Industrial Equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides industrial equipment capable of communicating with an external terminal that can take measures against external attacks without involving complicated authentication and procedures, can reliably connect to the equipment when used by an operator, and can perform, e.g., the checking of the operational status and the operation of the equipment. This industrial equipment includes an electric part (105), a mechanical part (107) driven by the electric part (105), a control unit (103) that controls electric power supplied to the electric part (105), and a communication unit (109) that transmits radio waves and connects the control unit (103) to an external terminal (201) via wireless communication. The control unit (103) causes the communication unit (109) to stop communicating with the external terminal (201) when a connection request is sent from the external terminal (201) to the communication unit (109) more than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device capable of communicating with an external terminal, and more particularly to an industrial device such as an air compressor that is installed and used in a factory. [Background technology]

[0002] Air compressors, which are industrial devices, are widely used to provide compressed fluid to users both inside and outside buildings, such as in factories and construction sites. To stop the air supply and control the air pressure, the operation unit on the compressor's control device must be operated.

[0003] In addition, in order to know information such as the pressure in the air tank and the operating status, it is necessary to operate the compressor control device and have the information displayed on the display unit.

[0004] In either case, a worker needs to be near the air compressor, and when a worker using tools at the end needs to know the status of the air compressor or operate it, he or she needs to go to the location of the air compressor and operate or check it.

[0005] Therefore, in order to improve work efficiency and convenience, a function that enables remote checking of the status and operation of the air compressor is required.

[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for remotely monitoring and operating an air compressor.

[0007] Patent Document 1 describes "an air compressor having a motor that is driven by power supplied from a commercial power source, a compressed air generating unit that generates compressed air by driving the motor, a tank that stores the compressed air generated by the compressed air generating unit, a control board that controls the driving of the motor, and a main body side communication unit that transmits main body information to an external terminal, thereby making it possible to check the status of the air compressor without traveling to the location where the air compressor is installed."

[0008] Patent Document 1 describes an air compressor capable of wirelessly exchanging data with an external terminal, but does not consider the confidentiality of the communication content.In this regard, Patent Document 2 describes a system that has a function for resetting new identification information for connecting to the device in the event of a specific attack from an external third party. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-145662 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-121994 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] Patent Document 1 does not mention the confidentiality of communication contents, but Patent Document 2 takes measures against external attacks by changing passwords and sending notifications.

[0011] However, with these measures, for example, when continuous communication connection requests are made to a communication-enabled device, if the connection between the device and terminal is assumed to be 1:1 or n:1, connection requests to the device cannot be sent simultaneously from multiple terminals.

[0012] Therefore, if the device is under attack by a third party, it will be impossible to connect to the device from other communication terminals, making it difficult to operate the compressor and affecting the operation of the compressor.

[0013] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device that can protect against external attacks without complex authentication or procedures, that allows an operator to reliably connect to the device when in use, and that can communicate with an external terminal that can check the operating status, perform operations, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0015] The device includes an electric motor and a mechanical part that is driven by the electric motor and applies a force to a fluid. a control unit that controls the power supplied to the electric motor unit; and a communication unit that transmits radio waves and connects the control unit to an external terminal via wireless communication; an operation unit that is controlled by the communication unit, receives an instruction from an outside, and transmits an operation signal to the communication unit; and when a number of connection requests transmitted from the external terminal to the communication unit exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time, the control unit and after the transmission of the radio waves is stopped by the control unit, an operation signal from the operation unit is transmitted to the control unit via the communication unit, and the control unit, after stopping the transmission of the radio waves from the communication unit, resumes the transmission of the radio waves from the communication unit in accordance with a communication resumption request input from the operation unit. . Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide equipment that can be protected against external attacks without the need for complex authentication or procedures, that can be reliably connected to the equipment when used by an operator, and that can communicate with an external terminal that can check the operating status, perform operations, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an air compressor in a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of the air compressor in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an authentication procedure of the air compressor in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart of a connection operation of a communication unit in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation unit of the air compressor according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an air compressor according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a control unit of the air compressor in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a connection flowchart of a communication unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an air compressor operating unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing connections in a pump system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a hoist to which a fourth embodiment is applied. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the hoist. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0019] Example 1 In this embodiment, an air compressor that is mainly used for industrial purposes and is placed and used within the premises (such as a factory) of a user or owner will be described as an example of equipment.

[0020] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an air compressor in the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a control device 110 in the first embodiment.

[0021] The first embodiment is an example in which an air compressor having a communication function is configured.

[0022] 1 and 2, air compressor 100 is composed of a tank that stores air pressure inside and a compression mechanism, and is also composed of a mechanical unit 107 that applies force to the fluid, an electric motor unit 105 that is composed of a motor that drives the compression mechanism and a cooling fan, and a control device 110 that controls the power supplied to electric motor unit 105 by electronic means.

[0023] The control device 110 is an electronic circuit board on which ICs (e.g., microcontrollers, FPGAs, etc.) for controlling the motor unit 105 and the display unit 101, electronic components (e.g., resistors, capacitors, oscillator circuits, etc.), and power elements (e.g., transistors, relays, etc.) are mounted on a printed circuit board by means of soldering or the like.

