JP2003114908A - Data collecting device and data collecting system and program product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data collecting device capable of transmitting I/O data of a PLC or the like to a host computer in a real time. SOLUTION: An agent server 16b and a data collecting process are started according to the instruction of a data collection condition received from the host computer 2 through an information network so that the I/O data of a PLC or an input and output device connected to a control system can be autonomously collected, and that the obtained data can be transmitted to the host computer. The host computer 2 converts the obtained data into SQL, and registered in a data base server 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data collection device, a data collection system, and a program product, and more specifically, relays network communication between a control network and an information network,
The present invention relates to a technique for collecting I / O data and the like of PLCs, input / output devices, and the like that constitute the control system using a data collection device that communicates with a control system and an information system.

[0002]

When performing various controls in an FA system or the like, for example, a sensor or the like is connected to a PLC, the information detected by the sensor is analyzed by the PLC, and the equipment to be controlled by the PLC is based on the analysis result. A control command is sent to the device to execute a predetermined work. And
As the system configuration, there are a stand-alone system that operates by itself and a system that performs synchronization / cooperative control using a plurality of PLCs connected by a network.

On the other hand, it is expected that the following data management system will be constructed because of the current situation where personal computers are widely used in manufacturing sites and the personal computers themselves have information management functions. That is, the PLC and the personal computer (upper computer) are network-connected. At this time, an application interface that allows remote I / O viewing is installed on the personal computer side. Then, the PLC transmits and receives information to and from the personal computer while transmitting information for controlling the device with the device (control target device, sensor, etc.) connected to itself, and on the personal computer side, Receives data coming from the device (data detected by sensors, data on the operating status of controlled equipment, etc.) and performs various management there.
It is desired to develop a system that allows the user to process the received data.

By the way, when such data management is performed by a higher-level personal computer, there are the following problems and it is not feasible. That is, usually, a plurality of devices are connected to the PLC, and a PLC connected to a higher-level personal computer.
Many Cs also exist. Therefore, in order to manage PLC and device data under network management by a higher-level personal computer, the personal computer must handle all control information, resulting in a very high load, which causes a system bottleneck. It will be.

Further, when a personal computer and a PLC are connected to a network, when a typical LAN (LAN) of FA is used or when a WAN is used, communication between the personal computer and the PLC is caused due to the nature of the network. The time it takes to fluctuate greatly. In other words, there is a delay between the time when the data to be collected actually occurs on the PLC and the time when the data collection software on the personal computer receives the data or the time when the data is stored in the database on the personal computer. Is not constant. Therefore, accurate management of logging cannot be performed.

On the other hand, when the role of the high-order personal computer becomes "PLC, a terminal where the user freely processes data coming from the device" as described above, the role of the PLC is not limited to "device control". It becomes necessary to switch to "device control + data transfer to higher-level PC (information management)".

However, the language (for example, a ladder language) that describes a program that controls the operation of the PLC is a language that is good at controlling the operation of a device and the like, and is not suitable for information management. Must write a fairly complex ladder language. For this reason, the number of man-hours for developing the system becomes extremely large, and the maintenance becomes difficult. Moreover, mastering a ladder language that operates on a PLC requires a great deal of labor and time, and it is very difficult to program an information management program which is not good for the ladder language. Moreover, the PLC should concentrate on the control of the device connected to itself, which is its original role.

In view of this, the present invention has a function of relaying network communication between the control system network and the information system network, and having a function of communicating data with the control system system and the information system. A data collection device capable of collecting I / O data and the like from the PLC and other devices that make up the device and transmitting the data related to the data management device that makes up the information system along with time information such as the time when the data was collected. It also aims to provide a data collection system and a program product. Still another object is to make it possible to easily change the conditions of data collection.

[0009]

A data collecting apparatus according to the present invention relays network communication between a control system network and an information system network to communicate data with the control system and the information system. It is a data collection device that does. An agent program that is activated according to an instruction of the data collection condition received via the information network is provided, and autonomously collects data of the device connected to the control system under the data collection condition, and acquires the data. The data is sent to the information system.

In the embodiment, the agent program corresponds to the agent server and the data collection process. The device data is, for example, I / O data. Further, the control system is connected to the control network, and corresponds to the PLC 1, the serial device 6, the slave 7, etc. in the embodiment. In addition, the information system is connected to the information network,
In the embodiment, it corresponds to the host computer 2. Of course, it goes without saying that any of the systems is not limited to those exemplified above.

In the data collection device, the agent program operates based on the command from the information system and operates under the specified collection condition. Therefore, by changing the given data collection condition, the data collection device can easily collect data. Collection conditions can be changed.

