Input unit, control system, communication method, and recording medium
AssigneeMitsubishi Electric Corporation
InventorTomoya FURUKAWA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An input unit (20) is connectable to a programmable controller (10) and an output unit (30) to share a shared time with the programmable controller (10) and the output unit (30). The input unit (20) includes a data sharer (220) that shares, in a periodic time segment defined by the shared time, data in a storage area (214) with the programmable controller (10) and the output unit (30), and an input (240) that acquires input information input from an input device (20A). The data sharer (220) transmits, in the periodic time segment, transmission information to the output unit (30). The transmission information is the input information or indicates a result of a predetermined computation process performed on the input information.
Claims8
An input unit connectable to a programmable controller and an output unit through a network and to an input device to share a shared time with the programmable controller and the output unit, the input unit comprising:
- first data sharing circuitry to share data in a first storage area in a first storage with the programmable controller and the output unit by, in a periodic time segment defined by the shared time, (i) transmitting data stored in an area allocated to the input unit in the first storage area to the programmable controller and the output unit, (ii) receiving data from each of the programmable controller and the output unit, and (iii) storing the received data into an area allocated to each of the programmable controller and the output unit in the first storage area;
- and
- input circuitry to acquire input information input from the input device and storing the acquired input information into the area allocated to the input unit in the first storage area, wherein
- the first data sharing circuitry transmits, in the periodic time segment, transmission information to the output unit, and the transmission information is the input information or indicates a result of a predetermined computation process performed on the input information.
A communication method to be implemented with an input unit connectable to a programmable controller and an output unit to share a shared time with the programmable controller and the output unit, the communication method comprising:
- sharing data in a storage area in a storage with the programmable controller and the output unit by, in a periodic time segment defined by the shared time, (i) transmitting data stored in an area allocated to the input unit in the storage area to the programmable controller and the output unit, (ii) receiving data from each of the programmable controller and the output unit, and (iii) storing the received data into an area allocated to each of the programmable controller and the output unit in the storage area;
- acquiring input information input from outside and storing the acquired input information into the area allocated to the input unit in the storage area;
- and
- transmitting, to the output unit, in the periodic time segment, transmission information being the input information or indicating a result of a predetermined computation process performed on the input information.
A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program to be executed by an input unit connectable to a programmable controller and an output unit to share a shared time with the programmable controller and the output unit, the program causing the input unit to perform operations comprising:
- sharing data in a storage area in a storage with the programmable controller and the output unit by, in a periodic time segment defined by the shared time, (i) transmitting data stored in an area allocated to the input unit in the storage area to the programmable controller and the output unit, (ii) receiving data from each of the programmable controller and the output unit, and (iii) storing the received data into an area allocated to each of the programmable controller and the output unit in the storage area;
- acquiring input information input from outside and storing the acquired input information into the area allocated to the input unit in the storage area;
- and
- transmitting, to the output unit, in the periodic time segment, transmission information being the input information or indicating a result of a predetermined computation process performed on the input information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.