JP2000076309A - Remote data gathering system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To structure the system at a low cost and to easily revise it being associated with data addition and modification. SOLUTION: A management personal computer 20-1 on a field side 20 stores data from different kind of controllers 30-21 to 20-2n as standardized map files 20-11 excluding restriction conditions of the communication specification, data constitution, etc., of the controllers 20-21 to 20-2n. On a user side 10, software 10-13 on the marker which is installed on a data gathering personal computer 10-1 is actuated and its user function is used to access the standardized map file 20-11 on the field side 20 through a standardized communication driver 10-11 and TCP/IP or a telephone line 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention collects and manages data from different types of controllers, such as industrial and agricultural controllers, which are widely distributed in the market, and transfers the collected and managed data via a communication line. And a remote data collection system accessed from a remote location.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a conventional remote data collection system. In the figure, 1 is a monitoring center, 2 is a location A on the site, 3 is a location B on the site, and the monitoring center 1, location A, and location B are far apart. The management personal computer 2-1 and the controller 2-2 are provided at the location A, and the management personal computer 2-1 has the controller 2-
2, data from various devices 2-3 is constantly collected. The management personal computer 3-1 and the controller 3-2 are also provided at the location B, and the management personal computer 3-1 constantly collects data from various devices 3-3 via the controller 3-2. .

[0003] Controller 2-2 at location A and location 3 at location B
Controllers 3-2 of different manufacturers, that is, different types of controllers, communication protocols,
The data contents are different from each other, and the application programs of the management personal computers 2-1 and 3-1 create their own in accordance with the respective formats. Therefore, the format and contents of the data file are also different.

[0004] When necessary, the monitoring center 1 places A 2 and B
Collect data for location 3. At this time, the management personal computer 2-1 at the location A and the management personal computer 3-1 at the location B 3
Extracts the data of the requested data file, converts the extracted data into a CSV file, and sends it to the monitoring center 1 using TCP / IP or the telephone line 4. The monitoring center 1 reconstructs the transmitted data as management data, graphs it, and outputs it on a form.

[0005]

However, in the conventional method, since the format and contents of the data files in the management personal computers 2-1 and 3-1 are different, the monitoring center 1 uses different application programs. Access must be made, and when constructing a system, new equipment is required, and the expertise required thereby is increased. In addition, the labor costs for operating the system are increased, and as a result, expensive systems are required. Become. In addition, it is necessary to review and reconstruct data every time a version is upgraded by adding or changing management data, which is complicated. In addition, the larger the data amount, the longer the communication time, and there is a problem that it is difficult to use in operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to construct a system at a low cost and to easily upgrade the version when data is added or changed. It is to provide a remote data collection system which can be used.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, data collected from different types of controllers is defined as a standardized map file excluding constraints such as communication specifications and data configuration of the controllers. There is provided storage means for storing, and access means for accessing the standardized map file from a remote place via a communication line using a user function of commercially available software. According to the present invention, it is possible to access data collected from different types of controllers in real time without using the user's knowledge of the type of controller and utilizing the user function of commercially available software, even if the user does not have specialized knowledge.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a remote data collection system showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a (user side (monitoring center side), 20 is a site side. The user side 10 is far from the site side 20. The user side 10 has a data collection personal computer 10-1.
Is provided. The management computer 20-
1 is provided. The data collection personal computer 10-1 and the management personal computer 20-1 are connected by TCP / IP or a telephone line 30.

The management personal computer 20-1 controls the controllers (different types of controllers) 20-21 to 20 of each maker by the data collection application program.
-2n, data from various devices 20-3 is constantly collected. In this case, the management personal computer 20-1 uses the data conversion table and uses different types of controllers 20-21 to 20-2.
0-2n from the controllers 20-21 to 2
It is stored as a standardized map file 20-11 from which constraints such as communication specifications and data configuration of 0-2n are excluded.

