Data recording device, data recording method, and data recording program

Abstract

To provide a data recording device, a data recording method, and a data recording program.SOLUTION: A data recording device comprises: a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measuring object from a plurality of sensors; a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from at least any one sensor of the plurality of sensors by using the measurement data acquired from other sensors of the plurality of sensors; a determination unit that determines a set of sensors that can reproduce the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors within a predetermined allowable range by using the acquired measurement data and the predicted measurement data; a data selection unit that selects the measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set preferentially over the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set; and a data recording unit that records the selected measurement data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a data recording device, a data recording method, and a data recording program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that "the amount of data to be recorded is reduced by deleting part of the measurement data from a target sensor based on measurement data from other sensors." [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP2021-196316 Summary of the Invention

[0003] A first aspect of the present invention provides a data recording device comprising: a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement target from a plurality of sensors, a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from at least one of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors among the plurality of sensors, a determination unit that determines a set of sensors that can reproduce the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors within a predetermined tolerance range using the acquired measurement data and the predicted measurement data, a data selection unit that selects, from the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set, and a data recording unit that records the selected measurement data.

[0004] In the data recording device, the determination unit may have an assignment unit that assigns identification information to the other sensors indicating whether a predicted value, obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors, is within the acceptable range, and a sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the acceptable range is assigned may be included in the set.

[0005] In any of the data recording devices, the determination unit may include a generation unit that generates a plurality of candidate sets of sensors that can reproduce the measurement data obtained from the plurality of sensors within a predetermined tolerance range, and a set selection unit that selects the set from the plurality of candidate sets in accordance with predetermined criteria.

[0006] In any of the data recording devices, the generation unit may generate the multiple candidate sets based on an exhaustive search of patterns in which a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors falls within the acceptable range.

[0007] In any of the data recording devices, the set selection section may select, from among the plurality of candidate sets, a candidate set that results in a smaller amount of the measurement data to be recorded in preference to a candidate set that results in a larger amount of the measurement data to be recorded.

[0008] In any of the data recording devices, the set selection unit may select, from among the plurality of candidate sets, a candidate set that results in a smaller difference between the acquired measurement data and the predicted measurement data, in preference to a candidate set that results in a larger difference.

[0009] In any of the data recording devices, the allowable range may be set to a different range for each sensor.

[0010] In any of the data recording devices, the data recording section may delete measurement data obtained from sensors not included in the set, and record only the measurement data obtained from the sensors included in the set.

[0011] In any of the data recording devices, the data recording section may record the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set by reducing the amount of data per unit time.

[0012] In any of the data recording devices, the data recording section may record the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set by reducing the data size per piece of data.

[0013] In any of the data recording devices, the data recording section may record the selected measurement data in response to a remaining recordable capacity falling below a predetermined threshold.

[0014] In any of the data recording devices, the data recording section may record the selected measurement data in response to a lapse of a predetermined time.

[0015] Any of the data recording devices may further comprise a data transmission unit for transmitting the selected measurement data to another system or device.

[0016] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data recording method, which is executed by a computer and includes the steps of: acquiring measurement data from a plurality of sensors measuring a measurement target; predicting measurement data acquired from at least one of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors of the plurality of sensors; determining a set of sensors capable of reproducing the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors within a predetermined tolerance range using the acquired measurement data and the predicted measurement data; selecting, from the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set; and recording the selected measurement data.

[0017] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data recording program, which is executed by a computer and causes the computer to function as a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement target from a plurality of sensors, a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from at least one of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors among the plurality of sensors, a determination unit that determines a set of sensors that can reproduce the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors within a predetermined tolerance range using the acquired measurement data and the predicted measurement data, a data selection unit that selects, from the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set, and a data recording unit that records the selected measurement data.

[0018] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 shows an example of the flow of a data recording method by the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] An example of a flow in which the determination unit 140 of the data recording device 100 according to this embodiment determines a set of sensors will be described below. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a data recording device 100 according to a modified example of the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] An example of a brute force search of patterns that may be considered by the data recording device 100 according to the modified example of this embodiment will be described below. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a data recording device 100 according to another modified example of the present embodiment. [Figure 7]An example of a computer 9900 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part, is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0021] 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a data recording device 100 according to this embodiment. The data recording device 100 acquires and records measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement target from a plurality of sensors. The data recording device 100 then determines a set of sensors that can reproduce the acquired measurement data within an acceptable range, and selectively records the acquired measurement data according to the set.

[0022] The data recording device 100 may be a computer such as a PC (personal computer), a tablet computer, a smartphone, a workstation, a server computer, or a general-purpose computer, or may be a computer system to which multiple computers are connected. Such a computer system is also a computer in a broad sense. The data recording device 100 may be implemented by one or more virtual computer environments that can be executed within a computer. Alternatively, the data recording device 100 may be a dedicated computer designed for recording data, or may be dedicated hardware realized by a dedicated circuit. In addition, if the data recording device 100 is connectable to the Internet, it may be realized by cloud computing.

[0023] The data recording device 100 includes a data acquisition unit 110, a data recording unit 120, a data prediction unit 130, a determination unit 140, and a data selection unit 150. These blocks are functionally separated functional blocks and may not necessarily match the actual device configuration. That is, even if one block is shown in this figure, it does not necessarily have to be configured by one device. Also, even if separate blocks are shown in this figure, they do not necessarily have to be configured by separate devices. The same applies to the block diagrams that follow.

[0024] The data acquiring unit 110 acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement target from a plurality of sensors. The data acquiring unit 110 supplies the acquired measurement data to the data recording unit 120.

[0025] The data recording unit 120 records the measurement data acquired by the data acquiring unit 110. The data recording unit 120 also records the measurement data selected by the data selecting unit 150, which will be described later.

