JP7327828B2 - Control device, display system, control method and control program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to control devices, display systems, control methods, and control programs.

Information processing terminals are known in which a monitor and an information processing device are connected.
As a related technique, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an electronic blackboard, in which a display and an information processing device are connected, and which can notify that a display whose operation is not guaranteed is connected. This electronic blackboard is an electronic blackboard in which a display and an information processing device are connected, and includes display information acquisition means, holding means, first determination means, and output means. The display information acquisition means acquires first display information regarding a display connected to the information processing device. The holding means holds second display information regarding whether or not the display is guaranteed to operate by the electronic blackboard. The first determination means compares the first display information and the second display information to determine whether the display is guaranteed to operate. The output means outputs that the operation of the display is not guaranteed when the first judgment means judges that the operation of the display is not guaranteed.

JP 2019-199024 A

As another related technology, consider an example of an information processing terminal to which a plurality of monitors and an information processing device are connected. For example, each of the multiple monitors is a touch panel monitor that allows input operation by the user touching the surface of the monitor with a finger or the like. The information processing terminal is, for example, a multimedia terminal capable of reserving and issuing tickets. A user can receive a desired service by operating a terminal.

In such a terminal, user convenience can be improved by varying the size and arrangement of the monitors according to the content to be displayed on the multiple monitors. For example, it is assumed that this information processing terminal has a main operation monitor for the user to use for main operations and an auxiliary monitor for performing auxiliary display. As the main operation monitor, it is preferable to use a monitor of a certain size so that the user can easily perform touch operations and the like. Also, the main operation monitor is preferably arranged at a position (for example, in front of the chest) that is easy for the user to operate. On the other hand, the auxiliary monitor may be smaller in size than the main operation monitor, and may not necessarily be placed at the position where the user performs the touch operation.

In such an information processing terminal, desired screen display cannot be performed if the information processing device that controls the terminal and each monitor are not properly connected. For example, if the connection between each monitor and the information processing device is reversed, the screen of the main operation monitor is displayed on the auxiliary monitor, and the screen of the auxiliary monitor is displayed on the main operation monitor. The Rukoto. Therefore, it is necessary to detect such erroneous connection in the production stage of the information processing terminal.

To detect such erroneous connection, there is a method of assigning an individual ID to each monitor, linking the monitor and individual wallpaper in the registry of the OS (Operating System), and preventing erroneous connection by displaying the wallpaper when the OS is started. . However, with this method, erroneous connection cannot be detected unless the OS is started. In the terminal production process, if an erroneous connection is detected after the OS is started, the number of backtracking steps increases, and the production loss increases. In order to solve this problem, there is a method of incorporating mutual authentication between the control unit and the monitor, but there is a problem that the system becomes large. Therefore, a technique for detecting erroneous connection with a simple configuration is desired.

The present disclosure is made to solve such problems, and provides a control device, a display system, a control method, and a control program that can detect incorrect connection of a monitor with a simple configuration. intended to

The control device according to the present disclosure is
A controller for a display system having multiple monitors, comprising:
an acquisition unit that acquires monitor information about the monitor connected to the interface;
an authentication unit that authenticates the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information that serves as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
a sending unit that sends display information associated with the interface to the monitor when authentication is successful.

The display system according to the present disclosure is
multiple monitors and
a controller connected to a plurality of said monitors;
The control device is
an acquisition unit that acquires monitor information about the monitor connected to the interface;
an authentication unit that authenticates the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information that serves as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
a sending unit that sends display information associated with the interface to the monitor when authentication is successful.

The control method according to the present disclosure is
A control method executed by a control device of a display system having a plurality of monitors, comprising:
obtaining monitor information about the monitor connected to the interface;
authenticating the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information serving as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
and sending display information associated with the interface to the monitor if the authentication is successful.

The control program according to the present disclosure is
A control program to be executed by a computer possessed by a control device of a display system having a plurality of monitors,
obtaining monitor information about the monitor connected to the interface;
authenticating the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information serving as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
Sending display information associated with the interface to the monitor if the authentication is successful.

