Communication device and communication method

Abstract

To provide a communication apparatus and a communication method that can satisfy various communication requirements and continue data transmission even when an abnormality occurs in a communication line network.SOLUTION: In a communication apparatus 100, when a deterioration in communication quality is detected in at least one of multiple communication networks 110, a distribution unit 107 changes a communication network 110 that transmits device information among the communication networks 110 in the same group on the basis of a comparison between an evaluation of the communication characteristics of the communication network 110 and the evaluation results of the communication characteristics of at least one or more other communication networks 110.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method for transmitting acquired data to other devices by wireless communication.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in the industrial field, the introduction of Industrial IoT (Internet of Things), a technology aimed at improving the operating rate of equipment and grasping the equipment status from a remote location, has been progressing. In Industrial IoT, data acquired from various industrial devices is aggregated to a server via wireless communication, and by referring to and utilizing the data on the server side, it can be used for predicting and monitoring the status of industrial devices.

[0003] In general, when introducing Industrial IoT, since industrial devices do not have a communication function, a communication device having a communication function is often connected to and used with industrial devices. In this usage, the communication device acquires data such as operation information from industrial devices via a predetermined communication standard such as RS232 or RS485, and periodically transmits the acquired data to the server. By referring to the data received from the communication device, the server can grasp the operating state of the industrial device and detect the occurrence of a failure.

[0004] In recent years, the use of LTE / 5G communication has spread, and communication devices that can be connected to multiple communication paths, such as dual SIMs equipped with multiple SIM cards and multi-APNs that connect to multiple networks with a single SIM card, have also begun to spread. In the adoption of multiple communication paths, not only is the path simply made redundant, but there are also cases where the communication paths are deliberately separated to meet different requirements for each application.

[0005] In particular, industrial mobile routers, a type of communication device used in industrial IoT, involve a mix of low-capacity industrial communications used for data collection from field equipment and high-capacity information transmission such as video. As a result, the requirements for the destination communication path may differ. Therefore, it is necessary to transmit data while satisfying multiple communication requirements, and this must be achieved through communication scheduling and communication using multiple paths.

[0006] In relation to the above, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for transmitting control information data, in addition to control system data and information system data, while satisfying the requirements of each data, for data having multiple different communication requirements. This technology satisfies the communication requirements of each data by switching the transfer method according to a pre-set communication schedule for three types of data with different communication requirements. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-129708 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 only switches the communication schedule and transfer method, so if the connecting line or network itself experiences a communication interruption, the communication requirements may not be met. Compared to wired networks, communication interruptions are more likely to occur in wireless communication used in industrial IoT. In particular, large-scale communication failures can occur in mobile communication networks, and there is a risk that communication requirements cannot be met during the period of the failure.

[0009] Furthermore, while the technology described in Patent Document 1 lists periodic transmission, arrival time, and other data as communication requirements, in reality, it is necessary to select a communication path considering the characteristics of the communication network itself, such as the type of line (Internet connection or closed network connection), security performance (whether or not a Virtual Private Network is applied), and communication bandwidth. In other words, if the line type of the communication path is different, communication packets cannot reach their destination, making communication itself impossible. Also, it is not acceptable from a security standpoint to transmit important data over a line with reduced security performance. Moreover, a communication path that does not secure sufficient communication bandwidth will affect the data arrival time and can cause packet loss due to communication congestion. On the other hand, in a communication path that secures sufficient communication bandwidth, it is expected that the communication requirements will always be met, assuming that the communication equipment has sufficient processing performance and the overall communication delay of the communication path is shorter than the arrival time. Therefore, there are cases where various communication requirements cannot be satisfied.

[0010] As explained above, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is difficult to continue data transmission when an abnormality occurs in the communication network, and it is not sufficient to meet diverse communication requirements.

[0011] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main objective is to provide a communication device and a communication method that can continue data transmission even when an abnormality occurs in the communication network, while satisfying a variety of communication requirements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The communication device according to the present invention transmits device information relating to one or more devices to a plurality of communication network lines, and includes an evaluation unit that evaluates the communication characteristics of each of the plurality of communication network lines, including at least one of the communication bandwidth, connection network type, and security level, and compares the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for each communication network line, a monitoring unit that monitors the communication quality of all the communication network lines for the transmission of the device information within a certain period of time, and a distribution unit that transmits the device information to at least one of the plurality of communication network lines that have been pre-grouped, and when a decrease in the communication quality is detected in at least one of the plurality of communication network lines, the distribution unit changes the communication network line to which the device information is transmitted within the same group of communication network lines based on a comparison of the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for that communication network line and the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for at least one other communication network line. The communication method according to the present invention is Using a computer This system transmits device information about one or more devices to multiple communication network lines. The aforementioned computer, For each of the multiple aforementioned communication lines, an evaluation of communication characteristics including at least one of the following is performed: communication bandwidth, connection network type, and security level. The aforementioned computer, Regarding the transmission of the aforementioned equipment information within a certain period, the communication quality of all the aforementioned communication lines is monitored. The aforementioned computer, The device information is transmitted to at least one of the multiple communication network lines that have been pre-grouped. The aforementioned computer, When a decrease in communication quality is detected in at least one of the multiple communication networks, the results of the evaluation for that communication network are compared with the results of the evaluation for at least one other communication networks. The aforementioned computer, Based on the results of the above comparison, the communication network that transmits the device information within the same group of communication networks is changed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device and communication method that can satisfy diverse communication requirements and continue data transmission even when an abnormality occurs in the communication network.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and elements related thereto. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of various setting files according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing examples of various setting files and various lists according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of various setting screens according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing the distribution list output process in the evaluation unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing the device information collection process in the distribution unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing the failure notification reception process in the monitoring unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] ]>It is a flowchart showing the distribution process of the destination line network in the distribution unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing the failure count reset process in the monitoring unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing examples of various setting files and various lists according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of a notification content setting screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of a line evaluation / group setting screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] This is a flowchart showing the distribution list output process in the evaluation unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] This is a flowchart showing the distribution process of the destination line network in the distributor according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] This is a diagram showing an example of a line group setting file according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] This is a diagram showing an example of a line evaluation / group setting screen according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] This is a flowchart showing the failure notification reception process in the monitoring unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] This is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring setting file and a traffic monitoring list according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] This is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring setting screen according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] This is a flowchart showing the traffic monitoring process in the monitoring unit according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments shown below. Those skilled in the art can easily understand that the specific configuration can be changed without departing from the spirit or gist of the present invention.

[0016] In the configuration of the invention described below, the same or similar configurations or functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0017] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a communication device according to a first embodiment of the present invention and related elements. In Figure 1, the communication device 100 is connected to a server 111 and a cloud 112 via a plurality of communication lines 110. The communication device 100 is also connected to a plurality of industrial machines 120 via a network 130.

[0018] Network 130 is, for example, an IP network or an industrial network, and connects the communication device 100 and the industrial equipment 120. The industrial equipment 120 is industrial equipment such as an air compressor that has operational information and configuration information. Operational information 121 and configuration information 122, which are data obtainable from the industrial equipment 120, are transmitted to the communication device 100 as equipment information compliant with a communication standard such as Modbus related to the industrial equipment 120.

[0019] The communication network 110 is a WAN (Wide Area Network) and is used as a communication path to servers 111 and cloud 112 located beyond it. The communication network 110 includes, for example, public telephone networks and mobile communication networks. When multiple communication networks 110 are connected to the communication device 100, the communication networks 110 may include the same lines as other communication networks 110, or there may be a set of communication networks 110 whose components are independent of each other and cannot communicate at all.

[0020] Server 111 and cloud 112 are destinations to which the communication device 100 transmits equipment information acquired from the industrial equipment 120. These are, for example, servers that have a function to visualize the equipment information of the industrial equipment 120.

[0021] The communication device 100 is comprised of multiple communication interfaces 101, a local communication unit 102, a user interface (UI) generation unit 103, a configuration file 104, an evaluation unit 105, a monitoring unit 106, and a distribution unit 107.

[0022] The local communication unit 102 is configured as a data acquisition unit that collects equipment information of the industrial equipment 120 from the industrial equipment 120 that is the target of data collection by the communication device 100.

[0023] Each of the multiple communication IFs 101 is configured as a gateway communication unit that transmits and receives device information via the communication network 110. Here, communication IF 101 refers not only to physical IFs but also to logical or virtual interfaces.

[0024] The UI generation unit 103 generates and provides various setting screens to the user of the communication device 100. The settings saved on the setting screens are reflected in the setting file 104. The setting file 104 is a group of files generated by the UI generation unit 103 that are referenced by the components of the communication device 100 and contain settings related to various processes.

[0025] The evaluation unit 105 evaluates the communication characteristics of each communication network 110 based on the configuration file 104, and groups the communication networks 110 based on the evaluation results. Based on the results of this grouping, it generates a list that determines which of the other communication networks 110 should be prioritized for forwarding in the event of a communication interruption in any of the communication networks 110, and reflects this in the configuration file 104.

[0026] The monitoring unit 106 monitors the communication quality (number of communication failures, communication delay time, error rate, etc.) of all communication lines 110 for the transmission of device information by the communication IF 101 within a certain period. Based on the configuration file 104 and the monitoring results of the communication quality of each communication line 110, it maintains a list of communication lines 110 that are highly likely to have experienced communication interruptions or communication abnormalities as an interrupted line list.

[0027] The distribution unit 107 refers to the configuration file 104 and, based on the grouping of the communication network 110 by the evaluation unit 105, selects a specific communication network 110 as the transit communication network 110. Then, it transmits the equipment information of the industrial equipment 120, acquired via the local communication unit 102, to the server 111 or cloud 112 via the specific communication IF 101 and the selected transit communication network 110. In addition, when transmitting equipment information, it refers to the list of interrupted lines maintained by the monitoring unit 106 and checks whether the transit communication network 110 is included in the list of interrupted lines. If the transit communication network 110 is included in the list of interrupted lines, the transit destination is changed to another available communication network 110 based on the evaluation results of each communication network 110 by the evaluation unit 105.

[0028] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] In Figure 2, the communication device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, main memory 202, WAN communication IF 203, input / output IF 204, auxiliary storage IF 205, serial communication IF 206, and LAN communication IF 207, and these components are connected by a bus.

[0030] The CPU 201 controls each part of the communication device 100 and loads and executes the necessary programs in the main memory 202. By executing a predetermined program, the UI generation unit 103, evaluation unit 105, monitoring unit 106, distribution unit 107, etc. shown in Figure 1 are realized in the communication device 100.

[0031] The main memory 202 is typically composed of volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory). The main memory 202 stores the programs executed by the CPU 201 and the data that the CPU 201 references.

[0032] The IF205 auxiliary storage interface is used to connect auxiliary storage devices such as EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0033] The WAN communication IF203 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 110. Multiple WAN communication IF203s are provided, each corresponding to one of the communication networks 110. Through this WAN communication IF203, the communication IF101 shown in Figure 1 is realized in the communication device 100.

