JP2005293569A - Synchronous controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a synchronous controller capable of simply establishing synchronization among modules, of suppressing influence on a calculation process for controlling a control object in a control module as much as possible, and of reducing a load on each module. <P>SOLUTION: This synchronous controller is provided with a cycle master module and one or more motion control modules. The respective modules are connected through a double bus structure, comprising a synchronous bus and an event bus for handling a large amount of data. The motion control modules each have a function for cyclically carrying out execution of a user program for controlling an object apparatus to be controlled. The cycle master module has the function of exchanging data with an external device other than the object apparatus to be controlled and for exchanging data with the control modules through the event bus and the synchronous bus. Each of the control modules carries out one cycle of the execution of the user program, by using reception of synchronous data transmitted from the cycle master module through the synchronous bus as a condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a synchronous controller.

  A programmable controller (PLC) is used as a control device for factory automation (FA) installed in a production factory (manufacturing site). This PLC is composed of a plurality of units. That is, a power supply unit of a power supply source, a CPU unit that controls the entire PLC, an output unit that inputs a switch or sensor signal attached to an appropriate place in an FA production device or facility device, an output that outputs a control output Various units such as a unit and a communication unit for connecting to a communication network are appropriately combined. Each unit is electrically and mechanically connected via a connector provided on the side surface, so that power can be supplied from the power supply unit to each unit and information can be transmitted and received.

  The control in the CPU unit of the PLC is based on a user program written in a user program description language (for example, ladder language) registered in advance by fetching a signal input from the input unit into the I / O memory of the CPU unit (IN refresh). Perform logical operation (operation execution), write the operation execution result to the I / O memory, send it to the output unit (OUT refresh), and then perform cyclic processing repeatedly to perform so-called peripheral processing. .

  Incidentally, among the units constituting the PLC, there is also a high-function unit for performing intelligent high-function control. This high-function unit is, for example, a process control unit having a function for executing a program for exclusive process control (analog control) such as receiving an analog value such as temperature and performing PID control, or a motion control unit for performing motion control. There are various things. This motion control unit is capable of driving and controlling a plurality of motors, and is used for three driving axes of the plurality of motors (so-called X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis) (left and right, front and rear, and top and bottom 3). Direction) and the positioning of the object of the drive system is controlled. Also, there is a motion control unit called a synchronous controller, which has a function capable of synchronously controlling the operation of each axis when performing multi-axis control.

  In this type of synchronous controller, as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, a control function of several axes (up to about 2 or 4 axes) is mounted in the controller, or as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2. In general, a multi-axis (6 axes or more) control function is installed in a network system to perform motion control. In addition, there are a method using a shared memory and an interrupt signal, a method using a communication command, and the like as a synchronization means in the built-in controller type and the network type.

JP2002-001000 JP 2001-070678 A

  The conventional apparatus described above has the following problems. In other words, when multi-axis control is processed by one main CPU, the control performance largely depends on the processing capacity of the main CPU. If multi-axis control is to be realized without degrading the performance, The performance required for the CPU is also increasing, and as a result, the controller becomes quite expensive. For customers who need only a few axis control, such a controller is over-specification, costly, and disadvantageous.

  In terms of structure, a method that incorporates a control function in a single unit housing must be equipped with multi-axis motor control I / Fs, which requires a large installation space. , Disadvantages occur. Especially for customers who need only a few axis control, an increase in the size of the housing may be a limitation of the installation location and may be disadvantageous.

  Further, when the main CPU of the controller performs motion control by the communication network method, information transmission in the communication is 1 (main CPU): N (each motor, etc.), and information transmission between the motors depending on the network environment. There may be a time lag, and in motion control such as synchronization, it becomes a factor that causes a shift in the movement between axes. And as the number of axes increases, the communication cycle also increases, so this deviation width also increases in proportion to the communication cycle.

  In the communication network method, the command value is transmitted to each control axis in advance, and if the start command is applied all at once, the performance as a synchronous operation can be achieved, but the processing load of the main CPU increases as the number of control axes increases, The communication cycle also increases, causing a problem that the performance is lowered with respect to the response operation from the external information.

  According to the present invention, a controller with high performance can be constructed according to the required number of axes, the synchronization between modules can be easily taken, and the influence on the arithmetic processing for controlling the control target in the control module can be reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide a synchronous controller that can suppress the load as much as possible and reduce the load on each module.