A control device, a display system, a control method, and a control program according to the present disclosure enable detection of incorrect connection of a monitor with a simple configuration.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an overview of an information processing terminal (display system) according to a second embodiment; 8 is a block diagram including the configuration of a control device according to a second embodiment; FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a bitmap control unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a bitmap storage unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a configuration control unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a configuration storage unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing control processing performed by the control device according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of a control device according to a second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a monitor for detecting erroneous connection in related technology.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are labeled with the same reference numerals. Duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary for clarity of explanation.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device 10 according to this embodiment. The control device 10 is a control device for a display system having multiple monitors. The control device 10 includes an acquisition section 11 , an authentication section 12 and a transmission section 13 .
Acquisition unit 11 acquires monitor information about a monitor connected to an interface.
The authentication unit 12 authenticates the monitor by comparing the monitor information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 and the reference information that serves as a standard for authenticating the monitor.
The sending unit 13 sends the display information associated with the interface to the monitor when the monitor is successfully authenticated by the authentication unit 12 .

With such a configuration, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment acquires the monitor information of the connected monitor, and compares the monitor information with the reference information, thereby authenticating the monitor. Also, when the monitor is authenticated successfully, the control device 10 sends the display information associated with the interface to the monitor. As a result, the display information associated with the interface is displayed on the monitor, and the user can check the display to know the incorrect connection of the monitor.
As described above, according to the control device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to detect incorrect connection of the monitor with a simple configuration.

<Embodiment 2>
Embodiment 2 is a specific example of Embodiment 1 described above.
First, an overview of an information processing terminal (display system) 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the information processing terminal 1000 according to this embodiment. The information processing terminal 1000 includes a main unit 50, a control device 100, and a plurality of monitors 201-203.

The information processing terminal 1000 is installed, for example, in convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals, public facilities, or the like. The information processing terminal 1000 is a terminal operated by a user to receive a desired service. The information processing terminal 1000 is, for example, a cash processing device, a multimedia terminal, a POS (Point Of Sale) terminal, or the like. The installation location and usage of the information processing terminal 1000 are not limited to these. Information processing terminal 1000 can be applied to various devices that can implement multiple monitors. Note that the information processing terminal 1000 may use a part of the number of monitors that can be mounted. For example, only two monitors may be implemented in a device capable of implementing three monitors.

The main body 50 is configured by a box-shaped housing as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The control device 100 is built in the main unit 50 and controls each function of the information processing terminal 1000 . Monitors 201 to 203 are installed on the outer surface of main unit 50 and display various screens related to service provision under the control of control device 100 . The control device 100 and monitors 201 to 203 are connected via cables for transmitting video signals and control signals. The control device 100 and the monitors 201 to 203 may be configured to be detachable from the main body 50 .

Each of the monitors 201 to 203 is a touch panel monitor that allows an input operation by the user touching the surface of the monitor with a finger or the like. The monitors 201-203 may be, for example, capacitive touch panel monitors. A user can receive a desired service (for example, issuing a ticket) by operating a terminal according to the contents displayed on the monitors 201 to 203 .

As shown in FIG. 2, monitors 201-203 are arranged at different heights. The monitors 201 to 203 are arranged in order of the monitor 202, the monitor 201, and the monitor 203 from the top as viewed from the user. For example, the monitor 201 is as high as the eye level of the user, and the monitors 202 and 203 are arranged above or below the monitor 201 .

Also, the screen sizes of the monitors 201 to 203 are different. For example, the monitors 201 and 202 are sized so that the user can check the screen contents and easily perform touch operations. The monitor 203 is configured with a smaller screen size than the monitors 201 and 202 .

Monitors 201 to 203 display screens with different contents under the control of control device 100 . This allows each monitor to be used for different purposes. In this embodiment, the monitor 201 functions as a main operation monitor, the monitor 202 functions as an information monitor, and the monitor 203 functions as a guidance monitor.

