CONTROL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING CORRESPONDING POSITION

• US 20120330441A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: HUANG, YUNG-CHING, HUNG, YU-WEI
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form

Abstract

The disclosed exemplary embodiments relates to a control system and a control method for identifying corresponding position. The control system includes a plurality of electronic control modules, each electronic control module having a microcontroller electrically coupled to at least one joint, and the joint is configured for connecting to a joint of neighboring electronic control module. The electronic control modules include a main-control-terminal electronic control module, an assembling electronic control module and at least one detecting electronic control module. The main-control-terminal electronic control module is configured for assigning one of the electronic control modules to be the assembling electronic control module, and assigning the rest of the electronic control modules to be the detecting electronic control module. The assembling electronic control module is configured for obtaining an identifying signal of the neighboring electronic control module so as to recognize the corresponding position of the electronic control modules.

Claims

1. A control system for identifying corresponding position, comprising:

a plurality of electronic control modules, each electronic control module includes a microcontroller electrically coupled to at least one joint, and the joint is configured for connecting to a joint of neighboring electronic control module;

wherein the electronic control modules include a main-control-terminal electronic control module, an assembling electronic control module and at least one detecting electronic control module;

the main-control-terminal electronic control module is configured for assigning one of the electronic control modules to be the assembling electronic control module, and assigning the rest of the electronic control modules to be the detecting electronic control module;

the assembling electronic control module is configured for obtaining an identifying signal of a neighboring detecting electronic control module to recognize corresponding position of the electronic control modules.

2. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising a connection port for connecting to an external circuit.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the joint comprises a detection pin and at least one signal bus pin, the microcontroller has a signal bus and at least one detection pin level, the signal bus is electrically connected to the signal bus pin, and the detection pin level is electrically connected to the detection pin.

4. The control system according to claim 3, wherein each electronic control module further comprises a bus interface circuit, in which the signal bus of the microcontroller is electrically connected to the signal bus pin through the bus interface circuit.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein each electronic control module further comprises a power supply interface circuit, the microcontroller includes a power supply pin level, the joint includes a power supply pin, and the power supply pin level of the microcontroller is electrically connected to the power supply pin through the power supply interface circuit.

6. The control system according to claim 1, wherein each electronic control module further comprises a plurality of sensors.

7. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising a main-control-terminal orientation corresponding table, an electronic control module orientation corresponding table and a relative rotation angle corresponding table of the assembling electronic control module and the detecting electronic control module.

8. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller further comprises a storage unit.

9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the main-control-terminal electronic control module further comprises a peripheral I/O interface circuit for connecting to an external sensing periphery/driving periphery.

10. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising an array corresponding table, wherein the electronic control modules are arranged as an electronic control module array, the main-control-terminal electronic control module is located at a position of a first row and a first column in the electronic control module array.

11. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising an array corresponding table, wherein the electronic control modules are arranged as an electronic control module array, the main-control-terminal electronic control module is located at any position in the electronic control module array.

12. The control system according to claim 11, wherein the electronic control module array is an M×

N array, and the array corresponding table is an 2M×

2N array.

13. A control method for identifying corresponding position, comprising:

providing a plurality of electronic control modules, wherein each electronic control module includes a microcontroller electrically coupled to at least one joint, and the joint is configured for connecting to a joint of neighboring electronic control module;

assigning one of the electronic control modules to be an assembling electronic control module and assigning the rest of the electronic control modules to be a detecting electronic control module by a main-control-terminal electronic control module; and

obtaining an identifying signal of a neighboring detecting electronic control module by the assembling electronic control module to recognize corresponding position of the electronic control modules.

14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the main-control-terminal electronic control module assigns one of the electronic control modules to be the assembling electronic control module and assigns the rest of the electronic control modules to be the detecting electronic control module in turn.

15. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the assembling electronic control module performing an assembling test, the assembling test comprising:

confirming the number of detecting electronic control modules connected to the assembling electronic control module with the main-control-terminal electronic control module, and setting a logic state of all detection pin levels of the assembling electronic control module assigned by the main-control-terminal electronic control module to be a first logic state;

setting a detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module to be a 1^st detection pin;

setting a logic state of the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module to be a second logic state;

receiving the identifying signal and a detection pin level information of the detecting electronic control module connected to the detection pin level i;

determining whether the detection pin level of the detecting electronic control module detects a signal having the second logic state, wherein if the detection pin level of the detecting electronic control module detects the signal having the second logic state, setting a joint corresponding to the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module to be the received detecting electronic control module and a connection pin level;

if the detection pin level i of the detecting electronic control module does not detect the signal having the second logic state and does not receiving the identifying signal and a detection pin level information of the detecting electronic control module, setting a joint corresponding to the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module to be in a empty connection state; and

verifying whether the detection pin level i is an predefined n^th detection pin level, wherein if the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module is equal to the n^th detection pin level, corresponding position of the electronic control modules is reported to the main-control-terminal electronic control module;

if the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module is not equal to the n^th detection pin level, the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module is set to be i+1, and the steps after setting the logic state of the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module to be the second logic state are repeated.

16. The control method according to claim 15, wherein the detecting electronic control module performing a detection test, the detection test comprising:

setting all the detection pin levels of the detecting electronic control module to be in a detection state;

setting a detection pin level i of the detecting electronic control module to be a 1^st pin; and

determining whether the detection pin level i of the detecting electronic control module detects a signal having a second logic state, wherein if the detection pin level i of the detecting electronic control module detects the signal having the second logic state, the detection pin level i sets a detection pin level information, and the detecting electronic control module broadcasts the identifying signal and the detection pin level information;

if the detection pin level i of the detecting electronic control module does not detect the signal having the second logic state and if the detection pin level i is not equal to the n^th detection pin level the detecting electronic control module broadcasts the identifying signal and the detection pin level information, otherwise the detection pin level of the detecting electronic control module is set to be i+1, and the steps after determining whether the detection pin level i of the detecting electronic control module detects the signal having the second logic state are repeated.

