JP2018174395A - Monitoring system, program and monitoring method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain notification information from apparatus accurately by continuing monitoring for the apparatus, even when the apparatus is moved.SOLUTION: A monitoring system includes an apparatus for connection with a network, a computer for connection with the network via a firewall, and a mediation device connected with the network, and relaying communication between the apparatus and the computer. The mediation device has a first communication unit communicating with the apparatus, and a first notification unit for notifying the apparatus of changed communication address of the mediation device, when the communication address of the mediation device is changed. The apparatus has a second communication unit communicating with the mediation device, and a second notification unit for notifying the mediation device or the computer of changed communication address of the apparatus, when the communication address of the apparatus is changed. The computer has a management section for transmitting a communication address, based on the notification received from the apparatus, to the mediation device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring system, a program, and a monitoring method.

  A service for remotely monitoring a large number of devices in real time is known, such as an online support service for equipment delivered to a customer. In the service system, when an abnormality occurs in the customer side device, error information is notified to the monitoring device via the network. On the monitoring side receiving the error notification, the operator confirms the details to the customer by telephone, e-mail, etc., and the customer engineer goes to the site for repair work. The error notified to the monitoring side may include, for example, an error due to work planned in advance on the customer side, such as restart or power failure accompanying the inspection work of the apparatus. In this case, even if the monitoring side receiving the error contacts the customer for support, the support becomes useless.

  Therefore, in order to determine the presence or absence of a failure, it is necessary to periodically exchange messages between the system and a device that monitors the system. This may be congested especially in the case of a system having a large number of monitoring targets such as tens of thousands. On the other hand, in order to avoid congestion, for example, if the period of the regular message is set to be relatively long, there is a possibility that a failure may be detected. For this reason, there is already known a method in which the monitoring device accurately detects the error occurrence of the monitored device while suppressing the communication load on the network (for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, in the conventional monitoring system, there is a case where operation is not necessarily performed according to the work plan information, for example, when a person has to input work plan information or when a device whose operation status changes minutely on a daily basis is monitored. For this reason, the occurrence of an error cannot be detected with high accuracy. In addition, when the device is moved without being operated according to the work plan, the IP address is changed and the device cannot be monitored. Although it is possible to deal with name resolution using a DNS (Domain Name Service) server, there is a problem that it is necessary to construct a separate mechanism and allocate a host name to each device, which is costly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to continue to monitor a device and obtain notification information from the device with high accuracy even when the device is moved.

  In order to solve the above problem, a monitoring system includes a device connected to a network, a computer connected to the network via a firewall, a communication connected to the network, and communication between the device and the computer. An intermediary device that relays, the intermediary device, the first communication unit that communicates with the device based on a communication address, and when the communication address of the intermediary device has been changed, the device changed to the device A first notification unit for notifying the communication address of the mediation device, the device is a second communication unit for communicating with the mediation device based on the communication address, and the communication address of the device has been changed A second notification unit for notifying the changed communication address of the device to the intermediary device or the computer, Having a management unit operable to transmit a communication address based on the notification received from the device to the intermediary device.

  Even when the device is moved, it is possible to continue monitoring the device and obtain notification information from the device with high accuracy.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the monitoring system 1000 in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the mediation apparatus 300 in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of the monitoring system 1000 in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the procedure of the apparatus addition in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus connection definition in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the procedure of the apparatus deletion in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the procedure of the apparatus search in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the 1st procedure which concerns on the IP address change detection of the mediation apparatus 300 in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the 2nd procedure which concerns on the IP address change detection of the mediation apparatus 300 in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the 3rd procedure which concerns on the IP address change detection of the mediation apparatus 300 in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the 1st procedure which concerns on the IP address change detection of the apparatus 400 in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the 2nd procedure which concerns on the IP address change detection of the apparatus 400 in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the monitoring system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a monitoring system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the monitoring system 1000 includes a PC 150a, a PC 150b, a PC 150c, a cloud 200, an intermediary device 300, a device 400a, a device 400b, and a device 400c.

  The PC 150a, PC 150b, and PC 150c (hereinafter referred to as “PC 150” when not distinguished from each other) are PCs (Personal Computers) connected to the cloud 200. Application software (hereinafter referred to as an application) 100a is operating on the PC 150a, application 100b is operating on the PC 150b, and application 100c (hereinafter referred to as the application 100 when the applications 100a to 100c are not distinguished) is operating on the PC 150c. The application 100 provides a solution by using a device access means provided by the cloud 200. The solution includes, for example, a log collection service related to a device, a counter collection service related to a device, a device maintenance service, and the like. The account shown in FIG. 1 groups a plurality of users who use the application.

