阅读说明：本技术 数据收集系统及数据收集方法 (Data collection system and data collection method ) 是由 新井崇 吉田勇作 佐藤秀一 占部宏生 于 2019-07-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种数据收集系统和数据收集方法,所述数据收集系统包括：具有通信功能的设备；收集从所述设备发送来的数据的数据收集装置,所述数据收集装置包括：接收部,接收从所述设备发送来的数据；数据解析部,按照每个所述设备不同的解析用的数据格式对接收到的所述数据进行解析,由此得到解析后数据；第一数据存储部,不能进行数据的重写；第二数据存储部,是与所述第一数据存储部相比能够更高速访问的存储部,且与所述第一数据存储部中存储的数据数量相比存储更少数量的数据；数据写入部,将由所述接收部接收到的所述数据写入所述第一数据存储部而进行存储,将由所述数据解析部获得的所述解析后数据写入所述第二数据存储部而进行存储。(The invention provides a data collection system and a data collection method, wherein the data collection system comprises: a device having a communication function; a data collection apparatus that collects data transmitted from the device, the data collection apparatus comprising: a receiving unit that receives data transmitted from the device; a data analysis unit configured to analyze the received data in accordance with a data format for analysis different for each of the devices, thereby obtaining analyzed data; a first data storage unit which cannot rewrite data; a second data storage unit that is a storage unit that can be accessed at a higher speed than the first data storage unit and that stores a smaller amount of data than the amount of data stored in the first data storage unit; and a data writing unit configured to write the data received by the receiving unit into the first data storage unit and store the data, and to write the analyzed data obtained by the data analyzing unit into the second data storage unit and store the data.)

1. A data collection system, comprising: a device having a communication function; a data collection means for collecting data transmitted from the device,

the data collection system is characterized in that,

the data collection device includes:

a receiving unit that receives data transmitted from the device;

a data analysis unit configured to analyze the received data in accordance with a data format for analysis different for each of the devices, thereby obtaining analyzed data;

a first data storage unit which cannot rewrite data;

a second data storage unit that is a storage unit that can be accessed at a higher speed than the first data storage unit and that stores a smaller amount of data than the amount of data stored in the first data storage unit;

and a data writing unit configured to write the data received by the receiving unit into the first data storage unit and store the data, and to write the analyzed data obtained by the data analyzing unit into the second data storage unit and store the data.

2. The data collection system according to claim 1, wherein the first data storage is installed as a write-once table in which rewriting of data is not possible in the database.

3. A data collection system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second data store is installed as an in-memory table in a database stored in a main memory of the data collection device.

4. The data collection system of claim 1 or 2,

the data collection device further includes a mark giving section that gives a mark for specifying an installation location of the equipment,

the data writing unit stores the flag and the data in the first data storage unit in association with each other.

5. The data collection system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the data writing unit deletes the oldest data in the second data storage unit and then writes the analyzed data obtained by the data analyzing unit into the second data storage unit to store the data in a case where the second data storage unit has insufficient free capacity and cannot store the data in the second data storage unit.

6. The data collection system of claim 1 or 2,

the data analysis unit analyzes the data to determine whether or not the data contains error information,

the data writing section stores error information in the second data storage section when the data includes the error information,

the data collection apparatus further includes an abnormality confirmation section that confirms an abnormality in the system based on the error information for the prescribed amount of time stored in the second data storage section,

the abnormality confirmation unit stores a result of confirmation of an abnormality in the first data storage unit.

7. The data collection system of claim 6,

the error information includes the flag, the time of day and the error content,

the abnormality confirmation section confirms an abnormality in the system based on the error information for the prescribed amount of time stored in the second data storage section and the abnormality determination condition stored in the second data storage section.

8. The data collection system of claim 6,

the abnormality determination condition includes a first abnormality determination condition and a second abnormality determination condition,

the abnormality confirmation result includes a first abnormality confirmation result corresponding to the first abnormality determination condition and a second abnormality confirmation result corresponding to the second abnormality determination condition,

the abnormality checking unit stores a result of checking the first abnormality in the first data storage unit when the error information stored in the second data storage unit for a predetermined amount of time satisfies the first abnormality determination condition, and stores a result of checking the second abnormality in the first data storage unit when the error information stored in the second data storage unit for a predetermined amount of time satisfies the second abnormality determination condition.

9. The data collection system of claim 8,

the first abnormality determination condition is an abnormality determination condition for determining a failure of the apparatus or a failure related to communication between the apparatus and the data collection device,

the second abnormality determination condition is an abnormality determination condition for determining an alert of the apparatus or an alert related to communication between the apparatus and the data collection device.

10. The data collection system of claim 1 or 2,

comprising a terminal device that accepts input from a user and sends a request to the data collection device,

the data collection device further includes a display control section that generates screen data for information provision based on the data stored in the first data storage section or the second data storage section in accordance with a request from the terminal device and provides the generated screen data to the terminal device,

when a request is made from the terminal device, the display control unit generates the screen data using the data stored in the second data storage unit with higher priority than the first data storage unit.

11. The data collection system according to claim 10, wherein the display control unit causes the data analysis unit to analyze data required to provide the requested information from the data stored in the first data storage unit and then generate the screen data using the analyzed data, when the requested information cannot be provided from the data stored in the second data storage unit.

12. The data collection system of claim 1 or 2,

the apparatus performs measurement of a physical quantity and transmits a measurement result obtained by the measurement to the data collection device as first data,

the receiving section receives the first data transmitted from the device,

the data analysis unit generates second data in which the physical quantity is a numerical value in a predetermined unit and which is described in a second data format by analyzing the received first data in a first data format which is a format of the first data of the device,

the data writing unit writes the first data into the first data storage unit and stores the first data, and writes the second data into the second data storage unit and stores the second data.

