JP7247793B2 - signal processor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a signal processing device and the like for processing electrical signals.

Conventionally, there have been three-wire electric devices (sensors, etc.) that transmit and receive communication data in addition to detection information. Such electrical equipment requires at least two power lines and one signal line for power supply and signal input/output. One of the three-wire communication methods is IO-Link (registered trademark). Non-Patent Document 1 is the specification of IO-Link.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-12906 (published on January 24, 2019) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-151915 (published on September 27, 2018)

“IO-Link Interface and System Specification”, version 1.1.2, July 2013, IO-Link Community, Order No: 10.002, 4 Overview of SDCI, p32-p37

However, the technique of Non-Patent Document 1 has a problem that the number of wirings increases. Further, in the technique of Non-Patent Document 1, for example, the sensor converts the detection signal of the sensor into communication data and transmits the communication data to the outside. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes longer for the external device to recognize the detection signal due to the conversion process, or the circuit configuration of the sensor and the external device becomes complicated.

On the other hand, as an example of a technology for reducing the number of wirings, it is conceivable to reduce the number of wirings by using a superimposed signal obtained by superimposing a signal related to an operating element on a data signal for communication (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

By the way, when introducing a series of systems using superimposed signals, from the viewpoint of improving the reliability of the system, predetermined information obtained from downstream equipment that drives the operating elements is communicated using superimposed signals. , is required to be fed back to the upstream device.

An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a signal processing device and the like.

The present invention adopts the following configuration as an example of the present disclosure in order to solve the above-described problems.

That is, a signal processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a signal processing device that mediates communication between an electrical device that operates downstream of a communication system and a device control device that controls one or more of the electrical devices upstream. A first computing unit that generates a signal to be superimposed that indicates at least first information; a superimposing circuit that generates a superimposed signal on which a signal to be superimposed is superimposed, wherein the first calculation unit is configured such that a second calculation unit that generates the signal to be superimposed indicating at least second information is in an active state. during a period in which the superimposition target signal is not generated, and during a period in which the second computation unit is in a standby state, the superimposition target signal is generated, and the first computation unit and the first 2 operation part operates with electric power for generating the operation signal.

According to this configuration, the first calculation section and the second calculation section operate by power consumed when the operation signal is generated. Therefore, if the first calculation section and the second calculation section are active at the same time, the current waveform of the operating signal generated by receiving the power supply is affected, and there is a risk that the operating signal cannot be transmitted and received normally. be. On the other hand, according to the above-described configuration, while the second computing section is in the active state, the first computing section performs signal processing to generate the superimposition target signal that consumes a relatively large amount of power. First, the signal processing is performed while the second calculation unit is in the standby state. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the extent to which the current waveform of the operating signal is affected by the operations of the first calculating section and the second calculating section, thereby preventing the above-described risk from occurring. For example, it becomes possible to feed back the second information in addition to the first information to an upstream equipment control device by superimposed signal communication without disturbing the current waveform of the operating signal. As a result, there is an effect of improving the reliability of a communication system that performs communication using superimposed signals.

In the signal processing device according to the aspect, the signal processing device further includes an information storage unit that stores, as the first information, identification information for identifying the signal processing device, and the first calculation unit stores the The signal to be superimposed may be generated by reading the first information from the information storage unit.

According to this configuration, by storing, for example, the identification information of the signal processing device as the first information in the information storage unit, the identification information can be transmitted to the equipment control device by the superimposed signal. Become. Therefore, even an electrical device that does not support superimposed signal transmission can be used in combination with a signal processing device to construct a system capable of transmitting and receiving information such as identification information using a superimposed signal. Play.

In the signal processing device according to the one aspect, the second calculation unit may generate the second information based on information indicating at least one of the state of the electrical equipment and the surrounding environment.

According to this configuration, the second information indicating at least one of the state of the electrical equipment and the surrounding environment can be transmitted to the equipment control device by means of the superimposed signal. It becomes possible to recognize failures and signs of failures. In addition, by recognizing the status of equipment and devices, it becomes possible to improve reliability by analyzing information.

In the signal processing device according to the one aspect, the first calculation unit includes a serial communication unit that performs serial communication with the second calculation unit, and the superposition circuit receives the first signal received from the first calculation unit. A signal to be superimposed or the second signal to be superimposed received from the second calculation unit may be superimposed on the operation signal to generate a superimposed signal.

According to this configuration, when the first signal to be superimposed is received from the first calculation unit, the superimposition signal superimposed with the first signal to be superimposed is output, and the second signal to be superimposed is output from the second calculation unit. The superimposing circuit can be configured to output a superimposed signal superimposed with the second signal to be superimposed when the signal is being received.

In addition, since the first calculation unit can transmit various information to the second calculation unit through serial communication, for example, the first calculation unit can transmit the first information to the second calculation unit through serial communication. The calculation unit can generate a signal to be superimposed that includes the first information and the second information. Also, for example, the first calculation unit can transmit a threshold value that the second calculation unit refers to when generating the second information to the second calculation unit through serial communication. This allows the first calculation unit to cause the second calculation unit to generate the second information according to the determination based on the specified threshold.

In the signal processing device according to the one aspect, the first calculation unit includes a serial communication unit that performs serial communication with the second calculation unit, and the second calculation unit receives the second data from the second calculation unit through the serial communication. The signal to be superimposed, which indicates at least information, may be generated, and the superimposing circuit may generate a superimposed signal by superimposing the signal to be superimposed received from the first calculation unit on the operation signal.

According to this configuration, since the first calculation unit receives the second information through serial communication and generates the signal to be superimposed, the signal to be superimposed generated by the second calculation unit can be transmitted to the superimposition circuit. can be eliminated. Therefore, complication of the circuit configuration in the signal processing device can be suppressed.

In the signal processing device according to the one aspect, the first calculation unit transmits to the second calculation unit an on/off signal indicating a period during which the generation of the first signal to be superimposed is performed. 2 receiving an on-off signal indicating a period for executing the generation of the second signal to be superimposed from the second calculating unit, and the superimposing circuit receives the first signal to be superimposed received from the first calculating unit, or the A superimposed signal may be generated by superimposing the second signal to be superimposed received from the second calculation unit on the operation signal.

According to this configuration, it is possible to transfer the right of communication by simply preparing two signal lines for transmitting and receiving on/off signals between the first computation unit and the second computation unit. Such on/off signal transmission/reception can be realized by, for example, a general-purpose input/output port provided even in an inexpensive MPU, so that the signal processing device having the configuration described above can be realized at low cost.

In the signal processing device according to the one aspect, the second calculation unit may be built in the electric device, or may be built in a sensor device separate from the electric device.

According to this configuration, when the second calculation unit is built in the electrical equipment, various information indicating the state of the electrical equipment can be generated as the second information. Further, when the second calculation unit is built in a sensor device that is separate from the electrical device, information on the surrounding environment of the electrical device is generated as the second information based on the sensing result obtained by the sensor device. can be done.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a signal processing device and the like capable of improving the reliability of a system using superimposed signals.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electrical device and an input unit according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a communication system according to one aspect of the present invention; FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of an electric device. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an input unit; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a signal waveform typically. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an application scene of a signal processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a signal processing device and electrical equipment according to a configuration example (1) that is one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified correspondence relationship between an operation sequence of each calculation unit and power consumption according to configuration example (1); 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the signal processing device and electrical equipment according to configuration example (1). FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a signal processing device and electrical equipment according to configuration example (2), which is one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified correspondence relationship between the operation sequence of each calculation unit and power consumption according to configuration example (2); 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the signal processing device and electrical equipment according to configuration example (2). FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a signal processing device and an electric device according to Configuration Example (3), which is one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a circuit example of each handshake communication unit; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of changes over time in REQ signals, ACK signals, and communication rights; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified correspondence relationship between the operation sequence of each part of the communication calculation unit and the superimposition circuit and the power consumption; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device; It is a figure which shows the operation sequence of a communication calculating part and each diagnostic calculating part.

[Embodiment 1]
(Configuration of communication system 1)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication system of this embodiment. The communication system 1 includes a PC 2 (personal computer, information processing device), a controller 3, an input unit 4, an output unit 5, and electric devices 6-10. PC 2 is connected to controller 3 . The PC 2 receives information about the electrical devices 6 to 10 from the controller 3 and sends control commands to the controller 3 . Controller 3 is connected to input unit 4 and output unit 5 . The controller 3 sends signals to the input unit 4 and the output unit 5 to operate or control the electrical appliances 6-10 according to the control instructions. The controller 3 transmits signals from the electrical devices 6-10 received via the input unit 4 or the output unit 5 to the PC2.

The input unit 4 (receiving device) is connected to electrical devices 6 , 7 . Each of the electrical devices 6, 7 is connected to the input unit 4 by a pair of signal lines. The input unit 4 operates the electrical devices 6 , 7 and transmits signals received from the electrical devices 6 , 7 to the controller 3 .

The electric appliances 6 , 7 are operated by the power supplied from the input unit 4 and transmit signals to the input unit 4 according to the states of operating elements included in the electric appliances 6 , 7 . Here, the electrical device 6 is a limit switch comprising a switch as operating element. The electrical device 7 is a sensor that includes sensing elements as operating elements.

The output unit 5 (receiving device) is connected to electrical devices 8-10. Each of the electrical devices 8-10 is connected to the output unit 5 by a pair of signal lines. The output unit 5 operates and controls the electrical devices 8 to 10 based on instructions from the PC 2 and the controller 3 . The output unit 5 also transmits signals received from the electrical devices 8 to 10 to the controller 3 .

The electrical appliances 8 - 10 are operated by power supplied from the output unit 5 and controlled by control signals received from the output unit 5 . Here, the electrical device 8 is a relay device including a coil as an operating element. The electrical device 9 is an electromagnetic valve including a coil as an operating element. The electrical device 10 is an electric actuator including coils as operating elements.

(Configuration of electrical device 6 and input unit 4)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electrical equipment 6 and the input unit 4. As shown in FIG. Here, the electric device 6 (limit switch) and the input unit 4 will be described as an example. The electrical equipment 6 and the input unit 4 are connected to each other by a pair of signal lines 21,22. The signal line 21 is connected to the first input terminal 31 of the input unit 4 and the first terminal 11 of the electrical equipment 6 . The signal line 22 is connected to the second input terminal 32 of the input unit 4 and the second terminal 12 of the electrical equipment 6 . A power supply 20 is provided along the path of the signal line 21 . The power supply 20 is a DC power supply that generates a predetermined voltage (here, 24V).

