WO2022190504A1

WO2022190504A1 - Network equipment and network system

Info

Publication number: WO2022190504A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/046660
Authority: WO
Inventors: 寛仁水本
Original assignee: オムロン株式会社
Priority date: 2021-03-09
Filing date: 2021-12-17
Publication date: 2022-09-15
Also published as: JP2022138061A

Abstract

This invention realizes network equipment capable of, even if an abnormality occurs in a slave device, immediately stopping at least some operations of the slave device in which the abnormality occurred, and at least some operations of other slave devices linked to the slave device. A control unit (23) of a piece of network equipment (2N) transmits a response instruction to other slave devices (2) registered in a configuration list, and if there is a slave device (2) that does not respond to the response instruction, the control unit (23) transmits an instruction causing the stoppage of at least some operations to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list, and stops at least some operations of the piece of network equipment (2N).

Description

Network equipment and network system

The present disclosure relates to network equipment and network systems using the same.

In the field of Factory Automation (FA), various types of devices are controlled that share work processes. In order to operate various controllers, remote I/O, and manufacturing equipment used for work in a certain area such as a factory facility in cooperation with each other, an industrial network, also called a field network, is constructed to connect these equipment. there is

　General industrial networks adopt a master-slave system consisting of various slave devices and master devices. A slave device is a device that controls equipment installed in a factory or collects data. The master device is a device called (PLC: Programmable Logic Controller) that centrally manages these slave devices.

In conventional network systems, a technique is known in which a master device transmits a PING to each of a plurality of slave devices in order to determine whether or not each of the plurality of slave devices is controlled by the master device ( For example, see Patent Document 1 below).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-99777

However, in the conventional network system as described above, when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, at least part of the operation of the slave device and at least part of the operation of other slave devices linked to the slave device are immediately restarted. Sometimes it was difficult to stop. In particular, in the conventional network system, for example, when the number of slave devices installed in the production line becomes enormous due to an increase in the number of product parts and the segmentation of the manufacturing process, the number of slave devices in the master device becomes large. In some cases, the communication load on the device increases, and the slave device cannot be smoothly monitored by the master device. As a result, in the conventional network system, when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, at least part of the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality occurred and at least part of the operation of other slave devices that cooperate with the slave device It was sometimes difficult to stop immediately.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems. To provide a network device and a network system capable of immediately stopping at least part of the operation of

The present disclosure adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.

A network device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a network device that is a slave device used in a network system in which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected, the other slave devices a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from a storage unit that stores in advance a group configuration list that includes the network device and at least one other slave device; and a control that controls each unit of the network device. wherein the control unit transmits a response instruction to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list through the communication unit, and the other slave devices do not respond to the response instruction. at least a part of the network device, and at least a part of the network device It has a configuration to stop the operation of

According to the present disclosure, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, at least part of the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality has occurred and at least part of the operation of other slave devices that cooperate with the slave device are immediately stopped. It is possible to provide a network device and a network system that can

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a network device (slave device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a setting operation of setting information in the network system; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a configuration list set in the network device; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a notification destination list set in the network device; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an abnormal operation setting list set in the network device; 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the network device;

§1 Application Example First, an example of a scene to which the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a network device (slave device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following description, a case where the network device of the present embodiment, which is a slave device, has the same configuration as other slave devices as shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In the network system 100 of the present embodiment, eight

slave devices

2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H (hereinafter collectively referred to as "2") are used as a plurality of slave devices. A case of connection will be described as an example. Moreover, when the slave device 2 constitutes the network device of the present embodiment, it is also referred to as a network device 2N.

The network system 100 of this embodiment is a network system in which a master device 1 and a plurality of slave devices 2 controlled by the master device 1 are connected. Also, the network device 2N of this embodiment is connected to the network system 100 as one slave device 2 described above. In the network system 100 of this embodiment, one network device 2N is connected as a slave device 2, for example.