[0034] The I / O IF204 is an interface for connecting input / output devices such as keyboards and mice.

[0035] The serial communication IF206 is an interface that connects to the serial communication IF of the industrial equipment 120 when performing serial communication with the industrial equipment 120, such as with Modbus-RTU (Remote Terminal Unit). The LAN communication IF207 is an interface that connects to the LAN communication IF207 of the industrial equipment 120 when performing LAN communication with the industrial equipment 120, such as with Modbus-TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). The serial communication IF206 and LAN communication IF207 enable the local communication unit 102 shown in Figure 1 to be realized in the communication device 100.

[0036] The auxiliary storage device connected to the auxiliary storage IF205 has a large storage capacity and stores the configuration file 104 and various programs for executing this embodiment.

[0037] The configuration file 104 stores the basic configuration file 211, the TCP communication configuration file 212, the serial communication configuration file 213, the data collection configuration file 214, the line configuration file 215, the line evaluation configuration file 216, and the line group configuration file 217. The basic configuration file 211 is a file that records basic configuration information related to the processing of the monitoring unit 106 and the distribution unit 107. The TCP communication configuration file 212 is a file that records settings related to the communication of the LAN communication IF 207, which is referenced when collecting information from industrial equipment 120 via communication protocols such as Modbus-TCP. The serial communication configuration file 213 is a file that records settings related to the communication of the serial communication IF 206, which is referenced when collecting information from industrial equipment 120 via serial communication protocols such as Modbus-RTU. The data collection configuration file 214 is a file that records configuration information related to the collection of information from industrial equipment 120 in the distribution unit 107. The line configuration file 215 is a file that records information about the communication network 110. The line evaluation setting file 216 is a file that records information on settings related to communication characteristics evaluation, which the evaluation unit 105 refers to when evaluating the communication characteristics of the communication network 110. The line group setting file 217 is a file that records information linking each communication network 110 to a group, in order to group and manage multiple communication networks 110 based on the results of the communication characteristics evaluation by the evaluation unit 105.

[0038] Furthermore, the auxiliary storage device has a line evaluation program 221, a distribution program 222, and a line monitoring program 223 installed. The line evaluation program 221, the distribution program 222, and the line monitoring program 223 are programs that implement the functions of the evaluation unit 105, the distribution unit 107, and the monitoring unit 106, respectively, and are executed by the CPU 201.

[0039] In addition, the auxiliary storage device stores the distribution list 224 and the failure count record list 225, which are generated as output of the processing. The distribution list 224 is a file generated by the evaluation unit 105 that records, for each communication network 110, multiple communication lines that should be prioritized as new distribution destinations when communication is interrupted. The failure count record list 225 is a file generated by the monitoring unit 106 that records the number of communication failures for each communication network 110.

[0040] Figure 3 shows examples of various configuration files according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] The basic configuration file 211 is a file that records basic settings for the processing of the distribution unit 107 and the monitoring unit 106. The basic configuration file 211 is configured to include items such as data transmission interval 211a, communication failure count threshold 211b, and communication failure count reset interval 211c, as shown in Figure 3, for example. The data transmission interval 211a is a setting item that indicates in seconds the period during which the distribution unit 107 collects data from the industrial equipment 120 and transmits it to the outside via the communication network 110. The communication failure count threshold 211b is a setting item that indicates the number of failures before the monitoring unit 106 determines that communication has been interrupted for all communication networks 110. The communication failure count reset interval 211c is a setting item that indicates in minutes the time from when the monitoring unit 106 determines that communication has been interrupted for all communication networks 110 accumulated, until it resets the communication failure count and resolves the communication interruption.

[0042] The TCP communication configuration file 212 is a file that records communication-related settings that are referenced when collecting information from industrial equipment 120 via a communication protocol such as Modbus-TCP. The TCP communication configuration file 212 is composed of items such as device name 212a, IP address 212b, port 212c, and protocol 212d, as shown in Figure 3, for example. The device name 212a is a unique name that uniquely identifies each line of this configuration. The IP address 212b indicates the IP address to which LAN communication is headed. The port 212c indicates the destination TCP port number for LAN communication. The protocol 212d indicates the protocol to be used for LAN communication and stores information indicating the protocol type, such as "Modbus-TCP".

[0043] The serial communication configuration file 213 is a file that records communication-related settings that are referenced when collecting information from the industrial equipment 120 via a serial communication protocol such as Modbus-RTU. The serial communication configuration file 213 is composed of the following items, as shown in Figure 3 for example: device name 213a, baud rate 213b, bit size 213c, parity 213d, stop bit 213e, and protocol 213f. The device name 213a is a unique name that uniquely identifies each line of this configuration. The baud rate 213b indicates the communication speed (baud rate) of the serial communication. The bit size 213c indicates the bit length from the start bit to the stop bit in the serial communication. The parity 213d indicates the application method of the error detection code bit in the serial communication and stores information such as "none", "even", or "odd". The stop bit 213e indicates the length of the stop bit in the serial communication. The protocol 213f indicates the protocol used for serial communication and stores information indicating the protocol type, such as "Modbus-RTU".

[0044] The data collection configuration file 214 is a file that records details of the data collected from the industrial equipment 120 and settings related to the destination of the collected data. As shown in Figure 3, for example, the data collection configuration file 214 is composed of items for target device 214a, data settings 214b, destination network 214c, and destination 214d. Target device 214a is information indicating the device name 212a and device name 213a specified in the TCP communication configuration file 212 and serial communication configuration file 213, and indicates that the settings identified by these device names will be used to collect equipment information from the industrial equipment 120. Data settings 214b are individual setting items for each data included in the equipment information to be collected, and are composed of items for data name, address, data length, and data type. The data name indicates a unique name that uniquely identifies the data. The address indicates the storage address of the data in the industrial equipment 120. The data length indicates the length of the data in words (8 bytes). The data type indicates the type of data and stores type names such as "int" and "float". The destination network 214c indicates the name of the communication network 110 to which the equipment information collected from the industrial equipment 120 will be transmitted to the server 111 or cloud 112. The destination 214d indicates the IP address or URL of the server 111 or cloud 112 to which the equipment information collected from the industrial equipment 120 will be transmitted.

[0045] The line configuration file 215 is a file that records information on settings related to the evaluation, which the evaluation unit 105 refers to when evaluating the communication network 110. The line configuration file 215 is composed of items such as communication network name 215a, communication bandwidth 215b, network type 215c, and security level 215d, as shown in Figure 3, for example. The communication network name 215a is a unique name that uniquely identifies the communication network 110 and indicates a name that can correspond to the communication IF 101 connected to the communication network 110. The communication bandwidth 215b indicates the communication bandwidth (communication speed) of the communication network 110. The network type 215c indicates the network type of the communication network 110. For example, it stores information such as "Internet," "closed network," and "VPN." The security level 215d indicates the security performance of the communication network 110 in stages. For example, it stores information indicating security performance levels such as "high," "medium," and "low." Here, security performance is only a guideline. For example, in the case of two communication lines 110 with the same security performance level, such as "High" and "High," these lines have similar levels of security performance, and the system serves to indicate that there is no problem in choosing either one as the destination.

[0046] Figure 4 shows examples of various configuration files and lists according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] The line evaluation setting file 216 is a file referenced by the evaluation unit 105 in the process of prioritizing the forwarding destination in the event of a communication interruption for each communication network 110 and outputting it as a distribution list 224. The line evaluation setting file 216 is configured to include items such as Consider bandwidth size 216a, forward only to the same type 216b, and forward only to the same security level 216c, as shown in Figure 4 for example. Consider bandwidth size 216a indicates a setting that determines whether or not to process the creation of the distribution list 224 considering the size of the bandwidth. Forward only to the same type 216b indicates a setting that determines whether or not to process the creation of the distribution list 224 excluding network networks other than the same type. Forward only to the same security level 216c indicates a setting that determines whether or not to process the creation of the distribution list 224 excluding network networks with different security performance.

[0048] The line group configuration file 217 is a file that records information linking groups to communication networks 110 in order to group and manage multiple communication networks 110. The line group configuration file 217 is composed of a combination of multiple items, for example, as shown in Figure 4, where the key is the group name 217a and the value is the communication network list 217b. The group name 217a is a unique name that uniquely identifies the group. The communication network list 217b is a list-type item that refers to the name of the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and items in the same list are classified into the same group.

[0049] The distribution list 224 is a file that records the name of the new communication network to which traffic should be distributed when communication on the communication network 110 is interrupted. The distribution list 224 is composed of the items of communication network name 224a and distribution network list 224b, as shown in Figure 4 for example. The distribution network list 224b is composed of the item of communication network name 224c. The communication network name 224a is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the communication network names that exist in the line configuration file 215. The distribution network list 224b is a list of communication network names 224c that should be used as the new distribution destination when communication network 110 is interrupted, and it shows the communication network 110 with the highest priority as a distribution destination from the beginning. The communication network name 224c is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the communication network names that exist in the line configuration file 215.

[0050] The failure count record list 225 is a file that records the number of communication failures and the time of failure for each communication network 110. The failure count record list 225 is composed of the following items, as shown in Figure 4 for example: communication network name 225a, number of failures 225b, and failure count increase time 225c. The communication network name 225a is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the communication network names that exist in the line configuration file 215. The number of failures 225b records the number of communication failures for the communication network 110. The failure count increase time 225c records the time when a communication failure for the communication network 110 was notified.

[0051] Figure 5 shows examples of various setting screens according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] The basic settings screen 500 is a screen for configuring settings related to the basic settings file 211 and for uploading the TCP communication settings file 212, serial communication settings file 213, collection settings file 214, and line settings file 215. The communication device 100 in this embodiment recognizes user-created and uploaded files as settings files 104 through this basic settings screen 500.

[0053] The basic settings screen 500 displays, for example, the data transmission interval setting 501, the number of communication failures before changing the relay destination setting 502, the reset interval setting for the number of communication failures 503, the basic settings save button 504, the file selection button for each setting item 505, the file path display text box 506, the TCP communication settings send button 507, the serial communication settings send button 508, the collection settings send button 509, and the line settings send button 510, as shown in Figure 5.

[0054] The data transmission interval setting 501, the number of communication failures before changing the relay destination setting 502, and the communication failure count reset interval setting 503 are text boxes for setting items corresponding to the data transmission interval 211a, the communication failure threshold 211b, and the communication failure count reset interval 211c in the basic setting file 211, respectively. The user can enter setting values ​​into these text boxes via the input / output IF 204. The basic setting save button 504 is a button for saving the basic setting file 211. When this button is selected by the user on the basic setting screen 500, the values ​​set in the data transmission interval setting 501, the number of communication failures before changing the relay destination setting 502, and the communication failure count reset interval setting 503 are saved in the format of the basic setting file 211.