The electrical device 6 includes a first terminal 11 , a second terminal 12 , an operating element 13 , a potential difference generating circuit 14 and a transmitting circuit 15 . The transmission circuit 15 includes a step-down circuit 16 , a data generation circuit 17 , a superimposition circuit 18 and a diagnosis circuit 19 . The operating element 13 is connected between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 . The potential difference generating circuit 14 is connected in series with the operating element 13 in the current path between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 . The potential of the second terminal 12 changes according to the state of the operating element 13 . That is, the second terminal 12 outputs an output signal (operation signal) corresponding to the state of the operation element 13 to the outside (signal line 22).

The transmission circuit 15 is connected between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 . The transmission circuit 15 operates using the voltage between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 as a power supply. The step-down circuit 16 steps down the voltage between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 to a predetermined voltage and outputs the predetermined voltage to the data generation circuit 17 . The data generation circuit 17 operates with the voltage applied from the step-down circuit 16 and generates transmission data to be transmitted to the input unit 4 . The transmission data includes, for example, an identifier (ID information) unique to the electrical equipment 6 . The data generation circuit 17 outputs transmission data to the superimposition circuit 18 . The superimposition circuit 18 superimposes the received transmission data on the output signal as a data signal. As a result, the transmission circuit 15 outputs a superimposed signal obtained by superimposing the data signal on the output signal from the second terminal 12 to the signal line 22 .

The diagnostic circuit 19 operates with the voltage applied from the step-down circuit 16 and generates diagnostic data representing diagnostic information of the electrical equipment 6 . The diagnostic circuit 19 includes a check circuit for elements (for example, the operation element 13) of the electric device 6, and generates diagnostic data indicating whether the electric device 6 is normal or not according to whether the output of the check circuit is normal or not. . The diagnostic circuit 19 outputs diagnostic data (diagnostic information) to the data generation circuit 17 . The data generation circuit 17 may include diagnostic data in the transmission data.

The input unit 4 comprises a first input terminal 31 , a second input terminal 32 , an input circuit 33 , an extraction circuit 34 , an error detection circuit 35 and a unit control circuit 36 . In FIG. 1, illustration of the configuration of the transmission portion to the controller 3 is omitted. The potential of the first input terminal 31 is kept constant (eg, GND). A superimposed signal is input to the second input terminal 32 from the signal line 22 .

The input circuit 33 extracts an output signal from the superimposed signal and outputs the output signal to the unit control circuit 36 . The extraction circuit 34 extracts the data signal from the superimposed signal and outputs the data signal to the error detection circuit 35 . Error detection circuit 35 performs error detection on the data signal using any data checking method such as CRC check (cyclic redundancy check) or Manchester code check. The error detection circuit 35 outputs the data signal and the error detection result to the unit control circuit 36 . Note that the error detection circuit 35 does not have to output the data signal to the unit control circuit 36 when an error is detected from the data signal. Unit control circuit 36 outputs an output signal and a data signal to controller 3 . The error detection circuit 35 and the unit control circuit 36 can be configured by one integrated circuit or multiple integrated circuits, for example.

(Circuit Configuration of Electric Device 6)
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the electrical equipment 6. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, illustration of the diagnostic circuit 19 is omitted. Potential difference generating circuit 14 includes a diode D1. Diode D1 is a Zener diode. Here, the operating element 13 is a mechanical switch SW. In the conducting path between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12, the diode D2, the diode D1, and the switch SW are arranged in series in this order. The anode of diode D2 is connected to first terminal 11 . The cathode of diode D1 is connected to first terminal 11 through diode D2.

The step-down circuit 16 is arranged between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 in parallel with the diode D1 and the switch SW.

The data generation circuit 17 includes an MPU (micro processing unit) and an output switching circuit 17a. A constant stepped-down voltage (for example, 2.5 V) is supplied as a power supply from the step-down circuit 16 to the MPU and the output switching circuit 17a. The MPU generates transmission data and outputs the transmission data to the superimposing circuit 18 via the output switching circuit 17a. A voltage at a node between the switch SW and the diode D1 is input to the output switching circuit 17a. The output switching circuit 17a determines whether the switch SW is ON or OFF from the voltage. The output switching circuit 17a changes the output destination of transmission data according to ON/OFF of the switch SW. The output switching circuit 17a outputs transmission data to the base terminal of the transistor TR1 when the switch SW is ON. The output switching circuit 17a outputs transmission data to the resistor R1 when the switch SW is OFF.

Superposition circuit 18 includes resistor R1, diode D3, and transistor TR1. Diode D3 is a Zener diode. One end of the resistor R1 is connected to the output switching circuit 17a, and the other end of the resistor R1 is connected to the second terminal 12.

A base terminal of the transistor TR1 is connected to the output switching circuit 17a. The emitter terminal of transistor TR1 is connected to first terminal 11 via diode D2, and the collector terminal of transistor TR1 is connected to the cathode of diode D3. The anode of diode D3 is connected to a node between switch SW and diode D1.

Diode D2 is a protection element and can be omitted.

(Circuit configuration of input unit 4)
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the input unit 4. As shown in FIG. Here, the input circuit 33 and the extraction circuit 34 of the input unit 4 are shown. The anode of the diode D11, which is a protective element, is connected to the second input terminal 32. As shown in FIG.

The input circuit 33 includes resistors R41-R42, a diode D41, a transistor TR41, and a sensing circuit 33a. Diode D41 is a Zener diode. The collector terminal of transistor TR41 is connected to the cathode of diode D11, and the emitter terminal of transistor TR41 is connected to one end of resistor R41. The other end of resistor R41 is connected to first input terminal 31 . One end of the resistor R42 is connected to the cathode of the diode D11, and the other end of the resistor R42 is connected to the cathode of the diode D41. An anode of the diode D41 is connected to the first input terminal 31 . A base terminal of the transistor TR41 is connected to the other end of the resistor R42. Resistors R41-R42, diode D41, and transistor TR41 form a constant current circuit. When a predetermined voltage or more is applied across the constant current circuit, the current flowing through the constant current circuit becomes constant. Note that the resistor R42, the diode D41, and the transistor TR41 may be omitted, and only the resistor R41 may be connected in parallel to the detection circuit 33a. A constant current circuit may be connected in series with the detection circuit 33a, or only the resistor R41 may be connected in series with the detection circuit 33a.

The detection circuit 33a determines ON/OFF of the switch SW from the voltage between the first input terminal 31 and the second input terminal 32. FIG. The detection circuit 33a outputs a determination result (ON/OFF information of the switch SW).

The extraction circuit 34 includes a capacitor C21, a diode D21, and an operational amplifier AMP21. Diode D21 is a Zener diode. One end of the capacitor C21 is connected to the cathode of the diode D11, and the other end of the capacitor C21 is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier AMP21. The cathode of the diode D21 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier AMP21. An anode of the diode D21 is connected to the first input terminal 31 .

(Operation of electrical device 6 and input unit 4)
The electric device 6 is a limit switch. The switch SW is mechanically switched ON/OFF according to the position of the object. With the first input terminal 31 of the input unit 4 set to 0 V, a constant potential (24 V) is input to the first terminal 11 . The potential of the second terminal 12 changes according to the ON/OFF (conducting/interrupting) state of the switch SW.

When the switch SW is ON, the potential difference across the conductive switch SW is zero. Therefore, the potential of the second terminal 12 becomes a value obtained by voltage drop from the potential of the first terminal 11 by the potential difference generating circuit 14 (diode D1).

When the switch SW is OFF, no current flows through the switch SW and the potential difference generating circuit 14 . Therefore, when the switch SW is OFF, the potential of the second terminal 12 is lower than when the switch SW is ON.

In this manner, the second terminal 12 transmits to the outside an output signal corresponding to the ON/OFF state of the switch SW. If the potential of the output signal is H (High), it indicates that the switch is ON, and if the potential of the output signal is L (Low), it indicates that the switch is OFF. Since the level of the potential of the output signal itself represents the switch state (ON/OFF), the output signal can be said to be an analog signal.

On the other hand, a potential difference is generated across the potential difference generating circuit 14 regardless of the state of the switch SW. Therefore, a voltage of a certain value (for example, 2.5 V) or more is applied to the step-down circuit 16 regardless of whether the switch SW is ON or OFF. Therefore, the step-down circuit 16 can output at least a voltage (2.5 V) that allows the data generation circuit 17 to operate regardless of whether the switch SW is ON or OFF. Therefore, the data generation circuit 17 and the superimposition circuit 18 can operate regardless of whether the switch SW is ON or OFF.

The MPU generates transmission data. The transmission data is digital data. The output switching circuit 17a outputs transmission data as an H/L voltage from an output terminal corresponding to ON/OFF of the switch SW.

When the switch SW is OFF, the output switching circuit 17a outputs transmission data to the resistor R1. The current flowing through the resistor R1 changes according to the voltage output from the output switching circuit 17a. Thereby, the potential of the second terminal 12 also changes according to the H/L of the transmission data. As a result, the transmitted data is superimposed on the output signal as a data signal.

When the switch SW is ON, the output switching circuit 17a outputs transmission data to the base terminal of the transistor TR1. The transistor TR1 is turned on or off according to the H/L of the transmission data. At this time, the current flowing through the diode D3 changes according to the H/L of the transmission data. Thereby, the potential of the second terminal 12 also changes according to the H/L of the transmission data. As a result, the transmitted data is superimposed on the output signal as a data signal. The electrical device 6 outputs a superimposed signal, which is a signal obtained by superimposing the output signal and the data signal, from the second terminal 12 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing an example of signal waveforms. (a) in FIG. 5 shows the case where the cycle of the output signal is longer than the cycle of the data signal, and (b) shows the case where the cycle of the output signal is shorter than the cycle of the data signal. A superimposed signal is obtained by superimposing the output signal and the data signal. The waveform of the superimposed signal is obtained by superimposing the waveform of the output signal and the waveform of the data signal. The amplitude of the output signal is greater than the amplitude of the data signal. Therefore, the value of the original output signal and the value of the data signal can be known from the superimposed signal. When the switch SW is ON, the output signal is H, and when the switch SW is OFF, the output signal is L.

