JP2005094289A - Repeater between scan transmission networks - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a repeater between scan transmission networks which relays scan transmission data between different networks at the shortest time. <P>SOLUTION: The repeater comprises a first scan transmission controller 3, a second scan transmission controller 4, a scan transmission memory 23 for storing scan transmission data of individual networks, and a scan data transfer control means 2 for controlling the write/read in/from the scan transmission memory. The scan data transfer control means 2 comprises a memory control means 22 for controlling to execute the write/read of the scan transmission data to be scan-transmitted at preset data write addresses in the scan transmission memory 23 every minimum unit of the data within a specified time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to scan transmission in which a plurality of stations connected to a network share data, and in particular, relay between scan transmission networks with improved performance of a relay device provided for sharing data between different network transmission systems. Relates to the device.

  A large-scale control system such as a plant is configured as a station capable of transferring data at high speed by connecting a plurality of programmable controllers and process input / output devices to a LAN (Local Aria Network) or the like via a network.

  In such a plurality of stations, each station is provided with a common memory, and data transmitted from each station is cyclically transmitted at a high speed (hereinafter, this transmission is referred to as scan transmission). Are updated to the same content.

  Each station shares all the data connected to the network through the common memory and controls the system.

  Such a conventional scan transmission system will be described with reference to FIGS. The scan transmission network shown in FIG. 4 is configured by connecting stations 51 to 54 having common memories 51 a to 54 a through a network 5.

  In the common memories 51a to 54a, allocation of addresses stored in advance is set in the same way so that the data areas of the stations 51 to 54 do not overlap.

  FIG. 4 shows an example in which b11 to b14 are allocated as data areas of data in the common memories 51a to 54a of the stations 51 to 54, respectively. The data areas b11 to B14 are also called talker blocks.

  Next, the operation of the scan transmission network configured as described above will be described. Each of the stations 51 to 54 attaches an address of data to be transmitted in the data areas b11 to b14 and sends it to the network 5.

  For example, when the station 51 obtains the transmission right, the data in the data area b11 of the common memory 51a is transmitted to the network 5, and this signal is received by the stations 52 to 54, and the same data in the respective common memories 52a to 54a. Stored in area b1.

  The transmission right in the network 5 is assigned to any station in the network 5 in advance, and this station sets the scan transmission cycle and the transmission order for each station, and each station has a predetermined transmission order according to this order. The transmission time is controlled so as not to exceed the transmission cycle.

  Similarly, when each station 52 to 54 obtains the transmission right, the data of its own station is transmitted to the network 5, and when the transmission right goes around all the stations, the data in all the common memories 51a to 54a is the same latest data. Updated.

  By cyclically executing these processes, the stations 51 to 54 write data in the data areas b11 to b14 allocated to the stations, and the stations 51 to 54 read data in the data areas b11 to b14. Thus, the same data can be exchanged between all stations within the same transmission cycle, and one station can be controlled at high speed in the entire station of the network 5.

  Next, a conventional configuration and operation for connecting two networks using this scan transmission will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 5, the first network 5 and the second network 6 perform independent scan transmission.

  A station 51 is connected to the network 5 and a station 61 is connected to the network 6. The transmission data is relayed between the networks by the relay device 11 and stored in the common memories 51 a and 61 a of both networks 5 and 6. Can be shared by each network.

  Normally, a plurality of stations are connected to each of the stations 5 and 6, but in FIG. 5, the stations 52 to 54 of the network 5 and the stations 62 to 64 of the network 6 are omitted, and the respective stations 52 to 54, Only the data areas b12 to b14 and b22 to b24 of the common memory 62 to 64 are shown.

  A detailed configuration of the relay device 11 will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the relay device 11 includes a first scan transmission controller 13 that controls scanning / reading of scan transmission data of the first network 5 to / from the first scan transmission memory 13a and the first scan transmission memory 13a. The second scan transmission controller 14 for writing / reading the scan transmission data of the second network 6 to / from the second scan transmission memory 14a, the scan transmission memory 14a, the first scan transmission memory, and the second scan transmission The CPU 12 controls the transfer of mutual transmission data between the memories 14a.

  In some cases, the two networks 5 and 6 are assigned different addresses in terms of the number of connected stations and the data area address shared by the two networks.

  Therefore, the data areas b11 to b14 of the common memory 51a of the network 5 and the data areas b21 to b24 of the common memory 61a of the network 6 are set in advance by associating the data areas with each other. Easy to do.

