JP2012150601A - Function addition type control device, function addition type control system, and function addition method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a function addition method capable of greatly shortening an evaluation period of a system and greatly reducing upgrading operation and cost for a program of a common part, and adding a new command without upgrading the program of the common part.SOLUTION: A bus 105 for monitor control and a bus 106 for program transfer are provided between an individual package 104 and a common package 103. The individual package 104 includes individual package-side memories 302a-302c which store at least one of a control program and control commands for the package, and control parts 301a-301c which transfers at least one of the control program and control commands to the common package during implementing. The common package 103 expands at least the one of the control program and control commands transferred from the individual package 104 in the common package-side memories 204 and 205, and monitors and controls the individual package 104.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device capable of adding a new function.

  Devices that are used in fields where technological development speed is high, such as communication devices, always require the addition of various functions. In particular, development of such devices and systems must be performed in a very short period of time and delivered to customers, and shortening of the design period and evaluation period is required. The design period can be shortened by diverting the technology accumulated in the past, but shortening the evaluation period for the presence of bugs and operation verification in the final system that combines all software and hardware difficult.

  The conventional system is divided into a hardware unit and a software unit (FIG. 5) for monitoring and controlling the hardware, and each development is performed individually. When the system is upgraded, the hardware to be upgraded is first developed, and then the procedure for adding the function for controlling the hardware to be upgraded to the software up to now is taken. For example, a technique for facilitating maintenance work and specification change work in a control system and effectively using current software assets has been studied (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-066906

  However, when performing an evaluation at the time of version upgrade in such a conventional system, the hardware evaluation may be performed on the part to be upgraded, but the evaluation of the software part is also degraded for the functions so far Since it is necessary to check whether there is any, the evaluation items increase with each version upgrade. For this reason, the evaluation period increases with each version upgrade, and it becomes difficult to develop a system in a short time with a small number of people, and there is a problem that the cost increases as the evaluation period becomes longer.

  Here, the conventional problem will be described in detail. A general system device has a plurality of individual parts (individual packages) provided for each function to realize various functions, and a common part (common package) for monitoring and controlling a plurality of individual packages. It can be divided into two. For example, in the case of a communication device, in order to monitor a plurality of IF (interface) boards for connecting a higher-level network, a lower-level network, a terminal, or the like, the operation state of the entire device, or to perform control such as setting change CPU board (control board), clock board for supplying a clock, SW (switch) board for selecting a route according to the destination of the packet, FAN board for temperature management, and the like. Here, in this specification, a part for realizing an individual function is defined as an individual package, and a common part having a function necessary for the entire apparatus is defined as a common package. A description will be given assuming a CPU board that controls and monitors the entire apparatus as a common package, assuming a plurality of IF boards having different functions.

Hereinafter, conventional problems will be described in order.
(1) A long system verification period is required As described above, when performing upgrade development of an apparatus composed of an individual package and a common package, the hardware of the individual package having the required functions is changed, and the hardware It is necessary to upgrade the version of the common package program for controlling and monitoring the hardware. In particular, during initial development, it is common practice to predict the hardware that will be required in future version upgrades, and include a common package program for monitoring and controlling the hardware from the beginning. Yes. And even if that part is a function that is not used at the beginning, all the functions that are used in later version upgrades must be evaluated, and it takes a lot of time to verify the initial system. Therefore, it becomes a factor that hinders version upgrade development in a short period of time. Conversely, when developing only the functions required at the time of initial shipment, and developing the hardware for the functions to be added later and the programs for the common parts to be upgraded, the common parts include the functions that had been used so far. For example, it is necessary to check whether there is any degradation of the function that has been used so far, and the evaluation items increase with each version upgrade. It becomes a factor that hinders version upgrade development.
(2) Program upgrade and cost required for programs in common parts of the system Generally, in order to upgrade the system, the hardware of the individual package to be upgraded and the program of the common package that performs monitoring control, etc. Both version upgrades are necessary. In the conventional system configuration, if a newly upgraded hardware is incorporated, the program of the common package for using the upgraded function must be upgraded. Therefore, in order to use the upgraded function, the version management of the program part must be managed on the side using the system, resulting in a management cost. Furthermore, apart from whether the customer or the vendor bears the upgrade costs, even if the upgrade is performed remotely rather than on-site, it is necessary to perform manual upgrades such as an operator. Expense that costs is incurred.
(3) Difficult to add commands without upgrading the program of the common part Use commands corresponding to the functions used for the individual packages from the common package as an interface for using the hardware functions of the individual packages . However, when upgrading the functions of individual package hardware and adding functions, commands that correspond to functions that are not used at the beginning of development work normally over time so that the upgraded functions can be used. Must be evaluated. Furthermore, when hardware upgrade development is actually performed, there are many cases in which it is desired to review the command (interface) between the common package and the individual package. In such a case, since the command is incorporated in the program in the conventional system configuration, it is not possible to cope with the common part program without upgrading the version.

