阅读说明：本技术 数据处理装置及数据处理系统 (Data processing apparatus and data processing system ) 是由 那须督 松下侑资 于 2019-02-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：边缘系统(100)将数据传输至云服务器(400)。流控制部(140)对从设备收集到的数据的在边缘系统(100)内的数据处理的流程即数据流进行控制。网关通信部(170)按照针对与云服务器(400)之间的数据的交换而定义且被公开的外部接口的规格,与云服务器(400)进行通信。网关连接部(180)为了能够进行网关通信部(170)与流控制部(140)之间的通信,将流控制部(140)与网关通信部(170)连接。网关通信部(170)与网关连接部(180)按照针对数据处理系统内的数据的交换而定义且被公开的内部接口的规格而进行通信。(The edge system (100) transmits the data to the cloud server (400). A flow control unit (140) controls a data flow, which is the flow of data processing in the edge system (100), of data collected from a device. The gateway communication unit (170) communicates with the cloud server (400) in accordance with the specification of an external interface defined and disclosed for data exchange with the cloud server (400). The gateway connection unit (180) connects the flow control unit (140) to the gateway communication unit (170) so that the gateway communication unit (170) can communicate with the flow control unit (140). The gateway communication unit (170) and the gateway connection unit (180) communicate in accordance with the specification of an internal interface defined and disclosed for the exchange of data within the data processing system.)

1. A data processing apparatus which transmits data to an external service in order for a data processing system to cooperate with the external service,

the data processing apparatus includes:

a flow control unit that controls a data flow that is a flow of data processing within the data processing system of data collected from a device;

a gateway communication unit that communicates with the external service in accordance with a specification of an external interface defined and disclosed for data exchange with the external service; and

a gateway connection unit that connects the flow control unit and the gateway communication unit so that communication between the gateway communication unit and the flow control unit is possible,

the gateway communication means and the gateway connection means communicate in accordance with the specification of an internal interface defined and disclosed for data exchange in the data processing system.

2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising a data flow setting storage unit that stores data flow settings defining a flow of the data processing,

the flow control unit activates the gateway connection unit based on the data flow setting.

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

the flow control unit generates data storage units corresponding to the gateway connection units,

the flow control unit and the gateway communication unit exchange data via the data storage unit.

4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 3,

the flow control unit stores data destined for the external service in the data storage unit,

the gateway communication unit inquires of the gateway connection unit whether there is data transmitted to a server providing the external service at a set period,

the gateway connection means, if the gateway communication means inquires of the presence or absence of data, confirms the presence or absence of data in the data storage means corresponding to the gateway communication means, and notifies the gateway communication means of the presence or absence of data,

the gateway communication unit reads data from the data storage unit in the presence of data, and transmits the read data to the server providing the external service.

5. The data processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4,

the flow control unit has:

a real-time data management unit that manages real-time data that is data generated in real time within the data processing system; and

a non-real-time data management unit managing non-real-time data including connection information required for connection with a server providing the external service,

the non-real-time data management unit stores the non-real-time data in the data storage unit to thereby provide the non-real-time data to the gateway communication unit,

the real-time data management unit provides the real-time data to the gateway communication unit by storing the real-time data in the data storage unit.

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

there is also a collection unit that collects data from the device.

7. The data processing apparatus of any of claims 1 to 6,

the device also has a data processing unit that performs preset data processing on the data collected from the device.

8. The data processing apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7,

the external service is a cloud computing service.

9. A data processing system, which cooperates with external services,

the data processing system includes:

a data collection unit that collects data from the device;

a flow control unit that controls a data flow within the data processing system of the data collected by the data collection unit;

a data processing unit that performs predetermined data processing on the data collected by the data collection unit;

a gateway communication unit that communicates with the external service in accordance with a specification of an external interface defined and disclosed for data exchange with the external service; and

a gateway connection unit that connects the flow control unit and the gateway communication unit so that communication between the gateway communication unit and the flow control unit is possible,

the gateway communication means and the gateway connection means communicate in accordance with the specification of an internal interface defined and disclosed for data exchange in the data processing system.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus and a data processing system.

Background

In the monitoring system described in patent document 1, a plc (programmable Logic controller) transmits data collected via a communication network to a monitoring apparatus. Since the PLC has a unique communication specification and a unique command system, a relay device is provided between the PLC and a connection device for connecting the PLC to a communication network. The relay device relays the PLC and the connection device.

The relay device needs to support different connection devices for each type of communication network, and therefore has a parameter module that defines and rewrites parameters of a connection method. When the communication network to be used is changed, the parameter module of the relay device is rewritten to the parameter of the connection method corresponding to the new communication network. In this way, the relay apparatus can support the connection method corresponding to the newly connected connection apparatus.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2004-165868

Disclosure of Invention

Patent literature 1 discloses a technique for absorbing a difference in the type of a network, but when 2 or more systems communicate via a network, it is necessary to cope with not only a difference in the type of the network but also a difference in the interface unique to the system. For example, in the field of fa (factory automation), a data processing system using edge computing is sometimes coordinated with an external service such as a cloud computing service. In this case, the data processing system needs to cope with not only a difference in communication networks for connecting to the cloud server but also an interface unique to the cloud computing service which is a target of the cooperation. This is because the cloud computing services each have a unique interface.