  The device 400a, the device 400b, and the device 400c (hereinafter referred to as “device 400” when not distinguished from each other) are monitored devices that are monitored from the monitoring system 1000. The device 400 is a device (for example, a copier, a projector, or the like) that requires maintenance or counter meter reading, and is connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) protected by a firewall. The device 400 may be another device including a sensor such as a human sensor provided with a network function.

  The cloud 200 includes a plurality of server computers, and is connected to the mediation apparatus 300 via the PC 150 and a firewall. The cloud 200 has a database that stores communication path information of the application 100, the mediation apparatus 300, and the device 400 that operate on the PC 150, and supports bidirectional communication between the application 100 and the device 400.

  The mediation device 300 is connected to a LAN protected by a firewall, and relays communication between the device 400 and the cloud 200 or the application 100. The mediation apparatus 300 receives an instruction from the cloud 200, accesses the device 400, receives an alert notification regarding the state of the device, and notifies the cloud 200 of the alert notification. The alert notification is a notification including information on a change in the state of the device 400, information on a detection result of the sensor, and the like. Further, the intermediary device 300 performs life / death monitoring for monitoring whether or not information acquisition of the device 400, information notification, and network communication are possible based on preset schedule information.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the intermediary device 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediary device 300 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 3001, a memory 3002, an auxiliary storage device 3003, a network I / F 3004, a power supply 3005, and other I / O 3006, which are mutually connected. Have

  A program for realizing processing in the mediation device 300, for example, communication with the cloud 200 or the device 400, database update, device monitoring, or the like is stored in the auxiliary storage device 3003. The auxiliary storage device 3003 stores the installed program and files and data necessary for the processing.

  The memory 3002 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 3003 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the program. The CPU 3001 implements functions related to the mediation device 300 in accordance with programs stored in the memory 3002.

  The network I / F 3004 is a wired or wireless physical interface for communicating with the cloud 200 or the device 400. The interface includes, for example, a communication interface of a portable terminal such as a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, 3G / LTE (registered trademark), 4G, and 5G, Zigbee (registered trademark), EnOcean (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy, and the like. It is.

  The power supply 3005 is a power source that drives the mediation apparatus 300 and is supplied with power from an AC adapter or the like.

  The other I / O 3006 is an interface for connecting to various input / output devices such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) devices, hardware keys, status notification LEDs, and liquid crystal displays.

  Note that the server computer and the device 400 included in the PC 150 and the cloud 200 may have the same hardware configuration as that in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the monitoring system 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the monitoring system 1000 has a functional configuration including the application 100, the cloud 200, the mediation device 300, and the device 400.

  The application 100 operates on a PC 150 and includes a user I / F 101, an application command transmission unit 102, an application notification reception unit 103, a device state management unit 104, an abnormal state notification unit 105, and a report aggregation / output unit 106. The user I / F 101 includes a user interface that instructs the device 400 to issue a command such as information acquisition or control in order to check the status / information of the monitored device 400 or the intermediary device 300. The user interface is, for example, a screen that displays a button to be pressed, and has a function of confirming the status / information of the device 400 or the intermediary device 300 on a list screen or a detailed screen. The application command transmission unit 102 transmits an instruction from the user I / F 101 to the cloud 200. The transmission communication method is assumed to be HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), but is not limited to HTTPS as long as it can realize secure communication. The application notification receiving unit 103 receives a result of an instruction issued by the application 100 and receives a spontaneous alert notification of the mediation device 300 or the device 400. The device state management unit 104 uses the database of the cloud 200 to hold the current state of the device 400 (normal / abnormal, what kind of abnormality is abnormal), and provides information to the user I / F 101. . The abnormal state notification unit 105 contacts the customer engineer via e-mail when the customer engineer visits the site and needs repair. Note that the notification means is not limited to e-mail, but may be notification by voice message or chat, for example. The report aggregation / output unit 106 formats and outputs the data in a format desired by the user. For example, the report aggregation / output unit 106 aggregates the counter information of the device 400, generates a report in a CSV format, and outputs it monthly.