[0024] The control device 110 is composed of a control unit 103 consisting of circuit components used to control the motorized unit 105 and a microcomputer or software function within an IC, a communication unit 109 consisting of circuit components including an antenna that transmits radio waves to the outside and a microcomputer or software function within an IC, a display unit 101 which is a circuit component, and an operation unit 108.

[0025] The display unit 101 is a display component (such as an LED or liquid crystal) capable of expressing numerical values ​​and the like, and is used to display the air pressure and temperature of the mechanism unit 107 of the air compressor 100.

[0026] The control unit 103 that controls the motorized unit 105 and the communication unit 109 that handles the communication function each have a different IC and are provided as software functions. The control unit 103 and the communication unit 109 are connected by electric wiring and signal wiring as shown in FIG. 1, and can exchange signals with each other. Information necessary for communication is stored in the storage unit 104. The information necessary for communication is information about the external terminal 201 for which connection authentication has been successfully completed.

[0027] In the first embodiment, the control unit 103 performs operation control based on instructions from an operation unit 108 that accepts instructions from the outside.

[0028] The communication unit 109 transmits radio waves (e.g., radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band) by supplying power to the antenna, and can communicate via a wireless line with an external terminal 201 (e.g., a mobile terminal or a fixed computing device) equipped with a radio wave receiving device.

[0029] The air compressor 100 and the external terminal 201 can use any communication method (e.g., wireless LAN, etc.) to transmit and receive electronic data to and from each other or in one direction using wireless communication. That is, the communication unit 109 can be used for both transmitting and receiving radio waves.

[0030] The communication unit 109 is an integrated circuit (for example, a System On a Chip) that includes electronic components such as a CPU and a memory.

[0031] Air compressor 100 operates using an external power supply and stops when the external power supply is cut off. The supplied power is passed through control device 110, and is supplied to motorized unit 105 in response to an operation command from control device 110. The programs of the ICs implemented in control unit 103 and communication unit 109 are recorded in the respective non-volatile memories and are read when power is applied.

[0032] In the present embodiment 1, a communication method that realizes remote monitoring and remote operation functions with enhanced communication security is adopted. That is, in the present embodiment 1, Bluetooth Low Energy (hereinafter, BLE), which is a type of communication standard of Bluetooth (registered trademark), which is one of the short-distance communication standards, is used as an example of wireless communication. BLE has a mechanism (hereinafter, pairing) for safely starting encrypted communication at the start of connection. There are multiple versions of BLE due to changes in specifications. Here, version 4.1 and later (for example, version 4.2, etc.) are targeted.

[0033] Communication using BLE is performed between the air compressor 100 and the external terminal 201. The communication unit 109 supplies power to the antenna and transmits radio waves that transmit its individual signal and service contents as data to the outside. This is called advertising.

[0034] The external terminal 201 has an antenna suitable for receiving radio waves transmitted by the communication unit 109 and software capable of interpreting the contents of the radio waves, and wirelessly transmits a connection request conforming to the BLE standard in response to the signal received from the communication unit 109.

[0035] When the communication unit 109 receives a connection request from the external terminal 201, it transmits the settings of the security conditions to be used at the time of connection. The settings of the security conditions are notified to each other.

[0036] As an authentication method, either a passkey display method or a numeric comparison method is provided. In the passkey display method, a PIN is generated on one of the devices initiating the connection, and the PIN is displayed on the display unit 101. Then, the operator inputs the PIN displayed on the display unit 101 into the other device, and the PIN generated on one device is compared with the PIN input into the other device on the other device to authenticate the connection.

[0037] The numerical comparison method is a method in which both devices initiating a connection generate random numbers calculated with a specific function, display a PIN generated based on the exchanged random numbers on each device, and if the numbers match, the device that requested the connection authorizes the connection.Authorization of the connection can be authorized, for example, by an operator performing an approval operation on the device that requested the connection when the displayed numbers match.

[0038] If the security conditions of the external terminal 201 are lower than the level required by the communication unit 109, the communication unit 109 immediately cuts off the connection.

[0039] When the security conditions of the communication unit 109 and the external terminal 201 are such that encryption is performed using authentication, the communication unit 109 generates a password and transmits a request for inputting the password to the external terminal 201 .

[0040] The communication unit 109 executes data processing to convert the generated PIN into data that can be received by the control unit 103 (for example, in Modbus format, etc.), and transmits the PIN data to the control unit 103 via wired communication.

[0041] The control unit 103 returns a reply to the communication unit 109 notifying the communication unit 109 that the personal identification number data has been completely received.

[0042] The operator of the external terminal 201 visually checks the PIN number displayed on the display unit 101 , inputs the PIN number into the external terminal 201 , and transmits it from the external terminal 201 to the communication unit 109 .

[0043] The communication unit 109 compares the received password with the generated password. If the passwords match, the communication unit 109 sends a temporary encryption key to be used for encrypting the contents of communication after connection to the external terminal 201. If the passwords differ, the communication unit 109 immediately disconnects the connection.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an authentication procedure of the air compressor 100 in the first embodiment.

[0045] 3, an authentication procedure between the external terminal 201 and the communication unit 109 is called pairing. The communication unit 109 can be paired with a plurality of external terminals 201 within the range permitted by the design specifications of the communication unit 109. The external terminals 201 and the communication units 109 that are paired with each other are in a state in which they can connect and communicate with each other.

