JP6901574B2 - Electronic manual display device, electronic manual display system, electronic manual display method and electronic manual display program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic manual display device for displaying an electronic manual, an electronic manual display system, an electronic manual display method, and an electronic manual display program.

Conventionally, a display system for displaying an electronic file such as a manual of an apparatus has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 below). For example, when an error occurs in the device, the trouble of canceling the error can be reduced by displaying the corresponding page of the electronic manual corresponding to this error message.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-28260 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-53897 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-215616

However, conventional techniques have not been able to resolve device errors online, eg, at remote locations by the user. When an error occurs in a device, the corresponding page of the manual corresponding to the error is only displayed on the terminal, etc., and the user must directly operate the device while looking at the manual at the installation location of the device to resolve the error. It was troublesome and complicated.

In addition, there may be multiple device errors instead of just one, and in the case of these multiple errors, a predetermined procedure is required to eliminate the related multiple errors, and this procedure is followed on the terminal. If it is not displayed, the error cannot be resolved. For this reason, conventionally, when multiple countermeasures are associated with an error (when the cause cannot be uniquely identified), the user has to display multiple related pages and determine for himself which page corresponds to the cause. was there. Further, in order to find the cause of the error, the user needs to confirm various information of the device and perform an operation described in the manual (such as issuing a command to the device). In this case, determining the cause of the device error will depend on the user's experience and skill.

For this reason, in the past, it took a long time to repair a device when it failed, and it was not possible to immediately display a page according to the status of the device, and it was not possible to quickly take appropriate actions for the device. It was.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to be able to notify the user of an appropriate countermeasure according to a state such as an error of the device.

In order to achieve the above object, the electronic manual display device of the present invention acquires the state of the device, a storage unit that holds a manual of electronic data of the target device, a display unit that displays the manual, and the state of the device by communication. The device is requested to perform predetermined control based on the corresponding page of the manual corresponding to the state of the device, and as a result of the request, the state of the device is newly acquired, and the state of the device is specified . A plurality of electronic manual display devices including a control unit for displaying the specified state controls the device to identify an error of the device, and one and the other electronic manual display device from the device. The manual display device is notified of the result of control by the electronic manual display device.

Further, the control unit acquires the error state of the device by communication, requests the device to perform predetermined control for error resolution based on the corresponding page of the manual corresponding to the error state of the device, and requests the device. As a result, it is characterized in that the error state of the device is newly acquired repeatedly to identify the error of the device.

Further, the control unit is characterized in that the specified error is displayed on the display unit, the control for resolving the error is specified by referring to the manual, and the specified control is requested from the device. And.

Further, the storage unit stores an error diagnosis program of the device and an intermediate code describing a processing procedure for resolving the error for the device, and the control unit is stored in the storage unit. The error diagnosis program is executed, and each time the processing procedure for resolving the error is executed for the device, the processing of the intermediate code of the corresponding processing procedure is executed.

Further, the control unit acquires an error number corresponding to the error state of the device from the device, refers to the manual for the error cause corresponding to the error number, and provides detailed information corresponding to the error cause to the device. It is characterized in that the error of the device is identified by repeating the acquisition from.

Further, the control unit is characterized in that the manual is switched for each language and displayed on the display unit.

Further, the control unit is characterized in that the control is requested from the API (Application Programming Interface) of the device.

Further, the control unit acquires a function call table for acquiring error information indicating the error status of the device, and transmits the identifier ID corresponding to the acquisition of the error information to the device, thereby causing the error from the device. It is characterized by acquiring information.

Further, the electronic manual display system of the present invention is an electronic manual display system including a target device and a display terminal that is communicatively connected to the device and controls the device to identify an error. The display terminal is the device. The storage unit that holds the manual of the electronic data of the above, the display unit that displays the manual, and the error state of the device are acquired by communication, and the predetermined control based on the corresponding page of the manual corresponding to the error state of the device. The device has a control unit that repeatedly obtains the error state of the device as a result of the request , identifies the error of the device, and displays the specified state. Has a storage unit that holds a program that acquires error information that has occurred, a program that controls according to a request from the display terminal, and a control unit that executes a program held in the storage unit. Then, a plurality of the display terminals are provided, and the plurality of the display terminals cooperate with each other to request the device to perform individual control for the device, and one of the display terminals causes an error of the device with respect to the device. The apparatus is characterized in that the control for specifying the above is performed, and the device notifies one and the other display terminals of the result of the control by the display terminal.

Further, it is characterized in that it has a plurality of the display terminals, and the plurality of the display terminals cooperate with each other to request the device to perform individual control.

Further, one display terminal executes control for the device to identify an error of the device, and the device notifies one and the other display terminals of the result of control by the one display terminal. It is characterized by doing.

Further, the electronic manual display method of the present invention is for the computer to acquire the error state of the target device by communication and to eliminate the error based on the corresponding page of the manual of the electronic data corresponding to the acquired state of the device. A process is executed in which a predetermined control is requested from the device, the error state of the device is newly acquired as a result of the request, the error state of the device is specified, and the specified error state is displayed. It is characterized by doing.

Further, the electronic manual display program of the present invention causes a computer to acquire an error status of a target device by communication, and is used for error elimination based on the corresponding page of the manual of electronic data corresponding to the acquired status of the device. A process is executed in which the device is requested to perform a predetermined control, and as a result of the request, the error state of the device is newly acquired, the error state of the device is specified, and the specified error state is displayed. It is characterized by letting it.

