Edge device, equipment management system, equipment management method, and equipment management program

Abstract

To send operation data of an apparatus to a remote device while keeping confidentiality of a user when an abnormality is detected in an apparatus.SOLUTION: An edge device sends a request to approve of disclosure of operation data related to an abnormality acquired from a monitor when the edge device acquires an alarm notice regarding an abnormality of an apparatus from a monitor. Also, when the edge device receives an approval of disclosure to the request of approve of disclosure, the edge device sends disclosure data prepared on the basis of the operation data to the remote device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an edge device, an equipment management system, an equipment management method, and an equipment management program. [Background Art]

[0002] A plant facility is configured with equipment such as compressors and pumps, for example. If an abnormality such as a failure or malfunction occurs in these pieces of equipment, it affects the operation of the plant facility, and therefore abnormality monitoring of the equipment is performed. Abnormality monitoring for this type of equipment is performed, for example, as remote monitoring via an information communication network such as the Internet by a remote device arranged at a remote location geographically distant from the equipment (for example, a data monitoring center or the like).

[0003] In remote monitoring, when an abnormality is detected, operation data of the equipment to be monitored is transferred to a remote device, and this data is used by experts at the remote device or a data analysis system for detailed verification of the detected abnormality and proposal of future maintenance policies. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a plant diagnostic apparatus capable of diagnosing whether an abnormality has occurred in a plant by acquiring and analyzing operation data of a plant to be diagnosed online via an information communication network. Patent Document 2 also discloses a technology for preventing the leakage and protecting know-how related to abnormality detection processing by restricting access to a data storage unit storing operation data used for abnormality detection. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 6116466 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-067793 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] As mentioned above, in equipment anomaly monitoring technology, in order to understand the status of equipment where an anomaly has been detected at a remote monitoring base, the operating data of the equipment is transferred from the site where the equipment is installed to the monitoring base via an information and communication network. However, the operating data may contain confidential know-how related to the operation and operation of the equipment that should be kept secret by the equipment user, and transferring it to an external party may be undesirable from the standpoint of preventing the leakage of such know-how.

[0006] At least one embodiment of this disclosure has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and aims to provide an edge device, a device management system, a device management method, and a device management program that can transmit operating data of a device to a remote device while ensuring user confidentiality when an abnormality is detected in the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An edge device according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure solves the above problem, When an alarm notification regarding an abnormality in the equipment is obtained from a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment, a disclosure approval request unit is provided to request approval for disclosure of the operating data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device, Upon receiving a notification of approval for the aforementioned disclosure, a transmission unit for transmitting the aforementioned operating data to a remote device, It is equipped with.

[0008] A device management system according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure solves the above problems, An edge device according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, A user terminal for receiving the aforementioned disclosure approval and for sending the aforementioned approval notice, The remote device and, It is equipped with.

[0009] A device management method according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure solves the above problems, When an alarm notification regarding an abnormality in the equipment is obtained from a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment, the process includes requesting approval for disclosure of the operating data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device, Upon receiving a notification of approval for the aforementioned disclosure, the process involves transmitting the aforementioned operating data to a remote device. It is equipped with.

[0010] A device management program according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure solves the above problems. In a computer device, When an alarm notification regarding an abnormality in the equipment is obtained from a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment, the process includes requesting approval for disclosure of the operating data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device, Upon receiving a notification of approval for the aforementioned disclosure, the process involves transmitting the aforementioned operating data to a remote device. It is possible to execute this. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, an edge device, a device management system, a device management method, and a device management program can be provided that can transmit operating data of a device to a remote device while ensuring user confidentiality when an abnormality is detected in the device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This figure shows the overall configuration of a device management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the equipment shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the edge device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing a device management method according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This uses a device management method according to another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the configurations described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and are merely illustrative examples.

[0014] First, the configuration of the equipment management system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the equipment management system 1 according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the equipment 12 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the edge device 18 in FIG. 1.

[0015] The equipment management system 1 is a system for managing the equipment 12 included in the plant system 2, and is configured to include the plant system 2, a router 4, an external network 6, a connection server 8, and a remote device 10.

[0016] In addition to the equipment 12 to be managed, the plant system 2 includes a monitoring device 14, a user terminal 16, and an edge device 18. These elements constituting the plant system 2 are arranged in a relatively short range with respect to the equipment 12, and are connected via an internal network (not shown).

