CN112447001A

CN112447001A - Remote maintenance system and remote maintenance method for paper money processing device

Info

Publication number: CN112447001A
Application number: CN202010750783.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 西野阳; 府内克好
Original assignee: Hitachi Omron Terminal Solutions Corp
Current assignee: Hitachi Omron Terminal Solutions Corp
Priority date: 2019-09-05
Filing date: 2020-07-30
Publication date: 2021-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-30
Also published as: JP2021039701A; CN112447001B; JP7362372B2; WO2021044709A1

Abstract

A remote maintenance system and a remote maintenance method for a paper money processing device are provided, which can accurately grasp the state of a paper money picker of a maintenance object in advance, and can lock the obstacle in advance, thereby realizing the reduction of maintenance cost. The remote maintenance system includes a bill picker connected to a network, and a maintenance terminal capable of communicating with the bill picker via the network. The maintenance terminal is provided with: an input unit that accepts an operation request for remote maintenance of the banknote sorting machine by a maintenance worker; a control unit that inputs an instruction corresponding to the operation request received via the input unit to the bill sorting machine via the network, and acquires a state of the bill sorting machine based on control corresponding to the instruction from the bill sorting machine; and an output unit that outputs the state of the bill sorting machine acquired by the control unit. The paper currency picker comprises: the control unit controls the bill picker according to an instruction input from the attendant terminal, and acquires the state of the bill picker based on the control.

Description

Remote maintenance system and remote maintenance method for paper money processing device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a remote maintenance system and a remote maintenance method for a banknote handling apparatus.

Background

When a cash processing terminal such as a bill picker (sorter) fails, a maintenance worker may have to go to the site to deal with the failure depending on the contents of the failure. From the aspect of maintenance cost reduction, it is desirable to recover without tripping of a maintenance worker, and various methods of reducing the maintenance cost thereof in the case where tripping is required are mentioned.

For example, patent document 1 discloses a technique in which a maintenance person obtains trouble information such as an error code by a call with an end user, and refers to information such as a manufacturing number of the device, past trouble history, and operation rate stored in a Web server via the internet. Based on the information, the obstacle is locked, and whether the maintenance worker needs to move or not is judged. When the maintenance worker needs to move, the replacement of the component is prepared in advance, or the inspection items are arranged by using the moving time to the site, so that the working time on the site is reduced as much as possible, and the maintenance cost is reduced.

Patent documents

2 and 3 disclose techniques for remotely controlling home electric appliances at home from an outgoing destination by an operation from a mobile phone or a smartphone.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2005-107671

Patent document 2: japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2012-191481

Patent document 3: japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2014-195227

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

When a maintenance worker needs to move from a maintenance site to a place where the movement cost is high, it is important to prepare for a device to be maintained to be locked in advance at a trouble or the like so that the problem can be solved by moving once. However, if the state of the device to be maintained cannot be accurately grasped, it becomes difficult to lock the device in advance at the obstacle.

For example, as described in patent document 1, it is difficult for a maintenance person to accurately grasp the state of a device to be maintained in information (error code, manufacturing number, trouble history, operating rate, and the like) obtained by a call with an end user, and therefore, it is difficult to lock the device in advance at a trouble.

Further, as described in

patent documents

2 and 3, an operator of the banknote sorting machine or an administrator of the cash processing center may feel uneasy in terms of security when the operator remotely operates the banknote sorting machine, which is a device for handling cash. In addition, in the remote operation, various considerations are required such as a situation in which the operator of the bill picker is not surprised by the sudden operation of the device.

As described above, in the conventional technology, it is difficult to grasp the state of the bill picker to be maintained in advance before going to the field, and therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to lock the obstacle in advance, and it is difficult to reduce the maintenance cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a remote maintenance system and a remote maintenance method for a banknote handling machine, which can grasp the state of a banknote picker to be maintained in advance before going to the site, can lock obstacles in advance, and can reduce maintenance cost, in consideration of the above points.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote maintenance system for a banknote handling apparatus, comprising a banknote handling apparatus connected to a network, and a terminal capable of communicating with the banknote handling apparatus via the network, the terminal comprising: an input unit that accepts an operation request for remote maintenance of the banknote handling device by a maintenance worker; a terminal-side control unit configured to input an instruction corresponding to the operation request received via the input unit to the banknote handling apparatus via the network, and acquire a state of the banknote handling apparatus based on control according to the instruction from the banknote handling apparatus; and an output unit that outputs the state of the banknote processing apparatus acquired by the terminal-side control unit, the banknote processing apparatus including: and a device-side control unit that controls the banknote processing device in accordance with an instruction input from the terminal, and acquires a state of the banknote processing device based on the control.

