JP2009042872A - Monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor various kinds of electronic apparatuses as apparatuses to be monitored with a simple configuration concerning a monitoring device having a USB interface. <P>SOLUTION: The various kinds of electronic apparatuses are defined as the apparatuses 2 to be monitored and connected to the monitoring device 1 via their USB interfaces 3. The monitoring device 1 includes: the USB interface 4 to be connected to the USB interfaces 3 of the apparatus 2 to be monitored; a battery 6 to be charged from the apparatus 2 to be monitored via the USB interface 4 and internally supplying operation power; a voltage detecting part 5 for detecting an abnormality such as the reduction of a voltage for charging the battery 6 to a setting value or lower via the USB interface 3 of the apparatus 2 to be monitored; a radio transmission/reception part 9 for performing communication with a maintenance person or a maintenance center; and a control part 7 for performing control to allow the radio transmission/reception part 9 to transmit the abnormality occurrence message of the apparatus 2 to be monitored when the voltage abnormality is detected by the voltage detecting part 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring device for monitoring various electronic devices having a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface.

  There is known a system that monitors the operating state of various electronic devices and notifies the maintenance person or the like of the occurrence of an abnormality when an abnormality is detected. In addition, a USB interface capable of transferring various data by connecting an electronic device and supplying a small amount of power is applied to various electronic devices, and the standard USB 1.1 is a maximum transmission speed of 12 Mbps, USB 2.0 has a maximum transmission speed of 480 Mbps, and a memory integrated with a USB connector such as a USB memory is also known. In addition, the redundant processor of the active spare and various peripheral devices such as a printer are connected via a monitoring unit having a USB interface, and the various peripheral devices are controlled by the active processor via the monitoring unit. Is determined to be normal when a data transfer request signal with a fixed period can be received from the active processor and the spare processor, for example, when a data transfer request signal with a fixed period from the active processor cannot be received, There has been proposed a monitoring means that determines that an abnormality has occurred and switches various peripheral devices to a spare processor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, there has been proposed a means for controlling the power supply to peripheral devices by monitoring the power supply from the processor and the active state of the signal line, which can be connected by a USB interface (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In addition, the host computer and printer are connected via a USB interface, and equipped with SOF (Start Of Frame) monitoring means and signal line potential monitoring means. When an abnormality is detected, the terminal resistance of the signal line is disconnected and reconnected. A means for realizing a reconnection operation with respect to a host computer has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

In addition, a shutter control device and a plurality of shutter operation panels are connected via a LAN or the like via a USB interface, and an operation panel or various sensors are connected to the shutter control device via a USB interface, thereby controlling a system including the shutter operation panel. A configuration that enables monitoring is proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 4).
JP 2002-202897 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-250979 JP 2006-171868 A JP 2007-39876 A

  When various electronic devices are installed in an unattended remote location, monitor whether the electronic devices are operating normally, and when an abnormality is detected, notify the maintenance center or the maintenance center where the maintenance personnel reside, In many cases, it is desired to take a recovery procedure by a maintenance person. For this purpose, a monitoring device having a communication function and capable of notifying the maintenance person or the maintenance center via a network such as a LAN, a public network, or a dedicated network is provided at the installation location of the electronic device as the monitored device. Is applied to various fields as disclosed in the aforementioned patent document. However, in the case of a small-scale system, there are problems such as an installation space for the monitoring device and an increase in cost, and an increase in cost due to implementation of software for outputting status information to the monitored device. Therefore, it has been difficult to construct a monitoring system for small-scale electronic devices.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and to realize monitoring of electronic equipment of a small-scale system with a simple and small device.

  The monitoring device of the present invention is a monitoring device connected via the USB interface of the monitored device, and is charged from the monitored device via the USB interface connected to the USB interface of the monitored device, Wireless transmission / reception that enables communication between the battery that supplies operating power to the inside, the voltage detection unit that detects abnormality of the voltage for charging the battery via the USB interface of the monitored device, and the maintenance person or the maintenance center And a control unit that performs control to transmit an abnormality occurrence message of the monitored device from the wireless transmission / reception unit when a voltage abnormality is detected by the voltage detection unit.

