Motor control device, communication protocol setting method, and communication protocol setting program

Abstract

A motor control device (100) that controls a motor based on control information received via an industrial network includes a communication processing unit (111) that communicates via the industrial network using one of a plurality of types of communication protocols, and a communication protocol setting unit (112) that sets the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit based on information included in a communication frame (1) received in a state where communication via the industrial network by the communication processing unit is not performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a motor control device having a function of connecting to a communication network in an industrial system, a communication protocol setting method, and a communication protocol setting program.

Background Art

[0002] A motor control device that controls a motor installed in a production line of a factory or the like receives control information from other control devices or the like via a communication network, and controls the motor based on the received control information. A communication network used in an industrial system is called an industrial network.

[0003] There are multiple types of communication protocols used in industrial networks. For example, CC-Link (Control&Communication Link) (registered trademark), EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) (registered trademark), EtherNet / IP (Ethernet Industrial Protocol) (registered trademark), PROFINET (Process Field Network) (registered trademark), etc. exist. Therefore, it is desirable that the motor control device be configured to be able to select an appropriate communication protocol according to the specifications, performance, etc. of the device that is the communication partner.

[0004] In response to such problems, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a communication adapter device provided with a protocol selection switch, and the communication protocol to be used can be set by a user operating this protocol selection switch.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Generally, a large number of motors and motor control devices are installed in a factory production line. The communication adapter device described in Patent Document 1 includes a physical switch, and is configured such that a user operates this switch to set the communication protocol to be used. Therefore, it is necessary to manually set the communication protocol for each device, which is time-consuming. In particular, when there are a large number of devices that require setting of the communication protocol, there are problems such as a lot of time being required for the setting work and a large work load.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to obtain a motor control device capable of reducing the work load of selecting and setting a communication protocol to be used from among a plurality of types of communication protocols.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present disclosure is a motor control device that controls a motor based on control information received via an industrial network, and performs communication via the industrial network using one of a plurality of types of communication protocols. A communication processing unit, and a communication protocol setting unit that sets the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit based on information included in a communication frame received by the communication processing unit in the communication processing unit, and a first operation mode in which the communication processing unit executes communication via the industrial network and Communication protocol setting mode for recognizing and setting the communication protocol used and Is the communication protocol setting modeAn information storage unit that stores operation mode setting information indicating one of the operation modes in the second operation mode and communication protocol setting information indicating the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit in the operation in the first operation mode, and a storage unit that stores a communication protocol stack for each of a plurality of types of communication protocols used in communication via an industrial network. The communication processing unit performs communication via the industrial network using the communication protocol stack corresponding to the communication protocol indicated by the communication protocol setting information when the operation mode setting information indicates the first operation mode. The communication protocol setting unit recognizes the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit based on the information included in the communication frame when the operation mode setting information indicates the second operation mode, and updates the communication protocol setting information so as to show the recognized content. The communication protocol performed to update the communication protocol setting information so as to show the recognized content. To set the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit , characterized in that.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] The motor control device according to the present disclosure has an effect of being able to reduce the workload of selecting and setting the communication protocol to be used from among a plurality of types of communication protocols.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, a motor control device, a communication protocol setting method, and a communication protocol setting program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1. The motor control device 100 includes a network communication unit 110, an information storage unit 120, a storage unit 130, an application unit 150, and a display unit 160.

[0013] The motor control device 100 has a function of connecting to an industrial network (not shown), and controls a motor (not shown) based on control information received via the industrial network. Further, the motor control device 100 is configured to be compatible with a plurality of types of communication protocols, and performs communication via the industrial network using one of the plurality of types of communication protocols with which it is compatible.

[0014] The network communication unit 110 includes a communication processing unit 111 and a communication protocol setting unit 112.

[0015] The communication processing unit 111 transmits and receives data to and from other devices connected via the industrial network. At this time, the communication processing unit 111 uses a preset communication protocol.