Effects of the invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a remote maintenance system and a remote maintenance method for a banknote handling machine, which can grasp the state of a banknote picker to be maintained in advance before going to a field, can lock obstacles in advance, and can reduce maintenance costs.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a remote maintenance system of a banknote picker according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the banknote sorting machine according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the maintenance terminal according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of processing when the serviceman terminal is called from the banknote picker according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when the maintenance staff terminal is connected to the bill picker in the remote maintenance in embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of an access approval screen of the banknote sorting machine according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the attendant terminal and the bill sorting machine in the screen sharing in embodiment 1.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of display of a serviceman mode screen of the banknote sorting machine displayed on the serviceman terminal in the screen sharing in embodiment 1.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of a maintenance operator operation approval screen displayed on the banknote picker at the time of screen sharing in embodiment 1.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display of a screen during operation by a serviceman of the banknote picker according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of display of an abnormality detection screen in embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the remote maintenance process according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the insertion process to the bill picker by the maintenance worker in embodiment 2.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the insertion process to the bill picker by the maintenance worker in embodiment 3.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of display of a forced access advance notice display according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the operation terminal and the maintenance terminal.

Description of the reference symbols

N: network, S: remote maintenance system, 1: maintainer terminal, 11: control unit, 12: input/output unit, 2a, 2b, 2 c: banknote sorter, 20: banknote processing unit, 21: main control unit, 200: operation terminal, 210: control unit, 220: input/output unit, 3: management terminal

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or similar elements and processes will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. In the embodiments described later, only differences from the embodiments already described will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

The configuration and processing described below are merely examples, and the embodiment according to the present invention is not intended to be limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the embodiments and the modifications may be combined in a part or all of the scope of the technical idea of the present invention and the scope of the integration.

The drawings referred to in the following description show an outline of the embodiment to the extent necessary for understanding and practicing the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in the drawings.

In the following description, for example, when a plurality of elements to which reference numerals are given by sub-reference numerals of the same number are collectively referred to as "xxx 100-1", "xxx 100-2", or "xxx 100 a", or "xxx 100 b", the elements are represented as "xxx 100" using only the same number.

In the following, the banknote handling system and the banknote sorting machine will be described as handling banknotes as sheets, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various other types of sheets such as checks and gift certificates can be handled in the same manner.

[ embodiment 1]

(configuration of remote maintenance System S of embodiment 1)

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a remote maintenance system S of a banknote picker 2 according to embodiment 1. The remote maintenance system S includes a plurality of bill sorters 2(2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) connected to the network N. The bill sorter 2 is an example of a bill handling device. The remote maintenance system S may also include a management terminal 3 used by a manager of the cash processing center. The remote maintenance system S includes a maintainer terminal 1 of a maintainer connected to the network N via a gateway GW and capable of communicating with the bill picker 2. The number of the attendant terminals 1 and the banknote sorting machines 2 is not limited to the illustration in fig. 1.

The bill sorter 2 includes a bill processing unit 20 and an operation terminal 200. The operation terminal 200 to which an application for operating the bill picker 2 is attached is a touch panel type flat plate or the like connected to the bill picker 2, and includes an input/output unit 220 (see fig. 3) including a display screen having a touch panel function. The operator uses the operation terminal 200 to set or operate the banknote sorting machine 2.

The banknote processing unit 20 feeds out the stacked banknotes one by one from the hopper, and stores the banknotes in the storage unit or the reject stacker based on the result of reading the authenticity, wear, denomination, orientation, number, and the like of the banknotes in the recognition unit.

(functional Structure of paper money picker 2)

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration example of the banknote sorting machine 2 according to embodiment 1. The bill sorting machine 2 includes a bill processing unit 20 and an operation terminal 200 communicably connected to the bill processing unit 20.

The banknote processing unit 20 includes a main control unit 21, a ROM22a, a RAM22b, a communication unit 23, a storage unit 24, an identification unit 254, and a sorting gate 29. The banknote processing unit 20 includes various elements such as a motor controlled by the main control unit 21, but illustration and description thereof are omitted.

The main control unit 21 controls each unit in the banknote processing unit 20. The ROM22a stores an operation program and the like of the main control section 21. The RAM22b develops a control program for controlling each unit by the main control unit 21, and stores control data used by the control program in a readable and writable manner. The communication unit 23 is an interface for the banknote handling unit 20 to communicate with the operation terminal 200.

The storage unit 24 is a storage device that stores various information such as the banknote identification information 241, the damaged separation reference information 242, and the banknote image information 243. The banknote identification information 241 is information that serves as a reference for determining authenticity of a banknote. The damaged and separated reference information 242 is information that serves as a reference for determining the discrimination and sorting of banknotes, such as damaged banknotes. The banknote image information 243 is image data of the banknote acquired by the scanner 27.

