Patent Description:
Advanced automatic operation is realized in plants, factories and the like (hereinafter simply referred to as "plant") since a process control system has been constructed to control state quantities (for example, pressure, temperature, and flow rate) in an industrial process. In this process control system, an on-site device (a sensor and an actuator) that is generally called a field device and a controller that controls the field device are connected via communication means, and the controller collects process values (for example, measurement values of pressure, temperature, flow rate, and the like) acquired by the field device to operate (control) the field device, such that the state quantities are under control.

The process control system is required for safe and flexible operation over a long period of time equal to or longer than the operating period of the plant (for example, <NUM> years or more). In such a process control system, components constituting the process control system are frequently changed (for example, replacement of a device and version upgrade of software) due to deterioration of facilities provided in the plant, change of processes or materials, efficiency improvement, or maintenance and improvement of functions of the process control system. Therefore, it is important to constantly collect and manage latest information related to the components (for example, a field device, a controller, a network, and programs used in the process control system) constituting the process control system, so as to enable flexible operation of the process control system over a long period.

<CIT> discloses a maintenance support system including a specification information database that stores specification information indicating specifications of a process control system and an actual state information extraction device that extracts actual state information indicating an actual state of the process control system. In the process control system, the actual state information extracted by the actual state information extraction device is compared with the specification information of the specification information database to output information indicating the comparison result. <CIT> describes a system and method of collecting one of process control data and asset data from a plurality of data sources communicatively coupled to an open network stores location information associated with the plurality of data sources and periodically sends requests for process control information to each of the plurality of data sources by using the location information to communicate with each of the plurality of data sources via the open network. <CIT> describes an intelligent interface system is provided for connecting an external application to a distributed control system (DCS). The interface system is operable to automatically scan the DCS to determine its configuration and build a topology model of the DCS. The topology model is used to determine whether data requested from a module in the DCS can be provided by the module.

Information (hereinafter, referred to as "attached information") related to components constituting a process control system needs to be collected at a timing at which process control that is the main process of the process control system is not influenced. For example, the attached information is collected at a timing at which the process control system is not fully operated, for example, when the system is introduced, extended, renovated, or at periodic inspection. In such a case, the timing at which the attached information can be collected is limited to a specific timing.

Examples of influences include, for example, an increase in loads of the process control system and a decrease in the operation rate of the process control that is the main process due to the collection of the attached information, or a decrease in responsiveness and real-time property of the process control.

Attached information may also be collected when the process control system is fully operated. In such a case, the collection is performed, for example, after the production facilities are put into a stable operation state. However, production efficiency of the facilities is reduced.

In addition, since the process control system is provided with a plurality of devices (controllers) that control different facilities respectively, the collection of attached information depends on the operation state of the facilities, and is performed at different timings. Therefore, when attached information is collected during full-scale operation of the process control system, there may be no consistency of attached information among the devices due to different timings for the devices. Particularly, inconsistency may occur when information of the entire process control system is analyzed. The present invention is made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information collecting system, an information collecting mediation device, an information collecting mediation method, and a recording medium, in which attached information having consistency of information can be collected at any timing without influencing the process control.

According to the present invention, attached information having consistency of information can be collected at any timing without influencing the process control.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention is described.

Hereinafter, a configuration of an information collecting system 1a is described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of the information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The information collecting system 1a according to this embodiment collects information related to a controller and a control device that controls the controller, in a process control system installed in a plant. In this embodiment, the process controlled by the process control system is a production process of a product, and the process control system is a production system (not all illustrated).

As illustrated in <FIG>, the information collecting system 1a includes a management PC <NUM>, a plurality of control PCs 20a, a control PC 20b, an engineering PC <NUM>, a plurality of controllers 30a, an information network N1 and a control network N2.

