JP6749493B2 - Management device, information transfer method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management device, an information transfer method and a program.

When a large number of equipment devices represented by air conditioners are installed, a plurality of management devices that collectively manage a plurality of equipment devices are also installed to form a relatively large equipment device system. In such a system, if the information on the operation of the equipment is analyzed, the operation efficiency of the equipment system can be improved. Then, if the information on the operation of the equipment is collected and analyzed from a plurality of equipment systems formed in different places, it can be expected that the operational efficiency is further improved.

Therefore, a technique for collecting information from a plurality of equipment device systems has been proposed (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a technique of collecting data from each facility device to a remote center via a building gateway.

JP, 2014-82723, A

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to connect each facility device to the building gateway. For this reason, work to replace all equipment with models that can be connected to the building gateway and work to make equipment to communicate with the server will occur, and the preparation work for collecting information will be complicated. There was a fear.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to simplify the preparation work for collecting information.

In order to achieve the above object, a management device of the present invention is a management device that is connected to another management device and is also connected to a server on a wide area network via a relay device to manage equipment. A first interface unit for communicating with the device, a second interface unit for communicating with another management device, and a third interface unit for communicating with two or more types of devices according to a predetermined protocol, A detection unit that detects the type of the device when the device is connected to the third interface unit, and the first information indicating the operating state of the equipment when the type corresponding to the relay device is detected by the detection unit. By receiving the second information indicating the operating state of the other equipment managed by the other management apparatus from the other management apparatus via the second interface unit, Collecting means for collecting the first information and the second information, and when the relay device is connected to the third interface section, the first information on the equipment received via the first interface section and the second interface and a second information about other equipment received via the part, and transfers to the server via a relay device from the third interface unit.

According to the present invention, the management device receives the first information and also receives the second information from another management device. Further, when the relay device is connected to the third interface unit, the management device transfers the received first information and second information to the server. Therefore, another management device is not required to have a function of connecting to a wide area network. Information is transferred to the server simply by connecting the relay device to a general-purpose interface for communicating with two or more types of devices. Therefore, the preparation work for collecting information can be simplified.

Diagram showing the schematic configuration of the management system Diagram showing the hardware configuration of the management device Diagram showing the functional configuration of the management device corresponding to the parent device A diagram showing a functional configuration of a management device corresponding to a child device Flow chart showing information transfer processing executed by the management device Flow chart showing the first collection processing Flow chart showing the second collection processing

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a management system 1000 according to this embodiment. The management system 1000 is a system for managing two or more equipment devices. Here, management includes collection of information about a device to be managed and control of this device. The management system 1000 according to the present embodiment manages air conditioning equipment represented by indoor units and outdoor units. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the management system 1000 may manage home appliances represented by lighting devices and cooking appliances, or may manage power generators, power storage devices, and other electric devices.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the management system 1000 includes a management device 100 that manages two or more facility devices 101, a facility device 101 that is an air conditioner, and a management device 200 that manages two or more facility devices 201. The facility device 201 is an air conditioner, a relay device 300 that relays communication, and a server 301 on the wide area network NW.

The management devices 100 and 200, the facility devices 101 and 201, and the relay device 300 are installed in the facility BD. The facility BD is, for example, a building represented by an office building, a residence, a factory, or a public facility. The facility BD according to the present embodiment has a plurality of rooms as spaces to be air-conditioned. The air in these rooms is conditioned by facility equipment 101 and 201 which are air conditioning equipment.

The management device 100 and the equipment 101 are connected by a communication line for serial communication to form a network 41 in the facility BD, and the management device 200 and the equipment 201 are for serial communication. A network 42 in the facility BD is formed by being connected by a communication line. That is, the management apparatus 100 and the equipment 101 are connected via the network 41, and the management apparatus 200 and the equipment 201 are connected via the network 42.

The management device 100 and the management device 200 form a network 43 in the facility BD by being connected by a cable for TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) communication. The network 43 that connects the management apparatus 100 and the management apparatus 200 in the present embodiment is a LAN (Local Area Network).