[0026] The data prediction unit 130 predicts the measurement data acquired from at least one of the multiple sensors using the measurement data acquired from the other sensors of the multiple sensors. The data prediction unit 130 supplies the predicted measurement data (predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data) to the determination unit 140.

[0027] The determination unit 140 uses the measurement data acquired by the data acquisition unit 110 and the measurement data predicted by the data prediction unit 130 to determine a set of sensors that can reproduce the measurement data acquired from multiple sensors within a predetermined tolerance range.

[0028] In this embodiment, the determination unit 140 includes an assignment unit 145. The assignment unit 145 assigns, to the other sensors, identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range. Then, the determination unit 140 determines a set of sensors according to the identification information. This will be described in detail later. The determination unit 140 supplies information indicating the determined set of sensors to the data selection unit 150.

[0029] The data selection unit 150 selects, among the measurement data acquired from a plurality of sensors, the measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set determined by the determination unit 140 in preference to the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set. The data selection unit 150 supplies information indicating the selection result to the data recording unit 120. In response to this, the data recording unit 120 records the measurement data selected by the data selection unit 150.

[0030] A method for recording measurement data by data recording device 100 having such functional units will be described in detail using a flow chart.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows an example of the flow of a data recording method by the data recording device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0032] In step S210, the data recording device 100 acquires measurement data. For example, the data acquiring unit 110 acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement target from each of a plurality of sensors in time series via a communication network.

[0033] Such a communication network may be a network connecting multiple computers. For example, the communication network may be a global network that interconnects multiple computer networks, and as an example, the communication network may be the Internet using the Internet Protocol. Alternatively, the communication network may be realized by a dedicated line. That is, the data acquisition unit 110 can directly or indirectly communicate with a mobile phone, a smartphone, a fourth generation (4G) terminal, a fifth generation (5G) terminal, etc., to acquire measurement data.

[0034] In the above description, the data acquisition unit 110 acquires measurement data from a plurality of sensors via a communication network as an example, but is not limited to this. The data acquisition unit 110 may acquire measurement data from a plurality of sensors via other means than a communication network, such as user input or various memory devices.

[0035] Here, the multiple sensors are capable of acquiring measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement target. Such multiple sensors may be, for example, sensors installed in an OT (Operational Technology) area (for example, sensors for process control (measurement)) or IoT (Internet of Things) sensors, and may be, for example, industrial sensors connected to or integrated with one or more field devices installed in a plant.

[0036] Here, such plants may be, for example, chemical and other industrial plants, plants that manage and control wellheads and their surrounding areas of gas fields and oil fields, plants that manage and control hydroelectric, thermal, nuclear, and other power generation, plants that manage and control environmental power generation such as solar and wind power, and plants that manage and control water supply and sewage systems and dams, etc.

[0037] In addition, the field devices installed in such a plant may be, for example, sensor devices such as pressure gauges, flow meters, and temperature sensors; valve devices such as flow control valves and on-off valves; actuator devices such as fans and motors; imaging devices such as cameras and videos that capture images of conditions and objects within the plant; audio devices such as microphones and speakers that collect abnormal sounds within the plant and emit alarm sounds; and position detection devices that output position information of each device.

[0038] Therefore, the data acquiring unit 110 may acquire measurement data measured by the sensor itself or inside the field device, such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, acceleration, magnetic field, position, camera image, switch on / off data, sound, and combinations of these. The data acquiring unit 110 may also acquire values ​​generated using mathematical expressions based on these data as measurement data. The data acquiring unit 110 supplies the acquired measurement data to the data recording unit 120.

[0039] In step S220, the data recording device 100 records the measurement data. For example, the data recording unit 120 records the measurement data acquired from the multiple sensors in step S210 in chronological order for each sensor in the order in which each sensor performed measurement.

[0040] In step S230, data recording device 100 determines whether the remaining capacity in which measurement data can be recorded is below a predetermined threshold. For example, data recording device 100 calculates the remaining capacity in which measurement data can be recorded by subtracting the total capacity of the measurement data recorded in step S220 from the total capacity in which measurement data can be recorded. Then, data recording device 100 compares the calculated remaining capacity with the threshold. If it is determined as a result of the comparison that the remaining capacity is not below the threshold (No), data recording device 100 proceeds to step S240.

[0041] In step S240, the data recording device 100 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed. In this case, the data recording device 100 may use, for example, the time when the measurement data was first recorded in step S220 as the starting point of the time elapse, or the time when the measurement data recorded in step S220 was last accessed. The data recording device 100 compares the elapsed time with the predetermined time. If it is determined as a result of the comparison that the predetermined time has not elapsed (No), the data recording device 100 returns the process to step S210 and continues the flow.

[0042] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S230 that the remaining capacity is below the threshold (Yes), or if it is determined in step S240 that the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes), data recording device 100 advances the process to step S250.

[0043] In step S250, the data recording device 100 predicts the measurement data. For example, the data prediction unit 130 accesses the data recording unit 120 and acquires the measurement data recorded in step S220. Then, the data prediction unit 130 predicts the measurement data acquired from at least one of the multiple sensors using the measurement data acquired from the other sensors of the multiple sensors.

[0044] Here, the value of the measurement data acquired from the sensor is called the "actual measurement value," and the value predicted from the measurement data is called the "predicted value." In this case, for example, when predicting the measurement data acquired from the sensor to be predicted (i.e., "at least one of the sensors"), the data prediction unit 130 may calculate the predicted value of the sensor to be predicted by substituting the actual measurement value of the sensor to be predicted (i.e., "other sensor") into a predetermined formula.

