JP7424150B2 - Slave device, information processing device, master-slave control system, slave device control method, and information processing device control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a slave device, an information processing device, and a master-slave control system.

Patent Document 1 describes a slave device to which a plurality of IO-Link (registered trademark) devices are connected. The slave device communicates with multiple devices and transmits input data to the upper controller.

JP2018-151888 Publication

A slave device to which multiple external devices are connected also supplies power to the multiple devices. When the system starts supplying power to an external device, an inrush current flows to the external device. When a slave device starts supplying power to multiple external devices at the same time, rush currents flowing through the multiple external devices overlap, and a large rush current temporarily flows through the power supply device.

One aspect of the present invention aims to prevent the peak of current flowing through a power supply device from being suppressed.

A slave device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of power supply connectors that supply power to a plurality of connected external devices, and a plurality of power supply connectors that individually turn on/off the supply of power to the plurality of power supply connectors. and a control unit that causes the plurality of switching circuits to start supplying power at different times.

According to the above configuration, the timings at which rush currents flow to the plurality of external devices connected to the plurality of switching circuits can be shifted from each other. Therefore, the peak of the total current flowing in the slave device can be suppressed. Therefore, the peak of the current flowing through the power supply device that supplies power to the slave device can be suppressed.

In the slave device, the plurality of power supply connectors include a first power supply connector and a second power supply connector, and include a measurement circuit that measures the current or voltage output to the first power supply connector, and The control unit may be configured to cause the switching circuit to start supplying power to the second power supply connector after the inrush current output to the first power supply connector becomes smaller than a predetermined value.

According to the above configuration, the control unit starts supplying power to the next second power supply connector after the inrush current becomes smaller than the predetermined value. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rush currents of a plurality of external devices from overlapping and to quickly supply power to the plurality of external devices in sequence.

In the slave device, the plurality of power supply connectors include a first power supply connector and a second power supply connector, and a first reception unit that receives a delay time instruction from an external device; after the delay time has elapsed since the first power supply connector started supplying power, the control unit causes the switching circuit to supply power to the second power supply connector. The configuration may be such that the supply of the liquid is started.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent rush currents of a plurality of external devices from overlapping without measuring voltage or current.

The slave device includes a second reception unit that receives a start instruction to start supplying power from the master device, and the control unit sequentially starts supplying power to the plurality of switching circuits after receiving the start instruction. The configuration may be such that the

According to the above configuration, the timing at which power is started to be supplied to the plurality of switching circuits can be shifted between the plurality of slave devices. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the peak of the current flowing through the power supply device that supplies power to the plurality of slave devices.

A master-slave control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of the slave devices and a master device connected to the plurality of slave devices, and the master device controls the plurality of slave devices at different timings. a start control section that transmits the start instruction to the start instruction.

According to the above configuration, the timing at which power is started to be supplied to the plurality of switching circuits can be shifted between the plurality of slave devices.

The start control unit determines, among the plurality of slave devices, the timing to start supplying power to each power supply connector of one of the slave devices, and the timing to start supplying power to each power supply connector of another slave device. It is also possible to have a configuration in which the timings are different from each other.

According to the above configuration, the supply of power to the plurality of power supply connectors of the plurality of slave devices is started at different timings. Therefore, the timing at which rush current flows to the plurality of power supply connectors can be further dispersed.

An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention is an acquisition unit, and at least one slave device supplied with power from a power supply device supplies power to a plurality of external devices connected to the at least one slave device. an acquisition unit that acquires information on timing to start supply and information on inrush current flowing through each external device; and an acquisition unit that acquires information on timing to start supply and information on inrush current flowing through each external device, and determining an allowable current flowing through the power supply device based on the timing information and information on the inrush current. and a determination unit that determines whether or not it falls within the range.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine in advance whether the magnitude of the rush current falls within the allowable range with the assumed configuration and settings. For example, the user can modify the configuration information before the master-slave control system is activated and a large inrush current flows through the power supply.

In the information processing device, the information on the inrush current includes information on a period in which the inrush current flows, and the determination unit determines whether or not the periods in which the inrush current flows overlap for the plurality of external devices. The configuration may be such that

According to the above configuration, the determination can be easily made even if the magnitude of the rush current is not known.

In the information processing device, the inrush current information includes information on the magnitude of the inrush current, and the determination unit determines a total value of inrush currents of a plurality of external devices whose start timings of power supply overlap. may be configured to determine whether or not it falls within the permissible range.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the inrush current falls within the allowable range.

