JPS63126335A - Information communication system in communication system between electronic equipments - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To connect directly an electronic equipment not generating a protocol decided in a communication system to the communication by providing an adaptor and executing a prescribed protocol in the inside. CONSTITUTION:Adaptors 20, 30, 40 in each station are connected to a channel 10 via transceivers 21, 31, 41. A text B on the channel 10 consists of a communication rule code section P and an information content M specific to the adaptor and the content M includes the text part T and the part according to the protocol specific to the communication. For example, a communication rule code PSk is stored at each equipment address in the equipment 30 and the common termination code PM is stored in the communication system, an open flag OF is detected at the arrival of a text to read and store the content M. Moreover, an equipment address Ak and the code PM are eliminated from the content section M toedit the content Mk and the result is transferred to the equipment 200.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is directed to a network system that connects a plurality of stations to each other through a communication path system, as known as a so-called LAN (Local Area Network). Each electronic device is connected to a communication adapter device provided in the communication path via a communication line separate from the communication path, and consists of a predetermined communication protocol code section and an information content section that are placed on the communication path by the adapter device. The present invention relates to an information communication system in a communication system in which information is exchanged between electronic devices via telegrams.

[Conventional technology]

The above-mentioned communication system between electronic devices improves overall information processing efficiency by sharing information data or processing resources for a group of electronic devices, or enables mutual cooperation between electronic devices, which was difficult in the past. It is very useful for facilitating the use of computer technology, and as is well known, it is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. The patterns and trends can be clearly seen in the Nikkei Byte Magazine July 1986 Special Feature 1 "The era of PC LAN". However, even in this LAN, which is a typical communication system between electronic devices, the system that each electronic device has There are various layers in terms of the extent to which they can be interconnected, and there are seven layers according to the 130 (International Organization for Standardization) model: application, presentation, session, transport, network, and data link. and which layers in the physical department are possible.
The reality is that there is a considerable difference in N-7. However, one thing that all LANs have in common is that unless the electronic devices or systems connected to the LAN adopt exactly the same protocols (communication protocols) at each of the above layers, they will not be able to communicate with each other. As can be seen, such constraints are particularly strict in the physical layer and data link layer, which are the two lower layers of the seven parts mentioned above.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Among LAN devices, there are those that mainly provide interconnection at the lower layer mentioned above, and those that only provide a communication path, so they can be said to be relatively simple or low-level in terms of hierarchy, but from a practical standpoint, they are particularly Highly important and real demand in the FA (factory automation) field.

In such applications where the volume is large, the so-called server connected to the LAN is usually a single host computer, often a process computer, and using this as a mask, a wide variety of slave electronic devices are connected to the LAN.
connected to. Of course, these slave electronic devices are built into or attached to work machines and inspection machines, typically NC devices, and have a certain communication function, but of course, the LAN has a function design. Therefore, it is often inconsistent with the LAN protocol.

When setting up a new production line, it is of course possible to adapt the communication functions of electronic devices attached to work equipment, etc. to the LAN protocol, but the standardization of protocols has not progressed and the protocols may differ depending on the type of LAN. Since the protocols are often different, it is often necessary to modify the electronic equipment to match the protocols. In addition, in reality, most of the applications involve interconnecting existing work machines, etc. via LAN, and in this case, it becomes even more difficult to match protocols and requires additional investment. It has become a bottleneck above.

However, it is a different story if the electronic device connected to the LAN is a computer with intelligent functions or a high-grade device with built-in firmware, but the electronic device attached to the work machine such as the NC device in -a Currently, it is not possible to generate a protocol compatible with a LAN, and it is impossible to connect directly to a LAN unless a special interface is added to perform protocol conversion.

