JPH0530119A - Communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To collect fault information by the present equipment in use and an external device and to reset automatically when a fault takes place. CONSTITUTION:A communication equipment 11 having a bus type communication function is connected to a coaxial cable 13 via a transceiver 12 for a coaxial cable. The communication equipment 11 is provided with a coaxial cable interface section 15, a main memory 16, a communication information save memory 17, a communication processing section 18 and a watchdog timer 19 which are interconnected through a system bus 14. The communication processing section 18 makes communication processing with other communication equipment and stores the information for the communication to the main memory 16 and saves the information for the communication stored in the main memory 16 to the communication information save memory 17 as fault information after lapse of a prescribed time counted by the watchdog timer 19 when a fault is detected and sends the information to the coaxial cable 13 and resets itself.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device having a bus type communication function using a transmission line shared by a plurality of communication devices as a communication medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a communication apparatus having a bus type communication function has no means for saving failure information in its own apparatus, and in order to collect failure information, it is connected to the same communication medium and communication data is transmitted. The other device having the collecting function of (1) monitors the information between the communication devices flowing on the communication medium and collects the communicated information as the failure data.

Further, in the conventional communication apparatus, when a failure occurs, the operator presses the reset switch to recover the failure or powers the communication apparatus off and on again to recover the failure.

[0004]

As described above, in the communication device having the conventional bus type communication function, in order to collect the failure information, the information communicated on the communication medium is collected by another external device. In addition, it is not possible to collect information about the status of the communication device at the time of failure and the failure information such as the contents of the internal memory of the communication device. There is a problem that maintenance is difficult.

Further, in the conventional communication device having a bus type communication function, when a failure occurs, it cannot be restored without an operation from the outside, and there is a problem that the restoration process is complicated.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a communication device having a bus type communication function which can collect fault information in the device itself and in the outside and facilitates maintenance of the device.

In addition to the above object, a second object of the present invention is to provide a communication device having a bus type communication function which can be automatically reset when a failure occurs and facilitates maintenance of the device. It is intended to be provided.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device, comprising: communication processing means for performing communication processing with another communication device via a transmission line shared by a plurality of communication devices;
First for storing information at the time of communication by this communication processing means
Storage means and second storage means for storing failure information,
Failure monitoring means for monitoring a failure of its own device; failure information saving means for saving the stored contents of the first storage means as failure information in the second storage means when the failure is detected by the failure monitoring means; And a transmission unit for transmitting the information saved in the second storage unit onto the transmission path.

In this communication device, the information at the time of communication is the first
When the failure is detected by the failure monitoring means, the failure information saving means saves the contents stored in the first storage means as failure information in the second storage means. Then, the information saved in the second storage means is transmitted to the transmission path by the transmission means and can be collected externally.

The communication device according to the invention of claim 2 further comprises a timer for measuring a predetermined time from the time when the failure is detected by the failure monitoring means in the invention of claim 1, and the failure information saving means is provided with the failure. The failure information is saved after a lapse of a predetermined time measured by a timer after the failure is detected by the monitoring means.

In this communication device, information at the time of communication from the detection of a failure to the elapse of a predetermined time is saved in the second storage means as failure information.

The communication apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention is the communication apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising reset means for resetting the own apparatus when a fault is detected by the fault monitoring means.

In this communication device, when a failure is detected, the communication device is reset by the reset means, whereby the communication device is automatically recovered in the case of a failure recovered by the reset.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 relate to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a communication system using the communication device of this embodiment. This communication system includes a coaxial cable 1 as a transmission line shared by a plurality of communication devices.
3 and a plurality of communication devices 11 connected to the coaxial cable 13 via a coaxial cable transceiver 12.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication device 11 shown in FIG. The communication device 11 includes a system bus 14, a coaxial cable interface unit 15 connected to each other via the system bus 14, and a main memory 1.
6, a communication information saving memory 17, a communication processing unit 18, and a monitoring timer 19. The coaxial cable interface unit 15 is connected to the coaxial cable transceiver 12.

The communication processing unit 18 has a central processing unit, and the central processing unit executes a predetermined program to perform communication processing with other communication devices. The program executed by the central processing unit is stored in the main memory 16, and the data necessary for executing the program is also stored in the main memory 16. Further, the communication processing unit 18 is adapted to perform not only communication processing but also processing when a failure occurs. The failure information is saved from the main memory 16 to the communication information saving memory 17 by the processing when the failure occurs. Also, the monitoring timer 19 measures a predetermined time in order to collect the failure information.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the communication processing unit 18 relating to the processing when a failure occurs. As shown in the figure, the communication processing unit 18 stores communication contents between itself and another communication device and information on the communication state at the time of communication in a memory area within a predetermined range of the main memory 16 It is stored in the main memory 16 after a lapse of a predetermined time measured by the monitoring timer 19 after the state storage means 21, the failure monitoring means 22 for monitoring the failure of the device itself, and the failure monitoring means 22 detecting the failure. Failure information saving means 23 for saving the communication content and communication status information as failure information in the communication information saving memory 17;
After the failure is detected by the failure monitoring means 22, a reset means 24 for resetting the device itself after a lapse of a predetermined time counted by the monitoring timer 19 and the failure information saved in the communication information saving memory 17 are placed on the coaxial cable 13. And a transmitting means 25 for transmitting.

