Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Digital data processing system initialization or configuration – Loading initialization program
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-04
2003-03-25
Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
Loading initialization program
C710S005000, C710S037000, C710S048000, C710S110000, C710S260000, C710S316000, C713S002000, C714S011000, C714S013000, C714S023000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06539472
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a reboot control unit and a reboot control method for a control unit with an auxiliary computer connected to a main computer so as to perform reboot processing discretely to the main computer and auxiliary computer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A control unit using a personal computer (described as PC hereinafter) generally has a control board or a control card (described as NC board hereinafter) with a built-in central processing unit (described as CPU hereinafter) connected to an extended bus of the PC, and provides controls over a device such as a servo amplifier connected to the NC board through operation of the PC. This type of control unit (described as PC-NC unit hereinafter) sometimes stops the operations of the system and performs reboot processing for booting the system again when important initial parameters (described as machine parameters hereinafter) according to machine components such as a number of servo amplifiers and a number of motors connected to the control unit or setting of a series are changed.
A conventional type of PC-NC unit supplies a signal for resetting a control section inside the PC (described as PC control section hereinafter) also to an NC board through an extended bus. Accordingly, even when reboot processing is required to only either one of the PC and NC board, the reboot processing is resultantly executed to both the PC and NC board.
FIG. 7
is a flow chart showing a sequence of processing when a machine parameter is set for making an adjustment to a machine such as a servo amplifier and a motor connected to the conventional type of PC-NC unit. When this processing is started, at first, the machine parameter is set by an operator, and the parameter is inputted into a PC through an input device such as a keyboard or the like connected the PC (step S
1
).
A PC control section automatically determines whether the inputted parameter can be changed during operation of a system or the system has to be rebooted (step S
2
), and when it is determined that rebooting is not required, a standby status to input the next parameter is effected. When it is determined that rebooting is required, a notice to that effect is sent to the operator by displaying a message on a display unit connected to the PC. The operator performs reboot operation to the PC-NC unit thereby (step S
3
).
When the reboot processing is started, the CPU of the NC board ends communications with the servo amplifier or the remote I/O connected to the NC board, ends application software/s operating on the NC board or terminates the driver/s, and ends the operating system (OS) (step S
4
). The PC control section also ends application software/s operating on the PC, terminates the driver/s (step S
5
), and ends the operating system (OS) of the PC (step S
6
).
When the operator resets the PC by operating a reset switch thereof (step S
7
), the PC control section starts the operating system of the PC (step S
8
), and starts the driver/s and application software/s for the PC (step S
9
). While the CPU of the NC board starts the operating system, driver/s, and application software/s of the NC board (step S
10
). Thus, the CPU of the NC board restarts the system after setting the machine parameter. When a resetting register is provided inside the PC, software may be reset by validating the register with system manager and application software for the PC.
However, during the operation of adjusting the machine parameter, the reboot processing to the PC-NC unit has to frequently be performed, and a sequence of the processing shown in
FIG. 7
is executed each time the processing is performed, and so, considerable time is spent in work.
Therefore, a unit enabling resetting of only NC board with a reset button provided on the NC board and a unit enabling rebooting only of a PC while the NC board is operating have been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 9-146623.
FIG. 8
is a block diagram schematically showing the conventional type of PC-NC unit which enables rebooting only of the PC. This PC-NC unit
100
has a PC control section
1
and an NC board
2
connected to each other through an expansion slot
16
connected to a PC extended bus
15
.
The PC control section
1
comprises a CPU peripheral circuit
13
connected to a CPU
11
and a memory
12
and which in turn is connected to the PC extended bus
15
, and operates independently from the NC board
2
according to, for example, the operating system for the PC stored in the memory
12
. The NC board
2
also comprises a CPU peripheral circuit
24
connected to a CPU
21
, a memory
22
, an external-communication interface
23
and which in turn is connected to the expansion slot
16
, and operates independently from the PC control section
1
according to, for example, the operating system for the NC board stored in the memory
22
. The external-communication interface
23
is connected to a servo amplifier
110
and to a remote I/O unit
120
through a communication cable or the like.
The CPU peripheral circuit
13
of the PC control section
1
is connected to a reset switch
14
. When an operator switches this switch
14
is ON, a reset signal is outputted to the CPU
11
and the expended bus
15
and reboot processing of the PC control section
1
is executed. The CPU peripheral circuit
13
also outputs a reset request signal RSTDRV* to the CPU peripheral circuit
24
of the NC board
2
through the expansion slot
16
. It should be noted that a signal with “*” added after a sign (e.g., RSTDRV*) in the specification represents a signal which is effective when the potential is relatively low.
The CPU peripheral circuit
24
of the NC board
2
outputs a reset signal to the CPU
21
of the NC board
2
when it receives a reset request signal RSTDRV*, and also outputs a reset signal to the servo amplifier
110
and the remote I/O unit
120
through the external-communication interface
23
. The reboot processing of the NC board
2
is executed thereby.
This PC-NC unit
100
has a switch
25
provided on a signal path for the reset request signal RSTDRV* and when this switch
25
is OFF, the reset request signal RSTDRV* is not inputted into the NC board
2
so that only the PC control section
1
is reset.
However, the software processing in the PC control section and NC board is closely related because data is transferred therebetween, hence it is not desirable for the system to forcefully reset only the PC control section by opening a signal path for the reset request signal RSTDRV* through operation of the switch. Conversely, it is also not desirable to forcefully reset only the NC board.
There has been desired a system, when the PC-NC unit is serially connected to an external interface such as a printer during operation of the system or when the PC control section is put out of control for any reason, such that reboot is executed only to a PC and during the reboot processing the NC board can continue to control a servo amplifier and a remote I/O unit on its own.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to obtain, for the purpose of solving the problems as described above, a reboot control unit enabling performance of reboot processing, in a control unit using a personal computer, discretely to the personal computer and a NC board connected to a bus thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to obtain a reboot control method for performing reboot processing discretely, in a control unit using a personal computer, to the personal computer and a NC board connected to a bus thereof.
In accordance with the present invention, in a register the auxiliary computer is set as an object for reboot processing, so that a logic circuit validates a reset signal for starting the reboot processing to the auxiliary computer while a main computer is kept on operating.
In accordance with the present invention, in a register the main computer is set as an object for reboot processing, so that a logic circuit invalidates a reset
Farooq Mohammad O.
Gaffin Jeffrey
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
LandOfFree
Reboot control unit and reboot control method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Reboot control unit and reboot control method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Reboot control unit and reboot control method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3021137