The recognition unit 254 includes the serial number reading sensor 25, the number detection sensor 26, the scanner 27, and the damaged bill detection sensor 28, and performs billing such as counting, authenticity determination, and damaged separation processing on the banknotes fed out from the hopper 251. The sorting gate 29 sorts the banknotes sorted by the recognition unit 254 into one of the storage units and the reject stacker.

The control processing device 200 is a computer device such as a tablet terminal. The operation terminal 200 includes a control unit 210, an input/output unit 220, a communication unit 230, and a storage unit 240.

The control unit 210 executes various processes for controlling the respective units of the operation terminal 200 by expanding and executing an application program stored in the storage unit 240 or a ROM (not shown) into a RAM (not shown). The control unit 210 performs various processes for controlling the banknote processing unit 20, such as counting the number of banknotes of each denomination and the total number of banknotes by the sorting process, in cooperation with the main control unit 21 to which the banknote processing unit 20 of the operation terminal 200 is connected.

The input/output unit 220 is, for example, a display with a touch panel that displays various information and accepts user input. The input/output unit 220 is not limited to a display with a touch panel, and may be another input device or another output device.

The communication unit 230 includes an interface for the operation terminal 200 to communicate with the banknote processing unit 20, and an interface for the operation terminal 200 to communicate with the attendant terminal 1 via the network N. The storage unit 240 is a storage device that stores various information related to processing in the banknote sorter 2.

The storage unit 240 stores various information such as a setting value 2401, image information 2402, and a log 2403. The setting value 2401 includes parameters, date information, and the like that are input by the user and that specify the operation of the banknote processing unit 20, and is reflected in the banknote processing unit 20. For example, the banknote identification information 241 or the damaged separation reference information 242 is information based on the set value 2401.

The image information 2402 is data of an image of the banknote acquired by the recognition unit 254 through the sorting process, and is, for example, a serial number image. The log 2403 is a count result including the number of each denomination of banknotes counted by the control unit 210 in the sorting process and the total number of banknotes in cooperation with the banknote processing unit 20.

(function structure of maintainer terminal 1)

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the serviceman terminal 1 according to embodiment 1. The maintenance terminal 1 is a computer device such as a tablet terminal. The maintenance terminal 1 includes a control unit 11, an input/output unit 12, a communication unit 13, and a storage unit 14.

The control unit 11 controls each unit of the attendant terminal 1 and performs various processes by developing and executing an application or program, such as maintenance of the banknote picker 2, stored in the storage unit 14 or ROM (not shown) into RAM (not shown).

The input/output unit 12 is a display with a touch panel and the like that displays various information and receives an input from a maintenance worker. The input/output unit 12 is not limited to a display with a touch panel, and may be another input device or another output device.

The communication unit 13 includes an interface for the attendant terminal 1 to communicate with the maintenance-target banknote picker 2 via the network N. The storage unit 14 is a storage device that stores information relating to maintenance work on the banknote picker 2 from the attendant terminal 1 via the network N.

(processing when calling the maintainer terminal 1 from the bill picker 2)

Next, a call processing of the serviceman terminal 1 in a case where a trouble occurs in one of the banknote sorting machines 2 and the machine cannot be recovered will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of processing performed when the serviceman terminal 1 is called from the banknote picker 2 according to embodiment 1. The processing shown in fig. 4 is mainly executed by the main control section 21 of the banknote sorting machine 2.

If a failure occurs in one of the bill sorters 2 and recovery is not possible, the operator of the bill sorter 2 that cannot be recovered presses the call button 221a displayed on the error occurrence time screen 221 of the input/output unit 220 of the operation terminal 200, as shown in fig. 4.

When the operator determines that support is necessary and presses the call button 221a, the operation terminal 200 transmits the ticket 400 for support request to the attendant terminal 1 of the attendant who is in charge of support of the bill picker 2 via the gateway GW and the network N. When the maintenance person receives the ticket 400 through the maintenance person terminal 1, the maintenance person can recognize the maintenance request made by the operator of the banknote sorting machine 2 which is in charge of maintenance. The ticket 400 includes, in addition to the ticket number, information specific to the banknote picker 2 that issued the ticket 400, for example, a serial number or an ID specific to the device, and also includes an access code or expiration date information.

In the present embodiment, the support request is transmitted directly from the banknote picker 2 to the attendant terminal 1 of the banknote picker 2 who is in charge of the attendant, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a terminal such as an administrator of a cash processing center or a maintenance center to which the attendant belongs may be interposed between the banknote picker 2 and the attendant terminal 1, and only the support request determined to be appropriate by the administrator may be transmitted to the attendant terminal 1.