According to the above configuration, an error can be identified by executing a control corresponding to an error generated in the device from an electronic manual having a huge number of recording pages when the device is operated or an error occurs. As a result, it becomes possible to quickly and efficiently operate the device and resolve errors by communicating using a display terminal equipped with an electronic manual.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that the user can be notified of an appropriate countermeasure according to a state such as an error of the device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration example of the electronic manual display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the electronic manual display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for identifying the cause of an error by the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an example of processing for identifying the cause of an error by the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing another processing example of identifying the cause of the error by the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of inter-device communication in the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an outline of access from the display terminal to the device according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example for the display terminal according to the embodiment to access the device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of creating a program in each device of the electronic manual display system. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of access to a functional unit (equipment) of a different processing device. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a series of flow of reading an object of another device. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a call to the public interface of the application. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a definition example of a public interface that can be called remotely. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another example of calling the application's public interface. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration example of NAT traversal between devices A and B.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the electronic manual display device, the electronic manual display system, the electronic manual display method, and the electronic manual display program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Example of system configuration of electronic manual display device)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration example of the electronic manual display device according to the embodiment. The system includes a device 100 that is the target of the electronic manual, and a display terminal 120 that displays the electronic manual of the device 100.

The device 100 can be applied to various electronic devices, and is, for example, various devices that can be connected to a network, such as computer devices, computer peripheral devices, home appliances, office devices such as copiers, and processing machines that manufacture various devices.

As the display terminal 120, a general-purpose portable information processing device such as a smartphone, an electronic book reader, or a tablet terminal can be used. As the contents of the electronic manual 130 of the device 100, for example, the display data 131 of the pdf, the moving image and the audio data 132, and the like are pre-installed in the display terminal 120 and displayed on the display unit 121.

The electronic manual 130 is electronic data such as an operation manual of the device 100, a troubleshooting (solution) manual, a technical term dictionary, a FAQ (question / answer) collection, etc., and is acquired in advance by the display terminal 120 by external communication or the like. deep.

In the following description, measures to be taken when an error occurs in the device 100 are mainly described, and correspondingly, the electronic manual 130 automatically opens and displays the corresponding page of the electronic manual 130 corresponding to the error generated in the device 100. Or play video and audio data corresponding to the error. Then, in the electronic manual 130, the procedure of control (recovery operation) for the device 100 for error elimination is shown in advance for each error by linking a plurality of pages, moving images, and audio data.

The device 100 is often not resolved by one error, and there are a plurality of countermeasures (pages) related to the cause of the error. Therefore, in the embodiment, the error is specified by acquiring the state of the device 100 each time the display terminal 120 operates the device 100, and the plurality of errors are sequentially resolved.

Then, the display terminal 120 can directly communicate with the device 100 by wireless communication such as WiFi. Here, when an error occurs in the device 100, communication can be performed with the display terminal 120 registered in advance in the device 100, and the occurrence of the error can be notified to the display terminal 120. The display terminal 120 is carried by the user and can notify the occurrence of an error even when the user is in a remote location away from the installation location of the device 100.

In addition, when the display terminal 120 approaches a distance capable of wireless communication with the device 100, the display terminal 120 identifies the device 100 based on the radio wave strength, an identifier, and the like, and displays a manual corresponding to the device 100. In addition, the display terminal 120 can detect the position by GPS or the like, and when the distance from the device 100 is approached, the display terminal 120 can specify the device 100 and display a manual corresponding to the device 100. Similarly, an approaching device 100 can be identified by a sensor such as an infrared sensor. In addition, various detection methods can detect the approach to the device 100 and automatically display the manual of the device 100.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, a state in which the device 100 is stopped due to a failure is shown. In this case, when the display terminal 120 communicates with the device 100, the following processes (1) and (2) are performed.

(1) Display and playback linked to an error generated in the device The display terminal 120 automatically opens and displays the corresponding page of the electronic manual 130 corresponding to the error generated in the device 100. For example, the moving image or audio data 132 corresponding to the error of the device 100 is automatically reproduced. The moving image and audio data 132 display an error recovery procedure and the like.

(2) Online operation linked with the device When the user operates the display terminal 120 according to the operation procedure and the recovery procedure described in the electronic manual 130, the display terminal 120 transmits the operation information to the device 100 and the result is transmitted to the display terminal. Reflect in 120. By repeating this process, the device 100 can be operated and error recovery can be performed online while viewing and operating the electronic manual 130. In this way, the display terminal 120 can guide the operation of the device 100 not only at the time of error recovery but also according to the electronic manual 130.

(Example of hardware configuration of electronic manual display device)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the electronic manual display device according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, the display terminal 120 includes a control unit (CPU) 201, a Read-Only Memory (ROM) 202, a Random Access Memory (RAM) 203, a storage unit 204 such as a semiconductor memory or a disk drive, and a communication interface. (I / F) 205, keyboard 206, display 207, and the like. These CPUs 201 to Display 207 are each connected by a bus 208.

The CPU 201 is an arithmetic processing unit that controls the entire display terminal 120. The ROM 202 is a non-volatile memory for storing programs and the like of the display terminal 120. The RAM 203 is a volatile memory used as a work area when the CPU 201 executes the arithmetic processing of the program. The electronic manual described above is stored and held in the storage unit 204.

The communication interface 205 controls the interface with the network 210 such as WiFi described above, and controls the input / output of data to / from the device 100. Specifically, the communication interface 205 is connected to a wireless / wired Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet, etc., which becomes a network 210 through a communication line, and is connected to the device 100 via the network 210. To.

The keyboard 206 has keys for operating the display terminal 120. The display 207 is a device that displays an electronic manual of the device 100 read from the storage unit 204 by executing a program of the CPU 201. For the display 207, for example, a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display unit, a plasma display unit, an organic EL display unit, or the like can be adopted. In the portable display terminal 120, a touch panel in which transparent touch keys are superposed on the display 207 as a keyboard can be used.

The control unit that controls the device 100 in an integrated manner can also be configured by the hardware including the CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. shown in FIG. 2 as in the display terminal 120.

As will be described later, the device 100 is not limited to not only notifying the electronic manual display device (display terminal) 120 of the error when an error occurs. The device 100 has a memory (ROM202 or the like) that stores a program (API: Application Programming Interface) that performs processing corresponding to an error, and the CPU 201 executes a program based on the API when an instruction is notified from the display terminal 120. , Error Performs specific processing.

(Example of processing to identify the cause when a device error occurs)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for identifying the cause of an error by the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. A process of displaying an error generated in the device 100 on the display terminal 120 and identifying the cause on the display terminal 120 will be described. (A) to (C) are the order of processing after the error occurs.

