JP2020188379A - Data communication system, monitoring method in data communication system, and monitoring program in data communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

To quickly, easily, and surely determine whether a relay device is necessary.SOLUTION: In a data communication system 1 including terminal devices 2A, 2B, and 2C and a monitoring device 5, the terminal devices 2A, 2B, and 2C measure a communication stability index which is an index indicating the stability of data communication between other terminal devices existing in a communicable range and an adjacent device to the monitoring device 5, and notifies the monitoring device 5 of the measured communication stability index. The monitoring device 5 determines the communication stability index notified from the terminal devices 2A, 2B, and 2C, determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the terminal device, determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, and notifies a user of the data communication stability.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a data communication system, a monitoring method in a data communication system, and a monitoring program in a data communication system. For example, data in which a plurality of terminal devices are installed in each part of a plant and the plant is monitored by data communication with these terminal devices. It can be applied to collection systems.

Conventionally, regarding a data communication system, a device has been proposed for a data collection system in which a plurality of terminal devices are installed in each part of a plant and the plant is monitored by data communication with these terminal devices (Patent Document 1).
In such a data communication system, a relay device that relays data communication with the terminal device is installed as needed to ensure stable data communication with the terminal device.

JP 2015-013049

However, in this type of data communication system, there is a problem that it is not possible to easily and surely determine whether or not a relay device is necessary.
In particular, in this type of data communication system, stable data communication may not be possible due to a late-coming factor such as a structure being installed in the middle of a communication path. As a result, for example, it is necessary to periodically monitor whether or not data communication is possible in a stable manner and quickly determine whether or not a relay device is necessary.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to enable a quick, simple and reliable determination as to whether or not a relay device is necessary.

In order to solve the problem, the invention of claim 1 is
A data communication system including a terminal device and a monitoring device that monitors the terminal device by communicating data with the terminal device by wireless communication.
The terminal device is
A communication stability index, which is an index indicating the stability of data communication, is measured between another terminal device existing in the communicable range and an adjacent device by the monitoring device, and the monitoring device is notified.
The monitoring device
The communication stability index notified from the terminal device is determined, and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the terminal device is detected.
Further, the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication is determined, and the user is notified of the data communication stability of the terminal device.

According to the configuration of claim 1, it is possible to monitor the number of routes capable of stable data communication and notify the user of the stability of data communication in the terminal device, thereby promptly indicating whether or not a relay device is necessary. You can make a simple and reliable judgment.

The invention of claim 2 is
In the configuration of claim 1,
The adjacent device includes a relay device that relays data communication between the terminal device and the monitoring device.

According to the configuration of claim 2, it is possible to quickly, easily and surely determine whether or not a relay device is necessary in a data communication system in which a relay device is already installed.

The invention of claim 3 is
In the configuration of claim 1 or claim 2,
The monitoring device
It accepts the setting of the determination reference value used for determining the communication stability index and the determination reference value used for determining the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication.

According to the configuration of claim 3,
The criteria for data communication stability can be set as appropriate according to the system configuration, system installation environment, and so on.

The invention of claim 4 has the configuration of any one of claims 1, 2, and 3.
The monitoring device
A network construction device that constructs a network with the terminal device by performing data communication with the terminal device by wireless communication.
It is provided with a data monitoring device that monitors data from the terminal device acquired by the network construction device.
The network construction device determines the communication stability index, determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, and the data in the terminal device monitored by the data monitoring device via the data monitoring device. Notify the user of communication stability.

According to the configuration of claim 4, by executing various determinations in the network construction device, for example, when a plurality of network construction devices are provided, the determination process can be performed for each network to simplify the process.

The invention of claim 5 has the configuration of any one of claims 1, 2, and 3.
The monitoring device
A network construction device that constructs a network with the terminal device by performing data communication with the terminal device by wireless communication.
It is provided with a data monitoring device that monitors data from the terminal device acquired by the network construction device.
The data monitoring device determines the communication stability index, determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, and provides the user with the data communication stability in the terminal device monitored by the data monitoring device. The communication stability index and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, which are notified and subjected to the determination, are recorded and held.

According to the configuration of claim 5, when there is a terminal device whose data communication stability is unstable, the location where the relay device is installed is based on the communication stability index and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication. Can be determined, and the relay device can be installed quickly.

