JP3425821B2 - Communication control device and communication device connection method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication control device and a communication device connection system, and more particularly to a communication control for connecting a plurality of communication devices having different communication speeds and communication protocols via a network including an exchange. The present invention relates to a device and a communication device connection method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, from a terminal device such as a work station (hereinafter referred to as WS) or a personal computer, a device under test or a device under test (hereinafter referred to as a controlled device) installed in the same office or a remote office. There is a communication system that controls or monitors the operation of a device (TS).

In such a communication system, the WS and the controlled device are connected to each other by using a dedicated line when it is necessary to constantly monitor them. However, when there is always no information to be communicated, a switchboard or the like is used. In many cases, information is communicated via a network centered on (hereinafter referred to as NW).

Prior art related to the present invention is shown below. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 56-132841 discloses a circuit switching system in which a communication speed conversion device is provided, and signals indicating the communication speed of a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal are exchanged with each other prior to communication between the terminals so that the communication speed is There is described a different speed communication method in which the speed is matched between different speed terminal devices by converting to a predetermined communication speed.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-132842, a terminal device and a line switch are provided with a communication speed conversion device and a communication speed matching device, respectively, and speed information between the terminals is exchanged at the time of line connection so that the speed between the terminals can be improved. A communication speed matching method for matching is described.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 164354/1983, a call is made from a calling terminal with information about the maximum communication speed of the calling terminal or one or more communication speeds, and the calling terminal is sent from a switching network or a called terminal. There is described a speed matching communication method in which communication is performed according to the communication speed notified to.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-144340, a speed conversion device called a terminal adapter is provided,
A communication processing method is disclosed in which communication speed information sent from a receiving side terminal is detected and the communication speed of the transmitting side terminal is changed to the communication speed of the receiving side terminal to perform communication. All of the above are related to communication speed conversion and consistency.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-30843, a communication control device is provided between a plurality of host computers and a terminal device, and the communication control device has a plurality of transmission control means programs corresponding to the plurality of host computers in advance. Is stored, and a transmission control procedure program used for communication between the host computer designated by the data sent from the terminal device and this communication control device is activated.

Next, FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a configuration example of a conventional communication system. Here, 101 is a controlled device (TS) such as the device under test described above, 103 is a WS for controlling the operation of the controlled device 101, 102
Transmits the data transmitted from the WS 103 to the network N.
Converted to data that can be transmitted to W104 and converted to NW104
Is a workstation adapter (WSADP) that performs a connection operation with respect to.

Reference numeral 104 denotes a network, which corresponds to an electronic exchange, for example. 105 is MPR / CP
R (Main Processor / Call Processor.), Which controls and monitors the exchange operation of the network.

In such a conventional communication system,
Generally, RS-23 is provided between the WS 103 and the WSADP 102.
They are connected by a general-purpose standard such as 2C, and the TS101 and the NW104 and the NW104 and the WSADP102 are often connected by a relatively low speed (about 1200 bps to 4800 bps) communication standard. Therefore, WS103 and TS101
At present, the amount of data that can be communicated between the two is small and it is not possible to provide too many services.

Therefore, in order to improve the service provided, it is necessary to increase the communication speed between at least WSADP-NW-TS. Simply network N
If you only want to increase the communication speed of communication via W, you can speed up by digitizing the network,
When introducing a new TS, TS for high-speed communication
Should be introduced.

[0013]

However, in the reality of the operation of such a communication system, it is difficult to replace all TSs with a new high-speed communication TS at a time due to economic reasons, etc. In many cases, TS for high-speed communication is mixed and used.

For example, in the above-mentioned communication system, a plurality of controlled devices TS having various transmission rates may be connected to the network NW.
It may be controlled by the WS of the stand.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the controlled device TS1 for low speed communication and the controlled device TS2 for high speed communication.
In some cases, WSADP1 for low-speed communication and WSADP2 for high-speed communication that control them are mixed and connected via the NW.

In the case of FIG. 10, in the NW, the WSADP1 and WSADP2 are connected to the TS1 and TS2 by the so-called switching function (switching), so that the WSADP2 for high speed communication and the controlled device T for low speed communication T.
There is a possibility that S1 will be connected.

However, in this case, since the communication speed is different, the communication procedure cannot be executed and the control / control to the TS1 is not performed.
Cannot provide services such as monitoring.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and WSADP is provided with a function capable of supporting all communication speeds and protocols that can be used in this communication system, and WSADP and TS are compatible with each other. A method of simultaneously establishing links by multiple protocols when making a connection, or first establishing a link for high-speed communication,
Even in a communication system in which controlled devices for high-speed communication and controlled devices for low-speed communication having different communication speeds and communication protocols coexist due to the method of sequentially establishing links for low-speed communication when there is a failure, a connection failure occurs. An object of the present invention is to realize a communication control device and a communication device connection method that do not occur.

