JP7131015B2 - INFORMATION ACQUISITION DEVICE, GATEWAY DEVICE, PROGRAM, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information acquisition device, gateway device, program, recording medium, and method.

Conventionally, for the purpose of detecting and controlling the operation of a plant, etc., a plurality of process data output by a plurality of field devices installed in the plant were acquired via a gateway device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).
Patent document 1 JP 2015-146562 A

Communication between the gateway device and the information acquisition device that acquires process data from the gateway device may use relatively low-speed communication such as serial communication, and the information acquisition device acquires a plurality of process data from the gateway device. When doing so, the number of communications may increase. Due to such an increase in the number of communications, for example, in a device that acquires process data (information acquisition device), processing such as data acquisition and screen display is delayed, and as a result, processing operations that should be performed within a certain period of time cannot be completed in time. In addition, communication may not be received within a certain period, resulting in a communication dropout or the like.

In a first aspect of the present invention, a communication unit that communicates with a gateway device that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant; A selection unit for selecting at least one target process data set to be acquired this time from among a plurality of process data sets based on the cycle at which each of the process data sets should be acquired; Provided are an information acquisition device, a program, and a recording medium including a process data acquisition unit that acquires a process data set from a gateway device.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a data collection unit that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant, and a plurality of process data sets including at least one process data among the plurality of process data. a data providing unit for providing the information acquisition device with at least one target process data set to be acquired by the information acquisition device this time among the plurality of process data sets, according to the cycle in which the information acquisition device should acquire each of A gateway device, a program, and a recording medium are provided.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a method of a system comprising the first and second aspects, wherein a gateway device collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant; , based on the fact that the information acquisition device communicates with the gateway device and the period at which each of the plurality of process data sets including at least one process data among the plurality of process data should be acquired, out of the plurality of process data sets this time an information acquisition device selecting at least one target process data set to be acquired; a gateway device providing the selected at least one target process data set to the information acquisition device according to a period; obtaining by an information acquisition device from a gateway device the target process data set.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a communication unit that communicates with a gateway device that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant; an acquisition unit that acquires each of the device information and a plurality of process data sets including at least one process data out of the plurality of process data, the acquisition unit acquiring each of the plurality of process data sets and the device information and at different timings.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a data collection unit that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant, device information of each of the plurality of field devices, and among the plurality of process data a data providing unit that provides a plurality of process data sets including at least one process data to the information acquisition device, wherein the data providing unit acquires each of the plurality of process data sets and the device information at different timings. Provide a gateway device that provides to the device.

It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the invention. Subcombinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

A configuration example of a conventional communication system 1000 is shown together with a plurality of field devices 10. FIG. A configuration example of a communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment is shown together with a plurality of field devices 10. FIG. An example of the operation flow of the communication system 2000 according to this embodiment is shown. An example of process data mapped in a storage area of the storage unit 420 according to the present embodiment is shown. An example of a process data set according to the present embodiment is shown. An example of the communication result of the communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment is shown together with an example of the communication result of the communication system 1000. FIG. 12 shows an example configuration of a computer 1200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a conventional communication system 1000 together with a plurality of field devices 10. As shown in FIG. A communication system 1000 acquires a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices 10 installed in a plant or the like through wireless or wired communication. Here, the plant or the like is at least part of, for example, a factory facility, a machine facility, a production facility, a power generation facility, a storage facility, or a facility at a wellhead where oil, natural gas, or the like is extracted. A plant or the like may be at least a portion of a factory facility, machinery, production equipment, power generation equipment, storage equipment, and the like.

A plurality of field devices 10 have a plurality of sensors and the like, and detect the state of the installed plant. A plurality of field devices 10 detect various conditions of the plant. The multiple sensors are, for example, pressure sensors, pH sensors, vibration sensors, temperature sensors, flow sensors, corrosion sensors, strain sensors, noise sensors, and gas sensors. The communication system 1000 may acquire such detection results of a plurality of field devices 10 as process data, and may use them for control and monitoring including detection of abnormal operation, maintenance, maintenance, and the like. Note that the process data may include the status of data values. A communication system 1000 includes an information acquisition device 100 and a gateway device 200 .

The information acquisition device 100 acquires and accumulates process data via the gateway device 200 . The information acquisition device 100 may display the acquired process data on an internal or external screen or the like. Further, the information acquisition device 100 may perform numerical processing or the like on the process data before displaying it on the screen or the like. Information acquisition device 100 includes communication unit 110 , acquisition unit 120 , and storage unit 130 .

The communication unit 110 communicates with the gateway device 200 . The communication unit 110 communicates with the gateway device 200 at a substantially constant cycle. The communication unit 110 may function as a communication interface with the gateway device 200 . The communication unit 110 may communicate with the gateway device 200 by wire or wirelessly.

The acquisition unit 120 acquires process data and the like from the gateway device 200 via the communication unit 110 . The acquisition unit 120 may acquire device information of a plurality of field devices 10 held by the gateway device 200 . The device information includes, for example, setting information of a plurality of field devices 10, unique information of each field device 10, status information of each field device 10, and the like. Acquisition unit 120 acquires process data and equipment information at a substantially constant cycle.

The storage unit 130 stores the process data and equipment information acquired by the acquisition unit 120 . The storage unit 130 may transmit the stored data to the requester in response to an internal or external request or the like.

The gateway device 200 collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices 10 and supplies the collected process data to the information acquisition device 100 . The gateway device 200 includes a data collecting section 210 , a storage section 220 and a data providing section 230 .

The data collection unit 210 communicates with multiple field devices 10 to collect multiple process data. The data collection unit 210 may acquire device information of multiple field devices 10 . The data collection unit 210 communicates with each of the plurality of field devices 10 at predetermined intervals for each field device 10 . The data collector 210 may communicate with multiple field devices 10 with which connections have been established. The data collector 210 may update the connection with the field device 10 and communicate with multiple field devices 10 with which communication is possible.