  The data transfer control operation between the first and second scan transmission memories 13a and 14a is shown in FIG. The unit of transmission data to be transferred is the data area (block) of the data areas b11 to b14 of the stations 5 and 6, respectively.

  Then, the data of the first network 5 is received by the first scan controller 5 in units of blocks, and is written in the memory areas b11 to b14 of the first scan transmission memory 13a (FIG. 6A). .

  Next, the CPU 12 receives the notification that the writing is completed from the first scan transmission controller 13, and reads the data in the memory area b11 from the first scan transmission memory 13a, for example (FIG. 6B). The read data in the memory area b11 is written into a predetermined second scan transmission memory area b21 (FIG. 6C).

  The second scan transmission controller 14 is notified from the CPU 12 that the writing to the second scan transmission memory 14a is completed. Then, the second scan transmission controller 14 receives this write completion notification and establishes the transmission right of the second scan transmission controller 14 to transfer the data in the memory area 14a to the second network 6 in the next transmission cycle. Send it out.

  In this way, the same data is shared by all the common memories 51a to 54a and the common memories 61a to 64a of the first network 5 and the second network 5. In this case, since the transmission delay time by the relay apparatus 11 is transmission in units of data areas (blocks), the transmission delay time is delayed by a time corresponding to the data amount of transmission data.

Regarding such scan transmission between different transmission networks, a control system that shares data among stations is known (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
Akira Nojima, Ikuo Kasahara, Toshiba Review Vol. 10 (2001), FIG. 5 “Application of Integrated Controller to Steel Plant Control System” P26, FIG.

  When sharing transmission data between different transmission networks, that is, between networks having different scan transmission cycles and scan transmission data addresses, there is a problem that transmission data is delayed by a relay device that relays between the two networks.

  In the case of the steel plant control system shown in Non-Patent Document 1 described above, the update of control data used at each station of the network requires a high-speed response in units of milliseconds.

  In particular, when updating the network of a control system that performs scan transmission, data may be transmitted gradually between the old network and the new network because it may be gradually updated while operating in parallel with the control system of the old network. The delay is required to be performed at a high speed in units of microseconds as a transmission delay time of the relay device 11.

  However, as described above, in the conventional data transmission between networks, the data of the first network on the transmission side is written in the first scan transmission memory, and then the second scan transmission memory on the reception side from the first scan transmission memory. Therefore, a transmission delay corresponding to the time for buffering in the first scan transmission memory occurs. That is, there is a problem that it is impossible to avoid the occurrence of a delay time corresponding to the amount of scan transmission data.

  However, a technique for relaying control data between different networks at high speed is not known.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and when relaying scan transmission data between different networks, the data transmitted by each station of both networks is shared between the networks in the shortest time. An object of the present invention is to provide a relay device between scan transmission networks that can be used.

To achieve the above object, the relay device between scan transmission networks of the present invention is a relay device provided between networks having a scan transmission function,
The relay device includes: a first scan transmission controller that controls transmission / reception of first scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through a first network to / from a scan transmission memory in the relay device; A second scan transmission controller for controlling transmission / reception of second scan transmission data to / from the scan transmission memory, the first scan transmission data, and the second scan transmission data; Scan data transfer control means for controlling writing / reading to / from a predetermined address of the scan transmission memory, wherein the scan data transfer control means corresponds to the write address of the first scan transmission data. A write address of scan transmission data is set in advance, and the first and second For each minimum unit of the can transmit data, within a predetermined time period, characterized in that the scanning transmission data and to run and controlled by time division writing and reading to the scan transmission memory.

  According to the present invention, as a scan data transfer control unit of a relay device that relays between different scan transmission networks, the addresses of different memory areas of the common memory between the networks are set in advance, and the common memory shared by the stations of each network A scan transmission memory for storing the data and a minimum unit of data to be scanned and transmitted to the scan transmission memory, that is, a minimum unit of data such as a bit or a word of a data area (block) for each station Since the memory control means for executing the writing within a predetermined time is provided, the delay of the transmission time due to the relay between different networks can be minimized.

  Further, even when the scan transmission rates are different from each other, data shared by the common memories can be transferred at high speed without affecting the scan transmission rates of the respective networks.

  In addition, when the conventional network or station is updated by reducing the relay time, the network update of a large-scale network system that does not affect the control performance of the existing network, Split update is possible.

  Furthermore, since it is easy to construct a duplex network system, it is possible to easily construct a reliable system.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a relay apparatus 1 placed between a first network 5 and a second network 6 that each constitute a scan transmission network.

