JP7696276B2 - ENGINEERING APPARATUS AND ENGINEERING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an engineering device and an engineering method for performing various settings on devices that make up a facility monitoring system.

Conventionally, there is known an engineering device that creates configuration data for operating multiple devices (e.g., a primary device and a secondary device) that monitor or control equipment installed in a facility (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The engineering device creates configuration data for each device, and downloads (receives) the created configuration data to each device, thereby constructing a facility monitoring system. Each device operates based on the configuration data downloaded from the engineering device, and monitors or controls other devices other than itself, or one or more pieces of equipment installed in the facility.

For example, a facility monitoring system includes a primary device, a secondary device connected to the primary device, and equipment connected to the secondary device. The primary device monitors or controls the secondary device by operating based on configuration data downloaded from the engineering device. The secondary device monitors or controls the equipment by operating based on configuration data downloaded from the engineering device.

When constructing a facility monitoring system, the engineering device operates in engineering mode and, for example, displays a setting screen on the display device. The setting screen is a screen for creating and checking setting data, and has items (cells) that indicate the setting data. The administrator or the like performs engineering work by creating setting data using the setting screen. Note that this setting screen is not only a screen for creating and checking setting data for the primary device, but also a screen for creating and checking setting data for the secondary device. The engineering device stores a compilation of the setting data obtained through the engineering work of the administrator or the like in a single storage unit (database) as engineering data.

For example, as shown in FIG. 20, in a conventional facility monitoring system 2000, an engineering device 60 writes, from among the engineering data stored in the storage unit, the setting data for a primary device 70 to the primary device 70. Also, from among the engineering data stored in the storage unit, the engineering device 60 writes, from among the engineering data stored in the storage unit, the setting data for a secondary device 80 to the secondary device 80. Note that an administrator or the like usually writes setting data to the primary device 70 and then writes setting data to the secondary device 80, but conversely, there are also cases where the writing of setting data to the secondary device 80 is performed before the writing of setting data to the primary device 70 (advance adjustment).

As shown in FIG. 21, the engineering device 60 writes the setting data for the primary device 70 from among the engineering data stored in the storage unit to the primary device 70, as in FIG. 20 (reference symbol (1)). On the other hand, for the secondary device 80, the engineering device 60 may directly connect to the secondary device 80 installed on-site after factory shipment using a "connect mode" that is pre-installed in the device itself, and write the setting data (reference symbol (2)). In the "connect mode", the engineering device 60 directly connects to a device in the network built in the facility monitoring system, and can edit the setting data for the connected device, as well as obtain (back up) the setting data from the device.

In addition, since the secondary devices 80 often have similar configurations, once writing of the configuration data to one secondary device 80 is complete, the configuration data 810 may be backed up and the backed up configuration data 810 may be deployed to another secondary device 80 (symbol (3)). In addition, after the backed up configuration data 810 is deployed, the configuration data 810 may be partially changed on the destination secondary device 80.

JP 2020-160909 A

However, since the facility monitoring system 2000 generally has a large number of secondary devices 80, the amount of configuration data for the secondary devices 80 is large, and therefore the amount of engineering data stored in the engineering device 60 is also large. In the facility monitoring system 2000, the engineering data stored in the engineering device 60 is managed as master data.

On the other hand, editing (creating, modifying, deleting, etc.) engineering data may involve multiple administrators (engineers). For example, as shown in FIG. 22, editing of the setting data for the primary device 70 may be performed by administrators A and B, while editing of the setting data for the secondary device 80 may be performed by administrators C and D. In such a case, if the volume of engineering data stored in the storage unit (610 in FIG. 22) of the engineering device 60 is large, there is a problem that the efficiency of engineering work may decrease, as it may become necessary to divide the engineering data into multiple pieces of data before transferring it between administrators.

This invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide an engineering device that can suppress the decrease in efficiency of engineering work that occurs due to an increase in the volume of engineering data.

The engineering device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a common data receiving unit that receives common data that is set in common to two or more devices from among the setting data that is set for each of a plurality of devices that monitor or control equipment installed in a facility; an individual data receiving unit that receives individual data that is data other than the common data from the setting data; and a registration unit that distinguishes between the common data received by the common data receiving unit and the individual data received by the individual data receiving unit and registers them in the storage unit.

With the above-mentioned configuration, this invention can prevent the increase in the volume of engineering data and prevent a decrease in the efficiency of engineering work.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a facility monitoring system including an engineering device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an engineering device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the engineering device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a first registration screen in the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a second registration screen in the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a third registration screen in the first embodiment. 1 is a diagram for explaining an effect of the engineering device in the first embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an engineering device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the engineering device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a second registration screen in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a release instruction in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an engineering device according to a third embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a deletion process by the engineering device according to the third embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen for setting data in the third embodiment. FIG. 15A is a diagram illustrating an example of an icon displayed in the operation area of the editing screen, and FIG. 15B is a diagram illustrating the state in which the configuration data set for the secondary device has been deleted from the engineering data. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an engineering device according to a fourth embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a restoration process by an engineering device according to a fourth embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an overview of restoration of engineering data in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen for registering information regarding the type, etc., of a secondary device in embodiment 4. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of writing setting data to a device by an engineering device in a conventional facility monitoring system. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of writing of setting data to a device by an engineering device in a conventional facility monitoring system. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a plurality of managers are involved in editing engineering data in a conventional facility monitoring system.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1.
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a facility monitoring system 1000 including an engineering device 10 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the facility monitoring system 1000 includes the engineering device 10, a primary device 20, and a secondary device 30. The engineering device 10, the primary device 20, and the secondary device 30 are connected via a network.

In FIG. 1, the facility monitoring system 1000 has one primary device 20 and three secondary devices 30, but the number of primary devices 20 and secondary devices 30 is not limited to this. Also, the secondary device 30 is connected to a device to be controlled or monitored, but this device is not shown in FIG. 1.

