Relay communication device and information storage system

Abstract

A relay communication device and an information storage system that improve the efficiency of information processing. [Solution] The relay communication device 32 comprises an receiving communication unit 80, an outgoing communication unit 82, and a communication control unit 84. The receiving communication unit receives information via serial communication. The outgoing communication unit transmits the information received by the receiving communication unit. The communication control unit controls the receiving communication unit to receive information. The communication control unit causes the outgoing communication unit to transmit the information received by the receiving communication unit. The receiving communication unit is capable of receiving information from multiple communication partners. The communication control unit controls the receiving communication unit to sequentially change the communication partner. When the communication partner is changed, the communication control unit causes the receiving communication unit to receive information from the new communication partner. The communication control unit stores the information received by the receiving communication unit. The communication control unit generates transmission information including the information stored in the receiving information storage unit. The communication control unit causes the outgoing communication unit to transmit the transmission information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay communication device and an information storage system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a monitoring control device. This monitoring control device includes a data processing terminal and a display terminal. The data processing terminal receives status signals transmitted from each of a plurality of pieces of equipment using different communication protocols. These status signals indicate the status of each piece of equipment detected by various sensors, etc. The data processing terminal then performs various types of data processing based on the status signals. Through such various types of data processing, the data processing terminal grasps the status of each piece of equipment. The display terminal displays the processed data on the data processing terminal. The monitoring control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can notify an equipment monitor of the status of each piece of equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-205163 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the idea disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that various information processes based on the reception of the status signal tend to become complicated.

[0005] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a relay communication device and an information storage system that can improve the efficiency of information processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The relay communication device and the information storage system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the reference numerals in the drawings are used in this section to facilitate understanding of the contents of the invention, and are not intended to limit the contents to the scope of the drawings.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, the relay communication device 32 includes an incoming communication unit 80, an outgoing communication unit 82, and a communication control unit 84. The incoming communication unit 80 receives information by serial communication. The outgoing communication unit 82 transmits the information received by the incoming communication unit 80. The communication control unit 84 controls the incoming communication unit 80 to receive information. The communication control unit 84 controls the outgoing communication unit 82 to transmit the information received by the incoming communication unit 80. The incoming communication unit 80 can receive information from a plurality of communication partners. The communication control unit 84 includes an outgoing communication unit control unit 130, an incoming information reception control unit 132, an incoming information storage unit 134, a transmission information generation unit 136, and an outgoing control unit 138. The outgoing communication unit control unit 130 controls the incoming communication unit 80 to sequentially change the communication partner. When the communication partner is changed, the incoming information reception control unit 132 controls the incoming communication unit 80 to receive information from the changed communication partner. The received information storage unit 134 stores information received by the received communication unit 80. When the received information storage unit 134 stores information received from at least two of the multiple communication partners, the transmission information generation unit 136 generates transmission information including the information stored in the received information storage unit 134. The sending control unit 138 controls the sending communication unit 82 to send the transmission information.

[0008] The other party control unit 130 controls the receiving communication unit 80 to change the communication partner in sequence. When the communication partner is changed, the receiving communication unit 80 receives information from the changed communication partner by serial communication. The reception is controlled by the receiving information reception control unit 132. The receiving information storage unit 134 stores the information received by the receiving communication unit 80. When the receiving information storage unit 134 stores the information received from at least two of the multiple communication partners, the transmission information generation unit 136 generates transmission information including the information stored in the receiving information storage unit 134. The sending control unit 138 controls the sending communication unit 82 to send the transmission information. When it is necessary to receive information from at least two communication partners by serial communication, it is extremely cumbersome to establish a state in which serial communication is possible and receive information each time. When the relay communication device 32 creates transmission information including the information, the device 34 receiving the transmission information can perform other information processing during the creation of the information. By enabling other information processing, the information processing becomes more efficient.

[0009] It is also preferable that the above-mentioned counterpart control unit 130 controls the receiving communication unit 80 so as to receive information from each of the multiple communication counterparts by sequentially changing the communication counterpart according to a predetermined order. In this case, it is preferable that the transmission information generation unit 136 generates transmission information so that the information received from each of the multiple communication counterparts is linked in a predetermined order.

