JP2021103862A - Mouse operation device and remote monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mouse operation device having a simple configuration and a high degree of freedom, and a remote monitoring system.SOLUTION: A mouse operation device for remotely operating a mouse M, which is a pointing device, includes: a fixing mechanism 22 that positions and fixes the mouse M; a pseudo movement mechanism (actuator 3a) that actuates a movement detection mechanism (trackball M1) incorporated in the mouse M in a state of being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism 22; a switch actuation mechanism (actuators 3c and 3d) that actuates a switch incorporated in the mouse M in the state of being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism 22; an operation control unit 35 that performs drive control on the pseudo movement mechanism and the switch actuation mechanism; and a communication interface 36 that inputs a control command to the operation control unit 35 from an external device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a mouse operating device and a remote monitoring system.

Maintenance management using computer systems is widely performed in various plants and processing facilities. For example, a computer system installed in a water purification plant may be equipped with predetermined equipment such as pumps and various actuators for performing a series of processes such as water intake from a sand pond, coagulant injection, floc formation, sedimentation filtration, disinfection, and water distribution. A display device consisting of an arithmetic unit that executes various arithmetic processes and a liquid crystal display element that displays the results in order to control and monitor the status via various sensors that monitor water quality and quantity. It is equipped with an input device that controls various devices based on the information displayed on the display device.

In addition to the mouse, which is a pointing device, as an input device, it is equipped with a keyboard, etc., and the display device executes specific functions such as icons for controlling various devices in addition to the status display image that displays the status of the water purification plant. An image showing the operation switch to be operated is displayed. The operator visually observes the screen displayed on the display device to grasp the state of the facility, and is configured to select and operate various icons via the mouse as needed.

However, due to the recent population decline, it is difficult to replenish new personnel due to the aging of skilled workers who maintain and manage the facilities. In addition, even if new personnel are secured, it is extremely difficult to provide individual education for maintaining and managing the facility. Therefore, it has been extremely difficult to appropriately respond to various events that occur in the facility that an inexperienced worker is in charge of based on instructions by telephone or the like.

On the other hand, since the computer system installed in the facility is a system specialized for facility management, it is often difficult to realize the remote access function provided in a general-purpose OS such as Windows. Currently, it is not possible to spend a lot of money to develop a new computer system with remote access (Windows is a registered trademark).

Patent Document 1 proposes a remote control system that makes it possible to easily realize unmanned control stations without significantly modifying the system. The remote control system includes a first display device as an interface of a computer arranged in a remote control center, an imaging means capable of photographing the screen thereof, a second display for monitoring for displaying an image of the imaging means, and the like. It is characterized by providing a cursor operating means for remotely operating the cursor of the first display while observing the image of the first display displayed on the second display.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 09-107590

However, in the above-mentioned remote control system, remote control is performed after grasping the relative relationship between the coordinates of the image of the first display displayed on the second display and the coordinates of the image displayed on the actual first display. Since the screen is selected using a converter instead of the mouse that operates the computer located in the facility, the relative relationship is determined each time according to the pan angle and tilt angle of the imaging means, and the zoom magnification. It is necessary to ask. Therefore, it is necessary to grasp the relative positional relationship of the imaging means with respect to the first display, and it is very complicated and costly to deal with changes in the pan angle, tilt angle, and zoom magnification of the imaging means. There was a problem. In addition, it was necessary to construct a computer system equipped with a second display for monitoring individually at each remote control station, and it was not a general-purpose system with a degree of freedom that could be remotely controlled from any location.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mouse operation device and a remote monitoring system having a simple configuration and a high degree of freedom in view of the above-mentioned prior art.

In order to achieve the above object, the first characteristic configuration of the mouse operating device according to the present invention is a mouse operating device for remotely operating a mouse, which is a pointing device, and a fixing mechanism for positioning and fixing the mouse. And, the pseudo-movement mechanism that operates the movement detection mechanism incorporated in the mouse in the state of being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism, and the switch incorporated in the mouse are operated in the state of being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism. It is provided with a switch operating mechanism for causing the mouse to operate, an operation control unit for driving and controlling the pseudo-moving mechanism and the switch operating mechanism, and a communication interface for inputting a control command from an external device to the operation control unit.