An object of the present invention is to directly connect an electronic device, such as the above-mentioned NC device, which cannot generate a protocol defined for the communication system, to a communication system between electronic devices represented by such a LAN, without using a special protocol conversion means. The object of the present invention is to obtain an information communication system within a communication system between electronic devices that can perform the following operations.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned object is achieved by connecting a communication adapter device provided for each of a plurality of stations interconnected by a communication path system such as a LAN via a communication line separate from the communication path. electronic devices are connected to each
As an information communication method in a communication system in which information is exchanged between electronic devices via a message consisting of a predetermined communication protocol code part and an information content part carried on the communication path by an adapter device, At least one of the electronic device and the adapter device to which it is connected stores a device address that is uniquely defined within the communication system for the destination electronic device with which the electronic device communicates information, and A storage area is set to store a unique communication protocol code defined for communication via a communication line between the device and its corresponding adapter device for each device address, and communication unique to the other party's side is set based on the cough memory contents. A means is provided for editing the information content section in the message including the convention code, and when information is exchanged from each electronic device side with the other party's electronic device, the information content section edited by the editing means and the communication convention code section are provided. A message is generated in the adapter device and placed on the communication path, and the adapter device that receives the message removes the communication protocol code for the communication path system from the message, and the information content includes the communication protocol code specific to the destination electronic device. This is achieved by sending the data to the destination electronic device via a communication line.

According to the above configuration, each electronic 4! connected to the communication system! aW
It is possible to exchange information with any other party's electronic device, and for this purpose, there is an area for storing the device address of the other party's electronic device and its unique communication protocol code, and means for editing the information content part of the message based on the stored contents. must be installed somewhere inside the stage Japan-Soviet, but normally it is sufficient to install it on the stage Japan-Soviet adapter 2N.That adapter! J! This is because when the electronic device connected to the IW is an electronic device attached to an existing NC device or the like, it is advantageous to provide the newly installed adapter device with a function that adapts it to the communication system. In this case, the adapter device will have the above-mentioned storage and editing functions in addition to the function of generating the communication protocol code for exchanging messages via the communication system, but the hardware configuration will need to be added. There is nothing special about this, just add some extra software.However, as in the case of many factory automation systems, information exchange is limited between a single host computer and electronic devices attached to multiple work machines, etc. If it is possible to do so, it is desirable to centrally manage information within the communication system by having the electronic device as the host computer take over all of the above-mentioned storage and editing functions.In this case, the host computer is the leading electronic device or the mask. The remaining electronic devices in the system become dependent electronic devices or slaves. On the electronic device side, which is the so-called slave, the adapter device in the stage is assigned the above-mentioned functions, and even when multiple electronic devices are connected to the adapter device, the adapter device side can handle the information. It is better to have them manage communications.

[Function] The adapter device installed at each stage in Japan and the Soviet Union stores a communication protocol code that matches the protocol defined within the communication system, and uses this code for information exchange.

By adding it to the actual information content, a message is organized and placed on the communication channel. Either the adapter device in the stage Japan-Soviet or the electronic device connected to it, as mentioned above, the editing means usually provided in the adapter device edits the information content part of the message. Even if a different communication protocol code is included in the station electronic device and may be different from the protocol defined for the communication system, the communication protocol code part in the message is not affected by this, so any communication protocol code in the communication system The adapter device also accepts the message edited in this way without any problem, and thereby communication between the adapter devices in the system is performed smoothly.

In other words, the communication protocol code unique to the specific electronic device described above, which is embedded in the information content portion of the message, is accepted by the adapter device without violating the protocol defined for the communication system. Next, from the message once accepted by the adapter device in this way, the communication protocol code for the communication system is removed by the adapter device, and the exposed information content part is connected to it from the adapter device. sent to an electronic device. Since the protocol for the communication line between the adapter device and the electronic device is nothing but the above-mentioned communication protocol code unique to the electronic device, communication or transmission between the two can be performed accurately according to the communication protocol code.

As can be seen from the above description, according to the present invention, the protocol for the communication line between the adapter device and the electronic device in each stage is unique and different from the protocol defined for the communication system connecting the adapter devices. Even if the communication protocol code is the same, the communication protocol code is embedded in the information content section of the message.