The device 100 includes (A) an error information storage memory 301 for storing an error number or the like, (C1) an API (function I / F) 302 for acquiring error information, and (C2) each part of the device 100 (for example, an error). It has an API 303 that issues a command to the location).

The display terminal 120 has a control unit 321, an intermediate code processing unit 322, and an error processing unit 323. The control unit 321 remotely executes the (C1) API 302 stored in the device 100 (corresponding to the CPU 201 in FIG. 2).

The intermediate code processing unit 322 executes the intermediate code that describes the process (procedure) for identifying the cause of the error based on the error number notified from the (B) device 100. The intermediate code is composed of a code that calls the APIs 302 and 303 on the device 100 side and the API of the display terminal 120.

The error processing unit 323 searches the electronic manual 130 and identifies the cause according to the processing described in the (B) intermediate code of the intermediate code processing unit 322 based on the error notified from the (C1) device 100. Is executed, and the device 100 is instructed. This process executes the API 302 (C1) and 303 (C2) on the device 100 side and the API on the display terminal 120 side.

Then, when an error occurs, the display terminal 120 and the device 100 sequentially execute the above steps (A), (B), (C1), and (C2) in this order. As a result, when a plurality of pages of the electronic manual 130 are associated with the error (when the cause cannot be uniquely identified), the processing procedure for identifying the cause of the error associated with the error is automatically executed. As a result, the cause identification does not depend on the user's experience and skill, and any user can perform the cause identification with the same high accuracy.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. Each function of the device 100 and the display terminal 120 is shown. The device 100 has a CPU 401, a communication I / F 402, and a memory 403. The display terminal 120 has a CPU 421, a communication I / F 422, and a memory 423.

The memory 403 of the device 100 stores an error information storage memory 404, a function table 405, a program 406 for acquiring error information, and a program 407 for issuing a command to the device 100.

Then, when an error occurs, the CPU 401 of the device 100 accesses the memory 403 according to the procedures (A) to (C) described above, and (A) the error information (error number) stored in the error information storage memory 404. Is read, and error information (error number) is notified to the display terminal 120 via the communication I / F 402.

After that, by the remote execution of the display terminal 120, the apparatus 100 executes the program 406 that acquires the error information stored in the address (Addless) 1 of the function table 405 by executing the (C1) API 302, and the acquired error. Information is transmitted to the display terminal 120.

After that, by remote execution of the display terminal 120, the device 100 executes the program 407 that issues a command to the device 100 stored in the address (Addless) 2 of the function table 405 by executing (C2) API 303, and the execution result. Is transmitted to the display terminal 120.

Further, an error diagnosis program 424 and an intermediate code processing program 425 are stored in the memory 423 of the display terminal 120.

Then, the CPU 421 of the display terminal 120 activates the error diagnosis program 424 of the memory 423 based on the error number notified from the (B) device 100. Then, the CPU 421 activates the intermediate code processing program 425 and executes a process (procedure) for identifying the cause of the error notified from the device 100. At this time, the intermediate code processing program 425 first searches the electronic manual 130 based on the error number notified from the (C1) device 100, executes a process for identifying the cause, and (C2) causes the error in the device 100. Send instructions to identify.

The content of the electronic manual 130 is an intermediate code that describes a process (procedure) for identifying the cause of an error based on manual data such as characters and pictures describing the operation of the device 100 and an error number of the device 100. ..

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an example of processing for identifying the cause of an error by the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. In the following description, according to the system configuration shown in FIG. 4, when an error occurs in the device 100, the CPU 401 of the device 100 and the CPU 421 of the display terminal 120 send and receive information to each other, and each executes a predetermined process. By doing so, an example of the process of identifying the cause of the error will be described.

First, when an error occurs in the device 100, the device 100 notifies the display terminal 120 that an error has occurred, and the display terminal 120 activates the error diagnosis program 424 (step S501). The occurrence of an error in the device 100 is not limited to notifying the display terminal 120 directly from the device 100 via communication I / F 402, 422, but also from the user of the device 100 to the user of the display terminal 120 by other means such as telephone or mail. May be notified to.

Then, the user performs the error diagnosis start operation by starting the error diagnosis program 424 of the display terminal 120 (step S502). For example, by pressing the "error diagnosis start button" on the screen, the display terminal 120 starts executing the following error diagnosis processing.

First, the display terminal 120 transmits a request for reading the contents of the error information storage memory 404 to the device 100 (step S503). As a result, the device 100 transmits the contents of the error information storage memory 404 (for example, the error number xxx) to the display terminal 120.

Then, the display terminal 120 reads an intermediate code describing a process (procedure) for identifying the cause of the error based on the error number from the contents of the electronic manual 130, and executes the intermediate code via the intermediate code processing program 425 (step S505). .. As a result, the display terminal 120 transmits an execution request for the program 406 that acquires error information on the device 100 side (step S506).

The device 100 executes the program 406 for acquiring the error information requested by the display terminal 120 (step S507). As a result, the device 100 transmits detailed error information (for example, error type xxx, error factor zzz) to the display terminal 120 (step S508).

As a result, the display terminal 120 adds the detailed error information received from the device 100 to the intermediate code, and executes the error handling process (step S509). As an error handling process, for example, the display terminal 120 searches for a page corresponding to the error from the contents of the electronic manual 130 based on the detailed error information, and displays the page on the screen of the display terminal 120 (step S510). ).

Further, the intermediate code of the program for searching the corresponding page may be stored in the memory 423 as the electronic manual 130 in advance for each different manual such as the Japanese manual and the English manual. As a result, when displaying step S510, even if the language specifications (Japanese, English, etc.) of the display manual are different, the corresponding page can be displayed at the same time (step S511).

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing another processing example of identifying the cause of the error by the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. In the following description, according to the system configuration shown in FIG. 4, when an error occurs in the device 100, the CPU 401 of the device 100 and the CPU 421 of the display terminals 120 (120a, 120b) of each of the plurality of users mutually exchange information. An example of a process for identifying the cause of an error by transmitting and receiving and executing a predetermined process for each of them will be described.

