JPS60196040A - Automatic operating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control a power supply of a work station controller from a remote work station by connecting the work station to a local network to monitor the turning-on state of a power supply in place of the work station controller. CONSTITUTION:When the power supply of a work station controller SC is cut off, an automatic operating device APO is set in a transmission mode to give inquiries to all connected work stations WS. If the power supply of either one of WSs is applied, an answer is sent back. Thus a microprocessor muP detects the answer and delivers ON of a power supply control indicating circuit PC. Then the power supply of the SC is applied. Then the APO sets an interface circuit LANA into a reception mode and waits for an instruction to be given from the SC. The SC gives inquiries to the WSs and decides that the power supplies of the WSs are all cut off when the answers are not given from all WSs for a prescribed period of time. Then the SC transmits an indication for cut-off of power supply to the APO via a local network LAN. When receiving this indication, the APO delivers OFF of the PC to cut off the power supply of the SC.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic driving device, and more specifically, to an automatic driving device, in which a plurality of workstations and a workstation control device are connected to each other via a local network in an information processing system. The present invention relates to automatic operation control of control devices, and in particular to automatic power "on" and "off" control devices of workstation control devices.

Description of Prior Art Conventionally, as this type of automatic driving device, a terminal device connected online to a computer is turned on and off from a luminous source by detecting the carrier of the communication line, thereby reducing line costs and saving labor costs through nighttime communication. , computer load balancing, etc.

However, due to recent advances in integrated circuit technology and the practical use of small magnetic file memories, highly functional, inexpensive, and compact computers have come to be used in all fields. Furthermore, recently, a local network has been proposed in which these super-computer computers are connected within the same house over short distances to construct a more effective information processing system.

Such a system generally requires a relatively expensive system controller to share infrequently used resources and to ensure smooth operation of the entire system.

A system controller is different from a device generally called a workstation that actually performs work in normal business operations, and because it requires almost no operation, it is often installed in a separate location from the workstation. Therefore, when you start using your workstation, you need to go and turn on the system controller located elsewhere. Furthermore, when the use of a workstation is finished, it is even more troublesome to have to confirm that all other workstations have been used and then turn off the power to the system controller. However, controlling the power supply of the system controller using the same concept as conventional communication line control cannot be applied to local networks due to performance and cost issues.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances.
Therefore, the purpose of the invention is to query the workstations connected to the local network for confirmation of power-on, and when a response is received, power-on the system controller, and the system controller will power-off all workstations. When the workstation operator determines that the conditions for powering off the system controller have been met for reasons such as The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new automatic operation device that allows a user to use a workstation without being conscious of turning on and off the power of the workstation.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, an automatic driving device according to the present invention has a power supply independent of a workstation control device, and includes a microprocessor, a nonvolatile memory storing a microprogram, and a local network interface circuit. , a battery-backed clock circuit that operates normally even in the event of a power outage, a memory that stores operating modes, a power control instruction circuit that instructs the workstation control device to turn off and on the power, and an operation unit that instructs the operating mode. monitors the status of the workstation via a local network and powers on the workstation controller, and when the workstation controller is powered on, the workstation controller By monitoring the state of the workstation and issuing a power-off command, the automatic operation device according to the present invention cuts off the power to the workstation control device, thereby controlling the remote control device connected to the local network. It is also possible to turn on and off the power to the workstation control device from the workstation.

Principle and operation of the invention According to the present invention, when the power to the system controller is turned off, the automatic operation device checks the status of the workstation and turns on the power to the system controller. Sometimes, the system controller judges the disconnection conditions and instructs the automatic operation device, and the automatic operation device turns off the power to the system controller, thereby allowing the system controller to operate automatically without causing unexpected situations such as destruction of the shift file. It is something.

3. Detailed Description of the Invention Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, an example of the system configuration of the present invention includes a local network LAN including a large number of workstations WS, a system controller that controls a group of these workstations, and a system controller that controls shared resources such as seven aisles and communication lines. Workstation control device t8c and automatic operation device APO according to the present invention
is connected. All of these devices have separate power supplies. The workstation WS does not need to be installed at the same location as the workstation control unit fso and the automatic operation unit APO; for example, it may be installed in an office or work site and connected to the workstation control unit SOU and the workstation control unit SOU via the local network LAN. It is interconnected with the automatic driving device APO. The automatic driving device APO is connected to the modem MM via the communication line interface 1, and provides the same signal to the workstation control bag ff1sc via the interface 2. Sensor outputs such as heat and smoke are connected to the automatic operation device APO via an interface 4. Furthermore, the automatic operation device APO is provided with an interface 5 with the local network LAN and an interface 3 that issues commands to turn on and turn off the power of the workstation control device SC. communication line,
It is possible to output power control instructions by determining the information from the Senna and local network LAN and the internal state of the automatic driving device APO.

