JP6697259B2 - Electronic device monitoring system and data management server - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring system or the like capable of monitoring a failure of an electronic device or a network failure.

  In recent years, services provided via various electronic devices and networks have become widespread. For example, there is a recording device that is connected to an EPG (electronic program guide) server via a network, periodically acquires the latest program guide information, and can receive and record a television program based on the program guide information. is there.

  Such a TV program recording device is installed in, for example, a company or a home, and simultaneously records all broadcasts of a plurality of TV stations for a long time and stores them in a database, so that a user's intended video can be freely extracted. Can be played.

  However, there is a problem that the program cannot be recorded unless the latest program guide information is acquired due to a failure of the TV program recording device, a network failure, or the like. Particularly, in the television program recording device used as described above, there is a demand for recording some television program broadcasting without missing.

  Therefore, in order to minimize the period during which recording is not possible even when a situation such as a failure of the TV program recording device, a network failure, or a power failure occurs, a TV program recording device installed in each company or home or It has been desired that the administrator can promptly recognize the fault occurring in the network and contact the administrator voluntarily without waiting for the contact from the customer to immediately perform the inspection and repair.

  As an apparatus capable of monitoring the state of the device on the customer side as described above, there is an information processing system of Patent Document 1. In the information processing system of Patent Document 1, a server device transmits a command instructing to transmit operation information of the electronic device to electronic devices installed in various places, and the electronic device returns the operation information. Is configured.

  According to the information processing system of Patent Document 1, it is possible to know whether the electronic device is operating normally from the operation information returned from the electronic device, and if there is no reply from the electronic device, a network failure occurs. Since the occurrence of the occurrence can be recognized on the server device side, the administrator can take initial action.

  However, in recent years, there is a problem of invasion of viruses and the like from the network, and the security of electronic devices is being strengthened. Therefore, a method in which a command is transmitted from the server device side and the command is received by the electronic device side However, the possibility that the virus could invade the electronic device together with the command signal cannot be denied, which is not preferable.

  Further, since the security level of the electronic device can be changed each time, if the security level is enhanced, the reception of commands from the server device may be blocked, and proper monitoring may not be possible.

Therefore, avoiding the problems described above, grasp the operating status of the electronic devices installed in each company or home, and if there is an electronic device with a failure or network failure, select the electronic device. There has been a demand for a monitoring system for electronic devices that can be specified and notified to an administrator.
Published Patent No. 2006-338681

  Therefore, the present invention is based on such a conventional request, and it is possible to monitor a failure such as a failure of the electronic device or a network failure and notify the administrator side without threatening the security of the electronic device. An object is to provide an electronic device monitoring system.

  To achieve the above object, in the electronic device monitoring system according to the invention of claim 1, an electronic device connected via a network, and a data management server in which predetermined data is stored are provided. The data management server is an electronic device monitoring system that detects a failure of the electronic device or a network, generates failure detection information, and holds the failure detection information such that the failure detection information can be browsed.
  The electronic device includes an acquisition unit that repeatedly accesses the data management server and acquires the predetermined data at each elapse of a preset predetermined time, and the data management server is longer than the predetermined time. A determination unit that determines whether or not the acquisition unit of the electronic device is accessing the data management server over a management setting time set to a time interval, and the determination unit determines the management setting time over the management setting time. An analysis unit that specifies the unique information of the electronic device that is determined not to access the data management server and generates the failure detection information, and holds the failure detection information generated by the analysis unit so that it can be viewed. An information holding unit,
  The electronic device is a recording device capable of recording all programs broadcasted on all channels of a television over a predetermined period, and the data management server is an electronic program guide data management server having electronic program guide data. The recording device is configured to access the electronic program guide data management server by the acquisition unit to acquire the electronic program guide data, and the electronic program guide data management server is configured to perform the determination in the determination unit. The recording device determines whether or not the recording device has been accessed for a management setting time, and the recording device outputs a signal conversion unit that converts the received digital broadcast into a video signal and outputs the video signal. And a storage unit that stores the storage data, wherein the signal conversion unit, the data conversion unit, and the acquisition unit include a data conversion unit that compresses the video signal and generates the storage data. While being provided individually for each channel, the predetermined time preset in the recording device is set individually for each channel of the television, the acquisition unit of the recording device, based on the predetermined time, The electronic program guide data management server is accessed to acquire the electronic program guide data for each channel of the television, and the determination unit of the electronic program guide data management server is configured such that a plurality of the acquisition units are provided over the management set time. The feature is that the access is individually determined.

  Therefore, in the electronic device monitoring system according to claim 1, the electronic device includes an acquisition unit that repeatedly accesses the data management server every time a predetermined time set in advance elapses to acquire predetermined data. The electronic device accesses the data management server via the acquisition unit at predetermined time intervals and acquires predetermined data.

  The data management server includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the acquisition unit of the electronic device has accessed the data management server for a management setting time set to a time interval longer than a predetermined time. If it is determined to be present, it is assumed that there is no failure or failure in the electronic device or the network between the electronic device and the data management server. On the other hand, there is a possibility that some failure or failure has occurred in the electronic device for which it is determined that there is no access.

