to a twelfth aspect is the communication system according to the eleventh aspect, in which the second communication device determines the start timing based on a degree of variation in the actual measurement value of the first time period.

[0201] A communication system according to a thirteenth aspect is a communication system according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the desired acquisition timing occurs multiple times, and the second communication device acquires the sensor information multiple times between two consecutive desired acquisition timings and transmits it to the first communication device.

[0202] A communication system according to a fourteenth aspect is the communication system according to the thirteenth aspect, in which the second communication device collectively transmits the sensor information acquired a plurality of times to the first communication device.

[0203] A communication system according to a fifteenth aspect is the communication system according to the thirteenth aspect, in which the second communication device executes the acquisition and transmission process a plurality of times at different timings between two consecutive desired acquisition timings.

[0204] A communication system according to a 16th aspect is a communication system according to the 15th aspect, in which, when the desired acquisition timing arrives, the first communication device transmits to the processing device at least one piece of sensor information received before the desired acquisition timing among the multiple pieces of sensor information transmitted in the multiple acquisition and transmission processes in accordance with the desired acquisition timing.

[0205] A communication system according to a 17th aspect is a communication system according to any one of the 1st to 16th aspects, in which the first communication device notifies the processing device when the desired acquisition timing arrives if the first communication device has not yet received the sensor information from the second communication device.

[0206] A communication system according to an 18th aspect is a communication system according to any one of the 1st to 16th aspects, wherein, when the first communication device has not yet received the sensor information from the second communication device when the desired acquisition timing arrives, the first communication device transmits the sensor information to the processing device when the sensor information is received within a second time from the desired acquisition timing, and notifies the processing device when the sensor information is not received within the second time.

[0207] A communication system according to a nineteenth aspect is the communication system according to any one of the first to eighteenth aspects, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device perform power line communication with each other.

[0208] A first communication device according to a twentieth aspect is a first communication device included in a communication system according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects.

[0209] A second communication device according to a twenty-first aspect is a second communication device provided in a communication system according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects.

[0210] A processing system according to a twenty-second aspect includes a communication system according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects, and a processing device that receives the sensor information from the communication system.

[0211] A processing system according to a twenty-third aspect is the processing system according to the twenty-second aspect, in which the processing device controls an actuator based on the sensor information received from the communication system.

[0212] A processing system according to a 24th aspect is a processing system according to the 22nd or 23rd aspect, wherein the desired acquisition timing occurs multiple times, and the first communication device transmits the sensor information to the processing device, along with the time from the time the sensor information was acquired to the processing device or the elapsed time until the desired acquisition timing, in accordance with the desired acquisition timing, and the processing device estimates the sensor information to be acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit based on the sensor information and the elapsed time transmitted multiple times from the first communication device.

[0213] The processing device according to the twenty-fifth aspect is a processing device included in the processing system according to the twenty-fourth aspect. [Explanation of symbols]

[0214] 1 Processing System 10. Communication Systems 11 First communication device 12 Second communication device

Claims

1. a first communication device in communication with the processing device; a second communication device that performs an acquisition and transmission process of acquiring sensor information from a sensor unit having at least one sensor and transmitting the sensor information to the first communication device; Equipped with the first communication device transmits the sensor information from the second communication device to the processing device in accordance with a desired acquisition timing at which the processing device desires to acquire the sensor information; A communication system in which the second communication device determines a start timing of the acquisition and transmission process based on a first time required for communication between the first communication device and the second communication device when the sensor information is transmitted from the second communication device to the first communication device.

2. 2. The communication system according to claim 1, The processing device transmits acquisition request information indicating an acquisition request for the sensor information to the first communication device; The first communication device transmits the sensor information to the processing device at a desired acquisition timing that is the timing when the acquisition request information is received.

3. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, The second communication device determines the start timing based on a data amount of the sensor information.

4. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, A communication system, wherein the second communication device determines the start timing based on an operation status of the second communication device.

5. 5. The communication system according to claim 4, The second communication device includes a control unit that controls an operation of the second communication device, The operating status includes a degree of congestion of processing in the control unit.

6. 5. The communication system according to claim 4, A communication system, wherein the operating conditions include a degree of congestion of a bus in the second communication device.

7. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, A communication system, wherein the second communication device determines the start timing based on an operation status of the first communication device.

8. 8. The communication system according to claim 7, The first communication device includes a control unit that controls an operation of the first communication device, The operating status includes a degree of congestion of processing in the control unit.

9. 8. The communication system according to claim 7, A communication system, wherein the operating conditions include a degree of congestion of a bus in the first communication device.

10. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, A communication system, wherein the second communication device determines the start timing based on an actual measurement value of the first time.

11. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, The second communication device determines the start timing based on a degree of variation in the first time.

12. 12. The communication system of claim 11, The second communication device determines the start timing based on a degree of variation in the actual measured value of the first time.

13. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, The desired acquisition timing occurs multiple times, The second communication device acquires the sensor information a plurality of times between two successive desired acquisition timings and transmits the sensor information to the first communication device.

14. 14. A communication system according to claim 13, comprising: The second communication device transmits the sensor information acquired multiple times to the first communication device in a consolidated manner.

15. 14. A communication system according to claim 13, comprising: The second communication device executes the acquisition / transmission process a plurality of times at different timings between two consecutive desired acquisition timings.

16. 16. A communication system according to claim 15, A communication system in which, when the desired acquisition timing arrives, the first communication device transmits to the processing device at least one piece of sensor information received before the desired acquisition timing among the multiple pieces of sensor information transmitted in the multiple acquisition and transmission processes in accordance with the desired acquisition timing.

17. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, When the desired acquisition timing arrives and the first communication device has not yet received the sensor information from the second communication device, the first communication device notifies the processing device.

18. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, A communication system in which, when the first communication device has not yet received the sensor information from the second communication device when the desired acquisition timing arrives, the first communication device transmits the sensor information to the processing device if the sensor information is received within a second time from the desired acquisition timing, and notifies the processing device if the sensor information is not received within the second time.

19. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2, A communication system, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device perform power line communication with each other.

20. A first communication device comprising the communication system according to claim 16.

21. A second communication device provided in the communication system according to claim 1 or 2.

22. A communication system according to claim 1 or 2; a processing device that receives the sensor information from the communication system; A processing system comprising:

23. 23. The processing system of claim 22, The processing system, wherein the processing device controls an actuator based on the sensor information received from the communication system.

24. 23. The processing system of claim 22, The desired acquisition timing occurs multiple times, the first communication device transmits to the processing device, in accordance with the desired acquisition timing, a time elapsed from a time when the sensor information was acquired to a time when the sensor information is to be transmitted to the processing device or the desired acquisition timing, and the sensor information; The processing device estimates the sensor information acquired at a predetermined time by the sensor unit based on the sensor information transmitted multiple times from the first communication device and the elapsed time.

25. A processing device comprising the processing system according to claim 24.

Images