JP7757878B2 - Measurement system and method for controlling the measurement system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a measurement system and a method for controlling the measurement system.

A thickness gauge is a measuring device that measures the thickness of a sheet-like object. Patent Document 1 describes technology related to thickness gauges.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-085763

When physical quantity measurement devices, including thickness gauges, are connected to an information processing system and used within a certain area of a plant or factory, it is conceivable to build the system as a closed system within a certain area of the site and block access from outside, from the perspective of ensuring security. In such measurement systems, multiple types of data, including physical quantity measurement results, are typically stored in different storage devices, and each data is managed so that it can be accessed in a different format depending on its content. Therefore, when attempting to allow access to the measurement system from external users who meet certain requirements while maintaining security, conventional technology leaves room for improvement in achieving a unified data access method.

The purpose of this disclosure is to provide technology that enables external access to a measurement system using a unified access method.

According to some embodiments, a measurement system includes a measurement device that measures a physical quantity of a measurement object, a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device, and an edge controller that can communicate with the management device and a client terminal. The management device acquires first data from a first storage device that stores first data, which is data of the measurement value of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device, assigns first identification information indicating the type of the first data and a first acquisition time when the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmits the first data, to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned, to the edge controller, acquires second data from a second storage device that stores second data, which is data other than the measurement value of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device, and transmits the second data. The device includes a first control unit that assigns second identification information indicating a type and a second acquisition time at which the second data was acquired to the acquired second data, and transmits the second data with the second identification information and the second acquisition time assigned to it to the edge controller. The edge controller has a second control unit that, in response to receiving the first data or the second data from the management device, stores the first data or the second data in a third storage device, and, in response to receiving an access request including the first identification information or the second identification information from the client terminal, acquires the first data or the second data with the first identification information or the second identification information included in the access request assigned from the third storage device and transmits it to the client terminal.

In this way, data acquired from the first or second storage device is automatically transferred to the edge controller, allowing workers to access the edge controller via a client terminal and view the data without having to directly operate the management device. Furthermore, the third storage device stores data with identification information indicating the type of data and the acquisition time, regardless of the type of data acquired, allowing workers to access this data in a common format. Therefore, external access to the measurement system is possible using a unified access method.

In one embodiment of the measurement system, the first control unit of the management device acquires the first data from the first storage device at a predetermined first acquisition timing, and in response to acquiring the first data, transmits the first data, to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned, to the edge controller; and acquires the second data from the second storage device at a predetermined second acquisition timing, and in response to acquiring the second data, transmits the second data, to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time have been assigned, to the edge controller.

In this way, data is acquired at a predetermined acquisition timing for each data type and sent to the edge controller, making it possible to collect data at a collection cycle that suits the characteristics of the data.

In one embodiment of the measurement system, the second control unit of the edge controller receives timing setting information from the client terminal indicating at least one of the timing for acquiring the first data from the first storage device and the timing for acquiring the second data from the second storage device, and causes the management device to set at least one of the first acquisition timing and the second acquisition timing based on the timing setting information.

In this way, the edge controller has the management device set the acquisition timing based on the timing setting information received from the client terminal, allowing the worker to set the data acquisition timing from the client terminal.

In one embodiment of the measurement system, in response to receiving the access request from the client terminal, which includes time information indicating a time range, the second control unit of the edge controller acquires from the third storage device the first data, to which the first acquisition time included in the time range has been assigned, or the second data, to which the second acquisition time included in the time range has been assigned, and transmits the data to the client terminal.

In this way, the edge controller sends data acquired at times included in the time range indicated in the access request to the client terminal, allowing workers to operate the client terminal to collect data for the desired time range.

In one embodiment of the measurement system, in response to receiving a setting request from the client terminal that includes the first identification information or the second identification information and setting data, the second control unit of the edge controller transfers the setting request to the management device, and the first control unit of the management device stores the setting data in the first storage device if the transferred setting data includes the first identification information, or stores the setting data in the second storage device if the transferred setting data includes the second identification information. Therefore, an operator can operate the client terminal to set the desired type of setting data.

According to some embodiments, a control method for a measurement system includes a measurement device that measures a physical quantity of a measurement object, a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device, and an edge controller that can communicate with the management device and a client terminal. The control unit of the management device acquires first data from a first storage device that stores first data, which is data on the measurement value of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device; assigns first identification information indicating the type of the first data and a first acquisition time when the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmits the first data, to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned, to the edge controller; and acquires second data from a second storage device that stores second data, which is data other than the measurement value of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device. acquiring the acquired second data; assigning second identification information indicating the type of the second data and a second acquisition time at which the second data was acquired to the acquired second data, and transmitting the second data with the second identification information and the second acquisition time assigned to it to the edge controller; storing the first data or the second data in a third storage device by a control unit of the edge controller in response to receiving the first data or the second data from the management device; and acquiring the first data or the second data with the first identification information or the second identification information assigned to it from the third storage device in response to receiving an access request including the first identification information or the second identification information from the client terminal, and transmitting it to the client terminal.

In this way, data acquired from the first or second storage device is automatically transferred to the edge controller, allowing workers to access the edge controller via a client terminal and view the data without having to directly operate the management device. Furthermore, the third storage device stores data with identification information indicating the type of data and the acquisition time, regardless of the type of data acquired, allowing workers to access this data in a common format. Therefore, external access to the measurement system is possible using a unified access method.

According to some embodiments, a measurement system includes a measurement device that measures a physical quantity of a measurement object, a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device, and an edge controller capable of communicating with the management device and a client terminal. The management device includes a first control unit that acquires first data from a first storage device that stores data related to measurement of the physical quantity by the measurement device, assigns first identification information indicating a type of the first data and a first acquisition time when the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmits the first data with the first identification information and the first acquisition time to the edge controller. The edge controller includes a second control unit that, in response to receiving the first data from the management device, stores the first data in a third storage device, and, in response to receiving an access request including the first identification information from the client terminal, acquires the first data with the first identification information included in the access request from the third storage device and transmits it to the client terminal.

In this way, data acquired from the first storage device is automatically transferred to the edge controller, allowing workers to access the edge controller via a client terminal and view the data without having to directly operate the management device. Furthermore, the third storage device stores data with identification information indicating the type of data and the acquisition time, regardless of the type of data acquired, allowing workers to access this data in a common format. Therefore, external access to the measurement system is possible using a unified access method.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a unified access method enables external access to the measurement system.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a measurement system according to a comparative example. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a measurement system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the edge controller of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a management device illustrated in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the measurement device of FIG. 2. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the management device of FIG. 2 . 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the edge controller of FIG. 2 . FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a measurement system according to an embodiment. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the edge controller of FIG. 8 . 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the management device of FIG. 8 . FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a measurement system according to an embodiment.

