Industrial equipment communication system and equipment communication method

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an industrial equipment communication system and an equipment communication method, and relates to the technical field of industrial communication. The industrial equipment communication system comprises communication middleware, a plurality of industrial equipment and movable control equipment, the industrial equipment is used for issuing configuration information of the industrial equipment to the communication middleware; the communication middleware is used for storing configuration information of each industrial device; the communication middleware is also used for sending configuration information of each industrial device to the control device when subscription request information sent by the control device is received; and the control equipment is used for selecting at least one required target equipment from the industrial equipment based on the received configuration information of the industrial equipment, and communicating with the target equipment through the communication middleware. According to the invention, non-fixed-flow-direction dynamic communication between non-fixed equipment in the industrial field is realized, and the intelligence of the industrial production field is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of industrial communication technologies, and particularly to an industrial equipment communication system and an equipment communication method. Background Art

[0002] On the production line of industrial manufacturing, each process industrial equipment is responsible for corresponding production manufacturing, transportation, assembly, etc. Generally speaking, within the same production workshop, all industrial equipment and central control equipment can communicate through wired or WIFI technologies, thereby realizing the operation status monitoring and task distribution of industrial equipment.

[0003] However, currently in the production workshop, the equipment that can communicate (industrial equipment and central control equipment on the production line) is fixed, and the communication flow direction is also fixed; in the trend of industrial production that increasingly emphasizes flexibility and intelligence, the traditional communication architecture is difficult to meet the requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an industrial equipment communication system and an equipment communication method. The control device can select at least one target device required from industrial equipment based on the received configuration information of the industrial equipment, and communicate with the target device through a communication middleware; thereby, a communication architecture based on the communication middleware is provided in the industrial field, realizing dynamic communication with non-fixed flow directions between non-fixed devices in the industrial field, and enhancing the intelligence in the industrial production field.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides an industrial equipment communication system including: a communication middleware, multiple industrial equipment, and a movable control device; the industrial equipment is used to publish the configuration information of the industrial equipment to the communication middleware; the communication middleware is used to store the configuration information of each industrial equipment; the communication middleware is further used to send the configuration information of each industrial equipment to the control device when receiving the subscription request information sent by the control device; the control device is used to select at least one target device required from the industrial equipment based on the received configuration information of the industrial equipment, and communicate with the target device through the communication middleware.

[0006] The present invention also provides an equipment communication method, which is applied to a control device in an industrial equipment communication system. The industrial equipment communication system further includes: a communication middleware and multiple industrial equipment; the method includes: sending a subscription request information to the communication middleware; receiving the configuration information of each industrial equipment fed back by the communication middleware; selecting at least one target device required from the industrial equipment based on the received configuration information of the industrial equipment, and communicating with the target device through the communication middleware.

[0007] In one embodiment, the configuration information of the industrial equipment at least includes: the type information of the industrial equipment;

[0008] The control device is configured to select at least one target device of the required type from the industrial equipment based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the type information of each received industrial equipment;

[0009] The control device is further configured to virtually group the selected target devices through the communication middleware, so as to execute the set task by using the target devices on the virtual group line.

[0010] In one embodiment, the device type information includes: the target type of the required device, and the target quantity of each target type of device;

[0011] The control device is configured to select target devices of the required target type from the industrial equipment according to the device type information and the type of each received industrial equipment, and the quantity of the target devices is the target quantity corresponding to the target type of the target devices.

[0012] In one embodiment, the task information of the set task further includes: the task instruction data executed by the target type of device;

[0013] The control device is further configured to send the task instruction data to the target devices of each target type through the communication middleware.

[0014] In one embodiment, the task information of the set task further includes: the execution time period of the set task; the configuration information of the industrial equipment further includes: the available time period of the industrial equipment;

[0015] The control device is configured to select at least one target device of the required type from the industrial equipment whose available time period is within the execution time period based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the type information of each received industrial equipment.

[0016] In one embodiment, the control device communicates with the communication middleware based on dedicated frequency 5G.

[0017] In one embodiment, the communication middleware is a DDS communication middleware.

[0018] In one embodiment, the multiple industrial equipment are industrial equipment located in the same workshop.

