JPH0494292A - Home bus protocol controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily discriminate to which part of a terminal equipment has a fault by deciding whether or not a device controller is in normal operation and sending a message representing it to a home bus when the device controller is judged not to be normal. CONSTITUTION:A device control processor 12c controls a comparator section 57 to compare the storage contents of storage sections 56, 58 and when the storage contents of the storage sections 56, 58 are unmatched, it is judged that a fault exists in the operation of the device control processor 12c and a fault generating signal is given to a fault message data generating section 50. Then a fault message data is generated in response to a fault generating signal and given to a home bus protocol control section 52, a text transmission section 48j generates a basic format data of a control signal and sends a serial signal to the home bus via an AMI signal transmission reception section 46 and uses a display section to display which device of which terminal equipment has a fault. Thus, where the fault exists is identified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a home bus system including a home controller connected to a home bus, which is an information transmission path in the home, and a large number of terminals. Concerning improvements in fault detection technology.

[Conventional technology] So-called home automation (H
A) The system is becoming popular.

Current services are limited to telephones, intercoms, security, device control, and telecontrol (controlling devices in the home from an external telephone). However, it is believed that HA systems will greatly develop in the future.

In the industrial world, with the aim of popularizing HA systems and realizing compatibility, efforts have been made to standardize home buses as home information transmission lines. The results were the Home Bus System J Standard, or rHBs Standard ET-
2101j There is. The standard is two coaxial cables,
A home bus including four pairs of wires was adopted. The standards specify in detail the signal transmission method, control method, and even the meaning of the signals. This standard not only simplifies household wiring (but also makes it possible to ensure compatibility of equipment between manufacturers).This standard is expected to promote the spread of the system.

HA system based on a standardized home bus (
A conceptual diagram of the home bus system (hereinafter referred to as home bus system) is shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4, the home bus system includes video terminals such as video cameras, antennas, and televisions connected to the home bus, telephone terminals such as intercoms, information terminals such as personal computers, smoke detectors, etc. It includes security terminals such as gas detectors, security switches, and electronic keys, home appliance terminals such as air conditioners (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioners"), baths, and lighting, and a home controller for controlling these devices. Each of these devices is connected to the home bus by means called an information outlet.

The information outlet is a part that connects devices to the home bus, and is standardized by the above-mentioned standards.

Information outlets are embedded in the wall like power outlets, and devices can be connected to the home bus by simply plugging them in. Information outlets make equipment installation extremely easy.

A home bus protocol control device or interface unit (IFtJ) and a device control device (not shown) are inserted between each device and the information outlet.

The home bus protocol control device controls the communication protocol between the home controller and each terminal via the home bus. The device control device is for controlling devices according to information from the home controller, which is given from the home bus protocol control device.

The home controller is not only connected to the home bus, but also to external wired signal lines such as telephone lines. The home controller is in charge of not only controlling each service system within the home, but also communicating with the outside world.

A home bus system allows you to:

With video services, you can not only receive regular broadcasts on your television, but also view images from a video camera connected to your home bus. The video camera is controlled by a remote control or home controller.

According to call services, by placing call terminals in various places in the home, it is possible to receive calls from outside in any room. Additionally, you can make outside calls, make internal calls, and answer the doorbell from any room.

According to information services, in addition to operating a personal computer as a standalone unit, the personal computer can also realize some of the control functions of a home controller,
Alternatively, data communication between the personal computer and the outside world can be carried out through a telephone line.

Security services allow you to: If the security sensor detects an abnormality, that information is immediately transmitted to the home controller. The Baum controller can immediately issue an alarm or notify the outside world through a telephone line.

As a result, necessary measures can be taken quickly.

Telecontrol services allow you to:

Users can monitor the power status of iron equipment connected to the home bus via the telephone line and home controller, and can control on/off of each equipment.

For example, such a system is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-231587.

In the home bus system described above, all devices under the system are managed by a home controller.

Since the home bus system includes devices with important functions, it is extremely important that each device operate normally. Furthermore, in the event that a device that cannot operate normally occurs, it is necessary to promptly detect this and take necessary measures.

Conventionally, equipment abnormalities were detected as follows.

Referring to FIG. 5, first, in order to perform normal operations, a transmitting terminal (for example, a home controller) transmits a control signal frame to a receiving terminal.