The value of the superimposed signal is divided into L1, L2, H1 and H2 from the lowest. If the superimposed signal is within the L range, the output signal is L. The L range includes L1 and L2. If the superimposed signal is within the H range, which is higher than the L range, the output signal is H. The H range includes H1 and H2. The data signal is L when the superimposed signal is L1 or H1. The data signal is H when the superimposed signal is L2 or H2.

The input unit 4 receives the superimposed signal from the electrical appliance 6 at the second input terminal 32 . The input circuit 33 determines whether the output signal is H or L (whether the switch SW is ON or OFF) from the superimposed signal, and outputs the determination result to the unit control circuit 36 . Specifically, the detection circuit 33a outputs the determination result. Extraction circuit 34 extracts a data signal from the superimposed signal via capacitor C21 and outputs the data signal to error detection circuit 35 . Specifically, the operational amplifier AMP21 outputs a data signal (transmission data). The diode D21 sets a threshold voltage for the operational amplifier AMP21 to determine whether the data signal is H or L.

Resistors R41-R42, diode D41, and transistor TR41 form a constant current circuit. This constant current circuit limits the current input to the second input terminal 32 . This constant current circuit also sets the amplitude of the output signal output by the electrical equipment 6 . Resistor R41 functions similarly when resistor R41 is used instead of this constant current circuit.

(effect)
In the electric device 6, the transmission circuit 15 operates using the voltage of the pair of signal lines 21 and 22 for transmitting the output signal as a power source. The transmission circuit 15 can generate a data signal indicating information other than the output signal indicating the state of the operating element 13 and send it to the input unit 4 . Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the electric device 6 with a separate power supply for operating the transmission circuit 15, nor to connect a separate wiring to the electric device 6 for supplying power. Therefore, the electric device 6 can transmit the output signal and the data signal with less wiring (with one pair of signal lines 21 and 22) than the conventional electric device. In the example of the present embodiment, only the pair of signal lines 21 and 22 are connected to the electric device 6 from the outside.

The transmission circuit 15 is operated by the voltage generated across the potential difference generation circuit 14 connected in series with the operating element 13 . Therefore, regardless of the state of the operating element 13 (whether the switch SW is ON or OFF), the transmission circuit 15 can transmit the data signal to the input unit 4 . The input unit 4 can transmit data signals (transmission data) to upstream equipment (controller 3, PC 2).

Also, the electric device 6 transmits an output signal having a potential corresponding to ON/OFF of the switch SW. Therefore, unlike the conventional technology (IO-Link) that converts the ON/OFF signal into digital communication data, the ON/OFF information of the switch SW can be quickly transmitted to the input unit 4, the controller 3, and the PC 2. can. Moreover, since there is no need to convert the data into communication data, the circuits of the electric device 6 and the input unit 4 can be made smaller and simpler.

If the electrical device 6 has a diagnostic circuit 19, the PC 2 or the controller 3 can detect an abnormality occurring in the electrical device 6 from diagnostic data included in the transmission data. Even when the electrical equipment 6 is still operating normally, the PC 2 can detect signs of failure of the electrical equipment 6 from diagnostic data (for example, ON/OFF switching speed of the switch SW). The PC 2 notifies the user of the detected abnormality (including the sign of failure) by display/audio. This allows the user to replace the electric device 6 before the production line stops abnormally.

Even if the electrical equipment 6 does not have the diagnostic circuit 19, the communication system 1 can detect an abnormality in the following manner. For example, if an abnormality occurs in which the controller 3 cannot detect ON/OFF of the limit switch (electrical device 6), whether an abnormality (disconnection/short circuit) has occurred in the signal lines 21 and 22, or whether the electrical device 6 itself The PC 2 or the controller 3 can determine whether an abnormality has occurred. The electrical device 6 periodically (continuously) transmits the identifier of the electrical device 6 to the input unit 4 as transmission data. For example, the PC 2 or the controller 3 may determine that the signal lines 21 and 22 are abnormal if the identifier cannot be received. The PC 2 or the controller 3 can receive the identifier, but if it cannot detect ON/OFF of the limit switch (the electrical device 6), it may determine that the electrical device 6 itself has an abnormality. The PC 2 can notify the user of the information indicating where the abnormality is by display or voice. As a result, the user can quickly prepare for and execute recovery work, and can shorten the stoppage time of the production line.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments according to one aspect of the present disclosure are described below. For convenience of description, members having the same functions as the members described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

§1 Application Example FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an application scene of the signal processing device 100 according to the present embodiment. The communication system 1 includes a PC 2 (personal computer, information processing device), a controller 3 (device control device), an input unit 4, an output unit 5, and electrical devices 6-10, as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, when there is no need to distinguish between the input unit 4 and the output unit 5, the generic term "input/output unit 52" (equipment control device) is used to conceptually include them. The input/output unit 52, like the input unit 4 and the output unit 5, supports superimposed signal communication. Accordingly, the input/output unit 52 comprises the parts shown in FIG. 1 that the input unit 4 and output unit 5 are equipped to accommodate superimposed signal communication.

In the following, the plurality of electric devices 6 to 10 will be collectively referred to as just the electric device 6, but the description of the electric device 6 also applies to the electric devices 7 to 10.

In this embodiment, the controller 3 is connected to the input/output unit 52 , and can control and monitor the electrical equipment 6 by receiving signals relating to the electrical equipment 6 at the input/output unit 52 . The controller 3 constitutes a device control device that controls or monitors the electrical device 6 together with the input/output unit 52 . In another example, the controller 3 may be integrally provided with the input/output unit 52, and the device control device may be constituted by one unit.

One input/output unit 52 has a plurality of communication ports, is connected to the signal processing devices 100 in the plurality of cable housings 50 through each communication port, and transmits and receives superimposed signals to and from each of the signal processing devices 100. do. This allows the input/output unit 52 to monitor and control multiple electrical devices 6 . That is, the input/output unit 52 can constitute a master module 52A for superimposed signal communication, with each signal processing device 100 as a slave.

In this embodiment, the signal processing device 100 for processing the superimposed signal is provided between the communication cable 51 connecting the input/output unit 52 and the electric device 6 . For this purpose, the signal processing device 100 has a cable housing 50 (housing) having a communication cable-like outer shape electrically connectable to the communication cable 51 .

For example, one downstream end of the cable housing 50 is detachable from the communication cable 51 connected to the electrical device 6 . By connecting the communication cable 51 on the side of the electrical device 6 to one end of the cable housing 50, the signal processing device 100 and the electrical device 6 are electrically connected, and the signal processing device 100 and the electrical device 6 are electrically connected. , it becomes possible to transmit and receive various signals in addition to the operation signal. The cable housing 50 containing the signal processing device 100 and the electric device 6 are connected in a one-to-one relationship.

The other upstream end of the cable housing 50 is connectable to the input/output unit 52 . Specifically, the other end of the cable housing 50 is configured to be attachable/detachable to/from the communication cable 51 connected to the input/output unit 52 . While the communication cable 51 on the input/output unit 52 side is connected to the other end of the cable housing 50, the input/output unit 52 and the signal processing device 100 are electrically connected, and the input/output unit 52 and the signal processing device are electrically connected. 100 can transmit and receive superimposed signals. The superimposed signal transmitted and received between the input/output unit 52 and the signal processing device 100 includes, for example, an operation signal for controlling an operation element of the electric device 6 connected to the signal processing device 100 or a state of the operation element of the electric device 6. and a data signal indicating predetermined information about the electrical equipment 6 or the signal processing device 100 .

In the present embodiment, the signal to be superimposed, which is information to be superimposed on the motion signal, is generated, as an example, to indicate the following predetermined information. Specifically, the signal to be superimposed includes cable information (first information, identification information), device information (identification information), linking information (identification information), diagnostic information (second information), and the like. ing.

The cable information is information including identification information specific to the signal processing device 100 in the cable housing 50 . The cable information includes, for example, a cable type item and a cable ID item. Information indicating the product type of the signal processing device 100 is stored in the cable type item. The item of cable ID stores a serial number for uniquely identifying the signal processing device 100 of the model.

The device information is information including identification information unique to the electrical device 6 . The device information includes, for example, items of device type and device ID. Information indicating the product model of the electrical device 6 is stored in the item of device model. The device ID field stores a serial number for uniquely identifying the electrical device 6 of the model. The electrical device 6 is uniquely identified by the device model and device ID.

The tying information is information indicating the connection relationship between the cable housing 50 (the signal processing device 100) and the electric device 6, and is generated by an input terminal (not shown) such as a smartphone, for example, according to the user's input operation. be. Specifically, the linking information is composed of an item for storing cable information and an item for storing device information.

The diagnostic information is information indicating the status of the electrical equipment 6 , and more specifically, indicates at least one of the status of the electrical equipment 6 and the surrounding environment of the electrical equipment 6 . Diagnostic information is generated by a diagnostic circuit 19 that diagnoses the condition of the electrical equipment 6 .

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing some application examples when the diagnostic circuit 19 is applied to the communication system 1. As shown in FIG. The diagnostic circuit 19 includes a diagnostic computation unit 605 that controls the diagnostic circuit 19 in an integrated manner. It is built in, for example, a sensor device that is separate from the device 6 . Alternatively, the diagnostic circuit 19 may be built in the signal processing device 100 as a built-in diagnostic circuit 19C.

These diagnostic circuits 19 are driven to generate diagnostic information about the electrical equipment 6, and a signal to be superimposed indicating the diagnostic information is superimposed on the operation signal by the superimposition circuit 18 of the signal processing device 100, and the signal is transmitted through the communication cable. 51A to an input/output unit 52, which is a master module 52A for superimposed signal communication. The controller 3 that has acquired the superimposed signal via the master module 52A analyzes the diagnostic information indicated by the superimposition target signal included in the superimposed signal, grasps the status of each electrical device 6, and takes measures according to the situation. becomes possible.

