JPH11126105A - Communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication equipment capable of stopping only an equipment at necessary position in an emergency without stopping the entire system at the time of system debugging or the like. SOLUTION: In response to the operation of an emergency switch 9, data set by a setting switch 10 are transmitted to the communication equipment on the master station side in place of input data from input equipment 4, and data set by the setting switch 10 are outputted to an output equipment 5 in place of output data received from the communication equipment on the master station side. Then, input data from the input equipment 4 and output data to the output equipment 5 are blocked, the input equipment 4 is practically stopped while performing ordinary communication with the communication equipment on the master station side, and the output equipment 5 is stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a communication device to which at least one of output devices such as an air valve and an actuator and input devices such as a limit switch and various sensors are connected.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, an on / off control signal from a control controller or the like is transmitted to an output device such as an air valve or an actuator of a machine tool, or an input device such as a limit switch or various sensors. There is a control system that transmits an on / off state signal to the control controller or the like. In such a control system, a communication device as a master station is connected to the control controller in order to reduce wiring. A communication device as a plurality of slave stations is connected to each of the slave stations, an output device such as an actuator or an input device such as various sensors is connected to each of the slave stations, and ON / OFF control signals transmitted from the control controller are transmitted to the master station and the slave stations. Output to the output device via the station, or capture the on / off status signal from the input device to the slave station. There is a constitution of transmitting the control controller via the station.

[0003]

At the time of system debugging when starting up such a control system, for example, due to incorrect wiring or program mistakes, for example,
In some cases, it is necessary to urgently stop input devices and output devices connected to the communication device of a certain slave station. In such a case, the control system must be stopped to stop the entire system, or It was necessary to take measures such as turning off the power of a communication device as a slave station to which input devices and output devices to be connected were connected.

[0004] However, if the entire system is stopped due to incorrect wiring or program error in a part of the system being controlled, the efficiency of system debugging is low, and the control controller and the communication device as a slave station are located far from each other. Therefore, it is difficult to detect an abnormality in a device connected to the communication device and immediately stop the control controller at a remote position.

On the other hand, when the power of the communication device as the slave station is turned off, the communication with the communication device as the master station is interrupted. Is not executed, and the system is substantially stopped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a communication device capable of stopping required devices without stopping the entire system. I do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is configured as follows.

That is, a communication device according to the present invention is a communication device to which at least one of an input device and an output device is connected and performs communication with another communication device. A communication unit that performs at least one of a transmission operation of transmitting input data from the other communication device and a reception operation of receiving output data from the other communication device and outputting the output data to the output device; and An operation unit operated to cut off at least one of the input data and the output data from the other communication device, wherein the communication unit responds to an operation of the operation unit, At least one of transmission of the input data from the input device to the other communication device and transmission of the output data from the other communication device to the output device And performs communication with the other communication apparatus by the cross-sectional state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the communication unit responds to an operation of the operation unit,
An input data blocking operation for transmitting predetermined data in place of the input data from the input device to the other communication device and a predetermined data in place of the output data received from the other communication device to the output device. At least one of the output data cutoff operations to be output is performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second aspect, there is provided a setting unit operated to set the predetermined data.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the third aspect, the setting section is a switch for setting either ON or OFF data.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in response to the operation of the operation unit, the input data from the input device is transmitted to another communication device, and the output data from the other communication device is transmitted to the output device. Since communication is performed with another communication device in a state where at least one of the transmissions is interrupted, when the control system is configured by the communication device and the other communication device, the communication device is not stopped without stopping the entire control system. Only the input data from the input device connected to the input device or the output data to the output device can be cut off to substantially stop the input device or the output device.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, predetermined data is transmitted to another communication device instead of input data from an input device, or predetermined data is transmitted instead of output data received from another communication device. Since the data is output to the output device, input data from the input device or output data to the output device can be cut off while performing normal communication with another communication device.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the setting unit for setting the predetermined data to be transmitted to another communication device or the predetermined data to be output to the output device is provided, so that the user is preferable. Data can be set so that

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, either ON or OFF data can be easily set by the switch.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system provided with a communication device of the present invention.

The control system includes a control controller 1, a communication device 2 as a master station connected to the control controller 1, and a slave station connected to the communication device 2 via a communication cable 6 via a bus. And a plurality of communication devices 3 according to the present invention.
Input devices 4 such as proximity sensors and limit switches
Only, or only the output device 5 such as a relay or an actuator, and both the input device 4 and the output device 5 are connected.

