WO2005081198A1

WO2005081198A1 - Information providing system and data generator

Info

Publication number: WO2005081198A1
Application number: PCT/JP2004/002177
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomonari Yashiro; Bumpei Magori; Kimio Yamasaki; Yasuhiro Kuwahara; Hiroo Awano; Katsuaki Sugimoto; Akira Tomotake
Original assignee: The Foundation For The Promotion Of Industrial Science
Priority date: 2004-02-25
Filing date: 2004-02-25
Publication date: 2005-09-01

Abstract

An objectifying section (106) reads out set information from a storage section (110) and refers to the set information along with time information (time of day information) indicated by an internal clock. The set information includes information concerning the place, the type of data, the format of data, and the like. Based on the set information and the time information, the objectifying section (106) generates object data from digital data indicative of the output results from a sensor. Since the object data has a general purpose meaning and becomes identifiable data, convenience of data being outputted from a sensor installed in a building, a facility, or the like, is enhanced thus presenting useful data to the user.

Description

Description Information provision system and data generation device

The present invention relates to an information providing system and a data generation device that utilize data and information in fields such as power 'environment' and energy. Background art

Conventionally, there is a system that collects information from managed devices installed in a building or the like and provides a service based on the information. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-109018 discloses a server that controls the operation of a managed device based on information indicating the operating state of the managed device collected from the managed device. The system has been described. In addition, JP-A-2001-3066134 discloses that a device to be managed is operated by a program aimed at reducing energy, and that measured values of operating conditions are collected from the device to be managed. In addition, a facility management device that feeds back operation results to future operations is described. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-91313 discloses a technique in which information is taken from compressors arranged in a distributed manner, and information indicating the operation status of the compressor is transmitted to the maintenance / maintenance department. A remote monitoring system that can prevent compressor failure is described.

In the past, data output from sensors installed in buildings, facilities, and the like merely showed numerical values, and the interpretation of the data depended on the system that uses the data. Therefore, data that is meaningful in one system but has no meaning in another system that has different specifications for interpreting the data (or the result of the interpretation is different from the meaning of the original data). There was a problem of becoming.

In addition, the data output from the sensors is merely numerical data, and information for identifying the data is not added to the data itself. Difficult to identify data there were. In addition, the format of the data output from the measurement and control device that performs measurement and control of the managed device based on the data output from the sensor depends on the specialized manufacturer that manages the measurement and control device. there were. As a result, the compatibility and reusability between data were extremely low, and it was difficult to link and link with systems and services that use the data. From the above, it was difficult to present useful information to the user based on the data output from the sensor. Disclosure of the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and can improve the convenience of data output from a sensor installed in a building, a facility, or the like, and can provide a user with a high degree of convenience. An object of the present invention is to provide an information providing system and a data generating device capable of presenting useful information.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a first aspect of the present invention is to add information for identifying output data to output data indicating an output value from a sensor. A data generating device for generating object data, and acquiring the object data from the data generating device via a network, and transmitting information based on the object data to a user terminal owned by the user. An information providing system comprising: a network device for transmitting data via the network.

In the information providing system, the data generation device includes: storage means for storing setting information necessary for generating the object data; reading the setting information from the storage means; and And information output means for adding information for identifying the output data to the output data.

In the information providing system, the object data includes the output data, data indicating a time based on time information, data indicating a location, and data indicating a type and format of the output data. Is also good.

The setting information may include information for identifying a place and information for identifying a type and a format of the output data. The setting information may further include conversion information for converting a data format of the output data.

A second aspect of the present invention is a data generation device that adds object identification data to output data indicating an output value from a sensor to generate object data.

A storage unit for storing setting information necessary for generating the object data; reading the setting information from the storage unit; and outputting the output data based on the setting information and time information. And information adding means for adding information for identifying the output data.

In the data generation device, the object data may include the output data, data indicating a time based on time information, data indicating a location, and data indicating a type and format of the output data. Good.

In the data generation device, the setting information may include information for identifying a place and information for identifying a type and a format of the output data.

In the data generation device, the setting information may further include conversion information for converting a data format of the output data.

According to the above aspect, data output from sensors installed in buildings, facilities, and the like is given meaning to uniquely identify the data, so that the data output from the sensor is The effect that convenience can be improved is obtained. In addition, there is an effect that useful information can be presented to the user. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the data generation device 10.