[0046] The connected state refers to a state in which data is being transmitted and received between the external terminal 201 and the communication unit 109, such as when the external terminal 201 and the communication unit 109 are exchanging encryption keys, regardless of whether pairing is performed or not. Of course, the connected state also refers to a state in which data can be transmitted and received from the air compressor 100 after pairing.

[0047] In addition, the transmission and reception of various data on the connection state is regarded as communication. In the connected state (during pairing authentication or during communication after pairing), advertising in Fig. 3 stops, so other external terminals cannot receive advertising from the communication unit 109, resulting in a state where connection is not possible.

[0048] The communication unit 109 can be connected to multiple external terminals 201 that have already been paired at the same time, and communicates with each external terminal 201 in turn. However, if the design specifications of the communication unit 109 are such that connection with only a single external terminal 201 is permitted, connection with the second or subsequent external terminals 201 is not possible.

[0049] Here, although multiple pairings between the external terminal 201 and the communication unit 109 are possible, only one device can be connected to one communication unit 109 at a time.

[0050] Therefore, when an operator using air compressor 100 is checking the status of air compressor 100 body or changing the pressure remotely from a location where tools or the like are being used, another operator cannot connect to air compressor 100.

[0051] Furthermore, to perform pairing, the external terminal 201 needs to make a connection request to the advertiser as described above in a state where the communication unit 109 is not connected to any external terminal 201 (a state where advertisements can be transmitted). When a connection request is made, the communication unit 109 temporarily goes into a connection standby state while mutually exchanging security setting notifications, etc., as shown in FIG.

[0052] In the connection standby state, since no advertisement is transmitted, exchange of connection requests with the communication unit 109 is substantially impossible except for the external terminal 201 currently making the connection request.

[0053] For communication unit 109 to be able to transmit an advertisement again, it is necessary for there to be a mismatch in the PIN numbers, for a certain period of time to elapse, for the power to be turned on again, or the like.

[0054] Here, if a third party other than the user of air compressor 100 repeatedly makes requests to communication unit 109 in succession, such as a connection request, pairing failure, another connection request, pairing failure, etc., even if the third party is a legitimate user, the communication unit 109 will not be able to connect to external terminal 201.

[0055] This is because even if the external terminal 210 is already paired, it is not possible to connect to a communication unit 109 that does not advertise, and therefore connection cannot be made as long as a connection request from a third party continues.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a connection operation between the communication unit 109 and the external terminal 201 .

[0057] In step S1 of FIG. 4, the communication unit 109 and the external terminal 201 are not yet connected to each other.

[0058] In step S2, the communication unit 109 transmits radio waves, and in step S3, it is determined whether or not there is a connection from the external terminal 201. If there is no connection request from the external terminal 201, the process returns to step S1, and if there is a connection request from the external terminal 201, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0059] In step S4, the communication unit 109 generates a PIN number and requests the external terminal 201 to input the PIN number. In step S5, the control unit 103 displays the PIN number generated by the communication unit 109 on the display unit 101.

[0060] Then, in step S6, the communication unit 109 waits for a connection request from the external terminal 201. Then, in step S7, the communication unit 109 determines whether the time that the communication unit 109 has waited for the connection request from the external terminal 201 has reached a certain time of N seconds, and if it has reached N seconds, the process returns to step S1. If, in step S7, the time that the communication unit 109 has waited for the connection request from the external terminal 201 has not reached N seconds, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0061] In step S8, the communication unit 109 determines whether or not a password has been received from the external terminal 201, and if a password has not been received, the process returns to step S6.

[0062] In step S8, if the communication unit 109 receives a PIN from the external terminal 201, the process proceeds to step S9, where the communication unit 109 authenticates the received PIN and determines whether or not the PIN is correct. If the PIN is correct, the process proceeds to step S10, where the communication unit 109 establishes a connection with the external terminal. Then, in step S11, the communication unit 109 determines whether or not to continue the encrypted communication, and if so, the process returns to step S10.

[0063] If the communication section 109 determines in step S11 not to continue the encrypted communication, the process returns to step S1.

[0064] In step S9, if the personal identification number received from the external terminal 201 is incorrect, the process proceeds to step S12, where the control unit 103 checks whether the number of times the personal identification number transmitted from the same external terminal 201 has been authenticated reaches a predetermined number N (for example, 5 times) within a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute). If it is determined that the number of times has not reached N, the process returns to step S1.

[0065] If the number of PIN authentication attempts exceeds N times per minute in step S12, the process proceeds to step S13, where the control unit 103 stops the power supply to the communication unit 109. By stopping the power supply to the communication unit 109, the communication unit 109 stops emitting radio waves, and communication with the external terminal 201 by the communication unit 109 is stopped.

[0066] Then, in step S14, the control unit 103 determines whether or not there is a communication resumption request from the operation unit 108, and if not, the process proceeds to step S15, where the connection is disabled, and the process returns to step S14. In step S14, the control unit 103 returns to step S1 in accordance with the communication resumption request input from the operation unit 108, and then proceeds to step S2, where the communication unit 109 resumes transmitting radio waves.

