Control device

Abstract

Provided is a control device (1) configured to communicate with a plurality of peripheral apparatuses (12) over an industrial network (3), the control device (1) comprising a plurality of communication control units (11) and a data storage unit (10) that stores communication data transmitted to and received from the plurality of peripheral apparatuses (12) via the plurality of communication control units (11). Each of the plurality of communication control units (11) comprises: a data processing unit (211) that, on the basis of the communication data for transmission stored in the data storage unit (10), performs data processing for controlling at least one of the plurality of peripheral apparatuses (12); and a data management unit (212) that transfers the data processed by the data processing unit (211) to another communication control unit (11).

Description

Control device

[0001] This disclosure relates to a control device.

[0002] In a manufacturing factory or production line, industrial machines equipped with a control device may be connected to a communication network together with a plurality of peripheral devices. In such a communication network, data is transmitted and received between each control device using various industrial communication protocols.

[0003] Many industrial communication protocols classify and define the devices connected to a communication network into two categories according to their roles. One is the main device (primary device) for controlling one or a plurality of peripheral devices such as the industrial machine equipped with the above-mentioned control device, and the other is the device (secondary device) that is controlled by the primary device such as the above-mentioned peripheral device and is subordinate.

[0004] In recent years, due to the spread of IoT (Internet of Things), the number of secondary devices connected to a communication network has been on the increase, and there are also many needs to add more secondary devices to an existing communication network.

[0005] As the number of secondary devices connected to a communication network increases, higher performance is required for the communication board installed in the primary device. Therefore, conventionally, when the performance of the communication board installed in the primary device becomes unable to handle the addition of secondary devices, the following two solutions have been taken.

[0006] The first solution is to replace the communication board installed in the primary device with an expensive communication board having high communication performance capable of handling the number of added secondary devices (Prior Art 1). The second solution is to add a communication board identical to the communication board installed in the existing primary device (Prior Art 2).

[0007] However, in the conventional technology 1 described above, the cost becomes high because it involves replacing an inexpensive communication board with a more expensive one. On the other hand, in the conventional technology 2 described above, each of the multiple communication boards in a single communication network has the function of acting as a primary device. Therefore, the communication settings become complex and may cause communication problems.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is a control device configured to communicate with a plurality of peripheral devices via an industrial network, comprising: a plurality of communication control units; a data storage unit for storing communication data transmitted and received with the plurality of peripheral devices via the plurality of communication control units, wherein each of the plurality of communication control units comprises: a data processing unit for performing data processing to control at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices based on the communication data stored in the data storage unit; and a data management unit for distributing data input from the data processing unit to other communication control units.

[0009] This figure shows a schematic configuration of a control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This figure shows an example of data exchanged between the primary function unit and the data management unit of a communication board. This figure shows an example of data exchanged between the data management unit and the communication interface of a communication board. This figure illustrates an example of the use of the memory storage area of ​​a communication board that communicates via a communication interface.

[0010] A control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the control device 1, which functions as a primary device, is connected via a communication network (industrial network) 3 to Y peripheral devices 2, which are indicated as peripheral devices #1 to #Y and function as secondary devices.

[0011] The control device 1 includes a memory (data storage unit) 10 and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) mounted on the main board, and X communication boards (communication control units) 11 referred to as communication boards #1 to #X.

[0012] The memory 10 on the main board stores communication data that is processed internally by the control device 1 and sent externally, as well as communication data received from the outside via the communication board 11.

[0013] Each of the communication boards 11 is connected to the main board via an interface such as PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) or PCI Express. In addition, only communication board 11, referred to as communication board #1, is connected to the communication network 3 via the communication interface 113.

[0014] Each communication board 11 includes one or more CPUs 110, a communication interface (communication unit) 113 and a memory 114 connected to the CPU 110 via an internal bus.

[0015] In Figure 1, the CPU 110 and memory 114 are shown only on communication board #1, but the CPU 110 and memory 114 are also mounted on communication boards #2 to X in the same way.

[0016] A single communication board 11 may have multiple memory modules 114, and may include flash memory for storing firmware, buffer memory for sending and receiving data, etc.

[0017] Each communication board 11 comprises, as a functional block, a primary function unit (data processing unit) 111 (211), a data management unit 112 (212) connected to the primary function unit 111 (211), and a communication interface (communication unit) 113 connected to the data management unit 112 (212). One or more CPUs 110 mounted on each communication board 11 are configured to execute these functions by referring to the memory 114 on each communication board 11.

[0018] Although the X communication boards #1 to #X are identical in terms of hardware, the firmware processing performed by communication board #1 differs from that of communication boards #2 to #X. Therefore, different reference codes for the functional blocks are used in each case. Communication boards #1 to #X are each equipped with the same firmware, and the control device 1 may switch which of the functions built into the firmware is executed.

[0019] Here, the functional blocks in communication board #1 are referred to as the primary functional unit 111, the data management unit 112, and the communication interface 113. Similarly, the functional blocks in communication boards #2 to #X are referred to as the primary functional unit 211, the data management unit 212, and the communication interface 213.

