Remote control device and control device

Abstract

According to one embodiment, the remote control device includes a communication unit. The communication unit receives, from a control device that performs a control operation of a device to be controlled, a transfer start notification relating to a transfer of the control operation, and a received value including data of a sensor of the device to be controlled and control information during the operation of the control operation. Furthermore, the remote control device is provided with a control program execution unit that, after the transfer start notification has been received, executes a control program for the control operation on the basis of the data of the sensor and the control information during the operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a remote control device and a control device. Background Art

[0002] Control devices such as PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) are installed in factories and other facilities. They use data collected from sensors to execute control calculations to operate the controlled equipment. Furthermore, control programs, which periodically execute control calculations, are also stored in the controlled equipment on-site. This helps manage all components of the equipment, including the control devices, sensors, and controlled equipment.

[0003] In recent years, research has been underway to build control systems that allow control operations performed by control devices to be executed by remote control devices located remotely via wide area networks. In these control systems, control programs are also stored within the remote control devices, and control operations are executed by the remote control devices. By enabling remote control operations, resources can be allocated to the remote control devices for load distribution, and this is also effective from the perspective of system redundancy.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5937637 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] There is a technology for switching from a pre-updated control program to a post-updated control program within the same control device. In this technology, when switching the control program, the control device outputs a switching signal, and the control program is switched after the execution of the periodic program is completed.

[0009] However, this technology does not consider the switching of control programs between the on-site control device and the remote control device. For example, if the switching signal fails to arrive due to communication failures in the wide area network, or if the control device cannot receive the control calculation results of the remote control device, it may be impossible to control the controlled device in real time.

[0010] Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention provide a control device and a remote control device that can execute a control program while adhering to the periodicity of a control operation.

[0011] Means for solving problems

[0012] According to one embodiment, the remote control device includes a communication unit that receives a transfer start notification related to the transfer of the control operation from a control device that performs the control operation of the controlled device, and a received value including data of sensors of the controlled device and control information during the control operation. Further, the remote control device includes a control program execution unit that executes a control program of the control operation based on the sensor data and the control information during the operation after receiving the transfer start notification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is an example of an overall configuration diagram of the control system according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 It is an example of each block diagram of the control system according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 It is each block diagram of another example of the control system according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence before the remote control device according to the first embodiment is started (Japanese: before startup).

[0017] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence during control transfer between the remote control device and the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 6 It is a timing chart of the normal processing sequence of the remote control device and the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example of a normal processing sequence between the remote control device and the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of a normal processing sequence between the remote control device and the control device according to the second embodiment.

[0021] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence during control transfer between the remote control device and the control device according to the second embodiment.

[0022] Figure 10 It is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence during control transfer between the remote control device and the control device according to the third embodiment.

[0023] Figure 11 It is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence when the control device according to the third embodiment starts storing the received value.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing another example of the processing sequence during control transfer between the remote control device and the control device according to the third embodiment.

[0025] Figure 13 This is a hardware configuration diagram of a remote control device according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following describes an embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment does not limit the present invention. The accompanying drawings are schematic or conceptual diagrams, and the ratios of the various parts are not necessarily the same as in reality. In the specification and drawings, for drawings that have already appeared, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements as those in the previous drawings, and detailed descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0027] (First embodiment)

[0028] Figure 1 This is an example of an overall configuration diagram of the control system according to the first embodiment.

[0029] The control system 100 includes a remote control device 1 , a wide area network 2 , a control device 3 , a sensor 4 , an actuator 5 , and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 40 .

[0030] The remote control device 1 and the control device 3 can communicate via the wide area network 2 .

[0031] Remote control device 1 is installed, for example, at a management office remote from the factory. Alternatively, remote control device 1 can be installed in the cloud. After activation, remote control device 1 receives data from sensor 4 from control device 3 via wide area network 2 and executes control operations to control the target device (not shown). The results of the control operations are transmitted to control device 3 via wide area network 2.

