JPH07168859A - Data collecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a data collecting device which can change the application soft without changing the collecting device itself. CONSTITUTION:A data collecting device is connected to a cell controller 1 and its subordinate PC 5 end collects the data which are read by the date reading devices 40 and 41. The controller 1 includes a data storage means 3 and a message control means 4 which controls the collected data as messages. Meanwhile the PC 5 includes a message receiver means 6 which transfers the messages to the means 4, a device register means 10 which registers the devices 40 and 41 and those collected data, and a data collector means which selects the device that reads the data requested by the messages end collects these data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data collecting device for collecting data necessary for managing a production line or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a production line in which a plurality of lines are connected, a so-called FA (factory) that centrally manages the operation status of equipment on a plurality of lines, the quality of passing workpieces, the production status, etc. Automation).

FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional data collecting apparatus for collecting data such as a flow of a work and a production status in order to perform such centralized control of production equipment and works. In this data collecting device, a plurality of PCs (programmer controllers) 30 are connected to the cell controller 20 (only one is shown in the figure), and when the device is activated, the bar code reader 40 is attached to the work. The bar code is read, the data by the bar code read by the device driver 33 in the PC 30 is transmitted to the PC application software 31, and is temporarily stored in the register 32.

Then, the point database manager 23 in the cell controller 20 polls the register 32 in the PC 30, copies the contents of the register 32 to the point database 21 in the cell controller 20,
Application software 22 in the cell controller 20
Detects a change in the data in the point database 21, displays the changed data on a display device (not shown), or processes the data.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the point database 21, each data to be collected is stored as point data, and the data is assigned to a memory area in the point database 21 as a point name and a point symbol. .

The displayed data is, for example, in the case of an automobile production line, as shown in FIG.
Data No., serial No., vehicle type, ..., Each data displayed in this way is the point database 2
It changes by detecting the change of the data of 1.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional data collection device, the collected data is temporarily stored in the register 32, and by this temporary storage, the application software 2 on the cell controller 20 side is substantially used.
2 and the PC application software 31 on the PC side are joined together, and in the above-described conventional apparatus, the barcode reader 40 for reading data is changed to another data reading device or input device such as a touch panel. In this case, it is necessary to completely change the application software on the PC side so that the data can be read (input to the touch panel) by the touch panel, and there is a problem that the data reading device cannot be easily changed. It was

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a data collecting device which can easily change the data reading device without changing the application software in the data collecting device.

[0009]

The present invention for solving the above object is as follows.

[0010]

The present invention configured as described above has a message management means for collecting data to be collected in a computer located at a higher level into a message and delivering the message to a computer located at a lower level, thereby collecting data. In the case of, the connection by directly passing the data to the computer located in the lower order that collects the data is eliminated,
In the computer at the lower level, the message receiving means decodes this message, the data collecting means determines the device that is reading the collected data, collects the data read by the data reading device, and puts it on the message. Then, the data is returned to the upper computer and stored in the data storage means.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in the illustrated members, those having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is an overall block diagram showing an embodiment of a data collecting apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

This data collecting apparatus is composed of a cell controller 1 as a computer at a higher level and a PC 5 as a computer at a lower level for actually collecting data by various data reading devices. Is connected to a plurality of PCs 5. A facility number is assigned to each of the connected PCs 5, for example, # 1 and # 2 in the illustrated case.

As shown in FIG. 2, inside the cell controller 1, application software 2 for displaying collected data on a display device (not shown), totaling the data, and processing the data, the above-mentioned conventional software. The point database 3 which is a data storage means for storing the data to be collected as the point name and the point symbol similarly to the above device and the message management means for managing the point data in the form of a message and exchanging the message with the PC 5. Message manager 4. Further, inside the PC 5, a message receiving unit 6 that is a message receiving unit that receives a message from the message manager 4 and returns a message in which data is stored to the message manager 4 as will be described later, and various types connected to the PC 5 A data collecting unit 7 that is a data collecting unit that selects a data reading device and collects data, and an interface (hereinafter, abbreviated as I / F) that exchanges signals with the data reading device, here a barcode I / F 8 And touch panel I
/ F9, a device driver 11, and a data reading device connected to the PC 5 and a device registration unit 10 which is a device registration means for registering what kind of data is read by the device, and is a bar code reader as a reading device. 40 and the touch panel 41 are connected. The barcode reader 40 reads the barcode, and the touch panel 41 inputs necessary data. (In FIG. 2, only one PC is shown).

