JP2020067882A - Central monitoring system and update program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a central monitoring system improved in economy and reliability by shortening a non-monitoring time and to provide an update program therefor.SOLUTION: A gateway device 3 is provided with a switching unit 8 that switches between an existing LCS 4 and a newly provided LCS 41. An HIS/GCS 61 included in a newly-provided host device group is provided with a testing unit 9 that conducts a transfer confirmation test for each of systems A, B and C after switching from the existing LCS 4 to the newly provided LCS 41 by the switching unit 8. In a case where the testing unit 9 completes the transfer confirmation tests in all the systems, the switching unit 8 switches between the LCS 4 and the LCS 41 so as to connect the newly provided LCS 41 to all the gateway devices 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a central monitoring system and its update program.

  Central monitoring systems are used for buildings with a certain size, such as office buildings, for the purpose of energy management and energy saving control. The central monitoring system is a system for centrally monitoring various equipments such as power receiving and transforming equipments, air conditioning equipments, and lighting equipments installed in a building, and managing or controlling the equipments in an integrated or decentralized manner. Is.

  The devices that make up the central monitoring system are roughly classified into lower-level devices that directly monitor the equipment and higher-level devices that collectively monitor the lower-level devices. The lower-level device is, for example, a remote station (hereinafter, RST). The RST is usually installed for each system, and a plurality of RSTs are installed in the same system. A plurality of equipment is connected to each RST and is configured to monitor and control the equipment.

  As a host device of the central monitoring system, a local control server (hereinafter referred to as LCS) that is a distributed server, a human interface station (hereinafter referred to as HIS) that is a client server, and a global control server (hereinafter referred to as GCS). It has been known. The LCS is a server to which a plurality of RSTs are connected, and is installed according to the system of equipment and the number of processing points. The HIS and GCS may be integrally configured, and a plurality of LCSs are connected via a switching hub (hereinafter, referred to as HUB).

  In the central monitoring system as described above, it is necessary to update the system regularly or as needed to switch the existing device to a new device. When updating the system, instead of switching a large number of lower-level devices one by one, only the upper-level device may be switched from an existing device to a new device. In this case, first, a new upper device group is constructed in advance, then the existing upper device is removed from the lower device, and the new upper device group is connected to the lower device to switch the upper device.

  The central monitoring system during the renewal work cannot monitor the equipment. Therefore, in a large-scale system, if the existing upper-level device is collectively switched to the new upper-level device, the unmonitored state of the equipment may be extended for a long time. Therefore, in the conventional central monitoring system, in order to prevent all the facility devices from falling into the non-monitoring state, the existing upper device is switched to the new upper device for each system.

  In the central monitoring system, it is essential to perform a transmission confirmation test when switching from an existing upper device to a new upper device. When conducting a transmission confirmation test, due to restrictions on the installation space and the interlocking function between systems, it is often not possible to monitor by using an existing upper device and a new upper device together. Therefore, after carrying out a transmission confirmation test of a certain system, it is necessary to return to the existing higher-level device again, rather than leaving the new higher-level device connected to the system.

  Specifically, assuming that there are three systems A, B, and C, first, a transmission confirmation test in the system A is performed in a state where the system A is switched to a new upper device. Then, the newly installed upper device tested in the system A is returned to the existing upper device again, switched to the new upper device in the system B, and only the system B is connected to the newly installed upper device. Conduct a transmission confirmation test in system B.

  After that, the new higher-level device tested in system B is returned to the existing higher-level device again, and switched to the new higher-level device in system C, and only system C is connected to the new higher-level device. Conduct a transmission confirmation test in system C. Then, after the transmission confirmation test is completed in all of the systems A, B, and C, the system is switched to the new upper device in all the systems. This completes the update of the central monitoring system.