FIG. 2 shows a data conversion table (data conversion table) provided in the management personal computer 20-1. This data conversion table is used to determine what data is actually collected, and [SystemInfo] is used for the controllers 20-21 to 20-2.
Addresses 0-2n and the like are shown, and [SDNTable] indicates which location the data is. In [SDNTable], the head such as “1103010... IR” is a standard data name, which is composed of 16 characters and is determined in advance by the standard.

FIG. 3 shows a data name conversion table provided in the management personal computer 20-1. This is for linking the variable name and the standard data name to obtain a data name so as to correspond to the controller of each manufacturer.
The data name conversion table is also stored in the data name conversion file 10 in the data collection personal computer 10-1 on the user side 10.
-14. If the name is changed, it can be dealt with simply by changing the contents of the data name conversion table without modifying the program.

FIG. 4 shows a password file (user ID, password management file) provided in the management personal computer 20-1. It is used to confirm whether the user is a valid user in response to a connection request from the user side 10.

A personal computer 10 for data collection on the user side 10
-1, a standardized communication driver 10-11, a standardized map access control 10-12, and a data name conversion file 10-14 are provided. Also, commercially available software (commercial software) 10-
13, “EXCEL” manufactured by Microsoft Corporation is installed.

When the user 10 accesses the standardized map file 20-11 of the site 20, the commercial software (application program) 10-
Thirteen user functions are used. That is, commercial software 1
0-13 is activated, and the standardized map file 2 on the site side 20 is transmitted via the standardized communication driver 10-11 and the TCP / IP or the telephone line 30 using the user function.
Access 0-11.

In this case, a control list is provided for a part of the user functions of the commercially available software 10-13, and the standardized map file 2 of the site 20 is set by setting from this list.
It is possible to access 0-11 and display the collected data from the desired controller 20-2 on the screen in real time. In this case, the standardized map access control 10-12 becomes the data name conversion file 10-14.
, The data name conversion is performed on the collected data from the standardized map file 20-11.

In addition, using the user function of the commercial software 10-13, real-time writing of data to the standardized map file 20-11, the standardized map file 2
It is also possible to perform graph display by collecting data of 0-11 as a trend, import past history data by specifying a range, display a bar graph of data, and switch the registration screen by status.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the collected data from the different types of controllers 20-21 to 20-2n is collected by the user 10 using the user function of the commercial software 10-13. Since the monitoring can be performed on the screen of the personal computer 10-13, no new equipment is required when constructing the system, and the expertise required thereby is not required. Anyone who knows the function of the commercially available software 10-1 can operate it, the labor cost for operating the system is reduced, and the system can be inexpensive. In addition, since the commercially available software 10-13 is used, access can be made from anywhere in the world if there is an access right. In addition, it is possible to easily upgrade the version accompanying data addition or change.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, one of the controllers 20-21 to 20-2n is
Although only one management personal computer 20-1 is provided, one management personal computer may be provided for each of the controllers 20-21 to 20-2n.

[0019]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the user function of commercially available software can be used in real time without any special knowledge, without being aware of the type of controller. In addition, it is possible to access data collected from different types of controllers, and to construct a system at low cost. In addition, it is possible to easily upgrade the version in accordance with the addition or change of data.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a remote data collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a data conversion table;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data name conversion table;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a password file.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a conventional remote data collection system.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: User side, 10-1: Data collection personal computer, 1
0-11: Standardized communication driver, 10-12: Standardized map access control, 10-13: Commercial software,
10-14: Data name conversion file, 20: Field side,
20-1: Management personal computer, 20-11: Standardized map file, 20-2 (20-21 to 20-2n): Controller, 20-3: Various devices.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A remote data collection system which collects and manages data from different types of controllers and accesses the collected and managed data from a remote location via a communication line. A storage means for storing data as a standardized map file excluding constraints such as communication specifications and data configuration of the controller, and using a user function of commercially available software from a remote place via the communication line for the standardized map file. A remote data collection system comprising access means for accessing.