Apparatus, system, method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus, a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the apparatus comprising: a storage unit that stores setting data for mirroring a container acquired from a first server; a container acquisition unit that acquires a first container image from the first server; and an execution unit that provides the setting data and executes the first container image to implement a container-type device unit that acquires first state data indicating a state of a device, the container acquisition unit further acquires a second container image different from the first container image from the first server, and the container acquisition unit acquires second state data indicating a state of the device from the second server. The device is further provided with a container update unit that causes the execution unit to provide the setting data and execute the second container mirror image, and updates the container-type device unit based on the first container mirror image to the container-type device unit based on the second container mirror image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to apparatus, systems, methods and non-transitory computer-readable media. Background Art

[0002] Patent documents 1 to 6 describe "a general factory monitoring and control device 3 that receives status signals outputted from sensors of various devices of a factory 2 designated as a monitoring and control object, such as a water supply factory, a sewer factory, or various manufacturing factories, and performs processes such as creating a monitoring screen, generating a control signal corresponding to the input control content and supplying it to the various devices to control the operating status of the factory 2" (paragraph 0014 of patent document 1). Prior art literature Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-146466 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-149789 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-144629 Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-196316 Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-162459 Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-007222 Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first embodiment of the present invention, a device is provided, comprising: a storage unit, which stores setting data for a container image obtained from a first server; a container acquisition unit, which obtains a first container image from the first server; and an execution unit, which provides the setting data and executes the first container image to implement a container-type device unit, wherein the container-type device unit obtains first status data representing the status of a device.

[0004] In the above-mentioned device, the container acquisition unit may also obtain a second container image different from the first container image from the first server, and the device may also include a container update unit, which enables the execution unit to provide the setting data and execute the second container image, thereby updating the container-type device unit based on the first container image to the container-type device unit based on the second container image.

[0005] It may be that the above-mentioned device includes two of the container-type device units, and the container updating unit maintains the container-type device unit of one of the two container-type device units in an operating state until the updating of the other container-type device unit is completed, and the container updating unit activates the container-type device unit of one of the two container-type device units and updates the container-type device unit of the other container-type device unit based on the completion of the updating of the container-type device unit of the one container-type device unit.

[0006] In the above-mentioned device, the container updating unit may update the other container type device unit based on the completion of the updating of the one container type device unit and the other container type device unit being in a standby state.

[0007] In any of the above-mentioned devices having a container update unit, it may be that the storage unit also stores the first status data, the container-type device unit sends second status data representing the status of the device corresponding to the first status data to the second server, and based on the update of the container-type device unit by the container update unit, the second status data corresponding to the first status data stored in the storage unit in the update of the container-type device unit is sent to the second server after the container-type device unit is updated.

[0008] In the above-mentioned device, it may be that the container-type device unit obtains the first state data from the device and stores it in the storage unit, and the container-type device unit obtains the first state data from the device each time with a data amount less than the maximum data amount based on the fact that the first state data to be obtained from the device at the current moment exceeds the maximum data amount.

[0009] It may be that any of the above-mentioned devices having a container update unit also has a data storage unit, which obtains the first status data without going through the container-type device unit and stores it in the storage unit, and the container-type device unit sends second status data representing the status of the device corresponding to the first status data stored in the storage unit to the second server.

[0010] In any of the above-mentioned devices including the container updating unit, the container type device unit may process predetermined contents at a predetermined time period, and the container updating unit may update the container type device unit at a time different from the predetermined time period.

[0011] Any of the above-mentioned devices including the container updating unit may further include a detecting unit that detects whether the second container image is present in the first server, and the container acquiring unit acquires the second container image based on the second container image being detected by the detecting unit.

[0012] In the second embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided, which comprises: any one device in the first embodiment; a controller, which controls the device according to a set value pre-set for the first status data; and a server, which supplies a new set value specified by a user operation to the controller via the container-type device part of the device, and updates the set value in the controller to the new set value.

[0013] In a third aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, which comprises: a storage stage, storing setting data for a container image obtained from a first server; a container acquisition stage, obtaining a first container image from the first server; and an execution stage, providing the setting data and executing the first container image to implement a container-type device unit, wherein the container-type device unit obtains first status data representing the status of the device.

[0014] In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program recorded thereon is provided, so that a computer functions as a storage unit, a container acquisition unit, and an execution unit, wherein the storage unit stores setting data for a container image obtained from a first server, the container acquisition unit obtains a first container image from the first server, the execution unit provides the setting data and executes the first container image, thereby realizing a container-type device unit, and the container-type device unit obtains first status data indicating a status of a device.

[0015] In addition, the above summary of the invention does not list all the essential features of the present invention. In addition, sub-combinations of these feature groups may also constitute inventions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A system 1 according to an embodiment is shown. Figure 2 The edge terminal 4 according to the embodiment is shown together with the integrated server 7 and the like. Figure 3 The operation of the edge terminal 4 is shown. Figure 4 An example of a computer 1200 is shown in which various aspects of the present invention may be implemented in whole or in part. Description of Reference Numerals 1 system, 2 device, 3 controller, 4 edge terminal, 5 AP server, 6 warehouse server, 7 integrated server, 8 thin client, 41 hardware department, 42 software department, 100 site, 411 storage department, 421 OS, 422 container runtime, 423 container group, 424 data storage department, 425 detection department, 426 container acquisition department, 427 execution control department, 1200 computer, 1201 DVD-ROM, 1210 main controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 graphics controller, 1218 display device, 1220 input / output controller, 1222 communication interface, 1224 storage device, 1226 DVD-ROM drive, 1230 ROM, 1240 input / output chip, 1242 keyboard, 4231 container type device department, 4232 data processing department. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present invention will be described below by way of the embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the solution means of the invention.

