Master/slave numerical control apparatus in which the master can identify types and order of the slaves

Claim 1

In a numerical control apparatus comprising a control unit having a master card and a plurality of slave cards, each of which is mutually connected via common bus line, wherein said master card comprises check address signal generation and transmission means for generating code read address information, card name large classification code information and plural card identification address information as a check address signal and for transmitting said check address signal to said plurality of slave cards, via said bus line in order to check the structure of said plurality of slave cards, and answer data signal reception and identification means for receiving card name small classification code information and plural card number code information transmitted from said plurality of slave cards as a data signal via said bus line in response to said check address signal and for identifying types or names of said plurality of slave cards and order of same type cards in said slave, and wherein each of said plurality of slave cards comprises plural card number code information setting means for arbitrarily setting said plural card number code information which represents said order of the same type cards in said slave cards, check address signal reception means for receiving said check address signal which is sent from said master card, and answer data signal generation and transmission means for generating said card name small classification code information and said plural card number code information which has been set, in response to an output of said check address signal reception means, as a data signal and for transmitting said data signal to said master card via said bus line.