Support apparatus, non-transitory computer readable recording medium and setting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10715396-B2
Application number	US-201916275327-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Mar 27, 2018
Publication date	Jul 14, 2020
Grant date	Jul 14, 2020

Abstract

A support apparatus includes: an obtaining part, which obtains status information respectively from one or a plurality of safety devices network-connected with a control apparatus; a selecting part, which selects the safety device to which device identification information is to be newly set based on the status information of each safety device; and a setting part, which determines and sets corresponding device identification information in accordance with an instruction from a user based on network identification information set for the network to which each safety device belongs and a network address of each safety device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A support apparatus capable of communicating with a control apparatus network-connected to one or a plurality of safety devices, wherein each safety device has a memory part for keeping device identification information that specifies a device itself, and the support apparatus comprises:
an obtaining part, which refers, in each network, to a connection setting list that defines a network address of a safety device belonging to the network, and obtains status information respectively from the one or a plurality of safety devices network-connected with the control apparatus;
a selecting part, which selects, based on the status information of each safety device, a safety device to which the device identification information is to be newly set among the one or a plurality of safety devices to which the status information is obtained; and
a setting part, which determines and sets corresponding device identification information for each of the selected safety devices in accordance with an instruction from a user based on network identification information set for the network to which each safety device belongs and a network address of each safety device.

2. The support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting part obtains routing information that shows a route from the control apparatus to a target safety device and transmits the determined device identification information to the control apparatus, and
the control apparatus transmits the device identification information to the target safety device based on the routing information from the setting part.

3. The support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting part transmits the determined device identification information to the control apparatus along with a network address of a target safety device, and
the control apparatus determines a route to the target safety device based on the network address from the setting part and transmits the device identification information to the target safety device.

4. The support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting part determines a route to a target safety device and transmits the device identification information to the target safety device.

5. The support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting part obtains, from the device identification information already set to any safety device, the network identification information of the network to which the safety device belongs, and determines the device identification information to other safety devices belonging to the same network as the safety device based on the obtained network identification information.

6. The support apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the setting part obtains, from the device identification information already set to any safety device, the network identification information of the network to which the safety device belongs, and determines the device identification information to other safety devices belonging to the same network as the safety device based on the obtained network identification information.

7. The support apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the setting part obtains, from the device identification information already set to any safety device, the network identification information of the network to which the safety device belongs, and determines the device identification information to other safety devices belonging to the same network as the safety device based on the obtained network identification information.

8. The support apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the setting part obtains, from the device identification information already set to any safety device, the network identification information of the network to which the safety device belongs, and determines the device identification information to other safety devices belonging to the same network as the safety device based on the obtained network identification information.

9. The support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to a target safety device is cleared temporarily.

10. The support apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to the target safety device is cleared temporarily.

11. The support apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to the target safety device is cleared temporarily.

12. The support apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to the target safety device is cleared temporarily.

13. The support apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to a target safety device is cleared temporarily.

14. The support apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to a target safety device is cleared temporarily.

15. The support apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to a target safety device is cleared temporarily.

16. The support apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the setting part sets corresponding device identification information after the device identification information already set to a target safety device is cleared temporarily.

17. The support apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a reception part which receives from the user an arbitrary selection of a safety device to which the device identification information is to be newly set among the one or a plurality of safety devices to which the status information is obtained.

18. The support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the device identification information is determined based on an IP (Internet Protocol) address of the target safety device and a SNN (Safety Network Number) set to the network to which the target safety device belongs.

19. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a support program executed in a computer capable of communicating with a control apparatus network-connected to one or a plurality of safety devices, wherein each safety device has a memory part for keeping device identification information that specifies a device itself, and the support program makes the computer execute:
a step to refer, in each network, to a connection setting list that defines a network address of a safety device belonging to the network, and obtain status information respectively from the one or a plurality of safety devices network-connected with the control apparatus;
a step to selects, based on the status information of each safety device, the safety device to which the device identification information is to be newly set among the one or a plurality of safety devices to which the status information is obtained; and
a step to determine and set corresponding device identification information for each of the selected safety devices in accordance with an instruction from a user based on network identification information set for the network to which each safety d

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Kawaharada Akio
• Takuma Nobuyuki
• Suganuma Hiromu
• Fujimura Ryosuke
• Kubo Hiroko

Classifications

• G05B19/4185 Primary

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• G05B19/0423

  Input/output · CPC title

• G05B9/02

  electric · CPC title

• G06F21/554

  involving event detection and direct action · CPC title