  The synchronous controller according to the present invention includes a cycle master module and at least one control module. The cycle master module and the control module store a large amount of data compared to the amount of data handled by the synchronous bus and the synchronous bus. The control module has a function to cyclically execute a user program for controlling the operation of the control target device, and the cycle master module is an external device other than the control target device. It has a function of sending / receiving data to / from the apparatus and sending / receiving data to / from the control module using an event bus and a synchronous bus. The control module is synchronized with the cycle master module via a synchronous bus. Receiving data As a result, one cycle of calculation execution is performed.

  A controller with a synchronization function, such as a motion controller, has a modular structure consisting of a cycle master module, a control module, etc., and each module (cycle master, motion control) has user programming and program execution functions. I tried to do it. These modules share information every cycle, and by making the information sharing area available to the user program, each module can execute a synchronous program. The synchronization data that is always shared can be arbitrarily referenced from the user program of each module, and when all the shared synchronization data can be referenced, an application program can be created with a plurality of synchronization information.

  And since the user can build a synchronous controller by adding a control module according to the application (especially a small-axis synchronous / torque / tension control application of 2 to 4 axes), it saves space and has high cost performance. Can be used.

  Since each module has a double structure of a synchronous bus and an event bus that handles a large amount of data, a bus structure with a performance corresponding to each purpose can be used. As a result, a common bus structure is used for processing that requires a small amount of data, but is very fast and requires punctuality, and processing that does not require high speed and punctuality but handles large amounts of data with different event characteristics. Separation instead of, it is possible to achieve sufficient synchronization performance even if the bus structure used is not high performance.

  Further, even if a multi-axis configuration is used, by appropriately setting the number of control modules, the processing load of the CPU per module does not increase, so that high-speed and stable control performance is exhibited.

  In addition, when multiple control modules are provided, it is possible to create a user program for each module, so it is possible to distribute the processing load from the viewpoint of the application, and a controller with higher processing performance by devising the program contents and arrangement Can be obtained.

  The predetermined number of control modules is normally used in plural, but the predetermined number includes one. In other words, even if there is only one control module, the control module controls the control target device by causing the cycle master module to execute processing such as sending and receiving events and other large-capacity data and communication with the outside. This is preferable because it can focus on the arithmetic processing for the purpose.

  Various settings can be made for the transmission timing of the synchronization data from the cycle master module, which is the reference for synchronization of each module. As an example, it is possible to output own synchronization data on condition that the synchronization data from all connected control modules has been received. As another method, synchronization data can be set to be output at regular intervals. It is also possible to implement a plurality of these setting conditions by switching them as appropriate.

  In addition, a plurality of the control modules are provided to receive synchronization data sent from the other control modules via the synchronization bus, and store the synchronization data in the synchronization data storage area. It is good to make it available. This controller provides a dedicated synchronization bus for always sharing information between modules so that multi-axis synchronization is possible, and an event dedicated bus for exchanging information when necessary for events, and the timing for each module to operate in synchronization. The module which has the cycle master function which produces | generates is prepared. Thereby, multi-axis synchronous control across modules in the case of a distributed structure can be realized.

  As another solution, a predetermined number of control modules for connecting control target devices and a cycle master module for transmitting / receiving data to / from each control module, the controller module and the cycle master module are synchronized. A control system joined by a bus, wherein the cycle master module transmits and receives synchronous data to and from each control module via a synchronous bus and shares data, and a user based on the synchronous data A process according to a state for executing a program is cyclically executed, and each control module transmits and receives synchronous data to and from the cycle master module and other controller modules via a synchronous bus. Synchronous bass riff The process is cyclically executed according to the synchronization process and the state-specific process for executing the user program for the operation of the connection control target device based on the synchronization data, and the control modules are synchronized by the synchronization bus refresh process of the cycle master module. By the synchronous bus refresh processing of the cycle master module and the control module, all modules share the common data by sequentially broadcasting the synchronous data to other modules as a source. Also good.

  The control module may be configured so that it can be increased or decreased. The synchronous controller has a module-divided structure, and the divided module is equipped with a control function of about 1 axis or 2 axes, a CPU for realizing the control contents, and a programming function for executing a user program necessary for the control. As a result, a high-performance controller can be constructed according to the number of axes required by the user. Further, the controller can be used at an optimal cost and size because of the structure in which modules are added according to the number of control axes. And an optimal state can be maintained by increasing / decreasing a control module suitably according to the change of monitoring object.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to provide means capable of selecting the type of information of synchronization data transmitted / received via the synchronization bus of each module according to the system setting. Furthermore, the control module may be provided with an interface for directly transmitting / receiving data to / from the control target device. Since the control module incorporates an interface for obtaining information from an external device to be controlled, the control module can respond to changes in external operation at high speed, and high feedback control performance can be obtained.

