Control system, support device and support program that communicates grouped process data

A support device that supports a setting of a communication environment between a control device that receives a plurality of pieces of process data from a plurality of field devices including a control target through a control system network and executes a control program that controls the control target while managing the plurality of pieces of process data related to control of the control target and referred to or updated in the control program and an information processing device that executes a plurality of applications using one or more pieces of process data stored in one or more data sets that are received from the control device,

• the control device being configured to transmit the one or more data sets to the information processing device according to a communication setting,
• the information processing device being configured to execute the plurality of applications using the one or more data sets from the control device,
• the support device comprising:
• grouping processing circuitry configured to allocate each of the one or more pieces of process data to one or more groups for each of the plurality of applications, according to at least one of an update period at which the process data is updated or a use period at which the process data is used by an application;
• and
• generation processing circuitry configured to generate the communication setting for the control device, the communication setting including a data set setting that defines a combination of process data included in the one or more groups to be included in one data set of the one or more data sets and a transmission condition for each of the one or more data sets,
• wherein the control device stores the one or more pieces of process data allocated to the one or more groups into the one or more data sets based on the data set setting, and transmits the one or more data sets to the information processing device when the transmission condition for the data set is satisfied.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a support program that supports a setting of a communication environment between a control device that receives a plurality of pieces of process data from a plurality of field devices including a control target through a control system network and executes a control program that controls the control target while managing the plurality of pieces of process data related to control of the control target and referred to or updated in the control program and an information processing device that executes a plurality of applications using one or more pieces of process data stored in one or more data sets that are received from the control device,

• the control device being configured to transmit the one or more types of data sets to the information processing device according to a communication setting,
• the information processing device being configured to execute the plurality of applications using the one or more data sets received from the control device,
• the support program when executed by a computer, causing the computer to at least:
• allocate each of the one or more pieces of process data to one or more groups for each of the plurality of applications, according to at least one of an update period at which the process data is updated or a use period at which the process data is used by an application;
• and
• generate the communication setting for the control device, the communication setting including a data set setting that defines a combination of process data included in the one or more groups to be included in one data set of the one or more data sets and a transmission condition for each of the one or more data sets,
• wherein the control device stores the one or more pieces of process data allocated to the one or more groups into the one or more data sets based on the data set setting, and transmits the one or more data sets to the information processing device when the transmission condition for the data set is satisfied.