By doing so, information communication can be carried out smoothly and accurately without conflicting with the communication system protocol, and there is no need to add special protocol conversion means as in the past. Although this solution theoretically reduces the effective amount of the information content part in the message, the length of the information content part is usually about 1 kilobyte, and the communication protocol code embedded in it is usually about 1 kilobyte. It only takes a part-time job,
Even if about 2 bytes required for a device address, which will be described later, are added to this, the reduction is practically negligible.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of a communication system between electronic devices that implements the method of the present invention. In this example, one of the electronic devices is the leading electronic device, and the other electronic devices in one communication system are the subordinate electronic devices. It is set.

An example of such a mask/slave communication system will be described below for ease of understanding.

As is well known, the communication channel 10 in FIG. 1 is composed of a coaxial cable or an optical fiber cable, and is depicted in a deformed loop shape for convenience of illustration, but its so-called topology is not limited to such a loop. For example, 256 stations can be connected to this communication path 10, which may be in the form of a ring, star or linear bus with termination means, and the figure shows an adapter device 20, which is provided at each station. Only three, 30.40, are shown. Each of the adapter devices is a micro combiator as shown in FIG. 3, which will be described later, and is connected to the communication path 10 via a communication circuit therein, for example, a transceiver 21, 31, 41. Each of these adapter devices! For example, it is possible to connect a plurality of electronic devices, for example up to eight electronic devices, to the device via its serial interface. is equipped with only one serial interface 22. Further, the adapter device 30 to which the slave electronic device 200 is connected has two
A similar adapter device 40 is provided with four serial interfaces 42.

A typical example of such a serial interface is R.
It is well known that there is an S232C type, and in this case, it is possible to communicate with each electronic device at a speed of 9600 bits/second or less. On the other hand, communication is normally possible at a high speed of about 1 megafocus/second via the above-mentioned communication path 10.

In the above communication system, a leading electronic device 100 and a subordinate electronic device 2
00, it is necessary to communicate various programs and data (hereinafter referred to as text); for example, the leading electronic device 100 is a computer for controlling a production line, and the subordinate electronic device 200 is used to communicate various tasks included in the line. In the case of an electronic device attached to an NC processing machine in a machine or a testing machine, text as a production command is sent from the leading electronic device to the subordinate electronic device. The text indicating the result of the work done on the NC processing machine side based on this text is sent from the subordinate electronic device to the leading electronic device, and if the result is not desired and a part of the text is changed on the processing machine side. The changed text is sent to the master electronic device and stored, and used for subsequent processing. Such communication is carried out on the communication path IO in the form of a message B, which is shown for convenience as an elongated rectangle in the figure, and this message consists of a communication protocol code section P and an information content section M separated by hunting.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the structure of this message B, in which the hunted part is the information content part and the rest is the communication protocol code part. FIG. 2 (al indicates an example of the contents of the communication protocol code section, and oven flags OF indicating the start of each 1-2 byte message from the left of the figure).

Destination address OA indicating the stage 4 to which the message is to be sent, ie, the number of the adapter device.

The source address SA indicates the number of the adapter device from which the message is sent, the message type BT indicates the type of message, the sequence number SN indicates the number of the message, and the serial interface number in the destination adapter device specifies the destination electronic device. Buistaine Silane socket number 05. Similarly, the source socket number SS, etc. indicating the serial interface number in the sending adapter device is added to the beginning of the message, and the error checking code CRC and the close flag CF indicating the end of the message are added to the end of the message. It is attached as a convention code. All of these communication protocol codes are essential for communication between adapter devices via communication path IO, and must conform to strictly defined protocols. If there is even a slight deviation from the protocol, the message will not be accepted by any adapter device.For the sake of the following explanation, up to 64 adapter devices are connected to the communication path 10, and 1 byte of address OA or SA. The significant 6 bits in the middle specify the adapter device number, and up to 4 electronic devices are connected to one adapter device, and the significant 2 pins in the 1 byte of the socket number DS or SS identify the adapter device. It is assumed that the electronic device connected to the computer is specified.

