Distributed Control System and Control Method Thereof

• US 20160006648A1
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: SAEGUSA, Takashi, INOUE, Tomohiro, FUNATSU, Terunobu, TAKAGI, Toyokazu
• Granted Patent: US 9,843,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40182 by using a plurality of communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4026 Bus for use in automation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/121 by minimising delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/365 Dynamic adaptation of the packet size

Abstract

In a distributed control system including a central communication device, terminal communication devices to which target devices to be controlled are connected, and a network including multiple communication paths connecting the central communication device and terminal communication devices, each terminal communication device includes a calculation input/output performance storage unit storing input/output performance of a calculation unit for controlling the target devices to be controlled and a control input/output performance storage unit storing the performance of the input/output control units of the target devices to be controlled, and the central communication device collects input/output performance information previously stored in these storage units, determines communication paths of the terminal communication units and a packet division method in such a manner that an amount of a communication data of a network and response performance requested of the distributed control system are satisfied, on the basis of the collected input/output performance information and sets the determination results in the terminal communication devices.

Claims

1. A distributed control system in which a central communication device and a plurality of terminal communication devices connected to target devices to be controlled are connected through a network,

wherein in response to receiving input/output performance of the terminal communication devices previously set in input/output performance storage tables of the terminal communication devices, the central communication device generates communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices through the network on the basis of the received input/output performance and sets the generated communication paths in communication path setting units of the terminal communication devices, and

wherein the terminal communication devices transmit or receive data to or from the central communication device through the communication paths on the network set by the central communication device.

2. The distributed control system according to claim 1,

wherein the central communication device determines a method for dividing communication data which the central communication device transmits or receives to or from the terminal communication devices through the network, on the basis of the received input/output performance and sets the determined communication data dividing method in packet division setting units of the terminal communication devices, and

wherein the terminal communication devices divide data to be transmitted to the central communication device through the network into a plurality of packets in accordance with the communication data dividing method set by the central communication device.

3. The distributed control system according to claim 1,

wherein the central communication device generates the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices in such a manner that an amount of communication data of a communication port of the central communication device does not exceed an amount of a maximum communication data of a communication channel connected to the communication port, based on the amount of data, input cycles, and output cycles included in the input/output performance from the terminal communication devices.

4. The distributed control system according to claim 3,

wherein the central communication device determines a communication path of data to be transmitted through the network in such a manner that the amount of the communication data of the communication port of the central communication device does not exceed the amount of the maximum communication data of the communication channel connected to the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, the input cycles, and the output cycles included in the input/output performance from the terminal communication devices.

5. The distributed control system according to claim 1,

wherein the central communication device divides data to be transmitted through the network into a plurality of packets and determines communication paths of the packets in such a manner that the amount of the communication data of the communication port of the central communication device does not exceed the amount of the maximum communication data of the communication channel connected to the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, the input cycles, and the output cycles included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

6. The distributed control system according to claim 5,

wherein the central communication device determines the communication paths of the packets in such a manner that a response time of the communication port of the central communication device is shorter than an input response and an output response included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication device having a communication path passing through the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, input responses, and output responses included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

7. The distributed control system according to claim 1,

wherein the central communication device is connected to a display input device and comprises a GUI processing unit configured to process display and input of the display input device.

8. The distributed control system according to claim 1,

wherein the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices is at least one of input/output performance between the terminal communication devices and the target devices to be controlled and input/output performance between the terminal communication devices and the central communication device.

10. The distributed control system according to claim 2,

wherein the central communication device generates the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices in such a manner that an amount of communication data of a communication port of the central communication device does not exceed an amount of a maximum communication data of a communication channel connected to the communication port, based on the amount of data, input cycles, and output cycles included in the input/output performance from the terminal communication devices.

11. The distributed control system according to claim 2,

wherein the central communication device divides data to be transmitted through the network into a plurality of packets and determines communication paths of the packets in such a manner that the amount of the communication data of the communication port of the central communication device does not exceed the amount of the maximum communication data of the communication channel connected to the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, the input cycles, and the output cycles included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

12. The distributed control system according to claim 3,

wherein the central communication device divides data to be transmitted through the network into a plurality of packets and determines communication paths of the packets in such a manner that the amount of the communication data of the communication port of the central communication device does not exceed the amount of the maximum communication data of the communication channel connected to the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, the input cycles, and the output cycles included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

13. The distributed control system according to claim 4,

wherein the central communication device divides data to be transmitted through the network into a plurality of packets and determines communication paths of the packets in such a manner that the amount of the communication data of the communication port of the central communication device does not exceed the amount of the maximum communication data of the communication channel connected to the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, the input cycles, and the output cycles included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

14. The distributed control system according to claim 11,

wherein the central communication device determines the communication paths of the packets in such a manner that a response time of the communication port of the central communication device is shorter than an input response and an output response included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication device having a communication path passing through the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, input responses, and output responses included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

15. The distributed control system according to claim 12,

wherein the central communication device determines the communication paths of the packets in such a manner that a response time of the communication port of the central communication device is shorter than an input response and an output response included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication device having a communication path passing through the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, input responses, and output responses included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

16. The distributed control system according to claim 13,

wherein the central communication device determines the communication paths of the packets in such a manner that a response time of the communication port of the central communication device is shorter than an input response and an output response included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication device having a communication path passing through the communication port, on the basis of the communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices, the amount of data, input responses, and output responses included in the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices.

17. The distributed control system according to claim 12,

wherein the central communication device is connected to a display input device and comprises a GUI processing unit configured to process display and input of the display input device.

18. The distributed control system according to claim 13,

wherein the central communication device is connected to a display input device and comprises a GUI processing unit configured to process display and input of the display input device.

19. The distributed control system according to claim 12,

wherein the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices is at least one of input/output performance between the terminal communication devices and the target devices to be controlled and input/output performance between the terminal communication devices and the central communication device.

20. The distributed control system according to claim 13,

wherein the input/output performance of the terminal communication devices is at least one of input/output performance between the terminal communication devices and the target devices to be controlled and input/output performance between the terminal communication devices and the central communication device.

9. A method for controlling a distributed control system in which a central communication device and a plurality of terminal communication devices connected to target devices to be controlled are connected through a network, the method comprising:

in response to receiving input/output performance of the terminal communication devices previously set in input/output performance storage tables of the terminal communication devices, the central communication device generating communication paths between the central communication device and the terminal communication devices through the network on the basis of the received input/output performance and setting the generated communication paths in communication path setting units of the terminal communication devices; and

the terminal communication devices transmitting or receiving data to or from the central communication device through the communication paths on the network set by the central communication device.