First, when an error occurs in the device 100, the device 100 notifies the display terminal 120 that an error has occurred, and the display terminal 120 activates the error diagnosis program 424 (step S601). Then, the error diagnosis program 424 of the display terminals 120a and 120b is started by the user operation, and the error diagnosis start operation is performed. For example, by pressing the "error diagnosis start button" on the screen, the display terminals 120a and 120b start executing the error diagnosis process in the same manner as the process shown in FIG. The transmission and reception of information related to error diagnosis is the same as in FIG. 5, and the description is omitted, and mainly describes the cooperative processing synchronized between the display terminals 120a and 120b.

By starting the error diagnosis program 424, each display terminal 120a and 120b reads an intermediate code describing a process (procedure) for identifying the cause of the error based on the error number from the contents of the electronic manual 130, respectively, and performs the intermediate code processing. It is executed via the program 425 (step S601a, step S601b).

Here, the intermediate code processing program 425 on the display terminal 1 (120a) side mainly performs operation processing on the device 100. Then, the intermediate code processing program 425 on the display terminal 2 (120b) side mainly performs a process of displaying the state of the device 100 operated by the display terminal 1 (120a).

Therefore, in the display terminal 2 (120b), for example, when the "synchronization start button" on the screen of the display terminal 2 (120b) is pressed in order to link the processing with the display terminal 1 (120a) and the device 100. , The intermediate code processing program 425 (notification setting) is executed (step S602). By executing this intermediate code, the display terminal 2 (120b) sets the device 100 to notify the display terminal 2 (120b) when information is written from the display terminal 1 (120a) (step S603). ..

Further, in the display terminal 1 (120a), error processing is executed by the intermediate code processing program 425 (step S604). By executing this intermediate code, the display terminal 1 (120a) opens the page of the electronic manual 130 showing the cause of the error of the device 100 and the remedy, and then the "confirmation button" on the screen of the display terminal 1 (120a) by the user. By pressing "", the intermediate code is processed and the error processing for the device 100 is executed.

As a result, the display terminal 1 (120a) transmits information (page number, etc.) for dealing with the error to the device 100 (step S605).

As a result, the device 100 executes the program 406 at the time of an error, and stores information such as a page number for error handling transmitted from the display terminal 1 (120a) in response to the error in the memory in the device 100 ( Step S606).

Then, the device 100 transmits the information of the state after error correspondence operated by the display terminal 1 (120a) to the display terminal 2 (120b) (step S607). For example, as described above, the device 100 transmits detailed error information (eg, error type xxx, error factor zzz) to the display terminal 2 (120b).

As a result, the display terminal 2 (120b) adds the detailed error information received from the device 100 to the intermediate code, and executes the error handling process (step S608). As the error handling process, for example, the display terminal 2 (120b) corresponds to an error from the contents of the electronic manual 130 showing the cause of the error and the error handling method when operated by the user of the display terminal 1 (120a). The page to be searched is searched, and the page is displayed on the screen of the display terminal 2 (120b).

By storing the intermediate code for executing the error handling process in the electronic manual 130 of the display terminals 1 and 2 (120a and 120b), each button of the display terminals 1 and 2 (120a and 120b) can be pressed. The intermediate code of the corresponding error handling operation can be executed at the timing such as time (step S609). As a result, each time the user of the display terminal 1 (120a) performs various error handling processes for the device 100, the error handling (operation) state of the display terminal 1 (120a) is displayed on the screen of the display terminal 2 (120b). , The state of the device 100 can be displayed.

In the process described above, the same process can be performed not only when directly communicating between the device 100 and the display terminal 120 via a wireless LAN or the like, but also when communicating from a remote location such as via the Internet. it can. That is, when an error occurs in the device 100, the cause of the error in the device 100 can be identified by the display terminal 120 at a remote location away from the device 100.

Further, in the above description, identification of the cause of the error of the device 100 has been described, but after the cause of the error of the device 100 can be identified by operating the display terminal 120, the device 100 is remotely controlled by the display terminal 120. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the error of the device 100.

Further, the above processing can be simultaneously performed from a plurality of display terminals 120 (120a, 120b) on one device 100, and a user of one display terminal 1 (120a) can perform an error-handling operation on the device 100. The other display terminal 2 (120b) can display the result of the device 100 by operating the display terminal 1 (120a). As a result, for example, when the display terminal 1 (120a) identifies an error by maintaining the device 100, a skilled person of the display terminal 2 (120b) can assist the cause identification skill.

Further, the video and audio data which are the contents of the electronic manual 130 can be downloaded and used by each display terminal 120, but the data of these contents are stored in the server and the display terminal 120 via the network. You can also browse remotely by accessing the server.

(Example of communication between devices)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of inter-device communication in the electronic manual display system according to the embodiment. The device 100 described above and the plurality of display terminals 120 (120a, 120b) are connected to each other via a network 210.

The plurality of display terminals 120 can be connected to the other display terminals 120 and the device 100 via the network 210, respectively. The device 100 and each display terminal 120 can be identified by a unique ID.

As described above, the display terminal 120 directly accesses the device 100 via the network 210 in the event of an error or the like. The device 100 and each display terminal 120 include a general-purpose communication I / F and a communication program that can be connected to the network 210.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an outline of access from the display terminal to the device according to the embodiment. An example in which various operations including error processing of the device 100 are controlled by the display terminal 120 will be described.

First, in the display terminal 120, the CPU 201 executes a program 801 (error diagnosis program 424, intermediate code processing program 425, etc. in FIG. 4) such as an application, and this program 801 is a process related to acquisition of error information of the device 100. (Call the Read function in the illustrated example) is performed (step S801), and the Read command is issued (step S802).

Next, the lower layer of the program 801 interprets the command for the device 100, refers to the processing table 802 showing the control information of the device 100, and issues a command for acquiring the error information of the device 100 (step S803). .. The processing table 802 is prepared in advance in the device 100 (for example, it is created on the RAM 203 shown in FIG. 2 and can be stored in the storage unit 204).

