Facility device management system

Abstract

A facility device management system (100) comprises: a controller (10) that manages a facility device (30); a relay device (20) that relays communication between the controller (10) and the facility device (30); and a first facility device (31) that communicates with the controller (10) via the relay device (20). The controller (10) designates the device address of the relay device (20) in a device address field of communication data that corresponds to a prescribed communication protocol. The controller (10) divides a second field into a facility device address field and a data address field. The controller (10) designates the device address of the first facility device (31) in the facility device address field, designates the data address of the first facility device (31) in the data address field, and communicates with the relay device (20). The relay device (20) transfers the device address of the first facility device (31) included in the facility device address field to the device address field and communicates with the first facility device (31).

Description

Equipment and Machine Management System

[0006] ,

[0001] It relates to an equipment and machine management system.

[0002] In order to collect the status of equipment installed in a facility, the Modbus communication protocol is used. For example, the distributed control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 4833536) transmits data to be transmitted to a central monitoring device using the Modbus communication protocol. Generally, in communication using Modbus, a higher-level system that manages equipment specifies the address of the equipment to be managed as the transmission destination and individually transmits requests to the equipment to be managed.

[0003] In Modbus, a data format for transmitting requests is defined, and there is a limit to the number of equipment that can be specified as the transmission destination.

[0004] The present disclosure proposes an equipment and machine management system that can manage a larger number of equipment than the limited number.

[0005] The equipment and machine management system according to the first aspect includes a management device, a relay device, and a first equipment. The management device manages equipment. The relay device relays communication between the management device and the equipment. The first equipment communicates with the management device via the relay device. The management device specifies the device address of the relay device in the first field of the data corresponding to a predetermined communication protocol. Further, the management device divides the second field into an equipment address field and a data address field. Further, the management device specifies the device address of the first equipment in the equipment address field and the data address of the first equipment in the data address field to communicate with the relay device. The relay device moves the device address of the first equipment included in the equipment address field of the data corresponding to the predetermined communication protocol to the first field and communicates with the first equipment.

[0006] In the equipment and machine management system according to the first aspect, the management device specifies the device address of the relay device and communicates with the relay device, and the first equipment communicates with the management device via the relay device. With such a configuration, the number of equipment that can be managed by the management device can be increased.

[0007] The equipment management system from the second perspective is the equipment management system from the first perspective, and the specified communication protocol is the Modbus protocol.

[0008] The equipment management system from the third perspective is an equipment management system from the first or second perspective, and the relay device communicates with the first equipment after clearing the contents of the equipment address field of the data.

[0009] In the third-party equipment management system, it is possible to suppress the first piece of equipment from misinterpreting the information contained in the received data.

[0010] The equipment management system of the fourth perspective is an equipment management system of the first, second, or third perspective, further comprising a second piece of equipment that communicates with a management device without using a relay device. The management device communicates with the second piece of equipment by specifying the equipment address of the second piece of equipment in the first field of the data and the data address of the second piece of equipment in the second field.

[0011] In the equipment management system described in the fourth perspective, the management device can communicate with the first equipment and the second equipment using the same communication protocol.

[0012] The equipment management system of the fifth perspective is an equipment management system of any of the first, fourth, or fourth perspectives, wherein the data further includes a third field that specifies the requirements.

[0013] This is a schematic diagram of the management system, including the equipment management system. This is a functional block diagram of the equipment management system. This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the data format corresponding to the Modbus protocol. This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the equipment management system. This is a diagram to explain the number of bits used for the equipment address field. This is a flowchart showing an example of the data conversion processing flow by the relay device. This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the equipment management system.

[0014] (1) Overall Configuration An equipment management system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, explanations that are unnecessarily detailed may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0015] Furthermore, for the sake of explanation, subscripts A through Z will be used, but these represent arbitrary numbers and are not limited to specific quantities. In the following explanation, when describing multiple devices with similar functions in common, the same reference numeral will be used. When describing one device from among multiple devices with similar functions, a lowercase English subscript will be used. For example, since the first equipment devices 31A, 31B, ... 31Z are all devices with similar functions, they will be referred to as the first equipment device 31 when the descriptions are common.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the management system 1, including the equipment management system 100. The management system 1 is a system that performs comprehensive monitoring of target properties such as stores and comprehensive control of the equipment 30 installed in the target properties.

[0017] Typically, stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores (the target property) are equipped with multiple pieces of equipment 30. While the types of equipment are not limited, the multiple pieces of equipment 30 may include various pieces of equipment such as display cases, power supply equipment, air conditioning equipment, lighting equipment, and disaster prevention equipment. Furthermore, the pieces of equipment 30 may also include sensors that measure the temperature of a predetermined part of the equipment 30 (for example, a temperature sensor that monitors overheating of the equipment 30) and various sensors installed in the target property (for example, sensors that measure the temperature and humidity of a location in the target property).

[0018] The equipment management system 100 is a system for managing multiple pieces of equipment 30 installed in the target property. The equipment management system 100 mainly comprises multiple pieces of equipment 30, a controller 10 (corresponding to the "management device" described in the claims) that manages the multiple pieces of equipment 30, and a relay device 20 that relays communication between the controller 10 and the pieces of equipment 30. The multiple pieces of equipment 30, the controller 10, and the relay device 20 are installed, for example, within the building of the target property.