[0016] The communication protocol setting unit 112 recognizes the communication protocol specified from the outside as the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111, and sets the specified communication protocol as the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111. The communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111 is specified by the communication frame 1 transmitted from an external device which is an external apparatus. The external device may be any device as long as it has a communication function. The external device may be, for example, an industrial computer, or a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like. The communication protocol setting unit 112 performs recognition and setting of the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111 for communication via an industrial network when the operation in the communication protocol setting mode, which is the mode for performing recognition and setting of the communication protocol, is set. That is, when the operation in the communication protocol setting mode is set, the communication protocol setting unit 112 analyzes the received communication frame 1 and recognizes the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111. Note that the communication frame 1 specifying the communication protocol to be used is received by the communication processing unit 111 using the communication protocol specified at that time. When the motor control device 100 is in the initial state, such as immediately after factory shipment, the communication processing unit 111 receives the communication frame 1 using a predetermined communication protocol. It may be set to operate in the communication protocol setting mode immediately after factory shipment.

[0017] The information storage unit 120 stores communication protocol setting information 121 and operation mode setting information 122.

[0018] The communication protocol setting information 121 is updated by the communication protocol setting unit 112. Specifically, when the communication protocol setting unit 112 recognizes the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111, it is updated. This communication protocol setting information 121 indicates the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111. The communication protocol setting information 121 is referred to when the communication processing unit 111 operates. That is, when the communication processing unit 111 performs communication via an industrial network, it refers to the communication protocol setting information 121 held by the information storage unit 120 and performs communication using the communication protocol indicated by the communication protocol setting information 121.

[0019] The operation mode setting information 122 indicates the operation mode of the network communication unit 110. Specifically, the operation mode setting information 122 is either a first operation mode which is a normal operation mode in which the communication processing unit 111 communicates using the communication protocol according to the communication protocol setting information 121, or a second operation mode which is a communication protocol setting mode in which the communication protocol setting unit 112 analyzes the communication frame 1 and recognizes and sets the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111. In other words, the operation mode setting information 122 indicates which of the communication processing unit 111 and the communication protocol setting unit 112 operates in the network communication unit 110.

[0020] The operation mode setting information 122 is set by the user. The operation mode setting information 122 may be configured to be set using a physical switch such as a DIP (Dual In-line Package) switch, or may be configured to be set using parameters stored in a non-volatile memory.

[0021] The memory unit 130 stores operation data 131 used when the communication processing unit 111 of the network communication unit 110 performs communication via an industrial network. The operation data 131 is composed of a plurality of communication protocol stacks corresponding to each of a plurality of communication protocols (communication protocols #1 to #N) that can be used by the communication processing unit 111. The communication protocol stack constituting the operation data 131 is, for example, a modularized communication program corresponding to any one of the communication protocols executed when the communication processing unit 111 performs communication via an industrial network. The communication protocol stack constituting the operation data 131 may be operation parameters for each communication protocol used when the communication processing unit 111 operates.

[0022] The communication protocol stack constituting the operation data 131 is read out when the communication processing unit 111 operates. That is, the communication processing unit 111 reads out from the memory unit 130 the communication protocol stack corresponding to the communication protocol indicated by the communication protocol setting information 121 held by the information storage unit 120, and performs communication via the industrial network based on the read communication protocol stack.

[0023] The application unit 150 controls the motor to be controlled according to control information for motor control received via the industrial network.

[0024] The display unit 160 displays the state of the network communication unit 110, for example, the operation mode, the setting state of the communication protocol used, and the like.

[0025] According to the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the user can start the recognition process of the communication protocol by setting the operation mode setting information 122 to the communication protocol setting mode and enabling the operation of the communication protocol setting unit 112.

[0026] Next, the overall operation of the motor control device 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the motor control device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0027] First, the network communication unit 110 checks whether the operation mode is the communication protocol setting mode (step S11). Specifically, it checks whether the operation mode setting information 122 held in the information storage unit 120 indicates an operation in the communication protocol setting mode.

[0028] In the case of the communication protocol setting mode (step S11: Yes), the communication protocol setting unit 112 checks whether there is a reception of communication frame 1 (step S12). If communication frame 1 has not been received (step S12: No), the communication protocol setting unit 112 repeats the operation of step S12, that is, checks whether there is a reception of communication frame 1. When communication frame 1 has been received (step S12: Yes), the communication protocol setting unit 112 analyzes the received communication frame 1 (hereinafter referred to as the received frame) (step S13) and sets the communication protocol (step S14).