  In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to significantly reduce the evaluation period of the system, the program upgrade work and cost of the common part program, and it is possible to add a new command without upgrading the program of the common part. To provide a function addition type control device, a function addition type control system, and a function addition method.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a function-added control apparatus having a plurality of individual packages capable of upgrading functions and a common package for monitoring and controlling the plurality of individual packages. The plurality of individual packages and the common package A signal for monitoring and controlling the plurality of individual packages, and a signal for transferring at least one of a control program and a control command executed by the common package for controlling the package. A bus for transmitting and receiving is provided, and the individual package includes an individual package side memory for storing at least one of the control program for the own package and the control command, and the control stored in the individual package side memory when the own package is mounted. Less program and control commands A control unit that transfers the other to the common package via the bus, the common package storing a control program and a control command for controlling the individual package, and a common package side memory, At least one of the control program and the control command transferred from the individual package is expanded in the common package side memory, and monitoring control of the plurality of individual packages is performed using the control program and the control command of the common package side memory And a monitoring control unit for performing the above.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the function-added control device according to the first aspect, the monitoring control unit is configured such that the control program or the control command transferred from the individual package is stored in the program memory or the command memory. If it is not held, it is stored in the program memory or the command memory.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the function-added control device according to claim 2, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured such that the version of the control program or the control command transferred from the individual package is the program memory or the command. When the version of the control program or the control command held in the memory is newer, the control program or the control command held in the program memory or the command memory is updated.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the function-added control device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the program memory includes an execution program memory that stores two different programs, a spare program memory, The command memory includes an execution command memory for storing two different commands and a reserve command memory, and the monitoring control unit is held in the execution program memory and the execution command memory. The control program and the control command are used to monitor and control the plurality of individual packages via the bus, and the control program and the control command transferred from the individual package via the bus are reserved. After storing the program memory and the spare command memory, And switches between 備用 program memory and the spare command memory and the command memory for execution program memory and the execution.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the function-added control device according to claim 2, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured such that the version of the control program or the control command transferred from the individual package is the program memory or the command. When the version of the control program or the control command held in the memory is older than the version, the control program or the control command held in the program memory or the command memory is transferred to the individual package via the bus. It transfers to the memory for individual packages, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the function-added control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a hardware device capable of rewriting a circuit by a circuit description program is mounted in the common package. In this case, the individual package memory stores a circuit description program of the hardware device, and the monitoring control unit includes a version of the circuit description program transferred from the individual package mounted on the hardware device. When the version of the circuit description program is newer, the circuit description program transferred from the individual package is newly installed in the hardware device.

  The invention according to claim 7 is a function addition using the function addition type control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and a higher-level supervisory control device that manages the function addition type control device by an operation system. In the type control system, the supervisory control unit transmits the non-control notification notifying the supervisory control device of a shift to a mode not accepting control, and then holds the control program held in the program memory or the command memory Alternatively, the control command is updated, and when all the updates are completed, an implementation completion notification is transmitted to the monitoring control device, and the monitoring control device receives the non-control from the monitoring control unit of the function addition type control device. The control for the function addition type control device is not performed until the implementation completion notification is received after the notification is received.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the function addition method in the case of adding a function to a control device having a plurality of individual packages whose functions can be upgraded and a common package for monitoring and controlling the plurality of individual packages. When the package is mounted, at least one of the control program and control command for the own package is transferred from the individual package side to the common package, and the common package side transmits the control program and the control command transferred from the individual package side. At least one of them is held and the individual package is monitored and controlled.

  The function addition type control device, the function addition type control system, and the function addition method according to the present invention can shorten the evaluation period at the time of version upgrade development, and can realize short delivery. In addition, system users and developers do not need to manage versions, so that the labor and cost of management can be greatly reduced, and costs such as labor costs for upgrading can be reduced.

  In particular, in the function addition type control device, the function addition type control system and the function addition method according to the present invention, a common package for performing monitoring control is developed as an independent device (so-called box), and the individual package monitored and controlled by the common package The hardware to be upgraded and the common package program for monitoring and controlling that hardware are installed, so only the functions of the common package need to be verified when the device is shipped. The evaluation period for upgrading can be significantly shortened.

  Also, at each version upgrade, it is necessary to verify the hardware to be upgraded, but the main part of the common package program only contains the jump destination address for each individual package. Can be separated from other programs. As a result, it is possible to isolate and verify only the individual package program for operating the hardware of the individual package to be upgraded, eliminating the need for verification of the main program, and less verification of function degradation, etc. The entire evaluation period can be shortened.

  In addition, the individual program side of the hardware to be upgraded has the version upgrade program, and the program is automatically uploaded to the common package side. Therefore, special human work is required when upgrading the program version. And there is no cost. It should be noted that in both the conventional system and the system to which the present invention is applied, work for adding hardware must be performed by humans. However, the present invention has an effect of reducing the cost for upgrading the program.