[0019] Multiple pieces of equipment 30 are connected to a controller 10 installed in the property in question, for example, via a communication line 90 (e.g., LAN), enabling communication using a predetermined protocol. Here, the predetermined communication protocol is the Modbus protocol. Each piece of equipment 30 is a device capable of communication using the Modbus protocol.

[0020] The controller 10 manages the equipment 30 that is under management. Management means monitoring or controlling the equipment 30. One controller 10 may be installed in one target property, or multiple controllers 10 may be installed. In the equipment management system 100, the equipment 30 is managed by executing a program for managing the equipment 30 in the controller 10.

[0021] The relay device 20 is installed between the controller 10 and the first equipment 31, which will be described later, and is a device that relays communication between the controller 10 and the first equipment 31. The relay device 20 is configured to be connectable to a plurality of first equipment 31A, 31B, ... 31Z. In the equipment management system 100 shown in Figure 1, one relay device 20 is provided to one controller 10, but the number of relay devices 20 is not limited to this, and a plurality of relay devices 20 may be provided to one controller 10.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the controller 10 is connected to the management terminal 40 via a network such as the Internet. The management terminal 40 is a computer that includes storage devices such as ROM, RAM, HDD, and SSD, and a control processing unit such as a CPU. The management terminal 40 is a portable device such as a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet. The management system 1 performs overall monitoring of the target property and overall control of the equipment 30 installed in the target property by performing configuration work on the controller 10, monitoring the status of the equipment 30, and controlling the operation of the equipment 30 via the management terminal 40.

[0023] The controller 10 may also be connected to a remote monitoring system (not shown) that remotely and comprehensively monitors the target property where multiple equipment devices 30 are installed via a network NW.

[0024] (1-1) Equipment to be managed The multiple pieces of equipment 30 to be managed by the controller 10 include a plurality of first pieces of equipment 31A, 31B, ... 31Z and a plurality of second pieces of equipment 32A, 32B, ... 32Z. The first pieces of equipment 31 are pieces of equipment 30 that communicate with the controller 10 via the relay device 20. The second pieces of equipment 32 are pieces of equipment 30 that communicate with the controller 10 without going through the relay device 20. Each piece of equipment 30 has a communication unit (not shown) that is capable of communication using the Modbus protocol and communicates data using the Modbus protocol. The communication unit is a network interface for communication via the communication line 90. The operating state of the equipment 30 is controlled according to control commands from the controller 10.

[0025] Multiple first equipment devices 31A, 31B, ... 31Z are each connected to the controller 10 in a way that allows them to communicate. A relay device 20 is installed between the multiple first equipment devices 31A, 31B, ... 31Z and the controller 10. In other words, the controller 10 and the first equipment devices 31 are not directly connected and do not communicate data directly with each other.

[0026] Each of the multiple second equipment devices 32A, 32B, ... 32Z is ​​connected to the controller 10 in a way that allows communication. In other words, the controller 10 and the second equipment devices 32 are directly connected and communicate data directly with each other.

[0027] In the example shown in Figure 1, the devices directly connected to the controller 10 are one relay device 20 and multiple second equipment devices 32A, 32B, ... 32Z. Multiple first equipment devices 31A, 31B, ... 31Z connected to the relay device 20 are not included in the devices directly connected to the controller 10.

[0028] Each piece of equipment 30 (multiple first pieces of equipment 31A, 31B, ... 31Z, and multiple second pieces of equipment 32A, 32B, ... 32Z) is pre-assigned a unique equipment address.

[0029] (1-2) Controller The controller 10 is a computer for managing the equipment 30, and is called, for example, a gateway or edge. The controller 10 may be configured by connecting multiple computers or devices via a network NW. The controller 10 obtains operating data from the equipment 30 to be managed and controls the operation of the equipment 30 by executing a program for managing the equipment 30.

[0030] Operating data refers to data related to the operating history and data related to the operating status. For example, if the equipment 30 is a showcase, data related to the operating history refers to information such as power on / off, thermostat on / off, operating mode, set temperature, etc. Also, for example, data related to the operating status refers to values ​​detected by various sensors attached to the target object or equipment 30, such as room temperature, humidity, internal temperature, temperature and pressure of refrigerant drawn into the compressor, temperature and pressure of refrigerant discharged from the compressor, temperature of refrigerant in the evaporator, and temperature of refrigerant in the condenser.

[0031] The controller 10, for example, sends a command to the first equipment 31 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every minute) to request the acquisition of operation data, and acquires operation data from the first equipment 31. The controller 10 also sends a command to the second equipment 32 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every minute) to request the acquisition of operation data, and acquires operation data from the second equipment 32.

[0032] Furthermore, the controller 10 controls the operation of the equipment 30 by transmitting control commands to the equipment 30.