[0019]

FIG. 1 shows a basic block diagram of the present invention. In the figure, the present invention is a communication control device 3 provided with a communication protocol capable of communicating at a plurality of communication speeds, and establishes a link for starting communication between the line connection means 3a and the controlled device 1. The link establishing means 3b, the link selecting means 3c for selecting one of the plurality of links established by the link establishing means 3b, and the communication means 3d capable of communicating with the controlled device 1 by a plurality of communication protocols. After the line connecting means 3a connects the communication line with the controlled device 1, the link establishing means 3b operates to simultaneously establish links corresponding to each of the plurality of communication protocols, and the link selecting means. 3c selects a link having the highest speed among the established links, and the communication means 3d communicates with the controlled device 1 on the selected link. There is provided a communication control apparatus according to claim.

Further, the present invention is a communication control device 3 provided with a communication protocol capable of communicating at a plurality of communication speeds, wherein a link for starting communication between the line connection means 3a and the controlled device 1 is provided. Link establishing means 3b for establishing,
Monitoring means 3 for monitoring whether or not the link has been successfully established
e and a communication means 3d capable of communicating with the controlled device 1 by a plurality of communication protocols, and after the line connecting means 3a connects the communication line with the controlled device 1, the link establishing means 3b is the highest. When the monitoring unit 3e operates to establish a link using a communication protocol having a speed and detects that the establishment of the link has failed, the link establishing unit 3b uses a lower speed communication protocol. A communication control device is provided, which establishes a link and communicates with the controlled device 1 on the link on which the monitoring means 3e detects the success.

Further, it is preferable that the communication means 3d provides the controlled device 1 with a predetermined service corresponding to the speed of the link selected by the link selection means 3c. Further, it is preferable that the communication unit 3d provides the controlled device 1 with a predetermined service corresponding to the speed of the link detected as successful by the monitoring unit 3e.

Here, a workstation (WS) or a personal computer (PS) is generally used as the communication control device, performs a line connection operation with a network, and further links with a controlled device via this network. It preferably comprises a control device for establishing and communicating data.

However, this control device may be mounted as a module board inside the workstation,
In addition, a workstation (W
It may be installed as a housing separate from S). This control device will be referred to as a workstation adapter (WSAD).
P).

A relatively high-speed general-purpose interface such as RS-232C, S is provided between WS or PS and WSADP.
It is connected by CSI or the like. WSADP is preferably capable of communicating with a number of communication protocols, from modern high speed communication protocols to older relatively slow communication protocols.

The network (NW) is mainly composed of an electronic exchange and is connected with a control device, a controlled device,
And the circuit switching operation between other terminal devices and the like. If the NW is an electronic exchange, MPR / CPR (Main Processor / Call) that performs network control functions
Processor) is provided inside the electronic exchange, and a control operation for inter-device path connection is executed prior to actual data communication between the MPR / CPR and each terminal device.

The controlled device (TS), as described above,
The device under test or the device under test is preferably a terminal device having a communication function capable of connecting to the network NW and performing data communication with the control device. Controlled device T
S may have various communication protocols,
Controlled device for low speed communication that is relatively old and has only low speed communication protocol, controlled device for high speed communication that has one relatively new high speed communication protocol, multiple communication from old communication protocol to latest communication protocol It is conceivable that multi-protocol type high-speed controlled devices equipped with protocols will coexist.

Here, the controlled device TS is most preferably a controlled device for high-speed communication of multi-protocol type, but may be a controlled device for low-speed communication. As the high-speed communication protocol, LAPB communication protocol or HD
There is an LC protocol and the like, and examples of the low speed communication protocol include an ACIA communication protocol and an ADLC protocol. In particular, WSADP preferably has all of these communication protocols in advance.

WSADP includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM,
It is preferable that the I / O interface and the timer are configured by so-called microcomputers, and a general-purpose or dedicated communication LSI is preferably used for communication control with the NW or TS. Further, it is preferable that the TS is also composed of the microcomputer and the communication LSI.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the communication control device 3 having a communication protocol capable of communicating at a plurality of communication speeds connects a plurality of communication lines to the controlled device 1 via the network 2 and then performs communication. The control device 3 establishes a link with the controlled device 1 by using a different communication protocol for each communication line, and the communication control device 3 selects only the link having the highest speed among the established links. Since the communication with the controlled device 1 is performed by the communication control system 1, it is possible to prevent a connection failure even in a communication control system via a network in which the controlled devices 1 having different communication speeds are mixed. it can.

Further, by deciding the service corresponding to the link speed in advance, it is possible to provide the service corresponding to the established link communication speed.

Further, according to the present invention, the communication control device 3
After connecting a communication line with the controlled device 1 via the network 2, the communication control device 3 operates to establish a link with the controlled device 1 using a communication protocol having the highest speed. , If this link establishment fails, the link is established by using the slower communication protocol, and the link establishment is tried sequentially from the high speed communication protocol to the low speed communication protocol.
Similarly, even in a communication control system having different communication speeds, a connection failure can be prevented.

