Abstract:
A method for converting, editing and modifying communication protocol. A computer is connected to a plurality of communication protocol converting modules through a master bus. The plurality of communication protocol converting modules is connected to corresponding slave buses and each of the slave buses is connected to a plurality of devices. The communication protocol-converting module is capable of converting communication protocol, editing and modifying communication commands. The command protocols of the computer and the command protocols of the devices are stored in the communication protocol converting module, whereby the communication protocol converting module has capability for group communication to integrate each independent communication group.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a method for converting, editing and modifying communication protocol by using a communication protocol conversion module between computer and devices.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Prior Art  
         [0004]     As the progress of technology, the industrial control mainly relies on the data exchange between equipments through communication network.  FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram of two conventional communication networks. In the first communication network  10 , a computer  12  is connected to equipments of various types through a first bus  14  and the computer  12  communicates with the equipments of various types through a specific protocol. In the second communication network  20 , a computer  22  is connected to equipments of various types through a first bus  24  and the computer  22  communicates with the equipments of various types through another specific protocol.  
         [0005]     In  FIG. 1 , the separate communication network is composed of element with specific network protocol. The computers  1  and  2  access the equipments of various types in group manner and should cooperate with another computer if the equipments of different communication protocol are to be accessed. The integration degree for this kind of architecture is poor and separate computers are needed for separate communication networks.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention is to provide a method for converting, editing and modifying communication protocol by using a communication protocol conversion module between computer and devices. The communication protocol conversion module has feature of protocol conversion and editing and modifying communication commands. The communication command protocols of computer and device are recorded in the communication protocol conversion module such that the communication protocol conversion module has group communication protocol ability to integrate each independent communication group.  
         [0007]     Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for converting communication protocol used for a computer system. The computer system comprises a computer connected to a plurality of communication protocol conversion modules through a master bus, the communication protocol conversion modules connected to a plurality of devices through corresponding slave buses. The method comprises the steps of: the computer initializing the communication protocol conversion modules through the master bus; a communication protocol conversion module designated by the computer receiving a packet from the master bus; the designated communication protocol conversion module converting the packet to a device packet, the device packet being data converted by the designated communication protocol conversion module; the designated communication protocol conversion module sending the device packet to a designated device through a corresponding slave bus; the designated communication protocol conversion module waiting a reply message from the designated device; and the designated communication protocol conversion module converting the reply message to a computer-recognizable reply message and sending the computer-recognizable reply message to the computer through the master bus.  
         [0008]     Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for editing and modifying a communication protocol used for a computer system. The computer system comprises a computer connected to a plurality of communication protocol conversion modules through a master bus, the communication protocol conversion modules connected to a plurality of devices through corresponding slave buses. The computer edits or modifies the communication protocol for the communication protocol conversion modules. The communication protocol conversion modules with the edited and modified communication protocol sends data conversion protocol of computer to the devices. The method comprises the steps of: the computer initializing the communication protocol conversion modules through the master bus; the communication protocol conversion modules waiting for commands issued from the computer; one the communication protocol conversion modules sending a reply message to a display of the computer in response to the command issued from the computer; the display showing a command prompt character for the communication protocol conversion module; the communication protocol conversion modules waiting for an editing/modifying command issued from the computer; judging whether the communication protocol conversion modules receiving an editing command issued from the computer; when the communication protocol conversion module receiving an editing command issued from the computer, the computer sending a communication command protocol to the communication protocol conversion module for editing; saving the communication command protocol to a storage unit of the communication protocol conversion module for editing; when the communication protocol conversion module does not receive the modifying command issued from the computer, the method is back to the step of the communication protocol conversion modules waiting for an editing/modifying command issued from the computer; when the communication protocol conversion modules receiving the modifying command issued from the computer; selecting a communication protocol number to modify the communication protocol conversion module corresponding to the communication protocol number and requiring modification; the communication protocol conversion module requiring modification outputting the communication command protocol to the computer; the computer sending a modified communication command protocol to the communication protocol conversion module; and storing the modified communication command protocol to the storage unit of the communication protocol conversion module. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING  
       [0009]     The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself however may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, which describes certain exemplary embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram of two conventional communication networks.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  shows the network communication system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  shows the block diagram of the differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart showing the steps of communication protocol conversion.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  shows the steps of method of editing and modifying communication protocol according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]      FIG. 2  shows the network communication system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the network communication system  30  shown in  FIG. 2 , a computer  32  is connected to a master bus  34  and the master bus  34  is connected to a first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and a second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38 . It should be noted while the present invention is exemplified with two kinds of communication protocol conversion modules, the scope of the present invention is not limited to two kinds of communication protocol conversion modules. The first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  are connected to devices of various type through corresponding first slave bus  40  and second slave bus  42 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  shows the block diagram of the differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module, which is exemplified with the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36 , while the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  has similar description. The first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  comprises a microcontroller  50  and a voltage regulator  52 . The microcontroller  50  receives a packet from the master bus  34  and converts the packet into a device packet and then sends the device packet to the slave bus  40 . The microcontroller  50  further receives a reply message from the slave bus  40  and converts the reply message into a computerized reply message and then sends the computerized reply message to the master bus  34 . The voltage regulator  52  supplies electrical power to the microcontroller  50 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart showing the steps of communication protocol conversion. With reference also to  FIG. 2 , in step S 60 , the computer  32  performs an initialization step to the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  through the master bus  34 . The computer  32  initializes the communication protocol conversion mode according to the attributions of devices connected to the slave buses  40  and  42  corresponding to the e first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38 . When the computer  32  does not issue packet, the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  are idled in step S 62 .  
