JP2014165619A - Network apparatus and address notification method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily notify an address set for a network apparatus.SOLUTION: An address output part 17 outputs an address stored in an address storing part 15 to a display 30 externally connected with a communication port 16, for a predetermined period of time and/or according to input of an address notification request operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to an address notification technique for notifying an address assigned to a network device.

  In a facility management system that monitors and manages large-scale facilities such as industrial plants and buildings, a host device such as a monitoring server performs data communication with various network devices such as a controller via a communication line such as a LAN. Various information is collected from these network devices, or these network devices are controlled.

  A unique address is assigned to each network device. Therefore, by specifying this address in a packet transmitted and received between the host device and the network device, each network device can perform data communication with the host device via a common communication line. .

  Conventionally, when a field device connected to a field bus is connected to a LAN using a protocol conversion device, which is one of network devices, the address corresponds to a field bus to which a unique address is assigned in advance. In order to confirm that the field device is correctly connected, a matching value corresponding to the address is set in the terminal unit to which the field device is connected, and the protocol conversion is performed when the terminal unit is attached to the protocol converter. A technique for automatically collating an address registered in the memory of the apparatus with a collation value acquired from a terminal unit has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-295534 A

  In such a network device, there is a case where it is desired to confirm an address set for each network device. For example, when a network device is replaced by a maintenance operation, it is necessary to reset the same address as that of the network device that has been used so far to a new network device. In preparation for such a case, the operator notes the address when installing the network device, and resets the address to a new network device based on the memo at a later date. .

In such a method of writing down an address, if the memo is lost, it is necessary to reconfirm the address setting contents on the network device.
However, according to the prior art, when a network device is connected to a host device, the address can be automatically verified, but the assigned address itself cannot be easily confirmed.

Some network devices are equipped with a display device such as an LCD. In such network devices, the addresses stored in the memory inside the network device can be set in response to key operations or external instruction inputs. It can also be displayed on a display.
On the other hand, for network devices that are not equipped with a display and whose address is set by a setting switch such as a rotary switch, the address cannot be displayed. Therefore, the address is confirmed by visually checking the state of the setting switch.

  However, these setting switches are rarely operated, and are often arranged not on the front side of the apparatus but on the back side or inside so that a third party cannot easily change the setting. For this reason, since the setting switch cannot be easily visually recognized, there is a problem in that the address set in the network device cannot be easily confirmed.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide an address notification technique capable of easily notifying an address set in a network device.

  In order to achieve such an object, a network device according to the present invention is a network device that performs data communication via a communication line, and includes an address storage unit that stores its own address used for the data communication, and a fixed amount An address output unit for outputting the address stored in the address storage unit from the communication port to an externally connected display unit at every time or / and in response to an input of an address notification request operation Yes.

  In addition, one configuration example of the network device according to the present invention further includes an LED display that displays numbers, and the address output unit outputs the address to the LED display instead of the communication port. It is a thing.

  The address notification method according to the present invention is an address notification method used in a network device that performs data communication via a communication line, and an address storage unit stores its own address used for the data communication. The address and the address output unit, at regular time intervals and / or in response to an input of an address notification request operation, the address stored in the address storage unit to an externally connected display from the communication port And an address output step for outputting.

  Also, in one configuration example of the address notification method according to the present invention, the address output unit outputs the address to an LED display that displays numbers provided in the network device instead of the communication port. It is what I did.

  According to the present invention, since the address is output from the communication port to the display device at fixed time intervals, if the worker connects to the communication port of the network device externally, the address set in the network device is confirmed by the display device. can do. In addition, when the operator performs an address notification request operation, the address set in the network device can be confirmed on the display unit at an arbitrary timing.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the network device concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the address notification process concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the other address notification process concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the network apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the address notification process concerning 2nd Embodiment.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
First, a network device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a network device according to the first embodiment.

  The network device 10 includes a processing device such as a controller, and has a function of performing data communication with a host device 50 connected via the communication line L1 using a preset address.

  In the present invention, the network device 10 is described as an example of a controller used in a facility management system that monitors and manages a large-scale facility such as an industrial plant or a building. However, the network device 10 is limited to a controller. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to any processing apparatus that performs data communication using addresses.

