JP2000244373A - Repeater and network using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discriminate the cause of the abnormal voltage of a network for each repeater, to expand the operating range of the network corresponding to each cause and to facilitate restoration from the state of a fault. SOLUTION: The repeater 1 constituting the network by connecting a power feed line 5 and a signal line 4 is provided with a voltage level detecting means 31 detecting the voltage of the line 5 to compare with a previously set threshold value, a power feed line separating switch 32 for separating a power feed line on a downstream side, an equipment fault detecting means 21 for detecting the fault of connected equipment 2, an equipment state signal line 6 informing each repeater in the network of the fault of the equipment 2, an equipment separating switch 22 for separating the equipment 2, an equipment switch control part 23 for actuating the switch 22 when the equipment 22 is broken, and a power feed switch control part 33 actuating the switch 32 when the voltage of the detected power feed line is equal to or lower than a threshold value and there is no fault of the equipment within the network.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network connecting control devices and the like, and more particularly to a repeater for connecting a cable including a power supply line and a signal line to form a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional network, the voltage of a power supply line is monitored by a voltage detection circuit provided in a repeater, and the repeater that detects a voltage drop disconnects a downstream side of a power supply line to suppress a failure range, and The transmission path on the side is utilized.

A repeater having such a power supply line cutoff function is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-135826. Here, a voltage detection circuit for the power supply line is provided inside the repeater, and when the power supply voltage decreases, the power supply line is cut off after a lapse of a cutoff delay time of a length corresponding to the amount of decrease, and the power supply line is cut off before the cutoff delay time. When the supply voltage recovers, the interruption is avoided.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional network power supply line monitoring using a repeater, the monitoring of the voltage of the power supply line and the interruption at the time of the drop are stopped, and the measures according to the cause of the drop are not considered. The transmission line on the downstream side is uniformly cut off from the point where the supply voltage has dropped. As a result, not only the repeater but also all the downstream transmission paths are disconnected even when the current is drawn due to a failure of the connection device of the repeater.

[0005] Further, in the case of a large-scale network, it is difficult to identify where and what caused the drop in the supply voltage, and it is difficult for each repeater in the transmission line to autonomously respond. In addition, the transmission path cannot be quickly and minimally disconnected when the network power supply path is abnormal.

[0006] In addition, if the repeater whose supply voltage has started to decrease cannot be specified, there is a large problem when laying a network. In laying the network, the capacity and arrangement of the communication power supply are calculated in advance from the specifications and cable lengths of the devices connected to each repeater, and after the laying, the network is operated to perform a verification test. However, due to differences in the characteristics of the connected devices, the voltage drop at each repeater is often not as calculated, and when a large-scale network is used, it takes time and effort to identify an abnormal location. At this time, if the repeaters on the downstream side are shut off all at once, it takes time to recover for the retest.

An object of the present invention is to provide a repeater with a means for detecting a failure of a device connected to the repeater or a communication power supply, in addition to a voltage detection circuit for detecting a voltage of a power supply line. An object of the present invention is to provide a repeater capable of identifying a cause and disconnecting a power supply line from the result, or disconnecting a device or communication power supply connected to the repeater. In addition, each repeater is equipped with a means for confirming when a failure occurs in the power supply voltage on the transmission line or in a device or communication power supply connected to the repeater. Transmit to all repeaters, determine whether each repeater in the transmission line should cut off the power supply line, and provide a repeater that cuts off the power supply line if the own repeater needs to respond Is to do.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a connection means for connecting a power supply line and a signal line constituting a network, a communication power supply for supplying power to the power supply line, and the signal line. In a repeater of a network provided with connection means for a device for transmitting and receiving a signal, a feeder line voltage detecting means for detecting a voltage of the feed line and comparing the detected voltage with a preset threshold for each repeater; A power supply line separating means for separating a power supply line on the downstream side and a control means for operating the power supply line separating means when a predetermined separation condition is satisfied are provided.

The control means determines whether the voltage of the power supply line of the repeater is lower than the threshold value and whether there is a failure in a device connected to each repeater in the network as the separation condition. When the condition is satisfied, the power supply line separating means is operated. Thereby, when the voltage drops abnormally, the cause and the failure point can be found.

It is determined whether the voltage of the power supply line of the repeater is lower than the threshold value and the voltage of the power supply line of the repeater adjacent on the upstream side is higher than the threshold value. When the condition is satisfied, the power supply line separating means is operated. As a result, it is possible to avoid simultaneous interruption of the repeaters whose voltage has dropped below the threshold value when the network is laid.

