JP2000172329A - Process data collecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible and efficient process data collecting method for permitting a data request source to collect process data of an arbitrary combination at need. SOLUTION: The transmission data table update task 2 of a process data input device C5A updates a transmission data table 3 by the command of process data addition/deletion A1. The arranging order of process data in packets which are periodically transmitted changes. A process data table transmission task 5 transmits a process data table A3 to which the identifier of a command is added to a data request source so that the change is recognized by the data request source.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a process data collecting method for collecting process data of a process plant or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Operation of power plants and industrial plants,
In building management and the like, in order to grasp the state of the site, process data measured by a sensor installed at the site is collected in real time through a communication line. The process data measured by the sensor is transferred at a period of several milliseconds to several seconds. Process data includes those measured as analog quantities such as pipe flow rate, temperature, pressure, motor rotation speed, room temperature, humidity, specific gas concentration in atmosphere, radiation intensity, valve opening / closing, motor operation / Some are represented by Boolean values such as stop and ON / OFF of a relay switch. The former is a scalar quantity in many cases, but some are represented by a vector quantity like the coordinates of an object. The data amount targeted by the present invention is relatively small, about several bytes, even when an analog value is measured by one sensor at a time.

In the measurement of process data as described above,
The number of process data per sensor is small, but the number of sensors is large. For example, in a power plant or the like which is a large-scale process plant, the total number of process data is tens of thousands, and data of several tens KB is measured at a time as a whole. For example, in the case of an image sensor, one sensor measures several MB of data at a time.

As described above, in collecting process data,
Since the amount of data measured by one sensor is small, the total data amount does not always increase even if the number of sensors increases. However, because of the large number of sensors, there is a problem in collecting process data different from collecting a large amount of data from one sensor like an image sensor.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a typical plant monitoring device in a conventional industrial plant.

[0006] The man-machine interface section C1 is composed of a computer to which one or more graphic displays C2 are connected. The man-machine interface unit C1 inputs process data through a dedicated monitoring network C3, converts the input process data into a format that is easy for humans to understand, and displays the converted data. For example, the man-machine interface unit C1 converts the expression into a color change expression of the device in a mimic display, a representation of a bar chart or a trend graph of an analog value, and displays it on the graphic display C2.

A process data input device C5 and a control computer C4 are connected to the monitoring network C3 as process data supply sources. A sensor C6 is connected to the process data input device C5 via a dedicated cable C7. When a plurality of sensors C6 are connected to one process data input device C5, the process data input device C5 uses a microprocessor,
Since the input signal from the sensor C6 is mapped to the address space or the I / O address space of the memory of the microprocessor, the process data can be extracted from the sensor C6 by specifying an address in the address space.

Further, it is also possible to fetch process data from the sensor C6 by specifying a sensor number by adding simple software.

The control computer C4 is connected to a dedicated control network C8, and the process data input device C5 connected to the control network C8.
Collect process data from As described above, from the viewpoint of requesting data from the man-machine interface C1, the control computer C4 is treated the same as the process data input device C5.

In the above configuration, when the man-machine interface C1 accesses the process data measured by the specific sensor C6, the process data input device C5 to which the sensor C6 is connected and the process data input device C5 The number of the sensor in the process data input device C5 must be specified.

Therefore, the process data input device C5, the control computer C4, and the man-machine interface unit C1 prepare the process data management table 7 as shown in FIG. 25, which defines the order of the process data in the transmission data packet. Keep it. The process data management table 7 has an area for describing a process data input device number 7a, a sensor number 7b, and additional information 7c of data. The additional information of the data includes information indicating whether the process data is an analog value or a digital value, and in the case of an analog value, a measurement unit, a maximum value, a minimum value, and the like.

Process data input device C5, control computer C4, and man-machine interface C1
Collects the process data into packets in accordance with the order defined in the process data management table 7 in FIG. 25 and transmits the packets to the monitoring network C3.

FIG. 26 shows an example of a packet A11 to be transmitted. At the beginning of the packet, a process data table identifier A1 for identifying the process data management table
.. Are arranged in the area A11b in the order of the process data management table 7.

Upon receiving this packet, the man-machine interface unit C1 processes the process data table identifier A1.
1, the corresponding process data management table is selected, and the process data input device number, sensor number, and additional information of the received process data can be known from the description contents of the data table. A similar method is adopted for the control network.

Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-11132, "Monitoring and Control System", the man-machine interface unit arranges necessary data addresses in packets, transmits the data to a transmitting computer, and collects the data. There is also a method to have data sent. In this method, the order of the process data is transmitted from the man-machine interface unit to the process data input device when the data becomes necessary.

[0016]

However, the prior art has the following problems.

The process data management table is stored in advance in the man-machine interface C1, the process data input device C
5, the process data management table must be copied between the three parties in advance.

In many conventional plants, this copying is performed at the time of system initialization or system configuration. This method has no flexibility in the combination of process data that can be requested by the man-machine interface unit C1. Therefore, in many plants, a process data management table is created with a margin, but this usually causes excessive data to flow to the monitoring network C3 or the control network C8.

Some process data input devices C5
When a sensor is added to or deleted from the process data, the process data management table including the man-machine interface that does not use the process data of the sensor must be copied again to maintain the consistency of the process data management table.

In the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-11132,
The process data management table is generated when data is required and is sent to the process data transmitting side. The process data management table solves the above problems to some extent, but has the following problems.

First, when necessary process data changes, all necessary data must be transmitted to the transmitting side at that time, which lacks flexibility.

Second, since the address is used to specify the data, the data arrangement inside the process data transmitting side cannot be changed independently of the man-machine interface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for collecting process data which is flexible and efficient so that a data requester can collect any combination of process data when necessary.