In order for the attendant who receives the support request from the banknote picker 2 via the attendant terminal 1 to confirm the obstacle occurrence location of the banknote picker 2, the attendant terminal 1 accesses the banknote picker 2 by using the screen sharing function of the application installed in the operation terminal 200. The maintenance terminal 1 is a mobile terminal, but is not limited to this, and may be a stationary computer.

(display of image when maintenance person terminal 1 is connected to bill picker 2)

Next, a screen display when the maintenance person terminal 1 is connected to the bill picker 2 during remote maintenance will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when the maintenance worker terminal 1 is connected to the bill picker 2 at the time of remote maintenance in embodiment 1. In the operation terminal 200, the control unit 210 performs each process including the display and the reception of the input/output unit 220, and in the serviceman terminal 1, the control unit 11 performs each process including the display and the reception of the input/output unit 12.

When the ticket number and the access code of the ticket 400 received from the banknote picker 2 are input by the serviceman h on the access expectation screen 122 displayed on the input/output unit 12 of the attendant terminal 1, information of the banknote picker 2 seeking support, for example, a branch name, a store number, and the like are displayed. The maintenance worker h confirms that the bill picker 2 whose information is displayed on the access expectation screen 122 is the bill picker 2 to be accessed, and then presses the approval request button 122 a. In addition, when the bill picker 2 to be accessed is not displayed or when the access is desired to be cancelled, the cancel button 122b is pressed, and the original screen can be returned to.

In the present embodiment, the ticket number or the like is input, but the information may be device-specific information such as a manufacturing number or a management number. Note that the banknote sorting machine 2 may determine whether or not the access to the banknote sorting machine 2 is legitimate based on the ticket number of the ticket 400 transmitted to the attendant terminal 1 when the call button 221a is pressed and the attendant information transmitted from the attendant terminal 1 together with the approval request.

When the serviceman terminal 1 agrees that the request button 122a is pressed, an access expectation broadcast button 222a for broadcasting that there is an external access expectation for the operation screen 222 (operation screen or operation menu screen) is displayed on the input/output unit 220 of the bill picker 2.

(Access approval screen 223 of bill picker 2)

When the operator of the banknote sorting machine 2 presses the access expectation broadcast button 222a, the input/output unit 220 of the operation terminal 200 displays an access approval screen 223 shown in fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of an access approval screen 223 of the banknote sorting machine 2 in embodiment 1.

On the access approval screen 223, attribute information 223a (for example, a face photograph, a name, an ID, a maintainer history, and an evaluation) of the maintainer who is expected to access is transmitted, an approval button 223b, and a reject button 223c are displayed. At this time, the input/output unit 12 of the maintenance terminal 1 displays an end-user approval waiting screen 123.

At this time, the input/output unit 12 of the attendant terminal 1 displays the end-user approval waiting screen 123 as a guide until the approval button 223b or the reject button 223c is pressed on the access approval screen 223 of the operation terminal 200 of the banknote picker 2. When the approval button 223b is pressed by the operator of the banknote sorter 2, the banknote sorter 2 shifts to a mode in which the maintainer h can remotely operate from the outside via the maintainer terminal 1.

(the screen displayed on the attendant terminal 1 and the bill sorting machine 2 during sharing of the screen)

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the attendant terminal 1 and the banknote sorting machine 2 during screen sharing in embodiment 1. When the operator presses the approval button 223b, the access to the banknote picker 2 by the attendant terminal 1 of the attendant h is approved, and therefore, as shown in fig. 7, the operation terminal 200 of the banknote picker 2 displays an attendant operation screen 224 that conveys the intention that the attendant operates the banknote picker 2 from the attendant terminal 1. Further, the attendant terminal 1 displays the attendant operation screen 124, which is permitted to be displayed only for the attendant h, by sharing the screen with the operation terminal 200 of the banknote picker 2 that is currently in the process of entering.

The maintenance worker h operates the maintenance worker operation screen 124, and can start the maintenance tool installed in the operation terminal 200. The maintenance tool is used for checking the state of the bill picker 2, such as the state of a sensor of the bill picker 2 and the operation check of a driver such as a motor or a solenoid. The maintenance worker h uses the maintenance tool, and can check the operation of the bill picker 2 from a remote place just like checking the bill picker 2 on site.

An access release button 124a for releasing access to the banknote picker 2 is displayed on the serviceman operation screen 124, access from the serviceman terminal 1 is cut off when the access release button 124a is pressed, and a screen on which the serviceman is operating on the serviceman terminal 1 at the time of cutting is displayed on the operation terminal 200 of the banknote picker 2.