The information content section M in the message B in FIG. 2(a) originally corresponds to the text mentioned above and usually has a length of about 1 kilobyte, but in the method of the present invention, the information content part M in the message B in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the text portion T, this includes a portion that is useful for communication between the adapter device and each electronic device via the aforementioned serial interface and conforms to a protocol specific to the communication. Information content part M shown in Figure 2 (mountain)
The device address Ak attached to the beginning before the text part T is the device address of the message destination electronic device that is uniquely defined for each electronic device included in the entire communication system, and in this example, the system Since all electronic devices within the adapter can be identified by the 6-bit adapter device number and the 2-bit socket number within the adapter device as described above, the device address is represented by a total of 8 bits, or 1 byte. Note that k is a variable indicating the serial number of the electronic device. Of course, when a message is sent from a leading electronic device to a subordinate electronic device, this device address field is used as the device address of the destination subordinate electronic device, which can be different each time, but conversely, when a message is sent from a subordinate electronic device to a subordinate electronic device, When the address is sent to the lead electronic device, it is always the device address of the lead electronic device that is common to the entire communication system.

In the information content section M in the example shown in FIG. It will be done.

This communication protocol code PSk is predetermined for communication with the electronic device when the electronic device is attached to an existing work machine, etc., and does not necessarily match the protocol determined for the communication path 10. However, in the system of the present invention, an irregular communication protocol code is used as is in close contact with the text portion T for this communication path. The termination code PM that follows this, contrary to the above, is based on the communication protocol code defined for the communication path 10 and serves to indicate the end of the information content part M.However, in this subordinate electronic device, the specific communication Terms code PSk
is the termination code, and there is a risk of it being confused with the termination code PM that follows, so the termination code PM is different from any communication protocol code PSk, in other words, it is the termination code uniquely defined within the entire communication system. It is desirable to
The following description will be made assuming that the termination code PM is selected in this way. As will be described later, this termination code P is stored by all adapter devices in the system, and when the adapter device receives this termination code PM, it detects that the information content portion M ends there. Furthermore, if an error checking code is added between the unique communication protocol code PSk and the termination code PM, or next to the termination code PM, the accuracy of text communication can be increased. It can be provided both for communication via the adapter device and for communication between the adapter device and the electronic device.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the information content section M configured as described above is used as it is as a type of telegram for communication between the main electronic device 100 and the corresponding adapter device 20. On the other hand, for communication between the slave electronic device 200 and the corresponding adapter device 3°, the information content portion 11 is used in which the device address Ak and the termination code PM are omitted from the information content portion M. It will be done. An example of the structure of this information content portion 1tk is shown in FIG. 2 (C1).

All the adapter devices in the communication system may have the same hardware configuration, and an example of the configuration is illustrated for the adapter device 30 in FIG. 3. As shown in the figure, the adapter device is, for example, a communication microcomputer equipped with an 8-bit CPU 30a, and a ROM 30c, R connected to this CPU 30a via a bus 30b.
It is equipped with an AM 30d and a DMA (direct memory access) 30e, and also has a parallel interface 30f and a serial interface 30h for communication. The above-mentioned transceiver 31 connects to a parallel interface 30f via a communication demodulation circuit 30g.
The demodulation circuit 30g not only modulates the transmitted signal and demodulates the received signal, but also has a function of detecting whether or not there is a signal collision on the communication path 10 during transmission.

On the other hand, the serial interface 30h is the R3 mentioned above.
The 0 display circuit 30i is an interface or bumper for serial interfaces 32 such as 232C, and in this example the throttles for two serial interfaces 32 are provided in the adapter device 30.
For D33, whether or not there is a power supply for the adapter device,
The LED 33 displays whether or not it is transmitting or not, and whether it is receiving or not.

