COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

Abstract

To provide a communication system, a communication apparatus, and a communication method capable of easily performing efficient data transmission when transmitting data from an apparatus to a server on the cloud.SOLUTION: A communication system includes an apparatus, a server on the cloud, and a communication apparatus that receives data of the apparatus and transmits the data to the server. The communication apparatus includes a processor and a storage unit. The processor acquires information updated during operation of the apparatus from the received data of the apparatus, and stores the information in the storage unit. The processor makes a determination of comparing the information stored in the storage unit and the information acquired during operation of the apparatus. The processor transmits the data to the server if a result of the determination is a mismatch.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system, a communication terminal, and a communication method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been known techniques for collecting data from various devices and transmitting the data to a server on a cloud. Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose such techniques.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a failure sign detection system including a target facility / machine, a sensor installed on the target facility / machine, an IoT gateway that receives data (raw data) sent from the sensor, a mobile line for transmitting the data sent from the IoT gateway, and a cloud including a server that receives the data sent from the IoT gateway via the mobile line and performs analysis processing, judgment processing, etc. for failure sign detection.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a data collection and storage device that is composed of a data collection, diagnosis, compression unit and a storage unit. Here, the input data to the data collection and storage device is a time-series sensing information group obtained by a sensor installed in the device. The data collection and storage device stores the input data in a buffer.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses an information processing system capable of reducing the amount of data transferred from a local environment to a cloud environment. In detail, the information processing system includes a flow cytometer and a first information processing device provided in the local environment, and a second information processing device provided in the cloud environment. In this information processing system, the amount of fluorescent dye and a spectral reference are transferred from the first information processing device in the local environment to the second information processing device in the cloud environment, and the second information processing device in the cloud environment performs an inverse transformation of unmixing using the amount of fluorescent dye and the spectral reference, thereby restoring the fluorescence spectrum and generating a restored fluorescence spectrum.

[0006] This makes it possible to perform analytical processing using the amount of fluorescent dye and the restored fluorescence spectrum in the second information processing device in the cloud environment, without transferring the fluorescence spectrum, which has a large data size, from the first information processing device in the local environment to the second information processing device in the cloud environment.The information processing system can reduce the amount of data transferred from the local environment to the cloud environment, as well as reduce the amount of data stored in the cloud environment, thereby reducing storage costs.

[0007] Patent Document 4 discloses a machine operation information providing system that enables the operation status of a machine tool to be confirmed from a remote location outside a factory while reducing the risk of leakage of highly confidential information stored in the machine tool. In detail, the machine operation information providing system includes a machine tool, an on-premise server connected to the machine tool via a first network (internal network), and a cloud server connected to the on-premise server via a second network (Internet). The on-premise server acquires the machine operation information of the machine tool and transmits it by email to an email address of the cloud server, and the cloud server acquires the machine operation information of the machine tool by receiving the email and executes a predetermined application process on the acquired machine operation information.

[0008] According to the equipment operation information providing system configured in this manner, the machine tool is not directly connected to the cloud server via the Internet, but is connected to the on-premise server via the in-house network, thereby preventing unauthorized access to the machine tool from outside via the Internet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-67197 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2011 / 135606 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-81342 [Patent Document 4] JP 2020-67841 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] One example of an efficient way to transmit data of a target machine or the like to a server on the cloud is to appropriately reduce the amount of data to be transmitted. Here, Patent Documents 1-2 and 4 are considered not to disclose a technique for appropriately reducing the amount of data to be transmitted. On the other hand, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for reducing the amount of data to be transmitted, but the technique of Patent Document 3 converts data when transmitting it and restores received data, which is considered to cause a burden in data processing.

[0011] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication system, a communication device, and a communication method that can easily and efficiently transmit data when transmitting data from a device to a server on a cloud. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system as follows. That is, the communication system includes a device, a server on a cloud, and a communication device that receives data from the device and transmits it to the server. The communication device includes a processor and a storage unit. The processor acquires information that is updated while the device is operating from the received device data and stores it in the storage unit. The processor makes a determination to compare the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired while the device is operating. If the determination result shows a mismatch, the processor transmits data to the server.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communications device as described below. That is, this communications device is a communications device that receives data of the device and transmits the data to a server on a cloud. The communications device includes a processor and a storage unit. The processor acquires information that is updated while the device is operating from the received data of the device and stores the information in the storage unit. The processor performs a determination to compare the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired while the device is operating. If the determination result shows a mismatch, the processor transmits the data to the server.