Further, according to the present invention, the communication control device 3
Connects the communication line with the controlled device 1 via the network 2, the controlled device 3 notifies the network 2 of the information of the communication protocol with which the link can be established, and the network 2 transmits the communication protocol. Information is notified to the communication control device 3, a link is established between the communication control device 3 and the controlled device 1, and communication is performed between the communication control device 3 and the controlled device 1 on the link. Therefore, the link establishing operation can be performed more reliably in a shorter time, and the connection failure can be prevented.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the main configuration of the workstation adapter WSADP13 in the embodiment of the present invention. Also, in the figure, a network NW 12, a controlled device 11, and a workstation WS 14 connected to WSADP are shown.

The communication control system in this embodiment is
Controlled device (TS) 11, network (NW) 12,
It comprises a workstation adapter WSADP 13 and a workstation (WS) 14.

The WS 14 is a device in which a commonly used personal computer is equipped with an exchange control program for connecting to a network and an application program for executing a service provided by this communication control system.

The WSADP 13 converts the data sent from the WS 14 into data in a format receivable by the NW 12 and TS 11, and conversely converts the data sent from the NW 12 and TS 11 into data in a format receivable by the WS 14. It is to convert.

Further, it is preferable that a plurality of communication protocols are provided as a transmission control procedure of data communication performed with the TS 11, and in this embodiment, a LAPB communication protocol for high speed communication and a low speed communication are used. ACIA for
It is assumed that the communication protocol has two types of communication protocols.

Further, in order to execute the above-mentioned transmission control procedure, it is assumed that control signals called SCN signals from WSADP 13 to NW 12 and SD signals from NW 12 to WSADP 13 are transmitted. These control signals are also data converted by the WSADP 13 so as to be transmitted to the WS 14.

Here, the SCN signal is a signal for requesting the line connection, that is, the setting of the communication path to the NW 12, and the SD signal notifies the state of the controlled device 11 from the NW 12 to the WSADP 13. It is a signal to do.

The NW 12 corresponds to an electronic converter, for example, and performs a so-called exchange operation of a terminal device connected to the electronic converter. In the electronic exchange, the MPR / CP that controls the exchange operation of the NW 12 using the above-mentioned control signal and the like.
R15 is provided inside.

When the NW 12 receives the SCN signal from the WSADP 13, the NW 12 refers to the information contained in the SCN signal to perform an operation for establishing a line connection with the target controlled device TS, and between the WSADP 13 and the TS 11. Set the communication path.

After setting the communication path, TS11
The WSADP 13 is notified of the SD signal indicating the state of the TS 11 based on the signal received from the. Here, the state of the TS 11 means, for example, the current state of the unique information set for each TS 11 and the normality of the device.

The TS11 is a subscriber test device for performing a test such as a line resistance measurement, which performs various tests predetermined according to an instruction from the WS14 and sends back the test results to the WS14. TS11 is NW
12 has a line connection function for the NW 12, and also has a communication protocol for performing data communication with the WSADP 13.

In this embodiment, the controlled device for low speed communication having only the ACIA communication protocol for relatively low speed communication, the controlled device for high speed communication having only the LAPB communication protocol for high speed communication, and the above ACIA and LA
It is assumed that a controlled device for high / low speed communication having both PB communication protocols is connected to the NW 12 and controlled by the WS 14.

In FIG. 2, the part that executes the LAPB communication protocol is shown as the high-speed communication part 11a, and the part that executes the ACIA communication protocol is shown as the low-speed communication part 11b. The functions of both the high-speed communication unit 11a and the low-speed communication unit 11b may be realized by using dedicated LSIs.
It may be realized by U and a control program.

Next, the main structure of the WSADP 13 will be described. In the WSADP 13 of FIG. 2, the MPU unit 13
f, LAPB high speed communication unit 13c, ACIA low speed communication unit 1
3d constitutes the line connection means 3a. The LAPB high speed communication unit 13c and the ACIA low speed communication unit 13d constitute the link establishing means 3b.

The MPU section 13f constitutes the link selecting means 3c and the monitoring means 3e. In addition, the MPU section 13f,
Network interface unit (13a, 13b), L
APB high speed communication unit 13c, ACIA low speed communication unit 13d,
The register unit 13e and the WS communication unit 13g are communication means 3
Configure d.

The MPU unit 13f controls the entire operation of the WSADP, and the LAPB high speed communication unit 13c,
And the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d to control each function unit to perform a line connection operation to the network, establish a link between the WS 14 and the controlled device 11, and perform data communication.

Although not shown, the MPU section 13f generally includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a timer,
It is composed of peripheral circuits such as I / O control and a control program stored in a ROM or the like.

The WS communication section 13g is a section for performing data communication with the WS 14, and is a dedicated LSI for executing general-purpose procedures such as RS-232C from the viewpoint of normal processing speed, cost and the like.
Composed by. Here, WSADP13 and WS14 are used with a cable that complies with the standard of RS-232C.
And are connected, but are not limited to this.

The register section 13e is a section for setting the data structure of the SCN signal and detecting the SD signal, and is usually composed of a buffer. LAPB high-speed communication unit 13
c is the LAP between the controlled device 11 and the WSADP 13.
This is a part that performs communication using the B communication protocol and can be realized by a combination of logic elements or software control by a microcomputer, but a dedicated LSI is usually used from the viewpoint of processing speed and cost.