FIG. 3 is a reference diagram showing the contents of the object data. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information providing system includes a network 1, a data generator 10, a user terminal 20, server systems 30 to 32, and an analysis server 40. The network 1 is a network of various forms, such as a public Internet line, a telephone network, and an optical network.

The data generator 10 performs general-purpose meaning on data output from sensors installed in buildings, facilities, facilities, and the like, and generates object data. The user terminal 20 is a terminal operated by a user (client) to be provided with information. The user terminal 20 is a terminal provided with a network connection function such as a general-purpose personal computer, a mobile phone, or a PDA (PeRsonaDigitalitastelce). The number of user terminals 20 is arbitrary, and the server systems 30 to 32 acquire the data output from the data generating device 10 via the network 1 and perform various processes on the acquired data. The configuration of the server system 30-32 is as follows. The server system 30 includes a web server, an application server, and a database server. The server system 31 includes a web server 31 0 connected to the network 1, an application server 31 1 connected to the network 1, and a database server 3 1 2 connected to the application server 31 1. I have. The server system 32 includes a server system 320 having a web server and an application server, and a database server 321 connected to the network 1. The analysis server 40 performs various analysis processes on the input data.

Any number of servers can be installed in the server systems 30 to 32 described above. Further, the server systems 30 to 32 may have a configuration other than the illustrated configuration. That is, the configuration of these server systems 30 to 32 can be arbitrarily expanded. The server systems 30 to 32, etc., have an environment for connecting to the network 1 and the data It is only necessary to have at least a network device (combiner such as a WEB server) with a communication environment for sending and receiving.

Communication between each of the server systems 30 to 32 and the analysis server 40 and the data generation device 10 is performed based on SOAP (Simpl e Obj ect A cc e s s s pr o oc o I). SOAP uses a message described in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format and uses an i ^ ls protocol such as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) to send object data on the network. This is a protocol for accessing the Internet. In the communication using SO A Ρ, protocols such as HTT P, SMTP (S imp I e Mail Trans ransfer Protocol), and Fl P (lie Tran sfer Protocol) are used as lower protocols. . Communication using SOAP enables communication of object data between computers with different environments such as OS.

The operation when the server system 30 or the like connected to the network 1 requests the data generation device 10 to transmit data is as follows. For example, when the server system 30 requests data from the data generation device 10, the server system 30 converts the message data including the request information described in the XML format based on a protocol such as HTTP. The data is sent to the data generator 10. The data generation device 10 interprets the received message data and creates message data including an XML document described in the XML format based on the requested object data. Subsequently, the data generation device 10 transmits the message data to the server system 30 based on a protocol such as HTTP.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the data generation device 10. Sensors S 1 to Sm (m is a positive integer) and a monitor controller 50 are connected to the data generator 10. The monitor Z controller 50 is a monitor or controller such as a measurement control device or a BAS (Building Automation System) installed by a specialized manufacturer that handles sensors s1 to sn (n is a positive integer). is there. The sensors S1 to Sm and the sensors s1 to sn are various sensors installed in buildings and facilities. These sensors The data output from are the measured data such as voltage, current, electric energy, integrated electric energy, outside air temperature, and outside air humidity, and alarm data to notify an abnormal state. The data generator 10 has an input unit 101, an AZD conversion unit 102, a communication circuit 103, a connection unit 104, a pulse conversion unit 105, an object conversion unit 106, and an input unit 1. 0 7, communication circuit 1 08, connection section 1 09, storage section 1 110, general-purpose communication section 1 1 1, communication section

1 1 2, Communication circuit 1 1 3, Interface section 1 1 4, Wireless interface section 1 1

Has five.

The data output from the sensors S1 to Sm and the sensors s1 to sn are either analog, digital, or pulse data. Some sensors have an AZD converter inside and output digital data. In addition, integration-type data such as the amount of power integration is often pulse-like data. Analog, digital, or pulse data output from the sensors S1 to Sm is input to the input unit 101.