[0055] When the file selection button 511 is selected, a screen for selecting a file is displayed. For example, if a PC is connected to the communication device 100 and the configuration file 104 is being configured, a screen for selecting a file on the PC will be displayed in response to the operation of the file selection button 511, allowing the user to select any file. The file path display text box 506 displays the path of the file selected by the file selection button 511. The TCP communication settings send button 507, serial communication settings send button 508, collection settings send button 509, and line settings send button 510 are buttons for sending the selected file. When these buttons are selected by the user, the TCP communication settings file 212, serial communication settings file 213, collection settings file 214, and line settings file 215 are uploaded, respectively.

[0056] The line evaluation / group settings screen 520 is a settings screen for configuring settings related to the line evaluation settings file 216 and the line group settings file 217. The communication device 100 recognizes the created and uploaded files as setting files 104 through this screen.

[0057] The line evaluation / group settings screen 520 displays, for example, as shown in Figure 5, settings 521 for distributing based on communication bandwidth, settings 522 for distributing only within the same type of network, settings 523 for distributing only within the same security level, a line evaluation settings save button 524, a group box 525, a group line box 526, a box close button 527, a line selection tab 528, a group line box add button 529, a group add button 530, and a settings save button 531.

[0058] The settings 521, which distribute traffic considering communication bandwidth, 522, which distribute traffic only within networks of the same type, and 523, which distribute traffic only within networks of the same security level, are each represented by checkboxes. These correspond to the settings 216a, 216b, and 216c in the line evaluation setting file 216 shown in Figure 4, respectively, which consider bandwidth differences, and which transfer traffic only within networks of the same type and security level, respectively. A checked box means "True," and an unchecked box means "False." The line evaluation setting save button 524 is used to save the settings. When this button is selected by the user, the set values ​​are saved in the format of the line evaluation setting file 216.

[0059] The group box 525 corresponds to the group name 217a in the line group configuration file 217, and the group name 217a, which is automatically generated when a group is added to the communication network 110, is displayed at the top of the box. In addition, a box close button 527 is displayed in the upper right corner of the box, and a group line box add button 529 is displayed inside the box.

[0060] The group line box 526 is automatically displayed for each communication line 110 belonging to a group when a group of communication lines 110 is added and the group box 525 is displayed. In the group line box 526, a box close button 527 is displayed in the upper right corner of the box, and a line selection tab 528 is displayed inside the box.

[0061] When the box close button 527 is selected by the user, the box surrounding the box close button 527 is removed from the line evaluation / group settings screen 520. The line selection tab 528 is a selectable tab and corresponds to one item in the communication network list 217b of the line group settings file 217. The line selection tab 528 displays only the communication network name 215a items from the line settings file 215, and the user can use the line selection tab 528 to select any communication network 110.

[0062] The group line box add button 529 is used to add a communication network 110 to a group. When the user selects this button, a group line box 526 is added and displayed on the line evaluation / group settings screen 520. The user can use the displayed group line box 526 to select the communication network 110 to add to the group.

[0063] The Add Group button 530 is used to add a group to the communication network 110. When the user selects this button, a group box 525 is added to the line evaluation / group settings screen 520. The user can use the displayed group box 525 to add and configure a group for the communication network 110.

[0064] The Save Settings button 531 is used to save the line group settings file 217. When this button is selected by the user on the line evaluation / group settings screen 520, the configured values ​​are saved in the format of the line group settings file 217. At this time, the group name at the top of the group box 525 is written as group name 217a, and the communication network names selected in the line selection tabs 528 of the multiple group line boxes 526 within the group box 525 are written as items in the communication network list 217b, respectively, in the line group settings file 217.

[0065] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the distribution list output process in the evaluation unit 105 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the evaluation unit 105 will be described below according to the items in the flowchart of Figure 6.

[0066] The evaluation unit 105 starts the subsequent processing when the save settings button 531 is selected on the line evaluation / group setting screen 520. (S601)

[0067] The evaluation unit 105 retrieves the following files from the configuration files 104 stored in the auxiliary storage device: the line configuration file 215, the line evaluation configuration file 216, and the line group configuration file 217. (S602)

[0068] The evaluation unit 105 determines whether the line in the line configuration file 215 that was targeted for data reading in the previous step S604 (referred to as the "target line" in the explanation of Figure 6 below) is the last line of the file. (S603) If step S603 determines that the target line is not the last line of the file (NO), the line following the previous target line in the line configuration file 215 is designated as the new target line, and one line of configuration data for the target line is read from the line configuration file 215. (S604) Note that if the determination in step S603 is performed for the first time, the processing in step S604 has not been performed, so in this case, step S603 determines that the target line is not the last line of the file, and the first line of the line configuration file 215 is designated as the target line, and the configuration data for the first line of the line configuration file 215 is read in step S604.

[0069] The evaluation unit 105 reads all lines of the line configuration file 215 and extracts a list of all communication network names 215a recorded in the line configuration file 215, which is then created as a provisional distribution list. (S605)

[0070] The evaluation unit 105 determines whether the consideration of bandwidth size 216a is valid in the line evaluation setting file 216. (S606) If it is determined to be valid in step S606 (YES), the communication network 110 represented by the communication network name 215a of each line in the line setting file 215 whose communication bandwidth value indicated in communication bandwidth 215b is smaller than the target line is removed from the temporary distribution list created in step S605. (S607) Then the process proceeds to step S608. On the other hand, if it is determined to be invalid in step S606 (NO), the process proceeds to step S608 without executing step S607.

[0071] The evaluation unit 105 determines whether transfer 216b is valid only for the same type in the line evaluation setting file 216. (S608) If it is determined to be valid in step S608 (YES), the communication network 110 represented by the communication network name 215a of each line in the line setting file 215 whose network type indicated in line network type 215c is different from the target line is removed from the temporary distribution list created up to step S608. (S609) Then the process proceeds to step S610. On the other hand, if it is determined to be invalid in step S608 (NO), the process proceeds to step S610 without executing step S609.

[0072] The evaluation unit 105 determines whether transfer 216c is valid only to the same security level in the line evaluation setting file 216. (S610) If it is determined to be valid in step S610 (YES), the communication network 110 represented by the communication network name 215a of each line in the line setting file 215 whose security performance level indicated in security level 215d is different from the target line is removed from the provisional distribution list created up to step S610. (S611) Then the process proceeds to step S612. On the other hand, if it is determined to be invalid in step S610 (NO), the process proceeds to step S612 without executing step S611.

[0073] The evaluation unit 105 refers to the line group setting file 217 and removes each communication network 110 that does not belong to the same group as the communication network 110 of the target line from the provisional distribution list created up to step S612. (S612) Specifically, in the line setting file 215, it identifies the communication network 110 represented by the communication network name 215a of the target line, and in the line group setting file 217, it removes each communication network 110 that is not included in the communication network list 217b of the group name 217a to which this communication network 110 belongs from the provisional distribution list as a communication network 110 that does not belong to the same group.

[0074] The evaluation unit 105 outputs the communication network name 215a of the target row as the communication network name 224a, and the temporary distribution list created up to step S613 as the distribution network list 224b, and outputs the combination of these as one item of the distribution list 224. (S613) If the processing from step S602 onwards is executed for the first time, a new distribution list 224 is created and output. After the processing in step S613 is completed, the process returns to S603.

[0075] If step S603 determines that the target line is the last line of the file (YES), the evaluation unit 105 terminates the distribution list output process shown in the flowchart of Figure 6.

[0076] In this embodiment, the evaluation unit 105 performs the distribution list output processing shown in Figure 6 described above, thereby evaluating the communication characteristics of each of the multiple communication network 110 to which the communication device 100 can connect, including at least one of the communication bandwidth, connection network type, and security level. The evaluation results are then compared for each communication network 110 and reflected in the distribution list 224. That is, for each communication network 110, the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for that communication network 110 are compared with the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for other communication networks 110, allowing combinations of communication networks 110 whose communication characteristics evaluation results satisfy certain conditions to be described in the distribution list 224.

[0077] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the equipment information collection process in the distribution unit 107 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the distribution unit 107 will be described below according to the items in the flowchart of Figure 7.

[0078] The distribution unit 107 starts subsequent processing when at least one of the TCP communication configuration file 212, serial communication configuration file 213, and collection configuration file 214 is updated. (S701)

[0079] The distribution unit 107 retrieves the following files from the configuration files 104 stored in the auxiliary storage device: the basic configuration file 211, the TCP communication configuration file 212, the serial communication configuration file 213, and the collection configuration file 214, as well as the distribution list 224. (S702)

[0080] The distribution unit 107 determines whether or not a termination command has been received. (S703) For example, if a user inputs a termination command to the communication device 100 by performing a predetermined operation using the input / output IF 204, or if a termination command is sent from the industrial equipment 120, the termination command is received by the distribution unit 107. If it is determined in step S703 that no termination command has been received (NO), the process proceeds to step S704.

[0081] The distribution unit 107 determines whether the item in the collection setting file 214 referenced in the previous step S705 (referred to as the "reference item" in the explanation of Figure 7 below) is the last item in the file. (S704) If step S704 determines that the reference item is not the last item in the file (NO), the next item in the collection setting file 214 after the previous reference item is used as the new reference item, and the setting data for one reference item (one set of data from the target device 214a to the destination 214d) is read from the collection setting file 214. (S705) Note that if the determination in step S704 is performed for the first time, the processing in step S705 has not been performed, so in this case, step S704 determines that the reference item is not the last item in the file, and the first item in the collection setting file 214 is used as the reference item, and the setting data for the first item in the collection setting file 214 is read in step S705.

[0082] The distribution unit 107 collects equipment information based on the setting data of the reference item read in step S705. (S706) Here, for example, based on the contents described in the setting data of the reference item for the target device 214a, it refers to the contents of the TCP communication setting file 212 and the serial communication setting file 213 to start communication with the industrial equipment 120. Also, based on the contents described in the data setting 214b of the reference item, it accesses the default address of the industrial equipment 120 and obtains the equipment information data stored at that address.

[0083] The distribution unit 107 transmits the device information collected in step S706 based on the setting data of the reference item read in step S705. (S707) Here, for example, based on the contents described in the destination network 214c and destination 214d of the setting data of the reference item, it sets the relay destination communication network 110 and transmits the acquired device information data to the specified server 111 or cloud 112 via that communication network 110. At this time, if the communication network 110 specified in the destination network 214c is interrupted, the relay destination communication network 110 is changed according to the distribution list 224.

[0084] The distribution unit 107 determines whether or not the transmission of device information failed in step S707. (S708) If it is determined in step S708 that the transmission failed (YES), it notifies the monitoring unit 106 of the communication failure. (S709) Here, it notifies the communication network 110 represented by the destination network 214c in the setting data of the reference item read in step S705, indicating that communication has failed. After the processing in step S709 is completed, the process returns to step S704.

[0085] If it is determined in step S708 that the transmission did not fail (NO), the process returns to step S704.

[0086] If step S704 determines that the reference item is the last item in the file (YES), the distribution unit 107 sleeps for the time specified by the data transmission interval 211a in the basic configuration file 211, and then returns to step S703. (S710)

[0087] If step S703 determines that a termination command has been received (YES), the distribution unit 107 terminates the device information collection process shown in the flowchart of Figure 7.