[0014] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication method as follows. That is, this communication method is a communication method performed using a communication device that includes a processor and a storage unit, and receives device data and transmits it to a server on a cloud. This communication method (1) acquires information that is updated while the device is operating from the received device data and stores it in the storage unit, (2) performs a determination to compare the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired while the device is operating, and (3) transmits data to the server if the determination results in a mismatch. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, there is provided a communication system, a communication device, and a communication method that can easily and efficiently transmit data when transmitting data from a device to a server on a cloud. Note that problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of a communication system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a communication device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a timing chart for explaining an example of data transmission in a communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] First, an example of the configuration of a communication system will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The communication system 101 is a system that includes a device 102, a communication device 103, and a server 104 (receiving server in Fig. 1), and accumulates data of the device 102 in the server 104. Note that in this embodiment, communication is performed using a network that implements Modbus Protocol as a communication protocol, but communication may be performed using other types of communication protocols.

[0018] The device 102 may be, for example, an industrial machine, and transmits data related to the operation of the industrial machine to the communication device 103. In the description of this embodiment, the data transmitted by the device 102 may be referred to as operation information.

[0019] The communication device 103 acquires operation information from the device 102, and appropriately stores data related to the operation information in a storage unit configured using a buffer, for example. In addition, the communication device 103 appropriately transmits the operation information acquired from the device 102 to the server 104.

[0020] The server 104 is placed on the cloud, receives data from the device 102 via the communication device 103, and creates a database for storing the data.

[0021] Next, the hardware configuration of the communication device will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the communication device 103 includes a processor 201, a storage unit 202, a receiving unit 203, and a transmitting unit 204.

[0022] The processor 201 is an entity that executes a predetermined process, and can be configured, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, other semiconductor devices may be used as long as they can execute the predetermined process. The storage unit 202 is configured using an appropriate storage device, and data such as data and programs processed by the processor 201 are appropriately stored. The storage unit 202 can be configured using, for example, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a buffer, etc. The receiving unit 203 and the transmitting unit 204 are configured as communication interfaces. The receiving unit 203 is configured to receive data from the device 102, and the transmitting unit 204 is configured to transmit data to the server 104. The communication device 103 may be appropriately equipped with a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0023] In this embodiment, the device 102 is a hoist used to lift heavy objects, and operation information related to the hoist is transmitted to the communication device 103 and the server 104. Then, the server 104 accumulates the operation information related to the hoist.

[0024] In this embodiment, the operation information is transmitted via a communication device configured to be capable of communicating with the communication device 103. This communication device is provided as appropriate, and as one example, is attached to the device 102. In addition, as one example, the communication device is configured to be capable of short-range wireless communication with the device 102, and may be installed at a location away from the device 102.

[0025] The operation information in this embodiment includes various types of data. As an example, the operation information includes data such as the moving direction of the device 102 (in this embodiment, the moving direction of the hoist) and the operating state of the device 102 (in this embodiment, information on whether the hoist is in an operable state).

[0026] The operation information includes information such as the occurrence of an alert, the occurrence of an error, etc. The alert information is information regarding the presence or absence of an alert of the device 102, and examples thereof include information regarding a malfunction of the operation of the device 102 and information regarding a breakdown of the device 102.

[0027] The operation information also includes information corresponding to a timer that is updated in real time while the device 102 is operating.

[0028] Incidentally, when transmitting data from the device 102 to the server 104 arranged on the cloud, it is desired to reduce the amount of communication data to improve efficiency. For example, even if the communication device 103 or the device 102 is powered on, when the device 102 is not in operation, it is considered acceptable to reduce the amount of data transmitted to the server 104. Therefore, in this embodiment, the process described below is executed as an example to improve communication efficiency. Next, an example of this process will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a timing chart for explaining an example of data transmission in a communication system.