[0011] The repeater of the network according to the present invention includes, for each repeater, a power supply line voltage detecting means for detecting a voltage of the power supply line and comparing the voltage with a preset threshold value, and detecting a voltage state of the power supply line. Adjacent voltage transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving to / from an adjacent repeater, power supply line separation means for separating a power supply line downstream from the own repeater, and equipment failure detection means for detecting a failure of a device connected to the own repeater, A device status notifying unit for notifying each repeater in the network of the failure of the device, a device disconnecting unit for disconnecting a device connected to the own repeater, and the power supply line separating unit when a predetermined disconnection condition is satisfied. Alternatively, a control means for operating the device separating means is provided.

Further, the control means requires that the voltage of the power supply line of the repeater is lower than the threshold value as the disconnection condition, and that the equipment in the network has no failure and the repeater adjacent to the upstream side has no failure. When the voltage of the power supply line is higher than the threshold value, the power supply line separating means is operated, and when the equipment of the repeater has a failure, the equipment disconnecting means is operated.

[0013] Further, for each repeater, there are provided alarm means for indicating a voltage state of a power supply line of the repeater itself and a disconnection state of the equipment, and equipment recognition means for recognizing connection of the equipment. Upon receiving the reconnection recognition information, the device disconnecting means is restored. As a result, it is possible to monitor whether the voltage state of each repeater is normal / abnormal or the normal / abnormal of the device, and it is possible to automatically recover when the device disconnected due to a failure is replaced.

Further, there is provided a power supply failure detecting means for detecting a failure of the communication power supply connected to the own repeater, and a power supply status notifying means for notifying each repeater in the network of the failure of the communication power supply. It is characterized by.

[0015] The power supply failure detecting means may be configured to determine that the communication power supply has failed when the voltage of the power supply line is lower than a second threshold value sufficiently smaller than the threshold value and there is no failure in the device in the network. Is detected. And
The control means determines that the disconnection condition is not satisfied when the communication power supply is faulty, so that it is possible to avoid disconnecting the power supply line due to the faulty communication power supply.

[0016] A network using the repeater of the present invention comprises:
Means for connecting a cable having a power supply line and a signal line;
In a network configured using a communication power supply for supplying power to the power supply line and a repeater having connection means for a device for transmitting and receiving a control signal and the like via the signal line, the power supply is performed for each repeater. A power supply line voltage detecting means for detecting a voltage of the line and comparing the voltage with a preset threshold; a power supply line separating means for separating a power supply line downstream from the own repeater; A device failure detecting unit for detecting a device failure, a device disconnecting unit for disconnecting a device connected to the own repeater, and a device for notifying each repeater in the network of the failure of the device connected to the own repeater. Equipment status notification line, input the output of the power supply line voltage detection means and the status of the equipment status notification line, the voltage of the power supply line of the repeater is lower than the threshold,
In addition, a control unit is provided for activating the device disconnecting unit of the own repeater when a device connected to any of the repeaters in the network has a failure. Thus, when a device failure occurs in the network, devices connected to the respective repeaters can be disconnected at the same time, which is suitable for safe operation of serially operated FA devices and the like.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an example of a network to which the repeater of the present invention is applied. The network includes a cable including a signal line 4 and a power supply line 5,
It is configured by connecting with a repeater 1. Each repeater 1 connects a device 2 to which power is supplied from a power supply line 5.
In the illustrated example, the repeater 1a connects the communication power supply 3 that supplies power to the network to the power supply line 5, and supplies power to the entire network. Signal line pair 4a, 4b
Indicates the H side and the L side, and the power supply line pairs 5a and 5b include the + V side and the -V side. In this embodiment, the repeater is provided with a device status signal line 6 and a power status signal line 7 for mutually notifying the status of the device and the power supply. The signal lines 6 and 7 can be combined into one.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a repeater according to one embodiment of the present invention. The repeater 1 includes a cable connection unit 10, a device connection unit 20, a power supply line system separation unit 30, and a power supply connection unit 4.
0, a report / warning unit 50 and a signal line connecting unit 60 between repeaters.

Cable connection parts 1 provided on both sides of repeater 1
0a and 10b are cable signal line pairs 4a and 4b
And the other repeater 1 via the power supply line pair 5a, 5b. The cable connection part 10a is an input side to the repeater 1,
The cable connection portion 10b is on the output side from the repeater 1.

The device connection section 20 is connected to the signal line pair 4a.
Signals are transmitted and received through (H side) and 4b (L side), and one or a plurality of devices 2 to which power is supplied from power supply line pairs 5a (+ V side) and 5b (−V side) are connected. Also,
A device failure detecting means 21 for detecting a failure of the device 2 connected to the repeater 1, a device separation switch 22 for connecting / disconnecting the device, and a device separation switch control unit 23 for controlling opening / closing of the device separation switch 22; And a device connection recognizing means 24 for recognizing that the device 2 is connected to the repeater 1.