<Comparative Example>
1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a measurement system 100 according to a comparative example. The measurement system 100 according to the comparative example includes a management device 130, an operation terminal 140, a measurement device 150, and an external system 160. The measurement system 100 is constructed as a closed system within a certain site 190 such as a plant or factory.

The measuring device 150 is a device that measures the physical quantity of an object to be measured. The measuring device 150 is, for example, a thickness gauge that measures the thickness of a sheet-like object to be measured.

The management device 130 is a device that manages measurements taken by the measurement device 150. The management device 130 manages the operating status 132, measurement data 133, log data 134, and other data 135 as separate data.

The operation terminal 140 is a device that accepts operations by the worker 181 on the management device 130.

The external system 160 is a system related to a device separate from the management device 130. The external system 160 in Figure 1 includes a DCS (Distributed Control System) 161 and a DCS operation terminal 163. The DCS 161 holds DCS data 162, which is data related to the operation of the DCS 161. The DCS operation terminal 163 is a device that accepts operations on the DCS 161 by workers.

In the measurement system 100 according to the comparative example, to access each piece of data 132-135 managed by the management device 130, the worker 181 must go to the site 190 and operate the operation terminal 140. Specifically, the worker 181 must operate the operation terminal 140 to display each piece of data 132-135 on the display and save each piece of data 132-135 to an external recording medium. Because each piece of data 132-135 relates to different information, the operation method of the operation terminal 140 (e.g., how to open the screen, how to output files, etc.) differs depending on the type of data to be accessed. To access DCS data 162 managed in DCS 161, the worker 181 must operate a DCS operation terminal 163, which is different from the operation terminal 140.

As such, to collect data 132-135 or DCS data 162 in the measurement system 100 according to the comparative example, the worker 181 must operate the operation terminal 140 or DCS operation terminal 163 installed on the premises 190, and must travel to the premises 190. Furthermore, each of the data 132-135 and DCS data 162 is managed in a different accessible format depending on its type. Therefore, the worker 181 must become proficient in operating the operation terminal 140 or DCS operation terminal 163 for each type of data, which can lead to human error during data acquisition work.

It is possible to connect to the operation terminal 140 from an external network using remote operation technology such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network), thereby ensuring security and allowing external users who meet certain requirements to access the measurement system. However, in this case, as mentioned above, data 132-135 and DCS data 162 are each managed in a different accessible format, making it impossible to access the data in a unified manner.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, parts having the same configuration or function are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, duplicated descriptions of the same parts may be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

(measurement system)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a measurement system 1a according to one embodiment. The measurement system 1a includes an edge controller 10, a client terminal 20, a management device 30, an operation terminal 40, a measurement device 50, and an external system 60. The measurement system 1a measures physical quantities of a measurement object, sets measurement conditions, manages measurement data, and executes processing in cooperation with the external system 60. In the example of FIG. 2, the edge controller 10, the client terminal 20, the management device 30, the operation terminal 40, the measurement device 50, and the external system 60 are installed within a certain site 90 such as a plant or factory, and the client terminal 20 is installed outside the site 90. For example, the measurement system 1a may be a system installed in a paper factory for measuring the thickness of paper manufactured as a measurement object.

The arrangement of the components of the measurement system 1a is not limited to the example shown in Figure 2. For example, the external system 60 may also be located outside the premises 90, and the management device 30 may be able to communicate with the external system 60 via a secure network. In addition, although an example will be described in which the measurement system 1a includes one edge controller 10, one client terminal 20, one management device 30, one operation terminal 40, one measurement device 50, and one external system 60, the number of at least one of these devices may be two or more.

The measuring device 50 is a device that measures the physical quantity of a measurement object. Below, an example will be described in which the measuring device 50 is a thickness meter that measures the thickness of a sheet-like measurement object such as paper or film, but the measuring device 50 may also be a device that measures other physical quantities. Details of the measuring device 50 will be described later with reference to Figure 5.

The management device 30 is an information processing device that manages the operation of the measurement device 50. The management device 30 may be one or multiple server devices that can communicate with each other. The management device 30 is not limited to these and may be any general-purpose electronic device such as a WS (Work Station) or PC (Personal Computer), or may be other dedicated electronic devices. The management device 30 manages the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, and other data 35 as separate data. A collection program 31 runs in the management device 30 and collects this data, as well as DCS data 62 from the external system 60 (described below), and sends it to the edge controller 10.

Operating state 32 is data indicating the operating state of measuring device 50. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, measuring device 50 measures the thickness of measurement object S by scanning measurement object S while measuring head 52 and head moving unit 53 move within frame 51. Operating state 32 may be, for example, data indicating the operating state of frame 51, measuring head 52, head moving unit 53, etc.

Measurement data 33 is data on measurement values related to physical quantities of the measurement object S measured by the measurement device 50. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, the measurement device 50 optically measures the thickness of the measurement object S along the measurement line L. In this case, measurement data 33 may be, for example, coordinate values on the measurement line L, thickness measurements, or measured optical physical quantities (e.g., light absorption amount, light absorptance, light absorption coefficient, light transmittance, etc.).

Log data 34 is data related to events that occur in the measurement system 1a in conjunction with the operation of the measurement device 50. Log data 34 may be, for example, calibration data for the frame 51, measurement head 52, and head movement unit 53 of the measurement device 50, as well as data related to system information indicating the occurrence of an error or the receipt of a command.

Other data 35 is other data related to the measurement system 1a. Other data 35 may be, for example, system configuration information, control information, information related to the measurement object S (e.g., thickness setting value, moisture content, etc.), and information related to the screen layout on the operation terminal 40.

Note that at least one of the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, and other data 35 may be stored, for example, in network storage (including distributed storage). Alternatively, these data may be stored in at least one storage device built into or externally attached to the management device 30.

The collection program 31 acquires data from the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, and other data 35, as well as DCS data 62 from the external system 60 (described below), at preset acquisition times, and transmits the data to the edge controller 10.

The edge controller 10 is an information processing device capable of communicating with the management device 30 and the client terminal 20. The edge controller 10, the management device 30, and the client terminal 20 may communicate with each other using a REST (Representational State Transfer) API. The edge controller 10 accepts access to the management device 30 from client terminals 20 located outside the premises 90. The edge controller 10 may be one or more server devices capable of communicating with each other. The edge controller 10 is not limited to these and may be any general-purpose electronic device such as a workstation or PC, or may be another dedicated electronic device. The edge controller 10 stores data received from the collection program 31 of the management device 30 in a database (DB) 19. The DB 19 may be provided in a storage device included in the edge controller 10, or in a separate storage device. In response to a request from the client terminal 20, the edge controller 10 transmits data stored in the DB 19 to the client terminal 20 or transmits data received from the client terminal 20 to the management device 30 to set the data. In this embodiment, the edge controller 10 is installed within the premises 90, but as described below, it may also be installed outside the premises 90.

