Controlled device, controller, information control center, initialization-allowing communication system, and communication control system and medium

• US 7,043,571 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2003
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US10/409,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20030191543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 700 2- 4, 700 9- 11, 700/19, 700/20, 707/1, 707/10, 710 3- 7, 710 22- 28, 710/8, 710 14- 16, 710/36, 710/38, 710/52, 709/212, 709/223, 709/226, 709/250, 370/351, 370/389
• US Class Current: 710/14
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An initialization-allowing communication system is constituted with devices 70 and 80, a controller 400 for controlling the devices 70 and 80 through communication, and so on. Each device and the controller 400 are provided with communication means 31, a house code showing a setting place, a subsystem ID showing the ID of a subsystem in a set system, a device ID showing the type of device, and self-address setting-holding means 11 for holding a self-address constituted with a device number showing a device number and the controller 400 is further provided with system structure holding means 301 for holding the information concerned with the system structure to be controlled and a communication-counterpart-address setting-holding means 401 for setting and holding the address of a counterpart to be communication-controlled obtained from the information concerned with the system structure.

Claims

1. A communication control system comprising a controlled device to be controlled and a controller for controlling said controlled device through a communication medium, wherein

said controlled device is provided with first functional-information holding means for holding functional information for said controlled device, and

requested functional information is transmitted to said controller in accordance with a request for transmitting said held functional information when the request is sent to said controlled device wherein said controller includes an external function controlling device for controlling a function of said controlled device, the external function controlling device having control attributes indicative of the function of said controlled device and defined by said functional information.

2. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein

said controller is provided with communication means for performing the communication with said controlled device, a button for controlling said controlled device through said communication, control content generation means for generating control contents corresponding to said button, and functional description interpretation means for setting said control contents in with accordance with the interpretation of said functional information.

3. The communication control system according to claim 2, wherein said function description interpretation means obtains said functional information held by said functional description holding means of a device through said communication means.

4. A medium wherein a program for making a computer execute functions of means of claim 1 is recorded.

5. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the external function control device is a manual switching device.

6. A communication control system comprising a controlled device to be controlled and a controller for controlling said controlled device through a communication medium, wherein

said controlled device is provided with first functional-information holding means for holding the functional information for said controlled device,

requested function information is transmitted to said controller in accordance with a request for transmitting said held functional information when the request is sent to said controlled device, and

said functional information is described in the form of a functional description format statement in which said functional information is described by being classified into a header, an operation rule for specifying the operation of the function of said controlled device, a control attribute for specifying the attribute of a button for controlling said function, and an operational condition for said function to operate.

7. A medium wherein a program for making a computer execute functions of means of claim 6 is recorded.

8. A communication control system comprising a controlled device to be controlled and a controller for controlling said controlled device through a communication medium, wherein

said controlled device is provided with first functional-information holding means for holding the functional information for said controlled device,

requested function information is transmitted to said controller in accordance with a request for transmitting said held functional information when the request is sent to said controlled device, and

said controlled device is provided with functional information development means for developing functional information transferred from an external unit into functions and adding the functions as those of said controlled device.

9. The communication control system according to claim 8, wherein the functional information transmitted from said external unit is stored in second functional-information holding means provided for said controller.

10. A medium wherein a program for making a computer execute functions of means of claim 8 is recorded.