  In communication between modules performed via the synchronous bus, all modules share common data by simultaneously broadcasting synchronous data to other modules with one module as a transmission source. Each module becomes a transmission source in turn, and the order of the transmission source is rotated for all modules.

  In the present invention, a controller with high performance can be constructed according to the number of required axes, synchronization between modules can be easily achieved, and the influence on the arithmetic processing for controlling the control target in the control module can be reduced. While suppressing as much as possible, the load of each module can be reduced.

  FIG. 1 shows the entire FA system including the synchronous controller of the present invention. The synchronous controller 10 is connected to a host controller 1 such as a PLC and has a configuration in which a display 2 is connected to the host controller 1. When receiving an instruction from the host controller 1, the synchronous controller 10 performs predetermined control to execute the instruction and returns the result to the host controller 1.

  The synchronous controller 10 includes a power supply module 11, a cycle master module 12, a motion control module 13, and an end module 14. A plurality of motion control modules 13 can be attached to one cycle master module 12. Both the cycle master module 12 and the motion control module 13 are installed with user programs and are executed cyclically.

  In this example, the programming tool 3 is connected to the serial port SP1 of the cycle master module 12, and the user program of the cycle master module 12 is uploaded / downloaded directly from the programming tool 3 to the cycle master module 12, and the motion control module 13 The user program is uploaded / downloaded from the programming tool 3 via the cycle master module 12. Further, another serial port SP2 of the cycle master module 12 is connected to the CPU unit 1a of the host controller 1.

  The motion control module 13 is synchronously controlled by the cycle master module 12, and outputs a control signal to the servo driver 5 by execution processing of the user program of the motion control module 13. The servo driver 5 actually controls the motion by controlling the servo motor 4 to be controlled. The cycle master module 12 receives a command from the host controller 1 and performs a function for executing the user program of the cycle master module 12 itself, and a timing for causing each motion control module to operate synchronously based on the processing result of the execution. A function for generating a function, a function for communicating the result to the host controller 1 when processing is completed, a function for communicating with the programming tool 3, and the host controller 1 or display which is an external device itself or the motion control module 13 A function of transferring data (gateway) to and from the device 2 is provided. In the figure, the motion control module 13 and the servo driver 5 are separated from each other. However, the servo driver 5 may be built in the motion control module 13.

  In other words, the conventional and this embodiment will be described in comparison. In the case of a motion control unit connected to a conventional PLC as one of high-function units, the function of performing motion control and the CPU unit constituting the PLC The function which performs communication between was built in. The motion control unit cyclically executes user program execution and peripheral processing, performs motion control when executing the user program, and communicates with the CPU unit when executing the peripheral processing. In the case of the present embodiment, the motion control function and peripheral processing function of the conventional motion control unit are processed separately in separate units, and the cycle master module 12 performs communication with the CPU unit of the PLC. The motion control module 13 connected to the cycle master module via the bus executes processing related to motion control. As a result, high-speed and high-precision control can be performed.

  Furthermore, since a plurality of motion control modules 13 can be connected and detached, the number of motion control modules 13 can be increased or decreased according to the application, and a controller structure suitable for the application can be constructed. This is preferable because it requires a large space cost. As a controller, it is possible to distribute the processing to be performed by each module and have each module have a user program. Therefore, even if it has a multi-module configuration, it can be executed without reducing the processing capacity. .

  Further, when a plurality of motion control modules 13 are connected, it is possible to obtain I / O information of another motion control module 13 at a high speed by using a synchronous bus described later and to use it for processing of the own module. . Therefore, for example, the motion control module 13 having a pulse input / output function obtains analog input information from another motion control module having an analog input / output function via a synchronous bus, and the I / O built in the module itself is no matter what. It is possible to use it for the pulse output control of its own module. Thereby, more complicated control can be performed at high speed and with high accuracy.

  Next, a specific module configuration for realizing the processing functions described above will be described. FIG. 2 shows a hardware configuration, and FIG. 3 shows an internal image of the controller focused on software.

  In this embodiment, both the cycle master module 12 and the motion control module 13 have MPUs 12a and 13a, ROMs 12b and 13b, and RAMs 12c and 13c, and the system software of each module 12 and 13 is MPU 12a or 13a or ROM 12b, 13b. Further, for example, a flash ROM can be used as the ROMs 12b and 13b, and a user program created by the user is also backed up and stored in the ROMs 12b and 13b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a user program area, a variable area, and a work area are set as storage areas in the RAMs 12c and 13c. When the user program is executed, the ROMs 12b and 13b are expanded to the RAMs 12c and 13c when the power is turned on. Run it.

