Device control system, control unit and device control method for use therewith

Abstract

The present invention provides a device control system that can automatically switch the control units to eliminate the stop time of a device, and increase the utilization efficiency of the device. If the first control unit detects that the control of an RF tag reader-writer is incomplete from the activity ratio of a control part by supervising the RF tag reader-writer and supervising the periodical communication with the RF tag reader-writer, the control unit confirms whether or not there are one or more notifiable control units by referring to a control unit list. If the first control unit is notifiable to the second control unit, the first control unit notifies the information of the RF tag reader-writer to the second control unit. The second control unit returns a controllable code to the first control unit if the RF tag reader-writer is controllable by referring to the information of the RF tag reader-writer from a device information list.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a device control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a view showing the organization of a control unit list 11 of FIG. 1, FIG. 2B is a view showing the organization of a control unit list 21 of FIG. 1, FIG. 2C is a view showing the organization of a device information list 12 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2D is a view showing the organization of a device information list 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control units of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a view showing the organization of a control unit list 11 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4B is a view showing the organization of a control unit list 21 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4C is a view showing the organization of a device information list 12 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4D is a view showing the organization of a device information list 22 according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control units according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control units according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a device control system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a view showing the organization of a control unit list 11 of FIG. 7, FIG. 8B is a view showing the organization of a control unit list 21 of FIG. 7, FIG. 8C is a view showing the organization of a control unit list 61 of FIG. 7, FIG. 8D is a view showing the organization of a device information list 12 of FIG. 7, FIG. 8E is a view showing the organization of a device information list 22 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8F is a view showing the organization of a device information list 62 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control units of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control units of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control units according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device control system comprising of a plurality of control units for controlling a device, wherein if a concentrated load or a failure is detected in any of said plurality of control units, said control units are switched so that the control of the device by the control unit for which the concentrated load or the failure is detected may be performed by another control unit.

2. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of control units comprises means of notifying the information of the device controlled by a self unit to the other control units if the concentrated load or the failure is detected in the self unit, means of determining whether or not said device is controllable by the self unit if the information of said device is sent from the other control units, and means of trying to control said device if said device is determined to be controllable by the self unit.

3. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of control units detects the occurrence of said concentrated load or the failure from an activity ratio of control means for the self unit by supervising said device and supervising the intercommunication with said device.

4. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of control units notifies all the information of said device to another control unit if any occurrence of said concentrated load or the failure is detected.

5. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of control units comprises means of periodically communicating with the other control units to supervise said plurality of control units, means of determining whether or not said device is controllable by the self unit based on the information of the device controlled by said other control unit if any occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in said other control unit is detected, and means of trying to control said device if the device is determined to be controllable by the self unit.

6. The device control system according to claim 1, further comprising an upper-level control unit for controlling said plurality of control units, in which said upper-level control unit notifies the information of the device controlled by the control unit receiving a notification of occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure to the other control unit and instructs said other control unit to control said device at the time of receiving the notification of occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in each of said plurality of control units.

7. The device control system according to claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of control units detects the occurrence of said concentrated load or the failure from the activity ratio of control means for the self unit by supervising said device and supervising the intercommunication with said device.

8. The device control system according to claim 1, further comprising an upper-level control unit for controlling said plurality of control units, in which said upper-level control unit comprises means of periodically communicating with each of said plurality of control units to supervise each of said plurality of control units, and means of notifying the information of the device controlled by one control unit to the other control unit and instructing said other control unit to control said device, if the concentrated load or the failure in said one control unit is detected.

9. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein said device is any one of an RF tag reader-writer for reading or writing the information for at least the RF (Radio Frequency) tag and sensor means of detecting the information.

10. A control unit for controlling a device, wherein if a concentrated load or a failure is detected in any one of a self unit and the control units, the control units are switched so that the control of the device by the control unit for which said concentrated load or the failure is detected may be performed by any one of the other control units.

11. The control unit according to claim 10, further comprising means of notifying the information of the device controlled by the self unit to another control unit if the concentrated load or the failure in the self unit is detected, means of determining whether or not said device is controllable by the self unit if the information of said device is sent from said another control unit, and means of trying to control said device if said device is determined to be controllable by the self unit.

12. The control unit according to claim 10, wherein the occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure is detected from the activity ratio of control means for the self unit by supervising said device and supervising the intercommunication with said device.

13. The control unit according to claim 10, wherein if any occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure is detected, all the information of said device is notified to another control unit.