The engineering device 10 performs engineering processing including the creation of the above-mentioned setting data, and constructs the facility monitoring system 1000. The setting data is, for example, setting data for the primary device 20 for the primary device 20 to monitor or control the secondary device 30 under it, and setting data for the secondary device 30 for the secondary device 30 to monitor or control the equipment under it. The engineering device 10 also stores data that combines the setting data for the primary device 20 and the setting data for the secondary device 30 as engineering data in the storage unit 104 (see FIG. 2).

The primary device 20 downloads from the engineering device 10 the configuration data corresponding to itself among the engineering data held by the engineering device 10, and operates based on the downloaded configuration data to monitor or control the secondary device 30 under its control.

The secondary device 30 downloads from the engineering device 10 the configuration data corresponding to itself among the engineering data held by the engineering device 10, and operates based on the downloaded configuration data to monitor or control the equipment under its control. The equipment is installed within the facility and is composed of, for example, a sensor, a thermometer, a motor, a damper, or a power meter.

In FIG. 1, the network NW constituting the main part of the facility monitoring system 1000 is configured with two hierarchical layers: an upper layer including the primary device 20, and a lower layer including the secondary device 30. Note that, for ease of understanding, an example in which the network NW is configured with two hierarchical layers will be described here, but the network NW is not limited to this, and may be configured with three or more hierarchical layers. In addition, the network NW does not necessarily have to have a hierarchical structure with a hierarchical relationship as shown in FIG. 1.

Next, a configuration example of the engineering device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the engineering device 10 includes a reception unit 101, a registration unit 102, a display control unit 103, a storage unit 104, and a transmission unit 105. The engineering device 10 is also connected to a display device 50 such as a display.

The reception unit 101 includes a common data reception unit 1011, an individual data reception unit 1012, and a device information reception unit 1013.

The common data receiving unit 1011 receives common data that is set in common to two or more devices from among the setting data that is set for each of a plurality of devices that monitor or control equipment installed in the facility.

Specifically, the common data receiving unit 1011 includes a group information receiving unit 10111 and a data receiving unit 10112.

The group information receiving unit 10111 receives information indicating each group (hereinafter also referred to as "group information") when multiple devices are divided into multiple groups that have common configuration data.

The method by which the group information receiving unit 10111 receives group information is not particularly limited, but for example, the group information receiving unit 10111 may receive group information via a first registration screen (described later) that is displayed on the display device 50 by the first display control unit 1031.

The data receiving unit 10112 receives, as common data, configuration data that is set in common to at least two or more devices that belong to each group indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111.

The method by which the data receiving unit 10112 receives the common data is not particularly limited, but for example, the data receiving unit 10112 may receive the common data via a second registration screen (described later) that is displayed on the display device 50 by the second display control unit 1032.

The individual data receiving unit 1012 receives individual data, which is data other than the common data among the setting data set for each of the multiple devices.

Specifically, the individual data receiving unit 1012 receives as individual data the configuration data to be set on a device that does not belong to any of the groups indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111.

The device information receiving unit 1013 receives information indicating at least two devices belonging to each group indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111.

The method by which the device information receiving unit 1013 receives the device information is not particularly limited, but for example, the device information receiving unit 1013 may receive the device information via a third registration screen (described later) that is displayed on the display device 50 by the third display control unit 1033.

The registration unit 102 distinguishes between the common data accepted by the common data acceptance unit 1011 and the individual data accepted by the individual data acceptance unit 1012 and registers them in the holding unit 104.

The display control unit 103 includes a first display control unit 1031, a second display control unit 1032, and a third display control unit 1033.

The first display control unit 1031 causes the display device 50 to display a first registration screen for registering information (group information) indicating a group to which at least two or more devices belong among the plurality of devices. An example of the configuration of the first registration screen will be described later.

The second display control unit 1032 causes the display device 50 to display a second registration screen for registering setting data (common data) that is set in common to at least two or more devices that belong to the group indicated by the group information accepted by the group information accepting unit 10111. An example of the configuration of the second registration screen will be described later.

The third display control unit 1033 causes the display device 50 to display a third registration screen for registering information (device information) of at least two or more devices belonging to the group indicated by the group information accepted by the group information accepting unit 10111. An example of the configuration of the third registration screen will be described later.

The storage unit 104 stores the engineering data, including the common data and the individual data, registered by the registration unit 102. The storage unit 104 stores the common data and the individual data separately.

The transmission unit 105 transmits the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104 to each device in the network NW via a communication unit (not shown) that serves each device in the network NW.

At this time, the transmission unit 105 transmits the common data accepted by the data acceptance unit 10112 to at least two or more devices belonging to each group indicated by the information accepted by the group information acceptance unit 10111, based on the information (device information) accepted by the device information acceptance unit 1013.

Specifically, the transmission unit 105 refers to the device information accepted by the device information acceptance unit 1013 and checks whether the destination device belongs to any group. If the destination device belongs to any group, the transmission unit 105 transmits common data set in common to at least two or more devices that belong to the group to the destination device.

In addition, if "specific individual data" (described later) exists in the group and the destination device is subject to the specific individual data, the transmission unit 105 also transmits the specific individual data to the destination device.

On the other hand, if the destination device does not belong to any group, the transmitting unit 105 transmits individual data corresponding to the destination device to the device.

The functions of the reception unit 101, the registration unit 102, the display control unit 103, and the transmission unit 105 are realized, for example, by a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown) of the engineering device 10 executing a predetermined program deployed in a memory (not shown). The storage unit 104 is configured, for example, by a hard disc drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a memory.

Note that while FIG. 2 shows a case where the holding unit 104 is provided inside the engineering device 10, the holding unit 104 may also be provided outside the engineering device 10.

Next, an example of the operation of the engineering device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 3. Note that FIG. 3 describes an example of registration of common data by the engineering device 10.