[0019] In one embodiment, the configuration information of the industrial device at least includes: the type of the industrial device; based on the received configuration information of the industrial device, selecting at least one target device required from the industrial devices, including: based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the types of the received industrial devices, selecting at least one target device of the required type from the industrial devices; the method further includes: virtually grouping the selected target devices through the communication middleware to execute the set task by using the target devices on the virtual group line. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 is a specific flowchart of the industrial device communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is a specific flowchart of the device communication method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0022] The following will describe the embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, so as to more clearly understand the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not limitations on the scope of the present invention, but only to illustrate the essential spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.

[0023] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one or more of these specific details may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known devices, structures, and techniques associated with the present application may not be shown or described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the description of the embodiments.

[0024] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the words "comprise" and its variations, such as "comprising" and "having", should be understood in an open, inclusive sense, i.e., should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to".

[0025] References to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" in the specification throughout represent that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Additionally, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any manner in one or more embodiments.

[0026] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should be noted that the term "or" is generally used in its inclusive sense of "and / or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0027] In the following description, for the purpose of clearly showing the structure and working mode of the present invention, many directional terms will be used for description. However, terms such as "front", "rear", "left", "right", "outer", "inner", "outward", "inward", "up", "down", etc. should be understood as convenient terms and should not be construed as limiting terms.

[0028] The first embodiment of the present invention relates to an industrial equipment communication system for realizing dynamic communication with non-fixed flow directions between non-fixed devices, that is, realizing dynamic virtual group wiring (production line). Please refer to Figure 1 , the industrial equipment communication system includes: a communication middleware 1, a plurality of industrial devices 2, and a movable control device 3.

[0029] The industrial device 2 is used to publish the configuration information of the industrial device 2 to the communication middleware 1; the industrial device 2 can be connected to the communication middleware 1 through WIFI, 4G, 5G or wired. The communication middleware 1 is a DDS (Data Distribution Service) communication middleware. Devices can achieve communication through the publication and subscription of the DDS communication middleware, that is, asynchronous communication can be achieved between different devices through the DDS communication middleware; the communication middleware 1 is deployed in the production workshop and is responsible for the communication of the devices in the production workshop.

[0030] For each industrial device 2 accessing the communication middleware 1, the industrial device 2 will publish the configuration information of the industrial device to the communication middleware 1. The type information of the industrial device included in the configuration information can characterize the type of the industrial device. The data structure of the configuration information of the industrial device is: device ID information, large type, secondary type, data block; the industrial device 2 is generally an industrial device located in the same production workshop and can be understood as a local industrial device. The industrial device is a device responsible for corresponding production, manufacturing, transportation, assembly, etc. on the production line.

[0031] The communication middleware 1 is used to store the configuration information of each industrial device.

[0032] The communication middleware 1 is further used to send the configuration information of each industrial device 2 to the control device 3 when receiving the subscription request information sent by the control device 3.

[0033] The control device 3 is used to select at least one required target device from the industrial device 2 based on the received configuration information of the industrial device 2, and communicate with the target device through the communication middleware 1.

[0034] The control device 3 is a movable central control device, such as an operation tablet, which can be carried by an operator and moved to different production workshops. The control device 3 is a device that communicates based on dedicated frequency 5G; the control device 3 is equipped with a display screen for the operator to configure relevant information of the task, such as the type, quantity, and task execution data instructions of the devices required for the configuration task. When the control device 3 is in the current production workshop, it can communicate with the communication middleware 1 in the production workshop and send a subscription request message to the communication middleware 1. The subscription request message is related to the setting task that it currently needs to issue.

[0035] After receiving the subscription request message sent by the control device 3, the communication middleware 1 will send the configuration information of the industrial device 2 requested by the control device 3 based on the subscription request message. For example, if the theme of the subscription request message is: the type of industrial device required for the setting task, the communication middleware 1 will send the configuration information of all industrial devices 2 that meet the type requirements in the current production workshop to the control device 3.

[0036] Subsequently, the control device 3 selects at least one required target device from the industrial device 2 based on the received configuration information of the industrial device 2, and communicates with the target device through the communication middleware 1. That is, after the control device 3 selects the matching industrial device 2 (target device) from the production workshop by means of information matching, it can shake hands and establish communication with the target device through the communication middleware 1 based on the precise subscription method.

[0037] Exemplarily, the control device 3 is used to select at least one target device of the required type from the industrial device 2 based on the device type information included in the task information of the setting task and the type information of each received industrial device 2. For example, the device type information includes: the target type of the required device, and the target quantity of each target type of device. Then the control device 3 is used to select the target device of the required target type from the industrial device according to the device type information and the type of each received industrial device 2, and the quantity of the target device is the target quantity corresponding to the target type of the target device.