Further, according to the present invention, the agent program in the data collecting device operates in accordance with an instruction from the information system, and according to the data collecting condition, predetermined data in the control system is autonomously collected and the information system is collected. Since the data is returned to the system, the series of data collection processes is from the acquisition of the data by the agent program to the transmission to the information system.

Therefore, even if the time of the information network is not guaranteed, the information network is used only once for transmitting the acquired data, so that the entire process relating to the series of processing is performed. Time is reduced.

Further, an agent program for collecting data from the PLC or other device exists on the data collecting device connected to the PLC or other device via a control network whose communication time is guaranteed, and the agent thereof is present. Since the program runs on a real-time OS (OS that can guarantee time to some extent), the accuracy of the data collection time is not guaranteed for communication time A personal computer connected to a network (usually the time is not guaranteed) Compared to the case where the OS operates on), there is much more accuracy.

The agent program may have a function of adding collected time information to the collected data. In this way, even if it takes time to transmit data on the information network, the accurate time when the data was collected can be known. In other words, since the control network is guaranteed for time, the acquired time is
This is because it can be regarded as the time when the data is generated in the target PLC or other device.

Therefore, the time information added to the data collected from the device having no clock can be used as the time when the data occurred in the device. Also, if multiple devices have clocks, then those clocks are not always accurate and do not match. Therefore, by adding the time information to the data collected on the data collection device side, the data can be unified. Here, the time information may be absolute time data such as PM 3:00, or may be relative information such as an elapsed time from a certain trigger.

Preferably, the agent program has a function of terminating data collection according to a data collection stop instruction received via the information network. In this way, it can be stopped at any timing.

Further, storage means for storing the data collection conditions of the user sent via the information system network, and the data collection conditions stored in the storage means upon request, are returned to the information system. It is also possible to provide the function to do. By doing so, for example, an information system (host computer) that issues a command for data collection
Even if the data is changed, the new information system acquires the data collection conditions stored in the storage means to manage the data under the same data collection conditions that have been used until then. You can

On the other hand, a data collection system according to the present invention is an information collection system including each of the above-mentioned data collection devices and a data management device connected to the data collection device via the information network. The data management device has a function of outputting an instruction of the data collection condition to the data collection device and receiving the data sent from the data collection device. The data management device corresponds to the host computer 2 in the embodiment.

The data management device may have a function of converting the received data into a database control language and storing it in a predetermined database. By doing so, since the acquired data is converted into a general-purpose database control language, it becomes easy to use it in other devices and systems.

Further, the data management device is provided with a data collection condition setting unit as a man-machine interface for inputting the data collection conditions. By doing so, it is possible to easily set or change the data collection condition.

Furthermore, the program product according to the present invention relays network communication between the control system network and the information system network, and performs data communication with the control system and the information system. When,
A program product for operating a data collection system including a data management device connected to the information network, comprising an agent client installed in the data management device and an agent server installed in the data collection device. A process of outputting a data collection request to the agent server, including a data collection process started by the agent server,
The agent server has a program part that executes a process of receiving data returned in response to the data collection request, and the agent server monitors whether or not the data collection request from the agent client has been received. Has a program part that executes processing for activating the data collection process, and the data collection process acquires the data corresponding to the data collection request and passes the acquired data to the agent client. It has a program part that executes the process of outputting to. Preferably, the data collection process includes a process of adding time information to the acquired data. Here, the process to be output for passing to the agent client means that the data is finally transmitted to the agent client, and may be passed directly by the data collection process, or may be output via another processing unit. But it's okay.

The components described above of the present invention can be combined as much as possible. Further, each means constituting the data collection device according to the present invention can be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit or can be realized by a programmed computer.

[0024]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a system configuration to which the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, this embodiment is a data collection system for factory automation, in which a data collection device 10 is interposed between a PLC 1 and a host computer (personal computer) 2, and the data collection device 10 Information is transmitted and received between the PLC 1 and the host computer 2. Further, the data collection device 10 is made to execute unfavorable processing of the PLC 1 such as information management.

The data collection device 10 and the host computer 2 are connected by a general-purpose network (for example, Ethernet 5). As a result, for example, a plurality of host computers 2 are connected to the LAN via the Ethernet 5.
In the case of being connected, the data collection device 10 can be easily connected. The data collection device 10 and the host computer 2 may be connected via a WAN. Further, the data collection device 10 and the PLC 1 are
It is connected by various communication protocols such as RS232C, fieldbus, etc.