In the following, for simplicity of explanation, the group information receiving unit 10111 is assumed to receive group information from the administrator, etc., via a first registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the first display control unit 1031. The data receiving unit 10112 is assumed to receive common data from the administrator, etc., via a second registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the second display control unit 1032. The device information receiving unit 1013 is assumed to receive device information from the administrator, etc., via a third registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the third display control unit 1033.

In the following description, the administrator or the like will register the secondary device 30 as a device belonging to the group indicated by the group information. As described above, the secondary devices 30 often have a similar configuration, and are suitable for setting common data as devices belonging to a group.

First, the first display control unit 1031 causes the display device 50 to display a first registration screen for registering information (group information) of a group to which at least two or more devices belong among the multiple devices in the network NW (step ST301).

Next, the group information receiving unit 10111 receives group information from the administrator, etc. via the first registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the first display control unit 1031 (step ST302).

An example of this first registration screen is shown in FIG. 4. The administrator or the like can register group information from the first registration screen 401 shown in FIG. 4. In the example of FIG. 4, information indicating the groups "Break Room", "Locker Room", and "Cleaning Staff Waiting Room" is registered as group information. The administrator or the like can register new group information, for example, by inputting a desired group name in the last item (cell) in the "Name" column and performing a specified registration operation (for example, pressing the registration icon 4011).

The "total number of individual settings" displayed on the first registration screen 401 indicates the total number of "specific individual data" that exists in each group. For example, among the multiple items that make up the common data that is set in common to the devices belonging to each group, there may be cases where an individual setting value is desired for a certain item for each device. In such cases, an administrator or the like can cancel the common setting for that item within the group and switch to an individual setting. In this way, information regarding an item that has been switched from a common setting to an individual setting among the multiple items that make up the common data is additionally registered in the storage unit 104 as specific individual data, separate from the common data. In other words, the "total number of individual settings" indicates the total number of specific individual data in each group.

The administrator, etc., can obtain the following advantages by checking the total number of individual settings displayed on the first registration screen 401. For example, because individual settings are set under each group, they may be discarded when a group is deleted or changed. Therefore, by checking the total number of individual settings displayed on the first registration screen 401, the administrator, etc., can check the impact of deleting or changing a group before deleting or changing it. Note that the engineering device 10 may retain the individual settings as they are without discarding them when a group is deleted or changed, or may output them to the outside as a file.

For example, if the total number of individual settings is extremely large, it may be possible to reduce the overall volume of engineering data by adopting a traditional data setting method (setting configuration data for each device) rather than registering group information and setting common data. By checking the total number of individual settings, administrators can determine whether or not it is appropriate to manage them in groups.

Next, the second display control unit 1032 causes the display device 50 to display a second registration screen for registering configuration data that is set in common to at least two or more devices that belong to the group indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111 (step ST303).

Next, the data receiving unit 10112 receives as common data the setting data registered via the second registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the second display control unit 1032 (step ST304).

An example of this second registration screen is shown in FIG. 5. From the second registration screen 501 shown in FIG. 5, an administrator or the like can register setting data (common data) that is set in common to at least two or more devices belonging to a group. In the example of FIG. 5, one record of common data is registered. This common data is set in common to devices belonging to a "break room" group, for example. If necessary, an administrator or the like can add common data on a record-by-record basis from the second registration screen 501 and register new common data by performing a specified registration operation (for example, pressing a registration icon (not shown)).

Next, the third display control unit 1033 causes the display device 50 to display a third registration screen for registering information (device information) indicating at least two or more devices belonging to the group indicated by the group information accepted by the group information accepting unit 10111 (step ST305).

Next, the device information receiving unit 1013 receives device information from the administrator, etc. via the third registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the third display control unit 1033 (step ST306).

An example of this third registration screen is shown in FIG. 6. From the third registration screen 601 shown in FIG. 6, an administrator or the like can register information (device information) indicating at least two or more devices belonging to a group. In the example of FIG. 6, it can be seen that the secondary device 30 named "11-001 1F Rest Room" belongs to the "Rest Room" group, and the secondary device 30 named "11-002 1F Locker Room-1" belongs to the "Locker Room" group.

In addition, the "number of individual settings" in FIG. 6 indicates the number of specific individual data applied to the secondary device 30. For example, in the example in FIG. 6, it can be seen that there are two specific individual data applied to the secondary device 30 named "11-001 1F Break Room" belonging to the "Rest Room" group, and there is no specific individual data applied to the secondary device 30 named "11-002 1F Locker Room-1" belonging to the "Locker Room" group.

In FIG. 6, the total number of individual settings for each group shown in FIG. 4 is the sum of the numbers of individual settings for secondary devices 30 belonging to the same group. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, the total number of individual settings for the "Rest Room" group shown in FIG. 4 is the sum of the number of individual settings "2" for the secondary device 30 named "11-001 1F Rest Room" and the number of individual settings "5" for the secondary device 30 named "13-001 3F Rest Room", both of which belong to the same "Rest Room" group.

On the other hand, the secondary device 30 named "11-003 1F Locker Room-2" does not belong to any group. In this case, the common data is not applied to the secondary device 30 named "11-003 1F Locker Room-2", and the setting data (individual data) individually set for that secondary device 30 is applied as in the past. The administrator or the like links the secondary device 30 with a group via this third registration screen 601 and registers the device information by performing a specified registration operation (for example, pressing the registration icon 6011).

Next, the registration unit 102 registers the common data accepted by the device information acceptance unit 1013 in step ST306 in the storage unit 104, distinguishing it from the individual data (step ST307).

The individual data receiving unit 1012 receives individual data, which is data other than the common data among the setting data. The registration unit 102 then registers the individual data received by the individual data receiving unit 1012 in the storage unit 104, distinguishing it from the common data.

Then, in response to instructions from an administrator or the like, the transmission unit 105 transmits the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104 to the secondary device 30 in the network NW via a communication unit (not shown) that communicates with devices other than the engineering device 10.

