JP2014146291A - Control system and control method for control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent occurrence of loss of data output from a control device to a terminal due to disconnection of communication.SOLUTION: A POS system 1 comprises: a control device 11 that has a first communication unit which communicates with a device, a device control unit 20a which gives identification information to data acquired by the first communication unit, a control device storage unit 22 which stores the data given the identification information, and a second communication unit which outputs the data given the identification information; and a tablet terminal 10 that has a reception unit which receives the data given the identification information output from the control device 11, a terminal storage unit 25 which stores the identification information given to the data received by the reception unit, and a terminal control unit 26 which operates an application for processing the data.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control system including a terminal on which a browser operates and a control device to which a device is connected, and a control method of the control system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a control system (POS system) that includes a POS terminal and a POS controller connected to the POS terminal and performs various processing such as image recording in cooperation with these devices is known (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP-A-5-73769

Here, in a system in which a POS terminal as a control device and a POS controller as a terminal are communicably connected as in the control system as described above, in addition to intentional disconnection, radio interference causes radio interference. In addition, in wired communication, there may be a temporary disconnection of the communication due to the disconnection of the cable, etc., but the data output from the control device to the terminal may be lost due to the disconnection of the communication. Need to prevent.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent a loss of data output from a control device to a terminal due to a disconnection of communication.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is obtained by a device that outputs data, a first communication unit that communicates with the device and acquires the data output by the device, and is acquired by the first communication unit. A control unit having a device control unit for giving identification information to the data, a storage unit for storing data to which the identification information is given, and a second communication unit for outputting the data to which the identification information is given, A receiving unit that receives the data to which the identification information output from the control device is added, a terminal storage unit that stores the identification information of the data to which the identification information received by the receiving unit is added, and the identification And a terminal having a terminal control unit that operates an application that processes data to which information is attached.
According to the configuration of the present invention, the identification information is given to the data output from the control device to the terminal, the control device stores the output data, and the terminal stores the identification information related to the input data. For this reason, when there is a disconnection, it is possible to specify data that has not been input to the terminal due to the disconnection using the identification information as a key, and it is possible to re-output the specified data.

Further, in the present invention, when the communication between the terminal and the control device is disconnected and then reconnected, the terminal transmits the stored identification information to the control device, and the control device The device control unit, based on the identification information transmitted from the terminal and the identification information of the data to which the identification information stored in the storage unit is added, the identification information that is not stored in the terminal Is determined, and the second communication unit of the control device transmits the data to which the identification information that is not stored in the terminal is added.
According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to accurately identify data that has not been input to the terminal using the identification information when reconnecting after disconnection.

Further, according to the present invention, the identification information given by the device control unit of the control device is information having regularity, and the device control unit is connected to the terminal based on the regularity of the identification information. The data to which the identification information that is not stored is added is determined.
According to the configuration of the present invention, for example, the terminal transmits identification information for all the data input in a certain period to the control device, and the control device receives the received identification information and the stored data with the identification information. Data that is not input to the terminal is a simple means that uses the regularity of the identification information without performing processing such as identifying data that has not been input to the terminal by comparison with the identification information in Can be specified.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the control device assigns identification information to data output from a connected device, stores the data to which the identification information is added, and stores the identification information. The data to which the information is attached is transmitted to the terminal, and the terminal to which the data to which the identification information is attached is transmitted stores the identification information of the data to which the identification information is attached.
According to the configuration of the present invention, the identification information is given to the data output from the control device to the terminal, the control device stores the output data, and the terminal stores the identification information related to the input data. For this reason, when there is a disconnection, it is possible to specify data that has not been input to the terminal due to the disconnection using the identification information as a key, and it is possible to re-output the specified data.

In the present invention, when communication is disconnected after communication is disconnected between the control device and the terminal, the terminal transmits the stored identification information to the control device when the communication is reconnected. The device transmits the data to which the identification information not stored in the terminal is added to the terminal based on the transmitted identification information and the identification information of the data to which the stored identification information is added. To do.
According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to accurately identify data that has not been input to the terminal using the identification information when reconnecting after disconnection.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the POS system which concerns on this embodiment. The block diagram which shows the functional structure of each apparatus which comprises a POS system. It is a functional block diagram of a browser execution part and a device control part. Processing flow when control and interface objects are generated. Processing flow when control and interface objects are deleted. It is a figure which shows an example of a user interface. Processing flow after the barcode is read by the barcode scanner. Processing flow when printing is performed by the printer unit. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of a tablet terminal and a control apparatus. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of a tablet terminal and a control apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration block diagram of a POS (Point of Sales) system 1 (control system) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the tablet terminal 10 (terminal), the control device 11, and the POS server 17 constituting the POS system 1.
The POS system 1 is a system applied to a shopping center, a retail store such as a department store or a convenience store, a restaurant, a restaurant such as a coffee shop or a pub, and other stores and facilities. The POS system 1 functions as a function of managing the sales status of products in a store, the status of product inventory, the status of sales, etc., and accounting according to the products purchased by customers at a cashier counter L provided in the store. And the like, a function of issuing a receipt in response to payment by the customer, and a function of providing accounting information to the customer.
A store to which the POS system 1 according to the present embodiment is applied is provided with a cashier counter L that performs accounting processing. One cashier counter L is provided with one control device 11 and a tablet terminal 10 connected to the control device 11 so as to be able to perform wireless communication.
The tablet terminal 10 is a tablet-type (plate-like) computer. In particular, in the present embodiment, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, a touch panel 30 is provided in a display area formed on the front surface. It is a type of computer that allows various inputs.
The tablet terminal 10 is a terminal used by a cashier in charge of accounting at the cashier counter L, and provides a user interface to the cashier in charge at the cashier at the cashier counter L, as will be described later.
The control device 11 is a device having a function as a device control device. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 11 accommodates and manages a barcode scanner 12 (device) that reads a product or a barcode attached to the product as a device, bills, money, cash vouchers, and the like. At least one of a cash changer 13 (device) and a display 14 (device) for displaying information related to accounting to a customer is connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 11 includes a control unit 20, a printer unit 21 (printer, printing unit, device), a storage unit 22, and a communication module 23.
The control unit 20 controls each unit of the control device 11 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and other peripheral circuits. The control unit 20 includes a device control unit 20a, which will be described later.
The printer unit 21 includes a transport mechanism that transports roll paper, a printing mechanism that prints characters and images on the roll paper using a thermal head, a cutting mechanism that cuts the roll paper, and the like. After that, it is possible to issue a receipt by cutting the roll paper at a predetermined position.
The storage unit 22 includes a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM, and stores various data in a rewritable manner.
The communication module 23 includes a module, a circuit, and the like that wirelessly communicate with the tablet terminal 10 such as a network card that conforms to a predetermined communication standard. The communication module 23 performs a predetermined communication with the tablet terminal 10 under the control of the control unit 20. Realize wireless communication compliant with communication standards.