The power supply line system separating section 30 includes voltage level detecting means 31 for detecting a voltage level of the power supply line 5;
A power supply line separation switch 32 for separating the power supply line 5 to separate the power supply system, and a power supply line separation switch control unit 33 for controlling opening and closing of the power supply line separation switch 32 are provided.

The power supply connection section 40 connects the communication power supply 3 for supplying power to the network to the + V side and the −V side of the power supply line 5. In addition, a power supply failure detecting means 41 for detecting a failure of the connected communication power supply 3 and a power supply connection recognizing means 42 for recognizing that the communication power supply 3 is connected to the repeater 1 are provided.

The reporting / warning unit 50 has a function for notifying the user of the state of the voltage level of the power supply line 5 of the network, the failure of the device 2 in the other repeater 1, and the failure of the communication power supply 3. I have.

The inter-repeater communication line connection section 60 notifies the other repeaters that a failure has occurred in the equipment 2 and the communication power supply 3 connected to the own repeater, and the equipment 2 connected to the other repeater and the communication power supply 3
In order to receive the failure occurrence signal, the equipment status signal line 6 and the power status signal line 7 for communicating between the repeaters are connected.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the power supply line system separation unit. Voltage level detecting means 3 of power supply line system separating section 30
1 fetches the potential of the power supply line pair 5a, 5b, and the voltage level detection circuit 310 detects the voltage level _VIN .
The output signal VOUT is set to 1 when V _IN is higher than a preset threshold value V _TH , and is set to 0 when V _IN is lower than the predetermined threshold V _TH . The output signal VOUT is supplied to the power supply line separation switch control unit 33, the device separation switch control unit 23, the reporting / warning unit 50, respectively.
Is input to

The power supply line separation switch control unit 33 receives the output signal VOUT and the equipment failure signal and power supply normal signal from the other repeaters as inputs, and
A control signal SWCTL1 for opening and closing the power supply line is generated, and the power supply line separation switch 32 is opened and closed. The power supply line separation switch 32 opens the switch when the control signal SWCTL1 is 1, and closes the switch when the control signal SWCTL1 is 0. When the separation switch 32 is opened, the repeater 1 on the downstream side of the power supply path
(Here, 1b to 1d) are cut off.

The control signal SWCTL1 is also input to the report / warning unit 50. Report / warning unit 50 is SWCTL
When 1 = 1, that is, when the power supply line separation switch 32 is opened to separate the power supply system, the user is notified that the communication power needs to be added to the repeater.

FIG. 4 shows logical conditions for opening and closing the power supply line separation switch. Power supply line separation switch control unit 33
Is an output signal VOUT of the voltage level detecting means 31, a state 1 indicating the state of the devices connected to all the repeaters 1 in the network, and a state 2 indicating the state of the communication power supply 3 supplying power to the network. Is input, and by taking the AND condition of these three signals,
A power supply line separation switch control signal SWCTL1 is generated.

STATE1 indicating the device status becomes 0 if all devices connected to the repeaters in the network are normal, and becomes 1 if a failure occurs in any device connected to any of the repeaters 1. . STATE2 indicating the power supply state
Is 1 if the communication power supply 3 supplying power to the network is normal, and 0 if a failure occurs in the communication power supply 3. Therefore, the feed line separation switch control signal SWCT
L1 indicates that the voltage level of the feed line is lower than the threshold value V _TH (VOUT = 0), and that all the repeaters 1 in the network
There is no failure in the device connected to (STATE1 =
0) and only when the communication power supply 3 is normal (STATE2 = 1), SWCTL1 = 1 to open the power supply line separation switch 32 and separate the downstream power supply system in the network.

As a result, the power supply line separation switch 32 is opened only when the voltage level drops due to a voltage drop in the power supply line 5 due to an increase in load (insufficient power supply capacity). On the other hand, when the voltage drop is caused by a current draw due to a device failure or a failure of the communication power supply, SWCTL1 = 0, and the power supply line separation switch 32 is kept closed.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the report / warning section. The reporting / warning section 50 outputs the output signal VO of the voltage level detecting means 31.
The UT is input, and the power supply status is displayed by the voltage level status reporting means 51. That is, when VOUT = 1, a report indicating that the voltage level of the power supply line is satisfied (for example, the green LE
D is turned on), and when VOUT = 0, a report indicating that the power supply voltage level is insufficient (for example, a red LED is turned on) is issued.

The device failure warning means 52 includes a TROUBLE 1 indicating whether or not a device connected to the repeater has a failure from the device failure detection means 21 and a failure including a device connected to another repeater via the device failure signal line 6. Is input, and the respective states of no device failure, self-connection device failure, and other connection device failure are reported as described later.

