JP6787161B2 - Network system management equipment, network system management methods, control programs, and recording media - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for managing the operation of a network system including a master and a slave.

A general FA (Factory Automation) system consists of various slaves that collect and control data of equipment installed in the factory, and a master (PLC: Programmable Logic Controller) that centrally manages these slaves. Equipment is controlled by the network system.

In such an FA system, an address is assigned to each slave (network node) on the network. Frames formatted to have a predetermined data structure are transmitted and received between the master and the slave using the address. When the master issues an instruction to the device constituting the above equipment, the master transmits a frame containing the instruction to the slave and causes the device to transfer the instruction. Then, the master confirms the execution status of the instruction by the frame of the response sent back from the slave, and terminates the instruction according to the result of the confirmation. When one instruction is completed, the slave returns to a state in which a new instruction can be accepted.

However, in the FA system, the number of slaves installed increases as the scale of the equipment increases. In addition to the master, instructions can be given to the device from a display input device called an HMI (Human Machine Interface) or a device called a support tool. Therefore, when the FA system becomes complicated, various abnormalities can occur. Further, the control program for the master to control the FA system is created according to the equipment, and if the configuration of the equipment changes, the control program is generally changed or recreated. A new abnormality may occur due to such a change in the configuration of the equipment.

An example of such anomalies is an anomaly in the address assigned to each slave. Specifically, an abnormality such as "address duplication" in which the same address is assigned to a plurality of slaves or "address unknown" in which a slave having an address different from the address assigned in advance may exist may occur.

Other examples of anomalies include poor communication quality such as frame transfer delays or frame losses of data sent and received between the master and slave, communication line failures, and slave or device failures. In addition, when multiple instructions are sent to the slave from the master and other devices at once, an error may occur in which some instructions are not executed.

When such an abnormality occurs, the FA system is stopped, for example, the slave with the abnormality is identified, the slave is physically separated from the network, the address is reset, and the FA system is restarted. There is a need. Therefore, the labor and time required for this series of restoration work has been a problem. In particular, in the case of an FA system that is already in actual operation in a factory or the like, the operation of the equipment must be temporarily stopped for restoration work, and the decrease in the operating rate of the equipment due to this is enormous.

Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a controller for an FA system that simplifies a process for identifying the cause of an abnormality when an abnormality occurs in the FA system. This controller has an abnormality diagnosis function that determines the presence or absence of network abnormalities, a protocol monitor function that monitors data that communicates with devices connected to the network, and when an abnormality is detected, before the abnormality is detected. It has a function to retain monitored data. As a result, the controller can instantly detect the occurrence of an abnormality and can retain the retained data as data related to the occurrence of the abnormality.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-35664 (published on February 17, 2011)

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to analyze the data in order to identify the frame with the abnormality from the data held before the detection of the abnormality, and many of the analyzes are performed. There is a problem that it takes time. There is also the problem that data analysts are required to have very advanced skills and specialized knowledge such as communication standards.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a network system management technique capable of easily identifying an abnormal frame included in data flowing through a network system when an abnormality occurs in the network system in view of the above problems. It is in.

In order to solve the above problems, the network system management device according to one aspect of the present invention is a network system management device that functions as a master included in a master-slave type network system, and is between the network system management device and the slave. During a certain period in which frames are transmitted and received a plurality of times, a data pattern corresponding to a predetermined condition in at least one of a frame transmitted and a frame received by the network system management device is saved and saved for the first time. It is characterized in that it is provided with a reference frame creation unit that creates a population of reference frames by not storing frames in which the data patterns are duplicated and detected.

According to the above configuration, various and huge number of frame exchanges between the network system management device and the slave are stored as a population of a small number of reference frames with a narrowed data pattern type. be able to. Therefore, if the data pattern of the frame newly exchanged between the network system management device and the slave is compared with the data pattern of the population, it is easy to create a frame with a peculiar data pattern that does not match the data pattern of the population. Can be identified.

In addition, the population created by not storing frames with duplicate data patterns is narrowed down to the types of data patterns and compared with the huge number of frames exchanged between the network system management device and the slave. Consists of a small number of reference frames. Therefore, the memory capacity for storing the population can be small.

The predetermined condition is, for example, a condition indicating what kind of data pattern is to be focused on to detect the frame, and as an example, it is a specification to pay attention to the data pattern of a specific data area in the frame. You can. In this case, the frame in which the data pattern in a specific data area in the transmitted or received frame is detected for the first time is saved.

The network system management device according to another aspect of the present invention is a new frame transmitted or received and the reference frame during another period in which transmission / reception is performed a plurality of times between the network system management device and the slave. It may further include an extraction unit that compares data patterns in a specific data area and extracts the new frame whose data patterns do not match as a unique frame.

According to the above configuration, since a new frame having no data pattern of the reference frame of the population created in advance is extracted as a peculiar frame, a peculiar frame can be easily extracted. By analyzing a peculiar frame, it is possible to obtain information on an abnormality that has occurred in the network system or information on a sign of an abnormality that may occur in the network system. Since a peculiar frame may be extracted even when there is a sign of abnormality, it is possible to acquire information on the sign of abnormality and take preventive measures against the occurrence of the abnormality before the occurrence of the abnormality.