In the relay device described in patent document 1, since it can only cope with a difference in the kind of network, a user of the data processing system sets an intermediate server between a server providing a cloud computing service and the data processing system, for example, and copes with an interface unique to the cloud computing service. The intermediate server operates in correspondence with an interface of the cloud computing service and an interface of the data processing system. The intermediate server relays the cloud computing service and the data processing system, so that the data processing system and the cloud computing service can be cooperated.

As such, a user of a data processing system needs to construct an intermediate server in consideration of the interface of the cloud computing service utilized by the data processing system. Further, when changing the interface of the cloud computing service or changing the service used, the user of the data processing system needs to change the configuration of the intermediate server, which increases the development load. As described above, for the user of the data processing system, it is necessary to separately provide an intermediate server or another relay unit in consideration of the interface of the service on the cloud side, and the method of providing the intermediate server or the other relay unit is not a good method for the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to enable a user of a data processing system to realize seamless cooperation between the data processing system and an external service without considering an interface of the external service.

In order to achieve the above object, a data processing apparatus according to the present invention transmits data to an external service in cooperation with the external service. The flow control unit controls the flow of data processing within the data processing system, i.e., the data flow, of data collected from the device. The gateway communication unit communicates with the external service in accordance with the specification of an external interface defined and disclosed for data exchange with the external service. The gateway connection means connects the flow control means and the gateway communication means so that communication between the gateway communication means and the flow control means can be performed. The gateway communication means and the gateway connection means communicate in accordance with the specification of an internal interface defined and disclosed for data exchange in the data processing system.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

In the data processing apparatus according to the present invention, the gateway communication means communicates with the external service in accordance with the specification of the external interface defined and disclosed for data exchange with the external service in order to transmit data to the external service. The gateway connection means connects the flow control means and the gateway communication means so that the flow control means and the gateway communication means can communicate with each other to control a data flow in the data processing system. The gateway communication means and the gateway connection means communicate in accordance with the specification of an internal interface defined and disclosed for data exchange in the data processing system. With such a configuration, the user of the data processing system can realize seamless cooperation between the data processing system and the external service without considering the interface of the external service.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a data collaboration system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of each apparatus constituting the edge system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the exchange of data in the data storage unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data flow according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another example of data flow according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a preparation process of the gateway connection unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a preparation process of the gateway communication unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a transmission process of the gateway communication unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a coordination process of the gateway connection unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the data collaboration system according to modification 1.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the data collaboration system according to modification 2.

Detailed Description

(embodiment mode)

Hereinafter, a data collaboration system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The data collaboration system 1 shown in fig. 1 collects data from the FA devices 601 and 602 in the plant, and analyzes the collected data. The data collaboration system 1 includes cloud servers 401 and 402 that provide cloud computing services and an edge system 100 provided in a factory. The edge system 100 is a system that operates locally (on predictions). The cloud servers 401 and 402 are provided by a different provider enterprise from the operation manager of the edge system 100. The cloud servers 401 and 402 provide data analysis services. The edge system 100 collects data from the FA devices 601 and 602, and transmits the collected data to the cloud servers 401 and 402. The cloud servers 401 and 402 analyze the data collected by the edge system 100. Hereinafter, the cloud servers 401 and 402 are collectively referred to as a cloud server 400. The edge system 100 is an example of a data processing system of the present invention.

The FA devices 601 and 602 are, for example, actuators and sensors in a factory, and a control device for controlling the actuators and the sensors. The data collected by the edge system 100 includes data acquired by vibration sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow sensors, and the like provided in the FA apparatuses 601 and 602. Hereinafter, the FA apparatuses 601 and 602 are collectively referred to as an FA apparatus 600.

Next, a hardware configuration of the device included in the edge system 100 will be described. As shown in fig. 2, the edge system 100 includes an ipc (industrial Personal computer)10 and a maintenance tool 20. In the illustrated example, the IPC 10 collects data from the FA device 600 via the network 701. The IPC 10 communicates with the maintenance tool 20 via the network 702. The maintenance tool 20 is a tool for operating the IPC 10 by a user. Here, the user includes an operation manager of the edge system 100. The IPC 10 is an example of the data processing apparatus of the present invention.

The IPC 10 has a memory 11 for storing various programs and data, a field bus interface 12 for communicating with other devices via a network 701, an information system network interface 13 for communicating with other devices via a network 702, and a cpu (central Processing unit)14 for controlling the whole IPC 10. The memory 11, the field bus interface 12, and the information system network interface 13 are connected to the CPU 14 via a bus 19, and communicate with the CPU 14.