  The monitoring device is connected via the USB interface of the monitored device. The USB interface is connected to the USB interface of the monitored device, and is charged from the monitored device via the USB interface and supplies operating power to the inside. Battery, a voltage detection unit for detecting an abnormality in the voltage for charging the battery via the USB interface of the monitored device, a wireless transmission / reception unit that enables communication between the maintenance person or the maintenance center, and the monitored device And a signal detection unit that detects whether or not communication is possible at a predetermined time interval via the USB interface, and when a voltage abnormality is detected by the voltage detection unit and when an abnormality is detected that communication at a predetermined time interval is not possible by the signal detection unit. And a control unit that performs control to transmit an abnormality occurrence message of the monitored device from the transmission / reception unit.

  In addition, the control unit may have a function of transmitting a recovery message at the time of abnormality recovery after transmitting an abnormality occurrence message when abnormality is detected by the voltage detection unit or the signal detection unit. A storage unit holding destination information for transmitting a message from the wireless transmission / reception unit to a maintenance person or a maintenance center can be provided. In addition, a switch can be provided that is operated during maintenance inspection of the monitored device to stop message transmission control to the maintenance person or the maintenance center.

  A monitoring device can be easily connected to a monitored device having a USB interface by using a USB connector. An abnormality in the operating power supply of the monitored device is detected, and an error message is sent to the maintenance person or the maintenance center. It is possible to send and notify, and it is possible to detect not only a power supply abnormality but also an internal operation abnormality by setting to perform regular communication with the monitored device.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the monitoring device of the present invention is a monitoring device 1 connected via a USB interface 3 of a monitored device 2, a USB interface 4 connected to the USB interface 3 of the monitored device 2, and this A battery 6 that is charged from the monitored device 2 via the USB interface 4 and supplies operating power to the inside, and a voltage detection unit that detects an abnormality in the voltage for charging the battery 6 via the USB interface 3 of the monitored device 2 5 and a wireless transmission / reception unit 9 that enables communication between the maintenance person or the maintenance center, and a control for transmitting an abnormality occurrence message of the monitored device 2 from the wireless transmission / reception unit 9 when a voltage abnormality is detected by the voltage detection unit 5 It has the structure containing the control part 7 which performs.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention, where 1 is a monitoring device formed as a wireless communication module, 2 is a monitored device, 3 and 4 are USB interfaces (USBIF), 5 is a voltage detector, and 6 is A battery, 7 is a control unit, 8 is a storage unit, 9 is a wireless transmission / reception unit, 10 is a power supply line, 11 is a signal line, and 12 is a network. The network 12 can connect, for example, a radio station equivalent to a base station (not shown) that transmits and receives wirelessly to and from the radio transmission / reception unit 9 and a maintenance person or a maintenance center (not shown). . Alternatively, the network 12 may be a known wireless LAN. The USB interfaces 3 and 4 can be connected by a configuration known as a USB connector.

  The monitored device 2 is a variety of electronic devices such as a computer that operates with power from a commercial AC power supply (not shown), and has a USB interface 3. The monitoring device 1 also has a USB interface 4 and connects the USB interface 3 of the monitored device 2 and the USB interface 4 of the monitoring device 1 with a USB connector. The USB bus between the USB interfaces 3 and 4 includes a power supply line 10 and a signal line 11. The battery 6 of the monitoring device 1 is charged from the monitored device 2 via the power supply line 10 and supplies operating power from the battery 6 to each part in the monitoring device 1. The capacity of the battery 6 is such that a failure occurrence message can be transmitted from the wireless transmission / reception unit 9 to the maintenance person or the maintenance center via the network 12 when the supply power from the monitored device 2 via the power supply line 10 is interrupted due to a power failure or the like. To be selected.

  The voltage detector 5 monitors the voltage of, for example, DC 5V supplied from the monitored device 2 via the power supply line 10 and detects that the voltage has dropped below the set value. A function of determining that the power supply is abnormal or that the power supply has been cut off and notifying the control unit 7 is provided. The storage unit 8 is composed of a non-volatile memory or the like, and stores a message transmission destination when an abnormality is detected, that is, a telephone number of a maintenance person, a telephone number of a maintenance center, an address when transmitted via the Internet, and the like. Yes. Further, the control unit 7 controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 9 in accordance with a communication abnormality between the USB interfaces 3 and 4, a voltage drop by the voltage detection unit 5 or a notification of detection of a power failure, and a transmission destination stored in the storage unit 8. Send an error detection message to In this case, the abnormality detection message can be transmitted by accessing the maintenance person or the maintenance center from the wireless transmission / reception unit 9 and receiving a response according to a general communication protocol.