The access release button 124a may be: the display is disconnectable only when a screen that does not interfere with the operator who returns the operation authority of the banknote picker 2 to the banknote picker 2 is displayed on the input/output unit 12 of the attendant terminal 1. That is, the access release button 124a is not displayed when the screen (the maintainer mode screen 125 or the like) of the operation terminal 200, the operation of which is permitted only for the maintainer h, is displayed on the maintainer terminal 1 by screen sharing, and the access release button 124a is displayed when the screen of the operation terminal 200, the operation of which is also permitted for the operator, is displayed on the maintainer terminal 1 by screen sharing.

When the serviceman h remotely operates the bill picker 2 again after the access release button 124a is pressed and the access from the serviceman terminal 1 is cut off, the approval of the end user is requested again from the access expectation screen 122 in fig. 5.

(series of operations for confirming the device of the paper money picker 2)

Next, referring to fig. 8 and 9, a flow of a series of operations confirmed by the device of the remote-operated banknote picker 2 when the motor check is selected is shown in the serviceman mode screen 125 as an example of the serviceman operation screen 124. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of display of the serviceman mode screen 125 of the banknote sorting machine 2 displayed on the serviceman terminal 1 by screen sharing in embodiment 1. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the serviceman operation approval screen 225 displayed on the banknote sorting machine 2 at the time of screen sharing in embodiment 1.

When the maintainer presses, for example, the motor check button 125a on the maintainer mode screen 125 of the maintainer terminal 1 shown in fig. 8, a maintainer operation approval screen 225 is displayed on the operation terminal 200 of the bill picker 2 as shown in fig. 9. On the serviceman operation approval screen 225, a message 225a for prompting attention, an approval button 225b for approving the operation of the bill picker 2 by the serviceman operation, and a reject button 225c for rejecting the operation of the bill picker 2 by the serviceman operation are displayed.

In the present embodiment, in order to prevent the operator of the banknote sorting machine 2 from being surprised, the operator operation approval screen 225 is displayed so that the operator's approval is notified in advance of the operation of the device by the remote operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and whether or not the operator's approval is required may be set for each test item or collectively. Note that, depending on the operation content of the banknote sorting machine 2, the display of the serviceman operation approval screen 225 may not be performed.

As shown in fig. 9, while waiting for the operator to press the approval button 225b, the attendant terminal 1 displays the operator approval waiting display 125b as a guide, and is in a state in which the remote operation of the banknote picker 2 is disabled.

When the approval button 225b is pressed, a maintenance operator operation screen 224 shown in fig. 7 is displayed on the operation terminal 200 of the banknote sorting machine 2, and the banknote sorting machine 2 accepts a remote operation from the maintenance operator terminal 1 and performs a required inspection. While the banknote picker 2 is remotely operated from the attendant terminal 1, the attendant operation screen 224 is displayed so that the direct operation of the device (for example, the operation via the input/output unit 220) is not possible.

In the present embodiment, instead of displaying the during-operation screen 224 by the serviceman, the operation terminal 200 of the banknote sorting machine 2 may display an operation content screen 226 showing the operation content actually operated by the serviceman, as shown in fig. 10. In this case, as shown in fig. 10, "maintenance operation" is displayed to clearly indicate who is currently operating the apparatus.

(abnormality detection screens 127 and 227 in embodiment 1)

Next, a description will be given of a display when an abnormality of the banknote picker 2 is detected by a test of remote operation, with reference to fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of display of the abnormality detection screens 127 and 227 in embodiment 1. The abnormality detection screen 127 is a screen displayed on the attendant terminal 1, and the abnormality detection screen 227 is a screen displayed on the operation terminal 200 of the bill picker 2, but these screens are the same screen based on screen sharing.

The maintenance staff can lock the fault occurrence location, fault cause, appropriate replacement components to be carried at the time of business trip maintenance, and the like in the bill picker 2 in advance of business trip maintenance, based on the fault location display 127a (the same as the fault location display 227a of the fault detection screen 227) of the fault detection screen 127 and the transition of the error code of the single unit or the error code of the time series.

(remote maintenance processing according to embodiment 1)

Next, with reference to fig. 12, a remote maintenance process of the banknote picker 2 in the remote maintenance system S will be described. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the remote maintenance process according to embodiment 1. The remote maintenance processing according to embodiment 1 is executed by cooperation of the control unit 11 of the attendant terminal 1 and the control unit 210 of the operation terminal 200 of the banknote sorting machine 2.

First, in step S11, the banknote picker 2 transmits the ticket 400 for the support request when trouble occurs to the attendant terminal 1. Next, in step S12, the maintenance person terminal 1 accesses (transmits a connection request) the banknote picker 2 of the transmission source of the ticket 400 based on the received information of the ticket 400. Next, in step S13, the banknote picker 2 transmits the remote operation approval input by the operator for the access of step S12 to the serviceman terminal 1. When the remote operation approval is transmitted to the serviceman terminal 1, the connection to the bill picker 2 via the network N by the serviceman terminal 1 is started.