The memory 11 includes a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory. The memory 11 stores programs for realizing various functions of the IPC 10. Specifically, the memory 11 stores a collection program 111, a flow control program 112, a communication program 113, a connection program 114, and a processing program 115. Also, the memory 11 is used as a work memory of the CPU 14.

The collection program 111 is a program for causing the IPC 10 to realize a function of collecting data from the FA device 600. The flow control program 112 is a program for causing the IPC 10 to realize a function of controlling a data flow in the IPC 10. The collection program 111 and the flow control program 112 are created by a user or by a system developer as instructed by a user. Hereinafter, the data flow refers to a flow of data processing set in advance in the data collaboration system 1.

The communication program 113 is a program for causing the IPC 10 to realize a function of communicating with the cloud server 400. Specifically, the communication program 113 is a program for converting data received from the edge system 100 into data conforming to an interface defined for exchange of data with the cloud in accordance with the specification of the interface defined for exchange of data within the edge system 100, and transmitting the converted data to the cloud server 400. Hereinafter, an interface defined for data exchange in the edge system 100 may be referred to as an internal interface. The interface defined for the exchange of data with the cloud is sometimes referred to as a cloud-side interface. The cloud side interface is an example of an external interface of the present invention. The internal interface is an example of an internal interface of the present invention.

The internal interface contains the protocol that determines the format of the data processed within the edge system 100. The system provider of the edge system 100 publishes the specification of the internal interface. The cloud-side interface includes a protocol that decides a method, a data format, and the like for utilizing the service provided by the cloud server 400. And the enterprise for providing the cloud computing service discloses the specification of the cloud side interface. In an embodiment, the third party vendor develops the communication program 113 based on the published internal interface as well as the cloud-side interface.

The connection program 114 is a program for causing the IPC 10 to realize a function of transferring data flowing in a data flow in the edge system 100 to the communication program 113. As previously mentioned, the communication program 113 is developed separately by a third party vendor and is not a proprietary item of the edge system 100. Therefore, the connection program 114 transfers the data processed by the flow control program 112 to the communication program 113, and functions as an adapter. The connection program 114 is created by the user, or by the system developer as directed by the user.

The machining program 115 is a program for causing the IPC 10 to realize a function of executing predetermined machining processing on data. The predetermined processing is missing value processing, data extraction processing, abnormal value processing, or the like. The machining program 115 is created by the user or by the system developer as instructed by the user.

The fieldbus interface 12 includes a network interface circuit, and communicates with the FA device 600 via the network 701 under the control of the CPU 14. The network 701 is a network based on the specification of a field network.

The information system network interface 13 comprises network interface circuitry that communicates with the maintenance tool 20 via the network 702 under the control of the CPU 14. The network 702 is, for example, a network based on specifications such as 10BASE-T, 100 BASE-T.

The CPU 14 executes various programs stored in the memory 11 to realize various functions of the IPC 10. Specifically, the CPU 14 collects data from the FA device 600 by executing the collection program 111. The CPU 14 controls the data flow of data in the edge system 100 by executing the flow control program 112.

The CPU 14 receives data from the edge system 100 in accordance with the specification of the internal interface by executing the communication program 113, and transmits the received data to the cloud server 400 in accordance with the specification of the cloud-side interface.

In order to transmit the data collected from the FA device 600 to the cloud server 400, the CPU 14 transfers the data to the communication program 113 by executing the connection program 114.

The CPU 14 executes the machining program 115 to perform missing value processing, abnormal value processing, and the like, thereby machining data.

The maintenance tool 20 is a personal computer installed in the same factory as the FA device 600 and having a dedicated application program installed therein. The maintenance tool 20 has a memory 21 for storing various programs and data, a communication interface 22 for communicating with other devices via a network 702, an input device 23 for detecting an input operation by a user, a display device 24 for outputting an image, and a CPU 25 for controlling the entire maintenance tool 20. The memory 21, the communication interface 22, the input device 23, and the display device 24 are connected to the CPU 25 via a bus 29, and communicate with the CPU 25.

The memory 21 includes a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory. The memory 21 stores programs for implementing various functions of the maintenance tool 20. Specifically, the memory 21 stores a maintenance program 211. In addition, the memory 21 is used as a work memory of the CPU 25.

The maintenance program 211 is a program for causing the maintenance tool 20 to realize a function of registering various parameters necessary for the operation of the edge system 100 in the IPC 10 in accordance with an operation instruction from the user.

The communication interface 22 includes a network interface circuit, and communicates with the IPC 10 via the network 702 under the control of the CPU 25. The input device 23 includes a mouse, operation keys, and the like, receives an operation input from a user, and outputs a signal indicating the input operation of the user to the CPU 25. The display device 24 includes a display, and displays an image based on a signal supplied from the CPU 25 on the display.

