Module system
By integrating Ethernet communication with the master module and converting signals for slave modules, the module system addresses the challenge of simultaneous command transmission, achieving efficient and reliable communication in heating process control systems.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2021065312
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-04-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-04-07
Smart Images
Figure 0007696746000001 
Figure 0007696746000002 
Figure 0007696746000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a module system including a host control device, one master module, and one or more slave modules, and relates to a technique for transmitting commands from the host control device to the master module or the slave modules.
Background Art
[0002] For example, in temperature control such as a hot press for molding carbon fiber reinforced plastic used for the outer wall of an aircraft fuselage, one master module and a plurality of slave modules are connected to perform heat source control for a large number of targets. The master module receives control conditions and the like for controlling the temperatures of a large number of heating locations to be controlled from a host control device such as a PC or a PLC (programmable logic controller), and based on the received control conditions and the like, transmits signals for control (target temperature, operation amount, etc.) to a plurality of slave modules connected to itself. Then, each of the slave modules that has received these signals performs control of the control target based on the received signals (Patent Document 1).
[0003] When controlling a large number of heaters and monitoring with a thermometer for the above temperature control and the like, it is necessary to quickly and reliably exchange commands and data.
[0004] As a communication format widely used for current control devices, there is RS-485 etc. RS-485 is a bus format corresponding to multi-drop, a multi-point serial connection, and defines the electrical specifications of the physical layer. It has been improved to eliminate the drawbacks of the older and widely used RS-232C (1-to-1 connection, short distance). Through the improved version of RS-232C, RS-422 (allowing 1-to-10 connection, long distance), RS-485 was developed. RS-485 enables a maximum of 32-to-32 multi-to-multi connections, and like RS-422, has a maximum communication distance of up to 1200m and a maximum transmission speed of 10Mbps (due to the differential signal method, the transmission speed decreases as the distance increases, and the transmission speed at the maximum distance is about 100kbps). Also, like RS-422, it uses a differential signal of a single pulse on a twisted pair wire, and since the range of the common mode voltage, which is the average voltage of the twisted pair wire, is widely allowed from -7V to +12V, it has the characteristic of being resistant to noise. Therefore, it has been widely used for a long time in the communication of control devices such as those arranged near noise sources such as manufacturing equipment.
[0005] Ethernet communication used in, for example, one party's Internet line is a method of attaching a header to data, packetizing it, and transmitting it, and is suitable for transmitting large-capacity data. However, in standard Ethernet communication, the communication speed and delay time are not guaranteed due to specifications. When viewing videos on the Internet, etc., it sometimes becomes slow or the image quality deteriorates because the number of users using the line is large or there are users performing large-capacity communication. There are also cases where communication fails due to noise and the communication has to be retried, resulting in delays. When connecting a master module and a slave module used for controlling manufacturing equipment, etc. via an Ethernet communication path, if multiple slave modules communicate with the master module simultaneously, the transmission of packets may interfere and be canceled, or the communication may fail due to noise and be retried, resulting in delays. If another user performing large-capacity data transmission and reception is connected to the Ethernet communication path, the data communication speed may slow down, resulting in poor real-time performance. Therefore, serial communication such as RS-485, which is resistant to noise and has excellent real-time performance, has been adopted between the master module and the slave module.
[0006] As a communication protocol using RS-485 as the physical layer (electrical specification), Modbus is widely used in industry. There are two types of Modbus protocols, Modbus RTU and Modbus ASCII, and later Modbus / TCP using Ethernet as the physical layer was added.
[0007] In manufacturing processes such as temperature control of the above-described molding hot press, etc., one master module and a plurality of slave modules are connected to perform heat source control for a number of targets. A conventional example will be shown with reference to Fig. 6. It is connected via Ethernet to a host control device (0601) such as a PC or PLC and a communication module (0610). The communication module (0610) converts between Ethernet communication signals and general-purpose serial communication signals (Modbus RTU). The communication module (0610) and the master module (0602) are connected by a serial communication path and communicate using general-purpose serial communication signals. The master module (0602) and slave module 1 (0603) to slave module n (0605) are cascade-connected using a serial communication path (serial communication I / F1: RS-485). In Fig. 6, the serial communication path is shown as a dotted line and the Ethernet communication path is shown as a thick solid line. The slave module and the master module (0602) are of the same type, but the master / slave can be switched and set by switch settings. One is set as the master and the others are set as slaves for use.
