Gateway Sensor Architecture for PLC-Free Sensor Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information processing systems for managing equipment in production facilities lack flexibility in increasing or decreasing the number of sensors, as they require rewriting the PLC program, limiting the degree of freedom in sensor management.
Innovation Solution
An information processing system that includes a gateway connected directly to both equipment controllers and external sensors, allowing it to receive and transmit internal and external state information to a server without intermediation by the controller, enabling flexible management of sensor numbers without program rewriting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data from sensors is collected by the PLC, then the system can manage equipment status, but it requires rewriting the PLC program to increase or decrease the number of sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary device between the PLC and sensors. The gateway directly connects to sensors and collects sensor data without requiring PLC program modifications. This mediator handles sensor communication independently, allowing flexible addition or removal of sensors while the PLC continues to receive processed data through existing communication channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional modules: the PLC handles equipment control, the gateway handles sensor data collection, and the server handles data processing. By separating sensor collection functionality from the PLC into a dedicated gateway module, the system allows independent modification of sensor configurations without affecting the PLC program.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the PLC program is rewritten to accommodate sensor changes, then the sensor configuration can be updated, but the system loses flexibility in sensor management
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is pre-configured with sensor communication capabilities and data collection routines before deployment. This preliminary setup includes pre-defined communication protocols and data structures, so that when sensors are added or removed, only the gateway configuration needs adjustment rather than rewriting the entire PLC program from scratch.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway serves as a buffer layer that absorbs the complexity of sensor management. By placing this intermediary between the PLC and sensors, any changes in sensor configuration are handled at the gateway level through configuration files or software settings, eliminating the need for time-consuming PLC program rewrites.
3Ease of operation
If sensors are directly connected to the PLC, then data collection is straightforward, but the system cannot easily adapt to changing sensor requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is designed with universal sensor interfaces and support for multiple sensor types and communication protocols. This multi-functional gateway can accommodate various sensor configurations without requiring changes to the core data collection mechanism, maintaining operational simplicity while enabling system adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway mediates between the simple data collection requirements of the PLC and the diverse sensor interfaces. It provides a standardized interface to the PLC while handling the complexity of different sensor types, protocols, and configurations independently, thus maintaining ease of operation at the PLC level while enabling system adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Equipment in a production facility is managed with use of information from the equipment and information from a sensor for measurement of a state of the equipment, while achieving a high degree of freedom in increasing and decreasing the number of such sensors.The present invention is provided with a gateway (10) and a server (20). The gateway is connected to a controller included in each piece of equipment and connected, without being intermediated by the controller, to an externally attached sensor accompanying the each piece of equipment. The server is connected to the gateway. The gateway carries out the processes of: receiving, from each controller, information indicative of an internal state of the piece of equipment; receiving, from each sensor, information indicative of an external state of the piece of equipment; and transmitting these pieces of information to the server. The server carries out a process of combining and outputting the information indicative of the internal state and the information indicative of the external state received from the gateway.