[0018] (Overview of System 1) Figure 1 The system 1 of the present embodiment is shown. The system 1 includes one or more devices 2, a controller 3, an edge terminal 4, an AP server 5, a warehouse server 6, an integrated server 7, and a thin client 8. In addition, in this figure, as an example, only a single device 2 is illustrated in one site 100 (also referred to as a field), but a plurality of devices 2 may be set in one site 100. The controller 3 and the edge terminal 4 may be configured in the site 100 where the device 2 is set.

[0019] ((Device 2)) The thin client 8 can monitor the status of each device 2 via the integrated server 7. The device 2 can be a facility or device equipped with one or more instruments (not shown). For example, the device 2 can be a factory, or a composite device that combines multiple instruments. As a factory, in addition to chemical or biological industrial factories, there can also be listed factories that manage and control wellheads and their surroundings such as gas fields or oil fields, factories that manage and control power generation such as hydropower, thermal power, and atomic energy, factories that manage and control environmental power generation such as solar light or wind power, and factories that manage and control water supply and drainage or reservoirs. The instrument equipped in the device 2 is an appliance, a machine or a device, and can be a so-called field instrument. For example, the instrument can be a sensor such as a pressure gauge, a flow meter (differential pressure flow meter or electromagnetic flow meter), a temperature sensor, or a valve such as a flow control valve or a switch valve, or an actuator such as a fan, a motor, a pump, a compressor, or a transmitter that transmits a signal. Each instrument can be controlled by a controller 3.

[0020] Each sensor can measure first state data (also referred to as operation data or process data) indicating the state of the device 2. The first state data can indicate pressure, temperature, pH, speed, flow rate, etc. as the state of the device 2, and can also indicate the output of the product of the device 2, the proportion of impurities mixed in the product, etc. Each sensor can supply the first state data to the controller 3.

[0021] ((Controller 3)) The controller 3 controls the device 2. The controller 3 can obtain the first state data from each sensor of the device 2, and control the device 2 according to the first state data. For example, the controller 3 can control the device 2 according to the set value (also called the target value) pre-set for the value of any first state data. In the present embodiment, as an example, each actuator of the device 2 can be feedback controlled so that the difference between the set value and the current value is reduced. The set value can be stored in the storage area of ​​the controller 3. The threshold value for abnormal judgment of the value of the first state data, the size of the hysteresis, the label annotation about each data, the unit (industrial unit, SI unit), etc. can also be stored in the storage area of ​​the controller 3. As an example, the controller 3 can control the device 2 with a period of 1 second. In the case where a plurality of devices 2 are set in the site 100, the controller 3 can control each device 2 in the site 100.

[0022] The controller 3 can supply the first state data obtained from each sensor of each device 2 to the edge terminal 4. In addition, the controller 3 and the edge terminal 4 can be connected through a network such as Vnet / IP (registered trademark). Vnet / IP (registered trademark) can be a network based on Ethernet (registered trademark), and as an example, can have a communication speed of 1 Gbps. The controller 3 and the edge terminal 4 can communicate through industrial communication protocols such as Modbus, OPC-UA, and STARDOM HSE.

[0023] The controller 3 described above may be, for example, a distributed control device in a DCS (Distributed Control System) or a SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition System). As an example, the controller 3 may be CENTUM (registered trademark) VP or ProSafe (registered trademark)-RS.

[0024] ((Edge Terminal 4)) The edge terminal 4 acquires the first status data from each sensor of each device 2 controlled by the controller 3. The edge terminal 4 can acquire the first status data of each device 2 via the controller 3.

[0025] The edge terminal 4 may supply the second state data corresponding to the acquired first state data to the AP server 5. The edge terminal 4 may send the second state data to the AP server 5, for example, at a period of 5 to 30 seconds. The second state data may be data of each device 2 in the site 100, and may indicate the state of the device 2. The second state data may be the same data as the first state data, or may be different data. As an example, the second state data may be data indicating the analysis result of the first state data, or may be data obtained by performing data processing on the first state data.

[0026] In addition, the communication between the edge terminal 4, the AP server 5 and the integrated server 7 described later can be any one of VPN (Virtual Private Network) communication, ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) communication, OPC-UA communication, MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) communication, and HTTPS communication, and the communication data can be transmitted in the form of a Json or Apache Parquet file. Electronic certificates such as SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) can also be attached to the communication data. In this way, the security of the communication between the edge terminal 4 and the AP server 5 can be improved, and the communication volume and delay can be reduced. The communication between the edge terminal 4, the integrated server 7 and the AP server 5 can also be monitored by a monitoring terminal (also called a security operation center) not shown in the figure to improve security. Each communication between the edge terminal 4, the integrated server 7 and the AP server 5 can be carried out using a single communication cable connecting a single input port and an output port, and the monitoring point of the monitoring terminal can be concentrated between the input port and the output port.

[0027] ((AP Server 5)) The AP server 5 processes the second state data. The AP server 5 is an example of a second server, which obtains and saves the second state data from the edge terminal 4 and supplies it to the integrated server 7. The AP server 5 can supply the second state data to the integrated server 7, for example, in a period of 5 to 30 seconds. Based on the second state data, the AP server 5 can generate a setting value for the controller 3 to control the device 2, and supply it to the integrated server 7 together with the second state data. As an example, the setting value generated by the AP server 5 can be a value recommended to reduce carbon dioxide emitted from the device 2 or to reduce power consumption. The AP server 5 can also be a container implemented by executing a container image on the host hardware and OS. The AP server 5, the warehouse server 6 described later, and the integrated server 7 can be implemented through cloud computing.

[0028] ((Warehouse Server 6)) The warehouse server 6 may be an example of the first server, storing one or more container images executed on the edge terminal 4, and supplying any container image to the edge terminal 4. The warehouse server 6 may also store one or more container images executed on the AP server 5, and supply any container image to the AP server 5.