The A / D conversion unit 102 converts analog and pulse data output from the input unit 101 into digital (digital pulse) data and outputs the digital and digital data to the communication circuit 103. The AZD converter 102 does not perform data conversion on digital data. Digital data is input to connection 104. The pulse conversion unit 105 counts the number of pulses per unit time with respect to the digital pulse data, and converts the digital pulse data into digital data indicating a value measured by a sensor. The object conversion unit 106 generates meaningful object data based on the data output from the pulse conversion unit 105 and the connection unit 109. Details of the processing by the objectizing unit 106 will be described later.

The data output from the sensors s 1 to s n is input to the monitor-Z controller 50. The monitor-controller 50 outputs digital data in a format depending on the specialized manufacturer. This digital data is input to the input unit 107 and is input to the connection unit 109 via the communication circuit 108. This digital data is output from the connection unit 109 to the object conversion unit 106.

The object conversion unit 106 generates object data and stores it in the storage unit 110. The storage unit 110 stores object data and receives data from various sensors. It stores setting information, etc., including information on the output data and information on the installation location of the sensor. The general-purpose communication unit 111 receives message data input from an external network from the communication unit 12 and interprets the message data. Subsequently, the general-purpose communication unit 111 recognizes which object data is requested by interpreting the message data. The general-purpose communication unit 111 reads out the requested object data from the storage unit 110, and creates XML format data (XML document) based on the object data. Then, the general-purpose communication unit 111 adds additional information such as an envelope to the created XML document, and generates message data in a format based on SOAP.

The communication unit 112 controls communication with the outside. The communication unit 112 acquires the message data input from the external network from the communication circuit 113 and outputs the message data to the general-purpose communication unit 111. The communication unit 112 outputs the message data output from the general-purpose communication unit 111 to the communication circuit 113. Interface:!: The source section 114 is connected to an external network (Internet, LAN, etc.) via a communication cable. The wireless interface unit 115 is connected to an external network (internet, wireless LAN, etc.) by wireless communication. The wireless interface unit 115 has, for example, a card slot. When a wireless LAN card is inserted into the card slot, external wireless communication becomes possible.

The functions of the object conversion unit 106, the general-purpose communication unit 111, and the communication unit 112 are realized by, for example, a CPU (central processing unit) of a computer. The storage unit 110 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a storage area in a memory.

The data generation device 10 has an interface:! : Can be connected via the source section 114 or the wireless interface section 115. When various sensors are scattered and separated from each other, or when the number of inputs of the input unit 101 or the input unit 107 is limited, it is necessary to connect and use multiple data generators 10. This allows system administrators to build highly scalable systems.

Note that the configuration of the data generation device 10 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, Figure 2 The configuration within the range A is contained in the same device, and the input unit 101, the AZD conversion unit 102, etc. within the range B may be installed independently of the device. The configurations in A and range B may all be housed in the same device. Further, various sensors may be provided in the data generation device 10.

Further, the input units 101 and 107 may have separate configurations or may have the same configuration. That is, the input route a for inputting data from the sensors S1 to Sm and the input route b for inputting data from the sensors s1 to sn may be separate routes, They may be one integrated route. Next, the setting information stored in the storage unit 110 will be described. The setting information includes location information on the location where the sensor is installed, identification information for identifying a plurality of output data from the sensor, type information indicating the type of output data, and format information on the format of the output data. Contains.

The location information is information on the specific name of a specific building or facility where the sensor is installed. The identification information is information for identifying the data input to the object conversion unit 106. For example, by preparing a plurality of signal lines and individually assigning signal lines to output data from each sensor, each output data can be associated with each signal line in a one-to-one relationship. It is also conceivable to multiplex a plurality of digital data and assign one signal line to the multiplexed data. In this case, the transmission order is assigned to a plurality of different digital data, and the digital data is transmitted according to the order. Therefore, the transmission order of each digital data and each digital data have a one-to-one relationship. Can correspond. The identification information is information indicating the correspondence as described above, and is information created in advance based on physical connection relationships, communication protocols, and the like.

The type information is information on the type of data. The type information includes information indicating a voltage value, a current value, a power amount, a temperature, and the like, and more specifically, an instantaneous voltage value, an instantaneous current value, an integrated power amount, an outside air temperature, a chilled water supply temperature, and the like. Includes information to indicate. The type information also includes information indicating whether the data is a maximum value, a minimum value, an average value, or the like. Further, the type information indicates data related to abnormality of the sensor or the like. Includes information. For example, when a sensor detects an abnormal state such as a failure or unacquired data, the sensor may output alarm data indicating the abnormality. The type information is information on the type of data as described above.

