JP3852469B2 - Synchronous controller and controller system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a synchronous controller and a controller system .

  A programmable controller (PLC) is used as a control device for factory automation (FA) installed in a production factory (manufacturing site). This PLC is composed of a plurality of units. That is, a power supply unit of a power supply source, a CPU unit that controls the entire PLC, an output unit that inputs a switch or sensor signal attached to an appropriate place in an FA production device or facility device, an output that outputs a control output Various units such as a unit and a communication unit for connecting to a communication network are appropriately combined. Each unit is electrically and mechanically connected via a connector provided on the side surface, so that power can be supplied from the power supply unit to each unit and information can be transmitted and received.

  The control in the CPU unit of the PLC is based on a user program written in a user program description language (for example, ladder language) registered in advance by fetching a signal input from the input unit into the I / O memory of the CPU unit (IN refresh). Perform logical operation (operation execution), write the operation execution result to the I / O memory, send it to the output unit (OUT refresh), and then perform cyclic processing repeatedly to perform so-called peripheral processing. .

  Incidentally, among the units constituting the PLC, there is also a high-function unit for performing intelligent high-function control. This high-function unit is, for example, a process control unit having a function for executing a program for exclusive process control (analog control) such as receiving an analog value such as temperature and performing PID control, or a motion control unit for performing motion control. There are various things. This motion control unit is capable of driving and controlling a plurality of motors, and is used for three driving axes of the plurality of motors (so-called X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis) (left and right, front and rear, and top and bottom 3). Direction) and the positioning of the object of the drive system is controlled. Also, there is a motion control unit called a synchronous controller, which has a function capable of synchronously controlling the operation of each axis when performing multi-axis control.

  In this type of synchronous controller, as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, a control function of several axes (up to about 2 or 4 axes) is mounted in the controller, or as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2. In general, a multi-axis (6 axes or more) control function is installed in a network system to perform motion control. In addition, there are a method using a shared memory and an interrupt signal, a method using a communication command, and the like as a synchronization means in the built-in controller type and network type.

JP 2003-202907 A JP 2001-331222 A

  The conventional apparatus described above has the following problems. In other words, when multi-axis control is processed by one main CPU, the control performance largely depends on the processing capacity of the main CPU. If multi-axis control is to be realized without degrading the performance, The performance required for the CPU is also increasing, and as a result, the controller becomes quite expensive. For customers who need only a few axis control, such a controller is over-specification, costly, and disadvantageous.

  In terms of structure, a method that incorporates a control function in a single unit housing must be equipped with multi-axis motor control I / Fs, which requires a large installation space. , Disadvantages occur. Especially for customers who need only a few axis control, an increase in the size of the housing may be a limitation of the installation location and may be disadvantageous.

  Further, when the main CPU of the controller performs motion control by the communication network method, information transmission in the communication is 1 (main CPU): N (each motor, etc.), and information transmission between the motors depending on the network environment. There may be a time lag, and in motion control such as synchronization, it becomes a factor that causes a shift in the movement between axes. And as the number of axes increases, the communication cycle also increases, so this deviation width also increases in proportion to the communication cycle.

  In the communication network method, the command value is transmitted to each control axis in advance, and if the start command is applied all at once, the performance as a synchronous operation can be achieved, but the processing load of the main CPU increases as the number of control axes increases, The communication cycle also increases, causing a problem that the performance is lowered with respect to the response operation from the external information.

According to the present invention, a controller with high performance can be constructed according to the required number of axes, the synchronization between modules can be easily taken, and the influence on the arithmetic processing for controlling the control target in the control module can be reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide a synchronous controller and a controller system that can suppress as much as possible and reduce the load on each module.