[0029] In this embodiment, as an example, the warehouse server 6 may implement the container type device unit 4231 (see Figure 2 ) of the container image (also referred to as the container image for the device unit), which is executed by the edge terminal 4 to implement the data processing unit 4232 described later (refer to Figure 2 ) (also referred to as a container image for the processing unit), and a container image for a container not shown in the figure executed by the AP server 5 (also referred to as a container image for the server) are stored in correspondence with their respective identification information. The warehouse server 6 may store one container image for the device unit, one container image for the processing unit, and one container image for the server by default as at least a container image for the device unit, and may also store one or more container images of different versions in correspondence with the version information.

[0030] The warehouse server 6 may be a Docker (registered trademark) registry, or may provide a Docker (registered trademark) image as a container image. The container image in the warehouse server 6 may be managed and edited by a container management application such as Docker (registered trademark), Portainer, HashiCorp Nomad, Azure (trademark or registered trademark) Edge Essentials, etc.

[0031] ((Comprehensive Server 7)) The integrated server 7 assists in monitoring each device 2. The integrated server 7 can supply the second status data of each device 2 supplied from the AP server 5 to the thin client 8, whereby each device 2 can be monitored based on the thin client 8.

[0032] The integrated server 7 may also control each device 2 according to the user operation via the thin client 8. The integrated server 7 may generate a setting value for the controller 3 to control the device 2 based on the second state data. The integrated server 7 may also generate the setting value based on the user's input value. The setting value generated by the integrated server 7 may be a value recommended for maintaining the device 2 in a normal state. The integrated server 7 may supply the setting value generated by at least one of the integrated server 7 and the AP server 5 to the thin client 8, and may supply the new setting value specified by the user via the thin client 8 to the controller 3 via the edge terminal 4, and update the setting value in the controller 3 to the new setting value. By updating the setting value in this way, the integrated server 7 may control the device 2. The integrated server 7 may be externally connected to a display device and an input device (not shown), and may display the setting value generated by at least one of the integrated server 7 and the AP server 5 on the display device, and may supply the new setting value specified by the user via the input device to the controller 3 via the edge terminal 4, and update the setting value in the controller 3 to the new setting value. When the integrated server 7 causes the controller 3 to update the setting value, after the setting value to be updated is obtained and the controller 3 can update the setting value, the updating may not be performed immediately, but after obtaining the approval operation of the user through the thin client 8. In the present embodiment, the setting value in the controller 3 is updated according to the user operation, so the influence on the operation of the device 2 is reduced compared with the case where the setting value is automatically updated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the setting of the setting value that may cause economically unacceptable damage to the device 2. In addition, even if the setting of the setting value may cause a slight influence on the device 2 (for example, the lighting is only turned off for a few seconds), when it is expected that the advantage is greater than the disadvantage caused by the influence, the setting value can be set to the controller 3 through the user's approval operation. As an example, the integrated server 7 can control each device 2 in a cycle of 5 seconds. The integrated server 7 can also change at least one of the threshold value for abnormality determination, the size of the hysteresis, the label annotation for each data, and the unit (industrial unit, SI unit) of the value of the first state data stored in the controller 3 according to the user operation. The integrated server 7 may also supply the setting value supplied to the controller 3 to the AP server 5 , and store it as control data of the device 2 .

[0033] The integrated server 7 of this embodiment can display a GUI screen including the second status data and recommended setting values ​​of each device 2 on the thin client 8, and perform processing corresponding to the user operation performed in the GUI screen. The integrated server 7 can be a virtual machine (VM (Virtual Machine)) implemented by executing software on the host hardware.

[0034] ((Thin Client 8)) The thin client 8 can display the second status data of each device 2 supplied from the integrated server 7. The thin client 8 can further display the setting value supplied from the integrated server 7, and can supply the designated setting value to the integrated server 7 according to designation of any setting value as a use object by a user operation. In the present embodiment, as an example, the thin client 8 can display a GUI screen supplied from the integrated server 7, and supply a signal corresponding to a user operation performed in the GUI screen to the integrated server 7. The GUI screen can be composed of HTML and operated on a web browser.

[0035] The network connecting the thin client 8 and the integrated server 7 may be the same as or different from the network connecting the edge terminal 4, the AP server 5, and the integrated server 7. The thin client 8 can access the integrated server 7 through multi-factor authentication (MFA).

[0036] (Edge Terminal 4) Figure 2 The edge terminal 4 of this embodiment is shown together with the integrated server 7 and the like. In addition, in this figure, illustration of the controller 3 and the device 2 is omitted. The edge terminal 4 may be an example of a device, and includes a software unit 42 and a hardware unit 41.

[0037] ((Software Department 42)) The software unit 42 is a functional part realized by reading various programs and data into the hardware unit 41, and provides a container-type layered software environment. The software unit 42 has an OS 421, a container runtime (also called a container engine) 422, and a container group 423 from the upper layer (lower side in the figure) to the lower layer (upper side in the figure). In addition, the software unit 42 also has a data storage unit 424, a detection unit 425, a container acquisition unit 426, and an execution control unit 427 in the lower layer of the OS 421.

[0038] (((OS421))) The OS 421 is executed on the hardware unit 41. The OS 421 may be Linux (registered trademark) (for example, a Linux (registered trademark) distribution such as Ubuntu), Windows (registered trademark), or any other OS.

[0039] (((Container Runtime 422))) The container runtime 422 is an example of an execution unit, which executes the container image and realizes the container type device unit 4231 and the data processing unit 4232 described later in the container group 423. The container runtime 422 can provide setting data for the container image and execute the container image, thereby realizing the container type device unit 4231. The so-called providing setting data and executing the container image can be that the container runtime 422 obtains the setting data and provides it to the container image to execute the container image, or it can be that the container image is executed in a state where the setting data is stored in a predetermined storage area in order to automatically read the container image. The setting data for realizing the container type device unit 4231 can be pre-stored in the storage unit 411 described later. The setting data will be described in detail later.