A method for controlling a slave device according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a slave device that supplies power to a plurality of connected external devices, the method comprising: supplying power to a first external device among the plurality of external devices; and starting the supply of power to the first external device, and then starting the supply of power to a second external device among the plurality of external devices after a time interval. .

In a method for controlling an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, at least one slave device supplied with power from a power supply device starts supplying power to a plurality of external devices connected to the at least one slave device. a step of acquiring information on the timing of the inrush current flowing through each external device; and a step of acquiring information on the inrush current flowing through each external device, and determining that the current flowing through the power supply device falls within an allowable range based on the timing information and the inrush current information. and a determination step of determining whether or not it fits within the range.

The slave device and the information processing device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the slave device and the information processing device may be realized by operating the computer as each section (software element) included in the slave device and the information processing device. A control program for a slave device and information processing device that realizes the slave device and information processing device on a computer, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the peak of current flowing through the power supply device can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a master-slave control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing voltage and current waveforms by a slave device of a reference example. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing voltage and current waveforms by a slave device according to an embodiment. It is a figure showing the processing flow of the above-mentioned slave device. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a master-slave control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow in which the information processing device acquires configuration information. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow in which the information processing device acquires setting information. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing waveforms of voltage and current flowing through the power supply device in the master-slave control system. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for determining whether the total current by the information processing device falls within an allowable range.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, each embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as "the present embodiment") according to one aspect of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
§1 Application Example FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the master-slave control system of this embodiment. The master-slave control system 1 includes a master device 3, a slave device 4, a power supply device 5, and a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h. The slave device 4 is connected to the master device 3, the power supply device 5, and a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h. The slave device 4 receives power from the power supply device 5 and supplies power to a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h.

At the beginning of supplying power to an external device, an inrush current flows through the external device. When starting up the master-slave control system, if power is started to be supplied to multiple external devices at the same time, the rush currents of each external device overlap, and the current flowing through the slave device and the power supply device becomes temporarily large.

The slave device 4 of this embodiment starts supplying power to a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h at different timings. In this way, by starting to supply power to the plurality of external devices 6a to 6h at time intervals, the timing at which rush current flows to each external device 6a to 6h can be shifted. This can prevent a large inrush current from flowing through the slave device and the power supply device.

§2 Configuration Example In FIG. 1, solid lines indicate the flow of control signals, and broken lines indicate connections of power supply wiring. The slave device 4 includes a reception section 41, a slave storage section 42, a control section 43, a plurality of switching circuits 44a to 44h, a plurality of measurement circuits 45a to 45h, a plurality of power supply connectors 46a to 46h, and a power input connector 47. . Here, the slave device 4 includes eight sets of mutually corresponding switching circuits, measurement circuits, and power supply connectors.

For example, the slave device 4 is an IO-Link (registered trademark) master, and the plurality of external devices 6a to 6h are IO-Link devices. For example, slave device 4 may be an analog IO (input/output) unit, a digital input unit, or a digital output unit. The plurality of external devices 6a to 6h may be sensors, valves, or loads (such as motors).

Power input connector 47 is connected to power supply device 5 . The plurality of power supply connectors 46a-46h are connected to the plurality of external devices 6a-6h, respectively. Inside the slave device 4, the power input connector 47 is connected to a plurality of switching circuits 44a to 44h connected in parallel with each other. Each switching circuit 44a-44h is connected to a corresponding power supply connector 46a-46h. Each measurement circuit 45a-45h is connected to wiring between a corresponding switching circuit 44a-44h and power supply connector 46a-46h. Each power supply connector 46a-46h supplies power to a corresponding external device 6a-6h.

Each of the switching circuits 44a to 44h individually switches conduction/cutoff (on/off) according to instructions from the control section 43. As a result, each of the switching circuits 44a to 44h individually turns on/off the supply of power to the corresponding power supply connectors 46a to 46h.

The measurement circuits 45a-45h measure the voltages output to the corresponding power supply connectors 46a-46h. The measurement circuits 45a to 45h output measurement results (voltage) to the control section 43.

The reception unit 41 (second reception unit) receives a start instruction to start power supply from the master device 3. The reception unit 41 outputs a start instruction to the control unit 43. Further, the receiving unit 41 receives setting information regarding the slave device 4 from the master device 3 and stores it in the slave storage unit 42 . For example, the setting information includes mode setting information on whether power is supplied to the external device in the first mode or in the second mode.