In the production system (not all illustrated), the plurality of controllers 30a control field devices (not illustrated) such as a sensor and an actuator respectively connected to the controllers 30a under monitoring of the control PCs 20a and the control PC 20b that are operation management devices, such that an industrial process (production process) realized in the plant is under control.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the management PC <NUM> is communicably connected to the control PCs 20a, the control PC 20b, and the engineering PC <NUM> respectively via the information network N1. The information network N1 is, for example, installed in a monitoring room of the plant.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the controllers 30a are communicably connected to the control PCs 20a, the control PC 20b, and the engineering PC <NUM> respectively via the control network N2. The control network N2, for example, connects active sites of the plant and the monitoring room, such that real-time communication is performed.

Although the information network N1 and the control network N2 are illustrated in a simplified manner in <FIG>, these networks are actually configured by such as a network switch. The information network N1 and the control network N2 may be wired or wireless networks or a combination of both.

The management PC <NUM> (management device) manages attached information of the entire information collecting system 1a. The management PC <NUM> is, for example, a personal computer (PC). The management PC <NUM> may also be an information processing device other than a PC, such as a general-purpose computer or a tablet type small information terminal.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the management PC <NUM> is connected to the information network N1. The management PC <NUM> includes an attached information update unit <NUM> and an attached information DB (database) <NUM>.

The attached information update unit <NUM> transmits information indicating a request to collect attached information (hereinafter, referred to as "collection request") respectively to attached information collecting units <NUM> of the control PCs 20a and an attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b to be described below via the information network N1. In this way, the attached information update unit <NUM> can collect latest attached information related to each of the control PCs 20a and the control PC 20b.

Additionally, the attached information update unit <NUM> regularly (for example, every week) transmits a collection request to the control PCs 20a and the control PC 20b.

The attached information update unit <NUM> transmits information indicating a request to mediate collection of attached information (hereinafter, referred to as "mediation request") to an attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b to be described below via the information network N1. In this way, the attached information update unit <NUM> can collect latest attached information related to each of the controllers 30a via the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM>.

The attached information update unit <NUM> updates previously collected attached information stored in the attached information DB <NUM>, with latest attached information of the control PCs 20a, the control PC 20b, and the controllers 30a.

The attached information DB <NUM> stores attached information collected by the attached information update unit <NUM>. The attached information DB <NUM> includes a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), a random access read/write memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM) or any combination of these storage media.

The attached information is used for management (for example, maintenance) of the production system (not all illustrated). Specifically, the management PC <NUM> collects and manages the following attached information related to the control PCs 20a, the control PC 20b, and the controllers 30a.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the control PCs 20a (host devices) are connected to the information network N1 and the control network N2. The control PCs 20a monitor and manage the controllers 30a and field devices (not illustrated) (for example, a sensor) connected to the controllers 30a. Specifically, the control PCs 20a operate and monitor the field devices (not illustrated) by exchanging parameters with the controllers 30a via the control network N2. For example, the control PCs 20a acquire parameters set in the field devices (not illustrated) from the controllers 30a to grasp current measurement conditions, and set new parameters in the field devices (not illustrated) for the controllers 30a to change the measurement conditions. Further, the control PCs 20a provide the controllers 30a with setting values and operation amounts of the field devices (not illustrated) such as an actuator to perform control.

The control PCs 20a are, for example, personal computers (PC). The control PCs 20a may also be information processing devices other than PCs, such as a general-purpose computer or a tablet type small information terminal. Each of the control PCs 20a includes an input device (not illustrated) such as a keyboard or a pointing device, and a display device (not illustrated) such as a liquid crystal display. The control PCs 20a display monitoring results of the field devices (not illustrated) and the controllers 30a on display devices (not illustrated) to provide information indicating the state of the plant to such as an operator (operator of the plant), and control the controllers 30a based on an instruction input by the operator and the like via input devices (not illustrated).

As illustrated in <FIG>, each of the control PCs 20a includes an attached information collecting unit <NUM>.

The attached information collecting units <NUM> acquire a collection request transmitted from the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1. The attached information collecting units <NUM> collect attached information related to corresponding control PCs 20a based on the acquired collection request. The attached information collecting units <NUM> transmit the collected attached information to the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1. Here, the attached information collecting units <NUM> control loads so as not to apply a load to other applications of the control PCs 20a.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the control PC 20b (host device and information collecting mediation device) is connected to the information network N1 and the control network N2. In the control PC 20b, the information collecting mediation unit <NUM> and an engineering DB <NUM> are added to the configuration of the control PCs 20a described above.