The client terminal 20 is an information processing device that accepts operations on the management device 30 from a worker 82 outside the premises 90. The client terminal 20 may be, for example, a PC, tablet terminal, or smartphone, and the model and operating system (OS) are optional. The client terminal 20 is communicatively connected to the edge controller 10 via a network such as the Internet. The communication path between the client terminal 20 and the edge controller 10 is kept secret from the outside using known encryption or security technology. For example, only client terminals 20 authenticated by a license ID prepared for each management device 30 may be allowed to access the edge controller 10 and management device 30.

The operation terminal 40 is an information processing device that accepts operations by workers 81 on the site 90 regarding the management device 30. The operation terminal 40 may be, for example, a PC or a tablet terminal.

The external system 60 is a system related to a device separate from the management device 30. The external system 60 in Figure 1 includes a DCS 61 and a DCS operation terminal 63.

DCS 61 stores DCS data 62, which is data related to the operation of DCS 61, in a storage device. DCS 61 may be an information processing device such as one or multiple server devices that can communicate with each other. DCS 61 is not limited to these, and may be any general-purpose electronic device such as a workstation or PC, or other dedicated electronic device. DCS operation terminal 63 is an information processing device that accepts operations on DCS 61 by workers.

Specifically, for example, if the measurement system 1a is installed in a paper mill and the measurement device 50 is used to measure the thickness of manufactured paper, the DCS 61 may be a device that controls the amount of water discharged in the papermaking process. In this case, the DCS 61 may manage, for example, information related to the operation of an actuator that rotates a valve from a water source as DCS data 62.

The external system 60 is communicatively connected to the management device 30. The DCS 61 of the external system 60 transmits DCS data 62 to the management device 30 in response to a request from the management device 30. Therefore, in the paper mill example above, by linking the management device 30 with the external system 60 including the DCS 61, it becomes possible to dynamically control the quality of the paper, for example by controlling the amount of water used in papermaking in accordance with the thickness of the paper measured by the measuring device 50.

In the measurement system 1a described above, the collection program 31 of the management device 30 acquires the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, other data 35, and DCS data 62 at predetermined times. The collection program 31 then assigns identification information indicating the type of acquired data and the acquisition time to the acquired data, and transmits the data to the edge controller 10. In response to receiving data with the assigned identification information and acquisition time from the management device 30, the edge controller 10 stores the data in the DB 19. The worker 82 operates the client terminal 20 to send an access request to the edge controller 10, including the data's identification information and time information, etc. In response to receiving an access request including the data's identification information from the client terminal 20, the edge controller 10 acquires the data with the assigned identification information from the DB 19 and transmits it to the client terminal 20.

In this way, in measurement system 1a, data acquired by measurement system 1a is stored in DB 19 of edge controller 10, and workers 82 outside the premises 90 can access the edge controller 10 via client terminal 20 and refer to the data. Furthermore, DB 19 of edge controller 10 stores identification information indicating the type of data assigned by collection program 31 and the acquisition time, regardless of the type of data acquired, so this data can be accessed in a common format. Therefore, workers 82 can access each piece of data acquired within the premises 90 in a unified manner from client terminal 20.

(Edge controller)
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the edge controller 10 in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the edge controller 10 includes a control unit 101 (second control unit), a storage unit 102, a communication unit 103, an input unit 104, and an output unit 105.

The control unit 101 includes one or more processors. In one embodiment, a "processor" is a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor specialized for a particular process, but is not limited to these. The control unit 101 is communicatively connected to each component that makes up the edge controller 10, and controls the operation of the entire edge controller 10.

The memory unit 102 includes any memory module including an HDD, SSD, EEPROM, ROM, and RAM. The memory unit 102 may function, for example, as a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, or a cache memory. The memory unit 102 stores any information used in the operation of the edge controller 10. For example, the memory unit 102 may store system programs, application programs, and various information received by the communication unit 103. The memory unit 102 is not limited to being built into the edge controller 10, but may also be an external database or external memory module connected via a digital input/output port such as USB. HDD is an abbreviation for Hard Disk Drive. SSD is an abbreviation for Solid State Drive. EEPROM is an abbreviation for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. ROM is an abbreviation for Read-Only Memory. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus.

The communication unit 103 includes any communication module that can communicate with other devices, such as the management device 30 or the client terminal 20, using any communication technology. The communication unit 103 may further include a communication control module for controlling communication with other devices, and a storage module for storing communication data, such as identification information, required for communication with other devices.

The input unit 104 includes one or more input interfaces that accept user input operations and acquire input information based on the user operations. For example, the input unit 104 may be, but is not limited to, a physical key or a pointing device. Furthermore, the edge controller 10 does not necessarily have to include the input unit 104.

The output unit 105 includes one or more output interfaces that output information to the user and notify the user. For example, the output unit 105 may be, but is not limited to, a display that outputs information as an image or a speaker that outputs information as sound. Note that at least one of the input unit 104 and output unit 105 may be configured integrally with the edge controller 10, or may be provided separately. Furthermore, the edge controller 10 does not necessarily have to include the output unit 105.

The functions of the edge controller 10 can be realized by executing a computer program (program) according to this embodiment on a processor included in the control unit 101. That is, the functions of the edge controller 10 can be realized by software. The computer program causes a computer to execute the processing of steps included in the operation of the edge controller 10, thereby causing the computer to realize the functions corresponding to the processing of each step. That is, the computer program is a program that causes a computer to function as the edge controller 10 according to this embodiment.

A computer program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic recording devices, optical discs, magneto-optical recording media, and semiconductor memories. A program can be distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending portable recording media such as DVDs or CD-ROMs on which the program is recorded. "DVD" is an abbreviation for Digital Versatile Disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read Only Memory. A program can also be distributed by storing it in a server's storage and transferring it from the server to other computers via a network. A program can also be provided as a program product.

A computer temporarily stores a program recorded on a portable recording medium or transferred from a server in its main storage device. The computer then reads the program stored in its main storage device using its processor, which then executes processing in accordance with the read program. The computer may also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing in accordance with the program. The computer may also execute processing in accordance with the received program each time a program is transferred from the server to the computer. Such processing may be performed by a so-called ASP-type service that achieves its function simply by issuing execution instructions and obtaining results, without transferring a program from the server to the computer. "ASP" stands for Application Service Provider. Programs include information used for processing by a computer that is equivalent to a program. For example, data that does not directly instruct a computer but has properties that define computer processing falls under the category of "equivalent to a program."

Some or all of the functions of the edge controller 10 may be implemented by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 101. In other words, some or all of the functions of the edge controller 10 may be implemented by hardware. Furthermore, the edge controller 10 may be implemented by a single information processing device, or may be implemented by multiple information processing devices working together.

