Control system, control method and extension board

{
  "publication_number": "US10209696B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Control system, control method and extension board",
  "abstract": "A control system, includes a master control device configured to control a first controlled object based on time information output from a first clock unit, and a slave control device connected to the master control device via a network and configured to control a second controlled object different from the first controlled object based on control information transmitted from the master control device and time information output from a second clock unit. The time information of the first clock unit and the time information of the second clock unit are time-synchronized.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A control system, comprising: a master control device configured to control a first controlled object based on time information output from a first clock unit; and a slave control device connected to the master control device via a network and configured to control a second controlled object different from the first controlled object based on control information transmitted from the master control device and time information output from a second clock unit, wherein the time information of the first clock unit and the time information of the second clock unit are time-synchronized, the master control device generates and transmits the control information including an operation command relating to an operation of the second controlled object, the slave control device returns the control information transmitted from the master control device after receiving the control information and performing input and output processing to read and write data for the control information during the passage of the control information, and receives the operation command by the input and output processing, the slave control device samples a count value of the second clock unit as the time information to perform time synchronization processing, the master control device performs the time synchronization based on the control information returned from the slave control device, a plurality of the slave control devices are provided, the master control device transmits the operation command and starts an operation of the first controlled object by generating a first interrupt signal after all the slave control devices read the operation command from the control information, the slave control device starts the operation of the second controlled object by generating a second interrupt signal in synchronization with the first interrupt signal, and output of the first interrupt signal is prohibited until the elapse of half of one cycle in which the control information is transmitted from the master control device to the slave control device and then returned to the master control device.",
    "2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: a plurality of the slave control devices are provided and the control information transmitted from the master control device passes through the slave control devices in order, is turned over and is returned to the master control device by passing through the slave control devices in a reverse order; and one of the first and second clock units serves as a reference clock unit and the clock units other than the reference clock unit are time-synchronized with the reference clock unit.",
    "3. The control system according to claim 2, wherein: the reference clock unit is the first clock unit of the master control device.",
    "4. The control system according to claim 2, wherein: the reference clock unit is the second clock unit of the slave control device configured to first receive the control information from the master control device.",
    "5. A control method to control a first controlled object by a master control device and control a second controlled object different from the first controlled object by a slave control device connected to the master control device via a network, comprising: controlling the first controlled object by the master control device based on time information output from a first clock unit; transmitting control information from the master control device; controlling the second controlled object based on the control information transmitted from the master control device and time information output from a second clock unit; and time-synchronizing the time information of the first clock unit and the time information of the second clock unit, wherein the master control device generates and transmits the control information including an operation command relating to an operation of the second controlled object, the slave control device returns the control information transmitted from the master control device after receiving the control information and performing input and output processing to read and write data for the control information during the passage of the control information, and receives the operation command by the input and output processing, the slave control device samples a count value of the second clock unit as the time information to perform time synchronization processing, the master control device performs the time-synchronizing based on the control information returned from the slave control device, a plurality of the slave control devices are provided, the master control device transmits the operation command and starts an operation of the first controlled object by generating a first interrupt signal after all the slave control devices read the operation command from the control information, the slave control device starts the operation of the second controlled object by generating a second interrupt signal in synchronization with the first interrupt signal, and output of the first interrupt signal is prohibited until the elapse of half of one cycle in which the control information is transmitted from the master control device to the slave control device and then returned to the master control device.",
    "6. An extension board freely attachable to a master control device to control a first controlled object, comprising: a first clock unit configured to output time information to control the first controlled object; a communication unit configured to transmit control information to control a second controlled object different from the first controlled object by a slave control device connected to the master control device via a network to the slave control device; and a time synchronization unit configured to time-synchronize the time information of the first clock unit and time information of a second clock unit provided in the slave control device and configured to output the time information to control the second controlled object, wherein the master control device generates, and transmits by the communication unit, the control information including an operation command relating to an operation of the second controlled object, the slave control device returns the control information transmitted from the master control device after receiving the control information and performing input and output processing to read and write data for the control information during the passage of the control information, and receives the operation command by the input and output processing, the slave control device samples a count value of the second clock unit as the time information to perform time synchronization processing, the master control device performs, by the time synchronization unit, the time synchronization based on the control information returned from the slave control device, a plurality of the slave control devices are provided, the master control device transmits the operation command and starts an operation of the first controlled object by generating a first interrupt signal after all the slave control devices read the operation command from the control information, the slave control device starts the operation of the second controlled object by generating a second interrupt signal in synchronization with the first interrupt signal, and output of the first interrupt signal is prohibited until the elapse of half of one cycle in which the control information is transmitted from the master control device to the slave control device and then returned to the master control device."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This technical field relates to a control system and a control method to control a first controlled object by a master control device and control a second controlled object different from the first controlled object by a slave control device connected to the master control device via a network, and an extension board suitable for this control technology.\n\nA number of control systems in which a master such as a PLC (=Programmable Logical Controller) or an IPC (=Industrial PC) controls a single or a plurality of controlled objects (slaves) via a network have been conventionally provided. For example, in a control system described in JP5394283, a ring topology is created by connecting a single master and a plurality of slaves (robots including a servo amplifier and a servo motor) using an EtherCAT (registered trademark) which is a real-time Ethernet. The master and the slaves include two communication ports, the ring topology is created by connecting these communication ports and a control packet generated by the master passes through all the slaves in order via the above communication ports and is turned over to return to the master again in an order opposite to the above one. This is repeated as one cycle and each slave reads an operation command included in the control packet and controls the robot.\n\nIn recent years, there has been studied a control system in which a ring topology is created by connecting a plurality of controllers to control robots to each other by a network and each robot is controlled without using a PLC or an IPC by causing one of the plurality of controllers to function as a master.",
  "cpc": [
    "G05B 19/05",
    "B25J 9/0084",
    "B25J 9/161",
    "B25J 9/1682",
    "G05B 19/4148",
    "G05B 2219/1215",
    "G05B 2219/25049",
    "G05B 2219/25483",
    "G05B 2219/33213",
    "G05B 2219/34342",
    "G05B 2219/34359",
    "G05B 2219/34397",
    "H04J 3/0667",
    "H04L 12/40019",
    "Y10S 901/06"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B25J 9/00",
    "B25J 9/16",
    "G05B 19/05",
    "G05B 19/414",
    "H04L 12/40"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Yamaha Motor Co Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Takayoshi Fujita"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2015-10-14",
  "publication_date": "2019-02-19",
  "grant_date": "2019-02-19",
  "priority_date": "2014-10-31",
  "application_number": "US-201514882962-A",
  "family_id": "54251904",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
  "citations": [
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  ]
}