  The cloud 200 includes an application command reception unit 201, an application command transmission unit 202, a notification reception unit 203, a notification transmission unit 204, and a communication path management unit 205. The application command receiving unit 201 receives a command from the application 100. The application command transmission unit 202 transmits an instruction from the application 100 to the mediation device 300. Usually, since a firewall is installed between the LAN environment and the Internet environment, the application 100 cannot directly connect to the mediation apparatus 300. Therefore, a method of polling the cloud 200 from the mediation device 300 and acquiring a command from the application 100 via the cloud 200 as a response to the polling, or a communication session so that communication from the mediation device 300 to the application 100 is possible at all times. There is a method for realizing transmission from the application 100 to the mediation apparatus 300 while maintaining (WebSocket or the like). In this embodiment, either method may be taken. The notification receiving unit 203 receives a result from the mediation device 300 or the device 400 for the command issued by the application 100. On the other hand, the notification receiving unit 203 receives a spontaneous alert notification from the mediation device 300 or the device 400. The notification transmission unit 204 transfers a result of a command issued by the application 100 or a spontaneous alert notification from the mediation device 300 or the device 400 to the application 100. The communication path management unit 205 manages a communication path between the application 100 and the mediation device 300 or the device 400 in a database, and to which mediation device 300 should be routed when a command is issued from the application 100, according to the database. Judge by information. Further, the communication path management unit 205 determines to which application 100 the information notified from the mediation apparatus 300 should be transferred based on the information in the database.

  The intermediary device 300 includes a system monitoring unit 301, an installation user I / F 302, a scheduler 303, a device alert receiving unit 304, a device request transmitting unit 305, a device information managing unit 306, a cloud communication unit 307, a device connection definition managing unit 308, A device addition unit 309, a device deletion unit 310, a device search unit 311, and an intermediary device IP change notification unit 312 are included. The system monitoring unit 301 detects a system abnormal state such as a memory shortage, a disk shortage, or a disk write error. The installation user I / F 302 provides a screen for the user to perform network settings for communicating with the device 400 or the cloud 200 from the LAN, an activation procedure for starting communication with the cloud 200, connection confirmation, and the like. The scheduler 303 acquires information from the monitoring target device 400 based on the internal timer of the mediation apparatus 300 and preset schedule information, and notifies the cloud 200 of the information. In addition, the scheduler 303 realizes a periodic operation such as confirming whether the device 400 can perform network communication (life monitoring). The device alert receiving unit 304 receives a text message or binary data that is a device alert from the device 400. The device request transmission unit 305 interprets the content of the command from the application 100 and transmits a request to the device 400. The communication protocol used for transmitting the request is assumed to be HTTP, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), or the like, but is not limited to these communication protocols. The device information management unit 306 manages information in which a device identifier, a device type, and a device IP address for communicating with the device 400 are associated with each other in a database. The cloud communication unit 307 receives the command of the application 100 from the cloud 200, and transmits the execution result of the command from the application 100 or the notification of the mediation device 300 and the device 400. The device connection definition management unit 308 manages communication parameters for executing addition / deletion / search of the device 400 and device information acquisition / communication confirmation in a database. For example, HTTP communication parameters include a resource URI, a method, a header, a query, and a body. Further, for example, the SNMP communication parameters include a command type (Get / GetBulk), a version, a community name, and an OID (object identifier). Upon receiving a command from the application 100, the device adding unit 309, the device deleting unit 310, and the device searching unit 311 communicate with the device 400 according to the device connection definition in response to an instruction from the application 100, and add / delete / search the device 400 ( Each sequence will be described later). The mediation device IP change notification unit 312 notifies the monitoring target device 400 of a new IP address when the IP address of the mediation device 300 is changed by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).

  The device 400 includes a device alert detection unit 401, a device alert transmission unit 402, a mediation device request communication unit 403, a device identifier management unit 404, a mediation device IP management unit 405, and a device IP change notification unit 406. The device alert detection unit 401 monitors the internal state of the device 400 and determines whether a condition that requires notification to the application 100 is satisfied. The device alert transmission unit 402 transmits a device alert to the mediation apparatus 300 using the detection timing of the device alert detection unit 401 as a trigger. The mediation device request communication unit 403 receives the notification of the device identifier or the IP address from the mediation device 300 when the device 400 is added, receives the notification that is no longer the monitoring target when the device is deleted, and the IP address of the mediation device 300 is It has a function of receiving a notification of a new IP address when it is changed and responding to a device information acquisition request. The device identifier management unit 404 manages the device identifier notified from the mediation apparatus 300 using a database. The mediation device IP management unit 405 manages the IP address of the alert notification destination mediation device 300 using a database. Similarly to the mediation device 300, the device IP change notification unit 406 cannot transmit to the mediation device 300 or the mediation device 300 when the IP address is changed due to a change in position, for example, by DHCP or a mobile device. In the case of a new IP address, the cloud 200 is notified of the new IP address.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a device addition procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 4, the processing of the mediation device 300 is executed based on the control of the device adding unit 309.