  The network device 10 includes, as main functional units, a communication I / F unit 11, a transmission I / F unit 12, a control unit 13, an operation input unit 14, an address storage unit 15, a communication port 16, an address output unit 17, and An LED display 18 is provided.

The communication I / F unit 11 includes a communication control circuit, and has a function of performing data communication with a host device 50 such as a monitoring server via a communication line L1 such as a LAN.
The transmission I / F unit 12 includes a transmission control circuit, and has a function of performing data transmission with various field devices 20 via a transmission path L2 such as a field bus. The field device 20 includes a detector that detects physical quantities such as pressure, flow rate, liquid level, liquid level, temperature, and humidity using various sensors.

  The control unit 13 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU, collects various information from the field device 20 via the transmission I / F unit 12, and stores these information based on the address set in the address storage unit 15. Based on the function of notifying the host device 50 via the communication I / F unit 11 and the address set in the address storage unit 15, an instruction from the host device 50 is received via the communication I / F unit 11. In addition, a function corresponding to the instruction is notified from the transmission I / F unit 12 to the field device 20, and the field device 20 is controlled.

The operation input unit 14 has operation keys and setting switches, and has a function of detecting and outputting various operations such as an address setting operation and an address notification request operation by an operator.
The address storage unit 15 includes a semiconductor memory, and in response to the address setting operation detected by the operation input unit 14, the address input by the address setting operation is used as a unique address used in the network device 10. It has a function to memorize.

  The communication port 16 includes a data communication port such as a USB, and outputs various information such as an address of the network device 10 to the display device 30 by performing data communication with the display device 30 connected to the outside of the network device 10. It has a function to do.

  The display device 30 is a portable portable information terminal such as a personal computer or a smartphone, and has a function of displaying information received by data communication on a display screen such as an LCD. In the facility management system, an operator carries such a display 30 and performs maintenance of the network device 10 and the field device 20.

  The address output unit 17 reads out the address stored in the address storage unit 15 at regular time intervals and / or in response to an input of an address notification request operation, and is connected to an externally connected display device from the communication port 16 30.

[Operation of First Embodiment]
Next, the operation of the network device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the address notification process according to the first embodiment.
The address output unit 17 executes the address notification process of FIG. 2 in response to the activation of the network device 10 after the power is turned on.

The address output unit 17 first reads out its own address from the address storage unit 15 (step 100), and outputs it from the communication port 16 to the externally connected display 30 (step 101).
Thereafter, the address output unit 17 confirms whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the address output (step 102). At this time, for example, the timer function of the CPU may be used for the time passage.

  Here, when the fixed time has not elapsed since the address output (step 102: NO), the address output unit 17 confirms whether or not the address notification request operation has been performed by the operation input unit 14 (step 103), and the address notification request operation is performed. If not (step 103: NO), the process returns to step 102.

On the other hand, when there is an address notification request operation in step 103 (step 103: YES), the process proceeds to step 100, and an address is output.
In step 102, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the address output (step 102: YES), the process proceeds to step 100, and the address is output.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
Thus, in the present embodiment, the address output unit 17 stores the address stored in the address storage unit 15 at regular time intervals and / or in response to an input of an address notification request operation. Output to the externally connected display 30.

As a result, an address is output from the communication port 16 to the display unit 30 at regular intervals, so that if the worker connects to the communication port 16 of the network device 10 externally, the address set in the network device 10 is displayed. 30.
In addition, when the operator performs an address notification request operation using the operation input unit 14, the address set in the network device 10 can be confirmed by the display device 30 at an arbitrary timing.

  In the address notification processing of FIG. 2, the case where the address is output for every fixed time and for the address notification request operation has been described as an example. An address may be output for any one of the notification request operations.