The power supply state warning means 53 inputs the output SWCTL1 of the power supply line separation switch control section 33,
Displays the necessity of additional connection of communication power supply. SWCTL1 =
Is 1 (when the power supply line separation switch is opened), a warning requesting additional connection of the communication power supply (red LED)
Lighting). As a result, when communication power is additionally connected to the repeater, a power connection recognition signal CONNECT2 = 1 is input from the power connection recognition means 42, and the communication power connection request of the power state warning means 53 is canceled.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the device connection unit. The device failure detection means 21 of the device connection unit 20 includes a device current detection circuit 210 for detecting a failure of the device 2 and detects a current flowing from the power supply line pair 5a, 5b to the device 2.
When a failure occurs in the device 2 and a current draw occurs, the device current detection circuit 210 detects an overcurrent and sets TROUBLE1 = 1 (0 if no failure occurs) indicating a failure of the device connected to the repeater. , To the device separation switch control unit 23.

TROUBLE 1 is a report / warning unit 5
0 is also output to the equipment status signal line 6 for communicating the equipment failure occurrence status between the repeaters of the network. TROUBL
When E1 = 1 occurs, the state of the device state signal line 6 (ST
ATE1) becomes 1, and the occurrence of a device failure in a certain repeater is notified to all repeaters in the network.

The device separation switch control unit 23 receives the device failure detection signal TROUBLE from the device current detection circuit 210.
1 and the output signal VOUT from the voltage level detecting means 30
And the state STATE1 of the apparatus state signal line 6 is used as an AND input to generate the apparatus separation switch control signal SWCTL2. When SWCTL2 = 1, the switch of the device separation switch 22 is opened, and when SWCTL2 = 0, the switch is closed.

If a failure occurs in the device 2 connected to the repeater and the device separation switch 22 is opened and disconnected,
When the device is replaced with a normal device and reconnected, the output signal CONNECT1 of the device connection recognition means 24 becomes 1, and the device separation switch 22 is closed again.

FIG. 7 shows logical conditions for opening and closing the device separation switch. Device separation switch control signal SWCT
L2 detects that the voltage level of the power supply line is lower than the threshold value _VTH (VOUT = 0), detects the occurrence of a failure in the device connected to its own repeater (TROUBLE1 = 1), and indicates the state of the device state signal line 6. Is abnormal (STATE = 1), the device separation switch 22 is opened to disconnect the device connected to the repeater.

Accordingly, when the voltage level of the power supply line is lower than the threshold value V _{TH and} the cause of the voltage drop is a failure of the equipment connected to the repeater, the equipment separation switch 22 is opened. On the other hand, if a device connected to the other repeater fails, the device separation switch 22 remains closed. Further, when the failed device is replaced with a normal device and reconnected, the device separation switch 22 is closed again.

When the failure signal TROUBLE1 of the equipment connected to the repeater is input, the equipment failure warning means 52 of the reporting / warning unit 50 operates as follows. Normally, when the devices connected to all the repeaters in the network are normal, both the device failure detection signal TROUBLE1 and the state STATE1 of the device status signal line 6 become 0, and the device failure warning means 52 A warning (lighting up a green LED) indicating that the device is normal is issued. Also, if there is a failure in the device connected to the repeater,
Both TROUBLE1 and STATE1 become 1,
A warning (lighting up a red LED) indicating a failure of a device connected to the own repeater and another repeater is issued. If the device connected to the repeater has no failure and the device connected to the other repeater has a failure, TROUBLE1 =
0, STATE1 = 1, and a warning (lighting up a red LED) indicating a failure of a device connected to another repeater is issued.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the power supply connection section. The power supply failure detection means 41 of the power supply connection unit 40 includes a power supply voltage detection circuit 410 and a power supply failure determination unit 411. The power supply voltage detection circuit 410 detects the voltage between the power supply line pairs 5a and 5b, and the voltage is a threshold V _TH2 (V _TH ≫) that is sufficiently smaller than the threshold V _TH set in the power supply line system separation unit 30.
Is higher than V _TH2) is VOUT2 = 1, when low outputs VOUT2 = 0. The power supply failure determination unit 411
The output VOUT2 of the power supply voltage detection circuit 410 and the state of the device state signal line 6 (failure = 1, normal = 0) are OR-input to determine whether the communication power supply 3 has a failure.

As a result, there is no failure in the device 2 connected to the repeater in the network (STATE1 = 0),
When the voltage of the power supply line is equal to or lower than V _TH2 (VOUT2 = 0), it is determined that the communication power supply 3 has failed, and TROUB
Since LE2 = 0 is output, the state of the power supply state communication line 7 becomes STATE2 = 0.