Next, the operation of the communication apparatus 11 of this embodiment, particularly the operation of the communication processing unit 18 relating to the processing when a failure occurs will be described.

When communicating with another communication device connected on the coaxial cable 13, the communication processing section 18 uses the communication content / communication state storage means 21 to send / receive data to / from a memory area within a predetermined range of the main memory 16. The contents of the frame are stored in the order of processing from the top address of the memory area in a predetermined range. Then, when the storage address reaches the last address of the memory area within the predetermined range, the storage address returns to the beginning address of the memory area, and the contents of the previously stored frame are overwritten, so that the transmission / reception frame limited to the range of the memory area. The contents of the frames transmitted and received by the own device are sequentially stored by the number of. Information on the communication status of the communication device 11 is also stored in a predetermined area of the main memory 16, and this information is updated when the communication status changes.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the communication processing unit 18 relating to the processing when a failure occurs. In this operation, first, in step (hereinafter referred to as S) 101, the failure monitoring means 22 monitors the failure of its own apparatus, and if a communication abnormality is recognized, the monitoring timer 19 is started in S102. Next, in step S103, the process waits for the monitoring timer 19 to time out.
Then, the failure information saving means 23 uses the communication content and communication status information stored in the main memory 16 at that time as failure information to save the communication information saving memory 17.
Transfer to and save. Next, in S105, the communication device 11 is reset by the reset means 24. As a result, the communication device 11 is automatically recovered in the case of a failure recovered by resetting. At the time of this reset, the failure information stored in the main memory 16 and the communication information saving memory 17 is saved. Next, in S106, the fault information saved in the communication information saving memory 17 by the transmission means 25 is sent to the coaxial cable interface unit 15.
Then, the data is transmitted on the coaxial cable 13 via the transceiver 12 for the coaxial cable, and the processing is terminated. Thereby, the failure information can be collected in another device connected on the same coaxial cable 13. Further, since the failure information is stored in the main memory 16 and the communication information saving memory 17, the failure information can be confirmed by the device itself by reading the contents of these memories.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the information at the time of communication is always stored in the main memory 16 and when the failure is detected by the failure monitoring means 22, the monitoring timer 19 is activated, and the monitoring timer 19 times out. In this case, the communication information stored in the main memory 16 is saved in the communication information saving memory 17 as failure information, and is transmitted to the coaxial cable 13 by the transmitting means 25 and resets itself. Therefore, the failure information can be collected by the device itself and the outside, and the communication device 11 can be automatically recovered in the case of a failure recovered by resetting.

[0023]

As described above, according to the inventions of claims 1 to 3, the information at the time of communication is stored in the first storage means, and when a failure is detected, the storage of the first storage means. Since the contents are saved as the fault information in the second storage means and the fault information is transmitted on the transmission path, the fault information can be collected by the device itself and the outside, and the device can be easily maintained. .

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to automatically reset when a failure occurs, and in addition to the above effects, in the case of a failure recovered by reset, the communication device automatically operates. There is an effect that it is restored and the maintenance of the device becomes easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions related to processing when a failure occurs in a communication processing unit in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a communication system using the communication device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation related to processing when a failure occurs in the communication processing unit in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Communication device 13 coaxial cable 16 main memory 17 Memory for saving communication information 18 Communication processing unit 19 Monitoring timer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A communication processing means for processing communication with another communication device through a transmission line shared by a plurality of communication devices, and first information for storing information at the time of communication by the communication processing means.
Storage means, second storage means for storing failure information, failure monitoring means for monitoring a failure of its own device, and storage content of the first storage means when a failure is detected by this failure monitoring means A communication device comprising: failure information saving means for saving the information stored in the second storage means as failure information; and transmission means for transmitting the information saved in the second storage means onto the transmission path. 2. A timer for counting a predetermined time from when the failure is detected by the failure monitoring means, and the failure information saving means is provided with a predetermined time measured by the timer after the failure is detected by the failure monitoring means. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the failure information is saved after a lapse of time. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a reset unit that resets the device when a fault is detected by the fault monitoring unit.