At this time, the transmitting unit 105 refers to the device information described above and checks whether the destination secondary device 30 belongs to any group. If the destination secondary device 30 belongs to any group, the transmitting unit 105 transmits common data corresponding to that group to the secondary device 30. Furthermore, if there is specific individual data that applies to the destination secondary device 30, the transmitting unit 105 also transmits the specific individual data to the destination secondary device 30.

For example, when the device information is registered as shown in FIG. 6, the transmission unit 105 transmits common data corresponding to the "Break Room" group to a secondary device 30 named "11-001 1F Break Room" that belongs to the "Break Room" group. In addition, since there are two specific individual data to be applied to the secondary device 30, the transmission unit 105 transmits the common data corresponding to the "Break Room" group, and then transmits the two specific individual data to be applied to the secondary device 30.

Similarly, the transmission unit 105 transmits common data corresponding to the "Break Room" group to the secondary device 30 named "13-001 3F Break Room" that belongs to the "Break Room" group. Furthermore, since there are five specific individual data to be applied to this secondary device 30, the transmission unit 105 transmits the common data corresponding to the "Break Room" group, and then transmits the five specific individual data to be applied to this secondary device 30. As a result, the same common data is transmitted to secondary devices 30 that belong to the same group.

On the other hand, if the destination secondary device 30 does not belong to any group, the transmitting unit 105 transmits to the secondary device 30 the individual data corresponding to that secondary device 30 that was accepted by the individual data accepting unit 1012.

For example, if the device information is registered as shown in FIG. 6, the secondary device 30 named "11-003 1F Locker Room-2" does not belong to any group. Therefore, the transmission unit 105 transmits to the secondary device 30 the individual data corresponding to the secondary device 30 that has been accepted by the individual data acceptance unit 1012.

In the above explanation, an example is described in which common data is received in steps ST303 and ST304, and then device information is received in steps ST305 and ST306. However, the engineering device 10 may receive the device information first, and then the common data, or these receptions may be performed in parallel.

In this way, the engineering device 10 takes advantage of the tendency that multiple secondary devices 30 often have similar configurations, and standardizes (centralizes) the same configuration data portions as common data on the storage unit 104, as shown in FIG. 7. This makes it possible for the engineering device 10 to suppress an increase in the volume of engineering data compared to a case in which all configuration data is stored for each device, and suppresses a decrease in the efficiency of engineering work. Furthermore, when there is a change in the common data, the administrator, etc., can simply change the common data and have the change reflected in other secondary devices 30 that are expected to have the same common data settings, leading to improved maintainability.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the engineering device 10 includes a common data receiving unit 1011 that receives common data that is set commonly to two or more devices among the setting data that is set for each of a plurality of devices that monitor or control equipment installed in a facility, an individual data receiving unit 1012 that receives individual data that is data other than the common data among the setting data, and a registration unit 102 that distinguishes between the common data received by the common data receiving unit 1011 and the individual data received by the individual data receiving unit 1012 and registers them in the holding unit 104. This makes it possible for the engineering device 10 to suppress a decrease in efficiency of engineering work that occurs due to an increase in the volume of engineering data.

The common data receiving unit 1011 also includes a group information receiving unit 10111 that receives information indicating each group when multiple devices are divided into multiple groups with common setting data, and a data receiving unit 10112 that receives as common data setting data that is set in common to at least two or more devices that belong to each group indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111, and the individual data receiving unit 1012 receives as individual data setting data that is set to a device that does not belong to any of the groups indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111. This allows the engineering device 10 to receive common data or individual data depending on whether the device belongs to a group.

The engineering device 10 also includes a first display control unit 1031 that causes the display device 50 to display a first registration screen for registering information indicating each group, and the group information receiving unit 10111 receives information indicating the group via the first registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the first display control unit 1031. This allows the administrator or the like to easily register information indicating the group.

The engineering device 10 also includes a second display control unit 1032 that causes the display device 50 to display a second registration screen for registering common data, and the data receiving unit 10112 receives, as common data, the setting data registered via the second registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the second display control unit 1032. This allows the administrator or the like to easily register common data.

The engineering device 10 also includes a device information receiving unit 1013 that receives information indicating at least two or more devices belonging to each group indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111, and a transmission unit 105 that transmits the common data received by the data receiving unit 10112 to at least two or more devices belonging to each group indicated by the information received by the group information receiving unit 10111, based on the information received by the device information receiving unit 1013. This allows the engineering device 10 to appropriately transmit the common data to the devices belonging to the group.

The engineering device 10 also includes a third display control unit 1033 that causes the display device 50 to display a third registration screen for registering information indicating at least two or more devices belonging to each group indicated by the information accepted by the group information accepting unit 10111, and the device information accepting unit 1013 accepts information indicating at least two or more devices belonging to each group via the third registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the third display control unit 1033. This allows the administrator or the like to easily register information indicating at least two or more devices belonging to a group.

Embodiment 2.
In the first embodiment, an example was described in which setting data set for each device in the network NW, which is set commonly to two or more devices, is registered as common data. In the second embodiment, an example of registering the "specific individual data" described in the first embodiment will be described.

For example, among the multiple items constituting the common data that are set in common to the devices belonging to each group, there may be cases where an individual setting value is desired for a certain item for each device. In such a case, an administrator or the like can cancel the common setting for that item within the group and switch to an individual setting. In this way, information regarding an item that has been switched from a common setting to an individual setting among the multiple items constituting the common data is additionally registered in the storage unit as specific individual data, separate from the common data.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an engineering device 10b according to the second embodiment. In the engineering device 10b according to the second embodiment, a release instruction receiving unit 1014 is added to the engineering device 10 according to the first embodiment, and the registration unit 102 is changed to a registration unit 102b. The other configuration of the engineering device 10b is similar to that of the engineering device 10 according to the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and the description thereof is omitted.

The release instruction receiving unit 1014 receives a release instruction to release the common settings (registration as common data) on an item-by-item basis that constitutes the setting data registered in the storage unit 104 as common data.