[0045] As an example, it is assumed that the data recording device 100 has acquired measurement data of sensors 1 to 5. It is assumed that the actual measurement value of sensor 1 is known to be correlated with the actual measurement value of sensor 2 and the actual measurement value of sensor 3. In this case, when predicting the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 to be predicted, the data prediction unit 130 may calculate the predicted value of sensor 1 by substituting the actual measurement value of sensor 2 and the actual measurement value of sensor 3, which are the prediction source, into a predetermined formula. Similarly, as an example, it is assumed that the actual measurement value of sensor 4 is known to be correlated with the actual measurement value of sensor 5. In this case, when predicting the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 to be predicted, the data prediction unit 130 may calculate the predicted value of sensor 4 by substituting the actual measurement value of sensor 5, which is the prediction source, into a predetermined formula.

[0046] In this case, the sensor to be predicted and the sensor to be the source of the prediction do not need to measure the same type of physical quantity, and may be different from each other. For example, the data prediction unit 130 can calculate the predicted value of the pressure P by substituting the actual measured value of the flow rate F and the actual measured value of the temperature T into a predetermined formula.

[0047] In the above description, a case where the correlation between the measurement data acquired from a plurality of sensors is known is shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The correlation between the measurement data acquired from a plurality of sensors may vary depending on, for example, the installation environment of the sensors. In such a case, the data prediction unit 130 may perform, for example, regression analysis on the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors. As an example, the data prediction unit 130 may calculate a regression coefficient so that the difference between the predicted value of the sensor to be predicted and the value obtained by multiplying the actual measurement value of the sensor to be predicted by the regression coefficient is minimized. Then, the data prediction unit 130 may calculate the predicted value of the sensor to be predicted using the regression coefficient that minimizes the difference. The data prediction unit 130 supplies the predicted measurement data (predicted value) to the determination unit 140.

[0048] In step S260, the data recording device 100 determines a set of sensors. For example, the determination unit 140 accesses the data recording unit 120 and acquires the measurement data recorded in step S220. Then, the determination unit 140 uses the acquired measurement data and the measurement data predicted in step S250 to determine a set of sensors that can reproduce the measurement data acquired from a plurality of sensors within a predetermined tolerance range. At this time, in this embodiment, the assignment unit 145 assigns identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using the measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within a tolerance range to the other sensors. Then, the determination unit 140 determines the set of sensors by including the sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the tolerance range is assigned in the set. This will be described in detail later. The determination unit 140 supplies information indicating the determined set of sensors to the data selection unit 150.

[0049] In step S270, the data recording device 100 selects measurement data. For example, the data selection unit 150 selects, among the measurement data acquired from a plurality of sensors, the measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set determined in step S260 in preference to the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set. As an example, when the determined set includes sensors 2, 3, and 5, the data selection unit 150 selects the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 included in the set in preference to the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4 not included in the set.

[0050] At this time, the data selection unit 150 may select only the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 included in the set, and may not select the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4 not included in the set. Alternatively, the data selection unit 150 may select the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 included in the set as "high" priority data, and select the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4 not included in the set as "low" priority data. The data selection unit 150 supplies information indicating the selection result to the data recording unit 120.

[0051] In step S280, the data recording device 100 records the selected measurement data. For example, the data recording unit 120 records the measurement data selected in step S270. As an example, if only the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 are selected in step S270, the data recording unit 120 may delete the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4 and record only the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5. In this way, for example, the data recording unit 120 can also delete the measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set and record only the measurement data acquired from sensors included in the set.

[0052] Furthermore, if the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 are selected as "high" priority data and the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4 are selected as "low" priority data in step S270, the data recording unit 120 may record the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4, which have low priorities, by reducing the number of data per unit time (by thinning out the number of samples in the time axis direction). In this way, for example, the data recording unit 120 can also record the measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set by reducing the number of data per unit time.

[0053] Furthermore, if the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 are selected as "high" priority data and the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4 are selected as "low" priority data in step S270, the data recording unit 120 may record the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4, which have low priority, by reducing the data size per data piece (by reducing the bit width (number of quantization bits) in the magnitude axis direction). In this way, for example, the data recording unit 120 can also record the measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set by reducing the data size per data piece.

[0054] In this manner, for example, the data recording device 100 selectively records the measurement data and ends the flow. In this manner, the data recording section 120 may record the selected measurement data in response to the remaining recordable capacity falling below a predetermined threshold (in response to a determination of Yes in step S230). Also, the data recording section 120 may record the selected measurement data in response to the passage of a predetermined time (in response to a determination of Yes in step S240).

[0055] 3 shows an example of a flow in which the determination unit 140 of the data recording device 100 according to this embodiment determines a set of sensors. In this flow, i indicates the index of the sensor. Also, n indicates the number of sensors. For example, when the data recording device 100 acquires measurement data from sensors 1 to 5, n is 5.

[0056] In step S310, the determining unit 140 sets i to an initial value of 1. When i=1, the sensor 1 is the target sensor.

[0057] In step S320, the determination unit 140 determines whether or not identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range is assigned to the target sensor. When i=1, the determination unit 140 determines whether or not identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range is assigned to sensor 1. At this point in time, such identification information has not been assigned to any sensor, so the determination result is "No." In this case, the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S330.

[0058] In step S330, the determining unit 140 acquires a predicted value of the target sensor. In the case of i=1, the determining unit 140 acquires a predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data acquired from the target sensor, sensor 1, using the measurement data acquired from at least one of the other sensors, sensors 2 to 5, from the data predicting unit 130. As an example, it is assumed that the data predicting unit 130 has calculated a predicted value obtained by predicting the actual measurement value of the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 using the actual measurement value of the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3. In this case, the determining unit 140 may acquire the predicted value as the predicted value of sensor 1. Note that, in the case where the data predicting unit 130 has calculated a plurality of predicted values ​​using the measurement data acquired from different sensors (combinations), the determining unit 140 may acquire the calculated plurality of predicted values.