[0033] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the equipment management system 100. In Figure 2, the first equipment 31 and the second equipment 32 are shown as representative examples. The equipment management system 100 will be described below using the case where the first equipment 31A and the second equipment 32A are the equipment 30 to be transmitted as an example. Even when the other first equipment 31B, ... 31Z and the second equipment 32B, ... 32Z are the equipment 30 to be transmitted, the functions of the equipment management system 100 are the same as those described below, so the explanation will be omitted. The controller 10 mainly consists of a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, and a storage unit 13.

[0034] The communication unit 11 is a network interface that enables the controller 10 to connect to a network NW such as a communication line 90 or the Internet. Through the functions of the communication unit 11, communication using the Modbus protocol is performed between the controller 10 and the first equipment 31 and the second equipment 32. The communication unit 11 communicates with the first equipment 31 via the relay device 20. Details of the communication data corresponding to the Modbus protocol (corresponding to "data" in the claims) will be described later.

[0035] The storage unit 13 includes a main memory such as ROM or RAM, and an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD. The storage unit 13 stores various programs for executing various functions of the controller 10, and various data for executing those programs. The control unit 12 includes a processor such as a CPU or GPU, and performs various calculations and processes by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 13.

[0036] The control unit 12 controls the entire controller 10 by cooperating with the other components of the controller 10.

[0037] The control unit 12 generates communication data corresponding to the Modbus protocol and transmits the generated communication data to the target equipment 30, thereby acquiring operating data of the equipment 30 and controlling the operation of the equipment 30. For example, the control unit 12 acquires operating data from the equipment 30 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every minute). Also, if the operating schedule of the equipment 30 is stored in the storage unit 13, the control unit 12 transmits control commands in accordance with the operating schedule to the appropriate equipment 30 at timings in accordance with the operating schedule.

[0038] For example, let's consider the case where the control unit 12 acquires operating data from the first equipment 31A. The control unit 12 generates communication data that includes a command requesting the acquisition of operating data (for example, internal temperature). The control unit 12 transmits the generated communication data to the relay device 20 to which the first equipment 31A is connected. Subsequently, the control unit 12 receives response data from the first equipment 31A via the relay device 20.

[0039] Next, we will describe, for example, the case in which the control unit 12 acquires operating data from the second equipment 32A. The control unit 12 generates communication data that includes a command requesting the acquisition of operating data (for example, internal temperature). The control unit 12 transmits the generated communication data to the second equipment 32A. Subsequently, the control unit 12 receives response data from the second equipment 32A.

[0040] The control unit 12 acquires the operation data of the facility equipment 30 by analyzing the response data received by the communication unit 11. For example, the control unit 12 analyzes the response data based on the Modbus protocol. The control unit 12 acquires, as the operation data (e.g., the temperature inside the warehouse) of the first facility equipment 31A or the second facility equipment 32A, the content of the field containing the operation data from the response data.

[0041] The control unit 12 accumulates the acquired operation data in the storage unit 13 in association with the acquired date and time. The control unit 12 transmits, for example, the accumulated operation data to the management terminal 40 via the network NW during regular communication between the controller 10 and the management terminal 40 at a predetermined time interval (e.g., every 30 minutes).

[0042] The controller 10 may further include an output unit such as a display and an input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse. The control unit 12 may display, on the output unit, a screen for an administrator of the controller 10 and / or the facility equipment 30 to input the settings of the controller 10. The control unit 12 may store the setting content of the controller 10 in the storage unit 13 based on the operation of the administrator.

[0043] (1 - 3) Relay device The relay device 20 is provided between the controller 10 and a plurality of first facility devices 31A, 31B,..., 31Z. The relay device 20 is a device capable of communicating with the controller 10 and a plurality of first facility devices 31A, 31B,..., 31Z using the Modbus protocol. The relay device 20 mainly includes a first interface 21, a second interface 22, a conversion unit 23, and a storage unit 24.

[0044] The first interface 21 is a network interface for enabling connection to the communication line 90. The first interface 21 is connected to the controller 10. The first interface 21 receives the communication data transmitted from the controller 10. Also, the first interface 21 transmits the response data from the first facility device 31 received by the second interface 22 to the controller 10.

[0045] The second interface 22 is a network interface for being connectable to the communication line 90. The second interface 22 is connected to a plurality of first facility devices 31A, 31B, ··· 31Z. The second interface 22 receives the response data transmitted from the first facility device 31. Further, the second interface 22 transmits the communication data from the controller 10 received by the first interface 21 and converted by the conversion unit 23 to the first facility device 31.

[0046] The conversion unit 23 converts the communication data received by the first interface 21 from the controller 10 into communication data for transmitting to the first facility device 31. The conversion of the communication data by the conversion unit 23 will be described later.

[0047] A unique device address is pre-assigned to the relay device 20.

[0048] (2) The Modbus protocol is used for communication between the communication data controller 10 and the facility device 30 (the first facility device 31 and the second facility device 32). The communication method of Modbus is a single master / multi-slave method, and only the master (controller 10) can transmit the communication data for starting communication. The slave (facility device 30) that has received the communication data executes the specified function based on the received request content and transmits the data (response data) to be responded to the master. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the format of the communication data corresponding to the Modbus protocol in the present embodiment.