  The variable area (variable memory) is an area for use in the user program, and is used as a storage area for I / O data held by the modules 12 and 13 and information exchanged between the modules. The work area is an area used by the system software of the modules 12 and 13 for system execution.

  The functions of these MPUs 12a, 13a, ROMs 12b, 13b, and RAMs 12c, 13c are basically the same as those mounted on the CPU unit, motion control unit, etc. constituting the PLC.

  Furthermore, the motion control module 13 has pulse input / output and analog input / output circuits 13h for controlling I / O devices (external devices) including controlled objects such as servo motors. It is connected to an external I / O device via the I / O port 13i. As an I / O device connected here, there is a servo driver 5 for controlling the servo motor 4 shown in FIG. The input signal acquired from the external I / O device (input device) is given to the MPU 13a (the pulse input circuit is via the ASIC 13g), and the data sent from the MPU 13a to the external IO device (output device) is The analog output circuit and the pulse output circuit 13h are used.

  The motion control module 13 is provided with both a pulse input / output circuit and an analog input / output circuit 13h in order to make the apparatus configuration common. However, all of them may be used in actual operation. Only one of the pulse and the analog may be used, or only the input circuit or only the output circuit may be actually operated. In this way, which type is enabled is set by the system setting (see FIG. 3). In addition to the pulse / analog input / output circuit, a communication I / F may be provided as an external I / F of the motion control module 13.

  Furthermore, the cycle master module 12 and the motion control module 13 have I / O ports 12j and 13j as external I / Fs, and between the devices connected to the I / O ports 12j and 13j and the MPUs 12a and 13a. Data can be sent and received. That is, the motion control module 13 obtains information from a general-purpose I / O function unit (pulse or analog, etc.) for direct motor control and directly from an external device (ON / OFF sensor, analog sensor, encoder, etc.). It has an I / O function part.

  Each module computes and executes a user program based on input data acquired from each external I / F (I / O ports 12j, 13j, special I / O port 13i, etc.) described above, and the obtained computation results are predetermined. The control is cyclically repeated by outputting via the external I / F (processing for one cycle will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7). Thus, since a general-purpose interface can be used for motor control, an appropriate one can be selected from commercially available motors. Further, since the motor control means is pulsed or analog as compared with the communication network, the commands are continuous and smooth control can be realized.

  Further, in the motor control in each module, a dedicated CPU is provided on several axes (1 or 2 units) so that a command can be output directly by inputting information from the outside, a pulse to the motor, or analog. Therefore, the motor to be used can be selected widely from general-purpose products using pulse or analog I / F methods, and since it can directly capture information from external devices, it can realize quick response performance without time lag as in communication methods. Can do.

  Further, the modules are connected by an event bus and a synchronous bus, and the end module 14 has a bus connection termination function 14a for terminating each of the buses. The motion control module 13 includes a shared memory 13f connected to the event bus, and the cycle master module 12 includes an event transmission / reception ASIC 12d connected to the event bus. The event transmission / reception ASIC 12d has a function of interpolating data transmission / reception when the cycle master module accesses the shared memory 13f in the motion control module 13, and the cycle master module uses the event transmission / reception ASIC 12d as a gateway. The function of. For example, when an event, a program, or the like is sent from the host controller 1 or programming tool 3 to the motion control module 13, the event related to the shared memory 13f of the corresponding motion control module 13 (specified by the module number or the like) Store. In addition, the motion control module 13 executes a process of reading data stored in the shared memory 13f and returning it to the external host controller 1 as a response to the event.

  Since data transmitted via this event bus generally has a large capacity and takes a long time to transmit, it takes time to perform the original motion control when it is performed during a peripheral service performed cyclically like a conventional motion control unit. However, in this embodiment, since the cycle master module 12 that does not perform motion control executes the data transfer, there is no problem in motion control. Further, since the event bus is provided separately from the synchronization bus for performing the synchronization control, data for synchronization control can be transmitted and received via the synchronization bus in parallel with the access to the shared memory 13f. There will be no hindrance.

  Synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e connected to the synchronization bus are mounted in the modules 12 and 13, respectively, and MPUs 12a and 13a are connected to the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e. The synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e can transmit data to the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e in all other modules connected to the synchronization bus by the data ring method in a simultaneous broadcast, and internally store transmission / reception data. Has a buffer area for. That is, by outputting data from the synchronization ASIC to the synchronization bus, the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e of the other modules can take the transmitted data into the internal buffer area. More specifically, all modules share common data by simultaneously broadcasting synchronous data to other modules with one module sequentially as a transmission source. The details of the mechanism for achieving synchronization by transmitting and receiving data via the synchronization bus, which is one of the main parts of the present invention, will be described later.