The slave storage unit 42 is configured by a memory or a hard disk. Further, the slave storage unit 42 stores a control program for causing the arithmetic processing device to function as the reception unit 41 and the control unit 43.

The control unit 43 receives a start instruction from the reception unit 41, and receives voltage measurement results from each measurement circuit 45a to 45h. The control unit 43 sequentially outputs an on/off instruction to each of the switching circuits 44a to 44h in accordance with the start instruction and the output voltage.

§3 Operation example (reference example)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing voltage and current waveforms by the slave device of the reference example. FIG. 2 shows the voltage and current waveforms of the external device 6a, the voltage and current waveforms of the external device 6b, and the total current flowing through the slave device and power supply 5. In the slave device of the reference example, power supply to a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h is started simultaneously. Therefore, a rush current flows through each of the external devices 6a to 6h at the same time. A large total current, which is the sum of the rush currents flowing through the plurality of external devices 6a to 6h, flows through the slave device and the power supply device 5. As a result, the power supply device 5 senses an overcurrent and cuts off the power supply, the fuse placed between the power supply device 5 and the slave device melts, or a temporary voltage drop occurs due to the rush current. This may cause the slave device system to malfunction.

(Operation example)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing voltage and current waveforms by the slave device 4 of this embodiment. FIG. 3 shows the voltage and current waveforms of the external device 6a, the voltage and current waveforms of the external device 6b, and the total current flowing through the slave device 4 and power supply device 5.

The slave device 4 of this embodiment sequentially starts supplying power to the plurality of external devices 6a to 6h. For example, at time t1, slave device 4 starts supplying power to external device 6a. A rush current flows into the external device 6a, and stops at time t2. Thereafter, at time t3, the slave device 4 starts supplying power to the next external device 6b. A rush current flows into the external device 6b, and stops at time t4.

In this manner, the slave device 4 starts supplying power to the next external device after the rush current flowing to one external device subsides. Therefore, the slave device 4 can shift the peaks of a plurality of inrush currents from each other, and can suppress the peak of the total current. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a large rush current from flowing through the power supply device 5 and the slave device 4.

In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, for simplification, the voltage is depicted as rising from 0V to 24V at the on timing (times t1 and t3). In reality, since the rush current flows, a voltage drop occurs, and the voltage output to each external device 6a to 6h gradually increases.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the slave device 4. First, power supply from the power supply device 5 to the slave device 4 is started (S1). At this point, each switching circuit 44a to 44h is in an off state.

The control unit 43 acquires setting information (mode setting information) from the slave storage unit 42 . The control unit 43 determines whether the slave device 4 is set to the first mode (S2).

If the slave device 4 is set to the first mode (YES in S2), the control unit 43 waits for a start instruction from the master device 3 (S3). When the reception unit 41 receives the start instruction from the master device 3 (YES in S3), the control unit 43 starts supplying power to the external device 6a (S4).

When the slave device 4 is set to the second mode (NO in S2), the control unit 43 starts supplying power to the external device 6a without waiting for a start instruction from the master device 3 (S4).

In S4, the control unit 43 outputs an instruction to turn on the switching circuit 44a (time t1 in FIG. 3). This turns on the switching circuit 44a and starts supplying power to the corresponding power supply connector 46a and external device 6a.

The measurement circuit 45a measures the voltage output to the corresponding power supply connector 46a (first power supply connector) (S5). The control unit 43 determines whether the rush current has become smaller than a predetermined value based on the measurement result of the measurement circuit 45a (S6). During the period when the rush current is flowing, a voltage drop occurs, so the voltage output to the power supply connector 46a is lower than the voltage during normal operation. Therefore, the control unit 43 determines whether the voltage output to the power supply connector 46a is higher than the first threshold value. If the voltage output to the power supply connector 46a is higher than the first threshold value, the control unit 43 considers that the rush current has become smaller than the predetermined value (time t2 in FIG. 3).

