WIRELESS GATEWAY APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20130188557A1
• Filed: 01/18/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: GOTOU, Hirotsugu
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13 Plc programming
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31093 Communication between sensors, actuators and gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless gateway apparatus that forms a wireless communication network with wireless field devices may include: a first wireless communication unit configured to communicate wirelessly with wireless field devices that have joined the wireless communication network; and a display unit configured to display at least one of device information of the wireless field devices, which is acquired by communicating with the wireless field devices, and connection information, which indicates a condition of connection with the wireless field devices.

Claims

1. A wireless gateway apparatus that forms a wireless communication network with wireless field devices, the wireless gateway apparatus comprising:

a first wireless communication unit configured to communicate wirelessly with wireless field devices that have joined the wireless communication network; and

a display unit configured to display at least one of device information of the wireless field devices, which is acquired by communicating with the wireless field devices, and connection information, which indicates a condition of connection with the wireless field devices.

2. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the device information is at least one of characteristic information set into each of the wireless field devices and information indicating a current condition of each of the wireless field devices, and

the connection information includes at least one of information indicating a number of connections of wireless field devices and information indicating the condition of connection with the wireless field devices.

3. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store the device information, the connection information, and filter information, the filter information being information used for selecting information that is to be displayed and information that is not to be displayed when displaying the device information and the connection information that are stored in the memory on the display unit.

4. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

if there is the filter information stored in the memory, a control unit reads the filter information from the memory and, based on the filter information, selects information of the device information and the connection information that is to be displayed and information thereof that is not to be displayed.

5. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit configured to be capable of changing information displayed on the display unit, in response to an external instruction.

6. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display unit is configured to display the device information, which includes tag information and ID (identifier) information set for each of the wireless field devices and information indicating operating state and remaining battery capacity of each of the wireless field devices, the connection information, and instruction information indicating a wireless field device that needs a maintenance.

7. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

if a wireless field device is to be newly joined to the wireless communication network, the control unit references ID information included in a join request transmitted from the wireless field device and ID information that had been included in the device information stored in the memory beforehand and, based on a result of referencing, to determine whether or not the wireless field device is to be joined in the wireless communication network, and

if the control unit determines that the wireless field device is to be joined in the wireless communication network, the control unit sets tag information with respect to the wireless field device to be newly joined, stores as the device information the set tag information, along with the ID information, into the memory, and increments information indicating the number of wireless field device connections that is included in the connection information stored in the memory, thereby increasing the number of wireless field devices that are joined into the wireless communication network.

8. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the control unit is configured to control the first wireless communication unit to communicate periodically or non-periodically with the wireless field devices via the wireless communication network so as to acquire the connection information of each of the wireless field devices and the device information of each of the wireless field devices, and to store the connection information and the device information into the memory.

9. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

if the device information and the connection information are stored into the memory, the control unit reads the device information, the connection information, and the filter information from the memory and, based on the filter information, selects information of the device information and the connection information that is to be displayed and that is not to be displayed, and controls only the information selected for display to be displayed on the display unit.

10. The wireless gateway apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

if there is no filter information stored in the memory, the control unit, without performing processing to select the device information and the connection information, performs processing to display all of the device information and the connection information on the display unit.

11. A communication system comprising:

a wireless gateway apparatus that forms a wireless communication network with wireless field devices, the wireless gateway apparatus including a first wireless communication unit configured to communicate wirelessly with wireless field devices that have joined the wireless communication network; and

a display apparatus configured to display at least one of device information of the wireless field devices, which is acquired by communicating with the wireless field devices, and connection information, which indicates a condition of connection with the wireless field devices, and wherein

the display apparatus is separated from the wireless gateway apparatus.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the display apparatus is connected to the wireless gateway apparatus by a connecting cable and displays at least one of the device information and the connection information transmitted from the wireless gateway apparatus via the connecting cable.

13. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the display apparatus includes a second wireless communication unit configured to communicate wirelessly with the wireless gateway apparatus, and displays at least one of the device information and the connection information received from the wireless gateway apparatus via the second wireless communication unit.

14. The communication system according to claim 11, further comprising a control unit configured to be capable of changing information displayed on the display apparatus, in response to an external instruction.

15. A wireless communication method that forms a wireless communication network with wireless field devices to communicate wirelessly with wireless field devices that have joined the wireless communication network, the wireless communication method comprising:

displaying at least one of device information of the wireless field devices, which is acquired by communicating with the wireless field devices, and connection information, which indicates a condition of connection with the wireless field devices.

16. The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein

the device information is at least one of characteristic information set into each of the wireless field devices and information indicating a current condition of each of the wireless field devices, and

the connection information includes at least one of information indicating a number of connections of wireless field devices and information indicating the condition of connection with the wireless field devices.

17. The wireless communication method according to claim 15, further comprising:

storing the device information, the connection information, and filter information in a memory, the filter information being information used for selecting information that is to be displayed and information that is not to be displayed when displaying the device information and the connection information that are stored in the memory; and

reading the filter information from the memory and, based on the filter information, selecting information of the device information and the connection information that is to be displayed and information thereof that is not to be displayed.

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, further comprising:

if a wireless field device is to be newly joined to the wireless communication network, referencing ID information included in a join request transmitted from the wireless field device and ID information that had been included in the device information stored in the memory beforehand and, based on a result of referencing, and determining whether or not the wireless field device is to be joined in the wireless communication network; and

setting tag information with respect to the wireless field device to be newly joined, storing as the device information the set tag information, along with the ID information, into the memory, and incrementing information indicating the number of wireless field device connections that is included in the connection information stored in the memory, thereby increasing the number of wireless field devices that are joined into the wireless communication network if the wireless field device is determined to be joined in the wireless communication network.

19. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, further comprising:

communicating periodically or non-periodically with the wireless field device via the wireless communication network so as to acquire the connection information of each of the wireless field devices and the device information of each of the wireless field devices; and

storing the connection information and the device information into the memory.

20. The wireless communication method according to claim 19, further comprising:

reading the device information, the connection information, and the filter information from the memory and, based on the filter information, selecting information of the device information and the connection information that is to be displayed and that is not to be displayed, and controlling only the information selected for display to be displayed if the device information and the connection information are stored into the memory.