[0032] The control device 3 is installed in a plant, such as a factory. Before the remote control device 1 is activated, the control device 3 performs control calculations within the device and generates control signals for the actuators 5 based on the results. Furthermore, when the remote control device 1 performs control calculations, the control device 3 generates control signals for the actuators 5 based on the control calculation results received from the remote control device 1. The control signals drive the actuators 5, causing the controlled equipment to operate.

[0033] Wide area network 2 is constructed using not only wired lines such as optical and metal lines, but also wireless lines such as 4G (4th Generation) lines, 5G (5th Generation) lines, multiple wireless lines, or satellite lines. Network equipment such as routers in each network 20 and 21 is omitted. Wide area network 2 can be constructed using either a dedicated line or a public line such as the Internet. Furthermore, wide area network 2 can be constructed as a LAN (Local Area Network) rather than a WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0034] exist Figure 1 In the control system 100, a plurality of control devices 3 are connected to a single remote control device 1 via a wide area network 2, with each control device 3 controlling a different controlled device. In this embodiment, an example in which two control devices 3 are connected is used for explanation. For the purpose of explanation, one of the two control devices 3 is referred to as control device A, and the other as control device B. Furthermore, a sensor 4 and an actuator 5 are connected to control devices A and B, respectively.

[0035] The user of the control system 100 monitors the status of the remote control device 1 and the control device 3 via the HMI 40. Furthermore, user programs for operating these devices can be downloaded via the HMI 40. While this figure shows an example in which the HMI 40 is connected to the remote control device 1 to centrally monitor the control system 100, the HMI 40 may also be connected to the control device 3.

[0036] Figure 2 These are examples of block diagrams of the control system according to the first embodiment.

[0037] exist Figure 2 , a block diagram of the remote control device 1 and the control devices A and B will be described. In addition, since the control devices A and B have the same block diagram, they will be described as the control device 3 .

[0038] The remote control device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a control program execution unit 12, and a control memory 13. Furthermore, the remote control device 1 can be implemented by installing a program for the remote control device 1 on a PC (Personal Computer), for example. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) within the remote control device 1 executes the program, thereby implementing the functions of the communication unit 11, the control program execution unit 12, and the control memory 13. The control memory 13 is implemented in, for example, random access memory (RAM). Alternatively, the remote control device 1 can be installed on the PC as a virtual machine (VM).

[0039] After the remote control device 1 is activated, the communication unit 11 communicates with the communication unit 31 of the control device 3 described later via the wide area network 2. The communication unit 11 transmits control calculation results to the control device 3 and receives data from the sensor 4 of the control device 3.

[0040] The control program execution unit 12 executes a control operation for controlling a control target device.

[0041] The control memory 13 stores data from the sensor 4, control calculation results, and control information during the calculation. The control program execution unit 12 reads the data from the sensor 4 stored in the control memory 13 and executes the control calculation.

[0042] The result of the control operation calculated by the control program execution unit 12 is stored in the control memory 13 and transmitted to the control device 3 via the communication unit 11 .

[0043] Control information in progress is, for example, the values ​​of variables used in the control operation. More specifically, this information is information such as sensor 4 data, the number of times the results of the control operation exceeded a threshold value, or values ​​used in the control operation. This information is the information needed to output the results of the control operation. Hereinafter, this information is also referred to as simply "control information."

[0044] The control device 3 includes a communication unit 31, a control program execution unit 32, a control memory 33, and a control switching determination unit 34. The control device 3 can be implemented by installing a program for the control device 3 on a PC (Personal Computer), for example. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) within the control device 3 executes the program for the control device 3, thereby realizing the functions of the communication unit 31, the control program execution unit 32, the control memory 33, and the control switching determination unit 34. These functions are implemented in the control memory 13, such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Alternatively, the control device 3 can be implemented as a PLC.

[0045] After the remote control device 1 is activated, the communication unit 31 communicates with the communication unit 11 via the wide area network 2. Data from the sensor 4 to the remote control device 1 and control calculation results received from the remote control device 1 are transmitted and received via the communication unit 31.

[0046] The control program execution unit 32 executes a control operation for controlling the control target device by the control program execution unit 32 before the remote control device 1 is activated.

[0047] The control memory 33 stores not only the data of the sensor 4 before the remote control device 1 is activated, but also the results of control calculations calculated by the control device 3 and control information in progress of the calculations.