The tablet terminal 10 includes a terminal storage unit 25, a terminal control unit 26, a communication module 27, an input detection unit 29, and a touch panel 30. Further, the terminal control unit 26 includes a display control unit 28.
The terminal storage unit 25 includes a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM and stores various data in a rewritable manner.
The touch panel 30 includes a display panel 30a disposed on the front surface of the tablet terminal 10 and a touch sensor 30b disposed so as to overlap the display panel 30a. The display panel 30 a is a display such as a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL panel, or electronic paper, and is driven by the display control unit 28. The touch sensor 30b is a capacitance-type or pressure-sensitive sensor that is placed on the display panel 30a, and indicates a position where the touch operation is detected by detecting a touch operation by a user's finger or a pen-type operation device. The signal is output to the input detection unit 29. The touch panel 30 corresponds to a “display unit that displays a browser”.
The display control unit 28 drives the display panel 30a based on display data input from the browser execution unit 26a described later, and displays a screen including characters, images, and the like on the display panel 30a.
The input detection unit 29 detects a touch operation on the touch panel 30 based on a signal output from the touch sensor 30b. When this touch operation is detected, the input detection unit 29 generates coordinate data indicating the operation position by coordinates corresponding to the display position of the display panel 30 a and outputs the coordinate data to the terminal control unit 26.
The communication module 27 includes a control device 11 such as a network card conforming to a predetermined communication standard, and a module, a circuit, and the like that wirelessly communicate with the POS server 17. The control device is controlled by the terminal control unit 26. 11 and the POS server 17 to realize wireless communication conforming to a predetermined communication standard.

The terminal control unit 26 controls each unit of the tablet terminal 10 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and other peripheral circuits. The terminal control unit 26 includes a browser execution unit 26a that realizes a browser function by executing a browser program.
The browser execution unit 26 a downloads a web page (HTML file or the like) described in a markup language such as HTML or a script language from the POS server 17 by the function of the web browser. The downloaded web page data is stored in a RAM (not shown), for example. The browser execution unit 26 a reads the downloaded web page data, generates display data for displaying the web page, and outputs the display data to the display control unit 28. The display control unit 28 displays an image of the web page related to the display data on the display panel 30a based on the input display data.
In addition, when the input detection unit 29 detects a touch operation on the touch sensor 30b, the browser execution unit 26a receives the coordinate data input from the input detection unit 29 in response to the touch operation, and the display control unit 28. The input content is specified based on the display data output in step (b). The browser execution unit 26a appropriately executes an appropriate process using, for example, a script function based on the specified input content.

The POS server 17 includes a server storage unit 36 that stores a database that stores information about products, a database that manages sales, a database that manages inventory, and the like, and manages the entire POS system 1 using these databases.
The POS server 17 includes a server control unit 37, a server storage unit 36, and a communication module 38.
The server control unit 37 controls each unit of the POS server 17 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and other peripheral circuits. The server storage unit 31 includes a hard disk, a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM, and stores various data in a rewritable manner.
The communication module 38 includes a module, a circuit, and the like that wirelessly communicate with the tablet terminal 10 such as a network card that conforms to a predetermined communication standard, and is predetermined with the tablet terminal 10 under the control of the server control unit 37. Wireless communication compliant with the communication standard of

A POS application 35 is installed in the POS server 17.
The browser execution unit 26 a of the tablet terminal 10 executes various processes using the function of the POS application 35 on the POS server 17.
Specifically, the browser execution unit 26a appropriately requests the POS server 17 for calculation processing, causes the POS application 35 to execute calculation processing, receives a processing result, and performs appropriate processing. Do. For example, the browser execution unit 26 a outputs the reading result of the barcode scanner 12 to the POS server 17, causes the POS application 35 to execute a product search, receives the search result, and then controls the control device 11. Then, the product information is displayed on the display 14. Further, the calculation of the total amount of accounting is requested, the calculation of the total amount is performed by the function of the POS application 35, and after receiving the calculation result, the control device 11 is controlled to print information including the total amount. Issue a receipt.
Here, the “application that operates in the browser” is an application installed in another device capable of communication such as the POS application 35 by the browser execution unit 26a, and the function can be used by the browser execution unit 26a. It is a concept that includes various applications. The application in this case may be executed and operated on another device capable of communication, or may be downloaded from the other device and executed and operated on the tablet terminal 10. Furthermore, the “application that operates in the browser” is a concept including a program and software that can be used by the browser execution unit 26a, such as a script mounted on a web page (HTML file) read by the browser execution unit 26a.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing in more detail a functional block diagram of the browser execution unit 26a (the functional block corresponding to the “terminal control unit”) of the tablet terminal 10 and the device control unit 20a of the control device 11.
In FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, a program itself, a software object, a block that conceptually represents a function realized by the program, a physical device such as a device, and the like are represented at the same level. .
In the present embodiment, “object” means an instance in object-oriented programming, that is, a software target defined as a collection of data and methods. However, the “object” is not limited to an instance in object-oriented programming, and may be a software target that can realize some function.
As shown in FIG. 3, the application AP operates in the browser execution unit 26 a of the tablet terminal 10. As described above, the application AP operates on another device like the POS application 35, or an application downloaded from another device, a script mounted on an HTML file read by the browser execution unit 26a, and other browsers. The execution unit 26a is a concept including a program and software that can use the function.
In the browser execution unit 26a, a cache changer I / F object 40 (interface object), a barcode scanner I / F object 41 (interface object), a display I / F object 42 (interface object), a printer I / F object 43 (interface) At least one of the objects), the overall control object 44, and the browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 are operable. In the device control unit 20a, the device-side WebSocket I / F 50, the relay object 51, the cache changer control object 53 (control object), the barcode scanner control object 54 (control object), the display control object 55 (control object), and At least one of the printer control objects 56 (control objects) is operable.
First, the generation procedure and function of these objects, software interface, and the like will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure when objects are generated in the browser execution unit 26a and the device control unit 20a. In particular, the flowchart of FIG. 4 shows an example in which the barcode scanner I / F object 41 is generated as an interface object and the barcode scanner control object 54 is generated as a control object. Represents the procedure.
In the following description, when processing is described with the application AP as the subject of operation, such as “Application AP is...”, A CPU that reads and executes the application AP (terminal control unit 26, browser execution unit 26a). This means that processing is executed using the function of the application AP. Similarly, when the processing is described with the object as the subject of movement, such as “Object is ...”, the CPU (corresponding control unit) executes the processing using the function of the object. means.
First, the application AP executes overall control object generation processing (step SA1). The overall control object generation process is a process for generating the overall control object 44. Although the details will be described later, the overall control object 44 is implemented with various methods related to the control of the POS system 1, such as a method related to communication path establishment and disconnection processing, a method related to generation and deletion processing of control objects and interface objects, and the like. Object.
The overall control object generation process in step SA1 is executed when, for example, a dedicated API (Application Program Interface) is provided by the manufacturer of the control device 11, and the application AP uses the function of the API.
When the overall control object 44 is generated by the process of step SA1, the application AP executes a communication path establishment request (communication request) (step SA2). The communication path establishment request (communication request) establishes a logical communication path K1 (communication path conforming to the communication standard for bidirectional communication) related to WebSocket between the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11. A request for establishing a state in which data can be transmitted and received in conformity with the WebSocket standard between these devices. This communication path establishment request (communication request) is executed by the application AP executing a dedicated method implemented in the overall control object 44.
In response to the communication path establishment request in step SA2, the overall control object 44 and the relay object 51 cooperate to comply with the WebSocket standard between the browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 and the device-side WebSocket I / F 50. Then, the connection is established and the communication path K1 is established (step SA3).
Each of the browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 and the device-side WebSocket I / F 50 is a functional block related to a software interface that transmits and receives data according to the WebSocket standard. The relay object 51 is an object that operates on the device control unit 20a, and implements methods related to various processes to be described later in addition to the method related to the establishment process of the communication path K1 described above.
The browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 and the overall control object 44 cooperate to function as a “reception unit that receives identification information output from the control device”, and the device-side WebSocket I / F 50 and the relay object 51 In cooperation, “a second communication unit that communicates with a terminal on which the browser operates”, “a second communication unit that receives a communication request and a device control request transmitted from the terminal”, or “browser It functions as a “second communication unit that is connected to an operating terminal and receives a request from the terminal”.
With the establishment of the communication path K1, the function of the overall control object 44 or the relay object 51 causes the communication path K1 to be a communication path ID (information for identifying the communication path, communication connection ID, communication connection). Identification information) is given. The given communication path ID is stored in a predetermined storage area in the terminal storage unit 25 in a manner in which the application AP can be referred to in the tablet terminal 10, and in a manner in which the relay object 51 can be referred to in the control device 11. The data is stored in a predetermined storage area in the storage unit 22.
Note that, by establishing the communication path K1, a communicable state is established between the tablet terminal 10 (terminal) and the control device 11.

