JP7334474B2 - Data relay device, data relay method, monitoring system, server device, terminal device and computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a data relay device, a data relay method, a monitoring system, a server device, a terminal device, and a computer program for monitoring a monitoring target device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of communication technology and the technology of IOT (Internet Of Things), remote monitoring systems have started to be introduced in various environments. In the remote monitoring system, various data are aggregated from various devices such as control devices or sensors to a server device via wired or wireless communication. The user accesses the server device using a terminal device such as a personal computer or a smartphone, and acquires and browses various data aggregated in the server device to determine the operating status and failure status of the device to be monitored. etc. can be grasped remotely.

Patent Document 1 proposes a remote monitoring system in which a remote monitoring device monitors the state of a remote monitoring target device. In this remote monitoring system, the remote monitoring device receives abnormality notification information from the remote monitoring target device, and transmits the received notification information to the monitoring server. The monitoring server notifies the monitoring person's computer of the received notification information by e-mail or the like.

JP 2004-295162 A

Various data can be included in the data related to the monitoring target device that is aggregated in the server device. Regarding data transmission to the server device, there is a possibility that a suitable transmission method differs depending on the type of data, etc. However, in the conventional monitoring system, sufficient consideration has not been given to the data transmission method.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and aims to provide a data relay device, a data relay method, a monitoring system, and a data relay device capable of transmitting and receiving data by a method according to the data type, etc. An object of the present invention is to provide a server device, a terminal device and a computer program.

A data relay device according to the present invention comprises a receiving unit for receiving data transmitted by a monitoring target device, a first generating unit for generating first time-series data from the data received by the receiving unit, and the first generating unit. a first transmission processing unit that transmits first data generated by a unit to a server device; a second generation unit that generates second data related to the monitoring target device based on the data received by the reception unit; a second transmission processing unit configured to transmit the second data generated by the second generation unit to the server device, wherein the first transmission processing unit, when transmission of the first data to the server device fails, The second transmission processing unit does not retransmit the first data, and retransmits the second data when transmission of the second data to the server device fails.

Further, in the data relay device according to the present invention, the second generation unit uses data, which is accumulated over a predetermined period of time, data received by the reception unit as the second data.

Also, in the data relay device according to the present invention, the second generation unit generates second data related to the state change of the monitoring target device.

Further, in the data relaying device according to the present invention, the first generation unit sets the data extracted from a predetermined position of the data received by the reception unit as the first data, and the second generation unit performs Data indicating the state of the monitored device is extracted from a predetermined position of the received data, and the second data relating to the state change of the monitored device is generated based on the plurality of data extracted in time series.

Further, the data relay device according to the present invention includes a storage unit for storing the first data, and after the transmission of the first data by the first transmission processing unit, the data is stored in the storage unit regardless of success or failure of the transmission. Erase the first data that has been written.

Further, the data relay device according to the present invention includes a nonvolatile storage unit that stores the second data or data for generating the second data, and the second transmission processing unit transmits the second data. The storage unit stores the second data or data for generating the second data until successful.

Further, the data relay method according to the present invention receives data transmitted by a monitoring target device, generates time-series first data from the received data, transmits the generated first data to the server device, and receives the received data. Based on the data, the second data related to the monitoring target device is generated, the generated second data is transmitted to the server device, and when the transmission of the first data to the server device fails, the first data When the transmission of the second data to the server device fails without retransmitting the data, the second data is retransmitted.