Configurations of the engineering DB <NUM> and the engineering PC <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> are described below.

The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> acquires a mediation request transmitted from the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1. Upon acquiring the mediation request, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> transmits, via the control network N2, a collection request indicating a request to collect attachment information respectively to attached information collecting units <NUM> of the controllers 30a to be described below. In this way, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> can collect latest attached information related to each of the controllers 30a.

The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> transmits the collected attached information to the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1.

The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> stores information indicating capabilities of the control network N2 and the controllers 30a (hereinafter referred to as "capability information"). Specifically, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> stores the following capability information.

The above "allowed" refers that the process control (production process) of the production system (not all illustrated) is not influenced.

The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> transmits the collection request to the attached information collecting units <NUM> of the controllers 30a to be described below in consideration of capabilities indicated by the above capability information. Specifically, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> transmits the collection request by adjusting a transmission frequency (timing) of the collection request or by adjusting a communication amount in the control network N2 via adjusting an information amount requested to be collected based on, for example, the capabilities indicated by the above capability information.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the controllers 30a are connected to the control network N2. The controllers 30a control state quantities (for example, a flow rate of fluid) in the industrial process (production process) under monitoring of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b. Specifically, for example, under the monitoring of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b, the controllers 30a collect measurement data from a field device (not illustrated) that is a sensor, obtain control amounts of a field device (not illustrated) that is an actuator based on the collected measurement data, and control the field device (not illustrated) that is an actuator.

As illustrated in <FIG>, each of the controllers 30a includes an attached information collecting unit <NUM>.

The attached information collecting units <NUM> acquire the collection request transmitted from the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b via the control network N2. The attached information collecting units <NUM> collect attached information related to corresponding controllers 30a based on the acquired collection request. The attached information collecting units <NUM> transmit the collected attached information to the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b via the control network N2.

The attached information collecting units <NUM> have a function of suppressing loads due to collection of attached information in order to prevent an influence on the process control (production process) performed via the controllers 30a. Specifically, for example, the attached information collecting units <NUM> suppress loads by controlling thread priority, suppressing a usage rate of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the like.

Mediation of collection of attached information is described below with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of mediating the collection of attached information by the control PC 20b of the information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in <FIG>, the engineering PC <NUM> is connected to the information network N1 and the control network N2.

The engineering PC <NUM> is used to maintain the production system (not all illustrated). The engineering PC <NUM> is, for example, a personal computer (PC). The engineering PC <NUM> may also be an information processing device other than a PC, such as a general-purpose computer or a tablet type small information terminal. The engineering PC <NUM> includes an input device (not illustrated) such as a keyboard or a pointing device, and a display device (not illustrated) such as a liquid crystal display. The engineering PC <NUM> is operated by, for example, an engineer that maintains the production system (not all illustrated), defines components (for example, the controllers 30a) of the production system (not illustrated) based on an instruction from the engineer, and sets parameters of the components.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the engineering PC <NUM> includes an engineering unit <NUM>.

The engineering unit <NUM> transfers the above capability information to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b. The capability information transferred here indicates capabilities of a target device (that is, a controller 30a) that the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b mediates and of a target network (that is, the control network N2).

Although the engineering unit <NUM> transfers the capability information to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b in the above description, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the engineering unit <NUM> may transmit information related to definitions of the above components (for example, types of the controllers 30a) and parameter settings of these components to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b, such that the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b determines capabilities of the components based on the acquired information and transmits a collection request.

The engineering DB <NUM> stores the capability information acquired by the engineering unit <NUM> of the engineering PC <NUM>. The engineering DB <NUM> includes a storage medium such as an HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM, a RAM, a ROM, or any combination of these storage media.

The capability information may be input by an engineer in the engineering PC <NUM>, or acquired from an external device (DB) by the engineering PC <NUM>.

The transfer of capability information from the engineering unit <NUM> of the engineering PC <NUM> to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b is performed when contents of engineering (a configuration or setting of a device) is changed.

