JP2005165402A - Equipment control device and remote equipment control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor and control equipment from a remote location avoiding problems of security. <P>SOLUTION: An equipment control device 200 which monitors and controls operation of the equipment based on instructions informed from a remote control device 400 via the Internet 40 is equipped with; an e-mail receiving management section 214 which receives via a receiving mail server an e-mail in which instructions transmitted from a remote control device 400 are described; a request content analysis section 212 which analyzes the contents of the received e-mail, and generates the contents responding to the requests; an equipment control section 211 which monitors and controls the pieces of equipment, 100a, 100b, 100c according to the request contents analyzed at the request content analysis section 212; an e-mail transmission management section 215 which transmits an e-mail including the contents of a response generated in the request content analysis section 212 to the remote control device via a transmission mail server; and an e-mail information storage section 260 which holds an own mail address and information on a mail server connecting at the time of e-mail transmission and reception. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an equipment management apparatus and a remote equipment management system for monitoring and controlling equipment.

  A management device installed in a management room by connecting an equipment management device that monitors and controls equipment such as air conditioners and lighting in a building to an existing LAN (Local Area Network) to which a personal computer in the office is connected Systems that control equipment are made available so that equipment management devices can be operated from personal computers in the office.

  However, since personal computers connected to the existing LAN often hold important information, it is not possible to connect to the existing LAN from a remote location via a telephone line or the like to monitor the operating status of the equipment. There was a security problem.

In order to solve the above problem, a technique for communicating with an equipment management apparatus on an existing LAN by using an electronic mail with relatively few security problems has been proposed.
As an example of such a technique, there is a conventional monitoring control system disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the monitoring control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, an electronic mail gateway is installed between the control device and the remote monitoring control device. The content of the message exchanged between the control device and the remote monitoring control device is added to the electronic mail. The e-mail to which the request message from the remote monitoring control device is added is transmitted to the e-mail gateway, and the e-mail gateway flows the message in the received e-mail on the LAN. The flowed message is notified to the control device via the LAN, and the response message from the control device is added to the electronic mail and transmitted to the remote monitoring control device. In this way, by providing an electronic mail gateway, it is possible to communicate messages by electronic mail between the control device and the remote monitoring control device.

JP 2003-157223 A

  In a conventional supervisory control system, the IP address assigned to a terminal may be changed in accordance with a change in the number of terminals connected to the LAN. In this case, the IP address of the control device on the LAN is also changed. End up. Therefore, it is necessary to describe the IP address of the destination control device in the e-mail transmitted from the remote monitoring control device. When the IP address is changed, each control device registered in the remote monitoring control device. The IP address of must be changed. In addition, it is necessary to check whether the changed IP address operates normally.

  In addition, the IP address information of each control device must be registered in the remote monitoring and control device outside the facility because the IP address assigned to the control device can be used to determine the size of the in-house network and how to assign the IP address. There was a security problem.

  In addition, since all e-mail exchanged between the remote monitoring control device and the control device passes through the e-mail gateway, in a system such as a building where many control devices are installed, a large amount of electronic mail is transmitted from the remote monitoring control device. There is a possibility that mail may be transmitted, and processing load is concentrated on the electronic mail gateway, which may cause a delay in response to the remote monitoring control device. In addition, since the e-mail gateway performs communication with the control device via the LAN in addition to the transmission / reception of e-mail, there is a risk of increasing communication traffic on the LAN.

  In addition, when the e-mail gateway fails, there is a problem that communication with the remote monitoring control device becomes impossible even if other control devices are operating normally.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. An equipment management apparatus and a remote equipment management capable of monitoring and controlling equipment connected to a LAN from a remote location while avoiding security problems. The purpose is to obtain a system.

  The facility management device according to the present invention is configured to monitor and control the operation of a plurality of facility devices in an integrated manner based on a command notified from a remote management device via a communication line, and transmitted from the remote management device. The e-mail containing instructions for requesting monitoring and control of equipment is received via a mail server connected to the communication line, and the content of the received e-mail is analyzed, Request content analysis unit that generates response content according to the request, equipment management unit that monitors and controls equipment according to the request content analyzed by the request content analysis unit, and response content generated by the request content analysis unit Holds information on the mail transmission management unit that sends e-mails containing messages to the remote management device via the mail server, the self-mail address, and the mail server that is connected when sending and receiving e-mails Those having a Lumpur information storage unit.

  According to the present invention, the facility management apparatus has an email transmission / reception function, and the facility device monitoring and control request from the remote management apparatus and the communication of the response from the facility management apparatus can be performed by email. . At this time, the remote management device only has to specify the mail address of the facility management device, and there is no need to notify the network address, so there is a security advantage.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote facility management system 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the remote facility management system 10 includes a LAN 50, an Internet 40, a remote management device 400, and a mail server B310 in a facility such as a building or factory.

  The LAN 50 includes equipment 100a, 100b, and 100c such as an air conditioner and lighting, a equipment management apparatus 200, a management terminal 110, a mail server A300, and operation terminals 120a and 120b. The facility management apparatus 200, the management terminal 110, the operation terminals 120a and 120b, and the mail server A300 are connected via the general-purpose communication line 20. The equipment 100a, 100b, 100c and the equipment management apparatus 200 are connected via a dedicated communication line 60. A general-purpose communication line may be used instead of the dedicated communication line 60.

  The remote management device 400 is located in a remote management center or the like from the facility where the LAN 50 is installed, and is connected to the Internet 40 via a general-purpose communication line 30 such as a LAN or a telephone line, and an access point 500 held by an Internet connection company or the like. It is connected to the. The remote management device 400 is connected to the mail server B310 via the general-purpose communication line 30 such as a LAN or a telephone line, and the Internet 40, so that mail can be transmitted and received between the remote management device 400 and the mail server B310. ing.