In this embodiment, if necessary, the cable housing 50 may be configured to be connectable to the above-described input terminal at the other end on the upstream side. Specifically, the other end of the cable housing 50 may be detachably connected to an information transfer device (not shown) externally attached to or built into the input terminal. When the other end of the cable housing 50 is not connected to the input/output unit 52, the other end can be connected to an input terminal, more precisely, an information transfer device. While the other end of the cable housing 50 and the input terminal are connected via the information transfer device, the input terminal and the signal processing device 100 are electrically connected, and the input terminal is connected to the signal processing device 100. Data can be sent and received between The input terminal can write and read predetermined information to and from the signal processing device 100 via the information transfer device. Specifically, the information transfer device has a mechanism for writing predetermined information stored in the information storage unit 140 of the signal processing device 100 . The information transfer device may have a mechanism for reading predetermined information stored in the information storage unit 140 of the signal processing device 100 .

The predetermined information written from the information transfer device to the signal processing device 100 is, for example, the device information of the electric device 6 corresponding to the signal processing device 100, or the linking of the device information and the cable information of the signal processing device 100. Information. Furthermore, the information transfer device may write a threshold to the signal processing device 100 that the diagnostic circuit 19 refers to when judging the status of the electrical equipment 6 . The signal processing device 100 supplies the threshold value to each diagnostic circuit 19 of the device built-in diagnostic circuit 19A, the external diagnostic circuit 19B, and the device built-in diagnostic circuit 19C via an appropriate signal line, and sends the threshold to the diagnostic circuit 19. based diagnosis can be made.

By the way, in the signal processing device 100, the communication calculation unit 105 that controls the communication by the superimposed signal and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 that controls the diagnostic circuit 19 operate with electric power for generating the operation signal. The power is supplied from the upstream master module 52A, for example, to the step-down circuit 16 of the signal processing device 100 via one of the signal lines in the communication cable 51A used for communication of the superimposed signal. It is distributed to each part of the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnosis calculation unit 605 . Therefore, when the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 operate in an active state at the same time, the current value of the operation signal generated by receiving the supply of power decreases, resulting in a current waveform (for example, (waveform shown in FIG. 5) is disturbed, and the problem arises that the operation signal cannot be correctly transmitted and received.

Therefore, it is required that each of the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnosis calculation unit 605 can execute a series of processes for generating the signal to be superimposed without disturbing the current waveform of the operating signal.

Therefore, the signal processing device 100 according to an example of the present disclosure includes an electrical device 6 that operates downstream of the communication system 1 and a device control device (the controller 3 and the input/output unit 52) that controls one or more electrical devices 6 upstream. A signal processing device 100 that mediates communication between a communication calculation unit 105 (first calculation unit) that generates a signal to be superimposed that indicates at least first information (eg, cable information), and an electric device 6 and a superimposition circuit 18 for generating a superimposition signal obtained by superimposing the signal to be superimposed on the operation signal corresponding to the state of the operation element 13 or the operation signal for controlling the operation element. Then, the communication calculation unit 105 superimposes data during a period in which the diagnosis calculation unit 605 (second calculation unit) that generates the superimposition target signal indicating at least the second information (for example, diagnostic information) is in an active state. It is configured to control execution timing of signal processing so as to generate a superimposition target signal during a period in which no target signal is generated and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is in the standby state. Note that communication calculation unit 105 and diagnostic calculation unit 605 operate with electric power for generating the operation signal.

According to the above-described configuration, during the period in which the diagnostic computation unit 605 is in the active state, the communication computation unit 105 does not perform signal processing for generating a signal to be superimposed that consumes a relatively large amount of power. The signal processing is performed while the 605 is in the standby state. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the extent to which the current waveform of the operating signal is affected by the operations of communication calculation section 105 and diagnostic calculation section 605 . As a result, it is possible to prevent the problem that the operation signal cannot be correctly transmitted and received. For example, diagnostic information in addition to cable information can be fed back by superimposed signal communication in order to report to the upstream controller 3 while suppressing adverse effects on transmission and reception of operation signals. As a result, the controller 3 can analyze the diagnostic information of each electric device 6, grasp the current situation, and take measures according to the current situation. As a result, there is an effect that the reliability of the communication system 1 can be improved.

In the following, three examples of a configuration for executing signal processing for generating a signal to be superimposed on the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 without disturbing the operation signal are described as configuration example (1). (3), respectively.

§2 Configuration example (1)
In the configuration example (1), the communication calculation unit 105 of the signal processing device 100 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 are connected by a serial bus for serial communication. The communication calculation unit 105 arbitrates the transfer of the authority (hereinafter referred to as communication authority) to perform signal processing for generating and transmitting a signal to be superimposed through serial communication with the diagnostic calculation unit 605 . According to the arbitration, the communication calculation unit 105 performs signal processing while the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is in the standby state, and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 performs signal processing while the communication calculation unit 105 is in the standby state. Furthermore, the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 may transmit and receive predetermined information of a relatively small size via serial communication as necessary.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the signal processing device 100 and the electric device 6 according to configuration example (1), which is one aspect of the present disclosure. A master module 52A of the input/output unit 52 shown in FIG. A group 514 is provided. The receiving circuit group 514 indicates, for example, various circuits such as the input circuit 33, the extraction circuit 34, the error detection circuit 35, and the unit control circuit 36, as described in the first embodiment.

[Configuration of signal processing device 100]
The signal processing device 100 is built in the cable housing 50, and has the same configuration as the signal processing device 100 described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG. , an OR circuit 23 and a communication calculation unit 105 are provided.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the information storage unit 140 may store cable information, which is information specific to the cable housing 50 (signal processing device 100), as necessary. The cable information is determined in advance and stored in the information storage unit 140, for example, when the cable housing 50 containing the signal processing device 100 is manufactured or shipped.

Further, for example, when an input terminal (not shown) such as a smartphone and the signal processing device 100 in the electric device 6 can be connected via an information transfer device (not shown) capable of writing information to the signal processing device 100 Alternatively, the information storage unit 140 may be configured to store predetermined information regarding the electrical equipment 6 .

In this case, in this embodiment, in the information storage unit 140, the area for storing the predetermined information about the electrical equipment 6 and the area for storing the cable information are configured by different IC memories. good too. Typically, the former may consist of a user-programmable ROM such as EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) that can be written from an input terminal, and the latter may consist of an EEPROM separate from the former. and may be configured with an EEPROM in which writing is prohibited after being set at the time of shipment.

The communication calculation unit 105 centrally controls each unit of the signal processing device 100, and mediates communication using superimposed signals (hereinafter referred to as superimposed communication) between the upstream master module 52A and the downstream electric device 6. It is something to do.

The communication calculation unit 105 is typically configured with hardware such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and an FPGA (Field-Programmable gate array). The communication calculation section 105 includes a serial communication section 170 , a data signal generation section 171 and a mode switching section 172 . The communication calculation unit 105 may include an analog-to-digital conversion circuit (hereinafter referred to as ADC) 173 as required. Note that the ADC 173 may be omitted if diagnostic information as an analog signal is not supplied from the outside.

The data signal generation unit 171 and the mode switching unit 172 of the communication calculation unit 105 are generated by, for example, the MPU using information stored in a memory (not shown) and executing instructions of a program, which is software that implements each unit. may be implemented.

The serial communication section 170 performs serial communication with the diagnostic calculation section 605 . As an example, serial communication unit 170 typically employs an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface). In this case, the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 are connected by a serial bus conforming to the SPI standard. The serial communication unit 170 transmits three signals for clock signal transmission, downstream data transfer (master OUT, slave IN), and upstream data transfer (master IN, slave OUT) to the three lines forming the above-described serial bus. Information is transmitted and received by exchanging with the diagnostic calculation unit 605 via a signal line.

In this configuration example, the serial communication unit 170 transmits/receives serial data such as a command or a response through serial communication in order to mediate transfer of the communication right with the diagnosis calculation unit 605 . Further, in this configuration example, the serial communication unit 170 may transmit to the diagnostic calculation unit 605 a threshold that is set in advance from the input terminal and is referred to when determining the state of the electrical equipment 6 . Also, the serial communication unit 170 may transmit the cable information of the signal processing device 100 or the linking information indicating the correspondence with the electric device 6 to the diagnostic calculation unit 605 .

The serial communication unit 170 can adopt communication means using I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) or a general-purpose asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) instead of SPI.

Among the operations performed by serial communication unit 170, generation and transmission of serial data are performed when communication operation unit 105 is in an active state. Communication port monitoring, on the other hand, consumes relatively little power. Therefore, the serial communication unit 170 may monitor the communication port even while the communication operation unit 105 is transitioning to the standby state.

The data signal generator 171 generates first information. In this configuration example, the data signal generation unit 171 performs a series of signal processing necessary to transmit the generated first information by superimposition communication. In this configuration example, as an example, the signal processing performed by the data signal generation unit 171 includes acquiring first information, generating a superimposition target signal indicating the first information, superimposing the generated superimposition target signal, outputting to an OR circuit 23 connected to circuit 18, and so on. The sequence of signal processing described above involves a relatively large amount of power consumption. Therefore, the operation of data signal generator 171 is performed when communication operation unit 105 is in the active state and diagnostic operation unit 605 is in the standby state.

In this configuration example, for example, the data signal generation unit 171 reads cable information (identification information) for identifying the signal processing device 100 from the information storage unit 140 that stores the cable information as the first information. Then, the data signal generation unit 171 generates a superimposition target signal indicating the read cable information and outputs it to the OR circuit 23 .

The OR circuit 23 converts one of the superimposition target signal generated by the data signal generation unit 171 of the communication calculation unit 105 and the superimposition target signal generated by the data signal generation unit 651 of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 into a superimposition circuit. Output to 18. As a result, the superimposition circuit 18 superimposes the first signal to be superimposed received from the communication calculation unit 105 or the second signal to be superimposed received from the diagnostic calculation unit 605 on the operation signal to generate a superimposed signal. .

The mode switching unit 172 switches the operation mode of the communication calculation unit 105 between the normal mode and the low power consumption mode. The normal mode refers to a normal operation mode of the communication calculation unit 105 that consumes a relatively large amount of power, and the state of the communication calculation unit 105 operating in the normal mode is called an active state. The low power consumption mode refers to at least one of a complete stop mode of the communication calculation unit 105 that prevents power consumption and a low power mode that consumes relatively little power. A state of the communication calculation unit 105 that is stopped in the low power consumption mode or that is operating with a low-speed clock is referred to as a standby state.

In this configuration example, the mode switching unit 172 switches the operation mode of the communication calculation unit 105 from the normal mode to the low consumption mode according to the arbitration result of the transfer of the communication right performed between the serial communication unit 170 and the diagnosis calculation unit 605. Switch to power mode or switch from low power mode to normal mode.