[0029] In steps S13 and S14, the communication protocol setting unit 112 automatically recognizes the communication protocol by reading the information inserted in the received frame, and sets it to the communication protocol to be used. Specifically, the communication protocol setting unit 112 reads an identifier (hereinafter simply referred to as an identifier) indicating the type of communication protocol inserted in the received frame. The identifier is not limited to information of a specific network layer. The communication protocol setting unit 112 may recognize the type of communication protocol by combining identifiers existing in a plurality of network layers. For example, the communication protocol setting unit 112 may recognize the communication protocol using only the EtherType described in the header part of an Ethernet (registered trademark) frame, or may recognize the communication protocol by combining the EtherType and the destination port number described in the IP header part. The communication protocol setting unit 112 sets the communication protocol by rewriting the communication protocol setting information 121 in the information storage unit 120 based on the above identifier. The communication protocol setting unit 112 may write the identifier read from the received frame as it is to the information storage unit 120 as the communication protocol setting information 121.

[0030] After setting the communication protocol in step S14, the communication protocol setting unit 112 presents the setting content to the user (step S15) and checks whether there is an instruction for re - setting (step S16).

[0031] In step S16, the communication protocol setting unit 112 presents it to the user, for example, by displaying the setting content of the communication protocol on the display unit 160. Note that any presentation method may be used as long as the user can recognize the setting content. For example, presentation by sound may be used, or presentation may be performed using both sound and display.

[0032] An example of a presentation method by display on the display unit 160 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a method in which the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 displays the setting content of the communication protocol.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows an example in the case where the display unit 160 performs display using 3-digit 7-segment LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). For example, if the communication protocol is CC-Link IE TSN, the communication protocol setting unit 112 causes the display unit 160 to display 'C', 'L', and 'T', and if the communication protocol is EtherCAT, the communication protocol setting unit 112 causes the display unit 160 to display 'E', 'C', and 'T', thereby presenting the recognized communication protocol to the user. Note that a single LED may be used to represent the communication protocol by color, blinking period, or the like.

[0034] After the communication protocol setting unit 112 presents the setting content of the communication protocol in step S15, the user checks the presented content and determines whether the expected communication protocol is set. If the expected communication protocol is not set, the user instructs the re-setting of the communication protocol. The communication protocol setting unit 112 may receive the re-setting instruction in any method. For example, the communication protocol setting unit 112 may determine that the re-setting is instructed when the user performs an operation of resetting the power of the motor control device 100 without changing the operation mode setting information 122, or may determine that the re-setting is instructed when a certain period of time has elapsed without receiving an operation from the user to confirm the setting after presenting the setting content in step S15, or an operation unit such as a switch for instructing the re-setting may be provided, and it may be determined that the re-setting is instructed when this operation unit is operated.

[0035] When there is an instruction for re-setting (step S16: Yes), the process returns to step S12, and the communication protocol setting unit 112 waits for the reception of the next communication frame 1.

[0036] Thereby, the user can cause the motor control device 100 to re-execute the recognition process until the motor control device 100 recognizes the expected communication protocol, and can set the expected communication protocol.

[0037] On the other hand, when there is no instruction for reconfiguration (step S16: No), the communication protocol setting unit 112 updates the operation mode setting information 122 to complete the communication protocol setting (step S17), and the operation of the network communication unit 110 in the communication protocol setting mode ends. In step S17, specifically, the communication protocol setting unit 112 changes the operation mode setting information 122 so as to indicate an operation mode in which the communication processing unit 111 performs communication using the communication protocol according to the communication protocol setting information 121. Note that the update of the operation mode setting information 122 may be performed according to an instruction from the user. For example, an input operation of the change content may be received from the user, and the operation mode setting information 122 may be changed according to the input change content.

[0038] Also, when not in the communication protocol setting mode, that is, in the normal operation mode (step S11: No), the communication processing unit 111 checks whether there is a reception of communication frame 1 (step S18). When communication frame 1 has not been received (step S18: No), the communication processing unit 111 repeats the operation in step S18, that is, checks whether there is a reception of communication frame 1. When communication frame 1 has been received (step S18: Yes), data reception processing is performed (step S19). Specifically, first, the communication processing unit 111 reads out from the storage unit 130 a communication protocol stack corresponding to the communication protocol indicated by the communication protocol setting information 121 held by the information storage unit 120. Next, the communication processing unit 111 processes the received frame using the read communication protocol stack, and passes the application information obtained thereby to the application unit 150. The application information includes information for motor control and the like. The application unit 150 controls the motor and the like according to the application information received from the communication processing unit 111. When the data reception processing is completed, the process returns to step S18.