The ACIA low speed communication section 13d is a section for performing communication between the controlled device 11 and the WSADP 13 using the ACIA communication protocol, and a dedicated LSI is used as in the LAPB communication.

The network interface units 13a and 13b use the OSI between the NW 12 and WSADP.
This is a part for matching the electrical and mechanical conditions at the physical layer level of the reference model, and it is also preferable to use a dedicated LSI.

This network interface section 13a
(# 0) and 13b (# 1) are connected to the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c and the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d, respectively, during which data having a format according to the LAPB or ACIA communication protocol is sent. This route is called a voice highway as shown in FIG.

The MPU unit 13f, the LAPB high speed communication unit 13c, the ACIA low speed communication unit 13d and the register unit 13 are also provided.
The e-to-WS communication unit 13g is connected by a data bus and an address bus.

In this embodiment, since the WSADP 13 has two types of communication protocols, LAPB and ACIA, it also has two network interface units. However, when it has n types of communication protocols, it has n types of communication protocols. LS compatible with each communication protocol
I and n network interface units are provided.

Network interface section (13a,
13b) is directly connected to the network 12, but N
W12 is a network interface unit (13a, 1
3b) receives the data including the calling information sent from
Select the controlled device 11 that is the connection destination, and select WSADP13.
The operation of setting a communication path between the network interface unit of 11 and the controlled device 11 is performed.

DSHW is data sent from the controlled device 11 to the WSADP 13 via the network, and USHW is data sent from the WSADP 13 to the controlled device 11 via the network.

In the DSHW, the SD signal described above is inserted in a predetermined format in a predetermined position.
The above-mentioned SCN signal is inserted into the HW at a predetermined position in a predetermined format.

Further, in the network 12, the SD signal and the SCN signal are sent to the MPR / CPR 15, and the information contained in these signals is analyzed. The above is the outline of the communication system and the WSADP 13 which is the communication control device used in the embodiment of the present invention.

Next, the communication device connection system according to the present invention will be described.
An example will be described below. Example 1: Here is everything owned by WSADP
Separate paths for each communication protocol
And establish a link, and the highest of the established links
Select the link with the speed communication protocol
Example of a communication device connection method for communicating with a device
Show. As a communication protocol owned by WSADP,
As described above, LAPB high-speed communication and ACIA low-speed communication
There are two types of communication protocols, but many other communication protocols
You may have it.

FIG. 3 shows an explanatory diagram of the connection operation in this embodiment. Further, in FIG. 4, in the first embodiment, W
9 shows a flowchart of a control procedure for establishing a link between the SADP 13 and the controlled device TS11 and for data communication. In step S1, it is assumed that the WS 14 issues a path connection request to the WSADP 13 according to the RS232C standard (in FIG. 3). Here, the path connection means connecting a line for communicating with the partner device. This path connection request is received by the WS communication unit 13g of the WSADP 13, and the MPU unit 13f analyzes the data in the path connection request and extracts at least the destination to which the path is connected from this.

In step S2, the MPU unit 13f of the WSADP 13 assembles an SCN signal containing the destination of the controlled device to which the path is to be connected into a predetermined format in response to this path connection request, and sends it to the network. .

In step S3, the network 12
Receives the SCN signal and establishes a connection between the WSADP 13 and the controlled device 11 which is a desired destination with a high-speed communication path using the LAPB communication protocol and a low-speed communication path using the ACIA communication protocol. That is, two communication paths are connected (in FIG. 3).

The network 12 performs a line connection operation with a desired controlled device and, at step S4, uses the SD signal to determine the current path connection state to WSADP1.
Notify 3. That is, when the line to the controlled device 11 is connected (step S3), the network 12 notifies the WSADP 13 of the path connection completion notification using the SD signal, and the WSADP 13 further notifies the necessary information in this SD signal. The WS 14 is extracted, converted into RS232C standard data, and the WS 14 is notified that the connection of the path with the desired controlled device is completed.

The path connection is normally completed (step S
5) and in step S6, WS14 determines WSAD
A communication start command is sent to P3 to establish a link with TS11 and start communication. Next, in step S31, the WSADP 13 determines whether LAPB communication is possible and ACIA communication is possible.

The process of step S31 will be described in detail below. WSADP3 is the MPU unit 13f
Issues a communication activation instruction to the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c.
The LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c receives the controlled device TS11 via the network interface unit # 0 (13a).
The data including the communication start instruction is sent to.

On the other hand, the MPU unit 13f determines whether or not high-speed communication with the TS11 is possible, in order to determine whether LAPB is available.
The state (status signal) of the high speed communication unit 13c is monitored. Further, the WSADP 13 is connected to the AC from the MPU unit 13f.
A communication activation instruction is issued to the IA low speed communication unit 13d. ACIA
The low-speed communication unit 13d includes the network interface unit #
The data including the communication activation instruction is sent to the TS 11 via 1 (13b). Similarly, the MPU unit 13f causes the TS
In order to determine whether low-speed communication with 11 is possible, the state (status signal) of the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d is monitored.