JP 2005-275570 A

  In updating the conventional central monitoring system, switching to a new upper device and re-switching to an existing upper device are performed for each system. Therefore, the work of disconnecting and reconnecting the signal line to the host device is repeated. Therefore, the central monitoring system has a problem that the time required for updating the system, that is, the system updating time is prolonged.

  Therefore, conventionally, it has been required to quickly switch the upper device to shorten the time required for updating the system. Particularly in recent years, demands for disaster prevention and crisis management are becoming severe, and the update cycle of the central monitoring system tends to be shortened. Therefore, there is a strong demand for shortening the system update time, and it is desired to efficiently switch the host device.

The embodiment of the present invention has been proposed to solve the above problem, and a gateway unit connecting a lower device and a higher device is provided with a switching unit that switches between an existing upper device and a new upper device. Accordingly, it is an object to provide a central monitoring system and its update program that contribute to shortening the system update time.

  In order to achieve the above object, a central monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention connects a lower-level device that monitors equipment, a higher-level device that monitors the lower-level device, and the lower-level device and the higher-level device. A central monitoring system including a gateway device, and including the following components (a) and (b).

(a) A switching unit that is provided in the gateway device and switches between an existing upper device that is already connected to the gateway device and a new upper device that is not connected to the gateway device.
(b) A test execution unit that performs a transmission confirmation test after the switching unit switches from the existing upper device to the new upper device.

  Embodiments of the present invention also include an update program for a central monitoring system that causes a computer to execute the above components.

Block diagram of the first embodiment Block diagram of a lower device of the first embodiment Block diagram in which the disconnection monitoring unit is incorporated in the lower device of the first embodiment Block diagram of the disconnection monitoring unit of the first embodiment Block diagram of the first embodiment (switching system A to newly installed LCS 41a) Block diagram of the first embodiment (switching system B to newly installed LCS 41b) Block diagram of the first embodiment (switching system C to newly installed LCS41c) Block diagram of the first embodiment (switch all systems to new LCS)

(First embodiment)
(Outline of configuration)
The configuration of the central monitoring system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. The first embodiment can also be regarded as an update program used in the central monitoring system 1.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the central monitoring system 1 is provided with three systems A, B, and C. As a subordinate device for monitoring equipment (not shown), the system A has an RST 2a and the system B has a system. Three RST2b and three RST2c are arranged in the system C, respectively.

  Various equipments installed at a predetermined site are connected to each RST 2a, 2b, 2c. In this specification, RST2a, 2b, and 2c are also described as RST2. The facility device is, for example, a power receiving and transforming facility device, an air conditioning facility device, a lighting facility device, or the like arranged in a building.

(Host device group)
The central monitoring system 1 includes three local control servers, LCS4a, LCS4b, and LCS4c, a switching hub HUB5, a HIS / GCS6 in which HIS and GCS are integrally configured, and a liquid crystal as an existing host device group. A display (hereinafter, referred to as LCD) 7 is provided. As mentioned above, HIS is a human interface station and GCS is a global control server.

  The HIS / GCS 6 and LCD 7 are connected to the LCS 4a, LCS 4b and LCS 4c via the HUB 5. In this specification, LCS4a, LCS4b, and LCS4c are also referred to as LCS4. The upper device, LCS4, is a device that monitors the lower device, RST2. The gateway devices 3a, 3b, and 3c are connected to the lower device RST2 and the upper device LCS4 corresponding to the systems A to C, respectively.

  The gateway devices 3a, 3b, 3c are respectively provided with switching units 8a, 8b, 8c for switching between an existing upper device and a new upper device. The gateway devices 3a, 3b, and 3c are also described as the gateway device 3, and the switching units 8a, 8b, and 8c are also described as the switching unit 8.

  When updating the central monitoring system 1, the existing upper device group may be switched to the new upper device group. Here, it is assumed that the existing upper device group and the new upper device group have the same connection configuration. As a new upper device group, LCS41a, LCS41b, LCS41c, HUB51, HIS / GCS61, and LCD71 are provided. The HIS / GCS 61 and LCD 71 are connected to the LCS 41a, LCS 41b, and LCS 41c via the HUB 51. Note that LCS41a, LCS41b, and LCS41c are also referred to as LCS41. Like the LCS4, the LCS41 is a device that monitors the RST2.