Also, the network system 100 of this embodiment includes an information processing device 3 . An administrator of the network system 100 can execute various settings of the master device 1 and the slave devices 2, acquire data, and the like through the information processing device 3. FIG. Furthermore, the network system 100 of the present embodiment has a display device 4, which can display the operation status of the network system 100 and the like.

In addition, the network device 2N of the present embodiment includes a communication unit 21 that transmits and receives data to and from other slave devices 2, an anomaly notification unit 22 that performs anomaly notification, and at least one other device with the network device 2N. and a control unit 23 for controlling each unit (component) of the network device 2N. Predetermined setting information including the above-described control group configuration list is preset in the storage unit 24 by the information processing device 3 .

The control unit 23 transmits a response instruction through the communication unit 21 to the other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list. After that, if there is another slave device 2 that does not respond to the response instruction, the control unit 23 sends the other slave device 2 registered in the configuration list through the communication unit 21 Sending an instruction to stop at least some operations. Furthermore, the control unit 23 stops the operation of at least part of the network device 2N.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, even when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, the operation of at least a part of the slave device 2 in which the abnormality has occurred and at least a part of the other slave devices 2 cooperating with the slave device 2 can immediately stop the operation of the network device 2N and the network system 100 using the network device 2N.

§2 Configuration example <Network system>
In the example of FIG. 1, the network system 100 of this embodiment includes a master device 1, a plurality of slave devices 2 connected to the master device 1 via communication devices (communication hubs) 5A and 5B, and a communication device 5A. It includes an information processing device 3 and a display device 4 which are connected to the master device 1 via. Also, in the network system 100 of the present embodiment, for example, a network system conforming to the ETHERNET/IP standard is used (ETHERNET: registered trademark). Further, in the network system 100 of the present embodiment, for example, communication cables are used to connect the master device 1, the slave device 2, the information processing device 3, the display device 4, and the

communication devices

5A and 5B as illustrated in FIG. , and communication is performed via a communication cable.

The master device 1 includes, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). Also, the master device 1 is configured to control each of the plurality of slave devices 2 by operating according to a predetermined program set by the information processing device 3 .

For example, four

slave devices

2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are sequentially connected to the communication device 5B, and four

slave devices

2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H are sequentially connected to the communication device 5B. Further, in the slave device 2, based on the control group configuration list set by the information processing device 3, for example, the slave devices are grouped into two control groups C1 and C2 as encircled by a dotted line in FIG. That is, the control group C1 includes four

slave devices

2A, 2B, 2C and 2D, and the control group C2 includes four slave devices 2E, 2F2G and 2H.

Further, for example, in the control group C1, one slave device 2A holds the setting information Si from the information processing device 3 in advance, thereby configuring the network device 2N in the control group C1. Then, instead of the master device 1, this network device 2N monitors the

slave devices

2B, 2C, and 2D registered in the configuration list of the control group C1. It is configured to deactivate at least some of all slave devices 2 in the configuration list of control group C1 (details will be described later).

For example, when the network system 100 of the present embodiment is applied to a manufacturing facility in a factory, the slave devices 2 included in the control group can detect an abnormality in a production line unit or a production processing unit of a product included in the manufacturing facility. is preferably determined in consideration of the range of influence of the slave device 2 that caused the In other words, in such a case, it is possible to quickly confirm the slave device 2 in which an abnormality has occurred and the slave device 2 cooperating with it, and furthermore, it is possible to quickly take measures against the abnormality. It becomes possible to easily prevent the production efficiency of things from declining.

The information processing device 3 is configured using a computer (PC), for example, and controls each part of the master device 1, the slave device 2, and the display device 4 by being operated by the user. Further, the information processing device 3 presets, for example, the setting information Si in the control group C1 for the slave device 2A included in the control group C1 according to the user's operation, and the slave device 2A is Assume that the network device 2N belongs to the control group C1. As described above, in the network system 100 of the present embodiment, the configuration of the slave devices 2 and the settings of the network devices 2 in each of the control groups C1 and C2 can be freely configured by appropriately operating the information processing device 3 by the user. can be changed.

