JP2022173942A - control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a control system capable of easily setting an address.SOLUTION: A control system comprises a plurality of terminal devices and a controller. The plurality of terminal devices are connected in series with the controller via a communication wire. The controller transmits an address setting confirmation command via the communication wire and, when an address unset response command is received from any of the terminal devices, transmits an address setting request command in which an address is added to the terminal device of the transmission source before transmitting the address setting confirmation command again. Each terminal device, when receiving the address setting confirmation command via the communication wire and if an address is set the terminal device, transmits the address setting confirmation command to the next terminal device, if no address is set to the terminal device, transmits the address unset response command to the controller, and when receiving the address setting request command from the controller, sets an address added to the address setting request command as its own address.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to control systems.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an address setting method for a lighting control system. This lighting control system includes a plurality of lighting fixtures and a controller that transmits command signals for performing lighting control and function setting of the lighting fixtures. The lighting control system further includes a plurality of communication units that are connected to the lighting fixtures via signal lines, receive command signals transmitted from the controller, and output the command signals to the lighting fixtures via the signal lines. The command signal contains an individual address for the luminaire. Lighting fixtures identified by individual addresses are controlled based on the command signal.

When any one of the lighting fixtures is to be replaced, by turning off the power of the communication unit connected to the lighting fixture, the address of the newly installed lighting fixture is used for the lighting fixture before replacement. Allocate the address as is. Also, by turning on the communication unit, an unused address is assigned as the address of the newly installed lighting fixture.

JP 2010-211938 A

In Patent Document 1, the address of the lighting fixture is automatically set by turning on or off the power of the communication unit. This address setting method requires power on/off. Therefore, the time required for address setting may increase in proportion to the number of lighting fixtures. This may increase the cost required for address setting.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a control system in which addresses can be easily set.

A control system according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of terminal devices and a controller that controls the plurality of terminal devices, the plurality of terminal devices being connected in series to the controller via communication lines, The controller transmits an address setting confirmation command via the communication line, and when receiving an address unset response command from any one of the plurality of terminal devices, adds an address to the source terminal device. transmitting an address setting request command, transmitting the address setting request command, then transmitting the address setting confirmation command again, and transmitting the address setting confirmation command again; When the confirmation command is received, if the address is set to itself, the address setting confirmation command is transmitted to the next terminal device, and if the address is not set to itself, the address unset response command is sent to the controller. When the address setting request command is received from the controller, the address added to the address setting request command is set as its own address.

In the control system according to the present disclosure, the address can be easily set by sending the address setting confirmation command.

1 is a circuit block diagram of a control system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a controller according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a controller according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a terminal device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a terminal device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in an address setting automatic mode according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing states before and after address setting of the control system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in an address setting manual mode according to Embodiment 2;

A control system according to each embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding components, and repetition of description may be omitted.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a control system 80 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. A control system 80 includes a management device 1 , a controller 20 and a plurality of terminals 30 . The management device 1 is composed of, for example, a personal computer. The management device 1 performs state monitoring and setting of the entire control system 80 . The management device 1 and the controller 20 are connected via a LAN (Local Area Network) 8, which is a wired or wireless communication network. The LAN is, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark).

A unique IP (Internet Protocol) address is assigned to the controller 20 . The controller 20 is identified by the set IP address. A control signal from the management device 1 controls the operation of the controller 20 via the LAN 8 .

The controller 20 communicates with a plurality of terminal devices 30, wall switches (not shown), and the like via the communication line 7. FIG. A plurality of terminals 30 are connected to the controller 20 via communication lines 7 connected by transition wiring. A plurality of terminals 30 are connected in series to the controller 20 via the communication line 7 . Although three terminal devices 30a to 30c are shown as terminal devices 30 in FIG. 1, the number of terminal devices 30 connected to the controller 20 may be one or more. Controller 20 transmits and receives transmission signals to and from devices connected via communication line 7 . The transmission signal includes, for example, address data and control data. Thereby, the controller 20 controls the terminal device 30 .

