JP2014060636A - Communication interface conversion device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication interface conversion device, capable of flexibly dealing with the conversion of a communication system to conform to different communication systems between devices, and also capable of converting a signal address position of a transmission/reception data signal.SOLUTION: A communication interface conversion device 1 includes: a data communication and signal conversion processing unit 2a for mutually transmitting/receiving data signals between with a terminal device 4 to convert into a communication system of an HDLC system for analog communication; a data communication and signal conversion processing unit 2b for mutually transmitting/receiving data signals between with a central device 5 to convert into a communication system of an IP system; a signal address position conversion processing unit 2c for performing conversion processing of a data signal transmission/reception sequence between the data communication and signal conversion processing unit 2a and the data communication and signal conversion processing unit 2b; and a storage unit 3 for storing the conversion processing procedure of the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c.

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a communication interface conversion device that converts a data communication method from a terminal device that performs monitoring control of plant equipment and performs transmission and reception with a host device such as a central device.

  Conventionally, in a communication interface conversion device, the address position of data to be transmitted / received is kept as it is, and only the communication method corresponding to the defined communication specification is converted. There has been proposed an apparatus that includes means for adding or editing a difference between interfaces for different controllers for each model as a conversion rule, and that enables communication by converting to an interface according to the specified contents of the address and the model.

  As an example of such a communication interface conversion device, for example, in the command generation / monitoring device for a heterogeneous controller disclosed in Patent Document 1, command generation for a controller connected to a plurality of different types of controllers 4 via the network 1 is performed. A communication control unit 21 in which the monitoring device 2 communicates with the controller via a network; an application unit 22 that interfaces with a message conversion unit 23 using a standard message format of commands to the controller and responses from the controller for each model; A message conversion rule editing unit 24 having a message conversion rule, and using the message conversion rule, a standard command message to the controller is sent to a controller-specific command message and a response message from the controller is sent to a standard message message. A message conversion unit 23 for converting the mat, and a. This device is provided with means for adding or editing a difference between interfaces for different controllers for each model as a conversion rule, and it is possible to communicate by converting to an interface according to the specified contents of the address and model. .

JP-A-11-231924

  However, the conventional command generation / monitoring device of a different type of controller can perform communication method conversion according to the specifications established by installing between two devices with different communication methods so that data can be transmitted and received between the devices. However, it is limited to communication processing only, because the communication method of the conversion target device is strictly defined, and it is generally manufactured by incorporating the communication interface conversion function into dedicated hardware. However, it is difficult to make fine adjustments such as the timing specific to the device to be connected and the operation at the time of device failure, and there is a problem that a substantial review is required if the communication specifications of the target device change even a little.

  In addition, such communication interface conversion is often performed when the installation time of one of the devices is old and it is desired to support a new communication method. There is a desire to align the address position, that is, the allocation of signal transmission / reception order, among multiple devices, but this device can only change the command level, and the address position itself cannot be changed, making it difficult to cope with it. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. In order to cope with different communication methods between apparatuses, the present invention can flexibly cope with the conversion of communication methods, and transmits and receives data signals. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication interface conversion device that can also perform address position conversion.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a communication interface conversion apparatus according to the present invention is provided corresponding to a plurality of external apparatuses, performs transmission / reception of data signals with each other and converts the communication method. A data communication / signal conversion processing unit having a function of performing, a signal address position conversion processing unit for converting a signal address position indicating a transmission / reception order of the data signals between the data communication / signal conversion processing unit, and the signal address And a storage unit for storing a position conversion processing procedure.

  According to the communication interface conversion device of the present invention, by performing signal address position conversion of the transmission / reception data signal simultaneously with the conversion of the communication method, the assignment of the transmission / reception order of the data signals and the data signal name when there are a plurality of devices are performed. It is possible to unify, and there is no need to change the target device, and there is an effect that operation and management become easy.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication interface conversion apparatus according to a first embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the communication interface conversion apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication interface conversion apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication interface conversion apparatus according to a third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a communication interface conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication interface conversion apparatus according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the communication interface conversion apparatus according to Embodiment 1.