[0010] Since the change of communication partners follows a predetermined order and the information received from each of the multiple communication partners is linked in that order, there is no need for information to identify which communication partner each piece of information was received from.By eliminating the need for such information, the efficiency of information processing is improved.

[0011] Alternatively, it is preferable that the above-mentioned counterpart control unit 130 controls the receiving communication unit 80 to change the communication counterpart following storage of information by the receiving information storage unit 134 .

[0012] The communication partner is changed following the storage of information by the received information storage unit 134. This allows the reception of information from each of the multiple communication partners to be completed quickly, compared to a case in which a large interval is provided between the storage of information received from one of the multiple communication partners and the reception of information from another of the multiple communication partners. As a result, the information processing becomes more efficient.

[0013] It is also preferable that the above-mentioned counterpart control unit 130 controls the receiving communication unit 80 so as to receive information from each of a plurality of communication counterparts at predetermined intervals.

[0014] The control of the receiving communication unit 80 by the remote control unit 130 to receive information from each of the multiple communication remote parties is repeated at a predetermined cycle. In this case, if the information is required after a time exceeding the predetermined cycle has elapsed, the information receiving device 34 can receive the information collectively. By receiving the information collectively, the efficiency of information processing is improved.

[0015] Alternatively, it is preferable that the above-mentioned transmission information generating unit 136 generates the transmission information at predetermined intervals. In this case, it is preferable that the sending control unit 138 controls the sending communication unit 82 to send the transmission information at predetermined intervals.

[0016] When transmission information is transmitted at a predetermined interval, if it is not necessary to transmit the transmission information at a time shorter than the interval, the information contained in the transmission information is equivalent to being obtained collectively. Since the information from each of a plurality of communication partners is equivalent to being transmitted collectively at regular intervals, the efficiency of information processing is improved.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, an information storage system includes a measuring device 30, a relay communication device 32, and a storage device 34. The measuring device 30 generates information indicating a predetermined physical quantity based on measurement. The measuring device 30 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity by serial communication. The relay communication device 32 receives the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity from the measuring device 30 by serial communication. The relay communication device 32 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity. The storage device 34 receives the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity transmitted by the relay communication device 32. The storage device 34 stores the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity. The information storage system includes a plurality of measuring devices 30. The measuring device 30 includes a sensor 50 and a measurement-side serial communication unit 52. The sensor 50 generates information indicating the predetermined physical quantity based on measurement. The measurement-side serial communication unit 52 is connected to the sensor 50 by wire. The measurement-side serial communication unit 52 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity generated by the sensor 50 by serial communication. The relay communication device 32 has an incoming communication unit 80, an outgoing communication unit 82, and a communication control unit 84. The incoming communication unit 80 receives information indicating a predetermined physical quantity from the measurement side serial communication unit 52 of each of the multiple measuring devices 30 by serial communication. The outgoing communication unit 82 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the incoming communication unit 80. The communication control unit 84 controls the incoming communication unit 80 to receive the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity. The communication control unit 84 controls the outgoing communication unit 82 to transmit the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the incoming communication unit 80. The communication control unit 84 has a counterpart control unit 130, an incoming information reception control unit 132, an incoming information storage unit 134, a transmission information generation unit 136, and a sending control unit 138. The counterpart control unit 130 controls the incoming communication unit 80 to sequentially change the measuring device 30 that is one of the multiple measuring devices 30 and is the communication counterpart of the incoming communication unit 80. The received information reception control unit 132 controls the received communication unit 80 to receive information indicating a predetermined physical quantity from the changed communication partner when the communication partner is changed. The received information storage unit 134 stores the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the received communication unit 80.When the received information storage unit 134 stores information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received from at least two communication partners among the multiple measuring devices 30, the transmission information generation unit 136 generates transmission information including the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity stored in the received information storage unit 134. The sending control unit 138 controls the sending communication unit 82 to send the transmission information. The storage device 34 has a storage device communication unit 110 and an internal storage device storage unit 114. The storage device communication unit 110 receives transmission information from the relay communication device 32. The internal storage device storage unit 114 stores information indicating the predetermined physical quantity included in the transmission information.