  In this way, each module is connected by two buses, a synchronous bus and an event bus, and a user program built in each module is executed while exchanging data between the modules via each bus. That is, information (data) that is desired to be shared by each module in each cycle uses a synchronous bus that has a small capacity but can exchange data at high speed, and a large capacity data that does not need to be shared every cycle uses an event bus.

  Due to the dual inter-module bus structure tailored to the purpose of use of this information, the information that must be shared every cycle is affected by this even if a large amount of data exchange (event) between modules occurs occasionally. Without sharing.

  As a result, each module can use not only the information from the I / O built in its own module but also the data exchange information by the synchronous bus and event bus implemented in the system. Arbitrary use of information is possible. Of course, the calculation result obtained in accordance with the execution of the user program is output from the I / O of the own module, or is output as data exchange information through the synchronous bus or event bus.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining synchronization data sharing using a synchronization bus. Here, three motion control modules 13 are connected, and module numbers # 1, # 2, and # 3 are set, respectively. The module number of the cycle master module 12 is # 0.

  The data shared between the modules via the synchronization bus by the data link method using the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e is the module-synchronized data storage area in the variable memory of the RAMs 12c and 13c, including the own module and other modules. (See FIG. 3) and stored. This inter-module synchronization data storage area is allocated to each module as shown in FIG. 4, and information on all modules is shared in each cycle. Each module has an inter-module synchronization data storage area in its own module. By referencing, the synchronization data of all modules can be referenced.

  That is, in the cycle master module 12, the data managed by the module is stored in the # 0 storage area, and the data stored in # 0 is sent to another motion control module 13 at a predetermined timing. As a result, all the other motion control modules 13 receive the transmitted data and store it in the storage area assigned to # 0 of the inter-module synchronization data storage area in its own variable memory. Actually, this is realized by synchronous bus refresh in which data temporarily stored in the buffer area in the synchronization ASIC is transferred to the inter-module synchronous data storage area 13e at a predetermined timing. Also, each motion control module 13 (for example, “# 1”) also transmits data # 1 managed by itself, and other motion control modules 13 (for example, “# 2”, “# 3”) or cycle master module 12 Receives the # 1 data and stores it in the storage area assigned to # 1 in the corresponding inter-module synchronization data storage area.

  The synchronization data is shared every cycle. The data sent by each module is data to be referred to when executing the user program in other modules. As a result, each time one cycle is executed, the synchronization data stored in the inter-module synchronization data storage area of each module is updated to the latest one. The control suitable for the state at that time can be performed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the types of synchronization data transmitted / received via the synchronization bus are such that information held by each module can be arbitrarily selected and shared between the modules as synchronization data. For example, the data that can be shared as synchronization data is of course the calculation result generated by executing the user program in the own module. Can do. Furthermore, when the I / O information of the own module is used as synchronization data, it can be registered by the system settings set in the own module, and the registered information is automatically transferred as synchronization data by the system. Exchanged. Note that the synchronous data area (+0, +1,... + N) in FIG. 5 corresponds to one storage area in FIG. 4 (for example, the storage area for “# 1”), and the value of n in each area is Can be taken arbitrarily. In other words, the data capacity of each storage area is allowed to be different.

  In this embodiment, the sharing of the synchronization data between the modules consists of two processes, that is, synchronization data transmission / reception and synchronization bus refresh. In the synchronous data transmission / reception, each motion control module 13 sequentially transmits the synchronization data of its own module to the synchronous bus in a simultaneous broadcast, and the other modules (each motion control module 13 and the cycle master module 12) have been transmitted. It corresponds to a series of data transmission / reception to receive. Synchronous data transmission / reception also corresponds to data transmission / reception in which the cycle master module 12 transmits the synchronization data of its own module to the synchronization bus in a simultaneous broadcast, and each motion control module 13 receives the transmitted data. The synchronization data transmission / reception of the cycle master module 12 is executed when the cycle master module 12 recognizes it after the transmission / reception of a series of synchronization data of all the motion control modules 13 is completed.

  In synchronous bus refresh, each module transfers and stores all synchronous data from the buffer area of the synchronization ASIC 12e or 13e to the allocated storage area in the inter-module synchronous data storage area in the variable memory 12c or 13c. Corresponding to This synchronization bus refresh is performed based on the completion of transmission / reception of a series of synchronization data by all the motion control modules 13 and transmission / reception of the synchronization data of the cycle master module 12 by management of the cycle master module.

