JPH04293101A - Integrating control system for plural apparatuses - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To constitute the system so that plural apparatuses are subjected to cascade control by a single controller. CONSTITUTION:Among plural VTRs 1-(n) in which a CVC circuit 5 which answers an instruction given by a series transmission is contained, respectively, one VTR 1 is selected arbitrarily and connected to a controller 12 through a main line 13 so that a bidirectional communication can be executed, and also, this one VTR 1 and the other VTRs 2-(n) are cascaded by a branch line 14, and the instruction given from the controller 12 is transferred to the other VTRs 2-(n) through the VTR 1, by which plural VTRs 1-(n) are subjected to cascade control by the controller 12.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an integrated control system for a plurality of devices in which a single control device performs cascade control of a plurality of devices.

0002

[Conventional technology]

[0003] Product introduction videos play a large role in sales promotion, and for those who organize exhibitions that also serve as announcements of new products, they are useful when explaining product functions and specific application examples.
A system that would be able to select an appropriate demo tape from among a large number of video tapes according to a customer's request and immediately play back the necessary sections on a monitor receiver has been long awaited. On the other hand, in order to more or less meet these demands, for example, the control system 1 for multiple devices shown in FIG.
1 to VTRn to a control device 2 such as a personal computer
The system is configured such that a single VTR is centrally controlled, and several VTRs can be controlled in an orderly manner by commands given one after another from the control device 2. A plurality of VTRs 1 to n are connected in parallel to a control device 2 via a serial interface such as RS-232C, and each has a CVC circuit 3 that reads commands given from the outside, and is controlled via this CVC circuit 3. A microcomputer circuit 4 that transmits and receives signals to and from the device 2, and a timer circuit 5 that sequentially executes operations such as recording and reproducing according to commands from the microcomputer circuit 4 are each built-in.

The CVC circuit 3 is generally called a computer video control board, and is connected to the RS from the control device 2.
-ASC sent via 232C interface
Can read II codes and understand approximately 70 types of commands such as recording and playback. Note that these commands are configured using ASCII codes in consideration of high operability, and may also be configured using codes other than ASCII codes. Communication using the ASCII code uses, for example, a full-duplex communication method using an asynchronous method with a communication speed of 1200 bps, and uses 8 bits of data without parity, 1 start bit, and 1 stop bit.
This is done in accordance with the data format. Specifically, the command sent from the control device 2 is configured by adding a parameter consisting of a binary code to two ASCII alphabetic characters. For example, by inputting "PW" as a command from the keyboard of the control device 2, the VTR
1 to n can be controlled by the control device 2,
Furthermore, by adding a parameter following the command, for example, "PW0" can be used to command the power to be turned off, and "PW1" can be used to command the power to be turned on. Furthermore, for example, command "FF0" fast forwards, command "FF1"
It is possible to distinguish between commands such as picture search in FF2 and jet search in FF2.Furthermore, if you want to stop the videotape during playback, use the command ``ST''.
", still command "PS", and recording command "RC".

Furthermore, it is possible to freely write an absolute address to the control track of a videotape, or read it out at will.For example, it is possible to write a header indicating the tape volume number at the beginning of a videotape using the command "H".
W0001" or to designate the write start position to, for example, absolute address 1010 during recording, input the command "WP1010". Furthermore, by inputting the command "PP0101", data can be written continuously from absolute address 0101 to a designated address during playback. When the VTRs 1 to n receive a command from the control device 2, they send back a status “CP” indicating that the command was successfully received to the control device 2 side, and also perform the operation indicated in the command. When the operation is completed, the status "AO" is returned. However, if any error occurs during operation, the error code "EE" is returned to the control device 2 side, and the error code "EE" is returned to the controller 2 to determine what caused the error. It is now possible to recognize it. For example, if a command "PL" is input that instructs VTRs 1 to n to playback a video tape to which no video tape is installed, an error code of "EE002" will be returned from the VTRs 1 to n to the control device 2. It has become.