[0040] The container runtime 422 may also execute the container image obtained from the warehouse server 6, and further implement the data processing unit 4232 in the container group 423. The data processing unit 4232 may be implemented using the setting data supplied from the warehouse server 6 together with the container image, or may be implemented using the setting data pre-stored in the storage unit 411 in the same manner as the container type device unit 4231.

[0041] The execution of the container image based on the container runtime 422 can be controlled by the execution control unit 427 described later. The container type device unit 4231 and the data processing unit 4232 will be described in detail later.

[0042] (((Container Group 423))) The container group 423 includes one or more containers realized by executing a container image supplied from the repository server 6 by the container runtime 422. The container group 423 of this embodiment may include a container-type device unit 4231 and a data processing unit 4232 as containers.

[0043] ((((Container type device part 4231)))) The container-type device unit 4231 can be implemented by executing a container image for the device unit supplied from the warehouse server 6. In the present embodiment, as an example, it can be implemented by executing a first container image or a second container image. The second container image can be a container image different from the first container image, or a container image that updates the first container image. In the present embodiment, as an example, when the container-type device unit 4231 has been implemented, the container image can be the first container image, and a container image with a newer version than the first container image can be the second container image.

[0044] The container-type device unit 4231 can obtain the first state data. The container-type device unit 4231 of the present embodiment can obtain the first state data for each device 2 from the storage unit 411 described later, and can send the second state data corresponding to the obtained first state data to the AP server 5. In the present embodiment, as an example, the second state data can be data supplied from the data processing unit 4232 in response to the supply of the first data to the data processing unit 4232. The container-type device unit 4231 can supply the obtained first state data to the data processing unit 4232, and obtain the second state data from the data processing unit 4232 and send it to the AP server 5. The container-type device unit 4231 can send the second state data to the AP server 5 in a cycle of 5 to 30 seconds, for example. The container-type device unit 4231 can send the second state data to the AP server 5 in the form of a Json or Apache Parquet file.

[0045] The container type device unit 4231 can supply the new setting value to the controller 3 based on the new setting value regarding the value of the arbitrary first state data supplied from the integrated server 7. Thus, the new setting value supplied from the integrated server 7 is supplied to the controller 3 via the container type device unit 4231, and the setting value in the controller 3 can be updated to the new setting value supplied from the integrated server 7.

[0046] ((((Data processing unit 4232)))) The data processing unit 4232 can be implemented by executing a container image for the processing unit supplied from the warehouse server 6. The data processing unit 4232 can analyze the first state data, and can generate second state data including the analysis result indicating the state of the device 2. In addition to the analysis result, the second state data can also include the original first state data itself, and can also include a part of the first state data selected from the original first state data.

[0047] For example, the data processing unit 4232 may have a learning model that outputs an indicator value (also referred to as an operation indicator) indicating the state of the device 2 based on the first state data supplied, and the indicator value outputted by supplying the first state data to the learning model may be obtained as an analysis result. The learning model may be learned by learning data including the first state data and a label indicating whether the state of the device is good or not. The data processing unit 4232 may perform learning processing of the learning model using the learning data for each reference period, and the learning data includes the first state data obtained during the period and the label attached to the first state data by the user. The data processing unit 4232 may exclude the first state data supplied to the learning data from the first state data supplied from the container-type device unit 4231, and select and include the first state data not supplied to the learning data in the second state data. The data processing unit 4232 may perform learning processing, analysis, and selection of data using the method disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document 2.

[0048] The data processing unit 4232 may also select and discard first state data with a high (or low) priority preset according to the type of first state data from the plurality of types of first state data supplied from the container type device unit 4231 and include the selected data in the second state data. The data processing unit 4232 may select and discard data using the method disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 3.

[0049] The data processing unit 4232 may exclude the first state data of the type that can be predicted within the range of the reference accuracy from the other types of first state data from among the plurality of types of first state data supplied from the container type device unit 4231, and select and discard the first state data of the type that cannot be predicted within the range of the reference accuracy and include it in the second state data. The data processing unit 4232 may select and discard the data using the method disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 4.

[0050] The data processing unit 4232 may include data obtained by reducing the bit width of the first state data and reducing the data amount in the second state data, instead of the first state data supplied from the container type device unit 4231. The data processing unit 4232 may reduce the data amount using the method disclosed in Patent Document 5.

[0051] The data processing unit 4232 may include data obtained by extracting low-frequency components of the first state data in the second state data, instead of the first state data supplied from the container-type device unit 4231. The data processing unit 4232 may use the method disclosed in Patent Document 6 to reduce the amount of data.

[0052] (((Data storage unit 424))) The data storage unit 424 acquires the first state data without passing through the container-type device unit 4231 and stores it in the storage unit 411 described later. The data storage unit 424 can acquire the first state data from the device 2 via the controller 3. The data storage unit 424 can acquire the first state data according to the acquisition request for the first state data. The acquisition request can be automatically generated in the edge terminal 4, for example, in a cycle of 5 to 30 seconds. The type of the first state data as the object of the acquisition request can be the same or different in each cycle. Instead of this or in addition to this, the acquisition request can be generated suddenly when the latest data is needed, for example, it can be generated according to the user operation of the edge terminal 4, the integrated server 7, and the thin client 8, or it can be generated according to the calculation result in the AP server 5 and the integrated server 7. The acquisition request can include the range of the first state data as the object, the storage address of the first state data, the identification information indicating the type of the first state data, and the information indicating the measurement timing of the first state data (for example, the information indicating the latest measurement timing). The acquisition request can also include the data volume of the first state data as the object. The data storage unit 424 can obtain the first state data from the device 2 within a range that does not exceed the maximum data amount per unit time that is predetermined. The data storage unit 424 can obtain the first state data from the device 2 with a data amount less than the maximum data amount each time according to the total amount of the first state data exceeding the maximum data amount. In other words, when the total amount of the first state data of the acquisition object exceeds the maximum data amount, the data storage unit 424 can obtain the unobtained first state data in the next cycle or later. The data storage unit 424 can calculate the total amount of the first state data of the acquisition object each time it receives an acquisition request. As an example, the data storage unit 424 can detect the total amount of the first state data of the acquisition object according to the data amount included in the acquisition request, or can detect the total amount of the first state data according to the data amount of the address included in the acquisition request. When a new acquisition request is received in a state where there is unobtained first state data in the first state data of the acquisition object, the data storage unit 424 can include the unobtained first state data in the first state data of the acquisition object and calculate the total amount of the first state data. The data storage unit 424 can store the first state data in the storage unit 411 in the form of a Json or Apache Parquet file.

