Patent ID: 8170694
Filing Date: 2012-05-01
Classification: G05B,H04L

Abstract:
1. A network unit that is used as a block unit, in a first programmable controller as a gateway of a building block type, which monitors manufacturing facilities arranged on a manufacturing line and controls operations of the manufacturing facilities, and mutually connects an information system network for connecting at least one node including a monitoring apparatus and the first programmable controller and a control system network for connecting the first programmable controller and a plurality of second programmable controllers, the network unit comprising: an information-system interface unit connected to the information system network; a control-system interface unit connected to the control system network; a bus interface unit connected to a system bus of the first programmable controller, wherein the system bus is connected to: a power supply unit; a memory unit; an I/O unit that is connected to the manufacturing facilities; and a CPU unit; an information storing unit configured to store therein allocation information as a reference in allocating data received by the information-system interface unit or the control-system interface unit to any one of the information-system interface unit, the control-system interface unit, and the bus interface unit according to transmission destination information included in the received data; an information-system allocation unit that allocates, based on the transmission destination information included in the data received by the information-system interface unit and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, the data received by the information-system interface unit to one of a control-system-conversion processing unit and a transmission arbitrating unit, wherein the information-system allocation unit includes: a control-system allocation unit that allocates, based on the transmission destination information included in data received by the control-system interface unit and the allocation information stored in the information storing unit, the data received by the control-system interface unit to one of an information-system-conversion processing unit and the transmission arbitrating unit, wherein the control-system allocation unit includes: the control-system-conversion processing unit is configured to convert the received data allocated to the control-system-conversion processing unit by the information-system allocation unit into data corresponding to a protocol in the control system network and outputs the data to the control-system interface unit, wherein the information-system-conversion processing unit is configured to convert the received data allocated to the information-system-conversion processing unit by the control-system allocation unit into data corresponding to a protocol in the information system network and outputs the data to the information-system interface unit, wherein the transmission arbitrating unit is configured to arbitrate the respective received data allocated to the transmission arbitrating unit by the information-system allocation unit and the control-system allocation unit, respectively, not to overlap each other, wherein the network unit is provided in the first programmable controller.