Signal transmission and reception system, installation method of the system, and plant applied with the system

• US 9,054,776 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tobo, Masayuki, Yabu, Hiroki, Mukoyama, Kenichi, Ookuma, Eiichi, Fukui, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US13/771,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/500, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 370/328, 370/339, 340/500, 340/539.1, 248/49, 248/58, 248/65, 700/286
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A signal transmission and reception system includes a transmitter adapted to transmit a signal by radio, and a receiver adapted to wirelessly receive the signal from the transmitter and transmit the signal to a monitoring and control device of a plant through a transmission cable connecting the receiver to the monitoring and control device, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are provided in the plant, and wherein the receiver is attached to a cable tray used to lay a cable other than the transmission cable.

Claims

1. A signal transmission and reception system comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a signal by radio; and

receivers that wirelessly receive the signal from the transmitter and transmits the signal to a monitoring and control device of a plant through a transmission cable connecting the receivers to the monitoring and control device,

wherein the transmitter and the receivers are installed in the plant, and wherein the receivers are attached to an annular cable tray for laying a cable other than the transmission cable provided in the plant and surrounding the transmitter from an entire periphery of the annular cable tray.

2. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission cable is laid on the annular cable tray.

3. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits a signal detected by a sensing device that detects and measures a physical quantity representing a state of the plant to the receivers.

4. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, further comprising a relaying device that relays signals transmitted and received between the monitoring and control device and the receivers.

5. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 4, wherein the relaying device is arranged on the cable tray.

6. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, wherein the cable tray is a cable tray as a place for laying a power supply cable through which a power source is electrically-connected to a device driven by a power supply supplied from the power source.

7. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 6, wherein the device driven by the power supply supplied from the power source is at least one of an electric motor, and an electrically-operated valve.

8. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, wherein the receivers are attached to the cable tray at predetermined intervals.

9. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, wherein the cable tray includes support beams arranged at predetermined intervals and wherein the receivers are attached to support beams.

10. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, wherein the annular cable tray includes a cable tray for laying cable other than the transmission cable and a dedicated cable tray provided for laying the transmission cable, wherein the receivers are attached to the dedicated cable tray.

11. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 10, wherein the dedicated cable and the cable tray are configured in a stacked state.

12. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 10, further comprising a relaying device that relays signals transmitted and received between the monitoring and control device and each of the receivers,

wherein the relaying device is arranged on the dedicated cable tray.

13. The signal transmission and reception system according to claim 1, wherein the cable tray is hung from a ceiling of the plant and is arranged in a vicinity of the ceiling.

14. A plant comprising:

a device electrically-connected to a power source through a power supply cable laid on an annular cable tray for laying the power supply cable and driven by a power supply supplied from the power source;

a transmitter that transmits a signal by radio; and

receivers that wirelessly receiver the signal from the transmitter, transmits the signal to a monitoring and control device of the plant through a transmission cable connecting the receivers to the monitoring and control device, and is attached to the annular cable tray,

wherein the receivers surround the transmitter from an entire periphery of the annular cable tray.

15. The plant according to claim 14, wherein the transmission cable is laid on the annular cable tray.

16. An installation method of a signal transmission and reception system, comprising:

installing, in a plant including a device driven by a power supply supplied from a power source through a power supply cable and an annular cable tray for laying the power supply cable, a transmitter that transmits a signal by radio;

installing, on the annular cable tray, receivers that wirelessly receive the signal from the transmitter and transmits the signal to a monitoring and control device of the plant through a transmission cable connecting the receiver to the monitoring and control device, so as to surround the transmitter, by the receivers, from an entire periphery of the annular cable tray; and

connecting the receivers to the monitoring and control device by the transmission cable and laying the transmission cable on the annular cable tray.