JP-7856994-B1 - Program, server device, and target device monitoring method

JP7856994B1JP 7856994 B1JP7856994 B1JP 7856994B1JP-7856994-B1

Abstract

[Problem] In a system that controls and monitors target devices with diverse platforms, the objective is to provide a program that can appropriately acquire target device information even when the node ID of the node where the target device information is stored changes. [Solution] When the server starts up, the address space module generates address space information from the information model definition file, recursively searches for nodes in the address space, and extracts hierarchical information of the nodes based on the results. Based on the extracted hierarchical information, it generates a browse path that shows the position of the node in the hierarchy, and generates a second data table that shows the node's browse path in association with the node ID. [Selection Diagram] Figure 5

Inventors

阿部義範
鈴木隆巌

Assignees

株式会社アナザーウェア

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20251117

Claims (12)

A program executed by a server device that receives notifications from a target device and sends operation instructions to the target device, A first data table that shows the identification information of the target device from which data is to be acquired, and the browse path which is the logical address and file name on the system, An information model definition file that defines multiple nodes indicating addresses in the address space where the target device information acquired from the aforementioned target device is stored, A manager module that communicates with the target device using a predetermined communication method, obtains target device information from the target device indicated in the first data table, and stores it at the address of the node indicated in the information model definition file, An address space module that generates or deletes the address space in which data for a communication method used for data exchange in communication between a higher management device or a provider communicating with the higher management device is stored in an address space accessible from the higher management device or the provider, A program having a generation module that generates the first data table, the manager module, and the address space module, The address space module, A first step of generating address space information for the aforementioned information model definition file, A second step involves recursively searching for nodes in the address space, A third step is to extract hierarchical information of the node based on the search results of the second step, A fourth step involves generating the browse path that indicates the position of the node in the hierarchy based on the hierarchical information extracted in the third step, For each of the aforementioned nodes, a sixth step is performed to generate a second data table that associates the browse path of the node with the node ID of the node. The aforementioned manager module When reading the target device information from the node, the 11th step is to refer to the first data table and obtain a browse path corresponding to the identification information of the target device in the target device information, A twelfth step involves obtaining the node ID corresponding to the browse path obtained in the eleventh step by referring to the second data table, A program in which the manager module performs a thirteenth step of reading the target device information stored in the address space using the node ID obtained in the twelfth step.
The node includes attribute information including a namespace number and an index name, The third step involves extracting the index name included in the attribute information of the node, The program according to claim 1, wherein the fourth step is to generate the browse path including the extracted index name.
The system further includes a server module that controls the operation of the manager module and the address space module, The generation module is the program according to claim 1, which generates the server module.
The aforementioned generation module is When the manager module, address space module, and server module are generated, Transfer execution permissions to the aforementioned server module, The program according to claim 3, wherein the server module, after being transferred the execution rights, performs a process to associate the address space defined by the manager module and the address space module with the address space accessible from the higher management device or the provider via the manager module.
The manager module described above is The program according to claim 1, further comprising a data manager module that acquires data from the target device and writes the data to the target device.
The manager module described above is A method manager module that controls operations on the aforementioned target device, The program according to claim 5, further comprising an event manager module for controlling notifications from the target device.
The program according to claim 6, wherein when the program is started, the generation module generates the modules that are specified to be generated in the operation specification data from among the server module, the address space module, the data manager module, the method manager module, and the event manager module , and does not generate any modules that are not specified.
The program according to claim 7, wherein the operation specification data specifies the operation of the server module after the execution rights have been transferred.
The program according to claim 8, wherein the generation module generates one or more modules from among the server module, the address space module, the data manager module, the method manager module, and the event manager module, which are specified in the operation specification data to be generated.
The aforementioned node ID is defined based on a namespace number and a predetermined identifier. The program according to claim 1, wherein the namespace number is changed by a toolkit outside the server device when the information model definition file is updated or when a server device with a different implementation method is used.
A server device that receives notifications from a target device and transmits operation instructions to the target device, A first data table that shows the identification information of the target device from which data is to be acquired, and the browse path which is the logical address and file name on the system, An information model definition file that defines multiple nodes indicating addresses in the address space where the target device information acquired from the aforementioned target device is stored, A manager module that communicates with the target device using a predetermined communication method, obtains target device information from the target device indicated in the first data table, and stores it at the address of the node indicated in the information model definition file, An address space module that generates or deletes the address space in which data for a communication method used for data exchange in communication between a higher management device or a provider communicating with the higher management device is stored in an address space accessible from the higher management device or the provider, The generation module comprises the first data table, the manager module, and the address space module, The address space module, A first step of generating address space information for the aforementioned information model definition file, A second step involves recursively searching for nodes in the address space, A third step is to extract hierarchical information of the node based on the search results of the second step, A fourth step involves generating the browse path that indicates the position of the node in the hierarchy based on the hierarchical information extracted in the third step, For each of the aforementioned nodes, a sixth step is performed to generate a second data table that associates the browse path of the node with the node ID of the node. The aforementioned manager module When reading the target device information from the node, the 11th step is to refer to the first data table and obtain a browse path corresponding to the identification information of the target device in the target device information, A twelfth step involves obtaining the node ID corresponding to the browse path obtained in the eleventh step by referring to the second data table, A server device in which the manager module performs a 13th step of reading the target device information stored in the address space using the node ID obtained in the 12th step.
A method for monitoring target devices using a provider device that communicates with a higher-level system and a server device, and a server device, The server device is A first data table that shows the identification information of the target device from which data is to be acquired, and the browse path which is the logical address and file name on the system, An information model definition file that defines multiple nodes indicating addresses in the address space where the target device information acquired from the aforementioned target device is stored, A manager module that communicates with the target device using a predetermined communication method, obtains target device information from the target device indicated in the first data table, and stores it at the address of the node indicated in the information model definition file, An address space module that generates or deletes the address space in which data for a communication method used for data exchange in communication between a higher management device or a provider communicating with the higher management device is stored in an address space accessible from the higher management device or the provider, The generation module comprises the first data table, the manager module, and the address space module, The address space module, A first step of generating address space information for the aforementioned information model definition file, A second step involves recursively searching for nodes in the address space, A third step is to extract hierarchical information of the node based on the search results of the second step, A fourth step involves generating the browse path that indicates the position of the node in the hierarchy based on the hierarchical information extracted in the third step, For each of the aforementioned nodes, a sixth step is performed to generate a second data table that associates the browse path of the node with the node ID of the node. The aforementioned manager module When reading the target device information from the node, the 11th step is to refer to the first data table and obtain a browse path corresponding to the identification information of the target device in the target device information, A twelfth step involves obtaining the node ID corresponding to the browse path obtained in the eleventh step by referring to the second data table, A method for monitoring a target device, wherein the manager module performs a thirteenth step of reading the target device information stored in the address space using the node ID obtained in the twelfth step.