[0017] Any arbitrary equipment can be used as the equipment 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the equipment 12 includes an equipment main body 20, a control device 22 for controlling the equipment main body 20, and a sensor 24. The equipment main body 20 is a hardware configuration to be controlled by the control device 22, and is, for example, a machine having a rotating part such as a compressor, a turbine, or a pump.

[0018] The control device 22 is a control unit for controlling the equipment main body 20, and is configured as an arithmetic device such as a computer device, for example. The control device 22 executes various arithmetic processes for controlling the equipment main body 20 by executing a pre-installed program. The operation of the equipment 12 is realized by the control device 22 controlling the equipment main body 20 based on the calculation result of the arithmetic processing.

[0019] The sensor 24 is attached to the main unit 20 of the equipment and is configured to detect operating state parameters related to the operating state of the main unit 20, which is controlled by the control device 22. The operating state parameters are not limited insofar as they are used for abnormality diagnosis of the equipment 12 when monitored by the monitoring device 14. For example, as mentioned above, if the main unit 20 of the equipment is a machine with rotating parts, physical parameters such as rotational speed and vibration can be selected as operating state parameters.

[0020] Returning to Figure 1, the monitoring device 14 is configured to monitor the operating status of the device 12 based on operating status parameters detected by a sensor 24 attached to the device body 20. In this embodiment, the monitoring device 14 includes a database 25, an abnormality diagnosis unit 26, a notification unit 28, and a cause guidance information provision unit 29.

[0021] The database 25 is configured to store operating state parameters acquired from the sensor 24 installed in the device 12.

[0022] The abnormality diagnosis unit 26 is configured to diagnose abnormalities in the device 12 by analyzing the operating state parameters stored in the database 25. The notification unit 28 is configured to output an alarm notification to inform the system if the abnormality diagnosis performed by the abnormality diagnosis unit 26 determines that there is an abnormality in the operating state of the device 12. Furthermore, the specific methods for anomaly diagnosis performed by the anomaly diagnosis unit 26 can be based on publicly known examples, and details are omitted here. The database 25 may also store alarm notification information transmitted from the notification unit 28 in accordance with the diagnosis results of the anomaly diagnosis unit 26.

[0023] The user terminal 16 is a terminal that can be used by users of the plant system 2. The user terminal 16 is equipped with various functions related to the operation of the plant system 2. In addition, the user terminal 16 can communicate with the monitoring device 14 and the edge device 18 via an internal network separate from the external network 6. The user terminal 16 may be a portable device such as a tablet, smartphone, mobile phone, or laptop computer, or it may be any fixed terminal including a desktop computer.

[0024] The edge device 18 is located between the monitoring device 14 and the router 4, and is configured to manage the transmission and reception of information between the user side (plant system 2 side) and the destination connected via the external network 6. As shown in Figure 3, the edge device 18 basically consists of a CPU 30, a transmitting unit 32, and a receiving unit 34.

[0025] The CPU 30 is a processor that performs various functions by operating according to a pre-prepared program and controls the overall operation of the edge device 18. In this embodiment, as a functional configuration for implementing the device management method described later, the CPU 30 functions as an alarm notification acquisition unit 50, a disclosure approval request unit 52, a disclosure approval acquisition unit 54, a disclosure range request unit 56, a disclosure range acquisition unit 58, a disclosure data creation unit 60, a transmission / reception control unit 62, an inspection request acquisition unit 64, and an inspection data acquisition unit 66.

[0026] The transmitting unit 32 is configured to transmit various data from the router 4 to the destination (connection server 8, remote device 10) via the external network 6. The receiving unit 34 is configured to receive various data from the router 4 to the destination (connection server 8, remote device 10) via the external network 6. The timing and content of the data transmitted and received by the transmitting unit 32 and the receiving unit 34 are appropriately controlled by the transmission / reception control unit described later.

[0027] Such an edge device 18 is configured so that it cannot be directly accessed by the remote device 10, which is located outside the external network 6, from the plant system 2. As a result, the remote device 10 cannot directly access the operating data stored in the monitoring device 14's database 25, and its access is restricted to only the operating data transmitted from the edge device 18 to the remote device 10. The operating data may contain confidential know-how regarding the operation and management of the equipment 12, but by providing the edge device 18, the scope of disclosure of operating data to the remote device 10 can be restricted, thereby preventing the leakage of such know-how.

[0028] The external network 6 is a communication network for connecting the plant system 2, which is connected to the router 4, with the external connection server 8 and remote device 10, and may be a wireless or wired connection. Router 4 may also be a mobile router.