[0029] 3, in this embodiment, data is transmitted to the server 104 at a predetermined transmission timing, which is set at a predetermined interval (for example, every millisecond or every few seconds). Here, the communication device on the device 102 side is provided with a register that stores (updates) data equivalent to a timer in the operation information transmitted while the device 102 is operating. Note that this register can update data frequently while the device 102 is operating.

[0030] The communication device 103 stores the received operation information in the storage unit 202. Here, the communication device 103 also stores in the storage unit 202 data corresponding to a timer in the operation information stored (updated) in the register on the device 102 side.

[0031] Then, at each predetermined interval that coincides with the transmission timing to the server 104, the communications device 103 compares the information equivalent to the timer of the operation information stored at the previous transmission with the information equivalent to the timer of the operation information currently received, and if it determines that there is a mismatch, it transmits the currently received operation information to the server 104 and changes the information equivalent to the timer in the storage area to the information equivalent to the timer of the currently received operation information. Note that the communications device 103 may repeat the process by differentiating the interval at which it receives the operation information from the device 102 and the interval at which it transmits the operation information to the server 104. Note that in the following description, the information equivalent to the timer in the operation information may simply be referred to as determination information.

[0032] Explaining this in detail with reference to Fig. 3, when the communications device 103 previously received and stored judgment information indicated by "1" and now receives judgment information indicated by "3", it compares these pieces of judgment information and determines whether they match. Then, the communications device 103 transmits the operation information received at the timing of "3" to the server 104. Note that, when the communications device 103 now receives judgment information indicated by "1" and there is no judgment information stored in the storage unit 202, the communications device 103 determines whether they match and transmits the operation information received at the timing of "1" to the server 104.

[0033] On the other hand, the communication device 103 performs the same determination as above, and if it determines that the information corresponding to the timer matches, it does not transmit the operation information to the server 104 .

[0034] 3, the communications device 103 receives and stores the determination information indicated by "7." If the operation of the device 102 stops thereafter, the register value cannot be read, and a read error occurs. In this case, the communications device 103 determines that the current determination information matches the previous determination information (i.e., determines that the current determination information is "7"), and does not transmit the received operation information to the server 104.

[0035] In this way, a system is realized that can appropriately reduce the number of times data is sent when the device 102 is not in operation, and can efficiently send data to the server 104 on the cloud. Also, this system does not require data conversion or restoration of received data, so efficient data transmission can be easily achieved.

[0036] Furthermore, in the communication system 101, the following processing may be performed. That is, it is possible that the server 104 outputs a command to transmit real-time information as appropriate. Therefore, when the server 104 outputs a command to transmit real-time information to the communication device 103, the communication device 103 transmits the received operation information to the server 104 regardless of the above-mentioned determination. Note that, for example, when the device 102 is stationary or the power supply of the device 102 is off and the operation information cannot be acquired, the communication device 103 transmits the operation information stored in the storage unit 202. In this manner, a system is realized that can reduce the amount of data communication and can appropriately respond when a command to transmit real-time information is received.

[0037] Furthermore, if the operation information includes information that an alert has occurred in the device 102, it is considered necessary to store this information in the server 104. Therefore, when the communication device 103 confirms that an alert has occurred in the operation information it receives, it transmits the operation information to the server 104 regardless of the above determination. In this way, it is possible to store information about the occurrence of an alert in the device 102 in the server 104 while reducing the amount of data communication.

[0038] Furthermore, if the operation information is error data, it is considered that there is no need to transmit the operation information to the server 104. Therefore, when the communication device 103 confirms that the received operation information is error data, the communication device 103 may perform processing not to transmit the operation information to the server 104 regardless of the above determination. In this way, the transmission of error data can be reduced, thereby improving the efficiency of data transmission.

[0039] Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and includes various modifications. For example, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration.

[0040] The data format of the operational information may be, for example, table format data.

[0041] The register may be configured appropriately, for example, to process data of 1 bit to 16 bits. The number of registers is not particularly limited as long as the appropriate processing can be performed.

