阅读说明：本技术 处理装置、处理完毕数据的收集方法以及数据收集系统 (Processing device, method for collecting processed data, and data collection system ) 是由 山中修平 得能正朝 于 2020-04-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种处理装置,与构成为测量给定的物理量的传感器连接,对从该传感器发送的测量数据进行给定处理,在处理装置与外部的服务器装置之间构建网络前的状态下,在为了从该处理装置向该服务器装置发送进行了给定处理的处理完毕数据而将进行该处理装置与该服务器装置之间的中继处理的中继装置对通信部以能通信的方式连接时,从该中继装置取得表示该服务器装置中存放该处理完毕数据的给定区域的发送目的地信息,在取得发送目的地信息后,以中继装置能执行中继处理的方式,对处理完毕数据附加与该发送目的地信息所表示的给定区域关联的信息来生成发送处理完毕数据。(A processing device connected to a sensor configured to measure a predetermined physical quantity, performs predetermined processing on measurement data transmitted from the sensor, in a state before a network is established between a processing device and an external server device, when a relay device for performing relay processing between the processing device and the server device is communicably connected to a communication unit in order to transmit processed data on which predetermined processing has been performed from the processing device to the server device, obtaining, from the relay device, destination information indicating a predetermined area in which the processed data is stored in the server device, and after obtaining the destination information, in such a manner that the relay device can execute the relay process, the processed data is added with information associated with the predetermined area indicated by the destination information to generate transmission processed data.)

1. A processing device connected to a sensor configured to measure a predetermined physical quantity, performs predetermined processing on measurement data transmitted from the sensor,

the processing device is characterized by comprising:

a communication unit that performs communication between the outside and the processing device;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a relay device that performs relay processing between the processing device and an external server device when the relay device is communicably connected to the communication unit in order to transmit processed data on which the predetermined processing has been performed from the processing device to the server device in a state before a network is established between the processing device and the server device, transmission destination information indicating a predetermined area in which the processed data is stored in the server device;

a generation unit that, after acquiring the destination information, adds information relating to the predetermined area indicated by the destination information to the processed data so that the relay device can execute the relay process, and generates transmission-processed data; and

and an output unit configured to output the transmission-processed data to the relay device.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the relay device has object identification information for identifying an object processing device that provides the relay process,

when the processing device is connected to the relay device via the communication unit, the acquisition unit acquires the destination information from the relay device when the processing device is determined to be the target processing device as a result of the relay device comparing the identification information of the processing device with the target identification information of the relay device.

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the acquisition unit acquires the destination information from the relay device when the relay device is first communicably connected to the communication unit,

after the destination information is acquired, the predetermined processing for the measurement data transmitted from the sensor is permitted.

4. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the processing device is connected to the plurality of sensors, generates the processed data corresponding to each of the plurality of sensors by performing the predetermined process on each of the measurement data transmitted from the plurality of sensors,

the generation unit generates the transmission processed data so that the association between the processed data and each of the plurality of sensors can be understood and the relay device can execute the relay process.

5. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the processing device updates the already-obtained destination information to new destination information associated with a new destination based on a change instruction when the change instruction is obtained to change the destination of the processed data to the new destination,

the generation unit generates new transmission processed data for the processed data based on the new transmission destination information so that the relay device can execute relay processing between the processing device and the new transmission destination.

6. A method for collecting processed data, in a processing device connected to a sensor configured to measure a predetermined physical quantity, collects processed data obtained by performing predetermined processing on measurement data transmitted from the sensor,

the method for collecting processed data is characterized by comprising the following steps:

when a relay device that performs relay processing between the processing device and a server device on a network is communicably connected to a communication unit provided in the processing device in order to transmit the processed data from the processing device to the server device, transmitting destination information indicating a predetermined area in which the processed data is stored in the server device is acquired from the relay device;

after the destination information is acquired, adding information related to the predetermined area indicated by the destination information to the processed data so that the relay device can execute the relay process, thereby generating transmission-processed data; and

and outputting the transmission processed data to the relay device.