[0029] The connection server 8 is a server for enabling secure communication between the plant system 2 and the remote device 10. The connection server 8 may achieve secure communication using, for example, the technology of Weaved.Inc (now remot3.it) (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0344745). However, the connection server 8 may achieve secure communication using other technologies and is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0030] The remote device 10 is configured to access the plant system 2 via an external network 6, allowing for detailed diagnosis and response instructions remotely when there is an abnormality in the operation of the equipment 12 in the plant system 2. For example, the remote device 10 is located in a geographically distant remote location from the plant system 2 and is handled by a third party, such as an expert other than the user who manages the plant system 2. This allows for support of operations by providing the user with information on detailed diagnoses and response instructions, even in situations that would be difficult for the user to handle on their own.

[0031] Next, we will explain the various functional configurations realized by the CPU 30 provided in the edge device 18.

[0032] The alarm notification acquisition unit 50 is configured to acquire alarm notifications regarding abnormalities in equipment 12 from the monitoring device 14. As mentioned above, when the abnormality diagnosis unit 26 of the monitoring device 14 diagnoses an abnormality in equipment 12, the notification unit 28 outputs an alarm notification. The alarm notification from the notification unit 28 is transmitted to the user terminal 16, notifying the users of the plant system 2, and is also notified to the remote device 10 via the external network 6. As a result, when an abnormality is diagnosed in equipment 12, the remote device 10 is notified in addition to the users who actually use equipment 12, allowing external experts and others to be quickly informed of the possibility of an abnormality in equipment 12.

[0033] The disclosure approval request unit 52 is configured to request approval from the user terminal 16 for the disclosure of operating data stored in the database 25. As mentioned above, the database 25 stores operating data detected by the sensor 24, and while this operating data is useful information for anomaly diagnosis, it may also contain confidential know-how regarding the operation and management of the equipment 12. Therefore, when an alarm notification is received by the alarm notification acquisition unit 50, the disclosure approval request unit 52 sends a request for disclosure approval of operating data to the user terminal 16.

[0034] The disclosure approval acquisition unit 54 is configured to acquire disclosure approval received from the user terminal 16 in response to a disclosure approval request sent to the user terminal 16 by the disclosure approval request unit 52.

[0035] The disclosure scope request unit 56 is configured to make a disclosure scope request to the user terminal 16 when disclosure approval has been obtained by the disclosure approval acquisition unit 54. The disclosure scope request is a request to prompt the user terminal 16 to specify the scope of the operating data stored in the database 25 that should be disclosed.

[0036] The disclosure scope acquisition unit 58 is configured to acquire the disclosure scope received from the user terminal 16 in response to the disclosure scope request transmitted to the user terminal 16 by the disclosure scope request unit 56. The format of the disclosure scope request is not limited, but it may include, for example, the types of data from the operational data stored in the database 25 that are permitted to be disclosed, and the data acquisition period.

[0037] The disclosure data creation unit 60 is configured to create disclosure data based on the operating data stored in the database 25. The creation of disclosure data is performed by processing the operating data stored in the database 25 based on the disclosure range acquired by the disclosure range acquisition unit 58, provided that disclosure approval has been obtained from the user terminal 16 by the disclosure approval request unit 52.

[0038] The transmission / reception control unit 62 is configured to control the transmission and reception status of various data between the plant system 2 and the remote device 10. The transmission / reception control unit 62 controls the transmission and reception to the extent that access from the remote device 10 to the operation data stored in the database 25 and transmission of the operation data stored in the database 25 to the remote device 10 are prohibited. This prevents the leakage of confidential know-how related to the user's operation and business establishment contained in the operation data, which is contained in the operation data, from being leaked to the outside. On the other hand, the operation data can be transmitted to the remote device 10 as disclosed data created based on disclosure approval and disclosure scope, thereby ensuring the confidentiality of the operation data for the user of the equipment 12, while enabling equipment abnormality monitoring and data analysis at the remote device 10.

[0039] The inspection request acquisition unit 64 is configured to acquire inspection requests from the remote device 10 via the external network 6. The remote device 10 can acquire the aforementioned disclosed data and diagnose the operating status of the equipment 12 by analyzing the disclosed data. However, if the disclosed data alone is insufficient, the remote device 10 can send an inspection request to the user operating the equipment 12 to request an inspection to acquire additional data. The inspection request acquisition unit 64 acquires such inspection requests from the remote device 10.