In order to carry out the present invention, it is necessary to store the above-mentioned unique communication protocol code PSk in advance for each device address, as shown in FIG. The above-mentioned termination code PM is also stored in this ROM.Of course, this storage area is set in the RAM 30d, and the termination code PM is stored from the main electronic device 100 when starting up the communication system.
, each device address Ak, and communication protocol code PSk may be written via telegram.On the other hand, the leading electronic bag t
In this example, the above-mentioned storage area is not set for the adapter device 20 on the ioo side, and instead, the common termination code PM and all the data included in the communication system are stored in the ROM 102 of the main electronic device 100. The device address Ak of the electronic device and the communication protocol code PSk unique thereto are written and stored in advance.

Now that we have finished explaining the configuration of the communication system and the messages converted therein, we will now explain its operation with reference to FIG. The operational steps illustrated here are included as software in each adapter device. FIG. The case where the message is received from 10 is shown in the right column, and the case where the message is sent is shown in the right column. In addition, at the time of initial startup of the communication system shown in the upper part of the figure, from the leading electronic device 100 to each slave electronic device 20,
It is assumed that a so-called slave declaration is made directly to the adapter device to which 0 is connected, and that each adapter device stores that it should operate with the master electronic device as a mask. This declaration indicates that, for example, the device address I of the main electronic device 100 is transmitted from the main electronic device side to the adapter device 20 in the form of a message.
This is done by storing the device address of the leading electronic device in its RAM 30d.

After system startup, each adapter device always
At O, it is checked whether the message B has arrived or not. When the message B arrives, the oven flag OF is detected and the operation moves to step S1. In this step S1, the next message B in the message is detected. Address DA is read, and then in step S2 it is determined whether the read destination address matches the adapter device number assigned to the self, and if not, the message is intended for another adapter device. Since there is a message, the message is ignored and the operation flow returns to the first step SO. If the message is hot, the process moves to step S3 and the source address SA is read.

In the next step S4, this source address is
Device address A of the main electronic device stored in 0d? Determine whether it matches the 6 bits indicating the adapter device number corresponding to the lead electronic device in 0.0 If it does not match, there is some kind of mistake, so in this case as well, the message is ignored and the flow of the operation is started from the beginning. The process returns to step SO, and the operation proceeds to step S5 only when there is a match.

Step S5 is a step of reading and storing the information content part M in the message, but strictly speaking, before that, the sequence number SN, socket number DSISS, etc. of the message are read and stored in the RAM of the adapter device. The socket number DS in the information content section M is used to identify the electronic device to which the text T in the information content section M is to be sent. When reading the information content section M in step S5, the second
While constantly monitoring the arrival of the termination code P?I shown in the figure (bl), the system reads each byte one byte and stores it in the RAM of the adapter device, and when the termination code PM arrives, the information content section M
Terminates reading and storing operations. After this step S5, the adapter device receives the error detection code CRC and the close flag CP shown in FIG. When an error is detected, operations such as sending a publicly known non-receipt message NAK back to the source adapter device are actually performed, but since this would make the flow unnecessarily complicated, the figure shows such operations after step S5. is simply indicated by the dashed line.

