KR102030012B1 - Communication Interface Apparatus and Interface Method Using the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

In one embodiment, the interface device for converting a communication protocol is a first communication unit for transmitting and receiving data with a programmable logic controller (PLC) included in an industrial process controller, and transmitting and receiving data with a plurality of peripheral devices including different protocols. A second communication unit, a processor, and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein the processor includes information of a peripheral device to receive control information and data from the PLC via the first communication unit by executing the instructions. Receiving the first data, determining a protocol format corresponding to the information of the peripheral device obtained from the first data, generating the transmission data by combining the first data and the protocol format, and transferring the generated transmission data to the peripheral device. Can transmit

Description

Interface interface and method for converting communication protocols {Communication Interface Apparatus and Interface Method Using the Same}

The present invention relates to a communication device, and more particularly to a communication interface device and an interface method.

In a general industrial site, an industrial controller such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a DDC is used to efficiently control various industrial facilities installed in the industrial site.

In order to communicate between PLC and peripheral devices, a protocol that integrates and controls various signals used by each device must be equipped.

Currently, the protocol is being composed of CEBus in USA, Echonet in Japan, and LnCP in Korea. However, communication protocols between Internet products are not unified, and several communication standards are currently enacted. As a result, communication protocols between devices are different, and communication speeds between devices are different. Therefore, a network between devices is impossible, and thus, it is difficult to manage the entire network uniformly in a network between devices.

In addition, when setting the communication protocol separately, it takes a lot of time, there is a problem that this setting work must be made for each device, which is cumbersome.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-0513525

Disclosure of Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to provide a communication interface device capable of automatically converting a protocol for communication between devices using different protocols, and an interface method using the same.

In one embodiment, the interface device for converting a communication protocol is a first communication unit for transmitting and receiving data with a programmable logic controller (PLC) included in an industrial process controller, and transmitting and receiving data with a plurality of peripheral devices including different protocols. A second communication unit, a processor, and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein the processor includes information of a peripheral device to receive control information and data from the PLC via the first communication unit by executing the instructions. Receiving the first data, determining a protocol format corresponding to the information of the peripheral device obtained from the first data, generating the transmission data by combining the first data and the protocol format, and transferring the generated transmission data to the peripheral device. Can transmit

According to one disclosure, receiving first data including control information and information of a peripheral device to receive data from the PLC, determining a protocol format corresponding to the information of the peripheral device obtained from the first data, 1 may provide an interface method for converting a communication protocol including combining transmission data and a protocol format to generate transmission data and transmitting the generated transmission data to a peripheral device.

According to yet another embodiment, a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing an interface method for converting a communication protocol of the present invention on a computer can be provided.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an interface device for converting a communication protocol according to one disclosure.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication interface method for converting a communication protocol according to one disclosure.
3 is a diagram illustrating an example of converting a protocol of information received from a PLC according to one disclosure and converting the protocol to a peripheral device.
4 is a diagram illustrating an example of extracting information from data received from a peripheral device according to one disclosure and transmitting the information to a PLC.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a protocol through a user setting input when there is no protocol in the interface device according to one disclosure.
6 is a block diagram illustrating a further configuration of an interface device according to one disclosure.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In addition, in order to clearly disclose the present invention, parts not related to the present invention are omitted, and the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements in the drawings.

The objects and effects of the present invention may be naturally understood or more apparent from the following description, and the objects and effects of the present invention are not limited only by the following description.

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication interface device according to one disclosure.

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may perform a function of connecting a PLC 20 used in an industrial site and a peripheral device 30 controlled by the control of the PLC 20.

According to one disclosure, the peripheral device 30 may include a plurality of peripheral devices 31, 32, and 33. The plurality of peripherals 31, 32, and 33 may each use different protocols. For example, the various types of peripheral devices 31, 32, and 33 may include Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), OLE for Process Control (OPC), DNP3, Modbus TCP, Protocols such as Profibus, Ethernet, RS-232, RS-485, Modbus 485, or BACNet can be used. According to one disclosure, the plurality of peripherals 31, 32, and 33 are barcode readers, nut runners, electronic scales, process computers (PCs), human machine interfaces (HMIs), file servers (RFIDs), RFIDs. Readers, work stations, relays, energy storage systems (ESS), battery energy storage systems (BESS), measuring instruments, measurement sensors, diesel engines, or actuators. Can be. This is not restrictive.

The PLC 20 is controlled by various types of terminals, controls the plurality of peripheral devices 31, 32, and 33, and receives various types of communication data from the plurality of peripheral devices 31, 32, and 33. Can be sent to the terminal.