[0059] In step S340, the determination unit 140 determines whether the predicted value acquired in step S330 is within an allowable range. Here, the allowable range may be defined, for example, by the error of the predicted value with respect to the actual measurement value, that is, the difference between the actual measurement value and the predicted value. As an example, the allowable range may be defined as an error of 1% or less, an error of 5% or less, etc. Such an allowable range may be set to a different range for each sensor. That is, for example, the allowable range may be set to an error of 1% or less for sensor 1, and the allowable range may be set to an error of 5% or less for sensor 4.

[0060] If it is determined that the predicted value (if there are multiple, any of the multiple predicted values) is not within the allowable range (No), the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S360. That is, the determination unit 140 omits the process of step S350. On the other hand, if it is determined that the predicted value (if there are multiple, any of the multiple predicted values) is within the allowable range (Yes), the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S350. In the case of i=1, for example, if the predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 using the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3 is within an error of 1%, the determination result is "Yes". In this case, the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S350.

[0061] In step S350, the assigning unit 145 assigns, to the other sensors, identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range. In this case, the assigning unit 145 may use, as the identification information, information that can identify whether the predicted value is within an allowable range in two values, or information that can identify within what percentage the error is in three values ​​or more. From here on, a case in which the assigning unit 145 uses a flag indicating that the predicted value is within an allowable range as the identification information will be described as an example. In the case of i=1, for example, if a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from sensor 1 using measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3 is within an error of 1%, the assigning unit 145 assigns the flag to sensors 2 and 3. Then, the determining unit 140 advances the process to step S360.

[0062] In step S360, the determination unit 140 determines whether i is n. That is, the determination unit 140 determines whether the sensor index reaches the number of sensors. In this way, the determination unit 140 determines whether all sensors have become target sensors. If i=1, the determination result is "No." In this case, the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S370.

[0063] In step S370, the determining unit 140 increments i to i = i + 1. If i = 1, the determining unit 140 sets i = 2 and sets sensor 2 as the target sensor. The determining unit 140 then returns the process to step S320 to continue the flow.

[0064] In step S320, when i=2, the determining unit 140 determines whether or not identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned to the sensor 2. Here, in the above-mentioned step S350, a flag indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned to the sensor 2, so the determination result is "Yes." In this case, the determining unit 140 advances the process to step S360. That is, the determining unit 140 omits the processes of steps S330 to S350.

[0065] In step S360, if i = 2, the determination result is "No." In this case, deciding unit 140 advances the process to step S370.

[0066] In step S370, when i=2, the determining unit 140 sets i=3 and sets the sensor 3 as the target sensor. Then, the determining unit 140 returns the process to step S320 and continues the flow.

[0067] In step S320, when i=3, the determination unit 140 determines whether or not identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned to the sensor 3. Here, in the above-mentioned step S350, a flag indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned to the sensor 3, so the determination result is "Yes." In this case, the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S360.

[0068] In step S360, the determination result is “No” when i = 3. In this case, the decision unit 140 advances the process to step S370.

[0069] In step S370, when i=3, the determining unit 140 sets i=4 and sets the sensor 4 as the target sensor. Then, the determining unit 140 returns the process to step S320 and continues the flow.

[0070] In step S320, when i=4, the determination unit 140 determines whether or not identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range is assigned to the sensor 4. Here, since a flag indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range is not assigned to the sensor 4, the determination result is "No." In this case, the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S330.

[0071] In step S330, when i=4, the determining unit 140 obtains from the data predicting unit 130 a predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data obtained from the sensor 4, which is the target sensor, using the measurement data obtained from at least one of the other sensors, sensors 1 to 3 and 5. As an example, it is assumed that the data predicting unit 130 has calculated a predicted value obtained by predicting the actual measurement value of the measurement data obtained from the sensor 4, using the actual measurement value of the measurement data obtained from the sensor 5. In this case, the determining unit 140 may obtain the predicted value as the predicted value of the sensor 4, which is the target sensor.

[0072] In step S340, when i=4, the tolerance (within a 5% error) set for the target sensor, sensor 4, is used. For example, if the predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 using the measurement data acquired from sensor 5 is within a 5% error, the determination result is "Yes." In this case, the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S350.

[0073] In step S350, when i=4, if the predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 using the measurement data acquired from sensor 5 has an error of within 5%, the assigning unit 145 assigns a flag to sensor 5 indicating that the predicted value was within the allowable range. Then, the determining unit 140 advances the process to step S360.

[0074] In step S360, when i = 4, the determination result is No. In this case, deciding unit 140 advances the process to step S370.

[0075] In step S370, when i=4, the determining unit 140 sets i=5 and sets the sensor 5 as the target sensor. Then, the determining unit 140 returns the process to step S320 and continues the flow.

[0076] In step S320, when i=5, the determination unit 140 determines whether or not identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned to the sensor 5. Here, in the above-mentioned step S350, a flag indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned to the sensor 5, so the determination result is "Yes." In this case, the determination unit 140 advances the process to step S360.

[0077] In step S360, if i = 5, the determination result is "Yes." In this case, the decision unit 140 advances the process to step S380.

[0078] In step S380, the determination unit 140 determines a set of sensors according to the identification information. For example, the determination unit 140 includes in the set sensors to which a flag indicating that the predicted value is within an acceptable range has been assigned. As an example, when the flag is assigned to sensors 2, 3, and 5, the determination unit 140 determines sensors 2, 3, and 5 as the set of sensors.

[0079] Here, the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 can be reproduced within an acceptable range (within an error of 1%) using the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3, and therefore can be regarded as data that may be deleted (data with a low priority for recording). On the other hand, the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3 are essential for reproducing the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 within an acceptable range, and therefore can be regarded as data that should not be deleted (data with a high priority for recording). Similarly, the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 can be reproduced within an acceptable range (within an error of 5%) using the measurement data acquired from sensor 5, and therefore can be regarded as data that may be deleted. On the other hand, the measurement data acquired from sensor 5 is essential for reproducing the measurement data acquired from sensor 4, and therefore can be regarded as data that should not be deleted.