  There are multiple ways to achieve this synchronous bus refresh. As an example, all the motion control modules 13 receive all the synchronous data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 by simultaneous broadcast, and all the data is transferred from the buffer area of the synchronization ASIC 13e to the inter-module synchronous data storage area. The synchronization data may be transferred and stored. As another example, after the cycle master module 12 transmits synchronous data to the synchronous bus in a simultaneous broadcast, a trigger signal for synchronous data refresh processing is simultaneously broadcast to each motion control module 13 via the synchronous bus. You may make it transmit by. In this alternative example, each motion control module 13 does not perform the synchronous bus refresh process in conjunction with the reception of the synchronous data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 by simultaneous broadcast, but the cycle master module 12 The synchronous bus refresh process is triggered by the synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from.

  The synchronization of the processing of each motion control module 13 will be described. Since each motion control module 13 receives synchronization data from each of the other motion control modules 13 and finally receives synchronization data from the cycle master module 12, the cycle is received by receiving the synchronization data from the cycle master module 12. It can be determined that the transmission / reception of the synchronization data is completed. Therefore, each motion control module 13 performs synchronous bus refresh triggered by reception of synchronous data from the cycle master module, and performs arithmetic processing of the user program of its own module. That is, each motion control module 13 performs processing for one cycle shown in FIG. 6, that is, state-specific processing and peripheral service processing, when receiving the synchronization data from the cycle master module 12. By doing so, the motion control modules 13 can synchronize and execute the arithmetic processing.

  The meaning of “when triggered by reception of synchronous data” includes a case where triggered by a synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from the cycle master module 12 as in another example of the synchronous data refresh process described above. In this case, each motion control module 13 performs processing for one cycle shown in FIG. 6 in response to the synchronous bus refresh processing trigger signal from the cycle master module 12.

  The operation contents in the cycle master module 12 are as shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, after executing the initialization process (S21) when the power is turned on, the common process is first performed (S22). In this common processing, the cycle master module 12 performs synchronous data reception management, synchronous data transmission, and synchronous bus refresh. The synchronization data transmission / reception process of the cycle master manages whether or not a series of synchronization data transmission / reception of all the motion control modules 13 has been completed, and after that, the synchronization data of the own module is simultaneously broadcast to the synchronization bus. It is the process which transmits with. The synchronous bus refresh process is a process for transferring and storing the synchronous data received from all the motion control modules from the buffer area of the ASIC 12e to the inter-module synchronous data storage area. In addition, when outputting a synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from the cycle master module 12 as in another example of the synchronous bus refresh process described above, the trigger signal output process is included.

  Further, the cycle master module 12 can separately execute this common process by a scheduled interrupt process, which will be described later in detail.

  When the synchronous bus refresh is completed, as a state-specific process (S23), the user program is arithmetically processed, the cycle time is calculated, and then its own I / O refresh is performed. This I / O refresh process includes a process of storing the result of the arithmetic process in the predetermined area of the inter-module synchronization data of the variable memory 12c as the synchronization data of the next cycle.

  Then, peripheral service processing is executed (S24). The cycle master module 12 communicates with external devices (the host controller 1 and the programming tool 3) in addition to sending and receiving events and the like with the motion control module 13 through the event bus. As described above, the cycle master module 12 issues an event to the motion control module 13 in the event bus service as necessary in accordance with the exchange of data that is not required to be exchanged at high speed by the event bus service or the service request of the connected peripheral device. In this way, the common process S22, the state-specific process S23, and the peripheral process S24 are cyclically repeated.

  The operation content in the MPU 13a of the motion control module 13 is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. After executing the initialization process (S11) when the power is turned on, the common process is first performed (S12). In the common process, a process for transmitting its own synchronous data to the synchronous bus in a simultaneous broadcast, a standby process, and a synchronous bus refresh are performed. The standby process will be described later at the standby position in FIG. Then, through the standby process, the synchronization ASIC 13e receives the synchronization data from the cycle master module 12, and executes the synchronization bus refresh in response to this. This synchronization bus refresh is performed when the ASIC 13e receives the synchronization data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 via the synchronization bus by the MPU 13a and the synchronization data received from the other motion control modules 13 received by the ASIC. The synchronous data from the cycle master module 12 is transferred and stored in the inter-module synchronous data storage area 13e. Since all the motion control modules 13 perform the same process, the timing can be matched when the synchronization data is received from the cycle master module 12, and the process shifts to the state-specific process (S23). About this opportunity, it can also be triggered by receiving a synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from the cycle master module 12 like another example of the above-mentioned synchronous bus refresh process.