  The mail server A300 and the mail server B310 are connected to the Internet 40, and are capable of communicating with each other, including a received mail server such as a POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) server and an outgoing mail server such as an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server. It is a general purpose mail server. The mail server A300 and the mail server B310 may be installed on the in-facility LAN, or may be owned by a provider or the like and connected via a telephone line or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility management apparatus 200. As shown in the figure, the facility management apparatus 200 includes a control unit 210, a display device 230, an input device 240, a facility information storage unit 250, a mail information storage unit 260, and interfaces 270 and 280. The control unit 210 is a processor of the facility management apparatus 200. Further, the facility information storage unit 250 and the mail information storage unit 260 may be a part of the memory of the facility management apparatus 200, or may be an external storage device connected to the facility management apparatus 200 via a communication line. Good.

  The control unit 210 includes an equipment management unit 211, a request content analysis unit 212, a LAN communication management unit 213, a mail reception management unit 214, and a mail transmission management unit 215. The facility management unit 211, the request content analysis unit 212, the LAN communication management unit 213, the mail reception management unit 214, and the mail transmission management unit 215 divide the control unit 210 for convenience according to the program module that operates the control unit 210. It is a thing.

  The interface 270 is a communication interface that enables communication between the control unit 210 and each facility device. The interface 280 is a communication interface that enables the control unit 210 to communicate with the management terminal 110, the operation terminals 120a and 120b, and the mail server A300.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the remote management device 400. As shown in the figure, the remote management device 400 includes a control unit 410, a display device 420, an input device 430, and an interface 440. The control unit 410 is a processor of the remote management device 400 and executes a control process for the equipment and a display control process for displaying the operation state of the equipment on the display device 420. The control unit 410 includes a mail reception management unit 411 and a mail transmission management unit 412.

Next, the operation will be described.
First, the monitoring and control operations of the equipment devices 100a, 100b, and 100c by the terminals on the LAN 50 will be described.

  The role of each terminal constituting the LAN 50 will be described. The equipment management apparatus 200 is an apparatus that monitors and controls equipment equipment 100a, 100b, and 100c such as an air conditioner and lighting in a facility in an integrated manner, and can monitor and control the operating state of all equipment equipment. It has a user interface.

  The management terminal 110 is a general-purpose computer used by the facility manager, and has various monitoring functions such as monitoring and operation of each facility device, various histories such as abnormality occurrence and operation time, and various setting functions such as a schedule and energy saving operation. . The management terminal 110 notifies the facility management apparatus 200 of the operation content input by the administrator via the LAN 50.

  The operation terminals 120a and 120b are terminals such as general-purpose computers used by general users and have a daily monitoring function for equipment. The operation terminals 120a and 120b notify the facility management apparatus 200 of the operation content input by the user via the LAN 50.

  When the facility management devices 200 monitor and control the facility devices 100a, 100b, and 100c, the user inputs a monitoring screen switching command and a facility device operation control command via the input device 240. The input device 240 has operation buttons for operating the equipment. For example, when a monitoring screen switching operation button is pressed, a monitoring screen switching command is input. The input command is supplied to the control unit 210.

  When the monitoring screen switching command is notified, the control unit 210 causes the display device 230 to display the operation information of the target equipment. If the equipment is, for example, an air conditioner, information such as on / off distinction, set temperature, air conditioning distinction, and wind power is displayed.

  When an operation button for operation control of the input device 240 is pressed, an operation control command for the target equipment is supplied to the control unit 210. The control unit 210 controls the target equipment according to the notified operation control command.

  The command notified to the equipment management apparatus 200 from the management terminal 110 and the operation terminals 120a and 120b is supplied to the request content analysis unit 212 via the interface 280 and the LAN communication management unit 213. The request content analysis unit 212 analyzes the request category of the instruction. For example, when the monitoring request is for the operating status of the equipment 100a, 100b, 100c, the operating status information of the corresponding equipment is acquired from the equipment operating status table 252 stored in the equipment information storage 250. . The acquired information is displayed on the display device 230 for each equipment device under the control of the control unit 210. There are a plurality of monitoring screens displayed on the display device 230, and these monitoring screens correspond to the respective equipment. If the request is for an equipment operation, the equipment management unit 211 operates the equipment 100a, 100b, 100c via the interface 270.

  Here, the table stored in the facility information storage unit 250 will be described. In the equipment information storage unit 250, a connection information table 251 and an equipment operation state table 252 are stored. The connection information table 251 holds connection methods and device types of the facility devices 100a, 100b, and 100c connected to the facility management apparatus 200.

The connection information table 251 is first generated by the control unit 210 in accordance with a command from the management terminal 110 and stored in the facility information storage unit 250.
The facility management unit 211 monitors the connection state with each facility device based on the communication with each facility device, and if there is a change in the connection state, a new connection information table 251 indicating the connection relationship after the change. Is stored in the facility information storage unit 250.

The equipment operation state table 252 holds information on the operation state of each equipment, such as ON / OFF distinction, set temperature, and presence / absence of abnormality.
When a user in the facility switches the operation state of the equipment through the input device 240 of the equipment management device 200, an operation signal is notified from the input device 240 to the control unit 210, and the equipment management unit 211 is based on the operation signal. The operation state information of each equipment device held in the operation state table 252 is updated. Also, when the operation terminal 120a, 120b notifies the control unit 210 of a signal indicating that a user of each facility device has operated, the facility management unit 211 updates the operating state information.

  In addition, the operating state of each facility device can be operated using an operation terminal such as a remote controller connected to the facility device. The operation content of the remote controller is notified from the operated equipment device to the control unit 210 of the equipment management apparatus 200 via the interface 270, and the equipment management unit 211 sends the content to the equipment device operation state table 252 of the equipment information storage unit 250. To store.

Next, an operation for monitoring and controlling the facility devices 100a, 100b, and 100c on the LAN 50 from the remote management device 400 will be described.
From the remote management device 400, an administrator who monitors and controls the facility devices 100a, 100b, and 100c inputs a monitoring and control request command for the target facility device via the input device 430 of the remote management device 400. The remote management device 400 creates an electronic mail in which the input request command is described, and transmits the mail by the mail transmission management unit 412. The remote management device 400 is connected to the mail server B 310 via the interface 440, the access point 500, and the Internet 40, and transmits the created electronic mail to the facility management device 200.
The mail server B310 transmits an e-mail to the mail server A300 via the Internet 40.