(Management device)
4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management device 30 in FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the management device 30 includes a control unit 301 (first control unit), a storage unit 302, a communication unit 303, an input unit 304, and an output unit 305. The control unit 301, storage unit 302, communication unit 303, input unit 304, and output unit 305 of the management device 30 may have the same configuration as the control unit 101, storage unit 102, communication unit 103, input unit 104, and output unit 105 of the edge controller 10, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the client terminal 20, the operation terminal 40, the DCS 61, and the DCS operation terminal 63 may also have the same configuration as the edge controller 10 and the management device 30, including a control unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, an input unit, and an output unit.

(Measuring device)
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the measurement device 50 shown in Fig. 2. The measurement device 50 calculates the thickness of the measurement object S using the light intensities detected when the measurement light and the reference light are transmitted through the measurement object S. The measurement device 50 includes a frame 51, a measurement head 52, a head moving unit 53, and an object moving unit 54.

The frame 51 has an opening through which the sheet-like measurement object S passes. Figure 5 shows an example in which the position of the frame 51 is fixed and the measurement object S is transported in the X direction. A measurement head 52 is attached inside the opening of the frame 51 so that the thickness of the measurement object S passing through the opening can be measured.

The measurement head 52 optically measures the thickness of the measurement object S. The measurement head 52 has a first head 521 and a second head 522. The first head 521 is provided on the first surface side of the measurement object S, and the second head 522 is provided on the second surface side opposite the first surface of the measurement object S. In Figure 5, the surface of the measurement object S facing the +Z direction is referred to as the first surface, and the surface facing the -Z direction is referred to as the second surface.

The first head 521 and the second head 522 are arranged to face each other with the measurement object S in between. One of the first head 521 and the second head 522 is provided with a light output unit that irradiates light, and the other is provided with a detection unit that detects light. The first head 521 and the second head 522 are arranged so that when light is irradiated onto the measurement object S from either the first head 521 or the second head 522, the other of the first head 521 and the second head 522 can detect the light that has passed through the measurement object S.

The head moving unit 53 moves the measuring head 52 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the transport direction of the measurement object S. That is, the head moving unit 53 moves the measuring head 52 in the width direction. In other words, the head moving unit 53 fixes the measuring head 52 to the frame 51 so that it can move in the Y direction. The head moving unit 53 has a first head moving unit 532 and a second head moving unit 531.

The first head moving unit 532 moves the first head 521 in the width direction on the first surface side of the measurement object S. The second head moving unit 531 moves the second head 522 in the width direction on the second surface side of the measurement object S. The first head moving unit 532 and the second head moving unit 531 move the first head 521 and the second head 522 in the width direction while keeping them facing each other with the measurement object S in between. This allows the measurement head 52 to continuously measure the measurement object S while being moved by the head moving unit 53.

The object moving unit 54 feeds the measurement object S in the length direction. As shown by the arrow in Figure 5, the direction in which the object moving unit 54 moves the measurement object S is approximately parallel to the X direction. The object moving unit 54 has, for example, rollers or the like on at least one of the first and second surfaces of the measurement object S, and moves the measurement object S. The object moving unit 54 may also move the measurement object S by winding it up on rollers or the like.

The head moving unit 53 and object moving unit 54 described above may function as a linked moving unit. That is, the moving unit moves the measurement head 52 relatively in the surface direction of the measurement object S. For example, the moving unit moves the measurement head 52 back and forth in the width direction of the measurement object S while moving the measurement object S in the length direction. In this way, the moving unit may move the measurement head 52 in a zigzag pattern relatively in the surface direction of the measurement object S. In Figure 5, the relative movement direction of the measurement head 52 in the surface direction of the measurement object S is shown as measurement line 12. In this way, it is desirable that the measurement head 52 be able to measure the thickness at any position on the measurement object S.

In the above description, an example in which the measuring device 50 is equipped with a head moving unit 53 and an object moving unit 54 has been shown as an example, but this is not limiting. For example, the measuring device 50 may simply be equipped with either the head moving unit 53 or the object moving unit 54. The measuring device 50 may also be equipped with multiple measuring heads 52. In this case, the measuring device 50 may be equipped with a head moving unit 53 that moves each of the multiple measuring heads 52. The measuring device 50 may also be equipped with a frame moving unit that moves the frame 51, instead of the object moving unit 54 that moves the measurement object S.

In the measuring device 50 described above, for example, when light is irradiated onto the measurement object S from the first head 521, the light that passes through the measurement object S is directed toward the second head 522. Based on this transmitted light, the measuring device 50 can measure the amount of light absorption, light absorption rate, light absorption coefficient, light transmittance, etc. of light by the measurement object S. Based on these measured values, the measuring device 50 measures the thickness of the measurement object S.

(Measurement system processing)
Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the management device 30 in Fig. 2. The operation of the management device 30 described with reference to Fig. 6 may correspond to at least a part of the control method of the measurement system 1a according to this embodiment. Steps S2 to S4 in Fig. 6 are executed under the control of the control unit 301 of the management device 30.

In step S1, in response to measurements by the measuring device 50 or the occurrence of an event, data is stored at each collection destination for the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, other data 35, and DCS data 62. For example, if an event related to the operating status of the measuring device 50 occurs, data corresponding to the event is stored as the operating status 32. Alternatively, for example, if the measuring device 50 measures optical physical quantities and thicknesses of the measurement object S, this data is stored as measurement data 33. When the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, and other data 35 are stored in the memory unit 302 of the management device 30, the process of storing this data may be performed under the control of the control unit 301.

In step S2, the control unit 301 collects data from each of the collection destinations of the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, other data 35, and DCS data 62. The control unit 301 may only acquire new data that has not yet been acquired from each collection destination. In this embodiment, the data acquisition timing for each piece of data is set in advance in the memory unit 302 of the management device 30, and the control unit 301 may acquire the corresponding data at this timing. For example, the data acquisition timing may be set as a time interval for acquiring data. Alternatively, the control unit 301 may acquire new data in response to the addition of the new data.

In step S3, the control unit 301 assigns collection destination identification information and collection time to the data collected in step S2. This collection destination identification information is an example of identification information indicating the type of data. Such identification information may be, for example, a numeric string or character string that distinguishes the collection destination of each of the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, other data 35, and DCS data 62. The collection time may be measured based on a timing device (clock) built into the control unit 301 of the management device 30. In this way, by measuring the collection time of each piece of data using a common timing device, the control unit 301 can assign an accurate time without time difference to the data, regardless of the type of data (e.g., collection destination). The control unit 301 may immediately execute the process of step S3 in response to collecting data in step S2.