FIG. 2 shows the automatic driving device A according to the present invention shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing an example of a PO. Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment according to the invention comprises a microprocessor μP, a memory MM connected to and under the control of the microprocessor μP, and a local station L.
Local network interface circuit LANA that controls the interface with AN, and clock OLK and memo IJ that operate even in a power outage with built-in battery B.
BUM, an operation panel OPB for instructing the operation mode,
A sensor control circuit S, a communication line interface control circuit LA, and a power supply 9 for the workstation control device SC.
Power control instruction circuit PC that issues “on” and “off” control instructions
Contains.

Power supply control using sensors and communication lines is performed by a known method, and is not an object of the present invention, so a description thereof will be omitted here. The memory BUM maintains the operating mode set from the operation panel OPB.The clock circuit 0IjC is backed up by a battery BIC as a measure against power outages in order to operate the clock correctly. The memory MM is a non-volatile memory in which a program for the microprocessor μP is stored.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the automatic driving device AP according to the present invention will be described.
The operation of O will be explained. Workstation controller SC
When the workstation controller S is powered off,
Instead of C, the automatic operation device APO goes into transmission mode and performs polling for the next connected workstation WS.

If the power of all workstations WS is 1 off, there will be no response, but if any one of the workstations is turned on, a response will be sent back, so this will be detected and the micro The processor μP gives the power control instruction circuit pc "on" (power-on instruction) to the workstation control device Sa via the interface 3, and the workstation control device SC is thus powered on.Response to polling Even if the built-in clock OLK matches the preset time in the memory BUM, the power control instruction circuit PO can be set to 1" in the same manner as in 1, and the power to the workstation control device S can be turned on. When the automatic operation device APO turns the power control instruction circuit PC 1 ON 11 VC, the automatic operation device APO sets the local network interface circuit LAMA to the reception mode, stops polling, and waits for a command from the workstation control device Sa. Upon receiving a command from the workstation control device SO, if it is an inquiry, the automatic operation device A
Returns the internal state of the PO (clock OLK, etc.) and waits for the next command. The workstation control device SC also makes an inquiry to the workstations WSIC, and if no response is returned from all the workstations WS for a predetermined period of time, it determines that the power to all the workstations WS has been cut off, and sends an inquiry to the automatic operation device APO. A power-off instruction is sent to the host via the local network LAN. Automatic driving device AP
When O receives this, it turns off the power control instruction circuit PC.
is output, thereby cutting off the power to the workstation control device 80. Clock CL inside the automatic driving device APO
When K coincides with the power-off time set in advance in the memory BUM, the automatic operation device APO notifies the control device scK by status transfer from the one-person workstation control device SC, and then sends a notification from the control device SC to the power-off time. Similarly to the above, by transmitting a power cut instruction to the automatic operation bag '#i and APO, the power to the workstation control device SO can be cut off.

When the automatic operation device APO turns the power control instruction circuit PC “off”, the power to the works station control device SC is cut off, the electric charge is discharged, and the time interval necessary for the mechanical operation to stop has elapsed. Thereafter, the local network interface circuit LANA is again put into the transmission mode and is in a state of waiting for a response from the workstation WS.

It should be noted here that the final decision to turn off the power is made by the workstation control unit Sa, and after obtaining permission to disconnect the power, the automatic operation unit APO The "off" instruction of the power control instruction circuit PC is not outputted until an instruction from SO is given. Further, since the automatic operation device APO is independent from the workstation control device Sa, the cost of the workstation control device sc can be reduced by removing the automatic operation device APO when automatic operation is not required.

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the present invention enables the automatic operation device APO to monitor the power-on state of the workstation WS in place of the workstation control device Sa, thereby controlling the power supply of the workstation control device SC to a remote workstation. It can be controlled from the station WS, and even if the automatic operation device APO detects the power-off time, it does not immediately turn off the power to the workstation control device R8C.
An automatic operation system that prevents accidents such as destruction of unfinished files by issuing a disconnection instruction to the automatic operation apparatus AP○ after determining that the workstation control unit SC in charge is ready to turn off the power. can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration including an automatic driving device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the automatic driving device according to the present invention shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the microprogram of the automatic driving device shown in FIG. WS...workstation, SC...workstation control device, M...modulation/demodulation device, APO-...
Self-driving bag [, LAN...Local network, μ
P...Microprocessor, MM...Nonvolatile memory, LANA...Local network interface circuit, OLK...Clock circuit, BUM...Battery backup memory, B...Batch +), PC.
...Power control instruction circuit, 8...Sensor control circuit, OP
B...Operation unit, LA...Communication line interface control circuit Patent applicant: NEC Corporation Representative, Patent attorney Yuta Kumagai Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an information processing system in which multiple workstations and a workstation control device are connected via a local network, the system has a power supply independent of the workstation control device, and includes a microprocessor, nonvolatile memory, and local network interface. The circuit includes a clock circuit and memory backed up by a battery, a power control instruction circuit, and an operation unit, and when the workstation control device is powered off, the workstation is switched on or off. detecting states of the battery-backed memory and clock and powering on the workstation controller;
When the workstation control device is powered on, the workstation controller issues a power-off instruction after detecting the power-on state of the workstation or the state of the battery-backed memory and clock. An automatic driving device characterized by cutting off the power to the control device.