The storage unit 220 stores a plurality of process data and equipment information collected by the data collection unit 210 . The storage unit 220 may update the stored device information by the data collection unit 210 when the connection with the plurality of field devices 10 is updated. The storage unit 220 may transmit the stored data to the data providing unit 230 in response to a request from the data providing unit 230 or the like.

Data providing unit 230 communicates with communication unit 110 to provide a plurality of process data and equipment information. The data providing unit 230 provides a plurality of pieces of process data and equipment information at substantially regular intervals. If the amount of data to be provided exceeds the amount of data that can be provided in one communication, the data providing unit 230 may perform multiple communications in one cycle.

In the communication system 1000 described above, communication between the communication unit 110 and the data providing unit 230 is performed by a relatively low-speed communication method such as serial communication (for example, Modbus, etc.). In this case, since it is necessary to transmit and receive a plurality of pieces of process data within a limited period of time, that is, within a certain period, it is desirable to communicate less frequently. In addition, since the communication cycle of the data collection unit 210 and the plurality of field devices 10 has a plurality of types of cycles according to each of the field devices 10, the communication unit 110 and data provider 230 may be performed.

For example, when the data collection unit 210 collects process data from a plurality of field devices 10 that communicate with each other in a 1-second cycle, a 3-second cycle, an 8-second cycle, and a 15-second cycle, the communication unit 110 and the data providing unit During 230, communication is performed in the shortest one-second period. As a result, the information acquisition device 100 can acquire process data from each field device 10 without omission of communication. However, since the information acquisition device 100 acquires process data in 1-second cycles from a plurality of field devices 10 that communicate in 3-second, 8-second, and 15-second cycles, substantially the same process data are duplicated. may be acquired.

In this case, for example, when the number of field devices 10 increases and the process data to be acquired increases, the number of communications to be executed in one cycle increases, and the information acquisition device 100 performs processes such as data acquisition and screen display. may be delayed. As a result, the communication system 1000 may not be able to complete the processing operations that should be performed within a certain period of time, or may fail to receive communications within a certain period of time, resulting in a communication dropout or the like. In addition, the power consumption of the communication system 1000 increases as the number of communications increases.

Therefore, in contrast to the communication system 1000 described above, the communication system described later in this embodiment reduces the number of communications by varying the communication timing between the information acquisition device and the gateway device according to the type of data. Further, the communication system according to the present embodiment classifies the process data into a plurality of types of process data sets according to the cycle to be acquired, and communicates for each process data set, thereby enabling the communication between the information acquisition device and the gateway device. communication frequency. Such a communication system will now be described. In addition, the process data set includes at least one process data, and details thereof will be described later.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a communication system 2000 according to this embodiment together with a plurality of field devices 10. As shown in FIG. The communication system 2000 acquires a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices 10 installed in a plant or the like by wireless or wired communication for each process data set. Since the field devices 10 have been described with reference to FIG. 1, the description thereof is omitted here. A communication system 2000 includes an information acquisition device 300 and a gateway device 400 .

The information acquisition device 300 acquires and accumulates process data sets from the gateway device 400 . The information acquisition device 300 may display the acquired process data set on an internal or external screen or the like. Further, the information acquisition device 300 may perform numerical processing or the like on the process data set before displaying it on the screen or the like.

The information acquisition device 300 is, for example, a computer (PC), a terminal, a controller such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and an RTU (Remote Terminal Unit), a DCS (Distributed Control System), and at least part of a data logger. . The information acquisition device 300 includes a communication section 310 , an equipment information acquisition section 320 , a selection section 330 , a process data acquisition section 340 and a storage section 350 .

The communication unit 310 communicates with the gateway device 400 . The communication unit 310 may communicate with the gateway device 400 in multiple cycles. Communication unit 310 may function as a communication interface with gateway device 400 . The communication unit 310 may communicate with the gateway device 400 by wire or wirelessly.

The device information acquisition unit 320 acquires device information from the gateway device 400 via the communication unit 310 . The device information acquisition unit 320 may acquire device information of the gateway device 400 in addition to the device information of the field device 10 . The device information acquisition unit 320 may request the gateway device 400 for device information to be acquired. The device information acquisition unit 320 stores the acquired device information in the storage unit 350 . Further, the device information acquisition section 320 may acquire at least part of the device information, and determine whether or not to further acquire at least part of the remaining device information according to the part of the information. The device information acquisition section 320 may acquire the device information at different timings depending on the type of device information.

The selection unit 330 selects at least one target process data set to be acquired this time from among the plurality of process data sets. The selection unit 330 selects the process data set corresponding to the timing at which the communication unit 310 communicates as the target process data set to be acquired. The selection unit 330 selects at least one target process data set based on the period at which each of the plurality of process data sets should be acquired. The selection unit 330 has an address range designation unit 332 .

The address range specifying unit 332 specifies to the gateway device 400 the address range in which the target process data set to be acquired is stored. In other words, the address range specifying unit 332 may specify different address ranges based on the cycle at which each of the plurality of process data sets should be acquired.

The process data acquisition unit 340 acquires the selected target process data set from the gateway device 400 via the communication unit 310 . The process data acquisition section 340 may acquire the target process data set in the address range specified by the address range specification section 332 . In this case, the process data acquisition unit 340 acquires, via the communication unit 310, data of at least a part of the address range including the selected target process data set in the storage area storing the plurality of process data sets in the gateway device 400. to the gateway device 400.

The storage unit 350 stores the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit 320 and the process data set acquired by the process data acquisition unit 340 . The storage unit 350 may transmit the stored data to the request source in response to an internal or external request or the like.

The gateway device 400 collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices 10 installed in the plant and supplies a process data set including the collected process data to the information acquisition device 300 . The gateway device 400 includes a data collecting unit 410 , a storage unit 420 and a data providing unit 430 .