The invention of claim 6 has the configuration of any one of claims 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The terminal device is
The measurement result by the sensor is notified to the monitoring device by the data communication, and the measurement result is notified to the monitoring device.
The monitoring device
The user is notified of the measurement result notified from the terminal device.

According to the configuration of claim 6, for example, whether or not a relay device is required by installing a plurality of terminal devices in each part of the plant and applying it to a data collection system that monitors the plant by data communication with these terminal devices. Can be judged quickly, easily and surely.

The invention of claim 7 is
A monitoring method in a data communication system including a terminal device and a monitoring device that monitors the terminal device by communicating data with the terminal device by wireless communication.
In the terminal device
A communication stability index, which is an index indicating the stability of data communication, is measured between another terminal device existing in the communicable range and an adjacent device by the monitoring device, and the monitoring device is notified.
In the monitoring device
The communication stability index notified from the terminal device is determined, and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the terminal device is detected.
Further, the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication is determined, and the user is notified of the data communication stability of the terminal device.

According to the configuration of claim 7, it is possible to monitor the number of routes capable of stable data communication and notify the user of the stability of data communication in the terminal device, thereby promptly indicating whether or not a relay device is necessary. You can make a simple and reliable judgment.

The invention of claim 8 is
A monitoring program in a data communication system that executes a predetermined processing procedure by execution by an arithmetic processing circuit.
The data communication system includes a terminal device and a monitoring device that monitors the terminal device by communicating data with the terminal device by wireless communication.
The processing procedure is
A communication stability index, which is an index indicating the stability of data communication, is determined between the other terminal device existing in the communicable range and the adjacent device by the monitoring device notified from the terminal device. The first determination step of detecting the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the terminal device, and
The second determination step of determining the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication according to the first determination step and determining the data communication stability of the terminal device,
It includes a notification step for notifying the user of the determination result by the second determination step.

According to the configuration of claim 8, it is possible to monitor the number of routes capable of stable data communication and notify the user of the stability of data communication in the terminal device, thereby promptly indicating whether or not a relay device is necessary. You can make a simple and reliable judgment.

According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly, easily and surely determine whether or not a relay device is necessary.

It is a figure which shows the data collection system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which provides for the explanation of the operation of the data collection system of FIG. It is a time chart which provides the explanation of the operation of the data collection system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the user terminal apparatus.

[First Embodiment]
〔overall structure〕
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a data collection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The data collection system 1 is, for example, a data communication system in which a plurality of terminal devices are installed in each part of the plant and the plant is monitored by data communication with these terminal devices.

The data collection system 1 includes detection devices 2A, 2B and 2C, which are terminal devices installed in each part of the plant, relay devices 4A and 4B for relaying data communication between the detection devices 2A, 2B and 2C, and detection devices. It includes a monitoring device 5 that monitors the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C by data communication with the 2A, 2B, and 2C, and a user terminal device 6 that notifies the user of the monitoring result by the monitoring device 5. Further, the monitoring device 5 is a detection device 2A acquired via a network construction device (NW construction device) 5A for constructing a network by wireless communication with the detection devices 2A, 2B, 2C, relay devices 4A, and 4B, and a network construction device 5A. A data monitoring device 5B for monitoring data from 2B and 2C is provided.
It should be noted that not only the data collection system in which such a plurality of terminal devices are installed in each part of the plant and the plant is monitored by data communication with these terminal devices, but also various data communication systems that perform data communication with the terminal devices by wireless communication. Can be widely applied to.
Further, in the example of FIG. 1, although an example in which three detection devices 2A, 2B and 2C and two relay devices 4A and 4B are provided is shown, the number of detection devices and the number of relay devices are different. If there is, it can be set in various ways, and the relay device may be omitted.

The detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C are terminal devices that can acquire various data to be used for data collection in the data collection system 1 and are arranged at the data acquisition location. As a result, the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C include a detection unit 10 for acquiring the data and a communication control unit 11 for wireless communication of the acquired data and the like. The detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C are configured in the same manner except that the detection unit 10 is configured so as to correspond to the acquired data. Here, the data acquired by the detection unit 10 is, for example, temperature and vibration data, whereby the detection unit 10 drives the corresponding sensors 12A, ..., 12X and the sensors 12A, ..., 12X. A sensor control unit 13 for acquiring data such as vibration is provided.
The detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C send data acquired by the detection unit 10 to the monitoring device 5 in response to a request from the monitoring device 5 and / or periodically. Further, the detection devices 2A, 2B and 2C are configured with a communication control unit 11 so as to function as a relay device, whereby in the data collection system 1, another detection device and a relay device (in the example of FIG. 1, the detection device) The data transmitted from the other detection device and the relay device in response to the request from 2A) is transmitted to the monitoring device 5 via the detection device (detection devices 2B and 2C in the example of FIG. 1), and vice versa. The data from the monitoring device 5 can be notified to other detection devices.

