Measurement data processing unit

• US 6,263,380 B1
• Filed: 10/09/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
• Inventors: Noguchi, Kazushi, Tsuboi, Masashi, Tsuyuki, Norihide
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Ilwoo
• Application Number:
  US09/168,969
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 710/2-4, 710/10, 710/9, 710/18, 340/825.07, 340/825.52, 714/25, 714/37, 714/47-49, 714/799, 714/43
• US Class Current: 710/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4286 using a handshaking protocol, e.g. RS232C link
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0052 Assignment of addresses or identifiers to the modules of a bus system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

In a measurement data processing unit having a plurality of relaying unit to which one or more measuring device can be connected and processing means for collecting and processing the measurement data transmitted from said relaying unit, the plurality of relaying unit are connected to said processing means in sequence, and each relaying unit has an address-transmitting means for setting an address data by adding a number of measuring device connected to the respective relaying unit to another address data transmitted from a preceding relaying unit and for transmitting the newly set address data to a succeeding relaying unit.

Claims

1. A measurement data processing unit for use with at least one measuring device, comprising:

a plurality of relaying units to which the at least one measuring device can be connected, each relaying unit being serially connected to the preceding and succeeding relaying unit through a cable;

processing means for collecting and processing the measurement data transmitted from each relaying unit;

a measurement-data line and a command-data-line connecting each relaying unit to said processing means in parallel;

a transmitting-line connecting each adjacent relaying unit to report completion of data-transmission of the preceding relaying unit to the succeeding relaying unit in sequence;

wherein each relaying unit has a transmitting-line-abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of at least one of the preceding relaying unit and the cable from a condition of the transmission-completion signal;

a data-transmission-identifying-line connecting each relaying unit to said processing means in parallel for transmitting a transmission-identifying signal to switch a signal value on condition that the measurement data is transmitted from all of the relaying units;

wherein each relaying unit is provided with an identifying-line-abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of at least one of the other relaying units and the cable from the condition of the transmission-identifying signal; and

wherein which one of the preceding relaying unit and the cable is abnormal is determined by combining a detected condition of the transmitting-line-abnormality detecting means and the identifying-line-abnormality detecting means.

2. The measurement data processing unit according to claim 1, wherein an abnormality of the cable connecting the relaying unit and the other relaying unit preceding thereto is determined when a transmission-completion signal is detected by the transmitting-line-abnormality detecting means of any one of the relaying units in waiting for a command from the processing means, and when the transmission-identifying signal reporting completion of transmitting all of the measurement data is detected by the identifying-line-abnormality detecting means of the preceding relaying unit in transmitting a measurement data from the preceding relaying unit.

4. The measurement data processing unit according to claim 2, wherein said processing means has an execution means for collecting and processing the measurement data under the condition that the transmission-identifying is received from all of the relaying units.

6. The measurement data processing unit according to claim 1, wherein said processing means has an execution means for collecting and processing the measurement data under the condition that the transmission-identifying signal is received from all of the relaying units.

3. A measurement data processing unit for use with at least one measuring device, comprising:

a plurality of relaying units to which the at least one measuring device can be connected, each relaying unit having an address-transmitting means for setting an address data by adding a number of measuring devices connected to the respective relaying unit to another address data transmitted from a preceding relaying unit, and for transmitting the newly set address data to a succeeding relaying unit;

processing means for collecting and processing the measurement data transmitted from said relaying units, the plurality of relaying units being connected to the processing means in sequence;

a measurement-data line and a command-data-line connecting each relaying unit to said processing means in parallel;

a transmitting-line connecting each adjacent relaying unit to report completion of data-transmission of the preceding relaying unit to the succeeding relaying unit in sequence;

wherein said address-transmitting means includes a data-acquiring means for acquiring the address data of the preceding relaying unit through the measurement-data line, a setting means for setting an individual address data by adding the number of measuring devices connected to each relaying unit, and a transmitting means for transmitting the newly set address data to the measurement-data line and for transmitting a transmission-completion signal to the succeeding relaying unit through the transmitting-line after transmitting the newly set address data;

wherein said data-acquiring means acquires the address data under the condition that the transmission-completion signal is received from the preceding relaying unit through the transmitting-line;

wherein each relaying unit has a transmitting-line abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of at least one of the preceding relaying unit and a cable connecting each relaying unit to the preceding and succeeding relaying unit from a condition of the transmission-completion signal;

a data-transmission-identifying-line connecting each relaying unit to said processing means in parallel for transmitting a transmission-identifying signal to switch a signal value on condition that the measurement data is transmitted from all of the relaying units;

wherein each relaying unit is provided with an identifying-line-abnormality detecting means for detecting the abnormality of at least one of other relaying units and the cable from the condition of the transmission-identifying signal; and

wherein which one of the preceding relaying unit and the cable is abnormal is determined by combining a detected condition of the transmitting-line-abnormality detecting means and the identifying-line-abnormality detecting means.

5. A measurement data processing unit for use with at least one measuring device, comprising:

a plurality of relaying units to which the at least one measuring device can be connected, each relaying unit having an address-transmitting means for setting an address data by adding a number of measuring devices connected to the respective relaying unit to another address data transmitted from a preceding relaying unit, and for transmitting the newly set address data to a succeeding relaying unit, each relaying unit being serially connected to the preceding and succeeding relaying unit through a cable;

processing means for collecting and processing the measurement data transmitted from said relaying units, the plurality of relaying units being connected to the processing means in sequence, one of the serially connected relaying units being connected to the processing means;

a measurement-data line and a command-data-line connecting each relaying unit to said processing means in parallel;

a transmitting-line connecting each adjacent relaying unit to report completion of data-transmission of the preceding relaying unit to the succeeding relaying unit in sequence;

wherein said address-transmitting means includes a data-acquiring means for acquiring the address data of the preceding relaying unit through the measurement-data line, a setting means for setting an individual address data by adding the number of measuring devices connected to each relaying unit, and a transmitting means for transmitting the newly set address data to the measurement-data line and for transmitting a transmission-completion signal to the succeeding relaying unit through the transmitting-line after transmitting the newly set address data;

wherein said data-acquiring means acquires the address data under the condition that the transmission-completion signal is received from the preceding relaying unit through the transmitting-line;

wherein each relaying unit has a transmitting-line abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of at least one of the preceding relaying unit and the cable from a condition of the transmission-completion signal;

a data-transmission-identifying-line connecting each relaying unit to said processing means in parallel for transmitting a transmission-identifying signal to switch signal value on condition that the measurement data is transmitted from all of the relaying units;

wherein each relaying unit is provided with an identifying-line-abnormality detecting means for detecting the abnormality of at least one of other relaying units and the cable from the condition of the transmission-identifying signal; and

wherein which one of the preceding relaying unit and the cable is abnormal is determined by combining a detected condition of the transmitting-line-abnormality detecting means and the identifying-line-abnormality detecting means.