In addition, conventionally, transmission / reception is repeated many times between the master and the slave, and after saving all or a certain number of frames transmitted and received by the master, an abnormality occurs in a large number of saved frames. After that, I was analyzing the anomaly. Compared with this method, according to the above configuration, it is possible to easily identify the frame having an abnormality and to significantly reduce the time required for the analysis of the abnormality.

In the network system management device according to another aspect of the present invention, the reference frame creation unit may create the population during the startup period of the network system.

According to the above configuration, during the startup period of the network system, an error occurs in the frames transmitted / received between the network system management device and the slave, and in the transmission / reception between the network system management device and the slave. Cheap. Therefore, if a population of reference frames is created during this start-up period, it is possible to easily extract peculiar frames that do not match the data pattern of the reference frame. As a result, it becomes easy to acquire information on an abnormality that occurred during the startup period of the network system or a sign of the abnormality.

In the network system management device according to another aspect of the present invention, the reference frame creation unit may create the population during the normal operation period after the start-up of the network system.

According to the above configuration, if a population of reference frames is created during the normal operation period of the network system, peculiar frames that do not match the data pattern of the reference frame can be easily extracted during the normal operation period. Can be done. As a result, it becomes easy to acquire information on an abnormality or a sign of an abnormality that occurred during the normal operation period of the network system.

The network system management device according to another aspect of the present invention is the first of the storage unit for storing the peculiar frame extracted by the extraction unit and the frame transmitted or received, which is continuously transmitted or received. It further includes a buffer storage unit that temporarily holds a certain number of frames and is sequentially updated each time the frame is transmitted or received, and the extraction unit extracts the peculiar frame and the buffer. Of the first fixed number of frames held in the storage unit, the second fixed number of frames continuously transmitted or received immediately before the transmission or reception of the peculiar frame is read out to read the peculiar frame. It may be stored in the storage unit in association with.

According to the above configuration, among the frames transmitted or received by the network system management device one after another, the first fixed number of frames continuously transmitted or received are temporarily held in the buffer storage unit for network system management. Each time the device sends or receives a frame, the buffer storage is updated sequentially. The network system management device does not need to distinguish between a transmitted frame and a received frame. Therefore, the frames temporarily stored in the buffer storage unit may be a mixture of frames to be transmitted and frames to be received in chronological order. This is because the extraction of peculiar frames is performed by comparing the data patterns in a specific data area, so that it is not necessary to distinguish between the transmitted frame and the received frame.

When the extraction unit extracts a unique frame, it stores it in the storage unit. Further, the extraction unit reads out a second constant number of frames continuously transmitted or received immediately before the transmission or reception of the extracted unique frame from the buffer storage unit, and associates the extracted unique frame with the extracted unique frame. And save it in the storage.

As a result, information on the cause of the occurrence of the frame in which the data pattern does not match the reference frame can be obtained not only from the peculiar frame but also from the second fixed number of frames immediately before the frame. Therefore, it becomes easier to find out the cause of the abnormality that occurred during the operation of the master-slave network system or the cause of the sign of the abnormality.

The first one constant and the second one constant may be the same, or the second one constant may be smaller than the first one constant.

In the network system management device according to another aspect of the present invention, when the extraction unit extracts the peculiar frame, the extraction unit continuously transmits or receives the peculiar frame immediately after the transmission or reception of the peculiar frame. A certain number of frames may be stored in the storage unit in association with the peculiar frame.

According to the above configuration, information about the cause of the occurrence of a frame whose data pattern does not match the reference frame is obtained not only from the peculiar frame and the second fixed number of frames, but also immediately after the transmission or reception of the peculiar frame. It can also be obtained from a third fixed number of frames. Therefore, it becomes easier to find out the cause of the abnormality that occurred during the operation of the master-slave network system or the cause of the sign of the abnormality.

The second constant and the third constant may be the same or different.

In order to solve the above problems, the network system management method according to one aspect of the present invention is a network system management method executed by a master included in a master-slave type network system, in which transmission / reception is performed between the master and the slave. A frame in which a data pattern in at least one specific data area of a transmitted frame and a received frame is detected for the first time is saved during a certain period of multiple times, and a frame in which the saved data pattern is detected in duplicate is detected. New frames transmitted or received and the reference frame during the reference frame creation step of creating a population of reference frames by not saving and during other periods of multiple transmissions and receptions between the master and the slave. It is characterized by including an extraction step of comparing data patterns in the specific data area and extracting the new frame whose data patterns do not match as a unique frame.

According to the above configuration, the same functions and effects as those of the network system management device according to the first and second aspects are obtained. That is, a peculiar frame can be easily extracted by collating the reference frame of the population with a small amount of data and the transmitted or received frame with each data pattern. Further, by analyzing the extracted peculiar frame, it is possible to analyze an abnormality or a sign of an abnormality, so that the time required for the analysis can be significantly reduced.