The monitor 201 functions as a main operation monitor for mainly performing touch operations for the user to receive service provision. For example, the user inputs necessary items according to the contents displayed on the monitor 201 and proceeds with the process. The monitor 202 functions as an information monitor that displays various guidance to the user. The monitor 202 displays, for example, information on various products and services while the user operates. The monitor 203 functions as a guidance monitor that displays various guidance to the user. The monitor 203 displays, for example, guidance and warnings regarding the operation method of the information processing terminal 1000 .

In such a terminal, if the control device 100 and the monitors 201 to 203 are not properly connected, the desired screen display cannot be performed.

Here, the problem of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 10 .
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a monitor for detecting erroneous connection in related technology. FIG. 1(a) shows the wallpaper of the OS displayed when the control device 100 and each monitor are properly connected. Here, as an example of image display, a wallpaper image including characters "LCD1", "LCD2", and "LCD3" is shown. The control device 100 assigns an individual ID to each monitor and associates each monitor with an individual wallpaper in the registry of the OS, thereby displaying the wallpaper as shown in FIG.

As will be described later, the control device 100 has IF units 1 to 3 as interfaces with the monitor. In FIG. 4A, IF section 1 and monitor 201, IF section 2 and monitor 202, and IF section 3 and monitor 203 are correctly connected.

If the IF section 1 and the monitor 203, the IF section 2 and the monitor 201, and the IF section 3 and the monitor 202 are connected by mistake, the screen shown in FIG. By visually confirming this display content, an erroneous connection of the monitor can be detected. However, in the production process, even if an erroneous connection can be detected after the OS is started, the process must be redone from the initial stage, resulting in a large number of backtracking steps. A method of detecting erroneous connection by incorporating mutual authentication between the control unit and the monitor is also conceivable, but there is a problem that the system configuration becomes large.

The information processing terminal 1000 according to the present embodiment performs predetermined control processing when the device is started, and directly transmits bitmap data corresponding to each monitor. The monitor number can be displayed on each monitor. As a result, erroneous connection can be detected at the initial stage of the production process, and reversal of the process can be prevented.

Note that the configuration of the information processing terminal 1000 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2 described above. For example, the control device 100 may be provided outside the body portion 50 . Further, the number, arrangement, size, display contents, etc. of the monitors are not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and may be of any configuration. For example, in FIG. 2, monitors 201 to 203 have different sizes, but some or all of them may have the same size. If the monitors 201-203 are all the same size, it is assumed that misconnections are more likely to occur. Also, for example, some or all of the multiple monitors may be display devices that do not have a touch panel function. Further, information processing terminal 1000 may be configured to include a separate input device instead of the touch panel.

<Configuration of control device 100>
Next, the configuration of the control device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram including the configuration of the control device 100. As shown in FIG. The control device 100 is an example of the control device 10 of the first embodiment. The control device 100 is an information processing device that controls various processes in the information processing terminal 1000 . The control device 100 may be realized by a control board or the like.

The control device 100 includes a CPU 120, a configuration control section 110, a bitmap control section 130, a monitor information download section 180, and IF (InterFace) sections 1-3. The IF units 1-3 include IF control units 141-143, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) 151-153, and connectors 171-173.

The configuration of the control device 100 shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example. For example, the control device 100 may be configured using a device in which multiple configurations are integrated. Also, each functional unit in the control device 100 may perform distributed processing using a plurality of devices. Moreover, each functional unit of the control device 100 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

CPU 120 functions as a main control unit that controls the entire control device 100 . The CPU 120 controls the configuration control unit 110, the bitmap control unit 130, the monitor information download unit 180, and the functional units of IF1-3.

The bitmap control unit 130 stores display information to be displayed on each monitor and performs predetermined authentication processing. The bitmap control unit 130 controls transmission of display information to the IF control units 141 to 143 according to the authentication result. The display information is, for example, bitmap data. Details of the display information will be described later.

