KR20240023783A - Dual transformation device between Modbus protocol and REST API protocol for power generation monitoring - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a double conversion method between the Modbus protocol and the REST API protocol includes: receiving data of a first communication protocol; Analyzing data packets of received data; converting data into data of a second communication protocol based on the analysis results; and transmitting the converted data to a destination device, wherein the analyzing step includes checking the current communication protocol of the received data packet, checking the communication protocol of the destination device of the data, and determining whether protocol conversion is necessary. Discloses a protocol double conversion method, wherein the first communication protocol is one of the Modbus protocol and REST API, and the second communication protocol is the other one of the Modbus protocol and REST API.

Description

Dual transformation device between Modbus protocol and REST API protocol for power generation monitoring}

The present invention relates to a conversion device and method for converting between the Modbus protocol and the REST API protocol in device-to-device communication in an industrial control system.

IoT (Internet of Things) can be defined as a new information and communication base that connects all objects through a network to enable communication between humans and objects and between objects and objects anytime, anywhere. Modbus is one of the protocols used to control industrial equipment and is used for communication in industrial control systems. For example, receiving and monitoring measurement signals from various IoT sensors installed in power generation facilities, or communicating with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) used to automate and control machines and devices in manufacturing plants, buildings, amusement parks, etc. You can use it.

In general, Modbus operates through RS-485-based communication between a control device or collection device (master) and multiple IoT sensors (slaves), or it may operate through network-based communication such as the Internet, in which case the Modbus protocol and Protocol conversion between network communication-based protocols (e.g. REST API) is required.

Figure 1 shows a typical conventional protocol converter. In the case of Figure 1(a), the protocol converter 10 may be located between the control device 11 and a plurality of IoT devices 12. For example, the IoT device 12 may be various sensors of power generation facilities, and the control device 11 may be a device that receives data from the IoT devices 12 or transmits a specific command. The protocol converter 10 communicates with the IoT devices 12 in the Modbus method (e.g., Modbus_RTU method), converts the data received from the IoT device 12 into a REST API data format, and then converts the data received from the IoT device 12 into a REST API data format and sends it to the control device 11. It can be sent to . Figure 1(b) is another conventional protocol converter 20 that can communicate with the IoT device 12 in the Modbus_RTU method and with the control device 11 in the Modbus_TCP method. In this case, the protocol converter 20 converts the data received from the IoT device 12 into Modbus_TCP data and transmits it to the control device 11, and converts the Modbus_TCP data received from the control device 11 into Modbus_RTU data. It can be transmitted to the IoT device 12.

However, existing protocol converters can only perform protocol conversion between Modbus and REST API or between Modbus_RTU and Modbus_TCP. However, in order to build an IoT environment in existing industrial facilities composed of Modbus, this one-to-one conversion alone takes a lot of time and cost, so it is not easy to build a system composed of various devices.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a protocol conversion device that can facilitate the construction of a system by IoT devices of various communication methods by simultaneously performing conversion between various protocols.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a protocol double conversion device is provided that can simultaneously convert data input through one communication protocol into data of two or more protocols and transmit it to each IoT device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a double conversion method between the Modbus protocol and the REST API protocol includes: receiving data of a first communication protocol; Analyzing data packets of received data; converting data into data of a second communication protocol based on the analysis results; and transmitting the converted data to a destination device, wherein the analyzing step includes checking the current communication protocol of the received data packet, checking the communication protocol of the destination device of the data, and determining whether protocol conversion is necessary. Discloses a protocol double conversion method, wherein the first communication protocol is one of the Modbus protocol and REST API, and the second communication protocol is the other one of the Modbus protocol and REST API.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, not only can REST API data be output for Modbus input, but Modbus output and REST API output can be performed simultaneously for Modbus input, and REST API data can be performed simultaneously for REST API input. Output and Modbus output can be performed simultaneously.

1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional protocol converter;
Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a protocol converter according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a block diagram of a protocol converter according to one embodiment;
Figure 4 is a diagram explaining a protocol conversion method according to an embodiment.

The above objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be easily understood through the following preferred embodiments related to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. The embodiments described below are exemplary embodiments provided to sufficiently convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, the singular form of an element also includes the plural form unless specifically stated in the phrase. The expressions 'including', 'consisting of', and 'consisting of' used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the mentioned components.