13. The data collection system of claim 12,

comprises a transfer device, the transfer device receives the first data through a first communication mode and transmits the first data to the data collection device through a second communication mode different from the first communication mode,

the device sends the first data to the transfer device through the first communication mode,

the receiving unit receives the first data transmitted from the relay device,

the data analysis unit generates the second data by analyzing the received first data in the first data format.

14. The data collection system of claim 13,

the relay device measures the physical quantity and sends the measured measurement result as third data to the data collection device through the second communication mode,

the receiving unit receives the third data transmitted from the relay device,

the data analysis unit analyzes the received third data in accordance with a third data format that is a format of the third data of the relay device, thereby generating second data in which the physical quantity is a numerical value in a predetermined unit and which is described in accordance with a second data format.

15. A data collection method, which is a data collection method in a data collection system comprising: a device having a communication function; a data collection means for collecting data transmitted from the device,

the data collection method is characterized in that the data collection device executes:

a reception step of receiving data transmitted from the device;

a data analysis step of analyzing the received data according to different data formats for analysis of each device, thereby obtaining analyzed data;

a data writing step of writing the data received in the receiving step into a first data storage unit that is not capable of rewriting data and storing the data, and writing the analyzed data obtained in the data analyzing step into a second data storage unit that is a storage unit that is capable of being accessed at a higher speed than the first data storage unit and stores a smaller amount of data than the amount of data stored in the first data storage unit and stores the data.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a data collection system and a data collection method.

The application claims priority to the Japanese patent application No. 2018-129852 applied on 7, 9 and 2018, and the content of the application is incorporated into the application.

Background

In recent years, IoT (Internet Of Things) or IIoT (Industrial Internet Of Things) has been attracting attention. The IoT or IIoT is a technology for connecting all objects (all hardware terminals such as sensors, devices, and apparatuses) to the internet, collecting object data obtained by the sensors to a server on the cloud, analyzing the collected data in the server, and applying (feeding back) the analysis result to a specific purpose.

Japanese patent laid-open No. 2013-218532 and japanese patent laid-open No. 2015-154445 disclose techniques of a wireless communication system in which a plurality of field devices (meters or operators) capable of wireless communication, called wireless field devices, are installed in devices disposed in a plant, and each wireless field device communicates control signals, measurement signals, and the like via a wireless network. In the wireless communication systems disclosed in japanese patent laid-open nos. 2013-218532 and 2015-154445, wireless communication is performed between each wireless field device and a relay device called a gateway for performing data relay. In the wireless communication systems disclosed in japanese patent laid-open nos. 2013 and 218532 and 2015 and 154445, the gateways and the upper-level management apparatus communicate with each other through a wired network.

Thus, in the technology of the wireless communication system disclosed in japanese patent laid-open nos. 2013-218532 and 2015-154445, a plant corresponding to IIoT having the following configuration can be realized: a plurality of field devices provided in each device disposed in a plant output (transmit) a measurement value indicating a physical quantity detected by a sensor to a higher-level management apparatus via a gateway.

In addition, as for the data aggregation type WEB application used in the existing IoT-based system, the number of suppliers' own applications increases. In addition, the server on the cloud collects data from each device having an IoT function, and thus needs to save a large amount of data. In this case, there is a problem that the processing speed is reduced due to an increase in the amount of data. For example, if the amount of data increases, the access speed of the server decreases, and as a result, the display speed on the user side also decreases.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of suppressing a decrease in processing speed due to an increase in the amount of data.

A data collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a device having a communication function; a data collection apparatus that collects data transmitted from the device, the data collection apparatus comprising: a receiving unit that receives data transmitted from the device; a data analysis unit configured to analyze the received data in accordance with a data format for analysis different for each of the devices, thereby obtaining analyzed data; a first data storage unit which cannot rewrite data; a second data storage unit that is a storage unit that can be accessed at a higher speed than the first data storage unit and that stores a smaller amount of data than the amount of data stored in the first data storage unit; and a data writing unit configured to write the data received by the receiving unit into the first data storage unit and store the data, and to write the analyzed data obtained by the data analyzing unit into the second data storage unit and store the data.

According to the above configuration, the data collection device stores the data of the latest predetermined period with a high access frequency in the second data storage unit accessible at a higher speed than the first data storage unit in a state in which readability is improved, and stores the received data in the original state in the first data storage unit in which data rewriting is not possible. Thus, a smaller amount of data than the first data storage unit is stored in the second data storage unit, and the data is stored in a state in which it is easy to provide information. Further, the second data storage section has a faster access speed than the first data storage section. Therefore, high-speed and stable data access and high-speed information provision can be performed. Therefore, a decrease in processing speed due to an increase in the amount of data can be suppressed.

In the data collection system described above, the first data storage unit may be provided as a write-once table in which data cannot be rewritten in the database.

According to the above configuration, the data in the as-is state received from the field device can be stored in the first data storage section installed as the write-once table. Therefore, old data obtained in the past can be saved as it is.

In the data collection system described above, the second data storage unit may be installed as a memory table in a database stored in a main memory of the data collection device.

According to the above configuration, the analysis data converted into the format with high readability is stored in the second data storage unit installed as the memory table. Therefore, the analyzed data with high readability is stored as the memory table, and therefore, the analyzed data can be accessed at high speed.

