Control device and control method to control operations and transmitting data in multi-processor control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9639077-B2
Application number	US-201314136126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Jan 15, 2013
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A control device efficiently performs priority-dependent data transmission through a communication line and a control method aimed at the priority-dependent data transmission. The control device includes a transmitter that transmits data as a frame to another unit through the communication line and a generator that generates the data to be transmitted to another unit. When the higher-priority data to be transmitted is generated in a receiver or a controller while the transmitter transmits a first frame, the transmitter transmits a second frame including the higher-priority data to be transmitted after transmitting a first frame up to a predetermined block.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device constituting at least a part of a control system, the control device comprising a plurality of units connected to each other through a communication line,
wherein each of the plurality of units comprises:
a controller;
a receiver configured to receive data from another unit through the communication line, the data being transmitted as a frame that is constructed by one or a plurality of blocks and comprises information indicating a priority of the data comprised in the frame;
a transmitter configured to transmit the data as the frame to another unit through the communication line; and
a generator configured to generate the data to be transmitted to another unit,
wherein the transmitter transmits a second frame comprising the higher-priority data to be transmitted after being interrupted from transmitting an un-transmitted portion of a first frame comprising
lower-priority data up to a predetermined block, when the higher-priority data to be transmitted is generated in the receiver or the controller while the transmitter transmits the first frame.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter interrupts the transmission of the un-transmitted portion of the first frame until the transmission of the second frame.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter discards the un-transmitted portion of the first frame.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter transmits the second frame in advance of a third frame waiting to be transmitted, when the third frame exists at the generation of the data to be transmitted, and when the priority of the data comprised in the third frame is lower than the priority of the data to be transmitted.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein the transmitter transmits the second frame after transmitting the third frame waiting to be transmitted, when the third frame exists at the generation of the data to be transmitted, and when the priority of the data comprised in the third frame is equal to the priority of the data to be transmitted.

6. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of units comprises:
a plurality of buffers; and
a determination section configured to determine a buffer in which at least one of the data comprised in the frame received by the receiver and the data generated by the generator is stored based on the information indicating the priority of the data.

7. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein the generator adds the information indicating the priority to the generated data according to a data type.

8. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein the generator adds the information indicating the priority to the generated data according to a data type.

9. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of units comprises:
a plurality of buffers; and
a determination section configured to determine a buffer in which at least one of the data comprised in the frame received by the receiver and the data generated by the generator is stored based on the information indicating the priority of the data.

10. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein the generator adds the information indicating the priority to the generated data according to a data type.

11. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter transmits the second frame after transmitting the third frame waiting to be transmitted, when the third frame exists at the generation of the data to be transmitted, and when the priority of the data comprised in the third frame is equal to the priority of the data to be transmitted.

12. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of units comprises:
a plurality of buffers; and
a determination section configured to determine a buffer in which at least one of the data comprised in the frame received by the receiver and the data generated by the generator is stored based on the information indicating the priority of the data.

13. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the generator adds the information indicating the priority to the generated data according to a data type.

14. A control method in a control system in which at least a part of the control system is constructed by a control device, the control device comprising a plurality of units connected to each other through a communication line,
the control method comprising:
receiving, by a first unit in the plurality of units, data from another unit in the plurality of units, through the communication line, the data being transmitted as a frame, each frame being constructed by one or a plurality of blocks and comprising information indicating a priority of the data comprised in the frame;
transmitting, by the first unit in the plurality of units, the data as the frame to another unit in the plurality of units through the communication line;
generating, by the first unit in the plurality of units, the data to be transmitted to another unit in the plurality of units; and
transmitting, by the first unit in the plurality of units, a second frame comprising the higher-priority data to be transmitted after being interrupted from transmitting an un-transmitted portion of a first frame comprising
lower-priority data up to a predetermined block, when the higher-priority data to be transmitted is generated while the first unit transmits the frame to another unit in the plurality of units.

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Mizutani Seiji

Classifications

• H04L49/90

  Buffering arrangements · CPC title

• G05B19/04 Primary

  Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers (G05B19/418 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/05

  Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts · CPC title

• Y02P90/18

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G05B2219/15072

  Modules in daisy chain, connected by parallel cable · CPC title