A monitoring system according to the present invention is a monitoring system in which a server device acquires data related to a monitoring target device via a data relay device, and the data relay device receives data transmitted by the monitoring target device. a receiving unit, a first generating unit that generates time-series first data from data received by the receiving unit, and a first transmission processing unit that transmits the first data generated by the first generating unit to a server device; a second generation unit for generating second data related to the monitored device based on the data received by the reception unit; and a second transmission for transmitting the second data generated by the second generation unit to the server device. a processing unit, wherein the first transmission processing unit does not retransmit the first data when transmission of the first data to the server device fails; and, if transmission of the second data to the server device fails, the second data is retransmitted, and the server device transmits the first data and the second data transmitted by the data relay device. a receiving unit for receiving, a storage unit for storing the first data and the second data received by the receiving unit, and a transmission for transmitting the first data and the second data stored in the storage unit to a terminal device and

Further, the server device according to the present invention transmits the first data related to the monitored device without retransmitting when transmission fails, and retransmits the second data related to the monitored device when transmission fails. a receiving unit for receiving the first data and the second data from the data relay device that performs and transmits the data; a storage unit for storing the first data and the second data received by the receiving unit; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the first data and the second data stored in the unit to the terminal device.

Also, in the server device according to the present invention, the transmission unit transmits the first data and the second data to the terminal device in response to a request from the terminal device.

Also, the server device according to the present invention includes a complementing unit that complements the first data that has not been transmitted from the data relay device due to a transmission failure, based on the second data that the receiving unit has received.

Further, the terminal device according to the present invention provides the first data to be monitored which is transmitted from the data relay device without retransmission when transmission fails, and the second data which is transmitted after retransmission when transmission fails. 2. a receiving unit for receiving the first data and the second data transmitted by a server device that receives and stores data; and the monitoring based on the first data and the second data received by the receiving unit. and a display processing unit that displays information related to the target on the display unit.

Further, in the terminal device according to the present invention, the receiving unit requests transmission of data from the server device, receives data transmitted by the server device in response to the request, and the display processing unit receives data from the receiving unit. updates the display on the display each time it receives the data.

Further, the computer program according to the present invention receives data transmitted by the monitored device to the computer, generates time-series first data from the received data, transmits the generated first data to the server device, generating second data related to the monitoring target device based on the received data, transmitting the generated second data to the server device, and if transmission of the first data to the server device fails, When the transmission of the second data to the server device fails without retransmitting the first data, a process of retransmitting the second data is executed.

Further, the computer program according to the present invention transmits the first data related to the monitoring target device to the computer without retransmission when the transmission fails, and transmits the second data related to the monitoring target device to the computer when the transmission fails. receiving the first data and the second data from the data relay device that retransmits and transmits the data, storing the received first data and the second data in a storage unit, and storing the stored first data and a process of transmitting the second data to the terminal device.

A computer program according to the present invention provides a computer with first data to be monitored that is transmitted from a data relay device without retransmission when transmission fails, and data that is retransmitted and transmitted when transmission fails. receiving the first data and the second data transmitted by a server device that receives and stores the second data that is received, and based on the received first data and the second data, information related to the monitoring target is displayed on the display unit.

In the present invention, a data relay device intervenes between the monitoring target device and the server device to relay data. The data relay device receives data transmitted from the monitoring target device, generates first data from the received data, and transmits the first data to the server device. At this time, the data relay device does not retransmit the first data even if transmission to the server device fails. The data relay device also generates second data based on the received data and transmits the second data to the server device. At this time, the data relay device retransmits the second data if the transmission to the server device fails. By providing two data transmission methods, that is, the transmission of the first data without retransmission and the transmission of the second data with retransmission, the data relay device provides a suitable transmission to the server device for the type of data, etc. Data transmission can be realized. Note that the first data may include a plurality of types of data with different transmission cycles, uses, data structures, and the like. Similarly, the second data may include multiple types of data with different transmission cycles, uses, data structures, and the like.

Further, in the present invention, the data relay apparatus transmits data received from the monitoring target apparatus accumulated over a predetermined period to the server apparatus as second data to be retransmitted. Thereby, the stored data including the first data that has not been retransmitted can be transmitted to the server device as the second data, and the server device can acquire the first data that has not been received.

Also, in the present invention, the data relay device generates data related to the state change of the monitoring target device based on the data received from the monitoring target device, and transmits the generated data to the server device as the second data. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably transmit the state change of the monitored device to the server device.