[0040] The inspection data acquisition unit 66 is configured to acquire inspection data from the user terminal 16. As described above, an inspection request from the remote device 10 is sent to the user terminal 16, and the user on the user terminal 16 prepares the inspection data by performing the inspection. The inspection data prepared by the user is transmitted from the user terminal 16 and acquired by the inspection data acquisition unit 66. Furthermore, the inspection data may be obtained through inspection work performed manually by the user as described above, or it may be obtained when the user terminal 16 requests an inspection from the remote device 10, and the remote device 10 performs the inspection work.

[0041] Next, a device management method implemented by the edge device 18 having the above configuration will be described. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a device management method according to one embodiment.

[0042] First, the alarm notification acquisition unit 50 determines whether or not it has received an alarm notification regarding an abnormality of the equipment 12 from the monitoring device 14 (step S100). If no alarm notification is received (step S100: NO), step S100 is repeated to continuously monitor whether or not an alarm notification has been received.

[0043] When an alarm notification is received (step S100: YES), the disclosure approval request unit 52 sends a disclosure approval request to the user terminal 16 (step S101). As described above, the disclosure approval request is a notification to ask the user of the plant system 2 (the user of the user terminal 16) for approval as to whether it is permissible to disclose the operating data stored in the database 25 by sending it to the remote device 10.

[0044] The disclosure approval request transmitted in step S101 may be pre-prepared in response to the acquired alarm notification. For example, alarm notifications may be categorized into types that can be classified according to the part or symptoms of the equipment 12 suspected of being abnormal, and a disclosure approval request may be made to request disclosure approval of operating data necessary for detailed diagnosis and analysis of the abnormality at the remote device 10, depending on the type of alarm notification. In this case, the user terminal 16 that receives the disclosure approval request can determine whether or not to disclose the data according to the content of the disclosure approval request, thereby appropriately providing data for detailed diagnosis and analysis of the abnormality at the remote device 10, within the scope that does not lead to the leakage of know-how.

[0045] Furthermore, if an alarm notification is received (step S100: YES), the transmission / reception control unit 62 may automatically transmit the alarm notification received by the alarm notification acquisition unit 50 to the remote device 10 via the external network 6. This allows a third party using the remote device 10 to receive the alarm notification and quickly recognize the occurrence of an abnormality in the equipment 12. Since this alarm notification is data for notifying the detection of an abnormality in the equipment 12, it does not contain know-how or other information that should be kept confidential from the user of the plant system 2, unlike the operating data stored in the database 25. Therefore, there will be no problem even if the transmission / reception control unit 62 automatically transmits it to the remote device 10 without obtaining approval from the user.

[0046] Furthermore, when the monitoring device 14 sends an alarm notification to the user terminal 16, it may also send cause guidance information related to the alarm notification via the cause guidance information provision unit 29. The cause guidance information includes information about the estimated cause, depending on the type of abnormality corresponding to the alarm notification. By sending such cause guidance information to the user terminal 16, information about the cause of the abnormality can be quickly provided to the user of the device 12.

[0047] Furthermore, the cause guidance information provision unit 29 of the monitoring device 14 can also transmit cause guidance information to the edge device 18 along with the alarm notification. In this case, the edge device 18 may transmit the cause guidance information acquired along with the alarm notification in step S100 to the remote device 10 via the external network 6. As mentioned above, the cause guidance information is information about the cause of the abnormality detected by the device 12 and is not know-how that should be kept confidential from the user of the device 12. Therefore, by transmitting it from the edge device 18 to the remote device 10, it can be used for more detailed diagnosis and analysis of the abnormality.

[0048] Next, the disclosure approval acquisition unit 54 determines whether or not it has obtained disclosure approval from the user terminal 16 as a reply to the disclosure approval request sent in step S101 (step S102). If disclosure approval is not obtained (step S102: NO), the user of the user terminal 16 does not wish to disclose the operating data stored in the database 25, so only an alarm notification is sent to the remote device 10 (step S107) and the process ends. In this case, the transmission / reception control unit 62 may automatically send a notification to the remote device 10 indicating that the user of the user terminal 16 does not wish to disclose the operating data stored in the database 25. This allows the user of the remote device 10 to recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the equipment 12, even though the user of the plant system 2 does not wish to disclose the operating data, and to use this information to consider and formulate appropriate maintenance support in the future.