Description

This invention relates to a program, a server device, and a method for monitoring a target device, which transmit operation instructions to and receive notifications from such a device. More than 50% of manufacturing companies plan to invest in smart factories, and it is projected that market investment will reach 20 trillion yen by 2025. There are various reasons for this, including labor shortages, the limitations of creating added value through manufacturing alone, and the need for innovation due to global factors such as environmental and trade issues. In Japan, the visualization of factory equipment and personnel is gradually progressing, but it is said that only 4% of companies are effectively utilizing the collected data. In this context, the plastic molding market has developed a standard called EUROMAP as one way to address these challenges, and standardization is progressing. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-018287 Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a business monitoring system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the functions of each component of the business monitoring system 1 shown in Figure 1.Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the information model adopted by the system shown in Figures 1 and 2.Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the server device 13 shown in Figures 1 and 2.Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the functions of the server device 13.Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating one example of the operation of the server device 13.Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the process of step ST12 shown in Figure 6 (address space generation process by address space module 45).Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of reading the target device information stored in the node of the report model definition file 75.Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the overall process from development to implementation of the business monitoring system shown in Figure 1.Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a conventional molding monitoring system. The following describes a business monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a business monitoring system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the functions of each component of the business monitoring system 1 shown in Figure 1. The business monitoring system 1 shown in Figure 1 is effective in promoting smart factories. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the business monitoring system 1 processes data using, for example, the target device 11, the server device 13, the provider device 15, and the higher-level system 17. [Server device 13] The server device 13 connects to the existing target device 11 (molding machine), enabling data exchange with the higher-level system 17 (MES) using a common communication method (communication interface, OPC UA). [OPC UA (communication method)] OPC UA stands for Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture, and it is a standard communication method for data exchange. Initially, its main role was to act as a link between OT (operating systems) and IT (information systems), but OPC UA can handle a wide range of tasks, including data sharing to the cloud, communication between controllers and equipment, and communication between controllers. Until now, communication methods have been a chaotic mix of vendor-created standards for each piece of equipment and facility, requiring users to adapt to these different standards. By adopting OPC UA, smooth communication becomes possible without the need for individual data conversion. OPC UA includes robust security features, enabling secure data communication when sharing data from the factory to external locations (such as office servers or the cloud). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, OPC UA has an information model that can standardize the content (structure) of the data. This allows for the standardization of not only the data exchange standards but also the data content, enabling the collection of similar data even when accessing equipment from multiple different vendors. The information model shown in Figure 3 is a specification that defines the data structure and is the main element of OPC UA. An information model addresses a problem where, for example, when obtaining the number of good products from an injection molding machine (an example of a target device), the data names and locations differ between company A and company B. From the user's perspective, this requires understanding the location and names of data from both companies, which is inefficient. The information model solves this problem of having the same type of equipment but different data structures. As shown in Figure 3, the information model has a four-layer structure: a metamodel (basic services) layer, a built-in layer, a companion layer, and a vendor-specific feature extension layer. The companion layer is