  In step S <b> 101, the application 100 transmits a device addition request from the application command transmission unit 102 to the cloud 200. The device addition request may include information on the device 400 to be added, for example, the device name, device type, device IP address, and the like. Subsequently, the cloud performs device identifier numbering (S102), and transmits a request acceptance to the application 100 as indicated by a broken line. Subsequently, the cloud 200 transmits a device addition request from the application command transmission unit 202 to the mediation device 300 (S103). The mediation device 300 transmits a request acceptance from the cloud communication unit 307 to the cloud 200 and transmits a serial number acquisition from the device request transmission unit 305 to the device 400, as indicated by a broken line (S104). The serial number acquisition is executed only when the device 400 to be added has a serial number. The device 400 transmits a serial number from the mediation device request communication unit 403 to the mediation device 300 as indicated by a broken line. When the device request transmission unit 305 transmits the serial number acquisition of step S104 to the device 400, if the serial number cannot be acquired from the device 400 as a response to the transmission, the device addition unit 309 does not add the device. End the sequence. In addition, the serial number acquisition in step S104 requires that the device connection definition corresponding to the device type and serial number acquisition of the device 400 to be added be registered in the device connection definition management unit 308. If the device connection definition is not registered in the device connection definition management unit 308, the serial number acquisition in step S104 is not executed.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the device connection definition in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows an example in which values are acquired by changing communication parameters without changing the communication protocol of the device connection definition. The device connection definition before the addition indicates that there are two communication protocols that can be used for communication with the device 400: HTTP (the body part is JSON (Java (registered trademark) Script Object Notation)) and SNMP. In addition, when performing HTTP communication, it is necessary to specify parameters such as a method, a resource URI, a header, and a body. The device connection definition before addition shown in FIG. 5 is an example of status acquisition (GET / state) from the projector. The device communication definition information corresponding to the parameter “device” is “projector”. Similarly, “action” is “state acquisition”, “method” is “GET”, and “resource URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)” is “/ State”, “header” corresponds to “none”, and “body” corresponds to “none”. The communication protocol management unit is a functional unit included in the device connection definition management unit 308, and the communication library refers to a group of a plurality of usable communication protocols.

  In the device connection definition after addition shown in FIG. 5, a communication parameter is added to HTTP + JSON in the communication library. In the added communication parameter, the device communication definition information corresponding to the parameter “action” is “apparatus information acquisition”, and the device communication definition information corresponding to the parameter “resource URI” is “/ property”. By adding the communication parameter, the mediation apparatus 300 can perform “acquire confidential information” on the device “projector” on “/ property”. That is, in order to execute serial number acquisition in step S104, a communication library in which a parameter including at least “serial number acquisition” is set as an action is required.

  The addition of the parameters shown in FIG. 5 may be based on an instruction of the application 100. By adding or changing parameters as described above, the device connection definition can be easily extended without updating the firmware of the mediation apparatus 300.

  Returning to FIG. In step S <b> 105, the device request transmission unit 305 transmits a monitoring target notification to the device 400. The intermediary device 300 notifies the device 400 of the monitoring target notification by the monitoring target notification, and the device identifier and the IP address of the intermediary device that are required when the device 400 sends an alert notification to the mediation device 300. Notice. Subsequently, the device 400 registers the device identifier in the device identifier management unit 404 and registers the IP address of the mediation device in the mediation device IP address management unit 405 based on the received monitoring target notification. The purpose of the notification is to notify the device 400 that it has been monitored, and to notify the device identifier and the IP address of the mediation device 300 that are required when the device 400 sends an alert notification to the mediation device 300 2 It serves one purpose. When the registration of the device identifier and the IP address of the mediation device 300 is completed (step S106), the device 400 transmits a notification reception OK to the mediation device 300 as indicated by a broken line. Subsequently, the mediation apparatus 300 transmits an addition result notification from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification reception unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S107). In step S108, the notification transmission unit 204 of the cloud 200 transmits the addition result notification of the device 400 to the application notification reception unit 103 of the application 100, and registers the device 400 (step S109). The monitoring system 1000 can add the device 400 by the procedure shown in FIG. 4 described above.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a device deletion procedure in the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 6, the processing of the mediation device 300 is executed based on the control of the device deletion unit 310.