  When the synchronous bus refresh is completed, as a state-specific process (S23), the user program is arithmetically processed, the cycle time is calculated, and then its own I / O refresh is performed. This I / O refresh process includes a process of storing the result of the arithmetic process as synchronization data of the next cycle in a predetermined area of inter-module synchronization data in the variable memory 13c.

  In the case of the motion control module, the peripheral service processing is transmission / reception of data such as events performed via the event bus. However, since it is not frequently performed, the processing returns to S12 immediately and common processing is performed. Do.

  Thus, since the synchronous bus refresh is performed as shown in FIG. 6 before the arithmetic processing of each module, each module can share the latest data obtained in the previous cycle. Then, synchronous bus refresh is executed in synchronization with reception of synchronous data from the cycle master module 12 and arithmetic processing is started, so that synchronization can be established between modules.

  That is, in the method implemented in synchronization with the one-cycle process of the cycle master module 12, the timing chart as shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. In FIG. 8, CM means the cycle master module, and MM # 1 and MM # 2 mean the motion control module 13. BC means synchronous data transmission, and RF means synchronous bus refresh. The common processing of the motion control module shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to BC (synchronous data transmission), standby and RF (synchronous bus refresh) of MM # 1 and MM # 2 shown in FIG. The common processing of the cycle master module shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the CM BC (synchronous data transmission) and RF (synchronous bus refresh) shown in FIG. The synchronization data reception management of FIG. 7 is omitted in FIG. A series of processes for executing the state-specific processes (S13, S23) and the peripheral service processes (S14, S24) shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 correspond to the cycle processes of the modules shown in FIG. Although not shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, synchronization data transmitted from other modules while each module is executing cycle processing or standby processing is automatically stored in the buffer area in the synchronization ASIC of each module. It is captured. In the example of FIG. 8, when the power of the synchronous controller is turned on, the motion control module MM2 transmits synchronous data after the power-on initial processing (BC of MM # 2). The synchronous data transmission of the motion control module MM # 2 corresponds to “# 2” in FIG. That is, the synchronization data transmitted from the buffer area in the synchronization ASIC of the motion control module MM # 2 is received by the buffer area in the ASIC 12e of the cycle master module CM and the buffer area in the ASIC 13e of the motion control module MM # 1 and other. . Then, the motion control module MM # 2 performs standby processing until the synchronization data transmission of the cycle master module CM is completed. The motion control module MM1 also transmits the synchronization data after the power ON initial processing (BC of MM # 1). This synchronous data transmission corresponds to “# 1” in FIG. Thereafter, the motion control module MM # 1 performs standby processing until the synchronization data transmission of the cycle master module CM is completed. The cycle master module CM confirms that all motion control modules have transmitted and received the synchronization data, and then transmits its own synchronization data (CM BC). This synchronous data transmission corresponds to “# 0” in FIG. Since synchronous data transmission / reception has been completed between all modules, each module performs synchronous bus refresh. That is, the synchronous data is transferred from the buffer area of the ASICs 12e and 13e to the inter-module synchronous data area and stored. Next, the cycle master module CM itself starts 1-scan processing, and the motion control modules MM # 1 and MM # 2 also start 1-scan processing in synchronization. Thereafter, the same process is repeated, and the process according to the state of each module is executed synchronously at the same timing as t2 and t3. In another example, after the cycle master module sends the synchronization data to the synchronization bus in a simultaneous broadcast, the trigger signal for the synchronization bus refresh process is sent to the motion control module through the synchronization bus. Each motion control module 13 does not perform the synchronous bus refresh process in conjunction with the reception of the synchronous data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 by simultaneous broadcast, but the synchronous bus refresh from the cycle master module 12. Synchronous bus refresh processing is performed in response to the processing trigger signal. In any case, one cycle time (Tcm) that combines the cycle processing and common processing of the cycle master module is equal to one cycle time (Tmm) that combines the cycle processing and common processing of each motion control module.

  Also, if the cycle processing time of the cycle master module increases due to the processing load, the cycle master module's synchronous data transmission can be separated from the common processing and executed by the arbitrarily set scheduled time interrupt processing. it can. As a result, the synchronization bus refresh can be performed at a constant time interval at high speed without being dragged by the cycle processing time of the cycle master module between the motion control modules, and information can be shared and synchronized. That is, as shown in the example of FIG. 9, when the cycle processing time of one cycle of the cycle master module is long, the motion control module starts one cycle processing when the cycle master module transmits synchronous data. It is not preferable because the waiting time becomes long. Therefore, in the common processing (S22) of the processing flow of the cycle master module in FIG. 7, the synchronous data reception management is omitted, and the synchronous data transmission and the synchronous bus refresh processing are performed at a fixed time interrupt of a timer that operates asynchronously with the cycle processing. As a result, each motion control module 13 starts the next cycle process. This prevents the standby time of the motion control module 13 from being inadvertently increased.