[0048] Furthermore, the control memory 33 receives and stores the results of control calculations calculated by the remote control device 1 and control information in progress, in addition to the data of the sensor 4 after the remote control device 1 is activated.

[0049] When the control calculation is executed by the control device 3 , the control program execution unit 32 reads the data of the sensor 4 stored in the control memory 33 as an input value and executes the control calculation.

[0050] When the control calculation is executed by the control device 3 , the result of the control calculation is stored in the control memory 33 and then transmitted to the actuator 5 as a control signal by the communication unit 31 .

[0051] The control switching determination unit 34 determines whether to switch the control operation when the remote control device 1 is activated. For example, if the control switching determination unit 34 determines to switch the control operation from the control device 3 to the remote control device 1, the control operation is executed by the control program execution unit 12 of the remote control device 1 after the switching process.

[0052] Figure 3These are block diagrams of another example of the control system according to the first embodiment.

[0053] Figure 3 This is an example of a virtual remote control device 1 performing multiple actions in one physical PC 50. In this example, two virtual remote control devices 1 share the CPU, memory and other resources of one physical PC 50. In this example, the remote control device 1 that performs the control operation of the control device A is called remote control device A, and the remote control device 1 that performs the control operation of the control device B is called remote control device B. In this way, the remote control device 1 can also be installed as a separate VM that enables each control device 3 to operate. In addition, data such as variables processed by each device of the control system 100 can also be stored in a ring buffer and shared between the devices. In this way, the control system 100 can suppress the increase in memory usage in each device. Below, in order to illustrate the switching action from the control device 3 to the remote control device 1, the switching between one remote control device 1 and one control device 3 is explained.

[0054] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence before activation of the remote control device according to the first embodiment.

[0055] Figure 4 For example, this shows the processing sequence for the state before remote control device 1 is activated. Before remote control device 1 is activated, control operations are performed by on-site control device 3. Before remote control device 1 is activated, processes T1 and T6 are independently executed in sequence. Furthermore, processes T1 and T6 are executed periodically using the T1 and T6 cycle timers.

[0056] T1 is the communication process between the control device 3 and the sensor 4 and actuator 5. The communication unit 31 receives data from the sensor 4 and stores it as input values ​​in the control memory 33. The communication unit 31 also reads the results of the control calculation from the control memory 33 as output values ​​for the actuator 5 and transmits them to the actuator 5.

[0057] T6 is the process of executing the control program in the control device 3. Specifically, the control program execution unit 32 reads the data of the sensor 4 from the control memory 33 and performs the control operation. In addition to the results of the control operation, the control program execution unit 32 also stores the control information during the operation in the control memory 33.

[0058] The control program execution unit 32 of the present embodiment stores control information in the middle of calculations calculated by the control device 3 so that the remote control device 1 can execute control calculations after the remote control device 1 is activated.

[0059] Figure 5This is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence when control is transferred between the remote control device and the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0060] Here, an example of process T7 will be described in which the execution location of the control program is transferred from the control device 3 to the remote control device 1 without stopping the control calculation executed by the control device 3 after the remote control device 1 is activated.

[0061] Meanwhile, remote control device 1 and control device 3 perform periodic communication. Control device 3 confirms communication between the two devices through periodic communication, thereby confirming the activation of remote control device 1. Furthermore, if communication failures in wide area network 2 connecting the two devices are confirmed through periodic communication, each device confirms recovery. Periodic communication between the two devices can also be implemented using a common communication confirmation method such as PING (Packet Internet Groper).

[0062] At T7, control switching determination unit 34 first issues a transfer start notification to communication unit 31 to transfer control calculations, and a control stop notification to control program execution unit 32 to stop control calculations. Upon receiving the transfer start notification, communication unit 31 transmits the input value and the transfer start notification, starts storing the received value, and starts the T2 cycle timer.

[0063] When transmitting the input value and the transfer start, the communication unit 31 reads the sensor 4 data and the control information during the operation from the control memory 33 as the input value and transmits it to the communication unit 11. Furthermore, the communication unit 31 transmits a transfer start notification along with the input value. This transfer start notification can be transmitted as separate transmission data from the input value, or it can be transmitted as the same transmission data by adding it, for example, as an identification header, to the input value transmission data.