[0080] In other words, even if the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 and 4 is deleted from the record, as long as the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 is recorded, it can be said that the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 to 5 is reproducible within an allowable range. Therefore, the sensor set consisting of sensors 2, 3, and 5 can be said to be a set in which the measurement data acquired from sensors 1 to 5 can be reproduced within a predetermined allowable range. The determination unit 140 determines the sensor set in this way, for example, and ends the flow.

[0081] Then, the determination unit 140 supplies information indicating the set of sensors thus determined to the data selection unit 150. In response to this, the data selection unit 150 selects, among the measurement data obtained from the multiple sensors, the measurement data obtained from the sensors included in the set in preference to the measurement data obtained from the sensors not included in the set. Then, the data selection unit 150 supplies information indicating the selection result to the data recording unit 120. In response to this, the data recording unit 120 records the measurement data selected by the data selection unit 150. Therefore, the data recording device 100 can record the measurement data obtained from the sensors included in the set thus determined in preference to the measurement data obtained from the sensors not included in the set.

[0082] For example, it is expected that the amount of data will increase explosively when a process control system in the OT (Operational Technology) domain is combined with a system in the IT (Information Technology) domain. In such a situation, it is not realistic to record all data in its original form, and it is necessary to reduce the amount of data or to select only the data that is appropriate. Conventionally, it has been considered to select a target sensor whose measurement data can be predicted using measurement data acquired from other sensors, and to delete the measurement data acquired from the target sensor. In this case, it is possible to delete the measurement data of the target sensor that can be predicted from the measurement data of the other sensors. However, when the measurement data of the other sensors used for prediction (the source of prediction) is deleted, a situation occurs in which it is not possible to predict (reproduce) the measurement data of the target sensor that should have been predictable.

[0083] In contrast, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment determines a set of sensors capable of reproducing the acquired measurement data, and selectively records the acquired measurement data according to the set. As a result, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment can selectively record the measurement data so that the measurement data acquired from the multiple sensors can be reproduced, without inviting a situation in which the measurement data of the target sensor that should have been originally predictable cannot be reproduced.

[0084] Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment may include in the set of sensors a sensor to which identification information indicating that the predicted value is within an allowable range is assigned, thereby making it possible to prevent measurement data, which is essential for reproduction and is the basis for prediction, from being erroneously deleted by using the identification information according to the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment.

[0085] Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment may be capable of setting the allowable range to a different range for each sensor. As a result, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment can determine whether the acquired measurement data is predictable (reproducible) or not using a different criterion for each sensor. This is particularly effective when the data recording device 100 handles measurement data measured with various accuracies from various sensors capable of measuring various types of physical quantities.

[0086] Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment may delete measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the sensor set and record only measurement data acquired from sensors included in the set. As a result, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment selects measurement data based on whether it is included in the set, and therefore the amount of measurement data to be recorded can be significantly reduced.

[0087] Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment may record measurement data acquired from a sensor not included in the sensor set by reducing the number of data per unit time or reducing the data size per data. As a result, even if a sensor is not included in the set, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment can continue recording by deleting only a part of the measurement data instead of deleting all of it. Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment can selectively delete at least a part of the measurement data in either the time axis direction or the magnitude axis direction according to the characteristics of the measurement data.

[0088] Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment may selectively record measurement data when the remaining recordable capacity falls below a predetermined threshold or when a predetermined time has elapsed. This allows the data recording device 100 according to the present embodiment to selectively record measurement data at a timing when it is desired to reduce the total capacity of the measurement data to be recorded.

[0089] FIG. 4 shows an example of a block diagram of a data recording device 100 according to a modification of this embodiment. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals are used for components having the same functions and configurations as those in FIG. 1, and description will be omitted except for the differences. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the determination unit 140 determines only one sensor set as an example. However, in this modification, the determination unit 140 generates a plurality of candidate sets and selects one candidate set from the plurality of candidate sets as the sensor set. In the data recording device 100 according to this modification, the determination unit 140 has a generation unit 410 and a set selection unit 420.

[0090] The generating unit 410 generates a plurality of candidate sets of sensors that can reproduce the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors within a predetermined tolerance. In this case, the generating unit 410 may generate a plurality of candidate sets by various methods. For example, the generating unit 410 may randomly reassign i, which indicates the index of the sensor, to the plurality of sensors, and execute the flow shown in FIG. 3 a plurality of times to generate a plurality of candidate sets. In this case, the generating unit 410 may include the function of the assigning unit 145. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the generating unit 410 may generate a plurality of candidate sets based on a brute force search of patterns in which a predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using the measurement data acquired from the other sensors falls within a tolerance range. This will be described in detail later. The generating unit 410 supplies information indicating the generated plurality of candidate sets to the set selecting unit 420.

[0091] The set selection unit 420 selects a set from among a plurality of candidate sets according to a predetermined criterion. At this time, the set selection unit 420 may select a set taking into consideration various conditions. For example, the set selection unit 420 may select, from among the plurality of candidate sets, a candidate set in which the amount of recorded measurement data is small, in preference to a candidate set in which the amount of recorded measurement data is large. Alternatively or in addition, the set selection unit 420 may select, from among the plurality of candidate sets, a candidate set in which the difference between the acquired measurement data and the predicted measurement data is small, in preference to a candidate set in which the amount of recorded measurement data is large. This will be described in detail.

[0092] 5 shows an example of a brute force search of patterns that may be considered by the data recording device 100 according to the modified example of this embodiment. In each table in this figure, the vertical and horizontal axes indicate sensor indexes. Also, in each table in this figure, a check mark indicates a flag indicating that the data is reproducible within an acceptable range. Also, in each table in this figure, a shaded portion indicates that the measurement data acquired from the sensor shown in the shaded column is reproducible within an acceptable range and therefore may be deleted (data with low recording priority).