[0038] That is to say, in the control device 3, the operator sets the types of devices required for the currently to-be-executed task and the quantity of each type of device. Thus, after receiving the configuration information of each industrial device 2 sent by the communication middleware 1, the control device 3 selects industrial devices 2 that meet the type and quantity requirements from these industrial devices 3, and these industrial devices 2 are the target devices used to execute the currently set task. Among them, the device types include: major types and secondary types, and the configuration information of the industrial device includes the major type and secondary type to which it belongs. Then, the control device 3 filters out the target devices from the industrial devices 2 through the matching of the major type and secondary type.

[0039] The control device 2 performs virtual wiring of the selected target devices through the communication middleware 1 to use the target devices on the virtual wiring to execute the set task. That is to say, after the control device 2 selects the target devices that meet the requirements, it forms a virtual production line with these target devices according to the production logic specified in the set task, and uses these virtual productions to complete the set task.

[0040] Among them, the task information of the set task further includes: the task instruction data executed by the target type devices, and the control device 2 sends the task instruction data to the target devices of each target type through the communication middleware 1. Specifically, the task information of the set task further includes: the task instruction data executed by the target type devices, and the control device 2 publishes the task instruction data executed by each target type device on the dds link of the communication middleware 1. The task instruction data of each target device can be identified by the device ID of the target device. Among them, the task instruction data includes: the operation script of the device, including information such as the action sequence, starting point, destination, and which types of devices to match.

[0041] Each target device subscribes to the relevant information corresponding to its own device ID on the dds link of the communication middleware 1. Thus, each target device can obtain the task instruction data it needs to execute. Subsequently, the operator can trigger a task start instruction on the control device 2, and each target device on this virtual production line starts to execute the set task based on the corresponding task instruction data. During the execution of the set task, each target device publishes its own task execution information on the communication middleware 1, which is identified by its own device ID. The control device 2 then subscribes to the information of the device IDs of each target device on the dds link, so as to obtain the task execution status of each target device.

[0042] In an example, the task information of the set task further includes: the execution time period of the set task; the configuration information of the industrial device further includes: the available time period of the industrial device.

[0043] The control device 2 is used to select at least one target device of the required type from the industrial devices 2 whose available time periods are within the execution time period based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the type information of each received industrial device 2. That is to say, the control device 2 can reserve the industrial device resources in the production workshop for the set task, so that all the industrial device resources in the production workshop can be reserved in advance according to time periods, thereby further improving the utilization rate of industrial device resources. For example, if a set task needs to be executed within a certain time period A in the future, the control device 2 selects the industrial devices 2 that meet the type requirements from the industrial devices 2 that are available within the time period A and records them as target devices. Subsequently, these industrial devices 2 are marked as unavailable within the time period A; the target devices can still be reserved at other times except the time period A. Among them, the industrial devices 2 that are unavailable within the time period A are those that have been reserved to execute other test tasks; thus, the industrial devices 2 in the production workshop can be allocated to execute different test tasks simultaneously, further improving the utilization rate of the industrial devices in the production workshop and the task execution efficiency.

[0044] In this embodiment, the industrial device and the control device can communicate middleware to implement communication based on publishing and subscribing. The control device can select at least one target device required from the industrial devices based on the received configuration information of the industrial devices, and communicate with the target devices through the communication middleware; thus, a communication architecture based on the communication middleware is provided in the industrial field, realizing dynamic communication with non-fixed flows between non-fixed devices in the industrial field and improving the intelligence of the industrial production field. In addition, the industrial devices located in the same workshop can be freely configured to execute different tasks, thereby improving the flexibility of grouping the industrial devices in the workshop.

[0045] The control device 3 communicates with the communication middleware 1 through a dedicated frequency 5G network. The dedicated frequency 5G network is a 5G network with a set frequency, which has the characteristics of strong anti-interference and low latency. Therefore, it can meet the requirements of the production workshop for communication real-time performance, reliability, etc., and is not easily interfered by the workshop environment; the dedicated frequency 5G network can realize the indoor positioning of the control device 3 and can better track the position and trajectory of the control device 3.

[0046] The second embodiment of the present invention relates to a device communication method applied to a control device in an industrial device communication system. The industrial device communication system further includes: a communication middleware and multiple industrial devices. It is used to realize dynamic communication with non-fixed flows between non-fixed devices, that is, to realize dynamic virtual wiring (production line).