7. A data collection system is provided with: a processing device connected to a sensor configured to measure a predetermined physical quantity, the processing device performing predetermined processing on measurement data transmitted from the sensor; a server device on a network; and a relay device that performs a relay process between the processing device and the server device in order to transmit processed data on which the predetermined process has been performed from the processing device to the server device,

the data collection system is characterized in that,

the processing device is provided with:

a communication unit that performs communication between the outside and the processing device;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the relay device, destination information indicating a predetermined area in the server device in which the processed data is stored, when the relay device is communicably connected to the communication unit;

a generation unit that, after acquiring the destination information, adds information relating to the predetermined area indicated by the destination information to the processed data so that the relay device can execute the relay process, and generates transmission-processed data; and

and an output unit configured to output the transmission-processed data to the relay device.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technique for collecting data obtained by a device such as a sensor.

Background

A technique called a sensor network is under discussion. This technique is as follows: sensors having a sensing function and a communication function are installed in various places, mobile bodies, industrial equipment, and the like, and are networked, thereby enabling the collection, management, and seamless use of sensing data. As a technique for this, a sensor amplifier is known which amplifies a signal detected by a sensor, processes the signal, and transmits the processed signal wirelessly to an external device.

Patent document 1 discloses a technique related to data collection via a cradle device configured to be capable of wireless communication with a plurality of sensors. In this technique, data from each sensor is transmitted to the cradle device and stored there. When the cradle device is provided with a portable terminal, data stored in the cradle device is transmitted to a predetermined server via a network by using a communication function of the portable terminal. With this configuration, the server sequentially collects data from the sensors.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2015-26925

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

A given process is generally applied to the measurement data measured by the sensor. For example, when the output of the sensor is weak, the output of the measurement data may be amplified so that the measurement data is not affected by noise during communication. Although the measurement data itself is data showing a given physical quantity or the like as a measurement target in detail, the capacity of the data as it is very large, the communication load of the sensor network becomes large, or the capacity of the storage device provided in the sensor network is consumed wastefully. Therefore, a process for reducing the capacity of the measurement data may be performed.

On the other hand, in the related art, it cannot be said that sufficient studies have been made on the network configuration of a server apparatus for collecting measurement data from a sensor on a network. Therefore, the user requires a lot of labor in the case of constructing the sensor network. In particular, if high security of measurement data is required every time the sensor network is constructed, the construction of the sensor network becomes more difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for easily constructing a sensor network that appropriately collects necessary data from sensors.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problems, the processing apparatus of the present invention is configured as follows: when measurement data from a sensor is subjected to predetermined processing and processed data subjected to the predetermined processing is transmitted, transmission destination information acquired from a relay device and the processed data are combined, and understandable transmitted processed data is generated for the relay device to perform the relay processing. With this configuration, it is possible to easily configure a sensor network that can transmit processed data to a predetermined transmission destination using, as a trigger, a case where the processing device and the relay device are communicably connected.

More specifically, the present invention is a processing device connected to a sensor configured to measure a predetermined physical quantity, for performing predetermined processing on measurement data transmitted from the sensor, the processing device including: a communication unit that performs communication between the outside and the processing device; an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a relay device that performs relay processing between the processing device and an external server device when the relay device is communicably connected to the communication unit in order to transmit processed data on which the predetermined processing has been performed from the processing device to the server device in a state before a network is established between the processing device and the server device, transmission destination information indicating a predetermined area in which the processed data is stored in the server device; a generation unit that, after acquiring the destination information, adds information relating to the predetermined area indicated by the destination information to the processed data so that the relay device can execute the relay process, and generates transmission-processed data; and an output unit configured to output the transmission-processed data to the relay device.

Effects of the invention

A sensor network that appropriately collects necessary data from sensors can be easily constructed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view 1 showing a schematic configuration of a data collection system including an operational amplifier according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of processed data and transmission processed data generated by the operational amplifier according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of a process for constructing a sensor network for collecting measurement data from sensors, which is performed between an operational amplifier and a router according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the update process executed by the operational amplifier according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a view 2 schematically showing the configuration of a data collection system including an operational amplifier according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

The processing device of the present embodiment performs predetermined processing on measurement data transmitted from a connected sensor. The given physical quantity measured by the sensor can be set based on the purpose of data collection in the server apparatus. The processing device is configured to perform predetermined processing on the measurement data of the sensor. The predetermined processing is processing for setting the measurement data of the sensor to data to be collected in the server apparatus, and may be, for example, amplification processing for improving noise resistance of data transmitted from the processing apparatus to the server apparatus, and processing of the measurement data for the purpose of reduction in data capacity, processing of data content, and editing. In the present application, data obtained by performing predetermined processing on measurement data from a sensor is referred to as processed data. In addition, the number of the sensors connected to the processing device may be one or more.