Next, the application AP executes a barcode scanner control object generation request (device control request) (step SA4). The barcode scanner control object generation request is a process for requesting generation of the barcode scanner control object 54 operating on the device control unit 20a. As will become clear later, the generation of the device control object establishes a state in which the corresponding device can be controlled (device control is established). Therefore, the processing in step SA4 is performed by “application (or terminal). Corresponds to the process of “requesting device control”.
Here, identification information (hereinafter referred to as “device ID”) is assigned to each device connected to the control apparatus 11 for each type of device. In the following description, it is assumed that “scanner” is assigned to the barcode scanner 12 as a device ID.
Then, when generating the barcode scanner control object 54, the application AP designates the device ID of the barcode scanner 12, which is a corresponding device. As will be apparent later, the relay object 51 generates an appropriate control object corresponding to the device to be generated, using the designated device ID as a key.
Here, the control object will be described.
A control object is an object in which various methods related to device control are implemented, and controls the corresponding device by using the function of the corresponding handler. For example, the cache changer control object 53 has a method for executing processing related to the control of the cache changer 13, and the object controls the cache changer 13 using the function of the cache changer handler 61. . A handler is a function or a subroutine that executes processing related to a corresponding device in response to a request. For example, when the barcode scanner 12 executes barcode reading, the barcode scanner handler 60 receives an input of the reading result, performs an interruption process, and reads the reading result (for example, a numeric character string). Data) to the barcode scanner control object 54. The same applies to the other handlers (cache changer handler 61, display handler 62, and printer handler 63).
In addition, the device interface 71 that is an interface with the device and each handler cooperate to function as a “communication unit that communicates with the device or a first communication unit that communicates with the device”.
As described above, the control of the device by the control device 11 is established by generating the control object.

In response to the barcode scanner control object generation request by the application AP, the overall control object 44 issues a barcode scanner control object generation request to the relay object 51 via the communication path K1 (step SA5).
In response to the request, the relay object 51 uses a control object (in this example, a barcode scanner) corresponding to a device ID (in this example, the device ID “scanner” of the barcode scanner 12) specified by a new statement, for example. A control object 54) is generated (step SA6). That is, the device control unit 20a generates a control object, and the generated control object operates in the device control unit 20a.
Here, in step SA6, the relay object 51 manages the generated barcode scanner control object 54 in association with the communication path ID assigned in step SA3. This is the same when other control objects are generated. As described above, since the control object and the communication path ID are associated with each other by the relay object 51, the relay object 51 can grasp which application AP is under the control of each control object.
This will be described more specifically. It is assumed that two tablet terminals, a first tablet terminal and a second tablet terminal, are connected to one control device 11. In such a case, each of the tablet terminals establishes a communication path related to the WebSocket with the control device 11, and a unique communication path ID is assigned to each of the communication paths. Then, it is assumed that the first tablet terminal generates the barcode scanner control object 54 in order to place the barcode scanner 12 under the control of the application AP that operates by itself. In this case, the relay object 51 manages the barcode scanner control object 54 in association with the communication path ID of the communication path related to the first tablet terminal. Further, it is assumed that the second tablet terminal has generated the cash changer control object 53 in order to place the cash changer 13 under the control of the application AP that operates by itself. In this case, the relay object 51 manages the cash changer control object 53 in association with the communication path ID of the communication path related to the second tablet terminal. Accordingly, the relay object 51 uses the communication path ID corresponding to the data output from the barcode scanner control object 54 to the first tablet terminal based on the reading result of the barcode scanner 12, that is, the first It outputs to a 1st tablet terminal via the communication path which concerns on 1 tablet terminal. Similarly, when the application AP that operates on the second tablet terminal controls the cash changer 13, if there is communication via the communication path related to the second tablet terminal, the communication path ID of the communication path corresponds to Data or the like is appropriately output to the attached cash changer control object 53. In this way, the relay object 51 manages each control object in association with the communication path ID, so that a plurality of tablet terminals are connected, and thus a plurality of communication paths are established. However, each control object does not communicate via an incorrect communication path.

When the generation of the barcode scanner control object 54 is completed, the relay object 51 notifies the overall control object 44 that the generation of the object has been completed via the communication path K1 (step SA7), and further performs overall control. The object 44 sends the notification to the application AP (step SA8).
Note that, during the barcode scanner control object generation processing in step SA4, a callback for receiving the processing result of the processing related to the generation of the control object is specified, and the callback function is executed, so that the application AP is Thus, notification that the generation of the barcode scanner control object 54 has been successful is performed.
Further, the overall control object 44 generates the barcode scanner I / F object 41 in correspondence with the barcode scanner control object 54 that has been generated (step SA9).
Here, the interface object will be described.
The interface object has a function as an interface that allows the application AP to use a method implemented in the control object related to the corresponding device when the device is controlled by the application AP. That is, when the application AP controls a certain device and outputs information to the interface object corresponding to the one device, the interface object communicates with the control object corresponding to the one device. Then, the method implemented in the control object is executed, and the control of the one device can be realized.
By generating the interface object, the application AP can control the device using the method of the control object via the interface object. That is, “establishing device control via the control device 11 by the application AP” is performed by generating the interface object accompanying the generation of the control object.