  Further, the data management server identifies the unique information of the electronic device, which is determined by the determination unit not to access the data management server for the management setting time, and generates the failure detection information, and the analysis unit generates the failure detection information. Since it has an information holding unit that holds the detected fault detection information so that it can be browsed, the fault detection information, which is the unique information of the electronic device that has not been accessed during the management setting time in the data management server, is retained. To be done.
  In addition, since the recording device is configured to access the electronic program guide data management server by the acquisition unit to acquire the electronic program guide data, the recording device transmits the electronic program guide data management server to the electronic program guide data management server via the acquisition unit. And access the electronic program guide every predetermined time and acquire the data of the electronic program guide. On the other hand, the electronic program guide data management server determines in the determination unit whether or not the recording device has accessed the management setting time.
  The signal conversion unit, the data conversion unit, and the acquisition unit are individually provided for each television channel, and the predetermined time set in the recording device is individually set for each television channel. Since the determination unit of the program guide data management server individually determines for each channel whether or not a plurality of acquisition units are accessing over the management set time, a series of signal conversion units, data conversion units, and acquisition units fails. Only channels that do not have access to the electronic program guide data management server.

  In the electronic device monitoring system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the analysis unit collects the unique information of the electronic devices that have not been accessed for the management setting time in a list to obtain the failure detection information. It is characterized by generating.

  In the electronic device monitoring system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the electronic device includes an information generation unit that acquires information regarding each component forming the electronic device and generates operation information data, The operation information data is transmitted to the data management server.

  Therefore, in the electronic device monitoring system according to the third aspect, the electronic device includes an information generating unit that acquires information regarding each component forming the electronic device and generates operation information data. Since the operation information data is configured to be transmitted to the server, the data management server transmits information regarding each component of each individual electronic device.

  The electronic device monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the electronic device is connected to a computer equipped with a monitor device, and the computer is connected to the electronic program guide data management server so as to be communicable therewith. The electronic program guide data management server is accessed from the computer when data is acquired by a user operation.

  Therefore, when the data is acquired by the operation of the user, the electronic program guide storage server is configured to be accessed from the computer. Therefore, the electronic program guide data management server cannot be accessed by the user's operation. Since it appears as the communication history between the computer and the electronic program guide data management server, it can be distinguished from the access history from the recording device to the electronic program guide data management server.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data management server, which is a data management server constituting the electronic device monitoring system according to any one of the first and second aspects.

  In the electronic device monitoring system and the data management server according to claim 1 and claim 5 subordinate to claim 1, the electronic device accesses the data management server via the acquisition unit at predetermined time intervals and at the same time. Since the data management server does not access the electronic device because the data is acquired, it is possible to manage whether or not the electronic device is operating normally without threatening the security environment of the electronic device.

  The analysis unit of the data management server has no access during the management set time, and the determination unit determines that there is no access, and some malfunctions or failures may have occurred. Since the failure detection information, which is information, is held, it is possible to monitor a failure such as a failure of an electronic device or a network failure and notify the administrator side in an early stage.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to install a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) in the electronic device, the inactivity of the electronic device can be detected reliably and early in a state where the cost is reduced, and the maintenance can be performed without waiting for the customer to contact. Therefore, maintenance efficiency can be improved.

  In addition, since the access status is managed by using periodic data acquisition from the electronic device to the data management server, the device configuration can be simplified and it is not necessary to install a large-scale monitoring device separately. Cheap.
  The electronic device monitoring system according to claim 1 is a recording device capable of recording all programs broadcast on all channels of a television over a predetermined period, and from the electronic program guide data management server to the electronic program guide. Since the data is acquired every predetermined time, the recording device always holds the latest electronic program guide data, and the television can be recorded based on this.

  Since the recording device accesses the electronic program guide data management server at every predetermined time through the acquisition unit and acquires the electronic program guide data, the recording device is not accessed from the electronic program guide data management server. It does not threaten the security environment of the recording device.

  The analysis unit of the electronic program guide data management server does not access during the management set time, and the determination unit determines that there is no access, and records the recording device that may have some failure or failure. Since the failure detection information, which is the unique information of the apparatus, is held, it is possible to monitor the failure of the recording apparatus, the network failure, the power failure, and the like to notify the administrator side.

  In addition, since the access status is managed by periodically acquiring the electronic program guide data from the recording device to the electronic program guide data management server, the device configuration can be simplified and a large-scale monitoring device is separately installed. Easy to install without the need to

  Further, in the recording apparatus monitoring system according to claim 1, since only the channel having no failure in the series of the signal conversion unit, the data conversion unit, and the acquisition unit accesses the electronic program guide data management server, the administrator fails. By browsing the detection information, the failure status can be grasped for each channel.

  In the electronic device monitoring system and the data management server according to claim 2 and claim 5 which depends on claim 2, since the unique information of the electronic device is aggregated in the list to generate the failure detection information, the management is performed. The person can recognize the unique information of the electronic device at a glance when browsing the failure detection information.