The state STATE2 of the power supply state communication line 7 is as follows.
Report / warning unit 5 provided for each repeater in the network
The power supply status warning means 53 of 0 is taken in. ST
ATE2 is also taken into the power supply switch control unit 33. When the power supply fails, STATE2 = 0, so that no control signal for the power supply line separation switch 32 is generated (SWCTL1 = 0).

Next, the operation of monitoring the entire network using the repeater of this embodiment will be described. When all the connected devices 2a to 2g and the communication power supply 3 operate normally in the network shown in FIG. 2, the device failure detection signal TROUBLE1 of each repeater becomes 0, and the power failure detection signal TROUBL
Since E2 becomes 1, the status STAT of the device status signal line 6
E1 becomes 0, and the state STATE2 of the power supply state signal line 7 becomes 1. Therefore, the equipment failure warning means 52 of each repeater is lit to indicate that there is no equipment failure, and the power status warning means 53 is lit to indicate that the communication power supply is normal.

In this state, when the voltage level detecting means 31 of the repeater 1c detects that the voltage V _IN of the power supply line has dropped below the threshold value V _TH , the voltage level of the repeater 1d downstream of the repeater 1c also drops. Is detected, and the voltage detection circuit 31
The output VOUT of “0” becomes “0”. At this time, if all the devices 2a to 2g in the network and the communication power supply 3 are normal, the state of the device failure signal line 6 is STATE1 = 0 and the state of the power supply normal signal line 7 is STATE2 = 1.
Feeding line separation switch control signal S for repeaters 1c and 1d
WCTL1 = 1, and the power supply line separation switch 32 is opened. In a third embodiment to be described later, a configuration for preventing all of the separation switches 32 of the downstream repeaters 1c and 1d from being opened will be described.

[0046] Since the VOUT and SWCTL1 is also input to the reporting and warning unit 50, the lighting, which means that the repeater 1c, the voltage level of the power supply line 5 for 1d are lower than the threshold value V _TH, the relay Lighting is performed, which means that the device requires additional connection of the communication power supply. At the time of laying a network, a shortage of power supply capacity often occurs due to a difference between a calculated value and an actual value of a device load. When the user knows the necessity of additional connection of the communication power from the display of the report / warning unit 50, the user additionally connects the communication power to the upstream repeater 1c. When a communication power supply is additionally connected to the repeater 1c, the voltage level on the downstream side is secured, so that the power supply line separation switch 32 of the repeater 1d is closed, and the network returns to a normal state.

The device 2 connected to the repeater 1b
b causes a current draw due to a failure, the voltage level of the feed line 5 drops, and all the repeaters 1a
It is detected that the voltage detection circuit 310 of ~1d drops below the threshold value V _TH, and outputs the VOUT = 0. At this time, the equipment failure detecting means 21 provided in the repeater 1b
Overcurrent that greatly exceeds the rating of the
ROUBLE1 = 1 is output.

As a result, the state of the device status signal line 6 becomes S
TATE1 = 1, and all the repeaters 1a, 1c and 1d in the network are notified of the occurrence of the equipment failure. S
When TATE1 = 1, the output of the feed line separation switch control unit 33 becomes SWCTL1 = 0 even if the repeaters 1a to 1d detect the drop in the voltage level of the feed line.
The power supply line separation switch 32 is not opened.

In this situation, the report / warning section 5 of the repeater 1b
0 indicates that a device connected to its own repeater is out of order, and that a device connected to another repeater is out of order. The other repeaters 1a, 1c, 1
In the reporting / warning unit 50 of d, only the lighting indicating the failure of the device connected to the other repeater is performed. Thus, the user can know that a failure has occurred in the device connected to the repeater 1b.

Further, in the repeater 1b, since the output SWCTL2 of the device separation switch control section 23 becomes 1, the device separation switch 22 is opened to disconnect the failed device 1b. As a result, no current is drawn, the voltage of the power supply line 5 is restored, and the network returns to a normal state. Further, when the user knows the failure of the device 2b, replaces the device 2b with a normal device and reconnects, the output CONNECT1 of the device connection recognizing means 24 becomes 1, the device separation switch 22 is closed, and normal communication is restored. .

Further, when a failure occurs in the communication power supply 3 connected to the repeater 1a, the voltage level of the power supply line 5 decreases, and the voltage detection circuits 310 of all the repeaters 1a to 1d temporarily use VOUT = Outputs 0. At this time, the power supply failure detecting means 41 of the repeater 1a detects the failure of the communication power supply 3 and outputs a power supply failure detection signal TROUBLE2 = 0.

