Monitoring system, monitoring method, and monitoring program

Abstract

To reduce a communication load, and to quicken management processing by executing abnormality monitoring or the resolution of the abnormality in monitoring processing for relaying data by a plurality of devices, and for notifying a controller of the data.SOLUTION: In this monitoring system (2), a plurality of measuring devices (6) that perform measurement processing and a control apparatus (8) are daisy-chain connected by a communication line, a transmission datum (20S) including control information is notified via the measuring devices, and a measurement datum added in a predetermined order to a reply datum (20R) transmitted via each of the measuring devices to the control apparatus in accordance with the control information is used to monitor the state of the apparatus. The measurement device includes an abnormality monitoring function (10) for monitoring an abnormal state of one or both of a communication state with the other measurement device and a state of the received measurement data for the transmission data or the return data, and a processing function (12) for notifying the control device of the abnormal state by using the return data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for monitoring an apparatus using a daisy-chained control device and a plurality of measurement devices. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional system in which multiple devices and a control device are connected in a daisy chain, control instructions and other information from the control device are transmitted by relaying them through the multiple devices. Some of these systems also have a function to monitor whether an abnormality has occurred in the information relayed by the devices.

[0003] Regarding such connections of multiple devices, there is a communication system in which multiple communication devices and communication control devices are daisy-chained together, and a communication device that receives data including control instructions sent from the communication control device relays and forwards the data to a downstream communication device (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in a system in which a master device and multiple slave devices are daisy-chained, the data being transferred contains an error detection code addressed to the device itself, and each device uses the error detection code in the data to determine whether there is an abnormality in the transferred data (for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-21700 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2016 / 151811 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There is a monitoring system in which multiple measurement devices that measure the status of managed devices and a control device that controls these measurement devices and collects measurement data are connected in a daisy chain. Such a monitoring system manages the devices based on the measurement data and monitors the status of monitoring processes using the measurement devices for abnormalities. In the monitoring system, for example, if an abnormality occurs between measurement devices, the abnormality information is sent to the control device via the multiple devices. In response, the control device identifies the location and cause of the abnormality and retransmits and receives control information from each measurement device. However, as the number of measurement devices increases, the number of communications and communication time increase, which increases the power consumption load of the relaying measurement devices and control device. The time required to resolve such abnormal conditions poses a problem in that the functions originally expected of a monitoring system, such as sending control instructions to measuring devices and collecting information from measuring devices, may not be fully performed or may become difficult to perform.

[0006] Another issue with monitoring systems that use daisy chain connections is that even if some measurement devices or communication conditions become abnormal, it is necessary to be able to monitor the equipment being managed using measurement devices beyond the location where the abnormality occurred.

[0007] Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not disclose or suggest anything about such a problem, and the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot solve such a problem.

[0008] In view of such problems, the inventors of the present disclosure aim to reduce communication loads such as the number of communications and capacity, and to speed up the overall management processing of the system by having multiple devices that relay data each monitor the status of the data, communication status, etc., and perform status identification and resolution processing, thereby enabling the control device to identify abnormal conditions in a short period of time and transition to corresponding response processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the monitoring system of the present disclosure is a monitoring system in which a plurality of measuring devices that perform measurement processing on a managed device and a control device that controls the measurement processing of the measuring devices are daisy-chained via communication lines, the control device notifying transmission data including control information via the measuring devices, reply data being sent to the control device via each of the measuring devices in accordance with the control information, and the monitoring system monitors the status of the device using the measurement data that each of the measuring devices adds to the reply data in a predetermined order, wherein the measuring devices have an abnormality monitoring function that monitors abnormal conditions in either or both of the communication status between other measuring devices and the status of the received measurement data for the transmitted data or the reply data, and a processing function that notifies the control device of the abnormal condition using the reply data.

[0010] In the above monitoring system, the transmission data and the reply data include at least the control information or error detection information set for the measurement data, and the measurement device generates new error detection information for the received measurement data, compares the new error detection information with the error detection information in the reply data to determine whether the measurement data is in an abnormal state, and if the measurement data is in an abnormal state, invalidates the measurement data in the received reply data or converts it into abnormal information, and adds the generated new measurement data to the reply data following the measurement data that has been invalidated or converted into abnormal information. In the above monitoring system, if the measuring device determines that the received measurement data is abnormal, it sends an instruction to the measuring device that sent the measurement data to resend the reply data, and generates new error detection information for the new measurement data in the resent reply data to determine whether the data is abnormal.If it determines that the new measurement data in the resent reply data is not abnormal, it resends the reply data with the generated new measurement data added to it, along with the new measurement data in the resent reply data. In the above monitoring system, the control device identifies the measuring device whose measurement data has become abnormal based on the measurement data contained in the received reply data and the sequence of the measurement data that has been invalidated or converted into abnormal information. In the above monitoring system, the control device is connected to the terminal measuring device among the measuring devices connected in a daisy chain via another communication line, and the measuring device counts the elapsed time when it sends the transmission data to another measuring device, and if it does not receive the reply data within a predetermined time, it determines that the communication status is abnormal, generates reply data to which communication abnormality information and measurement information generated by the measuring device are attached, and sends it to the control device, and the control device identifies the measuring device or communication line that has experienced the communication abnormality based on either or both of the communication abnormality information and information indicating the abnormal state of the measurement data in the received reply data, and notifies the terminal measuring device of the transmission data via the other communication line to collect the measurement data.

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the monitoring method of the present disclosure includes a monitoring system in which a plurality of measurement devices that perform measurement processing on a managed device and a control device that controls the measurement processing of the measurement devices are daisy-chained via communication lines, and the control device notifies the control device of transmission data including control information via the measurement devices, and transmits reply data to the control device via each of the measurement devices in accordance with the control information, and monitors the status of the device using the measurement data that each of the measurement devices adds to the reply data in a predetermined order, and includes a step in which the measurement device monitors an abnormal status of either or both of the communication status with other measurement devices and the status of the received measurement data for the transmission data or the reply data, and a step in which the measurement device notifies the control device of the abnormal status using the reply data.

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the monitoring program disclosed herein is a monitoring program to be executed by a computer of a control device that forms a monitoring system by daisy-chaining multiple measurement devices that perform measurement processing on managed devices via communication lines, and causes the computer to execute the following functions: notifying transmission data including control information via the measurement devices, causing reply data to be returned to the control device via each of the measurement devices in accordance with the control information, and adding measurement data measured by each of the measurement devices from the device to the reply data in a predetermined order; causing each of the measurement devices to monitor abnormal conditions, either the communication status with other measurement devices or the status of the received measurement data, for the received transmission data or the reply data; and notifying the control device of the monitored abnormal condition using the reply data directly or via another measurement device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, the following effects can be obtained.