  In the electronic device monitoring system according to claim 3, since information regarding each component of the individual electronic device is transmitted to the data management server, it is determined that there is access, and the electronic device operates normally. In addition to the determination that the data management server has been stored, information such as the operating status of parts and the last replacement date of parts can be saved in the data management server, so that the administrator loses access to the data management server. By checking the information immediately before the electronic device posted in the failure detection information, it is possible to prepare appropriate parts for repair.
  In the recording device monitoring system according to claim 4, it is possible to distinguish between the access to the electronic program guide data management server by the operation of the user and the access history from the recording device to the electronic program guide data management server. Therefore, in the electronic program guide data management server, there is no problem that the failure of the recording device cannot be detected by judging that there is access from the computer, and the problem such as the failure of the recording device or the network failure is monitored and managed more reliably. Can inform the person in charge.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic device monitoring system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic device monitoring system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an electronic device monitoring system according to the present invention, and is a flow chart showing the exchanges among the recording device, the electronic program guide management server, and the administrator computer in chronological order. 4A and 4B show an embodiment of an electronic device monitoring system according to the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is an electronic program guide data receiving operation in a recording device, and FIG. 4B is an electronic program guide data transmitting operation in an electronic program guide management server. , (C) are flowcharts showing the determination operation in the electronic program guide management server. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of failure detection information generated in the electronic device monitoring system according to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an electronic device monitoring system according to the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments with reference to the drawings.

  The overall configuration of the electronic device monitoring system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic device monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment includes an electronic device 11, a data management server 12 in which predetermined data is stored, and an administrator computer 13, and has a network 25. It is connected so that communication is possible via.

  The data management server 12 detects a failure in the electronic device 11 or the network 25, creates failure detection information, and holds the failure detection information so that it can be viewed.

  In the present embodiment, electronic device 11 is a recording device capable of recording all programs broadcast on all channels of television for a predetermined period, and the predetermined data is electronic program guide data, and data management The server 12 is an electronic program guide data management server having electronic program guide data.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 11 is provided with a receiving antenna 15 for receiving digital broadcasting from the radio tower 14, and is connected by an antenna cable. The recording device 11 is capable of recording all programs broadcast on all six channels of terrestrial digital broadcasting for three weeks.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 11 is installed in a user's house and is connected to a user computer 17 having a monitor device 16. In the example of FIG. 1, one recording device 11 and one user computer 17 are shown, but there may be a plurality of recording devices.

  The administrator computer 13 and the user computer 17 are not limited to personal computers and may be PDAs or the like.

  The network 25 is a communication network that connects the recording device 11, the electronic program guide data management server 12, the administrator computer 13, and the user computer 17 in a bidirectionally or unidirectionally communicable manner. For example, the Internet or WAN (Wide Area). Network), LAN (Local Area Network), etc., and may be wired or wireless.

Next, the functional configuration of each device constituting the electronic device monitoring system 10 will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the functional configuration of the recording device 11 will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following description of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the recording device 11 can record and reproduce digital terrestrial broadcasts. For example, if the recording device 11 is equipped with a receiving antenna or tuner for BS digital broadcasts, BS digital broadcasts can be recorded. Of course, it can be recorded and played back.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording device 11 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 33, an acquisition unit 19, a storage unit 22, a predetermined time setting unit 24, a signal input / output unit 37, a broadcast reception unit 15, and a signal conversion unit. 20, a data conversion unit 21, an information generation unit 31, and a clock unit 32. In the present embodiment, the broadcast receiving unit 15 is a receiving antenna.

  The control unit 33 is composed of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and is connected to each of the components 19, 22, 24, 37, 15, 20, 21, 31, 32 by a bus line, and controls the overall operation. To do. In the present embodiment, the CPU is a 6-core CPU, and the operation execution instructions can be simultaneously issued to the respective constituent elements provided for 6 channels.

  The acquisition unit 19 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication device, and the like. The acquisition unit 19 acquires electronic program guide data from the electronic program guide data management server 12 via the network 25, and repeatedly accesses the electronic program guide data management server 12 every time a preset predetermined time elapses. To obtain electronic program guide data.

  The predetermined time setting unit 24 is composed of, for example, a ROM, an SSD, or the like, and can connect a terminal having an operation input means at the time of manufacturing the recording device 11 and input and hold the predetermined time. The predetermined time preset in the recording device 11 is individually set for each of the 6 terrestrial digital broadcast channels of the television. In the present embodiment, the predetermined time is set to 24 hours as the start time of calculation 10:00 (10:00).

  The signal converter 20 converts the received digital broadcast into a video signal and outputs it. In the present embodiment, the signal conversion unit 20 is a digital broadcasting tuner compatible with terrestrial digital broadcasting.

The data converter 21 is, for example, an MPEG2 encoder, and compresses the video signal output from the signal converter 20 to generate storage data.
The storage unit 22 is, for example, a hard disk, and stores the storage data and the electronic program guide data generated by the data conversion unit 21.

  The signal conversion unit 20, the data conversion unit 21, and the acquisition unit 19 are individually provided for each television channel. In FIG. 2, the signal conversion unit 20, the data conversion unit 21, and the acquisition unit 19 are illustrated one by one for convenience, but in reality, the signal conversion unit 20, the data conversion unit 21, and the acquisition unit 19 are 6 Individually provided and assigned to each channel, they are individually connected to the control unit 33 via a bus line.

