A system constructs a hierarchy for field devices communicatively coupled to a remote terminal unit (RTU) by retrieving device information from field devices, caching the device information in the memory of the RTU, storing device identities in the memory of a host machine, and obtaining the device information at the host from the RTU in response to subsequent user requests to build the hierarchy, without re-sending commands to retrieve the device information directly to the field devices.

To avoid cost increase, delay of response, time, and performance degradation in driving a power source including a plurality of servo motors and/or a servo motor with a plurality of windings. A slave unit drives a power source including a plurality of servo motors and/or a servo motor with a plurality of windings using a plurality of amplifiers on the basis of a command from a high-order controller. The slave unit includes: a storage unit stores servo internal statuses of the respective servo motors and/or the respective windings, judgment data, and resource data; a servo internal status copying judgment unit determines a copying source and a copying destination, and judges whether to copy a servo internal status of the copying source to the copying destination to commonalize therebetween on the basis of the judgment data and the resource data; a servo internal status copying execution unit copies the servo internal status of the copying source to the copying destination; and a servo control unit outputs each of the plurality of servo internal statuses to the respective amplifiers to control driving of the power source.

Provided is a control device comprising a communication management part, a computation part, and a result output part. The communication management part is for managing data communication using cyclic communication conforming to a prescribed communication cycle with respect to a field network. The computation part is for measuring a propagation delay time from received data corresponding to actual measurement data for a propagation delay having been transmitted to the field network, and detecting an operation state of the field network using the propagation delay time measurement result. The result output part is for outputting the result of the detection performed by the computation part.

To avoid cost increase, delay of response, time, and performance degradation in driving a power source including a plurality of servo motors and/or a servo motor with a plurality of windings. A slave unit drives a power source including a plurality of servo motors and/or a servo motor with a plurality of windings using a plurality of amplifiers on the basis of a command from a high-order controller. The slave unit includes: a storage unit stores servo internal statuses of the respective servo motors and/or the respective windings, judgment data, and resource data; a servo internal status copying judgment unit determines a copying source and a copying destination, and judges whether to copy a servo internal status of the copying source to the copying destination to commonalize therebetween on the basis of the judgment data and the resource data; a servo internal status copying execution unit copies the servo internal status of the copying source to the copying destination; and a servo control unit outputs each of the plurality of servo internal statuses to the respective amplifiers to control driving of the power source.

A machining time prediction system divides a machining program to be executed by a machine tool into a plurality of sections, transfers the divided machining programs to arithmetic unit to calculate machining times and integrates the calculated machining times. Thus, when hardware resources of an arithmetic processing apparatus for calculating a machining time are lacking, it is possible to perform necessary calculations in cooperation with the other management apparatus or machine tool or the like, and thereby shorten a processing time.

Provided is a control device comprising a communication management part, a computation part, and a result output part. The communication management part is for managing data communication using cyclic communication conforming to a prescribed communication cycle with respect to a field network. The computation part is for measuring a propagation delay time from received data corresponding to actual measurement data for a propagation delay having been transmitted to the field network, and detecting an operation state of the field network using the propagation delay time measurement result. The result output part is for outputting the result of the detection performed by the computation part.

A controller that can perform high-precision synchronous control even when the speed of a master axis changes and a machine learning device are provided. The controller includes the machine learning device that learns the future predicted position of the master axis with respect to the operation state of the master axis, and the machine learning device includes a state observing section that observes, as a state variable indicating the current state of an environment, master axis predicted position data indicating the future predicted position of the master axis and master axis operation state data indicating the operation state of the master axis, a judgment data acquiring section that acquires judgment data indicating the properness judgment result of a synchronization error of a slave axis, and a learning section that learns the future predicted position of the master axis by correlating the future predicted position of the master axis with the master axis operation state data by using the state variable and the judgment data.

A linear drive system provides a combination of distributed control to increase the number of movers which may be supported in the system and centralized control to reduce the separation distance between movers by grouping movers together and placing a reference mover of the group under central control with remaining movers of the group under distributed control. In addition, in precise working locations, or synchronization zones, each of the movers can be temporarily placed under central control to further reduce the separation distance and allow improved coordination with industrial processes or machines in the system.

A network management device that supports restoration from an abnormality is provided. A management device is a management device that manages a network including a master device and a slave device connected to the master device, and includes a network configuration diagram display unit that displays a network configuration diagram based on design information of a network according to a design created by a user, a state information acquisition unit that acquires state information relating to a state of the slave device, and a state display unit that displays the state on the network configuration diagram in association with the slave device based on the state information.

An improved system and method for coordinating motion between an external device and independent movers traveling along a linear drive system includes a motion controller generating motion commands for both the external device and for each of the independent movers. Coordinate systems are defined in the motion controller that correspond to a track along which each of the independent movers travels and to the external device. An offset between the coordinate systems is also defined. The motion controller receives a command for coordinated motion and generates motion commands for the independent mover and the external device in one coordinate system to achieve the commanded coordinated motion. The motion command that corresponds to the coordinate system in which the motion commands are generated are transmitted directly, and the motion command associated with the second coordinate system is first transformed to the second coordinate system using the offset.