The format information is information indicating the format of the output data. The format information includes unit information on a data unit and prefix information on a data prefix. The unit information is information in which a data type is associated with a unit of the data. For example, in the unit information, a unit of W is associated with a numerical value indicating the integrated power amount, and a numerical value indicating the outside air temperature. It indicates that the unit C is to be associated. The prefix information is information about the data prefix (kilo, mega, etc.). For example, when a unit of W is associated with a data of 10, prefix information is information that specifies whether the numerical value is 1 OW or 10 kW. Note that the names given to the above information are given for convenience of explanation, and do not necessarily limit the format of the actual data.

Next, the data output from the monitor / "controller 50" will be described. The data output from the monitor controller 50 is data in a format dependent on the specialized maker. According to the rules, it is possible to convert data in a format dependent on a specialized manufacturer into general-purpose numerical data.The storage unit 110 is necessary for the above conversion. The object conversion unit 106 reads the conversion information from the storage unit 110, refers to the conversion information, and converts the data output from the connection unit 109 into general-purpose numerical data. If the specialized manufacturer does not publish the rules on the data format, acquire the data by directly connecting the sensor and the data generator 10 as shown in the input route a. Bayoi.

Next, a method of generating object data by the object conversion unit 106 will be described. The object conversion unit 106 reads and refers to the setting information from the storage unit 110, and also refers to time information (time information) indicated by the internal clock. The object conversion unit 106 generates object data from digital data indicating an output result from the sensor based on the setting information and the time information. In object data The method of generating the objects included in is as follows. The objectizing unit 106 generates a place object based on the place information in the setting information. The location object is related to a unique name of a building or equipment where the sensor or the data generator 10 is installed. Further, the object conversion unit 106 generates a time object based on the time information. The time object is related to the time (time) when the object data was created.

In addition, the object conversion unit 106 generates a measurement point name object based on the type information in the setting information. The measurement point name object is related to the type of data. Also, the object conversion unit 106 generates a measurement data unit object and a measurement data amount unit object based on the format information in the setting information. The measurement data unit object is related to the data unit (W, V, A, ° C, etc.). The measurement data volume unit object is associated with the data prefix.

The object conversion unit 106 generates an alarm data object based on the type information in the setting information. The alarm data object is related to fault data indicating an abnormal state such as a failure or data not being acquired. The alarm data object is generated when the defect data is input to the object conversion unit 106. By the above operation, the object conversion unit 106 generates object data with a meaning given to the measurement data.

FIG. 3 is a reference diagram showing the contents of the object data 1000 generated by the object-forming unit 106. Object data 1 0 0 0 is a location object 1 0 0 1, time object 1 0 0 2, measurement point name object 1 0 0 3, measurement data amount 1 0 0 4, measurement data unit object 1 0 1 It consists of 05, the measurement data volume unit object 106, and the alarm data object 107. The measured data amount 1004 is numerical data input to the object conversion unit 1006.

By linking the location object 1001 to the alarm data object 1007 to the measured data volume 104, the object data 1000 can be distinguished from other object data. Data. This allows the object The data 10000 may exist anywhere in the information providing system.

Next, a method of providing information to the user in the information providing system will be described.

. The server system 30 or the like connected to the network 1 transmits message data for requesting object data to the data generator 10. For example, assume that the server system 30 has transmitted message data. This message data is input to the interface 114 or the wireless interface 115 via the network 1. The message data is input to the communication unit 112 via the communication circuit 113. The communication unit 111 outputs this message data to the general-purpose communication unit 111. The general-purpose communication unit 111 interprets the message data and recognizes which object data is requested.

The general-purpose communication unit 111 reads the requested object data from the storage unit 110, and creates an XML document based on the object data. Then, the general-purpose communication unit 111 attaches additional information such as an envelope to the created XML document, and generates message data in a format based on the SOP. Subsequently, the general-purpose communication unit 111 outputs message data to the communication unit 112. The communication unit 112 outputs message data to the interface unit 114 or the wireless interface unit 115. This message data is transmitted to the server system 30 that has requested the data.