In addition, the information processing device 3, in response to the user's operation, instructs at least one of the master device 1 and the display device 4 to respond to at least one of the master device 1 and the display device 4 when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2. It is configured to preset operation setting information that instructs the operation in. Specifically, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, the information processing device 3 stops the operation of the master device 1 or displays the occurrence of the abnormality on the display device 4 by presetting the operation setting information. can be made to

The display device 4 is configured using, for example, a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or the like that has a touch panel function. The display device 4 operates based on, for example, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) to display predetermined information and perform input operations such as instructions.

<Network equipment>
In the example of FIG. 2, the network device 2N of this embodiment includes a communication section 21, an anomaly reporting section 22, a control section 23, and a storage section 24. FIG. In addition, the network device 2N of the present embodiment communicates with another slave device 2 in the control group based on the setting information Si pre-stored in the storage unit 24, whereby the other slave device 2N 2 is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred.

The communication unit 21 is a functional block that performs two-way communication with other devices of the network system 100. That is, the network device 2N transmits/receives data such as response instructions and responses to the response instructions to/from the above-described other devices through the communication unit 21, for example. Also, in the network device 2, for example, a PING command is used as the response instruction and response.

The abnormality notification unit 22 has, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 22L as a light emitting element, and according to an operation instruction from the control unit 23, the LED 22L of the abnormality notification unit 22 is lit in a predetermined abnormality pattern. Anomaly notification is performed by Note that the abnormality notification unit 22 is not limited to the LED (light emitting element) 22L as long as it can notify the user of abnormality. Specifically, for example, it has a speaker and has an audio output unit that emits a predetermined beep sound or siren sound, and an image display that has a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, a micro LED, or the like and displays a predetermined image. The abnormality notification unit 22 can be configured by a unit or an appropriate combination thereof.

In the above description, the case where an abnormality is notified by lighting the abnormality notification unit 22 has been described, but the method of abnormality notification by the abnormality notification unit 22 is not limited to this. There is no particular limitation as long as it lights up in a predetermined abnormal pattern. For example, the configuration may be such that the LED 22L is turned on when no abnormality has occurred (in a normal state), and the light emission state and the light emission cycle of the LED 22L are changed, such as blinking when an abnormality occurs.

The storage unit 24 is, for example, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive or solid state drive, and stores various processing programs executed by the control unit 23. In addition, the storage unit 24 stores in advance setting information Si set by the information processing device 3 . This setting information Si contains, as will be described in detail later, a control group configuration list, a notification destination list that describes the notification destinations to which an abnormality is to be notified when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, and an operation when an abnormality occurs. It contains an error action setting list that indicates commands.

The control unit 23 is a functional block that includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and controls each component according to information processing. Further, the control unit 23 confirms whether or not an abnormality has occurred in each slave device 2 of the control group preset in the storage unit 24, and when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in one of the slave devices 2, the control unit 23 performs the control. At least part of the operation of all slave devices 2 in the group is stopped.

Specifically, when the control unit 23 does not receive a response from one slave device 2 in transmission/reception of the response instruction and response with other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list, Then, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the slave device 2, and an instruction is transmitted to all the slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list to the effect that at least part of their operation is stopped, and the configuration At least part of the operation of the network device 2N and all slave devices 2 registered in the list is stopped. As a result, in the network device 2N of the present embodiment, even when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, the operation of at least a part of the slave device 2 in which the abnormality occurred and the other slave devices 2 cooperating with the slave device 2 can be performed. can immediately cease operation of at least a portion of the

Also, the control unit 23 causes the anomaly notification unit 22 to perform an anomaly notification when transmitting an instruction to the slave device 2 to stop at least a part of its operation. Thus, in the network device 2N of the present embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, it is possible to reliably notify the occurrence of the abnormality.