[0006] Sixty-four types of commands for controlling the VTRs 1 to n by the control device 2 have already been published, and approximately 102 types of access are possible by combining these commands and parameters. On the other hand, 47 types of status and 1 type of error have already been published, and as a result, 70 types of status and 8 types of error messages can be returned from the VTRs 1 to n to the control device 2. be able to.

[0007]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The conventional integrated control system 1 for a plurality of devices described above connects a control device 2 and VTRs 1 to n, which are devices to be controlled by the control device 2, through a serial interface such as RS-232C. Since the configuration is for parallel communication, it is only necessary to connect them to each other using a connection cable consisting of a total of three wires: a transmitting line, a receiving line, and a grounding line (however, a control line may be added as necessary). It has the advantage that it is relatively easy to set algorithms, timing, etc. on the software compared to the interface. However, as the number of VTRs 1 to n that are controlled devices increases, a large number of controlled devices will be connected in parallel to one control device 2, and the number of lines required for each interface will increase. Even if it is natural,
In addition to significantly increasing the burden on the software including device drivers such as algorithms and timing of the control device 2,
For the users of the system, everything from the system configuration to its management and operation is extremely complicated, and the system is not necessarily optimal in terms of control efficiency. Furthermore, since the controlled devices having serial interfaces and the control device 2 are connected in a one-to-one correspondence relationship, the number of output ports on the control device 2 side is naturally equal to the number of controlled devices. However, when a commonly used personal computer or the like is used as the control device 2, the number of output ports is limited because the number of output ports that the personal computer is equipped with as standard is less than the number of devices to be controlled. In such a case, it is necessary to connect an extension board to the control device 2, and the cost burden for this cannot be ignored, and furthermore, there is a certain limit to the control ability of the control device 2 itself. However, there is a problem in that there is a certain upper limit to the number of devices to be controlled that can be controlled by the control device 2.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention solves the above problems, and includes a plurality of devices each having a built-in control means that responds to commands given by serial transmission;
A control device that comprehensively controls the plurality of devices, a main line that connects the control device and one device arbitrarily selected from the plurality of devices so as to enable bidirectional communication, and the one device. and another device are connected in series, and a branch line is provided for transferring commands given from the control device via the one device.

[0009]

[Operation] This invention arbitrarily selects one device from among a plurality of devices, each of which has a built-in control means that responds to commands given by serial transmission, and communicates bidirectionally with the control device via the main line. By connecting this one device and other devices in cascade using a branch line, and transmitting the command given from the control device to the other device via one device, multiple devices can be connected. Cascade control by a single controller.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the integrated control system for multiple devices of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the integrated control system shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the control system shown in FIG. 2. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the control device shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the control algorithm by the device.
6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the VTR1 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the VTRn shown in FIG.

[0011] Integrated control system 1 for multiple devices shown in FIG.
1 is a control device 12 and a VTR 1 which is a device to be controlled by the control device 12;
A VTR1 selected from ~n is connected using a main line 13 using a serial interface such as RS-232C, and VTR1 and other VTRs2~n are connected in cascade using a branch line 14 using a local interface to connect the entire system with one line. There is a configuration to control it. 1st V
Except for TR1, the second unit can be connected via local interface.
The third VTR followed by 2, 3. ．． ．． Transfer sequential control instructions to. VTRs 1 to n, which are devices to be controlled, are assigned ID numbers 1 to n for self-identification, and by specifying these ID numbers, the control device 12 can access only a specific VTR. Note that the ID number unique to the device to be controlled can be set using a dip switch or the like provided in the device main body, or can be written by operating a memory switch built into the device main body.