  In step S <b> 201, the application 100 transmits a device deletion request from the application command transmission unit 102 to the cloud 200. The device deletion request may include information on the device 400 to be deleted, for example, the device name, device type, device IP address, and the like. Subsequently, the cloud transmits a request acceptance to the application 100 as indicated by a broken line. Subsequently, the cloud 200 transmits a device deletion request from the application command transmission unit 202 to the mediation apparatus 300 (S202). The mediation apparatus 300 transmits a request acceptance from the cloud communication unit 307 to the cloud 200 as indicated by a broken line, and transmits a non-monitoring notification from the device request transmission unit 305 to the device 400 (S203). The device 400 transmits a notification reception OK from the mediation device request communication unit 403 to the mediation device 300 as indicated by a broken line. Subsequently, the mediation apparatus 300 transmits a deletion result notification from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification reception unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S205). In step S206, the notification transmission unit 204 of the cloud 200 transmits a deletion result notification of the device 400 to the application notification reception unit 103 of the application 100, and excludes the device 400 from monitoring (step S207). By the procedure shown in FIG. 6 described above, the monitoring system 1000 can delete the device 400 that was the monitoring target from the monitoring target. Further, the device 400 stops the notification to the mediation device 300, and the mediation device 300 enters a state in which the notification from the device 400 is not accepted.

  FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a device search procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 7, the processing of the mediation device 300 is executed based on the control of the device search unit 311.

  In step S <b> 301, the application 100 transmits a device search request from the application command transmission unit 102 to the cloud 200. The device search request may include information on the device 400 to be searched, for example, a device name, a device type, and the like. Subsequently, the cloud transmits a request acceptance to the application 100 as indicated by a broken line. Subsequently, the cloud 200 transmits a device search request from the application command transmission unit 202 to the mediation device 300. The mediation device 300 transmits a request acceptance from the cloud communication unit 307 to the cloud 200 and transmits a device discovery communication from the device request transmission unit 305 to the device 400, as indicated by a broken line (S303). The device 400 transmits OK to the mediation device 300 from the mediation device request communication unit 403 as indicated by a broken line. Subsequently, the mediation apparatus 300 transmits a serial number acquisition from the device request transmission unit 305 to the device 400 (S304). The device 400 transmits a serial number from the mediation device request communication unit 403 to the mediation device 300 as indicated by a broken line. If the communication in step S303 and step S304 is successful, the mediation device 300 determines that the device 400 has been found, and if the communication fails, the mediation device 300 determines that the device 400 has not been found. In step S305, the mediation apparatus 300 transmits device property acquisition from the device request transmission unit 305 to the device 400 (S305). The device property is information on the device 400 and is used to identify the device 400. For example, the device property is used to specify which of the plurality of devices 400 the device 400 has when the IP address is the same among the plurality of devices 400. The device 400 transmits device properties from the mediation device request communication unit 403 to the mediation device 300 as indicated by a broken line. Subsequently, the mediation device 300 transmits a search result notification from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification reception unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S306). In step S307, the notification transmission unit 204 of the cloud 200 transmits the search result notification of the device 400 to the application notification reception unit 103 of the application 100, and stores the search result of the device 400 (step S308). The monitoring system 1000 can search for the device 400 by the procedure shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a first procedure related to IP address change detection of the mediation apparatus 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 8, the processing of the mediation device 300 is executed based on the control of the mediation device IP change notification unit 312.

  In step S401, when the intermediary device 300 detects a change in its own IP address, the intermediary device information notification is transmitted from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification receiving unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S402). The cloud 200 transmits the mediation device information notification from the notification transmission unit 204 to the application notification reception unit 103 of the application 100 (S403). In step S <b> 404, the mediation device 300 transmits an IP change notification from the device request transmission unit 305 to the device 400. The device 400 records the change of the IP address of the mediation device 300 by the notification in the mediation device IP management unit 405. Further, as indicated by a broken line, the device 400 transmits OK from the mediation device request communication unit 403.

  FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the second procedure relating to the IP address change detection of the intermediary device 300 in the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 9, the processing of the mediation device 300 is executed based on the control of the mediation device IP change notification unit 312.

  In step S501, when the intermediary device 300 detects a change in its own IP address, the intermediary device information notification is transmitted from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification receiving unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S502). The cloud 200 transmits the mediation device information notification from the notification transmission unit 204 to the application notification reception unit 103 of the application 100 (S503). In step S504, the mediation apparatus 300 transmits an IP change notification from the device request transmission unit 305 to the device 400. At this time, when the intermediary device 300 cannot receive a response from the device 400, the intermediary device IP change notification is retried with a predetermined scheduling. For the scheduling, for example, a predetermined interval (for example, 30 seconds) and a predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times) are designated. When the response from the device 400 cannot be received even by the retry, the mediation apparatus 300 determines that the device 400 has been lost, and transmits a device IP inquiry from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification reception unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S506). ). The device IP inquiry includes information for identifying the device. The information for identifying the device is, for example, a serial number or other device properties. As indicated by the broken line, the cloud 200 transmits the device IP to the cloud communication unit 307 of the mediation apparatus 300. The mediation device records the IP address of the device in the device information management unit 306 based on the device IP.

