CN210670115U - Communication module's extension device and robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a communication module's extension device and robot, the device includes: a master station and more than one slave station; the master station is connected with a first slave station in the more than one slave stations through a network cable by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol; and adjacent two slave stations in the more than one slave stations are arranged in a cascade mode through network cables by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol. The utility model discloses a scheme can solve the problem that communication ability is weak based on field bus's extension module, reaches the effect that promotes extension module's communication ability.

Description

Communication module's extension device and robot

Technical Field

The utility model belongs to the technical field of the communication, concretely relates to communication module's extension device and robot especially relate to a realization device and robot that has device based on etherCAT industrial bus robot extension module.

Background

At present, industrial robots are widely applied in production, and in order to meet more application scenarios, a control system needs to sample various access sensor signals in real time and output various control signals in real time, so that various expansion modules based on field buses are formed. However, the expansion module based on the field bus has low communication bandwidth due to the adoption of the field bus implementation mode, and the communication capability is influenced.

The above is only for the purpose of assisting understanding of the technical solutions of the present invention, and does not represent an admission that the above is the prior art.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

An object of the utility model is to above-mentioned defect, provide a communication module's extension device and robot to solve the problem that communication ability is weak based on field bus's extension module, reach the effect that promotes extension module's communication ability.

The utility model provides a communication module's extension device, include: a master station and more than one slave station; the master station is connected with a first slave station in the more than one slave stations through a network cable by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol; and adjacent two slave stations in the more than one slave stations are arranged in a cascade mode through network cables by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol.

Optionally, adjacent two of the more than one slave stations are connected in a non-isolated manner, specifically, by directly coupling signals.

Optionally, more than one communication module is arranged in each slave station; and an EtherCAT communication protocol is adopted between two adjacent communication modules in the more than one communication modules, and the communication modules are connected by adopting an Ethernet physical layer.

Optionally, the ethernet physical layer connection between two adjacent communication modules is implemented by using a plug-in type for hard connection.

Optionally, the first communication module in each slave station adopts an EtherCAT slave station communication chip with a three-port network structure; this EtherCAT slave station communication chip's three-port network structure includes: a first port, a second port, and a third port; the first port is connected with a network interface of the master station or a first communication module in an adjacent slave station; the second port is connected with the adjacent communication module in the same slave station; and the third port is connected with the first communication module in the adjacent slave station.

Optionally, the EtherCAT slave station communication chip of the three-port network structure adopts a communication chip of a model LAN 9252.

Optionally, a communication module in each slave station, which is located behind the first communication module, adopts a communication chip with two physical communication ports; one of the two physical communication ports is used for uplink communication, and the other physical communication port is used for downlink communication.

Optionally, a communication chip having two physical communication ports, includes: the communication chip is XMC 4300.

With the above device phase-match, the utility model discloses another aspect provides a robot, include: the expansion device of the communication module is described above.

The utility model discloses a scheme, through in the extension module based on etherCAT industrial bus robot, the module cascade does not have one, the branch of second grade bus, and the intermodule adopts ethernet physical layer to connect, adopts etherCAT slave station protocol stack, can realize real high bandwidth and synchronization ability.

Further, the utility model discloses a scheme is through between the station from EtherCAT each, removes network transformer, directly carries out signal coupling directly between module and the module and directly links, has reduced hardware cost and system complexity.

Therefore, the utility model discloses a scheme is through making between module and the upper and lower computer to and adopt etherCAT communication protocol between module and the module entirely, solves the problem that the communication ability is weak based on field bus's extension module, reaches the effect that promotes extension module's communication ability.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention.