[0067] According to the connection operation flowchart shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to provide an air compressor 100 that is endowed with a function of determining that a connection request is from a malicious third party when the number of authentication attempts is N or more within a predetermined time period, and temporarily stopping the operation of the communication unit 109.

[0068] The configuration of the air compressor 100 of the first embodiment includes a control unit 103 that operates the air compressor 100, a display unit 101, and a communication unit 109 that transmits and receives radio waves to communicate with an external terminal 201, on a control board.

[0069] The communication unit 109 receives power supply from the control unit 103 and transmits radio waves, but the communication unit 109 is not involved in the basic operation of the air compressor 100.

[0070] Therefore, a threshold is set within the control unit 103, and when the number of pairing requests received within a certain period of time exceeds the threshold, the control unit 103 makes a judgment and stops the power supply from the control unit 103 to the communication unit 109, thereby stopping the communication unit 109 from emitting radio waves.

[0071] For example, if a connection request or PIN authentication failure occurs five or more times within one minute, the power supply to the communication unit 109 is cut off and advertising is completely stopped. Even if the power supply to the communication unit 109 is stopped, the operation of the air compressor 100 is not affected, and the operation and control of the motor unit 105 and the mechanical unit 107 continues. When the power supply to the communication unit 109 is stopped, the data transmission and reception function using the communication unit 109 is stopped, and normal compressor operation continues without problems.

[0072] The method of restarting the power supply to the communication unit 109 is performed by operating the operation unit 108 associated with the control unit 103. This is because the device to which the present invention is applied is installed within the premises of its user or owner, and therefore a person who can approach the device and directly operate it is considered to be a proper user or owner.

[0073] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation unit 108 of the air compressor 100. The operation unit 108 includes an internal tank pressure display LED 113, an operation state display LED 114, a communication restart operation button 115, an operation switch 116, and the like.

[0074] For example, the normal restart operation button 115 may be a dedicated button, or an operation on the operation unit 108 that is not performed in normal operation may be set as the restart condition. By configuring instructions for operations to restart communication to be separated from instructions for normal operation of the compressor, it is possible to restart communication to an extent that does not affect normal operation (for example, by simultaneously pressing and holding two or more buttons other than the ON / OFF buttons). Alternatively, the air compressor 100 itself may be restarted. Even if an operator near the air compressor 100 makes consecutive authentication errors, the air compressor 100 can be restored by operating the operation unit 108 in that case, and therefore it is not necessary to determine whether the error is due to an attack or a mistake.

[0075] In addition, in order to resume power supply to the communication unit 109, it is necessary to approach the vicinity of the air compressor 100, and since the external terminal 201 of the nearest operator will be connected upon restart, connection requests from outside will no longer be possible.

[0076] By the above-mentioned process, it is possible to protect the air compressor 100 from monopoly of the communication line due to an unauthorized connection request from a third party, without impairing the normal operation of the air compressor 100.

[0077] Furthermore, the software may be configured to reject the connection request received after the communication unit 109 resumes transmitting radio waves if the radio wave intensity of the external terminal 201 that has requested pairing as a cause of power interruption to the communication unit 109 is lower than a set threshold, disconnect the pairing request without proceeding to PIN authentication, and accept the connection request only if the radio wave intensity is equal to or higher than a set threshold. In this case, if the external terminal 201 of an operator that has already been paired near the air compressor 100 is able to reconnect from a distance, but since it is necessary to go near the air compressor 100 to perform pairing, it is possible to prevent line occupation for remote pairing requests.

[0078] The operation to cut off the power supply to the communication unit 109 can also be configured to be performed by an operation on the operation unit 108. For example, when an operator near the air compressor 100 tries to connect but falls into a state where it is unable to pick up the advertisement due to an external attack, the power supply to the communication unit 109 can be cut off once by operating the operation unit 108, and then started again, so that connection to the nearest operator is given priority, thereby enabling connection.

[0079] In addition to the above, the communication unit 109 may have a module whitelist function for the paired external terminal 201, the whitelist may be stored in the storage unit 104, and if consecutive pairing requests continue, a lock may be applied so that requests from external terminals other than those in the whitelist are not responded to for a certain period of time after the power supply to the communication unit 109 is stopped. In this case, the lock may be released from the connected terminal, or may be released by an operation using the operation unit 108 of the control device 110. In other words, after the control unit 103 resumes the transmission of radio waves by the communication unit 109, the connection request received from the external terminal 201 may be configured to accept only connection requests from specific external terminals 201 stored in the storage unit 104.

[0080] In addition, the control unit 103 may not completely block the communication radio waves of the communication unit 109, but may control the output of the communication radio waves generated to reduce the radio wave strength of the communication unit 109, thereby stopping communication between the communication unit 109 and the external terminal 201.

[0081] In addition, when a connection request is sent from external terminal 201, communication unit 109 determines whether the PIN sent from external terminal 201 is correct, and if the PIN is correct, connects to external terminal 201, and if the PIN is incorrect, sets the connection with external terminal 201 to an unconnected state and stores information about external terminal 201 whose PIN is correct in memory unit 104. After resuming transmission of radio waves from communication unit 109, control unit 103 can be configured to accept only connection requests from external terminals whose PIN stored in memory unit 104 is correct.

