Signal relay system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a signal relay system. A signal relay system according to the present invention, which relays signals between at least one remotely located control request device and at least one remotely located control execution device, is characterized by comprising: a first signal relayer configured to include a plurality of input ports and wired to each of the at least one control request device and any one of the plurality of input ports, and, when a control input signal is received from the at least one control request device, generates and transmits a control wireless signal corresponding to the received control input signal and including information of each connected input port; and a second signal relayer configured to include a plurality of output ports, and, when a control wireless signal is received from the first signal relayer, extracts input port information included in the received wireless signal and outputs a control signal corresponding to each output port corresponding to the extracted input port information.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal relay system, and more specifically, to a signal relay system that is connected to an external device and performs signal relay processing wirelessly. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial settings, control signals are transmitted and executed between various devices.

[0003] In particular, automated processing according to specific situations is being carried out due to the introduction of PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) devices.

[0004] Here, PLC refers to a type of Sequential Control, which means a control system in which the specific operations and sequences to be performed by equipment and facilities, as well as procedures for failures, are input into the control device, and operation proceeds according to each command signal emitted by the control device.

[0005] It is a control method that gradually proceeds through each step of control according to a predetermined sequence, and is widely used in process control for discontinuous operations.

[0006] In other words, at least one PLC device is used in industrial sites, but when a PLC device receives sensing input from an external sensor or performs communication between PLC devices, conventionally, they are connected based on wires, which causes problems such as difficulty in moving devices as needed and difficulty in quickly identifying or replacing a device that has malfunctioned due to tangled wire cables.

[0007] However, replacing existing wired-based PLC devices with PLC devices capable of wireless communication such as Wi-Fi is not desirable in terms of performance or cost. Prior art literature

[0008] Published Patent No. 10-2017-0048802 The problem to be solved

[0009] The present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a signal relay system that enables reliable and cost-effective transmission of control signals even when the distance between PLC devices or between a PLC device and each sensor device is far apart in an industrial setting. means of solving the problem

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a signal relay system according to the present invention for relaying signals between at least one remotely located control request device and at least one remotely located control execution device may include: a first signal relayer configured to include a plurality of input ports and connected by wire to each of the at least one control request device and any one of the plurality of input ports, and, when a control input signal is received from the at least one control request device, generates and transmits a control wireless signal corresponding to the received control input signal and including information of each connected input port; and a second signal relayer configured to include a plurality of output ports, and, when a control wireless signal is received from the first signal relayer, extracts input port information included in the received wireless signal and outputs a control signal corresponding to each output port corresponding to the extracted input port information.

[0011] Here, the first signal repeater and the second signal repeater can communicate with each other using a preset radio frequency.

[0012] Here, the first signal repeater and the second signal repeater can communicate with each other using the LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide-Area Network) protocol.

[0013] Here, each input port of the first signal repeater may be configured to include a transistor-type optical coupler.

[0014] Here, each output port of the second signal repeater may be configured to include a relay. Effects of the invention

[0015] As explained above, according to the present invention, information can be easily transmitted through a wireless section between PLC devices or sensors located far apart from each other.

[0016] In particular, even in the case of existing PLC devices without wireless communication capabilities, control signals can be transmitted to other devices (e.g., another remote PLC) simply by connecting a port.

[0017] Furthermore, when the signal relay system according to the present invention is composed of a first signal relay and a second signal relay, the first signal relay can check for a problem with the second signal relay itself or an abnormality in a device (such as a PLC device) connected to the second signal relay, so the devices Brief explanation of the drawing

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram including a signal relay system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an example of an optical coupler circuit configuration included in the first signal relay of FIG. 1, and Figure 3 is an example of a relay circuit configuration included in the second signal relay of Figure 1. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0019] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0020] Each of the embodiments according to the present invention described below is merely an example to aid in understanding the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. In particular, the present invention may be composed of a combination of at least one of the individual components, individual functions, or individual steps included in each embodiment.

[0021] The overall schematic configuration including a signal relay system (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 1.

[0022] The control request device (300) on the left in FIG. 1 transmits a predetermined control signal to the signal relay system (1) according to the present invention, and may be an independent PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) device or an independent sensor device.

[0023] In addition, the control execution device (400) on the right side of FIG. 1 receives and processes a predetermined control signal from the signal relay system (1) according to the present invention, and may be a PLC device or a driving device, etc.

[0024] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the control request device (300) and the control execution device (400) are physically located far apart, and that there is no direct wired connection between the control request device (300) and the control execution device (400).

[0025] A signal relay system (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention receives a predetermined control input signal from the control request device (300) described above and transmits it to a control execution device (400) through a wireless communication section.

[0026] To this end, the signal relay system (1) may be configured to include a first signal relay (100) and a second signal relay (200).

[0027] The first signal relay (100) is configured to include a plurality of input ports, and each of these input ports can be individually connected to a control request device (300).

[0028] That is, if there are 8 input ports in the first signal relay (100), it can be connected to 8 different control request devices (300) through each input port.

[0029] When the first signal repeater (100) receives a control input signal from at least one control request device (300) wired through an input port as described above, it performs the function of generating and transmitting a control wireless signal corresponding to the received control input signal and including information on each connected input port.