In step S803, the display terminal 120 refers to the processing table 802 obtained from the device 100 or the like. Further, the display terminal 120 transmits the command issued in step S803 to the device 100 corresponding to the processing table 802 via the general-purpose communication I / F. Here, the display terminal 120 does not transmit the command itself for controlling the device 100, but interprets the command and transmits the control request corresponding to this command by referring to the processing table 802. The device 100 can perform control corresponding to the request transmitted from the display terminal 120 by referring to the processing table 802.

The device 100 receives a Read command from the display terminal 120, and in response to the Read command, acquires error information generated in the corresponding functional unit (for example, an error generation unit) 100a of the device 100 (step S804), and displays the display terminal. Error information is sent to 120 (step S805).

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example for the display terminal according to the embodiment to access the device. In this example, the device 100 creates a function call table 902 as the above processing table 802 by the program 901 at startup. The function call table 902 may be created at any time, not only when the program 901 is started, or may be manually created and input from the outside.

The program 901 includes a process of creating a function call table 902 at startup, a process of acquiring error information of the functional unit 100a of the device 100 (readPort), and a process of performing a predetermined function operation on the read error information. And are described (set).

The function call table 902 includes the ID (ID1) of the function unit 100a and the port address of the device 100. In this example, the ID1 is set with the address of the readPort for reading the error information from the functional unit 100a. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, control functions such as write (Write), start (Start), and stop (Stop) can be set for each ID.

The setting of the function call table 902 is not limited to the character string such as "readPort" shown in FIG. 9, and may be a numerical string such as "1001" indicating that the port is to be read.

The communication processing task 903 executes communication processing (reception and transmission with and from the display terminal 120) to the network 210, and when a request is made from the display terminal 120 to the device 100, the function call table 902 using the corresponding ID is searched. , Execute the function operation of the program 901 corresponding to the request.

Hereinafter, the procedure for accessing the device 100 from the display terminal 120 will be described in order. First, when the program 901 of the device 100 is started, the function call table 902 is created (step S901).

At this time, the program 901 detects the connection port of the functional unit 100a of the device 100, and creates a setting in the function call table 902 in which the ID of the function for reading the error information is associated with the address of the readPort. Similarly, for the control (function calculation, etc.) function that can be executed by the device 100, a predetermined ID (ID2 in the illustrated example) is set in the function call table 902.

Then, the display terminal 120 acquires the function call table 902 created by the device 100 at an arbitrary timing. Not limited to this, when the device 100 publishes the function call table 902 on the network 210, it is desired to control the device 100 among the display terminals 120 with reference to the published function call table 902 (). The display terminal 120 (requesting acquisition of error information) may access and acquire the device 100.

After that, it is assumed that the display terminal 120 controls to acquire the error information of the device 100 (step S902). For example, the program 801 of the display terminal 120 executes a process (ObjY.readData ()) related to the acquisition of the error information of the device 100.

In this case, the program 801 of the display terminal 120 issues a read command (readData ()) to the functional unit 100a of the device 100 (step S903). Then, the lower layer of the program 801 interprets the command for the device 100 (functional unit 100a), refers to the function call table 902 acquired from the device 100, and acquires the error information of the device 100 (functional unit 100a). Specifying the identifier ID1 corresponding to the above, the request ID1 corresponding to the command (readPort (other)) for acquiring the error information of the functional unit 100a is transmitted to the device 100 (step S904).

Here, the display terminal 120 does not transmit the control command itself of the function unit 100a to the device 100, but only the identifier ID including the control content needs to be transmitted by referring to the function call table 902. The amount of data to be transmitted can be reduced.

Here, the first processing device does not send the control command itself of the second device to the second processing device, but by referring to the function call table 902, only the identifier ID including the control content is transmitted. Since it only needs to be transmitted, the amount of data to be transmitted can be reduced.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of creating a program in each device of the electronic manual display system. The case where the display terminal 120 and the device 100 described above each have a functional unit that executes a predetermined process will be described as an example.

The program 1000 shown in FIG. 10 defines an object 1002 of the control software 1 of the display terminal 120 and a command 1003 based on the class definition 1001. The device A (functional unit 120a of the display terminal 120) of the object 1002 indicates that it is on the own computer (display terminal 120), and ObjA sets the information of the own computer in the internal flag (flg). The device Y (functional unit 100a of the device 100) of the object 1002 indicates that it is on the other computer (device 100), and ObjY sets the information of the other computer in the internal flag (flg).

Then, the program 801 reads the data from the designated own interface (I / O port) and returns the value of the read (readData) command 1003 if it is for the own computer (display terminal 120). If it is for another computer (device 100), it talks with the corresponding device 100 and returns the returned value.

Returning to FIG. 9, the apparatus 100 receives the request ID 1 from the display terminal 120 by the communication processing task 903 (step S905). The communication processing task 903 refers to the function call table 902 (step S906), and causes the program 801 to execute the function (readPort) corresponding to the identifier ID 1 (step S907).

After that, the program 901 performs an I / O port read process corresponding to the ID 1, reads the error information of the corresponding functional unit 100a (readPort), and returns it to the communication processing task 903 (step S908).

Then, the device 100 transmits the error information of the functional unit 100a read out as a result of the readPort by the communication processing task 903 to the display terminal 120 (step S909).

The display terminal 120 converts the error information transmitted from the device 100 into readData () as a response to the readPort (other) issued by the program 801 (step S910), and processes the function unit 100a to acquire the error information (ObjY). As a result of .readData ()), the error information of the corresponding functional unit 100a is acquired (step S911).

According to the above processing, the display terminal 120 separates whether the processing is in the own device or the processing of the device 100 according to the argument (access target name) specified by the program 801. At this time, for access to the outside (device 100), the function call table 902 acquired in advance is referred to, and the corresponding device 100 is accessed.

Further, the communication processing task 903 and the function call table 902 of the device 100 are not limited to software execution, and can be configured by using a hardware chip.