The CPU 25 executes various programs stored in the memory 21 to realize various functions of the maintenance tool 20. Specifically, the CPU 25 executes the maintenance program 211 to display an input screen for inputting various parameters necessary for the operation of the edge system 100 on the display of the display device 24. The CPU 25 stores the parameters inputted by the user using the input device 23 in the memory 11 of the IPC 10. The above is the hardware configuration of the IPC 10 and the maintenance tool 20 included in the edge system 100. In the embodiment, regarding parameters necessary for the operation of the communication program 113, an input screen of the parameters is provided by a third-party vendor that provides the communication program 113.

Next, the functional structure of the edge system 100 will be described with reference to fig. 1.

The edge system 100 functionally comprises: a collection unit 110 that collects data from a specified collection target; a collection setting storage unit 120 that stores data indicating settings related to data collection; a data flow setting storage unit 130 that stores data indicating settings for a data flow; a flow control unit 140 that controls a data flow; a registration unit 150 that registers various parameters required for the operation of the edge system 100 in the edge system 100; a data processing unit 160 for performing predetermined data processing; a gateway communication unit 170 that communicates with the cloud server 400; and a gateway connection unit 180 that exchanges data between the flow control unit 140 and the gateway communication unit 170.

The collection unit 110 collects specified data from a specified object at specified collection intervals in accordance with the settings for data collection stored in the collection setting storage unit 120, and outputs the collected data to the flow control unit 140. Hereinafter, the data collected by the collection unit 110 may be referred to as collected data. In an embodiment, the collection part 110 collects data from the FA device 600. The function of the collection unit 110 is realized by executing the collection program 111 by the CPU 14 shown in fig. 2. The collection unit 110 is an example of the data collection unit of the present invention.

The collection setting storage unit 120 shown in fig. 1 stores data indicating the setting contents of the data collection process performed by the collection unit 110. This data is sometimes referred to as collection setting data. The collection setting data includes information specifying a collected object, information specifying collected data, a collection interval of the collected data, and information specifying a collection program 111 for executing collection processing, which are designated by a user. The information for specifying the collected object includes, for example, an ip (internet protocol) address and a port number. The information for specifying the collected data includes information indicating an area in which the data to be collected is stored in the memory area of the FA device 600, and the data type and data length of the data. The information for specifying the collection program 111 includes an execution file name and a path. The registration unit 150, which will be described later, stores the collection setting data in the collection setting storage unit 120 in accordance with the user's instruction. The function of the collection setting storage unit 120 is realized by the memory 11 shown in fig. 2.

The data flow setting storage unit 130 stores the setting contents of the data flow defining the contents of data processing to be performed on the collected data and the order of the data processing. This data is sometimes referred to as data flow setting data. The data flow setting data includes information indicating a collection target designated by a user and a subject for executing each process. The data flow setting data includes an IP address and a port number for specifying the cloud server 400, service information for specifying a service provided by the cloud server 400, information indicating the type of data flowing through the data flow, and script information for extending the gateway communication unit 170. The data flow setting storage unit 130 is an area for storing data to be transmitted to the cloud server 400, and stores a path for specifying the position of the data storage unit 1400, which will be described later. The registration unit 150 stores the data in the data flow setting storage unit 130 in accordance with the user's instruction. The data flow setting storage unit 130 is an example of data flow setting storage means. The function of the data flow setting storage unit 130 is realized by the memory 11 shown in fig. 2.

The flow control section 140 shown in fig. 1 controls the flow of data in the edge system 100. The function of the flow control section 140 is realized by the CPU 14 shown in fig. 2 executing the flow control program 112. The flow control section 140 is an example of the flow control unit of the present invention.

Specifically, the flow control unit 140 includes a flow control execution unit 141, a real-time data management unit 142, and a non-real-time data management unit 143.

When the edge system 100 is started, the flow control execution unit 141 starts the gateway communication unit 170 based on the data stored in the data flow setting storage unit 130. The flow control executing unit 141 activates the gateway communication units 170 in the number corresponding to the cloud server 400. For example, when it is set that the edge system 100 is connected to 2 cloud servers 400 in the data flow setting data stored in the data flow setting storage unit 130, the flow control execution unit 141 activates 2 gateway communication units 170 to connect to the respective cloud servers 400.

This is because the interface on the cloud side differs for each cloud server 400, and therefore, it is necessary to start the communication program 113 shown in fig. 2 for functioning as the gateway communication unit 170 corresponding to the cloud server 400. The flow control execution unit 141 assigns an inherent id (identifier) to each of the gateway communication units 170 in order to identify the activated gateway communication unit 170. This is because the gateway connection unit 180 can identify the gateway communication unit 170 when the gateway connection unit 180 exchanges data with the gateway communication unit 170.