  The mail reception management unit 214 of the facility management apparatus 200 periodically communicates with the mail server A300 to check the received mail. The mail reception management unit 214 has its own mail address held in the own mail address table 261 in the mail information storage unit 260, the address of the received mail server (POP3 server) held in the mail server information table 262, and the mail. Using the user name and password stored in the authentication information table 263, the server periodically connects to the received mail server of the mail server A300 and checks the received mail using the POP3 protocol.

  When an electronic mail is received from the remote management device 400, the request content analysis unit 212 analyzes the communication content described in the electronic mail.

  As a result of the analysis by the request content analysis unit 212, when the communication content is a monitoring request for equipment, the equipment management unit 211 obtains operation state information from the equipment operation state table 252 in the equipment information storage unit 250. Create an email describing the response.

  If the communication content is a control request for equipment, the equipment 100a, 100b, 100c is controlled via the equipment management unit 211, and an e-mail describing the response content is created.

  Based on the analysis result by the request content analysis unit 212, the response e-mail created by the facility management unit 211 is transmitted to the mail server A 300 by the mail transmission management unit 215 via the interface 280. The mail transmission management unit 215 connects to the mail server A300 using the address of the transmission mail server (SMTP server) held in the mail server information table 262 in the mail information storage unit 260, and the remote management device 400 uses the SMTP protocol. A response e-mail is sent to the address.

  The mail server A300 transmits electronic mail to the mail server B310 via the Internet 40.

  When the mail reception management unit 411 of the remote management device 400 periodically connects to the mail server B 310 and receives a response e-mail from the facility management device 200, the content is displayed on the display device 420 or stored internally. .

  Here, it is assumed that the remote management device 400 and the mail server B310 are connected to the access point 500 owned by the Internet connection company or the like via the Internet 40, but the remote management device 400 is installed in an existing facility such as a building or a factory. It may be installed on the LAN, and the mail server B310 may be installed on the LAN. In that case, it can connect via LAN.

  Here, the maintenance manager inputs the request contents for each equipment device via the input device 430 of the remote management apparatus 400, and an e-mail is created based on the input contents. Instead of inputting the contents, the remote management apparatus 400 may transmit an e-mail describing the preset request contents at a preset time. In this case, the content of the response e-mail from the facility management apparatus 200 may be held in the internal memory of the remote management apparatus 400.

  Here, the remote management device 400 is installed in a remote management center or the like, but the remote management device 400 does not have to be a fixed terminal, and is a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a PDA (information portable terminal). It may be.

  Here, the case where the remote management device 400 monitors and controls the facility devices 100a, 100b, and 100c has been described. However, the content requested from the remote management device 400 to the facility management device 200 is not limited to this. In addition, it may be possible to request various system information held by the facility management apparatus 200, various log data such as abnormality history, monitoring, and the like.

FIG. 4 is an example of a message described in an electronic mail transmitted / received between the remote monitoring device 400 and the facility management device 200. Here, a message described in XML (extensible Markup Language) or the like is described in the body of an electronic mail and transmitted / received.
In this way, if a message communicated by e-mail is described in XML, it is easy to understand the contents even if it is viewed by humans, and it is commercially available without preparing a dedicated mail creation software for the remote monitoring device 400. You can use general-purpose e-mail software.

In addition, by making the format of the message transmitted / received between the management terminal 110, the operation terminals 120a and 120b, and the facility management apparatus 200 the same as the format of the message described in the e-mail from the remote monitoring apparatus 400, In the request content analysis unit 212, common software can be used for both communication by the LAN 50 and communication by electronic mail via the Internet 40.
This eliminates the need to newly create special software for connection from a remote location even when expanding commands by adding new functions, thereby reducing the development load.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, an electronic mail is used as a command notification means from the remote management device 400 installed in a remote place to the facility management device 200, and the facility management device 200 includes a mail reception management unit. It connects to the mail server A300 via 214 and acquires mail addressed to itself. Furthermore, since the facility management apparatus 200 creates a response mail and sends it back to the remote management apparatus 400 via the mail transmission management unit 215, a new connection port such as a telephone line is provided on the LAN 50 where the facility equipment is installed. Without being provided, the equipment can be monitored and controlled from a remote location, and the remote management device 400 can communicate if the e-mail address of the equipment management device 200 is known. Therefore, it is not necessary to describe the IP address of the facility management apparatus 200 in the e-mail from the remote management apparatus 400 to the facility management apparatus 200. Therefore, it is necessary to notify the remote management apparatus 400 of the IP address of the facility management apparatus 200. It is possible to avoid leaking information regarding the configuration of the LAN 50 in the facility. Thus, a remote facility management system that is safe for security can be realized.
This also has the effect that it is easy for outside contractors to permit remote management of the equipment 100a, 100b, 100c.

  In addition, since the facility management apparatus 200 itself acquires a received mail addressed to itself from the mail server and sends a response e-mail, even if a failure occurs in some apparatus, distributed control that does not affect other apparatuses Is possible.

  It should be noted that individual e-mail addresses are assigned to a plurality of facility management apparatuses 200, and generally unchanged e-mail addresses are used as destinations of request messages transmitted from the remote management apparatus 400 to a specific facility management apparatus 200. By doing so, even when the configuration of the LAN 50 changes and the IP address of the facility management apparatus 200 is changed, monitoring and control can be continued from the remote management apparatus 400 without changing the setting.

  In this embodiment, the remote management device 400 unilaterally makes a monitoring and control request. However, when an abnormality occurs, the facility management device 200 sends an e-mail to the remote management device 400. Also good.

  In this embodiment, the POP3 protocol is used as a communication protocol at the time of mail reception. However, another protocol capable of receiving electronic mail, for example, IMAP4 (Internet Messaging Access Protocol 4) may be used. Further, although the SMTP protocol is used as a communication protocol at the time of mail transmission, other protocols capable of transmitting electronic mail, such as ESMTP (SMTP service extensions), may be used.