Further, as described above, the function call table 902 is not limited to being acquired by the display terminal 120, and the device 100 may be configured to be open to the public on the network 210. Then, the functions (Read, Write, Start, Stop) of the function unit 100a shown in the function call table 902 can be acquired and controlled (used) by an arbitrary display terminal 120 on the network 210.

That is, the display terminal 120 can know the function of the functional unit 100a of the device 100 by acquiring the function call table 902, and the display terminal 120 hides the communication method (procedure) of the network 210 and the device 100. (Function unit 100a) can be controlled.

As a result, even when the device 100 (second device) is installed in the same room or in a different place with respect to the display terminal 120 (first device), the display terminal 120 is limited to the installation place. Instead, the device 100 at a remote location can be controlled.

For example, devices 100 having different functions provided in the same room can be controlled by the display terminal 120. On the other hand, operations that cannot be processed by the display terminal 120 can be processed by the remote device 100 under the control of the display terminal 120.

Further, the function call table 902 can be held in the server on the network 210, and can be held as the function call table 902 for each of the plurality of devices 100. As a result, the display terminal 120 requesting a predetermined function can easily search for the corresponding functional unit 100a (device 100) by accessing the server, and the device 100 having the predetermined functional unit 100a can be searched. It will be easy to access.

According to the above embodiment, the self-processing device (display terminal 120) and the second processing device (device 100) do not depend on the CPU or OS of the first processing device (display terminal 120) and the second processing device (device 100), and each other is a self-processing device or another processing device (functional unit). Can be easily controlled with or without a network connection. In addition, memory read / write and function execution that are not in the self-processing device can be performed in the same manner. Therefore, the first processing device and the second processing device are not limited to those connected to the network, and can be similarly applied to communication between different CPUs within the same device.

As a result, the first processing device communicates not only with the closed control for the first device connected to the self-processing device but also with the second device connected to the second processing device via a network or the like. Since it is possible to control without being aware of (protocol) and to create a program without being aware of communication, it becomes possible to easily create a program. That is, the first processing device can control the second device without adding a communication program or a dedicated I / F of the intervening network.

The function call table is updated when the second device connected to the second processing device is replaced or added due to a failure or specification change. As a result, even if the function of the second device is changed, the first processing device can control the desired second device simply by referring to the function call table. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the need to change the program even if the second device is replaced.

In addition, in an embedded device having a function for a specific purpose, it becomes possible to control the other device and expand the function. Further, even in a general-purpose information processing device, it becomes possible to easily control a device having a desired function. Specifically, it is not bound by standards such as ECHONET and AUTOSAR, and it is possible to control any other device without providing a dedicated I / F or a dedicated communication program.

(Specific example of seamless access that does not depend on physical position)
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of access to a functional unit (equipment) of a different processing device. The first processing device (device A, for example, display terminal 120) 1001 and the second processing device (device B, device 100) 1002 communicate with the application program 1003, the core layer 1004, and the outside, respectively. It has a mounting unit 1005 for access processing with a device and a board in the device, and a platform (hardware, OS, driver) 1006.

The communication layer 1 (1005a) of the device A can access the device (functional unit) 1011 of the device A and the device (functional unit) 1021 of the device B via the network 210. The communication layer 2 (1005b) can access the board 1012 and the like in the apparatus. Similarly, the communication layer 1 (1005a) of the device B can access the device 1011 of the device A via the network 210 in addition to accessing the device 1021 directly connected to the device. The communication layer 2 (1005b) can access the board 1022 and the like in the apparatus.

The core layer 1004 includes a Basic Class Library 1031, a processing unit X1032, a communication method abstraction layer 1 (1033), a communication method abstraction layer 2 (1034), a platform abstraction layer 1 (1035), and a platform abstraction. It has layer 2 (1036). The Basic Class Library 1031 manages a plurality of objects, for example, various objects such as I / O processing, real-time monitoring, event monitoring, abnormality monitoring, data collection, and batch setting.

The processing unit X1032 performs the following types 1 to 3 processing in response to the object-related processing called from the Basic Class Library 1031.
1. 1. The application program confirms whether the object exists inside the application, on the LAN, or on the WAN for the processing requested for the object.
2. Performs the process of extracting the actual state of the Name (name) specified in each process request called from the application program via the Basic Class Library 1031. The reality of this name is preset in the network settings.
3. 3. If the object exists on the LAN / WAN, a communication path for the object is secured and a request is sent and received.

The communication method abstraction layer 1 (1033) is an I / F for abstracting the communication process called from the processing unit X1032. Each function of the communication method abstraction layer 1 (1033) calls the function of the communication layer 1 (1005a) that implements individual communication processing for each access target.

The platform abstraction layer 1 (1035) is an I / F for abstracting the platform-dependent processing called from the Basic Class Library 1031. From each function of the platform abstraction layer 1 (1035), there is a communication layer 2 (1005b) that implements individual access processing to each access target and RTOS processing realized by adapting the functions provided by the OS. Call the function.

The communication layer 1 (1005a) is an implementation unit of individual communication processing for each access target called from the communication method abstraction layer 2 (1034). The access target is specified by the argument (handle) passed via the processing unit X1032 → communication method abstraction layer 1 (1033) → communication method abstraction layer 2 (1033), and the corresponding implementation processing is performed.

Communication layer 1 (1005b) is an implementation unit that creates individual access processing to each access target called from platform abstraction layer 2 (1036) and RTOS processing that is realized by adapting the functions provided by the OS. is there. The access target is specified by the argument (handle) passed via the processing unit X1032 → platform abstraction layer 1 (1035) → platform abstraction layer 2 (1036), and the corresponding implementation processing is performed.

(Example of control of device A and device B by device A)
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a series of flow of reading an object of another device. Hereinafter, the processing flow order will be described.