Here, in the processing device, when the relay device is communicably connected to the communication unit in a state before the network is established between the processing device and the server device, the acquisition unit acquires the transmission destination information from the relay device. The "state before network construction" referred to herein means a state in which a communication network capable of transmitting processed data from the processing device to the server device and collecting the processed data at the server device is not constructed. Therefore, in the "state before network construction", data collection cannot be realized unless the communication network is constructed between the processing apparatus and the server apparatus. In the "state before network construction", the destination information acquired by the acquisition unit is information indicating a predetermined area in the server device in which the processed data is to be stored. The given area may preferably be a secure area in which access from a third party is restricted, in which case information (e.g., password information) for enabling the access may be included in the transmission destination information. In addition, in the present specification, the server apparatus may be constituted by one or more server apparatuses. Further, the given area may be a part or all of the storage area in the server apparatus, and the number of areas is not necessarily limited to one.

The acquisition unit is configured to acquire the destination information from a relay device connected to the communication unit. With this configuration, the processing device acquires the destination information by using a trigger to connect the processing device and the relay device so as to enable communication. Preferably, the acquisition unit acquires the destination information when the relay device is first communicably connected to the communication unit. When the acquisition unit acquires the destination information, the processing device can recognize a predetermined area of the server device that collects processed data, which is a location where the processed data should be transmitted.

Therefore, after the destination information is acquired, the generation unit generates the transmission-processed data. The transmission processed data is obtained by adding information on a location where the processed data should be stored, which is information related to a predetermined area indicated by the destination information, to the processed data, and is data that is configured so that when the relay device receives the transmission processed data, it can understand where the processed data included in the transmission processed data should be relayed and can perform relay processing. In addition, when a plurality of sensors are connected to the processing device, the processed data corresponding to each sensor can be generated by performing the above-described predetermined processing on each of the measurement data transmitted from the plurality of sensors. In this case, the generation unit may be configured to understand the relevance of the processed data to each of the plurality of sensors, and may be configured to generate the transmission processed data so that the relay device can perform the relay process. The generated transmission processed data is then output to the relay device via the output unit. As described above, the relay device can understand where the processed data included in the transmission processed data should be transmitted, and therefore can appropriately relay the transmission processed data.

In this way, the processing device includes the acquisition unit, the generation unit, and the output unit, and thereby acquires the destination information triggered by the processing device and the relay device being communicably connected. When the destination information is acquired, the generation of the transmission processed data by the generation unit is performed, and the output unit outputs the transmission processed data to the relay device. As a result, the processing device forms a sensor network that triggers acquisition of the destination information from the processing device to a predetermined area of the server device via the relay device. In this case, as a burden for constructing the sensor network, a burden other than the communicative connection between the relay device and the processing device is not imposed on the user, and therefore, the construction of the sensor network can be made extremely easy.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangement, and the like of the components described in the present embodiment do not limit the technical scope of the present invention to these.

< embodiment 1 >

The overall configuration of the system for collecting measurement data measured by the sensor according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1. The data collection system is a system for collecting measurements from a plurality of sensors, comprising: one or more sensors 10 configured to measure a given physical quantity; an operational amplifier 20 configured to perform predetermined processing on the output (measurement data) of the sensor 10; a server device 50 for accumulating output data from the operational amplifier 20; and a router 30 functioning as a relay device that relays data between the operational amplifier 20 and the server device 50. In the data collection system of the present embodiment, only 1 operational amplifier is shown, but the system may include a plurality of operational amplifiers 20. It is not always necessary to connect 1 router 30 to 1 operational amplifier 20, and 1 router 30 may be connected to a plurality of operational amplifiers 20.

Here, each of the sensors 10 is connected to each of the input/output ports of the operational amplifier 20 in a wired or wireless manner, and the operational amplifier 20 is also connected to the router 30 in a wired or wireless manner. The router 30 and the server device 50 are communicably connected via a base station or the like, not shown, through a wide area network such as the internet or a LAN. The network is not limited to a single network, and any network may be used as long as transmission and reception of measurement data by the sensor 10 can be achieved.