14. The control unit according to claim 10, further comprising means of periodically communicating with another control unit to supervise the another control unit, means of determining whether or not said device is controllable by the self unit based on the information of the device controlled by said another control unit if any occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in the another control unit is detected, and means of trying to control said device if said device is determined to be controllable by the self unit.

15. An upper-level control unit for controlling a plurality of control units, each of which controls a device, comprising means of notifying the information of the device controlled by the control unit receiving a notification of occurrence of a concentrated load or a failure to another control unit and instructing said another control unit to control said device at the time of receiving said notification of occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in any of said plurality of control units.

16. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein each of said plurality of control units detects the occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure from the activity ratio of control means for the self unit by supervising said device and supervising the intercommunication with said device.

17. An upper-level control unit for controlling a plurality of control units, each of which controls a device, comprising means of periodically communicating with each of said plurality of control units and supervising each of said plurality of control units, and means of notifying the information of the device controlled by one control unit to the other control unit and instructing said other control unit to control said device if a concentrated load or a failure is detected in said one control unit.

18. The control unit according to claim 10, wherein said device is any one of an RF tag reader-writer for reading or writing the information for at least the RF (Radio Frequency) tag and sensor means of detecting the information.

19. A device control method for use in a device control system comprising of a plurality of control units for each controlling a device, comprising a switching step of switching said control units so that the control of the device by the control unit for which a concentrated load or a failure is detected may be performed by the other control unit if said concentrated load or said failure is detected in any of said plurality of control units.

20. The device control method according to claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of control units performs a step of notifying the information of the device controlled by the self unit to the other control unit if any occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in the self unit is detected, a step of determining whether or not said device is controllable by the self unit if the information of said device is sent from the other control unit, and a step of trying to control said device if said device is determined to be controllable by the self unit.

21. The device control method according to claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of control units detects the occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure from an activity ratio of control means for the self unit by supervising said device and supervising the intercommunication with said device.

22. The device control method according to claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of control units notifies all the information of said device to another control unit if any occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure is detected.

23. The device control method according to claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of control units performs a step of periodically communicating with the other control units to supervise said plurality of control units, a step of determining whether or not said device is controllable by the self unit based on the information of the device controlled by said other control unit if any occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in said other control unit is detected, and a step of trying to control said device if said device is determined to be controllable by the self unit.

24. The device control method according to claim 19, wherein an upper-level control unit for controlling the plurality of control units is provided to perform a step of notifying the information of the device controlled by one control unit receiving a notification of occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure to the other control unit and instructing said other control unit to control said device at the time of receiving the notification of occurrence that the concentrated load or the failure occurs in each of said plurality of control units.

25. The device control method according to claim 24, wherein each of said plurality of control units detects the occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure from the activity ratio of control means for the self unit by supervising said device and supervising the intercommunication with said device.

26. The device control method according to claim 19, wherein an upper-level control unit for controlling the plurality of control units is provided to perform a step of periodically communicating with each of said plurality of control units to supervise each of said plurality of control units, and a step of notifying the information of the device controlled by one control unit to the other control unit and instructing said other control unit to control said device if the concentrated load or the failure in said one control unit is detected.

27. The device control method according to claim 19, wherein said device is any one of an RF tag reader-writer for reading or writing the information for at least the RF (Radio Frequency) tag and sensor means of detecting the information.

28. A recording medium recording a program for a device control method for use in a control unit for controlling a device, said program being executed on a computer, said program comprising a process of notifying the information of the device controlled by the control unit to the other control unit if any occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in the control unit is detected, a process of determining whether or not said device is controllable by said control unit if the information of said device is sent from the other control unit, and a process of trying to control said device if said device is determined to be controllable by said control unit.

29. A recording medium recording a program for a device control method for use in an upper-level control unit for controlling a plurality of control units for each controlling a device, said program being executed on a computer, said program comprising a process of notifying the information of the device controlled by the control unit receiving a notification of occurrence of a concentrated load or a failure to the other control unit and instructing said other control unit to control said device at the time of receiving the notification of occurrence that the concentrated load or the failure occurs in any of said plurality of control units.

30. A recording medium recording a program for a device control method for use in an upper-level control unit for controlling a plurality of control units for each controlling a device, said program being executed on a computer, said program comprising a process of periodically communicating with each of said plurality of control units to supervise each of said plurality of control units, and a process of notifying the information of the device controlled by one control unit to the other control unit and instructing said other control unit to control said device at the time of detecting the occurrence of the concentrated load or the failure in said one control unit.