The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail by the accompanying drawings and examples.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic product configuration structure diagram of an expansion device of a communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an expansion device of a communication module according to the present invention;

fig. 3 is a LAN9252 three-port network of an embodiment of an expansion device of the communication module of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a general slave station according to an embodiment of the expansion apparatus of a communication module of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an ethernet communication slave station according to an embodiment of the expansion device of the communication module of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a transformer coupling according to an embodiment of the expansion device of the communication module of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating another embodiment of a capacitive coupling of an expansion device of a communication module according to the present invention;

fig. 8 is an expanded structural schematic diagram of an expanding device of a communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

To make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the following will combine the embodiments of the present invention and the corresponding drawings to clearly and completely describe the technical solution of the present invention. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art without creative work belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

According to the utility model discloses an embodiment provides a communication module's extension device. Referring to fig. 1, a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is shown. The expansion device of the communication module may include: a master station and more than one slave station.

The master station and a first slave station of the more than one slave stations are connected through a network cable by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol. And adjacent two slave stations in the more than one slave stations are arranged in a cascade mode through network cables by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol.

For example: an extended module implementation scheme based on an EtherCAT industrial bus robot does not adopt concepts of a primary bus and a secondary bus, but fully adopts EtherCAT (Ethernet control automation technology) communication protocols between modules and upper and lower computers and between modules, so that real one-network-to-one-network communication is realized. The EtherCAT protocol is utilized to realize the network communication bandwidth of 100Mbps, and the synchronization function is realized between the control system and the modules.

For example: the module cascade does not have a division of a first-level bus and a second-level bus, the modules are connected by adopting 100Mbps Ethernet physical layer, and an EtherCAT slave station protocol stack is adopted to really realize a one-network-to-one-end mode. Thus, the communication protocol of 100Mbps Ethernet EtherCAT is adopted, so that the real high bandwidth and the synchronization capability can be realized.

Therefore, by adopting the EtherCAT communication protocol between the master station and the slave station and between the adjacent slave stations and carrying out cascade arrangement between the adjacent slave stations, the real high bandwidth and the real synchronization capacity can be realized, and the communication capacity is improved.

Optionally, adjacent two of the more than one slave stations are connected in a non-isolated manner, specifically, by directly coupling signals.

For example: EtherCAT is connected between each slave station by adopting a network cable, and a network transformer is used for coupling and isolating signals. And the utility model discloses an in the scheme, remove network transformer, directly carry out signal coupling directly between module and the module and link, reduced hardware cost and system complexity like this.

Therefore, the network transformers are not adopted for signal isolation through cascade connection between the master station and the slave stations and between the adjacent slave stations, a direct connection non-isolation mode of signals is used, the network transformers are omitted, and cost and connection complexity are obviously reduced.

Optionally, in each slave station, more than one communication module is provided. And an EtherCAT communication protocol is adopted between two adjacent communication modules in the more than one communication modules, and the communication modules are connected by adopting an Ethernet physical layer.

For example: the cascade connection between the modules does not adopt a network transformer to carry out signal isolation, and uses a direct connection non-isolation mode of signals. Because the module cascade does not adopt an Ethernet network line, a network transformer is removed, and the cost and the complexity of connection are obviously reduced.

Therefore, the EtherCAT communication protocol is adopted between two adjacent communication modules, and a direct connection non-isolation mode of signals is used, so that a network transformer is omitted, and the cost and the connection complexity are obviously reduced.

More optionally, the ethernet physical layer connection between two adjacent communication modules is implemented by using a plug-in type for hard connection.

For example: the communication physical connection between the modules is hard connection in the form of connector, and the form of the connected product can be seen in the example shown in fig. 1. For example, the connection between the modules is connected by using 100Mbps ethernet physical layer, and because the communication distance is short, the modules are not isolated by using a network transformer, but communicate by using a direct capacitive coupling method, so that the cost and the hardware complexity are reduced, and a comparison of the hardware implementation principles can be seen in the examples shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Therefore, the communication physical connection between the adjacent communication modules adopts the connector form to carry out hard connection, the communication distance is short, a network transformer is not used for isolation, and the direct capacitive coupling mode is adopted for communication, so that the cost and the hardware complexity are reduced.

More optionally, the first communication module in each slave station adopts an EtherCAT slave station communication chip of a three-port network structure.