Here, the sensor 10 is a device that detects and outputs a physical quantity of a sensing object, a change thereof. Typical examples of the sensor 10 include a position sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a pressure sensor, a load sensor, an acoustic sensor, an infrared sensor, an attitude sensor, a rainfall sensor, a radiation sensor, a gas sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope, and a GPS sensor. Further, since various types of sensors are mounted in devices such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile PC, and a drone, these devices can also be used as sensors. In addition, a large number of sensors have been installed for various purposes in all places in the world of factory FA, production management, urban traffic control, environmental measurement such as weather, health care, crime prevention, etc., and these sensors can also be connected to the present system. In addition, a plurality of kinds of sensors may be mixedly present. As an example, in the form shown in fig. 1, a plurality of sensors 10 arranged at each part of a given machine 100 to measure a physical quantity of the part are connected to an operational amplifier 20.

The operational amplifier 20 is a computer that performs communication with one or more sensors 10 by wire or wireless, manages the sensors 10, obtains measurement values from the sensors 10, and the like. The operational amplifier 20 may be a general-purpose computer including a CPU (processor), a memory, an auxiliary storage device (HDD or the like), a communication device, an input device, a display device, and the like. The various functions of the operational amplifier 20 are realized by executing necessary programs by the CPU. Specifically, the operational amplifier 20 includes functional units of a data receiving unit 21, a processing unit 22, a communication unit 23, an acquisition unit 24, a generation unit 25, an output unit 26, a storage unit 27, and an update unit 28. The operational amplifier 20 may have functional units other than these functional units.

The data receiving unit 21 is a functional unit that receives measurement data measured by each sensor 10 connected to the operational amplifier 20. The measurement data received by the data receiving unit 21 is, for example, the data itself output by each sensor 10. The data receiving unit 21 receives the received measurement data in a state where it can be determined which sensor 10 the measurement data is measured by. Then, the operational amplifier 20 performs a predetermined process executed by the processing unit 22 on the received measurement data. The processing unit 22 is a functional unit that performs predetermined processing (for example, signal processing such as noise removal, arithmetic such as amplification processing for increasing S/N, averaging processing, sampling, data compression, and giving of a time stamp) on the measurement data from the sensor 10. The predetermined processing is appropriately set in consideration of the purpose of data collection performed by the server device 30, and the like. Further, the processing section 22 may execute a function of generating data in a common format based on the measurement data from the sensor 10.

Here, the measurement data on which the predetermined processing is performed by the processing unit 22 is referred to as "processed data", and an example thereof is shown in the upper stage (a) of fig. 2. The processed data has a "sensor ID" as a field for identifying the sensor to be the library in order to determine which sensor 10 has the measurement data to be the library. Further, the processed data includes fields of "amplifier ID" for identifying an operational amplifier configured to perform a predetermined process, "measurement date and time" indicating date and time measured by a sensor, "sensor type" indicating the type of the measured data, and "processed measured value" storing the measured value after the predetermined process is performed. As the given processing, a plurality of processing such as enlargement processing, averaging processing, and the like can be employed.

The communication unit 23 is a communication interface for communicably connecting the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30. Next, the acquisition unit 24 is a functional unit that acquires information indicating a predetermined area in the server device 50 in which the processed data is collected and stored, that is, the transmission destination information when the processed data is transmitted from the operational amplifier 20 to the server device 50, in a state before a network is established between the operational amplifier 20 and the server device 50 for data collection. The acquisition unit 24 acquires the destination information from the router 30 when the router 30 and the communication unit 23 are communicably connected.

The generation unit 25 is a functional unit that generates transmission processed data for adding information (hereinafter referred to as "additional information") related to the predetermined area in the server device 50 indicated by the transmission destination information to the processed data and transmitting the added information to the server device 50 after the acquisition of the transmission destination information by the acquisition unit 24. The additional information is information that enables the router 30 to relay the processed data to a predetermined area of the server device 50, and may be the destination information itself, a part of the information included in the destination information, or new information generated from the destination information. Here, the lower part (b) of fig. 2 shows an example of transmission-processed data. The transmission processed data has a "destination" field in which the additional information is further stored in the processed data shown in the upper stage (a) of fig. 2. The router 30 that has received the transmission-processed data can relay the transmission-processed data to the server apparatus 50 using the information of the "destination" field of the data. The transmission processed data generated by the generation unit 25 is output to the router 30 via the communication unit 23 by the output unit 26.