Here, a detailed configuration of the bitmap control unit 130 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the bitmap control unit 130. As shown in FIG. The bitmap control unit 130 includes a bitmap authentication control unit 131 , a bitmap storage unit 132 and a bitmap profile storage control unit 133 .

The bitmap authentication control unit 131 receives the authentication result of the monitor in the configuration control unit 110 via the CPU 120 . If authentication is successful, bitmap authentication control section 131 permits bitmap profile storage control section 133 to send display information to IF control sections 141-143.

Display information will now be described. The display information is information for indicating interfaces connected to the monitors 201 to 203 by display. The interface is a function for connecting the control device 100 and each monitor. In the example of FIG. 3, IF units 1 to 3 correspond to interfaces. The display information is image information, character information, or the like that indicates different contents according to these interfaces.

The display information is, for example, a background image including characters such as "LCD1", "LCD2", and "LCD3". The display information may be, for example, image information in bitmap format, JPEG format, or PNG format. Also, the display information may include a background color or the like, and may be information in a text format. In the following description, bitmap format data is used as display information. Also, the display information may be referred to as "bitmap data" in some cases.

Since the display information is displayed on each monitor, the user can visually recognize the display, so that the user can grasp to which interface each monitor is connected. Therefore, when a display different from the display at the time of correct connection is displayed, the user can detect the occurrence of incorrect connection.

The bitmap storage unit 132 stores an interface and bitmap data in association with each other. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing bitmap storage information 132a as an example of information stored in the bitmap storage unit 132. As shown in FIG. The bitmap storage information 132a stores, for example, a bitmap ID, interface information, and bitmap data in association with each other.

The bitmap ID is information for identifying bitmap data.
The interface information is information indicating an interface to which bitmap data is to be sent. For example, "IF1" corresponds to IF section 1, "IF2" corresponds to IF section 2, and "IF3" corresponds to IF section 3. Therefore, for example, the bitmap data of "LCD1" is sent from the IF section 1. FIG.

Returning to FIG. 4, the description is continued.
After the configuration in the configuration control unit 110, the bitmap profile storage control unit 133 acquires bitmap data corresponding to each interface from the bitmap storage unit 132. FIG. The bitmap profile storage control unit 133 reconstructs the bitmap data in a format to be sent to each monitor. As a result, the bitmap data can be sent to the IF control units 141-143. Bitmap profile storage controller 133 sends the reconstructed bitmap data to IF controllers 141-143. By doing so, fixed bitmap data corresponding to each monitor is loaded into the IF controllers 141-143. Thus, preparations for sending bitmap data to each monitor can be made.

Returning to FIG. 3, the description continues.
The configuration control unit 110 stores configuration data used for configuring each monitor. Configuration data may include, for example, information on how to send data to each monitor. Also, the configuration control unit 110 performs predetermined authentication processing, and controls the configuration of each monitor according to the authentication result.

Here, a detailed configuration of the configuration control unit 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the configuration control unit 110. As shown in FIG. The configuration control unit 110 includes a configuration authentication control unit 111 , a configuration storage unit 112 and a configuration storage control unit 113 .

The configuration authentication control unit 111 is an example of the acquisition unit 11 and authentication unit 12 of the first embodiment.
The configuration authentication control unit 111 (acquisition unit) acquires monitor information regarding the monitor connected to the interface. The configuration authentication control unit 111 may acquire the monitor information when the power of the control device 100 (own device) is turned on, or may acquire the monitor information at an arbitrary timing.

Monitor information may include information that indicates the characteristics of each monitor. The monitor information is, for example, the manufacturer name and model number of the monitor. For example, the configuration authentication control unit 111 may acquire EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) information from a monitor connected to the control device 100 . The EDID is a binary file that describes display-specific characteristics such as the monitor's supported frequency, resolution, manufacturer's name, and model number.

The configuration authentication control unit 111 may acquire monitor information such as the manufacturer based on the EDID. For example, the control device 100 stores in advance a correspondence table of EDIDs and manufacturers, etc. in the storage device of the control device 100 . The configuration authentication control unit 111 acquires information such as the manufacturer from the acquired monitor information by referring to the correspondence table. The method of acquiring monitor information is not limited to this, and any method may be used.