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may include a first communication unit 110, a second communication unit 120, a processor 130, and a memory 140.

According to one disclosure, the first communication unit 110 and the second communication unit 120 may perform a function of connecting an industrial controller with various facilities disposed at an industrial site.

According to an embodiment, the first communication unit 110 may transmit / receive data with a programmable logic controller (PLC) included in an industrial process controller. According to one disclosure, the first communication unit 110 may include at least one of a CC-Link communication port, a ProfiBus communication port, and a Devicenet communication port.

According to one disclosure, the first communication unit 110 may include an Ethernet port for communicating with the PLC 20. According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may be connected to the Internet network using an Ethernet port.

According to one disclosure, the second communication unit 120 may transmit and receive data with a plurality of peripheral devices including different protocols. In addition, the second communication unit 120 may include at least one of an S232 communication port and an RS485 communication port.

According to one disclosure, the second communication unit 120 may include a plurality of second ports. Here, the plurality of second ports may mean a plurality of transmission ports and a plurality of reception ports for transmitting and receiving data.

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 receives data from a plurality of peripheral devices through a plurality of receiving ports included in the second communication unit 120, and transmits data to a plurality of peripheral devices through a plurality of transmitting ports. Data can be sent.

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may receive first data including information of a peripheral device to receive control information and data from a PLC through the first communication unit 110. In addition, the communication interface device 10 may determine a protocol format corresponding to the information of the peripheral device obtained from the first data.

According to an embodiment, the processor 130 may generate transmission data by combining the first data and the protocol format.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a protocol having a proper format does not exist in the communication interface device 10, the processor 130 may access the setting page through the Internet network using the first communication unit 110. According to one disclosure, a user may set a protocol by using a setting page. For example, a user can set a protocol by assigning an identification code to a communication protocol in a predetermined format.

According to one disclosure, the processor 130 is equipped with a real-time operating system (RTOS, Real-time Operrating System) of the individual network connection, a predetermined time when data transmission and reception is interrupted due to a communication error with at least one peripheral device 30 After the elapse of time, communication can be attempted automatically. According to one disclosure, even when an error occurs in the peripheral device 30 and communication is interrupted, the processor 130 may automatically recover after a predetermined time elapses.

According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may monitor the communication state of the first communication unit 110 and the second communication unit 120 in real time. According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may control communication based on the communication states of the first communication unit 110 and the second communication unit 120. According to one disclosure, when both the first communication state value and the second communication state value are determined to be a good communication state, the processor 130 may generate converted data.

According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may detect a first communication state value through the first communication unit 110. According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may determine that the communication is in a good state when the first communication state value is greater than or equal to a preset setting value, and determine that the communication is in a bad state when the first communication state value is less than the preset setting value.

According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may detect a second communication state value through the second communication unit 120. According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may determine that the communication is in a good state when the second communication state value is greater than or equal to a preset setting value, and determine that the communication is in a bad state when the second communication state value is less than the preset setting value.

According to one disclosure, the memory 140 may store data executable by the processor 130. In addition, transmission / reception data with the PLC 20 and the peripheral device 30 may be stored. In addition, the memory 140 may store data converted by the processor 130.

In addition, the processor 130 may receive data through the second communication unit 120. According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor 130 may convert only data of a specific region among data received through the second communication unit 120 into data in ASCII code form. According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may transmit the data to the PLC 20 in the form of an ASCII code through the first communication unit 110.

According to one disclosure, the processor 130 may transmit to the PLC 20 without processing the continuous data array received from the peripheral device 30. In addition, the processor 130 may acquire only data of a required area among the data received from the peripheral device 30, convert the data into an ASCII code form, and transmit the data to the PLC 20.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the communication interface device 10 may include a simulator module that periodically transmits predetermined data to a plurality of peripheral devices 30 without being communicated with the PLC 20. According to one disclosure, the simulator function may be set through an internet network connected through the communication interface device 10. Simulator function can set communication cycle, data arrangement, graph format, etc.

According to one disclosure, the data generated by the simulator module may include a transmission period of data, an arrangement of data, and identification information of a peripheral device.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication interface method according to one disclosure.

In block 201, according to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may receive first data including information of a peripheral device to receive control information and data from a PLC through the first communication unit 110.

In block 202, the communication interface device 10 may determine, according to one disclosure, a protocol format corresponding to information of a peripheral device obtained from the first data. For example, when the peripheral device is an RFID reader, the communication protocol of the stored RFID can be called.

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may obtain control information for controlling the peripheral device by parsing the first data received from the first communication unit 110 and information about the peripheral device for receiving the data. have. According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may determine a communication protocol of a peripheral device from information about the peripheral device, and read the communication protocol from a storage unit.