[0024]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by at least one sensor having a sensor number for measuring process data. A data request source is connected to a network and configured, and when a request for process data is issued by designating a sensor number from the data request source, the process data input device converts the process data corresponding to the sensor number into the process data. In a process data collection method for transmitting to a data requester and collecting process data of a sensor number specified by the data requester, a sensor number is specified from the data requester to the process data input device and transmitted to the data requester. If there is a request to add or delete process data to be sent, The process data input device refers to the transmission data table after adding or deleting the corresponding sensor number of the transmission data table, and arranges the process data to be transmitted to the data request source and the request of the data request source. A process data table having an identifier and a packet is collectively created and transmitted to the data request source. According to this means, addition or deletion of process data from the data request source is accepted, and the corresponding addition / deletion of the transmission data table is performed.
After the deletion process, a process data table including a request identifier of the data request source and an array of sensor numbers is created in a packet and transmitted to the data request source. Thus, the data request source knows which request corresponds to the process data. Therefore, the data requester can obtain the process data obtained by any sensor connected to the process data input device in any combination when necessary.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network comprising at least one process data input device for acquiring and processing process data measured by at least one sensor having a sensor number for measuring process data, and a data request source. When a process data transmission request is made by designating a sensor number from the data request source, the process data input device transmits process data corresponding to the sensor number to the data request source. A process data collection method for collecting process data of a sensor number designated by the data requester by adding a process data transmitted from the data requester to the data requester by designating a sensor number to the process data input device. Or, if there is a request for deletion, enter the process data After adding or deleting the corresponding sensor number in the transmission data table, the apparatus creates a process data packet including the request identifier of the data requester and the process data corresponding to the sensor number, and sends the process data packet to the data requester. It is characterized by transmitting. According to this means, the addition or deletion of the process data from the data request source is accepted, and after the corresponding addition / deletion processing of the transmission data table, the request identifier, the sensor number, and the process data of the data request source are obtained. Is created in a packet and transmitted to the data request source. As a result, the data request source can know which request corresponds to the process data, and the data can be simplified as compared with the first embodiment. Therefore, the data requester can obtain the process data obtained by any sensor connected to the process data input device in any combination when necessary.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by at least one sensor having a sensor number for measuring process data, and a data request source are connected to a network. When a process data transmission request is made by designating a sensor number from the data request source, the process data input device transmits process data corresponding to the sensor number to the data request source. A process data collection method for collecting process data of a sensor number designated by the data requester by adding a process data transmitted from the data requester to the data requester by designating a sensor number to the process data input device. Or a request for deletion is sent to the process data input device. If the process data input device, the additional, or, regardless of the deletion request, and transmits the process data to the data requestor in the order of arrangement of the process data of a predetermined sensor number. According to this means, the addition or deletion of the transmission from the data request source is ignored, and the process data in the order of arrangement according to the predetermined request is transmitted in the packet.
The invention of claim 3 is suitable when the number of sensors connected to the process data input device is extremely small or when the data amount of the sensors is small. In such a case, the value of applying the invention of claim 1 or 2 is suitable. Is less.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data, at least one process data input device for taking in and processing the process data measured by the sensor, and a network are provided. A process comprising a connected data request source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a process data transmission request specifying the sensor name In the data collection method, when the data requester makes an inquiry to the process data name server by designating a sensor name, the process data name server searches a process data management table and inputs process data from the corresponding sensor name. Data input device A network address and a corresponding sensor number are extracted and returned to the data request source, and the data request source uses the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device obtained by inquiring the process data name server. The process data is collected from the process data input device. According to this means, the data request source uses the network address and sensor number of the process data input device returned from the process data name server to request data transmission from the corresponding process data input device. Thus, the process data can be requested using the sensor name without knowing the process data input device to which the sensor is connected and the sensor number. In addition, even if a new sensor is added or the configuration of the process data input device is changed, the range affected by the addition can be limited to the process data name server. Errors at the time can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, at least one sensor to which a sensor number for measuring process data is attached, at least one process data input device for taking in and processing the process data measured by the sensor, and a network. A process comprising a connected data request source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a process data transmission request specifying the sensor name In the data collection method, when the data requester makes an inquiry to the process name data server by designating a sensor name, the process data name server searches a process data management table and inputs process data from the corresponding sensor name. Data input device A process data identifier including a network address and a corresponding sensor number is extracted and transmitted to the process data input device, while the process data identifier is returned to the data request source and the process data input device returns to the process data name server. The process data of the corresponding sensor number is transmitted to the data request source using the network address and the sensor number received from the server, and the data request source receives the process data and the process data identifier received from the process data name server. It is characterized by specifying process data. According to this means, when the sensor name is specified by the data request source, the process data name server searches the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device, and returns the process data identifier to the data request source. Also, the process data identifier and the network address are transmitted to the process data input device. The process data input device transmits process data to a data request source. The data requester identifies the process data from the process data packet sent from the process data input device using the process data identifier received from the process data name server.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data, at least one process data input device for taking in and processing the process data measured by the sensor, and a network. A process comprising a connected data request source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a process data transmission request specifying the sensor name In the data collection method, when the data requester makes an inquiry to the process data name server by designating a sensor name, the process data name server searches a process data management table and inputs process data from the corresponding sensor name. Process data input device Network address beforehand and determined by extracting the sequence of sensor number and process data as well as back to the data requester, and sends the network address of the data request source to the process data input device,
The process data input device transmits process data to a network address of a data request source based on the predetermined sensor number and process data array. According to this means, when the sensor name is designated by the process data name server, the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device are searched, and the result is used as the information of the arrangement order of the process data of the process data input device. Reply. Also, the network address of the data request source is transmitted to the process data input device. The process data input device transmits the process data packet to the received network address data request source. Accordingly, when the arrangement order of the process data is determined in advance, the configuration of the process data input device can be simplified.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data, at least one process data input device for taking in and processing the process data measured by the sensor are connected to a network. A process comprising a connected data request source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a process data transmission request specifying the sensor name In the data collection method, when the data request source specifies the sensor name and makes an inquiry to the process data name server, the process data name server searches the process data management table and inputs the process data corresponding to the corresponding sensor name. Process data input device The process data name server receives the process data from the process data input device and transfers it to the data request source while extracting the network address and the sensor number of the process data and requesting the process data input device to transmit the process data. It is characterized by doing. According to this means, when a request for process data is made to the process data name server, the data is requested from the process data input device, the process data is received from the process data input device, and the received process data is included in the received process data. And selects the process data requested by the data request source, puts it in a packet, and sends it to the data request source. The process data input device transmits the requested data periodically using the process data name server as a data request source. Therefore, there is no need to transmit extra data from the process data input device to the data request source. Further, since the data request source and the process data input device do not directly communicate with each other, security is enhanced. For example, a process data name server can perform a strict check on the data requester.

According to the present invention, at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data, at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by the sensor, and a network are provided. A process comprising a connected data request source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a process data transmission request specifying the sensor name In the data collection method, when the data requester specifies a sensor name and makes an inquiry to the process data name server, the process data name server searches a process data management table and inputs process data corresponding to the sensor name. Process data The network address and the sensor number of the device are extracted, and a process data transmission request is made to the corresponding process data input device by the process data identifier and the network address of the process data transmission server. Notifying the process data transmission server of the network address and the process data identifier, and notifying the process data identifier to the data request source, the process data transmission server transmits the process data received from the process data input device to the data request source network. Forwarding to the data requester based on the address, the data requester identifying the received process data based on the process data identifier obtained from the process data name server And it features.
According to this means, when a request for process data is made to the process data name server, the destination of the data is set to the process data transmission server for the process data input device, and the network address of the data request source and the process The data identifier is transmitted, and the process data input device transmits the requested data as a data request source to the process data transmission server. The process data transmission server selects the process data requested by the data request source from the received process data, and transmits the selected process data in a packet to the data request source. Therefore, claim 7
It is possible to reduce the load on the process data name server in the invention of the present invention, and it is possible to respond to more data requests.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the process data collection method according to the eighth aspect, when a plurality of process data transmission servers are used, each process data transmission server applies its own processing load to the process data name server. The process data name server specifies the network address of the process data transmission server to the process data input device so as to select a process data transmission server with a low processing load when data is requested from a new data request source. Transmission request, and notifies the selected process data transmission server of the network address and the process data identifier of the data request source. According to this means, the process data transmission server periodically transmits the processing load status to the process data name server, and when a new data request is received, the process data name server switches the process data transmission server having a low load to the process data name server. Select and send the process data identifier and the network address of the data requester. Therefore, it is possible to respond to more data requests than the invention of claim 8, and it is possible to distribute the load of the process data transmission server.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the process data collecting method according to the eighth or ninth aspect, the first network to which the data request source is connected and the second network to which the process data input device is connected, When connected to each other by remote communication means, the process data name server is connected to the same first network as the data requester, while the process data transmission server is connected to the same second network as the process data input device to request data. According to this method, which collects process data, the amount of data transferred through the remote communication means for transferring data can be reduced when monitoring from a remote location of the plant, thereby reducing the cost of the remote communication means. it can. Further, since the sensor name does not flow on the remote communication means, data security is enhanced.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the plant data collecting method of the tenth aspect, data sent from the process data input device is collected into a packet on the same second network as the process data input device, and the process data is transmitted. A process data relay server for transmitting to a server is connected, the process data transmission server is connected to the same first network as a data request source, and the data request source collects process data.
According to this means, when monitoring the plant from a remote location, the amount of data transferred through the remote communication means for transferring data can be further reduced as compared with the invention of claim 10, and the cost of the remote communication means can be reduced.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the process data collecting method according to the seventh or eighth aspect, for the process data received from the process data input device having a short data transmission cycle, the process data for a plurality of cycles is obtained. It is characterized in that a process requester collects process data using a process data transmission server that collectively transmits the packets. According to this means, the process data transmission server temporarily stores the data for a plurality of cycles in the buffer for the process data having a short reception cycle, puts it in a packet when the buffer is full, and transmits it to the data request source. . Therefore, even for process data whose transmission cycle is originally short, remote communication can be performed by rational means.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the process data collecting method according to the twelfth aspect, an average receiving cycle of packets containing the process data for the plurality of cycles is measured.
The reference reception time is obtained from the obtained average reception cycle, and when the reception packet is delayed from the reference reception time, the period for extracting one cycle of data from the reception packet is shortened, while the reception packet is set to the reference reception time. When the time is earlier than the time, the process data is collected by using a man-machine interface unit as a data request source for displaying and outputting a data by lengthening a cycle of extracting one cycle of data from the received packet. According to this means, even if the data receiving time fluctuates in the communication method according to the twelfth aspect, the process data of each cycle can be reproduced with a time corrected to some extent.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the process data collection method according to the eleventh aspect, an average reception cycle of the process data for the plurality of cycles is measured, and a reference reception time is obtained from the average reception cycle. A process of shortening a cycle of extracting one cycle of data from the received packet when the time is later than the reference reception time, and lengthening a cycle of extracting one cycle of data from the received packet if the time is earlier than the reference reception time It is characterized by using a data transmission server. According to this means, since the process data transmission server is in charge of the function of reproducing the process data according to the invention of the thirteenth aspect, the burden on the data request source such as the man-machine interface unit can be reduced.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the process data collecting method according to the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, when the received process data has less change than the previous process data, the process of transmitting the packet by shortening the data length of the packet is performed. The process data is collected using a data transmission server. According to this means, when the process data transmission server has little change from the previously received value of the received process data, the process data transmission server shortens the length of the data included in the packet and transmits the packet. Thereby, Claim 12
Further, it is possible to reduce the data transfer fee in the invention of the fourteenth aspect, and it is possible to reduce the cost of the remote communication means.