This control system transmits on / off input data from the input device 4 to the control controller 1 via each communication device 2 as in the conventional example, and the control controller 1 takes in the input data. The arithmetic processing is performed according to a preset program, and the output data of on / off is output to the output device 5 through the communication devices 2 and 3 to control the machine tool and the like.

In this embodiment, when starting up such a control system, for example, during system debugging,
In order to stop the input device 4 or the output device 5 connected to the communication device 3 as a slave station at a required location without stopping the entire control system, the emergency stop can be performed as follows. Make up.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the communication device 3 as a slave station. The communication device 3 receives output data from the communication device 2 as a master station and outputs the data to an output device 5. Dedicated.

The communication device 3 includes a communication unit 7 such as a CPU or a custom IC for performing communication such as receiving output data from the communication device 2 as a master station and outputting the data to the output device 5. I that outputs output data to
/ O circuit 8, an emergency switch 9 as an operation unit that is operated to shut off the output to the output device 5 in an emergency, and is operated to set predetermined data to be output to the output device 5 in an emergency. And a setting switch 10 as a setting unit.

The setting switch 10 is used to set either ON or OFF data.
Is to set data to be output to the output device 5 in an emergency when is operated, and to set ON or OFF data that the user considers safer.

In this embodiment, when the output device 5 connected to the communication device 3 is to be stopped urgently at the time of system debugging or the like, the emergency switch 9 is operated and the communication means 7 is operated. Is for outputting predetermined data on or off set by the setting switch 10 to the output device 5 instead of the output data received from the communication device 2 as the master station.

As a result, the output data from the communication device 2 as the master station is not output to the output device 5, but the transmission of the output data to the output device 5 is substantially cut off, and the output device 5 is stopped. Communication device 2 as master station
The communication is performed in the same manner as in the normal case, and there is no communication error as in the related art.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the above operation.

First, it is determined whether or not the emergency switch 9 is turned on (step n1). If the emergency switch 9 is not turned on, it is determined that it is not an emergency and a normal operation is performed (step n2). It is determined that it is an emergency and whether or not the setting switch 10 is turned on (step n3). When the setting switch 10 is turned on, all the outputs that are turned on are output instead of the received output data from the communication device 2 as the master station. Output to the output device 5 (step n4), when not turned on, that is, when turned off,
Instead of receiving the output data from the communication device 2 as the master station, all the off outputs are output to the output device 5 (step n5).

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 4 is a block diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 of a communication apparatus 3 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Is an input-only communication device that transmits the input data of (1) to the communication device 2 as a master station.

This communication device 3 is a communication means 7 ₁ comprising a CPU, a custom IC, and the like for performing communication such as transmitting input data from the input device 4 to the communication device 2 as a master station.
In the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, an emergency switch 9 as an operation unit that is operated to urgently cut off the input of the input device 4, and a master station instead of the input data of the input device 4 in an emergency A setting switch 10 is provided as a setting unit operated to set predetermined data to be transmitted to the communication device 2.

The setting switch 10 sets either ON or OFF data, and sets data to be transmitted to the communication device 2 as a master station in an emergency when the emergency switch is operated.

In this embodiment, when the input of the input device 3 connected to the communication device 3 is to be urgently interrupted during system debugging or the like, the emergency switch 9 is operated to perform communication. means _71, instead of the input data from the input device 4, the data of the set on or off with the setting switch 10, and transmits to the communication device 2 as a parent station.

As a result, the input data from the input device 4 is not transmitted to the communication device 2 as the master station, the input of the input device 4 is cut off and substantially stopped, and the communication device 2 as the master station is stopped. Communication between the two is performed in the same manner as in the normal case.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the above operation.

First, it is determined whether or not the emergency switch 9 is turned on (step n1). If the emergency switch 9 is not turned on, it is determined that it is not an emergency and a normal operation is performed (step n2). It is determined whether or not the setting switch 10 is turned on as an emergency (step n3). If the setting switch 10 is turned on, the communication device as the master station uses all the on data instead of the input data from the input device 3. 2 (step n4), and when not turned on, that is, when turned off, transmits all off data to the communication device 2 as the master station instead of the input data from the input device 4. (Step n
5).

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 6 is a block diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 of a communication apparatus 3 according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
This is an input / output communication device that transmits input data from the communication device 2 to the communication device 2 as the master station, while receiving output data from the communication device 2 as the master station and outputs the data to the output device 5.