[0039] The operation of the motor control device 100 according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 has been described, but a part of this operation may be changed. For example, when receiving an instruction to reset the communication protocol, the communication protocol setting unit 112 stores the information of the communication protocol recognized by analyzing the received frame immediately before receiving the instruction, and resumes the reception process of the communication frame. After that, when the communication protocol setting unit 112 receives a communication frame, it analyzes this communication frame to recognize the communication protocol, compares the recognition result with the information of the communication protocol stored, and if both are the same, continues the recognition process of the communication protocol, and if both are different, completes the recognition process of the communication protocol. That is, in the communication protocol reset operation, until a communication protocol different from the communication protocol recognized before receiving the reset instruction is recognized, the communication frame is received, and the process of analyzing the received frame to recognize the communication protocol is continued. In this way, by adopting a mechanism that does not recognize the once-recognized communication protocol during the next recognition process, the number of re-executions until the communication protocol expected by the user is recognized can be reduced.

[0040] As described above, the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 includes a communication processing unit 111 that communicates via an industrial network using one of a plurality of types of communication protocols, and a communication protocol setting unit 112 that analyzes a received frame to recognize the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit 111. According to the operation mode setting information 122, one of the communication processing unit 111 and the communication protocol setting unit 112 is operated. In this way, by making the communication processing unit 111 and the communication protocol setting unit 112 operate mutually exclusively, it becomes possible to execute the recognition process of the communication protocol at the timing intended by the user. Further, the motor control device 100 includes a display unit 160 that presents the setting result of the communication protocol. For this reason, the user can determine whether it is necessary to re-execute the recognition process by the communication protocol setting unit 112. As a result, even in an industrial network configured such that communication frames 1 of a plurality of types of communication protocols are mixed on the same backbone, it is possible to set the communication protocol expected by the user in the motor control device 100. Further, a plurality of motor control devices 100 can be connected to the same industrial network, and it is possible to distribute a communication frame 1 in which an identifier indicating the type of communication protocol is inserted from an external device to simultaneously cause the plurality of motor control devices 100 to recognize the communication protocol. For this reason, compared with the case where the communication protocol to be used is manually set for each of the plurality of motor control devices 100, labor and costs can be reduced. The above external device may be a controller that controls the motor control device 100, or may be an engineering tool for setting the motor control device 100 and the like.

[0041] In this embodiment, an example in which the communication protocol setting unit 112 analyzes a single received frame to recognize the communication protocol has been described. However, the communication protocol setting unit 112 may recognize the communication protocol by other methods. For example, the communication protocol setting unit 112 may recognize the communication protocol based on the information of one or more communication frames 1 received while the operation mode setting information 122 indicates the communication protocol setting mode. For example, the communication protocol may be recognized and set based on the statistic obtained from the received communication frame 1. An example of a method for recognizing the communication protocol based on the statistic obtained from the communication frame 1 is shown below.

[0042] The motor control device 100 is connected to an industrial network within a FA (Factory Automation) system. In the industrial network, communication with a fixed cycle and communication with an irregular cycle are used between devices, and the motor control device 100 performs motor control using communication with a fixed cycle. In addition, generally, since the motor control device 100 performs advanced motor control, it communicates at a relatively short communication interval compared with other devices. Utilizing this feature, the communication protocol setting unit 112 can recognize the communication protocol in an industrial network in which communication frames 1 of a plurality of types of communication protocols are mixed on the same trunk line. For example, the communication protocol setting unit 112 recognizes that among the communication protocols identified from the received frame, those with a large number of reception times or those with a short average reception interval are the communication protocols used by the motor control device 100.

[0043] An example of a method in which the communication protocol setting unit 112 recognizes the communication protocol based on the number of receptions of the communication frame 1 will be described.

[0044] The communication protocol setting unit 112 has a storage area for storing the reception counts of each of a plurality of communication protocols supported by the motor control device 100. The communication protocol setting unit 112 identifies the type of communication protocol by reading the identifier of the communication protocol inserted into the received communication frame 1. When the identified communication protocol is included in the plurality of communication protocols supported by the motor control device 100, the communication protocol setting unit 112 increments the reception count of that communication protocol. After repeating this operation, the communication protocol setting unit 112 recognizes the communication protocol with the highest reception count among the stored reception counts of each communication protocol as the communication protocol to be set in the motor control device 100.