  The predetermined time preset in the recording device 11 is individually set for each channel of the television, and the acquisition unit 19 of the recording device 11 repeats the electronic program guide every time the predetermined time elapses based on the predetermined time. The data management server 12 is accessed to acquire electronic program guide data for each television channel.

  The information generating unit 31 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and based on an operation error signal that is operation failure information input from the control unit 33 and free space information obtained by referring to the storage unit 22. Generate motion information data.

  Specifically, the control unit 33 controls each of the components 19, 20, 21, and 22 that configure the recording device 11 to perform a recording or reproducing operation. When each of the component parts 19, 20, 21, 22 is operated, it is checked whether or not an operation error has occurred, and if an operation error has occurred, the information of the component part corresponding to the information generation unit 31. The operation error signal including is output.

  The information generation unit 31 refers to the storage unit 22 to acquire the information about the free space related to the data storage, adds it to the operation error signal, and generates the operation information data.

  The signal input / output unit 37 includes, for example, a USB terminal, a LAN terminal, and an HDMI (registered trademark) terminal, and inputs a control signal from the user computer 17 and outputs a video signal of a program to be reproduced. The clock unit 32 is a digital clock and holds date and time information.

Next, a functional configuration of the electronic program guide data management server 12 will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic program guide data management server 12 includes a management set time setting unit 26, a determination unit 27, an analysis unit 28, an information holding unit 29, an electronic program guide data storage unit 34, a clock unit 48, and an access history. It is configured by the storage unit 30 and the authentication DB 47.

  The management set time setting unit 26 is composed of, for example, a ROM, an SSD, or the like, and can be accessed from the administrator computer 13 to input or change the management set time and hold it.

  The management set time is set to a time interval longer than a predetermined time which is an access interval from the recording device 11.

  The determination unit 27 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and each acquisition of the recording device 11 over a management set time set at a time interval longer than a predetermined time set on the recording device 11 side. Part 19, 19. ． Determines whether or not is accessing the electronic program guide data management server 12. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 27 determines that each of the acquisition units 19, 19 ,. ． Is configured to individually determine whether or not the user is accessing. Further, it is configured to be communicable via the network 25.

  The analysis unit 28 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and stores the unique information of the recording device 11 determined by the determination unit 27 not to have accessed the electronic program guide data management server 12 for the management set time. It identifies and generates failure detection information. Here, the analysis unit 28 is provided with a calculation program, and generates failure detection information by aggregating the unique information of the recording devices 11 that have not been accessed for the management setting time in a list.

  In the present embodiment, the analysis unit 28 is configured to tabulate the unique information of the acquisition unit 19 in addition to the unique information of the recording device 11 to generate failure detection information.

The information holding unit 29 is composed of, for example, a ROM, an SSD, and the like, and holds the failure detection information generated by the analysis unit 28 in a viewable manner. In the present embodiment, the failure detection information is stored as a data file, and the administrator can open and browse the data file by accessing the information holding unit 29 from the administrator computer 13.
The electronic program guide data storage unit 34 is composed of, for example, a ROM, an SSD, etc., and stores six electronic program guide data for each channel.

  The access history storage unit 30 includes, for example, a ROM and an SSD, and access information generated when the acquisition unit 19 of the recording device 11 accesses the electronic program guide data management server 12 and each component of the recording device 11. The motion information data relating to the motion information is stored. The clock unit 48 is a digital clock and holds date and time information.

  The authentication DB 47 is composed of, for example, a hard disk, and the recording device 11 and the acquisition units 19, 19. ． Unique information of is stored.

The functional configuration of the user computer 17 will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 2, the user computer 17 includes a monitor device 16, a user computer main body 36, and an operation unit 35. The monitor device 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal monitor, and the operation unit 35 is, for example, , Keyboard.

The user computer main body 36 includes a user side signal input / output unit 38, a user computer control unit 39, and a communication unit 40.
The communication section 40 and the user side signal input / output section 38 are connected to the user computer control section 39 by a bus line. The user computer main body 36 and the monitor device 16 are connected by, for example, a display cable, and the user computer main body 36 and the operation unit 35 are connected by a USB cable, respectively. The communication means between the user computer control unit 39 and the monitor device 16 or the operation unit 35 is not limited to a wire, but may be wireless.

  The user-side signal input / output unit 38 includes, for example, a USB terminal, a LAN terminal, and the like, and outputs a control signal to the recording device 11 and inputs a video signal of a program to be reproduced from the recording device 11.

  The communication unit 40 is composed of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and is communicably connected to the electronic program guide data management server 12 via the network 25. When data is acquired by a user operation, for example, in the past, electronic program guide data is acquired, the electronic program guide data management server 12 is accessed from the communication unit 40 of the user computer 17 without using the recording device 11. To be done.

  The recording device 11 and the user computer main body 36 are connected to each other through a signal input / output unit 37 and a user side signal input / output unit 38 by a USB cable, an HDMI (registered trademark) cable and a LAN cable so that information can be transmitted. Further, the user computer main body 36 and the monitor device 16 are connected to each other by an HDMI (registered trademark) cable.