The synchronization controller according to the present invention is (1) a synchronization in which a cycle master module that controls synchronization of the entire controller and a plurality of control modules that control devices to be controlled handle synchronization data for synchronization control between the modules. This is a synchronous controller that is connected in a double bus structure including a bus and an event bus that handles data for peripheral processing different from the synchronous control, and is formed by integrally connecting modules. Each of the control modules, via a synchronous bus, receives the synchronization data with the cycle master module transmits or receives the synchronization data to and from other control modules, by their received synchronization data synchronous data processing for data refresh, based on the synchronization data data refreshing, calculating executes a user program for controlling the operation of the control target device, peripheral processing to transmit or receive data via the event bus, each of The process is cyclically executed, and the cycle master module periodically executes a process of transmitting synchronous data to the control modules via a synchronous bus. The cycle marker via the synchronous bus Upon receipt of the synchronization data from data module performs data refresh cycle in the cyclic execution, and to perform the user program execution.
As another solution, (2) synchronization in which the cycle master module that controls the synchronization of the entire controller and a plurality of control modules that control the control target devices handle synchronization data for synchronization control between the modules. A synchronous controller that is connected in a double bus structure composed of a bus and an event bus that handles data for peripheral processing different from the synchronous control, and is a synchronous controller in which the modules are connected together, respectively via the synchronous bus to receive synchronous data with the cycle master module transmits or receives the synchronization data to and from other control modules, data refresh synchronization data by their received synchronization data To be controlled, based on the synchronized data refreshed The cycle master module cyclically executes a process for calculating and executing a user program for controlling the operation of the CPU and a peripheral process for transmitting or receiving data via the event bus. The control module executes a process of transmitting a refresh trigger after transmitting synchronization data to each control module via a synchronization bus, and each control module performs a refresh trigger from the cycle master module via a synchronization bus. In response to the reception of this, the data refresh of one cycle in the cyclic execution is performed to execute the user program calculation.
(3) The cycle master module controls the entire synchronous controller by performing a process of calculating and executing its own user program and simultaneously broadcasting synchronous data to the control modules via a synchronous bus. Yes, the transmission of periodic synchronization data in the cycle master module is to broadcast its own synchronization data via the synchronization bus on condition that the synchronization data is received from all connected control modules. The transmission of the synchronization data in each control module is performed by broadcasting the synchronization data via the synchronization bus, and the cycle master module broadcasts the synchronization data from each control module via the synchronization bus. The process of receiving the synchronized data, and the same A process of broadcast data, and processing of data refreshing synchronous data by synchronizing the data received, a process of execution of the user program for controlling the whole of the synchronization controller based on the synchronization data after data refresh, Can be executed cyclically.
(4) As yet another solution, a cycle master module that controls the synchronization of the entire controller and a plurality of control modules that control the control target device handle synchronization data for synchronization control between the modules. A synchronization controller connected by a synchronization bus and integrally connecting the modules, each of the control modules transmitting and receiving synchronization data to and from other control modules via the synchronization bus, and synchronizing via the bus to send or receive synchronization data with the cycle master module, the processing of data refreshing synchronous data by synchronizing data they received, based on the synchronization data data refreshed, to control the operation of the control target device Each of the processes for calculating and executing the user program for The cycle master module receives the synchronization data from all connected control modules on the condition that the synchronization data is transmitted via the synchronization bus to each of the control modules. Each control module performs a one-cycle data refresh in the cyclic execution upon receipt of the synchronous data from the cycle master module via the synchronous bus, and executes a user program operation. It can also be done.
(5) On the premise of the synchronous controller of (4) above, the cycle master module primarily stores synchronous data broadcasted simultaneously from each control module via a synchronous bus in a buffer. The synchronization data temporarily stored in the synchronization data storage area is refreshed to the synchronization data storage area, and each control module performs primary synchronization data synchronization from the cycle master module and other control modules via a synchronization bus to a buffer. It is preferable to store the synchronous data temporarily stored in the synchronous data storage area by data refresh.
(6) On the premise of the synchronous controller of (3) above, the cycle master module and the control module are composed of a synchronous bus and an event bus that handles a large amount of data compared to the amount of data handled by the synchronous bus. In the cyclic execution of the cycle master module, data is transmitted to other modules or external devices via the event bus after cyclic execution of the user program in the cyclic execution of the cycle master module. Or it can comprise so that the periphery process to receive may be performed.

  A controller with a synchronization function, such as a motion controller, has a modular structure consisting of a cycle master module, a control module, etc., and each module (cycle master, motion control) has user programming and program execution functions. I tried to do it. These modules share information every cycle, and by making the information sharing area available to the user program, each module can execute a synchronous program. The synchronization data that is always shared can be arbitrarily referenced from the user program of each module, and when all the shared synchronization data can be referenced, an application program can be created with a plurality of synchronization information.

  And since the user can build a synchronous controller by adding a control module according to the application (especially a small-axis synchronous / torque / tension control application of 2 to 4 axes), it saves space and has high cost performance. Can be used.

If between each module having a double structure of an event bus that handles synchronous bus and a large amount of data, it is possible to use a bus structure performance in accordance with the respective purposes. As a result, a common bus structure is used for processing that requires a small amount of data, but is very fast and requires punctuality, and processing that does not require high speed and punctuality but handles large amounts of data with different event characteristics. Separation instead of, it is possible to achieve sufficient synchronization performance even if the bus structure used is not high performance.

  Further, even if a multi-axis configuration is used, by appropriately setting the number of control modules, the processing load of the CPU per module does not increase, so that high-speed and stable control performance is exhibited.

  In addition, when multiple control modules are provided, it is possible to create a user program for each module, so it is possible to distribute the processing load from the viewpoint of the application, and a controller with higher processing performance by devising the program contents and arrangement Can be obtained.

  Various settings can be made for the transmission timing of the synchronization data from the cycle master module, which is the reference for synchronization of each module. As an example, it is possible to output own synchronization data on condition that the synchronization data from all connected control modules has been received. As another method, synchronization data can be set to be output at regular intervals. It is also possible to implement a plurality of these setting conditions by switching them as appropriate.

  In addition, a plurality of the control modules are provided to receive synchronization data sent from the other control modules via the synchronization bus, and store the synchronization data in the synchronization data storage area. It is good to make it available. This controller provides a dedicated synchronization bus for always sharing information between modules so that multi-axis synchronization is possible, and an event dedicated bus for exchanging information when necessary for events, and the timing for each module to operate in synchronization. The module which has the cycle master function which produces | generates is prepared. Thereby, multi-axis synchronous control across modules in the case of a distributed structure can be realized.