[0018] The measurement side serial communication unit 52 of the measurement device 30 transmits information indicating a predetermined physical quantity generated by the sensor 50 by serial communication. The receiving communication unit 80 of the relay communication device 32 receives information indicating the predetermined physical quantity transmitted by the measurement side serial communication unit 52 by serial communication. The sending communication unit 82 of the relay communication device 32 transmits information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the receiving communication unit 80. The other party control unit 130 controls the receiving communication unit 80 to sequentially change the communication partner. When the communication partner is changed, the receiving communication unit 80 receives information from the changed communication partner by serial communication. The reception is performed under the control of the receiving information reception control unit 132. The receiving information storage unit 134 stores the information received by the receiving communication unit 80. When the receiving information storage unit 134 stores information received from at least two communication partners among the multiple communication partners, the transmission information generation unit 136 generates transmission information including the information stored by the receiving information storage unit 134. The sending control unit 138 controls the sending communication unit 82 to send the transmission information. When it is necessary to receive information indicating a predetermined physical quantity from at least two communication partners by serial communication, it is extremely cumbersome to establish a state in which serial communication is possible and receive the information each time. By the relay communication device 32 creating the transmission information including the information, the storage device 34 becomes able to process other information while creating the information. By making other information processing possible, the efficiency of information processing is improved. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the relay communication device and information storage system of the present invention, information processing becomes more efficient. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a measurement device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a relay communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a communication control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0022] [Configuration of information storage system] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information storage system according to this embodiment. The configuration of the information storage system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0023] The information storage system according to this embodiment includes four measuring devices 30, a relay communication device 32, and a storage device .

[0024] The measuring device 30 generates information indicating a predetermined physical quantity based on the measurement. The measuring device 30 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity by serial communication. In this embodiment, the predetermined physical quantity is temperature and relative humidity. In this embodiment, the four measuring devices 30 are fixed inside the measurement object 200. The four measuring devices 30 measure the temperature and relative humidity at each point inside the measurement object 200. The relay communication device 32 is connected to each of the four measuring devices 30 by a wired transmission path. The relay communication device 32 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received from the measuring device 30 to the storage device 34. The transmission is performed via the computer network 300. As a result, the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity is transferred. The storage device 34 receives the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity from the relay communication device 32. The storage device 34 stores the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity.

[0025] [Measurement equipment configuration] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the measurement device 30 according to this embodiment. The configuration of the measurement device 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0026] In this embodiment, the measurement device 30 includes a sensor 50, a measurement-side serial communication unit 52, and a pull-up unit .

[0027] The sensor 50 generates information indicating a predetermined physical quantity based on the measurement. The measurement-side serial communication unit 52 is connected to the sensor 50 by wire. The measurement-side serial communication unit 52 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity generated by the sensor 50 by serial communication. The pull-up unit 54 pulls up the measurement-side serial communication unit 52.

[0028] In this embodiment, the sensor 50 has a temperature sensing unit 60 and a relative humidity sensing unit 62. The temperature sensing unit 60 generates information indicating temperature as information indicating the predetermined physical quantity. The temperature sensing unit 60 outputs the information in analog format. The relative humidity sensing unit 62 generates information indicating relative humidity as information indicating the predetermined physical quantity. The relative humidity sensing unit 62 also outputs the information as an analog signal.

[0029] In this embodiment, the measurement side serial communication unit 52 has an A / D (Analog / Digital) converter 70, a measurement side calculation unit 72, a measurement side storage unit 74, and a measurement side serial communication main unit 76. The A / D converter 70 converts analog signals output by the temperature sensing unit 60 and the relative humidity sensing unit 62 into digital signals. The A / D converter 70 outputs these signals to the measurement side calculation unit 72. The measurement side calculation unit 72 outputs information indicated by these signals to the measurement side serial communication main unit 76. The measurement side calculation unit 72 controls the measurement side serial communication main unit 76 to transmit the information indicated by these signals to the relay communication device 32. The measurement side calculation unit 72 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. The measurement side calculation unit 72 realizes such control by executing a program previously stored in the measurement side storage unit 74. The measurement side memory unit 74 stores information used by the measurement side calculation unit 72 during its operation and information indicated by a signal output by the A / D converter 70. The measurement side memory unit 74 is realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The measurement side serial communication main unit 76 communicates with the relay communication device 32. Accordingly, the measurement side serial communication main unit 76 transmits information output from the measurement side calculation unit 72 to the relay communication device 32. The communication in the measurement side serial communication main unit 76 is serial communication.