Next, in step S14, the maintenance person terminal 1 receives the approval of the remote operation in step S13, and transmits a remote operation request to the banknote picker 2. Next, in step S15, the banknote picker 2 transmits, to the serviceman terminal 1, the approval based on the action of the banknote picker 2 by the remote operation input by the operator with respect to the remote operation request in step S14.

In steps S14 and S15, for example, when an instruction corresponding to each of the other remote operation requests such as the motor check and the sensor check is input from the serviceman terminal 1, the banknote picker 2 notifies the input/output unit 220 of the execution of the control of the banknote picker 2 corresponding to the instruction, accepts an input of the execution permission of the control, and transmits the accepted execution permission to the serviceman terminal 1. When the bill picker 2 receives an executable input of control via the input/output unit 220, the control of the bill picker 2 is started.

Next, in step S16a and step S16b, the attendant terminal 1 and the banknote sorting machine 2 share the screen, and the attendant terminal 1 displays the attendant operation screen 124. In the screen sharing, the attendant terminal 1 has the operation authority of the bill picker 2, and the bill picker 2 does not have the operation authority of the bill picker 2. In the screen sharing of the serviceman operation screen 124, the serviceman terminal 1 executes the remote operation (step S17), receives the execution of the remote operation, controls the banknote picker 2 and performs the inspection (step S18), and the serviceman terminal 1 repeatedly acquires the operation of the state of the banknote picker 2 (step S17) such as the driving and stopping of the driver of the banknote picker 2 or the lighting and extinguishing of the sensors until the inspection of the banknote picker 2 is completed (step S19).

In steps S17 and S18, for example, the serviceman terminal 1 receives an operation request for remote maintenance of the banknote picker 2 by the serviceman via the input/output unit 12, and inputs an instruction corresponding to the received operation request to the banknote picker 2 via the network N. The banknote picker 2 acquires the state of the banknote picker 2 that has been controlled in accordance with the instruction input from the attendant terminal 1, and the attendant terminal 1 acquires the state of the banknote picker 2 that is controlled in accordance with the instruction from the banknote picker 2.

In step S20a and step S20b following step S19, the maintenance person terminal 1 and the banknote sorting machine 2 end the screen sharing of the remote operation screen. At this time, the banknote sorter 2 restores the operation authority of the banknote sorter 2, and the device is made operable. Next, in step S21, the banknote picker 2, in which the trouble has been eliminated by the above remote maintenance, returns to the normal operation (operation).

(Effect of embodiment 1)

In the present embodiment, the maintenance person can confirm the behavior of the banknote picker in real time by remote operation in addition to information such as an error code, a manufacturing number, an obstacle history, and a work rate of the banknote picker, without causing any anxiety or distrust to the operator of the banknote picker. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to specify an obstacle without going to the field, from the remote reproduction of an error and confirmation of the behavior of the banknote picker at the time of the error occurrence. Therefore, the state of the bill sorting machine can be grasped more accurately, and the obstacle can be easily identified, so that the inefficient business trip visit of the maintenance staff can be reduced, and the maintenance cost can be reduced.

Further, by displaying attribute information such as personal data of a maintenance person who performs remote operation, it is possible to reduce anxiety of the end user of the remotely operated bill picker 2. The personal data of the maintainer can be always displayed on the right side of the picture in a corner window mode.

In addition, when the sensor test is performed, the verification can be performed in the same flow as the operation of the driver described above. In the sensor inspection, the banknote sorter 2 is remotely accessed and the screen sharing is performed, so that while a specific request (for example, whether the banknote remains or not is confirmed by opening or closing the cover and the banknote is to be taken out or not) is transmitted to the operator of the banknote sorter by telephone, the state change of the sensor that can be referred to is viewed through the shared screen, and whether the operator performs the operation according to the specific request or not can also be confirmed.

Further, when a defective condition of the bill picker has been determined by remote maintenance, the bill picker may be degraded to continue its operation, or a file such as a firmware provided in the bill picker may be updated.

[ embodiment 2]

In embodiment 1 described above, it is assumed that the operator is performing business in the vicinity of the bill picker in which an error has occurred. However, since the operator is restricted, the operator often performs other business in a state where the bill sorting machine 2 is left in place and cannot be recovered due to an error. Alternatively, one operator may operate a plurality of devices in the same facility, and a business may be performed in another bill picker away from the faulty bill picker. In such a case, if the person who can give access permission to the banknote picker 2 in which an error has occurred from the attendant terminal is limited to the operator who is performing business in the vicinity of the banknote picker, a problem such as delay in error handling may occur.