By operating the pseudo-movement mechanism for the mouse positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism, the movement detection mechanism of the mouse is activated, the cursor displayed on the display screen is moved, and the switch operation mechanism is operated to operate the mouse. The left and right click switches are activated. Such a pseudo-moving mechanism and a switch operating mechanism are controlled by an operation control unit that operates based on a control command input from an external device via a communication interface. Since the actual mouse is controlled, the desired operation can be realized accurately.

In addition to the above-mentioned first feature configuration, the second feature configuration includes a rotation operation mechanism for rotating a wheel incorporated in the mouse in a state of being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism, and the operation control is provided. The unit is to control the rotation operating mechanism based on a control command input from the external device via the communication interface.

By operating the rotation actuating mechanism with respect to the mouse positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism, the wheel of the mouse can be rotated and the display screen can be scrolled.

The third feature configuration is that, in addition to the first or second feature configuration described above, the pseudo-movement mechanism operates the movement detection mechanism by rotating the ball.

When the ball is rotationally operated by the pseudo-movement mechanism with respect to the mouse positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism, the movement detection mechanism of the mouse is operated accordingly.

The first characteristic configuration of the remote monitoring system according to the present invention is a remote monitoring system including a calculation unit, an input device, and a display device, which remotely monitors and operates a local computer system that controls a predetermined device. It operates based on a remote monitoring server that remotely monitors a local computer system, a camera device that uploads a monitor image displayed on a display device of the local computer system to the remote monitoring server, and a control command from the remote monitoring server. A mouse operating device having the above-mentioned first or second characteristic configuration, an arithmetic unit, an input device, and a display device are provided, and the remote monitoring server is communicably connected to operate the local computer system remotely. A remote control computer is provided, and the monitor image is downloaded from the remote monitoring server to the remote control computer, and is remotely based on the monitor image displayed on the display device of the remote control computer. When the control command input to the input device of the remote operation computer by the operator is uploaded to the remote monitoring server, the control command is output from the remote monitoring server to the mouse operation device, and the local computer system The point is that it has a remote operation mode in which it is operated remotely.

When the remote operator inputs a control command to the input device of the remote control computer based on the monitor image of the local computer system displayed on the display device of the remote control computer, the control command is sent from the remote monitoring server to the mouse control device. Is output to, and the local computer system is operated remotely. The local computer system can be remotely controlled at any location regardless of the location of the remote control computer.

The second feature configuration is that, in addition to the first feature configuration described above, when the mouse is positioned and fixed to the fixing mechanism of the mouse operating device, the remote control mode is activated.

Since the remote control mode is activated by positioning and fixing the mouse provided in the local computer system to the fixing mechanism, it is no longer necessary to switch between controlling the local computer system in the field and remotely, and forgetting to switch. Human error can be prevented in advance.

In the third feature configuration, in addition to the first or second feature configuration described above, the remote monitoring server is time-stamped with control commands output from the remote monitoring server to the mouse operating device. It is provided with a remote operation history storage unit that stores the remote operation history, and is configured to be collated with the operation history information recorded in the local computer system.

The operation history information when remotely controlled and the operation history information recorded in the local computer system can be collated.

As described above, according to the present invention, it has become possible to provide a mouse operating device and a remote monitoring system having a high degree of freedom with a simple configuration.

(A) is an explanatory view of a mouse operating device from a bird's-eye view, (b) is a notched side view of the mouse operating device, and (c) is a notched plan view of the mouse operating device. (A) is a notch plan view for explaining the switch operation mechanism and the rotation operation mechanism provided in the mouse operation device, and (b) and (c) are cuts for explaining the switch operation mechanism and the pseudo movement mechanism provided in the mouse operation device. Notch side view (A) to (c) are explanatory diagrams of the pseudo-movement mechanism, and (d) is an explanatory diagram of operation icons for the mouse operating device. Explanatory diagram of remote monitoring system

The mouse operating device and the remote monitoring system according to the present invention will be described below.
A mouse M and a mouse operating device 1 are shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

The mouse M is an input device used as one of the pointing devices for a computer. The mouse M is provided with a trackball M1 constituting a movement detection mechanism on the lower surface of the mouse case, a wheel M2 on the upper surface of the mouse case, and left and right pressing operation units M3. It is equipped with M4 and so on. Inside the mouse case, there is an encoder that detects rotation in two directions orthogonal to the trackball M1, an encoder that detects the rotation of the wheel M2, and left and right that operate with the left and right pressing operation units M3 and M4. It is equipped with a switch and a signal processing unit.