  First, the configuration of the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, a communication interface conversion device 1 transmits / receives data signals to / from a terminal device 4 which is an external first device located at a lower level, and performs analog communication HDLC (High-level Data Link Control, For example, the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a provided corresponding to the terminal device 4 which is the first data communication / signal conversion processing unit for conversion to the LAP-B) communication method, The central device 5 which is a second data communication / signal conversion processing unit which transmits / receives data signals to / from the central device 5 which is the second device and converts the data signal to an IP (Internet Protocol) communication method. Data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b provided correspondingly and data communication / signal provided corresponding to the terminal device 4 A signal address position conversion processing unit 2c that performs conversion processing of a signal address position indicating a transmission / reception order of data signals between the conversion processing unit 2a and a data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b provided corresponding to the central device 5; And a storage unit 3 for storing the conversion processing procedure of the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c. Here, the communication interface conversion processing unit 2 includes a data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2 a provided corresponding to the terminal device 4, and a data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2 b provided corresponding to the central device 5. The signal address position conversion processing unit 2c.

  In the case of transmitting a data signal from the lower terminal device 4 to the upper central device 5, the data signal received from the terminal device 4 in the HDLC system, which is the communication specification of the terminal device 4, is subjected to data communication / signal conversion processing. The signal is transmitted to the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c via the unit 2a, and the transmission / reception order is converted by the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c in accordance with a predetermined conversion arrangement procedure. This conversion processing procedure is stored in the storage unit 3 as an item definition. The data signal converted by the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c is transferred to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b, and the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b uses the TCP / IP system which is the communication specification of the central device 5. Is transmitted to the central device 5.

  On the other hand, when a data signal is transmitted from the upper central device 5 to the lower terminal device 4, the data signal received from the central device 5 by the TCP / IP method is sent to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b. Then, the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c transmits the transmission / reception order according to a predetermined conversion arrangement procedure by the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c. The data signal converted by the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c is transferred to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a, and converted to the HDLC system which is the communication specification of the terminal device 4 by the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a. And transmitted to the terminal device 4.

  Through this series of operations, in the transmission / reception of data signals between the terminal device 4 and the central device 5 via the communication interface conversion device 1, the conversion of the communication interface and the conversion of the signal address position are performed simultaneously as viewed from the outside. Become.

Next, the operation of the communication interface conversion apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart showing the operation of FIG.
In the flow diagram, for example, the terminal device 4 that collects data such as plant equipment establishes communication processing first with the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a of the communication interface conversion device 1 located on the upper side. Perform the connection process. As an initial operation, a connection request is sent to each other and a response is received, whereby the connection is completed and data communication is possible. The terminal device 4 that has become communicable can transmit a communication activation notification to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a of the communication interface conversion device 1 so that the data signal from the terminal device 4 can be transmitted. Encourage data requests.
The data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2 a that has received the communication activation notification from the terminal device 4 transmits a data request to the terminal device 4 so as to transmit all data held by the terminal device 4. The terminal device 4 transmits all data held in the terminal device 4 to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a, and finally transmits a completion flag.

  At this time, the signal state inside the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a has not been updated and may be in an old state. The communication process has not been established yet, and the communication establishment operation between the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b and the central apparatus 5 is performed upon reception of the completion flag of all data transmission from the terminal apparatus 4.

  Establishing communication processing between the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b and the central device 5 corresponding to the upper side also sends a connection request to each other and receives a response to complete the connection, thereby enabling data communication. .

  The data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b that is ready for communication transmits a communication activation notification to the central device 5 so that the data signal from the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b can be transmitted. Encourage requests. The central device 5 that has received the activation notification from the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b transmits a data request to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b so as to transmit all the data held by the processing unit 2b. To do. The data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b that has received the data request transfers the data request to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a because there may be no latest data inside. The data is transferred from the conversion processing unit 2a to the terminal device 4.

  Here, the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a transmits the received data signal to the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c for all data transmitted from the terminal device 4 again. The data signal after the signal address position is converted is transmitted from the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b to the central device 5.

