Industrial Slave Log Transfer on Communication Failure

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In industrial networks, when a communication abnormality occurs, causing a disruption between a master and a slave, it is difficult to acquire and store log information, as it is typically stored in a volatile storage section, which may be lost if power is interrupted, making it challenging to diagnose the cause of the abnormality.

Innovation Solution

The slave device associates control data information with processing timestamps and stores it in volatile memory during normal operations, and upon a communication abnormality, transfers this log information to non-volatile storage, ensuring its persistence even if power is lost.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If log information is stored in a volatile storage section, then storage speed and accessibility are improved, but data loss occurs when power is interrupted or communication abnormality occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage speedVSAvoiddata persistence
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The slave device performs preliminary action by detecting communication abnormalities and proactively transferring log information from volatile storage to non-volatile storage before power interruption occurs. This prevents data loss by ensuring logs are secured in advance, resolving the contradiction between fast volatile storage and reliable data persistence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If log information is continuously stored in volatile memory, then quick access for analysis is enabled, but data is lost when communication abnormality causes power interruption

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveaccessibilityVSAvoidlog information loss
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The slave device acts as an intermediary by monitoring communication status and autonomously transferring log information to non-volatile storage when abnormalities are detected. This mediator function protects against information loss while maintaining the benefits of volatile storage during normal operation, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and information preservation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If the master acquires log information after abnormality detection, then analysis can be performed, but acquisition fails when communication is already lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnosis efficiencyVSAvoidlog acquisition reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The slave device performs preliminary action by proactively transferring log information to non-volatile storage upon detecting communication abnormalities, before the master can attempt acquisition. This ensures logs are preserved and available for later analysis, resolving the contradiction between diagnosis efficiency and acquisition reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3779707B1Slave, work machine, and log information storage method
Publication Date: 2022.08.24 FUJI CORP
  • EP3779707B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3779707B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3779707B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There are provided a slave, a work machine, and a method for storing log information, which are capable of appropriately store the log information when a communication abnormality occurs such that communication cannot be kept between a master and the slave in an industrial network. The control section performs first storage processing storing the log information into a volatile storage section when a communication abnormality occurs such that communication with the master cannot be kept, communication abnormality determination processing for determining whether the communication abnormality has occurred, and second storage processing storing the log information into a non-volatile storage section by acquiring the log information from the volatile storage section, in response to a determination made in that the communication abnormality has occurred as a result of the communication abnormality determination processing.