As shown in fig. 3, the flow control execution unit 141 creates a data storage unit 1400 corresponding to each gateway communication unit 170 for data exchange with the gateway communication unit 170. The data storage 1400 is an area that can be read and written by the gateway communication section 170. Each data storage unit 1400 can be identified by the unique ID assigned to the gateway communication unit 170. In the example shown in fig. 3, 4 gateway communication units 170 are activated. The gateway communication unit 170 is assigned unique IDs 101 to 104. Further, 4 data storage units 1400 corresponding to the gateway communication units 170 are generated. In fig. 3, only the flow control unit 140, the gateway communication unit 170, and the gateway connection unit 180 are illustrated. The data storage portion 1400 is an example of a data storage unit of the present invention.

The flow control execution unit 141 transmits information indicating the association between the generated data storage unit 1400 and the unique ID to the real-time data management unit 142 and the non-real-time data management unit 143.

The real-time data management unit 142 supplies data generated in real time, in this case, the collected data received from the collection unit 110, to a destination specified based on the data flow setting data. When the data processing unit 160 is designated as the destination of the data, the real-time data management unit 142 supplies the data to the data processing unit 160.

The real-time data management unit 142 stores the data generated in real time in the data storage unit 1400 in order to transmit the data to the cloud server 400. Specifically, the real-time data management unit 142 stores the collected data supplied from the collection unit 110 in the data storage unit 1400. The real-time data management unit 142 stores the real-time data in the data storage unit 1400 in order to transfer the real-time data to the cloud server 400. When missing data is processed by the missing value processing on data that is missing from the data collected by the collection unit 110, the real-time data includes information related to the missing value processing. For example, when the data processing unit 160 performs missing value processing for filling up a missing value of the collected data with a set value, the real-time data management unit 142 stores information for specifying the missing value and a value to be filled up with the missing value as real-time data in the data storage unit 1400.

For example, when the collected data is time-series data, the data processing unit 160 may cut the collected data for each predetermined period, and the edge system 100 may transmit the cut data to the cloud server 400 a plurality of times. In this case, the real-time data management unit 142 stores information indicating the start position and the end position of the time-series data as real-time data in the data storage unit 1400. The real-time data includes information indicating the progress of the data stream and information indicating the processing load of the IPC 10 functioning as the edge system 100. The information indicating the processing load is, for example, the usage rate of the processors of the IPC 10. The real-time data management unit 142 is an example of the real-time data management means of the present invention.

The non-real-time data manager 143 stores the non-real-time data in the data storage 1400, for example, in order to transmit the data to the cloud server 400. The non-real-time data is stored in the data flow setting storage unit 130. The non-real-time data includes data flow setting data, an IP address and a port number that are connection information for connecting to the cloud server 400, service information for specifying a service provided by the cloud server 400, information indicating the type of data flowing through the data flow, and script information for extending the gateway communication unit 170. The non-real-time data management unit 143 stores the non-real-time data in the data storage unit 1400 immediately after the gateway communication unit 170 is activated. The non-real-time data management unit 143 is an example of the non-real-time data management unit of the present invention.

The registration unit 150 shown in fig. 1 stores the collection setting data input by the user in the collection setting storage unit 120. The registration unit 150 stores the data flow setting data and the like input by the user in the data flow setting storage unit 130. The function of the registration unit 150 is realized by the CPU 25 of the maintenance tool 20 shown in fig. 2 executing the maintenance program 211.

The data processing unit 160 shown in fig. 1 performs a predetermined processing on the collected data supplied from the flow control unit 140, and supplies the processed collected data to the flow control unit 140. The machining process includes a missing value process, an intercept process, an abnormal value process, and the like, which are prior processes of the analysis process. The function of the data processing unit 160 is realized by the CPU 14 shown in fig. 2 executing the machining program 115. The data processing section 160 is an example of a data processing unit of the present invention.

The gateway communication unit 170 shown in fig. 1 transmits data transmitted from the edge system 100 to the cloud server 400. Specifically, the gateway communication unit 170 inquires of the gateway connection unit 180 whether or not there is data addressed to the cloud server 400 at a set cycle, and when there is data, reads the data from the data storage unit 1400. The period in which the gateway communication unit 170 inquires of the presence or absence of data is, for example, a period defined by the cloud-side interface. The gateway communication unit 170 converts the data read from the data storage unit 1400 into a data format determined by the cloud-side interface. The gateway communication unit 170 transmits the converted data to the cloud server 400 by a method determined by the cloud-side interface. The function of the gateway communication unit 170 is realized by the CPU 14 shown in fig. 2 executing the communication program 113. The gateway communication unit 170 is an example of a gateway communication unit of the present invention.

If the gateway connection unit 180 shown in fig. 1 is queried from the gateway communication unit 170 for the presence or absence of data, it checks whether or not data is present in the data storage unit 1400 corresponding to the gateway communication unit 170, and notifies the gateway communication unit 170 of the presence or absence of data. As described above, the communication program 113 for realizing the function of the gateway communication section 170 is developed by a third party provider and is not a exclusive article of the edge system 100. Therefore, the gateway connection unit 180 needs to coordinate data exchange between the gateway communication unit 170 and the flow control unit 140.