As a result, the state STA of the power supply state signal line 7 is
TE2 = 0, and the repeaters 1b to 1d other than the repeater 1a
Also, the communication power supply 3 is notified that a failure has occurred. When the state of the power supply normal signal line 7 becomes 0, each of the repeaters 1a to 1d becomes the output SWCTL1 = 0 of the power supply line separation switch control unit 33 even if the voltage level of the power supply line 5 is detected to be lower. The switch 32 is not opened.

In this situation, reports from the repeaters 1a to 1d
The warning unit 50 changes from green lighting indicating that the communication power supply 3 is normal to red lighting indicating that a failure has occurred in the communication power supply 3. Thus, when the user replaces the failed communication power supply 3 with a normal communication power supply, the voltage drop of the power supply line is restored, and the network returns to a normal state. When the normal communication power supply is reconnected to the repeater 1, the power supply status warning means 53 of the reporting / warning unit 50 switches to green light indicating that the communication power supply is normal.

As described above, in the network in which the power supply line and the signal line are connected in the repeater of the first embodiment, the failure of the equipment connected to the own repeater and the failure of the communication power supply when the voltage of the power supply line is reduced in each repeater. Monitor the status of the equipment and the power supply via a signal line, so that it is possible to determine whether the voltage of the power supply line is below the threshold value due to insufficient power supply capacity or failure of the equipment or the power supply itself. Therefore, it is possible to execute the most appropriate treatment for each cause.

That is, when a voltage drop below the threshold value occurs, if there is no failure in the power supply of the other device or the network, the power supply capacity is insufficient for the device load. Therefore,
The repeater that has detected the voltage drop disconnects the downstream of the power supply line and secures the transmission line of the upstream network. at the same time,
Since a request for additional connection of the communication power supply is issued, power supply can be easily added to the corresponding repeater, and the disconnected downstream power supply path can be quickly restored. Note that alternatives such as switching the separated downstream side to another power supply system are also possible.

If any device in the network fails, only the device is disconnected from the repeater to recover the voltage drop of the power supply line, so that the network transmission path can be secured. In addition, since it is identified and displayed whether the relay device is in failure or another relay device, it is easy to replace the abnormal device.

Further, when the communication power supply which supplies power to the network via an arbitrary repeater fails, the failure of the communication power supply is notified without disconnecting the power supply line. I do.

Next, as a second embodiment of the present invention, an example will be described in which the repeater of the first embodiment is applied to a field network in the FA field or the like. For example, in a network for controlling a device that performs a batch operation using a belt conveyor, if at least one device connected to the network fails, a failure occurs in the work downstream of the failed device. In this case, it is usually necessary to take measures such as stopping the belt conveyor or stopping the operation of the devices connected to the network.

In the repeater according to the first embodiment, when a failure occurs in a device connected to a certain repeater in the network, a function of notifying the occurrence of the failure to all the repeaters in the network, and It has a function to disconnect from the network. Therefore, if this function is used progressively, all the devices in the network can be disconnected when at least one device in the network fails.

The basic structure of the repeater of the second embodiment is shown in FIG.
This is the same as the configuration of the repeater shown in FIG. The different part is a device separation switch control unit 2 that controls the device separation switch 22.
3 is that the device separation switch control unit 23 is provided with means for selecting whether to disconnect only the failed device or all the devices.

FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the device separation switch control unit according to the second embodiment. The device separation switch control unit 23 includes a device failure detection signal TROUBLE1, an output VOUT of the voltage level detection unit 30, and a state STA of the device state signal line 6.
TE1 is input, and a device separation switch control signal SWCTL2 is generated from the AND condition of these signals.

The device separation switch control unit 23 disconnects only the failed device from the repeater when a failure occurs in the device connected to the repeater 1, or is connected to all the repeaters in the network. An all-devices separation switch 25 for selecting whether to disconnect the device by initial setting is provided. When the device failure detection signal all device separation switch 25 is closed, TROUBLE1 enters the condition for generating the device separation switch control signal SWCTL2, which is the same as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, when the all-device separation switch 25 is open,
TROUBLE1 is not included in the condition for SWCTL2 generation.

Therefore, the all-device separation switch 25 is selected to be open, a device failure occurs and STATE1 = 1, VOU
When T = 0, the device separation switch control signal SWCTL2 becomes 1 in all the repeaters. As a result, all the repeaters 1 open the device separation switch 22 to disconnect the connected device.

According to this embodiment, if at least one device in the network fails, all the devices in the network can be disconnected, so that the safety of the devices connected to the network can be ensured.

Next, a repeater according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the repeater 1 of the first embodiment, as described above, when the voltage drop of the power supply line 5 is equal to or less than the threshold value V _TH , all the power supply line separation switches 32 on the downstream side are opened.
If the network is large, it takes time to recover it.