The output port of the control device 12 is a main line 13 (in this case, an RS-2
32C cable) to the CVC circuit 3 in the VTR 1. Further, in the VTR 1 and VTR 2, the respective timer circuits 5 are mutually connected by a branch line 14 consisting of a data line, an acknowledge line, and a ground line.
Similarly, the same branch line 1 is applied to VTR2 and below VTRn.
4 are connected in cascade. A stereo cord having a data line and an acknowledge line covered with a ground line is used as the branch line 14, and a stereo mini jack or the like is used as the connection terminal for mounting reasons. Here, the control device 12 controls the second and subsequent VTRs 2 to n, e.g.
When controlling Rk, VTR1 issues an acknowledge signal to put VTRk-1 into a through state, and control device 1
2 can access only VTRk. That is, by issuing an acknowledge signal, the transmitting side performs an interrupt and holds the line, and the receiving side prohibits external interrupts other than the branch line transmission/reception system.

For example, as shown in FIG.
When the controller 2 issues a command to the VTR 1, the VTR 1 sends information indicating that the command has been received, that is, the reception status, to the control device 1.
2, while executing the instructions in the command. After completing the execution, the VTR 1 returns information indicating that the command execution has been completed, that is, a completion status, to the control device 12. At the same time, the VTR 1 transmits a mode status indicating the operating mode to the VTRn. After receiving the mode status, the VTRn receives the mode status from the control device 12.
The command that has already been given is executed via the controller 12, and the completion status is returned to the control device 12 at the same time as the execution is completed.

The flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 explain this series of operations separately for each of the control device 12 and the devices to be controlled, such as the VTR1 and VTRn.

First, in step (101) shown in FIG. 4, initial settings are performed on the control device 12 side. This initial setting includes setting an ID number for each VTR 1 to n, opening a line, and setting a communication format. When the command shown in step (102) is input to the control device 12 that has completed the initial setting, the control device 12 to which the command has been input transmits the command to the VTR 1 in the following step (103).

On the other hand, the VTR 1 that has received the command via the main line 13 has already been initialized in step (201) shown in FIG. 5, and accepts the command in step (202). If so, in a determination step (203) following the command reception step (202), it is determined whether the received command is appropriate. At this time, if it is determined in the determination step (204) that the input is not appropriate, the input is sent from the VTR 1 to the control device 12 in step (204).
After sending the error code shown in 05), step (
202) and enters a command standby state. On the other hand, if the command is determined to be appropriate, step (20
6), a status indicating that reception was successful, in this case "CP", is returned.

The control device 12 that received the returned status determines whether the returned status is "CP" or "EE".
” in the status judgment step (104), and in the subsequent status judgment step (105) it is judged whether the status is “AO” or “EE”, and then the process returns to step (102). .

On the other hand, the VTR 1 that has sent the status checks the ID number attached to the command, and determines whether it is itself to be controlled or whether the other VTRs 2 to n are to be controlled. As a result, if it is determined that VTR1 was specified instead of loop-through, the judgment step (
In a determination step (208) following 207), the presence or absence of a parameter is determined. In this case, if no parameters are attached, in step (209), the microcomputer circuit 4 controls the VTR according to the contents of the command.
Control 1. Regarding this control operation, the step (210) that follows the step (210) of determining that the operation is completed is
In step 11), it is determined whether there is a specification for waiting for completion to wait for a certain period of time after the completion of the operation, and if not, in step (212), a status indicating the completion of the operation, here "AO" is returned. Further, if the commanded control operation cannot be executed, the judgment step (213
), an error code indicating the cause of the error is returned in step (214). Also, if
If waiting for completion is specified, step (215)
After canceling the standby state in step 21, the judgment step (21
In step 6), it is determined whether the local operation is completed. If the local operation has been completed, status transmission is performed in step (212).