The wide area network NW is a network that realizes communication between remote places formed by, for example, the Internet or a communication carrier. The management device 100 is connected to the wide area network NW via the relay device 300. When the relay device 300 is not connected to the management device 100, the management devices 100 and 200 and the equipment devices 101 and 201 installed in the facility BD are separated from the wide area network NW, and the networks 41 to 43 are the wide area network NW. Separated from.

The management device 100 corresponds to a master device selected from a plurality of devices that manage the facility devices 101 and 201. The management apparatus 100 manages the equipment 101 and also manages the management apparatus 200 corresponding to a child device. Management of the management device 200 by the management device 100 includes data synchronization and setting.

The management device 100 transmits data to the equipment device 101 or receives data from the equipment device 101 by performing serial communication according to a protocol defined in advance by the manufacturer of the management device 100 or the equipment device 101. The data transmitted to the equipment 101 includes a command for controlling the equipment 101 and a command for requesting the equipment 101 to transmit data. The data received from the equipment 101 includes information on the operating state of the equipment 101. When the equipment 101 is an air conditioner, the operating state of the equipment 101 is an operation mode represented by cooling operation and heating operation, a temperature set as a target temperature of the air conditioning target space, and detection in the air conditioning target space. It includes the actual temperature that has been set and the output of the infrared sensor included in the equipment 101. The information regarding these operating states may represent a current value or may represent a history. Further, the information regarding the operating state of the equipment 101 includes the operating time of the equipment 101.

The management apparatus 100 receives the information about the operating state of the equipment 201 received by the management apparatus 200 from the equipment 201, similarly to the management apparatus 100, by requesting the management apparatus 200 to receive the information.

FIG. 2 shows the hardware configuration of the management device 100. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the management device 100 is configured as a computer including a processor 51, a main storage unit 52, an auxiliary storage unit 53, an input unit 54, an output unit 55, and a communication interface unit 56. The main storage unit 52, the auxiliary storage unit 53, the input unit 54, the output unit 55, and the communication interface unit 56 are all connected to the processor 51 via the internal bus 57.

The processor 51 is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The processor 51 executes the process described below by executing the program P1 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 53.

The main storage unit 52 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory). The program P1 is loaded from the auxiliary storage unit 53 into the main storage unit 52. The main storage unit 52 is used as a work area of the processor 51.

The auxiliary storage unit 53 includes a hard disk and a non-volatile memory represented by a flash memory. The auxiliary storage unit 53 stores, in addition to the program P1, various data used for the processing of the processor 51. The data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 53 includes information collected by the management apparatus 100 from the equipment 101 and the management apparatus 200. The auxiliary storage unit 53 supplies data used by the processor 51 to the processor 51 according to an instruction from the processor 51, and stores the data supplied from the processor 51.

The input unit 54 is configured to include an input key, a pointing device, and an input device represented by a microphone. The input unit 54 acquires the information input by the user and notifies the processor 51 of the acquired information.

The output unit 55 includes an output device represented by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a speaker. The output unit 55 presents various kinds of information to the user of the management apparatus 100 according to the instruction of the processor 51.

The communication interface unit 56 includes a NIC (Network Interface Controller) for communicating with an external device. The communication interface unit 56 receives a signal from an external device and outputs the data included in this signal to the processor 51. Further, the communication interface unit 56 transmits a signal indicating the data output from the processor 51 to an external device.

The management device 100 exhibits various functions by the cooperation of the above hardware configurations. FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration of the management device 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the management device 100 includes a first interface unit 11 for communicating with the equipment 101 via the network 41 and a second interface unit for communicating with the management device 200 via the network 43. 12, a third interface unit 13 for communicating with two or more types of peripheral devices according to a predetermined protocol, a detection unit 14 for detecting that the relay device 300 is connected to the third interface unit 13, The activation unit 15 that activates the wide area communication control unit 16 and the collection unit 17 according to the detection result of the detection unit 14, the wide area communication control unit 16 that controls communication via the wide area network NW, the equipment 101 and the management apparatus 200. And a collection unit 17 that collects information from the.