By doing so, the configuration authentication control unit 111 can acquire the monitor information before the OS is installed. Further, even when an OS is installed, the configuration authentication control unit 111 can acquire monitor information before starting the OS.

Also, the configuration authentication control unit 111 (authentication unit) controls authentication processing necessary for sending predetermined bitmap data to each monitor. The configuration authentication control unit 111 authenticates the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference monitor information (reference information) that serves as a reference for authenticating the monitor. The authentication process determines whether or not the connected monitor is registered in the control device 100 in advance. The reference monitor information is pre-stored in the configuration storage unit 112 . Reference monitor information will be described later.

Configuration authentication control section 111 outputs the authentication result to bitmap control section 130 via CPU 120 . If the monitor authentication fails, the configuration authentication control unit 111 can send a data acquisition message to the CPU 120 to request the monitor information download unit 180 to download the configuration data.

The configuration storage unit 112 stores reference monitor information used for monitor authentication and configuration data used for configuration of each monitor.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing configuration storage information 112a as an example of information stored in the configuration storage unit 112. As shown in FIG. The configuration storage information 112a associates, for example, a configuration data ID, reference monitor information, and configuration data.
The configuration data ID is information for identifying configuration data.

The reference monitor information is information used for monitor authentication processing. The monitor is authenticated by comparing the monitor information acquired by the configuration authentication control unit 111 with the reference monitor information. Reference monitor information may include, for example, information indicating the characteristics of each monitor, similar to the monitor information described above. The reference monitor information includes, for example, the frequency, resolution, manufacturer name, and model number supported by the monitor. Reference monitor information may include EIDI and the like. The reference monitor information can be updated according to the configuration of the monitor using the monitor information download unit 180 or the like, which will be described later.

Configuration data is information for configuring each monitor. Configuration data is, for example, a data transmission method according to each monitor. The configuration data is not limited to this, and may include various information regarding configuration.

Returning to FIG. 6, the description is continued.
When the monitor authentication is successful, the configuration storage control unit 113 acquires the configuration data corresponding to the successfully authenticated monitor from the configuration storage unit 112 and sends it to the corresponding interface. For example, assume that the monitor 201 is connected to the IF section 1 . If the monitor information acquired from the monitor 201 matches the reference monitor information “a1, a2, a3, . . . ” shown in FIG. 7, the monitor 201 is successfully authenticated. In this case, configuration storage control section 113 acquires configuration data “A” and sends the data to IF control section 141 corresponding to IF section 1 . Thereby, the monitor 201 can be configured using the configuration data "A".

Returning to FIG. 3, the description continues.
The IF units 1 to 3 are interfaces for exchanging information between each monitor and the control device 100 .

The IF section 1 has an IF control section 141 and a connector 171 . The IF control unit 141 will be described later. The IF control unit 141 may be implemented by, for example, an FPGA 151, as shown in FIG. The IF control unit 141 is not limited to this, and may be implemented using a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like.

The IF section 2 includes an IF control section 142 implemented by the FPGA 152 and a connector 172 . The IF section 3 includes an IF control section 143 implemented by the FPGA 153 and a connector 173 . Since the configurations of the IF section 2 and the IF section 3 are the same as those of the IF section 1, the description thereof is omitted.

The IF control units 141 to 143 are an example of the sending unit 13 of the first embodiment. If the monitor is successfully authenticated, the IF control units 141 to 143 send the bitmap data associated with the interface to the monitor. The IF controllers 141 to 143 function as transmitters for corresponding interfaces. For example, the IF control section 141 is a sending section of the IF section 1 . Similarly, an IF control unit 142 is a sending unit for the IF unit 2 and an IF control unit 143 is a sending unit for the IF unit 3 .