  In addition, it has a command to control itself on the individual package side of the hardware to be upgraded, and data related to the operation of the common package side corresponding to the command, and automatically sends it to the common package side. Since uploading is performed, it is not necessary to newly upgrade the version of the program on the common package side, and it is possible to reduce the generation of unnecessary expenses required for version upgrade such as re-development.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system 100 and the communication apparatus 101 which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a version upgrade process. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control command storage memory 205. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a main program storage memory 203 and a sub program storage memory 204. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication apparatus 151 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional communication system 600 and the communication apparatus 601. FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a “function addition type control device, a function addition type control system and a function addition method” according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, examples of the case where the present invention is applied to a communication system provided with a monitoring control device for monitoring and controlling a communication device and a plurality of communication devices as the function adding control device and the function adding control system according to the present invention. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to any control device or control system that needs to add various functions.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an entire system of a communication system 100 including a communication device 101 and a monitoring control device 102 according to the first embodiment. Note that the communication device 101 a and the communication device 101 b are the same devices as the communication device 101.

  Here, the communication apparatus 101 includes a plurality of individual parts (individual packages) provided for each function to realize various functions, and a common part (common package) for monitoring and controlling the plurality of individual packages. ). For example, the communication device 101 is used to monitor a plurality of IF (interface) panels for connecting a higher-level network, a lower-level network, a terminal, or the like, the operation state of the entire device, and to perform control such as setting change. A CPU board (control board), a clock board for supplying a clock, an SW (switch) board for selecting a route according to the destination of the packet, a FAN board for performing temperature management, and the like. Here, as described in the related art, in this embodiment, a part that realizes an individual function is defined as an individual package, and a common part having a function that is commonly required in the entire apparatus is defined as a common package. In the case of 101, a description will be given assuming a plurality of IF boards having different communication speeds and functions as the individual package 104, and a CPU board for controlling and monitoring the entire apparatus as the common package 103. In addition, packages such as a clock board, SW board, and FAN board that are commonly used in the entire communication apparatus 101 are collectively described as a common function unit 401 in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the communication apparatus 101 includes a common package 103 corresponding to a CPU board and three individual packages 104a, 104b, and 104c corresponding to an IF board having various functions. Here, in the following description, when an item common to the individual package 104a, the individual package 104b, and the individual package 104c is described, it is referred to as an individual package 104.

  The communication apparatus 101 and the communication system 100 according to the present embodiment reduce the evaluation period of the communication system 100 and the communication apparatus 101 and the version upgrade work and cost of the program of the common package 103 when the IF panel of the individual package 104 is upgraded. This can greatly reduce the number of commands, and a new command can be added without upgrading the main program of the common package 103. For example, when the individual package 104a is operated as a 1 Gbps IF board and the version is updated to add a new 10 Gbps IF, the hardware change of the IF board of the individual package 104a and the hardware In the communication apparatus 101 according to this embodiment, the individual package 104a itself holds the version upgrade program and command, and the individual package 104a itself has to be added to the common package 103. When uploading 104a, it is automatically uploaded to the common package 103 side. As a result, the evaluation period, upgrade work, and cost can be significantly reduced, and new commands can be easily added.

[Configuration of Communication Device 101]
In FIG. 1, the communication device 101 includes a common package 103, an individual package 104, a monitoring control bus 105, and a program transfer bus 106. Note that FIG. 1 shows only blocks necessary for the monitoring control processing of the communication apparatus 101, for connecting a user network, a user terminal, etc. to each block that performs the original operation of the communication apparatus 101, for example, each individual package 104. These ports and switches are omitted because they are not directly related to the supervisory control described in this embodiment.

Further, in order to make the features of the present invention easy to understand, the monitoring control bus 105 and the program transfer bus 106 are individually arranged. However, when a wide bandwidth bus can be used, the monitoring control signal and program are arranged. The signals for transfer may be multiplexed and physically transmitted / received through one bus.
1. Configuration of Common Package 103 In FIG. 1, a common package 103 corresponding to a CPU board is a common PKG control unit 201 composed of a CPU, a DSP, etc. for controlling the entire communication apparatus 101, and a program. Work memory (execution memory) 202 used for the main program storage memory 203 in which a program for executing the basic operation of the entire communication apparatus 101 by the common PKG control unit 201 is stored, and the program of the uploaded individual package 104 And a control command storage memory storing a control command for providing an operation interface for monitoring and controlling the individual package 104 from the OS 261 of the monitoring control apparatus 102 connected via the monitoring control IF 206 With 205 It is. Here, the main program storage memory 203, the subprogram storage memory 204, and the control command storage memory 205 each have two storage areas, and the storage area on one side is the main PKG control unit 201 in use. Programs, subprograms, and command databases are stored, and a storage area on another surface stores subprograms and command databases uploaded from the individual package 104 side, main programs transferred from the OS 261 side of the monitoring control device 102, and the like. Is done.

  As described above, by adopting the two-plane configuration, even if another individual package 104 is supervised and controlled by an old version of a subprogram, the supervising control can be continued without interrupting the operation during the version upgrade. . In addition, when a problem occurs in the main program, subprogram, command, etc., whose version is to be changed, it is possible to return to the previous normal operation state immediately by simply switching the storage surface of each memory.

  The work memory 202 is a memory for temporarily storing parameters and data when executing a program stored in the main program storage memory 203 or the subprogram storage memory 204. In addition, the common PKG control unit 201 is a block that controls the entire communication apparatus 101. However, since the monitoring control processing of the individual package 104 will be described in this embodiment, the common PKG control unit 201 in FIG. Only the monitoring control processing unit 251 that performs monitoring control processing of the package 104 is described, and processing blocks that control the entire communication apparatus 101 are omitted.