(1) The device A (1001) first creates an object by designating a name by the application program 1003, and calls a function of the object.
(2) Next, the processing unit X1032 solves the communication method and communication parameters (location information) for accessing the object by the object name based on the contents of the Network Configuration Data 1200.
(3), (4) Then, the object name, function name, and argument information are converted into packets by the processing unit X1032, and the communication method solved in (2) is implemented via the abstraction layer 1033 to 1036. Pass this to the port you want to. At this time, the packet going out of the device A is subjected to predetermined encryption.

(5) In the device B (1002), the processing unit X1032 receives the packet and decrypts the encrypted packet. Furthermore, the object name, function name, and argument information are restored from the byte data, and the actual state of the print process is called.
(6) The actual printing process is actually printed via the platform abstraction layer 1 (1035) / platform abstraction layer 2 (1036).
(7) The platform abstraction layer 1 (1035) / platform abstraction layer 2 (1036) receives a return value as a result of the printing process.
(8) The communication method abstraction layer 1 (1033) / communication method abstraction layer 2 (1033) converts the return value into a packet, encrypts it, and transmits it to the caller (device A).
(9) The processing unit X1032 of the device A receives the packet including the return value and decrypts the encrypted packet.
(10) The Basic Class Library 1031 returns the return value to the caller (application program 1003).

In the above processing, when the application program 1003 of the device A accesses the functional unit (for example, the printer X) connected to the own device A and performs the printing process, (1) (2) (3) (4) ( 7) The process of (10) is executed. At this time, the processing unit X1032 resolves the connection destination based on the information of the serial port of the printer X connected to the device A by the Network Configuration Data1200.

Further, when the application program 1003 of the device A accesses the functional unit (for example, the printer Y) connected to the other device B and performs the printing process, the processes (1) to (10) are sequentially executed. At this time, in the processing unit X1032, the actual state of the name is resolved by the Network Configuration Data 1200 based on the connection method to the device B (external communication, location information such as an address, etc.).

(Example of calling the public interface of the application 1)
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a call to the public interface of the application. A User Extended Classes 1301 is provided between the application program 1003 and the Basic Class Library 1031. User Extended Classes 1301 inherits the class of Basic Class Library 1031, defines its own class, and publishes its function in a form that can be called from outside the device A. In the example of FIG. 13, the User Extended Classes 1001 defines the User Printer class that inherits the printer class, and shows the flow when this function is called between the devices A and B.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the application program 1003 of the device A accesses the printer X connected to the device A to perform printing processing, (1) (2) (3) (4) (7) (10). ) Is executed. At this time, the processing unit X1032 resolves the connection destination based on the information of the serial port of the printer X connected to the device A by the Network Configuration Data1200.

Further, when the application program 1003 of the device A accesses the printer Y connected to the other device B and causes the printing process, the processes (1) to (10) are sequentially executed. At this time, in the processing unit X1032, the actual state of the name is resolved by the Network Configuration Data 1200 based on the connection method to the device B (external communication, location information such as an address, etc.).

Then, in User Extended Classes 1301, 10. Define the User Printer class that inherits the printer class, and publish it on the network, for example. As a result, the other devices B, C, ... Can be accessed to the corresponding device (device) based on the published User Printer class.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a definition example of a public interface that can be called remotely. In the example shown in FIG. 14, an interface is defined by a structure expressed in C language, and a remote call by name is performed from another device.

As shown, the argument list and return value list have pointers to functions that packetize and restore type size and type data. By registering these as a list of public interfaces together with the interface name and a pointer to the function that implements it, it is possible to call from other external devices.

Furthermore, this information and the location information obtained from the Network Configuration Data 1200 are broadcast to the network, and each node (devices A, B, C, ...) Holds this information so that the devices are open to each other. Interface information can be shared.

(Example 2 of calling the public interface of the application)
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another example of calling the application's public interface. As shown in FIG. 15, it is also possible to define the functions of a plurality of objects as the function group X and expose the interface for using the function group X to the object itself of the application.

In the example of FIG. 15, when the device A accesses the device of the device B, the device A accesses the device in the same procedure as in (1) to (10) above, and in the process, the device B aggregates the aggregated results (6) and (7). ) Create a database class and a printer class, and register the database class in the database 1500. In addition, the total result is output as a report from the printer Y.

The application program 1003 of the device B exposes the function group X to the outside as an external interface connected to the device B. Further, the functional group of the device A is registered in the database 1500.

(About NAT traversal)
In the network connection between devices A and B, for example, for the problem that the host belonging to the private network using the NAT device on the other side cannot be directly specified (NAT cannot be passed), by registering the information for NAT traversal. can be solved.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration example of NAT traversal between devices A and B. When accessing an object beyond NAT, the location server 1600 between the devices A and B manages the position information of the object. In the example of FIG. 16, when the device B is started, the object registers its own position information in the location server 1600 (step S1601).

Prior to communication, the processing unit X1032 of the device A that accesses the device B inquires the location server 1600 for the position information of the object to be accessed (step S1602). The device A can access the remote object of the device B by using the location information (gateway address of the device B of the Network Configuration Data 1200) obtained as a result of the inquiry. The location information once resolved can be cached in the memory of the device A or the like, and can be called at high speed without inquiring to the location server 1600 at the next call.

According to the embodiment described above, by executing the process of identifying the error from the display terminal to the device, the device executes the process corresponding to the operation of the display terminal and responds to the display terminal. As a result, the display terminal can respond to an error of the device from the electronic manual having a huge number of recording pages, and can immediately display the page required for the operation and confirmation work of the device and the failure. Then, even when the maintenance person (user) who maintains the device is in a remote place, the error of the device can be identified by operating the display terminal, and the error of the device can be resolved quickly and efficiently. Become.

Further, by executing different programs not only on one display terminal but also on each of a plurality of display terminals, it becomes possible to perform operations on the device and deal with errors from various angles. For example, a user of a certain display terminal can perform maintenance on the device, and the maintenance status of the device can be sequentially displayed on another display terminal. As a result, for example, when performing error identification by maintenance of the device that operates the display terminal, an expert of another display terminal can assist the cause identification skill.