When the configuration authentication control unit 111 successfully authenticates the monitor, the IF control units 141 to 143 receive configuration data from the configuration storage control unit 113 . The IF control units 141 to 143 configure the monitors using the configuration data associated with the reference monitor information before sending the bitmap data to each monitor.

After completing the configuration, the IF control units 141 to 143 receive bitmap data from the bitmap profile storage control unit 133 . The bitmap data are associated with the IF parts 1-3. For example, the IF control unit 141 receives bitmap data associated with the IF unit 1 . The bitmap data is reconfigured in the bitmap profile storage control unit 133 into a transmission format corresponding to each monitor.

The IF control units 141 to 143 send the received bitmap data to the connected monitor. For example, when IF1 is connected to monitor 201 , IF control unit 141 sends bitmap data “LCD1” corresponding to IF unit 1 to monitor 201 . As a result, the image of “LCD1” is displayed on the monitor 201 . By checking this display, the user can confirm that the monitor 201 is properly connected.

Here, the display when the monitor is erroneously connected will be described.
Assume that the IF section 1 and the monitor 202 are connected as indicated by the dashed line a in FIG. 3, and the monitor 202 succeeds in authentication. In this case as well, the IF control unit 141 sends the monitor 202 the bitmap data of “LCD1” associated with the IF unit 1 . Therefore, the image of “LCD1” is displayed on the monitor 202 . This allows the user to know that the monitor 202 has been erroneously connected to the IF section 1 . The control device 100 can perform such authentication processing and image display immediately after activation without the need to activate the OS. As a result, the user can recognize incorrect connection of the monitor at the initial stage of the production process.

The description continues with reference to FIG.
The monitor information download unit 180 functions as a request unit that requests acquisition of reference monitor information corresponding to the monitor when the monitor fails authentication. If there is no configuration data for the connected monitor in the configuration storage unit 112, the monitor information download unit 180 requests acquisition of configuration data corresponding to the monitor.

For example, various data are stored in advance in a data server for download. The monitor information download unit 180 makes a download request to the data server. The monitor information download unit 180 downloads information that matches the monitor information of the connected monitor and stores it in the configuration storage unit 112 . By doing so, the monitor information download unit 180 can newly add monitor information that did not exist in the configuration storage unit 112 . Alternatively, the control device 100 may output a message to the user and replace the configuration data manually.

Similarly, the monitor information download unit 180 may request acquisition of bitmap data. For example, suppose the number of monitors is increased from three to four. The monitor information download unit 180 requests the data server to acquire bitmap data indicating "LCD4" corresponding to the fourth monitor. The monitor information download unit 180 stores the acquired bitmap data in the bitmap storage unit 132 .

By doing so, the control device 100 can update the information stored in the bitmap storage unit 132 or the configuration storage unit 112 according to the configuration of the monitor mounted on the information processing terminal 1000 . Monitor configuration may include monitor characteristics, number of monitors, placement of monitors, or the like. The characteristics of the monitor are the manufacturer name, model number, frequency, resolution, etc. included in the monitor information. Therefore, the control device 100 can respond by updating the bitmap data and the configuration data even when the monitor itself to be mounted is changed, the number of monitors is increased or decreased, or the monitor arrangement is changed. .

When these data are downloaded, the CPU 120 resets the bitmap control unit 130 and the configuration control unit 110 . This can increase the flexibility of the device configuration. In addition, since data can be downloaded from the outside, even in an environment where different devices coexist, it is possible to acquire data according to the device. Therefore, it is possible to increase the flexibility of the production process.

<Control processing>
Next, the processing executed in the information processing terminal 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing control processing performed by the control device 100 .
The bitmap storage unit 132 (see FIG. 4) stores in advance bitmap data corresponding to the interface. Reference monitor information and configuration data are stored in advance in the configuration storage unit 112 (see FIG. 6). Further, the monitors 201 to 203 are connected to the control device 100 before the control device 100 is activated.