The first interface unit 11, the second interface unit 12, and the third interface unit 13 correspond to the communication interface unit 56 of the management device 100, and the detection unit 14, the activation unit 15, the wide area communication control unit 16, and the collection unit 17 are respectively. Mainly realized by the processor 51 of the management device 100.

The third interface unit 13 is a general-purpose connection interface represented by USB (Universal Serial Bus) and PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect). The management apparatus 100 does not have an interface for communicating with an external device other than the first interface unit 11, the second interface unit 12, and the third interface unit 13.

The detection unit 14 functions as a detection unit of the management device 100. The detection unit 14 detects the type of device connected to the third interface unit 13. When the detected type is the type corresponding to the relay device 300, the detection unit 14 detects that the communication path to the wide area network NW has been opened. The types of devices connected to the third interface unit 13 include, for example, models that relay communication with the wide area network NW, models that correspond to external storage devices, and models that correspond to user interfaces.

The activation unit 15 executes a program for realizing the wide area communication control unit 16 and the collection unit 17 when it is detected that a communication path to the wide area network NW has been opened, and thus the wide area communication control unit 16 and The collection unit 17 is activated.

The wide area communication control unit 16 controls communication with the server 301 from the third interface unit 13 via the relay device 300. For example, when the relay device 300, which is a USB modem, is connected to the third interface unit 13, the wide area communication control unit 16 makes a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) connection or another communication protocol with the access point. Establish a connection with. The wide area communication control unit 16 also executes HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) communication with the server 301 when transferring the information collected from the equipment 101 and the management apparatus 200 to the server 301.

The collection unit 17 functions as a collection unit of the management device 100. The collection unit 17 collects information from the equipment 101 and the management apparatus 200, and causes the wide area communication control unit 16 to transfer the collected information to the server 301. The collection unit 17 includes a communication control module 170 that controls communication via the networks 41 and 43, a first collection module 171 that collects first information from the equipment 101 via the first interface unit 11, and a management device 200. A second collection module 172 that collects the second information via the second interface unit 12.

Here, the first information is information about the equipment 101, and the second information is information about the equipment 201 managed by the management apparatus 200. Specifically, the first information is information on the operating state of the equipment 101, and the second information is information on the operating state of the equipment 201. Below, it demonstrates using these 1st information and 2nd information suitably.

The first collection module 171 collects the first information by transmitting a command requesting the transmission of the first information to the equipment 101 and receiving the first information from the equipment 101 responding to the command. To do. The second collection module 172 collects the second information by transmitting a command instructing the management apparatus 200 to collect the second information and receiving the second information from the management apparatus 200 that responded to the command. To do.

The management apparatus 200 manages the facility equipment 201 independently of the management apparatus 100, or manages the facility equipment 201 according to an instruction from the management apparatus 100. The management device 200 collects the second information according to the instruction from the management device 100, and transmits the collected second information to the management device 100. The management device 200 has the same hardware configuration as the management device 100, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a functional configuration of the management device 200. As shown in FIG. 4, the management device 200 includes a first interface unit 21 for communicating with the equipment 201 via the network 42 and a second interface unit 21 for communicating with the management device 100 via the network 43. 22 and a collection unit 27 that collects the second information from the equipment 201 and transfers it to the management apparatus 100. The first interface unit 21 and the second interface unit 22 correspond to the communication interface unit 56 of the management device 200, and the collection unit 27 is mainly realized by the processor 51 of the management device 200. The management device 200 does not have an interface for connecting to the wide area network NW.

The collection unit 27 includes a communication control module 270 that controls communication via the networks 42 and 43, a collection module 271 that collects second information from the equipment 201 via the first interface unit 21, and a second interface unit 12. And a transfer module 272 for transferring the second information to the management apparatus 100 via the.