[0039]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a processing structure in a process data input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The first embodiment is applied to the system diagram shown in FIG. Is what you do.

The process data input device C5A shown in FIG.
The network interface 1 controls transmission and reception of data to and from the monitoring network C3. The data request source shown in FIG. 24 is an identifier for requesting addition and deletion of the sensor C6 through the monitoring network C3. Will send a command with.

This command has a packet structure like the process data addition / deletion request command A1 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the width represents data having a length of 4 bytes. Therefore, the data request source network address, process data table identifier, and sensor number described below are 4-byte data.

At the head of the command shown in FIG. 2, a data requesting network address A1a and a process data table identifier A1b are placed. The process data table identifier A1b is generated and attached by the data request source while guaranteeing uniqueness between the data request source and the process data input device.

Next, A1c shown in FIG. 2 is an operator, which is a constant indicating whether to add or delete the process data of the sensor number following A1e. Also, A1
The number of data of d is A1e which is the object of the operator of A1c.
This indicates the number of sensor numbers that follow.

The transmission data table update task 2 includes A1
By examining the data number of d, it is recognized how far the sensor number targeted by the preceding operator in the command continues.

A1e shown in FIG. 2 is a sensor number targeted by the operator. When the sensor number continues for the number of data A1d, the operator of A1f and the number of data of A1g are described again. Therefore, a sensor number to be added and a sensor number to be deleted are simultaneously specified in one command.

The transmission data table update task 2 is a task that operates in parallel with the process data transmission task 4 and the process data table transmission task 5. When a process data addition / deletion request is received, the transmission data table 3 is updated. Rewrite the contents of

FIG. 3 shows a process related to a portion of the command shown in FIG. 2 below the OP.

First, the OP value is checked in steps S1 and S2.
Next, if the OP value is “add” in step S3, the sensor number is added to the transmission data table 3 in step S4. If the OP value is “delete” in step S5, the sensor number in the transmission data table 3 is deleted in step S6. If the value of the OP is neither “add” nor “delete”, it is an error and does nothing.

FIG. 4 shows a process of adding a sensor number, starting from step S10, substituting 1 for a control variable I in step S11. A loop is formed from the processing S12, and when the value of I exceeds the number of data described after the OP, the processing goes to the processing S13 to end the processing.

In the processing S14, I after the command OP
The sensor number written second is taken out, and it is checked whether or not it exists in the transmission data table 3. In the process S15, if there is no sensor number, the process proceeds to the process 16, the sensor number is added to the transmission data table 3, and the process proceeds to the process S17. On the other hand, if there is a sensor number, the process proceeds directly from step S15 to step S17. In step S17, the value of I is decremented by one, and the process returns to step S12.

The process of deleting the sensor number is executed as shown in FIG. 5. First, the process is started in step S21, and 1 is substituted for the control variable I in step S22. When the value of I exceeds the number of data described after the OP, the process S23 ends in the process S24.

On the other hand, in the process 25, the I-th sensor number written after the OP of the command is
To see if it exists. If there is a sensor number in step S26, the I-th sensor number written from the OP is deleted from the transmission data table 3 in step S27, and the process proceeds to step S28. If there is no sensor number, the process directly proceeds to step S28. In the process S28, 1 is subtracted from the value of I, and the process returns to the process S23.

The transmission data table update task 2 writes the process data table identifier written in the command into the transmission data table after completing the sensor number addition / deletion processing for one command.

The transmission data table 3 is implemented as a shared memory with the transmission data table update task 2, the process data transmission task 4, and the process data table transmission task 5, and measures the process data to be transmitted to the data request source. The number and the process data table identifier A1b are held. Transmission data table 3
Corresponds to the data request source on a one-to-one basis. If there are a plurality of data request sources, they are generated in the shared memory by the number of data request sources.

The process data transmission task 4 collects the process data measured by the sensors corresponding to the sensor numbers held in the transmission data table 3 and, in the same order as the sensor numbers on the transmission data table 3, is the same as in FIG. And sends the data packet to the data request source through the network interface 1.

The process data table transmission task 5 includes:
When there is a change in the transmission data table 3, the sensor numbers held in the transmission data table 3 are combined into a packet as a process data table according to the order, and transmitted to the data request source through the network interface 1.

FIG. 6 shows the structure of a packet in the process data table.

The purpose of the process data table A3 is to inform the data requester of the order in which the process data is arranged in the data packet of the process data shown in FIG. 26.
This indicates that the data packets include the corresponding process data in the order of the sensor numbers listed after b and A3c.

When the process data is added or deleted, the order in which the process data is arranged in the data packet changes. In particular, in a large-scale network, the process data table may not reach the data request source due to an error. . In such a case, the process data input device C5
The order in which the process data is arranged in the data packet transmitted from A does not match the order in which the process data recognized by the data requester is arranged.

As a result, the process data can be misinterpreted and have a very large effect on plant operation. The process data table identifier is to prevent such misinterpretation, and the data request source is the process data table identifier described in the process data table that arrives last and the process data table identifier described in the data packet. By comparing with, it is guaranteed that the process data is correctly interpreted.

In order to increase the reliability of the transmission of the process data table, TCP / IP (J
on, Postel ed., Transmission C
control protocol, 1981 [RFC7
93]), a highly reliable communication protocol using reception confirmation, or transmission of a process data table may be repeated a plurality of times.