  In addition to the above configuration, the user computer main body 36 is directly connected to the electronic program guide data management server 12 via the network without passing through the recording device 11. When the user operates the operation unit 35 to obtain data such as a past electronic program guide, for example, the user computer 17 is configured to access the electronic program guide data management server 12. There is.

The functional configuration of the administrator computer 13 will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 2, the administrator computer 13 includes a monitor device 41, an administrator computer main body 42, and an operation unit 43. The monitor device 41 is, for example, a liquid crystal monitor, and the operation unit 43 is For example, a keyboard.

  The communication unit 44 is composed of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and is communicably connected to the electronic program guide data management server 12 via the network 25.

  The administrator computer body 42 includes a data storage unit 45, an administrator computer control unit 46, and a communication unit 44. This is a device for an administrator of the recording device 11 to create electronic program guide data, access the electronic program guide data management server 12 to record the created electronic program guide data, and browse failure detection information. ..

  The data storage unit 45 is, for example, a hard disk, and can record the electronic program guide data created by the administrator.

  The communication unit 44 and the data storage unit 45 are connected to the administrator computer control unit 46 by a bus line. The administrator computer main body 42 and the monitor device 41 are connected to each other by an HDMI (registered trademark) cable, and the administrator computer main body 42 and the operation unit 43 are connected by a USB cable. The communication means between the user computer control unit 46 and the monitor device 41 or the operation unit 43 is not limited to being wired, but may be wireless.

The operation of the electronic device monitoring system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below.
First, the recording and reproducing operations of the recording device 11 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the digital broadcasting radio wave transmitted from the radio tower 14 is received by the digital broadcasting tuner 20 via the receiving antenna 15 and converted into a video signal as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 33 records a program based on the latest electronic program guide data individually acquired for each channel and the video signal received and converted by the digital broadcast tuner 20.

  Regarding the recording and reproduction of the digital broadcast, the following operations are executed by the execution instruction of the control unit 33. First, the control unit 33 confirms whether or not there is a recording instruction from the user computer 17. In the present embodiment, a case will be described as an example where a recording instruction to record all 6-channel broadcast programs for 3 weeks is given.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the control unit 33 recognizes the recording instruction from the user computer 17, the control unit 33 confirms whether or not the terrestrial digital broadcast wave is received by the digital broadcast tuner 20.

  If received, the control unit 33 sends an operation execution instruction to the digital broadcast tuner 20, and the digital broadcast tuner 20 converts the digital broadcast radio wave into a video signal.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 33 outputs the video signal to the MPEG2 encoder 21 together with an operation execution instruction. The MPEG2 encoder 21 generates storage data obtained by compressing and converting the video signal into the MPEG2 format.

  The storage data is stored in the storage unit 22. In the present embodiment, the storage data is a video information file. The control unit 33 also refers to the electronic program guide data and the clock unit 32, which are also stored in the storage unit 22, to generate an individual video information file for each program and store it in the storage unit 22.

  When performing reproduction, the user operates the user computer 17 to select a program to be reproduced and gives an instruction to execute the program. The control unit 33 of the recording device 11 receives the reproduction instruction signal from the user computer 17 via the USB cable, and transmits the storage data (MPEG2 file) of the target program from the signal input / output unit 37 via the LAN cable. It is transmitted to the user computer main body 36.

  The stored data is converted into a video signal by a data conversion program installed in the user computer control unit 39 in advance, and is reproduced by being transferred from the user computer main body 36 to the monitor device 16 through an HDMI (registered trademark) cable. It

Next, generation of motion information data will be described.
When executing the recording operation, the control unit 33 checks whether or not an operation error has occurred when each of the components 20 and 21 is operated, and if an operation error has occurred, the control unit 33 outputs an operation error signal. Input to the information generation unit 31.

  The operation error is determined by, for example, each component such as a video signal for the digital broadcasting tuner 20 and a storage data for the data conversion unit 21 when an operation execution instruction is given to each component 20, 21. It suffices to make a determination depending on whether or not a result is obtained by the operations of 20 and 21.

The operation error signal includes information about the type of the target component and information indicating which channel of the six channels the component is. In the present embodiment, alphabetic codes such as “A” are assigned to the signal conversion unit 20 and “B” to the data conversion unit 21, and the numerical codes 1 to 6 indicating the channel numbers are assigned. Has been added.
For example, when the operation error signal includes the information "B2", it indicates that the data conversion unit forming the 2-channel system has a defect.

  The information generation unit 31 refers to the storage unit 22 to acquire the information about the free space related to the data storage, and adds it to the operation error signal to generate the operation information data.

  The generation of the operation information data is achieved, for example, by adding the number of the free capacity expressed in GB (gigabyte) as an acronym for the information included in the operation error signal. The motion information data "20B2" is generated by being added to the information "B2". Six pieces of operation information data are generated for each channel system and stored in the information generation unit 31.

  The operation of the electronic device monitoring system 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, an example in which the user instructs the recording device 11 to continuously record the programs of all six channels from the user computer 17 for three weeks will be described.

  First, the processing operation of the electronic program guide data management server 12 when updating the electronic program guide data will be described in chronological order.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the administrator creates the latest electronic program guide data by using the monitor device 41 and the operation unit 43 of the administrator computer 13 before the time 06:00, and the data storage unit (S101). At this time, as the electronic program guide data, six pieces of data are individually created and stored for each channel.
Here, the electronic program guide data is, for example, electronic program guide data for 24 hours from 06:00 on the current day to 06:00 on the next day.