In this specification, when terms such as first, second, etc. are used to describe components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one component from another. Embodiments described and illustrated herein also include complementary embodiments thereof.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In describing the specific embodiments below, various specific details have been written to explain the invention in more detail and to aid understanding. However, a reader with sufficient knowledge in the field to understand the present invention can recognize that it can be used without these various specific details. In some cases, it is mentioned in advance that parts that are commonly known but are not significantly related to the invention are not described in order to prevent confusion in describing the invention.

Figure 2 is a diagram explaining a protocol converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the protocol converter 100 may operate between the control device 200 and a plurality of IoT devices 310, 320, and 330. The control device 11 is a device that communicates with the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330 and transmits and receives data. For example, it is a control device that controls the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330, or a collection device that collects data. It may be a relay device. At this time, the control device 200 may be a system that follows the REST API protocol, that is, a RESTful system.

"REST" is an abbreviation for "Representational State Transfer" and refers to one of the communication methods between a client and a server on a network. REST API is an HTTP communication for CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) for arbitrary resources. This refers to a method of expressing requests as resources and methods and delivering them in a specific data format. Here, the resource is expressed as an HTTP URI, for example, and the method can be defined as, for example, GET, POS, DELETE, etc., and the specific data format can be one of the data in various forms, such as JSON, XMS, TEXT, RSS, etc. REST API is a protocol that can take full advantage of the web's advantages because it basically utilizes the existing web technology and HTTP protocol.

Additionally, the control device 200 may be a device that communicates in the Modbus_TCP method. In this case, the control device 200 can communicate with other devices through a network on the TCP/IP protocol.

Here, 'network' refers to a connection structure that allows information exchange between each node, such as terminals and servers, and includes local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the Internet ( It includes WWW (World Wide Web), wired and wireless data communication networks, telephone networks, and wired and wireless television communication networks. Examples of wireless data communication networks include, but are not limited to, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, 3GPP, LTE, WIMAX, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth communication, infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, visible light communication (VLC), etc. .

IoT devices 310, 320, and 330 may be various sensor devices installed in power generation facilities, for example, when the system of the present invention is applied to a power generation facility monitoring system. Although only three devices are shown in the drawing, this is for convenience of explanation, and in reality, one control device 200 may be configured to communicate with tens to hundreds of IoT devices. In general, IoT devices (310, 320, 330) can communicate with the protocol converter 100 in the Modbus_RTU method. In this case, the protocol converter 100 and each IoT device (310, 320, 330) communicate through an RS-485 port. Can communicate.

In an alternative embodiment, at least some of the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330 may be devices that communicate with other devices using the REST API protocol. In this case, the protocol converter 100 and the corresponding IoT device can communicate using the REST API method.

Therefore, according to the communication configuration of the present invention as described above, there is no need to specify either Modbus or REST API between the protocol converter 100 and the control device 200, and the control device 200 can use Modbus or REST API. You can receive data according to any communication method among REST APIs. In addition, the protocol converter 100 analyzes the data packet of the data received from the control device 200 to determine whether protocol conversion is necessary, and converts the data packet to each IoT device by converting it to Modbus_RTU and/or REST API method or without conversion. It can be sent to (310, 320, 330).

At this time, in one embodiment, even if the communication protocols of some of the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330 are different, the protocol converter 100 can convert the data into a protocol suitable for each IoT device and transmit it. For example, among IoT devices, the first device 310 and the second device 320 communicate using the Modbus_RTU method, the third device 330 communicates using the REST API method, and the control device 200 uses the REST API method. It is assumed that it is a device that communicates with the protocol converter 100. At this time, if the control device 200 needs to transmit data to the first to third devices 310, 320, and 330 by broadcasting, the control device 200 generates data according to the REST API protocol and transmits the data to the first to third devices 310, 320, and 330. Transmitted to converter 100. After receiving the data, the protocol converter 100 converts it into Modbus_RTU data and transmits it to the first device 310 and the second device 320, and the third device 330 receives the data from the control device 200. It can operate to transmit (i.e. relay) data as is.

As another example, if the protocol converter 100 receives first and second sensor measurement data from the first and second devices 310 and 320 of the Modbus_RTU method, respectively, and receives the first and second sensor measurement data from the third device 330 of the REST API method, When receiving the third sensor measurement data, the protocol converter 100 checks the communication protocol of the destination device (i.e., the control device 200) and then, for example, if the control device 200 is a Modbus_TCP type device, the first All through third sensor measurement data can be converted into Modbus_TCP format data and then transmitted to the control device 200.