The method by which the release instruction receiving unit 1014 receives the release instruction is not particularly limited, but for example, the release instruction receiving unit 1014 may receive the release instruction via a second registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the second display control unit 1032.

When a release instruction is received by the release instruction receiving unit 1014, the registration unit 102b additionally registers information about the item whose common setting has been released by the release instruction in the storage unit 104 as specific individual data.

At this time, the registration unit 102b additionally registers, as specific individual data, data in the holding unit 104 that associates the setting value that is individually set for the item whose common setting has been cancelled by the cancellation instruction with information indicating the device to which the setting value is applied.

Next, an example of the operation of the engineering device 10b according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 9. In the following, for simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the release instruction receiving unit 1014 receives the release instruction from the administrator or the like via the second registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the second display control unit 1032.

First, the second display control unit 1032 displays the second registration screen on the display device 50 in response to an instruction from an administrator or the like (step ST901).

Next, the release instruction receiving unit 1014 receives the release instruction via the second registration screen displayed on the display device 50 by the second display control unit 1032 (step ST902).

An example of this second registration screen is shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 shows an enlarged portion of the second registration screen 501. In FIG. 10, one record of common data is registered for the "rest room" group. An operation area 5011 is provided on the right edge of the second registration screen 501, and information indicating the group to which the group belongs and a release icon 5012 are displayed in this operation area 5011. In the example of FIG. 10, the setting value of the "cooling/heating setting deviation" item, which is one of the items constituting the common data, is "2°C".

If an administrator wants to change the setting value of the "Cooling/Heating Setting Deviation" item for a specific secondary device 30 in the "Break Room" group to "4°C," the administrator selects the "Cooling/Heating Setting Deviation" item and presses, for example, the cancel icon 5012. This cancels the common setting for the "Cooling/Heating Setting Deviation" item, making it possible to set "4°C" as an individual setting. At this time, in the operation area 5011, the display of the group to which the device belongs is changed from "Break Room" to "Individual," and the "Cooling/Heating Setting Deviation" item is changed from a common setting to an individual setting. The common setting is maintained for all items of common data other than the "Cooling/Heating Setting Deviation" item.

Next, when the release instruction receiving unit 1014 receives a release instruction, the registration unit 102b additionally registers information about the items whose common settings have been released by the release instruction as specific individual data in the holding unit 104 (step ST903).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the registration unit 102b additionally registers in the holding unit 104, as specific individual data, data that associates the setting value that is individually set for the item whose common setting has been cancelled by the cancellation instruction with information indicating the device to which the setting value is applied.

The engineering device 10b may display items that have been changed to individual settings in a different color from the display colors of other items on the second registration screen 501. This allows the administrator or the like to easily understand the items that have been changed to individual settings.

As in the first embodiment, the transmission unit 105 transmits the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104 to the secondary devices 30 in the network NW via the communication unit in response to an instruction from an administrator or the like. At this time, the transmission unit 105 transmits the specific individual data, in addition to the common data, to the secondary devices 30 to which the additionally registered specific individual data is applied.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the engineering device 10b includes a release instruction receiving unit 1014 that receives a release instruction to release the common settings for each item constituting the setting data registered in the storage unit 104 as common data, and when a release instruction is received by the release instruction receiving unit 1014, the registration unit 102b additionally registers, as specific individual data, information on the items for which the common settings have been released by the release instruction in the storage unit 104. This allows the administrator or the like to flexibly switch between the common settings and the individual settings for each item constituting the setting data registered as common data.

The registration unit 102b also additionally registers, as specific individual data, data in the holding unit 104 that associates setting values that are individually set for items whose common settings have been cancelled by the cancellation instruction with information indicating the devices to which the setting values are applied. This allows the administrator or the like to appropriately set the devices to which the specific individual data is applied.

Embodiment 3.
In embodiment 3, as another method for suppressing an increase in the volume of engineering data, an example is described in which configuration data set in a device that belongs to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which any one of the devices in the network NW belongs is deleted from the engineering data.

In the third embodiment, the network NW has a hierarchical structure, and is configured by stacking multiple layers to which one or more devices belong. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the network NW is configured by stacking two layers to which one or more primary devices 20 and one or more secondary devices 30 belong. However, the network NW is not limited to this, and may have three or more layers.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an engineering device 10c according to the third embodiment. The engineering device 10c according to the third embodiment is obtained by adding a deletion instruction receiving unit 1015, a fourth display control unit 1034, and a deletion unit 106 to the engineering device 10b according to the second embodiment. The other configurations of the engineering device 10c are the same as those of the engineering device 10b according to the second embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and the description thereof is omitted.

The deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 receives a deletion instruction from an administrator or the like. The deletion instruction is an instruction to delete the setting data set for a device that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than the hierarchical level to which any of the devices belongs from the engineering data held in the holding unit 104, i.e., the engineering data that compiles the setting data set for each device in the network NW, which is made up of multiple stacked hierarchical levels to which one or more devices belong.

The method for receiving a deletion instruction by the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 is not particularly limited, but for example, the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 may receive a deletion instruction via an editing screen (described below) that is displayed on the display device 50 by the fourth display control unit 1034.

Specifically, the fourth display control unit 1034 causes the display device 50 to display an editing screen of the setting data set for a device (e.g., the primary device 20) selected by an administrator or the like (user) as an arbitrary device from among the devices in the network NW based on the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104. Then, when a deletion instruction is given by the administrator or the like via the editing screen displayed on the display device 50, the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 receives the deletion instruction.

At this time, the fourth display control unit 1034 may display an icon for accepting a deletion instruction on the editing screen. In this case, the deletion instruction accepting unit 1015 accepts the deletion instruction when the administrator or the like operates (e.g., presses) the icon on the editing screen.

Based on the deletion instruction received by the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015, the deletion unit 106 deletes from the engineering data held in the holding unit 104 the configuration data set for a device that belongs to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the device selected by the administrator or the like as an arbitrary device belongs.