Relay device 300 is a USB modem in the present embodiment. For communication between the relay device 300 and the server 301, an IP address different from that used for communication on the network 43 is used to block access to the management device 200 from outside the facility BD. The relay device 300 may be connected to the wide area network NW via an optical fiber, or may be connected to the wide area network NW via a wireless communication network.

The server 301 is a computer connected to the wide area network NW. The server 301 collects and accumulates information regarding the operating states of the equipment 101 and 201 installed in the plurality of facilities BD. The information accumulated in the server 301 is used for predicting the aged deterioration state of the equipment 101, 201 or controlling for energy saving.

Next, the processes executed by the management devices 100 and 200 will be sequentially described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows the information transfer process executed by the management device 100. This information transfer process starts when the power of the management device 100 is turned on.

In the transfer process, the management device 100 determines whether a device is connected to the third interface unit 13 (step S1). In the present embodiment, the detection unit 14 determines whether any USB device is inserted in the third interface unit 13.

When determining that the device is not connected to the third interface unit 13 (step S1; No), the management device 100 repeats the determination of step S1 and monitors the connection of the device to the third interface unit 13. On the other hand, when it is determined that the device is connected to the third interface unit 13 (step S1; Yes), the management device 100 identifies the type of the connected device (step S2). In the present embodiment, the detection unit 14 identifies the device type by acquiring the vendor ID (Identifier) and the product ID registered in the USB device from the USB device.

Next, the management device 100 determines whether or not the identified type is a type corresponding to the relay device 300 (step S3). Specifically, the detection unit 14 determines whether the type specified in step S2 corresponds to the model of the relay device 300 that enables communication to the wide area network NW. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 14 determines whether the identified type is the USB modem.

When it is determined that the specified type is not the type corresponding to the relay device 300 (step S3; No), the management device 100 repeats the processing from step S1. On the other hand, when it is determined that the identified type is the type corresponding to the relay device 300 (step S3; Yes), the activation unit 15 of the management device 100 activates the wide area communication control unit 16 and the collection unit 17 (step S4). ). As a result, the wide area communication control unit 16 and the collection unit 17 are brought into a state where they can exert their functions.

Next, the management device 100 establishes communication with the server 301 (step S5). Specifically, the wide-area communication control unit 16 establishes a PPP connection to request a predetermined data with the server 301 via the third interface unit 13, the relay device 300, and the wide-area network NW. Make sure that a response is made.

Next, the management device 100 executes the first collection process by the collection unit 17 (step S6). Details of this first collection processing will be described later.

Next, the management device 100 transfers the information collected by the first collection process to the server 301 (step S7). Specifically, the wide area communication control unit 16 transmits the collected information to the server 301 by HTTPS communication via the third interface unit 13, the relay device 300, and the wide area network NW. The wide area communication control unit 16 may directly transfer the collected data without processing it, or may process and transfer the collected data.

Next, the management device 100 determines whether or not the device has been removed from the third interface unit 13 (step S8). In the present embodiment, the detection unit 14 detects whether or not the USB device has been removed.

If it is determined that the device has not been removed (step S8; No), the management apparatus 100 returns to step S6 and repeatedly executes the collection and transfer of information. On the other hand, when it is determined that the device has been removed (step S8; Yes), the management device 100 disconnects the communication with the server 301 (step S9). Specifically, the activation unit 15 notifies the wide area communication control unit 16 that the device has been removed. Then, in the present embodiment, the wide area communication control unit 16 disconnects the PPP connection.

Next, the management device 100 stops the wide area communication control unit 16 and the collection unit 17 (step S10). Specifically, the activation unit 15 stops the thread executing the program for realizing the wide area communication control unit 16 and the collection unit 17. After that, the management device 100 repeats the processing from step S1.

Subsequently, the first collection process of step S6 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, in the first collection process, the collection unit 17 determines whether or not the current time is the specified time (step S61). The specified time is a predetermined timing for collecting information from the equipment 101 and the management apparatus 200. This timing is a timing that is repeated in a 1-minute cycle, for example, 0:00:00, 0:1:0, and 0:2:0. However, this cycle may be set to 1 hour or 30 minutes by the user. Furthermore, the timing may be set to any time.