[0014] (1) Each measuring device in the monitoring system is equipped with the function to detect abnormalities, and when a measuring device detects an abnormality, it notifies the control device of the abnormal condition and executes a process to resolve the abnormal condition. This reduces the processing time and communication volume required to resolve the abnormality, and also saves power. (2) When a measuring device detects a data abnormality, it invalidates the measurement data contained in the reply data and, based on the established regulations, adds the new measurement data collected by the measuring device and sends it back to the control device. This allows the control device to collect appropriate measurement data from measuring devices after the location where the abnormality occurred, and allows the device management process to continue. (3) If the abnormal condition is not resolved even after the measuring device that detected the abnormality performs resolution processing, the location of the abnormality is identified based on the abnormal condition information notified from the measuring device and the measurement information added to the reply data, and communication processing is performed using a separate line to the measuring device after the location of the abnormality, thereby making it possible to collect measurement data for all or most of the managed devices and continue device management processing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a monitoring system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of data transmitted and received in the monitoring system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process performed when an abnormal state is resolved in the monitoring process. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a process performed when an abnormal state is not resolved in a management process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a control device. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by each measuring device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a monitoring system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a monitoring process when an abnormality occurs between measurement devices. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining an abnormal state due to a disconnection. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a monitoring process. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a monitoring process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a monitoring system according to the first embodiment. The configuration shown in Fig. 1 is an example, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring system 2 manages the status of the power storage device 4 under management, such as its function and the occurrence of abnormalities, and includes a measurement device 6 and a control device 8. The power storage device 4 is an example of the equipment disclosed herein and is used, for example, in electronic devices (not shown) or power supplies for plant facilities. The power storage device 4 includes multiple battery cells configured according to set conditions, such as the number of cells and voltage or current values, and achieves a desired voltage value by connecting these battery cells in series. Each battery cell is composed of, for example, multiple electric double layer capacitors.

[0018] The measuring device 6 is an example of a means for measuring the voltage value of the power storage device 4 as information used for managing the state of the power storage device 4, generating measurement data from the measurement results, and transmitting the measurement data to the control device 8. The measuring device 6 is configured, for example, by a plurality of measuring devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-(n-1), 6-n for measuring the voltage value of each battery cell of the power storage device 4 or each group combining a predetermined number of battery cells. Each of the measuring devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-(n-1), 6-n is configured, for example, by a computer connected to a voltage measurement means or an IC (BMIC: Battery Management IC) configured by a circuit having a voltage measurement function, and generates measurement data of the voltage value in accordance with instructions notified from the control device 8 and transmits the data to the control device 8.

[0019] Furthermore, in addition to the function of measuring the voltage value of the power storage device 4, the measuring device 6 is also equipped with an abnormality monitoring function unit 10 that monitors abnormalities in communication between the measuring devices 6-1, 6-2, ...., 6-(n-1), 6-n or between the measuring devices 6-1, 6-2, ...., 6-(n-1), 6-n and the control device 8, a function of notifying the control device 8 of abnormality information including at least the judgment result when an abnormality is judged, and a processing function unit 12 that executes processing to resolve the abnormal state.

[0020] The control device 8 is an example of a means for controlling the state monitoring process of the power storage device 4, and is composed of, for example, a microcontroller (MCU) equipped with a processor that performs program calculations, a memory unit, etc., and issues voltage measurement instructions to the measurement devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-(n-1), 6-n, and collects the measurement data. The control device 8 includes a management processing function unit 14 that, based on abnormality information including the occurrence of an abnormal state and the details of the abnormality notified from the measurement device 6, identifies the location of the abnormality, collects and analyzes measurement data corresponding to the abnormal state, and performs response processing for the measurement device 6 from which measurement data cannot be collected due to the occurrence of the abnormal state.

[0021] In this monitoring system 2, for example, multiple measuring devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-(n-1), 6-n are arranged in a predetermined order. The measuring devices are connected to each other by communication lines in this arrangement, and the control device 8 is connected to a specific measuring device 6-n by a communication line (IFn), forming a so-called daisy chain connection. As a result, in the monitoring system 2, the connected measuring devices 6-2, ..., 6-n relay transmission data or return data between the control device 8 and the end measuring device 6-1. This transmission data is generated, for example, by the control device 8 or a specific measuring device 6, and contains instruction information such as an operation instruction directed to the end measuring device 6-1 or a specified measuring device 6-x. The return data is generated, for example, by the end measuring device 6-1 or a measuring device 6-x specified in the transmission data, and is transmitted by specifying the control device 8 or a specific measuring device 6-y. The return data is data for notifying measurement data measured in response to an operation instruction, abnormality information, etc.

[0022] Additionally, the control device 8 sets address information (ID) for identifying each of the measuring devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-(n-1), 6-n, such as "1," "2," ..., (n-1), "n," etc., based on, for example, the order of daisy-chain connection or other arrangements. The measuring devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-(n-1), 6-n store address information for all or at least the measuring devices 6 connected by communication lines in the monitoring system 2, and can identify whether address information specified by a control instruction or the like is an instruction for the measuring device itself or an adjacent measuring device. For convenience of explanation, the direction of the daisy-chained measuring devices 6 closer to the control device 8 is referred to as "upstream" and the direction connected to the end is referred to as "downstream."

[0023] <About sending data and reply data> Figure 2 shows an example of the structure of data sent and received in the monitoring system. The data contents and arrangement shown in Figure 2 are just an example. This data 20 is transmitted and received between the measuring device 6 and the control device 8 to transmit operational instructions, status information, measurement data, etc., and has at least a command area 201, a data area 202, and an error detection information area 203, as shown in, for example, A of FIG. 2. In the monitoring system 2, when transmission data 20S is transmitted to a specified measuring device 6-z via other measuring devices 6-n, 6-(n-1), etc., the receiving measuring device 6-z returns reply data 20R to the control device 8 or a specific measuring device 6-p. The transmission data 20S and reply data 20R are generated based on the data 20. The configuration of this data 20 may be used, for example, in transmission data 20S, reply data 20R, as well as retransmission data 22 (FIG. 3), 23S (FIG. 8), and reply data 23R (FIG. 8), 24R (FIG. 9) that are generated and transmitted / received in the abnormality monitoring process described below.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the transmission data 20S stores information common to the receiving measuring device 6, such as operational instructions for the receiving destination, in the command area 201, register addresses and the like as examples of information specifying the destination in the data area 202, and checksums and CRCs (Cyclic Redundancy Checks) as examples of error detection information used to monitor data abnormalities in the error detection information area 203. 2C, the response data 20R is stored in a data area 202 in a set order, with the measurement data generated by each measuring device 6 being stored after the measurement data that was previously stored in the order in which the response data 20R was relayed. Additionally, the command area 201 and error detection information area 203 of the response data 20R may store information with the same content as the transmission data 20S, or information with the same purpose that corresponds to the data response process. This allows the control device 8 or a specific measuring device 6 to collect measurement data and other information from other measuring devices 6 according to the purpose using the reply data 20R.