The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM>, upon acquiring the mediation request, specifies the target device and a capability of the target device by referring to the capability information stored in the engineering DB <NUM>.

Based on the capability of the specified controller 30a, for example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> transmits a collection request to the attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the controller 30a for N times at an appropriate transmission interval, so as to partially acquire attached information in a plurality of times (N times).

Whenever the attached information collecting unit <NUM> acquires a collection request transmitted from the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM>, the attached information collection unit <NUM> transmits a part of the attached information (for example, one of N pieces of the attached information) corresponding to a request of the collection request to the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM>.

The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM>, upon acquiring all of the divided N pieces of attached information, combines the divided N pieces of attached information and transmits the combined attached information to the management PC <NUM> that is a transmission source of the mediation request.

When the attached information includes a plurality of independent (small in size) information, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> may transmit a collection request to acquire each of the independent information. When the attached information includes information having a large size, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> may, by specifying a range (region) for acquisition requests of attached information, transmit a collection request for a plurality of times so as to acquire the information having a large size respectively.

Hereinafter, operation of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b in collecting attached information is described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a flow chart illustrating operation of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b of the information collecting system la according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The flow chart illustrated in <FIG> starts when a collection request is transmitted from the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> to the attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b via the information network N1.

(Step S001) When the attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b acquires the collection request transmitted from the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1, the process proceeds to Step S002. Otherwise (that is, when the collection request is not acquired), the process remains in Step S001.

(Step S002) The attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b collects attached information related to the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b based on the collection request acquired in Step S001. Thereafter, the process proceeds to Step S003.

(Step S003) The attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b transmits the attached information collected in Step S002 to the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1.

Processing of the flow chart illustrated in <FIG> ends.

Hereinafter, operation of the control PC 20b in mediating collection of attached information is described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a flow chart illustrating operation of the control PC 20b of the information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The flow chart illustrated in <FIG> starts when a collection request is transmitted from the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> to the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b via the information network N1.

(Step S101) When the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b acquires the mediation request transmitted from the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1, the process proceeds to Step S102. Otherwise (that is, when the mediation request is not acquired), the process remains in Step S101.

(Step S102) The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b specifies capabilities of the target device (that is, the controller 30a to be collected of attached information) and of the target network (that is, the control network N2) by referring to the capability information stored in the engineering DB <NUM>. Thereafter, the process proceeds to Step S103.

(Step S103) The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b transmits a collection request to the attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the controller 30a in consideration of capability information of the controller 30a and of the control network N2 (for example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> transmits a collection request to the attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the controller 30a for N times at an appropriate transmission interval based on the capability information of the specified controller 30a, so as to partially acquire the attached information in a plurality of times (N times)). The above transmission of a collection request for a plurality of times is performed upon receiving attachment information corresponding to a previously transmitted collection request. That is, a next collection request is not transmitted until attachment information corresponding to the previously transmitted collection request is received. Thereafter, the process proceeds to Step S104.

(Step S104) When the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b acquires all of the attached information transmitted from the attached information collecting unit <NUM> of the controller 30a via the control network N2, the process proceeds to Step S105. Otherwise (that is, when the attached information is not acquired), the process remains in Step S104.

(Step S105) The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b transmits the attached information acquired in Step S104 to the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1.

With the above configuration, the information collecting system la according to the first embodiment of the present invention can collect attached information without influencing process control of an industrial process (for example, a production process) by an operating process control system (for example, a production system).

With the above configuration, since the information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention can collectively collect attached information of the entire process control system (for example, a production system), attached information having consistency of information can be collected.

With the above configuration, the information collection system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention can introduce collection of attachment information to a process control system (for example, a production system) including a device that is difficult to be replaced such as an operating controller, while maintaining operation of the process control system. This is because, according to the present invention, the collection of attached information can be introduced by simply adding, to a control PC, a mediation function of mediating collection of attached information related to a controller without adding a function to many controllers respectively. The mediation function can be added to the control PC by simply adding (or updating) software, making it possible to add a function easily.

As described above, the information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention can collect attached information having consistency of information at any timing without influencing processing efficiency of the process control.