By the way, if it is found in the judgment step (207) that there is a loop-through, in the immediately following step (217), VTR1 to VTR2
~ Send a local command to n. This local command is transmitted by the CVC circuit 3 sending necessary control data to the data line of the branch line 14 via the timer circuit 5. If it is found in the judgment step (208) that a parameter is attached to the command, the parameter is separated in step (218), and in the judgment step (219) it is determined whether the command specified by the parameter is main or local. Make a determination. If it is found to be a main command, the main command is formed in step (220), and then the process continues to step (209). On the other hand, if it is found to be a local command, the local command is formed in step (221), and if no completion wait is specified, the local command is immediately formed in step (217) following the determination step (222). Send. However, if wait for completion is specified,
Wait for the completion of the operation of the VTR 1 by the main command, and after receiving the judgment in the judgment step (223), proceed to step (217).
Send the local command shown below.

On the other hand, the VTRn that has received the local command from the VTR1 has already completed the initial settings shown in step (301) and is ready to accept commands shown in step (302). Then, when it is determined that a local command has been received in the subsequent judgment step (303), it is judged in judgment step (304) whether or not there is a loop-through. If there is no loop-through, that is, if it is determined that the VTRn itself is the target of the command, it is determined in the subsequent judgment step (305) whether or not the input has been made properly. If the input is proper, the status is sent (CP) to the control device 12 via the VTR 1 in step (306).
In step (307), control operations are executed according to the command contents. When the control operation is completed, in step (309) following the determination step (308), status transmission (AO) is performed to the control device 12 via the VTR 1, and the process returns to step (302).

On the other hand, if the commanded control operation is not completed, it is determined in a decision step (310) whether or not the command cannot be executed.
In step (311), the error code is transmitted to the control device 12 via the VTR 1 as described above. Also, if it is determined in the judgment step (305) that the input is not proper, an error code is transmitted in step (312). In addition, if it is found that the VTRn is also in through mode, the VT
Similar processing as in Rn is performed.

As described above, according to the above-mentioned integrated control system 11 for a plurality of devices, a VTR 1 arbitrarily selected from among a plurality of VTRs 1 to n to be controlled is connected to the output port of a personal computer or the like used as the control device 12. ,
For example, by connecting via a serial interface such as RS-232C, and connecting the remaining VTRs 2 to n in series via a local interface, the entire system can be controlled with a single line, and the local interface can be controlled using, for example, a data line. A simple branch line 14 using a ground line in addition to the acknowledge line may be sufficient.
Furthermore, control between these VTRs 1 to n is possible by having the transmitting side take charge of interrupts and line maintenance, and the receiving side taking charge of disabling external interrupts other than the branch line transmission/reception system. A suitable method is for VTRs 1 to n to send and receive status information to each other, and use this as a trigger for VTRs 2 to n to perform the next control themselves.
VTs connected by local interfaces by mutually transmitting and receiving fault information etc. between 1 to n.
The system can be made self-contained to some extent between R1 to Rn. In addition, this reduces the burden on the control device 12 by reducing the number of lines to one line, and allows complex operations and advanced control to be easily realized using computer software, allowing for the management and operation of the entire system. Furthermore, the VTRs 2 to n connected in series with the VTR 1 directly connected by the control device 12 can be
can be freely added or reduced as necessary, so the system scale can be easily expanded or reduced.

In the above embodiment, a system in which the control device 12 centrally controls a plurality of VTRs 1 to n was taken as an example, but as in the general control system 21 for a plurality of devices shown in FIG. 2 and the changeover switch 22 can also be controlled by the control device 12. In this embodiment, one of the video and audio outputs of VTR1 and VTR2 can be selectively sent to the monitor receiver 23 by means of a changeover switch 22. When the reproduction of the VTR 1 is interrupted, as shown in FIG.
A command is issued to switch the output target to the monitor receiver 23. These commands are sent from the control device 12 to V
The signal is applied to the VTR 2 and the changeover switch 22 via the TR1. Furthermore, when the VTR 1 is restored to the state before the accident occurred, the error code disappears, so the control device 12 that has received the disappearance of the error code operates the VTR 1 while stopping the VTR 2. Further, along with the operation of the VTR 1, the changeover switch 22 switches the output target to the monitor receiver 23 from the reproduction output of the VTR 2 to the reproduction output of the VTR 1.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, an integrated control system 31 for multiple devices includes a control device 12 and a power supply controller 3.
2 with the main line 13, and the power controller 32
A switch 33 and a VTR 1 are connected to the branch line 14 following the
2, a plurality of sensors 34 for changing the time schedule can also be connected. Here, the video cameras 35 are provided in each room or each venue to monitor the comings and goings of people.
The video output and audio output are sent to the changeover switch 33 via a selector 36 that sequentially switches inputs. The changeover switch 33 is a selector 36
It functions to selectively supply video and audio supplied from the VTR 1 or 2 to the VTR 1 or 2 according to the designation by the control device 12.