  Further, in the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, as in the case of a general communication apparatus, between the common package 103 and the individual package 104 of the communication apparatus 101 for transmitting / receiving control data when performing monitoring control They are connected by a supervisory control bus 105. Furthermore, in the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, apart from the monitoring control bus 105, between the common package 103 and the individual package 104, programs and commands for upgrading from the individual package 104 to the common package 103 are transmitted. They are connected by a program transfer bus 106 for uploading.

Here, since the monitoring control bus 105 generally used only transmits and receives control commands and response messages for monitoring control between the common package 103 and the individual package 104, one low-speed data transmission bus is sufficient. However, in the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, it is necessary to upload a lot of information such as programs and command lists necessary for upgrading from the individual package 104 to the common package 103, and the monitoring control bus 105 is shared. In such a case, there is a possibility of hindering conventional data transfer for monitoring control. For this reason, in the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, two types of data buses, the monitoring control bus 105 and the program transfer bus 106, can be arranged to perform monitoring control even while the upgrade information is being uploaded. So that performance is not degraded.
Configuration of individual package 104 In FIG. 1, an individual package 104a corresponding to an IF board is an individual PKG that inputs / outputs information associated with monitoring control processing between hardware that realizes its own function and the common package 103 It has a control unit 301a and a subprogram / command storage memory 302a on which a subprogram for monitoring and controlling itself and a command for controlling itself are mounted. Similarly, the individual package 104b and the individual package 104c also have an individual PKG control unit 301b and an individual PKG control unit 301c, a subprogram / command storage memory 302b, and a subprogram / command storage memory 302c, respectively. Here, in the following description, when an item common to the individual PKG control unit 301a, the individual PKG control unit 301b, and the individual PKG control unit 301c is described, it is referred to as an individual PKG control unit 301. Similarly, when a common item is described in the subprogram / command storage memory 302a, the subprogram / command storage memory 302b, and the subprogram / command storage memory 302c, it is referred to as a subprogram / command storage memory 302.

  The individual PKG control unit 301 includes a program for controlling its own hardware stored in the subprogram / command storage memory 302 (a program executed by the common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103), and itself. A process of uploading commands for control (commands issued from the OS 261 of the monitoring control device 102 and the common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103) to the common package 103 via the program transfer bus 106 is executed. Further, in response to a request from the common package 103 side, a process of responding to the common package 103 via the monitoring control bus 105 with the version of the program or command held in the subprogram / command storage memory 302 is performed. When the individual package 104 is mounted on the communication device 101 and the supply of power is started, the individual PKG control unit 301 activates its own individual package 104 and confirms that it has been mounted by energization. This is detected and a mounting notification is sent to the common package 103 via the monitoring control bus 105.

Here, in order to make the features of the communication system 100 and the communication device 101 according to the present embodiment easy to understand, the configurations of the conventional communication system 600 and the communication device 601 are shown in FIG. Note that the 6 ** code block, the 7 ** code block, the 8 ** code block, and the 9 ** code block in FIG. 6 are respectively the 1 ** code block, FIG. It corresponds to the block of 2 ** code, the block of 3 ** code, and the block of 4 ** code, and is a block used for the same purpose, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Here, only greatly different parts will be described.
(1) Difference between Common Package 103 and Common Package 603 In FIG. 6, the common package 603 is provided with a main program storage memory 203, a subprogram storage memory 204, and a control command storage memory 205 like the common package 103. They are collected in the program memory 703. That is, the main program, subprogram, control command, and the like are directly written in the program memory 703. For this reason, during initial development, the hardware of the individual package 604 that will be required in future version upgrades is predicted, and the program of the common package 603 for monitoring and controlling the hardware is programmed from the beginning. It is necessary to include it in the system, and a large system verification period is required.

  Also, when upgrading the hardware of the individual package 604 and adding functions, commands that correspond to functions that are not used at the beginning of development work normally over time so that the upgraded functions can be used. You must evaluate whether or not. Furthermore, when hardware upgrade development is actually performed, it is often necessary to review the control commands between the common package 603 and the individual package 604. In such a case, since the control command is incorporated in the main program of the program memory 703 of the common package 603, it is necessary to upgrade the version including the main program of the program memory 703. It is difficult to add commands without uploading.

  As described above, both the hardware of the individual package 604 to be upgraded and the program of the common package 603 that performs monitoring control have to be complicatedly upgraded, which increases the upgrade work and cost. . Furthermore, version management of programs and control commands must be performed, and management costs are incurred.

  On the other hand, in the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, the individual package 104 side stores a subprogram on the common package 103 side for monitoring and controlling itself and a control command, and the common package 103 is mounted at the time of mounting. Automatically uploading to the user side, it is possible to greatly reduce the work and cost of upgrading the program of the common part, and it is possible to add a new command without upgrading the program of the common part. Furthermore, in the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, the main program storage memory 203, the subprogram storage memory 204, and the control command storage memory 205 are provided independently, and a subprogram for controlling the individual package 104 is provided as the main program. Since only the jump address table of the subprogram is described in the main program storage memory 203 separately from the program, verification of the main program can be reduced even when the individual package 104 having a new function is mounted. In addition, by managing the control command in the control command storage memory 205, the version management of the control command for the individual package 104 having the same function can be automatically performed. Further, for the individual package 104 in which the old version of the subprogram or control command is held in the subprogram / command storage memory 302, the new version of the subprogram or control command having the same function held by the common package 103 is added. Even when the individual package 104 is downloaded and transferred to another device, the new package can be used as the individual package 104 of a new version.