A computer may be made to execute the network system management method according to one aspect of the present invention. In this case, a control program for causing a computer to execute the network system management method and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

According to the network system management device and the network system management method according to one aspect of the present invention, a frame having a peculiar data pattern can be easily identified from various frames exchanged between the master and the slave. It works.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of the master included in the master-slave type network system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows typically the master-slave type network system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure of the frame which exchanges with the slave of X series, and how the master creates the population of the reference frame from the frame. It is a flowchart which shows one procedure example of the process of creating the population of the reference frame from the frame which the master exchanges with a slave. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which the master compares the frame received from the slave of the X series with the saved reference frame, and discards the frame which matches the reference frame. A procedure of a process in which the master compares a frame transmitted to the slave of the X series or a frame received from the slave with a saved reference frame, and extracts a frame that does not match the reference frame as a peculiar frame. It is a flowchart which shows an example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which the master compares the frame received from the slave of the X series with the saved reference frame, and saves the frame which does not match the reference frame as a peculiar frame. It is a flowchart which shows one procedure example of the process of notifying the user of the said network system when the said peculiar frame is extracted by the process shown in FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another procedure example of the process of notifying the user of the network system of the peculiar frame when the peculiar frame is extracted by the process shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of the master included in the master-slave type network system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. The master shown in FIG. 10 compares a frame transmitted to the slave of the X series or a frame received from the slave of the X series with a stored reference frame, and sets a frame that does not match the reference frame as a peculiar frame. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which saves and saves a certain number of frames before and after receiving the peculiar frame in association with a peculiar frame. This is a process that replaces a part of the process shown in FIG. 6, and when the master shown in FIG. 10 extracts a peculiar frame, the peculiar frame and a certain number of frames before and after receiving the peculiar frame. It is a flowchart which shows one procedure example of the process which saves in association with.

[Embodiment 1]
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

[System overview]
First, an outline of the master-slave network system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the network system 1. The network system 1 is, for example, an FA system, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes a master 10 (network system management device), a slave group 20, and an information processing device 30.

The master 10 functions as a control device that controls the entire network system 1 as a whole, and also functions as a network system management device that extracts a peculiar frame that deviates from the standard among the frames flowing through the network system 1. For example, PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) can be adopted as the master 10. The master 10 is sometimes called an IO-Link master. The master 10 includes a central processing unit 11 which is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit (memory) 12 as a main hardware configuration. The master 10 communicates with the slave group 20 and the information processing device 30 via a communication interface unit (not shown).

The slave group 20 includes a slave X1 and a slave Y communicably connected to the master 10, respectively, and a slave X2 communicably connected to the slave X1. The slave X1 and the slave X2 are referred to as X-series slaves, and the slave Y is referred to as a Y-series slave. There is no limit to the number of slaves included in the X-series slaves and the Y-series slaves that are communicably connected to each other. Various devices (not shown) are communicably connected to the slaves X1, X2, and Y. Each of the slaves X1, X2, and Y functions as a relay device that relays data between the upper network including the master 10 and various devices.

The various devices are devices to be controlled by the master 10, and can be composed of input devices and output devices. Examples of the input system device include various sensors such as a photoelectric sensor and a proximity sensor, and examples of the output system device include an actuator or a motor. Further, a conversion device such as an inverter can also be adopted as a device.

The information processing device 30 is a device used for various settings in the network system 1, including operation settings of various devices. Since it is possible to give commands to control the operation of various devices from the information processing device 30, it can be said that the information processing device 30 is also one of the control devices. As the information processing device 30, an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC) can be used, a portable information processing device such as a notebook PC or a tablet computer, or another support tool or HMI (Human). Machine Interface) can also be used. The user can operate the master 10 and check the operating state of the network system 1 via the information processing device 30.

(Main part configuration of master)
Next, the main configuration of the master 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the master 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the master 10 includes an input / output control unit 14 and a communication control unit 15 in addition to the central processing unit 11 and the storage unit 12 that collectively control the operation of the master 10. There is. The input / output control unit 14 controls data input / output by bidirectional communication performed by the central processing unit 11 and the information processing device 30. The communication control unit 15 controls data input / output by bidirectional communication performed by the central processing unit 11, the slave X1 and the slave Y.

The central processing unit 11 functions the filter condition setting unit 13a, the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b, and the frame comparison determination unit 13c as the frame management unit 13 that manages the frames exchanged between the master 10 and the slaves X1, X2, and Y. Prepared as.

The storage unit 12 includes a filter condition storage area 12a, a reference frame storage area 12b, and an abnormal frame storage area 12c, depending on the type of data to be stored. In each of the storage areas 12a to 12c, an X-series area for storing data relating to the X-series slave and a Y-series area for storing data relating to the Y-series slave are further set.