The data collection unit 410 communicates with multiple field devices 10 and collects multiple process data from the multiple field devices 10 . Also, the data collection unit 410 may acquire device information of a plurality of field devices 10 . The data collection unit 410 communicates with each of the plurality of field devices 10 at predetermined intervals for each field device 10 . The data collector 410 may communicate with multiple field devices 10 with which connections have been established. The data collector 410 may update connections with field devices 10 and communicate with multiple field devices 10 with which it is capable of communicating. The data collection unit 410 has an address range setting unit 412 .

The address range setting section 412 may be capable of setting an address range for storing each of the plurality of process data sets in the storage area of the storage section 420 . The address range setting unit 412 may set the address range for storing the process data sets based on the cycle at which the information acquisition device 300 should acquire each of the plurality of process data sets. The address range setting unit 412 may specify different address ranges based on the period to be acquired.

Storage unit 420 stores a plurality of pieces of process data and equipment information collected by data collection unit 410 . Storage unit 420 has a storage area for storing a plurality of process data sets including at least one of a plurality of process data. The storage unit 420 stores each process data of the process data set in the address range specified by the address range setting unit 412, for example. The storage area of the storage unit 420 may store each of a plurality of process data sets such that one process data set corresponds to one address range. Note that one address range may have areas that overlap with another address range.

The storage unit 420 may further store device information including at least one of setting information, device unique information, and device status of each of the plurality of field devices 10 in the storage area. The setting information may be registration information of the field device 10 . Also, the setting information may include setting information of the gateway device 400 . The device-specific information may be information such as the model name, vendor name, serial number, version, and roles of I/O and router of the field device 10 . The device status includes the communication status of the field device 10 with the gateway device 400 (eg, communication quality, received signal level, process data arrival degree), battery status, remaining battery capacity, sensor status, device failure information, and maintenance information. Information such as The device status may include information on the status of gateway device 400 .

Further, the storage unit 420 may store device information including setting change information whose value changes according to change of the setting information in the storage area. The setting change information may be generated and updated by the data collector 410 . Also, the setting change information may be generated and updated according to instructions from the information acquisition device 300 or the like. For example, the stored setting change information may be updated by the data collection unit 410 when connections with a plurality of field devices 10 are updated.

The setting change information may be, for example, a setting code whose value changes according to changes in the number of field devices 10 communicating with the data collection unit 410, update cycle, device tag, gateway itself setting, and the like. . The setting code may be a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) generated according to the setting information, a hash key, or the like. The setting change information may also include setting count information indicating the number of times the setting code or the like has been rewritten.

Data provider 430 communicates with communication unit 310 to provide a plurality of process data sets and equipment information. The data providing unit 430 selects at least one target process data set to be acquired by the information acquisition device 300 this time among the plurality of process data sets according to the cycle in which the information acquisition device 300 should acquire each of the plurality of process data sets. is provided to the information acquisition device 300 . For example, the data providing unit 430 selects the target process data set to be acquired this time, which is selected by the selection unit 330 based on the cycle at which each of the plurality of process data sets is to be acquired. A process data set is provided to the information acquisition device 300 .

In this case, the data providing unit 430 receives from the address range specifying unit 332 the specification of at least a part of the address range including the target process data set in the storage area of the storage unit 420, and the address range in the storage area. data to the information acquisition device 300 . The data provider 430 may provide different process data sets to the communication unit 310 at different timings in one cycle.

Further, the data providing section 430 may provide the communication section 310 with device information in response to a request from the device information acquiring section 320 . Further, the data providing unit 430 may provide at least information on the device status among the information included in the device information to the communication unit 310 at a substantially constant cycle. The data providing unit 430 may provide the information on the device state to the communication unit 310 at a substantially constant cycle that is the same as the communication cycle of the process data set or slower than the communication cycle of the process data set. Next, the operation of the communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the operation flow of the communication system 2000 according to this embodiment. The communication system 2000 acquires multiple pieces of process data from multiple field devices 10 by executing the operation flow shown in FIG. It is assumed that the gateway device 400 communicates with multiple field devices 10 .

First, the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires the first device information from the gateway device 400 (S510). The first device information may be setting change information included in the device information. That is, the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires information according to the settings of the plurality of field devices 10 with which the gateway device 400 is communicating and the gateway device 400 as the first device information.

Next, the device information acquisition unit 320 compares the acquired first device information with the previously acquired first device information (S520). For example, the device information acquisition unit 320 reads the past first device information stored in the storage unit 350 and compares it with the previously acquired first device information. If the acquired first device information and the previously acquired first device information do not match (S520: No), the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires the second device information from the gateway device 400 (S530). The second device information may be all or part of the setting information included in the device information.

In this way, the device information acquisition unit 320 determines that the value of the setting change information stored in the gateway device 400 for one field device 10 out of the plurality of field devices 10 is the setting change previously acquired by the information acquisition device 300 . The setting information of one field device 10 may be acquired according to the difference from the value of the information.

Also, the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires the third device information from the gateway device 400 (S535). The third device information may be device specific information.

If the acquired first device information matches the previously acquired first device information (S520: Yes), the device information acquiring section 320 omits acquisition of the second device information and the third device information. In this way, the device information acquiring unit 320 reconnects to the gateway device 400 that was connected in the past, and if there is no change in the current connection configuration between the past connection configuration of the gateway device 400 and the plurality of field devices 10, the past It is possible to reduce the number of communications with the gateway device 400 by preventing reacquisition of setting information that is substantially the same as the setting information acquired previously.

Next, the process data acquisition unit 340 acquires the process data set from the gateway device 400 (S540). The process data acquisition unit 340 may request the gateway device 400 to return the data in the address range specified by the address range specifying unit 332 corresponding to the target process data set selected by the selecting unit 330 .