[0088] The distribution unit 107 collects equipment information from each industrial machine 120 by performing the equipment information collection process shown in Figure 7 described above, and can transmit the collected equipment information to at least one of the multiple communication network 110 that have been pre-grouped.

[0089] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the failure notification reception process in the monitoring unit 106 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the monitoring unit 106 will be described below according to the items in the flowchart of Figure 8.

[0090] The monitoring unit 106 receives the communication failure notification from the distribution unit 107 through the process in step S709 of Figure 7 described above, and then starts the subsequent processing. (S801)

[0091] The monitoring unit 106 parses the received data (information on communication failure notifications) from the distribution unit 107 and obtains the destination network 214c information contained therein to identify the name of the communication network 110 that failed to transmit the device information (hereinafter referred to as the "failed network name"). (S802)

[0092] The monitoring unit 106 refers to the failure count record list 225 and increments the value of the failure count 225b in the row for the same communication network name 225a as the failure network name identified in step S802, and also inputs the current time into the failure count increase time 225c. (S803)

[0093] The monitoring unit 106 refers to the basic configuration file 211 (S804) and determines whether the failure count value 225b, which was incremented in step S803, exceeds the communication failure threshold 211b in the basic configuration file 211 (S805).

[0094] If, in step S805, it is determined that the value of the number of failures after incrementing, 225b, exceeds the threshold for the number of communication failures, 211b (YES), the monitoring unit 106 determines that the communication network 110 has been interrupted and detects a decrease in communication quality for the communication network 110. It then adds the name of the failed network obtained in step S802 to the interrupted network list, which is held as volatile data. (S806) At this time, if the interrupted network list has not been created in the monitoring unit 106, it creates a new interrupted network list.

[0095] After step S806 is performed, or if step S805 determines that the value of the number of failures 225b after increment does not exceed the communication failure threshold 211b (NO), the monitoring unit 106 terminates the failure notification reception process shown in the flowchart of Figure 8.

[0096] The monitoring unit 106 can monitor the communication quality (number of communication failures) of all communication lines 110 for the transmission of equipment information within a certain period by performing the failure notification reception process shown in Figure 8 as described above.

[0097] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the destination network distribution process in the distribution unit 107 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart provides a more detailed explanation of the processing when the communication network 110 specified by the destination network 214c is out of service in step S707 of Figure 7. The operation of the distribution unit 107 will be described below according to the items in the flowchart of Figure 9.

[0098] The distribution unit 107 starts the subsequent processing when the destination line distribution process begins in step S707 in Figure 7. (S901)

[0099] The distribution unit 107 retrieves the aforementioned list of disconnected lines, which was created and edited in step S806 of Figure 8 and is held in the monitoring unit 106, from the monitoring unit 106. (S902)

[0100] The distribution unit 107 determines whether the name of the communication network 110 represented by the destination network 214c of the reference item read in step S705 in Figure 7 exists in the list of interrupted lines obtained in step S902. (S903)

[0101] If step S903 determines that the name of the communication network 110 exists in the list of interrupted lines (YES), the distribution unit 107 determines that the monitoring unit 106 has detected a decrease in communication quality in the communication network 110 and refers to the distribution list 224 (S904). Then, it obtains the distribution network list 224b corresponding to the name of the communication network 110 from the distribution list 224, and creates a list from which the names of each communication network 110 listed in the list of interrupted lines are excluded (S905).

[0102] On the other hand, if step S903 determines that the name of the communication network 110 does not exist in the list of disconnected lines (NO), the distribution unit 107 proceeds to step S908.

[0103] The distribution unit 107 determines whether the name of at least one communication network 110 exists in the list created in step S905. (S906) If it is determined in step S906 that the name of at least one communication network 110 exists (YES), that is, if there is at least one other communication network 110 that belongs to the same group as the communication network 110 included in the interrupted line list and satisfies the distribution conditions set on the line evaluation / group setting screen 520 for that communication network 110, then one of the communication network 110 among them is set as the destination network after the change. (S907) Here, for example, the communication network 110 with the highest priority (closest to the beginning) in the list is determined to be the destination network after the change.

[0104] The distribution unit 107 executes communication processing of the acquired device information via the modified destination network determined by step S907. (S908) Here, the modified destination network is set as the transit communication network 110, and the server 111 or cloud 112 listed as the destination 214d in the reference item setting data read in step S705 of Figure 7 is used as the destination for transmitting the device information, and the device information is transmitted.

[0105] After step S908 is performed, or if step S906 determines that no communication network 110 names exist in the list (NO), the distribution unit 107 terminates the destination network distribution process shown in the flowchart of Figure 9.

[0106] In this embodiment, the distribution unit 107 performs the destination network distribution process shown in Figure 9 described above. When the monitoring unit 106 detects a decrease in communication quality in at least one of the multiple communication networks 110 (i.e., when the number of communication failures for the communication network 110 specified in destination network 214c exceeds a threshold, and the communication network 110 is recorded in the interrupted network list), the distribution unit 107 can change the communication network 110 that transmits device information within the same group of communication networks 110 based on a comparison of the evaluation of the communication characteristics for the communication network 110 described in the distribution list 224 with the evaluation of the communication characteristics for at least one other communication network 110.

[0107] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the failure count reset process in the monitoring unit 106 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the monitoring unit 106 will be described below according to the items in the flowchart of Figure 10.

[0108] The monitoring unit 106 periodically starts the subsequent processing. (S1001) Possible processing cycles include, for example, every minute, every 10 minutes, every 60 minutes, etc. However, the present invention does not fix the processing cycle, and any time can be set for the processing cycle.

[0109] The monitoring unit 106 retrieves the basic configuration file 211 from the configuration files 104 stored in the auxiliary storage device. (S1002)

[0110] The monitoring unit 106 refers to the failure count record list 225. (S1003)

[0111] The monitoring unit 106 determines whether the row in the failure count record list 225 that was targeted for data reading in the previous step S1005 (referred to as the "target row" in the explanation of Figure 10 below) is the last row in the list. (S1004) If step 1004 determines that the target row is not the last row in the list (NO), the next row in the failure count record list 225 is designated as the new target row, and data for one target row is read from the failure count record list 225. (S1005) Note that if the determination in step S1004 is performed for the first time, the processing in step S1005 has not been performed, so in this case, step S1004 determines that the target row is not the last row in the list, and the first row of the failure count record list 225 is designated as the target row, and the data for the first row of the failure count record list 225 is read in step S1005.

[0112] The monitoring unit 106 determines whether the predetermined reset interval has elapsed since the last time a communication interruption was detected for the communication network 110 corresponding to the target row whose data was read in step S1005. (S1006) Specifically, for example, the monitoring unit calculates the elapsed time since the last communication interruption was detected by calculating the difference between the date and time recorded in the failure count increase time 225c in the data of the target row read in step S1005 and the current date and time, and compares this elapsed time with the time described in the communication failure count reset interval 211c of the basic setting file 211. If the elapsed time is shorter, or if the failure count increase time 225c is not recorded in the data of the target row, the monitoring unit determines in step S1006 that the reset interval has not elapsed (NO), and returns to step S1004.

[0113] If the elapsed time is longer than the time described in the communication failure count reset interval 211c, the monitoring unit 106 determines in step S1006 that the reset interval has elapsed (YES) and proceeds to step S1007. The monitoring unit 106 resets the failure count value 225b of the target row obtained in step S1005 to 0 and deletes the entry for the failure count increase time 225c. (S1007) Then, the monitoring unit 106 deletes the name of the communication network that is the same as the communication network name 225a of the target row from the aforementioned list of interrupted lines it holds and saves the list of interrupted lines after deletion. (S1008)

[0114] If step S1004 determines that the target row is the end of the list (YES), the monitoring unit 106 terminates the failure count reset process shown in the flowchart of Figure 10.

[0115] The monitoring unit 106 can reset the contents of the failure count record list 225 after the time specified in the communication failure count reset interval 211c of the basic configuration file 211 has elapsed by performing the failure count reset process shown in Figure 10 as described above.

[0116] According to the communication device 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the evaluation unit 105, based on the line setting file 215 and the line evaluation setting file 216, creates a distribution list 224, which is a list of data transfer destinations in the event of a communication interruption in the communication network 110, that satisfies various communication requirements, taking into account the type of communication network 110, security performance, communication bandwidth, and other communication characteristics. The distribution unit 107, based on the collection setting file 214, acquires operation information 121 and setting information 122 from the industrial equipment 120, and transmits this data as equipment information related to the industrial equipment to the server 111 or cloud 112 indicated in the destination network 214d via the communication network 110 indicated in the destination network 214c.

[0117] When the monitoring unit 106 detects that the communication network 110 indicated in the destination network 214c has exceeded the threshold for the number of communication failures, the communication network 110 is determined to be in a communication interruption state, and the distribution unit 107 changes the destination network in order to transmit the device information via another communication network 110. The new destination communication network 110 is selected to be a communication network 110 that is capable of communication and is set to the same group as the previous communication network 110 in the line group setting file 217.

[0118] This makes it possible to continue transmitting device information while meeting various communication requirements, taking into account network type, security performance, and communication bandwidth, even if the connected communication network 110 is interrupted.

[0119] According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the following effects are achieved.

[0120] (1) The communication device 100 transmits equipment information relating to one or more industrial devices 120 to multiple communication network lines 110. The communication device 100 includes an evaluation unit 105 that evaluates the communication characteristics of each of the multiple communication network lines 110, including at least one of the communication bandwidth, connection network type, and security level, and compares the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for each communication network line 110 (S604~S611), a monitoring unit 106 that monitors the communication quality of all communication network lines 110 for the transmission of equipment information within a certain period (S802~S806), and a distribution unit 107 that transmits equipment information to at least one of the multiple communication network lines 110 that have been pre-grouped (S707). If a decrease in communication quality is detected in at least one of the multiple communication network 110s (S805:YES, S903:YES), the distribution unit 107 changes the communication network 110 that transmits the device information within the same group of communication network 110 based on a comparison of the evaluation of the communication characteristics of the affected communication network 110 with the evaluation results of the communication characteristics of at least one other communication network 110 (S904-S907). In this way, it is possible to provide a communication device 100 that can continue to transmit device information data even if an abnormality occurs in the communication network 110, while satisfying diverse communication requirements.

[0121] (2) The communication network 110 may include a mobile communication network. In this way, even if an abnormality occurs in the communication network 110, which includes a mobile communication network that is prone to communication interruptions, it will be possible to continue transmitting device information data.

[0122] (3) The communication quality of the communication network 110 monitored by the monitoring unit 106 may include the number of communication failures in the communication network 110. In this case, the distribution unit 107 determines that a deterioration in communication quality has been detected in the communication network 110 when the number of communication failures in at least one of the multiple communication networks 110 exceeds a predetermined threshold (S805:YES, S903:YES). This makes it easy to identify a deterioration in communication quality that could lead to communication interruption.