In step S4, the control unit 301 controls the communication unit 303 to transmit the data to which the identification information of the collection destination and the collection time were assigned in step S3 to the edge controller 10. The control unit 301 may execute the processing of step S4 immediately after assigning the identification information and collection time to the data in step S3. After completing the processing of step S4, the control unit 301 ends the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 6.

The control unit 301 may execute steps S2 to S4 multiple times in accordance with the timing of data acquisition, regardless of the timing of step S1. The control unit 301 may also execute steps S2 to S4 after executing step S1 multiple times.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the edge controller 10 of Figure 2. The operation of the edge controller 10 described with reference to Figure 7 may correspond to at least a part of the control method of the measurement system 1a according to this embodiment. Each step in Figure 7 is executed under the control of the control unit 101 of the edge controller 10.

In step S11, the control unit 101 determines whether data with identification information and collection time has been received from the management device 30. If the control unit 101 has received data from the management device 30 (YES in step S11), it proceeds to step S12; if not (NO in step S11), it continues processing in step S11.

In step S12, the control unit 101 records the data received in step S11 in DB19. The control unit 101 may organize the data and record it in DB19 to facilitate searching based on the identification information and collection time.

In step S13, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a data access request including identification information indicating the type of data and time information has been received from the client terminal 20. The time information included in the access request is information indicating a time range. The time information may indicate a time range, for example, by a start time and period (length of time), or a start time and end time. If the control unit 101 has received such data from the client terminal 20 (YES in step S13), it proceeds to step S14; otherwise (NO in step S13), it continues processing in step S13. Note that the client terminal 20 may send a data access request to the edge controller 10 without specifying a time range. If such a data request is received, the control unit 101 may proceed to step S14 regardless of whether or not time information is included.

In step S14, the control unit 101 reads data that matches the access request received in step S13 from DB19 and transmits it to the client terminal 20. That is, the control unit 101 reads data from DB19 that matches the type indicated by the identification information included in the access request and whose acquisition time falls within the time range indicated by the time information, and transmits it to the client terminal 20. After completing the processing of step S14, the control unit 101 terminates the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 7.

The control unit 101 may execute steps S11 and S12 for receiving data from the management device 30 and steps S13 and S14 for transmitting data to the client terminal 20 in parallel. Furthermore, the control unit 101 may execute steps S11 and S12 multiple times before executing steps S13 and S14. For example, the client terminal 20 may simultaneously send an access request including multiple pieces of identification information or time information to the edge controller 10. When the edge controller 10 receives such an access request, it reads each piece of data that matches the multiple pieces of identification information or time information from the DB 19 and transmits it to the client terminal 20.

As described above, the measurement system 1a according to this embodiment includes a measurement device 50 that measures the physical quantity of the measurement object S, a management device 30 that manages the operation of the measurement device 50, and an edge controller 10 that can communicate with the management device 30 and the client terminal 20. The control unit 301 of the management device 30 acquires first data from a first storage device (storage unit 302) that stores first data (measurement data 33), which is data on the measurement values of the physical quantities measured by the measurement device 50. Next, the control unit 301 assigns first identification information indicating the type of the first data and a first acquisition time when the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmits the first data with the first identification information and first acquisition time assigned to the edge controller 10. Furthermore, the control unit 301 acquires second data from a second storage device (the storage unit 302 and the storage unit of the external system 60) that stores second data (e.g., the operating status 32, the log data 34, or the DCS data 62), which is data other than the measurement values of the physical quantities measured by the measuring device 50. Next, the control unit 301 assigns second identification information indicating the type of the second data and a second acquisition time at which the second data was acquired to the acquired second data, and transmits the second data, to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time have been assigned, to the edge controller 10. In response to receiving the first data or the second data from the management device 30, the control unit 101 of the edge controller 10 stores the first data or the second data in a third storage device (DB 19). Furthermore, in response to receiving an access request including the first identification information or the second identification information from the client terminal 20, the control unit 101 acquires the first data or the second data to which the first identification information or the second identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device, and transmits the data to the client terminal 20.

In this way, in the measurement system 1a, data acquired within the system (including the external system 60) is automatically transferred to the edge controller 10, allowing a worker 82 outside the premises 90 to access the edge controller 10 via the client terminal 20 and view the data. Furthermore, the DB 19 of the edge controller 10 stores identification information indicating the type of data assigned by the collection program 31 and the acquisition time, regardless of the type of data acquired, allowing this data to be accessed in a common format. Therefore, the worker 82 can access not only the data managed by the management device 30 but also the data managed by the external system 60 in a unified manner from the client terminal 20. Therefore, by realizing data access using a unified method, human error, such as careless mistakes by the worker 82, can be prevented.

Furthermore, the measurement system 1a can be constructed simply by adding the edge controller 10 and collection program 31 to the measurement system 100 according to the comparative example, and can be easily configured into an existing system. The processing of the collection program 31 simply involves acquiring data from the operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, other data 35, and DCS data 62 at each acquisition timing, assigning identification information and the acquisition time, and transmitting the data to the edge controller 10. Therefore, the processing load for executing the collection program 31 in the management device 30 can be reduced. Furthermore, by executing the processing of the edge controller 10 on a device separate from the management device 30, the load on the measurement system 1a can be distributed.

Furthermore, the control unit 301 of the management device 30 may acquire first data (measurement data 33) from the first storage device at a predetermined first acquisition timing, and transmit the first data, to which first identification information and a first acquisition time are assigned, to the edge controller 10 in response to the data acquisition. Similarly, the control unit 301 may acquire second data from the second storage device at a predetermined second acquisition timing, and transmit the second data, to which second identification information and a second acquisition time are assigned, to the edge controller 10 in response to the acquisition of the second data. In this way, by separately setting acquisition timings for each type of data (e.g., operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, other data 35, DCS data 62, etc.), data can be acquired at appropriate timings depending on the type of data. For example, because measurement data changes constantly during operation of the measurement device 50, the data collection period may be set short (e.g., 0.1 seconds, etc.). Also, for example, if new data is added to the log data 34 infrequently, the data collection period may be set to a longer period (for example, one minute).

The control unit 101 of the edge controller 10 may also receive timing setting information from the client terminal 20 indicating at least one of the timing for acquiring the first data from the first storage device and the timing for acquiring the second data from the second storage device. The control unit 101 may cause the management device 30 to set at least one of the first acquisition timing and the second acquisition timing based on the timing setting information. Therefore, by sending the timing setting information from the client terminal 20 to the edge controller 10, a worker 82 outside the premises 90 can set the acquisition timing of each piece of data in the management device 30.

In addition, in response to receiving an access request including time information indicating a time range from the client terminal 20, the control unit 101 of the edge controller 10 may acquire from the third storage device (DB19) first data assigned with a first acquisition time that falls within the time range, or second data assigned with a second acquisition time that falls within the time range, and transmit the acquired data to the client terminal 20. Therefore, the worker 82 can operate the client terminal 20 to collect only data that falls within the desired time range for data collection.