[0082] As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a device that can be protected against external attacks without complex authentication or procedures, can be reliably connected to the device when used by an operator, and can communicate with an external terminal that can check the operating status, perform operations, etc.

[0083] Example 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an air compressor that is mainly used for industrial purposes and is placed and used within the premises (such as a factory) of a user or owner will be described as an example of equipment.

[0084] Fig. 6 is a block diagram of the air compressor 100 in the present embodiment 2. Fig. 7 is a block diagram of the control device 110 and the operation device 111 of the air compressor 100 in the present embodiment 2.

[0085] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a connection operation between the communication unit 109 and the external terminal 201 in the second embodiment.

[0086] In contrast to the first embodiment, the second embodiment is configured such that the operation unit 108 and the control unit 103 are configured on a different board, and a module having the communication unit 109 also serves as a control microcomputer for the operation unit 108 .

[0087] The air compressor 100 is mainly composed of a mechanical unit 107 consisting of a tank (pressure vessel 117) that stores air under pressure inside and a compression mechanism, an electric motor unit 105 consisting of a motor and a cooling fan that drive the compression mechanism, a control device 110 that controls the power supplied to the electric motor unit 105 by electronic means, and an operation device 111 that displays the pressure and operating status, communicates with an external terminal 201, and sends operation signals for the air compressor 100 to the control device 110.

[0088] Furthermore, the air compressor 100 has a pressure sensor 118 that detects the pressure in the pressure vessel 117 , and a rotation sensor 119 that detects the number of rotations of the motor in the motor-driven portion 105 .

[0089] The control device 110 and the operating device 111 are electronic circuit boards on which ICs (e.g., microcontrollers, FPGAs, etc.) for controlling the motorized unit 105, electronic components (e.g., resistors, capacitors, oscillator circuits, etc.), and power elements (e.g., transistors, relays, etc.) are mounted on a printed circuit board by means of soldering or the like.

[0090] The control device 110 and the operation device 111 are connected by wire, and the control unit 103 operates the air compressor 100 in response to an operation request from the operation device 111 .

[0091] In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the communication unit 109 also controls the operation of the operation unit 108. Therefore, when the power supply to the communication unit 109 is stopped as in the first embodiment and the process of stopping the transmission of radio waves from the communication unit 109 is performed, in the second embodiment, it becomes impossible to control the operation unit 108 and therefore impossible to control the operation of the air compressor 100.

[0092] In the case of the configuration of Example 2, instead of stopping the power supply to the communication unit 109 as in Example 1, as shown in the flow of Figure 8, only the transmission of advertising radio waves is stopped at the instruction of the control unit 103, and the control unit 103 continues to control the power to the motor unit 105, thereby preventing unauthorized connection requests.

[0093] The explanation will be given following the flow in FIG.

[0094] 8, the communication unit 109 and the external terminal 201 are not yet connected to each other. In step S21, the communication unit 109 transmits radio waves, and in step S22, it is determined whether or not there is a connection from the external terminal 201. If there is no connection request from the external terminal 201, the process returns to step S20, and if there is a connection request from the external terminal 201, the process proceeds to step S23.

[0095] In step S23, the communication unit 109 waits for a connection, displays a PIN by operating a button, and determines whether or not the PIN has been received from the external terminal 201. If the PIN has been received, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the communication unit 109 waits for a connection request from the external terminal 201.

[0096] Then, in step S25, the communication unit 109 judges whether the time that it has waited for the connection request from the external terminal 201 has reached a certain time of N seconds, and if it has reached N seconds, the process returns to step S20. If it has not reached N seconds in step S25, the process proceeds to step S26, where the external terminal 201 and the communication unit 109 are put into a connected state.

[0097] If it is determined in step S27 that the encrypted communication is to be continued, the process returns to step S26. If it is determined in step S27 that the encrypted communication is not to be continued, the process returns to step S20.

[0098] If the PIN is not received in step S23, the process proceeds to step S28, where it is determined that the connection has failed, and the process proceeds to step S29. Then, in step S29, it is determined whether the number of connection failures is less than N times per minute, and if it is less than N times, the process returns to step S20.

[0099] If the number of connection failures is N times per minute in step S29, the process proceeds to step S30, where the control unit 103 instructs the communication unit 109 to stop radio wave output and only stops the advertising radio wave output. Then, in step S31, it is determined whether or not there is a communication resumption request from the operation unit 108 to the communication unit 109, and if there is no communication resumption request, the process proceeds to step S32, where a connection to the external terminal 201 is disabled, and the process returns to step S31.

[0100] In step S31, if there is a request to resume communication, the process returns to step S20.

[0101] In the configuration of the second embodiment, the power supply to the communication module of the operation unit 108 is not stopped, so the operation of the air compressor 100 is not affected.

[0102] In order to restart the supply of radio waves, a physical button on the operation unit 108 may be assigned as a reconnection button and operated as shown in Fig. 9. In Fig. 9, the operation unit 108 includes an internal tank pressure display LED 120, an abnormality display LED 121, a communication restart switch 122, and an operation mode display LED 123.

[0103] Alternatively, measures may be taken by controlling the output of the communication radio waves generated by the communication unit 109, rather than completely blocking the communication radio waves. In this case, by suppressing the output of the radio waves so that they reach only within a 1-m radius, for example, it is possible to make the air compressor 100 in a state in which only workers in the vicinity of the air compressor 100 can connect.