The frame management unit 13 has a data pattern corresponding to a predetermined condition in the frame transmitted or received by the master 10 during a certain period in which the frame is transmitted and received a plurality of times between the master 10 and each of the slaves X1, X2, Y. The frame with is extracted as the reference frame. Further, the frame management unit 13 creates a population of a plurality of reference frames having different data patterns. Therefore, the frame management unit 13 plays a role as a reference frame creation unit that creates a population of reference frames.

In order for the frame management unit 13 to perform the above processing, first, the filter condition setting unit 13a receives the predetermined condition input by the user via the information processing device 30 and stores it in the filter condition storage area 12a. The above-mentioned predetermined conditions may be different according to the series of slaves, or may be the same regardless of the series of slaves. When the above-mentioned predetermined conditions are different according to the series of slaves, for example, they are stored separately in the X series area and the Y series area of the filter condition storage area 12a.

The frame transmission / reception control unit 13b creates a frame according to the control for various devices, and transmits / receives the frame to / from each slave X1, X2, Y. Each slave X1, X2, Y reads and executes a command written in the received frame to control the operation of various devices. After that, each of the slaves X1, X2, and Y writes the result of controlling the operation of various devices in the frame in which the command is read or in a frame separately addressed to itself, and transmits the result to the slave or the master 10 in the next stage.

The frame transmission / reception control unit 13b receives a frame (response frame) sent back by each slave X1, X2, Y controlling the operation of various devices. The frame management unit 13 performs different processing on the frame transmitted to each of the slaves X1, X2, Y and the frame sent back according to the instruction of the user via the information processing device 30.

The first process performed by the frame management unit 13 is a process of creating a population of the reference frames based on at least one of the transmitted frame and the received frame, preferably both. The second process performed by the frame management unit 13 compares the transmitted or received frame with the reference frame in a period different from the period for creating the population, and sets the frame whose data pattern does not match as a unique frame. This is the process of extracting. These processes will be described in detail later.

In the first process, the population created by the frame management unit 13 (frame comparison determination unit 13c) is stored in the reference frame storage area 12b. If the above-mentioned predetermined conditions are different according to the slave series, the population is created according to the slave series, and is stored separately in, for example, the X series area and the Y series area of the reference frame storage area 12b. Will be done.

In the second process, the frame comparison determination unit 13c compares the frame passed from the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b with the population of the reference frames, and extracts the frames whose data patterns do not match as unique frames. Therefore, the frame comparison determination unit 13c plays a role as an extraction unit for extracting a peculiar frame. The extracted peculiar frame is stored in the abnormal frame storage area 12c. When the above-mentioned predetermined conditions are different according to the slave sequence, the peculiar frame is extracted according to the slave sequence, and is divided into, for example, the X-series area and the Y-series area of the abnormal frame storage area 12c. It will be saved.

(Frame data structure)
Next, the data structure (format) of the frame will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of a frame in which the master 10 interacts with an X-series slave and creating a population of reference frames from the frame.

As shown in FIG. 3, one frame is composed of, for example, an address field, a service field, a size field, and a data field.

The address field is composed of address data indicating the position of the slave on the network, which is the transmission destination of the frame, and address data of the master 10 or a plurality of control devices including the master 10 which is the transmission source of the frame. In FIG. 3, the address field is shown in a simplified manner. For example, addresses A to C are shown as data representing the addresses of slaves X1 and X2 and slaves (not shown) connected to slave X2, respectively.

The service field is composed of data that defines, for example, the processing priority of each frame. For example, the slave recognizes that the frame with the command A contained in the service field must be processed before the frame with the command B contained in the service field. Alternatively, it may include data that instructs the slave specified by the address to read data from the data field or write data to the data field frame by frame.

The size field is composed of data indicating the size of the data that constitutes the data field following the size field, and the data field contains data that specifies the specific operation of the slave or the specific control of the slave on various devices. It is arranged. The slave can recognize where the data field is from by the data in the size field.

The frame structure shown in FIG. 3 is only a typical example, and may be another frame structure. For example, in addition to the above fields, a frame structure may have a preamble field for timing synchronization and a check field for performing error detection at the time of a communication error.

(Reference frame population creation process)
Subsequently, the process in which the master 10 creates the population of the reference frame will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a process in which the master 10 creates a population of reference frames from frames that interact with the slave. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a process in which the master 10 compares a frame received from the slave of the X series with a stored reference frame and discards a frame that matches the reference frame.

In the following, the case where the population of the reference frame is created based on the frame received from the slave of the X series is described, but in the creation of the population, the master 10 refers to the slave of the X series. The frame to be transmitted is also used. The master 10 creates a population without distinguishing between a transmitted frame and a received frame.