In the data collection system described above, the data collection device may further include a flag giving unit that gives a flag for specifying an installation location of the equipment, and the data writing unit may store the flag and the data in the first data storage unit in association with each other.

According to the above configuration, the data collection device can retrieve necessary data from the data stored in the first data storage unit based on the flag. Specifically, the data stored in the first data storage unit is not analyzed. Therefore, data is stored in a format different for each device type. In this case, it takes time to retrieve necessary data. However, since the tag corresponds to each device, necessary data can be easily retrieved based on the tag.

In the data collection system described above, the data collection device may further include a flag giving unit that gives a flag for specifying an installation location of the equipment, and the data writing unit may store the flag and the analyzed data in the second data storage unit in association with each other.

According to the above configuration, the analysis data stored in the second data storage unit is marked. This makes it possible to search the analyzed data in the second data storage unit using the marker, and to improve the retrievability of the analyzed data.

In the data collection system described above, the data writing unit may delete the oldest data in the second data storage unit and write the analyzed data obtained by the data analyzing unit into the second data storage unit to store the data in the second data storage unit when the second data storage unit has insufficient free capacity and cannot store the data in the second data storage unit.

According to the above configuration, only the latest data is stored in the second data storage unit, and the old data is deleted from the second data storage unit. Therefore, the latest data with a high viewing frequency can be stored in the second data storage unit which can be accessed at a high speed, and the responsiveness of the data collection system can be improved.

In the data collection system described above, the data analysis unit may analyze the data to determine whether or not error information is included in the data, the data writing unit may store the error information in the second data storage unit when the error information is included in the data, and the data collection device may further include an abnormality confirmation unit that confirms an abnormality in the system based on the error information for a predetermined time period stored in the second data storage unit, and the abnormality confirmation unit may store a result of confirmation of the abnormality in the first data storage unit.

According to the above configuration, the data collection device temporarily stores the error information specific to the device in the second data storage unit, and checks the system abnormality based on the error information at a predetermined timing. Therefore, abnormality detection of a device or a network that cannot be detected depending on individual data is realized.

In the data collection system described above, the error information may include the flag, the date and time, and the error content, and the abnormality confirmation unit may be configured to confirm an abnormality in the system based on the error information for a predetermined amount of time stored in the second data storage unit and the abnormality determination condition stored in the second data storage unit.

According to the above configuration, an abnormality can be determined based on the abnormality determination condition. Therefore, the abnormality confirmation unit can flexibly perform the abnormality determination according to the definition of the abnormality determination condition.

In the data collection system described above, the abnormality determination condition may include a first abnormality determination condition and a second abnormality determination condition, the abnormality confirmation result may include a confirmation result of a first abnormality corresponding to the first abnormality determination condition and a confirmation result of a second abnormality corresponding to the second abnormality determination condition, and the abnormality confirmation unit may store the confirmation result of the first abnormality in the first data storage unit when the error information stored in the second data storage unit for a predetermined amount of time satisfies the first abnormality determination condition, and store the confirmation result of the second abnormality in the first data storage unit when the error information stored in the second data storage unit for a predetermined amount of time satisfies the second abnormality determination condition.

According to the above configuration, the abnormality confirmation unit may store the first abnormality determination result and the second abnormality determination result based on the first abnormality determination condition and the second abnormality determination condition.

In the data collection system described above, the first abnormality determination condition may be an abnormality determination condition for determining a failure of the device or a failure related to communication between the device and the data collection apparatus, and the second abnormality determination condition may be an abnormality determination condition for determining a warning of the device or a warning related to communication between the device and the data collection apparatus.

According to the above configuration, the abnormality confirmation unit can determine the abnormality and the warning based on the first abnormality determination condition and the second abnormality determination condition, respectively.

The data collection system described above may further include a terminal device that receives an input from a user and transmits a request to the data collection device, and the data collection device may further include a display control unit that obtains a result of checking the abnormality stored in the first data storage unit in response to the request from the terminal device, generates screen data for information provision based on the result of checking the abnormality, and provides the generated screen data to a requesting party.

With the above configuration, the user can view the screen data indicating the result of the abnormality confirmation on the terminal device. This improves the convenience for the user.

The data collection system described above may further include a terminal device that receives an input from a user and transmits a request to the data collection device, the data collection device further includes a display control unit that generates screen data for information provision based on the data stored in the first data storage unit or the second data storage unit in response to the request from the terminal device and supplies the generated screen data to the terminal device, and the display control unit may generate the screen data using the data stored in the second data storage unit with higher priority than the first data storage unit when the request is made from the terminal device.

According to the above configuration, the data stored in the second data storage portion is used to generate the screen data more preferentially than the data stored in the first data storage portion. Therefore, the display control section can generate the screen data more quickly by using the data stored in the second data storage section than by using the data stored in the first data storage section.

In the data collection system described above, the display control unit may be configured to cause the data analysis unit to analyze data required to provide the requested information from the data stored in the first data storage unit and then generate the screen data using the analyzed data, when the requested information cannot be provided from the data stored in the second data storage unit.

According to the above configuration, the display control unit can generate the screen data using the data stored in the first data storage unit storing the data older than the data stored in the second data storage unit. Thus, even if the reading speed of the first data storage unit is slower than the reading speed of the second data storage unit, information satisfying the requirement can be provided.

In the data collection system described above, the display control unit may be configured to search for data necessary for providing the requested information from the data stored in the first data storage unit based on the flag when the requested information cannot be provided using the data stored in the second data storage unit.

According to the above configuration, when the requested information cannot be provided from the data stored in the second data storage unit, the display control unit searches the first data storage unit for necessary data using the flag in order to provide the requested information.