The information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment collects attached information over a two-level network including one information network N1 and one control network N2. The present invention can be expanded to a configuration in which attached information is collected over three or more-level networks. The present invention can also be expanded to a configuration in which attached information is collected in a network (for example, a network in which two control networks N2 are connected to one information network N1) in which a plurality of networks of the same level exist.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention is described.

Hereinafter, a configuration of an information collecting system 1b is described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of the information collecting system 1b according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment, the information collecting system 1b according to this embodiment collects information related to a controller and a control device that controls the controller in a production system (not all illustrated) installed in a plant.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the information collecting system 1b includes the management PC <NUM>, the plurality of control PCs 20a, the control PC 20b, the engineering PC <NUM>, a plurality of controllers 30b, a plurality of field devices <NUM>, the information network N1, the control network N2, and a plurality of field networks N3.

In the production system (not all illustrated), the plurality of controllers 30b control the field devices <NUM> respectively connected to the controllers 30b under monitoring of the control PCs 20a and the control PC 20b that are operation management devices, such that an industrial process (production process) realized in the plant is under control.

In the configuration of the information collecting system 1b according to this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to functional blocks having the same functions as those of the information collecting system 1a according to the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the controllers 30b are communicably connected to the control PCs 20a, the control PC 20b, and the engineering PC <NUM> respectively via the control network N2. The control network N2, for example, connects active sites of the plant and the monitoring room, such that real-time communication is performed.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the controllers 30b and the field devices <NUM> are connected to each other respectively via the field networks N3. The field networks N3 are, for example, installed in a monitoring room of the plant.

In this way, the information collecting system 1b according to this embodiment includes a three-level network including the information network N1, the control network N2, and the field networks N3.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the field networks N3 are separate networks from each other, to which two controllers 30b constituting the information collecting system 1b are connected respectively. That is, the information collection system 1b according to this embodiment includes a three-level network in which one control network N1 is connected to one information network N2 and two field networks N3 are connected in parallel to the control network N2.

Although the information network N1, the control network N2, and the field networks N3 are illustrated in a simplified manner in <FIG>, these networks are actually configured by such as a network switch. The information network N1, the control network N2, and the field networks N3 may be wired or wireless networks or a combination of both.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the controllers 30b are connected to the control network N2 and the field networks N3. The controllers 30b control state quantities (for example, a flow rate of fluid) in the industrial process (production process) under monitoring of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b. Specifically, for example, under the monitoring of the control PCs 20a or the control PC 20b, the controllers 30b collect measurement data from a field device <NUM> that is a sensor, obtain a control amount of a field device <NUM> that is an actuator based on the collected measurement data, and control the field device <NUM> that is the actuator.

As illustrated in <FIG>, each of the controllers 30b includes the attached information collecting unit <NUM>, an attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM>, and an engineering DB <NUM>.

The attached information collecting units <NUM> acquire a collection request transmitted from the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b via the control network N2. The attached information collecting units <NUM> collect attached information related to corresponding controllers 30b based on the acquired collection request. The attached information collecting units <NUM> transmit the collected attached information to the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b via the control network N2.

Each of the controllers 30b of the information collecting system 1b according to this embodiment has a configuration in which the information collecting mediation unit <NUM> and the engineering DB <NUM> are added to the configuration of the controllers 30a described in the first embodiment.

Attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> acquire a mediation request transmitted from the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b via the control network N2. Upon acquiring the mediation request, the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> respectively transmit, via the field networks N3, a collection request indicating a request to collect attachment information to attached information collecting units <NUM> of the field devices <NUM> to be described below. In this way, the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> can collect latest attached information related to each of the field device <NUM>.

The attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> transmit the collected attached information to the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b via the control network N2. The attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b, when collecting the attached information transmitted from the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> of the controllers 30b, transmits the collected attached information to the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> via the information network N1.

The attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> store capability information of the field networks N3 and of the field devices <NUM>. Specifically, the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> store the following capability information.

The attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> transmit a collection request to the attached information collecting units <NUM> of the field devices <NUM> to be described below in consideration of the capabilities indicated by the above capability information. Specifically, the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> transmit a collection request by adjusting a transmission frequency (timing) of the collection request or by adjusting a communication amount in the field networks N3 via adjusting an information amount requested to be collected based on, for example, the capabilities indicated by the above capability information.

The engineering DBs <NUM> store the capability information acquired by the engineering unit <NUM> of the engineering PC <NUM>. Similar to the engineering DB <NUM>, each of the engineering DBs <NUM> includes a storage medium such as an HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM, a RAM, a ROM, or any combination of these storage media.

The field devices <NUM> are, for example, a sensor such as a flowmeter and a temperature sensor, a valve such as a flow control valve and an on-off valve, an actuator such as a fan and a motor, or other devices installed in the plant.

As illustrated in <FIG>, each of the field devices <NUM> includes the attached information collecting unit <NUM>.

The attached information collecting units <NUM> acquire a collection request transmitted from the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> of the controllers 30b via the field networks N3. The attached information collecting units <NUM> collect attached information related to corresponding field devices <NUM> based on the acquired collection request. The attached information collecting units <NUM> transmit the collected attached information to the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> of the controllers 30b via the field networks N3.

The attached information collecting units <NUM> have a function of suppressing loads due to collection of attached information in order to prevent an influence on the process control (production process) performed via the controllers 30b. Specifically, for example, the attached information collecting units <NUM> suppress loads by controlling thread priority, suppressing a usage rate of a CPU, and the like.

Here, the engineering unit <NUM> of the engineering PC <NUM> transfers the above capability information to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b and the engineering DBs <NUM> of the controllers 30b. The capability information transferred from the engineering unit <NUM> to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b indicates capabilities of a target device (that is, a controller 30b) that the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b mediates and of a target network (that is, the control network N2). The capability information transferred from the engineering unit <NUM> to the engineering DBs <NUM> of the controllers 30b indicates capabilities of a target device (that is, a field device <NUM>) that the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> of the controllers 30b mediate and of a target network (that is, the field network N3).

Although the engineering unit <NUM> transfers the capability information to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b and the engineering DBs <NUM> of the controllers 30b in the above description, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the engineering unit <NUM> may transmit information related to definitions of the above components (for example, types of the controllers 30b and of the field devices <NUM>) and parameter settings of these components to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b and the engineering DBs <NUM> of the controllers 30b, such that the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b and the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> of the controllers 30b determine capabilities of the components based on the acquired information and transmits a collection request.

The transfer of capability information from the engineering unit <NUM> of the engineering PC <NUM> to the engineering DB <NUM> of the control PC 20b and the engineering DBs <NUM> of the controllers 30b is performed when contents of engineering (a configuration and setting of a device) is changed.

With the above configuration, the information collecting system 1b according to the second embodiment of the present invention can collect attached information having consistency of information at any timing without influencing processing efficiency of the process control.

The information collecting system 1b may have a gateway (not illustrated) connected to the control network N2 and the field networks N3 respectively. In this case, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b can be connected to the field networks N3 via the gateway (not illustrated), transmit a collection request directly to the attached information collecting units <NUM> of the field devices <NUM>, and collect attached information related to the field devices <NUM> directly from the attached information collecting units <NUM>.

The gateway (not illustrated) may include an attached information collecting mediation unit, such that the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b may transmit the mediation request to the attached information collecting mediation unit of the gateway (not illustrated).

The above control PC 20b may include an analysis unit (not illustrated) that analyzes operation states (load states) of the control network N2 and the controllers 30a (or the controllers 30b) during operation of the production system (not all illustrated). With this configuration, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> can determine to adjust a transmission timing of a collection request based on the analysis result by the analysis unit (not illustrated), and to transmit collection requests in parallel when loads is in a good state. In this way, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> can collect attached information more efficiently (for example, in a short time) while not influencing the process control (production process) that is the main process.

Similarly, the management PC <NUM> may include an analysis unit (not illustrated) that analyzes operation states (load states) of the information network N1, the control PCs 20a, and the control PC 20b during operation of the production system (not all illustrated). The controllers 30b may include an analysis unit (not illustrated) that analyzes operation states (load states) of the field networks N3 and the field devices <NUM> during operation of the production system (not all illustrated).