[0008] A plurality of heaters (0606) and thermometers (0607) are attached to the processing member (0608) in the heating furnace (0609). Some of the heaters and thermometers are controlled / monitored by the master module (0602) itself. The other heaters and thermometers are controlled by slave module 1 (0603) to slave module n (0605), and the master module manages the slave modules. A command is sent from the host control device (0601) to the master module (0602) via the communication module (0610), and a response from the master module is received.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0009]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0010] In the module system that controls the heating process shown in FIG. 6 as described above, the command from the host control device (0601) is converted into a general-purpose serial communication signal without checking the content of the signal in the communication module (0610), and is transmitted to the master module (0602) and the slave modules cascade-connected to the master module. The master module or the slave module receives the signal addressed to itself and returns a response to the communication module. In communication via the serial communication path, multiple connections are possible with the RS-485 specification, but since the signal line is occupied while the transmitting side and the receiving side are transmitting signals during communication, the communication during that time is performed one-to-one. Therefore, while the communication module is communicating with the slave module, communication cannot be performed between the communication module and the master module. Similarly, there is a problem that communication cannot be performed between the communication module and the slave module while the communication module is communicating with the master module.
[0011] An object of the present invention is to enable a signal including a command or the like to be quickly transmitted from the host control device to the master module and the slave module simultaneously.
Means for Solving the Problem
[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a host control device (AA), one master module (BA) connected to the host control device via an Ethernet communication path, which acquires a command from the host control device and outputs a response to the host control device (AA), and a module connected to the master module (BA) via a serial communication path that is a bus transmission path and directly managed by the master module (BA), which has a functional component control function and is connected serially via a bus transmission path to one or more slave modules (CA), and is a module system comprising The host control device (AA) includes a master module command output unit (AB) that outputs a command to the master module (BA), A slave master response acquisition unit (AC) that acquires a response from the master module (BA); A slave module command output unit (AD) that indirectly outputs a command to the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA); A slave module response acquisition unit (AE) that indirectly acquires a response from the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA); A host control device Ethernet communication unit (AF) for performing Ethernet communication with the master module (BA), and has: The master module (BA) includes: A master module Ethernet transceiver unit (BB) for transmitting and receiving Ethernet communication signals with the host control device; A discrimination unit (BC) that discriminates whether the signal received by the master module Ethernet transceiver unit (BB) is addressed to itself or to the slave module (CA); A protocol conversion unit (BD) that, when the discrimination result by the discrimination unit (BC) is addressed to the slave, converts the received Ethernet communication signal into a serial communication signal with the slave module, and converts, if necessary, a serial communication signal received from the slave module (CA) into an Ethernet communication signal; A bus transceiver unit (BE) that transmits the converted serial communication signal to the slave module (CA) via a bus transmission path, and receives a result corresponding to the transmission from the slave module (CA) via the same bus transmission path; When the discrimination result by the discrimination unit (BC) is addressed to the master, A processing unit (BF) that performs processing as it is based on the received Ethernet communication signal. A module system is provided.
[0013] Furthermore, a method of operating a host control device (AA), which is a computer corresponding to the module system of the present invention, and a method of operating a module system, which is a computer including a method of operating a master module (BA), which is a computer, are provided.
[0014] Furthermore, there is also provided an operation program that can be read by a host control device (AA), which is each computer corresponding to the module system of the present invention, and an operation program that can be read by a module system, which is a computer, and that receives commands from the host control device (AA) and consists of an operation program that can be read by a master module (BA), which is a computer, for managing itself or slave modules. Each operation program may also be recorded on a recording medium.
Advantages of the Invention
[0015] According to the present invention, by directly processing the signal addressed to the own device transmitted via the Ethernet communication path in the master module without conversion, and converting the signal addressed to the slave module into a serial communication signal and transmitting it to the slave module, it is possible to simultaneously and promptly receive and process the communication addressed to the master module and the communication addressed to the slave module from the host control device.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0016]
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
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Figure 5
Figure 6
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Figure 9
Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention
[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention should not be limited to these embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof.
[0018] <Overview of a Control System including a Module System>
[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a control system including a module system. In FIG. 5, a processing member (0508) is placed in a heating furnace (0509), the processing member (0508) is heated by a plurality of heaters (0506), and the temperature of each part of the processing member is measured by a thermometer (0507). It is an example of a control system that determines whether it is within a predetermined temperature range based on the measured temperature and controls the output of the heater (0506). The module system of the present invention is not limited to the example of heat processing shown in FIG. 5, and can be used in control systems of various other modes. The difference between the control system conceptual diagram of FIG. 6 showing the prior art is the presence or absence of a communication module.
[0020] A host control device (0501) such as a PC or a PLC is connected to a LAN line (Ethernet) (0500), and similarly, a master module (0502) is connected to the LAN line (0500). The master module (0502) and the host control device (0501) communicate including commands and responses via the LAN line (Ethernet). The master module (0502) can manage one or more slave modules. The slave module controls a plurality of heaters and receives measurement values from a plurality of thermometers. In some cases, the master module may be responsible for controlling some of the heaters and thermometers.
[0021] In response to a transmission from the master module, slave module 1 (0503) to slave module n (0505) transmits the temperature data obtained by itself to the master module (0502) as a response via a serial communication path (including a bus transmission path; the same applies hereinafter. In some cases, a parallel bus may be adopted). When the temperature data is configured to be recognizable within the planned management range by the master module, the master module may be configured to execute continuous temperature management of the slave module based on this recognition.