Here, the device information acquisition unit 320 may acquire device status information. The device information acquisition unit 320 may acquire the information on the device state at the same cycle as the process data acquisition unit 340 acquires the process data set. Alternatively, the device information acquisition section 320 may acquire device state information at a cycle longer than the cycle at which the process data acquisition section 340 acquires the process data sets. In this case, it is desirable that the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires the device state information at a cycle that is an integral multiple of the cycle at which the process data acquisition unit 340 acquires the process data set.

Note that in step S540, the device information acquisition unit 320 does not need to acquire device information (eg, setting information, device unique information, and device state information). In this case, the device information is acquired in steps S510, S530, and S535, and each of the process data sets is acquired in step S540. Therefore, the device information and each of the process data sets are acquired at different timings. . Therefore, the timing of communication between the information acquisition device 300 and the gateway device 400 differs depending on the type of data. As a result, various data can be acquired at the required timing, thus reducing the number of communications.

When the device state information is acquired, the device information acquisition unit 320 confirms the device state information (for example, information indicating the communication state between the field device 10 and the gateway device 400), and establishes a new connection with the gateway device 400. It is determined whether or not the connection with the field device 10 has been established (S550). The new field device 10 may be a field device 10 that has communicated with the gateway device 400 before, or may be a field device 10 that has communicated with the gateway device 400 for the first time. When it is determined that the connection between the gateway device 400 and the new field device 10 has been established (S550: Yes), the device information acquisition unit 320 obtains the third device information (for example, the device specific information ) is stored in the storage unit 350 (S560). That is, the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires the third device information from the newly connected field device 10 in the past and confirms whether or not the process data has been acquired.

If the third device information of the new field device 10 is not stored in the storage unit 350 (S560: Yes), the device information acquisition unit 320 returns to S535 to obtain the third device information of the new field device 10. Get information. In this way, when the connection between the gateway device 400 and one field device 10 is newly established, the device information acquisition unit 320 obtains the device unique information (third device information) of the one field device 10 from the information acquisition device. Device specific information of one field device 10 may be acquired in response to the fact that 300 was not included in the previously acquired device information.

When the device information acquisition unit 320 determines that the third device information of the new field device 10 is stored in the storage unit 350 (S560: No), the process data acquisition unit 340 acquires the new field device 10. A process data set including at least one of the plurality of process data from the plurality of field devices 10 is obtained from the gateway device 400 (S540). In this manner, if the device-specific information is acquired and stored when the field device 10 is connected, the device-information acquisition unit 320 acquires the device-specific information once unless the device-specific information of the field device is changed. It suffices to acquire the information, and the number of communication times can be reduced.

If it is determined that the connection between the gateway device 400 and the new field device 10 has not been established (S550: No), the process proceeds to step S570, and the communication system 2000 terminates acquisition of the process data set (S570: Yes ), the operations from S540 to S570 may be repeated. When repeatedly acquiring the process data set, the process data acquisition unit 340 may acquire the current process data set after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the previous acquisition timing of the process data set. Thereby, the process data acquisition unit 340 can acquire process data sets at a substantially constant cycle.

As described above, the communication system 2000 can transmit process data sets from the gateway device 400 to the information acquisition device 300 while detecting a new connection of the field device 10 . Further, the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires the device information of each of the plurality of field devices 10 at a timing different from the acquisition timing of each of the plurality of process data sets. Then, the device information acquisition unit 320 acquires the setting information when the setting change information does not match, and acquires the device unique information not stored in the storage unit 350 from the gateway device 400. Redundant acquisition of the stored device information can be reduced.

Moreover, the communication system 2000 can further reduce communication of redundant process data by transmitting and receiving process data in process data set units. A process data set is a combination of a plurality of process data specified by an address range in the process data mapped in a predetermined format in the storage area of gateway device 400 . Therefore, the process data mapping will be described first.

FIG. 4 shows an example of process data mapped in the storage area of the storage unit 420 of the gateway device 400 according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of a data array in a storage area with address values in the vertical direction. In the storage area, header information including information on the number of field devices 10 and process data collected from the field devices 10 are mapped for each predetermined address range. FIG. 4 shows an example in which header information is stored in the leading address range.

The header information classifies the plurality of field devices 10 based on each cycle (that is, update cycle) in which the data collection unit 410 collects process data from the plurality of field devices 10, and the number of field devices 10 classified. Information is stored. For example, the first byte of the header information stores the number of field devices 10 whose update period is 1 second or more and less than 4 seconds. The second byte stores the number of field devices 10 whose update period is 4 seconds or more and less than 8 seconds. The third byte stores the number of field devices 10 whose update period is 8 seconds or more and less than 16 seconds. The fourth byte stores the number of field devices 10 whose update period is 16 seconds or more and less than 32 seconds. The fifth byte stores the number of field devices 10 whose update cycle is 32 seconds or longer.

In this way, the address range in which the header information is stored stores, as an example, information on the number of field devices 10 included in the classification with the short update cycle, starting from the first byte. Note that the data arrangement of the header information shown in FIG. 4 is an example, and is not limited to this. The header information may be arranged in a predetermined order, for example, in order of classification with a long update cycle.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the field devices 10 are classified by the update cycle, the information acquisition device 300 acquires the process data of the classified field devices 10 from the gateway device 400 at a cycle corresponding to the classification. good. For example, if the information acquisition device 300 acquires the process data of the field device 10 classified as having an update cycle of 1 second or more and less than 4 seconds from the gateway device 400 in a 1-second cycle, communication leakage occurs with respect to the update cycle. Process data can be acquired without In addition, if the information acquisition device 300 acquires the process data of the field devices 10 classified as having an update cycle of 4 seconds or more and less than 8 seconds from the gateway device 400 in a 4-second cycle, communication leakage occurs with respect to the update cycle. Process data can be acquired without

As described above, the communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment classifies a plurality of field devices 10 according to the range of update cycles, and sets the process data of the classified field devices 10 to the minimum update cycle range to which the field device 10 belongs. is acquired from the gateway device 400 at the update cycle of . As a result, the process data is acquired at a shorter acquisition cycle from the field device 10 with a longer update cycle in accordance with the other field devices 10 with a shorter update cycle.