[0042] The present invention can also be applied to other types of industrial machines different from those described above, using information equivalent to a timer that is updated in real time during operation. Here, the information equivalent to a timer may be, for example, information such as the operating time of the device 102.

[0043] Examples of communication protocols that can be used include Ethernet / IP, CC-Link IE protocols, and device-specific protocols. CC-Link IE is known as an example of an open network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 101 Communication Systems 102 Equipment 103 Communication Equipment 104 Server

Claims

1. Equipment and A server on the cloud A communication device that receives data from the device and transmits the data to the server; Equipped with The communication device includes: A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The processor, When an instruction to transmit information immediately is received, the data of the device is transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication system comprising:

2. Equipment and A server on the cloud A communication device that receives data from the device and transmits the data to the server; Equipped with The communication device includes: A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The processor, storing the received data of the device in the storage unit; if there is a command to transmit information immediately and the information cannot be acquired from the device, transmit the data of the device stored in the storage unit to the server regardless of the determination. A communication system comprising:

3. Equipment and A server on the cloud A communication device that receives data from the device and transmits the data to the server; Equipped with The communication device includes: A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The data of the device to be received is Alert information indicating whether an alert has occurred in the device is included, The processor, when it is confirmed that an alert has occurred based on the alert information, data of the device in which the alert has occurred is transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication system comprising:

4. Equipment and A server on the cloud A communication device that receives data from the device and transmits the data to the server; Equipped with The communication device includes: A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The data of the device to be received is Contains error information regarding whether the data is in error, The processor, when it is confirmed that an error has occurred in the data of the device based on the error information, the data of the device is not transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication system comprising:

5. A communication device that receives data from a device and transmits it to a server on a cloud, A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The processor, When an instruction to transmit information immediately is received, the data of the device is transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication device comprising:

6. A communication device that receives data from a device and transmits it to a server on a cloud, A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The processor, storing the received data of the device in the storage unit; if there is a command to transmit information immediately and the information cannot be acquired from the device, transmit the data of the device stored in the storage unit to the server regardless of the determination. A communication device comprising:

7. A communication device that receives data from a device and transmits it to a server on a cloud, A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The data of the device to be received is Alert information indicating whether an alert has occurred in the device is included, The processor, when it is confirmed that an alert has occurred based on the alert information, data of the device in which the alert has occurred is transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication device comprising:

8. A communication device that receives data from a device and transmits it to a server on a cloud, A processor; A storage unit; Equipped with The processor, acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The data of the device to be received is Contains error information regarding whether the data is in error, The processor, when it is confirmed that an error has occurred in the data of the device based on the error information, the data of the device is not transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication device comprising:

9. A communication method using a communication device that includes a processor and a storage unit, and receives data from the device and transmits the data to a server on a cloud, comprising: acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; When an instruction to transmit information immediately is received, the data of the device is transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication method comprising:

10. A communication method using a communication device that includes a processor and a storage unit, and receives data from the device and transmits the data to a server on a cloud, comprising: acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; storing the received data of the device in the storage unit; if there is a command to transmit information immediately and the information cannot be acquired from the device, transmit the data of the device stored in the storage unit to the server regardless of the determination. A communication method comprising:

11. A communication method using a communication device that includes a processor and a storage unit, and receives data from the device and transmits the data to a server on a cloud, comprising: acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The received device data includes alert information indicating whether or not an alert has occurred in the device, when it is confirmed that an alert has occurred based on the alert information, data of the device in which the alert has occurred is transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication method comprising:

12. A communication method using a communication device that includes a processor and a storage unit, and receives data from the device and transmits the data to a server on a cloud, comprising: acquiring information updated during operation of the device from the received data of the device and storing the information in the storage unit; performing a determination by comparing the information stored in the storage unit with the information acquired during operation of the device; If the result of the determination is a mismatch, transmitting data to the server; The received data of the device includes error information regarding whether the data is an error data; when it is confirmed that an error has occurred in the data of the device based on the error information, the data of the device is not transmitted to the server regardless of the determination. A communication method comprising:

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