In the data collection system described above, the data collection device may further include a data copying unit configured to copy a part of the data stored in the first data storage unit to the second data storage unit at a time of startup of the data collection device or at a time of addition of new data to the first data storage unit.

According to the above configuration, at the time of startup of the data collection device, a part of the data stored in the first data storage unit is copied to the second data storage unit, so that the latest data can be used in the second data storage unit. In addition, since the copied data is stored in the second data storage unit, high-speed and stable data access is possible. Therefore, a decrease in processing speed due to an increase in the amount of data can be suppressed.

In the data collection system described above, the device may measure a physical quantity and transmit a measurement result obtained by the measurement to the data collection apparatus as first data, the receiving unit may receive the first data transmitted from the device, the data analyzing unit may analyze the received first data in a first data format that is a format of the first data of the device to generate second data in which the physical quantity is a value of a predetermined unit and is described in a second data format, and the data writing unit may write and store the first data in the first data storage unit and write and store the second data in the second data storage unit.

According to the above configuration, the data analysis unit analyzes the first data including the physical quantity measured by the device, and generates the second data in which the physical quantity is described as a numerical value in a predetermined unit. Therefore, the second data stored in the second data storage portion appears to be more readable. In other words, the readability of the second data in the second data storage portion is improved.

The data collection system described above may further include a relay device that receives the first data by a first communication method and transmits the first data to the data collection device by a second communication method different from the first communication method, wherein the device transmits the first data to the relay device by the first communication method, wherein the reception unit receives the first data transmitted from the relay device, and wherein the data analysis unit generates the second data by analyzing the received first data in accordance with the first data format.

According to the above configuration, the relay device communicates with the device by the first communication, communicates with the data collection device by the second communication, and relays the first data from the device to the data collection device, and the data analysis unit of the data collection device analyzes the first data and generates the second data. Therefore, the relay device can relay the first data via the network using different communications. The relay device enables the device to communicate with the data collection device using the first communication with less power consumption even if the data collection device is located at a distance that cannot be reached by the first communication alone.

In the data collection system described above, the relay device may measure a physical quantity and transmit a measurement result obtained by the measurement to the data collection device as third data by the second communication method, the receiving unit may receive the third data transmitted from the relay device, and the data analysis unit may analyze the received third data in a third data format that is a format of the third data of the relay device, thereby generating second data in which the physical quantity is a numerical value in a predetermined unit and is described in a second data format.

According to the above structure, the relay device itself has a function of measuring the physical quantity. Thus, not only the device but also the relay device can measure the physical quantity and transmit the first data including the physical quantity to the data collection device.

The data collection device described above is a data collection device that collects data transmitted from a device having a communication function, and includes: a receiving unit that receives data transmitted from the device; a data analysis unit configured to analyze the received data in accordance with a data format for analysis different for each of the devices, thereby obtaining analyzed data; a first data storage unit which cannot rewrite data; a second data storage unit that is a storage unit that can be accessed at a higher speed than the first data storage unit and that stores a smaller amount of data than the amount of data stored in the first data storage unit; and a data writing unit configured to write the data received by the receiving unit into the first data storage unit and store the data, and to write the analyzed data obtained by the data analyzing unit into the second data storage unit and store the data.

The data collection method described above is a data collection method in a data collection system including: a device having a communication function; a data collection device that collects data transmitted from the apparatus, the data collection device performing: a reception step of receiving data transmitted from the device; a data analysis step of analyzing the received data according to different data formats for analysis of each device, thereby obtaining analyzed data; a data writing step of writing the data received in the receiving step into a first data storage unit that is not capable of rewriting data and storing the data, and writing the analyzed data obtained in the data analyzing step into a second data storage unit that is a storage unit that is capable of being accessed at a higher speed than the first data storage unit and stores a smaller amount of data than the amount of data stored in the first data storage unit and stores the data.

According to the present invention, a decrease in processing speed due to an increase in data amount can be suppressed.

Further features and modes of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following illustrative embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the data collection system of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a functional configuration of the data collection device.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of a table stored in the management data storage unit.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of data writing processing performed by the data collection device.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of the abnormality confirmation processing performed by the data collection device.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of information display processing performed by the data collection device.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance screen displayed on the user terminal device.

Detailed Description

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a data collection system 100 of the present invention. The data collection system 100 includes: wireless device 1, gateway 2 and data collection apparatus 3. In fig. 1, wireless devices 1-1 and 1-2 are shown as wireless devices 1, but the number of wireless devices 1 is not particularly limited. The wireless device 1-1 is connected to a data collection apparatus 3 via a gateway 2 and a network 4. Further, the wireless device 1-2 is connected to the data collection apparatus 3 via a network 4. The network 4 is, for example, the internet. In the following description, the wireless device 1-1 and the wireless device 1-2 will be referred to as a wireless device 1 without being particularly distinguished.

The wireless device 1 is a field device installed in a field such as a factory or a plant and performs measurement, operation, and the like necessary for flow control. For example, the wireless device 1 is a sensor device such as a flow meter or a temperature sensor, a valve device such as a flow rate control valve or an opening/closing valve, an actuator device such as a fan or a motor, or another field device installed in a field such as a factory or a workshop. The wireless device 1 performs a power saving operation (e.g., an intermittent operation) using a battery as a power source. For example, in the case where the wireless device 1 is a sensor device, the wireless device 1 periodically transmits sensor data (e.g., temperature, humidity, flow rate, etc.) to the data collection apparatus 3. The wireless device 1 also transmits information such as temperature information, voltage value, and error information of the battery to the data collection apparatus 3.