  Further, user authentication may be performed when the facility management apparatus 200 receives mail. As an authentication method in this case, for example, APOP (Authenticated Post Office Protocol) that encrypts a password can be used. Also, user authentication may be performed when mail is transmitted. In this case, SMTP authentication, SMTP Before POP, or the like can be used.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of facility management apparatus 600 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 represent the same components. As shown in the figure, the mail information storage unit 660 of the facility management apparatus 600 includes a mail reception interval information table 264, a communication permission address table 265, a scheduled transmission content information table 266, an operation state diagnosis information table 267, and a transmission trigger information table 268. And a mail transmission destination information table 269.

  In the facility management apparatus 600, the request content analysis 612 of the control unit 610 includes a decryption unit 216 that encrypts and decrypts a request command communicated by electronic mail, and a response destination that analyzes a transmission destination of the response electronic mail. The analysis unit 217 includes a mail title analysis unit 218 that analyzes the title of an electronic mail.

  The mail reception interval information table 264 in the mail information storage unit 660 stores time intervals at which the facility management apparatus 600 connects to the mail server A300. The stored time interval maintains the regular reception interval that is valid when the e-mail has not arrived for a certain time, the communication reception interval that is valid for a certain time after the e-mail arrives, and the communication reception interval. It is the reception interval maintenance time at the time of communication indicating the time to perform. The communication reception interval is shorter than the steady reception interval.

  The communication permission address table 265 stores a list of partner e-mail addresses that are permitted to communicate by e-mail. The mail reception management unit 214 refers to the communication permission address table 265 at the time of mail reception, and performs communication processing of the e-mail only when the transmission source mail address is registered as the communication permission address.

  The scheduled transmission content information table 266 includes a list of equipment and devices to be periodically transmitted to the remote management device 400, such as operating status or billing information, items to be transmitted, and date and time or time to be periodically transmitted. The interval is stored.

  The operation state diagnosis information table 267 includes a list of facility devices to be diagnosed for operation states and a diagnosis content, a diagnosis method of operation states for each facility device, and a date and time or a time periodically transmitted to the remote management device 400. The interval is stored.

  The transmission trigger information table 268 is attached with a list of operating state threshold values such as the temperature, pressure, and the number of activations of the facility device, which are triggers for transmitting the operation state of the facility device to the remote management device 400, and attached to the e-mail. A list of operation status items is stored.

  The mail transmission destination information table 269 stores a list of a plurality of report destinations that report the operating state and abnormal state of the equipment and operation state items that are attached at the time of mail transmission.

  When the communication content in the e-mail is encrypted, the decryption unit 216 of the request content analysis unit 612 decrypts the communication content with a secret key created based on the manufacturing number unique to the equipment management apparatus 600. The request content analysis unit 612 can perform processing. Further, the content of the response mail for the received mail is also encrypted using the same secret key.

  The response destination analysis unit 217 performs an analysis process of the email reply destination added to the email.

  The mail title analysis unit 218 performs analysis processing on the title added to the e-mail.

  Next, the operation of the remote facility management system according to the second embodiment will be described.

  When monitoring and controlling the operation state of the equipment 100a, 100b, and 100c from the remote management device 400 installed in a remote place, the electronic mail of the remote management device 400 is previously stored in the communication permission address table 265 of the equipment management device 600. Register the address.

  The remote management device 400 transmits an e-mail in which a monitoring / control request command is described to the facility management device 600. The communication command described in the e-mail may be encrypted using unique information such as the manufacturing number of the facility management apparatus 600 as a key.

  The mail reception management unit 214 of the facility management apparatus 600 connects to the mail server A300 at a time interval registered in the mail reception interval information table 264 and performs an email reception process.

  When the e-mail from the remote management device 400 is received, it is confirmed whether or not the transmission source e-mail address is registered in the communication permission address table 265, and the e-mail content is analyzed by the request content analysis unit 612 only when it is registered. . As a result of the analysis, if a monitoring request for the equipment is described, the operating state of the target equipment is acquired from the equipment information storage section 250 via the equipment management section 211, and a response mail is created. When a control request for equipment is described, the target equipment is controlled via the equipment management unit 211, and a response mail is created.

  If the received mail communication command is encrypted, the decryption unit 216 of the request content analysis unit 612 performs decryption. Also, when creating a response e-mail, the communication command to be described is encrypted.

  It should be noted that, since a request mail from the remote management apparatus 400 is received for a certain period of time after receiving the request mail from the remote management apparatus 400, the connection to the mail server A300 is performed at the communication reception interval in the mail reception interval information table 264. Even in the case of continuous transmission, reception processing can be performed quickly.

  The transmission destination of the electronic mail in which the created response content is described can be obtained by analyzing the mail reply destination added to the request mail from the remote management device 400 by the response destination analysis unit 217. Control unit 610 transmits a response mail to the reply destination obtained via mail transmission management unit 215. At that time, the unique number indicating the transmission order added to the mail title of the request mail from the remote management device 400 is analyzed by the mail title analysis unit 218, and the response is made without changing the value.

  When the mail reception management unit 411 of the remote management device 400 periodically connects to the mail server B 310 and receives a response e-mail from the facility management device 200, the content is displayed on the display device 420 or stored internally. .

If the facility management device 600 periodically sends an e-mail describing the state of the equipment or operation history information to the remote management device 400 and wants to analyze the contents in the remote management device 400, the facility management The scheduled transmission date and time and contents are set in advance in the scheduled transmission content information table 266 stored in the mail information storage unit 260 of the apparatus 600. When the designated date and time comes, the facility management device 600 performs the designated monitoring or control on the target facility device, and transmits the result to the remote management device 400 by electronic mail.
The remote management device 400 receives the electronic mail from the facility management device 600 and displays the content on the display device 420 or stores it inside.

When it is desired to periodically perform the operation status diagnosis of the facility equipment from the facility management device 600 to the remote management device 400, the operation status diagnosis information table 267 stored in the mail information storage unit 260 of the facility management device 600 is scheduled in advance. Set the date and time of transmission and the diagnosis method for the operating status of each equipment. When the designated date and time arrives, the facility management device 600 performs an operation state diagnosis on the designated facility device and transmits the result to the remote management device 400 by e-mail.
The remote management device 400 receives the electronic mail from the facility management device 600 and displays the content on the display device 420 or stores it inside.