The measurement system 1a according to this embodiment includes a measurement device 50 that measures a physical quantity of a measurement object S, a management device 30 that manages the operation of the measurement device 50, and an edge controller 10 that can communicate with the management device 30 and the client terminal 20. The control unit 301 of the management device 30 acquires first data from a first storage device (storage unit 302) that stores data related to the measurement of the physical quantity by the measurement device 50 (e.g., operation status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34). Next, the control unit 301 assigns first identification information indicating the type of the first data and a first acquisition time when the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmits the first data with the first identification information and first acquisition time to the edge controller 10. In response to receiving the first data from the management device 30, the control unit 101 of the edge controller 10 stores the first data in a third storage device (DB 19). Furthermore, in response to receiving an access request including the first identification information from the client terminal 20, the control unit 101 acquires the first data to which the first identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device and transmits the first data to the client terminal 20.

In this way, in the measurement system 1a, data acquired within the system is automatically transferred to the edge controller 10, allowing a worker 82 outside the premises 90 to access the edge controller 10 via the client terminal 20 and view the data. Furthermore, the DB 19 of the edge controller 10 stores identification information indicating the type of data assigned by the collection program 31 and the acquisition time, regardless of the type of data acquired, allowing this data to be accessed in a common format. Therefore, the worker 82 can access not only the data managed by the management device 30 but also the data managed by the external system 60 in a unified manner from the client terminal 20. Therefore, by realizing data access using a unified method, human error, such as careless mistakes by the worker 82, can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, a measurement system 1a was described in which data managed by the management device 30 and external system 60 can be referenced from the client terminal 20 using a unified access method. In the embodiment described next, a configuration will be described in which data can be set in a database within the premises 90 from the client terminal 20 using a unified access method. In this embodiment, the same components as in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a measurement system 1b according to one embodiment. In measurement system 1b, a setting program 71 runs in the management device 30 instead of a collection program 31. In Figure 8, databases recording operating status 32, measurement data 33, log data 34, and other data 35 are collectively shown as database 72. Operation commands 73 are data that are commands for the measurement device 50. For example, commands related to the operation of frame 51 are managed as operation commands 73. The management device 30 controls the operation of the measurement device 50 based on the data managed as operation commands 73. The setting program 71 sets data input by an operator 82 via the client terminal 20 and edge controller 10 in the database 72, operation commands 73, or DCS data 62.

In measurement system 1b, operator 82 operates client terminal 20 to input identification information indicating the data setting destination, other data 35 (system configuration information, control information, information about the measurement object S, information about the screen layout on the operation terminal 40, etc.), operation commands 73 (measurement start and stop commands for the measurement device 50, etc.), and DCS data 62 (tuning parameters for devices controlled by the DCS, etc.). In response to the input by operator 82, client terminal 20 generates a setting request including the identification information and setting data and sends it to edge controller 10. Edge controller 10 sends the received setting request to setting program 71, requesting that the data be set to the setting destination specified by the identification information. Upon receiving the request, setting program 71 sets the setting data to the setting destination specified in database 72, operation commands 73, and DCS data 62. Therefore, the worker 82 can set data in the database 72, operation command 73, or DCS data 62 by sending a setting request to the setting program 71 via the client terminal 20 and edge controller 10 without going to the site 90.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the edge controller 10 of Figure 8. The operation of the edge controller 10 described with reference to Figure 9 may correspond to at least a part of the control method of the measurement system 1b according to this embodiment. Each step in Figure 9 is executed based on the control of the control unit 101 of the edge controller 10.

In step S21, the control unit 101 determines whether a setting request including identification information indicating the type of data and setting data has been received from the client terminal 20. The type of data may be identified, for example, by the setting destination of the data (e.g., database 72, operation command 73, DCS data 62). If the control unit 101 has received a setting request from the client terminal 20 (YES in step S21), it proceeds to step S22; if not (NO in step S21), it continues processing in step S21.

In step S22, the control unit 101 transmits the setting request received in step S21 to the management device 30. The control unit 101 may add information for identifying the setting request (e.g., a timestamp or a random number) to the setting request and transmit it to the management device 30.

In step S23, the control unit 101 determines whether a configuration result has been received from the management device 30 in response to a configuration request previously sent to the management device 30. For example, if the configuration request itself contains information for identifying the configuration request and that information is included in the configuration result, the control unit 101 may determine which configuration request the received configuration result corresponds to based on the information included in the configuration result. Alternatively, if the configuration result contains information for identifying the configuration request added in step S22, the control unit 101 may determine which configuration request the received configuration result corresponds to based on that information. If the control unit 101 has received a configuration result from the management device 30 (YES in step S23), the control unit 101 proceeds to step S24; if not (NO in step S23), the control unit 101 continues processing in step S23.

In step S24, the control unit 101 transmits the setting results received in step S23 to the client terminal 20. The setting results may include information that enables the client terminal 20 to identify which setting request the results correspond to. After completing step S24, the control unit 101 terminates the processing of the flowchart in Figure 9.

The control unit 101 may execute steps S21 and S22 related to receiving a setting request from the client terminal 20 and steps S23 and S24 related to receiving a setting result from the management device 30 in parallel. Furthermore, the control unit 101 may execute steps S21 and S22 multiple times before executing steps S23 and S24. For example, the client terminal 20 may simultaneously send setting requests containing multiple pieces of identification information or setting data to the edge controller 10. Upon receiving such setting requests, the edge controller 10 may execute steps S21 to S24 for each piece of identification information or setting data.

Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the management device 30 of Figure 8. The operation of the management device 30 described with reference to Figure 10 may correspond to at least a part of the control method for the measurement system 1b according to this embodiment. Each step in Figure 10 is executed under the control of the control unit 301 of the management device 30.

In step S31, the control unit 301 determines whether a setting request including identification information indicating the type of data and setting data has been received from the edge controller 10. The type of data may be identified, for example, by the setting destination of the data (e.g., database 72, operation command 73, DCS data 62). If the control unit 301 has received a setting request from the edge controller 10 (YES in step S31), it proceeds to step S32; if not (NO in step S31), it continues processing in step S31.

In step S32, the control unit 301 analyzes the setting request received in step S31 and obtains the data setting destination and setting data. The data setting destination is identified by the identification information included in the setting request.

In step S33, the control unit 301 sets the configuration data to the data setting destination obtained in step S32. The control unit 301 may determine whether the setting of the configuration data was successful based on a response from the data setting destination.

In step S34, the control unit 301 transmits the setting results to the edge controller 10. The control unit 301 may include information identifying the setting request, or may add such information to the setting results as separate data. After completing step S34, the control unit 301 terminates the processing of the flowchart in Figure 10.