[0022] For the connection between the master module (BA) and the slave module (CA), a serial communication path is used. This is because real-time performance, that is, communication must be carried out at regular intervals, is highly regarded during control such as processing. As the serial communication path, a general-purpose serial communication path (RS-485 serial bus of the Modbus RTU protocol), an internal bus which is a serial bus with an accelerated physical layer RS-485 based on the Modbus RTU protocol, and an internal bus that is relatively slower than the accelerated internal bus can be used. The high-speed internal bus is as fast as 1 Mbps or more and is used for the connection between the master module and the slave module and between slave modules. In the general-purpose serial communication path, the speed is up to 115.2 kbps at most. However, in addition to the master module and the slave module, other recording meters with a general-purpose serial communication path can be connected to take records, and commands can also be issued from the upper-level connected device via the master module.
[0023] The following relationship can be taken regarding the master-slave control relationship between the master module and the slave module
[0024] <Master-Slave Control Master-Slave Relationship: Slave Independent Country Type> Figure 7 shows, from top to bottom, an example of the set temperature profiles of the master module for temperature control, slave module 1, slave module 2, and slave module n. In each graph, the vertical axis represents temperature and the horizontal axis represents time. The set temperature profile in the master module is the topmost graph in Figure 7. In the example of Figure 7, the profile is to increase the temperature at a constant slope, hold it for a certain period of time, lower it slightly, then hold it at a constant temperature for a predetermined time again, and then lower it back to the original temperature. Each slave module holds its own difference information with respect to the setting of the master module. Based on the temperature profile held by the master module, its own difference information is applied to modify the temperature profile of the master module, which is the temperature profile (solid line) of each slave module in Figure 7. The dotted line is the temperature profile of the master module described for reference. In the temperature profile of the slave module, the time of the inflection point of the temperature profile (the point where the profile changes, such as from horizontal to temperature increase, from temperature increase to temperature maintenance, from temperature maintenance to temperature decrease) is the same for both the master module and other slave modules. Depending on the difference information of the slave module, the numerical value of the temperature or the slope of the temperature profile during temperature increase or decrease may be different. Each slave module does not hold a temperature profile for itself but only holds difference information, and at any time, it refers to the temperature profile held by the master module and performs control to correct it with the difference information. Note that each slave module may be configured to hold a dedicated temperature profile. Note that based on each temperature profile, each slave automatically controls each heater under its jurisdiction based on the PID control shall be.
[0025] In order to absorb and adjust the differences caused by factors such as the structure and composition distribution of the processing member (0508) in FIG. 5, the temperature distribution in the heating furnace (0509), the output variation of each heater, and the error of each thermometer, based on the setting profile of the master module, the setting profiles of each slave module must be corrected. Otherwise, it is impossible to perform heat processing on the processing member along the desired temperature distribution and temperature profile. Therefore, each slave module applies its own differential information to the temperature profile of the master module instructed, and performs heat processing as the set temperature profile of each slave module. The results from the thermometers managed by each slave module are transmitted to the master module, and the master module converts the serial communication signal into an Ethernet communication signal and transmits it to the upper control device (AA). Also, the information of the thermometers managed by the master module (BA) itself is transmitted to the upper control device. At that time, it can be transmitted as an Ethernet communication signal without signal conversion.
[0026] Note that each part described below can be realized as an operation by a combination of hardware and software. Specifically, if a computer is used, it includes hardware components such as a CPU, main memory, bus, or secondary storage device (non-volatile memory such as flash memory and SSD, storage media such as CDs and DVDs, and their reading drives), input devices used for information input, PLC, recording meters, printing devices, display devices, and other external peripheral devices, as well as interfaces for those external peripheral devices, communication interfaces, driver programs for controlling those hardware, and other application programs, and application programs for user interfaces. Then, through the arithmetic processing of the CPU according to the program deployed on the main memory, data input from input devices and other interfaces and held in memory or hard disks is processed and stored, or instructions for controlling the above-mentioned hardware and software are generated. Alternatively, the functional blocks of this device may be realized by dedicated hardware.
[0027] In addition, each embodiment described in this specification can be realized not only as an operation method but also in part or in whole as an apparatus. Further, a part of such an apparatus can be configured as software. Moreover, a software product used to cause a computer to execute such software and a recording medium on which the product is fixed are naturally included in the technical scope of each embodiment described in this specification (the same applies throughout this specification).
[0028] <Embodiment 1> <Overview of Embodiment 1>
[0029] A module system comprising a master module connected to a host control device via a LAN (Ethernet (registered trademark)) line and one or more slave modules connected to the master module via a serial communication path. The master module is configured to receive and process communication as an Ethernet communication signal for communication addressed to itself from the host control device, and to convert it into a serial communication signal and transmit it for communication addressed to a slave module. <Functional Configuration of Embodiment 1>
[0030] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the module system of this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the module system of the present invention includes a host control device (AA)(0100) comprising a master module command output unit (AB)(0101), a master module response acquisition unit (AC)(0102), a slave module command output unit (AD)(0103), a slave module response acquisition unit (AE)(0104), and a host control device Ethernet communication unit (AF)(0105), a master module (BA)(0150) comprising a master module Ethernet transceiver unit (BB)(0151), a discrimination unit (BC)(0152), a protocol conversion unit (BD)(0153), a bus transceiver unit (BE)(0154), and a processing unit (BF)(0155), and a slave module (CA)(0170).