The storage unit 27 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage device is a device that stores programs executed by functional units such as the processing unit 22, the acquisition unit 24, the generation unit 25, and the update unit 28, and data used by the programs. The auxiliary storage device may store a program obtained by packaging the programs executed by the functional units into an application. In addition, an operating system for executing these applications may also be stored. The main storage device is a memory for expanding a program executed by the functional unit and data used by the program. The main storage device may store the measurement data received by the data receiving unit 21 and the destination information acquired by the acquiring unit 24. The main storage device may include a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory). In addition, the auxiliary storage device may include an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM) and a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). Further, the secondary storage device may contain a removable medium, i.e., a removable recording medium. The removable medium can be, for example, a magnetic disk recording medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a CD (Compact Disc) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

The updating unit 28 is a functional unit that updates the destination information acquired by the acquiring unit 24. The update of the destination information by the update unit 28 can be appropriately performed based on a command received from the router 30 that performs relay processing of the transmission processed data, a command input by the user via an input unit, not shown, of the operational amplifier 20, or the like.

Next, the router 30 is explained. The router 30 is a computer that performs relay processing between the operational amplifier 20 and the server device 50. The router 30 can be configured by a general-purpose computer including a CPU (processor), a memory, an auxiliary storage device (HDD or the like), a communication device, an input device, a display device, and the like. Various functions of the router 30 are realized by executing necessary programs by the CPU. Specifically, the router 30 includes functional units of a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a matching unit 33, and a transmission control unit 34.

The communication unit 31 is a communication interface for communicably connecting the router 30 to the operational amplifier 20 and the server device 50. The storage unit 32 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, and is substantially the same as the storage unit 27 described above, and therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted. The storage unit 32 also stores the above-mentioned destination information and information for identifying the operational amplifier 20 as the destination to which the destination information should be handed over. The checking unit 33 is a functional unit that checks whether or not the operational amplifier 20 has the authority to acquire the destination information in order to acquire the destination information from the router 30 by the acquisition unit 24 triggered by the connection when the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30 are connected so as to be communicable with each other in a state before a network is established between the operational amplifier 20 and the server device 50 for data collection. Specifically, the information for identifying the operational amplifier 20 stored in the storage unit 32 is compared with the identification information actually transmitted from the operational amplifier 20 connected thereto. The transmission control unit 34 is a functional unit that performs a process of relaying the transmission processed data transmitted from the operational amplifier 20 to the server apparatus 50, and specifically, the transmission control unit 34 relays the transmission processed data to the server apparatus 50 via the communication unit 31 using information of the "destination" field of the transmission processed data.

Next, the server apparatus 50 will be explained. The server device 50 is a server device that accumulates data from the sensors 10 output from the operational amplifier 20 and relayed by the router 30. The server device 50 may be a general-purpose computer including a CPU (processor), a memory, an auxiliary storage device (HDD or the like), a communication device, an input device, a display device, and the like. Various functions of the server apparatus 50 are realized by executing programs by a CPU. Specifically, the server device 50 includes functional units of a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a control unit 53.

The server device 50 is constituted by a general computer. That is, the server device 50 is a computer having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, a main storage device such as RAM or ROM, and an auxiliary storage device such as EPROM, hard disk drive, or removable medium. The removable medium may be, for example, a USB memory, or a disc recording medium such as a CD or DVD. An Operating System (OS), various programs, various tables, and the like are stored in the auxiliary storage device, the programs stored therein are loaded into a work area of the main storage device and executed, and the respective components and the like are controlled by executing the programs, whereby respective functions according to a predetermined purpose can be realized. Some or all of the functions may be implemented by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs. The server 50 may be constituted by a single computer or may be constituted by a plurality of computers cooperating with each other.

The communication unit 51 is a communication interface for connecting the server apparatus 50 to a network. The storage unit 52 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, and stores a program executed by the control unit 53 and data used by the program. The storage unit 52 has a database for storing transmission processed data relayed by the router 30. The database is constructed by managing data stored in the storage unit 52 by a program of a database management system (DBMS) executed by the control unit 53. The database used in the present embodiment is, for example, a relational database. The control unit 53 is an arithmetic unit that manages control performed by the server device 50. The control unit 53 can be realized by an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU.