The three-port network structure of the EtherCAT slave station communication chip can comprise: a first port, a second port, and a third port. For example: the first port is a port P0, the second port is a port P1, and the third port is a port P2. The first port is connected with the network interface of the master station or a first communication module in the adjacent slave station. And the second port is connected with the adjacent communication module in the same slave station. And the third port is connected with the first communication module in the adjacent slave station.

Therefore, the EtherCAT slave station communication chip with the three-port network structure is adopted as the first communication module in the slave station, and is an integrated chip, so that the space can be saved, a hardware structure does not need to be additionally arranged, and the cost is low.

Preferably, the EtherCAT slave station communication chip of the three-port network structure adopts a communication chip with a model number of LAN 9252.

For example: the first module connected from the main station EtherCAT bus adopts an EtherCAT slave controller (such as a 2/3 port EtherCAT slave controller LAN9252) of microchip corporation (american micro-core technology corporation), the chip has 3 ports (such as the examples shown in fig. 4, respectively called P0, P1, P2) EtherCAT slave station network control capability, and integrates two physical layer (PHY layer) ports, wherein the P0 port is connected with the main station through a network cable, the P1 port performs module cascade of the group, the P2 port performs another group of expansion modules through network cable cascade, and so on, cascade is continued, and the capacity of cascading slave station number is limited by the expansion capability of the slave station of the EtherCAT protocol, namely, the maximum slave station number is 65535.

Therefore, the first cascade module connected from the EtherCAT bus of the master station is connected from the LAN9252 by the EtherCAT, the integration degree is high, the first cascade module can be conveniently cascaded with the adjacent communication module and the first communication module in the corresponding slave station, the structure is simple, and the space is saved.

Optionally, the communication module in each slave station after the first communication module uses a communication chip with two physical communication ports. Among the two physical communication ports, one physical communication port can be used for uplink communication, and the other physical communication port can be used for downlink communication.

Therefore, the communication chip with the two physical communication ports is adopted, so that the two adjacent communication modules can be directly cascaded conveniently, and the communication distance is short.

More optionally, the communication chip having two physical communication ports may include: the communication chip is XMC 4300.

For example: the slave station module adopts an XMC4300 chip of the Engfei company, the chip is integrated into an ARM Cortex-M4 core, the processing performance is excellent, the EtherCAT slave station protocol is integrated, two MII interfaces are provided, and physical layer communication can be completed only by adding two PHY layer network communication chips externally. Two physical communication ports of XMC4300 finish the up communication one, finish the downstream communication one, form the cascade connection relation among the module.

The XMC4300 is mainly selected because the XMC4300 is provided with the EtherCAT slave station protocol, so that application development is realized by using one processor, and the XMC4300 can also be realized in the mode of FIG. 5, and needs the processor and a special slave station protocol chip, so that the design complexity and the cost are increased. The XMC4300 scheme is adopted to integrate the protocol part realized by the ET1100 in the chip, thus improving the anti-interference performance of the chip, improving the stability of the system and reducing the complexity of hardware.

Therefore, by adopting the XMC4300 chip, because the slave station protocol of the EtherCAT is carried by the XMC4300 chip, no additional auxiliary hardware is needed, the anti-interference performance of the chip is improved, the stability of a system is improved, and the complexity of hardware is reduced.

Through a large amount of experimental verifications, adopt the technical scheme of the utility model, through in the extension module based on etherCAT industrial bus robot, the module cascades does not have one, the branch of second grade bus, and intermodule adopts ethernet physical layer to connect, adopts etherCAT slave station protocol stack, can realize real high bandwidth and synchronization ability.

According to the utility model discloses an embodiment still provides a robot corresponding to communication module's extension device. The robot may include: the expansion device of the communication module is described above.