[0049] Communication data corresponding to the Modbus protocol includes a device address field (corresponding to the "first field" described in the claims), a function code field (corresponding to the "third field" described in the claims), a second field, a data number field, and a CRC field. The device address field and the function code field each consist of 8 bits. The second field, the data number field, and the CRC field each consist of 16 bits. For the sake of brevity, the start bit indicating the start of transmission of communication data and the stop bit indicating the end of transmission of communication data are omitted.

[0050] The device address field specifies the device address (hereinafter referred to as the destination address) of the device to which the communication data is to be sent. The destination of the communication data refers to the recipient to whom the communication data is sent directly. For example, controller 10 sends a command to request the acquisition of operation data of the first equipment 31, but a relay device 20 is installed between controller 10 and the first equipment 31. Therefore, controller 10 needs to send communication data, including the command requesting the first equipment 31, to the relay device 20. In this case, controller 10 specifies the device address of the relay device 20 as the destination address. On the other hand, controller 10 and the second equipment 32 are directly connected. Therefore, controller 10 directly sends communication data, including the command requesting the second equipment 32, to the second equipment 32. In this case, controller 10 specifies the device address of the second equipment 32 as the destination address.

[0051] The device address of equipment 30 is stored in the storage unit 13 in advance, associated with the identification information of equipment 30 and the destination address. For example, the device address of the first equipment 31 is stored in the storage unit 13, associated with the device address of the relay equipment 20 to which the first equipment 31 is connected as the destination address. On the other hand, the device address of the second equipment 32 may be stored as the destination address, or the destination address may not be stored.

[0052] As mentioned above, the device address field consists of 8 bits, so a maximum of 255 device addresses can be specified.

[0053] The function code field is a field that specifies a function code indicating the content of the request for the equipment 30. The content of the request is, for example, a request to acquire operating data, a request to set operating data, and a request regarding the control of operation. The function code is predetermined for each piece of equipment 30 as part of the specifications of the equipment 30. The function code of the equipment 30 is stored in the storage unit 13 in advance, for example, in association with the identification information of the equipment 30 or the model of the equipment 30.

[0054] When requesting the setting of a set temperature for one piece of equipment 30, the function code field specifies a function code indicating a "request to set operating data" for the piece of equipment 30. Similarly, when requesting the acquisition of a set temperature for one piece of equipment 30, the function code field specifies a function code indicating a "request to acquire operating data" for the piece of equipment 30. As described above, the function code field consists of 8 bits, so a maximum of 255 function codes can be specified for each piece of equipment 30.

[0055] The second field is a field that specifies a data address indicating the content of the data to be requested from the equipment 30. The content of the data includes, for example, the content of the operation data and the content of the control. The data address is predetermined for each piece of equipment 30 as part of the specifications of the equipment 30. The data address of the equipment 30 is stored in the storage unit 13 in advance, associated with, for example, the identification information of the equipment 30 or the model of the equipment 30.

[0056] When requesting the setting of a set temperature for one piece of equipment 30, the second field specifies the data address representing the "set temperature" of the piece of equipment 30. As described above, the second field consists of 16 bits, so a maximum of 65,535 data addresses can be specified for each piece of equipment 30.

[0057] In this embodiment, when the controller 10 communicates with the first equipment 31 via the relay device 20, a portion of the second field is used as the equipment address field, as described later. In other words, when the controller 10 communicates with the first equipment 31 via the relay device 20, the second field contains a value related to a different purpose (specifying an equipment address) than the purpose (specifying a data address) of the second field as defined in the Modbus protocol.

[0058] The data number field specifies the number of data items to retrieve.

[0059] The CRC field is a field used for error checking based on the CRC method.

[0060] (3) Processing flow of the equipment management system Below, an example of the processing flow of the equipment management system 100 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 to 7.

[0061] (3-1) When the controller communicates with the first equipment First, an example of the processing flow of the equipment management system 100 when the controller 10 communicates with the first equipment 31A via the relay device 20 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 6. The processing flow of the equipment management system 100 when communicating with other first equipment 31B, ... 31Z is the same as the flow described below, so the explanation will be omitted. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the equipment management system 100 when the controller 10 communicates with the first equipment 31A via the relay device 20. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the data conversion processing flow by the relay device 20.

[0062] The following describes the processing flow of the equipment management system 100, using the case where the controller 10 requests the acquisition of operating data (set temperature) of the first equipment 31A as an example. Note that the processing flow of the equipment management system 100 is the same as described below even when the controller 10 requests control of the operation of the first equipment 31A.

[0063] The control unit 12 of the controller 10 obtains from the storage unit 13 the device address of the equipment 30 (first equipment 31A) to which the request content will be sent, and the destination address to which the request will be sent to the target equipment 30 (first equipment 31A).

[0064] The control unit 12 determines whether the target equipment 30 is equipment 30 connected via the relay device 20. If it determines that the target equipment 30 is equipment 30 connected via the relay device 20, the control unit 12 generates communication data for the target equipment 30 (step S10). Specifically, for example, if the equipment address of the target equipment 30 and the destination address are different, the control unit 12 determines that the target equipment 30 is the first equipment 31A connected via the relay device 20. In this case, the destination address is the equipment address of the relay device 20. Hereinafter, the communication data that the controller 10 sends to the relay device 20 will be referred to as the first communication data. As described later, the first communication data has the same number of bits as the format specified in the Modbus protocol, but it is communication data with a different format.