17. The control method according to claim 15, wherein the electronic control modules are arranged as an electronic control module array, further comprising:

setting the main-control-terminal electronic control module to be the assembling electronic control module;

performing the assembling test, and transmitting the IDs and the detection pin levels of the electronic control modules connected to the detection pin levels of the assembling electronic control module;

querying a main-control-terminal orientation corresponding table, and transmitting an orientation of the main-control-terminal electronic control module;

filling a ID and the orientation of the main-control-terminal electronic control module in a first position in a first row of an array corresponding table;

querying an electronic control module orientation corresponding table to obtain the detection pin levels at the right side and lower side of the assembling electronic control module, which are i and j respectively;

determining whether the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module is in empty connection, wherein if the detection pin level i is not in empty connection, a relative rotation angle corresponding table is queried to obtain the orientation of the electric control module connected to the detection pin level i, and the ID and the orientation of the electronic control module connected to the detection pin level i are filled in a second position of the first row of the array corresponding table;

determining whether a detection pin level j of the assembling electronic control module is in empty connection, wherein if the detection pin level j is not in empty connection, the relative rotation angle corresponding table is queried to obtain the orientations of the electronic control module connected to the detection pin level j, and the ID and the orientation of the electronic control module connected to the detection pin level j are filled into a first position in a second row of the array corresponding table;

determining whether a position at the right side of the assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table is empty, wherein if the position is not empty, the assembling electronic control module is the electronic control module at the position at the right side of the original assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table, the assembling test steps are performed, and the IDs and the detection pin levels of the electronic control modules connected to the detection pin levels of the assembling electronic control module are transmitted;

querying the electronic control module orientation corresponding table to obtain the detection pin levels at the right side and lower side of the assembling electronic control module, which are i and j respectively;

determining whether the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module is in empty connection, wherein if the detection pin level i is not in empty connection, the relative rotation angle corresponding table is queried to obtain the orientation of the electric control module connected to the detection pin level i, and the ID and the orientation of the electronic control module connected to the detection pin level i are filled in a next position of the same row of the array corresponding table;

determining whether a detection pin level j of the assembling electronic control module is in empty connection, wherein if the detection pin level j is not in empty connection, the relative rotation angle corresponding table is queried to obtain the orientations of the electronic control module connected to the detection pin level j, and the ID and the orientation of the electronic control module connected to the detection pin level j are filled into the same position in a next row of the array corresponding table;

repeating the steps of determining whether the position at the right side of the assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table is empty and the following steps; and

determining whether a first position at a next row of the assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table is empty if the position at the right side of the assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table is empty, wherein if the first position is not empty, the assembling electronic control module is the electronic control module at the first position in the next row of the original assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table, and the assembling test steps and the following steps are performed, till the first position in the next row of the assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table is empty.

18. The control method according to claim 17, wherein the main-control-terminal electronic control module is located at a position of a first row and a first column in the electronic control module array.

19. The control method according to claim 15, wherein the electronic control modules are arranged as an electronic control module array, the electronic control module array is an M×

N array, further comprising;

setting the assembling electronic control module to be the main-control-terminal electronic control module;

performing the assembling test steps, and transmitting the IDs and the detection pin levels of the electronic control modules connected to the detection pin levels of the assembling electronic control module;

filling a ID and a orientation of the main-control-terminal electronic control module in a position (M+1, N+1) in an array corresponding table;

querying a relative rotation angle corresponding table to obtain the orientations corresponding to the electronic control modules connected to the detection pin levels 1-4 of the main-control-terminal electronic control module, wherein if the pin level is in empty connection, the pin level is skipped;

filling the IDs and the orientations of the electronic control modules connected to upper, right, lower and left detection pin levels of the main-control-terminal electronic control module in positions (M+1, N), (M+2, N+1), (M+1, N+2) and (M, N+1) in the array corresponding table wherein the array corresponding table is an 2M×

2N array;

adding sequentially the IDs of the electronic control modules connected to upper, right, lower and left detection pin levels of the main-control-terminal electronic control module into a queue to be tested;

determining whether the queue to be tested is empty, wherein if the queue to be tested is not empty, the assembling electronic control module is a first electronic control module in the queue to be tested;

performing the assembling test steps, and transmitting the IDs and the detection pin levels of the electronic control modules connected to the detection pin levels of the assembling electronic control module;

setting the parameter i to be 1 to 4;

determining whether the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module is in empty connection, wherein if the detection pin level i is in empty connection, the parameter i is set to be i+1;

if the detection pin level i is not in empty connection, an electronic control module orientation corresponding table is queried to obtain a direction where the detection pin level i is located;

determining whether the neighboring electronic control module in a direction where the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module is filled in the array corresponding table, wherein if the neighboring electronic control module is not filled in the array corresponding table, the relative rotation angle corresponding table is queried to obtain the orientations of the electronic control modules connected to the detection pin level i, and the IDs and the orientations of the electronic control modules connected to the detection pin level i are filled in a next position in a direction of the detection pin level i of the assembling electronic control module in the array corresponding table, and the ID of the electronic control module is added into the queue to be tested;

deleting the ID of the assembling electronic control module from the queue to be tested; and

repeating the steps of determining whether the queue to be tested is empty and the following steps till the queue to be tested is cleaned up.

20. The control method according to claim 19, wherein the main-control-terminal electronic control module is located at any position in the electronic control module array.