  In step S504, when the intermediary device 300 cannot receive a response from the device 400, the intermediary device 300 may make a device IP inquiry to the cloud 200 without first retrying the response. In addition, regarding the notification of the change in the IP address of the mediation device from the mediation device 300 to the device 400 in steps S504 and S505, depending on the operation of the device 400, the power supply may be turned on only in a specific time period. The notification including may be performed in a designated time zone.

  FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the third procedure relating to the IP address change detection of the intermediary device 300 in the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 10, the processing of the mediation device 300 is executed based on the control of the mediation device IP change notification unit 312.

  Steps S601 to S606 are the same as steps S501 to S506.

  In response to the device IP inquiry in step S606, as indicated by a broken line, the cloud 200 responds to the cloud communication unit 307 of the mediation device 300 that the device IP address is unknown. In response to the response, the mediation apparatus 300 transmits a device communication failure notification from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification reception unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S607). The device communication disabled notification includes information for identifying the device. Subsequently, the cloud 200 transmits a device communication failure notification from the notification transmission unit 204 to the application notification reception unit of the application 100 (S608). If the application 100 receives the device communication failure notification in step S608 and determines that the device 100 needs to search for the device based on information identifying the device included in the notification, the application 100 May perform the device search. Further, when a policy to be constantly monitored is set in the application 100 in advance, the application 100 may automatically execute the device search.

  FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a first procedure related to detection of an IP address change of the device 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 11, the processing of the device 400 is executed based on the control of the device IP change notification unit 406.

  In step S701, when the device 400 detects a change in its own IP address, the device 400 transmits IP change detection from the mediation device request communication unit 403 to the device alert reception unit 304 of the mediation device 300 (S702). Subsequently, the mediation apparatus 300 transmits a device IP change notification from the cloud communication unit 307 to the notification reception unit 203 of the cloud 200 (S703). The cloud 200 transmits a device IP change notification from the notification transmission unit 204 to the application notification reception unit 103 of the application 100 (S704). Further, as indicated by a broken line, the mediation device 300 transmits OK from the mediation device request communication unit 403 to the mediation device request communication unit 403 of the device 400.

  FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a first procedure related to detection of an IP address change of the device 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the sequence shown in FIG. 12, the processing of the device 400 is executed based on the control of the device IP change notification unit 406.

  In step S801, when the device 400 detects a change in its own IP address, the device 400 transmits IP change detection from the mediation device request communication unit 403 to the device alert reception unit 304 of the mediation device 300 (S802). As illustrated in FIG. 12, when the notification does not reach the mediation device 300, a communication timeout of a response from the mediation device 300 occurs in the device 400.

  In step S803, the device 400 transmits a device IP change notification to the cloud 200. Subsequently, the cloud 200 sends a device IP change notification from the notification transmission unit 204 to the application notification reception unit 103 of the application 100. In step S805, the cloud 200 transmits a device IP change notification to the cloud communication unit 307 of the mediation apparatus 300. Subsequently, the mediation device 300 transmits a mediation device IP change notification to the device 400 based on the IP address of the device included in the received notification. With the IP address of the mediation device 300 included in the notification, the device 400 can restore communication to the mediation device 300.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the IP address of the mediation device 300 is changed due to movement of the device or the like, the mediation device 300 can notify the device 400 of the change of the IP address. Is possible. Even when the notification cannot be made to the device 400, the mediation apparatus 300 can continue communication with the device 400 by acquiring the IP address of the device 400 from the cloud 200 or by re-searching the device 400 by the application 100. . Further, when the IP address of the device 400 is changed due to movement of the device or the like, the mediation device 300 can receive a notification of the change of the IP address from the device 400. Even when the notification cannot be acquired from the device 400, the mediation apparatus 300 acquires the changed IP address of the device 400 from the cloud 200 by the device 400 notifying the cloud 200 of the change of the IP address. Thus, communication with the device 400 can be continued. That is, even when the device is moved, it is possible to continue monitoring the device and obtain notification information from the device with high accuracy.