As a result, even if the time required for the peripheral service in the cycle master module 12 becomes long and the cycle time becomes long, the cycle time in the motion control module 13 can be minimized and the stability of a constant cycle can be secured. That is, one cycle time (Tmm) of each motion control module can be shortened compared to one cycle time (Tcm) of the cycle master module.

  Then, which of the two methods is used is determined by the system setting of the cycle master module 12. In addition, when synchronous data is not required in each module, it is possible to stop the synchronous bus refresh, and to perform the processing independently by exchanging data asynchronously with only the event bus.

1 is an overall system diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure (hardware structure) of the synchronous controller of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure (software structure) of the synchronous controller of this invention. It is a figure explaining the synchronous control using a synchronous bus. It is a figure explaining the kind of synchronous data. It is a flowchart explaining the processing function of a motion control module. It is a flowchart explaining the processing function of a cycle master module. It is a time chart which shows the relationship between a synchronous process and 1 scan (cycle time) of each module. It is a time chart which shows the relationship between a synchronous process and 1 scan (cycle time) of each module.

Explanation of symbols

1 Host Controller 2 Display 3 Programming Tool 4 Servo Driver 5 Servo Motor 10 Synchronous Controller 11 Power Supply Module 12 Cycle Master Module 13 Motion Control Module 14 End Module

Claims (14)

It has a cycle master module and at least one control module.
The cycle master module and the control module are joined in a double bus structure including a synchronous bus and an event bus that handles a large amount of data compared to the amount of data handled by the synchronous bus.
The control module has a function of cyclically executing and executing a user program for controlling the operation of the device to be controlled,
The cycle master module has a function of sending / receiving data to / from an external device other than the device to be controlled, and sending / receiving data to / from the control module using the event bus and the synchronization bus,
2. The synchronous controller according to claim 1, wherein the control module performs an operation for one cycle when receiving synchronous data sent from the cycle master module via the synchronous bus. A plurality of the control modules are provided,
The control module receives the synchronization data sent from the other control module via the synchronization bus, stores the synchronization data in the synchronization data storage area, and makes the stored synchronization data available for calculation execution. The synchronous controller according to claim 1.   The synchronous controller according to claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to be adjustable.   2. The synchronous controller according to claim 1, wherein the cycle master module transmits its own synchronous data on condition that synchronous data from all connected control modules is received.   2. The synchronization controller according to claim 1, wherein the cycle master module outputs synchronization data at regular intervals.   The synchronous controller according to claim 1, further comprising means for selecting an information type of synchronous data to be transmitted / received via a synchronous bus of each module by system setting.   The synchronous controller according to claim 1, wherein the control module includes an interface for directly transmitting / receiving data to / from the control target device. A control composed of at least one control module for connecting a device to be controlled and a cycle master module for transmitting / receiving data to / from each control module, wherein each controller module and the cycle master module are joined by a synchronous bus. A system,
The cycle master module includes a synchronous bus refresh process for transmitting and receiving synchronous data to and from each control module via a synchronous bus and sharing the data, and a state-specific process for executing a user program based on the synchronous data. Is to run cyclically,
Each control module transmits and receives synchronous data via the synchronous bus between the cycle master module and another controller module, and performs data sharing, and operation of the connection control target device based on the synchronous data The process according to the state which executes the user program for the
Each control module is synchronized by the synchronous bus refresh process of the cycle master module,
Control characterized by the fact that all modules share common data by simultaneously broadcasting synchronous data to other modules by one module as a transmission source by synchronous bus refresh processing of the cycle master module and control module system. A plurality of the control modules are provided,
The control module receives the synchronization data sent from the other control module via the synchronization bus, stores the synchronization data in the synchronization data storage area, and makes the stored synchronization data available for calculation execution. The control system according to claim 8.   The control system according to claim 8, wherein the control module is configured to be increased or decreased.   9. The control system according to claim 8, wherein the cycle master module transmits its own synchronization data on condition that the synchronization data from all connected control modules has been received.   9. The control system according to claim 8, wherein the cycle master module outputs synchronization data at regular intervals.   9. The control system according to claim 8, further comprising means for selecting an information type of synchronous data to be transmitted / received via a synchronous bus of each module by system setting.   The control system according to claim 8, wherein the control module includes an interface for directly transmitting / receiving data to / from a control target device.

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