When it is desired to transmit related operation data from the facility management device 600 to the remote management device 400 when an operation state such as the temperature, pressure, or the number of activations of the facility equipment exceeds a certain threshold, transmission trigger information In the table 268, threshold values for the operating state of each facility device are set in advance. The facility management device 600 automatically transmits the detailed operation state of the related part to the remote management device 400 by e-mail when the state of the facility device becomes the designated condition.
The remote management device 400 receives the electronic mail from the facility management device 600 and displays the content on the display device 420 or stores it inside.

When the facility management apparatus 600 sends the operation status and abnormal status of each facility device to a plurality of mail report destinations and if the items to be sent are changed depending on the destination, an email is sent to the mail destination information table 269 in advance. Set the report destination and the information to be issued. The facility management apparatus 600 changes the transmission content for each transmission destination and transmits it to the remote management apparatus 400 when reporting the operation state and the abnormal state.
The remote management device 400 receives the electronic mail from the facility management device 600 and displays the content on the display device 420 or stores it inside.

  In this embodiment, no particular mention is made of the size of an e-mail transmitted and received between the remote management device 400 and the facility management device 600. However, when the e-mail size is large, the remote management device 400 or the facility management device. A function may be provided in which the e-mail is divided into a predetermined size and transmitted, and the divided e-mail is restored on the e-mail receiving side.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the e-mail receiving process with the mail server A300 is normally performed at intervals that do not affect the communication traffic and the receiving process load of the facility management apparatus 600, and is remotely managed. After receiving the e-mail from the device 400, the reception interval is shortened for a certain period of time so that the reception process is performed, so that it is possible to respond quickly to continuous request mail transmission from the remote management device 400. Is possible.

  In addition, since communication is performed only with the other party of the e-mail address registered in the communication permission address table 265, even if the mail address of the facility management apparatus 600 is known, the facility device is monitored and controlled without permission. Is no longer possible, and security can be strengthened.

In addition, since the communication contents of the e-mail are encrypted and decrypted with a secret key created based on the production number unique to the facility management apparatus 600, wiretapping on the Internet is used. Can prevent the leakage of communication contents.
Since SMTP, which is a mail transmission protocol used at the time of mail transmission / reception, and POP3, which is a mail reception protocol, do not have a function for encrypting a mail text, the mail text has been conventionally encrypted using a public key cryptosystem. However, the public key cryptosystem requires more time for key encryption and decryption than the common key scheme. Therefore, in an equipment management apparatus that often uses a built-in microcomputer with a low processing capability compared to a personal computer or the like, encryption and decryption may take several minutes. As in the second embodiment, the processing time can be significantly shortened by using the secret key cryptosystem.

  In addition, since it is possible to set the e-mail reply address to another e-mail address and send it, the operating status data collected to identify the cause of the abnormality etc. There is no need to bother to return to the service center to send it to the house, and it can be sent by e-mail directly from the local equipment management device 600 to the specialists of each equipment in the remote location. This makes it possible to analyze changes in operating conditions and abnormal conditions after operating as instructed by a specialist at a remote location without spending time, and driving while a serviceman is on site. Since the state can be analyzed, after one pattern analysis, it becomes easy to collect operation state data several times with different patterns, and the time required for abnormality analysis can be shortened.

  In addition, since the operation state of the specified equipment is transmitted to the remote management device 400 at the transmission interval described in the scheduled transmission content information table 266, an accurate time that is difficult to communicate by e-mail. It is possible to collect operational data at intervals.

  In addition, since the totaling result such as charging information is transmitted to the remote management device 400 for each transmission date and time described in the scheduled transmission content information table 266, the charging totaling device is installed in the facility where the equipment is installed. Even if it is not installed, it is possible to collectively manage billing information and operation information of equipment installed in a plurality of facilities from a remote location.

  In addition, since the target device is diagnosed according to the operation state diagnosis method for each facility device described in the operation state diagnosis information table 267 and periodically transmitted to the remote management device 400, the facility device is periodically It is possible to automatically carry out an operation state diagnosis automatically.

  In addition, when the operating status of the equipment, such as temperature, pressure, and the number of activations, exceeds the threshold value described in the transmission trigger information table 268, the detailed operating status of the related part is automatically sent by e-mail. Since it was transmitted, it is possible to grasp the abnormal state before a failure of equipment and equipment, prepare replacement parts, analyze the operating state by an expert, etc., and respond quickly when a failure occurs Is possible. In addition, since the threshold can be set from the outside, the normal temperature range can be set later due to differences in regions such as cold regions and tropical regions, and even when shipped to multiple countries, It is possible to set a threshold value suitable for each country.

  In addition, since the operation state and abnormal state of the facility device are sent to the plurality of email notification destinations described in the email transmission destination information table 269 while changing the state item of the facility device to be sent, More detailed operation and abnormal conditions can be sent to the maintenance company, and only simple contents can be sent to the manager and sales staff of the facility.

  In addition, even if the equipment management device 600 collects data such as the operating state and abnormal state of the equipment that has become so large that it cannot be sent by a normal mail server, the mail should be divided into a certain size and sent. Therefore, it is possible to collect data such as the operating state and abnormal state of the equipment regardless of the data size.

  In addition, a transmission history number indicating the transmission order is added to the title of the e-mail from the remote management device 400, and the facility management device 600 returns a response mail with the transmission history number added without being changed. Good. As a result, the remote management device 400 knows the transmission order of the request mail sent by itself, so even if the response mail does not return in the order of transmission due to the mail server or Internet network status, the processing is performed in the transmission order. Can be done.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote management system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 represent the same components. As shown in the figure, in the remote management system according to the third embodiment, the LAN 70 in the facility includes a proxy server 700.

  The proxy server 700 is a device for connecting a terminal on the LAN 70 to the Internet 40, and is normally installed on a customer's network, but a proxy server provided by an Internet connection provider or the like may be used.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility management apparatus 800. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 represent the same components. The facility management apparatus 800 includes a proxy communication management unit 219 (HTTP reception management unit, HTTP transmission management unit) that performs communication with a remote place via the proxy server 700 in the control unit 810.