The expansion module product based on the field bus comprises an analog quantity acquisition module AD, an analog quantity output module DA, a digital input/output module IO, a temperature acquisition module, a position encoder module and the like. Most of the expansion modules adopt field bus realization modes, such as CAN, RS485 bus and the like, the bandwidth is usually 1-10 Mbsp, the bandwidth is low, the reliability is reduced along with the increase of nodes, the synchronization mode among the modules is complex, and the like, such as a PLC product expansion module, a robot controller product expansion module and the like; some products adopt a two-level bus implementation mode, wherein a group of modules communicate with each other through 100Mbsp Ethernet based on the EtherCAT technology, and the modules adopt similar SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) and RS485 non-real-time bus control, and have the following defects: the problems of low communication bandwidth between modules, slow communication response (non-real time, the more cascade secondary modules, the slower response), incapability of synchronous control, and the like can be seen in the example shown in fig. 7.

In an optional implementation manner, the utility model provides an extension module implementation scheme based on an EtherCAT industrial bus robot, which does not adopt concepts of a primary bus and a secondary bus, but adopts EtherCAT (ethernet control automation technology) communication protocols between the module and the upper computer and between the module and the lower computer, so as to realize real one-network-to-the-end; the EtherCAT protocol is utilized to realize the network communication bandwidth of 100Mbps, and the synchronization function is realized between the control system and the modules.

The module cascade is not divided into a first bus and a second bus, the modules are connected by adopting a 100Mbps Ethernet physical layer, and an EtherCAT slave station protocol stack is adopted to really realize a one-network-to-one mode. Thus, the communication protocol of 100Mbps Ethernet EtherCAT is adopted, so that the real high bandwidth and the synchronization capability can be realized.

Optionally, the EtherCAT slave stations are usually connected by network cables, and the signals are coupled and isolated by using network transformers. And the utility model discloses an in the scheme, remove network transformer, directly carry out signal coupling directly between module and the module and link, reduced hardware cost and system complexity like this.

The cascade connection among the modules does not adopt a network transformer for signal isolation, and uses a direct connection non-isolation mode of signals. Because the module cascade does not adopt an Ethernet network line, a network transformer is removed, and the cost and the complexity of connection are obviously reduced.

In an alternative embodiment, reference may be made to the examples shown in fig. 1 to 7 to illustrate specific implementation processes of the present invention.

Fig. 1 can show the product form based on the EtherCAT industrial bus robot expansion module.

Fig. 2 can show the product connection principle based on the EtherCAT industrial bus robot expansion module. In FIG. 2, XMC4300 is a special purpose processor IC from England, Inc. that can be used for Ethernet communication; LAN9252 is a dedicated chip for communication from EtherCAT slave stations, produced by microchip corporation, and P0, P1, and P2 are communication interfaces.

Fig. 3 can show a three-port network architecture of LAN 9252. In fig. 3, EtherCAT Slave is an EtherCAT Slave station; EtherCAT Master, EtherCAT Master station; EEPROM, which is charged erasable programmable read-only memory; Microprocessor/Microcontroller, which is a Microcontroller; magnetics, a network transformer; PHY is network Ethernet PHY chip.

Fig. 4 may show a general slave station structure, and fig. 5 may show an ethernet communication slave station structure. In fig. 4 and 5, PHYs 0, 1 are network ethernet PHY chips; a CPU, which is a general-purpose processor; ET1100, a special chip for EtherCAT slave station communication produced by Beifu corporation.

Fig. 6 may show a structure of transformer coupling, and fig. 7 may show a structure of capacitive coupling.

The first module connected from the main station EtherCAT bus adopts an EtherCAT slave controller (such as a 2/3 port EtherCAT slave controller LAN9252) of microchip corporation (american micro-core technology corporation), the chip has 3 ports (such as the examples shown in fig. 4, respectively called P0, P1, P2) EtherCAT slave station network control capability, and integrates two physical layer (PHY layer) ports, wherein the P0 port is connected with the main station through a network cable, the P1 port performs module cascade of the group, the P2 port performs another group of expansion modules through network cable cascade, and so on, cascade is continued, and the capacity of cascading slave station number is limited by the expansion capability of the slave station of the EtherCAT protocol, namely, the maximum slave station number is 65535.