In the information collecting systems according to the above embodiments, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b transmits all of latest attached information related to each of the controllers 30b to the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM>. In the information collecting systems according to the above embodiments, the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> of the controllers 30b transmits all of latest attached information related to each of the field devices <NUM> to the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b.

In this way, in the above embodiments, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> and the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> transmit all of the collected attached information to devices of a higher level. The collected attached information may be compared with the previously collected attached information (at time of previous collection) to transmit only difference information between the collected attached information and the previously collected attached information. With this configuration, an amount of attached information to be transmitted in the networks is reduced, and the information collecting systems can accordingly collect attached information more efficiently (for example, in a short time) without influencing the process control (production processing) that is a main process.

When contents of the collected attached information is the same as contents of the previously collected attached information (when the attached information is not changed), only Acknowledge (Ack) information indicating that a mediation request is normally received may be transmitted to the devices of a higher level.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, specific configurations are not limited to those described above, and design changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the above embodiments, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b stores capability information of the control network N2 and the controllers 30a (or the controllers 30b), the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> of the controllers 30b store capability information of the field networks N3 and the field devices <NUM>, and the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> and the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> transmit collection requests based on these capability information. However, the attached information update unit <NUM> of the management PC <NUM> may also be configured similarly to store capability information of the information network N1, the control PCs 20a, and the control PC 20b, and transmit a collection request respectively based on the capability information.

In <FIG> and <FIG>, a plurality of devices (the control PCs 20a, the controllers 30a, the controllers 30b, and the field devices <NUM>) are illustrated with the same reference numerals, and the plurality of devices with the same reference numerals have common functions. However, these devices have different allowed processing loads as operation states are different. According to the information collecting systems according to the above embodiments, attached information is collected in consideration of different allowed processing loads for each of the devices.

Although the field devices <NUM> are connected to the field networks N3 in <FIG>, the field devices <NUM> may be connected directly to the control network N2. With this configuration, the field devices <NUM> are controlled by the controllers 30b via the control network N2. Also, the attached information collecting mediation unit <NUM> of the control PC 20b, instead of the attached information collecting mediation units <NUM> provided in the controllers 30b, transmits a collection request to the attached information collecting units <NUM> of the field devices <NUM>, and collects attached information collected by the attached information collecting units <NUM>.

Additionally, a part or all of a program for realizing a control function of the information collecting system 1a or the information collecting system 1b in the above embodiments may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and be realized by reading and executing the program recorded in the recording medium in a the computer system.

The "computer system" referred to here is built in the information collecting system 1a or the information collecting system 1b, and includes an OS and hardware such as an peripheral device. The "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a storage device such as a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk built in the computer system.

The "computer-readable recording medium" may also include a recording medium that retains a program dynamically in a short time, such as a communication line for transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, or a recording medium that retains a program for a predetermined time, such as a volatile memory in a computer system serving as a server or a client in this case. The program may be used to realize a part of the above functions, and combine with a program that is already recorded in the computer system to realize the above functions.

Claim 1:
An information collecting mediation device (<NUM>) connected to a control network (N2) and an information network (N1) in a process control system (1a) that includes a controller connected to the control network and a host device (20a) connected to the information network located at a level higher than the control network, wherein the information collecting mediation device (<NUM>) is configured to collect information associated with the controller in consideration of capability information indicating a capability of at least one of the control network and the controller based on an information acquisition request transmitted via the information network, and to send the collected information associated with the controller to the information network toward a transmission source of the information acquisition request, characterized in that, the information collecting mediation device (<NUM>) is configured to adjust the information amount by dividing and collecting the information associated with the controller (30a) in consideration of the capability information, to combine the collected divided information, and to transmit the combined information to the transmission source of the information acquisition request, wherein in consideration of the capability information, the information collecting mediation device (<NUM>) is configured to transmit a collection request for N times at a transmission interval so as to partially collect the information associated with the controller in N times.