[0025] <Management of collected measurement data> The control device 8 is provided with a management processing database (hereinafter referred to as "management processing DB"), for example, in a storage unit, for storing measurement data acquired from each measuring device 6. The control device 8 uses the stored measurement data for monitoring the state of the power storage device 4, for example, and manages the occurrence and state of an abnormal state of the monitoring system 2 based on the collection state of the measurement data and information contained in the measurement data. The management processing DB may be formed in the storage unit of the control device 8, for example, or may be formed in storage means separate from the control device 8 (not shown).

[0026] The management processing DB is connected by, for example, a communication line and has an area for storing measurement data for each of the measurement devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-(n-1), 6-n that make up the monitoring system 2, as well as an area for storing separately the generation time and transmission time of the transmission data 20S, the reception time of the reply data 20R, and information set in the command area 201. The management processing DB may also include an area for temporarily storing measurement data received multiple times when, for example, a data abnormality occurs, as will be described later.

[0027] <Abnormality monitoring process> The monitoring system 2 monitors abnormal communication states between the measurement devices 6 in order to properly manage the states of the power storage devices 4. Here, as one of the abnormal communication states, the monitoring system 2 monitors data transmission abnormalities due to error detection of instruction information and measurement data stored in the data area 202 of the transmission data 20S and the reply data 20R. The measuring device 6 generates a new error detection code for the command area 201 or data area 202 of the received transmission data 20S or reply data 20R, for example, and determines whether there is a data transmission abnormality by comparing it with the error detection code stored in the error detection information area 203. In this comparison, if the generated new error detection code matches the error detection code stored in the error detection information area 203, the data is determined to be correct, and if they do not match, the data is determined to be abnormal.

[0028] For example, in the case of an anomaly monitoring process for the transmission data 20S, if the error detection codes match, the measuring device 6 reads instruction information such as the process to be executed by the measurement process set in the command area 201 or data area 202 and the type of information to be measured. The measuring device 6 then adds the previously generated error detection code to the error detection information area 203 of the transmission data 20S and relays the transmission data 20S to other measuring devices 6 connected downstream. At this time, if there is no change in the information in the transmission data 20S, the error detection information in the error detection information area 203 can be used as is without adding a new error detection code.

[0029] If the error detection codes of the received transmission data 20S do not match, the measuring device 6 determines that a communication abnormality has occurred. As an example of a process for resolving the abnormal state, the processing function unit 12 of the measuring device 6 generates retransmission data 22 requesting retransmission of the transmission data 20S and notifies the upstream measuring device 6 that is the sender of the transmission data 20S. The measuring device 6 that has determined that an abnormal state exists stores the previously received transmission data 20S in a storage unit (not shown) when generating or notifying the retransmission data 22. When the measuring device 6 receives the transmission data 20S again from the upstream measuring device 6, it uses the error detection code to determine whether or not there is an abnormality. This abnormality is determined by whether or not the error detection codes match, as described above.

[0030] If there is no abnormality in the retransmitted transmission data 20S, the measuring device 6 simply transmits the transmission data 20S to the next downstream measuring device 6, and if there is an abnormality, it again generates retransmission data 22 and notifies the upstream measuring device 6. In this monitoring system 2, for example, when one measuring device 6 generates retransmission data 22 for transmission data 20S a predetermined number of times, or when a predetermined time has passed since receiving the initial transmission data 20S, it is determined that the abnormality has not been resolved. If the abnormality has not been resolved, for example, the measuring device 6 may notify the next downstream measuring device 6 of transmission data 20S in which information indicating the abnormality has been added to the data area 202, or may generate reply data 20R including information indicating the abnormality and notify the upstream measuring device 6 of the same toward the control device 8.

[0031] Note that this abnormality monitoring process for the transmission data 20S is not limited to being performed only between the measuring devices 6, and the measuring device 6 on the next upstream side may determine whether or not the error detection code matches the error detection code of the transmission data 20S received from the control device 8. If the error detection codes do not match, the measuring device 6 may request the control device 8 to retransmit the transmission data 20S.

[0032] Next, in the case of an anomaly monitoring process for the reply data 20R, for example, the measuring device 6 determines a communication anomaly based on whether the error detection codes match, as in the case of the transmission data 20S. If the error detection codes match, for example, the measuring device 6 adds the measurement data acquired from the power storage device 4 to the end of the data area 202 of the reply data 20R and transmits the resulting data to the next upstream measuring device 6. If the error detection codes do not match, for example, the measuring device 6 requests retransmission from the downstream measuring device 6 that transmitted the reply data 20R and performs an anomaly resolution process. At this time, the measuring device 6 performs the resolution process and invalidates some or all of the measurement data in the data area 202 stored in the previously received reply data 20R, and then transmits the reply data 20R, in which the measurement data of the measuring device 6 itself has been added to the end of the invalidated data, to the control device 8 via the upstream measuring device 6.

[0033] Based on the judgment result of the error detection code of the reply data 20R reacquired from the downstream measuring device 6, the measuring device 6 adds its own measurement data to the data area 202, and transmits the reply data 20R, which includes information that can identify the location where the abnormal condition occurred and information that can identify whether the abnormal condition has been resolved or whether an abnormal condition exists, to the control device 8 via the upstream measuring device 6.

[0034] 3 and 4 show an example of the abnormality monitoring process for the reply data 20R. The process procedure and the contents of the data sent and received shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are just examples. 3 and 4, the monitoring system 2 executes a monitoring process by collecting measurement data of the voltage value of the power storage device 4 from each measuring device 6 (6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, etc.). The control device 8 generates transmission data 20S including, for example, an "acquire" command field 201, a "voltage" data field 202 that specifies the data to be collected, and an error detection information field 203 that stores a CRC, and relays the data through each measuring device 6 up to the terminal measuring device 6-1 (S1 to S4). Here, a case is shown in which no transmission abnormality occurred in the transmission data 20S at any of the measuring devices 6.