After the adapter device has properly received the information content portion M, the collection means in the adapter device 30 in this embodiment collects the information content portion Mk from the information content portion M to the device in step S6 as shown in FIG. 2 (bl). It is edited by deleting the address Ak and the termination code PM.The destination electronic device to which this information content part ?lk is to be subsequently transferred must use the two bits in the deleted device address Ak or the destination code previously stored in RAM. Since it can be identified by the socket number DS, the next step S7 is to inquire of the other party's electronic device, which is the transfer destination, as to whether or not the transfer is possible. This can be easily done by reading the specific status bit of buffer 1 in port 201. If the transfer is unfortunately not possible due to the other party's power not being turned on, etc., the upper flow of error handling is shown simply with a chain line. Returns to the first step SO. To handle this error, as is well known, it is sufficient to send a message to the source adapter device indicating the reason why transfer is not possible, etc., if transfer is possible. , the adapter device 30 transfers the information content portion 1 to the destination slave electronic device 200 via its serial interface 32.The slave electronic device 200 receiving this transfer transmits the unique communication in the information content portion Mk. This information content part Mk is accepted using the protocol code PSk as a terminal code, and the unique communication protocol code P
If the serial interface 32 is R3232C, the reception of the transfer can be terminated upon receiving Sk, the incoming call for this transfer is not confirmed, and in the subsequent step S9, the adapter device sends the acceptance or confirmation message ACK to the source adapter. By transmitting the message to the device, all operations at the time of receiving the message are terminated, and the flow returns to the original step SO. Note that if the adapter device receiving the message is the adapter device 20 corresponding to the lead electronic device, the corresponding Since no editing means is provided within the adapter device, the information content section M is transferred from the adapter device 20 to the main electronic device 200 without any editing.

Next, the flow in the right column of FIG. 4 shows the operation of the adapter device 30 when transmitting the message B.

In this case, the information content part from the subordinate electronic device 200? l
The flow is started by the transfer of k or a transfer requester, but the adapter device 30 always checks whether there is a transfer in the first step S10, and if there is a transfer, it immediately moves to the next step 311. However, this step 31
The priority relationship between 0 and the above-mentioned step SO may be arbitrary, and the latter is usually given priority, but
In the figure, this arbitrary priority relationship is simply indicated by a chain line. In step Sll, the adapter device 130 reads one byte in the information content portion 11 transferred via its serial interface 32, and in the next step 312, the one byte is converted into a unique communication protocol code PSk.
Determine whether or not. At this time, the adapter device 30
Since the device address 8 of the electronic device connected to it and the corresponding communication protocol code PSk are stored in the OM 30c, a unique code corresponding to the device address of the electronic device to which the information content part Mk was transferred is stored. Communication terms code PS
In this example, k is used as a termination code as a criterion for the above judgment. As long as the determination result in step 512 is negative, the information content portion PIk still persists, so step 313
The received one byte is stored in the RAM3Od, and the process returns to step 311, the receiving operation. When the unique communication protocol code P5k as the termination code is received, the information content portion k is terminated, so at this point the aforementioned operation loop is removed and the process moves to step 514.

In this step 514, the editing means in the adapter device 30 edits the information content part M from the information content part Mk that received the transfer request.This editing is the reverse of the previous step S6. The adapter device adds to tk the device address All of the leading electronic device that is the destination of the message stored in the RAM and the termination code PM that follows the protocol of the communication path 10 stored in its ROM before and after it. It is done by doing. Next, in order to transmit this information content part M, it is necessary to add a communication protocol code part to it. From the device address All, the device address DA and device socket number Ds in the communication protocol code section are added to the source device address Ak.
from source address SA and source socket number SS
will be organized.

After the message B is compiled, the operation proceeds to step S16, and before transmitting the message, it is checked whether or not there is a collision on the communication channel 10 to see if transmission is permitted. The demodulation circuit 30g within the aforementioned adapter device is used for this verification. If there is a collision, the flow is interrupted at this stage and waits for transmission permission until there is no collision, but if there is no collision, the process proceeds to step 317 and sends message B to the adapter device 20 to which the electronic device is connected. After this transmission, in step 318, wait for the reception of the transmission or the arrival of the confirmation message AC!, and only when the confirmation is obtained, complete all operations for message transmission and return to the original step. The flow of returning to SO when a non-acceptance message NAK is received is not shown, but the flow can be returned to step S17 as usual and message B is sent again. If the adapter device that transmits is the adapter device 20 corresponding to the leading electronic device 100, the information content part M is directly transferred from the leading electronic device, so the operation of step 314 is not performed as before. Step S
It is only necessary to enter the message organization operation in step 15.