When the rush current becomes smaller than the predetermined value (YES in S6), at time t3 after time t2, the control unit 43 outputs an instruction to turn on the next switching circuit 44b. This turns on the switching circuit 44b, and starts supplying power to the corresponding power supply connector 46b (second power supply connector) and external device 6b (S7). After this, similarly to the external device 6a, the measurement circuit 45b measures the voltage output to the corresponding power supply connector 46b (S8). The control unit 43 determines whether the rush current has become smaller than a predetermined value based on the measurement result of the measurement circuit 45b (S9). When the rush current becomes smaller than the predetermined value (YES in S9, time t4), the control unit 43 outputs an instruction to turn on the next switching circuit 44c.

Similarly, for the remaining external devices 6c to 6h, power supply to the next external device is started after the inrush current flowing to the previous external device becomes smaller than a predetermined value. When the inrush current for the last external device 6h becomes smaller than the predetermined value (YES in S10), the control unit 43 issues a completion notification indicating that power has been supplied to the plurality of connected external devices 6a to 6h. is notified to the master device 3 (S11). After that, the control unit 43 ends the process. Note that the transmission of the completion notification by the control unit 43 can also be omitted.

In this way, the control unit 43 starts supplying power to a certain external device, and then, after a time interval, starts supplying power to other external devices. Thereby, the control unit 43 makes the timings at which the plurality of switching circuits 44a to 44h start supplying power different from each other. By determining the magnitude of the inrush current, the control unit 43 can dynamically determine the timing to turn on the next switching circuit. The slave device 4 prevents the rush currents of a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h from overlapping by determining whether or not the rush current to a certain external device has become smaller than a predetermined value. Power can be supplied sequentially to 6a to 6h.

(Modified example)
Each measurement circuit may measure the current output to a corresponding power supply connector. The control unit can determine whether the inrush current has become smaller than a predetermined value based on the measured current. When determining based on current, the control unit determines whether the measured current has become smaller than a predetermined value after a period of time after the switching circuit is turned on (at least after the inrush current has increased).

Note that the slave device may sequentially start supplying power to a plurality of external devices based on a delay time specified by the external device (master device or information processing device). For example, the reception unit (first reception unit) receives a delay time instruction from an external device. The reception unit stores the delay time in the slave storage unit. When power is supplied from the power supply device 5 to the slave device, the control section acquires delay time information from the slave storage section, and first starts supplying power to the external device 6a. After a delay time has elapsed after starting the supply of power to the external device 6a, the control unit starts supplying power to the next external device 6b. The delay time corresponds to the interval from time t1 to time t3 shown in FIG. In this way, after starting power supply to a certain external device, the control unit may start power supply to the next external device after a fixed delay time. Note that the delay time may be stored in advance (at the time of manufacture) in the slave storage section.

Note that it is also possible to omit the determination of the inrush current for the last external device 6h (S10) and the notification to the master device 3 (S11). In this case, the measuring circuit 45h may be omitted.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

§1 Configuration Example FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the master-slave control system 10 of this embodiment. Master-slave control system 10 includes an information processing device 2, a master device 3, a plurality of slave devices 4, a power supply device 5, and a plurality of external devices. In FIG. 5, illustration of a plurality of external devices is omitted. A plurality of external devices are connected to the plurality of power supply connectors 46a to 46h of each slave device 4. The information processing device 2 is connected to the master device 3. The plurality of slave devices 4 are connected to the master device 3 in a daisy chain via an industrial network.

Slave device 4 includes a power input connector 47 and a power output connector 48. A plurality of slave devices 4 are connected to a power supply device 5 in a daisy chain. Specifically, the power supply device 5 is connected to the power input connector 47 of the first slave device 4. The power output connector 48 of the first slave device 4 is connected to the power input connector 47 of the second slave device 4. The power output connector 48 of the second slave device 4 is connected to the power input connector 47 of the third slave device 4. Each slave device 4 supplies power to other slave devices 4 via a power output connector 48 .

The information processing device 2 includes an input section 21 , an information storage section 22 , an acquisition section 23 , a determination section 24 , a notification control section 25 , and an instruction section 26 .

The input unit 21 receives input of setting information and configuration information from the user. The input unit 21 causes the information storage unit 22 to store the setting information and configuration information. The setting information includes information on settings regarding the operation of the master device 3 or the plurality of slave devices 4. The configuration information includes information regarding the connection configuration of the master device 3, multiple slave devices 4, and multiple external devices, and equipment characteristics of the master device 3, multiple slave devices 4, multiple external devices, and power supply device 5. Contains information about. Details of the setting information and configuration information will be described later.

The information storage unit 22 is configured by a memory or a hard disk. Further, the information storage unit 22 stores a control program for causing the arithmetic processing device to function as each block of the information processing device 2.