Similarly, the information acquisition device 300 obtains an 8-second cycle from the field devices 10 classified into the update cycle range of the 3rd byte, and a 16-second cycle from the field devices 10 classified into the update cycle range of the 4th byte. The process data may be acquired in a 32-second cycle from the field devices 10 classified in the range of the 5th byte update cycle. In this manner, the information acquisition device 300 acquires the process data of the corresponding field devices 10 from the gateway device 400 in a plurality of cycles according to the update cycles of the plurality of field devices 10 . In this way, the process data of a plurality of field devices 10 are classified in different update cycle ranges (for example, 1 second cycle, 4 second cycle, 8 second cycle, etc.), and the process data is acquired for each classified update cycle. Therefore, the number of times of communication can be reduced compared to the case where the process data of a plurality of field devices 10 are acquired at one minimum update cycle (for example, one second cycle).

Here, it is desirable that each period be a natural number multiple of the smaller period. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the multiple periods are 1 second, 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 16 seconds, and 32 seconds, which are natural multiples of the minimum period. Thereby, the information acquisition device 300 can acquire process data using a plurality of cycles synchronized with the minimum cycle. For example, the information acquisition device 300 performs the process data acquisition operation at a predetermined cycle such as a one-second cycle. Then, the information acquisition device 300 acquires the process data at the 1-second cycle from the field devices 10 classified in the range of the update cycle of the first byte. Also, the information acquisition device 300 may acquire process data from the field devices 10 classified in the update cycle range of the 2nd byte in a 4-second cycle, that is, at every fourth timing of the 1-second cycle.

That is, the information acquisition device 300 executes the process data acquisition operation in one predetermined cycle, and among the acquisition timings corresponding to the one cycle, the acquisition timing corresponding to the update cycle of the field device 10 is selected. The process data of the field device 10 may be acquired from the gateway device 400 in (that is, the corresponding period). As a result, the information acquisition device 300 can apparently acquire the process data of the plurality of field devices 10 as process data sets from the gateway device 400 at a substantially constant cycle. In this way, a process data set is a set of process data of a plurality of field devices belonging to one corresponding cycle among a plurality of cycles. Acquire the process data set belonging to the cycle.

Also, the process data set includes one or more process data according to the connection form of the gateway device 400 and the plurality of field devices 10 .

Here, the process data is desirably mapped to the storage area of the storage unit 420 for each process data set. For example, a plurality of predetermined address ranges of storage areas are arranged corresponding to the process data set. Also, the plurality of address ranges may be arranged in order of magnitude of the corresponding plurality of cycles.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which process data collected from a plurality of field devices 10 are arranged next to header information. The process data includes the ID of the field device 10, sequence number, diagnostic status, process value type (Data Type), process value state (status), process value, etc., and is arranged in a predetermined order. FIG. 4 shows an example in which such process data are arranged in ascending order of the update period of the field device 10 from which it is collected.

In this case, the header information is followed by the process data collected from the field devices 10 classified in the first byte of the header information, and the set of process data is set as the first process data set (for example, 1 If the number of the field devices 10 at the byte is three, the process data of the three field devices 10 is set as the first process data set). That is, the data range in which the process data corresponding to the number of the first byte of the header information is arranged next to the header information is defined as the first address range. Then, next to the first process data set, the process data collected from the field devices 10 classified in the second byte of the header information are arranged, and combined with the first process data set, the second process data As a set, let this data range be the second address range.

Thus, the storage unit 420 stores at least one process data set among the plurality of process data sets in each of the plurality of address ranges in the storage area corresponding to each of the plurality of cycles. That is, the data collection unit 410 may store the process data acquired from the plurality of field devices 10 in the storage unit 420 as a process data set in the corresponding address range set by the address range setting unit 412 . Examples of such process data sets are described below.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a process data set according to this embodiment . FIG. 5 shows an example in which header information is stored in the leading address range. After the header information, the first process data set is stored. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the address range of the first process data set is "Area1". That is, the number of the first byte of the header information is 3, and the process data acquired from the three field devices 10 are stored in the address range "Area1" as the first process data set. The process data set is acquired from the gateway device 400 at a cycle of 1 second.

Also, the process data acquired from the two field devices 10 are stored from the address next to the first process data set, and the process data including the first process data set is the second process data set. That is, the number of the second byte of the header information is 2, and the process data acquired from a total of five field devices 10 including the three in the first process data set is used as the second process data set in the address range The information acquisition device 300 acquires the process data set from the gateway device 400 at intervals of 2 seconds.

Similarly, in FIG. 5, the third process data set acquired from 10 field devices 10 with a cycle of 4 seconds is stored in the address range "Area3", and is acquired from 15 field devices 10 with a cycle of 8 seconds. Store the fourth process data set to be acquired in the address range "Area4", store the fifth process data set acquired from 17 field devices 10 in a period of 16 seconds in "Area5", and store the fifth process data set in "Area5" in a period of 32 seconds An example of storing the sixth process data set acquired from 20 field devices 10 in the address range "Area6" is shown.

In this way, the gateway device 400 stores process data sets to be transmitted to the information acquisition device 300 in an address range of consecutive addresses corresponding to a plurality of cycles. Accordingly, the information acquisition device 300 can easily acquire the process data set by designating the address range as the target process data set according to the cycle. That is, the process data acquisition unit 340 acquires data in an address range including an address range corresponding to one cycle in the storage area at the timing to acquire at least one process data set corresponding to one cycle out of a plurality of cycles. to the gateway device 400.