Then, if the gateway connection unit 180 is notified from the gateway communication unit 170 that the data storage unit has completed reading is discarded, the data of the data storage unit 1400 is discarded. The function of the gateway connection section 180 is realized by the CPU 14 shown in fig. 2 executing the connection program 114. The gateway connection unit 180 is an example of a gateway connection unit of the present invention.

Next, a functional configuration of the cloud server 400 will be described. As shown in fig. 1, the cloud server 400 functionally includes a data processing section 410 that performs analysis processing.

The data processing unit 410 analyzes data supplied from the edge system 100. The data processing unit 410 provides the analysis result to the user, for example, in response to a request from the user of the edge system 100.

Next, a series of flows of acquiring data of the data storage 1400 of the flow control unit 140 by the gateway communication unit 170 will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

As shown in fig. 4, the gateway communication unit 170 inquires of the gateway connection unit 180 whether or not data is present (step S1001). The gateway connection unit 180 checks whether or not data is present in the data storage unit 1400 (step S1002). In the illustrated example, the data storage 1400 is assumed to have no data. In this case, the gateway connection unit 180 notifies the gateway communication unit 170 that there is no data (step S1003).

As shown in fig. 5, if the gateway communication unit 170 inquires whether or not data exists in the data storage unit 1400 (step S1001), the gateway connection unit 180 checks whether or not data exists in the data storage unit 1400 (step S1002). The gateway communication unit 170 is notified of the presence data (step S1004). In response to this, the gateway communication unit 170 notifies the gateway connection unit 180 that data is acquired (step S1005).

The gateway connection unit 180 notifies the gateway communication unit 170 of a route for specifying the position of the data storage unit 1400 (step S1006). In response to this, the gateway communication section 170 reads data from the data storage section 1400 (step S1007). The gateway communication unit 170 transmits the read data to the cloud server 400 (step S1008). Then, the gateway communication unit 170 instructs the gateway connection unit 180 to discard the data (step S1009). In response to this, the gateway connection unit 180 discards the data of the data storage unit 1400 (step S1010).

In order for the edge system 100 to exchange data with the cloud server 400, the gateway connection unit 180 and the gateway communication unit 170 need to perform the preparation process described below. First, a preparation process of the gateway connection unit 180 will be described. The gateway connection unit 180 starts a preparation process described below after the edge system 100 is started.

As shown in fig. 6, the gateway connection unit 180 activates the gateway communication units 170 corresponding to the cloud servers 400 connected to the edge system 100, respectively (step S11). The gateway connection unit 180 assigns unique IDs to the activated gateway communication units 170, and supplies the unique IDs and setting data necessary for communication with the cloud server 400 to the gateway communication units 170 (step S12). Then, the gateway connection unit 180 generates the data storage unit 1400 for storing the data transmitted to the gateway communication unit 170 (step S13). The above is the preparation processing performed by the gateway connection unit 180.

Next, a preparation process of the gateway communication unit 170 will be described. As shown in fig. 7, the gateway communication unit 170 stores the unique ID supplied from the gateway connection unit 180 (step S21). The gateway communication unit 170 stores the setting data supplied from the gateway connection unit 180 (step S22). Then, the gateway communication unit 170 connects to the cloud server 400 specified by the setting data supplied from the gateway connection unit 180 (step S23). If the connection to the cloud server 400 is made, the gateway communication unit 170 notifies the gateway connection unit 180 that the preparation is completed (step S24).

Next, a process of transmitting data to the cloud server 400 by the gateway connection unit 180 having completed the preparation process in cooperation with the gateway communication unit 170 will be described. First, a transmission process performed by the gateway communication unit 170 will be described.

As shown in fig. 8, the gateway communication unit 170 determines whether or not the connection to the cloud server 400 is established (step S31). If the connection to the cloud server 400 is not established (step S31; No), the gateway communication unit 170 connects to the cloud server 400 again (step S32). The gateway communication unit 170 determines whether or not the timing is the timing of inquiring the presence or absence of data according to the set cycle (step S33). The value indicating the designated period is included in the setting data supplied from the gateway connection unit 180 in the preparation process. If the gateway communication unit 170 determines that the data is present or absent (step S33; Yes), it inquires the gateway connection unit 180 whether the data is present or absent (step S34).

The gateway communication unit 170 determines whether or not there is data stored in the data storage unit 1400, based on whether or not there is a route from the gateway connection unit 180 back to the data storage unit 1400 (step S35). If it is discriminated that there is data (step S35; Yes), the gateway communication part 170 reads the data from the data storage part 1400 and transmits the read data to the cloud server 400 (step S36). Then, if the gateway communication unit 170 determines that the data transmission has succeeded (step S37; Yes), it instructs the gateway connection unit 180 to discard the data (step S38). Then, the gateway communication unit 170 executes the process of step S31 again.

