Controller IP Auto-Configuration for Scalable Networked Drives
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Solution Overview
Problem
When duplicating facilities, the same IP addresses for controllers can lead to communication failures between high-level information processing devices and controllers, requiring manual changes to network settings and control programs, which is time-consuming and inefficient, especially as facility scale increases.
Innovation Solution
A control system where each controller generates a unique IP address based on identification information, using a generation module that rewrites the IP address in the network setting and communicates with an information processing device, ensuring distinct IP addresses even when the same control program is used across multiple controllers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the same control program is duplicated across multiple controllers, then productivity and scalability are improved, but network communication reliability deteriorates due to identical IP addresses causing conflicts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the IP address parameter automatically based on the controller's identification information (such as MAC address). When a controller is duplicated, the system detects the existing IP address conflict and automatically modifies the IP address parameter to a unique value, allowing the same control program to run on multiple controllers without communication conflicts
Solution Approach 2:
The controller performs self-identification using its unique identification information and automatically configures its own IP address without requiring manual intervention. The system detects IP address conflicts and autonomously resolves them by generating unique IP addresses based on the controller's own identification data
2Reliability
If manual changes are made to network settings and control programs during facility duplication, then communication reliability is maintained, but time consumption and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures the controller with identification information that can be used to automatically generate unique IP addresses. When duplication occurs, the IP address is automatically configured based on this pre-existing identification data, eliminating the need for manual network setting changes and significantly reducing configuration time
3Ease of operation
If automatic IP address generation is implemented, then ease of operation is improved by eliminating manual configuration, but device complexity increases due to additional generation and rewriting modules
Solution Approach 1:
The system copies the controller's identification information (such as MAC address) to generate the IP address. This copying approach simplifies the generation process by reusing existing unique identifiers rather than implementing complex generation algorithms, thereby reducing the actual complexity added to the device
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a technique for attaining a state in which communication can be made even when the same control program (110) is used in controllers (100A, 100B, 100C). Each of the controllers (100A, 100B, 100C) includes: a network setting (108) including a corresponding relation between an IP address and an identifier; and a storage device (105) that stores a control program (110) for controlling a drive device. The control program (110) includes a control instruction for controlling the drive device with the identifier being an input. Each of the controller (100A, 100B, 100C) includes: a generation module (152) that generates an IP address to be different from an IP address of another controller (100A, 100B, 100C) on the same network, and that rewrites the IP address in the network setting (108); and a communication module (154) that communicates with an information processing device on the same network in accordance with the IP address in the network setting (108).