Auxiliary unit for sensor units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10593165-B2
Application number	US-201816100248-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2018
Priority date	Sep 27, 2017
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

To provide an auxiliary unit capable of reducing the number of signal lines for outputting warning information. A multi-output unit is connected to a plurality of sensor units via individual output lines 262a to 262h through which the plurality of sensor units output a detection result of each of the plurality of sensor units and a data line 261a for communicating with the plurality of sensor units. The communication control unit 104 communicates with each of the plurality of sensor units via the data line 261a and receives warning information transmitted by at least one of the plurality of sensor units. When receiving the warning information from at least one of the plurality of sensor units via the data line 261a, the common signal line 154 outputs a common output signal indicating the warning information to an external device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary unit for sensor units connected to a plurality of sensor units via a plurality of detection signal lines through which the plurality of sensor units output a detection result of each of the plurality of sensor units and a communication line for communicating with the plurality of sensor units, the auxiliary unit for sensor units comprising:
a receiving unit configured to communicate with each of the plurality of sensor units via the communication line and receive warning information transmitted by at least one of the plurality of sensor units;
a common output line for outputting the warning information to an external device when receiving the warning information from at least one of the plurality of sensor units via the communication line; and
a plurality of individual output lines for individually outputting a detection result of each of the plurality of detection signal lines to the external device.

2. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 1 , further comprising a common output circuit configured to, when receiving the warning information from at least one of the plurality of sensor units via the communication line, generate a common warning signal based on the warning information and output the common warning information to the common output line.

3. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a common input circuit to which common information, which is information common to the plurality of sensor units, is input from the external device via a common input line; and
a transmitting unit configured to transmit the common information input to the common input circuit to each of the plurality of sensor units via the communication line.

4. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 1 , further comprising a downstream side connector coupled to an upstream side connector of a first sensor unit located adjacent to the multi-output unit among the plurality of sensor units, wherein
the downstream side connector includes a contact forming a part of the plurality of detection signal lines and a contact forming a part of the communication line.

5. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 4 , further comprising a power supply circuit configured to generate electric power supplied to the plurality of sensor units, wherein
the downstream side connector includes a part of a power supply line for supplying electric power generated by the power supply circuit to the plurality of sensor units.

6. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensor units respectively include display lamps, and the display lamp of the sensor unit that outputs the warning information among the plurality of sensor units is lit.

7. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an individual output circuit configured to connect the plurality of detection signal lines and the plurality of individual output lines;
a current detection circuit configured to detect an electric current flowing in each of the plurality of detection signal lines; and
a switch circuit configured to, when an overcurrent flows in any one of the plurality of detection signal lines, stop an output of the individual output lines corresponding to the detection signal line in which the overcurrent flows among the plurality of individual output lines.

8. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an acquiring unit configured to acquire setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units via the communication line; and
a storing unit configured to store the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units acquired by the acquiring unit.

9. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 8 , further comprising a restoring unit configured to read out the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units stored in the storing unit and transmit the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units via the communication line to restore the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units.

10. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 9 , wherein
the storing unit is configured to store the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units in association with identification information of the sensor units, and
the restoring unit is configured to acquire the identification information in order from each of the plurality of sensor units and read out the setting parameters associated with the acquired identification information from the storing unit and transmit the setting parameters.

11. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 9 , further comprising a selecting unit configured to select any one of a plurality of storage regions provided in the storing unit, wherein
the storing unit stores the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units in the storage region selected by the selecting unit.

12. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 11 , wherein the restoring unit is configured to read out the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units from the storage region selected by the selecting unit and transmit the setting parameters to each of the plurality of sensor units via the communication line.

13. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 11 , further comprising an instructing unit configured to instruct to prohibit erasing or overwriting of the setting parameters stored in the storage region or prohibit an input to operation units provided in the plurality of sensor units.

14. The auxiliary unit for sensor units according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a specifying unit configured to collate the setting parameters of each of the plurality of sensor units stored in each of the plurality of storage regions and setting parameters retained by each of the plurality of sensor units and specify, among the plurality of storage regions, the storage region in which setting parameters coinciding with the setting parameters retained by each of the plurality of sensor units are stored; and
a plurality of display lamps corresponding to each of the plurality of storage regions, wherein
among the plurality of display lamps, the display lamp corresponding to the storage region specified by the specifying unit is lit.

Assignees

• Keyence Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamazaki Kentaro
• Nagata Akinori

Classifications

• G08B25/06

  using power transmission lines · CPC title

• G01V8/24 Primary

  using optical fibres · CPC title

• G08B5/36 Primary

  using visible light sources · CPC title

• G01V8/20 Primary

  using multiple transmitters or receivers · CPC title

• G01V8/00

  Prospecting or detecting by optical means · CPC title