[0020] The primary function unit 111 (211) is configured to perform data processing for controlling or monitoring at least one of a plurality of peripheral devices 2 that function as secondary devices, by referring to communication data stored in the memory 10 on the main board or the memory 114 on the communication board 11.

[0021] The primary function unit 111 (211) may pre-assign which of the multiple peripheral devices 2 it controls or monitors based on a table stored in at least one of the memory 10 or the memory 114 on the communication board 11. Alternatively, it may be dynamically assigned based on the amount of communication between the control device 1 and each peripheral device 2, for example, so that the load on each communication board 11 is roughly equal.

[0022] The data management unit 112 (212) is configured to perform a process in which it separates the data to be processed by the communication board 11 on which it is mounted from the data to be processed by the other communication board 11, in relation to the data management unit 212 (112) on other communication boards 11.

[0023] The communication interface (communication unit) 113 (213) is configured to enable connection with multiple peripheral devices 2 via the communication network 3. In this embodiment, the communication network 3 is connected only to the communication interface 113 of communication board #1, and the communication interfaces 213 of communication boards #2 to #X are not used.

[0024] The following describes the processing during data transmission and data reception. The following explanation uses the data flow of an Ethernet®-based industrial protocol as an example.

[0025] First, let's explain the data transmission process. The control device 1 transfers communication data (for example, 1-byte I / O data) from the memory 10 on the main board to the memory 114 of the communication board 11 using DMA (Direct Memory Access). DMA transfer is preferred when frequent data transfer or real-time performance is required, but it is not limited to this, and CPU transfer may also be used.

[0026] The communication data should be forwarded to which communication board 11 depending on which peripheral device 2 it is intended for. Alternatively, a table may be prepared in advance that associates which communication board 11 processes data for which peripheral device, and the destination for the communication data can be determined based on this table.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the primary function unit 111 (211) of the communication board 11 refers to the memory 114 on its own communication board 11 and adds an Ethernet header and an FCS (Frame Check Sequence) to the communication data transferred from the memory 10 on the main board, i.e., industrial protocol communication data, as the payload.

[0028] As a result, communication data is converted from the industrial network protocol to the standard Ethernet protocol, and the data, now in Ethernet frame form, is stored in the memory 114 on the communication board 11.

[0029] Next, each data management unit 212 of communication boards #2 to #X transfers the Ethernet frame data stored in the memory 114 on its own communication board 11 to the memory 114 on communication board #1. DMA transfer is preferred as the transfer method, but CPU transfer is also acceptable. The address in the destination memory 114 may be predetermined for each communication board 11.

[0030] Next, as shown in Figure 3, the data management unit 112 of communication board #1 creates a series of Ethernet frames, which are standard Ethernet protocol data, based on the data aggregated in the memory 114 of communication board #1, i.e., the data processed by the primary function unit 111 of communication board #1 and the data transferred to the memory 114 on communication board #1 by the data management units 212 of communication boards #2 to #X, and stores them in the memory 114. In this case, a transmission buffer memory may be used as the memory 114.

[0031] Next, the communication interface 113 transmits the data stored in the memory 114 to one or more corresponding peripheral devices 2 connected to the communication network 3.

[0032] The following describes the processing when data is received. The communication interface 113 receives data of the standard Ethernet protocol (see Figure 3), which consists of a series of Ethernet frames, from one or more peripheral devices 2 connected via the communication network 3, and stores it in the memory 114. In this case, a receive buffer memory may be used as the memory 114.

[0033] The data management unit 112 of communication board #1 rearranges the data stored in memory 114 by the communication interface 113, based on the identification information associated with each peripheral device contained in each Ethernet frame, i.e., the MAC (Media Access Control) address, as shown in Figure 4, into data for each communication board 11 corresponding to each peripheral device 2, and stores it in memory 114 on communication board #1.

[0034] Here, the correspondence between which communication board 11 processes data from which peripheral device 2 may be determined in advance by a table. Alternatively, it may be determined dynamically according to the amount of communication or data processing.

[0035] The correspondence between the communication board 11 and peripheral devices is not limited to a one-to-one relationship. One communication board 11 may process data from multiple peripheral devices 2, or multiple communication boards 11 may process data from a single peripheral device 2.

[0036] In the example shown in Figure 4, data from peripheral devices 2 corresponding to source MAC addresses 1 to 10 and source MAC address 20 is associated with being processed by communication board #1, and data from peripheral devices corresponding to source MAC addresses 11 to 19 is associated with being processed by communication board #2. A predetermined address may be set as the starting address for the storage area for communication board #1 and the storage area for communication board #2.

[0037] Next, the data management unit 112 of communication board #1 transfers the data for each communication board 11 stored in the memory 114 on communication board #1 to the memory 114 of the corresponding communication board 11 using DMA.

[0038] Alternatively, the data management unit 212 of the corresponding communication board 11 may transfer the data assigned to its own communication board 11 to the memory 114 on its own communication board 11 via the CPU.

