JPH0519812A - Parallel control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a parallel control system which has no delay in processing time, performs highly precise simultaneous processing, localizes a fault in a system, eliminates the need for hardware switching, and have superior reliability and cost performance. CONSTITUTION:This parallel control system is equipped with a host computer 11 which issues a control command including respective pieces of control timing information by the classifications of equipments to be controlled, a timer device 12 which generates time information, an information transmitting means 13 which transmits respective pieces of output information of the host computer 11 and timer device 12, and plural equipment controllers which are provided corresponding to the equipments 141-14n and receive the control command from the host computer 11 and the time information from the timer device 12 through the information transmitting means and compares the time information and control command to perform necessary control over the corresponding object equipments at timing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parallel control system which is used, for example, in an automatic program transmitting device or the like, and which drives and controls a plurality of controlled devices at arbitrary times.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, an automatic program sending apparatus drives a plurality of video / audio files at arbitrary times to produce and send a broadcast program. Such a parallel control system is generally configured as shown in FIGS.

FIG. 2 shows an independent control host computer 1.
1 illustrates a case where a plurality of controlled devices 21 to 2n are driven and controlled by using the control unit 1. The host computer 1 and the controlled devices 21 to 2n are directly connected via the control interface 3.

FIG. 3 shows a plurality of controlled devices 2 using a plurality of (two in the figure) control host computers 11 and 12.
1 to 2n are driven and controlled. The host computers 11 and 12 are connected to the system switching unit 4 through the control interfaces 31 and 32, respectively, and the controlled devices 21 to 2n are switched by the switching operation of the switching unit 4. It is designed to be connected to.

However, in the conventional parallel control system, the control host computer centrally executes all the control, and as a result of the centralized processing, the computer used must have high performance. Further, in the case of independent control as shown in FIG. 2, the system failure immediately results in a failure of the host computer, which lacks reliability, and the concentration of the same timing control inevitably affects the control operation due to the processing delay.

Although it is possible to improve this by using a plurality of host computers as shown in FIG. 3, the system switching is concentrated, so that the scale must be increased. Furthermore, the hardware structure of the control interface, the switch, and the like becomes complicated, resulting in an increase in cost and an increase in failure rate.

[0007]

As described above, in the conventional parallel control system, the central control is performed by the host computer. Therefore, with the independent control, the processing time delay due to the processing concentration affects the control operation. However, the failure of the host computer immediately causes the system to go down, and although the problem is solved by the multiple control, the hardware configuration becomes complicated, and the cost and the failure rate increase.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems. Even if a host computer having a relatively low performance is used, there is no delay in processing time, high-accuracy simultaneous processing is possible, and there is no system failure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a parallel control system that can be localized, does not require hardware switching, and has excellent reliability and cost performance.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a parallel control system for driving and controlling a plurality of controlled devices at arbitrary times, in which control timing information is provided for each of the plurality of controlled devices. A host computer that generates a control command including a clock, a clock device that generates time information, an information transmission unit that transmits each output information of the host computer and the clock device, and a plurality of controlled devices. A control command from the host computer through the information transmission means,
It comprises a plurality of device controllers that receive time information from the timepiece device, compare the time information with control commands, and perform necessary control of corresponding controlled devices at corresponding timings.

[0010]

In the parallel control system having the above configuration, the host computer generates a control command including each control timing information for each controlled device and supplies the control command to each device controller, and the controller side controls the control command by comparing with the time information. The timing is determined and the drive control of the controlled device is started.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration thereof. 11 is a control host computer, 12 is a clock device, 13 is a LAN serving as a communication line for information data, 141 to 14n are controlled devices, and 151 to 15n are controlled devices. Control devices 141 to 1
It is a controller that directly controls 4n.

The clock device 12 always outputs reference time information. This time information is sent to the host computer 11 and the controllers 151 to 15n via the LAN 13.

The host computer 11 creates control commands for the controlled devices 141 to 14n according to the control procedure stored in the control data file 111. At this time, the control command includes control timing information that specifies the control start time based on the time information. These control commands are sent to the corresponding control controllers 151 to 15n through the LAN 13 in advance.

Each of the control controllers 151 to 15n temporarily stores the input control command in an internal memory (not shown), compares the control timing information in the command with the time information from the clock device 12, and finds a match. At the time point, the control specified by the control command is started for the corresponding controlled device.

That is, in the parallel control system having the above configuration, the host computer 11 controls the controlled devices 141-141.
A control command including each control timing information is generated for each 14n and supplied to the corresponding device controllers 151 to 15n. The controller 151 to 15n compares the control command with the time information to determine the control timing, and the controlled device 141 The drive control of 14n is started.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, since the controlled devices 141 to 14n are controlled by the corresponding controllers 151 to 15n, the parallel control can be performed without causing a delay in the processing time due to the processing concentration. Is possible. In addition, the host computer 11 creates a control command in advance and creates the control controllers 151 to 15 in advance.
Since it has only to be sent to n, the requirement of real-time property is released, and thereby a relatively inexpensive one can be used.

In particular, since the number of parallel controls is not limited in this system, considerably complicated simultaneous processing is possible, and thereby more complicated multiple processing can be realized. For example, in an automatic program transmission device for broadcasting, the timing is often concentrated on the same synchronization signal under control, but it can be easily processed by using the system.

Further, since the critical path such as the switching of the host computer is eliminated and the availability of the system is enhanced, the system is resistant to a failure and the reliability can be improved. In addition, the cost performance is excellent because it is controlled by a single host computer.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if a host computer having relatively low performance is used, there is no delay in processing time, high-accuracy simultaneous processing is possible, and system failures are localized. Therefore, it is possible to provide a parallel control system that does not require hardware switching and is excellent in reliability and cost performance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a parallel control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional parallel control system controlled by a single host computer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional parallel control system controlled by a plurality of host computers.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... host computer for control, 12 ... clock device,
13 ... LAN, 141-14n ... Controlled device, 151-
15n ... Control controller.

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A parallel control system for driving and controlling a plurality of controlled devices at arbitrary times, and a host computer that generates a control command including control timing information for each of the plurality of controlled devices. A clock device for generating time information, an information transmission means for transmitting each output information of the host computer and the clock device, and a plurality of controlled devices provided corresponding to each of the controlled devices. Control commands from the computer,
A parallel control system comprising: a plurality of device controllers that receive time information from the clock device, compare the time information with a control command, and perform necessary control of corresponding controlled devices at corresponding timings.