[0045] The timing of recognizing the communication protocol by the communication protocol setting unit 112 is not specified. For example, the communication protocol setting unit 112 may recognize the communication protocol whose reception count exceeds the threshold as the communication protocol to be set in the motor control device 100 at the timing when the reception count of the communication frame 1 of any one communication protocol exceeds the threshold. Also, the communication protocol setting unit 112 may recognize the communication protocol with the highest reception count as the communication protocol to be set in the motor control device 100 at the timing when a certain period of time has elapsed since the first reception of the communication frame 1. Further, the communication protocol setting unit 112 may perform the recognition of the communication protocol at the timing when the communication protocol with the highest reception count changes. Specifically, when the communication protocol with the highest reception count changes, the communication protocol setting unit 112 recognizes the communication protocol with the highest reception count as the communication protocol to be set in the motor control device 100.

[0046] In this way, by the communication protocol setting unit 112 recognizing the communication protocol based on the information of a plurality of communication frames 1, in an industrial network configured such that communication frames 1 of a plurality of types of communication protocols are mixed on the same trunk line, the probability of the communication protocol setting unit 112 misrecognizing the communication protocol can be reduced. Along with this, the number of times of executing the recognition operation of the communication protocol can also be reduced, and the time required until the motor control device 100 recognizes the communication protocol desired by the user can be shortened.

[0047] Embodiment 2. In the network configuration used in the FA system, there may be a case where motor control devices having a plurality of communication ports are daisy-chain connected to form a network topology. Therefore, in this embodiment, a method for a daisy-chain connected motor control device to set a communication protocol will be described.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of motor control devices 100a and 100b according to Embodiment 2. The motor control devices 100a and 100b have the same configuration as the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1. However, in FIG. 4, components that are not directly related to the description of this embodiment, specifically, components corresponding to the storage unit 130, the application unit 150, and the display unit 160 of the motor control device 100 are not described.

[0049] Also, although the motor control device 100a and the motor control device 100b are devices having the same configuration, different reference numerals are given because it is necessary to distinguish between the two in the description. Further, the network communication units 110a and 110b have the same functions as the network communication unit 110 of the motor control device 100 described in Embodiment 1 and execute the same processing. The information storage units 120a and 120b hold the same information as the information storage unit 120 of the motor control device 100 described in Embodiment 1.

[0050] FIG. 4 shows an example of a configuration in which a motor control device 100a having two communication ports and a motor control device 100b are daisy-chain connected. When the operation mode setting information 122a of the motor control device 100a and the operation mode setting information 122b of the motor control device 100b both indicate the communication protocol setting mode, when the motor control device 100a receives a communication frame 1 at the communication port 180a, the communication frame 1 is transferred to the communication protocol setting unit 112a and the communication port 190a. The communication protocol setting unit 112a reads out the identifier of the communication protocol inserted into the received communication frame 1, and sets the communication protocol setting information 121a so as to indicate the communication protocol corresponding to the read identifier. The communication port 190a outputs the communication frame 1. Thereafter, the motor control device 100b receives the communication frame 1 at the communication port 180b, the communication protocol setting unit 112b reads out the identifier of the communication protocol inserted into the received communication frame 1, and sets the communication protocol setting information 121b so as to indicate the communication protocol corresponding to the read identifier.

[0051] FIG. 4 is an example of transmitting and receiving the communication frame 1 between the motor control device 100a and the motor control device 100b, but it is also possible to transmit and receive the communication frame 1 between the motor control device 100a or 100b and another device. When transmitting the communication frame 1 to another device, it is necessary to match the setting of the communication port of the motor control device 100a or 100b with the setting of the destination device. In particular, in the communication protocol used in the industrial network, the communication port settings such as the communication speed are determined. For example, in EtherCAT, it is necessary to set the communication speed to 100 Mbps and full-duplex communication.

[0052] In motor control devices 100a and 100b, when the operation mode setting information 122a and 122b indicate the normal operation mode, that is, when the operations of the communication processing units 111a and 111b are valid, the settings of each communication port (communication ports 180a, 180b, 190a, 190b) are determined according to the communication protocol. Therefore, motor control devices 100a and 100b change the settings of each communication port to settings that match the destination device only when the operation mode setting information 122a and 122b indicate the communication protocol setting mode, that is, when the operations of the communication protocol setting units 112a and 112b are valid. Although the method of setting the communication port is not specified, for example, the communication ports 180a, 180b, 190a, and 190b may be set by auto-negotiation, or the communication port settings supported by the device itself (motor control devices 100a, 100b) may be sequentially switched to attempt communication, and the appropriate communication port settings may be searched by repeating such processing. Also, the communication ports 180a and 190a and the communication ports 180b and 190b may be set in different ways.