[0104] Also, similarly to the first embodiment, if the signal strength of the external terminal 201 that has made the pairing request is lower than a set threshold value as a cause for cutting off power to the communication unit 109, the software may be configured to terminate the pairing request without proceeding to PIN authentication.

[0105] Also, similarly to the first embodiment, the communication unit 109 may have a memory unit 104 and a whitelist function for the module of the external terminal 201 with which pairing has been performed, and the whitelist may be stored in the memory unit 104. If successive pairing requests continue, after the power supply to the communication unit 109 is stopped, a lock may be placed so that requests from external terminals other than those in the whitelist are not responded to for a certain period of time.

[0106] In the second embodiment, the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0107] Furthermore, by configuring the system to control the radio wave intensity as in Example 2, although the risk of line occupancy increases somewhat compared to completely blocking the communication unit 109, it is possible to strengthen security in a simpler manner, and in particular, with a configuration in which the radio wave output is suppressed, an operator can easily reconnect by approaching the air compressor 100, so that the system can be used without the need for complicated operations or explanations.

[0108] Example 3 Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0109] In the above first and second embodiments, the present invention is applied to the air compressor 100, but the present invention can also be applied to other devices. In the third embodiment, the present invention is applied to a pump, which is the same fluid machine as the air compressor. The configuration of the control device and the communication operation flow in the third embodiment are similar to those in the first and second embodiments, and therefore illustrations and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0110] 10 is a block diagram showing the connections of a pump system 300 including a plurality of pump devices to which a third embodiment of the present invention is applied. One pump device is made up of a pump section having a casing as a flow path and an impeller provided in the casing, a motor section for rotating the impeller, and a power conversion device having a power conversion section for supplying power to the motor section and a communication section for wirelessly communicating with the outside.

[0111] In Figure 10, symbols 1-1, 1-4, 2-1, 2-4, 3-1, and 3-4 indicate gate valves. Symbol 1-2 indicates the No. 1 pump unit, symbol 2-2 indicates the No. 2 pump unit, and symbol 3-2 indicates the No. 3 pump unit. Symbols 1-3, 2-3, and 3-3 indicate check valves. Symbol 1-5 indicates the No. 1 motor unit, symbol 2-5 indicates the No. 2 motor unit, and symbol 3-5 indicates the No. 3 motor unit.

[0112] Additionally, reference numeral 1-6 indicates the No. 1 power conversion device, reference numeral 2-6 indicates the No. 2 power conversion device, and reference numeral 3-6 indicates the No. 3 power conversion device. Reference numeral 1-7 indicates the No. 1 control board, reference numeral 2-7 indicates the No. 2 control board, and reference numeral 3-7 indicates the No. 3 control board. Reference numeral 1-8 indicates the No. 1 wireless interface, reference numeral 2-8 indicates the No. 2 wireless interface, and reference numeral 3-8 indicates the No. 3 wireless interface. The power conversion device may be attached integrally to each pump and motor, or multiple power conversion devices may be grouped together as one control panel and installed against a wall, etc. In this case, the communication unit may be one communication unit within the control panel, not in each power conversion device.

[0113] For example, when data to be set (data items and data contents) is sent from an external terminal such as a mobile terminal (not shown), the data is written into a memory unit that stores pump control data through the wireless interfaces (1-8, 2-8, 3-8) of the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2. In this case, to clarify the target to which the data is being sent, the identification numbers of the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2 are sent along with the data. The wireless interfaces and memory units are incorporated into the control & I / F (1-8, 2-8, 3-8) of the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2.

[0114] The mobile terminal preferably includes a display device.

[0115] Next, when a command to obtain the operating status is given from the mobile terminal, the operating status data is read from the memory unit that stores the pump operating data via the wireless interfaces (1-8, 2-8, 3-8) of the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2, and the read data is sent to the mobile terminal via the wireless interfaces (1-8, 2-8, 3-8). Furthermore, when operating a pump from a mobile terminal, it is possible to give an on / off command and set the operating frequency (motor rotation speed) in the same way as setting data. Rather than a "on / off 'command'", it is also possible to specify a data item related to the operating status of the pump device, and set the data to "on" if you want to operate it, or to "off" if you want to stop it. As shown in Fig. 10, when there are three or more pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2, the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2 can be prioritized in advance, and the pump device with the highest priority can be made the master pump device. Alternatively, after the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2 are in an operating state (after they are powered on), the priority can be determined among the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, 3-2, and the pump device with the highest priority can be made the master pump device.

[0116] When a master pump device is set, only the communication unit of the master pump device communicates with the mobile terminal, and the other pump devices send operating information, etc. to the communication unit of the master pump device, which then consolidates and sends the information to the mobile terminal.

[0117] In this way, the communication units of the pump devices 1-2, 2-2, and 3-2 (or the master pump device When a line is occupied by a connection request, the mobile terminal While communication with the mobile terminal is cut off, the pump device continues to operate.

[0118] The pump system of the present invention can of course also be applied to a case in which the number of pump devices is one.