[0053] (((Detection unit 425))) The detection unit 425 detects whether there is a container image for the device in the warehouse server 6. When the container-type device unit 4231 is implemented in the edge terminal 4, the detection unit 425 detects whether there is a second container image (in this embodiment, as an example, a container image for the device of a newer version than the first container image) different from the container image (i.e., the first container image) of the container-type device unit 4231 in the warehouse server 6. The detection unit 425 can further detect whether there is a container image for the processing unit in the warehouse server 6. The detection unit 425 can periodically access the warehouse server 6 to detect whether there are container images for the device and the processing unit. The detection unit 425 can supply a signal to this effect to the container acquisition unit 426 based on the detection that there is a container image in the warehouse server 6.

[0054] (((Container acquisition unit 426))) The container acquisition unit 426 acquires a container image for the device unit from the warehouse server 6. When the container-type device unit 4231 is not implemented in the edge terminal 4, the container acquisition unit 426 may acquire a first container image from the warehouse server 6. When the container-type device unit 4231 is implemented in the edge terminal 4, the container acquisition unit 426 may further acquire a second container image different from the container image (i.e., the first container image) of the container-type device unit 4231 from the warehouse server 6. The container acquisition unit 426 may acquire the second container image based on the detection of the second container image by the detection unit 425.

[0055] The container acquisition unit 426 may further acquire a container image for the processing unit from the repository server 6. The container acquisition unit 426 may supply each acquired container image to the execution control unit 427.

[0056] (((Execution control unit 427))) The execution control unit 427 controls the execution of the container image based on the container runtime 422. The execution control unit 427 can make the container runtime 422 realize the container type device unit 4231 by providing setting data and executing the first container image. The execution control unit 427 can be an example of a container update unit, and can execute the second container image by providing setting data to update the container type device unit 4231 based on the first container image to the container type device unit 4231 based on the second container image. The execution control unit 427 can make the container runtime 422 further realize the data processing unit 4232 by executing the container image for the processing unit.

[0057] ((Hardware Department 41)) The hardware unit 41 is a part that physically constitutes the edge terminal 4, and may be a PC or a microcontroller. The hardware unit 41 may include one or more CPUs, one or more memories, and one or more storage devices. In this embodiment, as an example, the hardware unit 41 includes a storage unit 411 as one of the storage devices.

[0058] (((Storage unit 411))) The storage unit 411 stores various information. The storage unit 411 of this embodiment can store setting data and first state data.

[0059] The setting data is data for the container image (in this embodiment, a container image for the device unit as an example) obtained from the warehouse server 6. The setting data can set the input and output destination of data for the container-type device unit 4231 implemented by the container image for the device unit. For example, as the input destination of the first state data, the address of the storage area storing the first state data among the addresses of the storage areas in the storage unit 411 can be set. The setting data can set the address of the data processing unit 4232 described later as the output destination of the first state data, and can set the address of the data processing unit 4232 as the input destination of the second state data. The setting data can set the address of the AP server 5 as the output destination of the second state data. The setting data can set the address of the integrated server 7 as the input destination of the setting value of the first state data, and can specify the address of the storage area of ​​the setting value in the controller 3 as the output destination of the setting value. However, the setting content based on the setting data is not limited to this, and it can also be other contents of the container-type device unit 4231 that are customized in coordination with the structure of the edge terminal 4.

[0060] The first state data may be data obtained from the device 2 via the controller 3 and may be stored as time-series historical data. In this embodiment, as an example, the first state data in the storage unit 411 may be stored in the storage unit 411 by the data storage unit 424 .

[0061] According to the edge terminal 4 described above, the setting data for the container image is stored, and the setting data is provided to execute the first container image, thereby realizing the container type device unit 4231 that obtains the first state data indicating the state of the device 2. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a first container image having universality, and realize the container type device unit 4231 that obtains the first state data of a specific device 2, so that unlike the case where the container image is prepared for each device 2, the effort of preparing the container image can be reduced. In addition, unlike the case where the setting data is supplied from the warehouse server 6 to the edge terminal 4, the communication load between the warehouse server 6 and the edge terminal 4 can be reduced.

[0062] Furthermore, since the setting data is provided to execute the second container image, the container-type device unit 4231 based on the first container image is updated to the container-type device unit 4231 based on the second container image, the same setting data can be used to update the container-type device unit 4231 each time a new container image is prepared in the warehouse server 6. Therefore, unlike the case where the setting data is prepared for each container image to be updated to update the container-type device unit 4231, the update of the container-type device unit 4231 can be facilitated.

[0063] Furthermore, since the first state data of the device 2 is obtained by the data storage unit 424 without passing through the container-type device unit 4231 and stored in the storage unit 411, the first state data can continue to be stored in the storage unit 411 even when the container-type device unit 4231 is updated. Furthermore, since the first state data is stored in the storage unit 411 instead of the container-type device unit 4231, it is possible to prevent the first state data from being deleted due to the update or deletion of the container-type device unit 4231. Furthermore, since the container-type device unit 4231 transmits the second state data corresponding to the first state data stored in the storage unit 411 to the AP server 5, unlike the case where the container-type device unit 4231 stores the first state data, the first state data being updated in the container-type device unit 4231 can be obtained from the storage unit 411, and the second state data corresponding to the first state data can be transmitted to the AP server 5.