[0049] Furthermore, even if disclosure approval is not obtained (Step S102: NO), the disclosure approval request in Step S101 may be repeatedly sent to the user terminal 16 a predetermined number of times to prompt the user of the plant system 2 to disclose the operating data. In this case, the series of processes may be terminated if disclosure approval is not obtained a predetermined number of times.

[0050] On the other hand, if disclosure approval is obtained (step S102: YES), the disclosure scope request unit 56 sends a disclosure scope request to the user terminal 16 (step S103). The disclosure scope request is a request to prompt the user terminal 16 to specify the scope of the operating data stored in the database 25 that should be disclosed.

[0051] Next, the disclosure scope acquisition unit 58 determines whether or not it has acquired the disclosure scope from the user terminal 16 in response to the disclosure scope request sent in step S103 (step S104). If the disclosure scope has not been acquired (step S104: NO), the process is returned to step S103, and the disclosure scope request is repeatedly sent to the user terminal 16. This allows the user of the user terminal 16, who indicated their intention to approve the disclosure in step S102, to respond to the disclosure scope request.

[0052] Furthermore, if the disclosure scope request is repeatedly sent and the number of repetitions reaches a predetermined value, the process may be returned to step S102 to reconfirm the user terminal 16's intention to approve the disclosure. Alternatively, if the number of repetitions reaches a predetermined value, the process may be terminated, assuming that the user does not intend to disclose the operating data.

[0053] On the other hand, if the scope of disclosure is obtained (Step S104: YES), the disclosure data creation unit 60 creates disclosure data based on the driving data stored in the database 25 (Step S105). In Step S105, based on the scope of disclosure obtained by the scope of disclosure acquisition unit 58, the unit identifies the types of data for which disclosure permission has been granted and the data acquisition period among the driving data stored in the database 25, and creates the disclosure data by processing the identified driving data.

[0054] In step S105, the creation of the disclosure data may be performed by packaging the operating data corresponding to the disclosure scope with related information. This allows the data necessary for remote monitoring to be suitably sent to the remote device 10 while ensuring the security of the data being handled.

[0055] Next, the transmission / reception control unit 62 transmits the disclosure data created in step S105 to the remote device 10 via the external network 6 (step S106). In step S106, the operation data stored in the database 25 is processed into disclosure data and transmitted to the remote device 10. This prevents the leakage of confidential know-how related to the user's operation and management contained in the operation data, which would otherwise be leaked against the user's intentions. On the other hand, the disclosure data includes operation data to the extent that the user of the user terminal 16 permits disclosure, thereby ensuring the confidentiality of the operation data for the user of the equipment 12, while enabling the remote device 10 to manage the equipment 12 based on the disclosure data.

[0056] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing a device management method according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the remote device 10 receives the disclosed data using the device management method shown in Figure 4, and if the remote device 10 analyzes and interprets the disclosed data, it determines that inspection of the device 12 is necessary, and then performs the inspection.

[0057] First, the inspection request acquisition unit 64 determines whether or not it has acquired an inspection request from the remote device 10 via the external network 6 (step S200). If no inspection request is acquired (step S200: NO), step S200 is repeated to constantly monitor whether or not an inspection request is available. In addition, in step S200, if an inspection is proposed based on the cause guidance information provided by the cause guidance information provision unit 29 when an alarm notification is received by the notification unit 28, it may also be determined that an inspection request has been acquired.

[0058] On the other hand, if an inspection request is received (step S200: YES), the transmission / reception control unit 62 forwards the inspection request received in step 200 to the user terminal 16 (step S201). At this time, the inspection request may include various information useful for the user to perform the inspection, such as the content of the inspection to be performed, the procedure, and points to note to be noted for the user of the user terminal 16.

[0059] Next, the inspection data acquisition unit 66 determines whether or not it has acquired inspection data for the inspection request transferred to the user terminal 16 in step S201 (step S202). In step S202, if inspection data is not acquired (step S202: NO), the process is returned to step S201, and the inspection request is repeatedly sent to the user terminal 16. This prompts the user on the user terminal 16 to perform the necessary inspections on the remote device 10.

[0060] Furthermore, if an inspection request is repeatedly submitted, and the number of repetitions reaches a predetermined value, the system may consider that the user does not intend to perform the inspection and terminate the entire process.

[0061] On the other hand, if inspection data is acquired (step S202: YES), the transmission / reception control unit 62 transmits the inspection data to the remote device 10 via the external network 6 (step S203). This allows the remote device 10 to acquire inspection data regarding abnormalities in the equipment 12, even while remotely located from the plant system 2, enabling detailed analysis and interpretation.