[Configuration of electrical device 6]
The electrical equipment 6 includes at least a data generation circuit 17 and a diagnostic circuit 19 among the same configurations as the electrical equipment 6 described in the first embodiment based on FIG. FIG. 7 shows a diagnostic computation unit 605 that controls the operations of the data generation circuit 17 and the diagnostic circuit 19 of the transmission circuit 15 shown in FIG.

Diagnostic operation unit 605 is typically configured by hardware such as MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and FPGA (Field-Programmable gate array). The diagnostic computation section 605 includes a serial communication section 650 , a data signal generation section 651 and a mode switching section 652 .

The serial communication unit 650, the data signal generation unit 651, and the mode switching unit 652 of the diagnostic calculation unit 605, for example, the MPU utilizes information stored in a memory (not shown) to implement each unit. may be implemented by executing the instructions of

The serial communication unit 650 performs serial communication with the serial communication unit 170 of the communication calculation unit 105 . The serial communication unit 650 exchanges commands or responses with the serial communication unit 170 to mediate transfer of the communication right. Further, in this configuration example, the serial communication unit 650 transmits device information to the serial communication unit 170 and receives cable information or a threshold value referred to during diagnosis from the serial communication unit 170 . Similar to serial communication unit 170, serial communication unit 650 may monitor communication ports during the low power consumption mode.

The data signal generator 651 is for generating the second information. In this configuration example, the data signal generation unit 651 performs a series of signal processing necessary to transmit the generated second information by superimposition communication. In this configuration example, as an example, the signal processing performed by the data signal generation unit 651 includes acquiring second information, generating a superimposition target signal indicating the second information, and superimposing the generated superimposition target signal. outputting to an OR circuit 23 connected to circuit 18, and so on. The series of signal processing described above involves a relatively large amount of power consumption. Therefore, the operation of data signal generator 651 is performed when diagnostic operation unit 605 is in the active state and communication operation unit 105 is in the standby state.

In this configuration example, for example, the data signal generation unit 651 outputs diagnostic information indicating the status of the electrical device 6 as the second information based on information indicating at least one of the state of the electrical device 6 and the surrounding environment. Generate. The data signal generator 651 then generates a signal to be superimposed that indicates the generated diagnostic information, and outputs it to the OR circuit 23 of the signal processing device 100 .

The mode switching unit 652 switches the operation mode of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 between the normal mode and the low power consumption mode. In this configuration example, the mode switching unit 172 switches the operation mode of the communication calculation unit 105 from the normal mode to the low consumption mode according to the arbitration result of the transfer of the communication right performed between the serial communication unit 170 and the diagnosis calculation unit 605. Switch to power mode or switch from low power mode to normal mode.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified correspondence relationship between the operation sequence of each computing unit and the amount of power consumption.

When the signal processing device 100 is connected to the input/output unit 52 and the power of the input/output unit 52 (or the controller 3) is turned on, the power supplied from the input/output unit 52 is used to operate the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic unit 105. The calculation unit 605 is activated. In this configuration example, as an example, when the power is turned on, the communication calculation unit 105 is activated in the normal mode, and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is activated in the low power consumption mode.

In this configuration example, the transfer of the communication right is arbitrated by serial communication, and the communication calculation unit 105 operates in the low power consumption mode and does not execute signal processing during the period when it does not have the communication right. During this time, the diagnostic computation unit 605 that has acquired the communication right performs signal processing. When obtaining the communication right and executing signal processing, the communication calculation unit 105 performs the signal processing while the diagnosis calculation unit 605 is operating in the low power consumption mode.

In addition, arbitration by serial communication between both calculation units controls them so that they do not enter the normal mode at the same time.

In this way, signal processing that consumes a particularly large amount of power in the active state is prevented from being executed simultaneously by the communication calculation section 105 and the diagnostic calculation section 605 . Therefore, power consumption is not so concentrated as to adversely affect the current value of the operating signal.

§3 Operation Example of Configuration Example (1) FIG. The first processing steps (S101 and S102) of each device are started by, for example, turning on the power of the controller 3 (input/output unit 52) to which the signal processing device 100 is connected via the communication cable 51A. be. Note that the processing procedure described below is merely an example, and each processing may be changed as much as possible. Further, in the processing procedures described below, steps can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate according to the embodiment.

In S101, the communication calculation unit 105 is activated in normal mode. Serial communication unit 170 of communication calculation unit 105 transmits a command for confirming the presence or absence of diagnostic calculation unit 605 . This command is interpreted by the serial communication unit 650 of the diagnostic computation unit 605 as a message to inquire of the diagnostic computation unit 605 as to whether the diagnostic computation unit 605 exists and a message to request the diagnostic computation unit 605 to transmit diagnostic information. be done.

In S102, the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is activated in the low power consumption mode. The serial communication unit 650 monitors the SPI communication port and waits for a command sent from the communication calculation unit 105 .

In S103, when a command is input via the communication port of the diagnostic calculation unit 605, the serial communication unit 650 detects that the command has been received, and advances from YES in S103 to S104.

In S104, serial communication unit 650 recognizes the existence of communication operation unit 105 based on the received command.

In S105, the serial communication unit 650 generates a response in response to the received command and returns it via the serial bus. This response is interpreted by the serial communication unit 170 of the communication operation unit 105 as a reply that the diagnostic operation unit 605 exists and a message requesting that the diagnostic operation unit 605 be given the right of communication because the diagnostic information will be sent. .

In S106, the serial communication unit 170 recognizes the existence of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 based on the received response.

In S107, the mode switching unit 172 switches the operation mode of the communication calculation unit 105 from the normal mode to the low power consumption mode in response to the above response. The serial communication unit 170 continues monitoring the communication port of the serial bus even when the communication operation unit 105 transitions to the standby state.

In S108, the mode switching unit 652 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the response was transmitted in S105. This predetermined time is arbitrarily set. For example, the time required for the above response to be received by the serial communication unit 170 from the serial communication unit 650, and the mode switching unit 172 switching the operation mode to the low power consumption mode after the response is received by the serial communication unit 170. Given the time it takes to switch, it is desirable to allow sufficient time for these to complete. After the predetermined time has elapsed, the mode switching unit 652 advances from YES in S108 to S109.

In S109, the mode switching unit 652 switches the operation mode of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 from the low power consumption mode to the normal mode. Along with this, the data signal generation unit 651 generates a signal to be superimposed and starts signal processing for transmission. Specifically, the data signal generation unit 651 acquires information on the state of the electrical device 6 or the surrounding environment regarding the current state of the electrical device 6, and generates diagnostic information based on the acquired information. The data signal generation unit 651 may generate diagnostic information after making a situation judgment based on a threshold acquired in advance.

In S<b>110 , the data signal generator 651 generates a signal to be superimposed indicating diagnostic information and transmits it to the OR circuit 23 . The data signal generation unit 651 may acquire the cable information provided in advance from the communication calculation unit 105 and generate a signal to be superimposed indicating the cable information and diagnostic information.

In S111, the data signal generator 651 determines whether or not the data signal indicating diagnostic information has been transmitted to the end. After confirming the completion of the transmission as a result of the determination, the data signal generation unit 651 advances from YES in S111 to S112.

In S112, serial communication unit 650 transmits a command for notifying communication operation unit 105 of the completion of transmission to serial communication unit 170 when the transmission of diagnostic information is completed. This command is interpreted by serial communication unit 170 of communication operation unit 105 as a message notifying that the transmission of diagnostic information has been completed, and as a message declaring that communication rights are transferred to communication operation unit 105 and that the standby state is entered. be done.

In S113, the mode switching unit 652 switches the operation mode of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 from the normal mode to the low power consumption mode in response to the transmission of the above command. The serial communication unit 650 continues monitoring the communication port for serial communication.

In S114, the serial communication unit 170 detects that the command has been received through continuous monitoring. When the command is detected, the serial communication unit 170 advances from YES in S114 to S115.

In S115, the serial communication unit 170 recognizes that the signal processing of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 has been completed based on the received command.

In S116, the mode switching unit 172 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the command was received in S114. This predetermined time is arbitrarily set. For example, considering the time required for the mode switching unit 652 to switch the operation mode to the low power consumption mode, it is desirable to ensure sufficient time for this to be completed. After the predetermined time has elapsed, the mode switching unit 172 advances from YES in S116 to S117.

In S117, the mode switching unit 172 switches the operation mode of the communication calculation unit 105 from the low power consumption mode to the normal mode. Along with this, the data signal generation unit 171 generates a signal to be superimposed and starts signal processing for transmission. Specifically, the data signal generator 171 reads the cable information from the information storage 140 . The data signal generation unit 171 may acquire the device information provided in advance from the diagnostic calculation unit 605 from the information storage unit 140 .

In S<b>118 , the data signal generator 171 generates a signal to be superimposed indicating the acquired cable information and transmits it to the OR circuit 23 . The data signal generator 171 may further generate a superimposition target signal including device information.

In S119, the superimposition circuit 18 outputs the first signal to be superimposed derived from the data signal generation unit 171 (communication calculation unit 105) and the data signal generation unit 651 (diagnosis calculation unit 605), which are output from the OR circuit 23. superimposing one of the second signals to be superimposed on the operating signal to generate a superimposed signal. The superimposing circuit 18 transmits the generated superimposed signal to the master module 52A via the communication cable 51A.

Since the master module 52A receives the superimposed signal including the first signal to be superimposed and the superimposed signal including the second signal to be superimposed from the same communication port, the controller 3 receives the superimposed signal indicated by the first signal to be superimposed. It is possible to associate the cable information that is present with the diagnostic information indicated by the second superimposition target signal. The controller 3 can identify which cable housing 50 the electrical equipment 6 is connected to the received diagnostic information.

According to the above-described configuration and method, it is avoided that signal processing that consumes a particularly large amount of power in the active state is executed simultaneously by communication calculation section 105 and diagnostic calculation section 605 . Therefore, power consumption is not so concentrated as to adversely affect the current value of the operating signal. As a result, each of the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnosis calculation unit 605 can execute a series of signal processing for generating the signal to be superimposed without disturbing the operation signal. As a result, the upstream controller 3 can collect and analyze the information of the electrical equipment 6, so that the reliability of the communication system 1 can be improved.