 In addition, the communication interface device 10 parses the data to identify the identification information (ID) of the transmitting device, the identification information (ID) of the receiving device, the tag information of the receiving device, the information of the transmission protocol, and the reception. Information of the protocol, contents included in the header region of the first data, contents included in the data region of the first data, information about contents included in the trailer region of the first data, and the like may be obtained.

In block 203, by one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may combine the first data and the protocol format to generate transmission data. According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may generate transmission data for sending control information to the peripheral device. In this case, the communication interface device 10 may generate the first data received in text form as transmission data in ASCII code form.

In block 204, the communication interface device 10 may transmit the generated transmission data to the peripheral device through the second communication unit 120 by one disclosure. According to one disclosure, a peripheral device may communicate using an RS232 communication port and an RS485 communication port.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of converting a protocol of information received from a PLC according to one disclosure and converting the protocol to a peripheral device.

According to one disclosure, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of converting a protocol for transmitting information received from the PLC 20 to the RFID 31 which is a peripheral device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may receive a text signal of '0010' meaning an RFID data address and '0002' meaning “control information (bytes to read)” from the PLC 20. .

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may check the communication protocol of the RFID 31. According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may read command code, method, antenna no, and terminator information as a communication protocol format of the RFID 31 from a memory. According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may combine a command code, a method, an antenna no, a terminator, an RFID data address, and control information loaded from a memory.

For example, the communication interface device 10 may combine the command code RD, the method ST, and the antenna No. H1 in front of the RFID data address 0010. In addition, the communication interface device 10 may combine the 0002 which is the control information (the number of bytes to read) after the RFID data address and combine the * CR as a terminator which means the termination of the data length to generate the transmission data. In addition, the communication interface device 10 may generate data using an ASCII code corresponding to text information.

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 RFIDs RDSTH100100002 * CR (82,68,83,84,72,49,48,48,49,48,48,48,48,50,42,13). 31 can be transmitted.

That is, the communication interface device 10 receives only control information and information on the peripheral device from the PLC and calls and combines the communication protocol type by itself, thereby communicating with the peripheral device without a separate communication protocol conversion device or conversion program. Can generate data.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of extracting information from data received from a peripheral device according to one disclosure and transmitting the information to a PLC.

According to one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 of the present invention may extract only necessary information from the information received from the peripheral device and transmit it to the PLC 20.

For example, the communication interface device 10 is provided with RD00H100123456 * CR (82,68,48,48,72,49,48,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,42, 13) can be received. The communication interface device 10 may parse the received data and extract information to be sent to the PLC 20. By one disclosure, the communication interface device 10 may extract only the response information excluding the communication protocol. For example, the communication interface device 10 may obtain response information of “00123456 (48,48,49,50,51,52,53,54)”.

According to an embodiment, the communication interface device 10 may convert the obtained response information into response data in a form usable in the PLC 20. The communication interface device 10 may transmit the converted response data to the PLC 20. For example, the communication interface device 10 may transmit text information of “123456” to the PLC 20.

Therefore, even if data having a different protocol format is received from the peripheral device through the communication interface device 10, only necessary information can be acquired and transmitted from the PLC 20, so that the communication speed can be increased. In addition, the desired information can be obtained without any device or conversion program, thereby reducing unnecessary memory usage.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a protocol through a user setting input when there is no protocol in the interface device according to one disclosure.

In block 501, the communication interface device 10 according to one disclosure may select a protocol format that conforms to a communication protocol of a peripheral device in order to transmit the first data received from the PLC to the peripheral device.

In block 502, the communication interface device 10 according to one disclosure may determine whether information about a protocol format of a peripheral device is stored in a memory. The memory may be a component included in the communication interface device 10 or an external device connected to the communication interface device 10.

In block 503, the communication interface device 10 according to one disclosure may generate transmission data using the protocol format when the memory includes information about the protocol format of the peripheral device.

In block 504, the communication interface device 10 according to one disclosure may transmit transmission data generated in accordance with the protocol format of the peripheral device to the peripheral device.

In block 505, the communication interface device 10 according to one disclosure may access a setting page using an internet network when the memory does not include information about a protocol format of a peripheral device. According to an exemplary embodiment, the communication interface device 10 may access a setting page through a connection with an external PC or through its own communication network.

According to one disclosure, a configuration page may provide a user interface that may combine protocol types. For example, the communication interface device 10 may visually display a protocol format corresponding to protocol information of a plurality of peripheral devices through a setting page. According to one disclosure, since the user can designate a protocol format while viewing the protocol information displayed on the screen, the user can easily generate communication data.