The relay devices 4A and 4B are devices that relay the data communication between the detection devices 2A, 2B and 2C and the monitoring device 5, and various configurations corresponding to the wireless communication method and the data communication method of the data collection system 1 are widely applied. can do.

The monitoring device 5 sends various control data to the relay devices 4A and 4B, the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C to control the operations of the relay devices 4A, 4B, the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C, and further, the relay device. The operation of the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C is monitored, and the data transmitted from the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C is processed.

That is, in the monitoring device 5, the network construction device 5A wirelessly communicates with the detection devices 2A, 2B, 2C, the relay devices 4A, and 4B to construct a network, and transfers the data to be used for this data communication to the data monitoring device 5B. It is an interface that inputs and outputs with, and a configuration that can use mobile communication such as a 3G line and an LTE (Long Term Evolution) line can be applied.

The data monitoring device 5B records and holds data from the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C input from the network construction device 5A, further processes the data, and provides the data to the user by the user terminal device 6. As a result, the data monitoring device 5B includes notification units 14A, 14B, 14C for notifying the user terminal device 6 of data from the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C according to the user terminal device 6.
The network construction device 5A and the data monitoring device 5B may be integrally configured.
As the user terminal device 6, various information terminal devices connected to the monitoring device 5 by wire or wireless can be widely applied, and for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, or the like can be applied.

[Data communication stability]
In the data collection system 1, a plurality of data communication targets are arranged in a data communication range by wireless communication of the detection devices 2A, 2B, 2C, relay devices 4A, 4B, and monitoring device 5, respectively. That is, the detection devices 2B, the relay devices 4A, and 4B are arranged in the data communication range of the monitoring device 5, and the detection devices 2B, 2C, and the relay device 4A are arranged in the data communication range of the detection device 2A. Further, the detection device 2A, the relay device 4A, and the monitoring device 5 are arranged in the data communication range of the detection device 2B, and the detection device 2A, the relay device 4A, and 4B are arranged in the data communication range of the detection device 2C. To. Further, the detection devices 2A, 2B, 2C, the relay device 4B, and the monitoring device 5 are arranged in the data communication range of the relay device 4A, and the detection device 2C, the relay device 4B, and the relay device 4B are arranged in the data communication range of the relay device 4B. The monitoring device 5 is arranged.
As a result, the detection devices 2A, 2B, 2C, the relay devices 4A, 4B, and the monitoring device 5 are configured to enable data communication with the communication target by a plurality of systems, respectively, and when stable data communication becomes difficult in any of the systems. However, it is configured so that data communication can be performed using the remaining system, and the data to be monitored can be reliably acquired.

However, in this way, stable data communication becomes difficult in any of the systems, and when data communication is performed using the remaining systems, the number of systems capable of data communication is decreasing, resulting in data. It can be said that the stability of communication is impaired, and it is necessary to install a relay device as needed.

However, in this case, conventionally, for each data communication device, the necessity of the relay device is determined by judging the measured value indicating the stability of the data communication such as the electric field strength, and the relay device is required by these. It becomes difficult to quickly, easily and surely judge whether or not it is.
It should be noted that if one of the systems becomes stable and data communication becomes difficult and the state where data communication is performed using the remaining system is left unattended, an abnormality occurs in the remaining system and data communication becomes difficult. There is a risk that the monitored target cannot be monitored.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C measure the communication stability index with the adjacent device and notify the monitoring device 5, determine the communication stability index, and perform stable data communication. Detect the number of possible adjacent devices. Further, the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication is determined by the determination reference value, the data communication stability of the detection devices 2A, 2B and 2C is detected, and the user is notified.
The communication stability index is an index indicating the stability of data communication, and is an index for evaluating a transmission path in data communication, such as RSSI (Received Signal Strength Inspection), PER (Packet Error Rate), and bit error rate. Can be widely applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram used for explaining the process of data communication stability in comparison with FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a time chart used for explaining the process.
In the data collection system 1, the monitoring device 5 sequentially instructs the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C to process the data communication stability at regular time intervals, and in response to this, the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C. Measures a communication stability index with an adjacent device which is another data communication device (detection device, relay device, monitoring device 5) existing in the communicable range (FIGS. 3, S1).
As a result, in the example of FIG. 2, the detection device 2A transmits and receives predetermined measurement data between the detection devices 2B and 2C and the relay device 4A as indicated by reference numeral S1 to measure the communication stability index. .. In this case, measurement data may be sent from the detection device 2A and the communication stability index measured by the detection devices 2B and 2C and the relay device 4A may be acquired by the detection device 2A. The communication stability index may be acquired by the detection device 2A from the measurement data transmitted from the 2C and the relay device 4A. Further, the detection device 2A, the detection devices 2B and 2C, and the relay device 4A may send and receive measurement data to measure the communication stability index, and apply the average value thereof.
Instead of the instruction from the monitoring device 5, the detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C may execute this process at regular time intervals.