[0093] In this figure, an example is shown in which the measurement data obtained from sensor 1 is reproducible within an acceptable range using either the measurement data obtained from sensors 2 and 3, the measurement data obtained from sensors 2 and 4, or the measurement data obtained from sensors 2 and 5, the measurement data obtained from sensor 4 is reproducible within an acceptable range using the measurement data obtained from sensor 5, and the measurement data obtained from sensor 5 is reproducible within an acceptable range using the measurement data obtained from sensor 4.

[0094] First, looking at the table of <Pattern 1>, this table shows the case where the measurement data obtained from sensors 1 to 5 are used as is (recorded as is). Since the measurement data obtained from sensor 1 can naturally be reproduced within an allowable range using the measurement data obtained from sensor 1, a flag is attached to the cell of (row, column) = (1, 1). The same is true for sensors 2 to 4.

[0095] Next, looking at the table of <Pattern 2>, the table shows a case where the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 to 5 are used as is, while the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 is reproduced using the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3. The measurement data acquired from sensor 1 can be reproduced within an allowable range using the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3, so the cells of (row, column)=(1,2) and (row, column)=(1,3) are flagged. In this case, the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 is data that may be deleted, so the cell of column=1 is shaded.

[0096] Similarly, when focusing on the table of <Pattern 8>, the table shows a case where the measurement data acquired from sensors 2, 3, and 5 are used as is, while the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 is reproduced using the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 5, and the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 is reproduced using the measurement data acquired from sensor 5. Since the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 can be reproduced within an acceptable range using the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 5, the cells of (row, column) = (1, 2) and (row, column) = (1, 5) are flagged. Similarly, since the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 can be reproduced within an acceptable range using the measurement data acquired from sensor 5, the cell of (row, column) = (4, 5) is flagged. In this case, the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 is data that may be deleted, so the cell of column = 1 is shaded. Similarly, the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 is data that may be deleted, so the cell of column = 4 is shaded. The same applies to the other patterns.

[0097] In this way, there may be a plurality of patterns in which the predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using the measurement data acquired from the other sensors falls within the allowable range. In this case, the generating unit 410 may generate a plurality of candidate sets based on a brute force search of patterns in which the predicted value falls within the allowable range. As an example, if the measurement data acquired from sensor 1 can be reproduced within the allowable range using the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 3, the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 4, or the measurement data acquired from sensors 2 and 5, the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 can be reproduced within the allowable range using the measurement data acquired from sensor 5, and the measurement data acquired from sensor 5 can be reproduced within the allowable range using the measurement data acquired from sensor 4, then there are 4×1×1×2×2=16 combinations of patterns.

[0098] In this case, the generating unit 410 may generate a plurality of candidate sets based on the 16 patterns. For example, the generating unit 410 may generate a candidate set A consisting of sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 based on patterns 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16. The generating unit 410 may generate a candidate set B consisting of sensors 1, 2, 3, and 5 based on pattern 5. The generating unit 410 may generate a candidate set C consisting of sensors 2, 3, and 5 based on patterns 6 and 8. The generating unit 410 may generate a candidate set D consisting of sensors 1, 2, 3, and 4 based on pattern 9. The generating unit 410 may generate a candidate set E consisting of sensors 2, 3, and 4 based on pattern 10.

[0099] The set selection unit 420 may select one candidate set as a set of sensors from among the multiple candidate sets A to E generated in this way, taking into consideration various conditions. In this case, the set selection unit 420 may select a candidate set that records a smaller amount of measurement data from among the multiple candidate sets, preferentially over a candidate set that records a larger amount of measurement data. For example, the set selection unit 420 may select a candidate set that includes a smaller number of sensors than a candidate set that includes a larger number of sensors. As an example, if candidate set A includes four sensors, candidate set B includes four sensors, candidate set C includes three sensors, candidate set D includes four sensors, and candidate set E includes three sensors, the set selection unit 420 may select candidate sets C and E in preference to candidate sets A, B, and D.

[0100] The set selection unit 420 may also select a candidate set with a smaller total amount of measurement data acquired from the sensors constituting the set in preference to a candidate set with a larger total amount of measurement data. As an example, assume that candidate set C is made up of sensors 2, 3, and 5, and candidate set E is made up of sensors 2, 3, and 4. In this case, assume that the amount of measurement data acquired from sensor 5 is smaller than the amount of measurement data acquired from sensor 4. In this case, the set selection unit 420 may select candidate set C in preference to candidate set E. In this case, the set selection unit 420 may estimate the amount of measurement data for each sensor based on at least one of the number of data per unit time or the data size per data.

[0101] Furthermore, the set selection unit 420 may select, from among multiple candidate sets, a candidate set in which the difference between acquired measurement data and predicted measurement data is smaller, over a candidate set in which the difference is larger. As an example, assume that candidate set C is made up of sensors 2, 3, and 5, and candidate set E is made up of sensors 2, 3, and 4. In this case, assume that the error of predicting the measurement data acquired from sensor 5 using the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 is smaller than the error of predicting the measurement data acquired from sensor 4 using the measurement data acquired from sensor 5. In this case, the set selection unit 420 may select candidate set E over candidate set C.

[0102] In this manner, the data recording device 100 according to this modification may generate a plurality of candidate sets and select one of the plurality of candidate sets as the set of sensors. As a result, the data recording device 100 according to this modification can adopt the most preferable candidate set of the plurality of candidate sets as the set of sensors.

[0103] Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to this modification may generate multiple candidate sets based on a brute force search of patterns in which the predicted value falls within an allowable range. As a result, the data recording device 100 according to this modification can adopt the optimal candidate set as the set of sensors after considering all possible combinations.