(7) As yet another solution, a plurality of control modules that control controlled devices and a cycle master module that controls each control module handle synchronization data for synchronization control between the modules. A synchronous controller connected by a synchronous bus and integrally connecting the modules, wherein the cycle master module receives synchronous data broadcast from each control module via the synchronous bus and sends it to a buffer. A process for executing primary storage processing and transmitting synchronous data via the synchronous bus on condition that synchronous data has been received from all connected control modules, and primary stored synchronous data Data refresh to the synchronous data storage area and data refresh And cyclically executing a process for computing and executing a user program based on the synchronized data after the synchronization, and each control module is simultaneously broadcast from the cycle master module and other control modules via a synchronization bus. The received synchronization data is temporarily stored in the buffer, and the synchronization data is simultaneously broadcast to other modules via the synchronization bus, and the cycle master module receives the synchronization data. A process of refreshing the synchronization data temporarily stored in the opportunity in the synchronization data storage area, a process of executing a user program for controlling the operation of the control target device based on the synchronization data after the data refresh, and an operation execution result What to refresh and what to do cyclically It can be.

(8) Further, on the premise of the synchronous controller of (7), the process transmitted by the cycle master module is to transmit a refresh trigger after transmitting its own synchronous data. The refresh trigger may be the reception of a refresh trigger from the cycle master module.
(9) On the premise of the synchronous controller of (8), the cycle master module and the control module include a synchronous bus and an event bus that handles a large amount of data compared to the amount of data handled by the synchronous bus. Connected in a double bus structure and connected together,
In the cyclic execution of the cycle master module, after the user program calculation execution process, perform peripheral processing to transmit or receive data to and from other modules or external devices via the event bus,
In the cyclic execution of each control module, it is more preferable to perform peripheral processing for transmitting or receiving data to / from other modules via the event bus after the user program calculation execution processing.

  (10) The controller system according to the present invention is a controller system including the synchronous controller of any one of (6) and (9) and a host controller, and the cycle master module includes an external I / F. Therefore, it can be configured to exchange data with the host controller via the external I / F during the peripheral processing.

  In the present invention, a controller with high performance can be constructed according to the number of required axes, synchronization between modules can be easily achieved, and the influence on the arithmetic processing for controlling the control target in the control module can be reduced. While suppressing as much as possible, the load of each module can be reduced.

  FIG. 1 shows the entire FA system including the synchronous controller of the present invention. The synchronous controller 10 is connected to a host controller 1 such as a PLC and has a configuration in which a display 2 is connected to the host controller 1. When receiving an instruction from the host controller 1, the synchronous controller 10 performs predetermined control to execute the instruction and returns the result to the host controller 1.

  The synchronous controller 10 includes a power supply module 11, a cycle master module 12, a motion control module 13, and an end module 14. A plurality of motion control modules 13 can be attached to one cycle master module 12. Both the cycle master module 12 and the motion control module 13 are installed with user programs and are executed cyclically.

  In this example, the programming tool 3 is connected to the serial port SP1 of the cycle master module 12, and the user program of the cycle master module 12 is uploaded / downloaded directly from the programming tool 3 to the cycle master module 12, and the motion control module 13 The user program is uploaded / downloaded from the programming tool 3 via the cycle master module 12. Further, another serial port SP2 of the cycle master module 12 is connected to the CPU unit 1a of the host controller 1.

  The motion control module 13 is synchronously controlled by the cycle master module 12 and outputs a control signal to the servo driver 5 by execution processing of the user program of the motion control module 13. The servo driver 5 actually controls the motion by controlling the servo motor 4 to be controlled. The cycle master module 12 receives a command from the host controller 1 and performs a function for executing the user program of the cycle master module 12 itself, and a timing for causing each motion control module to operate synchronously based on the processing result of the execution. A function for generating a function, a function for communicating the result to the host controller 1 when processing is completed, a function for communicating with the programming tool 3, and the host controller 1 or display which is an external device itself or the motion control module 13 A function of transferring data (gateway) to and from the device 2 is provided. In the figure, the motion control module 13 and the servo driver 5 are separated from each other. However, the servo driver 5 may be built in the motion control module 13.

  In other words, the conventional and this embodiment will be described in comparison. In the case of a motion control unit connected to a conventional PLC as one of high-function units, the function of performing motion control and the CPU unit constituting the PLC The function which performs communication between was built in. The motion control unit cyclically executes user program execution and peripheral processing, performs motion control when executing the user program, and communicates with the CPU unit when executing the peripheral processing. In the case of the present embodiment, the motion control function and peripheral processing function of the conventional motion control unit are processed separately in separate units, and the cycle master module 12 performs communication with the CPU unit of the PLC. The motion control module 13 connected to the cycle master module via the bus executes processing related to motion control. As a result, high-speed and high-precision control can be performed.

  Furthermore, since a plurality of motion control modules 13 can be connected and detached, the number of motion control modules 13 can be increased or decreased according to the application, and a controller structure suitable for the application can be constructed. This is preferable because it requires a large space cost. As a controller, it is possible to distribute the processing to be performed by each module and have each module have a user program. Therefore, even if it has a multi-module configuration, it can be executed without reducing the processing capacity. .

  Further, when a plurality of motion control modules 13 are connected, it is possible to obtain I / O information of another motion control module 13 at a high speed and use it for processing of the own module by utilizing a synchronous bus described later. . Therefore, for example, the motion control module 13 having a pulse input / output function obtains analog input information from another motion control module having an analog input / output function via a synchronous bus, and the I / O built in the module itself is no matter what. As such, it can be used for pulse output control of its own module. Thereby, more complicated control can be performed at high speed and with high accuracy.

  Next, a specific module configuration for realizing the processing functions described above will be described. FIG. 2 shows a hardware configuration, and FIG. 3 shows an internal image of the controller focused on software.