  Note that the configuration of the monitoring system 1000 is not limited to that shown in FIG. For example, the monitoring control target device included in the monitoring system 1000 is not limited to the device 400a, the device 400b, or the device 400c. The device may be a device in which a network home appliance, a vending machine, a medical device, an industrial machine, a power supply device, a 3D printer, an air conditioning system, a measuring system for gas, water, electricity, and the like have a communication function. For example, as an industrial machine, a processing apparatus, an inspection apparatus, a conveyance apparatus, a picking apparatus, etc. are mentioned. In addition, the monitoring system 1000 may include an imaging device or a sound collection device that is installed around these devices and grasps the state of the devices. Industrial machinery uses various types of data such as numerical data, text data, or image data to identify the device, whether the device is operating or abnormal, information on the replacement time of consumables, inspection results by the device, etc. It transmits to the application 100 via the mediation apparatus 300 using the format. Examples of medical equipment include a fundus examination apparatus, an X-ray examination apparatus, a sphygmomanometer, a body fat scale, a visual acuity meter, and a pacemaker. The medical device uses the various types of data formats such as numerical data, text data, image data, etc., to identify the device identification information, the operation status of the device or whether there is an abnormal operation, the measurement result by the device, and the like. To the app 100 via In addition, the 3D printer has, as modeling methods, material extrusion deposition method (FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)), material jetting, binder jetting, powder sintering additive manufacturing (SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)), stereolithography (SLA) (Stereolithography)). The 3D printer uses various data formats such as numerical data, text data, or image data to indicate the identification information of the device, the operating status of the device, the presence / absence of abnormal operation, or the state of consumables attached to the device. To the application 100 via the mediation device 300.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the monitoring system 1000. In FIG. 13, the monitoring system 1000 includes a facility A 1091 and a facility B 1092, a firewall 1093 and a firewall 1094, and the Internet 1095. A PC (monitoring control application) 1089 or 1090 is an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, and the monitoring control application is operating. The PC (monitoring control application) 1089 or 1090 has a function of acquiring or monitoring or controlling device information. The facility A 1091 includes an intermediary device 1080, an industrial machine 1081, an imaging device 1082, and a sound collecting device 1083. The mediating device 1080 can communicate with the industrial machine 1081, the imaging device 1082, and the sound collecting device 1083 via a wired or wireless LAN. The intermediary device 1080 can communicate with a PC (monitoring control application) 89 or 90 on the Internet 1095 via the firewall 1093 and the cloud 1088. The facility 1092 includes a device 1084 with an intermediary device function, a medical device 1085, a network home appliance 1086, and a vending machine 1087. The device with an intermediary device function 1084 is a device having a function as a device to be monitored or controlled in addition to the function of the intermediary device. The device 1084 with an intermediary device function can communicate with the medical device 1085, the network home appliance 1086, and the vending machine 1087 via a wired or wireless LAN. Further, the device 1084 with the intermediary device function can communicate with the cloud 1088, the PC (monitoring control application) 1089 or 1090 on the Internet 1095 via the firewall 1094. Note that each of the PC (monitoring control application) 1089 or 1090 and the cloud 1088 may be configured by information processing apparatuses such as a plurality of server computers.

  Note that the PC 150 and the intermediary device 300 may be a system including a plurality of information processing devices.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the LAN is an example of a network. The device 400 is an example of a device. The application 100 or the cloud 200 is an example of a computer. The IP address is an example of a communication address. The device alert receiving unit 304 is an example of a first communication unit. The device request transmission unit 305 is an example of a first notification unit. The device alert transmission unit 402 is an example of a second communication unit. The mediation device request communication unit 403 is an example of a second notification unit. The application command transmission unit 202 is an example of a management unit. The device property is an example of device-specific information. The device adding unit 309 or the device searching unit 311 is an example of a specifying unit. The serial number is an example of a serial number.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to such specific embodiment, In the range of the summary of this invention described in the claim, various deformation | transformation・ Change is possible.

1000 Monitoring system 100 Application 150 PC
200 Cloud 300 Mediation Device 400 Device 3001 CPU
3002 Memory 3003 Auxiliary storage device 3004 Network I / F
3005 Power supply 3006 Other I / O
101 User I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Application command transmission part 103 Application notification reception part 104 Device state management part 105 Abnormal state notification part 106 Report totaling / output part 201 Application command reception part 202 Application command transmission part 203 Notification reception part 204 Notification transmission part 205 Communication path management part 301 System monitoring unit 302 User I / F for installation
303 Scheduler 304 Device Alert Receiving Unit 305 Device Request Transmitting Unit 306 Device Information Management Unit 307 Cloud Communication Unit 308 Device Connection Definition Management Unit 309 Device Addition Unit 310 Device Deletion Unit 311 Device Search Unit 312 Mediation Device IP Change Notification Unit 401 Device Alert Detection Unit 402 Device alert transmission unit 403 Mediation device request communication unit 404 Device identifier management unit 405 Mediation device IP management unit 406 Device IP change notification unit 1081 Industrial machine 1082 Imaging device 1083 Sound collection device 1084 Device 1085 with mediation device Medical device 1086 Network Home appliance 1087 Vending machine 1088 Cloud 1089 PC (monitoring control application)
1090 PC (monitoring control application)
1091 Facility A
1092 Facility B
1093 Firewall 1094 Firewall