  As described above, the communication system 100 and the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment can greatly reduce the evaluation period of the system, the version upgrade work and cost of the common part program, and the new part without upgrading the common part program. New commands can be added.

[Upgrade process]
Next, the upgrade process in the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 2 shows the flow of information transmitted and received between the common package 103 and the individual package 104 on the communication device 101 side via the monitoring control bus 105 or the program transfer bus 106, and the communication device 101 and the monitoring control device. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of information transmitted / received to / from an OS 261 of 102 via a physical line 107. FIG. Hereinafter, according to this flowchart, when each individual package 104 is mounted on the communication apparatus 101, the subprogram and the command database held in the subprogram / command storage memory 302 of each individual package 104 are transferred to the common package 103 side. The sequence of processing and update processing of programs and commands on the common package 103 side will be described in order. It should be noted that the processing starts from when the individual package 104 is mounted on the communication device 101.

  (Step S101) When the individual package 104 is supplied with power from the communication device 101 side, the individual PKG control unit 301 is activated and completes hardware processing (processing A) such as register reset in its own package. .

  (Step S <b> 102) The individual PKG control unit 301 of the individual package 104 transmits an implementation notification message to the common PKG control unit 201 on the common package 103 side via the monitoring control bus 105. The mounting notification message includes information regarding the package type of the individual package 104 itself. For example, information such as a 1 Gbps IF board, a 10 Gbps IF board, or an IF board having functions a and b in more detail is included as the package type. Further, information such as a manufacturing number may be included in the mounting notification message.

  (Step S <b> 103) The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 transmits a subprogram version request to the individual package 104 that has received the mounting notification via the monitoring control bus 105.

  (Step S 104) The individual PKG control unit 301 of the individual package 104 transmits the version of the subprogram held in the subprogram / command storage memory 302 to the common package 103 side via the monitoring control bus 105.

  (Step S105) The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 determines whether or not the version of the subprogram received from the individual package 104 is a new version. If the version is the new version, the process proceeds to the next step S106. If it is not the new version, the process proceeds to step S109. Here, the common PKG control unit 201 determines whether or not the version is a new version by comparing with the version of the subprogram of the individual package 104 having the same function stored in the subprogram storage memory 204. Whether or not the individual package 104 has the same function can be determined from the information regarding the package type of the individual package 104 received in step S102.

  (Step S106) The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 automatically transmits a subprogram upload request via the monitoring control bus 105 to the individual package 104 that has received the mounting notification.

  (Step S107) The individual PKG control unit 301 of the individual package 104 enters the subprogram data transfer mode, and uploads a subprogram for using its own hardware function held in the subprogram / command storage memory 302. Is transmitted to the common package 103 via the program transfer bus 106.

  On the other hand, the subprogram received from the individual package 104 side is temporarily taken into the work memory 202 by the common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103.

  (Step S108) The individual PKG control unit 301 of the individual package 104 uploads the command database for controlling itself held in the subprogram / command storage memory 302 to the common package 103 side via the program transfer bus 106. Send.

  On the other hand, the command database received from the individual package 104 side is temporarily taken into the work memory 202 by the common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103.

  (Step S109) The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 executes the following process B.

  The process B confirms whether or not there is a transfer error in the subprogram and command database received from the individual package 104 using the CRC error check and checksum added when these pieces of information are transmitted from the individual package 104. . If there is a transfer error, the process returns to step S106 again to perform retransmission processing. If there is no transfer error, the subprogram temporarily stored in the work memory 202 is expanded in the subprogram storage memory 204. To do. At this time, the subprogram storage memory 204 has two storage areas as described above, and the work memory 202 is stored in the storage area where the subprogram used by the common PKG control unit 201 is not stored. The subprogram that is temporarily held in is stored. Similarly, the control command storage memory 205 has two storage areas as described above, and the work memory 202 is stored in the storage area in which the control command being used by the common PKG control unit 201 is not stored. Stores the command database temporarily stored in As a result, even if another individual package 104 is monitored and controlled by an old version of a subprogram, the monitoring control can be continued without interrupting the operation during the version upgrade.

  The common PKG control unit 201 determines whether an update from a command already stored in the control command storage memory 205 or a new addition when performing a command database expansion process. If it is an update, it deletes the previous one and automatically determines the process to update to the new command uploaded this time. As shown in FIG. 3, by writing the version in each command, the common PKG control unit 201 can confirm the version of the command, and the above determination can be made. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a command database stored in the control command storage memory 205. The command database collects commands for each function, and is used in common for individual packages 104 having the same function. In the example of FIG. 3, command names, command operations, and the like are collected as a database for commands common to the functions A command DB (database) for function A, command DB for function B, and command DB for function C. It has been. For example, the version of the function A command DB 205a is Ver1.0, and it can be seen that there are a command A1 for resetting the XX function block, a command A2 for starting control of the XX function block, and the like. The version of the command database is managed for each function. For example, the version of the function B command DB 205b is 1.2, and the version of the function C command DB 205c is 2.0.

  Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of the command database for each function stored in the control command storage memory 205 of the common package 103, but it is stored in the subprogram / command storage memory 302 on the individual package 104 side. The same information is also stored in the command database, for example, the command database similar to the command DB 205a for function A in FIG. 3 is stored in the subprogram / command storage memory 302a of the individual package 104a. Thus, the common PKG control unit determines whether the version of the command database received from the individual package 104 side is the same as the version of the command database having the same function held in the control command storage memory 205 on the common package 103 side. 201 can confirm.

  As described above, the processing from step S101 to step S109 is a series of transfer processing performed at the time of version upgrade. Next, update processing of the transferred program will be described.

  (Step S <b> 110) The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 notifies the OS 261 of the monitoring control apparatus 102 that the mode is shifted to a mode in which control is not accepted. This is because a control command is issued from the OS 261 while the common package 103 is updating the program, and the program update process is performed in the middle of entering a certain processing routine to execute the control command. It is a guard function to prevent the end of a halfway state.

  Here, the configuration of the program of the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the main program storage memory 203 (one side of the two storage areas) and the sub program storage memory 204 (one side of the two storage areas). The main program storage memory 203 includes a main program 203a portion and a subprogram jump address 203b portion. The main program 203a is a communication process with the OS 261 of the monitoring control apparatus 102, a process common to each individual package 104 such as version management and mounting management, a process corresponding to each individual package 104 (independent via the jump address of the subprogram) Processing of the communication apparatus 101 as a whole, such as detection of other apparatus abnormalities and alarm output. The subprogram storage memory 204 stores a subprogram for each address corresponding to the subprogram jump address 203b. When each subprogram is executed, the process is returned to the main program 203a (RETURN).

  In particular, the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment is configured to refer only to the jump address from the main program 203a portion storing the main processing program code to the subprogram for using the hardware of each individual package 104. Yes. For example, in the subprogram jump address 203b of FIG. 4, the jump address 203b1 to the control subprogram A1 and the jump address 203b2 to the monitoring subprogram A2 are described as the jump address of the subprogram for the individual package 104a. Yes. Similarly, the jump address 203b3 to the control subprogram B1 and the jump address 203b4 to the monitoring subprogram B2 are described as the jump address of the subprogram for the individual package 104b. Similarly for the individual package 104c, a jump address 203b5 to the control subprogram C1 and a jump address 203b6 to the monitoring subprogram C2 are described.

  The jump address to the subprogram indicates an address on the subprogram storage memory 204 (one side of the two storage areas). After executing the subprogram stored in the subprogram storage memory 204, When a return is executed on the program, the process is returned to the main program 203a, and each subprogram is executed as a subroutine that references a subprogram jump address on the main program storage memory 203. For example, in FIG. 4, when the individual package 104a is controlled in the main program 203a, the jump address 203b1 to the subprogram A1 for controlling the individual package 104a of the subprogram jump address 203b is referred to, Jump to the subprogram A1 of the program storage memory 204. Then, for example, when RETURN (return) is executed after executing the subprogram A1, the processing is returned to the main program 203a. The jump address 203b2 to the subprogram A2 and the jump address 203b3 to the subprogram B1 are executed in the same manner.

  (Step S111) The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 executes process C. The process C is a subprogram jump address 203b for calling a subprogram uploaded from the individual package 104 and stored in the subprogram storage memory 204 so that the individual package 104 newly added from the main program 203a can be controlled. Is a process of rewriting.

  Here, since the jump process from the main program 203a to the subprogram is not executed by shifting to the mode not accepting the supervisory control in step S110, the subprogram jump address 203b described in the main program storage memory 203 is rewritten. However, there will be no problem. Further, since only the jump address of the program needs to be rewritten, the processing is completed in a short time. Note that the jump destination of the subprogram referred to by this jump address corresponds to the subprogram of the surface newly developed in the subprogram storage memory 204.

  (Step S <b> 112) The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 transmits a mounting completion notification of the individual package 104 newly added to the OS 261 of the monitoring control apparatus 102. The OS 261 of the monitoring control apparatus 102 that has received the mounting completion notification cancels the transition notification to the mode that does not accept the monitoring control received in step S110 and resumes the monitoring control.

  In this way, a series of version upgrade processing ends, the common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 103 returns to normal operation, receives a control command from the OS 261 of the monitoring control device 102, and monitors the individual package 104 as usual. Control can be performed.

  In the above description, messages other than uploading programs and command databases are transmitted / received via the monitoring control bus 105, but all information related to version upgrades is transmitted / received via the program transfer bus 106. You may make it.

  Note that, when another individual package 104 is newly mounted on the communication apparatus 101 during the upgrade process of a certain individual package 104, the common PKG control unit that has received the mounting notification transmitted by the newly mounted individual package 104 The 201 unit suspends the upgrade process for the newly installed individual package 104, and executes the upgrade process for the individual package 104 that has been suspended after completing the process during the upgrade.