         [0018]     Afterward, step S 64  judges whether the computer  32  has sent a packet to the master bus  34 . When the computer  32  has not sent a packet to the master bus  34 , the procedure is back to step S 62 . When the computer  32  has sent a packet to the master bus  34 , a differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module designated by the computer  32  receives a packet sent by from the master bus  34  at step S 66 . Hereinafter this procedure is exemplified with the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36 . The first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  converts the received packet to a device packet, where the device packet is converted from data sent by the computer  32  and sent to a designated device.  
         [0019]     Step S 68  judges whether the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  had finished receiving packet. When the packet receiving is not finished, the procedure is back to step S 66 . When the packet receiving is finished, the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  converts the received packet to a device packet at step S 70 . Moreover, the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  sent the device packet to a designated device through the first slave bus  40  at step S 72 .  
         [0020]     The first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  waits for a reply message from the designated device at step S 74 . Step S 76  judges whether the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  finishes receiving the reply message through the first slave bus  40 . When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  has not finished receiving the reply message, the procedure is back to step S 74 .  
         [0021]     When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  has finished receiving the reply message, step S 78  judges whether the reply message received by the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  is correct. When the reply message received by the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  is correct, the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  converts the reply message to a computer-recognizable reply message and sends the computer-recognizable reply message to the computer through the master bus  34 . Afterward, the process is back to step S 62 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  shows the steps of method of editing and modifying communication protocol according to the present invention. At step S 100 , the computer  32  initializes the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38 . Then the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  waits for command issued from the computer  32  at step S 102 .  
         [0023]     Step S 104  judges whether the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  receive a begin command from the computer  32 . When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  have not received the begin command from the computer  32 , the procedure is back to step S 102 . When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  have received the begin command from the computer  32 , a display (not shown) shows a reply message sent from the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  and to the computer  32  at step S 106 .  
         [0024]     The display shows a command prompt character for the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  at step S 108 . The first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  waits an editing/modifying communication command from the computer  32  at step S 110 .  
         [0025]     Afterward, step S 112  judges whether the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  receives an editing communication command. When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  have received the editing communication command, the computer  32  sends a communication command protocol to the communication protocol conversion module to be edited in step S 114 . The preferred embodiment is exemplified with the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36 .  
         [0026]     Afterward, step S 116  judges whether the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  needs to edit. When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  does not need to edit, the procedure is back to step S 110 . When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  needs to edit, the communication command protocol is stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  in step S 118  and then the procedure is back to step S 108 , where the storage unit can be a non-volatile memory.  
         [0027]     When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  do not receive an editing communication command, step S 120  judges whether the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  receives a modifying communication command. When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  do not receive the modifying communication command, the procedure is back to step S 110 . When the first differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  36  and the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  receive the modifying communication command, a communication command number is selected to modify the communication protocol conversion module corresponding to the communication command number in step S 122 . The preferred embodiment is exemplified with the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38 . Afterward, the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  sends the communication command protocol to the computer  32  in step S 124 .  
         [0028]     Step S 126  judges whether the communication command protocol is to be modified. When communication command protocol is not to be modified, the procedure is back to step S 110 . When communication command protocol is to be modified, the computer sends the modified communication command protocol to the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  in step S 128 . Step  128  judges whether the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  needs to edit. When the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  does not need to edit, the procedure is back to step S 110 . When the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  needs to edit, the modified communication command protocol is stored in a storage unit of the second differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module  38  in step S 132  and then the procedure is back to step S 108 .  
         [0029]     The present invention exploits the conversion property of differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module and the feature of editing and modifying communication command. The communication command protocol of computer and the communication command protocol of device are written into the differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module. Therefore, the differential-transmission based communication protocol conversion module has the ability of group communication and the independent communication groups can be integrated to enhance utility of network system.  
         [0030]     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.