[0030] In this embodiment, the pull-up unit 54 receives power from the relay communication device 32. The pull-up unit 54 uses the power to pull up the measurement-side serial communication main unit 76 of the measurement-side serial communication unit 52. Since specific means for pull-up are well known, detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0031] [Configuration of relay communication device] 3 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the relay communication device 32 according to this embodiment. The configuration of the relay communication device 32 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0032] In this embodiment, the relay communication device 32 includes an incoming communication unit 80, an outgoing communication unit 82, and a communication control unit 84.

[0033] The receiving communication unit 80 is connected to the measurement side serial communication unit 52 of the measuring device 30 by wire. The receiving communication unit 80 receives information indicating a predetermined physical quantity transmitted by the measurement side serial communication unit 52 by serial communication. In this embodiment, the serial communication is performed via a wired transmission path. In this embodiment, the receiving communication unit 80 is realized by, for example, a multiplexer, that is, a device that outputs information transmitted by one of multiple transmission sources according to a control signal input from the outside. This enables the relay communication device 32 to communicate with the four measuring devices 30 described above. Note that the receiving communication unit 80 according to this embodiment relays power supplied to the measuring device 30 by a power supply unit 98 described later.

[0034] The sending communication unit 82 transmits information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the receiving communication unit 80. In the present embodiment, the sending communication unit 82 transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity via the computer network 300. Since the device itself that realizes the function of the sending communication unit 82 is well known, a detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0035] The communication control unit 84 controls the receiving communication unit 80 to receive information indicating the predetermined physical quantity. The communication control unit 84 controls the sending communication unit 82 to transmit information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the receiving communication unit 80. To this end, in the case of this embodiment, the communication control unit 84 first receives information output by the receiving communication unit 80, i.e., information indicating the predetermined physical quantity transmitted by the measurement-side serial communication unit 52. The communication control unit 84 outputs the received information indicating the predetermined physical quantity to the sending communication unit 82.

[0036] In this embodiment, the communication control unit 84 has a receiving communication unit 90, a communication control calculation unit 92, a communication control storage unit 94, an output communication unit 96, a power supply unit 98, and a connector 100. The receiving communication unit 90 communicates with the receiving communication unit 80 under the control of the communication control calculation unit 92. The communication control calculation unit 92 performs a predetermined information processing on the information output by the receiving communication unit 80, that is, the information indicating a predetermined physical quantity transmitted by the measurement side serial communication unit 52. One of the information processing is to convert the information output by the receiving communication unit 80 into a format usable by the storage device 34. The communication control calculation unit 92 is realized by a CPU or the like. The communication control calculation unit 92 executes a program read from the USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory 250 via the connector 100 and stored in the communication control storage unit 94, thereby controlling each device constituting the communication control unit 84 according to a procedure defined in the program. Specific contents of the functions realized by the communication control calculation unit 92 will be described later. The communication control memory unit 94 stores various information required when the communication control calculation unit 92 performs information processing. The communication control memory unit 94 is realized by ROM, RAM, etc. The communication control memory unit 94 stores programs. In addition, the communication control memory unit 94 temporarily stores information output by the receiving communication unit 80. The output side communication unit 96 communicates with the sending communication unit 82 according to the control of the communication control calculation unit 92. The power supply unit 98 is connected to the measuring device 30. The power supply unit 98 supplies power to the measuring device 30 via the receiving communication unit 80. The connector 100 accepts programs stored in the USB memory 250.