[0053] In this way, by using the operation mode setting information 122a and 122b to make the operations of the communication processing units 111a and 111b and the operations of the communication protocol setting units 112a and 112b exclusive operations, flexible communication port settings can be achieved without being restricted by a specific communication protocol.

[0054] As described above, according to the motor control devices 100a and 100b according to the second embodiment, in a plurality of motor control devices connected in a daisy chain connection, it is possible to transfer the communication frame 1 with the identifier of the communication protocol inserted also to the subsequently connected motor control device. Therefore, the communication protocols of all the connected motor control devices can be set collectively, and the labor of setting the communication protocol for the plurality of motor control devices can be reduced. In this embodiment, the received communication frame 1 is directly transferred to another communication port (a communication port other than the communication port that received the communication frame 1), but conversion processing may be performed on the data included in the received communication frame 1, and the communication frame 1 including the converted data may be transferred. For example, the motor control device may perform processing such as adding its own information to the data to be transferred.

[0055] Embodiment 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the motor control device 100c according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 are given to the components common to the motor control device 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Among the components of the motor control device 100c, the description of the components with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 is omitted.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5, the motor control device 100c includes a network communication unit 110c, an information storage unit 120c, a storage unit 130c, an application unit 150, and a display unit 160.

[0057] The network communication unit 110c includes a communication related processing unit 113. The communication related processing unit 113 performs the same operations as the communication processing unit 111 of the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 in the normal operation mode, and performs the same operations as the communication protocol setting unit 112 of the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 in the communication protocol setting mode. That is, the communication related processing unit 113 operates as the communication processing unit 111 of the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 in the normal operation mode, and operates as the communication protocol setting unit 112 of the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 in the communication protocol setting mode.

[0058] The information storage unit 120c stores execution operation designation information 123. The execution operation designation information 123 is information for designating an operation to be executed by the network communication unit 110c. The execution operation designation information 123 indicates either an operation in the communication protocol setting mode or an operation in the normal operation mode, and indicates a communication protocol to be used when operating in the normal operation mode. That is, the execution operation designation information 123 corresponds to information combining the communication protocol setting information 121 and the operation mode setting information 122 stored in the information storage unit 120 of the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1.

[0059] The storage unit 130c stores operation data 131 and communication protocol setting process data 132. The operation data 131 stored in the storage unit 130c is used when the communication related processing unit 113 operates in the normal operation mode. That is, the operation data 131 is used when the communication related processing unit 113 performs communication via an industrial network. The communication protocol setting process data 132 is used when the communication related processing unit 113 CommunicationIt is used when operating in the protocol setting mode. That is, communication protocol setting process data 132 is used when the communication related processing unit 113 performs the setting of the communication protocol used in communication via the industrial network. The communication protocol setting process data 132 is, for example, a modularized program. The communication protocol setting process data 132 may also be an operation parameter used when the communication related processing unit 113 operates in the communication protocol setting mode.

[0060] Next, the operation of the motor control device 100c will be described. Note that, parts different from the operation of the motor control device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of the same operations will be omitted.

[0061] In the motor control device 100c, part of the operations executed by the network communication unit 110c are different from those of the motor control device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0062] When the execution operation designation information 123 held by the information storage unit 120c indicates the normal operation mode, the communication related processing unit 113 of the network communication unit 110c reads out a communication protocol stack corresponding to the communication protocol indicated by the execution operation designation information 123 from the operation data 131 of the storage unit 130c and operates according to the read communication protocol stack.