As described above, the generation of the barcode scanner control object 54 and the barcode scanner I / F object 41 is completed. For other devices, control objects and interface objects are generated in the same procedure.
Thus, in this embodiment, after the generation of the control object is completed in the control device 11, the corresponding interface object is generated. Due to such a configuration, a pair of control objects and an interface object are always generated for one device, and a state in which the device can be controlled by the application AP is established for each device.
In the present embodiment, a pair of interface objects and control objects are generated for each device connected to the control apparatus 11. Due to such a configuration, the application AP can reliably control the one device by using the function of the interface object corresponding to the one device when controlling the certain device. The data can be transmitted / received to / from the one device.
Further, when developing (programming) the application AP, a program related to a software interface related to device control can be developed easily by considering the relationship with the interface object of each device. For example, a program related to the control of the cache changer 13 in the application AP may be developed in consideration of input / output of information (data) in relation to the cache changer I / F object 40, and development is facilitated.

Next, a procedure for deleting the generated control object and interface object and canceling the established communication will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 5, an example is shown in which the control object and the interface object related to the barcode scanner 12 are deleted.
First, the application AP executes an erase request (device control release request) for the barcode scanner control object 54 (step SB1). At that time, the application AP designates the device ID of the barcode scanner 12. The request for deleting the control object is executed when the application AP executes a method implemented in the overall control object 44.
In response to the erasure request for the barcode scanner control object 54 by the application AP, the overall control object 44 issues an erasure request for the barcode scanner control object 54 to the relay object 51 via the communication path K1 (step SB2). ).
In response to the erasure request, the relay object 51 uses a control object (in this example, a barcode) corresponding to a device ID (in this example, the device ID “scanner” of the barcode scanner 12) specified by the delete operator. The scanner control object 54) is deleted (step SB3). By erasing the control object, establishment of control of the barcode scanner 12 in the control device 11 is released.
As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to delete a specific control object by a control object control request from the application AP. Then, by deleting the control object of the specific device, the control of the specific device by the application AP operating on one tablet terminal is released, and the application AP operating on the other tablet becomes the specific device Can be controlled. For this reason, when a specific device is not used, the application AP can release the device by deleting the control object of the specific device, and the device is unnecessarily occupied. Can be prevented.

When the erasure of the barcode scanner control object 54 is completed, the relay object 51 notifies the overall control object 44 that the erasure has been completed via the communication path K1 (step SB4), and further performs overall control. The object 44 sends the notification to the application AP (step SB5).
In the process of step SB1, a callback for receiving the processing result of the process related to the deletion of the control object is specified, and the barcode scanner control is performed on the application AP by executing the callback function. A notification that the erasure of the object 54 is successful is performed.
Further, the overall control object 44 deletes the barcode scanner I / F object 41 in correspondence with the barcode scanner control object 54 that has been deleted (step SB6).
Next, the application AP requests disconnection (communication release request) of the communication path K1 established with the control device 11 (step SB7). The request is executed by the application AP executing a dedicated method implemented in the overall control object 44.
In response to the request in step SA7, the overall control object 44 and the relay object 51 cooperate to establish a communication path K1 established between the browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 and the device-side WebSocket I / F 50 with the WebSocket. Is cut in accordance with the standard (step SB8).
As described above, the generated control object and interface object are deleted and the established communication is released.
As described above, the generated control object can be deleted at an arbitrary timing according to a request from the application AP. That is, when it is no longer necessary for the application AP to be under the control of a certain device, the application AP can immediately delete the control object related to the one device and release the control of the one device. Is possible. For this reason, it is possible to effectively prevent a control object from remaining unnecessarily and an application AP of another tablet terminal from unnecessarily continuing a state in which the device cannot be controlled.

Next, the flow of processing in the accounting process will be described with a specific example.
Here, before processing related to accounting is performed, the tablet terminal 10 executes the following processing.
That is, the person in charge of the cash register or another person who engages in other work starts up the browser of the tablet terminal 10 and instructs the touch panel 30 to display the user interface UI (see FIG. 6A). In response to the instruction, the browser execution unit 26a of the terminal control unit 26 accesses a predetermined address on the POS server 17, acquires web page data such as an HTML file, and sets the user interface UI based on the data. Display on the touch panel 30.
FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface UI displayed on the touch panel 30.
In the user interface UI of FIG. 6A, a list display area 65 in which the name of the product purchased by the customer, the unit price of the product, and the quantity of the product are displayed in a list is displayed in the upper left part. On the right side of the list display area 65, an amount display area 66 for displaying the total amount of products purchased by the customer, the amount of money deposited from the customer at the time of accounting, and the amount of change to be given to the customer is displayed. The
Also, below the list display area 65, a bar code information input field, which is an input field where information (hereinafter referred to as “bar code information”) represented by the bar code read by the bar code scanner 12 is input and displayed. 67 is formed. Bar code information is basically identification information uniquely assigned to each type of product. On the right side of the barcode information input field 67, a software numeric keypad 68 is displayed. Information can be input to each of the input fields formed on the user interface UI via the software numeric keypad 68. The software numeric keypad 68 has a key for inputting information. .
An address input field 69 for displaying an access destination address is displayed at the upper end of the user interface UI.

First, after the barcode is read by the barcode scanner 12, information represented by the read barcode (hereinafter referred to as “barcode information”) is displayed in the barcode information input field 67 of the user interface UI. The processing procedure up to this point will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the above process.
First, in order to allow the application AP to acquire the barcode reading result, a callback name is registered in advance for the barcode scanner I / F object 41 by the application AP (step SC1). The callback name is an identification name assigned to each event (for example, an event of reading a barcode by the barcode scanner 12). When data is input to the interface object in association with the callback name, a predetermined callback function is executed and the data is input to the application AP. In this example, it is assumed that the callback name of “barcode reading by the barcode scanner 12” is “ondata”.
At the cashier counter L, the cashier person reads the bar code attached to one product purchased by the customer by the bar code scanner 12 (step SX1).
Next, the reading result is input to the barcode scanner handler 60 (step SC2). The barcode scanner handler 60 performs an interrupt process, and outputs barcode information as a reading result to the barcode scanner control object 54 (step SC3).
Next, the barcode scanner control object 54 includes at least a device ID of the barcode scanner 12 (in this example, “scanner”), a callback name (in this example, “ondata”), and barcode information (data). Data is output to the relay object 51 in a predetermined data format (step SC4).

The relay object 51 generates a data ID (identification information) and assigns it to the barcode information included in the input data in a predetermined manner (step SC5). The data ID is identification information uniquely assigned to identify data (barcode information in this example) to be transferred to the application AP. In the present embodiment, the data ID is a number, and the relay object 51 generates and assigns the data ID so that the larger the data output to the overall control object 44 is, the larger the value is. . For example, when the data ID of the value “1” is generated and assigned to the input barcode information and is output to the overall control object 44, the value “2” (“1” If the value is larger than “2”, a data ID other than “2” may be generated, assigned, and output to the overall control object 44. A method of using the assigned data ID will be described in detail later.
Next, the relay object 51 stores the barcode information (data) to which the data ID is assigned in a predetermined storage area in the storage unit 22 (step SC6). As a result, data (device-related information) related to the device with the data ID output to the application AP is cumulatively stored in the storage unit 22.
Next, the relay object 51 receives the barcode ID (data) with the device ID of the barcode scanner 12 (in this example, “scanner”), the callback name (in this example, “ondata”), and the data ID. The included data is output to the overall control object 44 in a predetermined data format (step SC7). At that time, the relay object 51 outputs data via the communication path K1 related to the communication path ID associated with the barcode scanner control object 54.