In this embodiment, when the voltage drop is equal to or less than the threshold value V _TH , the first repeater 1 on the downstream side opens the feed line separation switch 32 and the other repeaters 1 on the downstream side do not open. For this reason, an adjacent voltage notifying means for transmitting and receiving the output VOUT of the voltage level detecting means 31 between adjacent repeaters is provided.

FIG. 10 shows a network configuration to which the third embodiment is applied. The difference from FIG. 2 is that each repeater 1 is provided with an adjacent voltage notification signal line 8 for transmitting its own VOUT to an adjacent downstream repeater 1. For example, the repeater 1b receives the state (0/1) of the VOUT of the repeater 1a via the adjacent voltage notification signal line 8, and transmits the state of its own VOUT to the repeater 1c one downstream. be able to.

The basic configuration of the repeater 1 of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.
Is the same. The difference from FIG. 1 is that the power supply switch control unit 33
, The state of VOUT from the one upstream repeater, here called V _UPPER , is added.

FIG. 11 shows the configuration of the power supply switch control section of the third embodiment. Feeding switch control unit 33, the output VOUT (0 below the threshold value V _TH) of its own voltage level detection unit 31, the state STATE 1 (failure time 0) of the device status signal line 6, the state STATE 2 (normal power state signal line 7 Time 0), and the state V _UPPER (0 below the threshold V _TH ) of the adjacent voltage notification signal line 8 from the one upstream repeater 1 are AND inputs.

Then, VOUT = 0, STATE1 =
When 0, STATE2 = 1, and V _UPPER = 1, the power supply switch control signal SWCTL1 = 1 is output, and the own power supply line separation switch 32 is opened. On the other hand, VOUT =
0, STATE1 = 0, STATE2 = 1, V _UPPER =
When it is 0, SWCTL1 is set to 0, and its own power supply line separation switch 32 is not opened.

As described above, when the voltage of the own power supply line is V
When the voltage is in the voltage drop state of OUT = 0 and the own repeater is the most upstream in the voltage drop state, the own power supply line separation switch 32 is opened. As a result, the downstream network is disconnected, and the upstream transmission line is secured. However, since the repeater that is not the most upstream in the voltage drop state does not open its own power supply line separation switch 32, the trouble of re-closing those switches for restoration is omitted, and the verification test of the network installation is easy. become.

[0072]

According to the present invention, when a repeater of a network detects an abnormal voltage drop (below a threshold value) of a power supply line, the cause is a voltage drop of the power supply line or a device connected to the repeater. It is possible to determine whether the failure has occurred or the communication power supply connected to the network has failed. Therefore, it is possible to quickly execute an optimal measure for each cause.

That is, when the voltage drop in the power supply line is caused by an increase in the load, the power supply line is separated by a repeater having a shortage of voltage, and the additional connection of the communication power supply is performed while securing the communication on the upstream side. To promptly return the network to a normal state. In addition, since the power supply line is separated only by the most upstream repeater for which the voltage is insufficient, recovery becomes easy.

If the cause of the voltage drop in the power supply line is a failure of a device connected to a certain repeater in the network, this is notified to the network, and only the repeater to which the failed device is connected is notified. By disconnecting the failed device, the network can return to a normal state.

Further, if at least one device connected to the network fails, all the devices can be separated and stopped by each repeater. Adverse effects can be avoided.

In the repeater of the present invention, the state of the voltage level of the power supply line, the location of the faulty device (self-relay failure / other repeater), and the status of the communication power supply (normal / failure, additional connection request) are confirmed. Since the display means is provided, it is easy to specify the location where the abnormality or the failure has occurred even in a large-scale network, and a countermeasure according to the situation can be quickly taken.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a repeater according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a network to which the repeater according to the first embodiment is applied.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating functions of a power supply line system separation unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing opening and closing conditions of a power supply line separation switch according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing functions of a report / warning unit.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing functions of a device connection unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing opening and closing conditions of a device separation switch.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing functions of a power supply connection unit.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing functions and operations of a device separation switch control unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a network to which a repeater according to a third embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram illustrating functions of a power supply switch control unit in the repeater according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d ... repeater, 2 ... equipment, 3 ...
Communication power supply, 4 signal line, 5 power supply line, 6 device status signal line, 7 power status signal line, 8 adjacent voltage notification signal line, 10a, 10b cable connection portion, 20 device connection portion, 21 ... device failure detection means, 210 ... device current detection circuit, 22 ... device separation switch, 23 ... device separation switch control unit, 24 ... device connection recognition unit, 25 ... all device separation switch, 30 ... power supply line system separation unit, 31 ... voltage level detecting means, 310 ... voltage level detecting circuit, 32
... power supply line separation switch, 33 ... power supply line separation switch control section, 40 ... power supply connection section, 41 ... power supply failure detection means, 410 ... power supply voltage detection circuit, 42 ... power supply connection recognition means, 50 ... report / warning section, 51 ... voltage level state reporting means, 52 ... equipment failure warning means, 53 ... power supply state warning means, 60a, 60b ... communication signal line connection between repeaters.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Akihiro Ohashi 5-2-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside the Omika Plant of Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Koji Masui 5-chome, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture No. 1 Hitachi, Ltd. Omika Plant (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Murakami 5-2-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture F-term (reference) 5K042 AA08 CA05 CA15 DA32 EA04 FA29 JA01 5K046 AA03 CC15 CC18 DD11 KK01 PP01 PS43 ZZ05 ZZ17