Figure 3 schematically shows a functional block diagram of the protocol converter 100 according to one embodiment. Referring to Figure 3, the protocol converter 100 according to one embodiment includes a packet analysis unit 110, a protocol conversion unit 120, a transceiver 130, a first port 140, and a second port 150. , and may include a third port 160.

The packet analysis unit 110 is a functional unit that analyzes packets of data received from an external device that communicates wired and/or wirelessly. The packet analysis unit 110 can determine the need for protocol conversion by checking the current communication protocol of the received data packet and the communication protocol of the destination device of the data. The current protocol and destination device of a data packet can be determined, for example, by analyzing the header area of the data packet. The communication protocol of the destination device can be known from the header area of the data packet, and when the protocol converter 100 is first installed between the control device 200 and the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330, the protocol converter 100 is connected to the protocol converter 100. The communication method of each device can be stored in advance in a table format. In this case, for example, when the destination device is identified from the header area of the data packet, the communication protocol of the destination device can be identified by searching the table.

The protocol conversion unit 120 is a functional unit that converts the communication protocol of data packets. The protocol conversion unit 120 may convert data in a first communication protocol format into data in a second protocol format. At this time, the first communication protocol may be, for example, one of Modbus_TCP, Modbus_RTU, and REST API, and the second communication protocol may be another one of Modbus_TCP, Modbus_RTU, and REST API.

The transceiver 130 transmits data in the first communication protocol format or data in the second communication protocol format to an external device, such as the control device 200 or IoT devices 310, 320, and 330, through a wired and/or wireless communication network. This is the transmission function. At this time, the first port 140 is a physical port that communicates with the control device 200, for example, an Ethernet port, and data of the Modbus_TCP or REST API protocol is communicated with the control device 200 through the first port 140. Can send and receive. The second port 150 and the third port 160 are physical ports that communicate with the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330. For example, the second port 150 is an RS-485 port and transmits Modbus_RTU protocol data. The third port 160 is an Ethernet port and can transmit and receive REST API protocol data, for example.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary protocol conversion method by the protocol converter 100 described above. Referring to Figure 4, the protocol conversion method according to one embodiment includes the protocol converter 100 receiving a packet from an external device (S10), analyzing the received packet (S20), and converting the data according to the analysis result. It may include converting the protocol (S30) and transmitting the converted data to the destination device (S40).

To be more specific, in step S10, the protocol converter 100 may receive data from either the control device 200 or the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330. At this time, it is assumed that the received data is data in the first communication protocol format, and the first communication protocol may be, for example, any one of Modbus_TCP, Modbus_RTU, and REST API.

In step S20, the protocol converter 100 analyzes data packets of the received data. For example, in this step (S20), the current communication protocol (i.e., first communication protocol) of the received data packet is checked, and the communication protocol (i.e., second communication protocol) of the destination device of the data is checked. Determine the need for protocol conversion. At this time, the second communication protocol may be another communication protocol among Modbus_TCP, Modbus_RTU, and REST API.

When analyzing a packet, the current protocol and destination device of the data packet can be determined, for example, by analyzing the header area of the data packet. The communication protocol of the destination device can be known from the header area of the data packet, and when the protocol converter 100 is first installed between the control device 200 and the IoT devices 310, 320, and 330, the protocol converter 100 is connected to the protocol converter 100. The communication method of each device can be stored in advance in a table format. In this case, for example, when the destination device is identified from the header area of the data packet, the communication protocol of the destination device can be identified by searching the table.

As a result of the analysis, if it is determined that protocol conversion is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S40 and transmits the data to the destination device. However, if it is determined that protocol conversion is necessary, the process proceeds to step S30, performs protocol conversion, and transmits the protocol-converted data to the destination device (S40).

As described above, various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art in the field to which the present invention pertains from the description of the above-described specification. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined by the claims and equivalents thereof as well as the claims described later.

100: Protocol converter
200: Control device
310, 320, 330: IoT devices

Claims (1)

As a double conversion method of Modbus protocol and REST API protocol,
Receiving data of a first communication protocol;
Analyzing data packets of received data;
converting data into data of a second communication protocol based on the analysis results; and
A step of transmitting the converted data to a destination device;
The analyzing step includes checking the current communication protocol of the received data packet, checking the communication protocol of the destination device of the data, and determining the need for protocol conversion,
Here, the first communication protocol is one of the Modbus protocol and REST API, and the second communication protocol is the other one of the Modbus protocol and REST API.