Control apparatus for gas analyzer system and control method thereof

• US 6,430,477 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Horiba Limited
• Original Assignee: Horiba Limited
• Inventors: Nishimoto, Akihiro, Asami, Tetsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Application Number:
  US09/107,705
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 702/24, 700/266, 700/3, 700/9, 700/10, 73/232
• US Class Current: 700/266
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/007 Arrangements to check the analyser calibrating G01N33/0006

Abstract

A control apparatus for a gas analyzer system for controlling a plurality of analyzers having different hardware constitutions in a single program works on a single CPU. The control apparatus includes a processing unit with a CPU which is connected with each gas analyzer by a CPU bus to control each gas analyzer. Each gas analyzer is provided with a plurality of AD converters having respectively a plurality of analog input ports in which the respective output signals of the gas analyzer units are inputted, and a non-volatile memory unit for storing a connection condition table which shows the connection condition of the gas analyzer unit to the AD converters, by connecting with the CPU bus, thereby making it possible for the CPU in the analyzer processing unit to control the respective gas analyzers by a single program.

Claims

1. Control apparatus for a gas analyzer system, the gas analyzer system including a plurality of gas analyzers each having a gas analyzer unit with a plurality of outputs for analyzing a respective gas, a plurality of AD converters each having a plurality of inputs respectively connected to the outputs of the gas analyzer unit according to a connection condition, said control apparatus comprising:

an internal bus connected to an output of each AD converter;

a memory unit connected to the internal bus for storing a connection condition table which includes information for the connection condition;

a CPU bus connected to the internal bus of each of the gas analyzers; and

an analyzer processing unit including a CPU connected to the CPU bus, the CPU operating in accordance with a program for controlling each of the gas analyzers.

2. A gas analyzer system comprising:

a plurality of gas analyzers each including;

a gas analyzer unit for analyzing respectively specified gases and having a plurality of outputs;

a plurality of AD converters each having a plurality of inputs respectively connected to said plurality of outputs of said gas analyzer unit according to a connection condition, each of said AD converters having an output,

an internal bus connected to said output of each of said AD converter; and

a memory unit connected to said internal bus for storing a connection condition table which includes information for said connection condition;

a CPU bus connected to said internal bus of each said gas analyzer;

an analyzer processing unit including a CPU connected to said CPU bus, said CPU operating in accordance with a program for controlling each of said gas analyzers.

3. A gas analyzer system as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

each of said inputs of each of said AD converters has a port number and a channel number assigned thereto; and

said connection condition table includes an AD converter changeover table;

said memory unit storing information in said AD converter changeover table in including a port number of an input of an AD converter to be read and a channel number assigned to said input to be read, in response to said CPU reading signals from each of said gas analyzers per unit time, and providing said information sequentially per unit time.

4. A gas analyzer system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said connection condition table includes a channel information table;

said channel information table including;

channel specific information indicative of said channel number;

gain for adjusting a signal input to said channel in one of said AD converters;

a spike flag indicative of spike noise;

a gain flag indicative of any gain needed to correct said outputs of said AD converters; and

a numerical value indicative of measuring space.

5. A method for controlling a gas analyzer system, said method comprising:

providing the gas analyzer system including a plurality of gas analyzers each having a gas analyzer unit with a plurality of outputs for analyzing a respective gas, a plurality of AD converters each having a plurality of inputs respectively connected to the outputs of the gas analyzer unit according to a connection condition, an internal bus connected to an output of each AD converter, and a memory unit connected to the internal bus for storing a connection condition table which includes information for the connection condition;

providing an analyzer processing unit including a CPU connected to a CPU bus such that said CPU bus is connected to the internal bus of each, of the gas analyzers;

reading with said CPU the connection condition table stored in the memory unit of the gas analyzers;

reading with said CPU a signal input to the AD converter in the gas analyzers in accordance with the connection condition table stored in the memory unit, thereby reading out the input from the gas analyzer unit which outputs respectively different signals.

6. A gas analyzer system comprising:

a plurality of gas analyzers each including;

a gas analyzer unit for analyzing respectively specified gases and having a plurality of outputs;

a plurality of AD converters each having a plurality of inputs respectively connected to said plurality of outputs of said gas analyzer unit according to a connection condition, each of said AD converters having an output;

an internal bus connected to said output of each of said AD converter; and

a memory unit connected to said internal bus for storing a connection condition table which includes information for said connection condition;

a CPU bus connected to said internal bus of each said gas analyzer; and

an analyzer processing unit including a single CPU connected to said CPU bus, said single CPU operating in accordance with a program for controlling each of said gas analyzers;

wherein said single CPU directly reads said connection condition table stored in said memory unit of said gas analyzers without the aid of additional CPUs being coupled to said internal bus of each said gas analyzer.

7. A gas analyzer system as claimed in claim 6 wherein:

each of said inputs of each of said AD converters has a port number and a channel number assigned thereto; and

said connection condition table includes an AD converter changeover table;

said memory unit storing information in said AD converter changeover table in including a port number of an input of an AD converter to be read and a channel number assigned to said input to be read, in response to said single CPU reading signals from each of said gas analyzers per unit time, and providing said information sequentially per unit time.

8. A gas analyzer system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said connection condition table includes a channel information table;

said channel information table including;

channel specific information indicative of said channel number;

gain for adjusting a signal input to said channel in one of said AD converters;

a spike flag indicative of spike noise;

a gain flag indicative of any gain needed to correct said outputs of said AD converters; and

a numerical value indicative of measuring space.

9. A method for controlling a gas analyzer system, the gas analyzer system including a plurality of gas analyzers each having a gas analyzer unit with a plurality of outputs for analyzing a respective gas, a plurality of AD converters each having a plurality of inputs respectively connected to the outputs of the gas analyzer unit according to a connection condition, an internal bus connected to an output of each AD converter, and a memory unit connected to the internal bus for storing a connection condition table which includes information for the connection condition, said method comprising:

providing an analyzer processing unit including a single CPU connected to a CPU bus such that said CPU bus is connected to the internal bus of each of the gas analyzers;

directly reading with said single CPU the connection condition table stored in the memory unit of the gas analyzers without the aid of additional CPUs disposed within each of the gas analyzers;

reading with said single CPU a signal input to the AD converter in the gas analyzers in accordance with the connection condition table stored in the memory unit, thereby reading out the input from the gas analyzer unit which outputs respectively different signals.

10. Control apparatus for a gas analyzer system, the gas analyzer system including a plurality of gas analyzers each having gas analyzer units and sensors for analyzing a respective gas, a plurality of AD converters each having a plurality of inputs respectively connected to the outputs of the gas analyzer units and sensors, and an analyzer processing unit connected to the plurality of gas analyzers, the control apparatus comprising:

a CPU capable of controlling;

a CPU bus to connect the CPU, each gas analyzer, and the plurality of AD converters;

a non-volatile memory unit connected in communication with the CPU, the gas analyzers units, and the sensors through the CPU bus, the non-volatile memory unit capable of storing a connection condition table; and

a control program capable of controlling the gas analyzers and sensors.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein at least one of the gas analyzers is selected from the group consisting of nondispersive infrared analyzers, flame ionization detectors, or chemi-luminescent detectors.