The wireless device 1 performs communication by using a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) method.

The LPWA wireless communication system is characterized by realizing communication over a long distance (for example, several kilometers) with low power consumption. On the other hand, in the LPWA wireless communication scheme, the communication speed (the amount of information communicated per unit time) is relatively low. In the LPWA wireless communication system, communication is performed using a Sub-GigaHertz (Sub-GigaHertz) band wireless signal. The wireless device 1 may use LoRaWAN as one of standards for implementing LPWA wireless communication. The communication distance on the LoRaWAN standard is about 20km (kilometer) at maximum. However, the communication distance may be controlled to be about several kilometers depending on the output power at the time of transmission. The amount of data transmission of LoRaWAN is, for example, about ten or more bytes per 1 communication. The LPWA wireless communication scheme is an example of the first communication scheme.

The wireless device 1 may communicate by a wireless communication scheme using the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard with a narrow bandwidth instead of the LoRaWAN described above. The LTE standards with narrow bandwidths refer to, for example, standards of LTE cat.0, LTE cat.m1, LTE cat.nb1 (NB-IoT). The above standard has a narrower frequency bandwidth and a lower communication speed than the LTE standard used for smart phones and the like. Specifically, the frequency bandwidth used in the narrow-bandwidth LTE communication system is, for example, 200kHz or less. Further, as an example, the NB-IoT system uses a frequency bandwidth of 180 kHz. In other words, the above standard is an IoT-oriented LTE standard. As such, the wireless device 1 is an IoT-capable wireless device.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the wireless device 1-1 communicates with the gateway 2 via a LoRaWAN. Further, the wireless device 1-2 and the data collection apparatus 3 communicate with each other via LTE.

The gateway 2 is a device that connects the wireless device 1 and the data collection apparatus 3 via the network 4 and relays various data transmitted and received between the wireless device 1 and the data collection apparatus 3. When the gateway 2 is capable of measuring data, it measures temperature, humidity, voltage, battery temperature, and RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) and transmits the measured data to the data collection device 3. The measurement data transmitted from the gateway 2 to the data collection device 3 is an example of the third data. The gateway 2 also transmits error information to the data collection device 3. The gateway 2 communicates with the wireless device 1 in a first communication mode. The gateway 2 communicates with the data collection apparatus 3 in the second communication method. The second communication method may be, for example, wired communication using a terminal adapter, an internet (registered trademark) communication device, or the like, or cellular communication using a WiFi adapter, 3G/LTE, or the like. The gateway 2 is an example of a relay device.

The data collection device 3 receives data transmitted from the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2. The data collection device 3 has a plurality of storage units, and data received from the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2 (hereinafter referred to as "received data") is stored in each of the plurality of storage units.

The plurality of storage units are a first data storage unit and a second data storage unit. The first data storage unit stores the received data in a state in which the data format of the received data is not changed. That is, the first data storage unit stores data (original data) that holds the received data as it is. The received data is an example of the first data.

The second data storage unit stores the received data in a state in which the data format of the received data is changed. That is, the second data storage unit stores data in an easy-to-use state obtained by performing some processing on the received data. The data in the easy-to-use state is data in which data transmitted from the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2 is analyzed and the data format is arranged. More specifically, the data format of the data to be transmitted differs depending on the type of device such as the type of the wireless device 1 or the type of the gateway 2.

The data collection device 3 analyzes the content of the data in the data format for analysis (hereinafter referred to as "analysis format") which is predetermined for each device type. The analysis format includes information indicating at which position in the data format information is stored for each device type. Therefore, when the wireless device 1 is a flow meter, the data collection device 3 refers to the data transmitted from the flow meter in the analysis format to specify a portion for storing the value of the flow rate, and analyzes the value of the flow rate from the value included in the specified portion.

The data stored in the second data storage unit is data with a high access frequency. The data with a high access frequency is data collected in the data collection device 3 for the latest predetermined period (for example, one week). The data of the elapsed time after collection is not suitable for grasping the current state of the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2. On the other hand, recent data is relatively new data, and therefore is suitable for grasping the current state of the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2. Such recent data is accessed frequently. Therefore, the data collection device 3 stores all the collected reception data in the first data storage unit in a state of maintaining the reception state, and stores data in the second data storage unit in a state of being easily usable during the latest predetermined period (for example, one week).

The data collection device 3 provides information to the requester in response to requests from the user terminal device 5 and the administrator terminal device 6.

The user terminal device 5 is a communication device operated by a customer using the data collection system 100. The user terminal device 5 is configured by an information processing device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, a personal computer, or a game device. The user terminal device 5 is an example of a terminal device.

The administrator terminal apparatus 6 is a communication apparatus operated by a person (e.g., an administrator) related to the data collection system 100. The administrator terminal device 6 is configured by an information processing device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, a personal computer, or a game device. The administrator terminal device 6 is an example of a terminal device.

Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a functional configuration of the data collection device 3. The data collection device 3 includes: a data receiving unit 31, a control unit 32, a first data storage unit 33, and a second data storage unit 34.

The data receiving unit 31 is an interface for communicating with the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2. The data receiving unit 31 receives data transmitted from the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2. The data received by the data receiving unit 31 is digital data.

The control Unit 32 is configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 32 functions as a data analysis unit 321, a mark addition unit 322, a data writing unit 323, an instruction input unit 324, an abnormality confirmation unit 325, a data copying unit 326, a first data display control unit 327, and a second data display control unit 328 by executing programs. The program executed by the control unit 32 may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. The program may be transmitted and received via an electric communication line. In addition, the program may be constituted by JAVA (registered trademark).