When the control device 100 is activated, the configuration authentication control unit 111 acquires monitor information of the monitors 201 to 203 (S1). The configuration authentication control unit 111 determines whether the acquired monitor information matches the reference monitor information in the configuration storage unit 112 (S2). Thereby, the configuration authentication control unit 111 authenticates the connected monitor.

Configuration authentication control section 111 outputs the authentication result to bitmap control section 130 . If the monitor information acquired at startup matches the pre-stored reference monitor information (YES in S2), the monitor succeeds in authentication and proceeds to the next process. Assume that all of the monitors 201 to 203 are successfully authenticated. The case where they do not match (NO in S2) will be described later.

The configuration control unit 110 configures each monitor (S3). Specifically, the configuration authentication control unit 111 permits the configuration storage control unit 113 to start configuration. The configuration storage control unit 113 acquires configuration data of each monitor by referring to the configuration storage unit 112, and loads the data into the corresponding IF control units 141-143. The IF control units 141 to 143 configure each monitor according to the loaded configuration data.

The bitmap control unit 130 loads the bitmap data into the IF control units 141 to 143 (S4). Specifically, bitmap authentication control unit 131 receives the authentication result and permits bitmap profile storage control unit 133 to transmit bitmap data to IF control units 141-143. The bitmap profile storage control unit 133 acquires the bitmap data corresponding to the IF units 1-3 from the bitmap storage unit 132 and loads the data into the corresponding IF control units 141-143.

The IF control units 141 to 143 send bitmap data to each monitor (S5). As a result, the monitors 201-203 display the bitmap data associated with the IF units 1-3, respectively.

Assume that some or all of the connected monitors have not succeeded in authentication in step S2 (NO in S2). In this case, the monitor information download unit 180 requests the external download data server or the like to download the monitor information (S6). The monitor information download unit 180 stores the downloaded monitor information in the configuration storage unit 112 as reference monitor information. Note that the monitor information download unit 180 may output a message to the user, receive manual data input from the user, and update the monitor information.

By performing such control processing, the control device 100 can cause the monitors 201 to 203 to display bitmap data corresponding to the interfaces. An example of a display screen is as shown in FIG. 10 described using related art. The control device 100 can perform such display before the OS is installed. For example, when the IF section 1 and the monitor 203 are incorrectly connected when the IF section 1 and the monitor 201 should be properly connected, the control device 100 indicates the connection with the IF section 1 to the monitor 203. Display the image of "LCD1".

As described above, according to the information processing terminal 1000 according to the present embodiment, in a display system having a plurality of monitors 201 to 203, the control device 100 executes a predetermined process to prevent the user from misconnecting the monitors. can be easily detected.
The control device 100 acquires monitor information about the monitor connected to the interface, compares the monitor information with pre-stored reference monitor information, and authenticates the monitor. If the authentication succeeds, bitmap data stored in advance as display information is sent to the monitor. By doing so, when an unexpected monitor is connected to the control device 100, bitmap data can be prevented from being sent to the monitor.

The control device 100 can directly transmit predetermined bitmap data to the connected monitors and display the data on each monitor. By doing so, a fixed bitmap image corresponding to each monitor can be directly displayed even before the OS is started, so that if there is an erroneous connection, the user can confirm that fact immediately after the apparatus is started. As a result, it is possible to detect incorrect connection of the monitor using a simple configuration in the initial stage of production before OS implementation, and to prevent backtracking in the production process.

Further, when the reference monitor information is not stored, the control device 100 can acquire the information by making a download request to an external server or the like. Therefore, when an unexpected monitor is connected, the control device 100 can newly download the configuration data. By doing so, it is possible to change the bitmap data to be sent out according to the configuration of the device, and change the control circuit according to the monitor to be installed. This can increase the flexibility of the device configuration.

<Hardware configuration example>
Each functional configuration unit of the control device 100 may be implemented by hardware (eg, hardwired electronic circuit, etc.) that implements each functional configuration unit, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software (eg, electronic A combination of a circuit and a program that controls it, etc.). A case in which each functional component of the control device 100 is implemented by a combination of hardware and software will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computer 900 that implements the control device 100. As shown in FIG. Computer 900 may be a dedicated computer designed to implement control device 100, or may be a general-purpose computer.