[0030] For example, when a control input signal is received from a PLC device connected to port 2, the first signal relay (100) can generate and transmit a control wireless signal that corresponds to the control input signal and includes port 2 information.

[0031] As another example, when control input signals are simultaneously received from a PLC device connected to port 2 and another PLC device connected to port 3, the first signal relay (100) can generate and transmit a control wireless signal by integrating a first signal containing port 2 information corresponding to the control input signal received from port 2 and a second signal containing port 3 information corresponding to the control input signal received from port 3.

[0032] For example, if an "ON" signal is input through ports 2 and 3 of the 8 input ports and an "OFF" signal is input through the remaining input ports, the first signal relay (100) can generate a serial signal of '01100000' and transmit it wirelessly.

[0033] At this time, each input port of the first signal repeater (100) may be configured to include a transistor-type optical coupler.

[0034] An example of such a transistor-type optical coupler is shown in Fig. 2.

[0035] In FIG. 2, IPNUT_01 to INPUT_08 represent each input port, and SELEC_01 to SELEC_08 may be signals transmitted directly to an MCU (microcontroller) configured to perform the function of a first signal relay (100), for example, or through a predetermined PISO (Parallel-in to Serial-out) type shift register.

[0036] If the MCU itself has many input ports, it may directly receive SELECT_01 ~ SELECT_08 signals in parallel, but if not, a separate PISO-type shift register may be configured, and the parallel signals input through IPNUT_01 ~ INPUT_08 may be converted into serial signals and then transmitted to the MCU, and such a configuration is more desirable.

[0037] The reason for using an optical coupler is that the voltage range in which the external device and the first signal relay (100) operate may be different, and various types of external devices (i.e., control request devices (300)) can be directly connected to the first signal relay (100).

[0038] That is, when using an optical coupler, there is an advantage in that the voltage level of the control input signal of the control request device (300) can be received without special consideration.

[0039] Meanwhile, the second signal repeater (200) is configured to include a plurality of output ports, and each of these plurality of output ports can be individually connected to a control execution device (400).

[0040] That is, if there are 8 output ports in the second signal repeater (200), it can be connected to 8 different control execution devices (400) through each output port.

[0041] As described above, when a control wireless signal is received from the first signal relay (100) through a wireless section, the second signal relay (200) performs the function of extracting input port information included in the received control wireless signal and then outputting a control signal corresponding to an output port corresponding to each of the extracted input port information.

[0042] For example, when a control input signal is received from a PLC device connected to port 2 of the first signal relay (100) and a corresponding control signal is wirelessly transmitted, the second signal relay (200) can extract port 2 information from the corresponding control wireless signal and then output a control signal to the output port 2.

[0043] As another example, when a control input signal is simultaneously received from a PLC device connected to port 2 and another PLC device connected to port 3 of the first signal repeater (100) and a corresponding control wireless signal is transmitted, the second signal repeater (200) receives this and then outputs a control signal corresponding to the control input signal received from port 2 of the first signal repeater (100) to the output port 2, and also outputs a control signal corresponding to the control input signal received from port 3 of the first signal repeater (100) as output port 3 information.

[0044] Referring to the specific example described above, when a control wireless signal including a serial signal '01100000' is received from the first signal repeater (100), the second signal repeater (200) can interpret this serial signal and then output an "ON" signal only to output ports 2 and 3, and output an "OFF" signal to the remaining output ports.

[0045] At this time, each output port of the second signal repeater (200) may be configured to include a relay.

[0046] An example of the relay configuration of such an output port is shown in Fig. 3.

[0047] In FIG. 3, RELAY_CON_01 ~ RELAY_CON_08 represent signals that operate the relays of each output port, and RIN_01 ~ RIN_08 represent signals directed to the input ports of the external control execution device (400).

[0048] In particular, the signals of RCOM_01 to RCOM_08 (such as ON signals or OFF signals) can be transmitted to an external control execution device (400) through RIN_01 to RIN_08 only when the relay is operating. Here, RCOM_01 to RCOM_08 are common signals and may be, for example, signals of a 5V voltage level or a 0V (ground) voltage level.

[0049] Here, the RELAY_CON_01 ~ RELAY_CON_08 signals that operate the relay may be signals transmitted directly from an MCU (microcontroller) configured to perform the function of a second signal relay (200), for example, or signals transmitted after passing through a predetermined SIPO (Serial-in to Parallel-out) type shift register.

[0050] If the MCU itself has many output ports, the RELAY_CON_01 ~ RELAY_CON_08 signals may be transmitted in parallel to each relay, but if not, a separate SIPO type shift register may be configured, and then the serial signals for output control generated by the MCU may be generated as RELAY_CON_01 ~ RELAY_CON_08 parallel signals and transmitted to the relays, and this configuration is more desirable.

[0051] The reason for using a relay is that the voltage range in which the external device and the second signal relay (200) operate may be different, and various types of external devices (i.e., control execution device (400)) can be directly connected to the second signal relay (200).