  Next, when the time reaches 06:00 (6:00 am), the administrator accesses the determination unit 27 of the electronic program guide management server 12 from the communication unit 44 via the network 25 to create it in advance. The latest electronic program guide data for 6 channels is transmitted (S102).

  When the determination unit 27 of the electronic program guide management server 12 receives the latest individual electronic program guide data for 6 channels from the administrator computer 13, the determination unit 27 updates the electronic program guide data storage unit 34 by overwriting them (S103). ..

  Here, the electronic program guide data may be updated automatically by transmitting the electronic program guide data to the determination unit 27 by a program at regular time intervals, without manual operation by the administrator.

Hereinafter, the function of the recording device 11 and the processing operation of the electronic program guide data management server 12 will be described in chronological order.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, the predetermined time setting unit 24 of the recording device 11 has a predetermined time input and stored in advance at the time of manufacturing. In the present embodiment, information that the predetermined time is 10:00 as the starting time and 10:00 as the repeating unit is set as the predetermined time.

  The recording device 11 transmits an electronic program guide data request signal to the electronic program guide data server 12 when the clock unit 32 reaches a time of 10:00 (10:00 am) (S104).

  When the electronic program guide data server 12 receives the electronic program guide data request signal from the recording device 11, the electronic program guide data server 12 transmits the latest electronic program guide data updated by the administrator at 06:00 (6:00 am). (S105).

  When the recording device 11 receives the latest electronic program guide data from the electronic program guide data server 12, the recording device 11 saves and updates the electronic program guide data in the storage unit 22. Also, the operation information data regarding the component parts is transmitted to the electronic program guide data server 12 (S106).

  When the electronic program guide data server 12 receives the operation information data from the recording device 11, the electronic program guide data server 12 stores the operation information data in the access history storage unit 30 (S107).

Hereinafter, the operation of the recording device 11 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4A, when the recording device 11 is activated, the control unit 33 starts referencing the predetermined time stored in the predetermined time setting unit 24 and the clock unit 32 (SA01). ..

  When the control unit 33 confirms that the time of the clock unit 32 has reached the start time of 10:00 (10:00) (SA02), the six acquisition units provided for each channel of the television. 19, 19. ． To execute the processing (SA03).

  Acquisition unit 19, 19. ． Transmits an electronic program guide data request signal including the unique information of the recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 to the determination unit 27 of the electronic program guide data management server 12 (SA04).

  Here, the unique information of the recording device 11 only needs to be able to identify each of the manufactured recording devices without duplication, and can be configured by a combination of four-digit alphabets such as “ABCD”. ..

  Further, the unique information of the acquisition unit 19 is only required to be able to specify which channel the acquisition unit 19 is, for example, "Z" is made to correspond to the part of the acquisition unit, and channels 1 to 6 are represented. It can be configured with numbers. For example, "Z1" indicates that the acquisition unit is one channel.

  Therefore, it can be specified from the unique information of “ABCD” and “Z1” that it is the acquisition unit of channel 1 of the recording device called ABCD. By including a code unique to the electronic device monitoring system 10 in the unique information, it is possible to identify an unauthorized access from other than the electronic device monitoring system 10 via the network 25.

  The acquisition unit 19 of the recording device 11 confirms from the determination unit 27 of the electronic program guide data management server 12 whether the latest electronic program guide data updated by the administrator at 06:00 (6:00 am) on the same day has been received. If it is received (SA05), the electronic program guide data is stored in the storage unit 22 (SA06). In the present embodiment, the electronic program guide data is overwritten and saved each time it is newly received.

  Further, the control unit 33 refers to the information generation unit 31, and stores the operation information data including the information about the stored components 20 and 21 configuring the recording device 11 and the free space of the storage unit 22 in the electronic program guide. The data is transmitted to the determination unit 27 of the data management server 12 (SA07).

  The above operation is repeated every day for three weeks by the acquisition units 19 of the systems of channels 1 to 6.

Hereinafter, the operation of the electronic program guide data management server 12 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, the operation of interaction with the recording device 11 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4B, the determination unit 27 of the electronic program guide data management server 12 confirms whether or not an electronic program guide data request signal has been received from the acquisition unit 19 of channel 1, for example ( SB01). If received, the unique information “ABCD” and “Z1” included in the electronic program guide data request signal is extracted and the authentication DB 47 is referred to (SB02).

  The authentication DB 47 stores the unique information of the manufactured recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 in advance. Authentication is performed by checking whether the unique information exists in the authentication DB 47 (SB03).

  When the authentication is obtained, the determination unit 27 refers to the information about the channel at the end of the unique information of the acquisition unit 19 (SB04). The corresponding electronic program guide data is selected (SB05) and transmitted to the acquisition unit 19 (SB06). If the unique information of the acquisition unit 19 is “Z1”, the electronic program guide data of channel 1 is transmitted to the acquisition unit 19 of Z1.

