Communication circuit, relay connecting circuit, and communication network

• US 9,065,676 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), RIB Laboratory, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), RIB Laboratory, Inc.
• Inventors: Mori, Setsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chriss, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivas, Salvador E
• Application Number:
  US12/981,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20110176560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40143 involving priority mechanisms hybrid switching fabrics H04L12/6402; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; time-division multiplex systems H04J3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40182 by using a plurality of communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4035 in which slots of a TDMA packet structure are assigned based on a contention resolution carried out at a master unit TDM/TDMA multiplex systems per se H04J3/1694; hybrid switching systems H04L12/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements

Abstract

A communication circuit, a relay connecting circuit, and a communication network transmit/receive contact signals usable for automatic control. A transmitting section transmits a contact signal input into an input/output section to a communication line, and a receiving section receives a signal via the communication line. An input/output circuit outputs the contact signal received by the receiving section via the input/output section and performs an interlocking function to prevent input of another contact signal via the input/output section. A time division communication control section switches a communication direction among the transmission section, the receiving section and the input/output circuit at a time-divided timing.

Claims

1. A pair of communication circuits, the pair of communication circuits being connected via a single communication line, the pair of communication circuits comprising:

an input and output section for inputting and outputting contact signals via the single communication line;

a transmitting section for transmitting a contact signal input via the input and output section to the communication line;

a receiving section for receiving the contact signal from the communication line;

an input and output circuit for outputting the contact signal received by the receiving section via the input and output section and performing an interlocking function based on the outputting of the contact signal to prevent input of another contact signal via the input and output section in a state of outputting the contact signal via the input and output section; and

a time division communication control section for switching a communication direction among the transmission section, the receiving section and the input and output circuit at a time-divided timing,

wherein the input and output circuit further comprises

a storage section that stores contact signal state information received by the receiving section;

a logical sum operating section for calculating and obtaining a use state of the communication line based on a logical sum of ON states in the contact signal state information stored in the storage section; and

a switch element that connects the input and output section to the transmitting section for outputting the contact signal and preventing the input of another contact signal via the input and output section based on the use state of the communication line,

wherein the input and output circuit further comprises a token call control section configured to issue tokens whose number is in accordance with a number of input and output sections at a predetermined time, and

only an input and output section with a smallest node number is a master node that issues a token call that controls operations of the other input and output sections.

2. The pair of communication circuits according to claim 1, wherein the time division communication control section includes a token control section for controlling communication according to a token passing system.

3. The pair of communication circuits according to claim 2, wherein the communication line has a wiring branching section that is branched and connected to form branched communication lines, a storage section for storing contact signals received from terminals connected to the branched communication lines, and a logical sum operating section for obtaining a logical sum of the contact signals at the terminals of the branched communication lines stored in the storage section.

4. A relay connecting circuit, comprising:

at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section that is connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 3;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section, a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

5. A relay connecting circuit, comprising at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 2;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section, a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

6. The pair of communication circuits according to claim 1, wherein the communication line has a wiring branching section that is branched and connected to form branched communication lines, a storage section for storing contact signals received from terminals connected to the branched communication lines, and a logical sum operating section for obtaining a logical sum of the contact signals at the terminals of the branched communication lines stored in the storage section.

7. A relay connecting circuit, comprising:

at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section that is connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 6;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section, a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

8. A relay connecting circuit comprising:

at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 1;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section;

a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

9. The relay connecting circuit according to claim 8, further comprising a relay input and output section that is connected directly to the grid-shaped wire connecting circuit and relays signals.

10. A communication network formed by connecting a plurality of communication lines into a mesh shape via the relay connecting circuit according to claim 9, wherein

the grid-shaped wire connecting circuit is formed by a programmable logic device, the internal contact output sections have a writing port for writing wire connection information, the receiving section has a reliability monitoring circuit for counting how many times defective communication occurs or how many times proper reception cannot be carried out so as to obtain reliability of the communication lines, and

the communication network comprises a wire connection adjusting section for adjusting wire connecting states using the grid-shaped wire connecting circuits so that a communication line with low reliability is bypassed.

11. A communication network formed by connecting a plurality of communication lines into a mesh shape via the relay connecting circuit according to claim 8, wherein

the grid-shaped wire connecting circuit is formed by a programmable logic device, the internal contact output sections have a writing port for writing wire connection information, the receiving section has a reliability monitoring circuit for counting how many times defective communications occur or how many times proper reception cannot be carried out so as to obtain reliability of the communication lines, and

the communication network comprises a wire connection adjusting section for adjusting wire connecting states by means of the grid-shaped wire connecting circuits so that a communication line with low reliability is bypassed.

12. A pair of communication circuits, the pair of communication circuits being connected via a single communication line, the pair of communication circuits comprising:

a plurality of input and output sections for inputting a plurality of contact signals via the single communication line;

a transmitting section for converting a plurality of contact signals input via the plurality of input and output sections into serial signals so as to transmit them to the communication line;

a receiving section for parallel-converting the serial signals received via the communication line to the plurality of contact signals;

an input and output circuit for outputting the plurality of contact signals received by the receiving section via the plurality of input and output sections and performing an interlocking function based on the outputting of the plurality of contact signals to prevent input of another contact signal via the plurality of input and output sections in a state of outputting the plurality of contact signals via the plurality of input and output sections; and

a time division communication control section for switching a communication direction among the transmitting section, the receiving section and the input and output circuit at a time-divided timing,

wherein the input and output circuit further comprises

a storage section that stores contact signal state information received by the receiving section;

a logical sum operating section for calculating and obtaining a use state of the communication line based on a logical sum of ON states in the contact signal state information stored in the storage section; and

a switch element that connects the plurality of input and output sections to the transmitting section for outputting the plurality of contact signals and preventing the input of another contact signal via the plurality of input and output sections based on the use state of the communication line,

wherein the input and output circuit further comprises a token call control section configured to issue tokens whose number is in accordance with a number of input and output sections at a predetermined time, and

only an input and output section with a smallest node number is a master node that issues a token call that controls operations of the other input and output sections.

13. The pair of communication circuits according to claim 12, wherein the time division communication control section includes a token control section for controlling communication according to a token passing system.

14. The pair of communication circuits according to claim 13, wherein the communication line has a wiring branching section that is branched and connected to form branched communication lines, a storage section for storing contact signals received from terminals connected to the branched communication lines, and a logical sum operating section for obtaining a logical sum of the contact signals at the terminals of the branched communication lines stored in the storage section.

15. A relay connecting circuit, comprising:

at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section that is connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 14;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section, a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

16. A relay connecting circuit, comprising at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 13;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section, a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

17. The pair of communication circuits according to claim 12, wherein the communication line has a wiring branching section that is branched and connected to form branched communication lines, a storage section for storing contact signals received from terminals connected to the branched communication lines, and a logical sum operating section for obtaining a logical sum of the contact signals at the terminals of the branched communication lines stored in the storage section.

18. A relay connecting circuit, comprising:

at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section that is connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 17;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section, a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

19. A relay connecting circuit, comprising:

at least one set of a transmitting section, a receiving section and a time division communication control section connected to at least one communication line connected to the pair of communication circuits according to claim 12;

a plurality of internal contact output sections for outputting contact signals received by the receiving section, a plurality of internal contact input sections for inputting contact signals to be transmitted to the communication line via the transmitting section; and

a grid-shaped wire connecting circuit for connecting the internal contact output sections and the internal contact input sections.

20. The relay connecting circuit according to claim 19, further comprising a relay input and output section that is connected directly to the grid-shaped wire connecting circuit and relays signals.