[0064] Furthermore, since the container acquisition unit 426 acquires the second container image in response to the detection of the second container image by the detection unit 425 , the container type device unit 4231 can be updated quickly.

[0065] (action) Figure 3 Indicates the action of the edge terminal 4. The edge terminal 4 implements and updates the container type device unit 4231 by performing the processing of steps S101 to S113, and sends the status data of the device 2 to the AP server 5. In addition, the setting data for the container image can be stored in the storage unit 411 in advance at the start time of this action. In addition, the data storage unit 424 can obtain the first status data from each sensor of the device 2 in parallel with this action and store it in the storage unit 411.

[0066] In step S101, the container acquisition unit 426 acquires a first container image from the repository server 6. The container acquisition unit 426 may acquire the first container image based on the detection by the detection unit 425 that the repository server 6 has the first container image.

[0067] In step S103 , the execution control unit 427 may cause the container runtime 422 to provide the setting data in the storage unit 411 to execute the first container image, thereby realizing the container-type device unit 4231 .

[0068] In step S105 , the container-type device unit 4231 obtains the first status data from the storage unit 411 , obtains the second status data corresponding to the first status data from the data processing unit 4232 , and transmits the second status data to the AP server 5 .

[0069] In step S107, the detection unit 425 detects whether the warehouse server 6 has the second container image. If it is detected that there is no second container image (step S107; No), the process may be transferred to step S105. Thus, if there is no second container image, the process of step S105 may be repeated in a cycle of 5 to 10 seconds. If it is detected that there is a second container image (step S107; Yes), the process may be transferred to step S109.

[0070] In step S109 , the container acquisition unit 426 acquires the second container image from the repository server 6 .

[0071] In step S111, the execution control unit 427 may cause the container runtime 422 to provide the setting data to execute the second container image, thereby realizing the container-type device unit 4231. As a result, the container-type device unit 4231 based on the first container image is updated to the container-type device unit 4231 based on the second container image. In addition, in the present embodiment, as an example, the container image for the device has a capacity of about 1 gigabyte, and the update of the container-type device unit 4231 takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

[0072] In step S113, the updated container-type device unit 4231 obtains the first state data from the storage unit 411, obtains the second state data corresponding to the first state data from the data processing unit 4232, and transmits the second state data to the AP server 5. The container-type device unit 4231 may transmit the second state data to be transmitted in the update of the container-type device unit 4231 in step S111 in step S113. For example, the container-type device unit 4231 may transmit the second state data corresponding to the first state data stored in the update of the container-type device unit 4231 in step S111, which is stored in the first state data stored in the storage unit 411, to the AP server 5. As an example, the container-type device unit 4231 may sequentially add tags to the read first state data in the first state data in the storage unit 411 in the process of step S105, and may use the first state data without tags in the first state data in the storage unit 411 as the first state data stored in the update of the container-type device unit 4231. If the processing of step S113 is completed, the processing can be transferred to the above-mentioned step S107.

[0073] According to the above operation, the container-type device unit 4231 transmits the second state data corresponding to the first state data to the AP server 5, and as the container-type device unit 4231 is updated, the second state data corresponding to the first state data stored in the update of the container-type device unit 4231 among the first state data stored in the storage unit 411 is transmitted to the AP server 5 after the update of the container-type device unit 4231. Therefore, the second state data that was not transmitted due to the update of the container-type device unit 4231 can be transmitted to the AP server 5 after the update of the container. Thus, the loss of the second state data caused by the update of the container-type device unit 4231 can be prevented.

[0074] (Variation Example) In addition, in the above embodiment, the system 1 is described as having the AP server 5 and the thin client 8, but it is not necessary to have any of them. In the case where the system 1 does not have the AP server 5, the integrated server 7 can be the second server, and the container type device unit 4231 of the edge terminal 4 can send the second status data to the integrated server 7.

[0075] Furthermore, the edge terminal 4 has been described as having the data storage unit 424 in the software unit 42, but the data storage unit 424 may be included in the hardware unit 41. The edge terminal 4 has been described as having the storage unit 411 in the hardware unit 41, but the storage unit 411 may be included in the software unit 42.

[0076] In addition, the edge terminal 4 is described as having the data processing unit 4232 and the data storage unit 424, but it is not necessary to have any of them. In the case where the edge terminal 4 does not have the data processing unit 4232, the container type device unit 4231 can generate the second state data corresponding to the first state data. In the case where the edge terminal 4 does not have the data storage unit 424, the container type device unit 4231 can also function as the data storage unit 424, obtain the first state data from the device 2 (for example, obtain from the device 2 via the controller 3) and store it in the storage unit 411. In this case, the setting data stored in the storage unit 411 can have the address of the storage area storing the first state data in the controller 3 as the address of the acquisition destination of the first state data. In the case where the container type storage unit 4231 obtains the first state data from each sensor of the device 2 via the controller 3, the address of the acquisition destination of the first state data can also include the data address of the first state data measured by each sensor. The container-type device unit 4231 can obtain the first state data in accordance with the acquisition request for the first state data in the same manner as the data storage unit 424, and can obtain the first state data from the device 2 within a range not exceeding the maximum data amount per unit time that is predetermined. The container-type device unit 4231 can obtain the first state data from the device 2 in an amount of data less than the maximum data amount each time, depending on the total amount of the first state data exceeding the maximum data amount. Thus, even if the acquisition of the first state data is interrupted due to the update of the container-type device unit 4231 and the total amount of the first state data not acquired exceeds the maximum data amount, the first state data of the portion exceeding the maximum data amount can be acquired sequentially, thereby preventing the occurrence of omissions in the acquired first state data due to the update of the container-type device unit 4231.