The communication device 3 transmits input data from the input device 4 to the communication device 2 as a master station, and receives a data output from the communication device 2 as a master station. and communication means 7 ₂ consisting of IC or the like, similarly to the embodiment described above, the emergency input device 4
Emergency switch 9 as an operation unit operated to cut off the input and output to the output device 5, and data to be transmitted and received to the communication device 2 as a master station in place of the input data of the input device 4 in an emergency Communication device 2 as master station
And a setting switch 10 as a setting unit operated to set data to be output to the output device 5 in place of the output data from.

In this embodiment, when the input of the input device 4 connected to the communication device 3 and the output to the output device 5 are to be urgently interrupted, for example, during system debugging, the emergency switch 9 is turned off. by operating the communication means 7 _2, instead of the input data from the input device 3, the data of the set on or off with the setting switch 10, while transmitting to the communication device 2 as a master station, the master station The on / off data set by the setting switch 10 is output to the output device 5 in place of the output data received from the communication device 2 as the communication device 2.

Accordingly, the input data from the input device 4 is not transmitted to the communication device 2 as the master station, and the output data from the communication device 2 as the master station is output to the output device 5.
And the input data from the input device 4 and the output data to the output device 5 are substantially cut off, the input device 4 and the output device 5 are stopped, and the communication with the communication device 2 as a master station is performed. Communication is performed as in the normal case.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the above operation.

First, it is determined whether or not the emergency switch 9 is turned on (step n1). If the emergency switch 9 is not turned on, a normal operation is performed as if it is not an emergency (step n2). It is determined whether or not the setting switch 10 is turned on as an emergency (step n3). If the setting switch 10 is turned on, the communication device as the master station uses all the on data instead of the input data from the input device 4. 2 while the output is all on, instead of the received output data from the communication device 2 as the master station, is output to the output device 5 (step n4). , Input device 4
Is transmitted to the communication device 2 as the master station in place of the input data from the communication device 2, and outputs the all-off data to the output device 5 in place of the received output data from the communication device 2 as the master station. (Step n5).

The predetermined data to be transmitted to the communication device 2 as the master station instead of the input data from the input device 4 and the predetermined data to be output to the output device 5 instead of the output data received from the communication device 2 as the master station May be set individually.

(Other Embodiments) As another embodiment of the present invention, between the communication means 7 and the input / output devices 4 and 5, the communication means 7 communicates with the input / output equipment 4 in conjunction with the operation of the emergency switch 9. A switch circuit for disconnecting the connection with the devices 4 and 5 may be provided to cut off the connection with the input / output devices 4 and 5. In this case, predetermined data may be used instead of the input data from the input device 4. Is transmitted to the communication device 2 as the master station.

In each of the above embodiments, the setting switch 1
Although the predetermined data is set by 0, as another embodiment of the present invention, the setting switch 10
May be omitted and predetermined data may be transmitted or output instead of input data or output data.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, transmission of input data from an input device to another communication device and output device of output data from another communication device in response to the operation of the operation unit. Since communication with another communication device is performed in a state where at least one of the transmissions to the communication is interrupted, when a control system is configured by the communication device and the other communication device,
In the case where the input device or output device connected to the communication device is to be stopped urgently, the input device connected to the communication device can be stopped without stopping the entire control system as in the conventional example. Only the input data or the output data to the output device can be cut off to substantially stop the input device or the output device, thereby efficiently performing system debugging at the time of startup.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a control system including a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the communication device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 control controller 2,3 communication device 4 Input device 5 output device 7,7 _1, 7 ₂ communication means 9 emergency switch 10 setting switch

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A communication device to which at least one of an input device and an output device is connected and performs communication with another communication device, wherein input data from the input device is transmitted to the other communication device. A communication unit that performs at least one of a transmission operation of transmitting and a reception operation of receiving output data from the other communication device and outputting to the output device; and from the input data from the input device and the other communication device. An operation unit operated to cut off at least one data of the output data, wherein the communication unit responds to the operation of the operation unit, and the other of the input data from the input device. Communication with the other communication device in a state where at least one of transmission to the communication device and transmission of the output data from the other communication device to the output device is blocked. A communication device characterized by performing. 2. An input data blocking operation for transmitting predetermined data to the other communication device in place of the input data from the input device in response to an operation of the operation unit, and The communication device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of an output data blocking operation of outputting predetermined data to the output device in place of the output data received from the communication device is performed. 3. The communication device according to claim 2, further comprising: a setting unit operated to set the predetermined data. 4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the setting unit is a switch for setting either ON or OFF data.