In the above embodiment, the process data table identifier is generated by the data request source. However, the process data table identifier can be generated by the process data input device C5A.
However, by generating the data request source, the data request source can know whether the process data addition / deletion request has been correctly reflected.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, a command requesting addition / deletion of process data to be transmitted is received, and the process data to be transmitted is added / deleted according to this command. At that time, the order in which the process data is arranged in the packet transmitted periodically changes.
The process data table is transmitted to the data request source so that the change can be understood by the data request source. The command identifier is attached to the process data table and transmitted so that the request source knows which command corresponds to the transmitted process data table.

As a result, process data to be measured by any sensor connected to any process data input device can be obtained in any combination when necessary. In particular,
When a part of the system is temporarily out of order, an effect can be expected when collecting unusual pattern data such as a surveillance test or a periodic inspection. Further, unnecessary data is not transferred, so that the cost of network equipment can be suppressed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a processing structure in a process data input device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is applied to the system diagram shown in FIG. Things.

FIG. 7 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
The same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts, and the first embodiment has a network 101, a transmission data table update task 2, a transmission data table 3, and a process data transmission task 4. In the structure shown in FIG. Unlike the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there is no process data table transmission task 5, and the process data table A3 is not transmitted to the data request source. Instead, the process data transmission task 4 transmits the process data by a data packet of the format shown in FIG.

In the process data packet A2A shown in FIG. 8, a process data table identifier A2a for specifying a command of a data request source, a sensor number A2b, and process data A2c corresponding thereto are recorded alternately. Process data can be interpreted correctly.

As a result, since the process data table identifier is always transmitted together with the process data, the amount of data to be transmitted is increased, but a simpler mechanism can be used as compared with the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, a command requesting addition / deletion of process data to be transmitted is received, and the process data to be transmitted is added / deleted according to this command. At this time, the process data table identifier and the sensor number are included in the transmitted process data packet so that the order in which the process data is arranged in the periodically transmitted packet is changed or the change is understood by the data requester.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the first
The same effect as in the embodiment can be obtained. Although the data transfer efficiency of the second embodiment is inferior to that of the first embodiment, the data transmission process of the process data input device can be simplified by that much, and the size and cost of the process data input device can be reduced.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing structure of a process data input device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This process data input device C5C is applied to the system diagram shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
In the processing structure shown in FIG. 9, unlike the processing structure shown in FIG. 1, there is no transmission data table update task 2 and the process data table transmission task 5 is configured to directly transmit a process data table recorded in advance in the packet of FIG. That is, even if a request for adding or deleting process data is received from the data request source, the process data input device always arranges predetermined process data in packets in the order specified in the predetermined process data table and transmits the packets.

As described above, the process data input device according to the third embodiment accepts a command for requesting addition / deletion of process data to be transmitted, but ignores the addition / deletion request and transmits predetermined process data in advance. The packets are arranged and transmitted in a predetermined order. If the number of sensors connected to one process data input device is as small as a few, or if the process data to be transmitted is a Boolean value and there is only one bit of data per sensor, add process data. Dynamic deletions do not significantly change the demands on network bandwidth. In such a case, there is little value in providing a mechanism for adding / deleting a process data table in the process data input device.

FIG. 10 is a system diagram of a plant monitoring apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a processing structure diagram of a process data name server provided in the server.

FIG. 10 shows a process data name server C11 added to the configuration of the conventional plant monitoring apparatus shown in FIG.
Is added.

The data request source in the first to third embodiments of the present invention inputs the process data input device C5 connected to the sensor C6 for measuring the process data or the data of the sensor C6. It is necessary to directly receive the process data by designating the sensor number to the controlling computer C4.

In the invention of the fourth embodiment, when the name of the sensor is transmitted to the process data name server C11, the process data name server C11 changes the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device connected to the sensor. Is to be returned.

In order to achieve the above functions, the process data name server C11 has a process data management table 7 similar to that shown in FIG. 25 and performs the processing shown in FIG. That is, in the fourth embodiment, when the process data name server C11 receives the sensor name A5 from the data request source, the process data management table search task 6 determines the network address of the corresponding process data input device from the process data management table 7. And the sensor number A7 is retrieved and returned to the data request source. In this case, needless to say, a unique host name of the process data input device in the network can be returned instead of the network address of the process data input device.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when the sensor name is specified by the data request source, the process data name server sets the network address of the process data input device that inputs the process data from the corresponding sensor. And the number of the sensor in the process data input device is retrieved and returned to the data request source. The data request source uses the network address and sensor number of the process data input device returned from the process data name server to request data transmission from the corresponding process data input device.

Thus, the process data can be requested using the sensor name without knowing the process data input device to which the sensor is connected and the sensor number. In addition, even if a new sensor is added or the configuration of the process data input device is changed, the range affected by the addition can be limited to the process data name server. Errors at the time can be reduced.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a data flow between a data request source, a process data input device, and a process data name server according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

First, the data request source C12 transmits a sensor name A5 for measuring the requested process data to the process data name server C11 as a command.

FIG. 13 shows the data format of the command packet A10. The packet shown in FIG.
However, since the sensor name is indefinite, a delimiter SP is inserted at the end of one sensor name. At the end of the sensor name following the OP, a symbol EO indicating the end of the next OP or data is placed.
Insert D.

The process data name server C11 is
As in the case of the fourth embodiment, the process data management table search task 6 searches the process data management table 7 for the network address and sensor number of the process data input device C5.

Next, the retrieved process data input device C
When a data requester and a process data identifier are determined for the network address 5 and the sensor number, a 4-byte process data identifier is generated so that the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device C5 are uniquely determined. .

As one method of generating the process data identifier, a counter is prepared for each data request source, and the counter is decremented every time the data request source inquires of the sensor number.
It can be realized by increasing the counter value and using the value of the counter as the process data identifier. In addition, a table is created for the network address of the process data input device C5 and the sensor number from the process data identifier so that they can be referred to. In this method, the request for the sensor name is 2
When the power exceeds 32, the uniqueness of the process data identifier cannot be maintained, but it is impractical to require such a number of sensors at the same time. Good.

Next, the process data name server C1
1 shows the process data identifier A6 in the order of the sensor name shown in FIG. 13 sent from the data request source C12 in FIG.
4 and returned to the data request source C12. The process identifier A6 shown in FIG. 14 is for indicating the correspondence between the sensor name and the process data identifier. At the same time, the process data name server C11 sends, to the process data input device C5 having each process data identifier, data including the network number of the data request source C12, the requested sensor number and the process data identifier corresponding to the sensor number. Send A7.

The process data input device C5 receiving the data A7 periodically transmits the process data A8 requested by the data request source C12. When the process data input device C5 transmits data to the data request source C12, the same means as in the first embodiment or the second embodiment is used to distinguish each process data. That is, in the former case, the sensor number is replaced with the process data identifier in FIG. 6, and the process data table from which the process data table identifier has been deleted is sent to the data request source C12 in advance. In the latter case, the data is sent in a format in which the sensor number is replaced with a process data identifier in FIG.

In the first embodiment, when the data requester requests deletion of process data, the sensor name is transmitted in FIG. 13, but a process data identifier may be transmitted. Whether the sensor name follows the OP or the process data identifier follows can be specified by the value of the OP. The following is an example in which the OP is represented by a binary number.

OP = 10 Process data of the succeeding sensor name is additionally requested. OP = 00 Requests that process data of the subsequent sensor name be deleted. OP = 01 Requests deletion of the process data with the subsequent process data identifier.