In other words, by interposing the data collection device 10, the communication protocol of the network (control system network) to which the PLC 1 is connected and the communication cable and the communication protocol of the network (information system network) to which the host computer 2 is connected. Even if they are different from each other, the difference can be absorbed by the data collection device 10, and the PLC 1 and the higher-level computer 2 can send and receive information using the communication protocol that has been conventionally performed.

Further, when PLCs 1 are connected to networks of different communication protocols,
The data collection device 10 has different communication protocols.
The information can be transmitted and received through the data collection device 10. This is true not only between PLCs 1 but also with other devices.

The data collecting device 10 is provided with RS2.
PL via serial network 5a such as 32C
C1 and serial devices 6 such as temperature control, IDBCR, power monitor, and digital panel are connected. Further, the slave 7 is connected via another general-purpose network 5b.

Further, P connected to the data collection device 10
The LC1 is not limited to being connected to the same serial network, but may be connected to another serial network or a general-purpose network, and may also be connected to Ethernet or the like. That is, regardless of the communication protocol, it suffices that the data collection device 10 and the PLC 1 are directly or indirectly connected to each other and the information of the PLC 1 (operating state, I / O information, etc.) can be transmitted to the data collection device 10.

On the other hand, the host computer 2 has a function of reading / writing data from / to the database server 8. The database server 8 may be physically implemented as an internal storage device of the host computer 2, or may be implemented as an external storage device directly connected. Further, it may be connected via the above-mentioned Ethernet 5 or other network. The point is to access the database server 8 and read / write data (at least writing in the context of the present invention).
It should have the function to do.

Further, as will be described later, the data collection device 1
0 has a function of collecting I / O data and the like of each device constituting the control system connected to the lower order. Therefore, in the present invention, desired I / O data and the like are collected according to a data collection command from the host computer 2 and returned to the host computer 2. Then, the host computer 2 converts the returned I / O data and the like into a database control language, and connects the database server 8
Register with.

The internal structure of the host computer 2 for realizing the above-mentioned functions is as shown in FIG. That is, various commands are sent to the data collection device 10, the I / O data and the like sent from the data collection device 10 are acquired, and the data collection client 21 for storing in the database server 8 and the data collection client 21 A data collection setting unit 22 for instructing the operation of 21 is provided. Then, the data collection client 21 actually issues an instruction to the data collection device 10 and a command-SQL conversion unit 21b that converts the acquired data into a database control language.
And an ODBC interface 21c for accessing the database. Here, ODBC (Op
en Database Connectivity)
Is a specification for unifying API so that different database management systems (DBMS) can be accessed by the same procedure.

Each of the above functions will be described in the order of processing.
First, the data collection setting unit 22 is a man-machine interface (utility software) for creating setting conditions (initial values) to be given to a data collection process activated by an agent server installed in the data collection device 10 described later. , It allows you to enter conditions using a graphical user interface. The setting conditions include, for example, the input / output number of the data collection target, the data collection sampling time, or the event condition. That is, the IP address and memory address (memory type name such as DM,
Set by offset, memory size, etc.).
Further, it is possible to set the operating period (9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays). It should be noted that in which area of the memory of the data collection device 10 the necessary I / O data is stored is predetermined. Furthermore, the application of the data collection device 10 is managed,
It also has a function to start.

Then, the created setting conditions are stored as a data collection setting file on the host computer 2 side. It can also be stored in the disk area of the corresponding data collection device 10 via the Ethernet 5.
The setting conditions stored in the disk area of the data collection device 10 can be read by the host computer 2 via the Ethernet 5. In this way, even if the host computer 2 to be managed is changed, it is possible to operate with the existing setting conditions by reading the setting conditions.

The agent client 21a instructs the agent server of the data collection device 10 to start the data collection process, and transfers the settings stored in the data collection setting file. Then, it has a function of always securing a communication path with the agent server, and when data is sent from the agent server, receiving the data and passing it to the command-SQL conversion unit 21b. Specifically, it has a function of implementing the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the application waits for a logging start request from the application (ST1), and if there is a request, it makes a connection request to the agent server of the corresponding data collection device 10 via the Ethernet 5 (ST2). The application issuing the request is various management applications installed in the high-level computer 2, or scheduling data stored in the data collection setting unit 22 (starting at 9:00 on weekdays, etc.).
May be an application (which may be provided as a function of the data collection setting unit 22) for monitoring and issuing a start command. Further, there may be a start instruction from a user who operates the host computer 2.

When the connection with the agent server is established, the data collection setting file is accessed to acquire the setting conditions to be sent to the connected data collecting apparatus 10 (agent server) (ST3), and the acquired setting is acquired. Send conditions to agent server (ST
4).