[0123] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the distribution unit 107 of the communication device 100 changes the destination network to be traversed according to the distribution list 224 and the line group setting file 217 when the destination network is unavailable for communication during the transmission of device information data. However, if the device information to be transmitted via the new destination network 110 is of high importance, or if the communication bandwidth of the said network 110 is narrow, the device information that was supposed to go via another network 110 may flow into the said network 110, putting pressure on the communication bandwidth and potentially preventing the original communication data from being transmitted correctly. For this reason, in the second embodiment, an example is described in which the communication bandwidth is limited when the destination network becomes unavailable and data is transferred to a new destination network.

[0124] Furthermore, in applications that transmit large amounts of data, limiting the communication bandwidth can cause data congestion and prevent data from being transmitted correctly. For this reason, in the distribution unit 107 of the second embodiment, when the destination network becomes unresponsive as described above and the communication bandwidth of a new destination network is limited, instead of reducing the amount of device information data to be transmitted, an example is described in which pre-configured notification data is sent to an arbitrary destination.

[0125] This enables the normal transmission of data that would normally pass through the communication network. Furthermore, by canceling the transmission of communication data that might not be transmitted correctly due to bandwidth limitations and sending a small amount of notification data instead, it becomes possible to quickly notify maintenance personnel of a communication outage in the communication network 110.

[0126] To achieve this effect, in the second embodiment, an item for the maximum communication bandwidth when accepting a transfer is added to the line evaluation setting file 216 for each communication network 110. Then, an item for communication bandwidth is also added to the distribution network list 224b of the distribution list 224, and a process is added in which the distribution unit 107 refers to this item and limits the communication bandwidth. Furthermore, a notification content setting file for setting notification content and destinations and a notification log file for adjusting the notification interval are introduced. Then, items related to notification content are added to the line evaluation setting file 216 and the distribution list 224, respectively, and a process is added in the distribution unit 107 to send predetermined notification data when performing a distribution that limits bandwidth.

[0127] The differences between the second embodiment of the present invention and the first embodiment will be explained below with reference to the figures.

[0128] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0129] In the hardware configuration shown in Figure 11, the differences from the first embodiment are that a notification content setting file 1101 has been added to the configuration file 104, and a notification log file 1102 has been added to the other files. The notification content setting file 1101 is a configuration file related to the notification content that is referenced when sending notification data. The notification log file 1102 is a record file of past notification data transmissions that is referenced when sending notification data.

[0130] Figure 12 shows examples of various configuration files and lists according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0131] The notification content setting file 1101 is a setting file related to the notification content that is referenced when sending notification data. The notification content setting file 1101 is configured to include the following items, for example, as shown in Figure 12: setting name 1101a, type 1101b, mail server 1101c, To 1101d, CC 1101e, BCC 1101f, subject 1101g, body 1101h, recipient 1101i, header 1101j, and body 1101k.

[0132] Setting name 1101a is a unique name for uniquely identifying the notification setting content. Type 1101b is a setting item that indicates what protocol will be used for communication when sending notification data. In this embodiment, two specific examples of protocols represented by type 1101b are "email notification" and "HTTP / POST communication," but the communication protocols that can be set in this invention are not limited to these. Other protocols can also be used as communication protocols for notification data.

[0133] Each item from mail server 1101c to body 1101k represents the settings required for the communication protocol specified by type 1101b. These contents change depending on type 1101b. Of these, each item from mail server 1101c to body 1101h is an item that needs to be set when "mail notification" is specified for type 1101b. Mail server 1101c indicates the recipient of the email. To 1101d, CC 1101e, and BCC 1101f indicate the recipients of the email, and store the email addresses of the recipients to be used as To, CC, and BCC, respectively. Subject 1101g indicates the subject of the email. Body 1101h indicates the content of the email body.

[0134] Each item from destination 1101i to body 1101k is an item that must be set when "HTTP / POST communication" is specified for type 1101b. Destination 1101i indicates the destination URL for the HTTP / POST communication. Header 1101j indicates the contents of the HTTP / POST communication header. Body 1101k indicates the contents of the HTTP / POST communication body.

[0135] In this embodiment, in the line evaluation setting file 216, as shown in Figure 12, for example, in addition to the items described in the first embodiment, an additional item, bandwidth limit setting 216d, is added. The bandwidth limit setting 216d is configured to include the items of communication network name 216e, maximum communication bandwidth 216f, notification setting 216g, notification content 216h, and notification interval 216i. These items are set for each communication network 110.

[0136] The communication network name 216e is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the communication network names that exist in the line configuration file 215. The maximum communication bandwidth 216f is a setting item that indicates the maximum communication bandwidth when transferring data to other communication networks, for example in units of kbps (bits per sec). The notification setting 216g is a setting item that indicates whether or not to send notification data to a pre-configured destination when the communication network 110 indicated by the communication network name 216e is interrupted and bandwidth cannot be secured. Specifically, if the notification setting 216g is "True", it indicates that notification data will be sent, and if it is "False", it indicates that no notification data will be sent. The notification content 216h is a setting item that specifies which notification content setting to refer to when sending notification data. This is the same element as the setting name 1101a in the notification content setting file 1101, and stores only the setting name 1101a that exists in the notification content setting file 1101. The notification interval 216i is a setting item that specifies, for example in minutes, the period between sending notification data and sending the next notification data.

[0137] In this embodiment, in the distribution list 224, in addition to the items described in the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, for example, the items of communication network name 224d, interruption notification content 224e, and notification interval 224f are added. Also, the item of communication bandwidth 224g is added to the distribution network list 224b.

[0138] The communication network name 224d is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the communication network name that exists in the line configuration file 215. The interruption notification content 224e is a setting item that specifies which notification content setting to refer to when sending notification data. This is the same element as the setting name 1101a in the notification content setting file 1101, and stores the same content as the setting name 1101a that exists in the notification content setting file 1101. Note that if the setting is not to send notification data, the interruption notification content 224e will be blank.

[0139] The notification interval 224f is a setting item that represents the period between sending notification data and sending the next notification data, and is expressed in units of minutes, for example. The communication bandwidth 224g is a setting item that represents the maximum communication bandwidth when the destination is changed to the communication network corresponding to the communication network name 224c, and is expressed in units of kbps, for example.

[0140] The notification log file 1102 is a record file of past notification data transmissions that is referenced when sending notification data. The notification log file 1102 is configured to include the fields for communication network name 1102a and last notification time 1102b, as shown in Figure 12, for example. The communication network name 1102a is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the name of the communication network 110 that exists in the line configuration file 215. The last notification time 1102b stores the time when the notification data was last sent in the communication network 110 indicated by the communication network name 1102a. Note that if the notification log file 1102 is created or reset, the last notification time 1102b will be blank.

[0141] Figure 13 shows an example of a notification content setting screen according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0142] The notification content settings screen 1300 displays multiple notification content settings boxes 1301, as shown in Figure 13, for example. Each notification content setting box 1301 displays a box close button 1302, a communication type setting 1303, a mail server setting 1304, a To setting 1305, a CC setting 1306, a BCC setting 1307, a subject setting 1308, a body setting 1309, a recipient address setting 1310, a header setting 1311, a body setting 1312, an add notification content button 1313, and a save settings button 1314.

[0143] The notification content setting box 1301 corresponds to the setting name 1101a of the notification content setting file 1101. When the notification content setting box 1301 is added in response to user operation on the notification content setting screen 1300, the setting name 1101a is automatically displayed at the top of the box, the box close button 1302 is displayed in the upper right corner of the box, and the communication type setting 1303 is displayed inside the box.

[0144] When the box close button 1302 is selected by the user, the box surrounding the box close button 1302 is removed from the notification content settings screen 1300. The communication type setting 1303 is a selectable tab and corresponds to type 1101b of the notification content settings file 1101. By selecting any tab in this communication type setting 1303, the user can choose one of the communication types, such as email notification or HTTP / POST communication.

[0145] Mail server setting 1304, To setting 1305, CC setting 1306, BCC setting 1307, Subject setting 1308, Body setting 1309, Recipient address setting 1310, Header setting 1311, and Body setting 1312 are text boxes corresponding to the mail server 1101c, To 1101d, CC 1101e, BCC 1101f, Subject 1101g, Body 1101h, Recipient 1101i, Header 1101j, and Body 1101k items in the notification content setting file 1101 shown in Figure 12. Users can configure each item in the notification content setting file 1101 by entering arbitrary setting values ​​in these text boxes. Note that the display of each text box from mail server setting 1304 to body setting 1312 on the notification content setting screen 1300 changes depending on the content selected in communication type setting 1303. For example, if "Email notification" is selected in the communication type setting 1303, the notification content setting screen 1300 will display settings from the mail server setting 1304 to the body setting 1309. If "HTTP / POST communication" is selected, the notification content setting screen 1300 will display settings from the recipient address setting 1310 to the body setting 1312.

[0146] The notification content addition button 1313 is a button for adding notification data settings. When the user selects this button, one notification content setting box 1301 is added and displayed on the notification content setting screen 1300. The user can use the newly displayed notification content setting box 1301 to add notification data to be sent when bandwidth is limited.

[0147] The Save Settings button 1314 is used to save the notification settings file 1101. When this button is selected by the user, the configured values ​​are saved in the format of the notification settings file 1101.

[0148] Figure 14 shows an example of a line evaluation / group setting screen according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0149] In this embodiment, in the line evaluation / group setting screen 520, as shown in Figure 14, for example, in addition to the items described in the first embodiment, several more communication network box 1401 items are added, and the setting 521 for distribution considering communication bandwidth is excluded. Each communication network box 1401 displays the following items: setting 1402 for the maximum communication bandwidth of the transferred data, setting 1403 for sending only notifications when there is a disconnection and bandwidth cannot be secured for each communication network, setting 1404 for the notification content, and setting 1405 for the notification interval.

[0150] In this embodiment, the number of communication network boxes 1401 in the line evaluation / group setting screen 520 is automatically generated equal to the number of communication network names 215a present in the line setting file 215. To distinguish which communication network 110 the setting per communication network box 1401 corresponds to, the communication network name 215a is displayed at the top of the box.

[0151] The setting 1402 for the maximum communication bandwidth of transferred data is a text box corresponding to the maximum communication bandwidth 216f of the bandwidth limit setting 216d in the line evaluation setting file 216. The user can set the maximum communication bandwidth 216f in the line evaluation setting file 216 by entering an arbitrary setting value in this text box.

[0152] The setting 1403, which sends only a notification when the communication line is interrupted and bandwidth cannot be secured for each communication line network, is a checkbox corresponding to the notification setting 216g in the line evaluation setting file 216. By selecting this checkbox, the user can configure the notification setting 216g in the line evaluation setting file 216. Specifically, checking the box means "True," and unchecking it means "False."

[0153] Notification content setting 1404 is a selection tab and corresponds to notification content 216h in line evaluation setting file 216. Users can select notification content settings by selecting any tab in notification content setting 1404. Note that in notification content setting 1404, only the tab corresponding to setting name 1101a in notification content setting file 1101 is displayed, and users can select any of these tabs.