[0031] <Master Module Command Output Unit (AB) (0101) of Embodiment 1> The master module command output unit (AB) (0101) of the host controller (AA) is configured to output commands to the master module (BA).
[0032] The host controller (AA) outputs commands to the master module (BA) via Ethernet communication signals. Ethernet communication signals generally use the "TCP / IP" protocol. Packets of communication protocols formulated according to specific applications while conforming to the TCP / IP protocol, such as Modbus / TCP, all have their respective formats in the data holding format within the payload, but the data frame is the same as the data frame of the TCP / IP protocol, and these packets are called common packets.
[0033] Fig. 8(a) shows a "TCP / IP packet", and Fig. 8(b) shows a "Modbus / TCP packet" as an example of a common packet.
[0034] As shown in Fig. 8(a), the TCP / IP packet consists of a TCP header and a payload. The TCP header stores "management information" related to transmission, such as the source port number, destination port number, sequence number, and acknowledgment number. The payload stores the "data body".
[0035] As shown in Fig. 8(b), the Modbus / TCP packet also holds a "data body" with a "Modbus application header", which is the header of the Modbus protocol, added within the payload of the data frame of the TCP / IP packet.
[0036] When the host control device (AA) outputs a command to the master module (BA) or the slave module (CA), it outputs the command with a device management number for identification. For example, the master module (BA) has numbers such as #1, and the slave modules (CA) have two or more numbers such as #2, #3. This is used by the discrimination unit (BC) (0152) of the master module described later to discriminate whether the command is for the master module or the slave module.
[0037] The device management number is described using the unit ID included in the Modbus application header as the address. Regarding commands to the slave module, first, the discrimination unit in the master module described later discriminates whether the command is for the master module or the slave module. If it is for the slave module, then, as a two-stage discrimination, after protocol conversion to convert it into a serial communication signal, it discriminates which slave module it is based on the device management number in the payload.
[0038] <Embodiment 1 Master Module Response Acquisition Unit (AC) (0102)> The master module response acquisition unit (AC) (0102) of the host control device (AA) is configured to acquire a response from the master module (BA).
[0039] <Embodiment 1 Slave Module Command Output Unit (AD) (0103)> The slave module command output unit (AD) (0103) of the host control device (AA) is configured to indirectly output a command to the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA). The transmission of information (output of commands) from the host control device to the slave module is performed indirectly via a master module that can communicate with the host control device.
[0040] Similar to the above-described master module command output unit (AB) (0101), when the host control device (AA) outputs a command to the slave module (CA), it outputs the command with a device management number (optionally a decipherable port number) such as #2, #3, two or more numbers for identification.
[0041] <Slave module response acquisition unit (AE) for Embodiment 1 (0104)> The slave module response acquisition unit (AE) (0104) of the host control device (AA) is configured to indirectly acquire a response from the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA). That is, the transmission of information from the slave module to the host control device is performed via the master module that can communicate directly with the host control device.
[0042] <Host control device Ethernet communication unit (AF) for Embodiment 1 (0105)> The host control device Ethernet communication unit (AF) (0105) of the host control device (AA) is configured to perform Ethernet communication with the master module (BA).
[0043] The commands with device management numbers output from the master module command output unit (AB) and the slave module command output unit (AD) of the host control device (AA) are transmitted as Ethernet communication signals to the master module (BA). Further, a response signal by the Ethernet communication signal transmitted from the master module (BA) is received, and the response is output to the master module response acquisition unit (AC) or the slave module response acquisition unit (AE) according to the device management number attached to the signal.
[0044] <Host control device (AA) for Embodiment 1 (0101)> The host control device (AA) (0101) is configured to issue a command to the master module (BA) connected via the Ethernet communication path and receive a response.
[0045] It is considered that the master module and the slave module of the module system of the present invention are often installed in a control panel near a manufacturing apparatus at a manufacturing site or the like. It is used in such a form that commands are output from a host control device (AA) such as a management room connected by an Ethernet communication path or the like, separated from the control panel of the manufacturing apparatus, to the master module, and data is received. As the host control device (AA), a desktop PC, a notebook PC, or the like can also be used. It is convenient because the received data can be used to create documents or for analysis.