The data collection setting file for acquiring the setting conditions is not limited to the one in which the setting conditions input by the data collection setting unit 22 are directly stored and held in the predetermined storage area on the host computer 2 side. In some cases, the higher-level computer 2 may acquire the condition setting stored in the data collection device 10.

Then, it waits for the reception of the data returned from the agent server (ST5). When the data is received, the data (command) is transmitted to the command-SQL conversion unit (ST6).

The agent client is
It also has a function of sending a stop command to the agent server. This stop command is actually a connection request to the agent server based on a request given automatically by various applications and manually given by the input device operated by the user, similar to the logging start request described above, and the connection is made. Send the stop command after the establishment of.

The command-SQL conversion unit 21b processes the data (I / O data, etc.) transferred from the agent client 21a by SQL (structured).
It has a function of converting it into a query language) and passing it to the ODBC interface 21c. Since such a function is conventionally known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
When ODBC is BUSY, the data is
It is buffered in an SV file for later conversion.

Further, the ODBC interface 21c
Is a standardized database interface of a general-purpose personal computer OS, and communicates with a registered database server (ODBC server) 8. This function is also known in the related art, and thus detailed description of the function is omitted.

On the other hand, the internal structure (hardware) of the data collection device 10 for realizing the above-mentioned functions is as shown in FIG. 4, and when viewed from software, as shown in FIG. become.

That is, in order to support a plurality of communication protocols, firstly, a communication section having a connection terminal (connector) and the like according to each communication protocol is provided. For each communication unit,
COM1 (1 that becomes a serial port such as RS232C
1a), COM2 (11b), COM3 (11c),
10Base-T connector 12 compatible with Ethernet
There is also a fieldbus connector 13 for connecting to a general-purpose network. Further, it also has an ISA bus connector 14 capable of mounting an ISA board (expansion board).

Various devices / equipment are connected to the respective communication units via predetermined communication cables. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, COM1 (11a) to CO1
A serial network 5a compliant with RS232C is connected to M3 (11c), and is connected to the PLC 1 and the serial device 6 via the serial network 5a.
The host computer 2 is connected to the 10Base-T connector 12 via the Ethernet 5. Further, another data collection device 10 or another PLC 1 may be connected.

The fieldbus connector 13 is I
A network 5c (also called a device net) for connecting / O (sensors and the like) and other slaves 7 is connected, and a plurality of slaves 7 are connected to the device net 5c. Of course, this device net 5
You may connect PLC1 etc. to c.

Furthermore, in the data collection device 10 of the present embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned communication units, the ROM 15 in which BIOS and the like are stored, the CPU 16 for executing various controls,
A memory 17 for securing a work area and a flash disk 18 in which a booting OS and the like are stored are provided. The respective units are connected via a bus, and information can be transmitted / received inside.

On the other hand, focusing on the software function, in terms of the relationship with the present invention, the inside of the CPU 16 has a block configuration as shown in FIG. That is, a data collection processing unit (middleware) 1 that acquires I / O data and the like
6a and an agent server 16b that receives a data collection command from the host computer 2 to acquire and send back the data to be collected, and the output of the agent server 16b to actually send the data to the host computer 2. The data transmission unit 16c is provided.

The data collection processing unit 16a periodically receives an I from a lower control system at a preset timing.
/ O data is acquired, and the acquired I / O data is stored in a predetermined address of the shared memory allocated in the memory 17. The timing may be different for each of the connected PLC 1, serial device 6 and slave 7, or may be the same. As a result, the latest I / O data is stored and held in the shared memory 17 at any time. In other words, the data collection processing unit 16a is driver software for accessing the I / O, and is basic software that absorbs the difference in the protocol of each I / O and provides the common API.

The agent server 16b has a function of implementing the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, the designated TCP / IP port is constantly monitored, and the start request is received from the port (ST1
1).

When the activation request is received, first, a network connection is established with the requested agent client (ST12). Next, the data collection setting value transmitted from the agent client 21a is received, and the data collection process that operates according to the setting value is started (ST13). After that, the agent client 2 via the network
The data collection process according to the setting is executed until the stop command comes from 1a. The agent server 1
6b can authenticate the client, and can also limit the IP address of the client that can send and receive.

The data collection process is a process activated by the agent server 16b and is activated for each tag (collection point). With each event, desired I / O data or the like is acquired according to the setting conditions, time information is added, and the result is transmitted to the agent client 21a. Specifically, it has a function of implementing the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.