[0063] Also, when the execution operation designation information 123 held by the information storage unit 120c indicates the communication protocol setting mode, the communication related processing unit 113 of the network communication unit 110c reads the communication protocol setting process data 132 from the storage unit 130c and operates according to the read communication protocol setting process data 132. Specifically, the communication related processing unit 113 checks the identifier of the communication protocol inserted in the received communication frame 1 and updates the execution operation designation information 123 in the information storage unit 120c. Specifically, the communication related processing unit 113 changes the execution operation designation information 123 so that it indicates the same communication protocol as the communication protocol indicated by the identifier of the communication protocol inserted in the received communication frame 1 and has the content indicating the normal operation mode. The timing at which the communication related processing unit 113 updates the execution operation designation information 123 is the timing at which it is detected that the communication protocol recognized based on the communication frame 1 matches the communication protocol expected by the user. The determination as to whether or not the communication protocol recognized based on the communication frame 1 matches the communication protocol expected by the user is made in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0064] As described above, according to the motor control device 100c according to the present embodiment, based on the operation mode and the execution operation designation information 123 indicating the communication protocol used when operating in the normal operation mode, the communication related processing unit 113 of the network communication unit 110c exclusively executes the operation in the normal operation mode and the operation in the communication protocol setting mode.

[0065] According to the motor control device 100c, since the execution operation designation information 123 is updated with the completion of the communication protocol setting process and changed to the content indicating the normal operation mode, the switching setting operation from the operation in the communication protocol setting mode to the operation in the normal operation mode can be omitted.

[0066] The switching setting operation from the normal operation mode to the communication protocol setting mode is performed by changing the setting of the execution operation designation information 123. For example, it may be an operation of setting the value indicating the communication protocol setting mode as the initial value of the execution operation designation information 123 and resetting the execution operation designation information 123 to the initial value. The opportunities for setting the communication protocol for a general motor control device mostly occur during the assembly of the FA system and during the failure replacement of the motor control device. This also applies to the motor control device 100c according to this embodiment. Therefore, setting the operation mode of the network communication unit 110c in the motor control device 100c in the initial state to the communication protocol setting mode can reduce the labor and cost.

[0067] As shown in this embodiment, by using the execution operation designation information 123 with a configuration that combines the communication protocol setting information 121 and the operation mode setting information 122 used in the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 as setting information, it is possible to reduce the number of setting information and reduce the labor and cost of the user.

[0068] Next, the hardware for realizing the motor control devices 100, 100a, 100b, and 100c described in each embodiment will be described. Since the motor control devices 100, 100a, 100b, and 100c can be realized by similar hardware, here, an example of the hardware for realizing the motor control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be described.

[0069] The motor control device 100 can be realized by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, also referred to as a central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, DSP (Digital Signal Processor)), a processor which is a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a memory such as a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory like a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, a communication interface such as a network interface card, and a display device such as a liquid crystal panel.

[0070] The network communication unit 110 and the application unit 150 of the motor control device 100 are realized by the processor executing programs for operating as these respective units. Programs for operating as the network communication unit 110 and the application unit 150 are pre-stored in the memory. The processor operates as the network communication unit 110 and the application unit 150 by reading out and executing the programs from the memory.

[0071] The information storage unit 120 and the storage unit 130 of the motor control device 100 are realized by the memory. Also, the memory holds the above programs and is also used as a temporary memory when the motor control device 100 executes various processes.

[0072] The display unit 160 of the motor control device 100 is realized by the display device.

[0073] Note that the motor control device 100 may also be realized using a processing circuit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0074] Note that although the above program is assumed to be pre-stored in the memory that constitutes the motor control device 100, it is not limited to this. The above program may be supplied to the user in a state where it is written in a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, and the user may install it in the memory that constitutes the motor control device 100. Also, the above program may be provided to the user via a network such as the Internet.

[0075] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are examples, and it is possible to combine them with other known technologies, combine the embodiments with each other, or omit or change a part of the configuration without departing from the gist.

[0076] For example, in each embodiment, an example of selecting and setting a communication protocol used in communication via an industrial network from among a plurality of types of communication protocols has been described. However, when replacing the industrial network with a general communication network and setting the communication protocol used by a device connected to the general communication network, it is also possible to apply each of the above-described embodiments.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1 Communication frame, 100, 100a, 100b, 100c Motor control device, 110, 110a, 110b, 110c Network communication unit, 111, 111a, 111b Communication processing unit, 112, 112a, 112b, 112c Communication protocol setting unit, 120, 120a, 120b, 120c Information storage unit, 121, 121a, 121b Communication protocol setting information, 122, 122a, 122b Operation mode setting information, 123 Execution operation designation information, 130, 130c Storage unit, 131 Operation data, 132 Data for communication protocol setting process, 150 Application unit, 160 Display unit, 180a, 180b, 190a, 190b Communication port.