[0077] Furthermore, the execution control unit 427 has been described as updating the container-type device unit 4231 in response to the acquisition of the second container image, but the container-type device unit 4231 may be updated under other conditions. For example, the container acquisition unit 426 may notify the user of the acquisition of the second container image, and the execution control unit 427 may update the container-type device unit 4231 in response to a user operation indicating the update. In the case where the container-type device unit 4231 processes predetermined content in a predetermined time period, the execution control unit 427 may update the container-type device unit 4231 at a time different from the time period. For example, in the case where the container-type device unit 4231 processes for 30 minutes every 12 hours (for example, in the case where the processing is performed in the time period of 0:00 to 0:30 and 12:00 to 12:30), the update may be performed immediately after the time period in which the processing is performed, or may be performed at a time in the middle of the time periods in which the processing is performed. This prevents the container type device unit 4231 from being updated during processing by the container type device unit 4231 and causing processing to be interrupted, and enables processing by the container type device unit 4231 to be reliably performed.

[0078] Furthermore, although the edge terminal 4 has a single container-type device unit 4231, it may have two redundant container-type device units 4231. The two container-type device units 4231 may be implemented on a common container runtime 422 or on different container runtimes 422. Instead, the system 1 may include two redundant edge terminals 4 in a single site 100, and each edge terminal 4 may have a single container-type device unit 4231.

[0079] When the container-type device unit 4231 and the edge terminal 4 are made redundant, the execution control unit 427 can maintain the other container-type device unit 4231 (also referred to as the container-type device unit 4231B) in an operating state until the update of one container-type device unit 4231 (also referred to as the container-type device unit 4231A) is completed, and according to the completion of the update of the container-type device unit 4231A, the container-type device unit 4231A is operated and the container-type device unit 4231B is updated. In this way, the container-type device unit 4231 can be updated while any container-type device unit 4231 is operated, so that the acquisition of the first state data and the transmission of the second state data can be prevented from being stopped due to the update of the container-type device unit 4231. When the edge terminal 4 is made redundant, the execution control units 427 of each edge terminal 4 can communicate with each other to notify the completion of the update of the container-type device unit 4231.

[0080] The execution control unit 427 may update the container type device unit 4231B when the update of the container type device unit 4231A is completed and the container type device unit 4231B is in the standby state. The so-called standby state of the container type device unit 4231 may be a state in which neither the acquisition of the first state data nor the second state data nor the transmission of the second state data is performed. When the update of the container type device unit 4231A is completed and the container type device unit 4231B performs any of the processes, the execution control unit 427 may update the container type device unit 4231B after the process is completed and the container type device unit 4231B enters the standby state. In this way, it is possible to prevent the container type device unit 4231B from being updated while the container type device unit 4231B is performing a process, thereby preventing the process from being interrupted.

[0081] The execution control unit 427 may transfer the updated container type device unit 4231A to the operating state, and after the container type device unit 4231B in the operating state enters the standby state, update the container type device unit 4231B. For example, it takes about 15 seconds for the updated container type device unit 4231A to transfer to the operating state. During the update of the container type device unit 4231A (or 4231B), the container type device unit 4231B (or 4231A) that has not been updated may send the second state data to the AP server 5, and the setting value from the integrated server 7 may be supplied to the controller 3.

[0082] After the update of each container-type device unit 4231A, 4231B is completed, the execution control unit 427 may make one of the container-type device units 4231 (for example, the container-type device unit 4231A) enter the operating state, and maintain the other container-type device unit 4231 (for example, the container-type device unit 4231B) in the standby state. The container-type device unit 4231 in the standby state may also monitor the operation of the container-type device unit 4231 in the operating state. When the container-type device unit 4231 in the standby state detects an abnormality of the container-type device unit 4231 in the operating state, the execution control unit 427 may switch the container-type device unit 4231 in the operating state and the container-type device unit 4231 in the standby state.

[0083] Various embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to flow charts and block diagrams, where a module may represent (1) a stage of a process for performing an operation or (2) a portion of a device having the function of performing an operation. Specific stages and portions may be implemented by dedicated circuits, programmable circuits supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, and / or processors supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. Dedicated circuits may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may also include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuits may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, which include logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs) and other memory elements, etc.

[0084] Computer-readable media may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executed by an appropriate device, and as a result, a computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein includes a product containing instructions that can be executed in order to make a means for performing the operations specified by the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable media may include: electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include: floppy (registered trademark) disks, magnetic disks, hard disks, random access memories (RAM), read-only memories (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROM), static random access memories (SRAM), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD), Blu-ray (RTM) disks, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, etc.

[0085] Computer readable instructions include any of source code and object code described by any combination of one or more programming languages ​​including assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), JAVA (registered trademark), C++, and existing procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0086] Computer-readable instructions can be provided to a processor or programmable circuit of a programmable data processing device such as a computer via a local or local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, and the computer-readable instructions are executed in order to make a unit for performing the operation specified by the flowchart or block diagram. Here, the computer can be a PC (personal computer), a tablet computer, a smart phone, a workstation, a server computer, a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer, etc., or a computer system connected to multiple computers. Such a computer system connected to multiple computers is also called a distributed computing system, which is a computer in a general sense. In a distributed computing system, multiple computers execute each part of the program respectively, and the data in the program execution is handed over between the computers as needed, so that multiple computers execute the program centrally.

[0087] Examples of processors include computer processors, central processing units (CPUs), processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like. A computer may have one processor or multiple processors. In a multiprocessor system having multiple processors, each processor executes a portion of a program, and data in program execution is handed over between processors as needed, so that multiple processors execute the program intensively. For example, in the execution of multiple tasks, multiple processors can each execute a portion of each task in a subdivided manner by switching tasks in each time slice. In this case, which portion of a program is executed by each processor changes dynamically. Which portion of a program is executed by multiple processors can also be statically determined by being aware of the programming of the multiple processors.