As can be seen from the above description of the embodiments, the basic principle of the method of the present invention is that communication between a parrot adapter device and an electronic device connected to it is based on a unique communication protocol code determined by the convenience of the electronic device. This is done using conventional telegrams, and the adapter device incorporates all the contents of this so-called local telegram into the information content part of the telegram that is to be carried on the communication path of the system, and then establishes a communication protocol based on the protocol defined for the communication path. A message is organized by adding a code section to it. Therefore, the communication between the adapter devices via the communication path is carried out completely in accordance with the established protocol, so the communication between the adapter devices is smooth and unhindered by the unique communication protocol code that may differ depending on each electronic device. Be sure to do this correctly. After the information content part of the message has safely reached the destination adapter device in this way, the unique communication protocol code embedded in the information content part will then be transmitted to the adapter device. Since it is used for communication with the other party's electronic device, communication between the adapter device and the other party's electronic device is also carried out smoothly and accurately in accordance with the protocol defined for the communication line. Communication between the main electronic device and the adapter device to which it is connected is performed in a form that deviates slightly from the above-mentioned basic method B, but this should be seen as a modified form unique to the host computer side, which is a mask. be. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the present invention, each electronic device is connected via a communication line separate from the communication path to a communication adapter device provided for each of a plurality of stages interconnected by a communication path system. As an information communication method in a communication system in which information is exchanged between electronic devices via a message consisting of a predetermined communication protocol code section and an information content section, which are carried on the communication path by an adapter device, each stage A device address that is uniquely defined within the communication system for a destination electronic device with which the electronic device should communicate information is stored in at least one of the electronic device in the communication system and the adapter device to which the electronic device is connected. A storage area is set to store a unique communication protocol code defined for communication via a communication line between a destination electronic device and its corresponding adapter device for each device address, and a unique communication protocol code is set for each device address based on the stored contents. A means is provided for editing the information content part of the message including the communication protocol code, and when each electronic device communicates information with the other party's electronic device, the information content part edited by the editing means and the communication protocol code part are edited by the editing means. A message consisting of the following is generated in the adapter device and placed on the communication path, and the adapter device receiving the message includes a communication protocol code specific to the destination electronic device, with the communication protocol code for the communication path system removed from the message. Since the information content part is sent to the destination electronic device via the communication line, there is no problem even if the protocol for communication between the adapter device and each electronic device is different from the protocol for the communication path between the adapter devices. Both the communication between the adapter devices and the communication between the adapter devices and the electronic device occur smoothly and accurately without any conflicts or hindrances. Therefore, even an electronic device that cannot generate a protocol defined for a communication path can be directly connected to the adapter device without using any special protocol changing means.

Of course, it is necessary for the adapter device or, in some cases, the electronic device to memorize the device address of the other party's electronic device to be communicated with and the corresponding communication protocol code, but this also applies when the electronic device is connected to the adapter device. It is only necessary to store the information once in the computer, and there is no need for any additional equipment to be involved.Also, the aforementioned editing means can also be incorporated into the adapter device or electronic device in the form of very simple software. No additional investment in hardware is required.

In this way, the method of the present invention can be used to introduce communication systems such as LAN to many production lines that are equipped with only relatively simple electronic devices such as existing working machines without unnecessary additional investment. It is extremely effective when organizing systems into a consistent automated line.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