[0062] Furthermore, the remote device 10 acquires disclosure data and inspection data transmitted from the edge device 18 via the external network 6, as described above, and can create service information for the user of the device 12 by analyzing and interpreting this data. This service information is information regarding future maintenance services for the device 12, created by analyzing and interpreting the disclosure data, inspection data, etc., in the remote device 10.

[0063] Service information is transmitted from the remote device 10 to the edge device 18 via the external network 6 and then provided to the user terminal 16. In this case, the timing of the edge device 18 transmitting service information to the user terminal 16 can be arbitrarily set. For example, in the case of plant equipment that is in continuous operation, providing service information in conjunction with the timing of periodic inspections or other maintenance that interrupts its operation can effectively minimize the impact of maintenance services on the operational status of the plant equipment.

[0064] As described above, according to each embodiment, when an alarm notification regarding an abnormality of the device 12 is received, a request for approval to disclose the operating data of the device 12, acquired from the monitoring device 14, is sent to the user terminal 16 used by the user of the device 12. This request for approval includes an approval request regarding whether or not to disclose all or part of the operating data. Based on the approval of the request for approval, the edge device 18 transmits the disclosed data created from the operating data to the remote device 10. The disclosed data is created based on the user's approval for disclosure. Therefore, the remote device 10 acquires the operating data to the extent that the user of the device 12 has approved for disclosure. By restricting the data transmitted from the edge device 18 to the remote device 10 based on the user's approval for disclosure, the confidentiality of the operating data for the user of the device 12 is ensured while abnormality monitoring of the device 12 is possible at the remote device 10.

[0065] Furthermore, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, and the above-described embodiments may also be combined as appropriate.

[0066] The contents described in each of the above embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows:

[0067] (1) An edge device according to one embodiment is: A disclosure approval request unit for transmitting a request for disclosure approval of operating data related to the abnormality obtained from a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment when an alarm notification regarding an abnormality of the equipment is obtained from the monitoring device, A transmission unit for transmitting the disclosure data created based on the operating data to a remote device when disclosure approval is received for the disclosure approval request, It is equipped with.

[0068] According to the embodiment described in (1) above, when an alarm notification regarding an equipment malfunction is received, a request for approval to disclose the equipment's operating data, acquired from the monitoring device, is sent to the user terminal used by the equipment's user. This request for approval includes an approval request regarding whether or not to disclose all or part of the operating data. Based on the approval of the request for approval, the edge device transmits the disclosed data created from the operating data to the remote device. The disclosed data is created based on the user's disclosure approval. Therefore, the remote device acquires operating data only to the extent that the equipment's user has approved the disclosure. By restricting the data transmitted from the edge device to the remote device based on the equipment's user's disclosure approval in this way, it becomes possible to monitor equipment malfunctions at the remote device while ensuring the confidentiality of the operating data for the equipment's user.

[0069] (2) In other embodiments, in the embodiment of (1) above, A disclosure scope request unit for requesting the scope of disclosure of the aforementioned operating data, A disclosure data creation unit for creating the disclosure data by processing the operating data based on the disclosure scope, It is further equipped with [this feature].

[0070] According to the embodiment described in (2) above, the user of the equipment is required to specify the scope of disclosure of the operating data. The edge device creates the disclosed data by processing the operating data based on the scope of disclosure returned by the user of the equipment in response to such a request. This makes it possible to limit the disclosed data transmitted from the edge device to the remote device to the scope specified by the user of the equipment.

[0071] (3) In other embodiments, in the embodiment of (1) or (2) above, When the transmitting unit obtains cause guidance information related to the alarm notification from the monitoring device, it transmits the cause guidance information to the remote device.

[0072] According to the embodiment described in (3) above, when cause guidance information related to an alarm notification is obtained from the monitoring device, the cause guidance information is transmitted to the remote device in addition to the alarm notification. The cause guidance information is information about the cause of the anomaly detected by the device and is not know-how that should be kept confidential from the device user. Therefore, by transmitting it from the edge device to the remote device, it can be used for more detailed anomaly diagnosis and analysis.

[0073] (4) In other embodiments, in any one embodiment of (1) to (3) above, The transmitting unit transmits an inspection request from the remote device to the user terminal of the equipment, and when it obtains the inspection data corresponding to the inspection request from the user terminal, it transmits the inspection data to the remote device.