Further, the communication calculation unit 105 can transmit and receive various information to and from the diagnostic calculation unit 605 through serial communication. For example, the communication calculation unit 105 transmits the first information such as the cable information to the diagnosis calculation unit 605 by serial communication, so that the diagnosis calculation unit 605 detects the superimposition target including the first information and the second information. A signal can be generated.

In addition, for example, the communication calculation unit 105 can transmit a threshold to the diagnostic calculation unit 605 through serial communication, which the diagnostic calculation unit 605 refers to when generating the second information. This allows the communication calculation unit 105 to cause the diagnosis calculation unit 605 to generate the second information according to the determination based on the specified threshold.

For example, when the data signal generation unit 651 of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is configured to output binary data indicating normality or abnormality as diagnostic information, the user determines the threshold for determining abnormality. and write it to the signal processing apparatus 100 using the input terminal. The serial communication unit 170 of the signal processing device 100 can transmit the written threshold to the diagnostic calculation unit 605 through serial communication. In this way, if the threshold value is used, the diagnostic information generated by the diagnostic calculation unit 605 can be composed of two values indicating normality or abnormality. In this case, the amount of data of the signal to be superimposed, which indicates diagnostic information, can be significantly reduced.

In the operation example of this configuration example, it is assumed that a command or a response cannot be normally received through serial communication due to noise or the like. The communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 can cope with such a situation, for example, by operating as follows.

After transmitting the command in S<b>101 , the serial communication unit 170 of the communication calculation unit 105 waits until receiving a response from the serial communication unit 650 of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 . Here, if the response is not normally received even after a certain period of time, the serial communication unit 170 retransmits the command of S101. Here, the upper limit of the number of retries for command retransmission is determined in advance.

As long as the serial communication unit 170 does not receive the response normally, the serial communication unit 170 repeats the retransmission of the command up to the predetermined upper limit of the number of retries. If a normal response is not obtained even after repeating up to the upper limit, the serial communication unit 170 determines that the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is not connected.

In response to this determination, the mode switching unit 172 maintains the normal operation mode, and the data signal generating unit 171 shifts to normal superimposed communication operation.

According to this method, it is possible to prevent a stalemate caused by shifting to a standby state and waiting for communication from each other.

In S107, after mode switching unit 172 switches to the low power consumption mode, serial communication unit 170 transmits to serial communication unit 650 a command notifying that communication operation unit 105 has transitioned to the standby state.

After the serial communication unit 650 confirms the standby state of the communication calculation unit 105 in response to receiving the above command, the mode switching unit 652 switches the operation mode to the normal mode. Serial communication unit 650 then transmits a response to serial communication unit 170 notifying that diagnostic calculation unit 605 has transitioned to the active state.

According to this method, each computing unit can notify each other of the active state and the standby state. As a result, it is possible to prevent both calculation units from transitioning to the active state. Specifically, in a configuration in which the mode switching unit 652 automatically shifts to the normal mode due to timeout, the serial communication unit 170 does not respond in S106 even though the serial communication unit 650 has transmitted a response in S105. , the mode switching unit 652 shifts the diagnostic calculation unit 605 to the active state in S109, while the communication calculation unit 105 is also maintained in the active state without executing S107. Fall. According to the method described above, it is possible to avoid such a situation and prevent the current waveform of the operating signal from being disturbed.

§4 Configuration example (2)
In the configuration example (2), the communication calculation unit 105 of the signal processing device 100 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 are connected by a serial bus for serial communication. The communication calculation unit 105 acquires diagnostic information from the diagnostic calculation unit 605 through serial communication with the diagnostic calculation unit 605 . Since the communication right is always held by the communication calculation unit 105, the arbitration of transfer of the communication right is omitted. The communication calculation unit 105 performs signal processing while the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is in the standby state, generates a signal to be superimposed including the diagnostic information acquired from the diagnostic calculation unit 605, and sends it out.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the signal processing device 100 and the electric device 6 according to configuration example (2), which is one aspect of the present disclosure.

[Configuration of signal processing device 100]
The signal processing apparatus 100 according to the configuration example (2) differs from the signal processing apparatus 100 according to the configuration example (1) in that the OR circuit 23 is omitted and the mode switching section 172 is omitted in the communication calculation section 105. is.

In this configuration example, the serial communication unit 170 transmits/receives serial data such as a command or a response including diagnostic information by serial communication in order to transmit/receive diagnostic information to/from the diagnostic calculation unit 605 . In this configuration example, the communication right is always held by the communication calculation unit 105, so the serial communication unit 170 does not arbitrate the transfer of the communication right.

In this configuration example, the data signal generation unit 171 acquires the first information, acquires the second information, and generates a signal to be superimposed indicating the first information and the second information as the signal processing. and outputting the signal to be superimposed to the superimposing circuit 18 .

As an example, the data signal generation unit 171 reads the cable information from the information storage unit 140, reads the diagnostic information acquired by the serial communication unit 170 from the diagnostic calculation unit 605, and generates a signal to be superimposed indicating the cable information and the diagnostic information. do. The data signal generator 171 outputs the generated signal to be superimposed to the superimposing circuit 18 . These signal processes involve relatively high power consumption. Therefore, the above-described series of signal processing by the data signal generation unit 171 is executed when the communication operation unit 105 is in the active state and the diagnostic operation unit 605 is in the standby state.

[Configuration of electrical device 6]
The electric device 6 according to the configuration example (2) is different from the electric device 6 according to the configuration example (1) in that the signal to be superimposed indicating diagnostic information generated by the data signal generation unit 651 is serial data. The point is that it is supplied from the communication unit 650 to the communication calculation unit 105 .

In this configuration example, the data signal generation unit 651 passes the superimposition target signal indicating the generated diagnostic information to the serial communication unit 650 . Serial communication section 650 outputs the signal to be superimposed generated by data signal generation section 651 to serial communication section 170 as a serial signal.

If the signal processing operation in the normal mode of the communication calculation unit 105 and the operation in the normal mode of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 are executed at the same time, there is a possibility that the current waveform of the operation signal may be disturbed due to excessive power consumption. However, in this configuration example, even if operations other than signal processing in the normal mode of the communication operation unit 105 and operations in the normal mode of the diagnostic operation unit 605 are executed at the same time, excess power consumption does not occur. Therefore, the operation of the data signal generation unit 651 is performed when the diagnostic operation unit 605 is in the active state during the active state period in which the communication operation unit 105 does not perform signal processing.

In this configuration example, the mode switching unit 652 controls the diagnostic calculation unit 605 during a period in which the serial communication unit 650 and the data signal generation unit 651 perform a series of operations for transmitting a superimposition target signal indicating diagnostic information by serial communication. is set to the active state, and is switched to the standby state during the rest of the period. As a result, the period during which the communication calculation unit 105 is active and signal processing is controlled so as not to coincide with the period during which the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is active, thereby avoiding excess power consumption.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified correspondence relationship between the operation sequence of each computing unit and the amount of power consumption.

When the signal processing device 100 is connected to the input/output unit 52 and the power of the input/output unit 52 (or the controller 3) is turned on, the power supplied from the input/output unit 52 is used to operate the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic unit 105. The calculation unit 605 is activated. In this configuration example, as an example, the communication calculation unit 105 is always driven in the normal mode after the power is turned on. On the other hand, the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is activated in the low power consumption mode when the power is turned on.

In this configuration example, a request requesting diagnostic information and a response providing diagnostic information are exchanged by serial communication. The diagnostic computation unit 605 shifts to the active state only during the period from when it receives a request for diagnostic information until it returns a response that provides diagnostic information, and maintains the standby state during the rest of the period. On the other hand, the communication calculation unit 105 always holds the communication right and maintains the active state, but the signal processing for generating the signal to be superimposed and outputting it to the superimposition circuit 18 cannot be executed when the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is in the active state. First, it is executed when the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is in the standby state.

In this way, even if both calculation units enter the normal mode at the same time, the period during which the communication calculation unit 105 executes signal processing and the period during which the diagnosis calculation unit 605 operates in the normal mode are synchronized. controlled so that it does not occur.

In this way, it is possible to prevent the communication calculation unit 105 from performing signal processing that consumes a particularly large amount of power when both calculation units are in the active state. Therefore, power consumption is not so concentrated as to adversely affect the current value of the operating signal.

§5 Operation Example of Configuration Example (2) FIG. The first processing steps (S201 and S202) of each device are started, for example, by turning on the power of the controller 3 (input/output unit 52) to which the signal processing device 100 is connected via the communication cable 51A. be. Note that the processing procedure described below is merely an example, and each processing may be changed as much as possible. Further, in the processing procedures described below, steps can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate according to the embodiment.

In S201, the communication calculation unit 105 starts up in normal mode. Serial communication unit 170 of communication calculation unit 105 transmits a command for confirming the presence or absence of diagnostic calculation unit 605 . This command is interpreted by the serial communication unit 650 of the diagnostic computation unit 605 as a message to inquire of the diagnostic computation unit 605 as to whether the diagnostic computation unit 605 exists and a message to request the diagnostic computation unit 605 to transmit diagnostic information. be done.

In S202, the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is activated in the low power consumption mode. The serial communication unit 650 monitors the SPI communication port and waits for a command sent from the communication calculation unit 105 .

In S203, when a command is input via the communication port of diagnostic calculation unit 605, serial communication unit 650 detects that the command has been received, and proceeds from YES in S203 to S204.

In S204, serial communication unit 650 recognizes the existence of communication operation unit 105 based on the received command.

In S205, the mode switching unit 652 switches the operation mode of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 from the low power consumption mode to the normal mode in response to receiving the above command.

In S<b>206 , the data signal generation unit 651 generates diagnostic information and passes the superimposition target signal indicating the diagnostic information to the serial communication unit 650 .

In S207, the serial communication unit 650 returns a serial signal including a signal to be superimposed indicating diagnostic information as a response via the serial bus. This response is interpreted by the serial communication unit 170 of the communication calculation unit 105 as a reply that the diagnostic calculation unit 605 exists and as the diagnostic information itself.

In S208, the serial communication unit 650 determines whether or not the signal to be superimposed indicating diagnostic information has been transmitted to the end. As a result of the determination, the serial communication unit 650 advances from YES in S208 to S209 when the completion of transmission is confirmed.