[0047] The specific process of the device communication method in this embodiment is as Figure 2 shown.

[0048] Step 101: Send a subscription request message to the communication middleware.

[0049] Step 102: Receive the configuration information of each industrial device fed back by the communication middleware.

[0050] Step 103: Based on the received configuration information of the industrial devices, select at least one target device required from the industrial devices, and communicate with the target device through the communication middleware.

[0051] In one example, the configuration information of the industrial device at least includes: the type of the industrial device; based on the received configuration information of the industrial device, selecting at least one target device required from the industrial devices includes: based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the types of the received industrial devices, selecting at least one target device of the required type from the industrial devices.

[0052] After step 103, it further includes:

[0053] Step 104: Virtually group the selected target devices through the communication middleware to execute the set task by using the target devices on the virtual group line.

[0054] Since the first embodiment corresponds to this embodiment, this embodiment can be implemented in cooperation with the first embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the first embodiment are still valid in this embodiment, and the technical effects achievable in the first embodiment can also be achieved in this embodiment. To avoid repetition, they are not elaborated here. Correspondingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied in the first embodiment.

[0055] The third embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer-readable storage medium, which is a non-volatile storage medium or a non-transient storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is run by a processor, it executes the device communication method as in the second embodiment.

[0056] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but it should be understood that aspects of the embodiments can be modified if necessary to adopt aspects, features, and concepts of various patents, applications, and publications to provide additional embodiments.

[0057] In view of the above detailed description, these and other changes can be made to the embodiments. Generally speaking, in the claims, the terms used should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be understood to include all possible embodiments together with the full equivalent scope enjoyed by these claims.

Claims

1. An industrial equipment communication system, characterized in that: include: Communication middleware, multiple industrial devices, and mobile control devices; The industrial device is used to publish the configuration information of the industrial device to the communication middleware; The communication middleware is used to store the configuration information of each of the industrial devices; The communication middleware is also used to send the configuration information of each of the industrial devices to the control device when receiving the subscription request information sent by the control device; The control device is used to select at least one required target device from the industrial devices based on the received configuration information of the industrial devices, and communicate with the target device through the communication middleware.

2. The industrial equipment communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The configuration information of the industrial equipment includes at least: type information of the industrial equipment; The control device is used to select at least one target device of a required type from the industrial devices based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the type information received from each of the industrial devices; The control device is further used to virtually group the selected target devices through the communication middleware, so as to use the target devices on the virtual group line to execute the set task.

3. The industrial equipment communication system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The device type information includes: target types of required devices, and target quantity of devices of each target type; The control device is used to select target devices of the required target type from the industrial devices according to the device type information and the types of the received industrial devices, and the number of the target devices is the target number corresponding to the target type of the target devices.

4. The industrial equipment communication system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The task information of the set task also includes: task instruction data executed by the target type device; The control device is further configured to send the task instruction data to target devices of each target type through the communication middleware.

5. The industrial equipment communication system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The task information of the set task also includes: the execution time period of the set task; the configuration information of the industrial equipment also includes: the available time period of the industrial equipment; The control device is used to select at least one target device of a required type from the industrial devices whose available time periods are within the execution time period based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the received type information of each of the industrial devices.

6. The industrial equipment communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control device communicates with the communication middleware based on the dedicated frequency 5G.

7. The industrial equipment communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication middleware is DDS communication middleware.

8. The industrial equipment communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple industrial equipment are industrial equipment located in the same workshop.

9. A device communication method, characterized in that: A control device applied to an industrial equipment communication system, wherein the industrial equipment communication system further comprises: a communication middleware and a plurality of industrial equipment; and the method comprises: Sending subscription request information to the communication middleware; Receiving configuration information of each of the industrial devices fed back by the communication middleware; Based on the received configuration information of the industrial device, at least one required target device is selected from the industrial device, and communication is performed with the target device through the communication middleware.

10. The device communication method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The configuration information of the industrial equipment includes at least: the type of the industrial equipment; Based on the received configuration information of the industrial device, selecting at least one required target device from the industrial device includes: Based on the device type information included in the task information of the set task and the types of the received industrial devices, selecting at least one target device of the required type from the industrial devices; The method further comprises: The selected target device is virtually grouped together through the communication middleware, so that the target device on the virtual group line is used to execute the setting task.

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