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A network comprising: means for connecting a power supply line and a signal line constituting a network; and means for connecting a communication power supply for supplying power to the power supply line and a device for transmitting / receiving a signal via the signal line. In the repeater, for each repeater, a power supply line voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of the power supply line and compares the voltage with a preset threshold value;
A repeater for a network, comprising: a feed line separating means for separating a feed line downstream of the own repeater; and a control means for operating the feed line separating means when a predetermined separation condition is satisfied. . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that, as the separation condition, a voltage of a power supply line of the own repeater is lower than the threshold, and a fault is detected in a device connected to each repeater in the network. A network repeater that determines whether there is any data and activates the power supply line separating means when the condition is satisfied. 3. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein, as the separation condition, a voltage of a power supply line of the repeater is lower than the threshold, and a voltage of a power supply line of a repeater adjacent on the upstream side is the threshold. A network repeater that determines whether the power is higher and activates the power supply line separating means when the condition is satisfied. 4. A network comprising a power supply line and a signal line connecting means constituting a network, and a communication power supply for supplying power to the power supply line and a device for transmitting and receiving a signal via the signal line. In the repeater, for each repeater, a power supply line voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of the power supply line and compares the voltage with a preset threshold value;
Adjacent voltage transmitting / receiving means for transmitting / receiving the voltage state of the power supply line to / from an adjacent repeater; power supply line separating means for separating a power supply line downstream of the own repeater; and failure of a device connected to the own repeater. A device failure detecting unit for detecting, a device state notifying unit for notifying each repeater in the network of the failure of the device, a device disconnecting unit for disconnecting the device connected to the own repeater, and a predetermined disconnection condition. A network repeater, further comprising control means for operating the power supply line separation means or the device separation means when the condition is satisfied. 5. The control unit according to claim 4, wherein the disconnection condition requires that the voltage of the power supply line of the repeater is lower than the threshold value, and the device in the network has no failure and is located upstream. When the voltage of the power supply line of the adjacent repeater is higher than the threshold value, the power supply line separation means is activated, and when the equipment of the own repeater has a failure, the equipment disconnection means is activated. Repeater. 6. The repeater according to claim 4, further comprising, for each repeater, alarm means for indicating a voltage state of a power supply line of the repeater and a disconnection state of the equipment, and equipment recognition means for recognizing connection of the equipment. The network repeater, wherein the control unit receives the recognition information of the reconnection of the device and restores the device disconnecting unit. 7. The power supply failure detecting means according to claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein said power supply failure detecting means detects a failure of the communication power supply connected to the own repeater, and notifies each repeater in the network of the failure of said communication power supply. Characterized in that a power status notifying means is provided. 8. The power supply failure detecting means according to claim 7, wherein the power supply line voltage is lower than a second threshold value sufficiently smaller than the threshold value and the device in the network has no failure. A network repeater for detecting that the communication power supply has failed. 9. The network repeater according to claim 7, wherein the control unit determines that the disconnection condition is not satisfied when the communication power supply fails. 10. A relay having connection means for a cable having a power supply line and a signal line, a communication power supply for supplying power to the power supply line, and connection means for a device transmitting and receiving a control signal and the like via the signal line. Power supply line voltage detection means for detecting a voltage of the power supply line for each repeater and comparing the voltage with a preset threshold value;
A power supply line separating unit for separating a power supply line downstream of the own repeater, a device failure detecting unit for detecting a failure of a device connected to the own repeater, and a disconnection of a device connected to the own repeater. Device disconnecting means to perform, a device state notification line for notifying each repeater in the network of a failure of a device connected to the own repeater, an output of the power supply line voltage detecting means, and a state of the device state notification line. Input, and when the voltage of the power supply line of the own repeater is lower than the threshold value and there is a failure in a device connected to any of the repeaters in the network, the device disconnecting means of the own repeater is activated. A network provided with control means so that, when a device failure occurs in the network, devices connected to the respective repeaters can be disconnected at the same time.