  The HIS / GCS 61, which is a new host device, is provided with a switching control unit 61a that outputs a switching command to the switching units 8a, 8b, 8c of the gateway devices 3a, 3b, 3c. Further, the LCD 71 is a switching display unit that displays switching between the LCS 4 and the LCS 41 by the switching units 8a, 8b, 8c.

(Gateway device)
The gateway device 3 is a device that connects networks having different communication protocols, that is, a network of the lower device RST2 and a network of the upper device LCS4 or LCS41, and performs communication between them.

  The switching unit 8 provided in the gateway device 3 is a unit that switches between the existing LCS 4 and the new LCS 41. By the switching unit 8 switching between the existing LCS 4 and the new LCS 41, in the gateway device 3, the communication network between the lower device group and the existing upper device group, and the communication network between the lower device group and the new upper device group. And will be switched. The switching unit 8 may physically switch between the LCS4 and the LCS41 by a hardware circuit, or may switch between the LCS4 and the LCS41 by software using physical resources of a computer. May be.

(Testing Department)
By the way, the HIS / GCS 61 included in the newly installed upper device group is provided with a test execution unit 9 for performing a transmission confirmation test. The test execution unit 9 performs the transmission confirmation test for each of the lines A, B, and C after the switching unit 8 switches from the existing LCS 4 to the new LCS 41. When the test execution unit 9 completes the transmission confirmation test in all the systems A, B, and C, the switching unit 8 disconnects all the gateway devices 3 from the existing LCS 4 and connects only the newly installed LCS 41. Then, the LCS4 and LCS41 are switched.

(Lower device)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lower device of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, an RS board 12 and a relay TB 13 are provided in the RST 2 which is a lower device. A facility device 14 is connected to the RS board 12 via a relay TB 13. A board 15 is installed in the RS board 12, a terminal block 16 is installed in the relay TB 13, and a terminal block 17 is installed in the equipment 14. The board 15 in the RS board 12 is connected to the gateway device 3 (not shown in FIG. 2), and the terminal block 16 in the relay TB 13 is connected to the terminal block 17 in the equipment 14.

  In RST2, RS board 12 and relay TB13 are provided with connectors 11a and 11b, respectively. The connectors 11a and 11b are connected to each other by eight cable portions 18 having terminal numbers 1com to 8com. Two signal lines are arranged in each cable portion 18. The connector 11a is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the board 15 in the RS board 12. Further, the connector 11b is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the terminal block 16 in the relay TB 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the connector 11a is connected to the board 15 in the RS board 12 and the connector 11b is connected to the terminal block 16 in the relay TB 13, in the central monitoring system 1, the lower device RST2 is normally Operation is done. By shifting from such a normal operation to the continuity test shown in FIG. 3, the disconnection monitoring unit 10 performs a disconnection confirmation step from the RST2 to the facility device 14 for the RST2 which is a lower device. The disconnection monitoring unit 10 is provided with a continuity test terminal block (parent side) 20a and a continuity test terminal block (child side) 20b.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the disconnection monitoring unit 10. As shown in FIG. 4, in the disconnection monitoring unit 10, the continuity test terminal block (parent side) 20a and the continuity test terminal block (child side) 20b each include the eight cable portions 18 of the connectors 11a and 11b. Two LEDs 26 are provided corresponding to the signal lines, that is, a total of 16 LEDs 26 are provided.

  The general-purpose terminal block (parent side) 20a has an all-point switch 22 that collectively checks all signal lines, an individual switch 23 that cyclically (1s) checks each signal line, and a power switch. 24 and a power supply 25 are provided. An LED 27 indicating the operating state of each switch 22-24 is installed adjacent to each switch 22-24.