[0064] When receiving value storage starts, the communication unit 31 receives the result of the control calculation and control information during the calculation after the remote control device 1 starts the control calculation, and starts a process of storing these data as received values ​​in the control memory 33 .

[0065] When the T2 cycle timer starts, the control device 3 starts the T2 cycle timer to start a process T2 in which the control device 3 periodically transmits the contents of the control memory 33 to the remote control device 1. Details of the process T2 will be described later.

[0066] Furthermore, the control program execution unit 32 that has received the control stop notification stops the T6 cycle timer in order to prevent confusion between the control calculation result received from the remote control device 1 and the control calculation result executed by the control program execution unit 32 .

[0067] The communication unit 11 of the remote control device 1 , which has received the input value and the transfer start notification from the control device 3 , stores the received value, issues a control start notification, and starts the T4 cycle timer.

[0068] During the received value storage, the communication unit 11 stores the sensor 4 data and control information in progress received from the communication unit 31 as received values ​​in the control memory 13. During the control start notification, the communication unit 11 issues a control start notification to the control program execution unit 12 to start the control calculation. When the T4 cycle timer starts, the control device 3 begins to periodically repeat process T4, which is sent to the control device 3. The details of process T4 will be described later.

[0069] Furthermore, the control program execution unit 12 that has received the control start notification reflects the control information, performs control calculations, and starts the T3 cycle timer.

[0070] During control information reflection, the control program execution unit 12 reads control information in progress from the control memory 13 and reflects it as internal program information. During control calculations, the control program execution unit 12 reads sensor 4 data from the control memory 13, uses this data to perform control calculations, and stores the results in the control memory 13. When the T3 cycle timer starts, the control device 3 begins the T3 cycle timer, which periodically executes control calculations in the remote control device 1. Details of the T3 process will be described later.

[0071] Through the above-mentioned processing sequence, the state of executing T1 and T6 is shifted to the state of each being independently executed in sequence through T7. In addition, T1 to T4 are periodically executed by the T1 to T4 period timers respectively.

[0072] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram of a normal processing sequence of the remote control device and the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0073] Normally, by repeating T1 to T4 periodically in order to execute the processing sequence, remote control operations are achieved. In addition, in this embodiment, the time interval from executing each T1 to T4 and executing each processing T1 to T4 again in the next cycle is called the cycle time. Figure 6In the example, t1 to t4 represent the cycle time of each process T1 to T4. In this example, processes T1 to T4 are executed sequentially in each cycle, so t1 to t4 are set to the same value. Furthermore, these cycle times are managed by cycle timers T1 to T4 to start execution.

[0074] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of a normal processing sequence between the remote control device and the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0075] T1 is the same process as described above, so its description is omitted. T2 is the process of transmitting the contents of the control memory 33 of the control device 3 to the remote control device 1. The communication unit 31 of the control device 3 reads the data of the sensor 4 from the control memory 33 as an input value and transmits it to the remote control device 1. Furthermore, the communication unit 11 of the remote control device 1, having received the data from the sensor 4, stores the data in the control memory 13 as a received value. Furthermore, during T2, the control device 3 does not perform any control calculations, so the communication unit 31 of the control device 3 does not transmit any control information in progress to the remote control device 1. Therefore, during T2, any control information in progress is not included in the received value of the communication unit 11 of the remote control device 1.

[0076] T3 is the process of executing the control program in the remote control device 1. The control program execution unit 12 reads the data of the sensor 4 from the control memory 13 and executes the control operation. The remote control device 1 stores the results of the executed control operation and the control information in progress in the control memory 13.

[0077] T4 is a process for transmitting data stored in the control memory 13 of the remote control device 1 to the control device 3. The communication unit 11 of the remote control device 1 reads the control calculation results and the control information in progress from the control memory 13 and transmits them as output values ​​to the control device 3. The communication unit 31 of the control device 3 receives the control calculation results and the control information in progress and stores them as received values ​​in the control memory 33.