Next, the overall control object 44 outputs data to a predetermined interface object (in this example, the barcode scanner I / F object 41) using the device ID included in the input data as a key (step SC8). ).
Based on the callback name (“ondata” in this example), the barcode scanner I / F object 41 executes a predetermined callback function and outputs barcode information with a data ID to the application AP ( Step SC9).
The application AP executes display processing based on the input barcode information, and displays the barcode information in the barcode information input field 67 (step SC10). As a result, the barcode information is displayed in the barcode information input field 67 as shown in FIG.
Next, the application AP extracts the data ID from the input barcode information with the data ID, and stores the data ID in a predetermined storage area of the terminal storage unit 25 (step SC11). As a result of the process of step SC11, the terminal storage unit 25 has cumulatively stored the data ID of the data input to the application AP among the output data of the device (in this example, barcode information). It becomes. A method of using the data ID stored in the terminal storage unit 25 will be described later.

Next, a processing procedure when the application AP causes the printer unit 21 to issue a receipt will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the above process.
First, the application AP generates an image to be printed on a receipt using the implemented function, and generates an XML document (data) including information on a receipt to be issued by the printer unit 21 based on the generated image ( Step SD1). The XML document includes, in a predetermined format, information for issuing a receipt, such as information on characters and images to be printed on a receipt, in accordance with an XML format. As described later, the printer control unit 80 The XML document can be converted into a control command conforming to the command system of the printer unit 21.
Next, the application AP outputs to the printer I / F object 43 data including at least the device ID of the printer unit 21, information specifying a function to be executed by the printer control object 56, and the generated XML document. (Step SD2). In this example, the function executed by the printer control object 56 is a function that causes the printer control unit 80 to output an XML document via the printer / display I / F 81.
Next, the printer I / F object 43 requests the overall control object 44 to output the data input from the application AP to the printer control object 56. (Step SD3) The overall control object 44 outputs the data to the relay object 51 via the communication path K1 (Step SD4), and the relay object 51 outputs the data to the printer control object 56 (Step SD5). ).
The printer control object 56 outputs a XML file included in the input data to the printer control unit 80 via the printer display I / F 81 by executing a specified function in the input data ( Step SD6). At that time, the printer control object 56 performs data shaping and data conversion on the XML file so that the printer control unit 80 can process it, and then outputs the XML file to the printer control unit 80.
The printer control unit 80 is a functional block realized by a so-called printer driver function, generates a control command conforming to the command system of the printer unit 21 based on the input XML file, and passes the printer handler 63 via the printer handler 63. And output to the printer unit 21 (step SD7). Based on the input control command, the printer unit 21 operates various mechanisms and issues a receipt (step SD8).
In addition, when displaying on the display 14, the process is performed in the same procedure as described in FIG.
That is, the application AP outputs display data to the display control object 55 via the display I / F object 42. The display control object 55 outputs display data to the display control unit 82 via the printer / display I / F 81. The display control unit 82 converts the input display data into a control command system conforming to the command system of the display 14, and outputs it to the display 14 using the function of the display handler 62. The display 14 displays display data based on the control command.

As described above, for each device, control of the device by the application AP and transmission / reception of data between the application AP and the device are appropriately performed by communication between the interface object corresponding to the device and the control object.
In particular, in the present embodiment, the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11 perform communication conforming to the WebSocket standard. That is, any device can transmit data to the other device without issuing a data transmission request from the browser related to the tablet terminal 10 to the control device 11 functioning as a server. In other words, the interface object and the corresponding control object can communicate bidirectionally. Therefore, as described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, it is possible to smoothly output data from the device to the application AP via the control object and the interface object, triggered by the event on the device side. In addition, as described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8, the application AP can control the device via the interface object and the control object using an event on the application AP side as a trigger.

As described above, the control of the corresponding device is established by generating the control object of each device. In other words, the generation of the control object establishes a state in which data can be input to and from the corresponding control object, which allows the corresponding device to execute various processes by the application AP. Data can be output from the corresponding device to the application AP. As will be described later, the control object may cause the device to perform a specific process by outputting the data output by the application AP to the device (or the control unit of the device). There is a case where a control command is output to the device according to the request, and the device performs a specific process.
More specifically, as described above, the barcode scanner control object 54 acquires the reading result by interrupt processing when the barcode scanning is executed by the corresponding barcode scanner 12 as its function (method). Then, it has a function (method) of outputting the acquired reading result to the application AP via the barcode scanner I / F object 41. That is, the barcode scanner control object 54 enables transmission of the read result to the tablet terminal 10 in accordance with the reading of the barcode by the corresponding barcode scanner 12. Therefore, establishment of device control here represents establishment of a state in which the reading result of the corresponding barcode scanner 12 can be transmitted to the tablet terminal 10. These functions can be executed by generating the barcode control object 54.
Further, as described above, the printer control object 56 performs data shaping and data conversion so that the printer control unit 80 can process the XML document generated by the application AP, and then outputs the XML document to the printer control unit 80. The printer control unit 80 generates and outputs a control command based on the data output in a processable manner, and causes the printer unit 21 to issue a receipt (execute printing). Further, the printer control object 56 acquires data output from the printer unit 21 (for example, data indicating the status (out of paper, error, etc.) of the printer unit 21) via the printer control unit 80. Then, the printer control object 56 outputs the acquired data to the application AP via the printer I / F object 43. That is, the establishment of device control here is a state in which data can be output from the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) to the corresponding printer unit 21, and printing is performed on the printer unit 21 by the tablet terminal 10 (application AP). It represents the establishment of a state in which various processes can be executed. Further, it represents establishment of a state in which data can be transmitted from the corresponding printer unit 21 to the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) at an appropriate timing. These functions are realized by generating the printer control object 56.
Regarding the display control object 55, the device control is established in the same manner as the printer control object 56. That is, by generating the display control object 55, the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) can output data to the corresponding display, and various information can be displayed on the display 14 by the tablet terminal 10 (application AP). A possible state is established. Further, the generation of the display control object 55 establishes a state in which data can be transmitted from the display 14 to the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) at an appropriate timing.
Further, the cash changer control object 53 generates a control command corresponding to the process to be executed based on the request of the application AP, outputs the control command to the cash changer 13, and performs a deposit process, a withdrawal process, etc. Various processes are executed. The generation and output of this control command is performed by executing a method designated by the application AP. In other words, the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) causes the cash changer 13 to execute an arbitrary process by designating a method implemented in the cash changer control object 53 via the cash changer I / F object 40. be able to.
Further, the cache changer control object 53 acquires the processing result by interruption processing when the cash changer 13 performs counting or when the cash changer 13 is deposited / withdrawn, and the acquired processing result is cached. The data is output to the application AP via the changer I / F object 40.
That is, the device control here is established in a state in which data can be output from the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) to the corresponding cash changer 13, and the cash changer 13 is charged by the tablet terminal 10 (application AP). This represents establishment of a state in which various processes such as can be executed. In addition, it represents establishment of a state in which data can be transmitted from the corresponding cash changer 13 to the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) at an appropriate timing. These functions are realized by generating the cache changer control object 53.

