A method and system are provided that synchronize one or more appliances to one or more users' schedules. Sensor data may be obtained from a sensor. The sensor data may indicate a state of a first appliance. A user location may be determined. A first characteristic of the first appliance may be obtained. Based upon the user location and the sensor data, a schedule indicating when the user will desire a state change of the first appliance may be determined. A feature of the first appliance may be dynamically modified to cause the first appliance to operate according to the schedule. A notice may be sent to the user that contains information about the first appliance.

A production system, comprising circuitry configured to: collect synchronously collected data synchronized with a control period of a first industrial machine configured to control a second industrial machine; execute predetermined processing on all or a part of the synchronously collected data to acquire output data; and transmit the output data to an external device.

A method and system are provided that synchronize one or more appliances to one or more users' schedules. Sensor data may be obtained from a sensor. The sensor data may indicate a state of a first appliance. A user location may be determined. A first characteristic of the first appliance may be obtained. Based upon the user location and the sensor data, a schedule indicating when the user will desire a state change of the first appliance may be determined. A feature of the first appliance may be dynamically modified to cause the first appliance to operate according to the schedule. A notice may be sent to the user that contains information about the first appliance.

A controller performs a control operation associated with a control target. The controller includes a communication interface that electrically connects at least one function unit to the controller through a data transmission path, a writing unit that writes an observation value obtained through the function unit into a database, and a delay obtaining unit that obtains a delay time taken from when a signal indicating an observation value is input into the function unit to when data representing the observation value becomes usable in the controller, and stores information indicating the obtained delay time.

Provided is a computation device including a communication interface; a first transmission control part for sending a first communication frame at every predetermined cycle via a transmission path; a second transmission control part for sending a second communication frame in response to an arbitrary event request; and a priority management part. Upon receiving an issuance request of a second event request from a second event issuance part, the priority management part waits for completion of sending processing for a second communication frame corresponding to a first event request currently processed by the second transmission control part, and permits issuance of the second event request to the second event issuance part. The second transmission control part suspends processing for a subsequent first event request following the first event request currently processed until completion of processing for the second event request is complete.

A control system synchronizes input timing and output timing between functional units, while achieving the contradictory aspect of shortening the communication cycle of data frames transferred on a network. An information processing apparatus calculates parameters for the functional units included in a slave device in accordance with a mode selected from a plurality of available modes. The modes include a first mode in which timing to obtain a status value from the control target and timing to update an output value for the control target are synchronized between all the functional units included in the slave device, and a second mode in which the timing to obtain a status value from the control target and the timing to update an output value for the control target are synchronized between specific functional units included in the slave device.

Provided is a computation device including a communication interface; a first transmission control part for sending a first communication frame at every predetermined cycle via a transmission path; a second transmission control part for sending a second communication frame in response to an arbitrary event request; and a priority management part. Upon receiving an issuance request of a second event request from a second event issuance part, the priority management part waits for completion of sending processing for a second communication frame corresponding to a first event request currently processed by the second transmission control part, and permits issuance of the second event request to the second event issuance part. The second transmission control part suspends processing for a subsequent first event request following the first event request currently processed until completion of processing for the second event request is complete.

A method and system are provided that synchronize one or more appliances to one or more users' schedules. Sensor data may be obtained from a sensor. The sensor data may indicate a state of a first appliance. A user location may be determined. A first characteristic of the first appliance may be obtained. Based upon the user location and the sensor data, a schedule indicating when the user will desire a state change of the first appliance may be determined. A feature of the first appliance may be dynamically modified to cause the first appliance to operate according to the schedule. A notice may be sent to the user that contains information about the first appliance.

Provided is a computing device constituting a control system. The computing device includes: a master clock that manages the time for the control system; a first communication circuit that transmits and receives data to and from a first functional unit, via a first communication line; a second communication circuit that transmits and receives data to and from a second functional unit, via a second communication line; and a timing instruction unit for instructing the first functional unit regarding a first timing at which to start processing for outputting a signal corresponding to output data received by the first functional unit, and also instructing the second functional unit regarding a second timing at which to start processing for outputting a signal corresponding to output data received by the second functional unit.

A method and system are provided that synchronize one or more appliances to one or more users' schedules. Sensor data may be obtained from a sensor. The sensor data may indicate a state of a first appliance. A user location may be determined. A first characteristic of the first appliance may be obtained. Based upon the user location and the sensor data, a schedule indicating when the user will desire a state change of the first appliance may be determined. A feature of the first appliance may be dynamically modified to cause the first appliance to operate according to the schedule. A notice may be sent to the user that contains information about the first appliance.