[0035] When the terminal measuring device 6-1 receives the transmission data 20S, it reads the format of the data 20 stored in a memory unit (not shown) or uses the transmission data 20S to generate reply data 20R. The measuring device 6-1 then adds, for example, a voltage value measured upon receiving the transmission data 20S or measurement data of the most recent voltage value stored in the memory unit, to the data area 202 of the reply data 20R. The measuring device 6-1 also generates an error detection code from, for example, the command area 201 and the data area 202, adds it to the error detection information area 203, and then notifies the measuring device 6-2 of the reply data 20R (S5).

[0036] The measuring device 6-2 generates an error detection code for the received reply data 20R, checks for transmission abnormalities, and if it determines that there are no abnormalities, adds the measurement data it collected to the end of the data area 202, i.e., after the measurement data of the measuring device 6-1. Measurement data arrangement conditions are set in this data area 202, for example, by arrangement order, so that the measuring device 6 can be identified. For example, the arrangement conditions in the data area 202 may be a so-called first-in, first-out condition, in which the measuring device 6 that received the data first arranges its measurement data at the front, and the control device 8 reads the measurement data from the top, or a first-in, last-out condition or other conditions may be used. Additionally, the data area 202 may form a partition area that allows the measuring device 6 that writes the measurement data or the control device 8 that reads the stored measurement data to identify the measuring device 6 that wrote the measurement data. Then, the measuring device 6-2 generates a new error detection code and adds it to the reply data 20R, and notifies the upstream measuring device 6-3 of the reply data 20R (S6).

[0037] If the measuring device 6-3 generates an error detection code for the received reply data 20R and determines that there is an abnormality in the transmission abnormality determination (S7), it proceeds to abnormality resolution processing and performs a precedent transmission processing to transmit part of the measurement data determined to be normal in order to notify the control device 8 of its own measurement data (S8). In this precedent transmission processing, part or all of the measurement data stored in the data area of ​​the received reply data 20R is invalidated (NULL), and then the measurement data of the measuring device is added and transmitted to the measuring device 6-4 (S9). If there is no transmission abnormality, this precedent transmitted reply data 20R is not invalidated, and is received by the control device 8 with measurement information of other measuring devices 6 added (S10).

[0038] For example, when the control device 8 receives the previously transmitted reply data 20R, it stores the corresponding measurement data and invalidated data in a storage area for each measurement device in the storage unit. The control device 8 identifies the measurement device 6 (6-1, 6-2) corresponding to the invalidated data and waits for the next reply data 20R.

[0039] <If the abnormality is resolved> 3, the measuring device 6-3 transmits retransmission data 22 with the command set to "retransmit" to the measuring device 6-2 as a process for resolving the abnormality (S11), and receives corresponding retransmitted reply data 20R (S12). If the measuring device 6-3 and the measuring device 6-2 determine that the error detection codes of the retransmitted reply data 20R do not match, they repeatedly issue retransmission instructions and reply. 3, if the measuring device 6-3 determines that the resent reply data 20R is normal (S13), it sets the command area 201 to "correction" and generates corrected reply data 20R including the measurement data included in the reply data 20R and its own measurement data, and transmits it to the measuring device 6-4 (S14). If there is no transmission abnormality, this corrected reply data 20R is not invalidated, and is received by the control device 8 with measurement information from other measuring devices 6 added (S15).

[0040] For example, when the control device 8 receives preceding reply data 20R including partially invalidated data, the control device 8 combines the preceding reply data 20R with the reply data 20R to be received next, or replaces the data with the reply data 20R received later, and stores the combined data in the management processing DB.

[0041] <If the problem persists> 4, the measuring device 6-3 transmits retransmission data 22 to the measuring device 6-2 as a process for resolving the abnormality (S11-1). If the corresponding received reply data 20R (S12-1) is determined to be a transmission abnormality again (S13-1), the measuring device 6-3 repeatedly issues a retransmission instruction and replies (S11-2, S12-2, ...). If the measuring device 6-3 determines that the reply data 20R contains an abnormality (S13-x), for example, when a preset threshold is reached, such as the number of times the reply data 20R is received or the elapsed time, the measuring device 6-3 generates reply data 20R indicating that the abnormality cannot be resolved and transmits it to the measuring device 6-4 (S16). For example, in the command area 201 of this reply data 20R, information indicating "abnormal" is set, and the measurement data of the measuring devices 6-1 and 6-2 in the data area 202 are converted to abnormality information, followed by the measurement data of the measuring device 6-3.

[0042] Then, the reply data 20R indicating that this abnormality cannot be resolved is not invalidated if there is no transmission abnormality, and is received by the control device 8 with measurement information of other measuring devices 6 added (S17). The control device 8, for example, refers to the reply data 20R, and confirms the abnormality in the monitoring system 2 using an "abnormal" command, and identifies the location of the abnormality from the content of the abnormality information in the data area 202 (S18).

[0043] <Regarding monitoring processing by the control device 8> Fig. 5 shows an example of monitoring processing of a control device. The processing content and processing procedure shown in Fig. 5 are an example, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. This monitoring process is an example of a monitoring method or monitoring program of the present disclosure, and includes, for example, a process for generating transmission data 20S (S101), a process for receiving reply data 20R (S102), a process for storing measurement data in a management processing DB (S103), a process for monitoring an abnormal state (S104), and a process for monitoring the power storage device 4 (S105).

[0044] Generation process of transmission data 20S (S101): In order to perform monitoring processes such as monitoring the operating state of the power storage device 4 at a preset timing, the control device 8 generates transmission data 20S including instruction information for executing measurement processes such as voltage values ​​and current values ​​for all measurement devices 6 in the monitoring system 2 or for a selected specific measurement device 6, and transmits the data to the measurement device 6. In the monitoring system 2, a control program that is incorporated into the transmission data 20S or pre-stored in each measurement device 6 and operates upon receiving the transmission data 20S causes each measurement device 6 to perform processes such as measuring voltage values ​​from the power storage device 4, generating measurement data, monitoring for communication abnormalities using error detection codes, and resolving communication abnormalities. Alternatively, the control device 8 may be provided with, for example, a timer, and start measuring time when the transmission data 20S is generated or when the transmission data 20S is transmitted to the first measuring device 6.