  After that, the terminal device 4 transmits a data signal to the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a every time it receives data that has changed from the equipment to be collected. Further, the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a transmits the received data signal to the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c. The data signal after the signal address position is converted by the signal address position conversion processing unit 2 c is transmitted from the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2 b to the central device 5.

  In the conversion process in the signal address position conversion processing unit 2 c, the conversion processing procedure is performed based on the conversion definition stored in the storage unit 3. The change of the conversion definition can be changed as appropriate by rewriting the contents of the storage unit 3 by software processing, and can flexibly cope with the change in the specifications of the terminal device 4 and the central device 5.

  In addition, since the conversion of the communication interface can be realized by software processing, it is possible to flexibly cope with the settings inside the communication interface conversion apparatus, such as the unique operation of the counterpart device and the response to a device failure.

  As described above, according to the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the first embodiment, the function of converting the communication method to enable transmission / reception of different data signals between a plurality of apparatuses, and the data communication / signal with each apparatus at the same time. By providing a function to convert the signal address position of the data signal with the conversion processing unit, not only the conversion of the communication interface, but also the allocation of the data signal to be transmitted, that is, the signal address position is continuously converted. However, a remarkable effect that communication processing can be performed can be expected.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the second embodiment.
The difference between the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that, in the second embodiment, the communication interface conversion apparatus 1 has a conversion processing procedure. A change unit 6 is provided, and a conversion definition stored in the storage unit 3 can be changed via a conversion processing procedure change unit 6 by a command from a maintenance device 7 installed outside. is there. The other constituent elements are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, when conversion is performed by the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c, the conversion definition stored in advance in the storage unit 3 is used as the conversion definition to be referred to. In the second embodiment, By providing the conversion process procedure changing unit 6 in the communication interface conversion device 1, it is possible to connect and exchange conversion definition information with an external maintenance device (such as a personal computer) 7 by communication. As a result, the conversion definition can be additionally corrected from the outside, and the conversion definition can be easily changed.

  Further, the contents of the change definition include not only the assignment of the transmission / reception order of the data signals such as the signal address position but also the text information such as the names of the data signals, and can be easily edited from the external maintenance device 7. By doing so, the conversion definition can be easily referred to by associating the data signal name with the address position, and can be confirmed by printing.

  Furthermore, when connecting to an external maintenance device 7 or the like via a LAN, it is possible not only to operate in the vicinity of the communication interface conversion device 1 but also to operate from a distance via the network. It is possible to easily refer to the change definition and to perform the change operation from a long distance without going to the installation location.

  As described above, according to the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the function of converting the communication method to enable transmission / reception of different data signals between a plurality of apparatuses, The function of converting the signal address position of the data signal between the device and the data communication / signal conversion processing unit not only converts the communication interface but also continuously assigns the data signal to be transmitted, that is, the signal address position. The communication definition can be performed while the conversion definition is changed from an external maintenance device, and the conversion definition in the signal address position processing can be changed from the external maintenance device by providing a function. Can be expected.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication interface conversion apparatus according to the third embodiment.
The difference from the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that, in addition to the conversion process procedure changing unit 6 provided in the second embodiment, monitoring for transmitting / receiving data signals to / from the communication interface conversion processing unit 2 A control unit (data processing unit) 8 is provided, and referring to the conversion definition in the storage unit 3, the state management unit 9 determines the change and amount of the data signal, and determines the signal address position and the name of the data signal. The monitoring control screen generating unit 11 is provided to store the latest state by associating the data with each other, and to store the past data signals for a certain period in the data storage unit 10 and display these monitoring information as images. And is connected to an external monitoring control device 12. Since other components are the same as those in the second embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the second embodiment of FIG. 3, all data of the terminal device 4 and the central device 5 captured via the communication process are held in the communication interface conversion device 1, and further stored. Since the information of the signal address position and the name of the data signal is stored in the section 3, by combining these, the data signal name is added to the state of the data signal, and the information that can be visually operated is converted to the communication interface. It can be generated only by the device 1.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, in the third embodiment, a monitoring control unit (data processing unit) 8 that transmits and receives data signals to and from the communication interface conversion processing unit 2 is mounted inside the communication interface conversion device 1. The change and amount of the data signal are determined while referring to the conversion definition in the storage unit 3, the signal address position and the name of the data signal are associated, the state management unit 9 holds the latest state of the data signal, and the data The accumulation unit 10 stores past data signals for a certain period.