The signal processing unit is an electronic circuit that generates operation information of the mouse M based on the states of each encoder and switch, and includes a communication interface that transmits the generated operation information to a computer. A mouse pointer indicating the position of the mouse is displayed on the screen of the display device connected to the computer, and the mouse pointer moves in synchronization with the movement of the trackball M1. Further, when the switch is operated by pressing the left pressing operation unit M3, the left click is performed, and when the switch is operated by pressing the right pressing operation unit M4, the right click is performed. The screen scrolls according to the speed. By clicking the icon displayed on the screen with the mouse M, the process assigned to each icon is executed.

The mouse operating device 1 is a device for remotely controlling the mouse M, which is a pointing device. The mouse operating device 1 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container 2 for accommodating the mouse M, and a plurality of actuators 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d provided in the container 2.

The container 2 is provided with a partition plate 21 that divides the internal space into upper and lower parts, and the upper space of the partition plate 21 serves as a storage space for the mouse M. In the upper space, a plurality of elastic members functioning as a fixing mechanism 22 for positioning and fixing the mouse M are fixed to the inner wall of the container 2. With the mouse M fixed by the fixing mechanism 22, the trackball M1 of the mouse M is positioned so as to be positioned in the opening 21h formed in the partition plate 21. A plate-shaped member made of malt plane or synthetic rubber is used as the elastic member.

The actuator 3a is a pseudo-movement mechanism that operates the trackball M1 which is a movement detection mechanism incorporated in the mouse M in a state where the actuator 3a is positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism 22.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the actuator 3a is a drive mechanism that rotationally drives the ball 30, which is a sphere supported rotatably, and the ball 30 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions orthogonal to each other on a two-dimensional plane. It has 31 and 32. The drive mechanisms 31 and 32 are provided with the encoder built-in motors 31a and 32a and the columnar friction transmitters 31b and 32b attached to the output shafts of the motors 31a and 32a and arranged so that the peripheral surface is in contact with the ball 30. There is.

As shown in FIG. 3 (b), when the friction transmitter 31b rotates around the X axis, the ball 30 rotates around the axis parallel to the X axis, and as shown in FIG. 3 (c), the friction transmitter When the 32b rotates about the Y-axis, the ball 30 rotates around the axis parallel to the Y-axis. When the ball 30 rotates, the trackball M1 of the mouse M, which is in frictional contact with the ball 30, rotates in conjunction with the rotation.

With the actuators 3c and 3d positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism 22, the actuators 3c and 3d are interlocked with the left and right pressing operation units M3 and M4 of the mouse M to act as a switch operating mechanism for operating the switch incorporated in the mouse M. Further, the actuator 3b serves as a rotation operating mechanism for operating the wheel M2 incorporated in the mouse M.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the actuator 3b is a cylindrical friction transmitter 33b attached to the motor 33a with a built-in encoder and the output shaft of the motor 33a and arranged so that the peripheral surface is in contact with the wheel M2. As the motor 33a rotates, the wheel M2 rotates via the friction transmitter 33b.

The actuators 3c and 3d are attached to the motor 34a with a built-in encoder and the output shaft of the motor 34a, and the peripheral surface is composed of a cam plate 34b located in the vicinity of the pressing operation units M3 and M4. The pressing operation units M3 and M4 are pressed by the cam plate 34b to operate the switch. When the cam plate 34b makes one rotation, it becomes one click, and when the cam plate 34b makes two rotations, it becomes a double click.

Further, in the lower space of the partition plate 21, an operation control unit 35 in which the above-mentioned pseudo-movement mechanism drives and controls the switch operation mechanism, and a communication interface 36 for inputting a control command from an external device to the operation control unit 35 are provided. There is.

By operating the pseudo-movement mechanism (actuator 3a) with respect to the mouse M positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism 22, the movement detection mechanism of the mouse M is activated and displayed on the screen of the display device connected to the computer. By moving the mouse cursor and operating the switch operating mechanism, the left and right click switches of the mouse M are activated. Such a pseudo-moving mechanism and a switch operating mechanism are controlled by an operation control unit 35 that operates based on a control command input from an external device via the communication interface 36. Since the actual mouse M is controlled, the desired operation can be accurately realized.

FIG. 4 shows a remote monitoring system incorporating the mouse operating device 1 described above. The remote monitoring system 10 includes a local computer system LCS, a remote monitoring server 40, and a remote control computer 50.