[0045] Receiving process of reply data 20R (S102): The control device 8 receives the reply data 20R relayed through the specified measuring device 6, and checks whether measurement data corresponding to the instruction information is included in the data area 202. If no measurement data is stored in the data area 202, the control device 8 may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the monitoring process, and may generate transmission data 20S again to execute the measurement process. In addition, the control device 8 may measure the elapsed time until the reply data 20R is received by timing a timer, or may determine that there is an abnormality in the monitoring system 2 if the reply data 20R is not received even after a threshold time has elapsed.

[0046] Measurement data storage process in management processing DB (S103): The control device 8 reads normal measurement data from the received reply data 20R, as well as invalidated measurement data and measurement data converted to an abnormal state, and stores them in the management processing DB, etc. Each measurement data is stored in a memory area for each measuring device 6 based on the data arrangement conditions. In addition, the control device 8 reads the location of the abnormality in the measuring device 6 and the details of the abnormality from the measurement data that has been determined to be invalid or abnormal, and stores this information in the management processing DB.

[0047] Abnormal state monitoring process (S104): The control device 8 reads from the reply data 20R information such as the location and order in which the measurement data was invalidated that indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the measuring device 6, and determines the location of the abnormality and whether it has been repaired.

[0048] Monitoring process for the power storage device 4 (S105): The control device 8 determines the operating state of the power storage device 4 based on the measurement data stored in the reply data 20R and the reply data 20R or measurement data subsequently received by the abnormality resolution process, and monitors the operating state.

[0049] <Monitoring process by measurement device 6> Fig. 6 shows an example of monitoring processing by each measuring device 6. The processing content and processing procedure shown in Fig. 6 are an example, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. This monitoring process is an example of a monitoring method or monitoring program disclosed herein, and is composed of, for example, a process F1 that is executed when transmission data 20S is received from a control device 8 or another measurement device 6, and a process F2 that is executed when reply data 20R is generated or received from another measurement device 6.

[0050] For example, in process F1, the measuring device 6 performs an abnormality determination on the received transmission data 20S (S201) and determines whether or not there is an abnormality (S202). As described above, this abnormality determination can be made based on whether or not the error detection codes match. If there is no abnormality (YES in S202), the measuring device 6 stores the instruction information and the like in the command area 201 and data area 202 of the transmission data 20S, and transmits the transmission data 20S to the adjacent measuring device 6 (S203). If there is an abnormality (NO in S202), the measuring device 6 performs an abnormality resolution process by retransmitting the transmission data 20S to the measuring device 6 that is the sender (S204).

[0051] Next, the measuring device 6 performs an abnormality determination on the received reply data 20R (S205) and determines whether or not there is an abnormality (S206), for example, as a process F2 for the reply. In the case of a measuring device 6 at the end of a monitoring system, this abnormality determination process is not an abnormality determination but a process for generating reply data 20R. If the measuring device 6 determines that there is no abnormality (YES in S206), it adds its own measurement data to the reply data 20R and transmits it to the next measuring device 6 (S207). Furthermore, if the measuring device 6 determines that there is an abnormality (NO in S206), it will first transmit reply data 20R in which the measurement data of other measuring devices 6 has been invalidated (S208), and will also perform abnormality resolution processing by retransmitting the reply data 20R (S209). If the abnormality in the reply data 20R has been resolved (YES in S210), the measuring device 6 will generate and transmit corrected reply data 20R (S211), and if the abnormality has not been resolved (NO in S210), it will generate and transmit reply data 20R including abnormality information to the control device 8 (S212).

[0052] [Effects of the first embodiment] According to this configuration, the following effects can be obtained. (1) In a monitoring system 2 in which multiple measuring devices 6 are daisy-chained, by determining transmission abnormalities in the data received by each measuring device 6, it is possible to optimize control instruction information and measurement data. (2) When a data transmission abnormality occurs, the measuring device that detects the abnormality requests a retransmission of the data and determines whether the retransmitted data is abnormal, thereby speeding up the process of detecting and resolving the abnormality. (3) If the measuring device 6 that detected the abnormality determines that the abnormality has been resolved in the retransmitted data, it generates and transmits corrected data to the control device 8, thereby making it possible to collect all the data necessary for managing the power storage device 4 and maintaining the reliability of the monitoring process. (4) The measurement device 6 invalidates the measurement data of the received data that it determines to be abnormal and sends reply data 20R to which the measurement data generated by the device itself is added, so that the control device 8 can quickly collect measurement data from the measurement devices after the location where the abnormality occurred and continue the monitoring process.

[0053] Second Embodiment Fig. 7 shows the configuration of a monitoring system according to the second embodiment. The configuration shown in Fig. 7 is an example, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. In Fig. 7, the same parts as those in Fig. 1 are denoted by the same symbols, and their description will be omitted.

[0054] 7, the monitoring system 30 has a function of collecting measurement data from the daisy-chained measuring devices in a different direction when an abnormality occurs on the measuring device 6 side, in contrast to the monitoring system 2 according to the first embodiment. That is, the control device 8 is connected to, for example, the upstream measuring device 6-n, and has a second communication line (IFm) directly connected to the downstream measuring device 6-1, in addition to a first communication line (IFn) used for transmitting and receiving the transmission data 20S and the reply data 20R.

[0055] This second communication line (IFm) is a means for continuing monitoring processing when, for example, an abnormality occurs on the measuring device 6 side, and like the first communication line (IFn), it enables the control device 8 and the measuring device 6-1 to send instruction information to other measuring devices 6-2, ..., 6-n and return measurement data. The second communication line (IFm) may be restricted to not allow communication when no abnormality occurs by the control function of the control device 8, or may be physically disconnected from the control device 8 and the measuring device 6-1, and may enable communication when an abnormality occurs in sending and receiving data using the communication line (IFn).

[0056] In the monitoring system 30, for example, as a monitoring process for the power storage device 4, transmission data 20S is transmitted to an upstream measuring device 6-n using the first communication line (IFn), and then measurement data is received via reply data. When an abnormality occurs in any of the measuring devices 6, the control device 8, upon detecting the occurrence of the abnormality and the location of the abnormality (specific measuring device 6), enables communication via the second communication line (IFm) as a measurement data collection process, and generates new transmission data 32S. This transmission data 32S specifies, for example, address information of the measuring device 6 determined to be abnormal or the measuring device 6 immediately downstream thereof, and is transmitted to the downstream measuring device 6-1 via the communication line (IFm). Then, upon receiving, for example, new reply data 32R, the control device 8 combines the measurement data collected via the communication line (IFn) and the measurement data collected via the communication line (IFm) and uses the combined measurement data for the status monitoring process for the power storage device 4.