Here, a process performed between the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30 to construct the information processing system shown in fig. 1 will be described based on fig. 3. In S101 and S102 of fig. 3, a communicable connection is not established between the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30, and each device is placed in an independent state. First, in S101, each sensor 10 is connected to the operational amplifier 20. Triggered by this connection, in S102, an identification process is performed for identifying whether or not the connected sensor 10 is a sensor capable of data collection by the operational amplifier 20. The identification process is performed by the data receiving unit 21, and specifically, the identification process is performed based on identification information of the sensor 10 obtained from the connected sensor 10, and the like. As a result of the identification process, when the connected sensor 10 is a sensor that can handle the measurement, the data receiving unit 21 is in a state in which the measurement data from the sensor 10 can be received, but the reception of the measurement data is actually kept on standby until the processes of S109 to S111 described later are completed. As another method, since the data receiving unit 21 is in a state of being able to receive the measurement data from the sensor 10, the measurement data may be temporarily stored in the storage unit 27 of the operational amplifier 20, and the processes of S103 to S111 may be performed in parallel. On the other hand, when the connected sensor 10 is not a sensor that can cope with it, the user is notified that the sensor 10 is inappropriate via an unillustrated notification unit of the operational amplifier 20.

When the communication unit 31 of the router 30 is connected to the communication unit 23 of the operational amplifier 20 to which the sensor 10 is connected, the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30 each perform a process of recognizing the connection with the other. The connection state between the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30 is, for example, a state in which the communication unit 23 and the communication unit 31 are connected by wire and the power of both devices is turned on. With the connection state thus formed as a trigger, the connection with the router 30 is recognized at S103 in the operational amplifier 20, and the connection with the operational amplifier 20 is recognized at S104 in the router 30. At this point in time, a network for data collection is not yet established between the operational amplifier 20 and the server device 50, and the operational amplifier 20 is in a state in which the measurement data sent from the sensors 10 cannot be externally transmitted. When the processing in S103 and S104 is completed, the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30 are communicably connected.

When the communication-capable connection state is established between the two, the router 30 sends a request signal for identification information of the operational amplifier 20 to the operational amplifier 20 (processing in S105). When receiving the request signal, the operational amplifier 20 transmits its own identification information to the router 30 (processing in S106). Next, in the processing of S107, the matching unit 33 of the router 30 performs processing for matching the identification information transmitted from the operational amplifier 20 with the identification information stored in advance in the storage unit 32 for identifying the operational amplifier to be provided with the relay processing executed by the router 30. The purpose of this matching process is to determine whether or not the operational amplifier 20 communicably connected to the router 30 has authority to acquire transmission destination information, which is information on a data transmission destination in the relay process executed by the router 30. When it is determined that the connected operational amplifier 20 has the authority as a result of the matching process in S107, the transmission destination information stored in the storage unit 32 (in the present embodiment, information indicating a predetermined storage area for collecting data from the operational amplifier 20, which is set in advance in the storage unit 52 of the server device 50) is transmitted from the router 30 to the operational amplifier 20 (a process in S108).

As a result, in the process of S109, the acquisition unit 24 of the operational amplifier 20 acquires the destination information from the router 30. The acquired destination information is stored in the storage unit 27. When the transmission destination information is acquired, the operational amplifier 20 is in a state of grasping information related to the measurement data transmitted from each sensor 10, that is, a transmission destination for collecting the processed data shown in the upper stage (a) of fig. 2. This means that a network for transmitting the processed data to the server device 50 through the relay process of the router 30 can be substantially formed between the operational amplifier 20 and the server device 50. Therefore, in the next process of S110, together with permission of data measurement performed by each sensor 10, permission of a given process for measurement data sent from each sensor 10 to the operational amplifier 20 is issued. Thus, the operational amplifier 20 executes the predetermined processing of the processing unit 22 to generate the processed data shown in the upper stage (a) of fig. 2.