[0074] According to the embodiment described in (4) above, when a remote device requests an inspection from the user of the equipment (including when an alarm notification is received from the monitoring device and an inspection request is made based on the cause guidance information), the edge device transmits inspection data acquired from the user terminal to the remote device in response to the inspection request. By acquiring the inspection data corresponding to the inspection request in this way, the remote device can diagnose and analyze the condition of the equipment in more detail by analyzing it together with the aforementioned disclosed data.

[0075] (5) In other embodiments, in the embodiment of (4) above, The transmission unit transmits the scope of the inspection data specified by the user terminal to the remote device.

[0076] According to the embodiment described in (5) above, the scope of disclosure of inspection data transmitted to a remote device in response to an inspection request can also be adjusted by specifying the scope of disclosure on the user terminal, similar to the aforementioned disclosed data. In this case, by restricting the scope of disclosure of inspection data based on the user terminal's specification, the unintended leakage of know-how contained in the inspection data can be effectively prevented.

[0077] (6) In other embodiments, in any one embodiment of (1) to (5) above, The aforementioned disclosed data is created by packaging the aforementioned operating data corresponding to the scope of disclosure with related information.

[0078] According to the embodiment of (6) above, by packaging the disclosed data transmitted from the edge device to the remote device with related information, it is possible to suitably send the data necessary for remote monitoring to the remote device while ensuring the security of the data being handled.

[0079] (7) In other embodiments, in any one embodiment of (1) to (6) above, The transmitting unit transmits the service information acquired from the remote device to the user terminal of the device at a predetermined timing.

[0080] According to the embodiment described in (7) above, service information regarding future maintenance services for the equipment, which is created by analyzing the disclosed data etc. using a remote device, can be provided to the user terminal at a predetermined time. This makes it possible to effectively minimize the impact of maintenance services on the operational status of plant equipment by providing service information in accordance with the timing of periodic inspections and other measures that interrupt the operation of plant equipment, for example, in plant equipment that is in continuous operation.

[0081] (8) In other embodiments, in any one embodiment of (1) to (7) above, The monitoring device, together with the remote device, includes a notification unit for notifying the user terminal of the device of the alarm notification.

[0082] According to the embodiment described in (8) above, when an abnormality is detected in the equipment by the monitoring device, an alarm notification is sent not only to the user terminal but also to a remote device by the notification unit of the monitoring device. This allows for the rapid notification of the possibility of equipment malfunction to external experts, etc., in addition to the user who actually uses the equipment, by notifying the remote device.

[0083] (9) A device management system relating to one aspect is: An edge device relating to any one of the above embodiments (1) to (8), A user terminal that can be used by the user of the aforementioned device, The remote device and, It is equipped with.

[0084] According to the embodiment of (9) above, by managing the exchange of information between the user terminal and the remote device with the edge device, it is possible to provide useful information to the remote device while ensuring the confidentiality of information for the user of the user terminal.

[0085] (10) A device management method relating to one aspect is: The process includes: when an alarm notification regarding an abnormality in the equipment is received from a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment, a request for approval to disclose the operating data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device is sent; Upon receiving disclosure approval for the aforementioned disclosure approval request, the process includes transmitting the disclosure data created based on the aforementioned operating data to a remote device, It is equipped with.

[0086] According to the embodiment described in (10) above, when an alarm notification regarding an equipment malfunction is received, a request for approval to disclose the equipment's operating data obtained from the monitoring device is sent to the user terminal used by the equipment user. This request for approval includes an approval request regarding whether or not to disclose all or part of the operating data. Based on the approval of the request for approval, the edge device transmits the disclosed data created from the operating data to the remote device. The disclosed data is created based on the user's disclosure approval. Therefore, the remote device acquires the operating data to the extent that the equipment user has approved the disclosure. By restricting the data transmitted from the edge device to the remote device based on the equipment user's disclosure approval in this way, it becomes possible to monitor equipment malfunctions at the remote device while ensuring the confidentiality of the operating data for the equipment user.

[0087] (11) A device management program relating to one aspect is: In a computer device, The process includes: when an alarm notification regarding an abnormality in the equipment is received from a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment, a request for approval to disclose the operating data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device is sent; Upon receiving disclosure approval for the aforementioned disclosure approval request, the process includes transmitting the disclosure data created based on the aforementioned operating data to a remote device, It is possible to execute this.