In S209, the mode switching unit 652 switches the operation mode of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 from the normal mode to the low power consumption mode in response to the transmission of the above response. The serial communication unit 650 continues monitoring the communication port for serial communication.

In S210, the serial communication unit 170 recognizes the presence of the diagnostic calculation unit 605 based on the received response, and starts receiving diagnostic information.

In S211, the serial communication unit 170 determines whether or not the serial signal indicating diagnostic information has been received to the end. As a result of the determination, the serial communication unit 170 advances from YES in S211 to S212 when the completion of reception is confirmed.

In S212, the data signal generator 171 generates a signal to be superimposed and starts signal processing for transmission. Specifically, the data signal generator 171 reads the cable information from the information storage 140 . The data signal generation unit 171 acquires diagnostic information received by the serial communication unit 170 . The data signal generator 171 generates a signal to be superimposed indicating the acquired cable information and diagnostic information, and transmits this to the superimposing circuit 18 . The data signal generator 171 may further generate a superimposition target signal including device information.

In S213, the superimposition circuit 18 superimposes the first signal to be superimposed derived from the data signal generator 171 (communication arithmetic unit 105) on the operation signal to generate a superimposed signal. The superimposing circuit 18 transmits the generated superimposed signal to the master module 52A via the communication cable 51A.

In S214, the serial communication unit 170 determines whether or not the latest diagnostic information should be acquired from the diagnostic calculation unit 605, for example, because a predetermined time has passed. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the superimposed signal including the previous diagnostic information was fed back upstream in S213, the serial communication unit 170 advances from YES in S214 to S215.

In S<b>215 , serial communication unit 170 transmits a command requesting diagnostic information to serial communication unit 650 . After that, the communication calculation unit 105 returns to S210 and repeats the subsequent processes.

In S216, when a command is input through the communication port of diagnostic calculation unit 605, serial communication unit 650 detects that the command has been received, and proceeds from YES in S216 to S217.

In S217, mode switching unit 652 switches the operation mode of diagnostic calculation unit 605 from the low power consumption mode to the normal mode in response to the above-described command being received. After that, the diagnostic calculation unit 605 returns to S206 and repeats the subsequent processes. In this way, diagnostic information is periodically fed back upstream (input/output unit 52 and controller 3).

According to the above-described configuration and method, it is avoided that the period in which the communication calculation unit 105 executes signal processing that consumes a particularly large amount of power and the period in which the diagnosis calculation unit 605 is in the active state coincide with each other. . Therefore, power consumption is not so concentrated as to adversely affect the current value of the operating signal. As a result, each of the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 can be operated for feedback of diagnostic information without causing disturbance of the operation signal. As a result, the upstream controller 3 can collect and analyze the information of the electric equipment 6, so that the reliability of the communication system 1 can be improved.

§6 Configuration example (3)
In the configuration example (3), the communication calculation unit 105 of the signal processing device 100 and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 are connected by a signal line that performs communication by two-wire handshake. The communication calculation unit 105 mediates transfer of the communication right by two-wire handshake with the diagnostic calculation unit 605 . According to the arbitration, the communication calculation unit 105 performs signal processing while the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is in the standby state, and the diagnostic calculation unit 605 performs signal processing while the communication calculation unit 105 is in the standby state.

In this configuration example, transmission/reception of predetermined information is not performed in serial communication, and only arbitration of transfer of communication rights is performed. Therefore, the serial bus can be configured with two lines, and arbitration for transfer of the communication right can be realized by handshaking. For the two-wire handshake, it is possible to use a general-purpose input/output port that is normally provided in the arithmetic unit.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the signal processing device 100 and the electric device 6 according to configuration example (3), which is one aspect of the present disclosure. The master module 52A of the input/output unit 52 shown in FIG.

In signal processing apparatus 100 , communication calculation section 105 includes handshake communication section 174 (hereinafter referred to as HS communication section 174 ) in place of serial communication section 170 . In addition, in the electric device 6 , the diagnostic calculation unit 605 includes a handshake communication unit 653 (hereinafter referred to as HS communication unit 653 ) in place of the serial communication unit 650 .

FIG. 14 shows circuit examples of the HS communication unit 174 and the HS communication unit 653 . As shown in the figure, the HS communication section 174 and the HS communication section 653 have a circuit configuration capable of transmitting and receiving on/off signals that fluctuate between Low level and High level. In the example shown in the figure, in the signal line through which the on/off signal (REQ signal) indicated by REQ flows, the communication calculation unit 105 side switches the potential, and in the signal line through which the on/off signal (ACK signal) indicated by ACK flows, diagnostic calculation is performed. The part 605 side switches the potential.

The HS communication unit 174 and the HS communication unit 653 configured as shown in FIG. 14 can be implemented by general-purpose input/output ports provided in the MPU, for example. Therefore, even a low-cost MPU that does not have a serial communication port can realize the communication calculation section 105 and the diagnostic calculation section 605 configured as described above.

FIG. 15 shows an example of temporal changes in the REQ signal, ACK signal, and communication rights. The communication calculation unit 105 switches the REQ signal to Low level at the timing of transferring the communication right to the diagnosis calculation unit 605 . When the diagnostic calculation unit 605 detects that the REQ signal has become Low level, it switches the ACK signal to Low level to indicate that the communication right can be accepted.

By detecting that the ACK signal has become Low level, the communication calculation unit 105 confirms that the diagnostic calculation unit 605 can accept the communication right, and notifies the determination of the transfer of the communication right. Switch the REQ signal to High level. When the diagnostic calculation unit 605 detects that the REQ signal has become High level, it switches the ACK signal to High level, recognizes that the communication right has been transferred to itself, and starts communication.

After that, the communication calculation unit 105 switches the REQ signal to Low level at the timing when the communication right should be transferred from the diagnosis calculation unit 605 . When the diagnostic calculation unit 605 detects that the REQ signal has become Low level, it switches the ACK signal to Low level to indicate that the communication right can be returned.

By detecting that the ACK signal has become Low level, the communication calculation unit 105 confirms that the communication right can be returned by the diagnostic calculation unit 605, and notifies the determination of the return of the communication right. While switching the REQ signal to High level, it recognizes that the communication right has been returned to itself and starts communication. When the diagnostic calculation unit 605 detects that the REQ signal has become High level, it switches the ACK signal to High level and recognizes that the communication right has been returned to the communication calculation unit 105 .

By performing handshake communication between the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnosis calculation unit 605 using the two lines as described above, it is possible to reliably transfer the communication right.

§7 Modification [Configuration example (2)-1]
FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device 100 according to configuration example (2). In this configuration example (2)-1, the communication calculation unit 105 does not include the serial communication unit 170, but includes an ADC 173 instead. In this configuration example, the electrical device 6 comprises an operating element 13 configured to output an analog signal as diagnostic information. That is, in this configuration example, the operating element 13 plays a role of a diagnostic circuit by outputting diagnostic information in the form of an analog signal.

The ADC 173 of the communication calculation unit 105 converts the analog signal output from the operating element 13 into a digital signal that can be processed by the data signal generation unit 171 . The data signal generator 171 generates a signal to be superimposed indicating the diagnostic information converted into a digital signal, and outputs the signal to the superimposition circuit 18 .

In the above configuration, current consumption may increase when the ADC 173 takes in an analog signal and performs conversion processing. Therefore, in this configuration example, the ADC operation when the ADC 173 processes the analog signal and the superimposed signal communication operation when the data signal generation unit 171 controls the superimposition circuit 18 and transmits the superimposed signal upstream are performed simultaneously. The communication calculation unit 105 controls the execution timing of these operations so that they are not executed.

Specifically, in this configuration example, the communication calculation unit 105 activates the ADC 173 for a predetermined period at regular intervals determined in advance by a built-in timer (not shown) to process the analog signal. That is, the communication calculation unit 105 controls each unit so that the superimposed signal communication operation by the superimposition circuit 18 and the ADC operation by the ADC 173 are alternately performed.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified correspondence relationship between the operation sequence of each unit of the communication calculation unit 105 and the superimposition circuit 18 and the power consumption.

In this configuration example, when the power is turned on, the communication calculation unit 105 causes the data signal generation unit 171 to operate for a first predetermined period, while stopping the ADC 173 . During this first predetermined period, the data signal generator 171 performs an output operation of outputting the signal to be superimposed to the superimposing circuit 18 . A superimposed signal communication operation is performed in which the target signal is superimposed on the operation signal and the superimposed signal is transmitted upstream. On the other hand, the ADC 173 does not operate during the first predetermined period. Therefore, excess power consumption that affects the current waveform of the operating signal does not occur.

Next, after the first predetermined period has passed, the communication operation unit 105 stops the output operation of the data signal generation unit 171 and the superimposition signal communication operation of the superimposition circuit 18 for the second predetermined period, and activates the ADC 173. , causing the ADC 173 to perform the ADC operation. The ADC operation includes, for example, an operation of capturing an analog signal, converting it into a digital signal, and passing the digital signal to the data signal generator 171 . During the second predetermined period, the communication calculation section 105 may cause the data signal generation section 171 to perform the generation operation of generating the signal to be superimposed. The generation operation is, for example, an operation of creating a signal to be superimposed based on the digital signal received from the ADC 173, diagnosing normality/abnormality based on the digital signal, and including the diagnosis result in the signal to be superimposed. including. Since the amount of power consumption associated with this generation operation is relatively small, even if the generation operation is performed at the same time as the ADC operation, excess power consumption that affects the current waveform of the operation signal does not occur.

Next, after the second predetermined period of time has elapsed, the communication calculation unit 105 stops the ADC 173 . Then, communication operation section 105 causes data signal generation section 171 to perform the output operation again. Along with this, a superimposed signal communication operation is also performed by the superimposing circuit 18 . Since the output operation and the superimposed signal communication operation are restarted after the ADC 173 stops, excess power consumption that affects the current waveform of the operation signal does not occur.

As described above, even in a configuration in which the communication operation unit 105 acquires an analog signal from the operating element 13 as diagnostic information, it is possible to avoid excessive power consumption that affects the current waveform of the operating signal.

[Configuration example (2)-2]
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device 100 according to configuration example (2). In this configuration example (2)-2, the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is built in the sensor device 75 that is separate from the electrical device 6 . The sensor device 75 is, for example, an acceleration sensor.