[0104] Furthermore, the data recording device 100 according to this modification may preferentially select a candidate set that reduces the amount or error of measurement data over a candidate set that reduces the amount or error of measurement data. This allows the data recording device 100 according to this modification to efficiently reduce the amount of recorded measurement data and selectively record measurement data with high reproducibility.

[0105] FIG. 6 shows an example of a block diagram of a data recording device 100 according to another modified example of this embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same functions and configurations as those in FIG. 1, and description thereof will be omitted except for the differences. The data recording device 100 according to this modified example may be provided in, for example, an OT area, and may be capable of transmitting measurement data acquired from a sensor provided in the OT area to other systems or devices provided in the IT area. The data recording device 100 according to this modified example further includes a data storage unit 610 and a data transmission unit 620. In addition, in the data recording device 100 according to this modified example, the data acquisition unit 110 supplies the measurement data acquired from a plurality of sensors to the data storage unit 610 instead of the data recording unit 120.

[0106] The data accumulation unit 610 accumulates the measurement data. As an example, the data accumulation unit 610 may accumulate all the measurement data acquired by the data acquisition unit 110 in chronological order for each sensor. Then, the data accumulation unit 610 supplies the measurement data to be transmitted to other systems or devices among the accumulated measurement data to the data recording unit 120. Note that such transmission targets may be selected based on user input, or may be automatically selected by the data recording device 100, for example.

[0107] Therefore, in the data recording device 100 according to this modification, the data selecting section 150 selects, from among the measurement data to be transmitted, measurement data acquired from sensors included in the set determined by the determining section 140 in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set. In response to this, the data recording section 120 records the measurement data selected by the data selecting section 150 from among the measurement data to be transmitted.

[0108] Then, the data transmitting unit 620 transmits the measurement data recorded in the data recording unit 120 in this manner, i.e., the selected measurement data from the measurement data to be transmitted, to another system or device via a network or the like.

[0109] In this way, the data recording device 100 according to this modification may selectively record the measurement data to be transmitted. As a result, according to the data recording device 100 according to this modification, for example, when transmitting measurement data from the OT area to the IT area, the amount of data transmitted from the data recording device 100 can be reduced. In other words, selectively recording measurement data may be broadly interpreted as including not only completely deleting unselected measurement data from the recording area, but also excluding the measurement data from the targets to be transmitted to other systems or devices.

[0110] Up to this point, possible embodiments have been described by way of example. However, the above-mentioned embodiment may be modified or applied in various ways. For example, a sensor capable of predicting (reproducing) measurement data may not only not require recording of measurement data, but may also not require maintenance even if it breaks down. Therefore, in addition to the functional units included in the data recording device 100 according to the above-mentioned embodiment, the data recording device 100 may further include a functional unit that notifies a user or the like of a sensor capable of predicting measurement data. In this case, the data recording device 100 may display and output information identifying a sensor not included in the determined set on a monitor, may output audio from a speaker, may print out using a printer, or may transmit and output by sending a message to another device.

[0111] Various embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to flow charts and block diagrams, where the blocks may represent (1) stages of a process in which operations are performed or (2) sections of an apparatus responsible for performing the operations. Particular stages and sections may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium, and / or a processor provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuitry and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuitry including logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, memory elements such as flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like.

[0112] A computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by a suitable device, such that the computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), Blu-ray (RTM) disks, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0113] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0114] Computer readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, either locally or over a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, etc., to execute the computer readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0115] 7 illustrates an example of a computer 9900 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. Programs installed on the computer 9900 may cause the computer 9900 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus or one or more sections of the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and / or to perform a process or steps of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such programs may be executed by the CPU 9912 to cause the computer 9900 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0116] The computer 9900 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 9912, a RAM 9914, a graphic controller 9916, and a display device 9918, which are connected to each other by a host controller 9910. The computer 9900 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 9922, a hard disk drive 9924, a DVD drive 9926, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 9910 via an input / output controller 9920. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 9930 and a keyboard 9942, which are connected to the input / output controller 9920 via an input / output chip 9940.

[0117] The CPU 9912 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 9930 and the RAM 9914, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 9916 retrieves image data generated by the CPU 9912 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 9914 or into itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 9918.

[0118] The communication interface 9922 communicates with other electronic devices over a network. The hard disk drive 9924 stores programs and data used by the CPU 9912 in the computer 9900. The DVD drive 9926 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 9901 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 9924 via the RAM 9914. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0119] The ROM 9930 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 9900 upon activation, and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 9900. The input / output chip 9940 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 9920 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0120] The programs are provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 9901 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable medium, installed in the hard disk drive 9924, the RAM 9914, or the ROM 9930, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by the CPU 9912. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 9900, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by implementing information manipulation or processing according to the use of the computer 9900.

[0121] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 9900 and an external device, the CPU 9912 may execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 9914 and instruct the communication interface 9922 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 9912, the communication interface 9922 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 9914, the hard disk drive 9924, the DVD-ROM 9901, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0122] The CPU 9912 may also cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the hard disk drive 9924, the DVD drive 9926 (DVD-ROM 9901), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 9914, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 9914. The CPU 9912 then writes back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0123] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and undergo information processing. The CPU 9912 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 9914, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and write back the results to the RAM 9914. The CPU 9912 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 9912 may search for an entry that matches a condition, in which an attribute value of the first attribute is specified, from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0124] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable medium on the computer 9900 or in the vicinity of the computer 9900. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 9900 via the network.