[0046] <Embodiment 1 Master module Ethernet transceiver (BB) (0151)> The master module Ethernet transceiver (BB) (0151) of the master module (BA) is configured to transmit and receive Ethernet communication signals with a host control device. The master module Ethernet transceiver is configured to be able to execute processing independently of the bus transceiver (BE) described later. That is, just because one of them is transmitting and receiving, the processing of the other is not restricted, or is configured to be extremely rare. Extremely rare means a case where the utilization efficiency of hardware resources such as a CPU, MPU, or communication dedicated LSI is restricted. However, such a restriction occurs only when extremely special conditions (for example, a large amount of processing data due to a programming mistake that is not expected) are satisfied, and is configured not to occur in general processing.
[0047] <Embodiment 1 Discrimination unit (BC) (0152)> The discrimination unit (BC) (0152) of the master module (BA) is configured to discriminate whether the Ethernet communication signal received by the master module Ethernet transceiver (BB) (0151) is addressed to itself or to the slave module (CA).
[0048] Based on the device management number attached to the command output from the upper control device (AA), it is determined whether the command is addressed to the master module itself or to a slave module. If the device management number is described as the unit ID within the Modbus application header in the payload of the common packet of the Ethernet communication signal, the unit ID is used as the read address to determine whether it is addressed to the master module (BA) itself or to one or more slave modules. If it is a slave module, the subsequent processing is performed by the protocol conversion unit described below. If it is addressed to the master module itself, the subsequent processing is performed by the processing unit described below.
[0049] <Embodiment 1 Protocol Conversion Unit (BD) (0153)> When the discrimination result in the discrimination unit (BC) is addressed to a slave, the protocol conversion unit (BD) (0153) of the master module (BA) converts the received Ethernet communication signal into a serial communication signal with the slave module, and if necessary, converts the serial communication signal received from the slave module (CA) into an Ethernet communication signal.
[0050] Modbus / TCP can be used as the Ethernet communication signal, and the Modbus RTU protocol can be used as the serial communication signal such as RS-485. Figure 9(a) shows the common packet. As shown in Figure 9(b), a local packet composed of a "Modbus application header" and a "data body" is obtained from the common packet. Then, as shown in Figure 9(c), the "Modbus application header", which is the header of the local packet, is removed while leaving the unit ID included in the Modbus application header. The unit ID is added to the head of the data body as an address. When the downstream protocol is in the Modbus RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) mode, a CRC is added. When the Modbus ASCII (American Standard Code Information Interchange) mode is used, it is converted to ASCII code and an LRC is added.
[0051] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 9(d), for example, it is formatted into a message frame of the Modbus protocol, which is a serial communication protocol packet used for communication with the slave module. Note that the "address" corresponds to the "unit ID" included in the Modbus application header. Also, the function code sets the function that the master module causes the slave module to execute. "Data" stores data related to the function code. The data thus formatted becomes the formatted data scheduled to be transmitted from the master module to the slave module. Note that in this example, the case of the Modbus protocol is shown, but for other protocols, the header may be removed according to the protocol and formatted into the data format of the serial communication protocol used for communication with the slave module. When performing protocol conversion for the response from the slave module to the upper control device, the reverse procedure of the above is performed.
[0052] <Embodiment 1 Bus Transceiver (BE) (0154)> The bus transceiver (BE) (0154) of the master module (BA) is configured to transmit the converted serial communication signal to the slave module (CA) via the bus transmission path, and receive the result corresponding to the transmission from the slave module (CA) via the same bus transmission path.
[0053] As the bus for serial communication, an RS-485 serial bus of the Modbus RTU protocol, an internal bus based on Modbus RTU, etc. can be used. The bus transmission / reception unit (BE) of the master module is configured to be able to execute processing independently of the master module Ethernet transmission / reception unit (BB) described above. That is, even if one of them is in the process of transmission / reception, the processing of the other is not restricted, or is configured to be extremely small. Extremely small means the case where the utilization efficiency of the hardware resources of the CPU, MPU, or communication dedicated LSI is restricted. However, such a restriction occurs only when extremely special conditions (for example, a large amount of processing data generated due to an unexpected programming error) are satisfied, and is configured not to occur in general processing.
[0054] <Embodiment 1 Processing Unit (BF) (0155)> When the discrimination result in the discrimination unit (BC) is addressed to the master, the processing unit (BF) (0155) of the master module (BA) is configured to perform processing directly based on the received Ethernet communication signal.
[0055] <Embodiment 1 Master Module (BA) (0150)> The master module (BA) (0150) obtains commands from the upper control device (AA) connected via the Ethernet communication path and outputs responses, and is configured to be directly connected and managed to one or more slave modules (CA) serially connected via the bus transmission path by the serial communication path which is the bus transmission path.
[0056] <Embodiment 1 Slave Module (CA) (0170)> The slave module (CA) (0170) is one or more slave modules serially connected to each other via the bus transmission path and is configured to have a functional component control function.
[0057] The functional component control function refers to a function that, for example, manages one or more thermometers and controls heaters (not limited to this function). As a control method, each slave module has differential information as in the above-mentioned "master-slave control master-slave relationship, slave independent state type", and there is a method of performing PID control on each heater it manages based on the temperature profile of the master module.