  In the first embodiment, the voltage detector 5 of the monitoring device 1 monitors whether or not the DC voltage supplied through the USB interface 3 of the monitored device 2 is normal, and the predetermined voltage If the monitored device 2 falls below the set value, it is determined that the monitored device 2 is powered off or an internal abnormality has occurred, and the maintenance device or maintenance center is notified of the occurrence of the abnormality. By simply connecting the monitoring device 1 with a USB connector without any change, it is possible to monitor the normality of the monitored device 2 and notify the maintenance person or the maintenance center when a power supply abnormality is detected. Work can be done.

  When the abnormality detection message is automatically restored after transmission, that is, when it is detected by the voltage detection unit 5 that the power supply voltage has returned to normal, the control unit 7 sends a maintenance person or maintenance center from the wireless transmission / reception unit 9. Send a recovery message to As a result, the maintenance person or the maintenance center can determine that the maintenance work is unnecessary. In addition, since the wireless transmission / reception unit 9 can be connected to the network 12 using, for example, a mobile phone system, there is no need to connect a transmission line between the monitoring device 1 and the network 12, and An economical monitoring system can be constructed. Further, when maintenance work of the monitored device 2 is performed with the monitoring device 1 connected to the monitored device 2, an abnormality is detected by the voltage detection unit 5, and therefore, for example, a push button switch or The transmission control operation of the wireless transmission / reception unit 9 by the control unit 7 can be stopped so as not to transmit the abnormality detection message by operating the slide switch or the like.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention, in which 21 is a monitoring device formed as a wireless communication module, 22 is a monitored device, 23 and 24 are USB interfaces (USBIF), 25 is a voltage detection unit, and 26 is A battery, 27 is a control unit, 28 is a storage unit, 29 is a wireless transmission / reception unit, 30 is a power supply line, 31 is a signal line, 32 is an application, 33 is a signal detection unit, 34 is a timer, and 35 is a network.

  The second embodiment corresponds to a configuration in which a signal detection unit 33 and a timer 34 are added to the configuration of the first embodiment, and the upper limit value of the timer 34 is stored in the storage unit 28 together with the message transmission destination. In addition, the monitored device 22 is provided with an application 32 that periodically transmits data indicating normal operation. The timer 34 of the monitoring device 21 can be configured, for example, as a counter configuration that counts up an internal clock signal of a predetermined period or a software counter configuration that counts in software. Notice. The control unit 27 determines whether or not the notified count value exceeds the upper limit value stored in the storage unit 28, and determines that an abnormality has occurred in the monitored device 22 when the upper limit value is exceeded. The timer 34 is cleared when the signal detection unit 33 receives and detects periodic data from the application 32 of the monitored device 22 and starts counting again.

  The voltage detector 25 monitors the voltage of, for example, direct current 5V (5V DC) supplied from the monitored device 22 via the power supply line 30, and detects that the voltage has dropped below a set value. The configuration and operation of determining that the power supply of the device 2 is abnormal or not and notifying the control unit 27 and transmitting the abnormality occurrence message from the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 to the maintenance person or the maintenance center by the control of the control unit 27 are described above. This is the same as Example 1. In addition, as described above, when the signal detection unit 33 receives and detects data periodically transmitted by the application 32 of the monitored device 22 via the USB interface 24, the signal detection unit 33 resets the timer 34 and restarts the count operation. The control unit 27 compares the count value of the timer 34 with the upper limit value stored in the storage unit 28. If the count value exceeds the upper limit value, the control unit 27 determines that there is an internal abnormality in the monitored device 22, and this control is performed. Under the control of the unit 27, the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 sends an abnormality detection message to the maintenance person or the maintenance center.