  The proxy communication management unit 219 passes, as a connection destination, a global IP address that identifies the remote management device 400 on the Internet 40 or a URL including a domain name as a connection destination to the proxy server 700, and sends it to the Internet 40 via the proxy server 700. It communicates with the connected remote management device 400.

  Next, the operation of the remote facility management system according to Embodiment 3 will be described.

  In the third embodiment, monitoring and control of the operation state of the equipment 100a, 100b, 100c from the remote management device 400 is performed via the proxy server 700. First, the remote management device 400 connects to the Internet 40 via the access point 500. Thereafter, an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) communication start command and a request command describing a URL including the global IP address or domain name of the remote management device 400 are transmitted to the facility management device 800 of each facility by e-mail.

  The mail reception management unit 214 of the facility management apparatus 800 periodically connects to the mail server A300 to perform an email reception process. When a mail from the remote management apparatus 400 is received, the content is requested to the request content analysis unit 212. Analyze with.

  When the request content is HTTP communication start, the proxy communication management unit 219 transmits a command for confirming the request content to the remote management device 400 specified by the global IP address or domain name designated by the e-mail.

  The facility management apparatus 800 connects to the proxy server 700 by HTTP communication. The proxy server 700 transmits a facility device monitoring and control request command.

The proxy communication management unit 219 analyzes the received content in the request content analysis unit 212, and in the case of a monitoring request for equipment, acquires the operating state from the equipment information storage unit 250 via the equipment management unit 211, and displays the response content. create. In the case of a control request for equipment, the equipment 100a, 100b, and 100c are controlled via the equipment management unit 211 to create response contents.
After creating the response content, the proxy communication management unit 219 transmits the created response command to the remote management device 400 via the proxy server 700 using the HTTP protocol.

  The remote management device 400 that has received the response content transmits a request command to the facility management device 800 via the proxy server 700 using the HTTP protocol when there is a new communication request, and indicates the communication end when the communication is completed. Send a command.

  When the proxy communication management unit 219 receives a request command from the remote management device 400, the proxy communication management unit 219 analyzes the content to create a response content and transmits the response content to the remote management device 400 via the proxy server 700. When the communication end command is received from the remote management device 400, the communication with the remote management device 400 is ended.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, by performing HTTP communication via the proxy server 700 between the remote management device 400 and the facility management device 800, it is possible to perform continuous transmission / reception. Compared to the case where only communication is performed, it is possible to eliminate a time loss corresponding to the reception interval with the mail server, and to respond to a continuous request command without waiting time. Therefore, the facility management apparatus 800 can communicate with the remote management apparatus 400 at the same speed as when communicating with the management terminal 110 connected to the LAN 70.

  In addition, when communication via the proxy server 700 is started, a remote connection information storage unit (not shown in the mail command from the remote management device 400) in which the time and the connection destination are periodically connected to the facility management device 800 is stored. If the facility management device 800 periodically inquires the remote management device 400 whether there is a monitoring or control request via the proxy server 600, e-mail can be used. Communication can be performed via the proxy server 700, and remote management is possible even when no mail server is installed.

  In addition, the request command in the e-mail transmitted from the remote management device 400 first, and the contents of the request and response command transmitted / received using the HTTP protocol via the proxy server 700 are added to each facility management device. It is possible to prevent leakage of communication contents due to eavesdropping by providing an encryption management unit (not shown) that encrypts and decrypts with a secret key created based on a device unique number such as a manufacturing number. .

  In this embodiment, communication between the facility management apparatus 800 and the proxy server 700 is performed using the HTTP protocol. However, even if a protocol such as FTP (FILE Transfer Protocol) that the proxy server 700 can handle is used. good.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote facility management system according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 6 represent the same components. As shown in the figure, in the remote facility management system according to the fourth embodiment, a remote gateway 900 is installed on the Internet 40 so as to be communicable with the mail server B310.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the remote gateway 900. As shown in the figure, the remote gateway 900 includes a control unit 910, an equipment management device information storage unit 920, and interfaces 930 and 940.

  The interface 930 is an interface for communicating with the facility management apparatus 800, and the interface 940 is an interface for communicating with the remote management apparatus 400.

  The control unit 910 corresponds to a central processing unit of a computer, and includes a facility management device communication management unit 911, a request content analysis unit 912, and a remote management device communication management unit 913. The facility management device communication management unit 911, the request content analysis unit 912, and the remote management device communication management unit 913 are portions that are conveniently divided into the control unit 910 according to a program module that operates the control unit 910.

The facility management device information storage unit 920 may be a part of the memory of the remote gateway 900 or an external storage device connected to the remote gateway 900 via a communication line.
In the fourth embodiment, the remote management device 400 is equipped with a general-purpose Web browser. In the facility management device information storage unit 920 of the remote gateway 900, a Web page information table 921 and a facility device state table 922 are stored. The Web page information table 921 holds an HTML file acquired from the facility management apparatus 800 and a Java (registered trademark) applet execution file for browsing with the Web browser of the remote management apparatus 400. The equipment state table 922 holds the state of equipment connected to the equipment management apparatus 800.

  Next, the operation of the remote facility management system according to the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the operating state of each facility device is monitored and controlled from a remote location by a Web browser.

  When monitoring and controlling the operating state of the equipment 100a, 100b, 100c from the remote management device 400, the remote management device 400 first connects to the Internet 40 via the access point 500. Thereafter, a general-purpose Web browser is activated on the remote management device 400, and a URL indicating the facility management device 800 owned by the remote gateway 900 is input.

  When the remote gateway 900 acquires the URL information designated from the remote management device 400 via the interface 940, the remote management device communication management unit 913 of the control unit 910 analyzes the request content in the request content analysis unit 912, A request command in which an HTTP communication start command and a URL including a global IP address or a domain name that can be specified on the Internet 40 by the remote gateway 900 are addressed to the facility management apparatus 800 via the management apparatus communication management unit 911 and the interface 930. Send by e-mail.