[0088] According to the embodiment described in (11) above, when an alarm notification regarding an equipment malfunction is received, a request for approval to disclose the equipment's operating data, acquired from the monitoring device, is sent to the user terminal used by the equipment's user. This request for approval includes an approval request regarding whether or not to disclose all or part of the operating data. Based on the approval of the request for approval, the edge device transmits the disclosed data created from the operating data to the remote device. The disclosed data is created based on the user's disclosure approval. Therefore, the remote device acquires operating data only to the extent that the equipment's user has approved the disclosure. By restricting the data transmitted from the edge device to the remote device based on the equipment's user's disclosure approval in this way, it becomes possible to monitor equipment malfunctions at the remote device while ensuring the confidentiality of the operating data for the equipment's user. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1. Equipment Management System 2. Plant System 4 Routers 6. External Network 8 Connection Servers 10 Remote devices 12 Equipment 14 Monitoring equipment 16 User terminals 18 Edge device 20 Main unit of the device 22 Control device 24 sensors 25 Databases 26. Department of Abnormal Diagnosis 28 Hochi Department 30 CPU 32 Transmitter 34 Receiving Unit 50 Alarm notification acquisition unit 52 Disclosure Approval Request Department 54 Disclosure Approval Acquisition Department 56. Disclosure Scope Request Section 58 Disclosure Scope Acquisition Section 60 Disclosure Data Creation Department 62 Transmit / receive control unit 64 Inspection Request Acquisition Department 66 Inspection Data Acquisition Unit

Claims

1. An edge device that constitutes a plant system together with a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of equipment, and manages the transmission and reception of information with a remote device of the plant system connected via an external network, When an alarm notification regarding an abnormality of the equipment is obtained from the monitoring device, a disclosure approval request transmission unit is provided to transmit a disclosure approval request to the remote device for the operating data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device, A transmission unit for transmitting the disclosure data created based on the operating data to the remote device when disclosure approval is received in response to the disclosure approval request, An edge device equipped with the following features.

2. A disclosure scope request unit for requesting the scope of disclosure of the aforementioned operating data, A disclosure data creation unit for creating the disclosure data by processing the operating data based on the disclosure scope, The edge device according to claim 1, further comprising the following:

3. The edge device according to claim 2, wherein the scope of disclosure includes the data acquisition period during which disclosure is permitted from the operating data.

4. The alarm notification is set to a type that can be classified according to at least one of the part of the device or the symptom, The edge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the disclosure approval request is made to request disclosure approval of the operating data for the type of alarm notification.

5. The edge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the cause guidance information related to the alarm notification to the remote device when it obtains the cause guidance information from the monitoring device.

6. The edge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmitting unit transmits an inspection request from the remote device to the user terminal of the device, and when it obtains inspection data corresponding to the inspection request from the user terminal, it transmits the inspection data to the remote device.

7. The edge device according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the disclosure range specified by the user terminal from the inspection data to the remote device.

8. The edge device according to claim 2, wherein the disclosed data is created by packaging the operating data corresponding to the scope of disclosure with related information.

9. The edge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmitting unit transmits service information acquired from the remote device to the user terminal of the device at the time the operation of the device is interrupted.

10. The edge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the monitoring device, together with the remote device, includes a notification unit for notifying the user terminal of the device of the alarm notification.

11. The edge device according to claim 1 or 2, A user terminal that can be used by the user of the aforementioned device, The remote device and, A device management system equipped with the following features.

12. A method for managing equipment using an edge device for managing the transmission and reception of information between a plant system and a remote device of the plant system connected via an external network, comprising configuring the plant system with a monitoring device for monitoring the operating status of the equipment, The edge device, upon receiving an alarm notification regarding an abnormality of the equipment from the monitoring device, transmits a request for disclosure approval of the operational data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device to the remote device. The edge device, upon receiving disclosure approval for the disclosure approval request, transmits the disclosure data created based on the operation data to the remote device. A device management method that includes the following features.

13. A plant system is configured with a monitoring device that monitors the operating status of the equipment, and the equipment management program manages the transmission and reception of information between the plant system and a remote device connected via an external network, In a computer device, When an alarm notification regarding an abnormality of the equipment is obtained from the monitoring device, the monitoring device sends a request for disclosure approval of the operating data related to the abnormality obtained from the monitoring device to the remote device. Upon receiving disclosure approval for the disclosure approval request, the process includes transmitting the disclosure data created based on the operating data to the remote device, A device management program capable of performing the following actions.

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