[0052] That is, when using a relay, there is an advantage that the control execution device (400) can transmit the control signal without specifically considering the voltage level of the control signal that can be received.

[0053] As described above, the first signal relay (100) and the second signal relay (200) included in the signal relay system (1) according to the present embodiment perform mutual wireless communication, and by using a pre-set wireless frequency, it is possible to eliminate the need for prior preparation work for communication.

[0054] For example, mutual communication can be performed using pre-configured radio frequencies without going through a process of registering devices.

[0055] In addition, the first signal repeater (100) and the second signal repeater (200) may communicate with each other using the LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide-Area Network) protocol. In this case, the first signal repeater (100) and the second signal repeater (200) may not communicate directly, but may communicate with each other via a separately configured gateway.

[0056] In the above-described embodiment, the first signal relay (100) and the second signal relay (200) are separate devices, but it is obvious that a single device may include both the functions of the first signal relay (100) and the second signal relay (200) described above.

[0057] By using the signal relay system (1) according to the present invention, wireless communication between PLC devices that do not have their own wireless module becomes possible.

[0058] For example, if it is necessary to connect the first output port of the first PLC device and the second input port of the second PLC device, even if the first PLC device and the second PLC device are not directly connected by a wire, by using the signal relay system (1) according to the present invention, when an "ON" signal is applied through the first output port of the first PLC device, an "ON" signal can be input to the first input port of the second PLC device.

[0059] Meanwhile, the first signal relay (100) and the second signal relay (200) included in the signal relay system (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include an MCU, i.e., a control unit for functional operation. As described above, the control unit is not limited to merely performing a signal transmission function, but can also perform exception handling for communication failures in the wireless section or problems with the transmission processing of control signals.

[0060] For example, the second signal relay (200) can check the result processed according to the request of the first signal relay (100) and transmit a signal corresponding to the result back to the first signal relay (100). For example, the second signal relay (200) receives a control signal from the first signal relay (100) to turn on the first output port, and outputs an "ON" signal to the first output port. However, if the "ON" signal is not properly applied to the first output port due to various causes, or if the operation corresponding to the "ON" signal is not detected as a result of monitoring the operation of a specific control device (400) connected to the first output port, the second signal relay (200) can notify the first signal relay (100) of the error situation.

[0061] In this way, when a predetermined error signal is received from the second signal relay (200), the first signal relay (100) can activate its own alarm function so that an administrator or others can be notified.

[0062] For example, if the first signal relay (100) is equipped with an alarm LED, it can flash and emit light through the alarm LED, or if it is equipped with a built-in speaker, it can emit a notification sound through the built-in speaker, and furthermore, the first signal relay (100) can transmit an alarm message to an administrator, etc. via wireless communication.

[0063] This situation may be effective, for example, when the first signal relay (100) is installed in a location where the manager can easily access it, whereas the second signal relay (200) is installed in a location where the manager cannot easily access it. In this case, rather than generating an error alarm at the second signal relay (200), it is preferable for rapid error handling to output an alarm regarding an error situation of the second signal relay (200) itself or an error situation of a device connected to the second signal relay (200) from the first signal relay (100) where the manager can easily access it.

[0064] Meanwhile, it goes without saying that the process of carrying out each of the above-described embodiments may be performed by a program or application stored on a predetermined recording medium (e.g., computer-readable). Here, the recording medium includes all types of electronic recording media such as RAM (Random Access Memory), magnetic recording media such as hard disks, and optical recording media such as CDs (Compact Disks).

[0065] At this time, the program stored on the recording medium can be executed on hardware such as a computer or a smartphone to perform each of the embodiments described above.

[0066] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but can be implemented with various modifications and variations within the scope of the essence of the invention. It will be obvious that such modifications and variations are included in the present invention if they fall within the scope of the appended claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0067] 1 : Signal relay system 100 : First signal relay 200: Second signal repeater 300: Control request device 400: Control execution unit

Claims

Claim 1 A signal relay system for relaying signals between at least one remotely located control request device and at least one remotely located control execution device, comprising: a first signal relayer configured to include a plurality of input ports and connected by a wire to the at least one control request device, converting the state of each control input signal received through the plurality of input ports into serial data in the form of a bit sequence containing information corresponding to each input port, and generating and transmitting a control wireless signal containing said bit sequence data; and a second signal relayer configured to include a plurality of output ports, wherein when a control wireless signal containing said bit sequence data is received from the first signal relayer, the second signal relayer decodes said bit sequence data to identify a corresponding output port based on information corresponding to each input port included in said bit sequence, and outputs a corresponding output port according to the state of each control input signal, thereby enabling the state of the control input signal received through the input port to be reproduced through the corresponding output port. Claim 2 A signal relay system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first signal relay and the second signal relay communicate with each other using a preset radio frequency. Claim 3 A signal relay system according to paragraph 2, characterized in that the first signal relay and the second signal relay communicate with each other using the LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide-Area Network) protocol. Claim 4 A signal relay system according to claim 1, characterized in that each input port of the first signal relay is configured to include a transistor-type optical coupler. Claim 5 A signal relay system according to claim 1, characterized in that each output port of the second signal relay is configured to include a relay.

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