In step S37, if it is determined that the transmission of the data has failed (step S37; No), the gateway communication unit 170 does not instruct the gateway connection unit 180 to discard the data, but executes the process of step S31 again. Since the transmission of the data to the cloud server 400 has failed, the gateway communication section 170 transmits the data to the cloud server 400 at the timing of the next transmission. Therefore, in this case, discarding of data is not instructed.

If it is discriminated in step S35 that there is No data in the data storage section 1400 (step S35; No), the process of step S31 is executed again.

Next, the coordination process executed by the gateway connection unit 180 will be described. As shown in fig. 9, if the gateway connection unit 180 receives an inquiry about the presence or absence of data from the gateway communication unit 170 (step S41; Yes), it notifies the gateway communication unit 170 of the presence or absence of data (step S42). Specifically, the gateway connection unit 180 checks whether or not data exists in the data storage unit 1400 allocated to the gateway communication unit 170 that has transmitted the inquiry. When data is present in the data storage unit 1400, the gateway connection unit 180 notifies the gateway communication unit 170 of the path of the data storage unit 1400, and when data is not present in the data storage unit 1400, notifies the gateway communication unit 170 of the absence of data.

When the gateway connection unit 180 receives a data acquisition request from the gateway communication unit 170 (step S43; Yes), it notifies the path of the data storage unit 1400 allocated to the gateway communication unit 170 (step S44). Then, the gateway connection unit 180 receives the instruction to discard the data from the gateway communication unit 170 (step S45; Yes), and discards the data in the data storage unit 1400 (step S46).

When the route of the data storage unit 1400 is notified in step S44 and a predetermined period of time elapses without receiving an instruction to discard data from the gateway communication unit 170 (step S45; No), the gateway connection unit 180 executes the process of step S41 again.

As described above, in the embodiment, the gateway communication unit 170 included in the edge system 100 or the third-party vendor communicates with the cloud server 400 according to the specification of the cloud-side interface, instead of providing the intermediate server. The gateway connection unit 180 connects the gateway communication unit 170 to the flow control unit 140 that controls the data flow of the data collected from the device in the data processing system. In this way, the edge system 100 uses the gateway communication unit 170 provided by the third-party vendor as a means for communicating with the cloud server 400, and includes the gateway connection unit 180 as a means for connecting to the gateway communication unit 170. Thus, a user of the data processing system is able to achieve seamless collaboration between the data processing system and the external service without regard to the interface of the external service.

In addition, by using the gateway communication section 170 created by the third party vendor, the number of development man-hours of the edge system 100 can be reduced. Further, since the gateway communication unit 170 is modified by the third-party vendor when the cloud-side interface is changed, the number of development steps can be reduced for the user of the edge system 100.

(modification 1)

Next, an example in which the edge system 100 has a configuration for adjusting the communication load will be described. Hereinafter, a description will be given mainly on a structure different from the structure according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 shows a configuration of the data collaboration system 2 according to modification 1. The flow control unit 140 of the edge system 100 according to modification 1 includes a flow control execution unit 141, a real-time data management unit 142, a non-real-time data management unit 143, and a load monitoring unit 144. The flow control execution unit 141, the real-time data management unit 142, and the non-real-time data management unit 143 have the same configuration as in the embodiment.

The load monitoring unit 144 acquires a monitoring result of the load of the communication state between the edge system 100 and the cloud server 400 from the gateway communication executing unit 171 via the gateway connection unit 180 at regular intervals. The load monitoring unit 144 causes the flow control execution unit 141 to adjust the amount of data flowing through the gateway connection unit 180 according to the communication load. The load monitoring unit 144 instructs the flow control execution unit 141 to reduce the amount of data flowing through the gateway connection unit 180, for example. The flow control execution unit 141 issues an instruction to the real-time data management unit 142 to increase the time interval at which the collected data received from the collection unit 110 is stored in the data storage unit 1400. The real-time data management unit 142 can suppress the amount of communication between the edge system 100 and the cloud server 400 by increasing the interval at which the collected data is stored in the data storage unit 1400.

When the monitoring result obtained by the load monitoring unit 144 after the flow control execution unit 141 has adjusted the amount of data flowing through the gateway connection unit 180 indicates that the communication load has decreased, the flow control execution unit 141 again adjusts the amount of data flowing through the gateway connection unit 180. In this case, the load monitoring unit 144 instructs the flow control execution unit 141 to increase the amount of data flowing through the gateway connection unit 180. The flow control execution unit 141 instructs the real-time data management unit 142 to shorten the time interval at which the collected data received from the collection unit 110 is stored in the data storage unit 1400.

By having such a structure, when the communication load between the cloud server 400 and the edge system 100 increases, the communication load can be reduced. Further, the configuration according to modification 1 can also expect the same effects as those of embodiment 1.

(modification 2)

Next, an example in which the edge system 100 and the cloud server 400 have a configuration for adjusting the load will be described. Hereinafter, a description will be given mainly on a structure different from the structure according to embodiment and modification 1.