Therefore, even if the operator is an operator of a banknote picker other than the banknote picker in which the error has occurred, it is possible to give access permission to the banknote picker in which the error has occurred from the attendant terminal.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the insertion process to the banknote picker 2 by the maintenance worker in embodiment 2. In the example of fig. 13, the banknote picker that has made an error is assumed to be the banknote picker 2 a. As shown in fig. 13, a notification is given to seek permission to access the bill picker 2a in which an error has occurred to all the bill pickers 2 and the management terminals 3 on the network, and permission can be input from any one of the devices. This allows the serviceman terminal 1 to be given access permission to the banknote picker 2a that is causing an error, from a device other than the banknote picker 2a that is causing an error.

In the present embodiment, the notification of the request for access permission is performed for all the banknote selectors 2 and the management terminals 3 on the network N, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a restricted device may be used such as a device in which only the management terminal 3 is the notification target, or a specific banknote selector 2 is used. Only the device that receives the notification seeking the access permission can give the access permission to the bill picker 2a that has generated the error.

In the present embodiment, the maintenance terminal notifies all the banknote selectors 2 and the management terminal 3 on the network N of the request for access permission, and when permission is input from one of the devices, the banknote selectors in which errors have occurred are allowed to be accessed.

In the present embodiment, the management terminal 3 may be omitted. Further, the access permission is not limited to the permission of the access, and the permission of the execution of the remote operation may be given to the request of the remote operation such as the motor check or the sensor check.

[ embodiment 3]

However, in

embodiments

1 and 2 described above, an example was described in which the operator of the banknote sorting machine performs the access of the banknote sorting machine from the maintenance terminal in response to the support request from the operator side when the error of the banknote sorting machine occurs.

On the other hand, financial terminal devices such as bill sorters often require regular maintenance. Before the periodic inspection, whether the inspection is really needed or not is confirmed without going to the site, so that unnecessary business trip inspection is not carried out, and the maintenance cost can be reduced. This example will be described as embodiment 3.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the access processing to the banknote picker 2 by the maintenance staff in embodiment 3. As shown in fig. 14, when the timing of the periodic inspection of the banknote picker 2 approaches, the maintenance staff requests the access to the banknote picker 2 to be inspected, and therefore, the serial number of the banknote picker 2 to be inspected is transmitted to the management terminal 3, and the manager requests the access permission to the banknote picker 2 to be inspected. The manager permits access at an appropriate timing while checking the status of the transaction of the banknote sorting machine 2 to be inspected. When the manager determines that the traffic load of the banknote sorting machine 2 to be inspected is high and access should not be permitted, the manager may refute access.

In the present embodiment, the management terminal 3 is configured to transmit the access permission, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the banknote picker 2 that is a target of the periodic inspection may be configured to transmit the access permission.

When the access is permitted, the serviceman is accessed from the serviceman terminal 1 to the bill picker, and various test menus are executed from the serviceman mode screen 125 and the like shown in fig. 8 to confirm whether or not various operation values of the bill picker 2 such as the output level of the sensor and the rotational speed of the motor are within the allowable range. When various operations of the bill picker 2 are within the allowable range, the visit schedule for the periodic inspection is delayed, and when the operation is close to the dangerous value within a certain range, the visit schedule for the periodic inspection is performed in advance, and early business trip maintenance is performed, so that the maintenance inspection can be realized more efficiently.

In addition, the remote maintenance processing in the present embodiment is compared with the remote maintenance processing according to embodiment 1 shown in fig. 12, and the processing is started from step S12 without step S11.

In the present embodiment, since the periodic inspection is performed, it is known in advance that the banknote picker to be inspected is accessed, and thus illegal access can be prevented. Further, each bill picker or the management terminal manages the timing of the last periodic inspection, and thus, for example, when there is access at a timing significantly deviated from the inspection cycle, it can be determined that the access is not true.

[ embodiment 4]

Although the maintenance terminal 1 transmits the access request to the management terminal 3 or the target banknote picker 2, if there is no access permission or reject response for a predetermined time, the forcible access may be permitted after the predetermined time has elapsed. This example will be described as embodiment 4.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the forced access advance notice display 123a according to embodiment 4. Fig. 15 shows, as an example, that the expected destination of the incoming transmission is the bill picker 2, but the same is true even if the expected destination of the incoming transmission is the management terminal 3. When the forced access is permitted, as shown in fig. 15, a forced access advance notice display 123a for notifying the forced access permission n seconds later may be displayed on the end user approval wait screen 123. The forcible access notification display 123a may include a Yes button to be pressed when the forcible access is permitted or a No button to be pressed when the forcible access is rejected.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of useless waiting time in the maintenance terminal 1, such as the maintenance terminal 1 continuing to wait for a response to the access permission despite the transmission of the access request from the maintenance terminal 1, and to efficiently perform remote maintenance.