[0088] Figure 4 The computer 1200 is an example of a computer that can implement various modes of the present invention in whole or in part. The computer 1200 can perform operations associated with the device of the embodiment of the present invention or functions of one or more parts of the device, or perform the operations or the one or more parts, and / or the computer 1200 can perform processes of the embodiment of the present invention or stages of the processes, through the program installed in the computer 1200. In order to make the computer 1200 perform specific operations associated with some or all of the modules in the flowcharts and block diagrams described in this specification, the CPU 1212 can execute such a program.

[0089] The computer 1200 of this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, a graphic controller 1216, and a display device 1218, which are connected to each other via a main controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224 such as a hard disk drive, an input / output unit such as a DVD-ROM drive 1226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the main controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The computer also includes a ROM 1230 and a conventional input / output unit such as a keyboard 1242, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0090] The CPU 1212 controls each unit by operating according to the program stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214. The graphic controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 in a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or in itself, and displays the image data on the display device 1218.

[0091] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD-ROM drive 1226 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 1201 and provides the programs or data to the storage device 1224 via the RAM 1214. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0092] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 1200 upon activation and / or a program depending on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, and the like.

[0093] The program is provided by a computer-readable medium such as DVD-ROM 1201 or an IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable medium, and installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which is also an example of a computer-readable medium, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read to the computer 1200, thereby bringing about cooperation between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The device or method can be constituted by realizing the operation or processing of information with the use of the computer 1200.

[0094] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 can execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 1214, and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM 1201, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes the reception data received from the network to the reception buffer processing area provided on the recording medium.

[0095] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 can read all or a necessary part of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1201), or an IC card into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. Then, the CPU 1212 writes the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0096] Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases can be stored in the recording medium and receive information processing. CPU1212 performs various types of processing described in various places of this disclosure on the data read from RAM1214 and writes the results back to RAM1214. The various types of processing include various types of operations specified by the instruction sequence of the program, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / replacement, etc. In addition, CPU1212 can retrieve information in files, databases, etc. in the recording medium. For example, in the case where multiple entries having attribute values ​​of the first attribute associated with the attribute values ​​of the second attribute are stored in the recording medium, CPU1212 can retrieve an entry consistent with the condition specifying the attribute value of the first attribute from the multiple entries, and read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, thereby obtaining the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that meets the predetermined condition.

[0097] The program or software module described above may be stored in a computer-readable medium on or near the computer 1200. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable medium, thereby providing the program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0098] The present invention has been described above using the embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. According to the description of the claims, the method of making such changes or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0099] The execution order of each process such as actions, processes, steps and stages in the apparatus, system, program and method shown in the claims, specifications and drawings is not specifically indicated as "earlier", "before", etc. In addition, it should be noted that as long as the output of the previous process is not used in the subsequent process, it can be implemented in any order. Even if the action flow in the claims, specifications and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for the sake of convenience, it does not mean that it must be implemented in this order.

Claims

1. A device, characterized in that have: a storage unit storing setting data for the container image obtained from the first server; a container acquisition unit, which acquires a first container image from the first server; and The execution unit is configured to execute the first container image in response to the setting data, thereby realizing a container-type device unit, and the container-type device unit acquires first status data indicating a status of a device.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The container acquisition unit further acquires a second container image different from the first container image from the first server, The device further includes a container update unit configured to cause the execution unit to provide the setting data and execute the second container image, thereby updating the container-type device unit based on the first container image to the container-type device unit based on the second container image.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The device comprises two container-type device parts. The container updating unit maintains one of the two container-type device units in an operating state until the updating of the other container-type device unit is completed. The container updating unit operates the one container-type device unit and updates the other container-type device unit based on completion of updating of the one container-type device unit.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The container updating unit updates the other container-type device unit based on the completion of updating of the one container-type device unit and the other container-type device unit being in a standby state.

5. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The storage unit further stores the first state data. The container-type device unit transmits second status data indicating the status of the device corresponding to the first status data to a second server, According to updating of the container type device unit by the container updating unit, the second state data corresponding to the first state data stored in the storage unit during the updating of the container type device unit is sent to the second server after the updating of the container type device unit.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that The container-type device unit obtains the first status data from the device and stores the data in the storage unit. The container-type device unit obtains the first status data from the device in an amount less than the maximum data amount each time, based on the first status data to be obtained from the device at the current time exceeding the maximum data amount.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The device further includes a data storage unit that acquires the first state data without passing through the container-type device unit and stores the data in the storage unit. The container-type device unit transmits second status data indicating the status of the device corresponding to the first status data stored in the storage unit to a second server.

8. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The container-type device performs processing of predetermined contents in a predetermined time period. The container updating unit updates the container-type device unit at a time different from the predetermined time period.

9. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The device further includes a detection unit configured to detect whether the first server has the second container image. The container acquisition unit acquires the second container image in response to the detection of the second container image by the detection unit.

10. A system, characterized in that have: The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9; a controller for controlling the device according to a preset value for the first state data; as well as The server supplies a new setting value designated by a user operation to the controller via the container-type device portion of the device, and updates the setting value in the controller to the new setting value.

11. A method, characterized in that have: In a storage phase, setting data for the container image obtained from the first server is stored; In the container acquisition phase, a first container image is acquired from the first server; as well as In the execution phase, the setting data is provided and the first container image is executed to realize a container-type device unit, and the container-type device unit obtains first status data indicating the status of the device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program recorded thereon, characterized in that: Make the computer function as a storage unit, a container acquisition unit, and an execution unit, The storage unit stores setting data for the container image obtained from the first server, The container acquisition unit acquires a first container image from the first server. The execution unit executes the first container image after providing the setting data, thereby realizing a container-type device unit, and the container-type device unit acquires first status data indicating a status of a device.

Images