  In this embodiment, both the cycle master module 12 and the motion control module 13 have MPUs 12a and 13a, ROMs 12b and 13b, and RAMs 12c and 13c, and the system software of each module 12 and 13 is MPU 12a or 13a or ROM 12b, 13b. The ROMs 12b and 13b may be flash ROMs, for example, and user programs created by the user are also stored in the ROMs 12b and 13b as a backup.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a user program area, a variable area, and a work area are set as storage areas in the RAMs 12c and 13c. When the user program is executed, the ROMs 12b and 13b are expanded to the RAMs 12c and 13c when the power is turned on. Run it.

  The variable area (variable memory) is an area for use in the user program, and is used as a storage area for I / O data held by the modules 12 and 13 and information exchanged between the modules. The work area is an area used by the system software of the modules 12 and 13 for system execution.

  The functions of these MPUs 12a, 13a, ROMs 12b, 13b, and RAMs 12c, 13c are basically the same as those mounted on the CPU unit, motion control unit, etc. constituting the PLC.

  Furthermore, the motion control module 13 has pulse input / output and analog input / output circuits 13h for controlling I / O devices (external devices) including controlled objects such as servo motors. It is connected to an external I / O device via the I / O port 13i. As an I / O device connected here, there is a servo driver 5 for controlling the servo motor 4 shown in FIG. The input signal acquired from the external I / O device (input device) is given to the MPU 13a (the pulse input circuit is via the ASIC 13g), and the data sent from the MPU 13a to the external IO device (output device) is The analog output circuit and the pulse output circuit 13h are used.

  The motion control module 13 is provided with both a pulse input / output circuit and an analog input / output circuit 13h in order to make the apparatus configuration common. However, all of them may be used in actual operation. Only one of the pulse and the analog may be used, or only the input circuit or only the output circuit may be actually operated. In this way, which type is enabled is set by the system setting (see FIG. 3). In addition to the pulse / analog input / output circuit, a communication I / F may be provided as an external I / F of the motion control module 13.

  Furthermore, the cycle master module 12 and the motion control module 13 have I / O ports 12j and 13j as external I / Fs, and between the devices connected to the I / O ports 12j and 13j and the MPUs 12a and 13a. Data can be sent and received. That is, the motion control module 13 obtains information from a general-purpose I / O function unit (pulse or analog, etc.) for direct motor control and directly from an external device (ON / OFF sensor, analog sensor, encoder, etc.). It has an I / O function part.

  Each module computes and executes a user program based on input data acquired from each external I / F (I / O ports 12j, 13j, special I / O port 13i, etc.) described above, and the obtained computation results are predetermined. The control is cyclically repeated by outputting via the external I / F (processing for one cycle will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7). Thus, since a general-purpose interface can be used for motor control, an appropriate one can be selected from commercially available motors. Further, since the motor control means is pulsed or analog as compared with the communication network, the command becomes continuous and smooth control can be realized.

  Further, in the motor control in each module, a dedicated CPU is provided on several axes (1 or 2 units) so that a command can be output directly by inputting information from the outside, a pulse to the motor, or analog. Therefore, the motor to be used can be selected widely from general-purpose products using pulse or analog I / F methods, and since it can directly capture information from external devices, it can realize quick response performance without time lag as in communication methods. Can do.

  Further, the modules are connected by an event bus and a synchronous bus, and the end module 14 has a bus connection termination function 14a for terminating each of the buses. The motion control module 13 includes a shared memory 13f connected to the event bus, and the cycle master module 12 includes an event transmission / reception ASIC 12d connected to the event bus. The event transmission / reception ASIC 12d has a function of interpolating data transmission / reception when the cycle master module accesses the shared memory 13f in the motion control module 13, and the cycle master module uses the event transmission / reception ASIC 12d as a gateway. The function of. For example, when an event, a program, or the like is sent from the host controller 1 or programming tool 3 to the motion control module 13, the event related to the shared memory 13f of the corresponding motion control module 13 (specified by the module number or the like) Store. In addition, the motion control module 13 executes a process of reading data stored in the shared memory 13f and returning it to the external host controller 1 as a response to the event.

  Since data transmitted via this event bus generally has a large capacity and takes a long time to transmit, it takes time to perform the original motion control when it is performed during a peripheral service performed cyclically like a conventional motion control unit. However, in this embodiment, since the cycle master module 12 that does not perform motion control executes the data transfer, there is no problem in motion control. Further, since the event bus is provided separately from the synchronization bus for performing the synchronization control, data for synchronization control can be transmitted and received via the synchronization bus in parallel with the access to the shared memory 13f. There will be no hindrance.

  Synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e connected to the synchronization bus are mounted in the modules 12 and 13, respectively, and MPUs 12a and 13a are connected to the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e. The synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e can transmit data to the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e in all other modules connected to the synchronization bus by the data ring method in a simultaneous broadcast, and internally store transmission / reception data. Has a buffer area for. That is, by outputting data from the synchronization ASIC to the synchronization bus, the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e of the other modules can take the transmitted data into the internal buffer area. More specifically, all modules share common data by simultaneously broadcasting synchronous data to other modules with one module sequentially as a transmission source. The details of the mechanism for achieving synchronization by transmitting and receiving data via the synchronization bus, which is one of the main parts of the present invention, will be described later.