A unique address is assigned to each of the terminals 30a to 30c. The terminals 30a to 30c are identified by set addresses. A plurality of loads 40 are connected to the terminal device 30a. The load 40 is, for example, a lighting fixture. The terminal 30a controls the operation of the load 40. FIG. The terminal device 30b is a lighting fixture with a communication function. The terminal device 30c is a human sensor. The management device 1 and the controller 20 communicate with the terminals 30a to 30c and cause the terminal 30a to control the operation of the load 40. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of controller 20 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the controller 20 according to the first embodiment. The controller 20 includes a communication section 21 , a comparison section 22 , a storage section 23 and an analysis section 24 . The storage unit 23 corresponds to the memory 28 in FIG. The storage unit 23 stores software, settings, and the like used for control by the controller 20 .

The communication unit 21 transmits and receives control signals to and from the management device 1 via the LAN 8 . The comparison unit 22 compares the address data included in the control signal from the management device 1 with the address of the controller 20 . When the comparison unit 22 determines that the address data of the control signal and the IP address set in the controller 20 match, the controller 20 performs control according to the control signal. Also, the analysis unit 24 determines whether or not an address is assigned to itself. The analysis unit 24 may determine whether or not the transmitted address data is normal.

Also, the communication unit 21 transmits and receives control data to and from the terminals 30a to 30c via the communication line 7. FIG. The comparator 22 compares the address data included in the transmission signal from the terminal 30 with the address of the controller 20 . When the comparator 22 determines that the address data of the transmission signal and the address set in the controller 20 match, the controller 20 performs control according to the transmission signal.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of terminal device 30 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal device 30 according to the first embodiment. Here, the configuration common to the terminals 30a to 30c will be described. The terminal device 30 includes a communication section 31 , a comparison section 32 , a storage section 33 and an analysis section 34 . The storage unit 33 corresponds to the memory 38 in FIG. The storage unit 33 stores software, settings, and the like used for control in the terminal device 30 .

The communication unit 31 transmits and receives control data to and from the controller 20 and other terminals 30 via the communication line 7 . The comparator 32 compares the address data included in the transmission signal from the controller 20 or another terminal 30 with its own address. When the comparison unit 32 determines that the address data of the transmission signal and its own address match, the terminal device 30 executes control according to the transmission signal. The analysis unit 34 determines whether an address is assigned to itself. Also, the analysis unit 34 may determine whether or not the transmitted address data is normal.

Functions of the communication unit 21, the comparison unit 22, and the analysis unit 24 are realized by a control device such as the processor 27 shown in FIG. Similarly, the functions of the communication unit 31, the comparison unit 32 and the analysis unit 34 are implemented by a control device such as the processor 37 shown in FIG. The controller may be dedicated hardware. Also, the control device may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program stored in a memory. A CPU is also called a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a processor, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

Where the controller is dedicated hardware, the controller may be, for example, a single circuit, multiple circuits, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor. Also, the controller may be an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Furthermore, the controller may be a combination of these. Further, in the controller 20 or the terminal device 30, the functions of the communication section, the comparison section, and the analysis section may be realized by separate control devices. Also, the functions of the respective units may be collectively realized by one control device.

When the control device is a CPU, the functions of the communication units 21, 31, the comparison units 22, 32, and the analysis units 24, 34 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. Software and firmware are written as programs and stored in memories 28 , 38 . The control device reads and executes programs stored in the memories 28 and 38 to achieve the functions of each unit.

That is, the memory 28 stores programs and the like for transmitting an address setting confirmation command and an address setting request command to the terminal device 30, as will be described later. The memory 38 also stores a program for transmitting an address setting confirmation command to the other terminal device 30, a program for transmitting an address unset response command to the controller 20, and the like. It can be said that these programs cause the computer to execute the procedures or methods of the communication units 21 and 31, the comparison units 22 and 32, the storage units 23 and 33, and the analysis units 24 and .

Here, the memories 28 and 38 may be non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic disks, flexible disks, optical disks, compact disks, mini-disks, DVDs, etc. good. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. EPROM is an abbreviation for Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. EEPROM is an abbreviation for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory.

Note that the functions of the communication unit 21, the comparison unit 22, and the analysis unit 24 may be partially implemented by dedicated hardware and partially implemented by software or firmware. For example, the functions of the communication unit 21 and the comparison unit 22 are realized by a control device as dedicated hardware, and the functions of the analysis unit 24 are realized by the control device reading and executing a program stored in the memory 28. It is possible to realize The same applies to the communication section 31, the comparison section 32 and the analysis section .