[0057] <About monitoring process> Fig. 8 shows an example of monitoring processing when an abnormality occurs. The processing content and processing procedure shown in Fig. 8 are merely examples, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such content. Furthermore, in Fig. 8, explanations of processing equivalent to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 will be omitted.

[0058] In the monitoring system 30, for example, the control device 8 performs the following monitoring process on the measuring device 6: Transmission data 20S is generated, which includes an "acquire" command area 201, a "voltage" data area 202 that specifies the data to be collected, and an error detection information area 203 that stores a CRC. Then, the control device 8 transmits the data to the terminal measuring device 6-1 via the communication line (IFn) and the measuring device 6-n (S1 to S4).

[0059] In the monitoring system 30, for example, when the measuring device 6-3 receives the reply data 20R and determines that an abnormal state has occurred (S13-x), the monitoring system 30 rewrites the downstream measurement data stored in the data area 202 to indicate an abnormal state, and changes the command area 201 to information indicating the abnormal state. The measuring device 6-3 then adds its own measurement data to the data area 202 of the rewritten reply data 20R, and notifies the next measuring device 6-4 of the reply data 20R (S16). Then, if no transmission abnormality or the like occurs, measurement information is added to the reply data 20R indicating the abnormal state by other relaying measuring devices 6, and the control device 8 receives the reply data 20R (S17).

[0060] The control device 8 reads the reply data 20R containing information indicating the abnormal state, identifies the abnormal location, reads out the fact that the abnormality occurred, the location and timing of the abnormality, etc., and then recognizes that the abnormality has occurred on the measuring device 6 side and determines the state (S18). When the control device 8 determines that an abnormality has occurred, the management processing function unit 14 enables connection of another line (IFm) and generates new transmission data 23S specifying the measuring devices 6 that have not collected measurement data through this other line. This transmission data 23S includes, for example, an "acquire" command area 201, a "voltage" data area 202 that specifies the data to be collected, and an error detection information area 203 that stores a CRC. The transmission data 23S also includes, for example, instruction information in the data area 202 that indicates that measurement data should be added in the order of the measuring devices 6-2 and 6-1, and that reply data 23R should be generated with the measuring device 6-2 as the terminal.

[0061] When the measuring device 6-1 receives the transmission data 23S through the communication line (IFm) (S19), it reads out the instruction information in the command area 201 and the data area 202, and notifies the next measuring device 6-2 of the transmission data 23S (S20). For example, when the measuring device 6-2 receives the transmission data 23S, it reads from the instruction information in the data area 202 that the instruction is directed to itself as the terminal, and generates reply data 23R. As described above, the reply data 23R may be generated using the data 20 stored in a storage unit (not shown) or the transmission data 23S. Then, when the measuring device 6-2 generates measurement data using the measured voltage value, it adds the reply data 23R to the data area 202 and adds the error detection code generated from the command area 201 or the data area 202 to the error detection information area 203. The measuring device 6-2 notifies the measuring device 6-1 of the generated reply data 23R (S21).

[0062] For example, the measuring device 6-1 determines whether there is an abnormality in the received reply data 23R, and if it determines that there is no abnormality, adds its own measurement data to the data area 202 and notifies the control device 8 of the reply data 23R (S22).

[0063] This enables the control device 8 to collect measurement data from upstream of the measurement device 6-3, i.e., from measurement devices 6-4, ..., 6-n, for example, via a communication line (IFn), and to collect measurement data from measurement devices 6-1 and 6-2 via a communication line (IFm), thereby enabling the control device 8 to perform monitoring processing of the power storage device 4.

[0064] While the case where the received reply data is determined to be in an abnormal state has been described here, this is not limiting. Determining an abnormality also includes determining, for example, a transmission abnormality in the transmission data 20S or a communication failure due to a broken line. Furthermore, the monitoring system 30 is not limited to detecting an abnormality in data transmission between measurement devices, but can also detect an abnormality due to a failure of a specific measurement device 6, by using multiple communication lines to collect measurement data from different directions for the daisy-chained measurement devices 6.

[0065] <About determining abnormal conditions> 9 shows another example of determining an abnormality occurring in the measuring device 6. The abnormality determination process shown in FIG. 9 shows an example of a case where communication is no longer possible due to, for example, a break in a part of the communication line connecting the measuring devices 6 to each other (communication abnormality).

[0066] The measuring device 6 is equipped with, for example, a timer that measures the elapsed time since sending the transmission data 20S to another measuring device 6, and if it does not receive the reply data 20R within a predetermined time, it determines that a communication abnormality has occurred due to a broken communication line, etc. The transmission data 20S issued from the control device 8 is relayed, for example, by the measurement device 6 (not shown), and is transmitted to the measurement device 6-3 via a predetermined measurement device 6-4 (S1, S2). After the measurement device 6-3 performs the transmission abnormality determination process as described above, it reads the instruction information for collecting measurement data and transmits the transmission data 20S to the downstream measurement device 6-2 (S3). At this time, the measurement device 6-3 starts timing using a timer upon transmitting the transmission data 20S.

[0067] If the measuring device 6-3 does not receive the reply data 20R even when the time counted by the timer exceeds a threshold (S31), it determines that a communication abnormality has occurred, notifies the abnormality, and generates reply data 24R to which its own measurement data is added (S32), and transmits it to the upstream measuring device 6-4 (S33). For example, in this reply data 24R, information indicating "out of time" may be set in the command area 201, and "out of time" indicating that a reply was not received within a predetermined time may be set instead of the measurement data of the measuring devices 6-1 and 6-2 in the data area 202.

[0068] The process of monitoring the elapsed time from the transmission of the transmission data 20S is executed in all measuring devices 6. Furthermore, the threshold set for monitoring the elapsed time may be set longer for measuring devices 6 located upstream closer to the control device 8, and shorter for measuring devices located downstream. This prevents the upstream measuring devices 6 from timing out earlier than the downstream measuring devices. The threshold time for each measuring device 6 may be set based on the time it takes for each measuring device 6 to receive the reply data 20R during the monitoring process in a normal state, for example.

[0069] Then, if there is no transmission abnormality, the reply data 24R notifying the communication abnormality is not invalidated, and is received by the control device 8 with measurement information from the other measuring device 6-4 added (S34). The control device 8 refers to the reply data 24R, for example, and determines that the abnormality in the monitoring system 2 has occurred by the command "out of hours," and identifies the location of the abnormality from the content of the abnormality information in the data area 202.