The data collection operation of this device is to obtain the data collected by the application software 2 from the point database 3, pass the point name and the point symbol from the point database 3 to the message manager 4, and the message manager 4 collects them. Create data in the form of a message.

The message is, for example, P for collecting data.
It is composed of an equipment number of C5, a data to be collected, a point symbol and a blank area for storing the data to be collected, and does not depend on the type of a reading device for actually reading the data. To give an example, N
o. When collecting data for display, as shown in FIG. 3, "GET" indicating a message for data collection and the data "No display" to be collected, the equipment of PC5 for collecting the data It is a number “# 1”, a point symbol “SO_SI_NOD / 2” and a blank area.

The message for data collection created by the message manager 4 is sent to each PC 5 through the network line, and in each PC 5, the message reception unit 6 sends a message to itself from the item of the equipment number in the message. If it is for itself, the data collection unit 7 is actually reading (or inputting) the data requested by the message among the devices connected to the PC 5. Select a device by referring to the device registration unit 10,
Data is accessed through the I / F 8 or 9 for each device and the device driver 11. At this time, in order for the data collection unit 7 to select which device is reading the data to be collected, the device registration unit 10 defines the relationship between the data to be read in advance and the device to read the data. Register in.

The collected data is passed from the data collection unit 7 to the message reception unit 6, and the data in the message is stored in the storage area.

The message in which the data is stored is returned from the message receiving unit 6 to the message manager 4 of the cell controller 1, the data is extracted from the message, and the data is stored in the data storage area of the point requested to be collected in the point database 3. Is stored.

Then, the application software 2 refers to the data stored in the point database 3,
It is displayed on the screen (see the screen example of FIG. 7), and the total calculation and data processing are performed.

In the data collecting apparatus to which the present invention is applied, even when the data reading device is arbitrarily changed, for example, the data read by the bar code reader until now is collected by the touch panel input. As long as the changed data reading device and the data are defined in the device registration unit 10, there is no need to change the application software in the PC or the cell controller.

The above-mentioned data collection flow will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

First, the application software 2 of the cell controller 1 acquires a point symbol of data required for processing from the point database 3 (S1). A message to be processed is written in the point, and this message is transmitted from the point database 3 to the message manager 4 (S2), and the data to be collected is converted into a message (S3) and sent to each PC 5 through the network line. (S4).

The message accepting unit 6 of each PC 5 receives the message (S5), judges from the item of the equipment number in the message whether the message is for itself (S6), and if it is for itself, the data is sent. Of the devices connected to the collection unit 7, which device is reading (or inputting) the data requested by the message is selected with reference to the device registration unit 10 (S7). , I / F 8 or 9 for each device, and access via the device driver 11 to collect data (S8).

The collected data is passed from the data collection unit 7 to the message reception unit 6 and stored in the message (S9), and returned from the message reception unit 6 to the message manager 4 of the cell controller 1 (S10). .

The message manager 4 extracts data from the message and stores it in the data storage area of the point for which collection is requested in the point database 3 (S1).
1). Then, the application software 2 refers to the data stored in the point database 3 and performs processing (S12).

[0027]

As described above, according to the data collecting apparatus of the present invention, the data to be collected is transmitted as a message from the upper computer to the lower computer,
The lower computer judges this message, selects the data reading device that is reading the necessary data, collects the data, puts it in a message and sends it back to the upper computer. Even if the device is changed, it is possible to deal with the change of the data reading device without changing the application software in the upper and lower computers.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall block diagram of a data collection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an internal block diagram of a data collection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a message used in an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of data collection by the data collection device of one embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional data collection device.

FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining point data in a point database.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a screen display example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Cell controller, 2 ... Application software, 3 ... Point database,
4 ... Message manager, 5 ... PC (programmable controller), 6 ... Message receiving unit, 7
... data collection unit, 8 ... bar code I / F, 9 ... touch panel I / F,
10 ... Device registration unit, 11, 33 ... Device driver, 40 ... Bar code reader, 41 ... Touch panel.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A high-order computer, a plurality of lower-order computers connected to the higher-order computer, and a data reading device connected to the lower-order computer. A data collection device, wherein data storage means for storing the collected data in a computer located at a higher level, managing the collected data as a message, and passing messages to the computer located at a lower level A message receiving means for delivering messages to and from the message managing means, a data reading device and data collected by the data reading device. Registered device registration means and the above The is connected to a computer located selects the data reading device, the data collection device characterized by having a data collection unit that returns the read data to the message receiving unit.