That is, first, it waits until the set condition is satisfied (ST21, ST22). Here, the setting condition is a condition for designating the data collection timing, and includes, for example, a timer event that occurs at a predetermined cycle and a memory event that occurs when a value of a predetermined memory changes. Then, when the set condition (data collection timing) is reached, the corresponding data is acquired. That is, the I / O stored in the predetermined address area in the shared memory 17
O data etc. are acquired (ST23).

Next, the current time information is acquired from the timer (clock) of the data collection device 10 and the time information is added to I / O data or the like to create transmission data (ST).
24). Then, the transmission frame including the transmission data is transmitted to the corresponding agent client 21a (ST25).

Thereafter, the process returns to step 21 and waits until the next set condition is satisfied. After that, the above-described processing is repeatedly executed until the stop command is received, and the collected I / O data and the like are not internally held and are returned to the agent client 21a in real time.

Further, the data acquired in the data collection process is sequentially sent to the host computer 2 without being stored in the data collection device 10 and stored in the database server 8. Therefore, the database server 8 stores the latest data. Can always be maintained.

Moreover, in this embodiment, since the time information at the time of acquisition is added, even if the transmission takes time on the Ethernet 5, the accurate time of the I / O data can be known.

On the side of the high-level computer 2, the data is converted into a database control language and stored in the database server 8. Therefore, the stored I / O data can be used easily and highly functional access is possible. .

Further, the above-mentioned agent server 16
b, the agent client 21a and the data collection process, and the command-SQL conversion unit 21b,
Each of the ODBC interfaces 21c and the like is configured by an application program (program product) in the present embodiment, installed in the data collection device 10 or the host computer 2 that is a data management device, and becomes a processing unit in each CPU. To operate.

[0060]

As described above, according to the present invention, the agent program autonomously collects data in accordance with the instruction from the information system. Therefore, by changing the content of the given instruction, the data collection condition and the like can be simplified. Can be changed. Further, since the control system network guarantees the time of the communication time, especially when the time information is added to the collected data, the data is transmitted through the information system network without the time guarantee, and the transmission is delayed. The accuracy of the acquisition time of collected data is guaranteed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system in which a PLC is network-connected to a host computer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an internal structure of a computer constituting a data collection system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a function of an agent client.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment (hardware configuration) of a data collection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment (software configuration) of a data collection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing functions of an agent server.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the functions of a data collection process.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 PLC 2 Upper computer 8 database server 10 Data collection device 11 Communications Department 12 10Base-T connector (communication part) 13 Fieldbus connector (communication section) 14 ISA bus connector 15 ROM 16 CPU 16a Data collection processing unit 16b Agent server 16c data transmitter 17 memory (shared memory) 18 flash disk 21 Data collection client 21a agent client 21b Command-SQL converter 21c ODBC interface 22 Data collection setting section

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Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A data collection device for relaying network communication between a control system network and an information system network to communicate data with the control system system and the information system. An agent program that is activated in accordance with the instructions of the data collection conditions received via the data collection device, autonomously collects data of the devices connected to the control system system under the data collection conditions, and acquires the acquired data from the information system. A data collection device characterized by being sent to a system. 2. The data collection device according to claim 1, wherein the agent program has a function of ending data collection in accordance with a data collection stop instruction received via the information network. 3. The data collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the agent program has a function of adding collected time information to the collected data. 4. Storage means for storing the data collection condition of the user sent via the information network, and returning the data collection condition stored in the storage means to the information system in response to a request. The data collection device according to claim 1, further comprising a function of: 5. An information collection system comprising the data collection device according to claim 1 and a data management device connected to the data collection device via the information network. The data management device has a function of outputting an instruction of the data collection condition to the data collection device and receiving the data sent from the data collection device. system. 6. The data management device has a function of converting the received data into a database control language and storing the data in a predetermined database.
The data collection system described in. 7. The data collection system according to claim 5, wherein the data management device includes a data collection condition setting unit as a man-machine interface for inputting the data collection condition. 8. A data collection device for relaying network communication between a control system network and an information system network, and a data collection device for communicating data to the control system and the information system, and connecting to the information system network. A program product for operating a data collection system including a data management device, comprising: an agent client installed in the data management device; an agent server installed in the data collection device; A program including a data collection process to be started, wherein the agent client executes a process of outputting a data collection request to the agent server and a process of receiving data returned in response to the data collection request. Holding the part The agent server has a program part that executes a process of monitoring whether or not the data collection request from the agent client has been received, and a process of activating the data collection process when the data collection request is received. A program product having a program part for executing a process of acquiring data corresponding to the data collection request and a process of outputting the acquired data for passing to the agent client. 9. The program product according to claim 8, wherein the data collection process includes a process of adding time information to the acquired data.