A control signal frame is a collection of commands or data for controlling equipment in a fixed format, and is defined in the HBS standard ET-2101 mentioned above.

Upon receiving the control signal frame, the home bus protocol control device of the receiving terminal performs frame error detection.

If no error is detected, the receiving terminal's home bus protocol controller sends an ACK (acknowledgement) signal back to the transmitting terminal. When an error is detected, the receiving terminal's home bus protocol controller sends a NAK (negative acknowledgment) signal back to the transmitting terminal.

If an ACK signal is received, the transmitting terminal performs subsequent processing. On the other hand, if a NAK signal is received, the transmitting terminal repeats the above-described operation. Repeat the above action 4 times,
If the NAK signal is received all four times, the transmitting terminal determines that an abnormality has occurred on the receiving terminal side. In that case, the transmitting terminal performs processing to deal with the failure.

In addition, in FIG. 5, PR (priority code) is a code for determining the priority order according to the attributes of the frames when control signal frames collide on the home bus. SA and DA are the self (source) address and the other party's (destination) address, respectively. An address is a unique number given to an interface unit connected to the Honimbus. The interface unit is the same as the home bus protocol controller. FCC (frame check code) starts from the self address part.
This is a code added to detect errors during transmission of data up to C.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above-described conventional device has a problem in that it cannot specify whether the transmitting terminal or the receiving terminal has an abnormality or which part of the terminal has the abnormality. Therefore, it was difficult to deal with the occurrence of an abnormality, and high reliability could not be obtained.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a home bus protocol control device for a home bus system that makes it possible to identify where an abnormality is occurring in the home bus, the home bus protocol control device of a terminal, and the device control device. be.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A home bus protocol control device according to the present invention receives information from a home bus, performs layer conversion, outputs the information to a device control device, and has an input for receiving the output of the device control device. Comparing the output means, the storage means for storing data input and output by the input/output means, and the data output to the equipment control device and the data input from the equipment control device, which are stored in the storage means. The apparatus includes comparing means for detecting a predetermined relationship and generating a detection signal, and message transmitting means for transmitting a predetermined message on the home bus in response to the detection signal.

"Function" In the home bus protocol control device described above, the data given to the device control device is also stored in the storage means at the same time, and a predetermined relationship is established between this data and the data output from the device control device. It is determined by the comparison means whether or not this holds true.

If it is true, a message is transmitted onto the home bus by the comparing means and the message transmitting means. Therefore, other terminals such as a home controller can detect that an abnormality has occurred in the device control device by receiving this message.

[Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a home bus system using a home bus protocol control device according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, this system is connected to a home bus 16 which is an information transmission path,
A main control bag (18) for controlling the entire home bus system, an information panel 20 connected to the home bus 16 and serving as a man-machine interface between the home bus system and humans, and a main control device 18. managed terminals 22.24.

The main controller 18 is an interface unit (IFU) 10a that functions as a home bus protocol controller.
, a CPU 12a that is connected to IFUloa and performs overall control of the home bus system, and a CPU 12
The CPU 12a includes a telephone line interface 28 for connecting the CPU 12a to the telephone line 26, an input/output section 30 and a memory 32, each connected to the CPU 12a. The input/output unit 30 is for inputting and outputting data necessary for control.

The memory 32 is for storing data input via the input/output unit 30.

The information panel 20 includes an IFUlob that functions as a home bus protocol control device, a CPU 12b for controlling various devices provided on the information panel 20, a touch panel section 34, an input/output section 36, and an input/output section 36 connected to the CPU 12b, respectively.
It includes a memory 38 and a display section 40. Touch panel section 34
is an input device for facilitating operations by an operator.

The display unit 40 is for displaying the status of the home bus system.

Terminal 22 includes an I FUI OC, device control processor 12c, and lighting 42. Equipment control processor 12
c is for controlling the lighting 42 in accordance with commands from the main controller 18.

The terminal 24 includes an IFUlod and a device control processor 12.
d and an air conditioner 44. Equipment control processor 12
d operates the air conditioner 44 in response to a command from the main controller 18.
The purpose is to control the

The IFUs 10a to 10d all operate as home bus protocol control devices according to the present invention and have similar configurations. In the following, as an example I FUI
Oc is explained.