[0039] Next, the primary function unit 111 (211) of each communication board 11 refers to the memory 114 on its own communication board 11 and extracts the payload from the standard Ethernet frame contained in the data transferred from communication board #1. As a result, the data is converted from the standard Ethernet protocol to the industrial network protocol, and the converted data is stored in the memory 10 on the main board as received communication data.

[0040] By configuring the control device 1 that functions as the primary device in this manner, even if the number of peripheral devices 2 that function as secondary devices exceeds the processing capacity of the existing communication board 11 and is connected to the communication network 3, there is no need to newly introduce a more expensive and high-performance communication board by adding a communication board in the control device 1 as in the above-described embodiment. As a result, it is possible to realize the required processing while suppressing the hardware cost.

[0041] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, even when X communication boards #1 to #X are inserted into the control device 1, only one communication board #1 is configured to be connected to the communication network 3. As a result, each of the plurality of communication boards 11 does not function as a board that plays the role of the primary device. Therefore, since a configuration in which one primary device is introduced on one communication network is adopted, an easy-to-understand network configuration can be realized, and the occurrence of communication troubles can be suppressed.

[0042] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, but the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. These embodiments can be variously added, replaced, changed, partially deleted, etc., without departing from the gist of the invention or without departing from the idea and spirit of the present invention derived from the content described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, it is described that one CPU 110 executes the functions of the primary function unit 111, the data management unit 112, and the communication interface 113, but it is not limited to this. For example, among a plurality of CPUs 110, one CPU may be configured to execute the functions of the data management unit 112 and the communication interface 113, and another CPU may be configured to execute the functions of the primary function unit 111.

[0044] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the data flow in the case of an Ethernet-based industrial protocol is described as an example, but it is not limited to this, and it is applicable to any industrial protocol.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the hardware of the communication board 11 referenced by communication board #1 to communication board #X is assumed to be the same, but different hardware may be used for communication board #1 and communication boards #2 to #X. That is, since communication boards #2 to #X are not connected to a communication network, hardware that functions as a communication interface 213 does not need to be implemented on communication boards #2 to #X.

[0046] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the control device 1 is connected to the communication network 3, but the industrial machine connected to the communication network 3 may also be configured to include the control device 1.

[0047] The following further notes are disclosed regarding the above embodiments. (Note 1) A control device configured to communicate with a plurality of peripheral devices via an industrial network, comprising: a plurality of communication control units; a data storage unit for storing communication data transmitted and received with the plurality of peripheral devices via the plurality of communication control units, wherein each of the plurality of communication control units comprises: a data processing unit for performing data processing to control at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices based on the communication data for transmission stored in the data storage unit; and a data management unit for transferring the data processed by the data processing unit to other communication control units. (Note 2) The control device according to Note 1, wherein one of the plurality of communication control units comprises a communication unit; the data management unit of each of the plurality of communication control units aggregates the data processed by the data processing unit to the one communication control unit; and the one communication control unit transmits the aggregated data to each peripheral device via the communication unit. (Note 3) The control device according to Note 2, wherein the data management unit of one communication control unit is configured to assign which of the plurality of communication control units will process the data received from each of the peripheral devices via the communication unit, based on the identification information associated with each of the peripheral devices included in the received data. (Note 4) The control device according to Note 3, wherein each of the plurality of communication control units is configured to acquire the data from each of the peripheral devices assigned to it by the data management unit of one of the communication control units using its own data management unit, process the acquired data using its own data processing unit, and store it in the data storage unit as the received communication data.

[0048] 1 Control device 2 Peripheral devices 3 Communication network (industrial network) 10 Memory (data storage unit) 11 Communication board (communication control unit) 110 CPU 111, 211 Primary function unit (data processing unit) 112, 212 Data management unit 113, 213 Communication interface (communication unit) 114 Memory

Claims

1. A control device configured to communicate with a plurality of peripheral devices via an industrial network, comprising: a plurality of communication control units; a data storage unit for storing communication data transmitted and received with the plurality of peripheral devices via the plurality of communication control units, wherein each of the plurality of communication control units comprises: a data processing unit for performing data processing to control at least one of the plurality of peripheral devices based on the communication data for transmission stored in the data storage unit; and a data management unit for transferring the data processed by the data processing unit to other communication control units.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of communication control units is equipped with a communication unit, the data management unit of each of the plurality of communication control units aggregates the data processed by the data processing unit to the one communication control unit, and the one communication control unit transmits the aggregated data to each peripheral device via the communication unit.

3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the data management unit of one communication control unit is configured to assign which of the plurality of communication control units will process the data received from each of the peripheral devices via the communication unit, based on the identification information associated with each of the peripheral devices contained in the received data.

4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of communication control units is configured to acquire data from each of the peripheral devices assigned to it by the data management unit of one of the communication control units using its own data management unit, process the acquired data using its own data processing unit, and store it in the data storage unit as the received communication data.

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