[0037] 4 is a functional block diagram of the communication control unit 84 according to the present embodiment. The function of the communication control unit 84 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0038] The communication control unit 84 according to this embodiment has a counterpart control unit 130 , an accepted information reception control unit 132 , an accepted information storage unit 134 , a transmission information generation unit 136 , and a sending control unit 138 .

[0039] The other party control unit 130 controls the receiving communication unit 80 to change the communication party in sequence. In the present embodiment, for this purpose, the other party control unit 130 transmits a digital signal to the receiving communication unit 80. The receiving communication unit 80 that receives the digital signal establishes communication with a measuring device 30 different from the measuring device 30 with which it had been communicating up until that point. In the present embodiment, the change in the communication party follows a predetermined sequence.

[0040] When the communication partner of the receiving communication unit 80 is changed under the control of the partner control unit 130 and communication with the changed communication partner is established, the receiving information reception control unit 132 performs the control described below. This control is for receiving information indicating a predetermined physical quantity from the changed communication partner. The receiving information reception control unit 132 controls the receiving communication unit 80 for this reception. As a result, the receiving communication unit 80 receives information indicating the predetermined physical quantity from each of the four measuring devices 30 included in the information storage system according to this embodiment.

[0041] The receiving information storage unit 134 stores information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the receiving communication unit 80. As described above, the receiving communication unit 80 receives information indicating the predetermined physical quantity from each of the four measuring devices 30. As a result, the receiving information storage unit 134 stores information indicating the predetermined physical quantity transmitted by each of the four measuring devices 30.

[0042] The transmission information generating unit 136 generates transmission information. In the present embodiment, the transmission information includes information indicating the predetermined physical quantity stored in the received information storage unit 134. In the present embodiment, when the received information storage unit 134 stores the information received from each of the four measuring devices 30, the transmission information generating unit 136 generates transmission information including the information stored in the received information storage unit 134. As a result, the generated transmission information includes information indicating the predetermined physical quantity transmitted by each of the four measuring devices 30. Moreover, in the generated information, the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity transmitted by each of the four measuring devices 30 follows the predetermined order described above.

[0043] The sending control unit 138 controls the sending communication unit 82 so as to send the transmission information generated by the transmission information generation unit 136 .

[0044] The operation of the communication control unit 84 according to this embodiment is realized by the above-mentioned communication control calculation unit 92 executing a program read from the USB memory 250. Such a program may be distributed in a state recorded on a recording medium readable by the computer 20. The USB memory 250 is one type of such recording medium. Such a program may also be distributed via the well-known Internet. In the case of this embodiment, such a program is temporarily stored in the communication control storage unit 94. Therefore, the most essential part of the communication control unit 84 according to this embodiment is the program recorded on a recording medium such as the USB memory 250.

[0045] [Storage device configuration] 5 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the storage device 34 according to this embodiment. The configuration of the measuring device 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0046] In this embodiment, the storage device 34 includes a storage device communication unit 110 , a storage device calculation unit 112 , an internal storage device storage unit 114 , an input reception unit 116 , and a display unit 118 .

[0047] The storage device communication unit 110 receives information indicating a predetermined physical quantity from the relay communication device 32 via the computer network 300 .

[0048] The storage device calculation unit 112 performs a predetermined information processing on the information received by the storage device communication unit 110, i.e., information indicating a predetermined physical quantity. One type of information processing is to generate information indicating a transition of the physical quantity identified by the sensor 50 in the form of a graph. Another type of information processing is to generate a collection of information indicating the physical quantity identified by the sensor 50. The storage device calculation unit 112 is realized by a CPU or the like. The storage device calculation unit 112 realizes such information processing by executing a program previously stored in the storage device internal storage unit 114. The specific content of the information processing performed by the storage device calculation unit 112 will be described later.

[0049] The storage device internal storage unit 114 is realized by a ROM, a RAM, a fixed disk, etc. The storage device internal storage unit 114 stores various information required when the storage device calculation unit 112 performs information processing. The storage device internal storage unit 114 stores information indicating a predetermined physical quantity received by the storage device communication unit 110.

[0050] The input receiving unit 116 receives input of instructions by an operator of the storage device 34 according to this embodiment and input of information by the operator.