  In this way, each module is connected by two buses, a synchronous bus and an event bus, and a user program built in each module is executed while exchanging data between the modules via each bus. That is, information (data) that is desired to be shared by each module in each cycle uses a synchronous bus that has a small capacity but can exchange data at high speed, and a large capacity data that does not need to be shared every cycle uses an event bus.

  Due to the dual inter-module bus structure tailored to the purpose of use of this information, the information that must be shared every cycle is affected by this even if a large amount of data exchange (event) between modules occurs occasionally. Without sharing.

  As a result, each module can use not only the information from the I / O built in its own module but also the data exchange information by the synchronous bus and event bus implemented in the system. Arbitrary use of information is possible. Of course, the calculation result obtained in accordance with the execution of the user program is output from the I / O of the own module, or is output as data exchange information through the synchronous bus or event bus.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining synchronization data sharing using a synchronization bus. Here, three motion control modules 13 are connected, and module numbers # 1, # 2, and # 3 are set, respectively. The module number of the cycle master module 12 is # 0.

  The data shared between the modules via the synchronization bus by the data link method using the synchronization ASICs 12e and 13e is the module-synchronized data storage area in the variable memory of the RAMs 12c and 13c, including the own module and other modules. (See FIG. 3) and stored. This inter-module synchronization data storage area is allocated to each module as shown in FIG. 4, and information on all modules is shared in each cycle. Each module has an inter-module synchronization data storage area in its own module. By referencing, the synchronization data of all modules can be referenced.

  That is, in the cycle master module 12, the data managed by the module is stored in the # 0 storage area, and the data stored in # 0 is sent to another motion control module 13 at a predetermined timing. As a result, all the other motion control modules 13 receive the transmitted data and store it in the storage area assigned to # 0 of the inter-module synchronization data storage area in its own variable memory. Actually, this is realized by synchronous bus refresh in which data temporarily stored in the buffer area in the synchronization ASIC is transferred to the inter-module synchronous data storage area 13e at a predetermined timing. Also, each motion control module 13 (for example, “# 1”) also transmits data # 1 managed by itself, and other motion control modules 13 (for example, “# 2”, “# 3”) or cycle master module 12 Receives the # 1 data and stores it in the storage area assigned to # 1 in the corresponding inter-module synchronization data storage area.

  The synchronization data is shared every cycle. The data sent by each module is data to be referred to when executing the user program in other modules. As a result, each time one cycle is executed, the synchronization data stored in the inter-module synchronization data storage area of each module is updated to the latest one. The control suitable for the state at that time can be performed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the types of synchronization data transmitted / received via the synchronization bus are such that information held by each module can be arbitrarily selected and shared between the modules as synchronization data. For example, the data that can be shared as synchronization data is of course the calculation result generated by executing the user program in the own module. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the latest I / O value of the own module is used as the synchronization data. Can do. Furthermore, when the I / O information of the own module is used as synchronization data, it can be registered by the system settings set in the own module, and the registered information is automatically transferred as synchronization data by the system. Exchanged. Note that the synchronous data area (+0, +1,... + N) in FIG. 5 corresponds to one storage area in FIG. 4 (for example, the storage area for “# 1”), and the value of n in each area is Can be taken arbitrarily. In other words, the data capacity of each storage area is allowed to be different.

  In this embodiment, the sharing of the synchronization data between the modules consists of two processes, that is, synchronization data transmission / reception and synchronization bus refresh. In the synchronous data transmission / reception, each motion control module 13 sequentially transmits the synchronization data of its own module to the synchronous bus in a simultaneous broadcast, and the other modules (each motion control module 13 and the cycle master module 12) have been transmitted. It corresponds to a series of data transmission / reception to receive. Synchronous data transmission / reception also corresponds to data transmission / reception in which the cycle master module 12 transmits the synchronization data of its own module to the synchronization bus in a simultaneous broadcast, and each motion control module 13 receives the transmitted data. The synchronization data transmission / reception of the cycle master module 12 is executed when the cycle master module 12 recognizes it after the transmission / reception of a series of synchronization data of all the motion control modules 13 is completed.

  In synchronous bus refresh, each module transfers and stores all synchronous data from the buffer area of the synchronization ASIC 12e or 13e to the allocated storage area in the inter-module synchronous data storage area in the variable memory 12c or 13c. Corresponding to This synchronization bus refresh is performed based on the completion of transmission / reception of a series of synchronization data by all the motion control modules 13 and transmission / reception of the synchronization data of the cycle master module 12 by management of the cycle master module.

  There are multiple ways to achieve this synchronous bus refresh. As an example, all the motion control modules 13 receive all the synchronous data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 by simultaneous broadcast, and all the data is transferred from the buffer area of the synchronization ASIC 13e to the inter-module synchronous data storage area. The synchronization data may be transferred and stored. As another example, after the cycle master module 12 transmits synchronous data to the synchronous bus in a simultaneous broadcast, a trigger signal for synchronous data refresh processing is simultaneously broadcast to each motion control module 13 via the synchronous bus. You may make it transmit by. In this alternative example, each motion control module 13 does not perform the synchronous bus refresh process in conjunction with the reception of the synchronous data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 by simultaneous broadcast, but the cycle master module 12 The synchronous bus refresh process is triggered by the synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from.