[0119] According to the third embodiment, it is possible to provide a pump system which is a fluid machine that can provide countermeasures against external attacks without the need for complex authentication or procedures, allows an operator to reliably connect to the equipment when in use, and is capable of communicating with an external terminal to check the operating status, perform operations, etc.

[0120] In the third embodiment as well, if the radio wave intensity of the external terminal 201 that has made the pairing request is lower than a set threshold value as a cause for power shutdown to the communication unit 109, the software may be configured to terminate the pairing request without proceeding to PIN authentication.

[0121] Also, the power supply to the communication unit 109 can be cut off by operating the operation unit 108 .

[0122] In addition, the communication unit 109 may have a module whitelist function for the external terminal 201 that has been paired, and the whitelist may be stored in the memory unit 104.If consecutive pairing requests continue, after the power supply to the communication unit 109 is stopped, a lock may be placed so that requests from external terminals other than those in the whitelist will not be responded to for a certain period of time.

[0123] Alternatively, measures may be taken by controlling the output of the communication radio waves generated by communication unit 109 rather than completely blocking the communication radio waves.

[0124] Example 4 Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0125] The present invention can be applied to equipment other than the fluid machinery exemplified in the first to third embodiments. In the fourth embodiment, a hoist (a crane, a hoisting machine, etc.) installed and used in a factory is used as an example of the equipment. An example in which the present invention is applied to a conventional optical fiber cable (also referred to as a "wireless cable") will be described.

[0126] The fourth embodiment relates to a winch that transports a load that can be lifted by a rope, and in particular, The present invention relates to a hoist that reduces load sway when lifting off the ground by tensioning the rope before transporting the trolley. The present invention can also be applied to a crane that transports a suspended load in a similar manner.

[0127] The configuration of the control device and the communication operation flow in the fourth embodiment are similar to those in the first or second embodiment, and therefore illustrations and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0128] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a winch 10 to which the fourth embodiment is applied.

[0129] 11, a load 30 to be transported is suspended from a hook 131 by a sling rope 20. The hook 131 is suspended from a hoist drum 1122 by a rope 13. Here, the load 30 may be suspended directly from the hook 131 without using the sling rope 20.

[0130] The hoist drum 1122 is connected to the hoist motor 112 and the hoist encoder 1121 by a hoist shaft 1123, and is disposed on the trolley 11. As a result, by rotating the hoist motor 112, the rope 13 is wound up or lowered, and the load 30 can be transported in the z direction in Fig. 11. This transport in the z direction is referred to as hoisting.

[0131] The traverse wheel 1111 is connected to the traverse motor 111 via a traverse shaft 1112 and is disposed on the trolley 11. The traverse wheel 1111 is disposed so that the rotation of the traverse motor 111 causes the traverse wheel 1111 to rotate on the beam 15 and generate a driving force. As a result, the rotation of the traverse motor 111 allows the trolley 11 and the load 30 to be transported along the beam in the x direction in FIG. 11. This transport in the x direction is referred to as traverse.

[0132] The transport operation unit 141 is provided in the operation terminal 14, and receives a transport operation signal, which is a command for traversing or hoisting, or both, input by an operator. The input transport operation signal is sent to the control unit 12 via the communication unit 142. The control unit 12 generates a transport command based on the input transport operation signal or a transport signal by an initial vibration reduction function described later, and drives the traverse motor 111 or the hoisting motor 112, or both. As a result, the load 30 travels traversely and is hoisted up.

[0133] It should be noted that the load 30 and the sling rope 20 are objects to be transported and are not components of the winch 10. In addition, the jig used to suspend the load 30 is not limited to the sling rope 20, and may not be required.

[0134] Furthermore, the communication unit 142 included in the operation terminal 14 may be for wired communication or for wireless communication.

[0135] The operation terminal 14 includes, in addition to the communication unit 142 for control, another communication unit (not shown) that performs short-range wireless communication with the external terminal 201. By intentionally separating the communication unit 142 from the other communication units, when the line is occupied by multiple pairing requests, it is possible to continue control of the four winches of this embodiment while cutting off the line.

[0136] The operation button for restarting radio wave transmission from the communication unit of the external terminal 201 may be a specific operation performed on the transport operation unit 141, or a separate button (not shown) may be provided.

[0137] Next, with reference to FIG. 12, another configuration of the hoist 10 will be described.

[0138] As shown in Figure 12, the beam 15 is connected to a running beam 18 via a traveling device 16. The traveling device 16 moves the beam 15 in the y direction in Figure 12 along the running beam 18 by rotating a traveling motor 161. As a result, the trolley 11 connected to the beam 15 and the load 30 suspended from the hook 131 (see Figure 11) are transported in the y direction in Figure 12. This transportation in the y direction is called traveling.

[0139] The transport operation signal input to the transport operation unit 141 (see FIG. 11) provided in the operation terminal 14 includes a command signal for traveling in addition to traversing and hoisting. At least a traveling command signal among the input transport operation signals is transmitted to the traveling control unit 17 via the communication unit 142 (see FIG. 11).

[0140] The travel control unit 17 generates a travel command for at least travel based on a transport operation signal or a transport signal by an initial shake reduction function described later, and drives the travel motor 161.

[0141] As a result, the load 30 (see FIG. 11) is traveled in addition to being traversed and hoisted.