Computer 900 has a bus 902 , processor 904 , memory 906 , storage device 908 , input/output interface 910 and network interface 912 . A bus 902 is a data transmission path for the processor 904, memory 906, storage device 908, input/output interface 910, and network interface 912 to transmit and receive data to and from each other. However, the method of connecting the processors 904 and the like to each other is not limited to bus connection.

The processor 904 is various processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The memory 906 is a main memory implemented using a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like. The storage device 908 is an auxiliary storage device implemented using a hard disk, SSD (Solid State Drive), memory card, ROM (Read Only Memory), or the like. Storage device 908 may be used as bitmap storage 132 and configuration storage 112 .

The input/output interface 910 is an interface for connecting the computer 900 and input/output devices. For example, the input/output interface 910 is connected to an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a display device. Input/output interface 910 can be used as IF units 1-3 for connecting monitors 201-203. A network interface 912 is an interface for connecting the computer 900 to a network. This network may be a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

The storage device 908 stores a program that implements each functional component of the control device 100 . The processor 904 implements each functional component of the control device 100 by reading this program into the memory 906 and executing it. Each of the processors executes one or more programs containing instructions for causing the computer to perform the algorithms described with the drawings. This program includes instructions (or software code) that, when read into a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more of the functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or tangible storage medium. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media or tangible storage media may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drives (SSD) or other memory technology, CDs -ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disc storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example, and not limitation, transitory computer readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

1 to 3 IF unit 10 control device 11 acquisition unit 12 authentication unit 13 sending unit 50 main unit 100 control device 110 configuration control unit 111 configuration authentication control unit 112 configuration storage unit 112a configuration storage information 113 configuration storage control unit 130 bitmap control unit 131 bitmap authentication control unit 132 bitmap storage unit 132a bitmap storage information 133 bitmap profile storage control units 141 to 143 IF control units 151 to 153 FPGA
171-173 connector 180 monitor information download unit 201-203 monitor 900 computer 902 bus 904 processor 906 memory 908 storage device 910 input/output interface 912 network interface 1000 information processing terminal (display system)

Claims (10)

A controller for a display system having multiple monitors connected simultaneously , comprising:
an acquisition unit that acquires monitor information about the monitor connected to the interface for each of the plurality of monitors ;
an authentication unit that authenticates the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information that serves as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
a sending unit that sends display information for displaying the interface associated with the interface to the monitor when authentication is successful. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the sending unit configures the monitor using configuration data associated with the reference information before sending the display information. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a request unit that requests acquisition of the reference information corresponding to the monitor when the authentication fails. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the monitor information is acquired before an OS (Operating System) is installed. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reference information can be updated according to configurations of the plurality of monitors. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display information is image information that differs according to the interface. multiple monitors connected at the same time ;
a controller connected to a plurality of said monitors;
The control device is
an acquisition unit that acquires monitor information about the monitor connected to the interface for each of the plurality of monitors ;
an authentication unit that authenticates the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information that serves as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
a sending unit that sends display information associated with the interface for displaying the interface to the monitor when authentication is successful. 8. The display system according to claim 7, wherein the sending unit configures the monitor using configuration data associated with the reference information before sending the display information. A control method executed by a control device of a display system having multiple monitors connected simultaneously , comprising:
obtaining monitor information about the monitors connected to the interface for each of the plurality of monitors ;
authenticating the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information serving as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
and sending display information associated with the interface for displaying the interface to the monitor if the authentication is successful. A control program to be executed by a computer possessed by a control device of a display system having a plurality of monitors connected at the same time ,
obtaining monitor information about the monitors connected to the interface for each of the plurality of monitors ;
authenticating the monitor by comparing the monitor information with reference information serving as a standard for authenticating the monitor;
A control program that causes the computer to execute a step of sending display information for displaying the interface associated with the interface to the monitor if the authentication is successful.

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