§3 Operation example <Setting operation>
First, referring also to FIGS. 3 to 6, the operation of setting the setting information of the control group will be described. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the setting operation of setting information in the network system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a configuration list set in the network device. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of the notification destination list set in the network device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the abnormal operation setting list set in the network device. In the following description of the operation example, setting information Si is set for the slave device 2A of the control group C1 shown in FIG. 1, and the slave device 2A is used as the network device 2N. .

First, in step S101, the information processing device 3 creates setting information Si for the control group C1 based on the user's operation. This setting information Si includes, for example, a configuration list Si1 shown in FIG. 4, a notification destination list Si2 shown in FIG. 5, and an abnormal operation setting list Si3 shown in FIG. The setting information Si also includes a set cycle of issuing the response instruction to the other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1.

The configuration list Si1 indicates other slave devices 2 included in a group (eg, control group C1) to be monitored by the network device 2N. As shown in FIG. 4, this configuration list Si1 includes: information (eg, IP address) for identifying the

slave devices

2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D included in the control group C1, information (eg, own device) indicating that they are selected as the network device 2N; Information indicating that the network device 2N has not been selected (for example, other devices to be monitored) is described in a table format.

As shown in FIG. 5, the list of notification destinations Si2 includes, as shown in FIG. information (for example, IP address) for specifying the is described in a table format. In addition to this explanation, the configuration may be such that another slave device (for example, slave device 2B) 2 is registered in the destination list Si2.

The abnormal operation setting list Si3 indicates whether or not to stop the group when an abnormality occurs, that is, to stop at least part of the operation of all the slave devices 2 included in the group to be monitored. Furthermore, in the abnormal operation setting list Si3, it is described whether or not to light the LED 22L of the network device 2N to notify of an abnormality.

It should be noted that stopping the operation of at least part of the slave device 2 may also mean that the slave device 2 shuts down by turning off its power. Alternatively, the power may not be turned off, but various controls by the slave device 2 may be stopped and a standby state waiting for the next command may be set.

Next, in step S102, the information processing device 3 transfers the created setting information Si to the slave device 2A selected as the network device 2N. As a result, in the slave device 2A, the setting information Si including the configuration list Si1, the notification destination list Si2, and the abnormal operation setting list Si3 is stored in the storage unit 25 of the slave device 2A.

Next, in step S103, the information processing device 3 creates operation setting information for at least one of the master device 1 and the display device 4 based on the user's operation. This operation setting information is applied to the master device 1 or the display device 4 registered in the notification destination list Si2 when an abnormality is detected in any of the slave devices 2 included in the group to be monitored. contains information that directs the operation of at least one of

Specifically, for example, the operation setting information for the master device 1 can include information indicating whether or not to stop the control program in the master device 1 when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2 . In addition, the operation setting information for the display device 4 can include information for instructing whether or not the display device 4 should display the occurrence of an abnormality in the slave device 2 when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2 .

Next, in step S104, the information processing device 3 transfers the operation setting information to at least one of the master device 1 and the display device 4 that created the operation setting information. Thus, at least one of the master device 1 and the display device 4 is preset with operation setting information, and when notified of the occurrence of an abnormality in the slave device 2, operates according to the operation setting information.

<Abnormality detection operation>
Next, referring also to FIG. 7, the abnormality detection operation in the network device 2N of this embodiment will be specifically described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the network device. In the following description, the operation of the slave device 2A as the network device 2N will be described as an example.

First, in step S1, the control unit 23 transmits a response instruction through the communication unit 21 to the other slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1.

In step S2, the control unit 23 determines whether or not it has received responses to the response instructions from all the slave devices 2 that have sent the response instructions. If responses have been received from all of the slave devices 2 (YES in S2), the control unit 23 determines that none of the slave devices 2 to which the response instruction has been sent has an abnormality, proceeds to step S1, Otherwise (NO in S2), the control unit 23 determines that one of the slave devices 2 to which the response instruction has been sent has an abnormality, and proceeds to step S3 (step S2).