Next, an example of the operation of the engineering device 10c according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 12 will be described. In the third embodiment, the engineering device 10c mainly performs a deletion process to delete from the engineering data the configuration data set for devices that belong to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the device selected by the administrator or the like belongs. This deletion process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 13.

In the following, for simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the engineering data is stored in the storage unit 104 in advance. Also, the administrator or the like selects the primary device 20 as an arbitrary device, and the fourth display control unit 1034 causes the display device 50 to display an editing screen of the setting data set in the primary device 20 in response to this selection. Also, the administrator or the like presses an icon on the editing screen displayed on the display device 50, and the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 receives a deletion instruction based on the administrator or the like pressing an icon on the editing screen displayed on the display device 50 by the fourth display control unit 1034.

First, the fourth display control unit 1034 causes the display device 50 to display an editing screen for the configuration data set in the primary device 20 selected by an administrator or the like as an arbitrary device (step ST1301).

An example of this editing screen is shown in FIG. 14. On the editing screen 1401 shown in FIG. 14, it is possible to edit (create, change, delete, etc.) the setting data set in the primary device 20. In this case, the setting data to be edited (setting data for the primary device 20) is the setting data for the primary device 20 included in the engineering data held in the holding unit 104.

The editing screen 1401 shown in FIG. 14 is broadly composed of three areas (item display area 1402, detail display area 1403, and operation area 1404). Of these, the item display area 1402 displays a tree of multiple items that make up the setting data for the primary device 20, and multiple items that make up the setting data for the secondary device 30. Here, the part where the former items are displayed is referred to as the "primary device part 14021," and the part where the latter items are displayed is referred to as the "secondary device part 14022."

When a desired item is selected from these items by an administrator or the like, the setting data for the selected item is displayed in the details display area 1403. In addition, the operation area 1404 displays various menus for editing the setting data displayed in the details display area 1403. Although not explained here, the editing screen 1401 may also include an attribute display area that displays more detailed information such as the attributes (properties) of the item.

Here, the administrator or the like can edit the setting data for the primary device 20 by selecting a desired item from the primary device portion 14021 displayed in the item display area 1402. Similarly, the administrator or the like can edit the setting data for the secondary device 30 by selecting a desired item from the secondary device portion 14022 displayed in the item display area 1402. At this time, the setting data to be edited is the setting data included in the engineering data held in the holding unit 104.

However, the administrator in charge of editing the setting data for the primary device 20 does not necessarily need the setting data for the secondary device 30, and there are many situations in which the setting data for the secondary device 30 is not required. In addition, there are many secondary devices 30, and the volume of setting data for the secondary devices 30 tends to be large.

As shown in FIG. 15A, an icon 14041 labeled "Delete secondary device information" is displayed in the operation area 1404. This icon 14041 is for accepting a deletion instruction to delete from the engineering data the configuration data set for a secondary device 30 that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than the primary device 20 selected by the administrator or the like as an arbitrary device. The administrator or the like issues the above-mentioned deletion instruction by pressing this icon 14041.

The deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 receives a deletion instruction based on the administrator or the like pressing icon 14041 (step ST1302).

Next, based on the deletion instruction received by the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015, the deletion unit 106 deletes the configuration data set in the secondary device 30 that belongs to a lower hierarchy than the primary device 20 from the engineering data held in the holding unit 104 (step ST1303).

As a result, in the engineering device 10c, as shown in FIG. 15B, the configuration data set in the secondary device 30 is deleted from the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104, reducing the volume of the engineering data. This also eliminates the need for administrators, etc. to perform tasks such as dividing data when transferring engineering data by email, etc., improving the efficiency of engineering work.

The deletion process described above can be executed in combination with, for example, the registration of common data described in the first and second embodiments. For example, the deletion process can be performed when the registration of common data alone is insufficient to reduce the amount of engineering data, and further reduction in the amount of engineering data is desired.

However, as explained in the first and second embodiments, if group information is registered in the engineering device 10c and a secondary device 30 belonging to the group exists, the above deletion process may result in the group information and device information, etc. being deleted together. Therefore, in order to avoid the loss of the group information, etc., it is desirable for the administrator, etc. to check whether group information, etc. is registered for the secondary device 30 before performing the above deletion process. Also, if group information, etc. is registered for the secondary device 30, it is desirable for the administrator, etc. to output the group information, etc. to an external file, etc., before performing the above deletion process.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the engineering device 10 includes a deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 that receives a deletion instruction to delete setting data set in a device that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than the hierarchical level to which an arbitrary device belongs from engineering data that summarizes the setting data set in each device in the network NW, which is formed by stacking multiple hierarchical levels to which one or more devices belong, and a deletion unit 106 that deletes the setting data set in the device that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than the hierarchical level to which the arbitrary device belongs from the engineering data based on the deletion instruction received by the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015. This makes it possible for the engineering device 10c to suppress a decrease in efficiency of engineering work due to an increase in the volume of engineering data.

In particular, as described above, by deleting the configuration data set for secondary devices 30, which are greater in number than primary devices 20, from the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104, it is possible to effectively suppress the decrease in efficiency of engineering work that accompanies an increase in the volume of engineering data.

Note that unlike the setting data for the primary device 20, the setting data for the secondary device 30 is rarely referenced by other functions (other devices). Furthermore, even if the setting data for the secondary device 30 is temporarily deleted from the engineering data, it is possible to restore it as engineering data by acquiring (backing up) it from the secondary device 30 and integrating it into the engineering data. In light of this, the engineering device 10c makes it possible to delete the setting data for the secondary device 30 from the engineering data. Note that the restoration of the engineering data will be described in detail in embodiment 4.

The engineering device 10c also includes a fourth display control unit 1034 that causes the display device 50 to display an editing screen 1401 of the setting data set for a device selected by the user from among the devices in the network NW as an arbitrary device, and the deletion instruction receiving unit 1015 receives a deletion instruction via the editing screen 1401 displayed on the display device 50 by the fourth display control unit 1034. This allows the administrator or the like to easily issue a deletion instruction to the engineering device 10c.