Referring to FIG. 1, IFUloc is home node 16
(Fig. 3) and given from the home node
MI (Alternate Mark Inver
ion) signal to NRZ (Non-Return-T
o-Zero) signal, and conversely convert the NRZ signal to AMI
AM for converting into a signal and sending it on the home bus 16
I signal signal transmitting/receiving unit 46 In accordance with the protocol defined in the HBS standard ET-2101, the layers 1 to 1 of the received data are
3 to perform layer conversion and output data of data fields corresponding to layers 4 to 7 (operand, operation code, partner sub-device address, own sub-device address, partner sub-address, own sub-address, header). A message receiving section 49, a home bus protocol control section 52, a message transmitting section 48 for performing the reverse conversion of the message receiving section 49 and transmitting the AMI signal to the AMI signal transmission/reception section 46, and a home bus protocol control section 52. a data output register 54 for storing data field data output from the data output register 54, and a data input/output interface (I/F) 62 for providing the stored contents of the data output register 54 to the equipment control processor 12C (FIG. 3). , a storage section 56 for storing the contents of the data output register 54, and the device control processor 12c via the data input/output 1/F62.
a data input register 60 for storing data given from the data input register 60; a storage section 58 for storing the contents stored in the data input register 60; and output data stored in the storage section 56 and input data stored in the storage section 58. a comparison unit 57 for comparing the data and outputting an abnormality occurrence signal when the contents of the two do not match, that is, when a relationship of mismatch is established, and in response to the abnormality occurrence signal from the comparison unit 57, The abnormal message data generation section 50 generates predetermined abnormal message data and provides it to the home bus protocol control section 52.

Referring to FIG. 6, the AMI signal is one of the transmission waveforms when transmitting digital signals, and includes zero, plus,
Has 3 negative values, logic "1" becomes 0, logic "0"
This is a method that alternately assigns to positive or negative levels (in the case of negative logic). In this signal, the average value of the waveform, that is, the zero frequency component is always 0. therefore,
Signals using this waveform are less susceptible to the direct current cutoff characteristics of the communication path. Furthermore, this signal is advantageous when supplying power because it can balance the direct current in the transmission path.

Referring to FIG. 2, the device control processor 12c has an IF
Connected to Uloc data input/output I/F62, IFU
Input/output I for inputting/outputting data to/from loc
The input is connected to the /F68 and the output of the input/output 17F68, and the input register 66 for temporarily storing data input from IFUloc via the human output I/F68 is connected to the output of the input register 66. an internal bus 72 to which each part of the device control processor 12c is connected; an output register 70 whose input is connected to the internal bus 72 and whose output is connected to the input/output I/F 68; and a CPU 74 connected to the internal bus 72. , RAM (Random Acc
ess Memory) 76 and ROM (Read
-Only Mem.

ry) 78 and an input/output (I10) port 80.

The CPU 74 controls the device 14 (in this example, the lighting 42) according to the data field data given from the IFUIOC via the input/output I/F 68 and the input register 66.
It is used to run a program that controls the . R
OM78 is for storing this program and data that does not need to be rewritten. The RAM 76 is used by the CPU 74 as a work area.

I10 boat 80 is for connecting equipment 14 (lighting 42) to internal bus 72.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the interface unit 10c, which is an example of the home bus system protocol control device according to the present invention, operates as follows. C.P.U.I.
2 a passes through I FUI Oa to pass line 16
Control information regarding the lighting 42 (for example, turning on or turning off the lighting 42) is sent out as an AMI signal. The AMI signal transmitting/receiving section 46 receives the AMI signal from the home bus 16, converts it into an NRZ signal, and sends it to the message receiving section 4.
Give to 9. The message receiving section 49 and the home bus protocol control section 52 perform layer 1 to layer 3 conversion processing on the signal received from the AMI signal transmitting/receiving section 46 and provide data field data to the data output register 54 . At this time, the storage unit 56 stores the contents stored in the data output register 54.

The data field data stored in the data output register 54 is given to the input/output I/F 68 of the device control processor 12c via the data input/output I/F 62. The various timings of this data are controlled by the equipment control processor 12.
controlled by the c side.