[0065] The control unit 12 specifies the acquired destination address (the device address of the relay device 20) in the device address field of the first communication data. If the destination address is less than 8 bits, the control unit 12 adds zeros to the beginning of the destination address to make it an 8-bit value.

[0066] The control unit 12 specifies a function code indicating the request content for the first equipment 31A in the function code field of the first communication data. Specifically, the control unit 12 obtains a function code from the storage unit 13 that indicates a "request to acquire operation data" for the first equipment 31A. The control unit 12 specifies the obtained function code in the function code field of the first communication data. If the obtained function code is less than 8 bits, the control unit 12 adds zeros to the beginning of the obtained function code to make it an 8-bit value.

[0067] The control unit 12 divides the second field into an equipment address field and a data address field. The equipment address field is a field that specifies the equipment address of the first equipment 31A, which is the equipment from which the controller 10 requests the acquisition of operational data. In other words, the equipment address field is a field for transmitting the equipment address of the first equipment 31A to the relay device 20. The data address field is a field that specifies the data address of the first equipment 31A, which indicates the content of the requested data.

[0068] The number of bits to be used as the equipment address field (referred to as the number of bits used) is stored in advance in the storage unit 13 of the controller 10. The administrator of the controller 10 and / or the equipment 30 may register and update the number of bits used in the storage unit 13 via the input unit of the controller 10 or the management terminal 40. The control unit 12 obtains the number of bits used from the storage unit 13 and decides how many bits of the second field to allocate to the equipment address field.

[0069] The method for assigning the equipment address field will be explained in detail below. In the following explanation, bits closer to the beginning (left side in Figure 3) of the communication data format corresponding to the Modbus protocol will be called the higher bits, and bits closer to the end (right side in Figure 3) will be called the lower bits. The control unit 12 obtains the number of bits to be used from the storage unit 13 and decides which bits from the highest to lowest of the 16-bit second field will be used as the equipment address field.

[0070] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the number of bits used for the equipment address field. For example, let's consider the case where the number of bits used stored in the memory unit 13 is 6. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 12 decides to use the upper 6 bits of the second field as the equipment address field. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the equipment address field can specify the equipment address number of equipment 30 from 1 to 63. In addition, the number of bits of the second field that can be used as the data address field is the lower 10 bits. Therefore, the data address field can specify data addresses from 1 to 1023.

[0071] Similarly, let's consider the case where, for example, the number of usable bits stored in the memory unit 13 is 5. The control unit 12 decides to use the upper 5 bits of the second field as the equipment address field. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the equipment address field can specify the equipment address number of equipment 30 from 1 to 31. In addition, the number of bits of the second field that can be used as the data address field is the lower 11 bits. Therefore, the data address field can specify data addresses from 1 to 2047.

[0072] Similarly, let's consider the case where, for example, the number of usable bits stored in the memory unit 13 is 4. The control unit 12 decides to use the upper 4 bits of the second field as the equipment address field. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the equipment address field can specify the equipment address number of equipment 30 from 1 to 15. Also, the number of bits of the second field that can be used as the data address field is the lower 12 bits. Therefore, the data address field can specify data addresses from 1 to 4095.

[0073] As described above, the number of equipment devices 30 that can be specified and the number of data addresses change depending on how many of the upper bits of the second field are used as the equipment address field. In step S132 described later, the value of the equipment address specified in the equipment address field is specified in the 8-bit equipment address field. For this reason, the number of bits in the equipment address field must be smaller than the number of bits in the equipment address field. In other words, the number of bits used must be 8 or less. Also, if the number of bits used is large, the number of data addresses that can be specified will decrease. Therefore, it is preferable to use 6 or less bits.

[0074] The control unit 12 specifies the device address of the first equipment 31A obtained from the storage unit 13 in the equipment address field. If the obtained device address is smaller than the number of bits available, the control unit 12 adds zeros before the device address to make it equal to the number of bits available.

[0075] The control unit 12 specifies the data address of the first equipment 31A in the data address field. Specifically, the control unit 12 obtains the data address indicating the "set temperature" of the first equipment 31A from the storage unit 13. Then, the control unit 12 specifies the obtained data address in the data address field. If the obtained data address is smaller than the number of bits remaining (16 bits minus the number of bits used), the control unit 12 adds zeros before the data address to make it equal to the number of bits remaining.

[0076] Figure 3 shows an example of the equipment address field and data address field when the number of bits used is 6. The controller 10 specifies "000011" as the equipment address of the first equipment 31A in the equipment address field. The controller 10 also specifies "1001110101" as the data address indicating the set temperature of the first equipment 31A in the data address field.

[0077] The control unit 12 specifies the number of data to be acquired in the data number field and specifies the CRC code for error checking in the CRC field.

[0078] In step S11, the communication unit 11 of the controller 10 transmits the generated first communication data.

[0079] In step S12, the first interface 21 of the relay device 20 receives the first communication data. The relay device 20 continues the following process only if the device address specified in the device address field of the first communication data matches its own device address.