[0078] Furthermore, when the control device 3 performs control calculations due to a communication failure in the wide area network 2, the control system 100 can also transfer the execution location of the control program through the same processing sequence when the remote control device 1 performs control calculations after the communication failure is restored.

[0079] According to this embodiment, the control system 100 can transition from the state of executing T1 and T6, that is, the state in which the control calculation is executed by the control device 3, to the state of executing T1 to T4, that is, the state in which the control calculation is executed by the remote control device 1. Thus, the control system 100 can transfer the execution location of the control program from the on-site control device 3 to the remote control device 1.

[0080] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control device 3 stores control information during calculations in the control memory 33 and transmits it to the remote control device 1 via the communication unit 31. Furthermore, the remote control device 1 receives this value from the control device 3 and stores it in the control memory 13. When the remote control device 1 begins executing the control program, it reads this value and can reflect past data in the control calculations. This allows the remote control device 1 to remotely execute control calculations after confirming communication with the control device 3 or recovering from a communication failure on the wide area network 2. Data is not lost between the remote control device 1 and the control device 3, allowing remote and continuous control calculations.

[0081] (Second embodiment)

[0082] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a normal processing sequence between the remote control device and the control device according to the second embodiment.

[0083] T1 to T3 are the same processing as in the first embodiment, and therefore their description is omitted.

[0084] At T4, the communication unit 11 of the remote control device 1 reads the control calculation result and the control information in progress from the control memory 13 and transmits them as output values ​​to the control device 3. The communication unit 31 of the control device 3 receives the control calculation result and the control information in progress and stores them as received values ​​in the control memory 33. Furthermore, the communication unit 31 notifies the control switching determination unit 34 of the time at which the received value was received. Upon receiving the reception time from the communication unit 31, the control switching determination unit 34 updates the reception timer.

[0085] The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the control switching determination unit 34 updates the reception timer based on the reception time of the reception value.

[0086] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence when control is transferred between the remote control device and the control device according to the second embodiment.

[0087] Figure 9 The processing sequence is Figure 8 This processing sequence is a continuation of the processing sequence described in , and is executed when a communication failure occurs in the wide area network 2, etc.

[0088] T5 is a process of transferring the execution location of the control program from the remote control device 1 to the control device 3. The control switching determination unit 34 monitors whether the control operation result and the control information in the middle of the operation can be received from the remote control device 1 through the reception timer. Figure 8 As described in the processing sequence of FIGURE 1, after receiving the control calculation results and control information in progress from the remote control device 1, the communication unit 31 notifies the control switching determination unit 34 of the reception time (see T4). During the normal processing sequence, the reception timer in the control switching determination unit 34 updates the reception time each time a reception value is received at T4. If the reception time is not updated even after a certain period of time has passed since the last updated reception time, the control switching determination unit 34 times out. The control switching determination unit 34 determines that communication between the remote control device 1 and the control device 3 is no longer possible and begins the processing sequence for control transfer.

[0089] Here, the fixed time for timeout is set to a value shorter than the cycle time t1 to t4 of T1 to T4. For example, if the cycle time t4 of T4 is 1 second, the fixed time can be half of that, that is, 0.5 seconds. If the control transfer process takes 0.2 seconds, the fixed time can be set to 0.8 seconds.

[0090] Furthermore, after setting a certain time for timeout, it is necessary to implement the reception time notification in T4 shorter than the certain time for timeout. As a method, it is possible to reset the time of t4 to be shorter and send a communication packet in T4 for confirming survival at a cycle time different from that of output value transmission. By resetting the time of t4 to be shorter, the output value transmission in the remote control device 1 is implemented shorter than the certain time for timeout, and the reception time notification in the control device 3 can be implemented before timeout. In addition, in the communication packet for confirming survival, another timer different from that for output value transmission is prepared in T4, and by sending a communication packet for confirming survival at a cycle time different from that for output value transmission, the reception time notification can be implemented before timeout. The communication packet for confirming survival does not require the result of the control operation and the control information in the middle of the operation, so the communication load can be reduced compared to resetting the time of t4 to be shorter.