The fourth display control unit 1034 also displays an icon 14041 for accepting a delete instruction on the editing screen 1401, and the delete instruction accepting unit 1015 accepts a delete instruction when the user operates the icon 14041 on the editing screen 1401. This allows the administrator or the like to issue a delete instruction to the engineering device 10c by the simple action of operating the icon 14041.

Embodiment 4.
In the third embodiment, an example was described in which setting data set in a device that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than a hierarchical level to which an arbitrary device belongs is deleted from engineering data that consolidates setting data set in each device in a network NW in which multiple hierarchical levels to which one or more devices belong. In the fourth embodiment, an example is described in which engineering data from which setting data has been deleted as described above is restored to the state before deletion.

In the facility monitoring system 1000, the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104 may be managed as master data. In this case, if the engineering data in the storage unit 104 is the engineering data after the above-mentioned deletion process, the setting data for the secondary device 30 has been deleted from this data, which may cause problems with subsequent engineering work. Therefore, the engineering device 10d according to the fourth embodiment restores the engineering data in the storage unit 104 to the state before the deletion process in response to an instruction from an administrator or the like.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an engineering device 10d according to the fourth embodiment. The engineering device 10d according to the fourth embodiment has an acquisition unit 107 and a data integration unit 108 added to the engineering device 10c according to the third embodiment. The other configuration of the engineering device 10d is similar to that of the engineering device 10c according to the third embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and the description thereof is omitted.

The acquisition unit 107 communicates with the device in which the setting data deleted by the deletion unit 106 is set via a communication unit (not shown), and acquires the setting data from the device.

The data integration unit 108 integrates the setting data acquired by the acquisition unit 107 with the engineering data deleted by the deletion unit 106, and restores the engineering data to the state before deletion.

Next, an example of the operation of the engineering device 10d according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 16 will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the engineering device 10d mainly performs a restoration process of the engineering data. This restoration process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 17. In the following description, it is assumed that the setting data for the secondary device 30 has been deleted from the engineering data by the deletion process described in the third embodiment, and an example will be described in which the engineering device 10d restores the engineering data from which the setting data for the secondary device 30 has been deleted to the state before the deletion.

First, the acquisition unit 107 communicates with the secondary device 30 in which the setting data deleted by the deletion unit 106 is set via the communication unit, and acquires (backs up) the setting data from the secondary device 30 (step ST1701).

Next, the data integration unit 108 integrates the setting data acquired by the acquisition unit 107 with the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104 that has been deleted by the deletion unit 106, and restores the engineering data to the state before deletion (step ST1702).

The communication with the secondary device 30 by the acquisition unit 107 and the acquisition (backup) of the configuration data are performed in the "connect mode" that is pre-installed in the engineering device 10d.

The data integration unit 108 restores the engineering data in a "difference check mode" that is pre-installed in the engineering device 10d. In the "difference check mode," as shown in FIG. 18, the setting data 1801 acquired (backed up) from the secondary device 30 is compared with the engineering data held in the holding unit 104 to extract differences, and the extracted differences can be incorporated into the engineering data held in the holding unit 104.

In this case, the engineering data stored in the storage unit 104 has had the setting data for the secondary device 30 deleted by the above-mentioned deletion process, so the setting data 1801 acquired (backed up) from the secondary device 30 is directly imported into the engineering data in the storage unit 104 as a difference.

In the above, an example of performing the restoration process according to the flowchart in FIG. 17 has been described, but the administrator may perform the restoration process in a manner other than the above. For example, information regarding the type, etc. of each secondary device 30 is registered in the engineering device 10d as setting data for the primary device 20 so that the primary device 20 can grasp information regarding the type, etc. of each secondary device 30 subordinate thereto. Note that this registration is performed in advance by the administrator, for example via the editing screen 1401 in FIG. 14 described above.

An example of the editing screen in this case is shown in FIG. 19. In the example of FIG. 19, information relating to the type, etc. of each secondary device 30 (for example, secondary device type 1901 in FIG. 19) can be registered via the editing screen 1401. This information relating to the type, etc. of each secondary device 30 is registered as setting data for the primary device 20. Therefore, it will not be deleted by the above-mentioned deletion process.

In addition, the engineering device 10d has a function of automatically generating initial setting data for each secondary device 30 based on the information about the type of each secondary device 30 registered as described above.

The administrator, etc., can then use this automatic generation function to generate initial setting data for each secondary device 30. After that, the administrator, etc. can connect to each secondary device 30 using the above-mentioned "connect mode," and while checking the setting data that is actually set in each secondary device 30, correct the automatically generated initial values to the actual setting data, thereby restoring the final engineering data.

In addition, the engineering device 10d can perform the above restoration process to perform advance adjustment without any problems. Advance adjustment means that when a primary device 20 and a secondary device 30 exist in the network NW, before creating setting data for the primary device 20, setting data for the secondary device 30 is created first, and the created setting data is sent to the secondary device 30 for writing or changing the written setting data.

Advance adjustment is performed for the purpose of, for example, checking the connection between the secondary device 30 and equipment (e.g., a damper, etc.) connected under the secondary device 30 before configuration data for the primary device 20 is created. For example, the secondary device 30 may be installed in an attic or the like together with equipment such as a damper during installation work, but depending on the progress of the installation work, construction workers may be unable to enter the site, making it impossible to check the operation of the secondary device 30 installed in the attic or the like. Therefore, advance adjustment is used to write configuration data to the secondary device 30 and check its operation before configuration data for the primary device 20 is created.

Even if such advance adjustment is performed, the setting data for the secondary device 30 may be deleted from the engineering data by the deletion process described in embodiment 3. However, in the engineering device 10d, as described above, the engineering data can be restored to the state before deletion by performing a restoration process of the engineering data, for example, by acquiring (backing up) the setting data from the secondary device 30. Therefore, in the engineering device 10d, advance adjustment can be performed without any problems.