  The remote gateway 900 acquires an HTML file and a Java (registered trademark) applet file from the facility management apparatus 800 using the HTTP protocol, stores them in the Web page information table 921, and is activated on the remote management apparatus 400. HTML file and Java (registered trademark) applet file.

  The general-purpose Web browser activated on the remote management device 400 displays the Web screen using the obtained HTML file and Java (registered trademark) applet. When an administrator performs monitoring and control commands for equipment on the Web screen, a communication command according to the contents is transmitted to the remote gateway 900, and the remote gateway 900 sends the equipment management device 800 designated by the equipment management device 800. Monitoring and control commands, the response content from the equipment management device 800 is stored in the equipment status table 922, and the monitoring and control content is supplied to a general-purpose web browser running on the remote management device 400.

  The remote gateway 900 transmits a request command to the equipment management apparatus 800 when the remote management apparatus 400 requests an HTML file, a Java (registered trademark) applet, or the like already held in the Web page information table 921. Instead, the file information held inside may be transmitted.

  In addition, the remote gateway 900 periodically monitors the state of the equipment in the equipment management device 800, and keeps the latest version of the HTML file, Java (registered trademark) applet, etc. in the Web page information table 921 and the equipment status table 922. In addition, the data stored in the facility management apparatus information storage unit 920 may be supplied to the remote management apparatus 400 without being acquired from the facility management apparatus 800.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to communicate with the facility management apparatus 800 using a general-purpose Web browser on the remote management apparatus 400, and the remote management apparatus 400 does not use dedicated software. In addition, the equipment can be monitored and controlled. Even when the software version of the facility management device 800 changes, the software of the remote management device 400 does not need to be corrected.
In general, even if the facility management device 800 on the LAN 70 has a Web server function, it cannot be connected from the external remote management device 400 via the Internet 40. For example, the web server function of the facility management apparatus 800 can be used from a remote location using a general-purpose web browser.

  In addition, the remote gateway 900 periodically acquires the latest state of the equipment from the equipment management apparatus 800 and retains it in the equipment management apparatus information storage unit 920, thereby monitoring and controlling the equipment from the remote management apparatus 400. When requested, it is not necessary to communicate with the facility management apparatus 800, and the facility device can be monitored at the same communication speed as when monitoring control is performed from a terminal on the LAN.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the remote equipment management system by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the equipment management apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the remote management apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an example of the message transmitted / received between a remote monitoring apparatus and an equipment management apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the equipment management apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the remote equipment management system by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the equipment management apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the remote equipment management system by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the remote gateway by Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  10 Remote equipment management system, 20 General-purpose communication line, 30 General-purpose communication line, 40 Internet, 50, 70 LAN, 60 Dedicated communication line, 100a, 100b, 100c Equipment equipment, 110 Management terminal, 120a, 120b Operation terminal, 200, 600 , 800 equipment management apparatus, 210, 610, 810 control section, 211 equipment management section, 212, 612 request content analysis section, 213 LAN communication management section, 214 mail reception management section, 215 mail transmission management section, 216 decryption section, 217 Response destination analysis unit, 218 Mail title analysis unit, 219 Proxy communication management unit (HTTP reception management unit, HTTP transmission management unit), 230 display device, 240 input device, 250 facility information storage unit, 251 connection information table, 252 facility Equipment operation state table, 260 660 mail information storage unit, 261 self-mail address table, 262 mail server information table, 263 mail authentication information table, 264 mail reception interval information table, 265 communication permission address table, 266 scheduled transmission content information table, 267 operation state diagnosis information table 268 transmission trigger information table, 269 mail transmission destination information table, 270, 280 interface, 300 mail server A, 310 mail server B, 400 remote management device, 410 control unit, 411 mail reception management unit, 412 mail transmission management unit, 420 display device, 430 input device, 440 interface, 500 access point, 700 proxy server, 900 remote gateway, 910 control unit, 911 equipment management device communication tube Department, 912 request content analysis section, 913 remote management apparatus communication management unit, 920 facility management apparatus information storing unit, 921 Web page information table, 922 equipment status table, 930 and 940 interface.

Claims (28)

