Communication system and communication method

• US 9,886,400 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Smart-Aero Display Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Beijing Boe Special Display Technology Co., Ltd. (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.), BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Zheng, Yuewei, Su, Lijun, Qian, Chenfei
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamo, Elias
• Application Number:
  US14/437,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

The present invention provides a communication system comprising a host computer, control cabinets and peripheral devices, the control cabinets comprising serial ports used for communication among the peripheral devices and the host computer. The operating period of the communication system includes a polling phase and a free communication phase, in the polling phase the host computer sends query instructions to the control cabinets through the serial ports on each of the control cabinets, and in the free communication phase the control cabinets communicate with corresponding peripheral devices through the serial ports. The present invention also provides a communication method for the communication system. Using the communication system of the present invention, reliability of communication among the control cabinets, the host computer and the peripheral devices through a same serial port can be ensured without increasing hardware volume and costs of the communication system.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a host computer, control cabinets and peripheral devices, the control cabinets comprising serial ports used for communication among the peripheral devices and the host computer, wherein, when the communication system is in an operating phase, a system period of the communication system includes a polling phase and a free communication phase, in the polling phase the host computer sends query instructions to the control cabinets through the serial ports on each of the control cabinets, and in the free communication phase the control cabinets communicate with the corresponding peripheral devices through the serial ports,

the host computer is provided with a high level timer, the control cabinets are provided with a low level timer, the host computer comprises a host computer processor configured to acquire data from the control cabinets, the control cabinets comprise a wireless transceiver and a control device configured to communicate with the peripheral devices via the wireless transceiver in the free communication phase,

wherein the host computer is provided with a first arithmetic unit electrically connected to the host computer processor, the control cabinets are provided with a second arithmetic unit electrically connected to the control device, the first arithmetic unit is configured to calculate a first remainder obtained by dividing a clock value of the high level timer by the system period, the host computer processor determines whether the host computer is in the polling phase on the basis of the first remainder, the second arithmetic unit is configured to calculate a second remainder obtained by dividing a clock value of the low level timer by the system period, and the control device determines whether the control cabinets are in the free communication phase on the basis of the second remainder.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the host computer further comprises and a host computer digital radio station electrically connected with the host computer processor, the host computer digital radio station communicates with the control cabinets, the host computer processor monitors the peripheral devices and the control cabinets by acquiring data from the control cabinets through the host computer digital radio station.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the control cabinets further comprise a control device, a control cabinet digital radio station that can communicate with the host computer, and the wireless transceiver can communicate with the peripheral devices, the control cabinet digital radio station and the wireless transceiver communicate with the control device through a same serial port, wherein in the polling phase the host computer sends the query instructions to the control cabinet digital radio station.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein in the polling phase the host computer sends a destination packet including a clock value of the high level timer to the control cabinet, the control cabinets compare the clock value of the high level timer with the clock value of the low level timer, and synchronize the high level timer with the low level timer.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein in the synchronization phase of the communication system, the host computer sends a handshake packet including the clock value of the high level timer to the control cabinet, the control cabinet receiving the handshake packet compares the clock value of the high level timer with the clock value of the low level timer, so as to synchronize the high level timer with the low level timer.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein within a system period, the polling phase occupies 1 time slice, and the free communication phase occupies at least one time slice.

7. The communication system according to claim 3, further comprising an auxiliary device, wherein the auxiliary device is connected with the control device in the control cabinet and provides auxiliary parameters to the control device.

8. A communication method with peripheral devices for the communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication method comprising a query step in an operating phase, the query step comprises:

S2, determining the temporal state of the communication system;

if the communication system is in a polling phase, then performs step S32;

the host computer sends a query instruction to the control cabinet;

if the communication system is in a free communication phase, then performs step S33;

the control cabinet communicates with peripheral devices.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein before the step S32, the following step is included:

S31, the host computer sends idle monitoring instructions to the control cabinet, if it is monitored the control cabinet is idle, then performs step S32;

if it is monitored the control cabinet is busy, then repeats step S31 until the control cabinet is idle.

10. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein when the communication system is in the polling phase, the step S32 comprises:

S32a, the host computer sends a destination packet to the control cabinet, upon receipt of the destination packet, the control cabinet updates the low level timer based on the clock value of the high level timer in the destination packet, so as to synchronize the high level timer with the low level timer; and

S32b, the control cabinet sends target data to the host computer.

11. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein when the communication system is in the polling phase, the step S32 comprises:

S32a, the host computer sends a destination packet to the control cabinet, upon receipt of the destination packet, the control cabinet updates the low level timer based on the clock value of the high level timer in the destination packet, so as to synchronize the high level timer with the low level timer; and

S32b, the control cabinet sends target data to the host computer.

12. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein the step S2 comprises:

S21, the host computer obtains the clock value of the high level timer, and the control cabinet obtains the clock value of the low level timer;

S22, the first arithmetic unit calculates a first remainder by dividing the clock value of the high level timer by the system period, when the first remainder is smaller than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the host computer is in the polling phase, and when the first remainder is larger than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the host computer is in the free communication phase;

the second arithmetic unit calculates a second remainder by dividing the clock value of the low level timer by the system period, when the second remainder is smaller than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the control cabinet is in the polling phase, and when the second remainder is larger than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the control cabinet is in the free communication phase.

13. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein the step S2 comprises:

S21, the host computer obtains the clock value of the high level timer, and the control cabinet obtains the clock value of the low level timer;

S22, the first arithmetic unit calculates a first remainder by dividing the clock value of the high level timer by the system period, when the first remainder is smaller than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the host computer is in the polling phase, and when the first remainder is larger than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the host computer is in the free communication phase;

the second arithmetic unit calculates a second remainder by dividing the clock value of the low level timer by the system period, when the second remainder is smaller than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the control cabinet is in the polling phase, and when the second remainder is larger than the period required for the polling phase, it is determined that the control cabinet is in the free communication phase.

14. The communication method according to claim 8, further comprising a synchronization step before the query step, the synchronization step being performed at a synchronization phase and comprising:

S11, the host computer sends the handshake packet to the control cabinet;

S12, the control cabinet updates the clock value of the low level timer in the control cabinet based on the clock value in the handshake packet, so as to synchronize the high level timer with the low level timer.

15. The communication method according to claim 9, further comprising a synchronization step before the query step, the synchronization step being performed at a synchronization phase and comprising:

S11, the host computer sends the handshake packet to the control cabinet;

S12, the control cabinet updates the clock value of the low level timer in the control cabinet based on the clock value in the handshake packet, so as to synchronize the high level timer with the low level timer.

16. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein the synchronization step further comprises:

S10, after the host computer is powered-up, monitoring in a first predetermined time whether the control cabinet is idle;

if it is monitored the control cabinet is idle, then performs step S11.

17. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein the period required for the synchronization step is 1˜

5 times of the system period.

18. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein if the control cabinet fails to receive the handshake packet in the synchronization phase, the control cabinet performs step S33.

19. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the host computer is provided with a first arithmetic unit electrically connected to the host computer processor, the control cabinet is provided with a second arithmetic unit electrically connected to the control device, the first arithmetic unit is configured to calculate a first remainder obtained by dividing the clock value of the high level timer by the system period, the host computer processor determines whether the host computer is in the polling phase on the basis of the first remainder, the second arithmetic unit is configured to calculate a second remainder obtained by dividing the clock value of the low level timer by the system period, the control device determines whether the control cabinet is in the free communication phase on the basis of the second remainder.