In the server system 30, the web server receives the message data from the data generator 10 and interprets the message data. The WEB server acquires object data by interpreting the message data. The WEB server passes object data to the application server in response to a request from the application server. The application server stores the object data in the database server, reads the object data from the database server, and processes the data.

The application server reads, for example, object data indicating the amount of power consumption, and creates a rough or the like indicating the amount of power consumption per minute or hour in a specific building based on the measurement data indicated by the object data. Alternatively, the application server can control the temperature of air conditioners installed in a particular building. The object data shown is read out, and a graph or the like showing the temperature at every minute or every hour is created. Information about the created graph is stored in the database server or passed to the web server in response to a request from the web server. Of course, the application server can create information on various measurement data besides power and temperature.

When a specific data is requested from the user terminal 20, the web server in the server system 30 creates an XML document based on the requested data, and communicates based on the SOAP to the L-user terminal 20. Send to The requested data is displayed in the form of a graph or the like on the web browser of the user terminal 20. For example, a graph of the hourly power consumption etc. for the past week is displayed on the web browser. Thus, the information providing system can provide useful information to the owner of the building or the facility, the resident, the manager, or the like who is the user of the user terminal 20. The communication performed by the information providing system is not limited to the communication based on SOAP. Communication is, for example, transmission and reception of HTM L (Hyper Text Markup Language) documents according to protocols such as TCPZ IP (Transmission Control Protocol Z Internet Protocol), HTTP, and FTP. It may be communication. As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and a design change or the like may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. included. Industrial applicability

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the data generation device 10 performs a meaning for uniquely identifying the data output from the sensor or the like, and generates object data. . As a result, the data is not simply data indicating numerical values, but data in a general format in which time, place, data name, and the like are associated with the numerical data. Therefore, this data is usable even in systems with different specifications, and the convenience of the data is improved. Also, by using this data, we can provide useful information to users can do.

Further, the data generator 10 can convert the data into general-purpose numerical data in a format unique to the specialized maker based on conversion information based on a communication protocol or the like published by the specialized maker. As a result, data output from a monitor / controller such as a measurement / control device or a BAS of a specialized maker can also be used. Also, since the object data used in the server system 30, etc. has a general-purpose format, the form of the system using the data is various, such as the server systems 30 to 32 and the analysis server 40. Various forms are possible. Of course, the user terminal 20 can also obtain object data directly from the data generator 10 and use that data.

Further, the object data generated by the data generation device 10 is data that can be distinguished from other object data. As a result, even if the data volume becomes enormous, the computer using the data can easily identify each data. Therefore, the designer or administrator of the information providing system can easily cope with an increase in the number of connections of the data generating device 10 to the network 1. As described above, designers and managers can build highly scalable information provision systems.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. An output data indicating an output value from the sensor, information for identifying the output data is added to the output data to generate object data, and the object is output from the data generation device via a network to the object. A network device for acquiring data and transmitting information based on the object data to a user terminal via the network;

An information providing system comprising:

2. The data generation device includes:

Storage means for storing setting information necessary for generating the object data; reading the setting information from the storage means; and outputting the output data to the output data based on the setting information and time information. Information adding means for adding information for identification;

The information providing system according to claim 1, comprising:

3. The object data includes the output data, data indicating time based on time information, data indicating a location, and data indicating a type and format of the output data. The information provision system described in item 1 of the scope.

4. The information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the setting information includes information for identifying a place and information for identifying a type and a format of the output data.

5. The information providing system according to claim 4, wherein the setting information further includes conversion information for converting a data format of the output data.

6. A data generation device that generates object data by adding information for identifying the output data to output data indicating an output value from the sensor.

7. A storage unit for storing setting information necessary for generating the object data, reading the setting information from the storage unit, and outputting the output data based on the setting information and the time information. Information adding means for adding information for identifying data,

7. The data generation device according to claim 6, comprising:

8. The object data includes the output data, data indicating a time based on time information, data indicating a location, and data indicating a type and a format of the output data. 7. The data generation device according to item 6, wherein

9. The data generation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the setting information includes information for identifying a place and information for identifying a type and a format of the output data.

10. The data generation device according to claim 9, wherein the setting information further includes conversion information for converting a data format of the output data.