The acquisition unit 23 acquires setting information and configuration information from the information storage unit 22. The acquisition unit 23 outputs the setting information and configuration information to the determination unit 24. Note that the acquisition unit 23 may acquire the setting information and configuration information from the input unit 21.

The determination unit 24 determines whether the rush current flowing through the power supply device 5 falls within an allowable range based on the setting information and configuration information. The determination unit 24 outputs the determination result to the notification control unit 25.

The notification control unit 25 performs control to notify the user of the determination result by the determination unit 24. For example, the notification control unit 25 causes the display device to display the determination result, or causes the speaker to output the determination result.

The instruction unit 26 acquires setting information from the information storage unit 22. The instruction unit 26 transmits the setting information to the master device 3.

The master device 3 includes an instruction input section 31, a master storage section 32, and a start control section 33.

The master storage unit 32 is configured by a memory or a hard disk. The master storage unit 32 also stores a control program for causing the arithmetic processing device to function as the instruction input unit 31 and the start control unit 33.

The instruction input unit 31 receives setting information from the information processing device 2 . The instruction input unit 31 causes the master storage unit 32 to store the setting information.

The start control unit 33 acquires setting information from the master storage unit 32. The start control unit 33 issues a start instruction to start supplying power to each of the plurality of slave devices 4 based on the setting information, and a mode setting that specifies whether the power supply is to be performed in the first mode or the second mode. Send information. The mode may be different for each slave device 4. The start control unit 33 transmits start instructions to the plurality of slave devices 4 at different timings.

Thereby, the timing at which power supply is started to the plurality of external devices connected to each slave device 4 can be made different between the plurality of slave devices 4. Therefore, the peak of the total current flowing through the power supply device 5 connected to the plurality of slave devices 4 can be suppressed. Note that it is preferable that the period during which an inrush current flows through a plurality of external devices connected to a certain slave device 4 and the period during which an inrush current flows through a plurality of external devices connected to another slave device 4 do not overlap at all. However, there are no limitations. A period in which an inrush current flows through a plurality of external devices connected to a certain slave device 4 and a period in which an inrush current flows into a plurality of external devices connected to another slave device 4 may partially overlap. If the timings at which the plurality of slave devices 4 start supplying power to the first external device are different from each other, the effect of suppressing the peak of the rush current flowing through the power supply device 5 can be obtained.

The start control unit 33 determines the timing to start supplying power to each power supply connector 46a to 46h of a certain slave device 4 and to each power supply connector 46a to 46h of another slave device 4 among a plurality of slave devices 4. Start instructions may be transmitted to a plurality of slave devices 4 so that the timings for starting power supply are different from each other. This makes it possible to shift the period during which rush current flows through each of the power supply connectors 46a to 46h among the plurality of slave devices 4. For example, the start control unit 33 receives a completion notification indicating that power has been supplied from a certain slave device 4 to a plurality of connected external devices 6a to 6h, and then starts the start control unit 33 from another slave device 4. Instructions may also be sent.

The timing for transmitting the start instruction to each slave device 4 may be set in advance by the user. Settings by the user are performed in the information processing device 2. The information processing device 2 determines whether the rush current flowing through the power supply device 5 falls within an allowable range based on the setting information and the configuration information. In this case, the slave device 4 does not need to send a completion notification to the master device 3 indicating that power has been supplied to the plurality of connected external devices 6a to 6h.

(setting information and configuration information)
The configuration information includes connection configuration information, allowable current information, slave device information, external device information, and the like. The connection configuration information includes information indicating which device is connected to the power supply device 5. For example, the connection configuration information includes information indicating the power supply device 5, information indicating a plurality of slave devices 4 connected to the power supply device 5, and information indicating a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h connected to each slave device 4. and information indicating. The allowable current information indicates the allowable range (allowable upper limit value) of the current flowing through the power supply device 5. The slave device information includes information indicating the type and characteristics of each slave device 4. The external device information includes information indicating the type and characteristics of each external device. For example, the external device information includes information about the maximum value of the inrush current flowing through each external device and/or the period during which the inrush current flows.

The allowable current information and/or external device information may be stored in the information storage section 22 in advance. If the manufacturer of the software of the information processing device 2 and the manufacturer of the power supply device 5 or external devices 6a to 6h are the same, the software can include allowable current information and/or external device information in advance. Other information is input into the information processing device 2 by the user.