The population of the reference frame may be created during the start-up period of the network system 1 or during the normal operation period of the network system 1. For example, in the case of the FA system as the network system 1, if the operation of the FA system is repeated for a plurality of cycles in any period, the number of frames transmitted and received between the master 10 and the slave group 20 becomes enormous. As will be described later, the reference frame population is created by collecting only frames having different data patterns corresponding to predetermined conditions from a huge number of frames. Therefore, in the operation of the FA system after the population is created, it is possible to easily extract a peculiar frame having a data pattern different from that of the reference frame (hereinafter, may be referred to as an abnormal frame) from a huge number of frames. it can. In addition, it is possible to easily extract an abnormality frame related to the occurrence of an abnormality or a sign of an abnormality that tends to be concentrated during the start-up period of the network system 1. Since the number of reference frames constituting the population is limited, the capacity of the storage unit 12 for storing the population can be small.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the frame management unit 13 receives the population creation instruction of the reference frame input by the user via the information processing device 30 (step 1; hereinafter abbreviated as S1), the population creation process To start. Subsequently, the frame management unit 13 receives a predetermined condition (filter condition) input by the user via the information processing device 30 (S2), and the filter condition setting unit 13a stores the received filter condition in the filter condition storage area. Store in 12a. The predetermined condition is a condition for selecting a reference frame from a huge number of frames. As a specific condition, as shown in FIG. 3, a case where it is specified to extract frames having different data patterns of the address field and the service field will be described as an example.

If the number of various fields constituting the frame is larger than that in the example of FIG. 3 and the types of fields specified as the filter conditions are increased, the number of combinations of different data patterns increases, so that the number of reference frames to be selected is increased. Will also increase. Then, as the number of reference frames increases, the accuracy of detecting abnormal frames whose data patterns do not match the reference frames increases.

In S3 following S2, the frame management unit 13 receives the reference frame learning start request input by the user via the information processing device 30, that is, the population creation start request. In response to this, the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b creates an operation instruction frame for operating the network system 1 (S4), and transmits an operation instruction frame to, for example, an X-series slave (S5). The slaves X1 and X2, which are slaves of the X series, read data from the frame destined for themselves, control various devices according to the content of the data, and write the result in the same frame or another frame as before. , Generate a response frame. The response frame is sent back from the slaves X1 and X2 to the master 10.

When the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b receives the response frame generated by processing the operation instruction frame by the slaves X1 and X2 (S6), the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b passes the response frame to the frame comparison determination unit 13c. In response to this, the frame comparison determination unit 13c determines whether the passed response frame is the first received response frame (S7). If the determination result in S7 is YES, the frame comparison determination unit 13c stores the response frame as the first reference frame in the X-series area of the reference frame storage area 12b (S8). On the other hand, when the determination result of S7 is NO, the frame comparison determination unit 13c compares the data pattern between the response frame and the reference frame stored in the reference frame storage area 12b. At this time, the frame comparison determination unit 13c compares the data patterns of the address fields and the service fields of the response frame and the reference frame based on the filter condition notified from the filter condition setting unit 13a (S9), and data. The difference between the patterns is determined (S10).

Next, when the determination result of S10 is "mismatch" (that is, NO in S10), the frame comparison determination unit 13c recognizes that the passed response frame is a new reference frame having a new data pattern. Then, it is saved in the X series area of the reference frame storage area 12b (S11). On the other hand, when the determination result of S10 is "matching" (that is, Y in S10), the frame comparison determination unit 13c has a data pattern in which the passed response frame overlaps with the already saved reference frame. It recognizes that the response frame is passed and discards the passed response frame (S12). The processes of S7 to S12 correspond to the reference frame creation step.

After the execution of S11, the frame management unit 13 determines whether the network system 1 has been operated for a certain period of time sufficient to create the population of the reference frame, for example, whether the operation cycle of the FA system has been repeated a certain number of times (S13). .. If the determination result in S13 is YES, the frame management unit 13 ends the population creation process of the reference frame. On the other hand, when the determination result of S13 is NO, the frame management unit 13 returns the process to S4 and repeats the processes of S4 to S13.

FIG. 3 also illustrates the process of creating the population. For example, of the eight frames shown in FIG. 3, the bottom frame is the response frame transmitted or received by the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b first. Therefore, the bottom frame is saved as a reference frame. The second to fourth response frames from the bottom and the top response frame are saved as reference frames because the already saved reference frame and the data pattern of the predetermined field (specific data area) do not match. The fifth to seventh response frames from the bottom are not saved as the reference frame and are discarded because the data pattern of the predetermined field matches the already saved reference frame.

In addition, FIG. 5 shows that in the process of creating the population, discarding frames with matching data patterns is visually easy to understand. For example, when an operation instruction frame is transmitted from the master 10 to the slave X1 and the master 10 receives the response frame Fb generated by being processed by the slaves X1 and X2, a reference frame having a matching data pattern is stored in the storage unit 12. Whether or not is determined. In this example, since the reference frame whose data pattern matches the response frame Fb is stored in the storage unit 12, the response frame Fb is discarded.