[0070] Furthermore, the measuring device 6-3 that has determined that it is outside of the designated time period may, for example, after transmitting the reply data 24R, generate and transmit retransmission data 22 to the downstream measuring device 6-2 to instruct it to transmit the reply data 20R (S35). For example, when the measuring device 6-3 receives reply data 20R in response to the retransmitted transmission data 20S, it determines that the communication abnormality has been resolved and transmits reply data 20R indicating a correction to the control device 8. The measuring device 6-3 may determine that the communication abnormality cannot be resolved, for example, when a predetermined time has elapsed since it transmitted the transmission data 20S instructing the measuring device 6-2 to retransmit, or when the number of transmissions of the transmission data 20S at predetermined timing exceeds a predetermined number, or when a predetermined time has elapsed. Then, the measuring device 6-3 may generate reply data to notify the control device 8 that the "abnormal" state cannot be resolved, and transmit the reply data to the control device 8.

[0071] The process of monitoring for timeout triggered by the transmission of the transmission data 20S is not limited to the measurement device 6, and the control device 8 that issues the instruction for the monitoring process may also count the time elapsed since the transmission of the transmission data 20S to the measurement device 6-n connected via a communication line. For example, if the control device 8 is unable to receive the reply data 20R even when the time elapsed since transmission exceeds a set threshold, the control device 8 may determine that a communication abnormality has occurred in the connected measurement device 6-n or another measurement device 6, and issue alert information to stop use of the monitoring system 2 and the power storage device 4.

[0072] In addition, if the control device 8 is unable to receive reply data 20R due to an abnormality occurring in the measuring device 6, or is unable to collect measurement data from some of the measuring devices 6, it may issue an alarm to a higher-level control device or host computer (not shown) to notify them that it is unable to perform monitoring processing of the energy storage device 4.

[0073] <About monitoring process> 10 and 11 show an example of processing executed by the monitoring system. The processing content and processing procedure shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are merely examples, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such configurations. This monitoring processing is an example of the monitoring method or monitoring program of the present disclosure.

[0074] The control device 8 generates transmission data 20S to the measuring device 6 and transmits it via the communication line (IFn) (S301), and also starts a timer that monitors whether a threshold time has elapsed (S302). In the timeout monitoring process, for example, in addition to monitoring whether or not reply data 20R is received, the timer may be reset when preceding reply data 20R in which some measurement data has been invalidated due to the occurrence of a transmission abnormality or the like is received, or the timer may continue to count time until corrected reply data 20R is received.

[0075] In addition, the processes of S301 and S302 may be performed in the same manner when each measuring device 6 transmits the transmission data 20S to another measuring device, in addition to the control device 8.

[0076] The measuring device 6 and the control device 8 wait until a timeout occurs without receiving the reply data 20R (YES in S303, YES in S304). If a timeout occurs before the measuring device 6 and the control device 8 receive the reply data 20R (NO in S303), the measuring device 6 and the control device 8 proceed to the process of S311 (FIG. 11) including the process for dealing with abnormal conditions. Furthermore, if the measurement device 6 or the control device 8 receives the reply data 20R (NO in S304) before the timeout occurs (YES in S303), it calculates the error detection code of the reply data 20R and compares it with the error detection code set in the reply data 20R (S305). In addition, for example, in this S305, the control device 8 also determines whether the reply data 20R contains any part of the measurement data that has been invalidated and whether it contains information indicating an abnormal state (abnormal code).

[0077] The measuring device 6 and the control device 8 compare the generated error detection code with the error detection code added to the received data to determine whether they match (S306), and if they match (YES in S306), determine that there is no abnormality in the transmitted data. If the error detection codes do not match (NO in S306), the measuring device 6 and the control device 8 store the contents of the reply data 20R in a memory unit or the like, and request the measuring device 6 that sent the reply data 20R to resend it (S307), and continue the timeout monitoring process (S303).

[0078] The control device 8 determines whether invalidated information (null code) is present in the data area of ​​the reply data 20R (S308). If a null code is present (NO in S308), the control device 8 waits until the reply data 20R indicating the next correction is resent (S309), and continues the timeout monitoring process (S303). Furthermore, if there is no null code (YES in S308), the control device 8 determines whether the command area 201 or the data area 202 has been set or changed to "abnormal" or "outside of business hours" data (S310), and if not, determines that the reply data 20R including the measurement data has been collected in a normal state, and can use the measurement data to monitor the status of the power storage device 4.

[0079] For example, if there is information that has been set or changed in the data for "abnormal" or "outside of business hours" (NO in S310), the control device 8 determines that an abnormal condition has occurred and that it is not possible to collect all measurement data, and proceeds to processing that includes dealing with the abnormal condition (Figure 11).

[0080] The control device 8 determines the location of the abnormality, causing the communication failure, based on the data field 202 in the reply data 20R indicating the abnormal state, and transmits the transmission data 20S to the measuring device 6 located beyond the location of the abnormality through a separate line (IFm) (S311). The control device 8 and the measuring device 6 that relayed the transmission data 20S monitor for timeout using a timer (S312). The processing of S313 to S320 for receiving the reply data 20R using this separate line (IFm) may be the same as the processing of S303 to S310 described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] When the control device 8 determines that the data area 202 in the reply data 20R received through another line (IFm) has not been set or changed to data indicating "abnormal" or "outside of business hours" (YES in S320), it has been able to collect measurement data from the measuring device 6 ahead of the location where the abnormality occurred, and therefore can combine this information with the previously collected measurement data to monitor the state of the power storage device 4. The control device 8 also generates an upper system alarm signal that manages the monitoring systems 2 and 30 to notify that an abnormality has occurred on the measuring device 6 side (S321).

[0082] Furthermore, if the control device 8 times out before receiving the reply data 20R (NO in S313) or if the data area 202 in the reply data 20R is set or changed to "abnormal" or "outside of business hours" data (NO in S320), the control device 8 is unable to collect measurement data from all of the measurement devices 6, and therefore sends an alert to the upper system requesting an emergency shutdown of the power storage device 4 (S322).