In this method, the second digit is used to distinguish between addition and deletion, and the first digit is used to distinguish between a sensor name and a process data identifier.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, when a sensor name is designated by a data request source, the process data name server receives the network address of the process data input device for inputting process data from the corresponding sensor. Then, the number of the sensor in the process data input device is searched, and a process data identifier corresponding to the sensor on a one-to-one basis is generated based on the number, and is returned to the data request source. Further, the sensor number, the corresponding process data identifier and the network address of the data request source are transmitted to the retrieved process data input device.

Next, the process data input device puts the requested process data in a packet and transmits it to the data request source. A process data identifier is used as the one corresponding to the sensor number in the second embodiment. The data requester identifies the process data from the process data packet sent from the process data input device using the process data identifier received from the process data name server. Thereby, the actual configuration of the process data input device can be hidden from the data request source, and the maintainability can be improved as compared with the fourth embodiment.

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The process data name server C11 according to the sixth embodiment has a structure substantially similar to that of FIG.
When an inquiry is made using the sensor name by the data of the format shown in FIG. 3, the process data management table search task 6 retrieves the process data input device C5, the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device from the process data management table 7. Search for. The process data management table 7 stores information on whether to transmit predetermined process data as a characteristic of the specific process data input device C5.

As a result of this search, when the process data input device C5 transmits predetermined process data, the same data packet as shown in FIG. A process data table identifier in A11 is generated and transmitted to the process data input device C5. Since the data request source C12 can request a plurality of process data at a time, they may exist in different process data input devices. Also, in order to make the correspondence between the sensor name queried by the data request source C12 in the data of the format of FIG. 13 and the process data in the data packet A11 of FIG. 26, the process data correspondence table A9 shown in FIG. 15 is returned to the data request source. .

The process data correspondence table A9 shown in FIG.
26 includes the process data table identifiers A9a and A9c generated by the process data name server C11 and FIG.
The order A9b, A9d from the beginning of the process data in the data packet is paired and arranged from the beginning. Each pair of the process data correspondence table A9 is
It consists of a process data table identifier and an order from the beginning of the process data corresponding to the sensor name in FIG.

The process data name server C11 is
The network number of the data request source C12 is sent to the process data input device C5 using the command packet shown in FIG. 2, and the process data input device C5 attaches the received process data table identifier to the data request source C12. To send a data packet. The process data table identifier can be uniquely determined in advance for each process data input device. In the present embodiment, the process data table is not actually transmitted.

As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, when the sensor name is designated by the data requesting source, the process data name server sends the process data from the corresponding sensor to the network address of the process data input device. And the number of the sensor in the process data input device. As a result, if the process data input device determines that the predetermined process data is always transmitted to the data request source in a predetermined order in a packet, the process data input device transmits the predetermined process data to the data request source. Information indicating the sequence of process data in the packet is returned. Also, the network address of the data request source is transmitted to the process data input device.

The process data input device transmits a process data packet to the received network address. Thereby, even if the plant monitoring apparatus includes the simplified process data input device of the third embodiment in which the arrangement of the process data is determined in advance, the process data can be collected.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the processing structure of the process data name server according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

According to the invention of the seventh embodiment, in the first to sixth embodiments, the process data name server C11 collects the process data requested from the data request source on behalf of the data request source and collects the collected process data. The process data is transmitted to the data request source.

In the invention of the seventh embodiment, the first
In the seventh to sixth embodiments, which are process data input devices C5 having a data request destination in the sixth to sixth embodiments,
It becomes the process data name server C11. Therefore,
The process data input device C5 includes the first to third embodiments.
The process data is transmitted to the process data name server C11 in the same manner as in the invention of the embodiment.

That is, in FIG. 16, in addition to the process data name server C11 shown in FIG. 11, a transmission data table 3A similar to that provided in the process data input device of the first and second embodiments, It has a process data transmission task 4A and a process data table transmission task 5A.

When the process data management table search task 6 in the seventh embodiment finds the requested process data, the process data input device C5 having a sensor for measuring the process data inputs a command of the format shown in FIG. , The network address and sensor number of the process data name server are transmitted.
The network address of the process data name server C11 is entered in the data request source network address A1a. Further, the transmission data table of the process data management table search task 6A is changed. In response to the change in the transmission data table 3A, the process data table transmission task 5A transmits this to the data request source C12.

The process data input device C5 periodically transmits the requested process data to the process data name server C11. The process data transmission task 4A puts the received process data in a packet based on the transmission data table 3A and transmits the packet to the data request source C12.

As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, when process data is requested from the process data name server, the process data is requested from the process data input device, and the process data is transmitted from the process data input device. Receive. The process data requested by the data requesting source is selected from the received process data, and the selected process data is transmitted to the data requesting source in a packet. The process data input device transmits the requested data periodically using the process data name server as a data request source. Therefore, there is no need to transmit extra data from the process data input device to the data request source. Further, since the data request source and the process data input device do not directly communicate with each other, security is enhanced. For example, a process data name server can perform a strict check on the data requester.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a data flow according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

The eighth embodiment is different from the seventh embodiment in that the process data transmission task 4A operating on the process data name server C11 is replaced with the process data transmission server C13 in order to reduce the load on the process data name server C11. It is intended to work with. For this purpose, in the eighth embodiment, the transmission data table 3A and the process data table transmission task 5A of the seventh embodiment are provided in the process data transmission server C13.

First, the process data name server C1
1 receives the sensor name, generates a process data identifier, and sends the process data identifier to the process data input device C5 having the corresponding sensor, as in the fifth embodiment.

In this case, the network address of the process data transmission server C13 is sent to the process data input device C5 instead of the network address of the data request source. On the other hand, the process data input device C
5, the process data is sent to the process data transmission server C13.

In the process data transmission server C13,
The network address of the data requesting source C12 and the generated process data identifier are transmitted from the process data name server C11, and the process data table and the process data transmitted based on the process data table are transmitted to the data requesting source C12. The packet is transmitted to the data request source C12 in a packet.

The process data name server C1
When a request for addition / deletion of process data is received from the data request source C12 with respect to No. 1, the process data name server C11 sends a request for addition / deletion of process data of C13 to the process data transmission server.

As described above, according to the eighth embodiment, when the process data name server receives a request for process data from the data request source, the process data input device requests the process data input device to transmit to the process data transmission server. do. Further, the network address and the process data identifier of the data request source are sent to the process data transmission server. The process data input device periodically transmits requested data using the process data transmission server as a data request source. The process data transmission server selects the process data requested by the data request source from the process data received from the process data input device,
Send it in a packet to the data requester. Therefore, the load on the process data name server in the invention of the seventh embodiment can be reduced, and more data requests can be satisfied.

Next, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The ninth embodiment is different from the ninth embodiment shown in FIG. 17 in that a plurality of process data transmission servers C13 are provided.

In the ninth embodiment, each process data transmission server C13 sends its own processing load status to the process data name server C11. On the other hand, when a new data request is received, the process data name server 11 selects the process data transmission server C13 having the lowest processing load, and sends the network address and the process data identifier of the data request source C12. As a result, the number of data request sources is increased, and it is possible to cope with a case where a single process data transmission server has insufficient capacity.

As described above, according to the ninth embodiment, each process data transmission server periodically transmits the load status to the process data name server. When a new data request is received, the process data name server selects a process data transmission server with a low load, and transmits the process data identifier and the network address of the data request source. Therefore, it is possible to respond to more data requests than the invention of the eighth embodiment, and it is possible to distribute the load of the process data transmission server.