Thus, the controller can implement each of the functions described above by means of hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

A control signal from the management device 1 is, for example, a signal for controlling an address setting mode. The address setting mode includes an address setting automatic mode and an address setting manual mode as described later. The control signal is not limited to this, and may be a signal for controlling the load 40 of the terminal device 30 . Also, the control signal may be a signal for setting parameters in the controller 20 . Control signals include all signals transmitted and received between the management device 1 and the controller 20 .

In this embodiment, an address setting method in the address setting automatic mode will be described. 6 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in the address setting automatic mode according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Note that the operations of the comparison units 22 and 32 are omitted in FIG. 6 for convenience.

Assume that the control signal of the address setting automatic mode request command is transmitted from the management device 1 to the controller 20 . In response to the address setting automatic mode request command, the controller 20 transmits an address setting confirmation command to the terminal device 30a via the communication line 7. FIG. Here, as an initial state, it is assumed that the terminal device 30a has already been addressed and the terminal device 30b has not been addressed.

The terminal device 30a is connected to the controller 20 via the communication line 7 on the input side, and is connected to the terminal device 30b via the communication line 7 on the output side. Upon receiving the address setting confirmation command, the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30a acquires its own address. As shown in step S1, when the terminal device 30a receives an address setting confirmation command when an address is set to itself, the terminal device 30a opens the communication line 7 on the output side and transmits the address setting confirmation command to the next terminal device. 30b.

Here, an example in which the address has been set for the terminal 30a has been shown, but similar operations are performed when the addresses have been set for the terminals 30b and 30c. That is, when each of the plurality of terminal devices 30 receives the address setting confirmation command via the communication line 7, if the address is set to itself, the address setting confirmation command is transmitted via the communication line 7 as follows: Send to the terminal device 30 . At this time, the terminal device 30 opens the communication line 7 connecting itself with the next terminal device 30 and transmits an address setting confirmation command to the next terminal device 30 .

The terminal device 30b is connected to the terminal device 30a via the communication line 7 on the input side, and is connected to the terminal device 30c via the communication line 7 on the output side. Upon receiving the address setting confirmation command, the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30b acquires its own address. As shown in step S2, the terminal device 30b cuts off the communication line 7 on the output side when receiving the address setting confirmation command when the address is not set to itself. Also, the communication unit 31 of the terminal device 30b does not transmit the address setting confirmation command.

Further, the communication unit 31 of the terminal device 30b transmits an address non-setting response command to the controller 20 via the communication line 7 when the address is not set to itself. At this point, the communication line 7 between the terminal device 30b and the controller 20 is open, so the terminal device 30b can transmit the address unset response command. At this time, the terminal device 30b may add its own address type and transmit the address unset response command. In this case, the address type is lighting equipment.

Although an example in which the terminal 30b has no address set is shown here, the same operation is performed when the terminals 30a and 30c have no address set. That is, each of the plurality of terminal devices 30 receives the address setting confirmation command via the communication line 7, and transmits an address unset response command to the controller 20 if no address is set to itself. At this time, the terminal device 30 cuts off the communication line 7 connecting itself and the next terminal device 30 .

If the terminal device 30 connected to the end does not have the output-side communication line 7, the output-side communication line 7 is not opened or cut off, and the address setting confirmation command is not transmitted.

Next, it is assumed that an address unset response command is transmitted from the terminal device 30b to the controller 20. FIG. As shown in step S3, when the controller 20 receives the address non-setting response command, it generates an address and transmits an address setting request command to the terminal device 30b. The controller 20, for example, extracts the address with the smallest number among unused addresses for the address type added to the address unset response command. The controller 20 adds the lowest numbered address extracted and transmits an address setting request command to the terminal device 30b.

A similar operation is performed when the controller 20 receives an address unset response command from the terminals 30a and 30c. That is, when the controller 20 receives an address non-setting response command from any terminal device 30, it transmits an address setting request command to which an address is added to the terminal device 30 of the transmission source.

Next, as shown in step S4, upon receiving the address setting request command from the controller 20, the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30b sets the address added to the address setting request command as its own address. Here, for example, an address 1 is set to the terminal device 30b. Note that the terminal device 30a for which the address has been set may ignore the address setting request command.

Although the terminal device 30b has been described here, the same operation is performed when the terminal devices 30a and 30c have not yet been addressed and receive an address setting request command. That is, when each terminal device 30 receives an address setting request command from the controller 20 when an address is not set to itself, each terminal device 30 sets the address added to the address setting request command as its own address.