[0083] [Effects of the second embodiment] (1) With this configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. (2) By monitoring the time elapsed since the transmission of the transmission data 20S and determining an abnormal state by timeout, it is possible to prevent a state in which it is unclear whether an abnormal state exists from continuing for a long period of time, thereby improving the reliability of the monitoring system. (3) After confirming that an abnormality such as a broken wire has occurred between the measurement devices 6, a separate line is used to relay the transmission data 20S in the opposite direction from the end of the daisy-chained measurement device 6, and the reply data 20R is transmitted, thereby making it possible to collect measurement data from all measurement devices 6 even if an abnormality occurs in the communication state. (4) By using a separate line to collect measurement data while bypassing the location where the abnormality has occurred, the power storage device 4 can be managed appropriately, and the reliability and convenience of the monitoring systems 2 and 30 can be improved. [Modification]

[0084] The following are some characteristics and modifications of the above-described embodiment. (1) In the above embodiment, the monitoring systems 2 and 30 issue an alert to a higher-level system (not shown) when, for example, the reply data 20R contains information indicating an abnormality or an out-of-hours condition. They also issue an alarm signal when measurement data is collected using a separate line (IFm). However, this is not limited to this. For example, even if the control device 8 successfully collects measurement data from all measurement devices 6, if a retransmission request or other similar request occurs during collection, the control device 8 may store the timing and number of times measurement data was invalidated for each measurement device 6 and report this information to the higher-level system. This information can be used to estimate the possibility of an abnormality occurring in a specific measurement device 6 in subsequent monitoring processes. Furthermore, in the monitoring systems 2 and 30, if a retransmission request is issued from a specific measurement device 6 during the current measurement data collection process, the monitoring systems 2 and 30 may precisely and quickly monitor for abnormalities by increasing or decreasing the number of retransmission requests or the timeout threshold depending on whether or not a retransmission request has been made in the past and the number of retransmission requests.

[0085] (2) In the above embodiment, the monitoring systems 2 and 30 are configured such that multiple measurement devices 6 are daisy-chained to a specific control device 8 via communication lines. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, other control devices (not shown) may be connected between the measurement devices in the monitoring systems 2 and 30. These other control devices may monitor communication abnormalities on the communication path by reading the contents of the transmission data 20S, 23S and the reply data 20R, 23R, and 24R transmitted and received between the control device 8 and the multiple measurement devices 6, or may control measurement processing or other processing regardless of the abnormality monitoring processing. In addition, the other control device may be a means for controlling a monitoring system including, for example, other measurement devices not shown, and may cooperate with the monitoring systems 2 and 30 of the present disclosure to monitor the power storage device 4 and monitor abnormalities in the measurement process.

[0086] As explained above, the most preferred embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure has been described. The technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above description, and various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the gist of the technical content described in the claims or disclosed in the specification, and it goes without saying that such modifications and changes are included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0087] According to the monitoring process disclosed herein, in a monitoring system including daisy-chained measurement devices and control devices, the system is equipped with a function to determine abnormal conditions in communication, data, etc. for each measurement device that relays data, and to resolve the abnormality and notify the control device, thereby improving the collection of measurement data and reducing communication load, which is useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 2, 30 Surveillance System 4. Energy storage devices 6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-(n-1), 6-n measuring devices 8 Control Device 10 Abnormality monitoring function section 12 Processing Function Unit 14 Management Processing Functions 20 Data 20S, 23S transmission data 20R, 23R, 24R Reply data 22 Resend Data 201 Command Area 202 Data Area 203 Error Detection Information Area

Claims

1. A monitoring system in which a plurality of measuring devices that perform measurement processing on a managed device and a control device that controls the measurement processing of the measuring devices are daisy-chained by communication lines, the control device notifies transmission data including control information via the measuring devices, reply data is transmitted to the control device via each of the measuring devices in accordance with the control information, and the state of the device is monitored using the measurement data that each of the measuring devices adds to the reply data in a predetermined order, The measuring device is an abnormality monitoring function for monitoring an abnormal state of either or both of a communication state between the measurement device and the transmission data or a state of the response data received; a processing function of notifying the control device of the abnormal state by using the reply data; A monitoring system comprising:

2. the transmission data and the reply data include at least error detection information set for the control information or the measurement data, The measuring device is generating new error detection information for the received measurement data, and comparing the new error detection information with the error detection information in the returned data to determine whether the measurement data is in an abnormal state; If the measurement data is in an abnormal state, the measurement data in the received reply data is invalidated or converted into abnormal information, and the generated new measurement data is added to the reply data following the measurement data that has been invalidated or converted into abnormal information. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

3. The measuring device is If the received measurement data is determined to be abnormal, an instruction is sent to the measurement device that transmitted the measurement data to cause the measurement device to resend the reply data, and new error detection information is generated for the new measurement data in the resent reply data to determine whether the measurement data is abnormal; If it is determined that the new measurement data in the retransmitted reply data is not abnormal, the reply data to which the generated new measurement data is added is retransmitted together with the new measurement data in the retransmitted reply data. The monitoring system of claim 2 .

4. The monitoring system described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the control device identifies the measuring device whose measurement data has become abnormal based on the measurement data contained in the received reply data and the arrangement of the measurement data that has been invalidated or converted into abnormal information.

5. the control device is connected to a terminal measurement device among the measurement devices connected in a daisy chain by another communication line, the measuring device counts an elapsed time from the moment the transmission data is transmitted to another measuring device, and if the response data is not received within a predetermined time, determines that the communication state is abnormal, generates response data to which communication abnormality information and measurement information generated by the measuring device are added, and transmits the response data to the control device side; The control device identifies the measuring device or communication line in which the communication abnormality has occurred based on either or both of the communication abnormality information in the received reply data and the information indicating the abnormal state of the measurement data, and notifies the end measuring device of the transmission data via the other communication line to collect the measurement data. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

6. A monitoring method comprising a monitoring system in which a plurality of measurement devices that perform measurement processing on a managed device and a control device that controls the measurement processing of the measurement devices are daisy-chained via communication lines, wherein the control device notifies the measurement device of transmission data containing control information, and the control device transmits reply data to the control device via each of the measurement devices in accordance with the control information, and the monitoring method monitors the state of the device using measurement data that each of the measurement devices adds to the reply data in a predetermined order, a step of monitoring an abnormal state of either or both of a communication state between the measurement device and another measurement device and a state of the received measurement data with respect to the transmitted data or the returned data; a step in which the measuring device notifies the control device of the abnormal state by using the reply data; Monitoring methods including:

7. A monitoring program to be executed by a computer of a control device that configures a monitoring system by connecting a plurality of measurement devices that perform measurement processing on a device to be managed in a daisy chain via a communication line, a function of notifying transmission data including control information via the measuring devices, causing return data to be returned to the control device via each of the measuring devices in accordance with the control information, and adding measurement data measured by each of the measuring devices from the device to the return data in a predetermined order; a function of making each of the measuring devices monitor an abnormal state of either or both of a communication state with another measuring device and a state of the received measurement data with respect to the received transmission data or the received return data; a function of notifying the control device of the abnormal state monitored using the response data directly or via another measuring device; A monitoring program that causes the computer to execute the above.

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