Control system, control method, master device, and control device

A control method by which a plurality of slave devices connected to a master device through a network can each control a device to be controlled, the method comprising:

• transmitting, from the master device to the slave devices side, a control command for the slave devices to control a device to be controlled and a flag that have two or more values;
• receiving on the slave device side the control command and flag transmitted by the transmitting of a control command;
• storing the control command received by the receiving of a control command and flag in a slave devices side storage section in the case where the flag received by the receiving of a control command and flag has a specified value;
• transmitting, from the master device to slave devices side, a control start command for the slave devices to simultaneously start performing control based on the control command transmitted by the transmitting of a control command;
• receiving the control start command transmitted by the transmitting of a control start command;
• and
• performing, on the slave devices side, control of the device to be controlled based on the control command stored in the storage section using the control start command as a trigger.

A control device comprising:

• a reception section that receives a control command for controlling a device to be controlled and a flag that have two or more values which are transmitted from a master device connected thereto through a network;
• a control command storage section that stores the control command received by the reception section in a storage section in the case where the flag received by the reception section has a specified value;
• and
• a first control start section that receives the control start command transmitted from the master device and starts performing control of the device to be controlled based on the control command stored in the storage section using the control start command as a trigger.