FIG. 18 is a system diagram showing a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

The invention of the tenth embodiment shown in FIG.
Man-machine interface C that is the main data requester
1 is a network C1 different from the monitoring network C3
4 and the monitoring network C3 and the network C14 are connected by the remote communication means C15, the process data name server C11 is connected to the network C14 while the process data transmission server C
13 is connected to the monitoring network C3.

Here, the remote communication means C15 is, for example,
Frame relay using coaxial cable, optical fiber, and public line. In the case of the monitoring network C3 or the network C14, the extension distance is limited to about 1 km, whereas the remote communication means C15 is several tens km to several thousand km.
It is used when it reaches to. However, the amount of data that can be transmitted per unit time except for the dedicated optical fiber is smaller than that of the monitoring network C3 or the network C14.

In FIG. 18, since the data transmission from the data request source to the process name server C11 uses the sensor name, the data amount is larger than the process data identifier. On the other hand, the process data packet transmitted from the process data input device C5 to the process data transmission server C13 has a header depending on a network protocol in addition to the process data. Further, in the case of the process data input device C5 of the third embodiment, data not requested by the data request source is also included. The process data transmission server C13 collectively transmits these data into one packet. Therefore, data flowing on the remote communication means C15 can be reduced.

As described above, according to the tenth embodiment, the process data name server and the process data transmission server operate in the same manner as in the eighth and ninth embodiments. The remote communication means relays data between the connected network of the data requester and the connected network of the process data input device. According to this means, when monitoring from a remote location of the plant, the amount of data transferred through the remote communication means for transferring data can be reduced, and the cost of the remote communication means can be reduced. Further, since the sensor name does not flow on the remote communication means, data security is enhanced.

FIG. 19 is a system diagram showing an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a data flow.

The eleventh embodiment is different from the tenth embodiment in that the process data relay server C16 is connected to the same monitoring network C3 as the process data input device C5 as shown in FIG. The process data transmission server C13 is connected to the same network C14 as the data request source.

The eleventh embodiment corresponds to the case where the number of data request sources is large, and in many cases, the same process data is requested from different data request sources. In this case, in the tenth embodiment, the remote communication means C1
5, the same process data is transferred redundantly.

In the invention of the eleventh embodiment, the process data identifier generated by the process data name server C11 is unique to the process data transmission server C13, that is, different from the process data name server C11 in the fifth embodiment. When the transmission server C13 and the process data identifier are determined, the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device C5 are generated so as to be uniquely determined.

In FIG. 20, as in the case of the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the process data name server C11
Is a data request source C12, a process data input device C5,
Each data is transmitted to the process data transmission server C13.
However, the process data relay server C16 is on the same monitoring network C3 as the process data input device C5, and since each process data input device C5 knows the network address of the process data relay server C16, the process data identifier and the sensor Send numbers only.

The process data input device C5 transmits the requested process data measured by the sensor C6 to the process data relay server C16. At this time, the process data relay server C16 identifies the process data in the same manner as in the method of the first to third embodiments.

The process data relay server C16 removes duplicate data from the received process data, packs it into a packet, and transmits it to the process data transmission server C13. Between the process data relay server C16 and the process data transmission server C13, the process data transmission server C13 can identify the process data by the same method as the first embodiment.

The process data transmission server C13 distributes the received process data based on the information of the data request source transmitted from the process data name server C13, and transmits it to each data request source C12.

Note that, in the invention of this embodiment, the process data relay server uses the LZ method (J. Ziv and
A. Lempel, "A Universal Alg
orithm for Sequential Dat
a Compression, "IEEE Tran
s. Information Theory, Vol.
IT-23, No. 3, May 1977, p. 33
7-343. ) Can be used to reduce the amount of data flowing through the remote communication means C15.

As described above, according to the eleventh embodiment, the process data relay server collectively puts the process data sent from the process data input device into a packet, and transmits the packet to the process data transmitting server. The process data transmitting server extracts the process data from the packet received from the process data relay server and transmits the process data to the data request source. According to this means, when monitoring the plant from a remote location, the amount of data transferred through the remote communication means for transferring data can be further reduced than in the tenth embodiment, and the cost of the remote communication means can be reduced.

Next, a twelfth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The invention according to the twelfth embodiment corresponds to the case where the process data input device measures the process data in a short cycle of about 10 msec or less.

For example, in monitoring the vibration of an electric motor or a turbine, it is necessary to sample data at short intervals. However, it is generally difficult for the remote communication means to transmit such short-cycle data in real time, and since header information is attached to each data, the efficiency of data transmission is reduced. .

On the other hand, an observer who monitors a plant using the man-machine interface unit cannot immediately react even if such short-cycle data is sequentially sent. If the remote communication means is an optical fiber cable having a length of 3000 km, it takes only 10 msec to transmit an optical signal.
Delay. For this reason, when transmitting process data to a remote location, it is important that the data of each cycle arrive as a whole, and it is inevitable that some delay will occur.

FIG. 21 shows a function of the process data transmitting server for collecting process data for a plurality of cycles into packets.

The process data transmission server C13 receives the process data packet A8 from the process data input device C5. The process data packet A8 flows through the monitoring network C3 and has a header A8
a and the process data A8b. The process data packet A8 is sent at a period of 10 msec.
The process data transmission server C13 has a packet buffer 10 therein and accumulates process data for 10 cycles. When process data for 10 cycles is accumulated, the contents of the packet buffer 10 are stored in the packet A11.
Send as The packet A11 also has a header A11a. However, since the ratio is one for ten cycles of process data, the ratio of the header to all transmitted data is small.

In the above embodiment, the communication protocol is UDP / IP (edited by Jon and Postel, User
Datagram Protocol, 1980 [RF
C768]), the header length is 28 bytes. Therefore, if 4 bytes of process data is sent every 10 msec, the total data 28 + 4 = 32 bytes for all data to be transferred, even if the header of the media layer is separated,
The ratio of the net process data is 4/32 = 12.5%. Since the process data transmission server collects the data for 10 cycles into one packet A11, the ratio of the net process data to the total data 28 + 40 = 68 to be transferred increases to 40/68 = 58.8%.

As described above, the process data transmitting server according to the twelfth embodiment temporarily stores data for a plurality of cycles in the buffer for the process data having a short reception cycle, and puts the data into a packet when the buffer becomes full. Send to data requester. Therefore, even for process data whose transmission cycle is originally short, remote communication can be performed by rational means.

Next, a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The thirteenth embodiment relates to a cycle for extracting process data from a packet received by the man-machine interface in the twelfth embodiment.

The reception cycle of a packet transferred through the remote communication means generally fluctuates. FIG. 22 shows the reception timing of the man-machine interface unit C1, and the horizontal axis represents time t. D1, D shown
2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 are reference reception times.
The reference reception times D1 to D6 can be determined from the timing of the received packet if the transmission interval f of the process data transmission data is known.

That is, when the reference time is t0, t0
The reference reception time of the i-th packet is t0 + f * i. Therefore, when N packets are received, t0 may be determined so that the square error between the reception time of each packet and the reference reception time represented by t0 + f * i is minimized.

Although E1 and E2 shown in the figure represent the reception time of the packet, E2 is received earlier than the reference reception time D2. The illustrated F1 is the time when the process data is started to be extracted from the packet received at E2. As will be described later, the time when the process data is started to be extracted from the packet may be slightly delayed from the packet reception time. E
The interval at which the process data is extracted from the packet received in step 2 is such that the expected arrival time E3 of the next packet is the same as the reference reception time D3, and is equalized between the intervals T from F1 to E2.