  Here, a plurality of stations are connected to the first and second networks, respectively. In FIG. 1, the station 51 of the first network and the common memory 51a, the station 61 of the second network, and The common memory 61a is illustrated, and other stations are omitted.

  In FIG. 1, the relay apparatus 1 includes a first scan transmission controller 3 with a first network, a second scan transmission controller 4, and a scan data transfer control unit 2 that relays signals between them. .

  Further, the scan data transfer control unit 2 includes a scan transmission memory 23 that independently stores the data of the common memories 51a and 61a shared by the networks, and the first and second networks in the scan transmission memory 23. The address conversion circuit 21 designates the address of the data area for storing the data to be scanned and transmitted, and the memory control circuit 22 controls the write timing.

  When the data areas of the common memories 51a and 61a of the first and second networks are different, the address conversion circuit 21 converts the data area in which data is written / read to the address of the corresponding memory area of the network. It has a function.

  Since the data area of this common memory may cause the data configuration of each station or when the station is updated, if the corresponding address can be set in the format of the conversion table, the station of any network Even if the address of the data area is changed, it can be easily handled.

  The memory control circuit 22 that controls the timing of writing data to the scan data transmission memory 23, which will be described in detail later, transfers data between the first and second networks in a time-sharing manner with a reliable transmission delay time. To do.

  Next, detailed settings and operations of the relay apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. First, the setting of the memory control circuit 22 that controls the writing / reading operation of the scan transmission memory 23 will be described.

  First, the setting of the memory control signal will be described with reference to FIG. Memory control signals φ11W and φ12W (FIGS. 2 (e) and 2 (d)) for writing the scan transmission data of the first network 5 to the scan transmission memory 23, and the scan transmission data of the second network 6 to the scan transmission memory 23 Memory control signals φ22W and φ21W (FIGS. 2G and 2H) to be written to

  The clock signals φ11W and φ12W and the clock signals φ22W and φ21W are generated in synchronization with the diagram reference clock signal Ck shown in FIG. 2C, and the memory control signals φ11W and φ12W and the memory control signal φ22W are generated. , Φ21W is selected and set as a time-series signal by the network control signal Cg shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the reference clock signal Ck is set as a frequency at least twice faster than the frequency of the unit data signal shown in FIG. 2 (i) of the scan transmission data of both networks.

  Next, the relay operation of the scan transmission data of the relay apparatus 1 by the scan data control unit 2 configured as described above will be described.

  For example, it is assumed that the data stored in the data area b11 of the common memory 51a is transmitted to the first network 5 from the station 51 that has obtained the transmission right in the first network 5 (FIG. 2A).

  Then, the first scan transmission controller 3 notifies the address conversion circuit 21 and the memory control circuit 22 that this data has been received. The address conversion circuit 21 receives an address accompanying this data and converts it into a preset storage destination address.

  The memory control circuit 22 selects the control signal of the first network by the network control signal Cg, and inputs the memory control signal φ11W and the storage destination address converted by the address conversion circuit 21 to the scan transmission memory 23. Then, it is stored in the scan transmission memory 23 at the write timing (t1) of the falling edge of φ11W shown in FIG.

  Also, the same transmission data is stored in the address of the data area shared by the second network of the scan transmission memory 23 within the effective data period of the scan transmission data shown in FIG.

  In this write control, the storage destination address in the scan transmission memory 23 of the address conversion circuit 21 is selected by the network control signal Cg and the reference clock signal Ck, and the write timing of the falling edge of φ12 shown in FIG. And stored in the scan transmission memory 23.

  That is, the data in the data area b11 of the common memory 51a, which is the scan transmission data of the first network 5, is written to different addresses in the scan transmission memory 23 within the time when the minimum unit of this data exists.

  In this way, all the data in the data area b11 is written to different addresses in the scan transmission memory 23.

  The second scan transmission controller 4 sends the data to the second network at the timing when the next transmission right is established after the data writing in the data area b11 is completed.

  That is, as described above, the scan transmission data of the first network is transmitted by the relay apparatus 1 with the delay of the transmission delay time Td shown in FIG. 2 (b) and its enlarged view in FIG. 2 (j). Data can be transferred to the transmission network 6. This delay time can be controlled in microseconds or less by the memory control circuit 22 described above.

  Next, transmission of scan data from the second network 6 to the first network 3 is similarly stored in the scan transmission memory 23 at the timing of selecting the network control signal Cg for selecting the second net. The memory control signal, φ22W (FIG. 2 (g)), φ21W (FIG. 2 (h)) can be controlled.