By the way, the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11 are connected so as to be able to perform wireless communication in accordance with a predetermined standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark). Communication may be temporarily disconnected (so-called instantaneous interruption). Even when the communication is not wireless communication, the communication may be temporarily disconnected due to, for example, disconnection of the communication cable or contact failure.
In such a case, the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11 perform processing based on the presence of the control object as described below.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11 when communication is disconnected.
FIG. 9A shows the processing procedure of the application AP that operates on the tablet terminal 10, and FIG. 9B shows the processing procedure of the relay object 51 that operates on the control device 11.
As a premise of the flowchart of FIG. 9, a communication path K1 is established between the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11, and the control device 11 includes a cash changer 13, a barcode scanner 12, a display 14, In addition, it is assumed that each control object of the printer unit 21 has been generated.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the application AP monitors whether or not the communication is disconnected (step SE1). The browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 monitors the presence or absence of communication disconnection by means conforming to the WebSocket standard, and when the communication disconnection occurs, the browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 outputs that fact to the application AP. It has a configuration.
When communication is disconnected (step SE1: YES), the application AP attempts reconnection by the function of the overall control object 44, and determines whether or not the reconnection is successful (step SE2). This reconnection attempt is made for a predetermined period.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 9B, the relay object 51 monitors whether or not the communication is disconnected (step SF1). The device-side WebSocket I / F 50 monitors the presence or absence of communication disconnection by means conforming to the WebSocket standard, and when the communication disconnection occurs, the device-side WebSocket I / F 50 outputs that fact to the application AP. It has a configuration.
When the communication is disconnected (step SF1: YES), the relay object 51 starts measuring the elapsed time after the communication is disconnected (step SF2). As will be apparent later, the relay object 51 is configured to delete the control object associated with the communication path ID related to the disconnected communication when the elapsed time after the disconnection of the communication exceeds the period T1. It has become. In this period T1, the value is determined so as to be a reference value for determining whether the communication disconnection is an intended disconnection or an unintentional instantaneous disconnection.
After starting the measurement of the elapsed time, the relay object 51 monitors whether or not the elapsed time has reached the period T1 (step SF4), and has the communication reconnection been performed before the elapsed time reaches the period T1? It is determined whether or not (step SF3).
If the elapsed time reaches the period T1 without reconnection of communication (step SF4: YES), the disconnection of the communication can be regarded as an intentional disconnection, not an instantaneous disconnection. The relay object 51 deletes the control objects (in this example, the control objects of the cache changer 13, the barcode scanner 12, the display 14, and the printer unit 21) associated with the communication path ID related to the disconnected communication. (Step SF5). As described above, by erasing the control object, each device is released to an application AP that operates on another tablet terminal, and the other application AP newly generates a control object and is in a controllable state. Become.
Note that after the control object is deleted, communication is again performed between the control device 11 and the tablet terminal 10 (which may be the same terminal as before the disconnection of communication or a different terminal). When established, the device control unit 20a generates and operates a control object based on a request from the tablet terminal 10 according to the procedure described in FIG. Thus, after the communication is disconnected, reconnection is not performed within a predetermined period, and accordingly, even when the control object is deleted, the device can be quickly controlled.
As described above, in this embodiment, when the elapsed time reaches the period T1 without reconnection of communication, the disconnection of communication is regarded as intentional disconnection, and the control object is deleted (control object). Open). Due to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a time during which the device cannot be controlled by another application AP from being continued unnecessarily for a long time.

Now, referring to FIG. 9A, when the reconnection is successful as a result of the reconnection attempt in step SE2 (step SE2: YES), the application AP transmits the communication path K1 related to the disconnected communication. The ID is transmitted to the relay object 51 (step SE3). As described in step SA3 in FIG. 4, the communication path ID is given with the establishment of the communication path K1, and is stored in a predetermined storage area in the terminal storage unit 25 in such a manner that the application AP can refer to it.
With reference to FIG. 9B, when the reconnection of communication is successful, “YES” is determined in the determination of step SF3, and further, the communication path related to the communication disconnected by the process of step SE3 by the application AP Since the communication path ID of K1 is transmitted, the relay object 51 receives the communication path ID (step SF6).
When receiving the communication path ID, the relay object 51 determines whether or not there is a control object associated with the received communication path ID (step SF7). If it does not exist (step SF7: NO), the relay object 51 ends the process.
On the other hand, when there is a control object associated with the communication path ID that has communicated (step SF7: YES), the relay object 51 cancels the deletion after the period T1 for these control objects and deletes the control objects. If not, continue (control the generation of the control object) (step SF8).
As described above, in this embodiment, when reconnection of communication is successful within the period T1 after the disconnection of communication, the disconnection of the communication is considered to have a high probability of being an unintentional instantaneous interruption, and thus the disconnected communication is performed. The control object associated with the communication path ID of the communication path K1 is continued. Due to such a configuration, the application AP can control the device quickly and efficiently without generating a new control object when controlling the device. Further, when one application AP controls the device, the control of the device is released to the other application AP due to the instantaneous interruption (the corresponding control object is deleted), and the control is performed by the other application AP. You wo n’t be awarded.
Now, after canceling the deletion of the control object in step SF8 (control of the generation of the control object), the application AP and the relay object 51 cooperate to execute a data retransmission process (step SE4, step SF9).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing processing of the application AP and the relay object 51 in data reprocessing. (A) shows the processing of the application AP, and (B) shows the processing of the relay object 51.
Referring to FIG. 10A, the application AP outputs the data ID of the most recently received data among the data IDs stored in the terminal storage unit 25 to the relay object 51 (step SG1). As described in step SC11 of FIG. 7, the data related to the device (information related to the device) input to the application AP is assigned a data ID. When the data is input, the application AP is input. The data ID is extracted from the barcode information with the data ID, and the data ID is stored in a predetermined storage area of the terminal storage unit 25.
When the data ID is input from the application AP, the relay object 51 matches the data ID in the data with the data ID stored cumulatively in the storage unit 22 with the data ID input from the application AP. Then, data that should be output to the application AP but not input to the application AP is specified (determined) (step SH1). More specifically, when generating a data ID, the relay object 51 generates a data ID with a regularity such that the slower the data output to the application AP is, the larger the value is. . Based on this, the relay object 51 has normally finished outputting the data with the data ID received from the application AP and the data ID having the same value. On the other hand, it is assumed that data to which a data ID related to a value larger than the received data ID is assigned is not input to the application AP due to an instantaneous interruption, and these data are transferred to the application AP. The data is specified as data that has not been input. That is, in step SH1, the relay object 51 determines that the data ID that is not stored in the tablet terminal 10 among the data IDs assigned to the data transmitted to the tablet terminal 10 to the tablet terminal 10 normally. The data ID of data that has not been input is specified.
Next, the relay object 51 outputs data (information on the device) for which data has not been input to the application AP (step SH2). The application AP acquires the data output by the relay object 51 and executes the process as appropriate (step SG2).
By performing the data retransmission process as described above, all data to be output to the application AP can be output to the application AP without loss of data even when there is an instantaneous interruption of communication. Is possible.