In the high speed communication section 11a of TS11, W
The data sent from the SADP3 side is analyzed, and if communication is possible, information indicating that communication is possible is sent to WS.
Network interface unit # 0 (13a) of ADP
Return to. Similarly, in the low-speed communication unit 11b of the TS11, if communication is possible, information indicating that communication is possible is provided to the network interface unit # of the WSADP13.
Return to 1 (13b).

Further, these pieces of information are sent to the LAPB high speed communication unit 13c and the ACIA low speed communication unit 13d, and M
By the PU unit 13f detecting the statuses of the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c and the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d,
It is recognized that the communication by the LAPB communication protocol and the communication by the ACIA communication protocol are possible, that is, the link is established by the two communication protocols (step S32).

In step S32, if links by all communication protocols are not established, that is, L
If even one of the APB high-speed communication and the ACIA low-speed communication fails to establish a link, the process proceeds to step S23 to perform a process of notifying that the connection process has failed. When it is determined in step S32 that both the LAPB high speed communication and the ACIA low speed communication links have been established, it is considered that the communication has been established, and the process proceeds to step S33. Among the plurality of links established here, the MPU unit 13f determines which communication protocol has the highest rank, that is, the highest speed.

In this embodiment, LAPB high speed communication and AC
It can be easily determined because it is assumed to own two types of IA low-speed communication protocols.
If 13 has many communication protocols,
A RAM for storing the setting data may be provided in the MPU unit 13f, and the ranking of the speeds of the communication protocols may be stored therein in advance. That is, the communication protocol having the highest speed may be selected as the communication protocol to be used first according to the ranking of the speeds of the communication protocols stored in advance.

However, in a communication system in which the controlled devices 13 having only the communication protocol for low-speed communication are mixed, the link can be established only by the communication protocol for low-speed communication. If the link can be established only by the communication protocol for low speed communication, it is determined that the communication has been established and the step S
You need to go to 33.

In the second embodiment, since LAPB high speed communication is selected in step S33, step S9
Go to. Thereafter, in step S9, the MPU unit 13
f notifies the WS 14 that the link for high-speed communication has been established through the WS communication unit 13g (in FIG. 3).

In step S10, the WS 14 sets L
A command menu screen for LAPB is displayed so that a service compatible with APB communication can be provided to the user of WS14 (in FIG. 3).

Thereafter, in steps S11 to S14, the control service for LAPB is provided in response to the command input from the user. In step S11, the WS 14 sends a control command for LAPB communication to the TS 11.

In step S12, it is checked whether or not the user has input a command to terminate the communication, and in step S13, it is checked whether a communication abnormality or the like has occurred. If there is no communication error, step S1
Go to 4. When the communication is to be ended in step S12, the process proceeds to step S25, and LA is set in step S13.
If the PB communication becomes abnormal, the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S14, WSADP1
The MPU unit 13f of 3 analyzes the command received from the WS 14 through the RS232C, and the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13
In c, the data format is converted for the LAPB communication protocol and transmitted to the TS 11.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S33 that the currently available maximum speed communication protocol is ACIA low speed communication, the process proceeds to step S17. For example, when the connected TS 11 has only the ACIA communication protocol for low speed communication, step S3
In No. 1, only ACIA communication is activated, and in step S33, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, the MPU unit 13f notifies the WS 14 that the LAPB communication is impossible, and in step S18, the WS 14 that has received the notification activates the process of executing the service function for ACIA communication. Then, the command menu screen corresponding to the ACIA communication is displayed.

Thereafter, in steps S19 to S22, the LAPB is received in response to the command input from the user.
Control services are provided. That is, step S
In 19, the WS 14 sends the ACIA to TS11.
Sends control commands for communication.

In step S20, it is checked whether or not there is any abnormality in the ACIA communication, and in step S21,
Check if the user has input a command to terminate communication. In step S20, A
If the CIA communication is abnormal, the process proceeds to step S23, and if the communication is terminated at step S21, the process proceeds to step S25.

At step S22, the MPU section 13f
The command received from the WS 14 via the RS232C is analyzed, the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d converts the data format for the ACIA communication protocol, and transmits to the TS 11. The received command is analyzed, the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d converts the data format for the ACIA communication protocol, and transmits it to the TS 11.

As described above, in step S13, when the LAPB communication is being performed, the LAPB communication is disabled because some trouble occurs inside the LSI configuring the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c or in the transmission path with the network. When this happens, the process of step S17 is performed in order to immediately switch from LAPB communication to ACIA communication without setting a new communication path for ACIA.

As described above, the paths of all communication protocols prepared first, that is, LA in this embodiment, are used.
Since the path for PB communication and the path for ACIA communication are connected and communication is performed after the link is established in each communication protocol path, a connection failure will occur before it happens. Can be prevented.

If communication is disabled during communication using the LAPB high speed communication protocol, A
Since the link is established by the CIA low speed communication protocol, when switching to the communication by the ACIA low speed communication protocol, it is possible to switch the communication in a short time, and the continuity of the communication is sufficiently secured.

Example 2 Here, two paths for LAPB high-speed communication and ACIA low-speed communication are first secured,
First, an example of a connection method for performing LAPB high-speed communication and switching to ACIA low-speed communication when communication becomes impossible or impossible will be described. FIG. 5 shows an explanatory diagram of the connection operation in this embodiment.