[0051] The display unit 118 displays information under the control of the storage device calculation unit 112. An example of the information displayed on the display unit 118 is information showing the transition of the physical quantity identified by the sensor 50 in the form of a graph.

[0052] [Explanation of operation] The operation of the information storage system according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0053] When both the relay communication device 32 and the storage device 34 are started up, the sending communication unit 82 of the relay communication device 32 operates under the control of the communication control unit 84 so as to be in a state capable of communicating with the storage device communication unit 110 of the storage device 34. The storage device communication unit 110 of the storage device 34 operates under the control of the storage device calculation unit 112 so as to be in a state capable of communicating with the sending communication unit 82 of the relay communication device 32. Through these operations, the sending communication unit 82 of the relay communication device 32 and the storage device communication unit 110 of the storage device 34 are in a state capable of communicating with each other. The specific content and procedure of the operations for achieving this state are well known, and therefore a detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0054] In parallel with the operation of the sending communication partner control unit 130 82, the receiving communication unit 80 of the relay communication device 32 operates under the control of the partner control unit 130 so as to be in a state in which communication is possible with any of the measurement side serial communication units 52 of the measuring device 30. The power supply unit 98 of the relay communication device 32 starts supplying power to the measuring device 30. With the start of the power supply, the measurement side serial communication unit 52 and the pull-up unit 54 of the measuring device 30 start operating. The measurement side serial communication main unit 76 of the measurement side serial communication unit 52 operates under the control of the measurement side calculation unit 72 so as to be in a state in which communication is possible with the receiving communication unit 80 of the relay communication device 32. With these operations, the measurement side serial communication unit 52 of the measuring device 30 and the receiving communication unit 80 of the relay communication device 32 are in a state in which communication is possible. The specific contents and procedures of the operations for achieving this state are well known, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated here.

[0055] When power supply to the measurement device 30 starts, the temperature sensing unit 60 of the measurement device 30 generates information indicating the temperature. The temperature sensing unit 60 outputs the information to the A / D converter 70. The relative humidity sensing unit 62 of the measurement device 30 generates information indicating the relative humidity. The relative humidity sensing unit 62 also outputs the information to the A / D converter 70. The A / D converter 70 outputs the information to the measurement side calculation unit 72.

[0056] The communication control unit 84 of the relay communication device 32 performs the following process at predetermined intervals (one minute in this embodiment).

[0057] First, the receiving information reception control unit 132 of the communication control unit 84 controls the receiving communication unit 80. The content of the control is to request the measurement device 30, which is the communication partner, to transmit information. Information indicating the request is transmitted from the receiving communication unit 80 to the communication partner. When the measurement side serial communication unit 52 of the communication partner receives the information indicating the request, the measurement side calculation unit 72 of the measurement device 30 outputs the information output by the A / D converter 70 to the measurement side serial communication main unit 76. The measurement side serial communication main unit 76 transmits the output information to the relay communication device 32 according to the control of the measurement side calculation unit 72. The receiving communication unit 80 of the relay communication device 32 receives the transmitted information. As a result, the information indicating the temperature and the information indicating the relative humidity generated by the communication partner are received.

[0058] The receiving communication unit 80 outputs the received information to the transmission information generation unit 136. The transmission information generation unit 136 converts the information indicating the relative humidity among the information output by the receiving communication unit 80 into a format usable by the storage device 34. When the format of the information indicating the relative humidity is converted, the transmission information generation unit 136 stores the information whose format has been converted and the information indicating the temperature in the receiving information storage unit 134.

[0059] When the receiving information storage unit 134 stores the information, the other party control unit 130 controls the receiving communication unit 80 to change the communication partner. That is, in this embodiment, the receiving communication unit 80 is controlled to change the communication partner following the storage of information by the receiving information storage unit 134. In this embodiment, in order to change the communication partner, the other party control unit 130 transmits a digital signal to the receiving communication unit 80. The receiving communication unit 80 that receives the digital signal establishes communication with a measuring device 30 other than the measuring device 30 with which it has been communicating. In this embodiment, the communication partner is changed sequentially according to a predetermined order. Therefore, the measuring device 30 that requests the next information transmission is uniquely determined based on the measuring device 30 that is the sender of the information indicating the temperature and the information indicating the relative humidity. When the communication partner is changed and communication is established with the measuring device 30 that is the new communication partner, the communication control unit 84 receives and stores information from the new communication partner in the same procedure as described above.