[0154] Notification interval setting 1405 is a text box corresponding to notification interval 216i in the line evaluation setting file 216. Users can set notification interval 216i in the line evaluation setting file 216 by entering an arbitrary setting value in this text box.

[0155] As described in the first embodiment, the line evaluation setting save button 524 is a button for saving the line evaluation setting file 216. When this button is selected by the user, in addition to the setting 522 for distributing only within the same type of network and the setting 523 for distributing only within the same security level, the settings from the maximum communication bandwidth setting 1402 to the notification interval setting 1405 for the transferred data are combined with the communication network name 215a on the top of the communication network box 1401 to construct the bandwidth limit setting 216d, which is then output to the line evaluation setting file 216.

[0156] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the distribution list output process in the evaluation unit 105 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart shown in Figure 15 differs from the flowchart in Figure 6 described in the first embodiment in that steps S1501 and S1502 have been added, and step S613 has been changed to S1503. The operation of the evaluation unit 105 will be described below in relation to these differences.

[0157] The evaluation unit 105 determines whether there is a communication network 110 in the provisional distribution list generated up to step S612 that has a smaller communication bandwidth than the communication network 110 described in the line of the line configuration file 215 that was the target of data reading in the previous step S604 (referred to as the "target line" in the explanation of Figure 15 below). (S1501) Specifically, for example, the evaluation unit compares the value of the communication bandwidth 215b in the configuration data for one target line read from the line configuration file 215 in step S604 with the value of the maximum communication bandwidth 216f in the line evaluation configuration file 216 for each other communication network 110, and determines whether there is a communication network 110 in the provisional distribution list for which the latter value is smaller than the former value. In this case, if the communication bandwidth 215b is "unlimited", the evaluation is performed by treating the value of the communication bandwidth 215b as infinite. If the result of the determination in step S1501 determines that there is a communication network 110 with a smaller communication bandwidth than the communication network 110 of the target line (YES), the evaluation unit 105 obtains the value of the maximum communication bandwidth 216f from the line evaluation setting file 216 referenced in step S1501 as the value of the communication bandwidth of other communication networks 110 (hereinafter referred to as "bandwidth-restricted lines") that need to be bandwidth-restricted when transmitting device information as a relay destination instead of the communication network 110 of the target line, for each of the relevant communication networks 110, and lists them. (S1502) On the other hand, if the determination in step S1501 determines that there is no communication network 110 with a smaller communication bandwidth than the communication network 110 of the target line (NO), the process proceeds to step S1503.

[0158] The evaluation unit 105 combines the provisional distribution list generated up to step S612 with the list of communication bandwidths of bandwidth-limited lines generated in step S1502 and outputs it in the format of distribution list 224 as an element of the distribution network list 224b for the target line of communication network 110. (S1503) Note that in the processing of step S1502, for communication network 110 for which no value exists in the maximum communication bandwidth 216f of the line evaluation setting file 216, no value is recorded in the list of communication bandwidths of bandwidth-limited lines. In this case, for the communication network 110, the distribution list 224 should be generated with the communication bandwidth 224g field left blank. After the processing of step S1503 is completed, the process returns to S603.

[0159] In this embodiment, the evaluation unit 105 performs the distribution list output processing shown in Figure 15 described above, comparing the communication bandwidths of multiple communication network 110s to which the communication device 100 can connect, evaluating their relative sizes, and reflecting the evaluation results in the distribution list 224. That is, if the communication bandwidth of another communication network 110 is smaller than that of each communication network 110, the value of that communication bandwidth can be written to the distribution list 224.

[0160] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the destination network distribution process in the distribution unit 107 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart shown in Figure 16 differs from the flowchart in Figure 9 described in the first embodiment in that steps S1601 to S1605 are added between steps S907 and S908. The operation of the distribution unit 107 will be explained below in relation to these differences.

[0161] The distribution unit 107 determines whether or not there is a bandwidth restriction for the communication network 110 that was set as the changed destination network in step S907. (S1601) Here, for example, in the distribution list 224, it refers to the part where the name corresponding to the communication network 110 set as the changed destination network is stored in the communication network name 224d, and checks whether or not a numerical value is stored in the communication bandwidth 224g of this part. If a numerical value is stored in the communication bandwidth 224g as a result, it is determined that there is a bandwidth restriction (YES), and in the subsequent step S908, when transmitting equipment information with the changed destination network as the relay destination, it sets the bandwidth restriction according to the value of the communication bandwidth 224g. (S1602)

[0162] Next, the distribution unit 107 determines whether or not there is a notification setting for the communication network 110 that has been set as the destination network after the change. (S1603) Here, for example, it checks whether or not any information is stored in the interruption notification content 224e in the distribution list 224 that was referenced in step S1601. If as a result there is information stored in the interruption notification content 224e, it is determined that there is a notification setting (YES), and the process proceeds to step S1604.

[0163] The distribution unit 107 determines whether a pre-set notification interval has elapsed. (S1604) Here, for example, in the notification log file 1102, it refers to the row in which the name corresponding to the communication network 110 set as the destination network after the change is stored in the communication network name 1102a, and compares the value of the last notification time 1102b in that row with the current time to calculate the elapsed time since the time when the notification data was last sent. Then, it compares the calculated elapsed time with the value of the notification interval 224f in the distribution list 224, and if the elapsed time is longer or these values ​​are equal, it is determined that the notification interval has elapsed (YES), and the process proceeds to step S1605.

[0164] The distribution unit 107 sends a notification to the default notification destination to impose bandwidth limitations. (S1605) Here, for example, in the notification content setting file 1101, the distribution unit 107 refers to the part where the name matching the interruption notification content 224e of the distribution list 224 is stored in the setting name 1101a, and sends a bandwidth limitation notification according to the setting content described in this part. After sending the notification in step S1605, the distribution unit 107 overwrites the value of the last notification time 1102b of the line referenced in step S1604d in the notification log file 1102 with the current time.

[0165] If a numerical value is stored in the communication bandwidth 224g in step S1601, it is determined that there is bandwidth restriction (NO), and the process proceeds to step S908. Also, if no information is stored in the interruption notification content 224e, it is determined that there is no notification setting (NO), and in this case as well, the process proceeds to step S908. After step S908 is performed, the distribution unit 107 completes the destination network distribution process shown in the flowchart of Figure 16.

[0166] If the elapsed time is shorter in step S1604, the distribution unit 107 determines that the notification interval has not elapsed (NO) and terminates the destination network distribution process shown in the flowchart of Figure 16.

[0167] In this embodiment, the distribution unit 107 performs the destination network distribution process shown in Figure 16 as described above. If the monitoring unit 106 detects a decrease in communication quality in at least one of the multiple communication networks 110 (i.e., the number of communication failures for the communication network 110 specified in destination network 214c exceeds a threshold), and the communication bandwidth of that communication network 110 is greater than the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network (i.e., a numerical value is stored in the communication bandwidth 224g), the distribution unit 107 can limit the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network 110 based on the value set in the communication bandwidth 224g of the distribution list 224.

[0168] According to the communication device 100 of the second embodiment of the present invention described above, a setting has been added to limit the communication bandwidth when the destination network becomes unavailable and data is transferred to a new destination network. Furthermore, when limiting the communication bandwidth, instead of transmitting device information with limited communication bandwidth, pre-configured notification data is sent to an arbitrary destination. This makes it possible to transmit device information via the changed communication network 110 instead of the unavailable communication network 110 without interfering with the original communication that takes place via the changed communication network 110. In addition, by stopping the transmission of large amounts of device information that may not be transmitted correctly and instead sending notification data with a small amount of data, it becomes possible to quickly notify maintenance personnel of the communication outage of the communication network 110.

[0169] According to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, the evaluation unit 105 compares the communication bandwidths of multiple communication network 110s and evaluates their relative sizes (S1501). The distribution unit 107 limits the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network 110 if the communication bandwidth of the communication network 110 in which a decrease in communication quality has been detected by the monitoring unit 106 is greater than the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network 110 (S1601: YES) (S1602). In this way, if an abnormality occurs in any of the communication network 110, it is possible to provide a communication device 100 that can continue to transmit data of equipment information using another communication network 110 as an alternative means, without interfering with the original communication that takes place via that communication network 110.

[0170] Furthermore, when the distribution unit 107 limits the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network 110, it sends a pre-configured notification to a pre-configured destination (S1605). In this way, it is possible to quickly notify of a communication interruption in the communication network 110 while preventing the transmission of abnormal device information by reducing the amount of data for the device information.

[0171] (Third embodiment) In the first and second embodiments, an example was described in which the distribution unit 107 of the communication device 100 changes the destination network to be traversed according to the distribution list 224 and the line group setting file 217 when the destination network is unavailable during the transmission of device information data. However, if all communication networks 110 belonging to the same group are interrupted, the communication data of the device information will not reach the destination normally, and maintenance personnel will not be able to ascertain the situation. In order for maintenance personnel to ascertain the situation, it is necessary to use a communication network 110 that is connected to the internet, not a carrier's closed network or VPN, and send notification data to a server that maintenance personnel can access.

[0172] Therefore, in the third embodiment, if all communication lines 110 belonging to the same group are interrupted, a pre-configured notification data is sent to an arbitrary destination using a communication line 110 of another group that is connected to the Internet. This allows notification data to be sent to a server accessible to maintenance personnel even if all communication lines 110 of the same group are interrupted. To achieve this effect, in the third embodiment, settings are added to the line group setting file 217 to select whether or not to connect to the Internet and whether to send a notification when the connection is interrupted, and a notification data transmission process is added to the monitoring unit 106 when all lines within the group are interrupted.

[0173] The differences between the third embodiment of the present invention and the second embodiment will be explained below with reference to the figures.

[0174] Figure 17 shows an example of a line group configuration file according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0175] In this embodiment, the line group setting file 217 is configured for each group by combining the setting items of the group network list 217c, internet connection 217d, interruption notification 217e, and notification content 217f with an object keyed by the group name 217a.

[0176] The group network list 217c, like the communication network list 217b, is a list-type item that references the name of the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and items in the same list are classified into the same group. The Internet connection 217d is a setting item that specifies whether each group is a network connected to the Internet, with "True" indicating that the group is connected to the Internet and "False" indicating that the group is not connected to the Internet. The interruption notification 217e is a setting item that specifies whether to send notification data when all communication networks 110 belonging to the group are interrupted, with "True" indicating that the data will be sent and "False" indicating that it will not be sent. The notification content 217f is a setting item that specifies whether to send notification data by referring to the notification content setting file 1101. This is the same element as the setting name 1101a in the notification content setting file 1101, and the setting name 1101a that exists in the notification content setting file 1101 is stored here.

[0177] Figure 18 shows an example of a line evaluation / group setting screen according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0178] In this embodiment, in the line evaluation / group setting screen 520, as shown in Figure 18, for example, in addition to the items described in the first and second embodiments, the following items are added to the group box 525: setting 1801 to consider a group as connected to the internet, setting 1802 to notify via the internet if all lines in the group are interrupted, and notification content setting 1803.