As shown in FIG. 6, the electrical device 6 is, for example, a limit switch. The limit switch detects the position of a workpiece 81 transported by a drive system 80 of a transport mechanism such as a conveyor installed at a manufacturing site.

When the work 81 conveyed by the drive system 80 hits the limit switch, the operating element 13 detects "ON". The acceleration sensor as the sensor device 75 detects an impact when the workpiece 81 hits the limit switch when it is turned on.

A diagnostic calculation unit 605 incorporated in the acceleration sensor previously grasps a normal detection value related to the impact during normal operation. The data signal generation unit 651 can determine that there is an abnormality when the sensor device 75 detects an impact that deviates from the normal detection value. The data signal generation unit 651 generates diagnostic information including at least one of the determination result of abnormality and the detection value of the impact detected at that time. The serial communication unit 650 transmits the superimposition target signal indicating the generated diagnostic information to the serial communication unit 170 of the communication calculation unit 105 as a serial signal.

The data signal generator 171 outputs a signal to be superimposed indicating diagnostic information to the superimposing circuit 18 . As a result, a superimposed signal including diagnostic information is fed back from the superimposing circuit 18 to the controller 3 .

By analyzing the diagnostic information, the controller 3 that has acquired the diagnostic information described above detects, for example, an abnormality in the drive system 80 that conveys the workpiece 81 or a failure in the actuator portion of the limit switch. can be recognized. As a result, there is an effect that the reliability of the communication system 1 can be improved.

[Configuration example (2)-3]
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device 100 according to configuration example (2). The sensor device 75 is an acceleration sensor as in the configuration example (2)-2. In this configuration example (2)-3, the sensor device 75 incorporating the diagnostic calculation unit 605 is incorporated in the electric device 6 . Such a configuration can also provide the same effect as the configuration example (2)-2.

[Configuration example (2)-4]
FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the signal processing device 100 according to configuration example (2). As illustrated, the diagnostic computation unit 605 may be built into the signal processing device 100 . Further, as shown in the figure, the diagnostic calculation unit 605 has a plurality of diagnostic circuits 19A built into the electric device 6, an external diagnostic circuit 19B outside the electric device 6, and a built-in diagnostic circuit 19C of the signal processing device 100. may be provided. In this way, when power for three or more calculation units, including the communication calculation unit 105 and the plurality of diagnostic calculation units 605, is covered by the step-down circuit 16, the communication calculation unit 105 and the plurality of diagnostic calculation units 605 The transfer of the communication right is arbitrated by serial communication and controlled so that the signal processing is performed in order.

Further, each diagnostic circuit 19 (19A to 19B) may have an analog signal output section 654 for outputting diagnostic information as an analog signal. For example, the analog signal output unit 654 is configured like the circuit example shown as the operation element 13 in FIG.

For example, in the communication system 1, the diagnostic calculation unit 605 of the device built-in diagnostic circuit 19A (hereinafter referred to as diagnostic calculation unit 605A), the diagnostic calculation unit 605 of the external diagnostic circuit 19B (hereinafter referred to as diagnostic calculation unit 605B), and the device built-in diagnostic circuit 19C diagnostic calculation unit 605 (hereinafter referred to as diagnostic calculation unit 605C) is provided, as an example, between the communication calculation unit 105 and the three diagnostic calculation units 605, as follows: Then, transfer of communication rights is realized.

First, the communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation units 605A to 605C are communicably connected via a downstream transfer signal line and an upstream transfer signal line. A downstream transfer signal line is a signal line for transmitting a serial signal from the serial communication unit 170 of the communication calculation unit 105 to each of the serial communication units 650 of the diagnostic calculation units 605A to 605C. The upstream transfer signal line is a signal line for transmitting a serial signal from each serial communication section 650 to the serial communication section 170 .

The communication calculation unit 105 and each diagnostic calculation unit 605A to 605C are connected in a one-to-many manner via downstream transfer signal lines. The downstream transfer signal line is used to issue a command from the communication calculation unit 105 to each diagnostic calculation unit 605A-C.

The command issued by the communication calculation unit 105 includes an identifier designating one of the diagnostic calculation units 605A to 605C. Identifiers are predetermined. For example, the diagnostic calculation unit 605A is defined as "1", the diagnostic calculation unit 605B as "2", and the diagnostic calculation unit 605C as "3". By looking at the identifier included in the command, each diagnostic computation unit 605 can determine which diagnostic computation unit 605 the command is addressed to.

The communication calculation unit 105 and the diagnostic calculation units 605A to 605C are connected in a one-to-many manner via upstream transfer signal lines. The upstream transfer signal line is used to issue a response from each diagnostic calculation unit 605A to 605C to the communication calculation unit 105. FIG.

The response issued by each of the diagnostic computation units 605A to 605C may also include an identifier indicating the diagnostic computation unit 605 that issued the response. Thereby, the communication calculation unit 105 can determine which diagnosis calculation unit 605 issued the received response.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the operation sequence of communication calculation section 105 and diagnostic calculation sections 605A to 605C. The figure also shows the transition of communication rights between the respective calculation units.

First, the communication calculation unit 105, which holds the communication right, issues a command to transfer the communication right to the diagnostic calculation unit 605A to which the communication right is transferred. The command includes an identifier "1" that designates diagnostic computation unit 605A.

Diagnosis calculation unit 605A receives a command addressed to itself and acquires the communication right. Other diagnostic calculation units 605B and 605C determine from the identifier that the above command is not addressed to them, and ignore the command. That is, diagnostic calculation units 605B and 605C do not acquire the communication right and maintain the standby state.

The diagnostic computation unit 605A switches to the active state and performs the transmission operation. The transmission operation performed by the diagnostic calculation unit 605 in the active state corresponds to S109 to S111 shown in FIG. 9 or S205 to S208 shown in FIG. 12, for example.

When the transmission operation is completed, diagnostic calculation unit 605A issues a response to communication calculation unit 105 to the effect that the communication right is abandoned. Then, the diagnostic calculation unit 605A switches its own state from the active state to the standby state.

Upon receiving the communication right abandonment response from diagnostic computation unit 605A, communication computation unit 105 acquires the communication right again, and then issues a command to transfer the communication right to diagnostic computation unit 605B.

After that, the transfer of the communication right, the transmission operation, and the return of the communication right are performed in the same manner as described above, except that the transferee of the communication right is not the diagnostic calculation unit 605A but the diagnosis calculation unit 605B. is performed.

According to the configuration and method described above, arbitration relating to transfer of the communication right is performed between the communication calculation unit 105 and each diagnostic calculation unit 605, so that a plurality of diagnostic calculation units 605 simultaneously perform transmission operations. will disappear. Therefore, even if the communication system 1 is provided with a plurality of diagnostic calculation units 605, it is possible to avoid excessive power consumption that affects the current waveform of the operating signal.

Note that the method of arbitration relating to communication rights shown in FIG. 21 is merely an example, and the configuration of the present invention is not limited by this. In another example, the communication calculation unit 105 may be configured to set a priority to each of the plurality of diagnostic calculation units 605 and transfer the communication right to the diagnostic calculation unit 605 having the highest priority.

[Example of realization by software]
The signal processing device 100 and the control block of the electric device 6 may be implemented by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be implemented by software.

In the latter case, the signal processing device 100 and the electric device 6 are provided with a computer that executes instructions of programs, which are software for realizing each function. This computer includes, for example, one or more processors, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. In the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. In addition, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for developing the above program may be further provided. Also, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be implemented in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims, and can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 communication system 2 PC
3 Controller (equipment control device)
4 Input unit 5 Output unit 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Electrical equipment 13 Operating element 15 Transmitting circuit 16 Step-down circuit 17 Data generating circuit 18 Superimposing circuit 19 Diagnostic circuit 19A Device built-in diagnostic circuit 19B External diagnostic circuit 19C Device built-in diagnostic circuit 23 OR circuit 50 cable housing 51 communication cable 52 input/output unit (equipment control device)
52A master module (equipment control device)
75 sensor device 100 signal processing device 105 communication calculation unit (first calculation unit)
140 information storage units 170, 650 serial communication units 171, 651 data signal generation units 172, 652 mode switching unit 173 analog-to-digital conversion circuit (ADC)
174, 653 handshake (HS) communication unit 605 diagnostic calculation unit (second calculation unit)

Claims (7)

A signal processing device that mediates communication between an electrical device that operates downstream of a communication system and a device control device that controls one or more of the electrical devices upstream,
a first calculation unit that generates a signal to be superimposed that indicates at least first information;
a superposition circuit for generating a superimposition signal obtained by superimposing the signal to be superimposed on an operating signal corresponding to the state of the operating element of the electric device or an operating signal for controlling the operating element;
with
The first computation unit does not generate the superimposition target signal during a period in which the second computation unit that generates the superimposition target signal indicating at least second information is in an active state, and the second computation unit does not generate the superimposition target signal. is in the standby state, control to generate the signal to be superimposed,
The signal processing device, wherein the first arithmetic unit and the second arithmetic unit operate with electric power for generating the operation signal. further comprising an information storage unit that stores, as the first information, identification information that identifies the signal processing device;
2. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first calculation unit generates the superimposition target signal by reading the first information from the information storage unit. 3. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second calculation unit generates the second information based on information indicating at least one of the state of the electrical equipment and the surrounding environment. The first calculation unit includes a serial communication unit that performs serial communication with the second calculation unit,
The superimposing circuit superimposes the first signal to be superimposed received from the first computing unit or the second signal to be superimposed received from the second computing unit on the operation signal to generate a superimposed signal. 4. A signal processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which generates a The first calculation unit includes a serial communication unit that performs serial communication with the second calculation unit, and generates the superimposition target signal that indicates at least the second information received from the second calculation unit through the serial communication. death,
4. The signal processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the superimposing circuit superimposes the signal to be superimposed received from the first computing unit on the operation signal to generate a superimposed signal. The first computation unit transmits to the second computation unit an on/off signal indicating a period during which the generation of the first signal to be superimposed is performed, and the second computation unit transmits the second superimposition signal. receiving an on/off signal indicating a period during which target signal generation is to be performed;
The superimposing circuit superimposes the first signal to be superimposed received from the first computing unit or the second signal to be superimposed received from the second computing unit on the operation signal to generate a superimposed signal. 4. A signal processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which generates a The signal processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second calculation unit is built in the electrical device, or built in a sensor device separate from the electrical device.

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