[0060] When the information indicating the relative humidity and the information indicating the temperature are received from all the measuring devices 30 connected to the relay communication device 32 and stored in the received information storage unit 134, the transmission information generation unit 136 generates transmission information. In the present embodiment, the transmission information includes the information indicating the relative humidity and the information indicating the temperature stored in the received information storage unit 134. In the transmission information, the information indicating the relative humidity and the information indicating the temperature are linked according to the following rule. The rule is that, between the information indicating the relative humidity and the information indicating the temperature transmitted from one measuring device 30, the information which is linked first is determined, and between the information transmitted from different measuring devices 30, the information which is linked first is determined depending on which measuring device 30 is the transmission source. As a result, in the information included in the transmission information, it is uniquely determined which measuring device 30 transmitted the information indicates which physical quantity. The transmission control unit 138 controls the transmission communication unit 82 to transmit the transmission information generated by the transmission information generation unit 136.

[0061] In this embodiment, the above-described processes are performed at predetermined intervals by the communication control unit 84 of the relay communication device 32. Therefore, in the relay communication device 32, these processes are repeated at predetermined intervals.

[0062] The storage device communication unit 110 of the storage device 34 sequentially receives the transmission information transmitted from the relay communication device 32. The storage device communication unit 110 outputs information contained in the transmission information to the storage device calculation unit 112. The information contained in the transmission information is information indicating temperature and information indicating relative humidity transmitted from each of the four measuring devices 30. The storage device calculation unit 112 stores the information in the storage device internal memory unit 114. Since the transmission of the transmission information is repeated, the process of storing the information contained in the transmission information is repeated in the same manner in the storage device 34.

[0063] When the storage device calculation unit 112 of the storage device 34 receives an instruction from the operator via the input reception unit 116, it creates the information described below. The information shows the temperature transition and the relative humidity transition in a graph format. When the information is created, the storage device calculation unit 112 stores the created information in the storage device internal memory unit 114. In addition, the storage device calculation unit 112 outputs the created information to the display unit 118. The display unit 118 displays the information.

[0064] Furthermore, when the storage device calculation unit 112 of the storage device 34 receives a request from an information processing device (not shown) via the computer network 300, it transmits the following information to the information processing device. The information includes information indicating the relative humidity and information indicating the temperature transmitted from the relay communication device 32 during a predetermined period (one day in this embodiment). The information is stored in the storage unit 114 in the storage device.

[0065] [Effect description] In the above manner, in the information storage system according to this embodiment, the relay communication device 32 transmits transmission information. The sensor 50 transmits information indicating temperature and information indicating relative humidity by serial communication, but it is extremely cumbersome to establish a state in which serial communication is possible and receive the information each time. The relay communication device 32 creates transmission information including the information, and the storage device 34 becomes capable of other information processing during the creation of the information. The ability to process other information makes information processing more efficient.

[0066] [Description of Modifications] The above-mentioned information storage system is exemplified to embody the technical idea of ​​the present invention. The configuration of each device is not limited to those in these embodiments. The configuration of each device may be modified in various ways.

[0067] For example, the number of measuring devices 30 is not limited to 4. The physical quantities indicated by the information generated by the measuring device 30 are not limited to temperature and relative humidity.