That is, the address range specifying unit 332 specifies to the gateway device 400 the address range for storing each of the plurality of process data sets in the storage area of the storage unit 420 based on the period at which each of the plurality of process data sets should be acquired. do. For example, the process data acquisition unit 340 requests the gateway device 400 to return the data in the address range “Area1” at one timing in a cycle of one second according to the designation of the address range designation unit 332 .

The data providing unit 430 may provide the data of the address range in the storage area to the information acquisition device 300 in response to receiving the return request of the data of the address range from the information acquisition device 300 . That is, the data providing unit 430 provides the information acquisition device 300 with the data in the address range “Area1”.

In addition, the process data acquisition unit 340 includes each address range corresponding to each cycle of one cycle or less at the timing to acquire at least one process data set corresponding to one cycle. The gateway device 400 is requested to return the data of the address range that does not include each address range corresponding to each exceeding period. For example, the process data acquiring unit 340, according to the designation of the address range designating unit 332, selects "Area2" including the address range "Area1" at the next timing in the cycle of 1 second, that is, at the timing corresponding to the cycle of 2 seconds. It requests the gateway device 400 to return the data.

The data providing unit 430 may provide the data of the address range in the storage area to the information acquisition device 300 in response to receiving the return request of the data of the address range from the information acquisition device 300 . That is, the data providing unit 430 provides the information acquisition device 300 with the data of the address range “Area2”.

Similarly, the process data acquisition unit 340 sequentially selects “Area1”, “Area2”, “Area1”, “Area3”, “Area1”, “Area2”, “Area1”, “Area4”, The gateway device 400 may be requested to return address range data such as . This reduces the amount of data to be communicated, making it easier to complete data acquisition within the cycle in which process data should be acquired. In addition, the data providing unit 430 may provide the information acquisition device 300 with the requested address range data in the order of request in the one-second cycle.

Note that the storage area of the storage unit 420 stores device information including at least one of setting information, device-specific information, and device status of each of the plurality of field devices 10 as a plurality of process data sets from the plurality of field devices 10. may be stored in an address range outside the address range for storing the . This makes it possible to store and manage equipment information with low access frequency and process data sets with high access frequency in separate address ranges. The data providing unit 430 provides the data of the address range in response to the device information request.

The communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment described above arranges process data to be acquired in an address range of continuous addresses as process data sets, and exchanges the corresponding process data sets at each timing in one cycle. The result of communication system 2000 exchanging process data sets in this way will now be described.

FIG. 6 shows an example of communication results of the communication system 2000 according to this embodiment together with an example of communication results of the communication system 1000 . FIG. 6 shows communication examples of the communication system 2000 in the column labeled "compressed", and communication examples of the communication system 1000 in the column labeled "uncompressed". FIG. 6 shows an example in which the communication system 1000 and the communication system 2000 exchange process data at a cycle of 1 second.

The communication system 1000 shows an example in which the information acquisition device 100 acquires all process data from the gateway device 200 every second in accordance with the shortest update cycle of one second among the field devices 10 . That is, the information acquisition device 100 acquires data in the address range “Area6” from the gateway device 200 every second. Here, for example, it is assumed that the amount of data in the address range from "Area1" to "Area3" is within the range of the capacity (for example, 125 words) that can be transmitted and received in one communication. It is also assumed that the amount of data in the address range from "Area4" to "Area6" does not fall within the range of the capacity that can be transmitted and received in one communication, and that the amount of data can be transmitted and received in two communications.

In this case, communication system 1000 performs two communications every second. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 6, the communication system 1000 requires 64 communications to transmit and receive process data for 32 seconds.

On the other hand, in the example of the communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment, the information acquisition device 300 selects the process data set to be acquired every second and acquires it from the gateway device 400 . That is, the information acquisition device 300 acquires the data of the corresponding address range of the address ranges “Area1” to “Area6” from the gateway device 400 every second. Therefore, when the information acquisition device 300 specifies one of the address ranges "Area1" to "Area3", the corresponding process data set can be acquired with one communication.

As a result, in the example of FIG. 6, the communication system 2000 can execute 36 communications for transmitting and receiving process data for 32 seconds. That is, the communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment can transmit and receive process data by reducing the number of times of communication between the information acquisition device 300 and the gateway device 400 even if a relatively low-speed communication method is used. can. As a result, the communication system 2000 can prevent delays in processing such as data acquisition and screen display, delays in processing operations, and occurrence of communication dropouts.

Moreover, since the number of communications between the information acquisition device 300 and the gateway device 400 can be reduced, power consumption can be reduced. In this case, for example, the information acquisition device 300 and the gateway device 400 can be battery driven. Further, in the communication system 2000 according to the present embodiment, the information acquisition device 300 and the gateway device 400 have been described as independent devices, but the information acquisition device 300 and the gateway device 400 are not limited to this. may be formed as one device. Thus, even if it is formed as one device, it can be driven by a battery.

As shown in FIG. 5, the communication system 2000 according to the above-described embodiment has been described as an example in which each address range of a plurality of process data sets includes an area that overlaps another address range. never. For example, in the storage area of the storage unit 420 , a plurality of address ranges may be arranged in order of address without overlapping address ranges. In this case, for example, the first address to the second address may be set as "Area1", and the third to fourth addresses next to the second address may be set as "Area2".

Moreover, although the storage area of the storage unit 420 has been described as an example in which the process data are arranged in ascending order of the cycle to be acquired, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the storage area may arrange the process data in descending order of the cycle to be acquired.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example configuration of a computer 1200 in which aspects of the invention may be implemented in whole or in part. Programs installed on the computer 1200 cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of operations or one or more "parts" of an apparatus according to embodiments of the invention, or to and/or cause computer 1200 to perform processes or steps of processes according to embodiments of the present invention. Such programs may be executed by CPU 1212 to cause computer 1200 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein. Also, processes or steps of such processes according to embodiments of the present invention may be performed on the cloud.

Computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes CPU 1212 , RAM 1214 , graphics controller 1216 , and display device 1218 , which are interconnected by host controller 1210 . Computer 1200 also includes input/output units such as communication interface 1222 , hard disk drive 1224 , DVD-ROM drive 1226 , and IC card drive, which are connected to host controller 1210 via input/output controller 1220 . The computer also includes legacy input/output units such as ROM 1230 and keyboard 1242 , which are connected to input/output controller 1220 through input/output chip 1240 .

The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. Graphics controller 1216 takes image data generated by CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in RAM 1214 or into itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on display device 1218 .

Communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices over a network. Hard disk drive 1224 stores programs and data used by CPU 1212 within computer 1200 . DVD-ROM drive 1226 reads programs or data from DVD-ROM 1201 and provides programs or data to hard disk drive 1224 via RAM 1214 . The IC card drive reads programs and data from IC cards and/or writes programs and data to IC cards.

ROM 1230 stores therein programs that depend on the hardware of computer 1200, such as a boot program that is executed by computer 1200 upon activation. Input/output chip 1240 may also connect various input/output units to input/output controller 1220 via parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, and the like.

A program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 1201 or an IC card. The program is read from a computer-readable storage medium, installed in hard disk drive 1224 , RAM 1214 , or ROM 1230 , which are also examples of computer-readable storage medium, and executed by CPU 1212 . The information processing described within these programs is read by computer 1200 to provide coordination between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing information operations or processing according to the use of computer 1200 .

For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 executes a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and sends communication processing to the communication interface 1222 based on the processing described in the communication program. you can command. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the hard disk drive 1224, the DVD-ROM 1201, or an IC card. Data is transmitted to the network, or received data received from the network is written in a receive buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

In addition, the CPU 1212 causes the RAM 1214 to read all or necessary portions of files or databases stored in external recording media such as a hard disk drive 1224, a DVD-ROM drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1201), an IC card, etc. Various types of processing may be performed on the data in RAM 1214 . CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to an external recording medium.

Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium to be processed. CPU 1212 performs various types of operations on data read from RAM 1214, information processing, conditional decisions, conditional branching, unconditional branching, and information retrieval, which are described throughout this disclosure and are specified by instruction sequences of programs. Various types of processing may be performed, including /replace, etc., and the results written back to RAM 1214 . In addition, the CPU 1212 may search for information in a file in a recording medium, a database, or the like. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 selects the first attribute from among the plurality of entries. search for an entry that matches a condition in which the attribute value of the attribute is specified, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby determine the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition An attribute value of the associated second attribute may be obtained.

Programs or software modules according to the above description may be stored in a computer readable storage medium on or near computer 1200 . Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, whereby the program can be transferred to the computer 1200 via a network. offer.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the scope of claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The execution order of each process such as actions, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is particularly "before", "before etc., and it should be noted that they can be implemented in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if the description is made using "first," "next," etc. for the sake of convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. not a thing

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 field device 100 information acquisition device 110 communication unit 120 acquisition unit 130 storage unit 200 gateway device 210 data collection unit 220 storage unit 230 data provision unit 300 information acquisition device 310 communication unit 320 device Information acquisition unit 330 selection unit 332 address range specification unit 340 process data acquisition unit 350 storage unit 400 gateway device 410 data collection unit 412 address range setting unit 420 storage unit 430 data provision unit 1000 communication system, 1200 computer, 1201 DVD-ROM, 1210 host controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 graphic controller, 1218 display device, 1220 input/output controller, 1222 communication interface, 1224 hard disk drive, 1226 DVD-ROM drive, 1230 ROM, 1240 input/output chip, 1242 keyboard, 2000 communication system

Claims (27)