Next, as shown in step S5, the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30b opens the communication line 7 on the output side since the address is set to itself. The terminal device 30b may open the communication line 7 on the output side when the next address setting confirmation command is received. A similar operation is performed when addresses are set in the terminals 30a and 30c.

As shown in step S6, the terminal device 30b, which is a lighting fixture, may change the lighting state when the address setting request command is received from the controller 20 and the address is set. Thereby, the terminal device 30b can notify the user that the address has been set to itself. For example, the terminal device 30b may be turned off when the lighting equipment is on, and may be turned on when the lighting equipment is off. Such control may be performed by a lighting fixture that is the load 40 of the terminal 30a when an address is set to the terminal 30a.

Further, the communication unit 31 of the terminal device 30b transmits an address setting response command to the controller 20. FIG. The same applies to the operation when addresses are set in the terminals 30a and 30c.

When the controller 20 receives the address setting response command after transmitting the address setting request command, the controller 20 transmits the address setting confirmation command via the communication line 7 again. In other words, the controller 20 repeatedly transmits the address setting confirmation command until it receives no address setting response command from any of the terminals 30 . As a result, steps S1 to S6 are repeated until there are no more address unset response commands.

Next, when the controller 20 transmits the address setting confirmation command, the address setting confirmation command reaches the terminal 30c because the communication line 7 on the output side of the terminal 30b is open. Upon receiving the address setting confirmation command, the terminal 30c transmits the address setting confirmation command to the next terminal 30 connected to the communication line 7 on the output side if an address is set for itself. The terminal device 30 c transmits an address unset response command to the controller 20 when no address is set to itself. When the terminal device 30c receives the address setting request command from the controller 20, the terminal device 30c sets the address added to the address setting request command as its own address.

After the addresses are set to all the terminals 30, the controller 20 transmits an address setting automatic mode response command to the management device 1. FIG.

7A and 7B are diagrams showing states before and after address setting of the control system 80 according to the first embodiment. Before setting the addresses, the addresses of the terminals 30b and 30c are not set, and the communication line 7 connecting the terminals 30b and 30c is cut off. After setting the addresses, the addresses of all the terminal devices 30 are already set, and the communication lines 7 connecting the plurality of terminal devices 30 are opened.

In a control system like this embodiment, the number of installed or managed terminals is determined by, for example, the amount of power supply. If the address setting of each terminal is manually performed, it takes time to set the address in proportion to the number of terminals, which may increase the cost.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the address can be easily set by sending the address setting confirmation command. In other words, under the control of the management device 1 and the controller 20, the address can be automatically set for the terminal device 30 to which the communication line 7 is connected. Further, in this embodiment, the communication line 7 is opened along with the address setting, and the address setting confirmation command is transmitted to the next terminal device 30 . Therefore, the communication line 7 connecting the terminals 30 is open when addresses are set for all the terminals 30 . Therefore, even if all the devices are in a state such as a state in which addresses have not been set at the time of shipment from the factory, wiring check work can be performed in addition to address setting. Thereby, a worker's burden can be reduced.

As a modification of this embodiment, the address generated by the controller 20 is not limited to the lowest number, and may be any address. Further, when the controller 20 transmits the address setting confirmation command, the controller 20 may broadcast to the terminals 30a to 30c. Moreover, the terminals 30a to 30c may blink the lighting equipment when the communication line 7 on the output side is cut off.

Further, the plurality of terminal devices 30 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1 as long as connection and communication via the communication line 7 are possible. For example, the terminals 30 may include sensors other than human sensors.

These modifications can be appropriately applied to control systems according to the following embodiments. Since the control system according to the following embodiment has many points in common with the first embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

Embodiment 2.
In this embodiment, an address setting method in the address setting manual mode will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in the address setting manual mode according to the second embodiment. Note that the operations of the comparison units 22 and 32 are omitted in FIG. 8 for convenience.

Assume that the control signal of the address setting manual mode request command is transmitted from the management device 1 to the controller 20 . In response to the address setting manual mode request command, controller 20 transmits an address setting confirmation command via communication line 7 . Here, as an initial state, it is assumed that the terminal device 30a has already been addressed and the terminal device 30b has not been addressed.

