Patent ID: 7574277

Claim:
A control system utilizing serial-data communication, in which the serial-data communication between a host control apparatus and at least one client control apparatus is performed, the control system comprising: a first processing unit configured in the host control apparatus to embed emergency-stop data in a serial-data communication frame when a malfunction occurs inside the host control apparatus, when an emergency-stop signal is inputted to the host control apparatus, to embed predetermined frame-error check data in the serial-data communication frame each time the serial-data communication frame is generated, and to output the frame to the client control apparatus; an extracting unit configured in the client control apparatus to extract the emergency-stop data and the frame-error check data from the frame that is transmitted from the host control apparatus to the client control apparatus; and a second processing unit configured in the client control apparatus to determine whether or not the frame has been generated normally in the host control apparatus by checking the frame-error check data extracted by the extracting unit, to output to an apparatus to be controlled the emergency-stop data when the emergency-stop data is embedded in the serial-data communication frame, and the frame is generated normally in the host control apparatus, to block output of the emergency-stop data to the apparatus to be controlled when the emergency-stop data is embedded in the serial-data communication frame, and the frames is not generated normally in the host control apparatus, and to generate a signal for outputting to the apparatus to be controlled the emergency-stop data when condition in which the frame is not generated normally in the host control apparatus is continued for a duration corresponding to a plurality of frames.