(Action)
In the central monitoring system 1 having the above configuration, the step of switching the host device and the test execution step of the transmission confirmation test are sequentially performed for each system. First, as a preparatory step, as shown in the right side of FIG. 1, a new upper device group is constructed in advance.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the switching unit 8a of the gateway device 3a switches from the existing LCS 4a to the new LCS 41a, disconnects the LCS 4a from the gateway device 3a (shown by a dotted line), and connects the LCS 41a to the gateway device 3a. Connect to (shown by the thick solid line). In this state, the test execution unit 9 carries out the transmission confirmation test when the LCS 41a is used for the system A. After that, the switching unit 8a of the gateway device 3a switches from the newly installed LCS 41a to the existing LCS 4a, and connects the LCS 4a to the gateway device 3a again.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6, the switching unit 8b of the gateway device 3b switches from the LCS 4b to the LCS 41b, disconnects the LCS 4b from the gateway device 3b (shown by a dotted line), and connects the LCS 41b to the gateway device 3b ( Shown with a thick solid line). In this state, the test execution unit 9 executes the transmission confirmation test when the LCS 41b is used for the system B. After that, the switching unit 8b of the gateway device 3b switches from the LCS 41b to the LCS 4b, and connects the LCS 4b to the gateway device 3b again.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the switching unit 8c of the gateway device 3c switches from the LCS 4c to the LCS 41c, disconnects the LCS 4c from the gateway device 3c (shown by a dotted line), and connects the LCS 41c to the gateway device 3c ( Shown with a thick solid line). In this state, the test execution unit 9 executes the transmission confirmation test when the LCS 41c is used for the system C.

  Here, the transmission confirmation test by the test execution unit 9 has been completed for the systems A, B, and C. When the switching unit 8 completes the transmission confirmation test on the systems A, B, and C, as shown in FIG. 8, all the gateway devices 3 of the systems A, B, and C are connected to the newly installed LCS 41, The existing LCS 4 and the new LCS 41 are switched.

  That is, the switching unit 8c of the gateway device 3c switches the existing LCSs 4a and 4b to the new LCSs 41a and 41b while maintaining the connection with the LCS 41c. As a result, the newly installed LCSs 41a and 41b are reconnected to the gateway devices 3a and 3b, and the newly installed LCS 41 is connected to all the gateway devices 3 of the systems A, B, and C.

(Confirm disconnection of lower device)
In the first embodiment, the disconnection monitoring unit 10 performs a disconnection confirmation step for the continuity test for the lower device group before performing the above-described test execution step of the transmission confirmation test. The disconnection monitoring unit 10 may perform the disconnection confirmation step before the test execution step, before the test switching step, or after the host switching step, or after the host switching step, that is, switching the host apparatus. It may be between a step and a test implementation step.

  When conducting the continuity test, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3, in RST2, the connector 11a is removed from the board 15 in the RS board 12, and the connector 11b is removed from the terminal block 16 in the relay TB13. After that, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, the connectors 11a and 11b are respectively connected to the continuity test terminal block (parent side) 20a and the continuity test terminal block (child side) 20b of the disconnection monitoring unit 10. .

  In this way, the connectors 11a and 11b are connected to the continuity test terminal block (parent side) 20a and the continuity test terminal block (child side) 20b of the disconnection monitoring unit 10, so that the disconnection monitoring unit 10 installs equipment from the RST2. The disconnection confirmation to the device 14 is performed. As shown in FIG. 4, in the disconnection monitoring unit 10, when a voltage is applied to the signal line of each cable unit 18 and the signal line of the cable unit 18 has continuity without disconnection, the LED 26 corresponding to the signal line is It will light up. On the other hand, if the signal line of the cable portion 18 is broken and there is no continuity, the LED 26 corresponding to the signal line is turned off. By turning off the LED 26 as described above, it is possible to confirm the disconnection from the RST 2 to the facility device 14.