[0091] T5 is the process of transferring the control operation from the remote control device 1 to the control device 3. If a timeout occurs at T5, the control switching determination unit 34 issues a control start notification to the control program execution unit 32 of the control device 3 to initiate the process sequence for control transfer. Furthermore, the control switching determination unit 34 issues a received value storage stop notification to the communication unit 31 to prevent the received values ​​from the remote control device 1 from being stored in the control memory 33. While this process sequence illustrates an example in which the control start notification is issued first and the received value storage stop notification is issued later, the order of these notifications may be reversed.

[0092] Upon receiving the control start notification, the control program execution unit 32 reflects the control information, reading the control information in progress from the control memory 33 and reflecting it as internal program information. After reflection, the control program execution unit 32 reads the sensor 4 data from the control memory 33, executes the control calculation, and stores the result of the control calculation in the control memory 33. Subsequently, to begin T6, the periodic execution of the control calculation by the control device 3, the control device 3 starts the T6 cycle timer.

[0093] At T5, in order to avoid confusion between the results of the control operation of the remote control device 1 that arrives with delay and the results of the control operation executed by the control program execution unit 32, the communication unit 31 that receives the reception value storage stop notification does not store the reception values ​​from the remote control device 1 after the reception value storage stop notification in the control memory 33.

[0094] After T5 is completed, the control device 3 may also stop executing T2. Furthermore, similarly to the control switching determination unit 34 of the control device 3, the control program execution unit 12 of the remote control device 1 may update the reception timer upon storing the received value (see T2). Thus, if the remote control device 1 does not update the reception time even after a certain period of time, the reception timer may time out and stop executing T3 and T4.

[0095] At T6, the control program execution unit 32 reads the data of the sensor 4 from the control memory 33 and executes the control operation. In addition, the control program execution unit 32 stores the control information in progress in addition to the results of the control operation in the control memory 33.

[0096] The control device 3 periodically executes T1 and T6 according to the T1 cycle timer and the T6 cycle timer.

[0097] Furthermore, after the communication failure of the wide area network 2 is recovered, by executing T7 , the execution location of the control program can be transferred from the control device 3 to the remote control device 1 , similarly to the first embodiment.

[0098] According to this embodiment, the control device 3 updates the reception timer each time it receives control calculation results from the remote control device 1, thereby confirming the integrity of communication between the control device 3 and the remote control device 1. Furthermore, upon expiration of the reception timer, the control device 3 switches the execution location of the control program from the remote control device 1 to the control device 3. This allows the control calculation to continue even if the control calculation results cannot be received from the remote control device 1.

[0099] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the remote control device 1 stores control information during calculations in the control memory 13 and transmits it to the control device 3 via the communication unit 11. Furthermore, the control device 3 receives this value from the remote control device 1 and stores it in the control memory 33. When the control device 3 starts executing the control program, it reads this value and can reflect past data in the control calculations. This allows the control device 3 to continuously execute control calculations on-site without data loss between the remote control device 1 and the control device 3, even if communication failures occur in the wide area network 2.

[0100] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the control program execution unit 32 is executing a control operation, the control device 3 does not store the received value from the remote control device 1 by stopping the received value storage. This prevents confusion between the control operation results of the remote control device 1 that arrive with a delay and the control operation results executed by the control program execution unit 32.

[0101] (Third embodiment)

[0102] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence when control is transferred between the remote control device and the control device according to the third embodiment.

[0103] If the remote control device 1 fails to receive the data from the sensor 4, the control information during the operation, or the transfer start notification sent from the control device 3 when the communication failure in the wide area network 2 is resolved, the control system 100 stops the control operation in both the remote control device 1 and the control device 3. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the control system 100 repeats the communication between the remote control device 1 and the control device 3 multiple times, and after confirming that the communication status in the wide area network 2 is stable, stops the control operation in the control device 3.

[0104] At T7', some of the processing executed at T7 is not executed. Specifically, at T7', the control stop notification in the control switching determination unit 34 and the start of storage of received values ​​in the communication unit 31 are not executed.

[0105] Since the control switching determination unit 34 does not issue a control stop notification, the control program execution unit 32 continues to execute the control operation (T6). In addition, at T4, the communication unit 31 does not start storing the received value, so the received value received by the communication unit 31 is not stored in the control memory 33.