The data analysis unit 321 obtains analyzed data by analyzing the received data in an analysis format. The analysis format is stored in the first data storage 33 and the second data storage 34. The data analysis unit 321 analyzes the received data in the analysis format stored in the second data storage unit 34 to obtain analyzed data. The analyzed data is data in a readily usable state, and for example, values of sensor data such as temperature and humidity are converted into numerical values representing physical quantities having a predetermined unit, and data in a data format is arranged. The analyzed data is an example of the second data.

The tag adding unit 322 adds a tag to the received data and the analyzed data. The flag is identification information bound to the installation location of the hardware device. The hardware devices are, for example, the wireless device 1, the gateway 2, the data collection device 3, and the like. By giving a flag to the received data, it is possible to facilitate the search of the received data relating to the devices in the same installation location even for received data of different data formats.

The data writing unit 323 writes the marked data in the first data storage unit 33 and the second data storage unit 34. Specifically, the data writing unit 323 writes the received data to which the flag is added into the first data storage unit 33 and stores the data. The data writing unit 323 writes the analyzed data to which the mark is added into the second data storage unit 34 and stores the data.

The instruction input unit 324 inputs an instruction from the user terminal device 5 or the administrator terminal device 6.

Specifically, the instruction input unit 324 inputs an instruction to provide information from the user terminal device 5 or the administrator terminal device 6. The instruction input unit 324 outputs the input instruction to the first data display control unit 327 or the second data display control unit 328.

The abnormality confirmation unit 325 confirms an abnormality in the data collection system 100 based on the error information stored in the second data storage unit 34 for a predetermined amount of time. Specifically, the abnormality confirmation unit 325 confirms an abnormality of the inter-device network line in the data collection system 100 or an abnormality of the wireless device 1 or the gateway 2. The abnormality confirmation unit 325 stores the result of confirmation of the abnormality in the first data storage unit 33.

The data copying unit 326 copies a part of the data stored in the first data storage unit 33 to the second data storage unit 34 when the copy timing condition is satisfied. The copying time condition may be a time when the data collection device 3 is started up or a time when data is newly added to the first data storage 33.

The first data display control unit 327 generates screen data for information provision based on the data stored in the first data storage unit 33 or the second data storage unit 34 in accordance with the request output from the instruction input unit 324, and provides the generated screen data to the requester. The screen data for providing information is, for example, screen data for maintenance or screen data for inspection of a maintenance point.

The second data display control unit 328 generates screen data for information provision based on the data stored in the first data storage unit 33 or the second data storage unit 34 in accordance with the request output from the instruction input unit 324, and provides the generated screen data to the requester. The screen data for providing information is, for example, screen data for maintenance or screen data for inspection of a maintenance point.

The first data storage 33 includes: a received data storage unit 331, a management data storage unit 332, and an error log storage unit 333. The first data storage unit 33 is mounted as a Write Once Table (Write one Table) in which data cannot be rewritten in a database stored in a storage medium or the like having a slower access speed than the main memory but capable of large-capacity storage, for example. The first data storage 33 is configured by a nonvolatile storage medium such as a disk Memory such as ssd (solid State drive), a hard disk, a flash ROM (Read Only Memory), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM).

The reception data storage unit 331 stores the reception data received by the data reception unit 31. More specifically, the received data storage section 331 stores the digital data received by the data receiving section 31.

The management data storage unit 332 stores a plurality of tables for managing the data collection system 100. As shown in fig. 3, the management data storage unit 332 stores a flag management table 3321, an NW management table 3322, an HW management table 3323, a parameter table 3324, and a history table 3325.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of the table stored in the management data storage unit 332.

The mark management table 3321 is a table in which information for managing marks is registered. The tag management table 3321 registers tag IDs and tag names in association with each other. The tag ID indicates identification information for identifying the tag. The tag name indicates the name of the tag. For example, the tag name is the installation place of the device or the name of the device.

The NW management table 3322 is a table in which information on the flag and the connection relationship between the flags is registered. The NW management table 3322 registers connection tag names and information indicating the direction of communication between the connection tag names in association with each other. The connection tag name is a tag name in which a connection relationship exists in the data collection system 100. For example, in a case where the tag name "fluviograph" and the tag name "GW" have a connection relationship, the tag name "fluviograph" and the tag name "GW" are registered in the connection tag name. The information indicating the direction of communication between the connection tag names is information indicating whether the communication between the connection tag names is one-directional or two-directional. For example, when communication is performed from the tag name "fluviograph" to the tag name "GW" between the tag name "fluviograph" and the tag name "GW", information indicating one direction from the tag name "fluviograph" to the tag name "GW" is registered.

HW management table 3323 is a table in which information on each device included in data collection system 100 is registered. The HW management table 3323 registers the identification ID, name, address information, tag ID, analysis format, and abnormality determination condition of each device in association with each other. The identification ID of the device represents identification information of the hardware device. The name indicates the name of the hardware device. The address information indicates address information of the hardware device, such as a MAC address or an IP address. The tag ID indicates identification information for identifying the tag.

The analysis format indicates a data format for analyzing the received data, which is set for each device type. The format for analysis is a format in which, for example, the first 4 bytes of received data from a certain wireless device 1 are defined as temperature information. Thus, the data analysis unit 321 can analyze the received data. The abnormality determination condition is a condition for determining an abnormality in the data collection system 100. The abnormality determination condition includes a condition for determining abnormality including a first abnormality determination condition for determining a failure and a second abnormality determination condition for determining a warning. The abnormality determination condition may be set as appropriate.