(effect)
In the first embodiment, the gateway device 3 that connects the lower device and the upper device is provided with the switching unit 8 that switches the upper device, and the HIS / GCS 61 included in the new upper device group includes the test execution unit of the transmission confirmation test. 9 is provided. In the first embodiment as described above, after switching the existing LCS 4 and the new LCS 41, the test execution unit 9 performs the transmission confirmation test.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, when the central monitoring system 1 is updated, the switching unit 8 of the gateway device 3 is physically connected to the existing LCS 4 by a hardware circuit before the transmission confirmation test is performed in the system unit. And the newly installed LCS41. Therefore, in the first embodiment, signal line disconnection from the existing LCS4 and new LCS41 and reconnection of the signal line to the existing LCS4 and new LCS41 can be performed efficiently and promptly.

  As a result, the update time of the central monitoring system 1 can be shortened, and the non-monitoring time of the equipment by the central monitoring system 1 can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time for the supervisor to directly monitor the facility device 14, and it is possible to contribute to cost reduction. According to the first embodiment as described above, it is possible to provide the central monitoring system 1 and the update program for the central monitoring system 1 with improved economy and reliability.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, the test execution unit 9 performs a transmission confirmation test for each system, and the switching unit 8 performs switching so that the newly installed LCS 41 sequentially connects to the gateway device 3. Therefore, the transmission confirmation test can be carried out for each system, and the transmission confirmation test is not carried out in a state in which a plurality of systems are simultaneously switched to the new host device. Therefore, even if there is a restriction on the installation space or a restriction on the interlocking function between systems, it is possible to guarantee the validity of communication.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, after the test execution unit 9 completes the transmission confirmation test in all of the systems A, B, and C, switching is performed so that the three gateway devices corresponding to the system are connected to the newly installed LCS 41. The unit 8 is adapted to perform switching. Therefore, it is possible to reliably carry out the transition to the newly established host device group.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, before performing the test execution step of the transmission confirmation test, the connectors 11a and 11b are connected to the continuity test terminal block (parent side) 20a and the continuity test terminal block (child side) of the disconnection monitoring unit 10. ) 20b. At this time, by turning off the LED 26, the disconnection monitoring unit 10 can confirm the disconnection of the cable unit 18 from the RST 2 to the facility device 14.

  Therefore, when the wiring from the RST 2 to the equipment 14 is broken, it is possible to automatically detect the breaking of the wiring by the disconnection monitoring unit 10 before the transmission confirmation test. Can be obtained.

(1) Early detection is possible when the cause of failure is a wire break. In addition, even if there is no failure factor, the root cause can be narrowed down at an early stage.
(2) By operating the disconnection monitoring unit 10 at the time of regular inspection, it is possible to confirm in advance whether or not there is a disconnection.
(3) Since the disconnection monitoring unit 10 performs the disconnection confirmation step and conducts the continuity test, this continuity test can be utilized for the simulated interface check confirmation test.

(4) Regarding the disconnection confirmation of the wiring from the lower device RST2 to the equipment 14, it is not necessary for the monitor to use the test device on hand. Therefore, it can contribute to the improvement of safety, reliability, and work efficiency as compared with the conventional disconnection detection method. That is, in the past, the monitoring staff applied a test voltage with the test equipment on hand to check the wiring from the RST 2 to the equipment 14. Therefore, if there is a device in operation, it is not possible to easily carry out the check work due to the fear of malfunction.

  On the other hand, according to the first embodiment having the disconnection monitoring unit 10, the disconnection from the RST 2 to the facility device 14 can be reliably detected without trouble. As a result, it is possible to save labor in the transmission confirmation test, which can contribute to reduction of test time and personnel cost.