[0058] When technicians or workers replace the PC during shift work or access from a location different from the normal control room during telecommuting work, etc., when viewing the past status history or the history of issued commands, a security authentication unit is provided at the Ethernet communication receiving port of the master module, and it is configured to allow access after workers with access rights, administrators with management rights, and members of the system department receive authentication. It refers to the user information held by authentication means such as passwords, biometric authentication, or magnetic records, ICs, or wireless tags built into employee IDs, and determines and authenticates whether there is access authority by referring to the associated access authority information.
[0059] Once authenticated, the module system of the present invention can be used in accordance with the access rules indicating the access range according to the held access rights. For example, access rules such as historical information stored in a database to check the situation, guest rights only for viewing the current status of the master module and / or slave module, general rights to perform routine processing operations, and administrator rights without restrictions (not limited to this classification). When authenticated, a session ID is issued for the communication between the PC or the like used at the time of access and the master module. While the communication continues, the session ID is attached to the communication, indicating that it is an authenticated access. Even if the processing work is in progress, when the operator alternates, such as during the day / night shift change, the communication can be terminated. In that case, the session ID is discarded, and a different session ID is issued for the operator who starts access after the alternation. Teleworkers who work from home, such as at home outside the security management area of a factory, or business travelers outside the factory can connect to the in-plant campus LAN line via a VPN server and access the security authentication section of the above master module to obtain authentication.
[0060] <Embodiment 1 - Processing Flow> Figure 2 shows the processing flow of the module system of Embodiment 1. The left part enclosed by the dashed line indicates the processing flow in the upper control device (AA), and the right part enclosed by the dashed line indicates the processing flow in the master module (BA). The slave module (CA) is located at the lower right, communicating with the master module (BA) via a serial communication path. The processing within the slave module (CA) is not shown. In the upper control device (AA), First, a process of determining whether to issue a command to the master module or the slave module is performed (SA0201). When the upper control device (AA) sends a command to the master module (BA), The command output step for the master module (ab) (SA0202) performs a process of outputting a command to the master module (BA), When the host control device (AA) sends a command to the slave module (CA), the slave module command output step (ad) (SA0203) indirectly outputs a command to the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA). The host control device Ethernet communication step (af) (SA0204) performs a process of communicating with the master module (BA) via Ethernet. The master module response acquisition step (ac) (SA0205) performs a process of acquiring a response from the master module (BA). The slave module response acquisition step (ae) (SA0206) indirectly acquires a response from the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA).
[0061] In the master module (BA), The master module Ethernet transmission / reception step (bb) (SB0201) performs a process of receiving an Ethernet communication signal from the host control device (AA). The discrimination step (bc) (SB0202) performs a process of discriminating whether the Ethernet communication signal received by the master module Ethernet reception step (bb) (SB0201) is addressed to itself or to the slave module (CA). When the discrimination result in the discrimination step (bc) (SB0202) is addressed to the master module, the processing step (bf) (SB0203) directly processes based on the received Ethernet communication signal and outputs the processed result to the master module Ethernet transmission / reception step (bb) as necessary. When the discrimination result in the discrimination step (bc) (SB0202) is addressed to the slave module, The protocol conversion step (bd) (SB0204) performs a process of converting the received Ethernet communication signal into a serial communication signal with the slave module. The bus transmission / reception step (be) (SB0205) performs a process of transmitting the converted serial communication signal to the slave module (CA) via a bus transmission path, receiving a result corresponding to the transmission from the slave module (CA) via the same bus transmission path, and outputting it to the protocol conversion step (bd) as necessary. The protocol conversion step (bd) (SB0206) performs a process of converting the serial communication signal received from the slave module (CA) into an Ethernet communication signal as necessary and outputting it to the master module Ethernet transmission / reception step (bb) (SB0207). The master module Ethernet transmission / reception step (bb) (SB0207) performs a process of transmitting an Ethernet communication signal to the upper control device (AA). This is an operation method for causing a module system to execute such a series of processes.
[0062] <Embodiment 1 Hardware>
[0063] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the upper control device (AA) of the module system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, it is considered that the upper control device (AA) often uses a PC or the like and has a configuration similar to that of a PC. It is composed of a "CPU", a "chipset" consisting of a north bridge and a south bridge, a "non-volatile memory", a "main memory", an "I / O controller", "USB, IEEE1394, LAN terminals, etc.", a "BIOS", a "PCI slot", a "real-time clock", and the like.
[0064] Various programs and data (information) stored in the non-volatile memory are expanded into the main memory by the startup of this system and are configured such that the CPU sequentially performs operations using the data according to received execution instructions.