As described above, the POS system 1 (control system) according to the present embodiment includes a device (barcode scanner 12 and the like), a communication unit that communicates with the device through cooperation between the device interface 71 and each handler, and a device. And a device control unit 20a that generates a control object for controlling the control device 11. The POS system 1 also generates an interface object that communicates information about the device between the touch panel 30 (display unit) that displays the browser and the control object, and processes information about the device by the application AP that operates on the browser. A tablet terminal 10 (terminal) having a terminal control unit 26 (browser execution unit 26a).
According to this configuration, the application AP that operates in the browser of the tablet terminal 10 can acquire and process information on the device by using the functions of the control object and the interface object, and operates in the browser of the tablet terminal 10. The device can be controlled by the application AP.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of devices are connected to the control device 11. And when the 2nd device (for example, cash changer 13) is connected in the situation where the 1st device (for example, barcode scanner 12) is connected, device control part 20a of control device 11 A second control object (for example, a cash changer control object 53) that controls the second device is generated. Further, the terminal control unit 26 (browser execution unit 26a) of the tablet terminal 10 communicates information related to the second device between the second control objects (for example, the cash changer I / F object 40). ) Is generated.
According to this configuration, the corresponding control object and interface object are generated for the second device connected to the control device 11. That is, for each device connected to the control device 11, corresponding control objects and interface objects are generated, and the application AP that operates on the browser of the tablet terminal 10 using the functions of these objects Each can be controlled.

In the present embodiment, a communication path K1 compliant with the WebSocket standard, which is a communication standard for two-way communication, is established between the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11, and the control object, the corresponding interface object, Is capable of bidirectional communication via the communication path K1.
According to this configuration, since the control object and the corresponding interface object are capable of two-way communication via the communication path K1, data output to the control object is output from the interface object triggered by an event on the tablet terminal 10 side. And the output of the data with respect to the interface object from the control object triggered by the event on the control device 11 side can be executed accurately.

In this embodiment, after the generation of the control object is completed, an interface object corresponding to the control object is generated.
According to this configuration, when a control object is generated, a corresponding interface object is reliably generated.

In the present embodiment, a printer unit 21 (printing unit) as a device is connected to the control device 11, and the device control unit 20 a generates a printer control object 56 that controls the printer unit 21.
According to this configuration, the application AP operating in the browser of the tablet terminal 10 can acquire and process information regarding the printer unit 21 as a device by using the functions of the control object and the interface object. Printing can be executed by an application AP that runs on 10 browsers.

In the present embodiment, the application AP operating in the browser of the tablet terminal 10 requests the control device 11 to generate a control object for the connected device (requests control of the device), and the control object of the device The control apparatus 11 requested to generate (requested to control the device) establishes control of the device by generating a control object. Then, after the control device 11 establishes control of the device by generating a control object, the tablet terminal 10 generates an interface object corresponding to the control object, whereby the device AP of the device via the control device 11 by the application AP is created. Establish control.
According to this configuration, in response to a request from the application AP, the establishment of device control and the establishment of device control by the application AP via the control device 11 are sequentially performed, and the application operating in the browser of the tablet terminal 10 The device can be controlled by the AP.

In the present embodiment, the control device 11 establishes control of the device by generating a control object that controls the device.
According to this configuration, control of the device can be established by means of generation of a control object.

In this embodiment, the tablet terminal 10 establishes control of the device via the control device 11 by the application AP by generating an interface object having a function of communicating with the control object.
According to this configuration, control of the device via the control device 11 by the application AP can be established by means of generation of a control object and generation of an interface object having a function of communicating with the control object.

Further, the POS system 1 (control system) according to the present embodiment requests the touch panel 30 (display unit) for displaying a browser, a communication request for requesting communication connection (communication path establishment request), and generation of a control object. A tablet terminal 10 having a terminal control unit 26 (browser execution unit 26a) that outputs a device control request (requesting device control) is provided. In addition, the POS system 1 establishes communication with the tablet terminal 10 based on a communication unit that communicates with the device and a communication request transmitted from the tablet terminal 10, and after establishing communication with the tablet terminal 10 A control device 11 having a device control unit 20a that establishes control of a device by generating a control object based on a control request is provided.
According to this configuration, communication and device control are sequentially established in response to a communication request and device control request by the tablet terminal 10, and the device of the tablet terminal 10 using the browser function is established. Control becomes possible.

In addition, the terminal control unit 26 (browser execution unit 26a) of the tablet terminal 10 outputs a device control release request that requests deletion of the control object (requests release of establishment of control of the device), and the device of the control device 11 Based on the device control release request, the control unit 20a deletes the control object and releases the establishment of control of the device.
According to this configuration, the device control release request from the tablet terminal 10 can cancel the establishment of control of the device, and it is possible to prevent the device from being kept under control of the terminal unnecessarily.

In the present embodiment, the application AP of the tablet terminal 10 outputs a request for disconnecting the communication path K1 established with the control device 11 (communication release request), and the device control unit 20a of the control device 11 Cancels establishment of communication based on the communication cancellation request.
According to this configuration, established communication can be accurately canceled by a communication cancellation request from the tablet terminal 10.

In the present embodiment, the tablet terminal 10 (application AP) requests a communication request for communication connection and device control for requesting generation of a control object for the printer unit 21 as a device (requesting control of the printing unit). Output the request. The device control unit 20a of the control device 11 establishes communication with the tablet terminal 10 based on the communication request, and generates a printer control object 56 based on the device control request after communication with the tablet terminal 10 is established. Thus, control of the printer unit 21 is established.
According to this configuration, the establishment of communication and the establishment of control of the printer unit 21 as a device are sequentially performed in response to a communication request from the tablet terminal 10 and a device control request. It is possible to cause the printer unit 21 to perform printing using the function.

In addition, the control apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment includes a first communication unit that communicates with the device in cooperation with the device interface 71 and each handler, a device control unit 20a that operates a control object that controls the device, and a device side. A second communication unit that communicates with the tablet terminal 10 in cooperation with the WebSocket I / F 50 and the relay object 51. When the connection with the tablet terminal 10 is disconnected, the device control unit 20a Is erased after holding the period T1.
According to this configuration, in response to the disconnection of communication, the control object is not deleted immediately, but is deleted after being held for the period T1. For this reason, even if there is an unintended temporary communication disconnection, the control object is not immediately deleted, and when the temporary communication disconnection is recovered, the control object retained without being deleted It is possible to start the control of the device quickly. Further, since the control object is deleted after being held for the period T1, the control object is not deleted unnecessarily for a long time, and accordingly, it is effectively prevented that the control right of the device is not released. The

In the present embodiment, the communication between the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11 is disconnected, the reconnection is not performed within the period T1, and after the control object is deleted, the control device 11 and the tablet are again connected. When communication is established with the terminal 10 (which may be the same terminal as before disconnection of communication or a different terminal), the request of the tablet terminal 10 is made according to the procedure described in FIG. Based on this, the device control unit 20a generates and operates a control object.
Thus, after the communication is disconnected, reconnection is not performed within a predetermined period, and accordingly, even when the control object is deleted, the device can be quickly controlled.