[0106] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence when the control device according to the third embodiment starts storing received values.

[0107] At T7', the communication unit 31 does not begin storing received values. To confirm the stability of the communication status of the wide area network 2, the control switching determination unit 34 performs a reception count determination. During this reception count determination, the control switching determination unit 34 determines whether the number of times the communication unit 31 has received the output values ​​(i.e., the control calculation results and control information in progress) transmitted by the communication unit 11 of the remote control device 1 exceeds a threshold within a certain period of time. In this embodiment, the control calculation results and control information in progress received by the communication unit 31 are described below as received values.

[0108] exist Figure 11 In the example, the communication unit 31 notifies the control switching determination unit 34 of the reception time of the reception value, and the control switching determination unit 34 updates the reception timer based on the notification. In addition, the control switching determination unit 34 becomes a processing sequence for determining the number of reception times each time the reception timer is updated. Figure 7 As shown, when the reception timer is not updated, the control device 3 may be configured such that the communication unit 31 transmits a signal indicating that the reception value has been received within a certain period of time to the control switching determination unit 34, and the control switching determination unit 34 determines the number of receptions.

[0109] T4' is the processing sequence when the result of the reception number judgment is that the number of receptions of the received value does not exceed the threshold, and T4" is the processing sequence when the result of the reception number judgment is that the number of receptions of the received value exceeds the threshold. The execution cycle of both T4' and T4" is managed by the T4 period timer.

[0110] In T4", when it is determined that the number of receptions of the received value exceeds the threshold, the control device 3 executes the control stop notification and the start of the received value storage. In the control stop notification, the control switching determination unit 34 notifies the control program execution unit 32, and the control switching determination unit 34 stops the T6' cycle timer. In addition, the control switching determination unit 34 notifies the communication unit 31 of the start of the received value storage, and the communication unit 31 executes the received value storage processing. After the execution of the received value storage start processing, T4 is executed instead of the processing of T4".

[0111] Through the above, the control system 100 can transition from executing T1 and T6 to a state where T1 to T4 and T6 are independently and periodically executed, starting with T7'. Furthermore, if the number of received values ​​received by the communication unit 31 exceeds a threshold at T4', T4' is executed. This stops T6 and restarts T4, allowing the control system 100 to transition to a state where T1 to T4 are independently and periodically executed. In other words, the control system 100 can return to the normal processing sequence in which the remote control device 1 performs control operations.

[0112] This threshold value may be set to any value by the user of the control system 100. As the threshold value increases, the number of reception frequency determinations increases, and thus the control switching determination unit 34 can determine that the communication status of the wide area network 2 is stable.

[0113] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing another example of the processing sequence during control transfer between the remote control device and the control device according to the third embodiment.

[0114] exist Figure 11 In FIG, an example of a processing sequence for determining the number of times an output value is received within a certain period of time is shown. Figure 12 , an example of a processing sequence when the reception timer times out is shown.

[0115] The control switching determination unit 34 determines whether the output value from the remote control device 1 can be stably received based on the reception timer and the number of receptions. The reception timer in the control switching determination unit 34 updates the reception timer every time a reception time notification is received during T4'. In the event of a timeout, the control switching determination unit 34 resets the number of receptions and restarts T7'. Here, the T2 to T4 periodic timers restarted at T7' are overwritten by the control switching determination unit 34. Therefore, even if T7' is executed again due to a timeout, T6 is continued to be executed, so the control program does not stop. In addition, the control switching determination unit 34 does not need to manage multiple timers by overwriting each periodic timer.

[0116] According to this embodiment, the control device 3 stores control information during calculations in the control memory 33 and transmits it to the remote control device 1 via the communication unit 31. Furthermore, the remote control device 1 receives this value from the control device 3 and stores it in the control memory 13. When the remote control device 1 begins executing the control program, it reads this value and can reflect past data in the control calculations. This allows the remote control device 1 to remotely execute control calculations after confirming communication with the control device 3 or recovering from a communication failure on the wide area network 2. Data is not lost between the remote control device 1 and the control device 3, allowing remote and continuous control calculations.