[0125] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0126] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and may be realized in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 100 Data recording device 110 Data Acquisition Section 120 Data Recording Unit 130 Data Prediction Department 140 Decision Section 145 Granting Department 150 Data Selection Section 410 Generation part 420 Set Selection Section 610 Data Storage Unit 620 Data Transmission Unit 9900 Computer 9901 DVD-ROM 9910 Host Controller 9912 CPU 9914 RAM 9916 Graphics Controller 9918 Display Device 9920 Input / Output Controller 9922 Communication Interface 9924 Hard Disk Drive 9926 DVD Drive 9930 ROM 9940 Input / Output Chip 9942 Keyboard

Claims

1. a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors among the plurality of sensors; a determination unit that assigns identification information to the other sensors, the identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range, and includes in a set a sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned; a data selection unit that selects, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set; a data recording unit for recording the selected measurement data; Equipped with The data recording unit records the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set by reducing the number of pieces of data per unit time. Data recording device.

2. A data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors among the plurality of sensors; a determination unit that assigns identification information to the other sensors, the identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range, and includes in a set a sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned; a data selection unit that selects, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set; a data recording unit for recording the selected measurement data; Equipped with The data recording unit records the measurement data acquired from the sensor not included in the set by reducing the data size per data. Data recording device.

3. a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from at least one of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors of the plurality of sensors; a determination unit that determines a set including the other sensor that can reproduce the measurement data obtained from at least one of the sensors within a predetermined tolerance range using the obtained measurement data and the predicted measurement data; a data selection unit that selects, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set; a data recording unit that deletes measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set and records only the measurement data selected by the data selection unit; A data recording device comprising:

4. the determination unit has an assignment unit that assigns, to the other sensor, identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from at least one of the sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensor is within the allowable range; The data recording device according to claim 3 , further comprising: a sensor having identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the tolerance range included in the set.

5. The determination unit is a generation unit that generates a plurality of candidate sets of the other sensors that can reproduce the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors within a predetermined tolerance range; 4. The data recording device according to claim 1, further comprising: a set selection unit that selects the set from among the plurality of candidate sets in accordance with a predetermined criterion.

6. The data recording device according to claim 5, wherein the generation unit generates the plurality of candidate sets based on a brute force approach of patterns in which a predicted value obtained by predicting the measurement data obtained from the sensor using the measurement data obtained from the other sensors falls within the allowable range.

7. 6. The data recording device according to claim 5, wherein the set selection unit selects, from among the plurality of candidate sets, a candidate set that results in a smaller amount of the recorded measurement data in preference to a candidate set that results in a larger amount of the recorded measurement data.

8. 6. The data recording device according to claim 5, wherein the set selection unit selects, from among the plurality of candidate sets, a candidate set that results in a smaller difference between the acquired measurement data and the predicted measurement data in preference to a candidate set that results in a larger difference.

9. 4. The data recording device according to claim 1, wherein the allowable range can be set to a different range for each sensor.

10. 4. The data recording device according to claim 1, wherein the data recording section records the selected measurement data in response to a state in which a remaining recordable capacity falls below a predetermined threshold.

11. 4. The data recording device according to claim 1, wherein the data recording unit records the measurement data before prediction by the data prediction unit, and records the selected measurement data in response to a predetermined time having elapsed since the measurement data was first recorded or the measurement data was last accessed.

12. The data recording device according to claim 1 , further comprising a data transmission unit that transmits the selected measurement data to another system or device.

13. The method is executed by a computer, the computer comprising: Obtaining measurement data measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors of the plurality of sensors; assigning identification information to the other sensors, the identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range, and including the sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned in a set; selecting, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, the measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set; recording the selected measurement data; and Equipped with Recording the selected measurement data includes recording measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set with a reduced number of data per unit time. Data recording methods.

14. A method for implementing the method of the present invention by a computer, the computer comprising: Obtaining measurement data measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors of the plurality of sensors; assigning identification information to the other sensors, the identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range, and including the sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned in a set; selecting, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, the measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set; recording the selected measurement data; and Equipped with Recording the selected measurement data includes recording the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set by reducing the data size per data. Data recording methods.

15. The method is executed by a computer, the computer comprising: Obtaining measurement data measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; predicting measurement data obtained from at least one of the plurality of sensors using measurement data obtained from other sensors of the plurality of sensors; determining a set including the other sensors that can reproduce the measurement data obtained from at least one of the sensors within a predetermined tolerance using the obtained measurement data and the predicted measurement data; selecting, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, the measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set; removing measurement data obtained from sensors not included in said set and recording only said selected measurement data; A data recording method comprising:

16. The method is executed by a computer, causing the computer to: a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors among the plurality of sensors; a determination unit that assigns identification information to the other sensors, the identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range, and includes in a set a sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned; a data selection unit that selects, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set; a data recording unit for recording the selected measurement data; and make it work. The data recording unit records the measurement data acquired from the sensors not included in the set by reducing the number of pieces of data per unit time. Data recording program.

17. A method for implementing the method of claim 17, comprising the steps of: a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors among the plurality of sensors; a determination unit that assigns identification information to the other sensors, the identification information indicating whether a predicted value obtained by predicting measurement data acquired from each of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from the other sensors is within an allowable range, and includes in a set a sensor to which the identification information indicating that the predicted value is within the allowable range has been assigned; a data selection unit that selects, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set; a data recording unit for recording the selected measurement data; and make it work. The data recording unit records the measurement data acquired from the sensor not included in the set by reducing the data size per data. Data recording program.

18. The method is executed by a computer, causing the computer to: a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data obtained by measuring a measurement object from a plurality of sensors; a data prediction unit that predicts measurement data acquired from at least one of the plurality of sensors using measurement data acquired from other sensors of the plurality of sensors; a determination unit that determines a set including the other sensor that can reproduce the measurement data obtained from at least one of the sensors within a predetermined tolerance range using the obtained measurement data and the predicted measurement data; a data selection unit that selects, from among the measurement data acquired from the plurality of sensors, measurement data acquired from the sensors included in the set in preference to measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set; a data recording unit that deletes measurement data acquired from sensors not included in the set and records only the measurement data selected by the data selection unit; A data recording program that functions as a

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