Data field data is stored in the input register 66 via the input/output I/F 6'8. The CPU 74 expands the data field data stored in the input register 66, and sends the data to the device 14 through the I10 port 80 based on the expanded data. That is, the lighting 42 is operated.

CPU 74 simultaneously sends the data field data of input register 66 to output register 70 via internal bus 72, causing output register 70 to store this data. In this example, it is assumed that the CPU 74 provides the contents stored in the input register 66 to the output register 70 without any processing. The CPU 74 stores the contents of the output register 70 as
It is given to the data input/output I/F 62 of IFUloc through the input/output I/F 68.

Device control processor 1 via data input/output I/F 62
The data given from 2c is input to the data input register 60.
given to. The contents stored in the data input register 60 are as follows:
The information is stored in the storage unit 58.

The device control processor 12c controls the comparing section 57 to compare the contents of the storage section 56 and the storage section 58. In this example, the contents stored in the storage section 56 and the contents stored in the storage section 58 should match.

If the storage contents of the storage section 56 and the storage section 58 match as a result of the comparison, the comparison section 57 determines that there is no abnormality in the device control processor 12c. Therefore, the comparison section 57 does not provide any information to the abnormal message data generation section 50. If the contents stored in the storage section 56 and the storage section 58 do not match, the comparison section 57 determines that there is an abnormality in the operation of the device control processor 12c, and provides an abnormality occurrence signal to the abnormality message data generation section 50.

The abnormal message data generation section 50 generates abnormal message data in response to the abnormality occurrence signal and provides the generated abnormal message data to the home bus protocol control section 52. The home bus protocol control section 52 and the message transmission section 48 create basic format data of a control signal based on the abnormal message data, and send it as a serial signal to the home bus 16 via the AMI signal transmission/reception section 46.

When the CPU 12b of the information board 20 (FIG. 3) receives a control signal indicating an abnormal message, it uses the display section 40 to display which terminal and which equipment has experienced the abnormality. When determining where an abnormality occurs, it is possible to detect the occurrence of an abnormality on a device-by-device basis, rather than judging the entire device as a unit as in the past, which makes it possible to identify the location where an abnormality occurs. becomes possible.

In the above description, the storage units 56 and 58, the comparison unit 57, and the abnormal message data generation unit 50 are expressed as hardware. However, these functions can be performed only by software processing by a program executed by the interface unit 10c. Also in the main control device 18 and the information panel 20, it is possible to check the operating status of each device of the terminal by simply changing the software without adding any special hardware. Further, by converting the IFUloc shown in FIG. 1 into an LSI with this configuration, a device with high versatility (high reliability) can be obtained.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, in a home bus protocol control device, it is possible to determine whether or not a device control device is operating normally.

If it is determined that the terminal is not normal, a message to that effect is sent to the home bus, so other terminals can easily determine which part of the terminal is abnormal. There is no inconvenience like in the past, where even if it is determined that a terminal has malfunctioned, it cannot be determined in which part the malfunction is occurring.

That is, it is possible to provide a home bus protocol control device for a home bus system that makes it possible to identify where an abnormality is occurring in the home bus protocol control device and equipment control device of a terminal.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an interface unit which is an example of a home bus protocol control device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a device control processor, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a home bus protocol control device to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram conceptually showing a home bus system; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a failure detection sequence performed in a conventional home bus system; The figure is a waveform diagram showing the AMI signal. In the figure, 10a to 10d are interface units, 1
2a and 12b are CPUs, 12c and 12d are device control processors, 16 is a home bus, 18 is a main controller, 20 is an information panel, 50 is an abnormal message data generation section, 52 is a form bus protocol control section, and 56.58 is a A storage section and 57 indicate a comparison section. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Used in a home bus system that includes a home bus installed in a home and a device control device that controls devices by exchanging information with each other via the home bus, wherein the home bus and the device control device A home bus protocol control device for controlling communication according to a predetermined communication protocol between input/output means for receiving the output of the equipment control device; storage means for storing the data input/output by the input/output means; and the data output to the equipment control device stored in the storage means; Comparing means for comparing data input from the equipment control device to detect a predetermined relationship and generating a detection signal; and in response to the detection signal, a predetermined message is sent on the home bus. and a message transmitting means for transmitting a message.