In block 506, the communication interface device 10 according to one disclosure may establish a protocol through user input. According to one disclosure, a new protocol format may be generated using letters, numbers, etc. selected by user input. Therefore, communication can be easily initiated even with a peripheral device having a protocol which is not stored in the communication interface device 10.

6 is a block diagram illustrating a further configuration of a communication interface device, according to one disclosure.

According to one disclosure, in addition to the configuration disclosed in FIG. 1, the communication interface device may further include a display unit 150 and a user input unit 160.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the display unit 150 may display a communication state between a PLC and a peripheral device through the communication interface device 10 in real time. According to one disclosure, the display unit 150 may display information on a control command received from the PLC. In addition, the display unit 150 may display transmission data obtained by converting a control command received from the PLC into data usable in the peripheral device. In addition, the display unit 150 may display data received from the peripheral device.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the display 150 may display a warning notification when a necessary protocol format of a peripheral device does not exist in a memory. In this case, the user may recognize that the specification of the protocol format is necessary through the notification displayed on the display unit 150. According to one disclosure, the display unit 150 may provide a setting page for setting a protocol format. The display unit 150 may visualize and display the format of the protocol in advance through the setting page, and may exemplarily display numbers or letters for designating the format of the protocol.

According to one disclosure, a user may specify a format of a protocol through the user input unit 160. According to one disclosure, the user may individually designate the required protocol type through the display unit 150 to quickly and accurately generate the protocol type.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Should be regarded as falling within the scope of the above claims.

In the exemplary system described above, the methods are described based on a flowchart as a series of processes or blocks, but the present invention is not limited to the order of processes, and certain processes may occur in a different order or simultaneously with other processes than those described above. Can be. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the processes shown in the flowcharts are not exclusive and that other processes may be included or one or more processes in the flowcharts may be deleted without affecting the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

A first communication unit configured to transmit / receive data with a programmable logic controller (PLC) included in an industrial process controller;
A second communication unit configured to transmit and receive at least one data with a plurality of peripheral devices including different protocols;
A processor; And
A memory storing instructions executable by the processor;
The processor,
By executing the instructions,
Receiving first data including an address starting to read data of a first peripheral device and information of a byte to read the data from the PLC through the first communication unit,
Determine a first protocol format corresponding to the information of the first peripheral device obtained from the first data, combine the first data with the first protocol format to generate transmission data, and generate the transmitted data Transmit to the first peripheral device,
Receive second data corresponding to the transmission data from the first peripheral device through the second communication unit,
Parse the second data to obtain response information to be sent to the PLC from the second data, except for the first protocol format, convert the obtained response information into response data available at the PLC, and Interface device for converting a communication protocol for transmitting the converted response data to the PLC. The method of claim 1,
The processor,
And a communication protocol for converting the first data received in text or numeric form into transmission data in ASCII code form. The method of claim 1,
And the first communication unit is any one of an Ethernet port, a CC-Link communication port, a ProfiBus communication port, and a Devicenet communication port. delete The method of claim 1,
The processor,
An interface device for converting a communication protocol for converting response information obtained from the second data received in the form of ASCII code into other types of response data such as an integer and a real number. The method of claim 1,
The second communication unit,
At least one of an RS232 communication port and an RS485 communication port. The method of claim 1,
And when there is no protocol format corresponding to the information of the peripheral device, connecting to a setting page using the first communication unit. The method of claim 7, wherein
A display unit displaying the setting page; And
And a user input unit configured to receive a format of the protocol from a user. The method of claim 1,
The processor,
It includes a simulator module for periodically transmitting the predetermined data to the plurality of peripheral devices without the communication with the PLC,
And the data generated by the simulator module includes a data transmission period, an array of data, and identification information of a peripheral device. The method of claim 1,
The interface device,
Operating independently from the PLC, wherein the PLC assists in transmitting and receiving data without programming for communication with the peripheral device. Receiving first data from the PLC, the first data comprising an address starting to read data of the first peripheral device and information of bytes to read the data;
Determining a first protocol format corresponding to information of the first peripheral device obtained from the first data;
Combining the first data with the first protocol format to generate transmission data;
Transmitting the generated transmission data to the first peripheral device;
Receiving second data corresponding to the transmission data from the first peripheral device through a second communication unit;
Parsing the second data to obtain response information to be sent to the PLC, except for the first protocol format, from the second data; And
And converting the obtained response information into response data available in the PLC, and transmitting the converted response data to the PLC. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 11 on a computer.

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