Fig. 11 shows a configuration of the data collaboration system 3 according to modification 2. The gateway communication unit 170 of the edge system 100 according to modification 2 includes a gateway communication execution unit 171 and an execution status monitoring unit 172. The cloud server 400 includes a data processing unit 410, a data processing execution control unit 420, and an execution status monitoring unit 430.

The gateway communication execution unit 171 has the function of the gateway communication unit 170 described in the embodiment, and the gateway communication execution unit 171 transmits data addressed to the cloud server 400 from the edge system 100 to the cloud server 400.

The execution status monitoring unit 172 monitors the load of the processing of the gateway communication execution unit 171. The execution status monitoring unit 172 receives the result of monitoring the processing load of the data processing execution control unit 420 from the execution status monitoring unit 430 of the cloud server 400.

For example, when the load of the processing of the gateway communication execution unit 171 is high, the execution status monitoring unit 172 adjusts the load of the processing of the gateway communication execution unit 171. Further, when the load of the processing of the data processing execution control unit 420 is high, the execution status monitoring unit 172 controls the gateway communication execution unit 171 to reduce the load of the processing of the data processing execution control unit 420.

The data processing execution control unit 420 supplies the data received from the gateway communication unit 170 to the data processing unit 410. In the illustrated example, the cloud server 400 includes 1 data processing unit 410, but the cloud server 400 may include a plurality of data processing units 410. In this case, the data processing execution control unit 420 may supply the data to the different data processing unit 410 according to the characteristics of the received data. Furthermore, the method is simple. The data processing unit 410 has the same configuration as that of the embodiment.

The execution status monitoring unit 430 monitors the processing load of the data processing execution control unit 420, and transmits the monitoring result to the execution status monitoring unit 172 of the edge system 100.

With such a configuration, when the load of processing of the cloud server 400 or the edge system 100 increases, the processing load can be reduced. Further, the configuration according to modification 2 can also expect the same effects as those of embodiment 1.

In the embodiment, an example in which the edge system 100 transmits data to the cloud server 400 is described, but the edge system 100 may receive data from the cloud server 400. In this case, the communication program 113 shown in fig. 2 also causes the edge system 100 to realize a function of converting data received from the cloud server 400 in accordance with the specification of the cloud-side interface into data compliant with the internal interface and supplying the converted data to the edge system 100. The CPU 14 converts data received from the cloud server 400 in accordance with the specification of the cloud-side interface into data compliant with the internal interface by executing the communication program 113, and supplies the converted data to the edge system 100.

In the embodiment, the example in which the IPC 10 has the collection unit 110 that performs data collection has been described, but the collection unit 110 may be provided in another device independent of the IPC 10.

In the embodiment, the example in which the data processing unit 160 of the edge system 100 performs the prior processing on the data collected by the collection unit 110 has been described, but the data processing unit 160 may not perform the prior processing on the collected data. In this case, the edge system 100 may not have the data processing unit 160.

In the embodiment, an example in which an IP address and a port number are used as information for specifying a device to be collected has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the information for specifying the collection target device, a station number on the network may be used as the information for specifying the collection target device.

In the embodiment, an example in which the cloud server 400 performs analysis processing is described, but the service provided by the cloud server 400 is not limited thereto. The cloud server 400 may also diagnose the FA device 600 based on the analysis result. In addition, the cloud server 400 may also provide a storage service for storing the received data. In addition, a plurality of services may be provided by 1 cloud server 400. In this case, the IPC 10 needs to have gateway communication units 170 corresponding to the interfaces of the services.

In the embodiment, an example in which the edge system 100 cooperates with the cloud computing service is described, but not limited thereto. The edge system 100 may also cooperate with external applications other than cloud computing services.

As a recording medium for recording the program, a computer-readable recording medium including a magnetic disk, an optical disk, an opto-magnetic disk, a flash memory, a semiconductor memory, and a magnetic tape can be used.

The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope in its broadest form. The above embodiments are illustrative of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the claims. Further, various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the meaning of the equivalent invention are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 2, 3 data cooperation system, 10IPC, 11, 21 memory, 12 field bus interface, 13 information system network interface, 14, 25CPU, 19, 29 bus, 20 maintenance tool, 22 communication interface, 23 input device, 24 display device, 100 edge system, 101 and 104 inherent ID, 110 collection part, 111 collection program, 112 flow control program, 113 communication program, 114 connection program, 115 processing program, 120 collection setting storage part, 130 data flow setting storage part, 140 flow control part, 141 flow control execution part, 142 real-time data management part, 143 non-real-time data management part, 144 load monitoring part, 150 registration part, 160, 410 data processing part, 170 gateway communication part, 171 gateway communication execution part, 172, 430 execution status monitoring part, 180 gateway connection part, 211 maintenance program, 401, 402(400) cloud server, 420 data processing execution control part, 601. 602(600) FA device, 701, 702 network, 1400 data store.