Even if advance adjustment is not performed, i.e., if the setting data for the secondary device 30 is created after the setting data for the primary device 20 is created, the engineering data can be restored to the state before deletion by performing a restoration process in a manner similar to that described above, in which the setting data is obtained (backed up) from the secondary device 30.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the engineering device 10d includes an acquisition unit 107 that communicates with a device in which the setting data deleted by the deletion unit 106 is set via a communication unit that communicates with each device in the network NW, and acquires the setting data from the device, and a data integration unit 108 that integrates the setting data acquired by the acquisition unit 107 with the engineering data deleted by the deletion unit 106, and restores the engineering data to the state before the deletion. This allows the engineering device 10 to restore the engineering data that has been deleted to the state before the deletion. Also, for example, even if the setting data for the secondary device 30 created by the advance adjustment is deleted from the engineering data after the administrator or the like performs advance adjustment, the deleted setting data can be integrated into the engineering data to restore the state before the deletion.

In addition, within the scope of the present invention, it is possible to freely combine the various embodiments, modify any of the components of each embodiment, or omit any of the components of each embodiment.

1000 Facility monitoring system 10, 10b, 10c, 10d Engineering device 20, 70 Primary device 30, 80 Secondary device 50 Display device 60 Engineering device 101 Reception unit 102, 102b Registration unit 103 Display control unit 104 Storage unit 105 Transmission unit 106 Deletion unit 107 Acquisition unit 108 Data integration unit 401 First registration screen 501 Second registration screen 601 Third registration screen 610 Storage unit 810 Setting data 1011 Common data reception unit 1012 Individual data reception unit 1013 Device information reception unit 1014 Release instruction reception unit 1015 Delete instruction reception unit 1031 First display control unit 1032 Second display control unit 1033 Third display control unit 1034 Fourth display control unit 1401 Edit screen 1402 Item display area 1403 Details display area 1404 Operation area 1801, setting data 1901, secondary device type 2000, facility monitoring system 4011, registration icon 5011, operation area 5012, release icon 6011, registration icon 10111, group information reception section 10112, data reception section 14021, primary device section 14022, secondary device section 14041, icon for deleting secondary device information

Claims (5)

a common data receiving unit that receives common data that is set commonly to two or more devices among setting data that is set for each of a plurality of devices that monitor or control equipment installed in the facility;
an individual data receiving unit that receives individual data other than the common data among the setting data;
a registration unit that registers the common data accepted by the common data acceptance unit and the individual data accepted by the individual data acceptance unit in a storage unit while distinguishing between the common data and the individual data;
a cancellation instruction receiving unit that receives a cancellation instruction to cancel common settings for each item constituting the common data registered in the storage unit;
Equipped with
The registration unit is
When the cancellation instruction receiving unit receives a cancellation instruction, information on the items whose common settings have been cancelled by the cancellation instruction is additionally registered in the storage unit as specific individual data.
1. An engineering device comprising : The registration unit is
The engineering device according to claim 1, further comprising: a setting value that is individually set for an item whose common setting has been cancelled by the cancellation instruction; and information indicating a device to which the setting value is applied, the setting value being associated with the setting value and being registered in the storage unit as the specific individual data. a common data receiving unit that receives common data that is set commonly to two or more devices among setting data that is set for each of a plurality of devices that monitor or control equipment installed in the facility;
an individual data receiving unit that receives individual data other than the common data among the setting data;
a registration unit that registers the common data accepted by the common data acceptance unit and the individual data accepted by the individual data acceptance unit in a storage unit while distinguishing between the common data and the individual data;
a deletion instruction receiving unit configured to receive, from engineering data that summarizes setting data set for each of the devices, a deletion instruction for deleting setting data set for a device that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than a hierarchical level to which any one of the devices belongs, the setting data being set for a device that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than a hierarchical level to which any one of the devices belongs, the setting data being set for each of the devices, the deletion instruction receiving unit;
a deletion unit that deletes, based on the deletion instruction received by the deletion instruction receiving unit, configuration data set in a device that belongs to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the arbitrary device belongs from the engineering data;
Engineering equipment with. An engineering method using an engineering device, comprising:
A step in which a common data receiving unit receives common data set commonly to two or more devices from among setting data set for each of a plurality of devices that monitor or control equipment installed in the facility;
an individual data receiving unit receiving individual data, which is data other than common data among the setting data;
a registration unit registering the common data accepted by the common data acceptance unit and the individual data accepted by the individual data acceptance unit in a storage unit while distinguishing between the common data and the individual data;
a cancellation instruction receiving unit receiving a cancellation instruction to cancel common settings for each item constituting the common data registered in the storage unit;
When the cancellation instruction is received by the cancellation instruction receiving unit, the registration unit additionally registers information on the item whose common setting has been cancelled by the cancellation instruction as specific individual data in the storage unit;
An engineering method having the following features: An engineering method using an engineering device, comprising:
A step in which a common data receiving unit receives common data set commonly to two or more devices from among setting data set for each of a plurality of devices that monitor or control equipment installed in the facility;
an individual data receiving unit receiving individual data, which is data other than common data among the setting data;
a registration unit registering the common data accepted by the common data acceptance unit and the individual data accepted by the individual data acceptance unit in a storage unit while distinguishing between the common data and the individual data;
a step of forming a network in which a plurality of hierarchical layers, each layer including one or more devices, are stacked with the plurality of devices, and a deletion instruction receiving unit receives, from engineering data summarizing setting data set for each of the plurality of devices, a deletion instruction for deleting setting data set for a device that belongs to a layer lower than a layer to which any one of the plurality of devices belongs, by a deletion instruction receiving unit;
a deletion unit deleting, based on the deletion instruction received by the deletion instruction receiving unit, configuration data set in a device that belongs to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the arbitrary device belongs, from the engineering data;
An engineering method having the following features:

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