When determining that the current time is not the specified time (step S61; No), the collection unit 17 repeats the determination in step S61 and waits until the current time reaches the specified time. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current time is the specified time (step S61; Yes), the collection unit 17 collects the first information indicating the operating state of the equipment 101 under management (step S62). Specifically, the first collection module 171 receives the first information via the first interface unit 11 by requesting the equipment 101 to output the first information. Then, the first collection module 171 stores the collected information in the auxiliary storage unit 53 of the management device 100.

Next, the collection unit 17 transmits a command for instructing collection of the second information to the other management device 200 (step S63). Specifically, the communication control module 170 creates a command, and the second collection module 172 transmits the command to each management device 200 via the second interface unit 12. Then, the collection unit 17 waits for a response from the management device 200.

Next, the collection unit 17 collects the second information transmitted from the other management device 200 (step S64). Specifically, the second collection module 172 receives the second information and stores it in the auxiliary storage unit 53 of the management device 100. Then, the collection unit 17 ends the first collection process. As a result, the processing executed by the management device 100 returns to the information transfer processing shown in FIG.

Next, the second collection process executed by the management device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The second collection process starts when the management device 200 is powered on. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the second collection process, the collection unit 27 of the management device 200 determines whether a command has been received (step S21). Specifically, the communication control module 270 determines whether or not the command instructing the collection of the second information regarding the facility equipment 201 is received from the management device 100.

When it is determined that the command has not been received (step S21; No), the collection unit 27 repeats the determination of step S21 and waits until the command is received. On the other hand, when it is determined that the command is received (step S21; Yes), the collection unit 27 collects the second information indicating the operating state of the equipment 201 under management according to the received command (step S22). Specifically, the collection module 271 receives the second information via the first interface unit 21 by requesting the equipment 201 to output the second information. Then, the collection module 271 stores the collected second information in the auxiliary storage unit 53 of the management device 200.

Next, the collection unit 27 transfers the collected second information to the management device 100 (step S23). Specifically, the transfer module 272 reads the second information from the auxiliary storage unit 53 and transmits it to the management device 100 via the second interface unit 22. Then, the collection unit 27 ends the second collection process.

As described above, the management device 100 is connected to the other management device 200 and also connected to the server 301 on the wide area network NW via the relay device 300. Specifically, when the detection unit 14 detects that the relay device 300 is connected to the third interface unit 13, the management device 100 outputs the first information and the second information collected by the collection unit 17 to the server 301. Transfer to. Therefore, the management device 200 is not required to have the function of connecting to the wide area network NW. Further, the information is transferred to the server 301 only by connecting the relay device 300 to the general-purpose third interface unit 13 for communicating with two or more types of devices. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the preparatory work for collecting the information about the facility devices 101 and 201.

In addition, the management device 100 collects information after the communication with the server 301 is established. That is, the management device 100 collects information as needed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid transmitting unnecessary data to the networks 41 to 43.

Further, before and after the relay device 300 is connected to the third interface unit 13, the management device 100 is physically isolated from the wide area network NW. Therefore, security risks can be reduced.

Further, since it is not necessary to connect the management device 200 to the wide area network NW, it is not necessary to provide the management device 200 with the third interface unit 13. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in member cost and design cost of the management device 200.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, although cases have been described with the above embodiment as examples where the relay device 300 is a USB modem, the relay device 300 may be another communication adapter.

Further, the management system 1000 may include another management device managed by the management device 200 corresponding to a child device.

The functions of the management devices 100 and 200 can be realized by dedicated hardware or a normal computer system.

For example, by storing the program P1 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 53 in a computer-readable recording medium and distributing the program P1 and installing the program P1 in the computer, an apparatus that executes the above-described processing may be configured. it can.