All of the figures show examples of the method of the present invention. Figure 1 shows a communication system between electronic devices in which the present invention is implemented in an example in which the host computer is used as the leading electronic device and the remaining electronic devices are operated as subordinate electronic devices. 2 is a message configuration diagram showing an example of the structure of a message, FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an adapter device, and FIG. 4 is an overall information communication system according to the present invention. In Figure 6, which is a flowchart showing the operation from a software perspective, 10: Communication path, 20.30.40: Adapter device, 2
1.31°41: Transceiver of adapter device, 22.
32.42: Serial interface of adapter device, 100: Leading electronic device or host computer, 2
0b: Subordinate electronic device, ACK: Receipt or confirmation message, Ak: Device address of electronic device, device address of AMj leading electronic device, B: Message, destination address in OA + communication protocol code section, M: Message information Content part, Mki information content part, P: Telegram communication rules code part, PM: Termination code as communication path required communication rules code, PSk: Unique communication rules code, source address in SAj communication rules code part, T + This is the text in the content section of Information 11. Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) An electronic device is connected to a communication adapter device provided for each of a plurality of stations interconnected by a communication path system via a communication line separate from the communication path, and the adapter An information communication method in a communication system in which information is exchanged between electronic devices via a telegram consisting of a predetermined communication protocol code section and an information content section that are carried by the device on the communication path. A device address that is uniquely defined within a communication system for a destination electronic device with which the electronic device is to exchange information is stored in at least one of an electronic device and an adapter device connected thereto, and the device address of the destination electronic device with which the electronic device is to communicate information is stored. A storage area is set to store a unique communication protocol code defined for communication via a communication line between the device and its corresponding adapter device for each device address, and a communication protocol unique to the other party is created based on the stored contents. A means is provided for editing the information content part in the message including the code, and when information is exchanged from each electronic device side to the other party's electronic device, a message consisting of the information content part edited by the editing means and the communication protocol code part is provided. is generated in the adapter device and placed on the communication path, and the adapter device receiving the message generates an information content section containing the communication protocol code specific to the destination electronic device, with the communication protocol code for the communication path system removed from the message. An information communication system in a communication system between electronic devices, characterized in that the information is sent to a destination electronic device via a communication line. 2) An information communication system in an inter-electronic device communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of electronic devices can be connected to each adapter device. 3) In the method described in claim 1, a single electronic device in the communication system serves as a leading electronic device, and other electronic devices in the system exclusively communicate information with the leading electronic device. An information communication method within a communication system between electronic devices, characterized in that it is set as: 4) In the system according to claim 3, the leading electronic device comprises a storage area and editing means for the device address of the slave electronic device and its unique communication protocol code,
The editing means edits the information content portion of the message including the device address of the other party's electronic device with which information should be communicated and the corresponding unique communication protocol code, and sends the edited message to the adapter device to which the leading electronic device is connected. An information communication method within a communication system between electronic devices, characterized by: 5) An information communication system in an inter-electronic device communication system according to claim 4, characterized in that the device address of the other party's electronic device is added to the beginning of the information content section. 6) In the method described in claim 4, a unique communication protocol code between the dependent electronic device and its corresponding adapter device is included in the information content section, and the information and the destination dependent code are included at the end of the content section. An information communication system within a communication system between electronic devices, characterized in that a communication protocol code unique to the electronic device and a communication protocol code unique to the leading electronic device are sequentially attached. 7) In the method described in claim 4, the adapter device corresponding to the leading electronic device reads the message in the communication protocol code section based on the device address of the other party's electronic device in the information content section received from the leading electronic device. 1. An information communication system within a communication system between electronic devices, characterized in that a station address indicating a destination is generated. 8) In the method described in claim 3, the adapter device corresponding to the subordinate electronic device is provided with a storage area and editing means for the device address of the leading electronic device and the communication protocol code specific to the leading electronic device. An information communication system in a communication system between electronic devices, characterized in that a communication protocol code unique to a leading electronic device uniquely defined for the communication system is stored in the storage area. 9) In the method described in claim 8, a part of information including a communication protocol code unique to the dependent electronic device is sent from the dependent electronic device to its corresponding adapter device, and Between electronic devices, wherein the editing means edits the information content part of the message by adding the device address of the leading electronic device and a communication protocol code unique to the leading electronic device to a part of the information content. Information exchange method within a communication system. 10) In the method described in claim 1, between electronic devices, the communication protocol code specific to the electronic device is a communication protocol code different from the communication protocol code defined for the communication path. Information exchange method within a communication system.