(Abnormal frame extraction process)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9, a process in which the master 10 extracts an abnormality or an abnormality frame related to a sign of the abnormality generated in the network system 1 will be described. FIG. 6 shows an example of a procedure in which the master 10 compares a frame transmitted to the slave or a frame received from the slave with a saved reference frame, and extracts a frame that does not match the reference frame as a peculiar frame. It is a flowchart which shows. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a process in which the master 10 compares a frame received from an X-series slave with a saved reference frame, and saves a frame that does not match the reference frame as a peculiar frame. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of the process of notifying the user of the network system 1 of the peculiar frame when the peculiar frame is extracted by the process shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another procedure example of the process of notifying the user of the network system 1 of the peculiar frame when the peculiar frame is extracted by the process shown in FIG.

The process of extracting the abnormal frame may be performed during the startup period of the network system 1 or during the normal operation period of the network system 1, as in the period of creating the population. In any period, a huge number of frames are exchanged between the master 10 and the slave group 20 while transmission / reception is repeated a plurality of times between the master 10 and the slave group 20. The frame comparison determination unit 13c of the master 10 compares the data patterns in the predetermined field (specific data area) with the transmitted frame or the received response frame and the reference frame, and the transmitted frame or the transmitted frame in which the data patterns do not match. Extract the response frame as an abnormal frame. Therefore, it is easier for an expert with advanced skills and specialized knowledge such as communication standards to extract abnormal frames from a huge number of frames in a short time compared to the method of extracting abnormal frames over time. Can be extracted to. It should be noted that the extracted abnormal frame may include a suspicious frame that may be a sign of an abnormal occurrence on the frame pattern even if an abnormality has not occurred in the operating state of the system. Therefore, it is possible to quickly analyze the abnormality or the sign of the abnormality that has occurred in the network system 1. Further, when the user changes the parameters set in the network system 1 or partially changes the components included in the network system 1, an abnormality may be induced. Even in such a case, since the abnormal frame is easily detected, the abnormality can be analyzed in association with the change made by the user to the network system 1. Therefore, the effect that the cause of the abnormality can be easily identified can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the extraction process of the abnormal frame will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In the following, the case where the response frame and the reference frame are compared and the abnormal frame is extracted is described as an example, but the same processing is performed for the transmitted frame. When the frame management unit 13 receives the analysis instruction of the frame input by the user via the information processing device 30 (S21), the frame management unit 13 starts the extraction process of the abnormal frame. That is, in response to the frame analysis instruction, the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b creates an operation instruction frame for operating the network system 1 (S22), and transmits an operation instruction frame to, for example, an X-series slave (S23). .. Next, as described above, when the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b receives the response frame generated by processing the operation instruction frame by the slaves X1 and X2 (S24), the response frame is sent to the frame comparison determination unit 13c. hand over. In response to this, the frame comparison determination unit 13c compares the data patterns in the predetermined field with the passed response frame and the reference frame stored in the reference frame storage area 12b (S25), and the data patterns are compared with each other. (S26).

Next, when the determination result of S26 is "matching" (that is, YES in S26), the frame comparison determination unit 13c determines that there is no abnormality in the passed response frame (S27). On the other hand, when the comparison result of S26 is "mismatch" (that is, NO in S26), the frame comparison determination unit 13c determines that the passed response frame is an abnormal frame different from the reference frame (S28). The abnormal frame is stored in the X-series area of the abnormal frame storage area 12c (S29). The processing of S25 to S28 corresponds to an extraction step of extracting a peculiar frame.

After that, after appropriately performing the abnormal frame notification process (S30) described later as necessary, the frame management unit 13 has operated the network system 1 for a certain period of time sufficient to extract the abnormal frame, for example, the FA system. It is determined whether or not the operation cycle of is repeated a certain number of times (S31). If the determination result in S31 is YES, the frame management unit 13 ends the extraction process of the abnormal frame. On the other hand, when the determination result of S31 is NO, the frame management unit 13 returns the process to S22 and repeats the processes of S22 to S31.

Further, FIG. 7 shows that in the process of extracting the abnormal frame, it is visually easy to understand that the transmitted frame or the response frame whose data pattern does not match the data pattern of the reference frame is saved. For example, when an operation instruction frame is transmitted from the master 10 to the slave X1 and the master 10 receives the response frame Fw (new frame) generated by being processed by the slaves X1 and X2, the reference frame in which the data patterns of the predetermined fields match. Is stored in the storage unit 12. In this example, since the reference frame whose data pattern matches the response frame Fw is not stored in the storage unit 12, the response frame Fw is extracted as an abnormal frame and stored in the storage unit 12.

(Notification processing of extracted abnormal frames)
In S30, when an abnormal frame is extracted, the user is notified of the abnormal frame. However, the notification process of S30 may not be included in the abnormal frame extraction process and may be a completely different independent process.

Here, a specific example in the case of executing S30 as one process of the extraction process of the abnormal frame will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of the process of notifying the user of the network system 1 of the peculiar frame when the peculiar frame is extracted by the process shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another procedure example of the process of notifying the user of the network system 1 of the peculiar frame when the peculiar frame is extracted by the process shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, following S29, the frame management unit 13 notifies the information processing apparatus 30 that the abnormal frame has been extracted (S301). Next, in response to the notification, it is determined whether or not a request for transferring the abnormal frame to the information processing device 30 has been received from the information processing device 30 (S302). If the determination result is YES, the frame management unit 13 reads out the abnormal frame stored in the abnormal frame storage area 12c and transfers it to the information processing device 30 (S303). When the determination result of S302 is NO, that is, when the abnormal frame is not extracted, the process proceeds to S31.