As described above, in measurement system 1b, when the control unit 101 of edge controller 10 receives a setting request from client terminal 20 that includes identification information indicating the type of data (e.g., the destination where the data is to be set) and setting data, the control unit 101 transfers the setting request to management device 30. The control unit 301 of management device 30 stores the setting data in the storage device (the destination where the data is to be set) that corresponds to the type of data identified by the identification information included in the transferred setting data. Therefore, worker 82 can set data in database 72, operation command 73, or DCS data 62 by sending a setting request to setting program 71 via client terminal 20 and edge controller 10 without having to go to site 90.

Note that the management device 30 of the measurement system 1a in FIG. 2 is equipped with a collection program 31, and the management device 30 of the measurement system 1b in FIG. 8 is equipped with a setting program 71, but the management device 30 may be equipped with both the collection program 31 and the setting program 71. With this configuration, a worker 82 outside the premises 90 can operate the client terminal 20 to view and write data (including operation commands 73) managed by the management device 30 and the external system 60.

Furthermore, in the measurement system 1a of FIG. 2 and the measurement system 1b of FIG. 8, the edge controller 10 is provided within the premises 90, but the edge controller 10 may also be provided outside the premises 90. For example, the edge controller 10 may be provided on a cloud on the Internet.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a measurement system 1c according to one embodiment. Compared to the configuration of measurement system 1a, measurement system 1c differs in that the edge controller 10 is installed on the cloud 95; otherwise, the configuration is identical to that of measurement system 1a. In this configuration, in which the edge controller 10 is installed outside the premises 90, there is no need to install the edge controller 10 on the premises 90. In other words, measurement system 1c can achieve the same functionality as measurement system 1a simply by setting up a collection program 31 in the management device 30 that can communicate with the edge controller 10 on the cloud 95. Therefore, by installing the edge controller 10 outside the premises 90, such as on the cloud 95, an existing measurement system can be made accessible from the client terminal 20 with easier installation work. In measurement system 1c, the management device 30 includes the collection program 31, but may also include a configuration program 71 in addition to or instead of this. This configuration enables data within the system (including the external system 60) to be configured from the client terminal 20.

The following additional notes are provided regarding example embodiments of the present disclosure.
[1]
a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of a measurement object;
a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device;
an edge controller capable of communicating with the management device and client terminals;
Equipped with
The management device
acquiring first data from a first storage device that stores first data, which is data of measurement values of the physical quantities measured by the measurement device;
assigning first identification information indicating a type of the first data and a first acquisition time at which the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
acquiring second data from a second storage device that stores second data other than the measurement value of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device;
assigning second identification information indicating a type of the second data and a second acquisition time at which the second data was acquired to the acquired second data, and transmitting the second data to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
a first control unit;
The edge controller
storing the first data or the second data in a third storage device in response to receiving the first data or the second data from the management device;
In response to receiving an access request including the first identification information or the second identification information from the client terminal, acquiring the first data or the second data to which the first identification information or the second identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device, and transmitting the acquired data to the client terminal.
A second control unit is provided.
Measurement system.
[2]
The first control unit of the management device
acquiring the first data from the first storage device at a preset first acquisition timing;
In response to acquiring the first data, transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time are assigned to the edge controller;
acquiring the second data from the second storage device at a second acquisition timing that is set in advance;
In response to acquiring the second data, transmitting the second data to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time are assigned to the edge controller.
The measurement system according to [1].
[3]
The second control unit of the edge controller
receiving, from the client terminal, timing setting information indicating at least one of a timing for acquiring the first data from the first storage device and a timing for acquiring the second data from the second storage device;
causing the management device to set at least one of the first acquisition timing and the second acquisition timing based on the timing setting information;
The measurement system according to [2].
[4]
The measurement system according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the second control unit of the edge controller, in response to receiving the access request from the client terminal including time information indicating a time range, acquires from the third storage device the first data to which the first acquisition time included in the time range has been assigned, or the second data to which the second acquisition time included in the time range has been assigned, and transmits the data to the client terminal.
[5]
the second control unit of the edge controller, in response to receiving a setting request from the client terminal, the setting request including the first identification information or the second identification information and setting data, transfers the setting request to the management device;
The first control unit of the management device
If the transferred setting data includes the first identification information, the setting data is stored in the first storage device;
If the transferred setting data includes the second identification information, the setting data is stored in the second storage device.
[4] A measurement system according to any one of [1] to [4].
[6]
a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of a measurement object;
a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device;
an edge controller capable of communicating with the management device and client terminals;
A method for controlling a measurement system comprising:
a control unit of the management device,
acquiring first data from a first storage device that stores first data, which is data of measurement values of the physical quantities measured by the measurement device;
assigning first identification information indicating a type of the first data and a first acquisition time at which the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
acquiring second data from a second storage device that stores second data other than the measurement value of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device;
a step of assigning second identification information indicating a type of the second data and a second acquisition time at which the second data was acquired to the acquired second data, and transmitting the second data to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
The control unit of the edge controller
storing the first data or the second data in a third storage device in response to receiving the first data or the second data from the management device;
In response to receiving an access request including the first identification information or the second identification information from the client terminal, acquiring the first data or the second data to which the first identification information or the second identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device, and transmitting the acquired data to the client terminal;
A method for controlling a measurement system, comprising:
[7]
a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of a measurement object;
a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device;
an edge controller capable of communicating with the management device and client terminals;
Equipped with
The management device
acquiring first data from a first storage device that stores data relating to measurement of the physical quantity by the measurement device;
assigning first identification information indicating a type of the first data and a first acquisition time at which the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
a first control unit;
The edge controller
storing the first data in a third storage device in response to receiving the first data from the management device;
In response to receiving an access request including the first identification information from the client terminal, acquiring the first data to which the first identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device, and transmitting the first data to the client terminal.
A second control unit is provided.
Measurement system.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, multiple blocks shown in the block diagrams may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Multiple steps shown in the flowcharts may be executed in parallel or in a different order, depending on the processing capabilities of the device executing each step, or as needed, instead of being executed chronologically as described. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

1a, 1b, 1c Measurement system 10 Edge controller 19 DB
101 Control unit 102 Storage unit 103 Communication unit 104 Input unit 105 Output unit 20 Client terminal 30 Management device 31 Collection program 32 Operation status 33 Measurement data 34 Log data 35 Other data 301 Control unit 302 Storage unit 303 Communication unit 304 Input unit 305 Output unit 40 Operation terminal 50 Measuring device 51 Frame 52 Measuring head 521 Second head 522 First head 53 Head moving unit 531 First head moving unit 532 Second head moving unit 54 Object moving unit 60 External system 61 DCS
62 DCS data 63 DCS operation terminals 81, 82 Workers 90 Site 95 Cloud 100 Measurement system (comparison example)
130 Edge controller 132 Operation status 133 Measurement data 134 Log data 135 Other data 140 Operation terminal 150 Measurement device 160 External system 161 DCS
162 DCS data 163 DCS operation terminal 181 Worker 190 Site L Measurement line S Measurement object