Alternatively, the program P1 may be stored in a disk device included in a server device on a communication network typified by the Internet, and may be superimposed on a carrier wave and downloaded to a computer.

The above-described processing can also be achieved by activating and executing the program P1 while transferring the program P1 via the communication network.

Further, the above-described processing can be achieved by causing all or part of the program P1 to be executed on the server device and executing the program P1 while the computer transmits and receives information regarding the processing via the communication network. ..

In the case where the OS (Operating System) shares the above-described functions, or when the OS and the application cooperate with each other, even if only the part other than the OS is stored in the medium and distributed. Well, you may also download it to your computer.

Further, the means for realizing the function of the management system 1000 is not limited to software, and a part or all thereof may be realized by dedicated hardware including a circuit.

The present invention allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, the above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the scope of the claims. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is suitable for transmitting information regarding equipment.

1000 management system, 100,200 management device, 11,21 1st interface part, 12,22 2nd interface part, 13 3rd interface part, 14 detection part, 15 starting part, 16 wide area communication control part, 17,27 collection Section, 170,270 communication control module, 171 first collection module, 172 second collection module, 51 processor, 52 main storage section, 53 auxiliary storage section, 54 input section, 55 output section, 56 communication interface section, 57 internal bus , 101, 201 facility equipment, 271 collection module, 272 transfer module, 300 relay device, 301 server, 41-43 network, BD facility, NW wide area network, P1 program.

Claims (4)

A management device that is connected to another management device and is also connected to a server on a wide area network via a relay device to manage facility equipment,
A first interface unit for communicating with the equipment;
A second interface unit for communicating with the other management device;
A third interface unit for communicating with two or more types of devices by a predetermined protocol,
Detection means for detecting the type of the device when the device is connected to the third interface section;
If the type corresponding to the relay device is detected by said detecting means, the first information shows the operating status of the equipment, received via the first interface unit, managed by said another management unit the second information shows the operating status of the other equipment to be said that the second through the interface unit receives from the other management device, the first information and collection means for collecting the second information And
When the relay device is connected to the third interface portion, the said first information relating to the equipment received via the first interface unit, the second interface unit before SL other equipment received via the and said second apparatus information, transferred from the third interface unit to the server via the relay device, the management device. When the detection unit detects the type of the relay device, the collection unit receives the first information and establishes communication with the server via the relay device, and then receives the second information. To receive,
The management device according to claim 1 . An information transfer method, which is connected to another management device and is connected to a server on a wide area network via a relay device, and is executed by a management device that manages equipment.
The relay device is a third interface unit for communicating with two or more types of devices by a predetermined protocol among the first interface unit, the second interface unit, and the third interface unit included in the management device. When connected, the first information about the facility device received from the facility device and the second information about the other facility device managed by the other management device received from the other management device are stored in the first information. Transfer from the interface unit to the server via the relay device;
Detecting a type of the device when the device is connected to the third interface unit,
When the type corresponding to the relay device is detected, the first information indicating the operating state of the equipment is received via the first interface unit for communicating with the equipment, and the other information is received. By receiving the second information indicating the operating state of the equipment device from the other management apparatus via the second interface unit for communicating with the other management apparatus, the first information and the second information are received. Collecting information,
Information transfer method including. A computer that is connected to a management device that manages equipment and is also connected to a server on a wide area network via a relay device to manage other equipment,
The third interface of the computer, in which the relay device communicates with two or more types of devices by a predetermined protocol among a first interface unit, a second interface unit, and a third interface unit included in the computer. Connected to the unit, the relay relays first information about the other equipment received from the other equipment and second information about the equipment received from the management device from the third interface unit. Transferring to the server via a device,
Detecting a type of the device when the device is connected to the third interface unit,
When the type corresponding to the relay device is detected, the first information indicating the operating state of the other equipment is received via the first interface unit for communicating with the other equipment. By receiving the second information indicating the operating state of the equipment from the management device via the second interface unit for communicating with the management device, the first information and the second information can be obtained. To collect,
A program to execute.

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