  Further, when another individual package 104 having the same function as the upgraded individual package 104 is already mounted on the communication apparatus 101, the common PKG control unit 201 updates the version of the already installed individual package 104 with a new version. The version of the individual package 104 that has been upgraded to the previous version is compared. When the version of the individual package 104 that has already been installed is older than the version of the individual package 104 that has been newly upgraded, the common PKG control unit 201 has already been installed with the upgraded subprogram of the same function. Download to the subprogram / command storage memory 302 of the individual package 104. Thereby, the version of the individual package 104 having the same function can be automatically unified to the latest version. If the version of the subprogram of the individual package 104 newly installed in step S105 is the same, it is not necessary to download or upload.

  In this way, if the version of the subprogram mounted in the newly installed individual package 104 is old, there is a possibility that subsequent version management may cause confusion. Therefore, the new version of the subprogram on the common package 103 side is changed. It is downloaded to the subprogram / command storage memory 302 of the individual package 104 having the old version of the subprogram. The download method is, for example, instructed from the OS 261 of the monitoring and control apparatus 102, and the subprogram is temporarily transferred from the subprogram storage memory 204 to the work memory 202 in a routine opposite to uploading, and the version is read from the work memory 202. Is transferred to the subprogram / command storage memory 302 of the old individual package 104 via the program transfer bus 106. In the case of downloading, the subprogram / command storage memory 302 of the individual package 104 is separated from the operation of each individual package 104 during normal operation, and therefore it is not necessary to have two storage areas.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the subprogram has been described on the premise that the subprogram is held on the common package 103 side from the beginning, but the subprogram corresponding to the function of the individual package 104 newly mounted on the individual package 104 side. Is not held at all, the version confirmation processing in step S105 may be read as processing for confirming whether or not there is a subprogram having the same function.

  As described above, the communication system 100 and the communication apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment can greatly reduce the evaluation period of the system, the version upgrade work and cost of the common part program, and the new part without upgrading the common part program. New commands can be added.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a communication device 151 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The communication device 151 has the same basic configuration as the communication device 101 described in the first embodiment of FIG. Here, in FIG. 5, the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, a common package 153, an individual package 154, and an individual PKG control unit 351 correspond to the common package 103, the individual package 104, and the individual PKG control unit 301 in FIG. The individual package 154 includes an FPGA program storage memory 352 instead of the subprogram / command storage memory 302 of FIG. Note that, in FIG. 5, when an item common to the individual package 154a, the individual package 154b, and the individual package 154c is described, it is referred to as an individual package 154. Similarly, when an item common to the individual PKG control unit 351a, the individual PKG control unit 351b, and the individual PKG control unit 351c is described, it is referred to as an individual PKG control unit 351. Similarly, the FPGA program storage memory 352a, the FPGA program storage memory 352b, and the FPGA program storage memory 352c are also referred to as FPGA program storage memory 352.

  The communication device 151 according to the present embodiment can upgrade the FPGA 402 constituting the hardware circuit of the common function unit 401. The FPGA 402 is a device that can change a hardware circuit like software by rewriting a circuit description language.

  For example, when it is very convenient to change the hardware of the common function unit 401 according to each individual package 154, for example, when the signal format varies depending on the individual package 154, depending on the individual package 154 that operates. Thus, the hardware of the common function unit 401 is changed. Particularly, it is used when new hardware of the common function unit 401 is required for the newly installed individual package 154.

  In FIG. 5, the common function unit 401 is connected to the monitoring control bus 105 and the program transfer bus 106 in the same manner as the individual package 154. A rewritable FPGA 402 is mounted, and monitoring control of the FPGA 402 is performed via the monitoring control bus 105. The common PKG control unit 201 of the common package 153 is provided with a work memory 202, a common program storage memory 403, and an FPGA program storage memory 404. Instead of the common program storage memory 403, the main program storage memory 203, the subprogram storage memory 204, and the control command storage memory 205 may be provided as described in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment. .

  Here, when the individual package 154a is newly mounted in the communication device 151, as described in the first embodiment, the mounting notification is output to the common PKG control unit 201 via the monitoring control bus 105 (FIG. 2). Equivalent to step S102). Upon receiving the mounting notification, the common PKG control unit 201 requests the version of the FPGA program held in the FPGA 352a of the individual package 154a (corresponding to the processing from step S103 to step S104 in FIG. 2). It is determined whether the data is newer or older than the version of the FPGA data stored in the FPGA program storage memory 404 of the common package 153 (corresponding to the version mounted on the FPGA 402 of the common function unit 401) (step in FIG. 2). Equivalent to the process of S105). Here, if the version is old or the same version already exists in the common package 153, it is newly installed in the OS 261 of the monitoring control apparatus 102 without performing the upgrade process of the FPGA program. It is only necessary to notify that the individual package 154a can be controlled (corresponding to step S112 in FIG. 2). On the other hand, if the version of the FPGA program installed in the newly installed individual package 154a is newer than the version existing in the common package 153 or not at all, the common PKG control unit 201 controls the individual package 154a. The individual package 154 a that has received the request starts transferring the FPGA program via the program transfer bus 106. When the transfer process is completed, the common PKG control unit 201 checks whether or not there is an error in the transferred FPGA program data, and the standby surface of the FPGA program storage memory 404 (the memory that is not currently used in the two memory surfaces) The data expansion starts, and after the data expansion is completed, the program of the FPGA 402 of the common function unit 401 is rewritten via the program transfer bus 106. Here, since all the series of operations are automatically performed, it is not necessary for the maintenance person to manage the version of the FPGA program, and the customer can reduce the maintenance cost.