  In the address notification process of FIG. 2, the address is output to the communication port 16 even when the display device 30 is not connected to the communication port 16. Here, a general communication port such as a USB has a function of confirming whether or not a device is connected. For this reason, you may make it confirm in the communication port 16 whether the indicator 30 is connected in an address notification process.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another address notification process according to the first embodiment. Compared to FIG. 2, a connection confirmation step 110 for the display 30 is added immediately before step 100.
That is, in step 110, the address output unit 17 confirms whether or not the display device 30 is connected through the communication port 16. If it is confirmed that the display 30 is connected (step 110: YES), the process proceeds to step 100. If the connection of the display 30 is not confirmed (step 110: NO), the process proceeds to step 102. To do.

  As a result, only when the display device 30 is connected to the communication port 16, the address is displayed from the communication port 16, and the wasteful processing of outputting the address even though the display device 30 is not connected is performed. It can be omitted.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a network device 10 according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a network device according to the second embodiment.

  Compared with the first embodiment, an LED display 18 is added in the present embodiment. The LED display 18 is composed of a 7-segment LED and a dot matrix LED, and has a function of displaying input data with numerals and alphabets. This makes it possible to display addresses with a very simple circuit as compared with the case of using an LCD display as in the prior art, leading to cost reduction.

  In many cases, an address is expressed using a plurality of digits. For example, since the IP address is expressed by 4 to 12 digits and three dots, a maximum of 15 digits is required. On the other hand, depending on the network device 10, the device size is small, and it may be difficult to secure the mounting area of the LED display 18.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, the one-digit LED display 18 is used to rotate and display addresses one by one. For example, when the address “192.168.1.1” is displayed, “1” → “9” → “2” → “.” → “1” → “6” → “8” → at intervals of about several seconds. “.” → “1” → “.” → “1” are displayed in order. As a result, an address composed of a plurality of digits can be displayed with a minimum mounting area.
Other configurations according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[Operation of Second Embodiment]
Next, the operation of the network device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an address notification process according to the second embodiment.
The address output unit 17 executes the address notification process of FIG. 5 in response to the activation of the network device 10 after the power is turned on.

The address output unit 17 first reads out its own address from the address storage unit 15 (step 200) and outputs it to the LED display 18 (step 201).
Thereafter, the address output unit 17 confirms whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the address output (step 202). At this time, for example, the timer function of the CPU may be used for the time passage.

  Here, when the fixed time has not elapsed since the address output (step 202: NO), the address output unit 17 confirms whether or not the address notification request operation has been performed by the operation input unit 14 (step 203), and the address notification request operation is performed. If not (step 203: NO), the process returns to step 202.

On the other hand, when there is an address notification request operation in step 203 (step 203: YES), the process proceeds to step 200, and an address is output.
In step 202, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the address output (step 202: YES), the process proceeds to step 200 to output the address.

[Effect of the second embodiment]
As described above, the present embodiment further includes the LED display 18 that displays numbers, and the address output unit 17 outputs an address to the LED display 18 instead of the communication port 16.
As a result, the address of the network device 10 can be confirmed by simply adding a simple circuit without requiring the display device 30.

[Extended embodiment]
The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. In addition, each embodiment can be implemented in any combination within a consistent range.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Network equipment, 11 ... Communication I / F part, 12 ... Transmission I / F part, 13 ... Control part, 14 ... Operation input part, 15 ... Address storage part, 16 ... Communication port, 17 ... Address output part, 18 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... LED display, 20 ... Field apparatus, 30 ... Display, 50 ... Host apparatus, L1 ... Communication line, L2 ... Transmission path.

Claims (4)

A network device that performs data communication via a communication line,
An address storage unit for storing its own address used for the data communication;
An address output unit for outputting the address stored in the address storage unit from the communication port to an externally connected display unit at regular time intervals and / or in response to an input of an address notification request operation. Network equipment characterized by this. The network device according to claim 1,
It further includes an LED indicator that displays numbers,
The network device, wherein the address output unit outputs the address to the LED display instead of the communication port. An address notification method used in a network device that performs data communication via a communication line,
An address storage step in which an address storage unit stores its own address used for the data communication;
The address output unit outputs the address stored in the address storage unit from the communication port to an externally connected display unit at regular time intervals and / or in response to an input of an address notification request operation. An address notification method comprising: an output step. The address notification method according to claim 3,
The address output method, wherein the address output unit outputs the address to an LED display that displays numbers provided in the network device instead of the communication port.

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