The power controller 32 closes the built-in power switch in response to a command from the control device 12, and energizes the lighting lamps 37 in each room. A selector 36 switches the output of the video camera 35 in each room or venue illuminated by the lighting lamp 37 at regular time intervals.
is sequentially supplied to the changeover switch 33. Further, the VTR2 is similar to the above embodiment.
The time schedule for playback of VTR1 and VTR2 is set by artificially operating a specific sensor 34, so that the control device 12 that receives the sensor output can The default timetable is changed according to the activated sensor 34, and the VTR
The playback schedules of VTR 1 and VTR 2 will be changed as appropriate.

[0026]

As explained above, according to the present invention, one device can be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of devices, each of which has a built-in control means that responds to commands given by serial transmission, and can be connected to the main line. This device is connected to a control device via a line for two-way communication, and this one device and another device are connected in cascade by a branch line, so that commands given from the control device can be transmitted to the other device via a branch line. Since the configuration is such that multiple devices are controlled in cascade by a single control device, one arbitrarily selected one of the multiple devices to be controlled can be connected to the output port of a personal computer, etc. used as a control device. By connecting devices using serial interfaces such as RS-232C, and connecting the remaining devices in cascade using local interfaces, the entire system can be controlled with a single line, and the control of the local interfaces can be controlled using, for example, data A simple one that uses a ground wire in addition to the line and acknowledge line may be sufficient.
In addition, control between these controlled devices is possible by having the sending side take charge of interrupts and maintaining the line, and the receiving side taking charge of disabling external interrupts other than the branch line transmission/reception system. A suitable method is to send and receive status information between the target devices and use this as a trigger to develop the next control.Also, by having the controlled devices mutually send and receive failure information, etc., it is possible to create a local interface. The system can be made self-contained to some extent between the devices connected by the system, which reduces the burden on the control device by reducing the number of lines to one line, and also allows complex operations and advanced control to be performed using computer software. This can be easily realized using software, reducing the effort required to manage and operate the entire system.Furthermore, other devices connected in series to one device directly connected to the control device can be freely connected as needed. Since it is possible to add or subtract information, it has excellent effects such as being able to easily expand or reduce the system scale.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an integrated control system for multiple devices according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the integrated control system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a control algorithm by the control device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control device shown in FIG. 2;

5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the VTR 1 shown in FIG. 2. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the VTRn shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the integrated control system for multiple devices according to the present invention.

8 is an operation timing chart of each part of the system shown in FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a system configuration diagram showing still another embodiment of the integrated control system for multiple devices of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic system configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional integrated control system for multiple devices.

[Explanation of symbols]

VTR1 to VTRn Controlled equipment (video tape recorder) 3 Control means (CVC circuit) 11, 21, 31 Integrated control system for multiple equipment 12
Control device 13 Main line 14 Branch line

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of devices, each of which has a built-in control means that responds to commands given through serial transmission, a control device that comprehensively controls these devices, and this control device and the plurality of devices. A main line that connects one device arbitrarily selected from among the two for bidirectional communication, and a main line that connects the one device and another device in cascade, and commands given from the control device via the one device. An integrated control system for multiple devices characterized by having a branch line for transferring the information.