  That is, the scan transmission data to be transmitted to each other is transferred to the data area of the mutual scan transmission memory within a delay time corresponding to the cycle of the reference clock signal Ck, and sent as the mutual scan data in the next transmission cycle. Shared by station without network.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the second relay device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. For each part of this embodiment, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 differs from the first embodiment of FIG. 1 in that the scan transmission memory 23 is provided as a separate first scan transmission memory 3a and a second scan transmission memory 4a, respectively.

  In the second embodiment, since the scan transmission memories 3a and 4a are provided independently, when the first network and the second network are configured as the same scan transmission network, they are duplicated. A reliable system can be easily constructed.

  Also, with such a configuration, it is possible to ensure network compatibility of a large-scale network system, so that not only batch update but also divided update for each station can be easily performed.

The block diagram of Example 1 of this invention. This is a time chart for explaining the operation of the relay device of the present invention. The block diagram of Example 2 of this invention. Explanatory drawing of a scan transmission network. The block diagram of the relay apparatus between the conventional networks. Explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the relay apparatus between the conventional networks.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Relay apparatus 2 Scan data transfer control part 3, 13 1st scan transmission controller 4, 14 2nd scan transmission controller 5 1st network 6 2nd network 21 Address conversion circuit 22, 25 Memory control circuit 23, 13a , 14a Scan transmission memory 3a First scan transmission memory 4a Second scan transmission memory 12 CPU
51, 52, 53, 54, 61 Network station 51a, 52a, 53a, 54a Common memory

Claims (4)

A relay device provided between networks having a scan transmission function,
The relay device has a first scan transmission controller that controls transmission and reception of first scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through a first network to and from a scan transmission memory in the relay device;
A second scan transmission controller for controlling transmission / reception of second scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through the second network to / from the scan transmission memory;
Scan data transfer control means for controlling writing / reading of the first scan transmission data and the second scan transmission data to a predetermined address of the scan transmission memory, and
The scan data transfer control unit presets a write address of the first scan transmission data and a write address of the second scan transmission data corresponding to the first scan transmission data, and sets the minimum of the first and second scan transmission data. A relay device between scan transmission networks, wherein the scan transmission data is written / read to / from the scan transmission memory in a unit of time within a predetermined time. A relay device provided between networks having a scan transmission function,
The relay device has a first scan transmission controller that controls transmission and reception of first scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through a first network to and from a scan transmission memory in the relay device;
A second scan transmission controller for controlling transmission / reception of second scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through the second network to / from the scan transmission memory;
Scan data transfer control means for controlling writing / reading of the first scan transmission data and the second scan transmission data to a predetermined address of the scan transmission memory, and
The scan data transfer control means converts the write address of the first scan transmission data and the corresponding write address of the second scan transmission data into address conversion means for mutually converting and setting in the scan transmission memory; ,
Memory control means for executing and controlling the scan transmission data in the scan transmission memory in a time-sharing manner within a predetermined time for each minimum unit of the first and second scan transmission data. A relay device between scan transmission networks. A relay device provided between networks having a scan transmission function,
The relay device includes a first scan transmission memory,
A first scan transmission controller that controls transmission / reception of first scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through a first network to / from the first scan transmission memory;
A second scan transmission memory;
A second scan transmission controller that controls transmission and reception of second scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through the second network to and from the second scan transmission memory;
Scan data transfer control means for controlling writing / reading of data to / from the first and second scan transmission memories,
The scan data transfer control means writes / reads the scan transmission data to / from the first and second scan transmission memories within a predetermined time for each minimum unit of the first and second scan transmission data. A relay device between scan transmission networks, characterized in that it is executed and controlled in a time-sharing manner. A relay device provided between networks having a scan transmission function,
The relay device includes a first scan transmission memory,
A first scan transmission controller that controls transmission / reception of first scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through a first network to / from the first scan transmission memory;
A second scan transmission memory;
A second scan transmission controller that controls transmission and reception of second scan transmission data scanned and transmitted through the second network to and from the second scan transmission memory;
Scan data transfer control means for controlling writing / reading of data to / from the first and second scan transmission memories,
The scan data transfer control means converts the write address of the first scan transmission data and the write address of the second scan transmission data corresponding to each other into the first and second scan transmission memories. Address conversion means to be set to
Memory that executes and controls the scan transmission data in the first and second scan transmission memories within a predetermined time for each minimum unit of the first and second scan transmission data in a time-sharing manner A relay device between the scan transmission networks.

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