The parameter table 3324 is a table in which information on various parameters set in each device of the data collection system 100 is registered.

The history table 3325 is a table for storing information at the time of change due to addition of data or the like registered in an arbitrary table stored in the management data storage unit 332.

The history table 3325 registers date and time of change, a table to be changed, and change contents in association with each other.

The error log storage unit 333 stores the result of the abnormality confirmation by the abnormality confirmation unit 325. The results of the exception confirmation include: the result of the first abnormality confirmation corresponding to the first abnormality determination condition, and the result of the second abnormality confirmation corresponding to the second abnormality determination condition.

The second data storage 34 includes: an analyzed data storage unit 341, a copy management data storage unit 342, and an error information storage unit 343. The second data storage unit 34 is installed as an In-Memory table stored In a main Memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) having a smaller storage capacity and a faster Access speed than the SSD or the hard disk, for example.

The analyzed data storage unit 341 stores the analyzed data. The analyzed data storage unit 341 stores analyzed data of a smaller number than the number of received data stored in the received data storage unit 331. For example, the post-analysis data storage unit 341 stores post-analysis data for a predetermined period (for example, one week). In this way, the data stored in the post-analysis data storage unit 341 is analyzed and has improved readability as compared to the data at the time of reception, and the number of data stored in the received data storage unit 331 is smaller.

The copy management data storage unit 342 stores the same data as the management data storage unit 332. Specifically, the copy management data storage unit 342 stores a flag management table 3321, an NW management table 3322, an HW management table 3323, a parameter table 3324, and a history table 3325. Each table stored in the copy management data storage unit 342 is a table in which the data copy unit 326 copies each table stored in the management data storage unit 332. That is, the copy management data storage unit 342 stores the same data as the management data storage unit 332.

The error information storage unit 343 stores the error information obtained by the data analysis unit 321. Specifically, the error information storage unit 343 stores the tag ID, the date and time, and the error content in association with each other.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of data writing processing performed by the data collection device 3.

The data receiving unit 31 receives data transmitted from the wireless device 1 directly or via the gateway 2 (step S101). When the gateway 2 measures data, the data receiving unit 31 receives the data transmitted from the gateway 2. The data receiving unit 31 outputs the received data to the control unit 32. The data analysis unit 321 authenticates the originator device (for example, the wireless device 1) that receives the data, based on the copy management data storage unit 342 of the second data storage unit 34 (step S102). Specifically, the data analysis unit 321 determines that the originator device has been authenticated when the originator device that receives the data registers the HW management table 3323 stored in the copy management data storage unit 342. On the other hand, when the originator device that receives the data does not register the HW management table 3323 stored in the copy management data storage unit 342, the data analysis unit 321 determines that the originator device is not authenticated.

If authentication is not performed (no in step S102), the data analysis unit 321 discards the received data (step S103). After that, the data writing unit 323 writes the discarded received data as an error log in the error log storage unit 333 (step S104).

After that, the processing of fig. 4 is ended.

On the other hand, when the authentication is performed (yes in step S102), the data analysis unit 321 analyzes the received data (step S105). Specifically, first, the data analysis unit 321 obtains address information of a sender apparatus (for example, the wireless device 1) that receives data. The data analysis unit 321 refers to the obtained HW management table 3323 stored in the management data storage unit 332, and acquires an analysis format corresponding to the obtained address information. Then, the data analysis unit 321 analyzes the received data in the obtained analysis format to obtain analyzed data. The data analysis unit 321 determines whether or not error information is included in the received data, and acquires the error information when the error information is included. The data analysis unit 321 also acquires a tag ID corresponding to the acquired address information from the HW management table 3323 stored in the copy management data storage unit 342.

The data analysis unit 321 determines whether or not the tag ID corresponding to the address information exists (step S106). If there is no tag ID corresponding to the address information (no in step S106), the data collection device 3 executes the processing from step S103 onward.

On the other hand, if there is a tag ID corresponding to the address information (step S106 — yes), the data analysis unit 321 determines whether or not error information is obtained from the received data (step S107).

When error information is obtained from the received data (yes in step S107), the data analysis unit 321 outputs the error information and the tag ID to the data writing unit 323. The data writing unit 323 stores the error information output from the data analysis unit 321 in the error information storage unit 343 in association with the tag ID (step S108). If no error information is obtained from the received data (no in step S107) or after the process in step S108, the tag adding unit 322 adds a tag ID to the analyzed data and the received data obtained in the process in step S105 (step S109).

The mark adding unit 322 outputs the analyzed data and the received data to which the marks are added, respectively, to the data writing unit 323. The data writing unit 323 writes the analyzed data to which the mark is applied, which is output from the mark applying unit 322, into the analyzed data storage unit 341 (step S110). At this time, when the storage amount of the post-analysis data storage unit 341 is full, the data writing unit 323 deletes the oldest post-analysis data stored in the post-analysis data storage unit 341 and writes new post-analysis data. The data writing unit 323 writes the marked received data output from the mark adding unit 322 into the received data storage unit 331 (step S111).

Further, when a write error occurs in the process of step S110 or the process of step S111, the data writing unit 323 writes the flag ID, the date and time, and the content indicating that a write error has occurred in the error information storage unit 343.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the abnormality confirmation processing performed by the data collection device 3.

The abnormality checking unit 325 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S201). The predetermined time may be a preset time or a time instructed from the outside. When the predetermined time is not reached (no in step S201), the abnormality checking unit 325 waits until the predetermined time is reached.

On the other hand, when the predetermined time has elapsed (yes in step S201), the error information is read from the error information storage unit 343 (step S202).