Further, FIG. 6 shows the WSAD in the second embodiment.
The flowchart of the control procedure which establishes the link between P13 and controlled device TS11, and performs data communication is shown. Less than,
The operation will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S1, the WS14 to WSADP13 according to the RS232C standard is used as in the first embodiment.
It is assumed that a hepath connection request is issued (in FIG. 5). This path connection request is received by the WS communication unit 13g of the WSADP 13, and the MPU unit 13f analyzes the data in the path connection request and extracts at least the destination to which the path is connected from this.

In step S2, the MPU unit 13f of the WSADP 13 assembles an SCN signal containing the destination of the TS 11 to which the path is to be connected into a predetermined format in response to this path connection request, and sends it to the network.

In step S3, the network
Upon receiving the SCN signal, a high-speed communication path using the LAPB communication protocol and a low-speed communication path using the ACIA communication protocol are connected between the WSADP and the desired destination TS11. That is, two communication paths are connected (FIG. 5).

The network performs the line connection operation with the desired TS11 and, at step S4, SD
The signal is used to notify the WSADP 13 of the current path connection state. That is, when the line to the TS11 is connected (step S3), the network notifies the WSADP of the path connection completion notification by using the SD signal, and further the WSAD.
P extracts the necessary information from this SD signal, RS23
The data is converted into 2C standard data and the WS is notified that the connection of the path with the desired TS 11 is completed.

The path connection is normally completed (step S
5) and in step S6, WS14 determines WSAD
A communication activation command is sent to P13 to establish a link with TS11 and start communication. In step S7, the WSADP 13 first determines whether LAPB communication is possible.

The process of step S7 will be described in detail below. The WSADP3 issues a communication activation instruction from the MPU unit 13f to the LAPB high speed communication unit 13c. L
The APB high-speed communication unit 13c sends data including a communication activation instruction to the TS 11 via the network interface unit # 0 (13a).

On the other hand, the MPU unit 13f determines the LAPB in order to determine whether high speed communication with the TS11 is possible.
The state (status signal) of the high speed communication unit 13c is monitored. In the high-speed communication unit 11a of TS11, WSADP
The data sent from the 13 side is analyzed, and if communication is possible, the information is returned to the network interface section # 0 (13a) of the WSADP 13.

Further, this information is sent to the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c, and the MPU unit 13f detects the status of the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c, whereby the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c is detected.
It is recognized that communication by the communication protocol is possible, that is, the link is established (step S8).
After that, in step S9, the MPU unit 13f detects the W
Through the S communication unit 13g, the WS 14 is notified that the link for high speed communication is established (in FIG. 5).

In step S10, the WS 14 sets L
A command menu screen for LAPB is displayed so that a service corresponding to APB communication can be provided to the WS user (in FIG. 5). Here, it is preferable that the service corresponding to the LAPB communication is predetermined, and this service is realized by the CPU in the WS and the service software.

Further, since the transmission speeds of the LAPB communication and the ACIA communication used in this embodiment are different, the services to be provided may be different depending on the type of data to be handled.
For example, in LAPB communication, since the transmission speed is relatively high, a service for transmitting a still image may be provided, and in this case, a menu display corresponding to the still image transmission may be displayed.

Thereafter, in steps S11 to S14, the control service for LAPB is provided in response to the command input from the user. In step S11, the WS 14 sends a control command for LAPB communication to the TS 11. In step S12, it is checked whether or not a command input by the user to end the communication is input, and in step S13, it is checked whether or not a communication abnormality or the like has occurred. If the communication is not abnormal, the process proceeds to step S14. When the communication is to be ended in step S12, the process proceeds to step S25 and step S1.
If the LAPB communication becomes abnormal in step 3, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S14, WSADP1
The MPU unit 13f of 3 analyzes the command received from the WS 14 through the RS232C, and the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13
In c, the data format is converted for the LAPB communication protocol and transmitted to the TS 11.

When it is detected in step S8 that the LAPB communication is impossible, for example, TS11
If the high-speed communication unit 11a is not present in the LAPB, the MPU unit 13f recognizes that the LAPB communication is impossible,
The communication unit 13c is notified that the LAPB communication is to be stopped (step S15), and further, the ACIA low speed communication unit 13d is instructed to start communication (step S1).
6).

In step S17, the MPU unit 13f notifies the WS 14 that the LAPB communication is impossible. In step S18, the WS 14 that has received this notification activates the processing for executing the service function for ACIA communication, and displays the command menu screen corresponding to ACIA communication.

Thereafter, in steps S19 to S22, the LAPB is received in response to the command input from the user.
Control services are provided. That is, step S
In 19, the WS 14 sends the ACIA to TS11.
Sends control commands for communication.

At step S20, it is checked whether or not the ACIA communication is normal, and at step S21,
Check if the user has input a command to terminate communication. In step S20, A
If the CIA communication is abnormal, the process proceeds to step S23, and if the communication is terminated at step S21, the process proceeds to step S25.

