Control system, display device, control-use host computer, and data transmission method

• US 20050114535A1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Japan Holdings Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Digital Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Minoru, Kato, Satoshi, Shinohara, Akio, Morigaki, Yuichi, II, Nobuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/052 Linking several PLC's
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25012 Two different bus systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31087 Transmission device between workcell and central control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31088 Network communication between supervisor and cell, machine group
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31227 External network for proces data, internal network for transport, handling only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31369 Translation, conversion of protocol between two layers, networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A control system including control devices with each control device including a control unit and a display device connected with the control unit via a dedicated communication line and being capable of display corresponding to a control state of the control unit. The display device includes a communication port connected with a control unit and a communication port connected with a data processing device, and a data processing section. Further, the data transmission method includes a dedicated protocol communication transmitting data with a processing device and a common protocol communication transmitting data with another processing device. In addition, the control-host computer used in the control system includes a control unit controlling a control target and a display device.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, applied when a data processing device and a second data processing device, said data processing device being provided between said first data processing device and said second data processing device, said first data processing device transmitting data according to a first communication protocol, and said second data processing device transmitting data according to a second communication protocol, said method comprising:

a dedicated protocol communication operation of transmitting data with said first data processing device according to a communication protocol specialized for said first data processing device; and

a common protocol communication operation of transmitting data with said second data processing device according to a communication protocol common to data processing devices that are likely connected with said data processing device.

2. The data transmission method as set forth in claim 1, said protocol converting operation comprises:

holding information about a data transfer format of transfer information transmitted with said first data processing device, and comprising;

converting command data using common information supplied from said second data processing device, into special information corresponding to the command data, by using said conversion table, and

converting the converted special information into transfer information specialized for said first data processing device, by substituting the converted special information for undefined information portions of the data transfer format information.

3. The data transmission method as set forth in claim 2, wherein in said common protocol communication operation, communication is conducted with a plurality of said second data processing devices via a common communication line;

and in said dedicated protocol communication operation, communication is conducted with said first data processing device via a dedicated communication line.

4. A data transmission method, applied when a data processing device transmits data with a first data processing device and a second data processing device, said data processing device being provided between said first data processing device and said second data processing device, said first data processing device transmitting data according to a first communication protocol, and said second data processing device transmitting data according to a second communication protocol, said method comprising:

a dedicated protocol communication operation of transmitting data with said first data processing device according to a communication protocol specialized for said first data processing device;

a data sending operation of, prior to said dedicated protocol communication, selecting a communication protocol from among a group of protocols possessed by itself and sending out preset data according to the selected communication protocol; and

a protocol determining operation of waiting for a response from said first data processing device, and determining a communication protocol to which a predetermined response is obtained as a communication protocol used for data transmission with said first data processing device.

5. The data transmission method as set forth in claim 4, wherein in said data sending operation, a predetermined command to which any response data can be obtained from said first data processing device side is sent out as the preset data.

6. The data transmission method as set forth in claim 5, wherein in said data sending operation, a command that uniformly specifies a communication protocol applied is sent out, depending on the command sent to said first data processing device and the response data to the command.

7. The data transmission method as set forth in claim 6,

the command sent to said first data processing device in said data sending causes operation a certain error to said first data processing device;

and

the response data returned in said protocol determining step from said first data processing device having received the command enable determination of a type of the communication protocol.

8. A data transmission method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

a common protocol communication operation of transmitting data with said second data processing device according to a communication protocol common to data processing devices that are likely connected with said data processing device; and

a real-time data converting operation of converting the data transmitted according to the common protocol, at real time according to the first communication protocol so that data are transmitted with said first data processing device in said dedicated protocol communication operation.

9. A recording medium storing a program that directs a computer to function as a data processing device (5) provided between a first data processing device (2) and a second data processing device (5, 7) so as to transmit data with said first and second data processing devices (2, 5, 7), said first data processing device (2) transmitting data according to a first communication protocol, and said second data processing device (5, 7) transmitting data according to a second communication protocol, said recording medium storing:

a program that directs said computer to execute;

a dedicated protocol communication step of transmitting data with said first data processing device (2) according to a communication protocol specialized for said first data processing device (2);

a common protocol communication step of transmitting data with said second data processing device (5, 7) according to a communication protocol common to second data processing devices (5, 7) that are likely connected with said data processing device (5); and

a communication protocol converting step of converting the second communication protocol into the first communication protocol, and

as a program for execution of said communication protocol conversion step, a program that directs the said computer to execute the sub-steps of;

holding special information of said first data processing device extracted from the first communication protocol and information that is common among said second communication protocols corresponding to the special information, in a form of a conversion table (18a); and

converting common information sent from said second data processing device (5, 7) into special information of said first data processing device (2), referring to said conversion table (18a).

10. A recording medium storing a program that directs a computer to function as a data processing device (5) provided between a first data processing device (2) and a second data processing device (5, 7) so as to transmit data with said first and second data processing devices (2, 5, 7), said first data processing device (2) transmitting data according to a first communication protocol, and said second data processing device (5, 7) transmitting data according to a second communication protocol, said recording medium storing a program that directs said computer to execute:

a dedicated protocol communication step of transmitting data with said first data processing device (2) according to a communication protocol specialized for said first data processing device (2);

a data sending step of, prior to said dedicated protocol communication step, selecting a communication protocol from among a group of protocols possessed by itself and sending out preset data according to the selected communication protocol; and

a protocol determining step of waiting for a response from said first data processing device (2), and determining a communication protocol to which a predetermined response is obtained as a communication protocol used for data transmission with said first data processing device (2).