The detection devices 2A, 2B, and 2C notify the monitoring device 5 of the communication stability index measured in this way (FIGS. 3 and S2).
Further, in this data collection system 1, similarly, in the relay devices 4A and 4B, the communication stability index is measured with the adjacent device existing in the communicable range, and the measurement result is notified to the monitoring device 5. To do.

In the monitoring device 5, the network construction device 5A determines the communication stability index notified in this way with the reference value set in advance by the first determination step, and detects the communication stability index. The number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the device is determined (FIGS. 3, S3, S4).
In this determination, for example, RSSI is −XdB or more and PER is Y% or more.

Subsequently, in the network construction device 5A, the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication is determined by the determination reference value in the second determination step, and the data communication stability is detected (FIGS. 3, S5, S6).
Specifically, when the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication is equal to or greater than the judgment reference value (number of communication stable adjacent devices ≥ number of reference for communication stable adjacent devices), the data communication stability is judged to be "stable". To do.
When the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication is less than the determination reference value (number of communication stable adjacent devices <number of reference of communication stable adjacent devices), the data communication stability is determined to be "unstable".

The network construction device 5A notifies the data monitoring device 5B of the determination result of the data communication stability, and the data monitoring device 5B updates the determination result recorded up to that point by the notified determination result.
Further, the notified determination result is output to the user terminal device 6 and displayed, thereby notifying the user of the determination result (FIGS. 3, S7).

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the display screen 6A of the user terminal device 6.
In FIG. 4, the detection device 2A is in a state where the data communication stability is determined and the determination result is displayed, and the determination results are displayed for the other detection devices 2B and 2C and the relay devices 4A and 4B. I'm waiting.
As a result, the user can quickly, easily and surely determine which device the relay device needs to be installed on.
As a result, the user can quickly, easily and surely determine whether or not a relay device is necessary.

[Setting of judgment standard value]
Further, the monitoring device 5 displays a determination reference value setting screen according to the user's instruction by operating the user terminal device 6, and here, the determination reference value used for the determination of the communication stability index, and the adjacency capable of stable data communication. Accepts the setting of the judgment reference value to be used for judging the number of devices. Further, the setting of the network construction device 5A is updated with the determination reference value set in this way.
In setting the determination reference value, the network construction device 5A may directly accept the setting, or the data monitoring device 5B may accept the setting.
Further, the setting of either the determination reference value used for determining the communication stability index or the determination reference value used for determining the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication may be accepted.
Further, the setting may be accepted for each of the detection devices 2A, 2B and 2C, the relay devices 4A and 4B, and the monitoring device 5.

As a result, in the data collection system 1, the criteria for determining the stability of data communication can be appropriately set in accordance with the system configuration, the installation environment of the system, and the like.

According to the above configuration, the communication stability index is measured with the adjacent device existing in the communicable range, the communication stability index is determined, and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication is detected. Furthermore, by determining the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication and notifying the user of the data communication stability, the number of routes capable of stable data communication can be monitored and the data communication stability in the terminal device can be monitored. Can be notified to the user, whereby it is possible to quickly, easily and surely determine whether or not a relay device is necessary.

Further, by including the relay device in the adjacent device, it is possible to quickly, easily and surely determine whether or not the relay device is necessary in the data communication system in which the relay device is installed.

Furthermore, by accepting the setting of the judgment reference value used for judging the communication stability index and the judgment reference value used for judging the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, the system configuration, system installation environment, etc. It is possible to flexibly set the criteria for determining the stability of data communication.