In step S3, the control unit 23 determines whether or not the notification destination list Si2 is stored in the storage unit 24. If the destination list Si2 is stored (YES at S3), the process proceeds to step S4, and if the destination list Si2 is not stored (NO at S3), the process proceeds to step S5 (step S3).

In step S4, the control unit 23 notifies, via the communication unit 21, the devices registered in the notification destination list Si2 stored in the storage unit 24 that an abnormality has occurred in the slave device 2. Here, the devices registered in the notification destination list Si2 can be the master device 1, the display device 4, and other slave devices 2. FIG. The flow then proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the control unit 23 refers to the abnormal operation setting list Si3 stored in the storage unit 24 to determine whether or not the group stop setting has been made. If the group stop setting has been made (YES in S5), the process proceeds to step S6, and if the group stop setting has not been made (NO in S5), the process proceeds to step S7 (step S5).

In step S6, the control unit 23 transmits an instruction to all slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1 via the communication unit 21 to stop at least part of their operations. The flow then proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, the control unit 23 refers to the abnormal operation setting list Si3 to determine whether or not execution of abnormality notification by the abnormality notification unit 22 of the network device 2N is set. If the instruction is set (YES at S7), the process proceeds to step S8, and if the instruction is not set (NO at S7), the network device 2N ends the processing operation (step S7).

At step S8, the control unit 23 causes the abnormality notification unit 22 to perform abnormality notification. Specifically, the control unit 23 causes the LED 22L of the abnormality notification unit 22 to light up according to a predetermined abnormality pattern.

As described above, in the network device 2N and the network system 100 of this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in any of the slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list Si1 of the control group C1, At least part of the operation of all the slave devices 2 can be stopped.

As a result, in the network device 2N and the network system 100 of the present embodiment, even when an abnormality occurs in any of the slave devices 2 of the control group C1, the operation of at least a part of the slave device 2 in which the abnormality occurred and the corresponding At least part of the operation of other slave devices 2 cooperating with the slave device 2, that is, at least part of the operation of all the slave devices 2 of the control group C1 can be immediately stopped.

Therefore, in the network device 2N and the network system 100 of this embodiment, unlike the above-described conventional example, when one slave device stops operating due to the occurrence of an abnormality, for example, another slave device that cooperates with it By continuing the operation, it is possible to easily prevent the occurrence of problems such as troubles in the production of products.

Further, in this embodiment, one slave device 2 in the control group C1 is set as the network device 2N, and the network device 2N monitors whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the other slave devices 2 in the control group C1. Therefore, for example, even if the number of installed slave devices 2 controlled by the master device 1 becomes enormous in a production line, the processing load such as the communication load on the master device 1 increases, and the master device 1 It is possible to easily monitor the presence or absence of an abnormality in the slave device 2 in the production line without increasing the performance of the control group C1 without going through the master device 1 when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2. at least part of all the slave devices 2 can be quickly stopped.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the notification destination list Si2 for notifying an abnormality when an abnormality occurs is preset in the storage unit 24 of the network device 2N, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device 2, the list of destinations to which the abnormality is to be notified is available. The master device 1 and the display device 4 registered in the list Si2 can be notified, and the user can be immediately notified of the occurrence of the abnormality.

In addition, in this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs, the LED 22L of the abnormality notification unit 22 lights up in an abnormal pattern. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs, the control group C1 including the slave device 2 in which the abnormality has occurred can be easily visually recognized. can be done. In addition to the above description, when an abnormality occurs, all the slave devices 2 registered in the configuration list S1i may light up the LEDs of the abnormality annunciators in an abnormal pattern.

Further, in the above description, the case where the network device 2N and the slave device 2 have the same configuration has been described. may be configured. However, it is preferable that the network device 2N and the slave device 2 have the same configuration because the network device 2N can be easily selected and changed in the control group.