Then, the generation unit 25 generates transmission processed data based on the processed data generated through the predetermined processing of the processing unit 22 (processing of S111). The transmission processed data is data obtained by adding information indicating a transmission destination to the processed data, as shown in the lower stage (b) of fig. 2. Thereafter, in the process of S112, the transmission processed data generated by the output unit 26 is output to the router 30. Then, in the router 30 that has received the transmission-processed data, the transmission control unit 34 performs relay processing to a predetermined storage area in the storage unit 52 of the server apparatus 50 that is a destination included in the transmission-processed data (processing in S113).

In the process shown in fig. 3, after the operational amplifier 20 acquires the transmission destination information from the router 30, the operational amplifier 20 generates transmission-processed data based on the measurement data sequentially measured by the sensors 10 and outputs the transmission-processed data to the router 30. As a result, the server device 50 continuously collects the transmission-processed data. In particular, according to the series of processes of S103 to S112, the network for collecting the measurement data of each sensor 10 is constructed by triggering the first communicative connection between the router 30 and the operational amplifier 20, and these processes are automatically performed between the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30, so that the construction of the network is easy.

Next, the update processing of the transmission destination information will be described based on fig. 4. As described above, when the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30 are first communicably connected, the operational amplifier 20 acquires the transmission destination information from the router 30, but the transmission destination information may need to be updated. For example, it is possible to exemplify: a case where the data collection destination is normally changed from the server device 50 to another server device, a case where the data collection destination is temporarily changed to another server device for maintenance of the server device 50, or the like.

Therefore, in the update process, first, in S201, it is determined whether or not a change instruction to change the destination information already acquired by the acquisition unit 24 and stored in the storage unit 27 is received. The change command may be received from the server device 50 via the router 30 or may be input by the user via an input unit, not shown, included in the operational amplifier 20. If an affirmative determination is made in S201, the process proceeds to S202, and if a negative determination is made, the update process ends.

Next, in S202, the update unit 28 updates the destination information. The new transmission destination information may be transmitted from the server device 50 to the operational amplifier 20 or may be input by the user together with the above change command. The updated destination information is stored in the storage unit 27. When the process at S202 is completed, the process proceeds to S203.

At S203, it is determined whether or not there is data that has been generated by the generation unit 25 and that has been already transmitted, but is not yet output to the router 30 by the output unit 26 and exists in the operational amplifier 20. Since such non-output data does not reflect the updated destination information, it may not be possible to appropriately collect data if it is directly output to the router 30. Therefore, if an affirmative determination is made in S203, that is, if the non-output data remains in the operational amplifier 20, the process of S204 is performed. In S204, the information of the destination field included in the already generated transmission processed data is corrected to the information reflecting the updated destination information. When a negative determination is made in S203, the process in S204 is not performed.

After the process of S204 or after the negative determination of S203, the transmission processed data of the generation unit 25 is generated in S205 according to the updated transmission destination information.

By executing the update processing shown in fig. 4 in this way, the measurement information from each sensor 10 can be collected appropriately according to the updated transmission destination information.

< embodiment 2 >

The overall configuration of the measurement data collection system according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to fig. 5. In addition, among the configurations of the collecting system shown in fig. 5, those substantially identical to those of the collecting system shown in fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the collecting system shown in fig. 5, a control device 40 is present between the operational amplifier 20 and the router 30, and a plurality of operational amplifiers 20 are communicably connected to the control device 40.

The control device 40 may be a general-purpose computer including a CPU (processor), a memory, an auxiliary storage device (HDD or the like), a communication device, an input device, a display device, and the like, and includes functional units of a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a control unit 43. The communication unit 41 is a communication interface for communicably connecting the router 30 and each operational amplifier 20. The storage unit 42 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, and is substantially the same as the storage unit 27 and the storage unit 32 described above, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The storage unit 42 stores the transmission processed data output from the output unit 26 of each operational amplifier 20. The control unit 43 transmits the transmission-processed data temporarily stored in the storage unit 42 to the router 30 via the communication unit 41 at a predetermined transmission timing. The predetermined transmission timing may be a predetermined timing, or may be a timing of a transmission permission issued from the router 30 side as another method. By interposing the control device 40 therebetween in this way, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the transmission-processed data is accumulated in the operational amplifier 20 and the storage capacity of the storage unit 27 is insufficient, and to smoothly collect the transmission-processed data in the server device 50.

Description of reference numerals

10. sensor, 20. operational amplifier, 30. router, 40. control device, 50. server device, 100. mechanical equipment