At step S22, the MPU section 13f
The command received from the WS 14 via the RS232C is analyzed, the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d converts the data format for the ACIA communication protocol, and transmits to the TS 11.

As described above, when the LAPB communication is being performed in step S13, the LAPB communication is disabled because some trouble occurs inside the LSI configuring the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c or in the transmission path with the network. In this case, in order to immediately switch from the LAPB communication to the ACIA communication without setting a new communication path for ACIA, the steps S15 to S15 are performed.
Processing of 17 is performed.

As described above, the LAPB communication path and the ACIA communication path are first connected to each other. First, the communication is started by the LAPB communication protocol which is the high speed communication, and when the communication is impossible, the low speed communication is performed. Since the communication is switched to the communication according to the ACIA communication protocol, the controlled device 11 does not cause a connection failure even in a communication system in which both the high speed communication and the low speed communication are mixed, and the communication interruption due to the switching is negligible. It is possible to secure the communication continuously.

Embodiment 3: Here, after setting a communication path between the WSADP 13 and the controlled device TS11, the controlled device TS11 notifies the WSADP13 of information on a communication protocol with which a link can be established. An example of a communication device connection method for establishing a link using the notified communication protocol will be described.

In this case as well, the WSADP 13 and the controlled device TS11 to be connected / communicated are assumed to be provided with two types of LAPB high-speed communication protocol and ACIA low-speed communication protocol, but other communication protocols are used. You may prepare. Further, the communication protocol information notified from the TS 11 may include information on all communication protocols available to the TS 11.

FIG. 7 shows an explanatory diagram of the connection operation in this embodiment. Further, in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, WS
The flow chart of the control means about the establishment of the link between ADP13 and TS11 and data communication is shown. In step S1, according to the RS232C standard, WS is changed to WS
It is assumed that a path connection request is issued to ADP (in FIG. 7).
This path connection request is issued to the WS communication unit 13 of the WSADP 13.
The MPU unit 13f receives the data received by g and analyzes the data in the path connection request, and extracts at least the destination for connecting the path from the data.

In step S2, the MPU unit 13f of the WSADP 13 assembles an SCN signal containing the destination of the TS 11 to which the path is to be connected into a predetermined format in response to this path connection request, and sends it to the network.

In step S3, the network NW
The reference numeral 12 receives the SCN signal and establishes a connection between the WSADP 13 and the desired destination TS 11 for a high-speed communication path using the LAPB communication protocol and a low-speed communication path using the ACIA communication protocol. That is,
Two communication paths are connected (Fig. 7).

The network performs the line connection operation with the desired TS11 and, at step S4, SD
The signal is used to notify the WSADP 13 of the current path connection state. That is, when the line to the TS11 is connected (step S3), the network notifies the WSADP of the path connection completion notification by using the SD signal, and further the WSAD.
P13 extracts the necessary information from this SD signal, RS
It is converted into data of the 232C standard and the WS is notified that the connection of the path with the desired TS11 is completed.

If the path connection is normally completed in step S5, the MPR / CPR 15 of the network is
The SD signal is sent to S11, and the information on the usable communication protocol of TS11 is obtained from the response signal to the SD signal, and the information on the usable communication protocol is notified to the WSADP13 by using the SD signal (step S41). .

Here, the information regarding the usable communication protocol of the TS11 may be provided after the path connection is completed as described above, but the MPR / CP of the TS11 and the network may be used.
By communicating in advance with R15, TS11
Information on available communication protocols of MPR / C
You may notify PR15. The notified information may be stored in the internal RAM or the like of the MPR / CPR 15.

At this time, the TS 11 and the MP of the network
The communication with the R / CPR 15 is preferably performed by the lowest possible communication protocol among the planned communication protocols in order to ensure the communication. Also,
The information on the available communication protocols specifically includes information such as the LAPB protocol and the ACIA protocol.

In step S42, WSADP13
WS1 uses the fastest communication protocol among the "information about available communication protocols" notified from the network NW12 to perform communication from now on.
4 is notified (of FIG. 7). In this example, LAPB
The WS 14 is notified that communication with the TS 11 will be performed using the high-speed communication protocol. In step S43,
The WS 14 and the WSADP 13 determine which communication protocol is used for communication, and when communication is performed by the LAPB high speed communication protocol, the process proceeds to step S10.

However, if the highest speed communication protocol is the ACIA low speed communication protocol among the "information about available communication protocols" notified from the network, the ACIA low speed communication protocol should be used for communication. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S18 and WS1
4 and WSADP start processing for ACIA communication.

At step S10, the WS 14 sets L
A command menu screen for LAPB is displayed so that a service compatible with APB communication can be provided to the user of WS14 (in FIG. 7). Next, in step S44,
Similar to step S6, the WS 14 sends a communication start command to the WSADP 13 to establish a link with the TS 11 and start communication.

In step S45, the same processing as in step S7 is performed, and WSADP 13 attempts to establish a link by the LAPB communication protocol. In step S46, the WSADP 13 recognizes that the link has been established,
When communication by the LAPB communication protocol is possible,
This is notified to the WS 14, and the processing in step S11 and subsequent steps is started.