JP 2009-205356 A

Claims (13)

A monitoring system comprising: a device connected to a network; a computer connected to the network via a firewall; and an intermediary device connected to the network and relaying communication between the device and the computer. ,
The intermediary device is:
A first communication unit that communicates with the device based on a communication address;
A first notification unit that notifies the communication address of the mediation device changed to the device when the communication address of the mediation device is changed;
The equipment is
A second communication unit that communicates with the mediation device based on a communication address;
A second notification unit for notifying the changed communication address of the device to the intermediary device or the computer when the communication address of the device is changed;
The computer
The monitoring system which has a management part which transmits the communication address based on the notification received from the said apparatus to the said mediation apparatus.   The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when the communication address of the mediation device is changed, the first notification unit notifies the computer of the changed communication address of the mediation device.   When the notification of the changed communication address of the mediation device to the device is not successful, the first notification unit performs the notification based on a preset retransmission interval, the number of retransmissions, or a time period for retransmission. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein retransmission is performed.   The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the first notification unit inquires of the computer about the communication address of the device when the notification of the changed communication address of the mediating device to the device is not successful.   The said 1st notification part notifies the search request of the said apparatus to the said computer, when the notification to the said apparatus based on the response which inquired the communication address of the said apparatus from the said computer is not successful. The monitoring system described. If the notification of the changed communication address of the device to the intermediary device is not successful, the second notification unit notifies the computer of the changed communication address of the device,
The management unit transmits a communication address based on the notification received from the device to the mediation device,
The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the first notification unit notifies the device of the communication address of the mediation device based on the communication address received from the management unit.   2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first notification unit notifies a device connected to the network of a transmission request for a serial number of the device based on a device addition request transmitted from the management unit to the mediation device. Monitoring system.   The monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein the intermediary device further includes a specifying unit that specifies the device based on the serial number.   The monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein when the device does not have a serial number, the device is notified of a transmission request for information unique to the device. A monitoring system comprising: a device connected to a network; a computer connected to the network via a firewall; and an intermediary device connected to the network and relaying communication between the device and the computer. ,
A first communication unit that communicates with the device based on a communication address;
A first notification unit for notifying the communication address of the mediation device changed to the device when the communication address of the mediation device is changed;
A second communication unit that communicates with the mediation device based on a communication address;
A second notification unit that notifies the mediation device or the computer of the changed communication address when the communication address of the device is changed;
And a management unit that transmits a communication address based on the notification received from the device to the mediation device. A device connected to a network, a computer executable program connected to the network via a firewall, and an intermediary device connected to the network and relaying communication between the device and the computer A monitoring system,
The intermediary device is:
A first communication unit that communicates with the device based on a communication address;
A first notification unit that notifies the communication address of the mediation device changed to the device when the communication address of the mediation device is changed;
The equipment is
A second communication unit that communicates with the mediation device based on a communication address;
A second notification unit for notifying the changed communication address of the device to the intermediary device or the computer when the communication address of the device is changed;
The program is
The monitoring system which makes the said computer perform the management procedure which transmits the communication address based on the notification received from the said apparatus to the said mediation apparatus. Executable in a monitoring system including a device connected to a network, a computer connected to the network via a firewall, and an intermediary device connected to the network and relaying communication between the device and the computer A program that
A first communication procedure for communicating with the device based on a communication address;
A first notification procedure for notifying the communication address of the mediation device changed to the device when the communication address of the mediation device is changed;
A second communication procedure for communicating with the intermediary device based on a communication address;
A second notification procedure for notifying the mediation device or the computer of the changed communication address when the communication address of the device is changed;
A program for causing the monitoring system to execute a management procedure for transmitting a communication address based on a notification received from the device to the mediation device. Executed by a monitoring system including a device connected to a network, a computer connected to the network via a firewall, and an intermediary device connected to the network and relaying communication between the device and the computer A monitoring method,
A first communication procedure for communicating with the device based on a communication address;
A first notification procedure for notifying the communication address of the mediation device changed to the device when the communication address of the mediation device is changed;
A second communication procedure for communicating with the intermediary device based on a communication address;
A second notification procedure for notifying the mediation device or the computer of the changed communication address when the communication address of the device is changed;
A management method for executing a management procedure for transmitting a communication address based on a notification received from the device to the mediation device.

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