[0065] That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the upper-level control device (AA), in addition to the OS (operating system) and device drivers, the non-volatile memory has a command output program for the master module, a response acquisition program for the master module, a command output program for the slave module, a response acquisition program for the slave module, and an upper-level control device Ethernet communication program. As data, commands for the master module, responses from the master module, commands for the slave module, and responses from the slave module are stored. When the system is started on a computer, these are expanded into the main memory, and when a startup command is received, the CPU sequentially performs operations using the programs and data, and exchanges commands and responses with the master module or the slave module via the master module. The non-volatile memory of the upper-level control device (AA) may include a control program for managing and displaying information on the control system using the master module, and programs for other business software.
[0066] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the master module (BA) of the module system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, a CPU (0401), a non-volatile memory (0402) (for example, ROM, SSD, etc.), a main memory (0403), an Ethernet communication I / F (0404) for connection with a control PC, a recording meter, etc. (in FIG. 4, the interface is abbreviated as I / F), a general-purpose serial communication interface I / F1 (0405) for connection with a control module, etc., a user I / F (0406), and a bus controller (0409) that controls a communication I / F (0411) with an internal bus (0410), and a controller DMAC (0408) for performing a DMA method (a method of transferring data without passing through the CPU when transferring data with the memory) during internal bus transmission, and a system bus (0407) for exchanging signals between them are provided. The CPU uses a customized dedicated CPU, and it is also possible to use dedicated firmware instead of an OS (operating system). Also, a system with a multi-core CPU or / and a sufficient cache memory is preferable because it is easy to prevent operation delays due to memory shortages.
[0067] In addition to the OS (operating system) and device drivers, the non-volatile memory stores a master module Ethernet transmission / reception program for transmitting and receiving Ethernet communication signals with a higher-level control device, a discrimination program for discriminating whether the received Ethernet communication signal is addressed to itself or a slave module (CA), a processing program for directly performing processing based on the received Ethernet communication signal when the discrimination result in the processing program is addressed to the master, a protocol conversion program for converting the received Ethernet communication signal into a serial communication signal with the slave module and, if necessary, converting a serial communication signal received from the slave module (CA) into an Ethernet communication signal when the discrimination result in the discrimination program is addressed to the slave, The converted serial communication signal is transmitted to the slave module (CA) via the bus transmission path, and various programs such as a bus transmission / reception program for receiving, via the same bus transmission path, the result corresponding to the transmission from the slave module (CA) and a specific port number are recorded. Then, each program is expanded and executed, and the information and data obtained via the interface are stored in the non-volatile memory. The stored information and data are processed, such as by a program execution, in the work area of the main memory, held in the non-volatile memory, or output to the upper-level control device (AA) by a program execution via the Ethernet communication interface. <Embodiment 1 Effect>
[0068] According to the module system of the present embodiment, since the communication module and the master module of the prior art are integrated, the upper-level control device (AA) and the master module (BA) are connected by a high-speed Ethernet communication path. Therefore, an instruction from the upper-level control device (AA) to the master module (BA) is processed in the master module (BA) without being converted into a serial communication signal, and a response is transmitted to the upper-level control device (AA) as necessary. An instruction to the slave module (CA) is converted into a serial communication signal in the master module (BA) and then transmitted. By changing the signal protocols of the instruction to the master module and the instruction to the slave module, for example, conventionally, the instruction from the control device was such that the serial communication path became a bottleneck, and communication with the master module could not be performed unless communication with the slave module was completed, but now communication can be performed promptly at the same time.
Description of Reference Numerals
[0069] 0100 Upper-level control device (AA) 0101 Instruction output unit for master module (AB) 0102 Response acquisition unit for master module (AC) 0103 Instruction output unit for slave module (AD) 0104 Response acquisition unit for slave module (AE) 0105 Host control device Ethernet communication section (AF) 0150 Master module (BA) 0151 Master module Ethernet transceiver section (BB) 0152 Discrimination section (BC) 0153 Protocol conversion section (BD) 0154 Bus transceiver section (BE) 0155 Processing section (BF) 0170 Slave module (CA)
Claims
1. One master module (BA) that is connected to a host control device (AA) via an Ethernet communication path, acquires commands from the host control device (AA), and outputs responses to the host control device (AA); the master module (BA) is connected to external devices via a general-purpose serial communication path (RS-485 serial bus of Modbus RTU protocol) that can be connected as a serial communication path, and an internal bus that is a serial bus with enhanced physical layer RS-485 based on the Modbus RTU protocol; and one or more slave modules (CA) that are connected via a serial communication path that is a relatively slower internal bus than the enhanced internal bus and are directly managed by the master module (BA), have a functional component control function, and are serially connected to each other via a bus transmission path. A module system comprising: The host control device (AA) includes: A master module command output unit (AB) that outputs commands to the master module (BA); A master module response acquisition unit (AC) that acquires responses from the master module (BA); A slave module command output unit (AD) that indirectly outputs commands to the slave modules (CA) via the master module (BA); A slave module response acquisition unit (AE) that indirectly acquires responses from the slave modules (CA) via the master module (BA); And a host control device Ethernet communication unit (AF) for performing Ethernet communication with the master module (BA). The master module (BA) includes: A master module Ethernet transceiver unit (BB) for transmitting and receiving Ethernet communication signals with the host control device (AA); A discrimination unit (BC) that discriminates whether the Ethernet communication signal received by the master module Ethernet transceiver unit (BB) is addressed to itself or to the slave module (CA). When the discrimination result in the discrimination unit (BC) is addressed to the slave, a protocol conversion unit (BD) that converts the received Ethernet communication signal into a serial communication signal with the slave module and, if necessary, converts the serial communication signal received from the slave module (CA) into an Ethernet communication signal, A bus transceiver unit (BE) that transmits the converted serial communication signal to the slave module (CA) via a bus transmission path and receives, via the same bus transmission path, a result corresponding to the transmission from the slave module (CA), When the discrimination result in the discrimination unit (BC) is addressed to the master, A processing unit (BF) that performs processing as it is based on the received Ethernet communication signal, and A module system.