The setting information includes mode setting information, start timing information, and on-timing information. The mode setting information indicates whether the slave device 4 operates in the first mode or the second mode. The start timing information indicates the timing at which the master device 3 transmits a start instruction to each slave device 4. Alternatively, the start timing information indicates a period from when the power supply device 5 starts supplying power until each slave device 4 turns on the first switching circuit. The on-timing information indicates the timing at which the slave device 4 turns on each switching circuit, or indicates the period (delay time) from turning on one switching circuit to turning on the next switching circuit.

Setting information is input into the information processing device 2 by the user. When the delay time is fixed, the slave device 4 may store the on-timing information in the slave storage section 42 in advance. The information processing device 2 may acquire on-timing information from the slave device 4 via the master device 3.

§2 Operation example FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a processing flow in which the information processing device 2 acquires configuration information. The input unit 21 receives input of connection configuration information from the user (S21). The input unit 21 determines whether the allowable current information of the power supply device 5 is stored in the information storage unit 22 (S22). For example, if the software manufacturer of the information processing device 2 and the manufacturer of the power supply device 5 are the same, the information storage unit 22 stores the allowable current information of the power supply device 5 in advance.

If the allowable current information of the power supply device 5 is stored in the information storage unit 22 (YES in S22), the input unit 21 outputs an instruction to the acquisition unit 23 to use the allowable current information. The acquisition unit 23 acquires the allowable current information from the information storage unit 22 (S23).

If the allowable current information of the power supply device 5 is not stored in the information storage unit 22 (NO in S22), the input unit 21 receives input of allowable current information from the user (S24).

After S23 or S24, the input unit 21 determines whether the external device information of each external device is stored in the information storage unit 22 (S25). For example, if the manufacturer of the software of the information processing device 2 and the manufacturer of each external device are the same, the information storage unit 22 stores the external device information of each external device in advance.

If the external device information of each external device is stored in the information storage unit 22 (YES in S25), the input unit 21 outputs an instruction to the acquisition unit 23 to use the external device information. The acquisition unit 23 acquires the external device information from the information storage unit 22 (S26).

If the external device information of each external device is not stored in the information storage unit 22 (NO in S25), the input unit 21 receives input of external device information from the user (S27).

The processes of S25 to S27 are performed for each external device. When the processing for each external device is completed, the configuration information acquisition processing ends.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a processing flow in which the information processing device 2 acquires setting information. The input unit 21 determines from the slave device information whether each slave device 4 is a device that can be set to the first mode (S31). Since a plurality of slave devices are connected to the master device 3, some of the slave devices may be different from the slave device 4 described in the first embodiment.

If each slave device 4 is a mode-setting device (YES in S31), the input unit 21 receives input of mode setting information from the user for each slave device 4 (S32). The first mode is a mode in which the slave device 4 waits for a start instruction from the master device 3 and then starts supplying power. The input unit 21 determines whether the mode setting information indicates the first mode (S33).

When the mode setting information indicates the first mode (YES in S33), the input unit 21 receives input of start timing information (timing at which the master device 3 sends a start instruction to each slave device 4) from the user (S34). .

If the mode setting information does not indicate the first mode (indicates the second mode) (NO in S33), or if each slave device 4 is not a mode-setting device (NO in S31), the input unit 21 An input for the period from when the device 5 starts supplying power until each slave device 4 turns on the first switching circuit 44a is received from the user (S35). The period from when the power supply device 5 starts supplying power until each slave device 4 turns on the first switching circuit 44a may be fixed for each slave device 4. When each slave device 4 turns on the first switching circuit 44a immediately after the power supply device 5 starts supplying power, the period is 0.

After S34 or S35, the input unit 21 receives input of on-timing information from the user (S36). When the magnitude of the inrush current is not determined in the slave device 4, the input unit 21 accepts input of the delay time from the user in order to determine the delay time in advance. When determining the magnitude of the rush current in the slave device 4 (dynamically changing the delay time), the input unit 21 receives an input of the expected delay time from the user. Note that if the plurality of slave devices connected to the master device 3 include a slave device (slave device in the reference example) that starts supplying power to a plurality of external devices 6a to 6h at the same time, the input unit 21 The delay time of the slave device is set to 0.

The processing of S31 to S36 is performed for each slave device 4. When the processing for each slave device 4 is completed, the setting information acquisition processing ends.