[0080] In step S13, the relay device 20 converts the first communication data into communication data for transmission to the first equipment 31A. Step S13 consists of steps S131 to S133 in Figure 6. The flow of the conversion process of the first communication data by the relay device 20 will be explained in detail.

[0081] First, the conversion unit 23 of the relay device 20 obtains from the storage unit 24 the number of bits to be used as the equipment address field, which is stored in advance. The number of bits to be used stored in the storage unit 24 is the same as the number of bits to be used stored in the storage unit 13. The conversion unit 23 of the relay device 20 obtains the equipment address specified in the equipment address field of the first communication data as the equipment address of the destination first equipment 31A (step S131).

[0082] Specifically, the conversion unit 23 obtains the values ​​specified in the bits from the most significant bit to the number of bits used in the second field of the first communication data, and uses this as the device address of the first equipment 31A to which the data is transmitted. In the example shown in Figure 3, the conversion unit 23 obtains the value "000011" from the most significant bit to the sixth bit of the second field as the device address of the first equipment 31A to which the data is transmitted.

[0083] Next, the conversion unit 23 replaces the device address field of the first communication data with the device address of the first equipment 31A obtained in step S131 (step S132). As described above, the device address field is a field that specifies the device address of the equipment to which the communication data is sent. The conversion unit 23 specifies the obtained device address of the first equipment 31A in the device address field.

[0084] Specifically, the conversion unit 23 sets the 8-bit value constituting the device address field in the received first communication data to zero. Then, the conversion unit 23 specifies the acquired device address of the first equipment 31A in the device address field. If the acquired device address of the first equipment 31A is less than 8 bits, the conversion unit 23 adds zeros before the device address to make it an 8-bit value. In the example shown in Figure 3, the conversion unit 23 adds zeros before the acquired value "000011" as the device address of the destination first equipment 31A, making the value in the device address field "00000011".

[0085] The conversion unit 23 erases the equipment address field of the first communication data (step S133). As described above, the equipment address field is a field for informing the relay device 20 of the equipment address of the first equipment 31A that wants to send the request. The first equipment 31A that receives the communication data determines the information specified in the second field (equipment address field and data address field) as a data address. In other words, the first equipment 31A determines the received communication data based on the normal Modbus protocol. For this reason, if the equipment address of the first equipment 31A remains in the equipment address field, the first equipment 31A cannot perform the correct processing. By erasing the equipment address field, it is possible to prevent the first equipment 31A from making an incorrect judgment.

[0086] Specifically, the conversion unit 23 sets the values ​​of the bits from the most significant bit to the number of bits used in the second field to zero. At this time, the data address field contains the data address of the first equipment 31A specified by the controller 10. In the example shown in Figure 3, the conversion unit 23 changes the value of the first six most significant bits of the second field, "000011", to "000000". On the other hand, the values ​​of the seventh to sixteenth most significant bits of the second field are the same as the values ​​contained in the first communication data received from the controller 10. In other words, the data address of the first equipment 31A, which indicates the content of the requested data, remains specified in the second field. By setting the bits higher than the data address of the first equipment 31A (the bits in the equipment address field) to zero, the second field contains only the values ​​related to the original purpose of the second field as defined in the Modbus protocol.

[0087] In step S14, the second interface 22 of the relay device 20 transmits the first communication data converted as described above to the first equipment device 31A. Hereinafter, the converted first communication data will be referred to as the second communication data.

[0088] In step S15, the first equipment 31A receives the second communication data. The first equipment 31A continues the following process only if the equipment address specified in the equipment address field of the second communication data matches its own equipment address.

[0089] The first equipment 31A generates response data corresponding to the request content specified in the function code field, second field, and data number field of the second communication data, and transmits it to the relay equipment 20 (step S16). Specifically, the response data includes information regarding the operation data (set temperature) of the first equipment 31A.

[0090] The second interface 22 of the relay device 20 receives response data from the first equipment 31A (step S17). The first interface 21 of the relay device 20 transmits the received response data to the controller 10 (step S18).

[0091] In step S19, the communication unit 11 of the controller 10 receives response data. Specifically, the controller 10 receives response data including operation data from the first equipment 31A, which is the equipment that requested the acquisition of operation data, via the relay device 20. The control unit 12 acquires the operation data (set temperature) of the first equipment 31A by analyzing the received response data based on the Modbus protocol.

[0092] (3-2) When the controller communicates with the second piece of equipment Next, an example of the processing flow of the equipment management system 100 when the controller 10 communicates with the second piece of equipment 32A without going through the relay device 20 will be explained with reference to Figure 7. The processing flow of the equipment management system 100 when communicating with other second pieces of equipment 32B, ... 32Z is ​​the same as the flow described below, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0093] The following describes the processing flow of the equipment management system 100, using the case where the controller 10 requests the acquisition of operating data (set temperature) of the second equipment 32A as an example. Note that the processing flow of the equipment management system 100 is the same as described below even when the controller 10 requests control of the operation of the second equipment 32A.

[0094] The control unit 12 of the controller 10 obtains from the storage unit 13 the device address of the target equipment 30 (second equipment 32A) to which the request content is to be sent, and the destination address to which the request to the target equipment 30 (second equipment 32A) is to be sent. If the destination address is not stored in the storage unit 13, the control unit 12 sets the destination address to the device address of the target equipment 30.