[0117] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control system 100 repeats communication between the remote control device 1 and the control device 3 multiple times, and after confirming that the communication status of the wide area network 2 is stable, stops the control operation in the control device 3. This prevents the control operation from being stopped in both the remote control device 1 and the control device 3.

[0118] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the reception timer times out, the control switching determination unit 34 resets the number of receptions and restarts the count. This allows the control system 100 to stop the control operation in the control device 3 after confirming that the communication conditions in the wide area network 2 have become more stable, thus preventing the control operation from being stopped in both the remote control device 1 and the control device 3.

[0119] (Fourth embodiment)

[0120] Figure 13 This is a hardware configuration diagram of a remote control device according to a fourth embodiment.

[0121] Figure 13 The remote control device 1 includes a processor 52 such as a CPU, a main storage device 53 such as a RAM, an auxiliary storage device 54 such as an HDD, a network interface 55 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) board, a device interface 56 such as a memory slot and a memory port, and a bus 57 for interconnecting these devices. The remote control device 1 is, for example, a computer such as a PC, and includes input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and output devices such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor.

[0122] In this embodiment, a program for causing a computer to execute information processing of the remote control device 1 is installed in the auxiliary storage device 54. The remote control device 1 expands the program in the main storage device 53 and executes it by the processor 52. Figure 2 The functions of the blocks shown can perform the processing sequence transfer described in the first embodiment, etc. The data generated by the information processing is temporarily held in the main storage device 53 or stored and saved in the auxiliary storage device 54 .

[0123] The program can be installed, for example, by attaching an external device 58 storing the program to the device interface 56 and then storing the program from the external device 58 to the auxiliary storage device 54. Examples of the external device 58 include a computer-readable recording medium or a recording device having such a recording medium built in. Examples of the recording medium include a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a CD-R (Compact Disk Recordable), a floppy disk, a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disk Recordable), and an example of the recording device is an HDD. Alternatively, the program can be installed, for example, by downloading the program via the network interface 55.

[0124] According to this embodiment, the functions of the remote control device 1 of the first embodiment can be realized by software. In addition, the control device 3 can also be realized by software.

[0125] While several embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are provided merely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel remote control device 1 and control device 3 described in this specification may be implemented in various other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made to the remote control device 1 and control device 3 described in this specification without departing from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to encompass such forms and modifications as fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0126] Description of Reference Numerals

[0127] 1: Remote control device; 2: Wide area network; 3: Control device; 4: Sensor; 5: Actuator; 11: Communication unit; 12: Control program execution unit; 13: Control memory; 31: Communication unit; 32: Control program execution unit; 33: Control memory; 34: Control switching determination unit; 40: HMI; 52: Processor; 53: Main storage unit; 54: Auxiliary storage unit; 55: Network interface; 56: Device interface; 57: Bus; 58: External device.

Claims

1. A remote control device comprising: a communication unit that receives, from a control device that performs a control operation for a controlled device, a transfer start notification related to the transfer of the control operation, and a received value including sensor data of the controlled device and control information in the middle of the control operation; and The control program execution unit executes the control program for the control operation based on the sensor data and the control information during the operation after receiving the transfer start notification.

2. The remote control device according to claim 1, The control program execution unit reflects the control information in the middle of the calculation as internal information of the control program, and executes the control program using the data of the sensor.

3. A control device comprising: a communication unit that receives, from a remote control device that remotely performs a control operation on a controlled device, a received value including a result of the control operation and control information in progress during the control operation; a control switching determination unit that, when the reception value is not received within a predetermined time, performs a control start notification related to the start of a control program of the control operation; and The control program execution unit executes the control program based on the control information in progress after receiving the control start notification.

4. The control device according to claim 3, The control program execution unit reflects the control information in the middle of the calculation as internal information of the control program, and executes the control program using data from sensors of a controlled device.

5. The control device according to claim 3, The control switching determination unit further issues a reception value storage stop notification for stopping storage of the reception value from the remote control device. The communication unit stops storing the received value after receiving the received value storage stop notification.

6. The control device according to claim 3, The control switching determination unit further performs a transfer start notification related to the transfer of the control operation. A control stop notification for stopping the control of the control device is performed based on the number of times the received value is received.

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