  The monitor control screen generating unit 11 creates screen information that allows the monitor control screen generation unit 11 to monitor these data signals visually from an externally connected monitor control device (such as a personal computer) 12. Further, it is possible to operate the equipment to be monitored from the screen of the monitoring control device 12, and through the monitoring control unit (data processing unit) 8 while referring to the conversion definition of the storage unit 3 through the monitoring control screen generation unit 11. It is delivered to the communication interface conversion processing unit 2. Thereafter, the operation information is output from the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a to the terminal device 4 via the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c. The monitoring control device 12 can monitor and operate the state in the state management unit 9 via the monitoring control screen generation unit 11 using, for example, a general-purpose browser.

  Thus, in addition to performing communication interface conversion between the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2a and the data communication / signal conversion processing unit 2b, conversion of the signal address position of the data signal transmitted by the signal address position conversion processing unit 2c is performed. By monitoring the data signal by the monitoring control unit 8 and storing the data signal by the data storage unit 10, not only the conversion of the communication interface but also the allocation of the transmitted data signal, that is, the signal address position is continuous. Thus, it is possible to construct a communication interface conversion device that can be transmitted while being converted and can be visually monitored and operated independently for those data signals.

  Thus, according to the communication interface conversion apparatus according to the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the function of converting the communication method to enable transmission / reception of different data signals between a plurality of apparatuses, Data that is transmitted between the device and the data communication / signal conversion processing unit, as well as the conversion of the communication interface, by the function of converting the signal address position of the data signal and the function of changing the conversion definition from an external maintenance device By assigning signals, that is, by performing communication processing while continuously converting the signal address position, the conversion definition in the signal address position processing can be changed from the outside, and a function that can be monitored and operated from the outside is provided. Expected to have a remarkable effect of being able to perform external monitoring and operation Kill.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the communication is performed with the existing terminal device 4 that is performing analog communication such as HDLC (LAP-B) and digital communication such as IP (TCP / IP) that is the current mainstream communication method. In the communication interface conversion device 1, the communication interface conversion function and the signal address position conversion function are appropriately set according to the function of the software. Since it can be changed, it goes without saying that any communication system between the external terminal device (first device) 4 and the central device (second device) 5 can be used. .

  Also, within the scope of the present invention, the embodiments can be freely combined, or the embodiments can be appropriately modified or omitted.

  Moreover, in the figure, the same code | symbol shows the same or an equivalent part.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication interface converter 2 Communication interface conversion process part 2a, 2b Data communication and signal conversion process part 2c Signal address position conversion process part 3 Memory | storage part 4 Terminal device 5 Central apparatus 6 Data communication and signal conversion process part 7 Maintenance apparatus 8 Monitoring Control unit 11 Monitoring control screen generation unit 12 Monitoring control device

Claims (4)

A data communication / signal conversion processing unit that is provided corresponding to a plurality of external devices, and that has a function of performing transmission / reception of data signals with each other and converting a communication method;
A signal address position conversion processing unit that performs conversion processing of a signal address position indicating a transmission / reception order of the data signals between the data communication and signal conversion processing units;
A storage unit for storing a conversion processing procedure of the signal address position;
A communication interface conversion device comprising:   A conversion processing procedure changing unit that changes the conversion processing procedure stored in the storage unit is provided, and the conversion processing procedure can be changed from the external maintenance device via the conversion processing procedure changing unit. The communication interface conversion apparatus according to claim 1.   The communication according to claim 1, further comprising a monitoring control unit that monitors and controls the data signal in the signal address position conversion processing unit, and operating the monitoring control unit by an external monitoring control device. Interface converter. The communication interface according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conversion of the communication method is performed between an HDLC (High-level Data Link Control) method and an IP (Internet Protocol) method. Conversion device.

Images