The notification process of FIG. 8 can be changed to the notification process of FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, following S29, the frame management unit 13 determines whether or not an inquiry regarding the abnormal frame is received from the information processing device 30 (S301'). If the inquiry has not been received (NO in S301'), the process proceeds to S31. On the other hand, when the inquiry is received (YES in S301'), the frame management unit 13 records that the abnormal frame is stored in the storage unit 12 or that the abnormal frame is stored in the storage unit 12. It is determined whether or not (S302').

If the determination result of S302'is YES, the frame management unit 13 reads out the abnormal frame stored in the abnormal frame storage area 12c and transfers it to the information processing device 30 (S303'). When the determination result of S302'is NO, that is, when the abnormal frame is not extracted, the frame management unit 13 notifies the information processing apparatus 30 that there is no abnormality (S304'). After the execution of S303'and S304', the process proceeds to S31.

[Embodiment 2]
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another example of the functional configuration of the master 10A included in the master-slave network system 1A. FIG. 11 shows a frame in which the master 10A shown in FIG. 10 compares a frame transmitted to the slave of the X series or a frame received from the slave of the X series with a stored reference frame and does not match the reference frame. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which saves Fw as a peculiar frame, and saves a certain number of frames before and after transmission or reception of the peculiar frame Fw in association with peculiar frame Fw.

In the network system 1A according to the present embodiment, the frame management unit 13 is replaced with the frame management unit 13A by newly providing the buffer control unit 13d in addition to the configuration of the frame management unit 13. Further, a buffer memory 16 (buffer storage unit) whose data reading / writing is controlled by the buffer control unit 13d is added to the configuration of the network system 1. The buffer control unit 13d also controls the writing of data to the abnormal frame storage area 12c. There is no difference between the network system 1A and the network system 1 in the configurations other than these.

As shown in FIG. 11, of the frames transmitted to the X-series slaves X1 and X2, or the response frames processed by the X-series slaves X1 and X2 and sent back to the master 10A, several frames are included. , It is written to the buffer memory 16 via the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b. The master 10A writes the frame to the buffer memory 16 without distinguishing between the frame to be transmitted and the response frame. Therefore, the frames temporarily stored in the buffer memory 16 may be a mixture of transmission frames and response frames in chronological order. This is because the extraction of peculiar frames is performed by comparing the data patterns in a specific data area, so that it is not necessary to distinguish between the transmission frame and the response frame.

Writing a frame to the buffer memory 16 is a FIFO (First-In First-Out) method. That is, when the latest response frame is transferred from the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b to the buffer memory 16, the oldest written frame in time among the several frames written in the buffer memory 16 is the buffer control unit 13d. Read by and discarded. Therefore, the number of frames stored in the buffer memory 16 does not change, but the stored contents of the buffer memory 16 are updated each time a frame is written.

As described with reference to FIG. 7, it is assumed that the frame Fw has a data pattern different from that of the reference frames Fa to Fd, is extracted as an abnormal frame, and is stored in the abnormal frame storage area 12c. Further, in the buffer memory 16, frames Ft, Fu, and Fv, which are several frames (first constant) immediately preceding the frame Fw in time, are temporarily stored in this order in time. Suppose you are.

In this case, when the buffer control unit 13d receives the information that the frame Fw has been extracted as an abnormal frame from the frame comparison determination unit 13c, the buffer control unit 13d shifts the frames Ft to Fv stored in the buffer memory 16 to the abnormal frame storage area 12c. Forward. The transferred frames Ft to Fv are stored in the abnormal frame storage area 12c in association with the frame Fw. Even if a part (second constant m; m ≦ M) of several frames (first constant M) stored in the buffer memory 16 is transferred to the abnormal frame storage area 12c. Good.

As a result, information on the cause of the occurrence of the abnormal frame Fw can be obtained not only from the frame Fw but also from a certain number of frames Ft to Fv immediately before the frame Fw. Therefore, it becomes easier to find out the cause of the abnormality that occurred during the operation of the network system 1A or the cause of the sign of the abnormality.

It should be noted that not only the abnormal frame Fw and a certain number of frames Ft to Fv immediately before the abnormal frame Fw are stored in association with each other, but also a fixed number (third constant) received by the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b following the abnormal frame Fw. The frames Fx, Fy, and Fz of the number) may be saved in association with the frame Fw. In this case, the frames Fx, Fy, and Fz transmitted or received by the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b after the frame Fw are sequentially written in the abnormal frame storage area 12c without passing through the buffer memory 16.

It should be noted that, rather than the process in which the frame comparison determination unit 13c extracts the abnormal frame Fw and saves it in the abnormal frame storage area 12c, the process of saving the frames Fx to Fz that follow the abnormal frame Fw in time in the buffer memory 16. Can be faster. In this case, the buffer control unit 13d may read the frames Fx to Fz from the buffer memory 16 and store them in the abnormal frame storage area 12c.