[0095] The control unit 12 determines whether the target equipment 30 is equipment 30 connected via the relay device 20. If it determines that the target equipment 30 is not equipment 30 connected via the relay device 20, the control unit 12 generates communication data for the target equipment 30 (step S20). Specifically, for example, if the equipment address of equipment 30 and the destination address are the same, the control unit 12 determines that the target equipment 30 is not the first equipment 31A connected via the relay device 20. In other words, the control unit 12 determines that the target equipment 30 is the second equipment 32A directly connected to the controller 10. In this case, the destination address is the equipment address of the second equipment 32A. Hereinafter, the communication data that the controller 10 transmits to the second equipment 32A will be referred to as the third communication data. The third communication data is communication data having a format defined by the Modbus protocol.

[0096] The control unit 12 specifies the acquired destination address (the device address of the second equipment 32A) in the device address field of the third communication data. If the acquired device address is less than 8 bits, the control unit 12 adds zeros to the beginning of the device address to make it an 8-bit value.

[0097] The control unit 12 specifies a function code indicating the request content for the second equipment 32A in the function code field of the second communication data. Specifically, the control unit 12 obtains a function code from the storage unit 13 indicating a "request to acquire operation data" for the second equipment 32A. The control unit 12 specifies the obtained function code in the function code field of the third communication data. If the obtained function code is less than 8 bits, the control unit 12 adds zeros to the beginning of the function code to make it an 8-bit value.

[0098] The control unit 12 specifies the data address of the second equipment 32A in the second field. Specifically, the control unit 12 obtains the data address indicating the "set temperature" of the second equipment 32A from the storage unit 13. Then, the control unit 12 specifies the obtained data address in the second field. If the obtained data address is less than 16 bits, the control unit 12 adds zeros to the beginning of the data address to make it a 16-bit value.

[0099] The control unit 12 specifies the number of data to be acquired in the data number field and specifies the CRC code for error checking in the CRC field.

[0100] In step S21, the communication unit 11 of the controller 10 transmits the generated third communication data.

[0101] In step S22, the second equipment 32A receives the third communication data. The second equipment 32A continues the following process only if the equipment address specified in the equipment address field of the third communication data matches its own equipment address.

[0102] The second equipment 32A generates response data corresponding to the request content specified in the function code field, second field, and data number field of the third communication data, and transmits it to the controller 10 (step S23). Specifically, the response data includes information regarding the operation data (set temperature) of the second equipment 32A.

[0103] In step S24, the communication unit 11 of the controller 10 receives response data. Specifically, the controller 10 receives response data including operation data from the second equipment 32A, which is the device that requested the acquisition of operation data. The control unit 12 acquires the operation data (set temperature) of the second equipment 32A by analyzing the received response data based on the Modbus protocol.

[0104] (4) Features (4-1) The equipment management system 100 of this embodiment comprises a controller 10, a relay device 20, and a first piece of equipment 31. The controller 10 manages the piece of equipment 30. The relay device 20 relays communication between the controller 10 and the piece of equipment 30. The first piece of equipment 31 communicates with the controller 10 via the relay device 20. The controller 10 specifies the device address of the relay device 20 in the device address field of the communication data corresponding to a predetermined communication protocol. The controller 10 also divides the second field into an equipment address field and a data address field. The controller 10 also specifies the device address of the first piece of equipment 31 in the equipment address field and the data address of the first piece of equipment 31 in the data address field, and communicates with the relay device 20. The relay device 20 moves the device address of the first piece of equipment 31 contained in the equipment address field of the communication data corresponding to a predetermined communication protocol to the device address field and communicates with the first piece of equipment 31.

[0105] The device address field of the communication data corresponding to the Modbus protocol specifies the device address of the equipment 30 directly connected to the controller 10. Since the device address field consists of 8 bits, a maximum of 255 device addresses can be specified. In the equipment management system 100 of this embodiment, the controller 10 communicates with the relay device 20 by specifying the device address of the relay device 20, and the first equipment 31 communicates with the controller 10 via the relay device 20. In this way, by having the controller 10 communicate with multiple first equipment 31A, 31B, ... 31Z via the relay device 20, the number of equipment 30 directly connected to the controller 10 can be reduced. In other words, the number of equipment 30 that can be managed by the controller 10 can be increased. Also, generally, the usage fee for the controller 10 varies depending on the number of equipment 30 directly connected to the controller 10. Therefore, the cost associated with using the controller 10 can be reduced.

[0106] (4-2) The specified communication protocol is the Modbus protocol.

[0107] (4-3) The relay device 20 erases the contents of the equipment address field of the communication data and communicates with the first equipment device 31.

[0108] This configuration helps prevent the first equipment 31 from misinterpreting the information contained in the received communication data.

[0109] (4-4) The system further includes a second piece of equipment 32 that communicates with the controller 10 without going through the relay device 20. The controller 10 communicates with the second piece of equipment 32 by specifying the device address of the second piece of equipment 32 in the device address field of the communication data and the data address of the second piece of equipment 32 in the second field.