[0179] The setting 1801, which considers a group to be connected to the internet, and the setting 1802, which notifies via the internet if all connections within the group are lost, are represented by checkboxes. These checkboxes correspond to the settings items 217d for internet connection and 217e for disconnection notification in the line group setting file 217 in Figure 17, respectively, with a checked box meaning "True" and an unchecked box meaning "False".

[0180] Notification content setting 1803 is a setting item that corresponds to notification content 217f in the line group setting file 217, and is displayed as a selectable tab. Here, setting names 1101a that exist in the notification content setting file 1101 are listed, and the user can select any tab to set the notification content corresponding to setting name 1101a in that tab as the notification content when all lines in the group are lost.

[0181] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the failure notification reception process in the monitoring unit 106 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart shown in Figure 19 differs from the flowchart in Figure 8 described in the first embodiment in that steps S1901 to S1909 are added from step S806 onwards. The operation of the monitoring unit 106 will be described below in relation to these differences.

[0182] The monitoring unit 106 refers to the line group configuration file 217 (S1901) and determines whether all communication lines 110 belonging to the same group as the communication line 110 that failed to transmit device information have lost communication (S1902). Here, for example, the monitoring unit 106 identifies the group in the line group configuration file 217 in which the failed communication line name added to the lost line list in step S806 is included in the group network list 217c. Then, it determines whether all the names of other communication lines 110 described in the group network list 217c for that group are included in the lost line list. If, as a result, all communication lines 110 shown in the group network list 217c are included in the lost line list, it determines that all communication lines 110 belonging to the same group have lost communication (YES) and proceeds to step S1903.

[0183] The monitoring unit 106 refers to the object of the group in the line group configuration file 217 for which it was determined in step S1902 that all communication lines 110 have been interrupted, and determines whether the interruption notification 217e is enabled. (S1903) If it is determined in step S1903 that the interruption notification 217e is enabled (YES), the monitoring unit 106 refers to the group line network list 217c included in the object of all groups for which Internet connection 217d is enabled in the line group configuration file 217, and creates a list of communication lines that can connect to the Internet. (S1904) Then, it removes the communication lines included in the interrupted line list from the list created in step S1904. (S1905)

[0184] Next, the monitoring unit 106 determines whether the item referenced in the previous step S1907 (referred to as the "referenced item" in the explanation of Figure 19 below) from the list created in step S1904 is the last item in the list. (S1906) If step S1906 determines that the referenced item is not the last item in the list (NO), the monitoring unit 106 obtains the next item in the list as the new referenced item. (S1907) Note that if the determination in step S1906 is performed for the first time, the processing in step S1907 has not been performed, so in this case it is sufficient to determine that the referenced item is not the last row in the list.

[0185] The monitoring unit 106 sends a notification that all lines in the group have been lost to a default notification destination. (S1908) Here, for example, in the notification content setting file 1101, it refers to the part where the name that matches the notification content 217f of the line group setting file 217 is stored in setting name 1101a, and sends a notification indicating that all lines in the group have been lost according to the setting content described in this part.

[0186] Next, the monitoring unit 106 determines in step S1908 whether or not the communication was successful. (S1909) If it is determined in step S1909 that the communication failed (NO), the process returns to step S1906.

[0187] If, in step S1902, at least one of the communication networks 110 shown in the group network list 217c is not included in the interrupted network list, the monitoring unit 106 determines that all communication networks 110 belonging to the same group are not experiencing communication interruptions (NO), and terminates the failure notification reception process shown in the flowchart of Figure 19. The monitoring unit 106 also terminates the failure notification reception process if, in step S1903, it determines that the interruption notification 217e is invalid (NO), or in step S1906, it determines that the reference item is the last item in the list (YES), or in step S1909, it determines that communication was successful (YES).

[0188] In this embodiment, the monitoring unit 106 performs the failure notification reception processing shown in Figure 19 as described above. When all communication lines 110 in the same group are lost, it uses another group's communication line 110 that is connected to the Internet to send pre-configured notification data to a designated destination. This ensures that even when all communication lines 110 in the same group are lost, notification data can be sent to a server accessible to maintenance personnel.

[0189] According to the third embodiment of the present invention described above, the multiple communication lines 110 are divided into a first group, which is a group of communication lines 110 that can connect to the Internet, and a second group, which is a group of communication lines 110 that cannot connect to the Internet. When the monitoring unit 106 detects a communication interruption in all communication lines 110 belonging to the second group (S1902:YES), it transmits information notifying the communication interruption of the second group to a pre-set destination via one of the communication lines 110 belonging to the first group (S1908). In this way, even if all communication lines 110 in a group experience a communication interruption, it is possible to provide a communication device 100 that can notify the occurrence of a communication interruption using a communication line 110 belonging to another group.

[0190] (Fourth embodiment) In the first to third embodiments, an example was described in which, when a communication device 100 detects an interruption in any of the communication networks 110, it changes the destination network to another communication network 110. However, if the communication network 110 is a mobile communication network, there may be lines where the communication bandwidth is restricted if a monthly data usage threshold is exceeded, and this restriction of communication bandwidth may prevent data transmitted through that communication network 110 from being transmitted properly. When utilizing such a communication network 110, it becomes necessary to change the destination network to another communication network 110, not only when an interruption in the destination network occurs, but also when a data usage threshold is exceeded, in order to detect this.

[0191] Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the monitoring unit 106 monitors the communication volume of each communication network 110 and adds communication networks 110 whose communication volume exceeds a threshold to the interrupted network list, thereby suppressing communication using communication networks 110 whose communication bandwidth is limited. This makes it possible to continue transmitting device information while meeting various communication requirements, even when using lines that have their communication bandwidth limited if a monthly communication volume threshold is exceeded, such as mobile communication networks. To achieve this effect, the fourth embodiment introduces a monitoring setting file and a communication volume monitoring list for monitoring communication volume, and adds a process to the monitoring unit 106 that monitors communication volume and adds it to the interrupted network list if it exceeds a threshold.

[0192] The differences between the fourth embodiment of the present invention and the second embodiment will be explained below with reference to the figures.

[0193] Figure 20 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a communication device 100 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0194] In the hardware configuration shown in Figure 20, the difference from the second embodiment is that a monitoring configuration file 2001 is added to the configuration file 104, and a traffic volume monitoring list 2002 is added to the other files. The monitoring configuration file 2001 is a file that stores settings related to traffic volume monitoring. The traffic volume monitoring list 2002 is a file that records the increase in traffic volume for each communication network 110.

[0195] Figure 21 shows an example of a monitoring configuration file and a communication volume monitoring list according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0196] The monitoring configuration file 2001 is a configuration file related to monitoring the communication volume of each communication network 110. The monitoring configuration file 2001 is configured to include items such as the communication network name 2001a, stop if communication volume is exceeded 2001b, communication volume threshold 2001c, and reset date 2001d, as shown in Figure 21, for example.

[0197] The communication network name 2001a is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the communication network name that exists in the line configuration file 215. Stop on exceeding data usage 2001b is a setting item that indicates whether or not to stop further communication if the communication network corresponding to the communication network name 2001a exceeds the data usage threshold. Specifically, if Stop on exceeding data usage 2001b is "True", communication will be stopped, and if it is "False", communication will not be stopped. The data usage threshold 2001c is a setting item that is effective when Stop on exceeding data usage 2001b is "True", and indicates the data usage threshold at which communication will be stopped. Reset date 2001d indicates the date on which the monthly data usage is reset.

[0198] The traffic volume monitoring list 2002 is a list that records the traffic volume of each communication network 110, and consists of the following items: communication network name 2002a, remaining traffic volume 2002b, and time of exceedance release 2002c.

[0199] The communication network name 2002a is the same element as the communication network name 215a in the line configuration file 215, and stores the communication network name that exists in the line configuration file 215. The remaining data allowance 2002b is an item that indicates the amount of data remaining before the data allowance exceeds the threshold. Specifically, immediately after the creation of the data allowance monitoring list 2002 or after a reset, the data allowance threshold shown in the data allowance threshold 2001c of the monitoring configuration file 2001 is stored in the remaining data allowance 2002b for the communication network corresponding to the communication network name 2002a. Subsequently, each time an increase in data allowance is detected, the value of the remaining data allowance 2002b is updated by subtracting the amount of the increase. If the data allowance exceeds the threshold, a value such as "-1" is stored in the remaining data allowance 2002b to indicate this. The excess release date and time 2002c stores the date and time when the remaining data allowance is reset.

[0200] Figure 22 shows an example of a monitoring settings screen according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0201] The monitoring settings screen 2100 displays multiple communication network boxes 2101, as shown in Figure 22, for example. Each communication network box 2101 displays items such as a setting 2102 to stop communication when the communication volume exceeds a threshold for each communication interface, a communication volume threshold setting 2103, a communication volume reset date setting 2104, and a setting save button 2105.

[0202] Communication network boxes 2101 are automatically generated in the same number as the number of communication network names 215a present in the line configuration file 215, and are displayed on the monitoring settings screen 2100. To distinguish which communication network 110 each communication network box 2101 represents, the communication network name 215a is displayed at the top of the box.

[0203] The setting 2102, which stops communication when the data traffic exceeds a threshold, is represented by a checkbox. This checkbox corresponds to the setting item "Stop when data traffic exceeds threshold 2001b" in the monitoring setting file 2001, and a checked box means "True" and an unchecked box means "False".

[0204] The communication volume threshold setting 2103 and the communication volume reset date setting 2104 are setting items that correspond to the communication volume threshold 2001c and reset date 2001d in the monitoring setting file 2001, respectively, and are represented by text boxes. Users can set the communication volume threshold 2001c and reset date 2001d in the monitoring setting file 2001 by entering arbitrary setting values ​​in these text boxes.

[0205] The save settings button 2105 is used to save the monitoring settings file 2001. When this button is selected by the user, the settings for setting 2102 to stop communication when the communication volume exceeds a threshold for each communication interface, the communication volume threshold setting 2103, and the communication volume reset date setting 2104 are combined with the communication network name 215a at the top of the communication network box 2101 and saved as one item in the monitoring settings file 2001.

[0206] Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the communication volume monitoring process in the monitoring unit 106 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the monitoring unit 106 will be described below according to the items in the flowchart of Figure 23.

[0207] The monitoring unit 106 periodically starts the communication volume monitoring process. (S2301) In step S2301, the processing cycle can be, for example, every minute, every 10 minutes, every 60 minutes, etc. However, the present invention does not fix the cycle, and any time can be set for the cycle.

[0208] The monitoring unit 106 obtains the increase in communication volume since the previous processing cycle for each communication network 110. (S2302) Obtaining the increase in communication volume in step S2302 is achieved, for example, by executing a command to check the status of each interface.