[0142] In the fourth embodiment as well, if the radio wave intensity of the external terminal 201 that has made the pairing request is lower than a set threshold value as a cause for power shutdown to the communication unit 109, the software may be configured to terminate the pairing request without proceeding to PIN authentication.

[0143] Also, the power supply to the communication unit 109 can be cut off by operating the operation unit 108 .

[0144] In addition, the communication unit 109 may have a module whitelist function for the external terminal 201 that has been paired, and the whitelist may be stored in the memory unit 104.If consecutive pairing requests continue, after the power supply to the communication unit 109 is stopped, a lock may be placed so that requests from external terminals other than those in the whitelist will not be responded to for a certain period of time.

[0145] Alternatively, measures may be taken by controlling the output of the communication radio waves generated by communication unit 109 rather than completely blocking the communication radio waves.

[0146] According to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to provide a hoist that can be protected against external attacks without the need for complex authentication or procedures, can be reliably connected to the device when used by an operator, and can communicate with an external terminal to check the operating status, perform operations, etc.

[0147] In the above description, the control unit 12 generates the transport commands for traversing and hoisting, and the travel control unit 17 generates the transport command for traveling, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0148] For example, the control unit 12 may generate conveying speed commands for traversing, traveling, and hoisting, and at least those of the generated conveying commands related to traveling may be transmitted from the control unit 12 to the traveling control unit 17, and the traveling control unit 17 may drive the traveling motor 161 based on the received conveying commands.

[0149] In this case, the transport operation signal only needs to be transmitted to at least the control unit 12 , and does not need to be transmitted to the travel control unit 17 .

[0150] The present invention can also realize a device communication control method.

[0151] In other words, this is a communication control method for an apparatus including an electric unit 105, a mechanical unit 107 driven by the electric unit 105, a control unit 103 that controls the power supplied to the electric unit 105, and a communication unit 109 that emits radio waves and connects the control unit 103 and an external terminal 201 via wireless communication, and determines whether the number of connection requests sent from the external terminal 201 to the communication unit 109 exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time, and if the predetermined number of times is exceeded, stops communication with the external terminal 201 by the communication unit 109.

[0152] Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modified examples are included. For example, the above-mentioned embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 10...Wind machine, 100...Air compressor, 101...Display unit, 103...Control unit, 104...Memory unit, 105...Electric unit, 107...Mechanism unit, 108...Operation unit, 109...Communication unit, 110...Control device, 111...Operation device, 113, 120...Tank pressure display LED, 114...Operation status display LED, 115...Operation button when communication is restarted, 116...Operation switch, 117...Pressure vessel, 118...Pressure sensor, 119...Rotation sensor, 121...Abnormality display LED, 122...Communication restart switch, 123...Operation mode display LED, 201...External terminal, 300...Pump system

Claims

1. The electric part, a mechanism section driven by the electric motor section to apply a force to a fluid; A control unit that controls the power supplied to the electric motor unit; a communication unit that transmits radio waves and connects the control unit and an external terminal via wireless communication; an operation unit that is controlled by the communication unit, receives an instruction from an outside, and transmits an operation signal to the communication unit; Equipped with The control unit stops the transmission of radio waves from the communication unit when the number of connection requests sent from the external terminal to the communication unit exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time, and even after the communication unit has stopped transmitting the radio waves by the control unit, an operation signal from the operation unit is sent to the control unit via the communication unit, and the control unit, after stopping the transmission of radio waves from the communication unit, resumes the transmission of radio waves from the communication unit in accordance with a communication resumption request input from the operation unit.

2. The electric part, a mechanism section driven by the electric motor section to apply a force to a fluid; A control unit that controls the power supplied to the electric motor unit; a communication unit that transmits radio waves and connects the control unit and an external terminal via wireless communication; an operation unit that is controlled by the communication unit, receives an instruction from an outside, and transmits an operation signal to the communication unit; Equipped with The control unit stops the transmission of radio waves from the communication unit when the number of connection requests sent from the external terminal to the communication unit exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time, and even after the communication unit has stopped transmitting the radio waves by the control unit, an operation signal from the operation unit is sent to the control unit via the communication unit, and after the control unit has stopped transmitting the radio waves from the communication unit, it resumes transmitting radio waves from the communication unit in accordance with a communication resumption request input from the operation unit.

3. In claim 1, the communication unit, when receiving the connection request from the external terminal, determines whether a personal identification number transmitted from the external terminal is correct, and if the personal identification number is correct, connects to the external terminal, and if the personal identification number is incorrect, sets the connection to the external terminal to an unconnected state, and further includes a storage unit that stores information on the external terminal for which the personal identification number is correct; A device in which, after the control unit resumes transmitting radio waves from the communication unit, it only accepts connection requests received from the external terminal for which the PIN stored in the memory unit is correct.

4. In claim 1, A device that accepts a connection request only if the received connection request has radio wave strength equal to or greater than a set threshold value after the communication unit resumes transmitting radio waves.

5. In claim 2, A fluid machine that stops the transmission of radio waves from the communication unit when the connection request from the external terminal is sent from the same external terminal and exceeds a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time.

6. In claim 2, A fluid machine in which, when the communication unit stops transmitting radio waves, the control unit continues to control power to the motor unit.

Images