  The synchronization of the processing of each motion control module 13 will be described. Since each motion control module 13 receives synchronization data from each of the other motion control modules 13 and finally receives synchronization data from the cycle master module 12, the cycle is received by receiving the synchronization data from the cycle master module 12. It can be determined that the transmission / reception of the synchronization data is completed. Therefore, each motion control module 13 performs synchronous bus refresh triggered by reception of synchronous data from the cycle master module, and performs arithmetic processing of the user program of its own module. That is, each motion control module 13 performs processing for one cycle shown in FIG. 6, that is, state-specific processing and peripheral service processing, when receiving the synchronization data from the cycle master module 12. By doing so, the motion control modules 13 can synchronize and execute the arithmetic processing.

  The meaning of “when triggered by reception of synchronous data” includes a case where triggered by a synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from the cycle master module 12 as in another example of the synchronous data refresh process described above. In this case, each motion control module 13 performs processing for one cycle shown in FIG. 6 in response to the synchronous bus refresh processing trigger signal from the cycle master module 12.

  The operation contents in the cycle master module 12 are as shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, after executing the initialization process (S21) when the power is turned on, the common process is first performed (S22). In this common processing, the cycle master module 12 performs synchronous data reception management, synchronous data transmission, and synchronous bus refresh. The synchronization data transmission / reception process of the cycle master manages whether or not a series of synchronization data transmission / reception of all the motion control modules 13 has been completed, and after that, the synchronization data of the own module is simultaneously broadcast to the synchronization bus. It is the process which transmits with. The synchronous bus refresh process is a process for transferring and storing the synchronous data received from all the motion control modules from the buffer area of the ASIC 12e to the inter-module synchronous data storage area. In addition, when outputting a synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from the cycle master module 12 as in another example of the synchronous bus refresh process described above, the trigger signal output process is included.

  Further, the cycle master module 12 can separately execute this common process by a scheduled interrupt process, which will be described later in detail.

  When the synchronous bus refresh is completed, as a state-specific process (S23), the user program is arithmetically processed, the cycle time is calculated, and then its own I / O refresh is performed. This I / O refresh process includes a process of storing the result of the arithmetic process in the predetermined area of the inter-module synchronization data of the variable memory 12c as the synchronization data of the next cycle.

  Then, peripheral service processing is executed (S24). The cycle master module 12 communicates with external devices (the host controller 1 and the programming tool 3) in addition to sending and receiving events and the like with the motion control module 13 through the event bus. As described above, the cycle master module 12 issues an event to the motion control module 13 in the event bus service as necessary in accordance with the exchange of data that is not required to be exchanged at high speed by the event bus service or the service request of the connected peripheral device. In this way, the common process S22, the state-specific process S23, and the peripheral process S24 are cyclically repeated.

  The operation content in the MPU 13a of the motion control module 13 is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. After executing the initialization process (S11) when the power is turned on, the common process is first performed (S12). In the common process, a process for transmitting its own synchronous data to the synchronous bus in a simultaneous broadcast, a standby process, and a synchronous bus refresh are performed. The standby process will be described later at the standby position in FIG. Then, through the standby process, the synchronization ASIC 13e receives the synchronization data from the cycle master module 12, and executes the synchronization bus refresh in response to this. This synchronization bus refresh is performed when the ASIC 13e receives the synchronization data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 via the synchronization bus by the MPU 13a and the synchronization data received from the other motion control modules 13 received by the ASIC. The synchronous data from the cycle master module 12 is transferred and stored in the inter-module synchronous data storage area 13e. Since all the motion control modules 13 perform the same process, the timing can be matched when the synchronization data is received from the cycle master module 12, and the process shifts to the state-specific process (S23). About this opportunity, it can also be triggered by receiving a synchronous bus refresh process trigger signal from the cycle master module 12 like another example of the above-mentioned synchronous bus refresh process.

  When the synchronous bus refresh is completed, as a state-specific process (S23), the user program is arithmetically processed, the cycle time is calculated, and then its own I / O refresh is performed. This I / O refresh process includes a process of storing the result of the arithmetic process as synchronization data of the next cycle in a predetermined area of inter-module synchronization data in the variable memory 13c.

  In the case of the motion control module, the peripheral service processing is transmission / reception of data such as events performed via the event bus. However, since it is not frequently performed, the processing returns to S12 immediately and common processing is performed. Do.

  Thus, since the synchronous bus refresh is performed as shown in FIG. 6 before the arithmetic processing of each module, each module can share the latest data obtained in the previous cycle. Then, synchronous bus refresh is executed in synchronization with reception of synchronous data from the cycle master module 12 and arithmetic processing is started, so that synchronization can be established between modules.