In addition, since the language of the electronic manual of the device can be selected for each display terminal, when a plurality of users deal with an error of one device using the display terminal, the language corresponding to the user of each display terminal is different. You can also display the electronic manual in the language. As a result, communication between users can be facilitated even in different languages, and device errors can be resolved quickly.

In addition, the display terminal has easy access to the device. In this respect, conventionally, the control method in the first processing device and the control method for other second processing devices on the network are different. The first processing device is programmable in a way that directly accesses internal functions. On the other hand, in order to control the second device by the first processing device, it cannot be realized without adding the communication program of the intervening network.

For example, when a communication connection is made from a display terminal to a device wirelessly or the like, a dedicated protocol for communication is used, and a dedicated I / F is required for inter-network communication. In this way, the first processing device is a closed system that controls the functions in the device, and similarly, the second processing device is a closed system that controls the functions inside the device, straddling these closed systems. The device control must intervene network communication, and requires a separate communication processing program. Therefore, conventionally, in order for the first processing device of its own to control the second device on the network, there has been a problem that the number of programming steps is significantly increased.

In this regard, in the embodiment, the error information is transmitted from the device by acquiring the function call table for acquiring the error information indicating the error state of the device and transmitting the identifier ID corresponding to the acquisition of the error information to the device. get. At this time, the display terminal creates an object of the device, refers to the communication method and communication parameters of the device, and obtains information for accessing the object. Then, the object name, the function name, and the argument information can be converted into a predetermined packet, the port corresponding to the communication method can be selected, the packet can be delivered, and the packet can be transmitted to the device. As a result, the display terminal can easily access the device without being aware of the communication protocol and communication method between the processing devices (between the display terminal and the device), and the display terminal can easily control the operation of the device and error resolution. You will be able to do it.

As described above, the present invention is useful for various display terminals that record electronic manuals that describe error resolution and handling of various devices, and for systems including display terminals.

100 Target device 120 Display terminal (electronic manual display device)
121 Display 130 Electronic Manual 201 CPU
202 ROM
203 RAM
204 Storage 205 Communication interface 206 Keyboard 207 Display

Claims (11)

A storage unit that holds a manual for electronic data of the target device,
A display unit that displays the manual and
Acquiring the state of the device by communication, requesting the device for predetermined control based on the corresponding page of the manual corresponding to the state of the device, and newly acquiring the state of the device as a result of the request. A control unit that repeatedly identifies the state of the device and displays the specified state,
One of the plurality of electronic manual display devices provided with the above device controls the device to identify an error of the device.
The device notifies one and the other electronic manual display device of the result of control by the electronic manual display device.
An electronic manual display device characterized by the fact that. The control unit
The error state of the device is acquired by communication, and the device is requested to perform predetermined control for error resolution based on the corresponding page of the manual corresponding to the error state of the device. As a result of the request, the error of the device is obtained. The electronic manual display device according to claim 1, further comprising repeatedly acquiring a state and identifying an error in the device. The control unit
The identified error is displayed on the display unit, and the error is displayed on the display unit.
The electronic manual display device according to claim 2, wherein a control for resolving the error is specified with reference to the manual, and the specified control is requested from the device. An error diagnosis program of the device and an intermediate code describing a processing procedure for resolving the error are stored in the storage unit.
The control unit
The feature is that the error diagnosis program stored in the storage unit is executed, and each time the processing procedure for resolving the error is executed for the device, the processing of the intermediate code of the corresponding processing procedure is executed. The electronic manual display device according to claim 2. The control unit
The error number corresponding to the error state of the device is acquired from the device, the cause of the error corresponding to the error number is referred to the manual, and the detailed information corresponding to the cause of the error is acquired from the device repeatedly. The electronic manual display device according to claim 2, wherein an error in the device is specified. The control unit
The electronic manual display device according to claim 1, wherein the manual is switched for each language and displayed on the display unit. The electronic manual display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit requests the control of the API (Application Programming Interface) of the device. The control unit acquires the function call table for acquiring the error information indicating the error state of the device, and transmits the identifier ID corresponding to the acquisition of the error information to the device to obtain the error information from the device. The electronic manual display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the electronic manual display device is obtained. In an electronic manual display system including a target device and a display terminal that is communication-connected to the device and controls the device to identify an error.
The display terminal is
A storage unit that holds a manual for electronic data of the device,
A display unit that displays the manual and
The error status of the device is acquired by communication, the device is requested to perform predetermined control based on the corresponding page of the manual corresponding to the error status of the device, and as a result of the request, the error status of the device is newly acquired. It has a control unit that repeatedly performs the above steps , identifies an error in the device, and displays the identified state.
The device is
A storage unit that holds a program that acquires the error information that has occurred and a program that controls according to the request from the display terminal.
It has a control unit that executes a program stored in the storage unit, and has a control unit.
Having a plurality of the display terminals,
A plurality of the display terminals cooperate with each other and request the device to perform individual control.
One of the display terminals controls the device to identify an error in the device.
The device notifies one and the other display terminals of the result of control by one display terminal.
An electronic manual display system that features this. The electronic manual display device
Acquire the error status of the target device by communication and
Request the device to perform predetermined control for error resolution based on the corresponding page of the manual of the electronic data corresponding to the acquired state of the device.
As a result of the request, the error state of the device is newly acquired, and the error state of the device is specified.
Display the identified error status,
Execute the process and
When the self-electronic manual display device among a plurality of devices controls the device to identify an error in the device,
The device itself and the other electronic manual display device are notified of the result of control by the self-electronic manual display device.
An electronic manual display method characterized by the fact that. On the computer of the electronic manual display device,
Acquire the error status of the target device by communication and
The device is requested to perform predetermined control for error resolution based on the corresponding page of the manual of the electronic data corresponding to the acquired state of the device.
As a result of the request, the error state of the device is newly acquired, and the error state of the device is specified.
Display the identified error status,
Let the process be executed
When the computer of the self-electronic manual display device among a plurality of devices controls the device to identify an error in the device.
Notifying the result of the control by the self-electronic manual display device from the device by the computer of the self and other electronic manual display devices.
An electronic manual display program characterized by performing processing.

Images