The remote monitoring system 10 is, for example, a remote monitoring system that is installed in a water purification plant and remotely monitors and operates a local computer system LCS that controls equipment for water purification. The local computer system LCS is provided with a calculation unit 11 including a CPU board, a liquid crystal display device 13, and an input device 12, and includes a mouse M and a keyboard as the input device 12. The mouse M is housed in the mouse operating device 1 described above.

In the local computer system LCS, a camera device 14 that captures a monitor image displayed on the display device 13, a control device 15 that outputs an operation command to the mouse operation device 1 described above, and an image of the camera device 14 are provided on the Internet. It is provided with a communication interface 16 that transmits to the remote monitoring server 40 via the above, receives an operation command from the remote operation computer 50, and outputs the operation command to the control device 15. As the communication interface 16, a wireless communication interface such as Wi-Fi is preferably used.

The remote monitoring server 40 is a cloud-type server that remotely monitors the local computer system LCS, and the monitor image displayed on the display device 13 of the local computer system LCS taken by the camera device 14 is uploaded via the communication interface 16. To.

The remote control computer 50 includes an input device such as a display device 51 and a mouse 52. The remote control computer 50 is connected to the remote control server 40 via the Internet, and the monitor image downloaded from the remote control server 40 is displayed on the display device of the remote control computer 50.

The remote operator remotely controls the mouse operation device 1 of the local computer system LCS by visually observing the monitor image displayed on the display device 51 of the remote control computer 50 and operating the mouse 52 of the remote control computer 50. It is configured to be controllable.

Monitor images are uploaded to the remote monitoring server 40 from each of the local computer systems LCS installed in the plurality of facilities, and necessary monitor images are downloaded from the plurality of remote control computers 50 connected to the remote monitoring server 40. It is configured to be monitorable. When connecting the remote control computer 50 to the remote monitoring server 40, it is necessary to enter user information such as an ID and password to log in, and each user and the local computer system LCS operated by each user. The association information with is recorded in the remote monitoring server 40 as operation log information.

In addition to the monitor image displayed on the display device 13 of the local computer system LCS, the display device 51 of the remote operation computer 50 simultaneously displays the guidance image 60 for mouse operation, and the guidance image 60 is operated by the mouse. As a result, an operation command for the mouse operation device 1 provided in the local computer system LCS is generated. As the remote control computer 50, a portable information terminal such as a tablet computer or a smartphone can be used in addition to the desktop computer and the laptop computer.

The guide image 60 is shown in FIG. 3 (d). In addition to the up, down, left, and right "solid line arrows" and "double line arrows," icon images such as "left," "right," and "double" are displayed. By clicking the "solid line arrow" or the "double line arrow", the trackball of the mouse M positioned and fixed to the mouse operating device 1 is rotationally driven via the actuator 3a, and the mouse cursor moves in the direction of the arrow. The result is reflected in the monitor image. The difference between "solid arrow" and "double line arrow" lies in the difference in the cursor movement pitch of mouse M. Mouse M by clicking "double line arrow" from the cursor movement pitch of mouse M by clicking "solid line arrow". The cursor movement pitch of is set to be large.

When "left" is clicked, an operation command corresponding to the left click is generated and transmitted to the mouse operation device 1, and when "right" is clicked, an operation command corresponding to the right click is generated and transmitted to the mouse operation device 1. When "double" is clicked, an operation command corresponding to the double click is generated and transmitted to the mouse operating device 1. The "Setting" icon in Fig. 3 (d) is an icon for setting the mouse movement pitch for clicking the "solid arrow" or "double line arrow", and when "Setting" is pressed, the pitch setting screen is displayed. Then, the movement pitch of the clicked "solid line arrow" or "double line arrow" is updated by clicking the "solid line arrow" or "double line arrow" after inputting the pitch numerically.

An icon image showing the direction of rotation with respect to the wheel M2 is shown in the upper right of the guide image 60. When the arrow in the lower row is clicked, the wheel M2 rotates by a predetermined angle toward the front side, and the screen scrolls slightly upward accordingly. When you click the arrow in the upper row, the wheel M2 rotates forward by a predetermined angle, and the screen scrolls slightly downward accordingly. When the lower arrow is dragged, the wheel M2 rotates toward you at a predetermined speed during that time, and the screen continuously scrolls upward accordingly. When the upper arrow is dragged, the wheel M2 rotates forward at a predetermined speed during that time, and the screen continuously scrolls downward accordingly.