  That is, in the method implemented in synchronization with the one-cycle process of the cycle master module 12, the timing chart as shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. In FIG. 8, CM means the cycle master module, and MM # 1 and MM # 2 mean the motion control module 13. BC means synchronous data transmission, and RF means synchronous bus refresh. The common processing of the motion control module shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to BC (synchronous data transmission), standby and RF (synchronous bus refresh) of MM # 1 and MM # 2 shown in FIG. The common processing of the cycle master module shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the CM BC (synchronous data transmission) and RF (synchronous bus refresh) shown in FIG. The synchronization data reception management of FIG. 7 is omitted in FIG. A series of processes for executing the state-specific processes (S13, S23) and the peripheral service processes (S14, S24) shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 correspond to the cycle processes of the modules shown in FIG. Although not shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, synchronization data transmitted from other modules while each module is executing cycle processing or standby processing is automatically stored in the buffer area in the synchronization ASIC of each module. It is captured. In the example of FIG. 8, when the power of the synchronous controller is turned on, the motion control module MM2 transmits synchronous data after the power-on initial processing (BC of MM # 2). The synchronous data transmission of the motion control module MM # 2 corresponds to “# 2” in FIG. That is, the synchronization data transmitted from the buffer area in the synchronization ASIC of the motion control module MM # 2 is received by the buffer area in the ASIC 12e of the cycle master module CM and the buffer area in the ASIC 13e of the motion control module MM # 1 and other. . Then, the motion control module MM # 2 performs standby processing until the synchronization data transmission of the cycle master module CM is completed. The motion control module MM1 also transmits the synchronization data after the power ON initial processing (BC of MM # 1). This synchronous data transmission corresponds to “# 1” in FIG. Thereafter, the motion control module MM # 1 performs standby processing until the synchronization data transmission of the cycle master module CM is completed. The cycle master module CM confirms that all motion control modules have transmitted and received the synchronization data, and then transmits its own synchronization data (CM BC). This synchronous data transmission corresponds to “# 0” in FIG. Since synchronous data transmission / reception has been completed between all modules, each module performs synchronous bus refresh. That is, the synchronous data is transferred from the buffer area of the ASICs 12e and 13e to the inter-module synchronous data area and stored. Next, the cycle master module CM itself starts 1-scan processing, and the motion control modules MM # 1 and MM # 2 also start 1-scan processing in synchronization. Thereafter, the same process is repeated, and the process according to the state of each module is executed synchronously at the same timing as t2 and t3. In another example, after the cycle master module sends the synchronization data to the synchronization bus in a simultaneous broadcast, the trigger signal for the synchronization bus refresh process is sent to the motion control module through the synchronization bus. Each motion control module 13 does not perform the synchronous bus refresh process in conjunction with the reception of the synchronous data transmitted from the cycle master module 12 by simultaneous broadcast, but the synchronous bus refresh from the cycle master module 12. Synchronous bus refresh processing is performed in response to the processing trigger signal. In any case, one cycle time (Tcm) that combines the cycle processing and common processing of the cycle master module is equal to one cycle time (Tmm) that combines the cycle processing and common processing of each motion control module.

  Also, if the cycle processing time of the cycle master module increases due to the processing load, the cycle master module's synchronous data transmission can be separated from the common processing and executed by the arbitrarily set scheduled time interrupt processing. it can. As a result, the synchronization bus refresh can be performed at a constant time interval at high speed without being dragged by the cycle processing time of the cycle master module between the motion control modules, and information can be shared and synchronized. That is, as shown in the example of FIG. 9, when the cycle processing time of one cycle of the cycle master module is long, the motion control module starts one cycle processing when the cycle master module transmits synchronous data. It is not preferable because the waiting time becomes long. Therefore, in the common processing (S22) of the processing flow of the cycle master module in FIG. 7, the synchronous data reception management is omitted, and the synchronous data transmission and the synchronous bus refresh processing are performed at a fixed time interrupt of a timer that operates asynchronously with the cycle processing. As a result, each motion control module 13 starts the next cycle process. This prevents the standby time of the motion control module 13 from being inadvertently increased.

As a result, even if the time required for the peripheral service in the cycle master module 12 becomes long and the cycle time becomes long, the cycle time in the motion control module 13 can be minimized and the stability of a constant cycle can be secured. That is, one cycle time (Tmm) of each motion control module can be shortened compared to one cycle time (Tcm) of the cycle master module.

  Then, which of the two methods is used is determined by the system setting of the cycle master module 12. In addition, when synchronous data is not required in each module, it is possible to stop the synchronous bus refresh, and to perform the processing independently by exchanging data asynchronously with only the event bus.

1 is an overall system diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure (hardware structure) of the synchronous controller of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure (software structure) of the synchronous controller of this invention. It is a figure explaining the synchronous control using a synchronous bus. It is a figure explaining the kind of synchronous data. It is a flowchart explaining the processing function of a motion control module. It is a flowchart explaining the processing function of a cycle master module. It is a time chart which shows the relationship between a synchronous process and 1 scan (cycle time) of each module. It is a time chart which shows the relationship between a synchronous process and 1 scan (cycle time) of each module.

Explanation of symbols

1 Host Controller 2 Display 3 Programming Tool 4 Servo Driver 5 Servo Motor 10 Synchronous Controller 11 Power Supply Module 12 Cycle Master Module 13 Motion Control Module 14 End Module

Claims (10)