[0110] With this configuration, the controller 10 can communicate with the first equipment 31 and the second equipment 32 using the same communication protocol. Furthermore, if the number of bits in the data address of the equipment 30 is greater than the number of bits available for the data address field, the data address of the equipment 30 cannot be specified in the data address field. In other words, the controller 10 and the equipment 30 cannot communicate via the relay device 20. In the equipment management system 100 of this embodiment, such equipment 30 can communicate with the controller 10 without going through the relay device 20.

[0111] (4-5) The data further includes a third field that specifies the request.

[0112] (5) Modification Modifications of the above embodiments will be described below. The modifications may be combined with some or all of the other modifications as appropriate, as long as they do not contradict each other.

[0113] (5-1) Modification A The order of each process and the content of each process in the flowchart described above can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of this disclosure.

[0114] (5-2) Modification B The equipment management system 100 may have multiple relay devices 20 installed. In this modification, the number of equipment devices 30 directly connected to the controller 10 can be further reduced. In addition, the equipment devices 30 can be grouped and managed for each relay device 20.

[0115] (5-3) Modification C The equipment management system 100 does not need to have a second piece of equipment 32 that does not go through the relay device 20. In other words, the controller 10 may be connected to all the equipment 30 to be managed via the relay device 20.

[0116] (5-4) Modification D In the above embodiment, the number of bits to be used as the equipment address field is stored in advance in the storage unit 24 of the relay device 20. The conversion unit 23 obtains the number of bits to be used from the storage unit 24. However, the relay device 20 may further have a setting unit that accepts an operation to set the number of bits to be used. The setting unit may be, for example, a DIP switch. The conversion unit 23 of the relay device 20 may obtain the number of bits to be used that has been set via the setting unit.

[0117] (5-5) Modification E In the above embodiment, the control unit 12 of the controller 10 obtains the number of bits used from the storage unit 13 of the controller 10. However, the control unit 12 may obtain the number of bits used from the storage unit 24 of the relay device 20. In this case, the number of bits used does not need to be stored in the storage unit 13.

[0118] (5-6) Modification F In the above embodiment, the conversion unit 23 of the relay device 20 obtains the number of bits used from the storage unit 24 of the relay device 20. However, the conversion unit 23 may obtain the number of bits used from the storage unit 13 of the controller 10. In this case, the number of bits used does not need to be stored in the storage unit 24.

[0119] (5-7) Modification G In the above embodiment, the control unit 12 obtains the device address of the target equipment 30 and the destination address of the request to the target equipment 30 from the storage unit 13, and determines whether the target equipment 30 is equipment 30 connected via the relay device 20 based on whether the device address and the destination address are different. However, the control unit 12 may determine whether or not the target equipment 30 is equipment 30 connected via the relay device 20 based on the identification information of the target equipment 30. The control unit 12 may also determine which relay device 20 the equipment 30 is connected to based on the identification information of the target equipment 30.

[0120] (5-8) Modification H The control unit 12 may determine whether or not the equipment 30 is connected via the relay device 20 based on the equipment address of the target equipment 30. For example, the control unit 12 may determine whether or not the equipment 30 is connected via the relay device 20 based on the value of a predetermined bit in the equipment address of the target equipment 30. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 12 may determine which relay device 20 the equipment 30 is connected to based on the value of a predetermined bit in the equipment address of the target equipment 30.

[0121] (5-9) Modification I In the above embodiment, the case in which the controller 10 and the relay device 20 are separate entities has been described. However, the controller 10 and the relay device 20 may be integrated. In other words, the controller 10 may have the function of the relay device 20. The controller 10, which also functions as a relay device 20, may be connected to other relay devices 20.

[0122] (5-10) While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that various modifications in form and detail are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as described in the claims.

[0123] 10: Controller, management device 11: Communication unit 12: Control unit 13: Memory unit 20: Relay device 21: First interface 22: Second interface 23: Conversion unit 24: Memory unit 30: Equipment 31: Equipment, first equipment 32: Equipment, second equipment 100: Equipment management system

[0124] Patent No. 4833536

Claims

1. An equipment management system (100) comprising: a management device (10) for managing equipment (30); a relay device (20) for relaying communication between the management device and the equipment; and a first piece of equipment (31) that communicates with the management device via the relay device, wherein the management device communicates with the relay device by specifying the device address of the relay device in a first field of data corresponding to a predetermined communication protocol, dividing the second field into an equipment address field and a data address field, specifying the device address of the first piece of equipment in the equipment address field and the data address of the first piece of equipment in the data address field; and the relay device communicates with the first piece of equipment by transferring the device address of the first piece of equipment included in the equipment address field of the data corresponding to the predetermined communication protocol to the first field.

2. The equipment management system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined communication protocol is the Modbus protocol.

3. The equipment management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the relay device erases the contents of the equipment address field of the data and communicates with the first equipment.

4. The equipment management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a second piece of equipment (32) that communicates with the management device without going through the relay device, wherein the management device communicates with the second piece of equipment by specifying the equipment address of the second piece of equipment in the first field of the data and the data address of the second piece of equipment in the second field.

5. The equipment management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the data further includes a third field specifying the requirements.

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