(Example of current waveform)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing waveforms of voltage and current flowing through the power supply device 5 in the master-slave control system 10. Here, an example is shown in which three slave devices 4a to 4c (slave devices in an operational example) and one slave device in a reference example are connected to the power supply device 5. Eight external devices are connected to each slave device. Note that the height and width of the illustrated current waveform are not exact.

The maximum value of the rush current of each external device connected to the slave device 4a is 1A. The period during which rush current flows in each external device connected to the slave device 4a is 3 ms. The master device 3 transmits a start instruction to the slave device 4a 10 ms after the power supply device 5 starts supplying power. The slave device 4a starts supplying power to each external device in sequence with a delay time of 5 ms.

The maximum value of the rush current of each external device connected to the slave device 4b is 2A. The period during which rush current flows in each external device connected to the slave device 4b is 3 ms. The master device 3 transmits a start instruction to the slave device 4b 50 ms after the power supply device 5 starts supplying power. The slave device 4b starts supplying power to each external device in sequence with a delay time of 5 ms.

The maximum value of the rush current of each external device connected to the slave device 4c is 3A. The period during which rush current flows in each external device connected to the slave device 4c is 3 ms. The master device 3 transmits a start instruction to the slave device 4c 100 ms after the power supply device 5 starts supplying power. The slave device 4c starts supplying power to each external device in sequence with a delay time of 5 ms.

The maximum value of the rush current of each external device connected to the slave device of the reference example is 1A. The period during which rush current flows in each external device connected to the slave device of the reference example is 3 ms. Immediately after the power supply device 5 starts supplying power, the slave device of the reference example simultaneously starts supplying power to a plurality of external devices.

The upper limit of the current allowed in the power supply device 5 is 10A. As soon as the power supply device 5 starts supplying power, inrush currents (maximum 8 A) of the eight external devices connected to the slave device of the reference example flow into the power supply device 5. Next, during a period of 10 ms to 48 ms, the rush current (maximum 1 A) of each external device connected to the slave device 4a flows in sequence. During a period of 50 ms to 88 ms, rush currents (maximum 2 A) of each external device connected to the slave device 4b sequentially flow. During 100 ms to 138 ms, inrush current (maximum 3 A) of each external device connected to slave device 4c sequentially flows. The master device 3 allows the plurality of slave devices 4a to 4c to start supplying power at different times, and each slave device 4a to 4c sets the timing to start supplying power to the plurality of external devices 6a to 6h to be different from each other. It's different. Therefore, the master-slave control system 10 can disperse the timing of inrush current flow and suppress the total current flowing through the power supply device 5 within an allowable range (10 A or less).

(Judgment flow)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing flow for determining whether the total current by the information processing device 2 falls within an allowable range. The information processing device 2 determines whether or not the current flowing through the power supply device 5 falls within an allowable range based on the settings indicated by the setting information.

The acquisition unit 23 acquires configuration information and setting information (S41). The configuration information includes connection configuration information, allowable current information, slave device information, and external device information. The external device information includes the maximum value of the inrush current flowing through each external device and/or information on the period during which the inrush current flows (inrush current information). The setting information includes mode setting information, start timing information, and on-timing information. The on-timing information indicates the timing at which the slave device 4 turns on each switching circuit, or indicates the period (delay time) from turning on one switching circuit to turning on the next switching circuit.

The determination unit 24 identifies the timing at which each switching circuit is turned on from the mode setting information, start timing information, and on-timing information (S42). Note that when there is only one slave device 4 connected to the master device 3, mode setting information and start timing information are unnecessary.

The determination unit 24 determines whether the current flowing through the power supply device 5 falls within an allowable range based on the timing at which each switching circuit is turned on and the external device information (S43). For example, the determination unit 24 determines whether the total value of (the maximum value of) the inrush currents of a plurality of external devices whose power supply start timings overlap falls within an allowable range.

Or more simply, the determining unit 24 may determine whether the periods in which rush currents flow for a plurality of external devices overlap. If the periods during which inrush currents flow for multiple external devices overlap, the determination unit 24 may determine that the current flowing through the power supply device 5 does not fall within the allowable range. If the periods during which inrush current flows in any of the external devices do not overlap, the determination unit 24 may consider that the current flowing through the power supply device 5 falls within the allowable range. In this case, information regarding the magnitude of the inrush current is not required.