In step S11, the WS 14 sets T
A control command for LAPB communication is sent to S11. In step S12, it is checked whether or not the user has input a command to terminate the communication. If the communication is to be ended in step S12, the process proceeds to step S25, and if not, the process proceeds to step S14.

At step S14, M of WSADP13
The PU unit 13f analyzes the command received from the WS 14 through the RS232C, converts the data format for the LAPB communication protocol by the LAPB high-speed communication unit 13c, and transmits it to the TS 11. In addition, in step S46, when communication by LAPB is no longer possible due to a line abnormality or the like, and when the bus connection is not normally terminated in step S5, the process proceeds to step S23, and the series of communications as described above is terminated. The process is executed (steps S23 and S2).
4, S25).

When the judgment in step S43 is made, step S1
When branching to 8, the process for executing the service function for ACIA communication is activated in the WS 14, and a command menu screen corresponding to ACIA communication is displayed. In step S47, as in step S6, WS14
Sends a communication start command to establish a link with TS11 to WSADP13 and start communication.

At step S48, M of WSADP13
The PU unit 13f issues a communication start instruction to the ACIA low-speed communication unit 13d as in step S16, and the ACIA
Attempt to establish a link by the communication protocol. In step S49, the WSADP 13 recognizes that the link has been established, and when the communication by the ACIA communication protocol is possible, the WS 14 is notified of this, and the processing in step S19 and subsequent steps described above is started.

As described above, WSADP13 and TS11
After setting a communication path between the link and the communication path, by notifying the communication protocol information capable of establishing a link from the TS 11, it is possible to prevent a link that is not used for actual transmission from being established. The operation of can be performed more reliably in a shorter time. Therefore, the time from the line connection to the start of data communication can be shortened, and a connection failure such as the fact that communication is found impossible after the line connection can be prevented.

[0125]

According to the present invention, a communication control device having a communication protocol capable of communicating at a plurality of communication speeds connects a plurality of communication lines to a controlled device via a network and then performs communication control. The device establishes a link with the controlled device using a different communication protocol for each communication line, and the communication control device selects only the link with the highest speed that can be established and is controlled. Since communication is performed with the device, a connection failure can be prevented even in a communication control system via a network in which controlled devices having different communication speeds are mixed.

Further, by deciding the service corresponding to the link speed in advance, it is possible to provide the service corresponding to the established link communication speed.

Further, according to the present invention, after the communication control device connects the communication line to the controlled device via the network, the communication control device communicates with the controlled device by using the communication protocol having the highest speed. Link is established between the two, and if the link establishment fails, the link is established by using the slower communication protocol, and the link is established from the higher speed communication protocol to the lower speed communication protocol in sequence. Similarly, even in a communication control system having different communication speeds, it is possible to prevent a connection failure.

Further, according to the present invention, after the communication control apparatus connects the communication line to the controlled apparatus via the network, the controlled apparatus can establish the link to the network. The network notifies the communication control device of the communication protocol information, establishes a link between the communication control device and the controlled device, and establishes a link between the communication control device and the controlled device on the link. Since the communication is performed in the above manner, the operation for establishing the link can be performed more reliably in a shorter time and the connection failure can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a basic configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a connection operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a control procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a control operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a control procedure according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a control operation according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a control procedure according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a conventional communication system.

FIG. 10 is a conventional system configuration diagram in which high-speed and low-speed controlled devices are mixed.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Controlled device (TS) 12 networks (NW) 13 Communication control device 13a Network interface section # 0 13b Network interface section # 1 13c LAPB high-speed communication unit 13d ACIA low speed communication unit 13e Register section 13f MPU section 13g VS WS communication unit 14 workstation (WS) 15 MPR / CPR

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Yuuji Kuroki 1-4-4 Hakataekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka Within Fujitsu Kyushu Communication Systems Limited (72) Inventor Toshie Ayaori 1-4, Hakata-ekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka No. 4 in Fujitsu Kyushu Communication System Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP 5-199277 (JP, A) JP 2-206264 (JP, A) JP 2-288442 (JP, A) JP Flat 8-56241 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04L 29/08 H04L 29/06

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A communication control device having a communication protocol capable of communicating at a plurality of communication speeds, comprising: a line connection means; and a link establishing means for establishing a link for starting communication with a controlled device. A link selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of links established by the link establishing means; and a communication means capable of communicating with the controlled device by a plurality of communication protocols, wherein the line connecting means is the controlled device. After connecting the communication lines, the link establishing means performs an operation to simultaneously establish links corresponding to each of the plurality of communication protocols, and the link selecting means selects a link having the highest speed among the established links. Then, the communication control device communicates with the controlled device on the selected link. 2. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit provides the controlled device with a predetermined service corresponding to the speed of the link selected by the link selection unit. 3. A communication control device provided with a communication protocol capable of communicating at a plurality of communication speeds, after connecting a plurality of communication lines to a controlled device via a network, the communication control device performing each communication. A link is established with the controlled device by using a different communication protocol for the line, and the communication control device selects only the link with the highest speed among the established links to communicate with the controlled device. A communication device connection method characterized by performing.