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US 8,170,694 B2Granted
Network unit and programmable controller using the same
AssigneeMitsubishi Electric Corporation
InventorMasato Nakamura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A network unit in a programmable controller of a building block mutually connects an information system network and a control system network. The network unit includes transfer analyzing units that judge to which of interface units received data received from the information system network and the control system network should be allocated. Moreover, received data that needs to be transferred is converted into predetermined data by conversion processing units included in the networks and output to the information system network or the control system network without being transmitted to a system bus.
Claims8
A network unit that is used as a block unit, in a first programmable controller as a gateway of a building block type, which monitors manufacturing facilities arranged on a manufacturing line and controls operations of the manufacturing facilities, and mutually connects an information system network for connecting at least one node including a monitoring apparatus and the first programmable controller and a control system network for connecting the first programmable controller and a plurality of second programmable controllers, the network unit comprising:
- an information-system interface unit connected to the information system network;
- a control-system interface unit connected to the control system network;
- a bus interface unit connected to a system bus of the first programmable controller, wherein the system bus is connected to:
- a power supply unit;
- a memory unit;
- an I/O unit that is connected to the manufacturing facilities;
- and
- a CPU unit;
- an information storing unit configured to store therein allocation information as a reference in allocating data received by the information-system interface unit or the control-system interface unit to any one of the information-system interface unit, the control-system interface unit, and the bus interface unit according to transmission destination information included in the received data;
- an information-system allocation unit that allocates, based on the transmission destination information included in the data received by the information-system interface unit and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, the data received by the information-system interface unit to one of a control-system-conversion processing unit and a transmission arbitrating unit, wherein the information-system allocation unit includes:
- an information system-transfer analyzing unit configured to judge, based on the transmission destination information included in the received data and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, to which of the control-system interface unit and the bus interface unit the received data should be allocated;
- and
- an information-system-data allocating unit configured to allocate the received data to the control-system-conversion processing unit or the transmission arbitrating unit based on a result of the judgment of the information-system-transfer analyzing unit;
- a control-system allocation unit that allocates, based on the transmission destination information included in data received by the control-system interface unit and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, the data received by the control-system interface unit to one of an information-system-conversion processing unit and the transmission arbitrating unit, wherein the control-system allocation unit includes:
- a control system-transfer analyzing unit configured to judge, based on the transmission destination information included in the received data and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, to which of the information-system interface unit and the bus interface unit the received data should be allocated;
- and
- a control-system-data allocating unit configured to allocate the received data to the information-system-conversion processing unit or the transmission arbitrating unit based on a result of the judgment of the control-system-transfer analyzing unit, wherein
- the control-system-conversion processing unit is configured to convert the received data allocated to the control-system-conversion processing unit by the information-system allocation unit into data corresponding to a protocol in the control system network and outputs the data to the control-system interface unit, wherein
- the information-system-conversion processing unit is configured to convert the received data allocated to the information-system-conversion processing unit by the control-system allocation unit into data corresponding to a protocol in the information system network and outputs the data to the information-system interface unit, wherein
- the transmission arbitrating unit is configured to arbitrate the respective received data allocated to the transmission arbitrating unit by the information-system allocation unit and the control-system allocation unit, respectively, not to overlap each other,
- wherein the network unit is provided in the first programmable controller.
18 more elements
A programmable controller of a building block type comprising:
- a system bus;
- a central processing unit connected to the system bus, an I/0 unit connected to the system bus and connected to an input and output device of a manufacturing facility;
- and
- a network unit connected to an information system network and a control system network, the programmable controller monitoring manufacturing facilities arranged on a manufacturing line to control operations of the manufacturing facilities and mutually connecting the information system network and the control system network, wherein
- the network unit comprises:
- an information-system interface unit connected to the information system network;
- a control-system interface unit connected to the control system network;
- a bus interface unit connected to the system bus of the programmable controller;
- an information storing unit configured to store therein allocation information as a reference in allocating data received by the information-system interface unit or the control-system interface unit to any one of the information-system interface unit, the control-system interface unit, and the bus interface unit according to transmission destination information included in the received data;
- an information-system allocation unit that allocates, based on the transmission destination information included in the data received by the information-system interface unit and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, the data received by the information-system interface unit to one of a control-system-conversion processing unit and a transmission arbitrating unit, wherein the information-system allocation unit includes:
- an information system-transfer analyzing unit configured to judge, based on the transmission destination information included in the received data and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, to which of the control-system interface unit and the bus interface unit the received data should be allocated;
- and
- an information-system-data allocating unit configured to allocate the received data to the control-system-conversion processing unit or the transmission arbitrating unit based on a result of the judgment of the information-system-transfer analyzing unit;
- a control-system allocation unit that allocates, based on the transmission destination information included in data received by the control-system interface unit and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, the data received by the control-system interface unit to one of an information-system-conversion processing unit and the transmission arbitrating unit, wherein the control-system allocation unit includes:
- a control system-transfer analyzing unit configured to judge, based on the transmission destination information included in the received data and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, to which of the information-system interface unit and the bus interface unit the received data should be allocated;
- and
- a control-system-data allocating unit configured to allocate the received data to the information-system-conversion processing unit or the transmission arbitrating unit based on a result of the judgment of the control-system-transfer analyzing unit, wherein
- the control-system-conversion processing unit is configured to convert the received data allocated to the control-system-conversion processing unit by the information-system allocation unit into data corresponding to a protocol in the control system network and outputs the data to the control-system interface unit, wherein
- the information-system-conversion processing unit is configured to convert the received data allocated to the information-system-conversion processing unit by the control-system allocation unit into data corresponding to a protocol in the information system network and outputs the data to the information-system interface unit, wherein
- the transmission arbitrating unit is configured to arbitrate the respective received data allocated to the transmission arbitrating unit by the information-system allocation unit and the control-system allocation unit, respectively, not to overlap each other.
17 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.