(5) Moreover, in the first embodiment, the connectors 11a and 11b are detachably connected to the continuity test terminal blocks 20a and 20b provided at both ends of the disconnection monitoring unit 10. The disconnection monitoring unit 10 can be easily attached to and detached from. That is, the disconnection monitoring unit 10 can be easily attached or detached from the RST 2 to the equipment 14, and the disconnection can be confirmed smoothly.

(Other embodiments)
The embodiment described above is presented as an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and the scope thereof, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

  For example, based on information registered in the registration setting unit that pre-registers information about a new host device, whether the host device newly connected to the gateway device is a pre-registered host device or not. A determination unit for determining may be provided. According to such an embodiment, the registration setting unit pre-registers information about the new upper device, and the determination unit determines that the new upper device connected to the gateway device is based on the registered information. It is determined whether or not the host device is registered in advance. Therefore, the switching of the new upper device can be performed more quickly and accurately. Therefore, the system update time can be further shortened.

1 ... Central monitoring system 2, 2a, 2b, 2c ... RST
3, 3a, 3b, 3c ... Gateway device 4, 4a, 4b, 4c ... Existing LCS
41, 41a, 41b, 41c ... Newly installed LCS
5, 51 ... HUB
6, 61 ... HIS / GCS
7,71 ... LCD
8, 8a, 8b, 8c ... Switching unit 9 ... Test execution unit 10 ... Disconnection monitoring unit 11a, 11b ... Connector 12 ... RS board 13 ... Relay TB
14 ... Equipment 15 ... Boards 16 and 17 ... Terminal block 18 ... Cable section 20a ... Continuity test terminal block (parent side)
20b ... Terminal block for continuity test (child side)
22 ... All-point switch 23 ... Individual switch 24 ... Power switch 25 ... Power supplies 26, 27 ... LED

Claims (11)

A lower device that monitors equipment,
An upper device that monitors the lower device,
A central monitoring system having a gateway device connecting the lower device and the upper device,
A switching unit that is provided in the gateway device and switches between an existing higher-level device that is already connected to the gateway device and a new-level higher-level device that is not connected to the gateway device,
A test execution unit that performs a transmission confirmation test after the switching unit switches from the existing upper device to the new upper device,
Central monitoring system with.   The central monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit physically switches the host device by a hardware circuit. When the gateway device has a plurality of systems, the test execution unit performs a transmission confirmation test for each system,
The switching unit switches the host device so that the newly installed host device is sequentially connected to the gateway device as the transmission confirmation test for each system is performed by the test unit. Central monitoring system.   After the test execution unit completes the transmission confirmation test of all systems, the switching unit switches the host device so that the gateway device of all systems disconnects the existing host device and connects only with the new host device. The central monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein   The center according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a switching control unit that outputs a switching command to the switching unit and a switching display unit that displays a switching state of the higher-level device by the switching unit are provided in the higher-level device. Monitoring system. A disconnection monitoring unit for monitoring disconnection from the lower device to the equipment,
The central monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the disconnection monitoring unit performs a disconnection confirmation from the lower-level device to the equipment device before the test execution unit performs a transmission confirmation test.   The central monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein the disconnection monitoring unit has a connector structure having a detachable cable.   The central monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein the disconnection monitoring unit includes a test terminal block having a detachable cable.   9. The central monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein the disconnection monitoring unit performs a simulated interface confirmation test from the lower device to the equipment. A lower device that monitors equipment,
An upper device that monitors the lower device,
A update program used in a central monitoring system comprising a gateway device connecting the lower device and the upper device,
A switching step of switching between an existing higher-level device that is already connected to the gateway device and a new-level higher-level device that is not connected to the gateway device;
A central monitoring system update program that causes a computer to perform a test execution step of performing a transmission confirmation test after switching from an existing host device to a new host device by the switching step.   11. The updating program for a central monitoring system according to claim 10, which causes a computer to execute a disconnection monitoring step of monitoring a disconnection from the lower-level device to the equipment before the transmission confirmation test is performed in the test execution step.

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