[0209] The monitoring unit 106 refers to the communication volume monitoring list 2002. (S2303)

[0210] The monitoring unit 106 determines whether the row in the communication volume monitoring list 2002 that was targeted for data reading in the previous step S2305 (referred to as the "target row" in the explanation of Figure 23 below) is the last row of the list. (S2304) If step S2304 determines that the target row is not the last row of the list (NO), the next row in the communication volume monitoring list 2002 is designated as the new target row, and data for one target row is read from the communication volume monitoring list 2002. (S2305) Note that if the determination in step S2304 is performed for the first time, the processing in step S2305 has not been performed, so in this case, step S2304 determines that the target row is not the last row of the list, and the first row of the communication volume monitoring list 2002 is designated as the target row, and the data for the first row of the communication volume monitoring list 2002 is read in step S2305.

[0211] The monitoring unit 106 subtracts the increase in communication volume obtained in step S2302 from the value recorded in the remaining communication volume 2002b in the data of the target row read in step S2305, and overwrites the value of the remaining communication volume 2002b with the obtained subtraction result. (S2306) At this time, of the increase in communication volume for each communication network 110 obtained in step S2302, only the portion for the communication network 110 corresponding to the communication network name 2002a of the target row is subtracted from the remaining communication volume 2002b.

[0212] The monitoring unit 106 determines whether the amount of communication from the communication network 110 corresponding to the communication network name 2002a of the target line exceeds the communication threshold indicated in the communication threshold 2001c of the monitoring setting file 2001. (S2307) Specifically, for example, it checks whether the value of the remaining communication amount 2002b, which was overwritten in step S2306, is a negative value. If the value of the remaining communication amount 2002b is a negative value, it determines that the communication threshold has been exceeded (YES), and proceeds to step S2308.

[0213] The monitoring unit 106 overwrites the value of remaining communication volume 2002b in the target row of the communication volume monitoring list 2002 with "-1" to indicate that the communication volume has exceeded the threshold (S2308), and overwrites the exceedance release date and time 2002c with the date and time corresponding to the earliest reset date 2001d from the present onward (S2309). Furthermore, it adds the communication network 110 corresponding to the communication network name 2002a in the target row of the communication volume monitoring list 2002 to the interrupted network list (S2310).

[0214] If the value of remaining data usage 2002b in step S2307 is positive, it is determined that the data usage threshold has not been exceeded (NO), and processing returns to step S2304. Also, after the processing in step S2310 is completed, processing returns to step S2304.

[0215] If step S2304 determines that the target line is the last line of the file (YES), the monitoring unit 106 terminates the communication volume monitoring process shown in the flowchart of Figure 23.

[0216] In this embodiment, in addition to the communication volume monitoring process described above, it is preferable that the monitoring unit 106, in the failure count reset process shown in Figure 10 as described in the first embodiment, if it determines in step S1004 that the target row is at the end of the list (YES), adds the communication network 110 whose remaining communication volume 2002b value is "-1" to the interrupted line list before terminating the process. A communication network 110 whose communication volume exceeds the threshold should not perform any further communication because its communication bandwidth is limited, and therefore it is preferable to include it in the interrupted line list. However, since it has not failed to communicate, it will be removed from the interrupted line list in step S1008. The above process prevents this and is a process to keep the communication network 110 whose communication volume exceeds the threshold in the interrupted line list.

[0217] Furthermore, it is preferable that the monitoring unit 106 periodically (for example, every day) refers to the value of the exceedance release date and time 2002c in the communication volume monitoring list 2002, and performs a reset process on items in rows where the current date and time is after the exceedance release date and time 2002c. The reset process includes, for example, resetting the value of the remaining communication volume 2002b and overwriting the communication volume threshold 2001c in the monitoring setting file 2001, and removing the corresponding communication network 110 from the interrupted line list. This process resets the value of the remaining communication volume 2002b in accordance with the date and time when the communication capacity limit is lifted, and also removes the corresponding communication network 110 from the interrupted line list if it is included in it.

[0218] In this embodiment, the monitoring unit 106 monitors the traffic volume of each communication network 110 and adds communication networks 110 whose traffic volume exceeds a threshold to the list of interrupted lines, thereby suppressing communication using communication networks 110 whose communication bandwidth is limited. This makes it possible to continue data transmission while meeting various communication requirements, even when using lines whose communication bandwidth is limited when the traffic volume threshold is exceeded each month.

[0219] According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention described above, the communication quality of the communication network 110 monitored by the monitoring unit 106 may include the amount of communication within the communication network 110 over a certain period of time. In this case, the distribution unit 107 determines that a deterioration in communication quality has been detected in the communication network 110 when the amount of communication within a certain period of time in at least one of the multiple communication networks 110 exceeds a predetermined threshold (S2307:YES, S903:YES). In this way, even when using a communication network 110 that limits the communication bandwidth when a monthly communication volume threshold is exceeded, such as a mobile communication network, it is possible to reliably grasp the deterioration in communication quality caused by the limitation of communication bandwidth.

[0220] In the embodiments described above, the monitoring unit 106 was shown to monitor the number of communication failures and the amount of communication within a certain period as communication quality for each communication network 110. However, other communication quality parameters, such as communication delay time and error rate, may also be monitored. In this case, it is preferable to specify thresholds for these communication quality parameters in the basic configuration file 211 instead of the threshold 211b for the number of communication failures, and to compare these thresholds with the communication quality in step S805 of Figure 8. It is also preferable to omit the determination in step S708 of Figure 7 and to notify the monitoring unit 106 of the communication quality information from the distribution unit 107 in step S709. Furthermore, multiple types of communication quality parameters may be combined to monitor each communication network 110.

[0221] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, each of the embodiments described above is described in detail for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the described configurations. Furthermore, 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. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. In addition, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be implemented in hardware, in whole or in part, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, each of the above configurations, functions, etc. may be implemented in software by having a processor interpret and execute a program that realizes each function. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0222] 100 Communication devices 101 Communication IF 102 Local Communications Department 103 UI generation section 104 Configuration File 105 Evaluation Department 106 Monitoring Department 107 Sorting section 110 Communication network 111 Server 112 Cloud 120 Industrial Equipment 130 Networks 201 CPU 202 Main storage 203 WAN Communication Interface 204 Input / Output Interfaces 205 Auxiliary Memory IF 206 Serial Communication Interface 207 LAN Communication Interface 211 Basic Configuration File 212 TCP communication configuration file 213 Serial communication configuration file 214 Collection configuration file 215 Line configuration file 216 Line evaluation configuration file 217 Line group configuration file 221 Line Evaluation Program 222 Distribution Program 223 Line Monitoring Program 224 Distribution List 225 Failure Count Record List 1101 Notification Content Configuration File 1102 Notification log file 2001 Monitoring configuration file 2002 Data Usage Monitoring List

Claims

1. A communication device that transmits device information relating to one or more devices to multiple communication network lines, An evaluation unit that evaluates the communication characteristics of each of the multiple aforementioned communication lines, including at least one of the communication bandwidth, connection network type, and security level, and compares the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for each of the aforementioned communication lines, A monitoring unit monitors the communication quality of all communication lines within a certain period of time for the transmission of the aforementioned equipment information, The system includes a distribution unit that transmits the device information to at least one of a plurality of communication network lines that have been pre-grouped, The aforementioned distribution unit is, When a decrease in communication quality is detected in at least one of the multiple communication networks, the communication network that transmits the device information within the same group of communication networks is changed based on a comparison of the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for that communication network and the evaluation results of the communication characteristics for at least one other communication network. Communication device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication network includes a mobile communication network.

3. The evaluation unit compares the communication bandwidths of the multiple communication network lines and evaluates their relative sizes. The distribution unit, when the communication bandwidth of the communication network in which the monitoring unit has detected a decrease in communication quality is greater than the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network, limits the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network. The communication device according to claim 1.

4. The evaluation unit compares the communication bandwidths of the multiple communication network lines and evaluates their relative sizes. The distribution unit, when the communication bandwidth of the communication network in which the monitoring unit has detected a decrease in communication quality is greater than the communication bandwidth of other communication networks, sends a pre-configured notification to a pre-configured destination. The communication device according to claim 1.

5. The multiple aforementioned communication networks are divided into a first group, which is a group of communication networks that can connect to the Internet, and a second group, which is a group of communication networks that cannot connect to the Internet. When the monitoring unit detects a communication interruption in all of the communication networks belonging to the second group, it transmits information notifying the communication interruption of the second group to a pre-configured destination via one of the communication networks belonging to the first group. The communication device according to claim 1.

6. The communication quality of the communication network monitored by the monitoring unit includes the number of communication failures in the communication network. The distribution unit determines that a deterioration in communication quality has been detected in a communication network when the number of communication failures in at least one of the multiple communication networks exceeds a predetermined threshold. The communication device according to claim 1.

7. The communication quality of the communication network monitored by the monitoring unit includes the amount of communication within the communication network over a certain period of time. The distribution unit determines that a deterioration in communication quality has been detected in at least one of the multiple communication networks if the amount of communication within a certain period exceeds a predetermined threshold. The communication device according to claim 1.

8. A communication method for transmitting device information relating to one or more devices to multiple communication network lines using a computer, The aforementioned computer performs an evaluation of the communication characteristics of each of the multiple communication network lines, including at least one of the following: communication bandwidth, connection network type, and security level. The computer monitors the communication quality of all communication lines within a certain period of time for the transmission of the equipment information. The computer transmits the device information to at least one of the multiple communication network lines that have been pre-grouped. If the computer detects a decrease in communication quality in at least one of the multiple communication networks, it compares the results of the evaluation for that communication network with the results of the evaluation for at least one other communication network. Based on the results of the comparison, the computer changes the communication network that transmits the device information within the same group of communication networks. Communication method.

9. The computer compares the communication bandwidths of the multiple communication network lines and evaluates their relative sizes. The computer, when it detects a decrease in communication quality, limits the communication bandwidth of the modified communication network if the communication bandwidth of the network is greater than that of other networks. The communication method according to claim 8.

10. The computer compares the communication bandwidths of the multiple communication network lines and evaluates their relative sizes. The computer, when it detects a decrease in communication quality, sends a pre-configured notification to a pre-configured destination if the communication bandwidth of the communication network is greater than the communication bandwidth of other communication networks. The communication method according to claim 8.

11. The multiple aforementioned communication networks are divided into a first group, which is a group of communication networks that can connect to the Internet, and a second group, which is a group of communication networks that cannot connect to the Internet. When the computer detects a communication outage in all of the communication networks belonging to the second group, it transmits information notifying the communication outage of the second group to a pre-configured destination via one of the communication networks belonging to the first group. The communication method according to claim 8.

12. The communication quality of the communication network to be monitored includes the number of communication failures in the communication network. The computer determines that a deterioration in communication quality has been detected in a communication network if the number of communication failures in at least one of the multiple communication networks exceeds a predetermined threshold. The communication method according to claim 8.

13. The communication quality of the communication network to be monitored includes the amount of data transmitted within the communication network over a certain period of time. The computer determines that a deterioration in communication quality has been detected in at least one of the multiple communication networks if the amount of communication within a certain period exceeds a predetermined threshold. The communication method according to claim 8.

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