As shown in step S11, the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30a acquires its own address upon receiving the address setting confirmation command. Since the address of the terminal device 30a is already set, the communication line 7 on the output side is opened. Also, the communication unit 31 of the terminal device 30a transmits an address setting confirmation command to the terminal device 30b.

Next, as shown in step S12, when the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30b receives the address setting confirmation command, it acquires its own address. Since the terminal device 30b has not set an address, the communication line 7 on the output side is cut off. Also, the communication unit 31 of the terminal device 30b does not transmit the address setting confirmation command. Further, the communication unit 31 of the terminal device 30b transmits an address unset response command to the controller 20, adding a parameter for setting the address type to lighting equipment.

Upon receiving the address unset response command, the controller 20 transmits the address unset response command to the management device 1 .

Next, as shown in step S<b>13 , when receiving the address unset response command, the management device 1 generates an address and transmits it to the controller 20 . Specifically, the management device 1 extracts an arbitrary address from unused addresses for the address type added to the address unset response command. The management device 1 adds the extracted address and transmits an address setting request command to the controller 20 . Here, it is assumed that address 5 is extracted.

Next, the controller 20 adds the address received from the management device 1 and transmits an address setting request command to the terminal device 30b.

Next, as shown in step S14, when the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30b receives the address setting request command, it sets the added address as its own address.

Next, as shown in step S15, the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30b opens the communication line 7 on the output side because the address is set to itself.

Next, as shown in step S16, the analysis unit 34 of the terminal device 30b changes the lighting state to indicate that the address has been set to itself. Further, the communication unit 31 of the terminal device 30b transmits an address setting response command to the controller 20. FIG.

Next, when the controller 20 receives the address setting response command from the terminal device 30b, the controller 20 transmits the address setting response command to the management device 1. FIG.

When the management device 1 receives the address setting response command after transmitting the address setting request command, it transmits the address setting manual mode request command again. In other words, the management device 1 repeatedly transmits the address setting manual mode request command until it stops receiving the address non-setting response command from all the terminals 30 . As a result, steps S11 to S16 are repeated until there are no more address unset response commands.

Note that the operator may operate the management device 1 to arbitrarily set the address. Also, the address setting manual mode request command may be transmitted by the operator operating the management device 1 .

Note that the technical features described in each embodiment may be used in combination as appropriate.

Reference Signs List 1 management device 7 communication line 20 controller 21 communication unit 22 comparison unit 23 storage unit 24 analysis unit 27 processor 28 memory 30 terminal device 30a terminal device 30b terminal device 30c terminal device 31 communication unit 32 comparison unit 33 storage unit 34 analysis unit 37 processor 38 memory 40 load 80 control system

Claims (8)

a plurality of terminals;
a controller that controls the plurality of terminals;
with
The plurality of terminal devices are connected in series to the controller via communication lines,
The controller transmits an address setting confirmation command via the communication line, and when receiving an address unset response command from any one of the plurality of terminal devices, adds an address to the source terminal device. transmitting an address setting request command, and after transmitting the address setting request command, transmitting the address setting confirmation command again;
Each of the plurality of terminal devices, when receiving the address setting confirmation command via the communication line, transmits the address setting confirmation command to the next terminal device if an address is set to itself. When the address is not set to itself, it transmits the address unset response command to the controller, and when it receives the address setting request command from the controller, it transmits the address added to the address setting request command to itself. A control system characterized by setting as an address. When the terminal receives the address setting confirmation command when an address is set to itself, the terminal opens a communication line connecting the terminal and the next terminal, and transmits the address setting confirmation command to the terminal. 2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is to the next terminal. 2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein upon receiving the address setting confirmation command when an address is not set for itself, the terminal device cuts off a communication line connecting the terminal device and the next terminal device. 3. The control system according to 2. 4. The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller generates the address and transmits the address setting request command upon receiving the address unset response command. The terminal device adds its own address type and transmits the address unset response command,
The controller transmits the address setting request command by adding an address with the smallest number among unused addresses to the address type added to the address unset response command. Item 5. The control system according to item 4. A management device that controls the controller,
When the controller receives the address unset response command, the controller transmits the address unset response command to the management device, adds the address received from the management device, and transmits the address setting request command,
4. The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the management device generates the address and transmits it to the controller when the address unset response command is received. 7. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of terminals comprises lighting fixtures. 8. The control system according to claim 7, wherein said lighting fixture changes its lighting state upon receiving said address setting request command from said controller.

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