That is, if 10 packets of process data are included in the packet, the interval for extracting the process data is T / 10. In this case, since T is wider than the interval between the reference reception times, the interval for extracting the process data is longer than the average. Conversely, if the packet is later than the reference reception time, the interval until the next reference reception time becomes short, so the process data is extracted at short intervals.

If the next packet arrives earlier than the expected arrival time E3, the timing at which the process data is extracted from the packet received at E2 is left as it is, and the time at which the process data is extracted from the next packet is delayed from E2. . This is the reason that the time when the process data is started to be extracted from the packet may be slightly delayed from the packet reception time.

As described above, according to the thirteenth embodiment, the man-machine interface measures the average receiving cycle of the packet containing the process data for a plurality of cycles, and obtains the reference receiving time of the succeeding packet. If the received packet is later than the reference reception time, the process data for one cycle is extracted so that the process data for a plurality of cycles can be extracted during the expected reception time (reference reception time) of the next packet to be received. If the extraction cycle is short, and if the received packet is earlier than the reference reception time, the cycle for extracting one cycle of process data is displayed longer. This allows
Even if the data reception time fluctuates in the communication method according to the twelfth embodiment, the process data of each cycle can be reproduced with a time corrected to some extent.

Next, a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The fourteenth embodiment is directed to a process data relay server according to the eleventh embodiment, in which a plurality of cycles of data obtained by the same processing as the process data transmission server according to the twelfth embodiment are performed. The process data transmission server that has received the packet in which the packets are combined into one packet extracts the process data from one packet one by one and transmits the data in a plurality of cycles as in the process of the man-machine interface unit of the thirteenth embodiment. Things.

That is, the process data transmission server according to the fourteenth embodiment transmits a packet containing process data for a plurality of cycles from the process data relay server processed in the same manner as the process data transmission server according to the twelfth embodiment. Receiving, measuring the average receiving cycle, and determining the reference receiving time of the subsequent packet. If the received packet is later than the reference reception time, the process data for one cycle is extracted so that the process data for a plurality of cycles can be extracted during the expected reception time (reference reception time) of the next packet to be received. If the extraction cycle is short and the received packet is earlier than the reference reception time, the cycle for extracting one cycle of process data is lengthened and transmitted to the data request source. According to this means, since the process data transmission server is in charge of the function of reproducing the process data in the invention of the thirteenth embodiment, the burden on the data request source such as the man-machine interface unit can be eliminated.

Next, a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

According to the invention of the fifteenth embodiment, the process data transmission server of the twelfth embodiment and the process data relay server of the thirteenth and fourteenth embodiments omit a cycle in which the process data has little change. It is sent in the data format specified.

FIG. 23 shows the data format in a data packet on a bit-by-bit basis. X shown is 0 or 1. In FIG. 23, the process data is 1
It is 5 bits long, and if the first bit is 1, the next 15 bits indicate data for one cycle.
When only the bits are changed, it indicates that the following 7 bits are data for one cycle, with the leading bit being 0 as in G2 and G3.

According to the fifteenth embodiment, when there is little change in the received process data from the previously received value, the process data transmission server shortens the length of the data included in the packet and transmits it. Thereby, the twelfth
It is possible to reduce the data transfer charge in the inventions of the embodiments to the fourteenth embodiments, and it is possible to reduce the cost of the remote communication means.

[0158]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, addition or deletion of process data from a data request source is accepted, and after the corresponding addition / deletion processing of the transmission data table, the data is deleted. Since a process data table including a request identifier of the request source and an array of sensor numbers is created in a packet and transmitted to the data request source,
The data requester can obtain the process data obtained by any sensor connected to the process data input device in any combination when necessary.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the addition or deletion of process data from the data request source is accepted, and after the corresponding addition / deletion processing of the transmission data table, the request identifier of the data request source is obtained. Since the process data including the sensor data, the sensor number, and the process data is formed into a packet and transmitted to the data request source, the data can be simplified according to the first aspect of the present invention.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the process data in the order of arrangement according to the predetermined request is transmitted in the form of a packet, the number of sensors connected to the process data input device is extremely small. This is suitable when the data amount of the data is small.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, the data requesting source transmits data to the corresponding process data input device using the network address and the sensor number of the process data input device returned from the process data name server. Since the request is made, even if the process data input device to which the sensor is connected and the sensor number are not known, the process data can be requested using the sensor name,
In addition, even if a new sensor is added or the configuration of the process data input device is changed, the range affected by this can be limited to the process data name server,
Maintenance of the plant monitoring device can be simplified, and errors during maintenance can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when a sensor name is designated from a data request source, the process data name server searches for a network address and a sensor number of the process data input device, and obtains a process data identifier. Is returned to the data request source, and the process data identifier and the network address are transmitted to the process data input device. Therefore, the data requester can collect data without knowing the configuration of the process data input device.

According to the invention of claim 6, when the arrangement order of the process data is predetermined, the configuration of the process data input device can be simplified.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, there is no need to transmit extra data from the process data input device to the data request source, and there is no direct communication between the data request source and the process data input device. , Can increase security.

Further, according to the invention of claim 8, according to claim 7,
It is possible to reduce the load on the process data name server in the invention of the present invention, and it is possible to respond to more data requests.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a process data transmission server having a low load is selected, and the process data identifier and the network address of the data request source are transmitted. Requests can be met, and the load on the process data transmission server can be distributed.

According to the tenth aspect, when monitoring from a remote location of a plant, the amount of data transferred through the remote communication means for transferring data can be reduced, the cost of the remote communication means can be reduced, and the remote communication can be performed. Since the sensor name does not flow on the means, data security can be improved.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, when monitoring a plant from a remote location, the amount of data transferred through the remote communication means for transferring data can be further reduced as compared with the invention of the tenth aspect. Costs can be reduced.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the process data transmitting server temporarily stores data for a plurality of cycles in the buffer for process data having a short reception cycle, and converts the data into packets when the buffer becomes full. Since the data is transmitted to the data request source, remote communication can be performed by reasonable means even with process data that is originally short in data transmission cycle.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, even if the data receiving time fluctuates in the communication method according to the twelfth aspect, process data of each cycle can be reproduced with a time corrected to some extent.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, since the process data transmission server is in charge of the process data reproducing function, the burden on the data request source such as the man-machine interface unit can be eliminated.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, when the process data transmission server has little change from the previously received value of the process data, the process data transmission server puts the process data into a packet to shorten the length of the data. Claim 1
According to the second to fourteenth aspects of the present invention, the data transfer fee can be reduced, and the cost of the remote communication means can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a processing structure diagram of a process data input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a process data addition / deletion request command according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing of a transmission data table update task according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a sensor number adding process of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a sensor number deleting process of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a packet of a process data table.

FIG. 7 is a processing structure diagram of a process data input device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a process data table.

FIG. 9 is a processing structure diagram of a process data input device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a system diagram of a plant monitoring system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a processing structural diagram of the process data name server of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a data flow according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a packet of a request command for data addition / deletion according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram showing a process data identifier according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a process data correspondence table according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a process structure of a process data name server according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a data flow according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a system diagram of a plant monitoring system according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a system diagram of a plant monitoring system according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a data flow according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of a process data transmission server according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a reception timing chart of a man-machine interface according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of a data packet showing a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a system diagram showing a general plant monitoring system.

FIG. 25 is a general configuration diagram of a process data management table.