  Here, the selection of the electronic program guide data is performed, for example, by adding one of the numbers 1 to 6 to the names of the data files of the six electronic program guide data stored for each channel. The determination unit 27 may be configured to select the data file to which “1” is added by referring to the number “1” at the end, which is the channel information of the unique information “Z1” of the acquisition unit 19. ..

  Next, the determination unit 27 confirms whether the operation information data of the component has been received from the acquisition unit 19 (SB07). When received, the operation information data and the unique information of the recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 are combined to create a data file and the data file is stored in the access history storage unit 30 (SB08).

  At this time, the determination unit 27 refers to the clock unit 48 to acquire the date and time information, and associates the date and time information with the unique information of the recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 included in the access request signal from the acquisition unit 19. Then, the access information is generated and stored in the access history storage unit 30 (SB09).

  In the present embodiment, the access history storage unit 30 generates six pieces of access information including date / time information and unique information of the recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 such as “ABCD” and “Z1” for each channel. ..

Next, the determination processing operation will be described.
The management setting time setting unit 26 of the electronic program guide data management server 12 is preset with a management setting time of 48 hours, which is longer than the predetermined time interval of 24 hours.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4C, the determination unit 27 of the electronic program guide data management server 12 refers to the management setting time setting unit 26 and the clock unit 48 (SB10) to determine whether the management setting time has elapsed. Is confirmed (SB11).

  When the management set time of 48 hours has elapsed, the access history storage unit 30 is referenced (SB12). 1 to 6 acquisition units 19, 19. ． Of the access information related to, the acquisition unit 19 whose access information has not been updated within the management set time is determined to be the acquisition unit 19 that has not accessed (SB13). Specifically, it is determined by referring to the date / time information regarding the access date / time included in the access information and comparing it with the management set time.

  The determination unit 27 sends the access information and the operation information data of the acquisition unit 19 which is determined not to be accessed to the analysis unit 28 and gives an operation execution instruction (SB14). The analysis unit 28 identifies the unique information of the recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 included in the access information of the acquisition unit 19 that is determined not to be accessed by the determination unit 27.

  Further, the analysis unit 28 selects operation information data including the same unique information based on the specified unique information. The analysis unit 28 calculates the unique information of the recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 and the information about the free space of the storage unit 22 included in the operation information data and the operation error signals of the components by a calculation program to form a list in a predetermined format. It is input and stored in the information storage unit 29 as failure detection information (SB15). The failure detection information is a data file and can be viewed by selecting and expanding the data file.

  The analysis unit 28 generates a data file of failure detection information based on the access information and the operation information data related to the components transmitted from the determination unit 27 at intervals of 48 hours, and overwrites and saves the data file.

  Here, as the calculation program, an existing calculation program capable of spreadsheet calculation or the like may be used. As shown in FIG. 5, the list in the present embodiment is defined by dividing the frame-like body 50 into a grid pattern, and in order from the left side, a date column 51, a time column 52, a recording device specific information column 53, It is configured by arranging the unique information column 54 of the acquisition unit, the information column 55 regarding the free space of the storage unit 22, and the information column 56 of the operation error signal of the component in parallel. It is also achieved by arranging them in the vertical direction in the order of date and time. For example, the display color can be changed for each date to make it easier to see.

Hereinafter, the operation of the electronic device monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.
Since the electronic device monitoring system 10 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, the electronic program guide data in the electronic program guide data management server 12 is updated at 06:00 (6:00 am) every day. Since the recording device 11 acquires the electronic program guide data at 10:00 (10:00 am) every day, the recording device 11 can perform recording every day based on the latest electronic program guide data. ..

  Here, each of the acquisition units 19, 19 ... Set to access every day at 10:00 (10 am). ． However, if the electronic program guide data management server 12 has not been accessed for 48 hours, it is highly possible that some trouble has occurred in the recording device 11, each component of the recording device 11 or the network 25.

  By setting the management set time to be 48 hours, which is twice the predetermined time interval of 24 hours, the recording device 11 and the acquisition unit 19 which are determined not to access are accessed twice. Since it is not done and there is a high possibility that it is a permanent defect rather than a temporary defect, more reliable management can be performed.

  The administrator accesses the information holding unit 29 from the administrator computer 13 via the determination unit 27 of the electronic program guide data management server 12 and browses the data file of the fault detection information, so that each component or the network 25 can be accessed. It is possible to obtain the unique information of the recording device 11 having a high possibility that some kind of failure has occurred, and which part of the channel system among the channels 1 to 6 is likely to have a failure such as a failure. Can be recognized.

  In addition, the administrator can obtain the acquisition units 19, 19 ... For all channels 1 to 6 in the specific recording device 11. ． When all the unique information is stored as the failure detection information, there is a high possibility that not only the failure or failure of the channel system but also the failure in the network 25 or the power outage occurs. Can be recognized as something.

  With this configuration, the administrator can quickly detect a failure or failure, and the administrator can contact the user without waiting for the user's contact. It is possible to quickly perform maintenance by selecting and bringing the parts that have a high probability of being brought.

  In addition, since the administrator can contact the user in this way, it is possible to actively maintain the user and obtain a good impression, and for example, a failure or a failure occurs. It is possible to prevent the situation where it is left as it is and is not used before it is noticed.