Optionally, the slave station module adopts an XMC4300 chip of the british flying company, the chip is integrated into an ARM Cortex-M4 core, the processing performance is excellent, the EtherCAT slave station protocol is integrated, two MII interfaces are provided, and physical layer communication can be completed only by adding two PHY layer network communication chips externally. Two physical communication ports of XMC4300 finish the up communication one, finish the downstream communication one, form the cascade connection relation among the module.

The XMC4300 is selected mainly because the slave station protocol with EtherCAT is carried by the XMC4300, so that application development is realized by using one processor, and the XMC4300 can also be realized in the mode of FIG. 5, the processor and a special slave station protocol chip are required, so that the design complexity and the cost are increased, and the protocol part realized by the ET1100 is integrated in the chip by adopting the XMC4300 scheme, so that the anti-interference performance of the chip is improved, the stability of a system is improved, and the complexity of hardware is reduced.

Alternatively, the physical communication connection between the modules is hard-wired in the form of connectors, and the form of the connected product can be seen in the example shown in fig. 1.

Optionally, the connection between the modules is connected by using a 100Mbps ethernet physical layer, and because the communication distance is short, the modules are not isolated by using a network transformer any longer, but communicate by using a direct capacitive coupling manner, so that the cost and the hardware complexity are reduced, and a comparison of the hardware implementation principles can be seen in the examples shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Wherein, LAN9252 in the system can be replaced by similar chips such as ET1100 of the time good, etc., the main characteristic is EtherCAT slave station function of 3 ports; XMC4300 in the system can also be replaced by XMC4800, ET1100, LAN9252 chips and the like.

The cascade connection between the modules can also be added with a network transformer to carry out signal isolation, the cost and the performance factor are integrated, and the optimal scheme is also the currently introduced implementation scheme.

Since the processes and functions implemented by the robot of this embodiment substantially correspond to the embodiments, principles and examples of the apparatus shown in fig. 1, the descriptions of the embodiment are omitted for brevity, and reference may be made to the related descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Through a large amount of experimental verifications, adopt the technical scheme of the utility model, through each from the interstation at EtherCAT, remove network transformer, directly carry out signal coupling directly between module and the module and link, reduced hardware cost and system complexity.

In summary, it is readily understood by those skilled in the art that the advantageous modes described above can be freely combined and superimposed without conflict.

The above description is only an example of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. An expansion device for a communication module, comprising: a master station and more than one slave station; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the master station is connected with a first slave station in the more than one slave stations through a network cable by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol;

and adjacent two slave stations in the more than one slave stations are arranged in a cascade mode through network cables by adopting an EtherCAT communication protocol.

2. The extension device of claim 1, wherein adjacent ones of the more than one secondary stations are connected in a non-isolated manner, in particular using direct signal coupling.

3. The communication module extension device of claim 1, wherein more than one communication module is provided in each slave station;

and an EtherCAT communication protocol is adopted between two adjacent communication modules in the more than one communication modules, and the communication modules are connected by adopting an Ethernet physical layer.

4. The expansion device of claim 3, wherein the Ethernet physical layer connection between two adjacent communication modules is a hard connection in the form of a plug-in.

5. The expansion device of the communication module according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first communication module in each slave station adopts an EtherCAT slave station communication chip of a three-port network structure;

this EtherCAT slave station communication chip's three-port network structure includes: a first port, a second port, and a third port; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the first port is connected with the network interface of the master station or a first communication module in an adjacent slave station;

the second port is connected with the adjacent communication module in the same slave station;

and the third port is connected with the first communication module in the adjacent slave station.

6. The expansion device of the communication module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the EtherCAT slave station communication chip of the three-port network structure is a communication chip of type LAN 9252.

7. The communication module expansion device of claim 3 or 4, wherein the communication module behind the first communication module in each slave station adopts a communication chip with two physical communication ports; one of the two physical communication ports is used for uplink communication, and the other physical communication port is used for downlink communication.

8. The expansion device of claim 7, wherein the communication chip having two physical communication ports comprises: the communication chip is XMC 4300.

9. A robot, comprising: an expansion device of a communication module according to any of claims 1 to 8.

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