2. A host control device (AA), one master module (BA) connected to this via an Ethernet communication path, which acquires commands from the host control device (AA) and outputs responses to the host control device (AA), and the master module (BA) is connected to an external device as a serial communication path by a general-purpose serial communication path (RS-485 serial bus of Modbus RTU protocol) and an internal bus which is a serial bus with an accelerated physical layer RS-485 based on the Modbus RTU protocol, and a module that is connected by a serial communication path which is an internal bus relatively slower than the accelerated internal bus and is directly managed by the master module (BA) and has a functional component control function, and one or more slave modules (CA) serially connected to the other slave modules (CA) by a bus transmission path, and a method of operating a module system which is a computer comprising: The method of operating the host control device (AA) which is a computer is: A step (ab) of outputting a command to the master module (BA) for the master module, A step (ac) of acquiring a response from the master module (BA) for the master module, An instruction output step (ad) for indirectly outputting an instruction to a slave module (CA) via a master module (BA), A slave module response acquisition step (ae) for indirectly acquiring a response from the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA), An upper control device Ethernet communication step (af) for the master module (BA) to communicate with Ethernet, and has The operation method of the master module (BA) which is a computer is A master module Ethernet reception step (bb) for transmitting and receiving Ethernet communication signals with the upper control device, A determination step (bc) for determining whether the Ethernet communication signal received in the master module Ethernet reception step (bb) is addressed to itself or to the slave module (CA), When the determination result in the determination step (bc) is addressed to the slave, a protocol conversion step (bd) for converting the received Ethernet communication signal into a serial communication signal with the slave module, and converting the serial communication signal received from the slave module (CA) into an Ethernet communication signal as necessary, A bus transmission / reception step (be) for transmitting the converted serial communication signal to the slave module (CA) via a bus transmission path, and receiving a result corresponding to the transmission from the slave module (CA) via the same bus transmission path, When the determination result in the determination step (bc) is addressed to the master, A processing step (bf) for performing processing as it is based on the received Ethernet communication signal, and has The operation method of the module system which is a computer.
3. A host control device (AA), one master module (BA) connected to the host control device (AA) via an Ethernet communication path to obtain commands from the host control device (AA) and output responses to the host control device (AA), and the master module (BA) is connected to an external device as a serial communication path. A general-purpose serial communication path (RS-485 serial bus of Modbus RTU protocol), an internal bus which is a serial bus with enhanced speed of physical layer RS-485 based on Modbus RTU protocol, and a serial communication path which is a relatively slower internal bus than the enhanced internal bus. One or more slave modules (CA) directly managed by the master module (BA) and having a functional component control function and serially connected to other slave modules (CA) via a bus transmission path. An operation program readable by a module system which is a computer composed of The operation program readable by the host control device (AA) which is a computer is A master module command output step (ab) for outputting a command to the master module (BA), A master module response acquisition step (ac) for acquiring a response from the master module (BA), A slave module command output step (ad) for indirectly outputting a command to the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA), A slave module response acquisition step (ae) for indirectly acquiring a response from the slave module (CA) via the master module (BA), And a host control device Ethernet communication step (af) for performing Ethernet communication with the master module (BA). The operation program readable by the master module (BA) which is a computer is A master module Ethernet reception step (bb) for transmitting and receiving Ethernet communication signals with the host control device, A discrimination step (bc) for discriminating whether the Ethernet communication signal received by the master module Ethernet reception step (bb) is addressed to itself or to the slave module (CA), and When the discrimination result in the discrimination step (bc) is addressed to the slave, a protocol conversion step (bd) for converting the received Ethernet communication signal into a serial communication signal with the slave module and, if necessary, converting the serial communication signal received from the slave module (CA) into an Ethernet communication signal, and A bus transmission / reception step (be) for transmitting the converted serial communication signal to the slave module (CA) via a bus transmission path and receiving, via the same bus transmission path, a result corresponding to the transmission from the slave module (CA), and When the discrimination result in the discrimination step (bc) is addressed to the master, A processing step (bf) for performing processing as it is based on the received Ethernet communication signal, and having An operation program readable by a module system that is a computer.
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