[Example of realization by software]
The functional blocks (in particular, the control unit 23) of the network device 2N may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the control unit 23 is provided with a computer that executes program instructions, which are software that implements each function. This computer includes, for example, one or more processors, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. In the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present disclosure.

As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. can be used. In addition, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like for developing the above program may be further provided.

Also, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast waves, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be implemented in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

〔summary〕
A network device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a network device that is a slave device used in a network system in which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected, the other slave devices a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from a storage unit that stores in advance a group configuration list that includes the network device and at least one other slave device; and a control that controls each unit of the network device. wherein the control unit transmits a response instruction to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list through the communication unit, and the other slave devices do not respond to the response instruction. at least a part of the network device, and at least a part of the network device It has a configuration to stop the operation of

According to the above configuration, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, it is possible to immediately stop at least part of the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality has occurred and other slave devices that cooperate with the slave device.

The network device according to the above aspect further includes an anomaly notification unit that performs an anomaly notification, and the control unit causes the anomaly notification unit to notify the anomaly when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction. You may have the structure which performs alerting|reporting.

According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device, it is possible to reliably notify the occurrence of the abnormality.

In the network device according to the above aspect, the anomaly notification unit may have a light emitting element, and the anomaly notification may be performed by lighting the light emitting element.

According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device, the occurrence of the abnormality can be visually recognized.

In the network device according to the above aspect, the storage unit stores in advance a notification destination list in which at least one of the master device and the other slave devices is registered, and the control unit responds to the response instruction. A configuration may be provided in which, when there is another slave device that does not do so, a notification to the effect that an abnormality has occurred is transmitted to the master device or the slave device registered in the notification destination list.

According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device, the occurrence of the abnormality can be notified to the master device or the slave device.

In the network device according to the above aspect, the notification destination list further includes a display device that displays the occurrence of an abnormality, and the control unit includes other slave devices that do not respond to the response instruction. In this case, a configuration may be provided in which a notification to the effect that an abnormality has occurred is transmitted to the display device registered in the notification destination list.

According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in the slave device, the occurrence of the abnormality can be notified to the display device.

Further, a network system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a network system in which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected, wherein any one of the above network devices serves as the slave device. It has a connected configuration.

According to the above configuration, even when an abnormality occurs in a slave device, the network system can immediately stop at least part of the operation of the slave device in which the abnormality has occurred and other slave devices that cooperate with the slave device. It is configurable.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments is also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

1 master device 2 slave device 2N network device 21 communication unit 22 abnormality reporting unit 22L LED (light emitting element)
23 control unit 24 storage unit 100 network system

Claims

A network device that is a slave device used in a network system in which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected,
a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from other slave devices;
a storage unit for pre-storing a group configuration list including the network device and at least one other slave device;
a control unit that controls each unit of the network device,
The control unit
transmitting a response instruction to the other slave devices registered in the configuration list through the communication unit;
If there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, an instruction to stop at least part of the operation of the other slave device registered in the configuration list through the communication unit and deactivates at least a portion of the network device.
further comprising an anomaly notification unit that executes anomaly notification,
The control unit
2. The network device according to claim 1, wherein when there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, the anomaly notification unit is caused to perform the anomaly notification.
The network device according to claim 2, wherein the anomaly notification unit has a light-emitting element, and the anomaly notification is performed by lighting the light-emitting element.
the storage unit stores in advance a notification destination list in which at least one of the master device and the other slave devices is registered;
The control unit
2. When there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, a notification to the effect that an abnormality has occurred is transmitted to the master device or the slave device registered in the notification destination list. 4. The network device according to any one of 3.
A display device for displaying the occurrence of an abnormality is further registered in the notification destination list,
The control unit
5. The network according to claim 4, wherein if there is another slave device that does not respond to the response instruction, a notification to the effect that an abnormality has occurred is transmitted to the display device registered in the notification destination list. machine.
A network system in which a master device and a plurality of slave devices controlled by the master device are connected,
A network system to which the network device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is connected as said slave device.