In a facility management device that monitors and controls the operation of a plurality of facility devices in an integrated manner based on a command notified from a remote management device via a communication line,
A mail reception management unit that receives an e-mail that is transmitted from the remote management device and includes an instruction that requests monitoring and control of the facility device, via a mail server connected to the communication line;
A request content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the received e-mail and generates response content according to the request;
In accordance with the request content analyzed in the request content analysis unit, an equipment management unit that monitors and controls the equipment, and
A mail transmission management unit that transmits an email including the response content generated by the request content analysis unit to the remote management device via the mail server;
A facility management apparatus comprising a self-mail address and a mail information storage unit that holds information of a mail server to be connected at the time of e-mail transmission / reception. The mail reception manager periodically connects to the mail server to check incoming mail,
2. The equipment management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an interval for connecting to the mail server is shortened for a predetermined time after receiving the electronic mail from the remote management apparatus. The mail information storage unit has a communication permission address table that holds a list of mail addresses permitted to communicate by e-mail,
The facility management apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the response processing is performed only when the transmission source address of the electronic mail received by the mail reception management unit is included in the communication permission address table.   4. The request content analysis unit includes an encryption / decryption unit that encrypts and decrypts an instruction command described in an e-mail transmitted / received to / from the remote management device. The facility management apparatus according to any one of the above.   5. The facility management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the decryption unit performs encryption and decryption using a secret key created based on a number unique to the facility management apparatus.   6. The reply e-mail added to the e-mail from the remote management device is read, and a response e-mail is transmitted to all the reply destinations included in the reply-destination information. The equipment management apparatus of any one of them. The e-mail information storage unit has a transmission item related to the state of the facility equipment to be periodically notified to the remote management device, and a scheduled transmission content information table that holds the transmission timing,
The equipment management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the transmission item is notified to the remote management apparatus by electronic mail at the transmission timing. The e-mail information storage unit has an operation state diagnosis information table that holds facility equipment to be diagnosed for operation state, diagnosis contents, diagnosis method, and e-mail transmission time,
The operation state diagnosis of the target equipment is performed at the e-mail transmission time, and the result is notified to the remote management device by e-mail. Equipment management device. The mail information storage unit has a transmission trigger information table that holds a threshold value related to the operation state, which is a trigger for transmitting the operation state of the equipment to the remote management device,
The equipment management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the operating state of each equipment device reaches the threshold value, the remote management device is notified by electronic mail. The e-mail information storage unit has a plurality of e-mail addresses of notification destinations that notify the operation state, and an e-mail transmission destination information table that holds notification items for each notification destination,
The equipment management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein contents to be notified are determined according to the notification destination. The mail transmission management unit divides and transmits the email addressed to the remote management device,
The mail reception management unit assembles the content of an electronic mail divided and transmitted from the remote management device into the content of the original electronic mail. Equipment management equipment.   The mail transmission management unit transmits the response e-mail while leaving the transmission history number added to the e-mail title from the remote management device unchanged. The equipment management apparatus of any one of these. In a facility management device that monitors and controls the operation of a plurality of facility devices in an integrated manner based on a command notified from a remote management device via a communication line,
An HTTP reception management unit that receives a communication command including a monitoring and control request from the remote management device by an HTTP protocol via a proxy server connected to the communication line;
A request content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the received communication command and generates a response content according to the request;
In accordance with the request content analyzed in the request content analysis unit, an equipment management unit that monitors and controls the equipment, and
An equipment management apparatus comprising an HTTP transmission management unit that transmits a response command including the response content generated by the request content analysis unit to the remote management device by the HTTP protocol via the proxy server. . A mail reception management unit that receives an e-mail in which an instruction for requesting monitoring and control of facility equipment transmitted from the remote management device is received via a mail server connected to a communication line;
An e-mail including response contents to the e-mail, a mail transmission management unit that transmits the e-mail to the remote management device via the mail server;
It has a mail information storage unit that holds the self-mail address and information of the mail server to be connected when sending and receiving e-mails.
When receiving an e-mail notifying the start of communication from the remote management device, the HTTP transmission management unit sends a command for confirming the request content to the address of the remote management device designated by the e-mail via the proxy server. 14. The equipment management apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the request command is transmitted and received from the remote management apparatus, a response is made via a proxy server in accordance with the received request. A remote management device that connects periodically, and a remote connection information storage unit that holds the connection time,
A request command for inquiring whether or not there is a monitoring or control request to the remote management device at the connection time is transmitted via the proxy server, and when the request command from the remote management device is received, the proxy server according to the received request 14. The equipment management apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the equipment management apparatus responds via a response.   A cryptographic management unit that encrypts and decrypts communication commands sent to and received from a remote management device via a proxy server. The cryptographic management unit stores a secret key created based on a number unique to the facility management device. The equipment management apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the equipment management apparatus performs encryption and decryption. In the remote facility management system in which the facility management device monitors and controls the operation of a plurality of facility devices in an integrated manner based on a command notified from the remote management device via a communication line.
The facility management apparatus receives an e-mail in which an instruction for requesting monitoring and control of the facility equipment transmitted from the remote management apparatus is described via a mail server connected to the communication line,
Analyzing the content of the received e-mail and generating a response content according to the request,
In response to the request, the facility equipment is monitored and controlled, and an electronic mail including the response content is transmitted to the remote management apparatus via the mail server. The equipment management device periodically connects to the mail server to check incoming mail,
18. The remote facility management system according to claim 17, wherein an interval for connecting to the mail server is shortened for a predetermined time after receiving the electronic mail from the remote management device.   Claims characterized in that the contents described in the e-mail transmitted and received between the remote management device and the equipment management device are encrypted and decrypted using a secret key created based on a number unique to the equipment management device. Item 19. The remote facility management system according to item 17 or claim 18. The remote management device adds reply destination information including a reply destination other than the self to the e-mail transmitted to the equipment management device,
The remote facility management according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the facility management device transmits a response e-mail to all reply destinations included in the reply destination information. system.   The description format of the contents described in the e-mail transmitted / received between the remote management device and the facility management device is the same as the description format of the command received by the facility management device from the terminal on the LAN. The remote equipment management system according to any one of claims 17 to 20.   The electronic mail transmitted and received between the remote management device and the facility management device is divided and transmitted, and the content of the divided and transmitted electronic mail is assembled into the content of the original electronic mail on the receiving side. The remote equipment management system according to any one of items 17 to 21.   The remote management device adds a transmission history number to the e-mail title transmitted to the facility management device, and the facility management device transmits a response e-mail while leaving the transmission history number unchanged. The remote equipment management system according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein: In the remote facility management system in which the facility management device monitors and controls the operation of a plurality of facility devices in an integrated manner based on a command notified from the remote management device via a communication line.
The facility management apparatus receives a communication command including a monitoring and control request from the remote management apparatus by an HTTP protocol via a proxy server connected to the communication line, and sends the communication command to the remote management apparatus. A remote equipment management system, wherein a response command to a request is transmitted by the HTTP protocol through the proxy server. The facility management device receives an email notifying the start of communication transmitted from the remote management device via a mail server connected to the communication line,
The facility management device transmits a command for confirming the request content to the address of the remote management device designated by the e-mail via the proxy server, and receives the request command from the remote management device. 25. The remote equipment management system according to claim 24, wherein a response is made via a proxy server.   The facility management device periodically sends a request command for inquiring whether there is a monitoring or control request to the remote management device via the proxy server, and receives the request command from the remote management device, and then according to the received request. The remote equipment management system according to claim 24, which responds via a proxy server.   A communication command transmitted and received between a remote management device and a facility management device via a proxy server is encrypted and decrypted using a secret key created based on a number unique to the facility management device. 27. The remote equipment management system according to any one of claims 24 to 26. A remote gateway installed between the remote management device and the facility management device
The remote management device notifies the remote gateway of equipment equipment monitoring and control requests to the equipment management device,
The remote gateway that has received the request acquires a file that is acquired from the facility management apparatus and is viewable by a Web browser according to the request, and supplies the file to the remote management apparatus.
18. The remote equipment management system according to claim 17, wherein the remote management apparatus monitors and controls the equipment by browsing the supplied file with a Web browser.

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