The operation command for the mouse operation device 1 is configured to be transmitted to the mouse operation device 1 of the local computer system LCS via the remote monitoring server 40, and each operation history is stored together with the time stamp in the storage device of the remote monitoring server 40. Is remembered in.

The above-mentioned local computer system LCS is originally operated by the operator of the facility where the system is installed, but by switching the operation mode of the local computer system LCS to the remote control mode, the mode is switched to the above-mentioned remote control mode. ..

It is preferable that the fixing mechanism 22 of the mouse operating device 1 described above is provided with a switch for detecting that the mouse M is positioned and fixed, and when the switch is activated, the mode is switched to the remote control mode and the remote control mode is activated. ..

Since the remote control mode is activated by positioning and fixing the mouse provided in the local computer system to the fixing mechanism, it is not necessary to intentionally switch between controlling the local computer system in the field and remotely. Human error such as forgetting to switch can be prevented in advance.

Further, if the remote monitoring server 40 is provided with a remote operation history storage unit that stores the remote operation history in which the control command output from the remote monitoring server 40 to the mouse operation device 1 is time-stamped, the local computer system It becomes possible to collate with the operation history information recorded in the LCS, and various ex post facto verifications become possible. It is preferable to record an image by screen capture at the same time when the execution operation is performed by right-clicking, because the actually executed operation can be visually collated.

In the above-described embodiment, the movement detection mechanism provided in the mouse is configured to include the trackball M1, but the movement detection mechanism is not limited to the ball type, but is not limited to the ball type, but is an optical type, a laser type, a blue LED type, and an IR. Other methods such as a sensor type may be adopted. In this case, the rotation of the ball 30 is detected by reflecting the detection light emitted from the light source onto the surface of the ball 30 from the surface of the ball 30 toward the mouse.

The above-described embodiments are all examples of the present invention, and the description does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and it is possible to appropriately modify and design within the range in which the effects of the present invention are exhibited. Needless to say.

1: Mouse operating device 2: Container 3a: Pseudo-movement mechanism (actuator)
3b: Rotational operation mechanism (actuator)
3c, 3d: Switch operating mechanism (actuator)
22: Fixing mechanism 10: Remote monitoring system 35: Operation control unit 36: Communication interface 40: Remote monitoring server 50: Remote control computer 60: Guide image M: Mouse M1: Trackball M2: Wheels M3, M4: Pressing operation unit

Claims (6)

A mouse operating device for remotely controlling a mouse, which is a pointing device.
A fixing mechanism that positions and fixes the mouse,
A pseudo-movement mechanism that operates a movement detection mechanism incorporated in the mouse while being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism.
A switch operating mechanism that operates a switch incorporated in the mouse while being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism.
An operation control unit that drives and controls the pseudo-movement mechanism and the switch operation mechanism,
A communication interface for inputting control commands from an external device to the operation control unit,
A mouse operating device equipped with. A rotation operating mechanism for rotating a wheel incorporated in the mouse while being positioned and fixed by the fixing mechanism is provided.
The mouse operation device according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit controls the rotation operation mechanism based on a control command input from the external device via the communication interface. The mouse operating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pseudo-movement mechanism operates the movement detection mechanism by rotating the ball. A remote monitoring system that remotely monitors and operates a local computer system that has an arithmetic unit, an input device, and a display device to control a predetermined device.
A remote monitoring server that remotely monitors the local computer system,
A camera device that uploads a monitor image displayed on the display device of the local computer system to the remote monitoring server, and a camera device.
The mouse operating device according to any one of claims 3 to 3, which operates based on a control command from the remote monitoring server.
A remote-controlled computer that includes a calculation unit, an input device, and a display device, is connected to the remote monitoring server in a communicable manner, and remotely operates the local computer system.
Is configured with
The monitor image is downloaded from the remote monitoring server to the remote control computer, and based on the monitor image displayed on the display device of the remote control computer, the remote operator makes the input device of the remote control computer. When the input control command is uploaded to the remote monitoring server,
A remote monitoring system having a remote control mode in which the control command is output from the remote monitoring server to the mouse operating device to remotely control the local computer system. The remote monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein when the mouse is positioned and fixed to the fixing mechanism of the mouse operation device, the remote operation mode is activated. The remote monitoring server is provided with a remote operation history storage unit that stores a remote operation history in which a control command output from the remote monitoring server to the mouse operation device is time-stamped, and is recorded in the local computer system. The remote monitoring system according to claim 4 or 5, which is configured to be collated with operation history information.

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