A cycle master module that controls the entire synchronization controller, and a plurality of control modules for controlling the control target device is a synchronous bus that handles synchronous data for the synchronization of the various modules, separate from said synchronous control It is a synchronous controller that is connected in a double bus structure consisting of event buses that handle data for peripheral processing , and each module is linked together,
Each of the control modules, via a synchronous bus, receives the synchronization data with the cycle master module transmits or receives the synchronization data to and from other control modules, by their received synchronization data synchronous data processing for data refresh, based on the synchronization data data refreshing, calculating executes a user program for controlling the operation of the control target device, peripheral processing to transmit or receive data via the event bus, each of The process is executed cyclically,
The cycle master module periodically executes a process of transmitting synchronization data to the control modules via a synchronization bus.
Each of the control modules performs a one-cycle data refresh in a cyclic execution and a user program operation execution in response to reception of synchronous data from the cycle master module via a synchronous bus. To sync controller. A cycle master module that controls the entire synchronization controller, and a plurality of control modules for controlling the control target device is a synchronous bus that handles synchronous data for the synchronization of the various modules, separate from said synchronous control It is a synchronous controller that is connected in a double bus structure consisting of event buses that handle data for peripheral processing , and each module is linked together,
Each of the control modules, via a synchronous bus, receives the synchronization data with the cycle master module transmits or receives the synchronization data to and from other control modules, by their received synchronization data synchronous data processing for data refresh, based on the synchronization data data refreshing, calculating executes a user program for controlling the operation of the control target device, peripheral processing to transmit or receive data via the event bus, each of The process is executed cyclically,
The cycle master module periodically executes a process of transmitting a refresh trigger after transmitting synchronization data to the control modules via a synchronization bus.
Each of the control modules performs one cycle of data refresh in cyclic execution and execution of user program calculation upon receipt of a refresh trigger from the cycle master module via a synchronous bus. To sync controller. The cycle master module performs a process of calculating and executing its own user program, and controls the synchronous controller as a whole by simultaneously broadcasting synchronous data to the control modules via a synchronous bus.
The transmission of the periodic synchronization data in the cycle master module is to broadcast the synchronization data of oneself through the synchronization bus on the condition that the synchronization data has been received from all the connected control modules.
The transmission of the synchronization data in each control module is performed by broadcasting the synchronization data via the synchronization bus,
The cycle master module is
A process of receiving synchronous data broadcasted simultaneously from each control module via a synchronous bus; a process of simultaneously broadcasting the own synchronous data; a process of refreshing synchronous data with the received synchronous data; A process for calculating and executing a user program for controlling the entire synchronous controller based on the synchronous data after data refreshing is cyclically executed.
The synchronous controller according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The cycle master module that controls the synchronization of the entire controller and multiple control modules that control the controlled devices are connected via a synchronization bus that handles synchronization data for synchronization control between the modules, and the modules are connected together. A synchronous controller,
Each of the control modules, via a synchronous bus to send or receive synchronization data with other control modules, sends or receives synchronization data with the cycle master module via a synchronous bus, A process that cyclically executes each of the process of refreshing the synchronization data by the received synchronization data and the process of calculating and executing the user program for controlling the operation of the control target device based on the synchronized data that has been refreshed. And
The cycle master module transmits its own synchronization data to each of the control modules via a synchronization bus on the condition that synchronization data from all connected control modules has been received.
Each of the control modules performs a one-cycle data refresh in a cyclic execution and a user program operation execution in response to reception of synchronous data from the cycle master module via a synchronous bus. To sync controller. The cycle master module primarily stores synchronous data broadcasted from each control module via a synchronous bus in a buffer, and refreshes the synchronous data temporarily stored in the synchronous data storage area by data refresh. Is,
Each control module primarily stores synchronous data broadcasted from the cycle master module and other control modules via a synchronous bus in a buffer, and the synchronization data temporarily stored is synchronized by data refresh. 5. The synchronous controller according to claim 4, wherein the synchronous controller refreshes the storage area. The cycle master module and the control module are connected together in a double bus structure including a synchronous bus and an event bus that handles a large amount of data compared to the amount of data handled by the synchronous bus,
In the cyclic execution of the cycle master module, after the user program calculation execution processing, peripheral processing for transmitting or receiving data to or from other modules or external devices via the event bus is performed.
The synchronous controller according to claim 3. Multiple control modules that control devices to be controlled and cycle master modules that control each control module are connected via a synchronization bus that handles synchronization data for synchronization control between the modules. It is a synchronous controller that is connected,
The cycle master module receives the synchronous data broadcast from each control module via the synchronous bus and executes a process of temporarily storing it in the buffer, and from all the connected control modules. Based on the process of transmitting own synchronization data via the synchronization bus on the condition that the synchronization data has been received, the process of refreshing the synchronization data stored temporarily in the synchronization data storage area, and the synchronization data after the data refresh A process for calculating and executing a user program cyclically,
Each of the control modules receives synchronous data broadcast from the cycle master module and other control modules via the synchronous bus, and performs a process of temporarily storing them in the buffer. Based on the process of simultaneously broadcasting the synchronous data to other modules, the process of refreshing the synchronous data temporarily stored in response to the synchronous data reception of the cycle master module in the synchronous data storage area, and the synchronous data after the data refresh A synchronous controller characterized by cyclically executing a process for executing a user program for controlling the operation of the device to be controlled and a process for refreshing an operation execution result. The process to be transmitted by the cycle master module is to transmit a refresh trigger after transmitting own synchronization data,
8. The synchronous controller according to claim 7, wherein the trigger of data refresh in each control module is reception of a refresh trigger from the cycle master module. The cycle master module and the control module are connected together in a double bus structure including a synchronous bus and an event bus that handles a large amount of data compared to the amount of data handled by the synchronous bus,
In the cyclic execution of the cycle master module, after the user program calculation execution process, perform peripheral processing to transmit or receive data to and from other modules or external devices via the event bus,
9. The cyclic execution of each of the control modules performs peripheral processing for transmitting or receiving data to / from another module via an event bus after user program calculation execution processing. Synchronous controller. A controller system comprising the synchronous controller according to any one of claims 6 and 9, and a host controller,
The cycle master module includes an external I / F, and transfers data to and from a host controller via the external I / F during execution of peripheral processing.

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