  As described above, the communication device 151 according to the present embodiment automatically upgrades the program of the FPGA 402 constituting the hardware of the common function unit 401 so as to correspond to the newly installed individual package 154. Therefore, the upgrade work and cost can be greatly reduced.

  As described above, the function addition type control device, the function addition type control system, and the function addition method according to the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments. However, various other forms are possible without departing from the spirit or the main features thereof. Can be implemented. For this reason, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. The present invention is defined by the claims, and the present invention is not limited to the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Communication system 101, 151 ... Communication apparatus 102 ... Monitoring and control apparatus 104, 104a, 104b, 104c, 154, 154a, 154b, 154c ... Individual package 103, 153 ... Common package 105 ... Monitoring control bus 106 ... Program transfer bus 201 ... Common PKG control unit 203 ... Main program storage memory 203a ... Main program 203b ... Subprogram jump address 204 ... Subprogram Storage memory 205 ... Control command storage memory 206 ... Monitoring control IF
261 ... OS
301, 301a, 301b, 301c, 351, 351a, 351b, 351c ... Individual PKG control units 302, 302a, 302b, 302c ... Subprogram / command storage memory 352, 352a, 352b, 352c ... FPGA program Storage memory

Claims (8)

In a function-added control device having a plurality of individual packages capable of upgrading functions and a common package for monitoring and controlling the plurality of individual packages,
Between the plurality of individual packages and the common package, at least a signal for monitoring and controlling the plurality of individual packages, a control program executed by the common package to control the package, and a control command Provide a bus to send and receive signals to transfer one,
The individual package is:
An individual package side memory for storing at least one of the control program and the control command for its own package;
A control unit for transferring at least one of the control program and the control command stored in the individual package side memory to the common package via the bus when the self package is mounted;
The common package is
A common package side memory for storing a control program and a control command for controlling the individual package;
At least one of the control program and the control command transferred from the individual package is expanded in the common package side memory, and the plurality of individual packages are monitored using the control program and the control command in the common package side memory And a supervisory control unit for performing control. In the function addition type control device according to claim 1,
When the control program or the control command transferred from the individual package is not held in the program memory or the command memory, the monitoring control unit stores the control program or the command memory in the program memory or the command memory. Added function type control device. In the function addition type control device according to claim 2,
The supervisory control unit, when the version of the control program or the control command transferred from the individual package is newer than the version of the control program or the control command held in the program memory or the command memory, The function-added control apparatus, wherein the control program or the control command held in the program memory or the command memory is updated. In the function addition type control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The program memory has an execution program memory for storing two different programs and a spare program memory,
The command memory has an execution command memory for storing two different commands and a spare command memory;
The monitoring control unit performs monitoring control of the plurality of individual packages through the bus using the control program and the control command held in the execution program memory and the execution command memory, and After the control program and the control command transferred from the package via the bus are stored in the spare program memory and the spare command memory, respectively, the spare program memory, the spare command memory, and the execution command are stored. A function-added control device that switches between a program memory and the execution command memory. In the function addition type control device according to claim 2,
The monitoring control unit, when the version of the control program or the control command transferred from the individual package is older than the version of the control program or the control command held in the program memory or the command memory, The function-added control device, wherein the control program or the control command held in the program memory or the command memory is transferred to the individual package memory of the individual package via the bus. In the function addition type control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When a hardware device capable of rewriting a circuit by a circuit description program is installed in the common package,
The individual package memory stores a circuit description program of the hardware device,
The monitoring control unit is configured to transfer the circuit description program from the individual package when the version of the circuit description program transferred from the individual package is newer than the version of the circuit description program installed in the hardware device. Is newly installed in the hardware device. In the function addition type control system using the function addition type control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a higher-level monitoring control apparatus that manages the function addition type control apparatus by an operation system,
The supervisory control unit sends the control program or the control command held in the program memory or the command memory after transmitting a non-control notification notifying the supervisory control device of a transition to a mode in which control is not accepted. Update, and when all updates are completed, send an implementation completion notification to the monitoring and control device,
The monitoring control device does not control the function addition type control device until receiving the implementation completion notification after receiving the non-control notification from the monitoring control unit of the function addition type control device. Added function control system. In a function addition method in the case of adding a function to a control device having a plurality of individual packages capable of upgrading functions and a common package for monitoring and controlling the plurality of individual packages,
Transferring at least one of a control program and a control command for the own package from the individual package side to the common package when the individual package is mounted;
The function addition method in the control device, wherein the common package side holds at least one of the control program and the control command transferred from the individual package side and performs monitoring control of the individual package.

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