Control device, control method, and control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11675338-B2
Application number	US-201916643585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 12, 2018
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

A control device includes a program execution module, a communication unit, and a collection module connected to the communication unit. The program execution module generates control instructions for a control target in accordance with a user program that is freely created. The communication unit transmits and/or receives communication data to and/or from an external device through a network. The collection module collects data satisfying a filtering condition from among the communication data that is transferred on the network. The collection module changes the filtering condition in accordance with an instruction included in the user program.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device comprising a programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls a control target, comprising:
a program execution module that generates control instructions for the control target in accordance with a user program that is freely created;
a communication unit that transmits and/or receives communication data to and/or from an external device through a network; and
a collection module, connected to the communication unit, that collects data satisfying a filtering condition from among the communication data that is transferred on the network, wherein
the collection module changes the filtering condition in accordance with an instruction defined with a function block included in the user program, wherein
the function block comprises one or more inputs and one or more outputs, each of the one or more input and one or more outputs comprising an assigned one or more of: a specific type; and a specific definition,
a success of setting the filtering conditions are changeable by values input to the one or more inputs to the function block, and
a status of setting the filtering conditions is output from the one or more outputs.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the instruction included in the user program comprises an instruction explicitly stating contents of the filtering condition.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage that stores therein a plurality of preset filtering conditions, wherein
the instruction included in the user program comprises information that indicates which one of the plurality of preset filtering conditions is valid.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the filtering condition includes at least one of an IP address, a protocol and a port number.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the collection module starts to collect the communication data on the condition that a value of a variable that is usable in the user program matches a predetermined value.

6. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein a value of the variable indicates a current status of a working process carried out by the external device.

7. A control method implemented in a processor comprising a programmable logic controller (PLC) for controlling a control target, comprising:
generating control instructions for the control target in accordance with a user program that is freely created;
transmitting and/or receiving communication data to and/or from an external device through a network; and
collecting data satisfying a filtering condition from among the communication data that is transferred on the network, wherein
the collecting the data comprises allowing the filtering condition to be changed in accordance with an instruction defined with a function block included in the user program, wherein
the function block comprises one or more inputs and one or more outputs, each of the one or more input and one or more outputs comprising an assigned one or more of: a specific type; and a specific definition,
a success of setting the filtering conditions are changeable by values input to the one or more inputs to the function block, and
a status of setting the filtering conditions is output from the one or more outputs.

8. The control method according to claim 7 , wherein
the instruction included in the user program comprises an instruction explicitly stating contents of the filtering condition.

9. The control method according to claim 7 , further comprising storing a plurality of preset filtering conditions in a storage, wherein
the instruction included in the user program comprises information that indicates which one of the plurality of preset filtering conditions is valid.

10. The control method according to claim 7 , wherein the filtering condition includes at least one of an IP address, a protocol and a port number.

11. The control method according to claim 7 , wherein the collecting data starts on the condition that a value of a variable that is usable in the user program matches a predetermined value.

12. The control method according to claim 11 , wherein a value of the variable indicates a current status of a working process carried out by the external device.

13. A non-transitory storage medium storing therein a control program for a control device comprising a programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls a control target, the control program causes the control device to perform:
generating control instructions for the control target in accordance with a user program that is freely created;
transmitting and/or receiving communication data to and/or from an external device through a network; and
collecting data satisfying a filtering condition from among the communication data that is transferred on the network, wherein
the collecting the data comprises allowing the filtering condition to be changed in accordance with an instruction defined with a function block included in the user program, wherein
the function block comprises one or more inputs and one or more outputs, each of the one or more input and one or more outputs comprising an assigned one or more of: a specific type; and a specific definition,
a success of setting the filtering conditions are changeable by values input to the one or more inputs to the function block, and
a status of setting the filtering conditions is output from the one or more outputs.

14. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein
the instruction included in the user program comprises an instruction explicitly stating contents of the filtering condition.

15. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein the control program further causes the control device to perform storing a plurality of preset filtering conditions in a storage, and
the instruction included in the user program comprises information that indicates which one of the plurality of preset filtering conditions is valid.

16. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein the filtering condition includes at least one of an IP address, a protocol and a port number.

17. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein the collecting data starts on the condition that a value of a variable that is usable in the user program matches a predetermined value.

18. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17 , wherein a value of the variable indicates a current status of a working process carried out by the external device.

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Kurokawa Yoichi
• Kitamura Yasuhiro

Classifications

• G05B19/4185 Primary

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• H04L43/028

  by filtering · CPC title

• H04L12/28

  characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] (wireless communication networks H04W {; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00}) · CPC title

• G05B2219/31115

  Network controller · CPC title