Alternatively, it may be considered that the peaks (vertices) of the rush currents do not overlap. Even if the period during which the inrush current flows (for example, 3 ms) partially overlaps, if the timing to start supplying power to multiple external devices is different (for example, by 1 ms or more), the determination unit 24 determines that the inrush current flows through the power supply device 5. It may be assumed that the current is within the permissible range.

The notification control unit 25 notifies the user of the determination result by the determination unit 24 (whether the current flowing through the power supply device 5 falls within/does not fall within the allowable range) (S44). In particular, when the current flowing through the power supply device 5 does not fall within an allowable range, the notification control unit 25 may display an alert on the display device and display a message prompting the user to correct the setting information.

According to the information processing device 2 of this embodiment, the user can know in advance whether the magnitude of the inrush current will fall within the allowable range with the assumed configuration and settings of the master-slave control system 10. Therefore, the user can correct the setting information before the master-slave control system 10 starts operating and a problem occurs.

(Modified example)
The slave device 4 may receive a setting (determination setting) from the user as to whether or not the slave device 4 uses the control unit 43 to determine the magnitude of the rush current (dynamically changes the delay time). In this case, the user inputs determination settings regarding the slave device 4 into the input unit 21 of the information processing device 2 . The instruction unit 26 of the information processing device 2 is connected to the slave device 4 via the master device 3 or directly, and transmits determination settings to the slave device 4.

[Example of implementation using software]
Control blocks of the information processing device 2, master device 3, and slave device 4 (in particular, the input section 21, the acquisition section 23, the determination section 24, the notification control section 25, the instruction section 26, the instruction input section 31, the start control section 33, the reception section The unit 41 and the control unit 43) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the information processing device 2, master device 3, and slave device 4 are equipped with a computer that executes instructions of a program that is software that implements each function. This computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the above program. In the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, in addition to "non-temporary tangible media" such as ROM (Read Only Memory), tapes, disks, cards, semiconductor memories, programmable logic circuits, etc. can be used. Further, the computer may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program. Furthermore, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast waves, etc.) that can transmit the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

1, 10 Master-slave control system 2 Information processing device (external device)
3 Master device (external device)
4 Slave device 5 Power supply devices 6a to 6h External device 21 Input section 22 Information storage section 23 Acquisition section 24 Judgment section 25 Notification control section 26 Instruction section 31 Instruction input section 32 Master storage section 33 Start control section 41 Reception section 42 Slave storage section 43 Control section 44a to 44h Switching circuit 45a to 45h Measurement circuit 46a to 46h Power supply connector 47 Power input connector 48 Power output connector

Claims (6)

multiple power delivery connectors that provide power to multiple connected external devices;
a plurality of switching circuits that individually turn on/off the supply of power to the plurality of power supply connectors;
and a control unit that makes the timing at which the plurality of switching circuits start supplying power different from each other ,
The plurality of power supply connectors include a first power supply connector and a second power supply connector,
comprising a measurement circuit that measures the current or voltage output to the first power supply connector,
The control unit starts supplying power to the first power supply connector after the power supply starts supplying power from the power supply device,
After the inrush current output to the first power supply connector becomes smaller than a predetermined value, the control unit causes the switching circuit to start supplying power to the second power supply connector. comprising a second reception unit that receives a start instruction to start power supply from the master device;
The slave device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sequentially starts supplying power to the plurality of switching circuits after receiving the start instruction. A plurality of slave devices according to claim 2;
a master device connected to the plurality of slave devices;
The master device is a master-slave control system, wherein the master device includes a start control unit that transmits the start instruction to the plurality of slave devices at different timings. The start control unit determines, among the plurality of slave devices, the timing to start supplying power to each power supply connector of one of the slave devices, and the timing to start supplying power to each power supply connector of another slave device. 4. The master-slave control system according to claim 3, wherein the master-slave control system has different timings. A method for controlling a slave device that supplies power to a plurality of connected external devices, the method comprising:
A first step of starting supply of power to a first external device among the plurality of external devices after the power supply starts supplying power;
a second step of starting the supply of power to a second external device among the plurality of external devices after a time interval after starting the supply of power to the first external device;
In the second step, the current or voltage output to the first external device is measured, and after the inrush current output to the first external device becomes smaller than a predetermined value, power is supplied to the second external device. A method of controlling a slave device to start supplying. A control program for causing a computer to function as the slave device according to claim 1, the control program for causing the computer to function as the control section.

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