Claims (7)

a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of a measurement object;
a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device;
a client terminal that accepts operations from a user;
an edge controller capable of communicating with the management device and the client terminal;
A measurement system comprising :
The management device
acquiring first data from a first storage device that stores first data, which is data of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device;
assigning first identification information indicating a type of the first data and a first acquisition time at which the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
acquiring second data from a second storage device that stores second data other than the measurement value of the physical quantity measured by the measurement device;
assigning second identification information indicating a type of the second data and a second acquisition time at which the second data was acquired to the acquired second data, and transmitting the second data to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
a first control unit;
The edge controller
storing the first data or the second data in a third storage device in response to receiving the first data or the second data from the management device;
In response to receiving an access request including the first identification information or the second identification information from the client terminal, acquiring the first data or the second data to which the first identification information or the second identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device, and transmitting the acquired data to the client terminal.
a second control unit;
The client terminal
receiving, from the user, input of third identification information indicating a third data type related to a data setting destination, and setting data including an operation command and tuning parameters for the setting destination ;
transmitting a setting request including the third identification information and the setting data to the management device via the edge controller in response to the input from the user;
the first control unit of the management device sets an operation of the setting destination based on the received third identification information and the setting data;
the first identification information indicates, as a type of the first data, a type of measurement data that is the first data;
the second identification information indicates, as the type of the second data, at least one of the following: an operating status of the measurement device; log data, which is data related to an event that occurred in the measurement system in association with the operation of the measurement device; DCS data, which is data related to the operation of an external distributed control system; and other data, which is other data related to the measurement system;
The third identification information indicates, as the type of the third data, at least one of a database in which the operating status, the measurement data, the log data, and the other data are recorded, an operation command which is data of an instruction to the measuring device, and the DCS data.
Measurement system. The first control unit of the management device
acquiring the first data from the first storage device at a preset first acquisition timing;
In response to acquiring the first data, transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time are assigned to the edge controller;
acquiring the second data from the second storage device at a second acquisition timing that is set in advance;
In response to acquiring the second data, transmitting the second data to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time are assigned to the edge controller.
The measurement system of claim 1 . The second control unit of the edge controller
receiving, from the client terminal, timing setting information indicating at least one of a timing for acquiring the first data from the first storage device and a timing for acquiring the second data from the second storage device;
causing the management device to set at least one of the first acquisition timing and the second acquisition timing based on the timing setting information;
The measurement system of claim 2 . The measurement system of claim 3, wherein the second control unit of the edge controller, in response to receiving the access request including time information indicating a time range from the client terminal, acquires from the third storage device the first data to which the first acquisition time included in the time range has been assigned, or the second data to which the second acquisition time included in the time range has been assigned, and transmits the data to the client terminal. the second control unit of the edge controller, in response to receiving a setting request from the client terminal, the setting request including the first identification information or the second identification information and setting data, transfers the setting request to the management device;
The first control unit of the management device
If the transferred setting data includes the first identification information, the setting data is stored in the first storage device;
If the transferred setting data includes the second identification information, the setting data is stored in the second storage device.
The measurement system of claim 1 . a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of a measurement object;
a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device;
a client terminal that accepts operations from a user;
an edge controller capable of communicating with the management device and the client terminal;
A method for controlling a measurement system comprising:
a control unit of the management device,
acquiring first data from a first storage device that stores first data, which is data of measurement values of the physical quantities measured by the measurement device;
assigning first identification information indicating a type of the first data and a first acquisition time at which the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
acquiring second data from a second storage device that stores second data other than the measured values of the physical quantities measured by the measurement device;
a step of assigning second identification information indicating a type of the second data and a second acquisition time at which the second data was acquired to the acquired second data, and transmitting the second data to which the second identification information and the second acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
The control unit of the edge controller
storing the first data or the second data in a third storage device in response to receiving the first data or the second data from the management device;
In response to receiving an access request including the first identification information or the second identification information from the client terminal, acquiring the first data or the second data to which the first identification information or the second identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device, and transmitting the acquired data to the client terminal;
Including,
The client terminal
receiving, from the user, input of third identification information indicating a third data type related to a data setting destination, and setting data including an operation command and tuning parameters for the setting destination ;
transmitting a setting request including the third identification information and the setting data to the management device via the edge controller in response to the input from the user;
the control unit of the management device sets an operation of the setting destination based on the received third identification information and the setting data;
the first identification information indicates, as a type of the first data, a type of measurement data that is the first data;
the second identification information indicates, as the type of the second data, at least one of the following: an operating status of the measurement device; log data, which is data related to an event that occurred in the measurement system in association with the operation of the measurement device; DCS data, which is data related to the operation of an external distributed control system; and other data, which is other data related to the measurement system;
The third identification information indicates, as the type of the third data, at least one of a database in which the operating status, the measurement data, the log data, and the other data are recorded, an operation command which is data of an instruction to the measuring device, and the DCS data.
How to control the measurement system. a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of a measurement object;
a management device that manages the operation of the measurement device;
a client terminal that accepts operations from a user;
an edge controller capable of communicating with the management device and the client terminal;
A measurement system comprising :
The management device
acquiring first data from a first storage device that stores data relating to measurement of the physical quantity by the measurement device;
assigning first identification information indicating a type of the first data and a first acquisition time at which the first data was acquired to the acquired first data, and transmitting the first data to which the first identification information and the first acquisition time have been assigned to the edge controller;
a first control unit;
The edge controller
storing the first data in a third storage device in response to receiving the first data from the management device;
In response to receiving an access request including the first identification information from the client terminal, acquiring the first data to which the first identification information included in the access request has been assigned from the third storage device, and transmitting the first data to the client terminal.
a second control unit;
The client terminal
receiving, from the user, input of third identification information indicating a third data type related to a data setting destination, and setting data including an operation command and tuning parameters for the setting destination ;
transmitting a setting request including the third identification information and the setting data to the management device via the edge controller in response to the input from the user;
the first control unit of the management device sets an operation of the setting destination based on the received third identification information and the setting data;
the first identification information indicates, as a type of the first data, a type of measurement data that is the first data;
The third identification information indicates, as the type of the third data, at least one of a database in which the operating status of the measurement device, the measurement data, log data which is data related to events that have occurred in the measurement system due to the operation of the measurement device, and other data which is other data related to the measurement system are recorded, an operation command which is data of an instruction to the measurement device, and DCS data which is data related to the operation of an external distributed control system.
Measurement system.