Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral configuration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-21
2003-07-29
Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral configuration
C709S230000, C370S464000, C710S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06601115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control program development system or the like for an electronic control device, more particularly to a communication protocol converter system for data communication with the electronic control device with a different communication protocol and a monitor device related to the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 17
shows a configuration of a control program development system including a conventional communication protocol converter system.
FIG. 17
includes a control apparatus
100
for a controlled object, an electronic control device
101
for controlling the control apparatus
100
, a microcomputer
102
, and a input/output circuit
103
from/to the side of an interface device
107
. The microcomputer
102
has a RAM
102
a
, which is carried in the electronic control device
101
, and a control program
102
b
built-in.
FIG. 17
also includes a personal computer
106
, for example, which is an outside computing portion connected to the outside, a toolbox
104
for carry out an operation based on a control block diagram created in the personal computer
106
, and a microcomputer
105
, which is carried in the toolbox
104
.
FIG. 17
further includes an interface device
107
, which is a communication interface between the toolbox
104
and the electronic control device
101
, a communication protocol converter means
108
, which is carried in the interface device
107
, and input/output circuits
109
and
110
. The input/output circuits
109
and
110
are for the side of the toolbox
104
and for the side of the electronic control device
101
, respectively.
FIG. 17
still further includes connectors
112
,
113
, and
115
,
116
. The connectors
112
and
113
connects a communication line between the toolbox
104
and the interface device
107
, and the connectors
115
and
116
connects a communication line between the interface device
107
and the electronic control device
101
.
FIG.18
shows in more detail a configuration of the interface device
107
shown in FIG.
17
.
FIG. 18
includes a communication signal converter means
118
, which is located within the protocol converter means
108
, for converting a communication signal between the toolbox
104
and the electronic control device
101
. The communication signal converter means
118
includes a clock (CLK) signal generator means
119
and a data signal generator means
120
. The CLK signal generator means
119
generates a CLK signal, and the data signal generator means
12
generates a data signal.
Next, an operation will be described. The control program development system carries out an operation of a part of computing (program) operated in the electronic control device
101
through a control method created by a control application software (S/W) implemented in the personal computer
106
. The operation is carried out through the toolbox
104
. The operation by the toolbox
104
is carried out by using an operation parameter of the electronic control device
101
. It receives the operation parameter from the electronic control device
101
, carries out the operation by using the received operation parameter, and sends a operation result to the electronic control device
101
.
As a specific example, suppose that the control apparatus
100
is an vehicle engine, which is controlled by the electronic control device
101
, where an operation (program) for determining a time to ignite, for example is included in the control program of the electronic control device
101
. In order to improve the time to ignite, suppose when an operation (program) is newly created for determining the time to ignite through the personal computer
106
, it is calculated in the toolbox
104
. At that time, the operation parameter needed for the operation is obtained from the electronic control device
101
via the interface device
107
, and the operation result is further sent to the electronic control device
101
via the interface device
107
.
Then, a series of processes will be described. First, a control (for example, creating control block diagram) is established, which is used for controlling the electronic control device
101
on the control application S/W in the personal computer
106
. Next, the control created in the personal computer
106
is converted to a program code, which runs in the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox the control created in the personal computer
106
, in order to carrying out an operation in the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
. After that, the program code is programmed in the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
, which enables the toolbox
104
to carry out the operation of the control created in the personal computer
106
.
The control written into the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
carries out the operation based on an internal parameter in the electronic control device
101
and the operation result is used for controlling the electronic control device
101
. As a result, a data exchange is needed between the toolbox
104
and the electronic control device
101
. Here, if the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
and the microcomputer
102
within the electronic control device
101
do not have the same specification from the same manufacturer, their communication protocols of the communication function of both microcomputers differ, and they can not communicate directly.
Therefore, the interface device
107
is installed between the toolbox
104
and the electronic control device
101
, and data sent from the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
is converted to the communication protocol of the microcomputer
102
within the electronic control device
101
to send the data to the electronic control device
101
. Also, conversely, data sent from the microcomputer
102
within the electronic control device
101
is converted to the communication protocol of the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
to send the data to the toolbox
104
.
Here, the communication protocol of the microcomputer
102
within the electronic control device
101
is SCI(A), and the communication protocol of the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
is SCI(B). The protocol converter means
108
within the interface device
107
is set to be able to convert their communication protocol. The SCI(A) and the SCI(B) differ in their the communication speed and signal form of the communication data.
First, a CLK signal sent from the electronic device is input to the CLK signal generator means
119
within the protocol converter means
108
via the input/output circuit
110
and a B
1
terminal of the protocol converter means
108
. Since the microcomputer
102
within the electronic control device
101
and the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
differ in communication speed, the speed of the CLK signal is converted in the CLK signal generator means
119
to send the signal to the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
via an A
1
terminal of the protocol converter means
108
and the input/output circuit
109
.
The data signal sent from the micro computer
102
within the electronic control device
101
is input to the data signal generator means
120
via the input/output circuit
110
and a terminal B
2
of the protocol converter means
108
. The data signal generator means
120
converts the signal received from the electronic control device
101
to a data form for the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
and synchronizes it with the speed of the signal sent from the CLK signal generator means
119
to send it to the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
via a terminal A
2
of the protocol converter means
108
and the input/output circuit
109
.
Similarly, when data is sent from the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
to the microcomputer
102
within the electronic control device
101
, the signal sent from the microcomputer
105
within the toolbox
104
is converted in the data signal generator means
120
Ohuchi Hirofumi
Sato Yoshikazu
Yonezawa Shiro
Gaffin Jeffrey
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Patel Niketa
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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