Furthermore, by determining the communication stability index with the network construction device, determining the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, and detecting the data communication stability, for example, when a plurality of network construction devices are provided. Judgment processing can be performed for each network to simplify the processing.

[Second embodiment].
In this embodiment, instead of the network construction device 5A, the data monitoring device 5B determines the communication stability index and determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication.
Further, the data monitoring device 5B records and holds the communication stability index used for these determinations and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication.
As a result, if there is a terminal device with unstable data communication stability, the location of the relay device can be determined based on the recorded communication stability index and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication. It is possible to install the relay device quickly.
Further, even when updating the determination reference value to be used for these determinations, it is possible to quickly respond based on the recorded communication stability index and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication. In particular, in such a setting, when a plurality of network construction devices are installed and the number of installed devices increases, the man-hours for setting the determination reference value can be reduced to each stage.

[Other Embodiments]
Although the specific configuration suitable for carrying out the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention can be variously modified in the configuration of the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

That is, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the stability of data communication is determined at regular time intervals has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and in addition to or instead of this, for example, it is set in advance. The determination may be made according to a schedule, or may be determined according to a user's instruction.

1 Data collection system 2A, 2B, 2C Terminal device (detection device)
4A, 4B relay device 5 monitoring device 5A network construction device 5B data monitoring device 6 user terminal device 10 detection unit 11 communication control unit 12A, 12X sensor 13 sensor control unit 14A, 14B, 14C notification unit

Claims (8)

A data communication system including a terminal device and a monitoring device that monitors the terminal device by communicating data with the terminal device by wireless communication.
The terminal device is
A communication stability index, which is an index indicating the stability of data communication, is measured between another terminal device existing in the communicable range and an adjacent device by the monitoring device, and the monitoring device is notified.
The monitoring device
The communication stability index notified from the terminal device is determined, and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the terminal device is detected.
Further, a data communication system that determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication and notifies the user of the data communication stability of the terminal device. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent device includes a relay device that relays data communication between the terminal device and the monitoring device. The monitoring device
The data communication according to claim 1 or 2, which accepts the setting of the determination reference value used for determining the communication stability index and the determination reference value used for determining the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication. system. The monitoring device
A network construction device that constructs a network with the terminal device by performing data communication with the terminal device by wireless communication.
It is provided with a data monitoring device that monitors data from the terminal device acquired by the network construction device.
The network construction device determines the communication stability index, determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, and the data in the terminal device monitored by the data monitoring device via the data monitoring device. The data communication system according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, which notifies the user of communication stability. The monitoring device
A network construction device that constructs a network with the terminal device by performing data communication with the terminal device by wireless communication.
It is provided with a data monitoring device that monitors data from the terminal device acquired by the network construction device.
The data monitoring device determines the communication stability index, determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication, and informs the user of the data communication stability of the terminal device monitored by the data monitoring device. The data according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, which records and holds the communication stability index, which is notified and further determined, and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication. Communications system. The terminal device is
The measurement result by the sensor is notified to the monitoring device by the data communication, and the measurement result is notified to the monitoring device.
The monitoring device
The data communication system according to any one of claims 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which notifies the user of the measurement result notified from the terminal device. A monitoring method in a data communication system including a terminal device and a monitoring device that monitors the terminal device by communicating data with the terminal device by wireless communication.
In the terminal device
A communication stability index, which is an index indicating the stability of data communication, is measured between another terminal device existing in the communicable range and an adjacent device by the monitoring device, and the monitoring device is notified.
In the monitoring device
The communication stability index notified from the terminal device is determined, and the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the terminal device is detected.
Further, a monitoring method in a data communication system that determines the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication and notifies the user of the data communication stability of the terminal device. A monitoring program in a data communication system that executes a predetermined processing procedure by execution by an arithmetic processing circuit.
The data communication system includes a terminal device and a monitoring device that monitors the terminal device by communicating data with the terminal device by wireless communication.
The processing procedure is
A communication stability index, which is an index indicating the stability of data communication, is determined between the other terminal device existing in the communicable range and the adjacent device by the monitoring device notified from the terminal device. The first determination step of detecting the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication in the terminal device, and
The second determination step of determining the number of adjacent devices capable of stable data communication according to the first determination step and determining the data communication stability of the terminal device,
A monitoring program in a data communication system including a notification step for notifying a user of a determination result by the second determination step.

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