In the present embodiment, when the connection with the tablet terminal 10 is made within the period T1, the held control object is canceled (control object generation is controlled).
According to the configuration of the present invention, when the reconnection is performed within the period T1 after the communication is disconnected, the control object is canceled, so that the reconnection is performed within the period T1 after the communication is disconnected. It is possible to prevent the control object from being erased when there is a temporary disconnection.

Moreover, in this embodiment, according to establishment of the connection between the tablet terminal 10 and the control apparatus 11, each of these apparatuses memorize | stores the identification information (communication path ID) corresponding to a connection, and after connection disconnection At the time of reconnection in, reconnection is performed based on the identification information stored in each of these devices.
According to this configuration, when reconnecting, it is possible to reconnect in a manner corresponding to the connection before disconnection, using the identification information (communication path ID) stored in each device as necessary. It becomes.

In the present embodiment, the control device 11 generates a control object related to device control for each connected device. Then, the control device 11 (relay object 51) stores the identification information (communication path ID) in association with the control object, and after disconnecting from the tablet terminal 10 with the tablet terminal 10 within the period T1. If no reconnection is made between them, the control object is deleted. On the other hand, the control device 11 determines whether or not there is a control object associated with the same identification information as the identification information stored in the tablet terminal 10 at the time of reconnection after disconnection. In this case, the erasure of the control object after the lapse of a predetermined period is canceled.
According to this configuration, when there is a temporary disconnection in which the reconnection is performed within the period T1 after the connection is disconnected, the control object used at the time of connection before the disconnection is prevented from being deleted. However, after reconnection, the control object can be used without generating a control object again.

Further, the POS system 1 (control system) according to the present embodiment communicates with the device in cooperation with the device interface 71 and each handler, and obtains data output from the device, and the first communication. The device control unit 20a that gives identification information (data ID) to the data (for example, barcode information) acquired by the unit, the storage unit 22 that stores data with the data ID, the device-side WebSocket I / F 50, and the relay object And a second communication unit that outputs data with a data ID by the cooperation of 51. In addition, the POS system 1 is assigned to a reception unit that receives data with a data ID output from the control device 11 in cooperation with the browser-side WebSocket I / F 45 and the overall control object 44, and to data received by the reception unit. The tablet terminal 10 includes a terminal storage unit 25 that stores identification information and a terminal control unit 26 that operates an application that processes data.
According to this configuration, the identification information (data ID) is given to the data output from the control device 11 to the tablet terminal 10, the control device 11 stores the output data, and the tablet terminal 10 receives the input data. Such identification information is stored. For this reason, when there is a disconnection, data that has not been input to the tablet terminal 10 due to the disconnection can be identified using the identification information (data ID) as a key, and the identified data is output again. It becomes possible.

In this embodiment, when reconnecting the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11 after disconnection, the tablet terminal 10 transmits the stored identification information (data ID) to the control device 11, and the control device 11. Identifies and retransmits data that has not been input to the tablet terminal 10 based on a comparison between the identification information (data ID) received from the tablet terminal 10 and the data ID in the stored data ID-attached data.
According to this configuration, at the time of reconnection after disconnection, it is possible to accurately identify data that has not been input to the tablet terminal 10 using the identification information (data ID).

Further, in the present embodiment, the control device 11 assigns regular data ID to data based on the input from the device and transmits the data to the tablet terminal 10 and stores the transmitted data ID-attached data. Then, when reconnecting the tablet terminal 10 and the control device 11 after disconnection, the tablet terminal 10 transmits identification information (data ID) related to the data received most recently to the control device 11. The control device 11 compares the identification information (data ID) received from the tablet terminal 10 with the data ID in the stored data ID and the regularity of the identification information (data ID). Data not input to 10 is identified and retransmitted.
According to this configuration, for example, the tablet terminal 10 transmits identification information (data ID) for all the data input in a certain period to the control device 11. The control device 11 performs the identification without identifying the data not input to the tablet terminal 10 by comparing the received identification information (data ID) with the data ID in the stored data ID-added data. The control device 11 can specify data that has not been input to the tablet terminal 10 by simple means using the regularity of information (data ID).

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking the case where the POS system 1 is applied to a store having a cashier counter L as an example. However, the usage mode of the POS system is not limited to this example, It can also be applied to restaurants such as coffee shops and restaurants. Further, for example, the control device 11 and the POS server 17 are separate devices, but the control device 11 may have the function of the POS server 17. Further, for example, the control device 11 is a thermal printer, but any recording format may be used.
Further, for example, each functional block shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 can be arbitrarily realized by cooperation of hardware and software, and does not suggest a specific hardware configuration. Each device may execute various operations by executing a program stored in an externally connected storage medium.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... POS system (control system), 10 ... Tablet terminal (terminal), 11 ... Control apparatus, 12 ... Barcode scanner (device), 13 ... Cash changer (device), 14 ... Display (device), 20a ... Device control , 21 ... Printer unit (device), 22 ... Control device storage unit, 25 ... Terminal storage unit, 26 ... Terminal control unit, 26a ... Browser execution unit (terminal control unit), 44 ... Overall control object (reception unit), 45: Browser-side WebSocket I / F (receiving unit), 50: Device-side WebSocket I / F (second communication unit), 51: Relay object (second communication unit), 60 ... Barcode scanner handler (first communication unit), 61 ... Cash changer handler (first communication unit), 62 ... Display Ndora (first communication unit), 63 ... printer handler (first communication unit), 71 ... device interface (first communication unit), AP ... application.

Claims (5)

A device that outputs data,
A first communication unit that communicates with the device and acquires the data output by the device, a device control unit that assigns identification information to the data acquired by the first communication unit, and the identification information A control unit having a storage unit for storing data, and a second communication unit for outputting the data to which the identification information is attached;
A receiving unit for receiving the data to which the identification information output from the control device is attached, a terminal storage unit for storing the identification information of the data to which the identification information received by the receiving unit is provided, and A terminal having a terminal control unit for operating an application for processing data to which identification information is attached;
A control system comprising: When the connection between the terminal and the control device is disconnected and then reconnected,
The terminal
Transmitting the stored identification information to the control device;
The device control unit of the control device is stored in the terminal based on the identification information transmitted from the terminal and the identification information of the data provided with the identification information stored in the storage unit. Determining the data to which the identification information is not attached,
The control system according to claim 1, wherein the second communication unit of the control device transmits data to which the identification information that is not stored in the terminal is added. The identification information given by the device control unit of the control device is information having regularity,
The control system according to claim 2, wherein the device control unit determines data to which the identification information that is not stored in the terminal is assigned based on regularity of the identification information. The control device assigns identification information to the data output from the connected device, stores the data provided with the identification information, transmits the data provided with the identification information to the terminal,
The control system control method, wherein the terminal to which the data to which the identification information is attached is transmitted stores the identification information of the data to which the identification information is attached. After communication is disconnected during communication between the control device and the terminal, when communication is reconnected,
The terminal transmits the stored identification information to the control device,
Based on the transmitted identification information and the identification information of the data provided with the stored identification information, the control device transmits the data provided with the identification information not stored in the terminal. The control method of the control system according to claim 4, wherein the control system transmits to.

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