  Further, when data is acquired by a user's operation, for example, in the past, electronic program guide data is acquired, the electronic program guide data management server 12 is transmitted from the communication unit 40 of the user computer 17 without using the recording device 11. Therefore, the determination unit 27 can identify the access from the acquisition unit 19 of the recording device 11.

In the above-described embodiment, in order to distinguish between the acquisition of data by the operation of the user and the access from the acquisition unit 19 of the recording device 11 that is regularly performed, the user computer 17 or the recording device 11 is used. , An example has been described in which the electronic device on the accessing side is different, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an identifier is provided in the electronic program guide data request signal, and the determination unit 27 In, the function of analyzing the identifier included in the access request signal and determining whether or not the access from the acquisition unit 19 of the recording device 11 is performed regularly may be added.
Further, by setting different URLs in advance when the data is acquired by the operation of the user and when the access from the acquisition unit 19 of the recording device 11 is performed regularly, which URL is accessed. It can also be identified by whether it has been removed.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the electronic device 11 is a recording device and the data management server 12 is an electronic program guide data management server has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the electronic device and the data management server are not limited thereto. The relationship may be, for example, a user personal computer in which accounting software is installed and a server that holds accounting programs and data. Further, the data management server may be provided on the cloud.

  In the embodiment, the predetermined time is 24 hours and the management setting time is 48 hours. However, the management setting time may be longer than the predetermined time, for example, the predetermined time is 72 hours, The management set time can be set as 168 hours. However, it is significant that the shorter the predetermined time and the management setting time are, the more the status of the electronic device can be confirmed in small increments.

  The electronic device monitoring system and the data management server according to the present invention have industrial applicability because the administrator can monitor failures in electronic devices and networks for use in maintenance and the like.

10 Electronic Device Monitoring System 11 Electronic Device 12 Data Management Server 13 Administrator Computer 14 Radio Tower 15 Receiving Antenna 16 Monitor Device 17 User Computer 19 Acquisition Unit 20 Digital Broadcast Tuner 21 MPEG2 Encoder 22 Storage Unit 24 Predetermined Time Setting Unit 25 Network 26 management set time setting unit 27 determination unit 28 analysis unit 29 information holding unit 30 access history storage unit 31 information generation unit 32 clock unit 33 control unit 34 electronic program guide data storage unit 35 operation unit 36 user computer main body 37 signal input Output unit 38 User side signal input / output unit 39 User computer control unit 40 Communication unit 41 Monitor device 42 Administrator computer main body 43 Operation unit 44 Communication unit 45 Data storage unit 46 Administrator computer control unit 47 Authentication DB
48 clock unit 50 frame 51 date column 52 time column 53 recording device specific information column 54 acquisition unit specific information column 55 storage unit free space information column 56 component operation error signal information column

Claims (5)

An electronic device connected via a network and a data management server in which predetermined data is stored are provided, and the data management server detects a failure of the electronic device or the network and generates failure detection information. An electronic device monitoring system that holds the failure detection information in a viewable manner,
  The electronic device includes an acquisition unit that repeatedly accesses the data management server and acquires the predetermined data at each elapse of a preset predetermined time, and the data management server is longer than the predetermined time. A determination unit that determines whether or not the acquisition unit of the electronic device is accessing the data management server over a management setting time set to a time interval, and the determination unit determines the management setting time over the management setting time. An analysis unit that specifies the unique information of the electronic device that is determined not to access the data management server and generates the failure detection information, and holds the failure detection information generated by the analysis unit so that it can be viewed. An information holding unit,
  The electronic device is a recording device capable of recording all programs broadcasted on all channels of a television over a predetermined period, and the data management server is an electronic program guide data management server having electronic program guide data. The recording device is configured to access the electronic program guide data management server by the acquisition unit to acquire the electronic program guide data, and the electronic program guide data management server is configured to allow the electronic program guide data management server to determine the electronic program guide data management server. Determine whether the recording device has been accessed for a management set time,
  The recording device includes a signal conversion unit that converts a received digital broadcast into a video signal and outputs the video signal, a data conversion unit that compresses the video signal output from the signal conversion unit to generate storage data, and the storage unit. Storage unit for storing data for use, the signal conversion unit, the data conversion unit, and the acquisition unit are provided separately for each channel of the television, and the predetermined time set in advance in the recording device. Is set individually for each television channel, and the acquisition unit of the recording device accesses the electronic program guide data management server based on the predetermined time to access the electronic program guide for each television channel. An electronic equipment monitoring system, wherein data is acquired, and the determination unit of the electronic program guide data management server individually determines whether or not a plurality of the acquisition units are accessing over the management set time.   2. The electronic device monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit aggregates unique information of the electronic devices that have not been accessed for the management setting time in a list to generate the failure detection information. ..   The electronic device includes an information generation unit that acquires information regarding each component forming the electronic device and generates operation information data, and transmits the operation information data to the data management server. The electronic device monitoring system according to claim 2. The electronic device is connected to a computer equipped with a monitor device, the computer is communicatively connected to the electronic program guide data management server, when acquiring data by a user operation, 4. The electronic device monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the electronic program guide data management server is accessed from the computer.
  A data management server configuring the electronic device monitoring system according to claim 1.