As a result, the abnormal frame Fw and several frames Ft to Fv and frames Fx to Fz that are temporally adjacent to each other in front of and behind the frame Fw are stored in the abnormal frame storage area 12c. As a result, information on the cause of the abnormal frame Fw can be obtained from the frame Fw, the frames Ft to Fv, and the frames Fx to Fz, so that the cause or abnormality of the abnormality that occurred during the operation of the network system 1A can be obtained. It will be even easier to pinpoint the cause of the signs of.

(Process to save frames before and after the abnormal frame)
FIG. 12 is a process of replacing a part of the process shown in FIG. 6, and when the master 10A shown in FIG. 10 extracts a peculiar frame, the peculiar frame and the transmission or reception of the peculiar frame are transmitted or received. It is a flowchart which shows one procedure example of the process which saves by associating a certain number of frames before and after. The processing of S28 and S29-1 in FIG. 12 is the same as the processing of S28 and S29 in FIG. The buffer control unit 13d reads out a certain number of frames stored in the buffer memory 16 in response to the extraction of abnormal frames by the frame comparison determination unit 13c (S29-2). In FIG. 12, the process of S29-2 is executed after the process of S29-1, but after the process of S28, the process of S29-1 and the process of S29-2 are executed at the same time or almost at the same time. You may.

Next, the buffer control unit 13d stores a fixed number of frames read from the buffer memory 16 in the abnormal frame storage area 12c in association with the abnormal frame (S29-3). Further, the frame comparison determination unit 13c stores a certain number of frames transmitted or received in succession immediately after the frame transmission / reception control unit 13b transmits or receives the abnormal frame in the abnormal frame storage area 12c in association with the abnormal frame ( S29-4). When the processing of S29-4 is completed, the processing proceeds to S30.

[Example of realization by software]
Even if the blocks related to the control of the masters 10 and 10A (particularly each unit 13a to 13d included in the frame management units 13 and 13A) are realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

In the latter case, the master 10 is a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a storage in which the program and various data are readablely recorded by a computer (or CPU). A device (referred to as a "recording medium" corresponding to the storage unit 12), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for developing the program, and the like are provided. Then, the computer (or CPU) reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium", for example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1, 1A network system 10 master (network system management device)
12 Storage unit (recording medium)
13 Frame management department (reference frame creation department)
13c frame comparison judgment unit (extraction unit)
16 Buffer memory (buffer storage)
20 Slave group Fw frame (unique frame)

Claims (9)

In a network system management device that functions as a master included in a master-slave network system
During a certain period in which frames are transmitted and received a plurality of times between the network system management device and the slave, a data pattern corresponding to a predetermined condition in at least one of the frames transmitted and received by the network system management device is generated. , A network system management characterized by having a reference frame creation unit that creates a population of reference frames by saving the first detected frame and not saving the frame in which the saved data pattern is duplicated and detected. apparatus. During another period in which transmission / reception is performed a plurality of times between the master and the slave, the data patterns in a specific data area are compared between the new frame transmitted or received and the reference frame, and the data patterns match. The network system management device according to claim 1, further comprising an extraction unit that extracts the new frame as a peculiar frame. The network system management device according to claim 1, wherein the reference frame creating unit creates the population during the startup period of the network system. The network system management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reference frame creating unit creates the population during a normal operating period after the network system is started up. A storage unit that stores the peculiar frame extracted by the extraction unit, and a storage unit.
Of the transmitted or received frames, a buffer storage unit that temporarily holds a first fixed number of consecutively transmitted or received frames and is sequentially updated each time the frame is transmitted or received is further added. Prepare,
When the peculiar frame is extracted, the extraction unit continuously transmits or transmits immediately before the transmission or reception of the peculiar frame among the first fixed number of frames held in the buffer storage unit. The network system management device according to claim 2, wherein a second fixed number of received frames are read out, associated with the peculiar frame, and stored in the storage unit. When the peculiar frame is extracted, the extraction unit associates a third constant number of frames continuously transmitted or received immediately after the transmission or reception of the peculiar frame with the peculiar frame. The network system management device according to claim 5, wherein the network system management device is stored in the storage unit. In the network system management method executed by the master included in the master-slave network system,
During a certain period in which transmission and reception are performed multiple times between the master and the slave, the data pattern in at least one specific data area of the transmitted frame and the received frame is stored in the first detected frame, and the data pattern is saved. A reference frame creation step that creates a population of reference frames by not saving frames that detect duplicate data patterns,
During another period in which transmission / reception is performed a plurality of times between the master and the slave, the data patterns in the specific data area are compared between the new frame transmitted or received and the reference frame, and the data pattern is determined. A network system management method comprising an extraction step of extracting the new frame that does not match as a unique frame. A control program for causing a computer to execute the network system management method according to claim 7. A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 8 is recorded.

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