  When maintenance work is performed on the monitored device 22 with the monitoring device 21 connected to the monitored device 22, an abnormality detection message is transmitted under the control of the control unit 27 according to the detection by the voltage detection unit 25 and the signal detection unit 33. It is possible to instruct the control unit 27 not to transmit an abnormality detection message by operating a push button switch or a slide switch for temporarily stopping the operation. In some cases, the power supply voltage drop or the upper limit value of the timer 34 is exceeded, and it is detected that periodic data cannot be received. In this case, the control unit 27 transmits a recovery message from the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 to the maintenance person or the maintenance center. As a result, the maintenance person or the maintenance center can determine that the maintenance work is unnecessary. Further, since the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 can be connected to the network 35 using, for example, a mobile phone system, a simple and economical monitoring system can be constructed.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the second embodiment of the present invention, showing the main points of the operation of the configuration including the signal detection unit 33, the timer 34, the control unit 27, and the wireless transmission / reception unit 29. The timer 34 starts counting. (A1), it is determined whether or not the timer upper limit value has been exceeded, that is, whether or not the count value of the timer 34 has exceeded the timer upper limit value set in the storage unit 28 (A2). If not, the timer 34 is counted up (A3), and the signal detector 33 determines whether or not periodic data from the monitored device 22 has been received (A4). The process proceeds to step (A2), and it is determined whether or not the count value of the timer 34 exceeds the timer upper limit value. When the timer upper limit value is exceeded, the control unit 27 controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 so as to transmit an abnormality notification message (abnormality detection message) to the maintenance person or maintenance center of the transmission destination stored in the storage unit 28. (A6). Then, as in step (A4), it is determined whether or not periodic data from the monitored device 22 has been received (A7). If received, it is determined that the monitored device 22 has been restored normally. Then, a recovery message is transmitted from the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 to the maintenance person or maintenance center described above (A8), and the process returns to step (A1) to perform the monitoring process described above.

  For example, the monitoring device 21 may be configured such that a USB connector is integrated, and the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 is provided with a built-in type or an external antenna. In addition to the USB interface 24 for connecting to the monitored device 22, it is also possible to provide a USB interface and connector for connecting other peripheral devices.

It is explanatory drawing of Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart of Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Monitoring Device 2 Monitored Device 3, 4 USB Interface (USBIF)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Voltage detection part 6 Battery 7 Control part 8 Memory | storage part 9 Wireless transmission / reception part 10 Power supply line 11 Signal line 12 Network

Claims (5)

In the monitoring device connected via the USB interface of the monitored device,
A USB interface connected to the USB interface of the monitored device;
A battery that is charged from the monitored device via the USB interface and supplies operating power to the inside;
A voltage detection unit for detecting an abnormality of a voltage for charging the battery via the USB interface of the monitored device;
A wireless transmission / reception unit that enables communication with a maintenance person or a maintenance center;
And a control unit that performs control to transmit an abnormality occurrence message of the monitored device from the wireless transmission / reception unit when a voltage abnormality is detected by the voltage detection unit. In the monitoring device connected via the USB interface of the monitored device,
A USB interface connected to the USB interface of the monitored device;
A battery that is charged from the monitored device via the USB interface and supplies operating power to the inside;
A voltage detection unit for detecting an abnormality of a voltage for charging the battery via the USB interface of the monitored device;
A wireless transmission / reception unit that enables communication with a maintenance person or a maintenance center;
A signal detection unit for detecting whether or not communication with the monitored device is possible at predetermined time intervals via the USB interface;
A control unit that performs control to transmit an abnormality occurrence message of the monitored device from the wireless transmission / reception unit when a voltage abnormality is detected by the voltage detection unit and an abnormality is detected by the signal detection unit that communication at a predetermined time interval is not possible; A monitoring device comprising:   The said control part is provided with the function to transmit a recovery message at the time of abnormality recovery after transmitting the abnormality occurrence message at the time of abnormality detection by the said voltage detection part or the said signal detection part. The monitoring device described.   The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that holds destination information for transmitting a message from the wireless transmission / reception unit to the maintenance person or the maintenance center.   The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switch that is operated during maintenance inspection of the monitored device to stop message transmission control to the maintenance person or the maintenance center.

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