The abnormality checking unit 325 checks for an abnormality based on the read error information and the abnormality determination condition of the HW management table 3323 stored in the copy management data storage unit 342 (step S203). Specifically, the abnormality confirmation unit 325 determines that the error information satisfies the abnormality determination condition to be either a warning or a failure. The abnormality confirmation unit 325 outputs the result of abnormality confirmation to the data writing unit 323. The data writing unit 323 stores the result of checking the abnormality output from the abnormality checking unit 325 in the error log storage unit 333 (step S204).

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of information display processing performed by the data collection device 3.

The first data display control unit 327 or the second data display control unit 328 determines whether or not a display request of information is made from an external device (for example, the user terminal device 5 or the administrator terminal device 6) (step S301). If the information display request is not made (step S301 — no), the data collection device 3 ends the processing of fig. 6.

On the other hand, when a request for displaying information is made (yes in step S301), the second data display control unit 328 refers to the second data storage unit 34 and determines whether or not the requested information is present (step S302). The second data storage unit 34 stores only data for a predetermined period (for example, one week). Therefore, when the external device requests the supply of information for a period longer than or before the predetermined period (for example, information for two weeks or information for one month before), the requested information cannot be supplied by only the information stored in the second data storage unit 34. Therefore, when the external device requests the provision of information for a period longer than or before the predetermined period, the second data display control unit 328 determines that the requested information is not present.

On the other hand, when the external device requests the supply of information for a predetermined period, the second data display control unit 328 determines that the requested information is present. When the requested information is present (yes in step S302), the second data display control unit 328 reads out information necessary for providing the requested information from the second data storage unit 34 (step S303). Then, the second data display control unit 328 generates screen data for provision from the read information and transmits the generated screen data to the requesting device, thereby displaying the information (step S304).

After that, the data collection device 3 ends the processing of fig. 6.

On the other hand, when the requested information does not exist (step S302 — NO), the first data display control unit 327 reads out information necessary for providing the requested information from the first data storage unit 33 (step S305). The received data stored in the first data storage 33 is data received by the data receiving unit 31 as it is. That is, the received data stored in the first data storage 33 is not in the sorted data format. Therefore, the first data display control unit 327 retrieves information necessary for providing the requested information from the received data storage unit 331 based on the tag ID. Then, the first data display control unit 327 analyzes the received data obtained by the data analysis unit 321 to obtain analyzed data (step S306).

Then, the first data display control unit 327 generates screen data for provision from the analyzed data and the other information stored in the first data storage unit 33, and transmits the generated screen data to the requesting device, thereby displaying the information (step S307). After that, the data collection device 3 ends the processing of fig. 6.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance screen displayed on the user terminal device 5.

As shown in fig. 7, the maintenance screen displays information indicating an abnormality and the latest date and time information of data received from the device for each device installed in a building such as a factory or a workshop. The information indicating an abnormality indicates which part of the device or the network has an abnormality. Fig. 7 shows an example in which the data collection device 3, the WAN line, the GW, the LAN line, and the sensors are connected in this order from upstream to downstream, and any one of them is displayed in a state different from the other states when an abnormality occurs.

For example, in the "rain tank B" displaying the "good quality building", the failure of the LAN line occurs, in the "rain tank H" displaying the "△△ building", for example, the warning of the LAN line occurs, the above-described abnormality determination is performed by the abnormality confirmation unit 325, and the first data display control unit 327 or the second data display control unit 328 obtains the result of the abnormality determination with reference to the error log storage unit 333 and generates screen data reflecting the obtained result of the abnormality determination.

According to the data collection system 100 configured as described above, the data collection device 3 stores the data In the latest predetermined period with a high access frequency In the second data storage 34 installed as an In-memory (In-memory) table In a state In which readability is improved, and stores the received data In the state of being kept as it is In the first data storage 33 as an auxiliary storage device. Thus, the second data storage unit 34 stores a smaller amount of data than the first data storage unit 33, and stores the data in a state in which the data is easily used for providing information.

The memory (In-memory) table is not a normal table stored In an auxiliary storage device such as an SSD or an HDD, but is a database table stored In a storage device accessible at high speed such as a main memory of a computer. An In-memory (In-memory) table enables high-speed and stable data access and high-speed information provision. Therefore, the memory (In-memory) table can suppress a decrease In processing speed due to an increase In the amount of data.

The received data is stored in the received data storage unit 331 of the first data storage unit 33 in a state of being received. Therefore, the problem caused by data tracing during maintenance can be easily solved.

< modification example >

The first data display control unit 327 and the second data display control unit 328 may be configured as a single display control unit.

The data collection system 100 may include field devices having wired communication functions instead of the wireless devices 1(1-1 and 1-2), or may include both the wireless devices 1 and the field devices having wired communication functions.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to the embodiments, and designs and the like within the scope not departing from the spirit of the present invention are also included.

In this specification, the words "front, rear, up, down, right, left, vertical, horizontal, transverse, row and column" designate directions in which the apparatus of the present invention is oriented. Accordingly, the words set forth above in the specification of the invention should be construed accordingly in the context of the apparatus of the invention.

The term "configuration" is used to indicate a configuration for executing the functions of the present invention, and also to indicate a structure, a component, and a part of an apparatus.

Furthermore, the words used in the claims, when interpreted in a functional manner, are intended to cover all structures capable of being used to perform the function for which the invention is entitled.

The term "unit" is used to denote a structural component, element, hardware, or a portion of software that is coded to perform a desired function. Typical examples of hardware are, but not limited to, devices or circuits.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other changes in the structure can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.