FIG. 26 is a configuration diagram of a transmission packet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Network Interface 2 Transmission Data Table Update Task 3 Transmission Data Table 4 Process Data Transmission Task 5 Process Data Table Transmission Task 6 Process Data Management Table Search Task 7 Process Data Management Table 10 Packet Buffer A10 Command C1 Man-Machine Interface C2 Graphic Display C3 Monitoring network C4 Control computer C5 Process data input device C6 Sensor C7 Dedicated cable C8 Control network C10, C14 Network C11 Process data name server C12 Data requester C13 Process data transmission server C15 Remote communication means C16 Process data relay server

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5H219 AA01 BB02 BB03 CC12 EE08 FF04 HH28 HH30 5H223 AA01 CC08 CC09 DD03 DD05 DD07 EE02 EE06

Claims (15)

[Claims] At least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by at least one sensor assigned a sensor number for measuring process data and a data request source are connected by a network. When a request for process data is made by designating a sensor number from the data request source, the process data input device transmits process data corresponding to the sensor number to the data request source and sends the data request source. In the process data collection method of collecting process data of the specified sensor number, adding or deleting process data transmitted from the data request source to the data request source by specifying a sensor number to the process data input device. When requested, the process data input device transmits the data. Process data having an array order of process data to be transmitted to a data request source by referring to the transmission data table after adding or deleting a corresponding sensor number in the data table, and a request identifier of the data request source. A process data collection method, wherein a table is created in a packet and transmitted to the data request source. 2. A data request source connected to at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by at least one sensor to which a sensor number for measuring process data is attached, and comprising a network. When a request for transmitting process data is made by designating a sensor number from the data request source, the process data input device transmits process data corresponding to the sensor number to the data request source and transmits the data request source. In the process data collection method of collecting process data of the specified sensor number, adding or deleting process data transmitted from the data request source to the data request source by specifying a sensor number to the process data input device. If requested,
The process data input device, after adding or deleting the corresponding sensor number of the transmission data table, creates a process data packet consisting of the process data corresponding to the request identifier of the data request source and the sensor number, and A process data collection method, wherein the process data is transmitted to a data request source. 3. A network in which at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by at least one sensor assigned a sensor number for measuring process data is connected to a data request source via a network. When a request for transmitting process data is made by designating a sensor number from the data request source, the process data input device transmits process data corresponding to the sensor number to the data request source and transmits the data request source. In the process data collection method of collecting process data of the specified sensor number, adding or deleting process data transmitted from the data request source to the data request source by specifying a sensor number to the process data input device. If the request is to the process data input device, Sudeta input device, the additional, or, regardless of the deletion request, the predetermined process data collection method and transmitting the process data to the data requestor in the order of arrangement of process data of the sensor numbers. 4. A data request connected via a network to at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data and at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by the sensor. A process data collection method comprising a source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a process data transmission request specifying the sensor name, When the data requester makes an inquiry to the process data name server by designating a sensor name, the process data name server searches the process data management table and inputs process data from the corresponding sensor name. A Address and the corresponding sensor number, and returns the same to the data request source.The data request source uses the network address and sensor number of the process data input device obtained by inquiring the process data name server. A process data collection method, comprising collecting process data from a process data input device. 5. A data request connected via a network to at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data and at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by the sensor. A process data collection method comprising a source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a transmission request for process data specifying the sensor name, When the data requester makes an inquiry to the process name data server by designating a sensor name, the process data name server searches a process data management table and inputs process data from the corresponding sensor name. A And transmitting the process data identifier including the corresponding sensor number to the process data input device, and returning the process data identifier to the data request source. Using the received network address and sensor number to transmit the process data of the corresponding sensor number to the data request source, the data request source determines the process based on the received process data and the process data identifier received from the process data name server. A process data collection method characterized by specifying data. 6. A data request connected via a network to at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data, and at least one process data input device for taking in and processing the process data measured by the sensor. A process data collection method comprising a source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a transmission request for process data specifying the sensor name, When the data requester specifies the sensor name and makes an inquiry to the process data name server, the process data name server searches the process data management table and inputs the process data from the corresponding sensor name. network A dress and a predetermined sensor number and an array of process data are extracted and returned to the data request source, and a network address of the data request source is transmitted to the process data input device. A process data collection method, comprising transmitting process data to an address based on the predetermined sensor number and a process data array. 7. A data request connected via a network to at least one sensor assigned with a sensor number for measuring process data, and at least one process data input device for acquiring and processing the process data measured by the sensor. A process data collection method comprising a source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a transmission request for process data specifying the sensor name, When the data requester specifies the sensor name and makes an inquiry to the process data name server, the process data name server searches the process data management table and inputs the process data corresponding to the corresponding sensor name. network Extracting the dress and the sensor number and requesting the process data input device to transmit the process data, and the process data name server receiving the process data from the process data input device and transferring the process data to the data request source. A process data collection method characterized by the following. 8. A data request connected via a network to at least one sensor assigned a sensor number for measuring process data, and at least one process data input device for taking in and processing process data measured by the sensor. A process data collection method comprising a source and a process data name server, wherein the data request source collects process data from the process data input device in response to a transmission request for process data specifying the sensor name, When the data requester specifies a sensor name and makes an inquiry to the process data name server, the process data name server searches a process data management table and inputs process data corresponding to the corresponding sensor name. Network Requesting a process data transmission request to the corresponding process data input device by using the process data identifier and the network address of the process data transmission server, and further, the process data name server transmits the data request source network address to the corresponding process data input device. And a process data identifier to the process data transmission server, and a process data identifier to a data request source, and the process data transmission server sends the process data received from the process data input device to the data request source network address. And transmitting the received process data to the data request source on the basis of the process data identifier obtained from the process data name server. Data collection method. 9. When a plurality of process data transmission servers are used, each process data transmission server transmits its own processing load to the process data name server, and the process data name server transmits data from a new data request source. Requesting the process data input device to specify a network address of the process data transmission server to select a process data transmission server having a low processing load, and requesting the selected process data transmission server to select the process data transmission server. 9. The process data collection method according to claim 8, wherein the network address of the data request source and the process data identifier are notified. 10. When a first network to which a data requester is connected and a second network to which a process data input device is connected to each other by remote communication means, the process data name server is connected to the data requester. 10. The process data transmission server is connected to the same second network as the process data input device while the process data transmission server is connected to the same first network as above, and the data requester collects the process data. Process data collection method. 11. A process data relay server for collecting data sent from the process data input device into a packet on the same second network as the process data input device and transmitting the packet to a process data transmission server, The process data collection method according to claim 10, wherein a transmission server is connected to the same first network as a data request source, and the data request source collects process data. 12. Process data received from a process data input device having a short data transmission cycle is requested by using a process data transmission server that collectively transmits process data for a plurality of cycles into one packet. 9. The process data collecting method according to claim 7, wherein the source is collected. 13. An average receiving cycle of a packet containing process data for the plurality of cycles is measured, a reference receiving time is obtained from the obtained average receiving cycle, and when the received packet is delayed from the reference receiving time, While shortening the cycle for extracting one cycle of data from the received packet, when the received packet is earlier than the reference reception time, extending the cycle for extracting one cycle of data from the received packet and displaying and outputting the data. The process data collection method according to claim 12, wherein the process data is collected using a man-machine interface unit as a request source. 14. An average reception cycle of the process data for the plurality of cycles is measured, and a reference reception time is obtained from the average reception cycle. If the reception packet is delayed from the reference reception time, one cycle from the reception packet is obtained. 12. The process according to claim 11, wherein a process data transmission server for shortening a period for extracting data for one minute and increasing a period for extracting data for one period from the received packet when the period is earlier than the reference reception time is used. Data collection method. 15. The method according to claim 12, wherein when the received process data has a smaller change than the previous process data, the process data is collected by using a process data transmission server that transmits the packet by shortening the data length of the packet. The process data collection method according to claim 14.