Claims

1. A motor control device that controls a motor based on control information received via an industrial network, comprising: a communication processing unit that communicates via the industrial network using one of a plurality of types of communication protocols; a communication protocol setting unit that sets the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit based on information included in a communication frame received in a communication protocol setting mode for recognizing and setting the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit; an information storage unit that stores operation mode setting information indicating either a first operation mode in which the communication processing unit executes the communication via the industrial network or a second operation mode which is the communication protocol setting mode, and communication protocol setting information indicating the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit in the operation in the first operation mode; a storage unit that stores a communication protocol stack for each of the plurality of types of communication protocols used in the communication via the industrial network; and when the operation mode setting information indicates the first operation mode, the communication processing unit communicates via the industrial network using the communication protocol stack corresponding to the communication protocol indicated by the communication protocol setting information; when the operation mode setting information indicates the second operation mode, the communication protocol setting unit recognizes the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit based on the information included in the communication frame, and sets the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit by updating the communication protocol setting information so as to be the content indicating the recognized communication protocol. A motor control device characterized by the above.

2. A motor control device that controls a motor based on control information received via an industrial network, comprising: a communication processing unit that communicates via the industrial network using one of a plurality of types of communication protocols; a communication protocol setting unit that sets the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit based on information included in a communication frame received in a communication protocol setting mode for recognizing and setting the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit; An information storage unit that stores execution operation designation information indicating either a first operation mode in which the communication processing unit executes the communication via the industrial network or a second operation mode in which the communication protocol setting unit executes an operation of recognizing a communication protocol used by the communication processing unit, and indicating a communication protocol used by the communication processing unit in the operation in the first operation mode; A communication protocol stack for each of a plurality of types of communication protocols used in the communication via the industrial network, and a storage unit that stores communication protocol setting process data; A communication-related processing unit that operates as the communication processing unit using the communication protocol stack and operates as the communication protocol setting unit using the communication protocol setting process data; Comprising: The communication-related processing unit: When the execution operation designation information indicates the first operation mode, performs the communication via the industrial network using the communication protocol stack corresponding to the communication protocol indicated by the execution operation designation information; When the execution operation designation information indicates the second operation mode, recognizes the communication protocol used when operating as the communication processing unit based on the information included in the communication frame, and updates the execution operation designation information to be the content indicating the recognized communication protocol, thereby setting the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit. A motor control device characterized by the above.

3. After recognizing the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit, when the communication protocol setting unit satisfies a predetermined condition, the communication protocol setting unit sets the recognized communication protocol as the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit in the communication. The motor control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. A display unit that displays the recognition result of the communication protocol by the communication protocol setting unit; The motor control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising the above.

5. When the communication protocol setting unit receives a predetermined operation from the user while the display unit is displaying the recognition result, the communication protocol setting unit re-executes the process of recognizing the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit. The motor control device according to claim 4, characterized by the above.

6. The communication protocol setting unit recognizes the communication protocol used by the communication processing unit based on the statistic obtained from the communication frame received during the second operation mode and the information included in the received communication frame. The motor control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

7. Comprising a plurality of communication ports, When the communication protocol setting unit receives a communication frame during operation, the communication frame received is transferred to other communication ports other than the communication port that received the communication frame. The motor control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

8. A communication protocol setting method for setting the communication protocol used in the communication in the first operation mode of a motor control device configured to operate in a first operation mode of performing communication via an industrial network using one of a plurality of types of communication protocols and a second operation mode of setting the communication protocol used in the communication, and controlling a motor based on control information received via the industrial network, the method comprising: A first step of switching the operation mode from the first operation mode to the second operation mode and receiving a communication frame; A second step of setting the communication protocol used in the communication in the first operation mode based on the information included in the communication frame received in the first step; A communication protocol setting method characterized by including.

9. A communication protocol setting program for setting the communication protocol used in the communication in the first operation mode of a motor control device configured to operate in a first operation mode of performing communication via an industrial network using one of a plurality of types of communication protocols and a second operation mode of setting the communication protocol used in the communication, and controlling a motor based on control information received via the industrial network, the program comprising: A first step of switching the operation mode from the first operation mode to the second operation mode and receiving a communication frame; A second step of setting the communication protocol used in the communication in the first operation mode based on the information included in the communication frame received in the first step; A communication protocol setting program, characterized in that it is executed by a computer constituting the motor control device.

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