(hardware configuration of computer for realizing operation terminal 200 and maintainer terminal 1)

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the operation terminal 200 and the serviceman terminal 1. In the computer 5000 that realizes the operation terminal 200 and the maintenance terminal 1, a processor 5300 typified by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a Memory 5400 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input device 5600 (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.), and an output device 5700 (e.g., a video graphic card connected to an external display monitor) are connected to each other through a Memory controller 5500. In the computer 5000, programs for realizing the operation terminal 200 and the serviceman terminal 1 are read from an external storage device 5800 such as an SSD or an HDD via an I/O (Input/Output) controller 5200, and executed by the processor 5300 and the memory 5400 in cooperation with each other, thereby realizing the operation terminal 200 and the serviceman terminal 1. Alternatively, the program for realizing the operation terminal 200 and the maintenance terminal 1 may be read from a distributable recording medium by a media reading device and acquired, or may be acquired from an external computer by communication via the network interface 5100.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are also included. For example, the above-described embodiments are described in detail to explain the present invention easily and understandably, and are not limited to having all the configurations described. In addition, as long as there is no contradiction, a part of the structure of one embodiment may be replaced with the structure of another embodiment, and the structure of one embodiment may be added to the structure of one embodiment. Further, a part of the structure of each embodiment can be added, deleted, replaced, integrated, or expanded. Further, the structure and the process shown in the embodiment can be appropriately expanded or integrated based on the process efficiency or the installation efficiency.

Claims

1. A remote maintenance system for a bill handling apparatus,

comprising a bill handling apparatus connected to a network and a terminal capable of communicating with the bill handling apparatus via the network,

the terminal is provided with:

an input unit that accepts an operation request for remote maintenance of the banknote handling device by a maintenance worker;

a terminal-side control unit configured to input an instruction corresponding to the operation request received via the input unit to the banknote handling apparatus via the network, and acquire a state of the banknote handling apparatus based on control according to the instruction from the banknote handling apparatus; and

an output unit that outputs the state of the banknote processing apparatus acquired by the terminal-side control unit,

the banknote handling device includes:

and a device-side control unit that controls the banknote processing device in accordance with an instruction input from the terminal, and acquires a state of the banknote processing device based on the control.

2. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 1,

the bill handling device further comprises a device-side input unit,

the apparatus-side control section performs:

when connection to the bill handling device from the terminal via the network is requested, whether or not the connection is acceptable is accepted via the device-side input unit,

when a connectable input to the banknote handling apparatus is accepted via the apparatus-side input unit, connection to the banknote handling apparatus via the network by the terminal is started.

3. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 2,

the bill handling device further comprises a device-side output unit,

the apparatus-side control section performs:

when the command is input from the terminal, the execution notice of the control of the bill handling device corresponding to the command is output from the device side output unit, and the input of the execution permission of the control is accepted through the device side input unit,

when an executable input of the control is received via the device-side input unit, the control of the banknote handling device is started.

4. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 3,

the number of the paper money processing devices is a plurality,

the connectable and executable inputs can be received by any one of the plurality of banknote handling apparatuses and a management terminal connected to the network.

5. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 3,

the number of the paper money processing devices is a plurality,

the connectable and executable inputs may be accepted only by one or more of the plurality of banknote handling apparatuses and a management terminal connected to the network.

6. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 3,

the banknote processing device outputs attribute information of a maintenance worker who inputs the connection request to the terminal from the device-side output unit.

7. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 1,

the banknote handling apparatus cannot be directly operated while the apparatus-side control unit is controlling the banknote handling apparatus in accordance with the instruction input from the terminal.

8. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 1,

the bill handling apparatus is capable of accepting a request for remote maintenance of the bill handling apparatus by the maintenance worker when an adverse event occurs in the bill handling apparatus, and transmitting the accepted request to the terminal,

the terminal accepts the operation request by the maintenance worker according to the received request.

9. The remote maintenance system of a bill handling apparatus according to claim 2,

the connection is not releasable when the screen accepting the operation request is displayed on the terminal.

10. A remote maintenance method of a bill handling apparatus,

is a remote maintenance method performed by a remote maintenance system of a banknote processing device having a banknote processing device connected to a network and a terminal capable of communicating with the banknote processing device via the network,

the terminal performs:

an operation request for remote maintenance of the banknote handling apparatus by a maintenance worker is accepted,

instructions corresponding to the received operation requests are input to the banknote handling apparatus via the network, the state of the banknote handling apparatus based on control according to the instructions is acquired from the banknote handling apparatus,

outputting the acquired state of the bill handling apparatus,

the bill handling apparatus performs:

the bill handling apparatus is controlled in accordance with an instruction input from the terminal, and the state of the bill handling apparatus based on the control is acquired.