a communication unit that communicates with a gateway device that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant;
A cycle for acquiring each of a plurality of process data sets containing at least one process data out of the plurality of process data, wherein the process data included in the process data set is classified according to a collection cycle of the gateway device. a selection unit that selects at least one target process data set to be acquired this time from among the plurality of process data sets based on the determined cycle ;
and a process data acquisition unit that acquires the selected target process data set from the gateway device via the communication unit. The process data acquisition unit acquires, via the communication unit, data in at least a partial address range including the selected target process data set in a storage area for storing the plurality of process data sets in the gateway device. 2. The information acquisition device according to claim 1, which requests the gateway device to return the information. the storage area stores at least one process data set among the plurality of process data sets in each of a plurality of address ranges corresponding to each of a plurality of cycles;
The process data acquisition unit, at a timing to acquire at least one process data set corresponding to one cycle among the plurality of cycles, stores an address range including the address range corresponding to the one cycle in the storage area. 3. The information acquisition device according to claim 2, wherein the gateway device is requested to return data. The process data acquisition unit includes each address range corresponding to each of the one cycle or less at the timing to acquire at least one process data set corresponding to the one cycle, and the one cycle 4. The information acquisition device according to claim 3, wherein the gateway device is requested to return data in an address range that does not include each address range corresponding to each period exceeding . 5. The information acquisition device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of address ranges are arranged in order of size of the corresponding plurality of cycles. 6. The information acquisition device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein each period of the plurality of periods is a natural number multiple of a smaller period. The selection unit specifies an address range for storing each of the plurality of process data sets in the storage area to the gateway device, based on a cycle for acquiring each of the plurality of process data sets. The information acquisition device according to any one of claims 2 to 6. the gateway device further stores device information including at least one of setting information, device specific information, and device status of each of the plurality of field devices in the storage area;
The information acquisition device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, further comprising a device information acquisition unit that acquires the device information from the gateway device via the communication unit. 9. The storage area according to claim 8, wherein the storage area has an address range for storing the device information of each of the plurality of field devices outside an address range for storing the plurality of process data sets from the plurality of field devices. information acquisition device. The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the device information acquisition unit acquires the device information of each of the plurality of field devices at a timing different from acquisition timing of each of the plurality of process data sets. The gateway device stores, in the storage area, the device information including setting information for each of the plurality of field devices and setting change information whose value changes according to a change in the setting information,
The device information acquisition unit, for one field device among the plurality of field devices, sets the value of the setting change information stored in the gateway device to the value of the setting change information previously acquired by the information acquisition device. 11. The information acquisition device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the setting information of the one field device is acquired in response to being different from. a data collection unit that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in the plant;
A cycle in which an information acquisition device should acquire each of a plurality of process data sets including at least one process data among the plurality of process data, and the data acquisition unit collects the process data included in the process data set. a data providing unit that provides the information acquisition device with at least one target process data set to be acquired by the information acquisition device this time among the plurality of process data sets according to the cycle classified according to the cycle . gateway device. The data providing unit designates the target process data set to be acquired this time among the plurality of process data sets selected by the information acquisition device based on the cycle for acquiring each of the plurality of process data sets. 13. The gateway device according to claim 12, wherein the target process data set is provided to the information acquisition device in response to receiving. further comprising a storage unit having a storage area for storing the plurality of process data sets;
The data providing unit, in response to receiving from the information acquisition device a specification of at least a partial address range including the target process data set in the storage area, transfers the data in the address range in the storage area to the information 14. The gateway device according to claim 13, provided to an acquisition device. the storage unit stores at least one process data set among the plurality of process data sets in each of a plurality of address ranges in the storage area, corresponding to each of a plurality of cycles;
The data providing unit, at a timing to acquire at least one process data set corresponding to one cycle among the plurality of cycles, stores the address range including the address range corresponding to the one cycle in the storage area. 15. The gateway device according to claim 14, wherein, in response to receiving a designation from said information acquisition device, said address range data in said storage area is provided to said information acquisition device. The data providing unit includes each address range corresponding to each cycle equal to or less than the one cycle at the timing to acquire at least one process data set corresponding to the one cycle, and the one cycle. providing the data of the address range in the storage area to the information acquisition device in response to receiving from the information acquisition device the specification of the address range that does not include each address range corresponding to each period exceeding 16. The gateway device according to Item 15. 17. The gateway device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the plurality of address ranges are arranged in order of magnitude of the corresponding plurality of cycles. 18. The gateway device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein each period of said plurality of periods is a natural number multiple of a smaller period. Further comprising an address range setting unit capable of setting an address range for storing each of the plurality of process data sets in the storage area based on a cycle in which the information acquisition device should acquire each of the plurality of process data sets. Gateway device according to any one of claims 14 to 18. The gateway device according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the storage unit further stores device information including at least one of setting information, device specific information, and device status for each of the plurality of field devices. . the computer,
a communication unit that communicates with a gateway device that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant;
A cycle for acquiring each of a plurality of process data sets containing at least one process data out of the plurality of process data, wherein the process data included in the process data set is classified according to a collection cycle of the gateway device. a selection unit that selects at least one target process data set to be acquired this time from among the plurality of process data sets based on the determined cycle ;
and a process data acquisition unit that acquires the selected target process data set from the gateway device via the communication unit. the computer,
a communication unit that communicates with a gateway device that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant;
A cycle for acquiring each of a plurality of process data sets containing at least one process data out of the plurality of process data, wherein the process data included in the process data set is classified according to a collection cycle of the gateway device. a selection unit that selects at least one target process data set to be acquired this time from among the plurality of process data sets based on the determined cycle ;
and a process data acquisition unit that acquires the selected target process data set from the gateway device via the communication unit. the computer,
a data collection unit that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in the plant;
A cycle in which an information acquisition device should acquire each of a plurality of process data sets including at least one process data among the plurality of process data, and the data acquisition unit collects the process data included in the process data set. a data providing unit that provides the information acquisition device with at least one target process data set to be acquired by the information acquisition device this time among the plurality of process data sets according to the cycle classified according to the cycle . A program that functions as a gateway device. the computer,
a data collection unit that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in the plant;
A cycle in which an information acquisition device should acquire each of a plurality of process data sets including at least one process data among the plurality of process data, and the data acquisition unit collects the process data included in the process data set. a data providing unit that provides the information acquisition device with at least one target process data set to be acquired by the information acquisition device this time among the plurality of process data sets according to the cycle classified according to the cycle . A recording medium that records a program that functions as a gateway device. A method for a system including an information acquisition device and a gateway device, comprising:
the gateway device collecting a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant;
the information acquisition device communicating with the gateway device;
A cycle for acquiring each of a plurality of process data sets containing at least one process data out of the plurality of process data, wherein the process data included in the process data set is classified according to a collection cycle of the gateway device. an information acquisition device selecting at least one target process data set to be acquired this time from among the plurality of process data sets based on the determined cycle ;
the gateway device providing the selected at least one target process data set to the information acquisition device according to the periodicity;
and obtaining, by the information acquisition device, the provided target process data set from the gateway device. a communication unit that communicates with a gateway device that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in a plant;
an acquisition unit configured to acquire device information of each of the plurality of field devices and a plurality of process data sets including at least one of the plurality of process data from the gateway device via the communication unit;
with
The acquisition unit periodically acquires each of the plurality of process data sets after acquiring the device information, thereby acquiring information from each of the plurality of process data sets and the device information at different timings. Device. a data collection unit that collects a plurality of process data from a plurality of field devices installed in the plant;
a data providing unit that provides an information acquisition device with device information of each of the plurality of field devices and a plurality of process data sets including at least one process data out of the plurality of process data;
with
The data providing unit periodically acquires each of the plurality of process data sets after acquiring the device information, thereby obtaining the information at different timings from each of the plurality of process data sets and the device information. A gateway device serving devices.

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