[0068] There is no particular limit to the number of types of physical quantities detected by the sensor 50. The physical quantities detected by the sensor 50 may be only temperature, only relative humidity, or other physical quantities, or may be three or more types of physical quantities. There is no particular limit to the specific structure for generating information indicating those physical quantities. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 30…Measuring equipment 32...Relay communication device 34…Storage device 50…Sensor 52…Measurement side serial communication section 54…Pull-up section 60...Temperature sensing section 62…Relative humidity sensing section 70...A / D converter 72...Measurement side calculation unit 74…Measuring side memory unit 76…Measurement side serial communication main unit 80…Reception and Correspondence Department 82…Transmission communication section 84...Communication control unit 86…Connector 90…Reception communication department 92...Communication control calculation unit 94…Communication control memory unit 96...Output communication section 98…Power supply section 110...storage device communication unit 112...Storage device calculation unit 114...Storage unit in storage device 116... Input reception section 118...Display section 200…Measurement object 250…USB memory 300…Computer Networks

Claims

1. A receiving and communicating unit that receives information through serial communication; a sending communication unit that transmits the information received by the receiving communication unit; a communication control unit that controls the receiving communication unit to receive the information, and controls the sending communication unit to send the information received by the receiving communication unit, The receiving communication unit is capable of receiving the information from a plurality of communication partners, The communication control unit, a counterpart control unit that controls the receiving communication unit so as to sequentially change the communication counterpart; an acceptance information reception control unit that controls the acceptance communication unit so as to receive the information from the changed communication partner when the communication partner is changed; an accepted information storage unit that stores the information received by the accepted communication unit; a transmission information generating unit that generates transmission information including the information stored in the reception information storing unit when the reception information storing unit stores the information received from at least two of the plurality of communication counterparts; a transmission control unit that controls the transmission communication unit so as to transmit the transmission information.

2. the counterpart control unit controls the receiving communication unit to receive the information from each of the plurality of communication counterparts by sequentially changing the communication counterparts according to a predetermined order; 2. The relay communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission information generating unit generates the transmission information so that the information received from each of the plurality of communication partners is linked in the predetermined order.

3. 3. The relay communication device according to claim 2, wherein the other party control unit controls the receiving communication unit so as to change the communication other party following storage of the information by the receiving information storage unit.

4. 3. The relay communication device according to claim 2, wherein the control of the receiving communication unit by the remote control unit to receive the information from each of the plurality of communication remote parties is repeated at predetermined intervals.

5. the transmission information generating unit generates the transmission information for each predetermined period, 5. The relay communication device according to claim 4, wherein the transmission control unit controls the transmission communication unit so as to transmit the transmission information at each of the predetermined cycles.

6. a measurement device that generates information indicating a predetermined physical quantity based on a measurement and transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity via serial communication; a relay communication device that receives information indicating the predetermined physical quantity from the measuring device through serial communication and transmits the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity; a storage device that receives information indicating the predetermined physical quantity transmitted by the relay communication device and stores the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity, the information accumulation system includes a plurality of the measuring devices, The measuring device comprises: a sensor that generates information indicating the predetermined physical quantity based on the measurement; a measurement-side serial communication unit that is connected to the sensor by wire and transmits information indicating the predetermined physical quantity generated by the sensor by serial communication; The relay communication device, a receiving and communicating unit configured to receive information indicating the predetermined physical quantity from the measurement-side serial communication unit of each of the plurality of measuring devices through serial communication; a sending communication unit that sends information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the receiving communication unit; a communication control unit that controls the receiving communication unit to receive information indicating the predetermined physical quantity, and controls the sending communication unit to send information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the receiving communication unit, the receiving and communicating unit is capable of receiving the information from the plurality of measuring devices; The communication control unit, a counterpart control unit that controls the receiving and communicating unit so as to sequentially change the measuring device that is a communication counterpart of the receiving and communicating unit, the measuring device being one of the plurality of measuring devices; a reception information reception control unit that controls the reception communication unit to receive information indicating the predetermined physical quantity from the changed communication partner when the communication partner is changed; an acceptance information storage unit that stores information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received by the acceptance communication unit; a transmission information generating unit that generates transmission information including the information indicating the predetermined physical quantity stored in the reception information storing unit when the reception information storing unit stores information indicating the predetermined physical quantity received from at least two of the plurality of measuring devices; a transmission control unit that controls the transmission communication unit to transmit the transmission information, The storage device, a storage device communication unit for receiving the transmission information from the relay communication device; and a storage unit within a storage device that stores information indicating the predetermined physical quantity contained in the transmitted information.

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