Further, in the present invention, the data relay device uses data extracted from a predetermined position of the data received from the monitoring target device as the first data. The data relay device also extracts data indicating the state of the monitored device from a predetermined position in the received data, and generates data related to the state change of the monitored device based on a plurality of data extracted in time series. As a result, the data transmitted from the monitoring target device can include a plurality of types of data, and the data relay device can generate the first data and the second data from the predetermined position of the data received from the monitoring target device.

Further, in the present invention, the storage unit of the data relay device stores the first data, and deletes the first data after the transmission of the first data regardless of success or failure of the transmission. As a result, it is possible to prevent the storage capacity of the storage unit from being squeezed by continuing to store the first data that is not retransmitted.

Further, in the present invention, the data relay device stores the second data or data for generating the second data in the nonvolatile storage unit. The data relay device stores the second data or data for generating the second data until the transmission succeeds, and erases the data after the transmission succeeds. This can prevent the second data that needs to be retransmitted from being lost.

Further, in the present invention, the server device that receives the first data and second data relating to the monitored device from the data relay device stores the received first data and second data. The server device transmits the stored first data and second data to the terminal device. The terminal device receives the first data and the second data from the server device, and displays information related to the monitored object on the display unit. As a result, the server device accumulates data related to the monitoring target device, and the user can browse the data accumulated in the server using the terminal device.

Also, in the present invention, the server device transmits the first data or the second data in response to a request from the terminal device. The terminal device requests the server device to transmit the first data or the second data, and updates the display on the display unit each time the first data or the second data is received from the server device in response to the request. As a result, the terminal device can acquire data accumulated by the server device and display information about the monitored device.

Further, in the present invention, the server device complements the first data that has not been transmitted from the data relay device due to a transmission failure, based on the second data transmitted by the data relay device. Accordingly, the server device can acquire the first data that is not retransmitted by complementing the second data, and can reliably store and accumulate the data related to the monitoring target device.

According to the present invention, data transmission/reception can be performed by a method according to the data type or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the outline|summary of the monitoring system which concerns on this Embodiment. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a gateway according to this embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device according to this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of data that the printing equipment transmits to the gateway; 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a log stored in a log storage unit of a gateway; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of real-time data transmitted by a gateway; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of processed data transmitted by a gateway; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of past log data transmitted by a gateway; 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a printing facility DB of the server device; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of real-time display of information on printing equipment by a terminal device; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operating status display of information about printing equipment by a terminal device; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of period display of information about printing equipment by a terminal device; 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of data transmission processing performed by the printing equipment according to the embodiment; 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of data reception processing performed by the gateway according to the present embodiment; 6 is a flow chart showing the procedure of transmission processing of real-time data performed by the gateway according to the present embodiment; 6 is a flow chart showing a procedure of transmission processing of processed data performed by the gateway according to the present embodiment; 7 is a flow chart showing a procedure of transmission processing of past log data performed by the gateway according to the present embodiment; 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of processing performed by the server device according to the present embodiment; 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of processing performed by the terminal device according to the present embodiment;

A specific example of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

<System Overview>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an outline of a monitoring system according to this embodiment. A monitoring system according to the present embodiment is a system for remotely monitoring the status of one or a plurality of printing facilities 2 installed in a factory 1 . In the present embodiment, the configuration of the monitoring system will be described using the printing equipment 2 of the factory 1 as an example of the equipment to be monitored. good. For example, the monitored device may be a device such as a wearable terminal worn by a person.

A factory 1 is, for example, a factory that prints characters, images, or the like on paper media to produce books, posters, or the like. A factory 1 is provided with printing equipment 2 for printing on paper media. The printing equipment 2 includes a tank for accumulating ink or toner for printing, a roller mechanism for conveying paper media, a printing mechanism for printing on paper media, a control mechanism for controlling these operations, and these Sensors and the like may be included to sense temperature and the like associated with operation. A plurality of printing facilities 2 may be provided in one factory 1 .

The printing equipment 2 according to this embodiment has a communication function for transmitting and receiving data via a communication line provided in the factory 1 . One or more printing facilities 2 are connected to a gateway 3 provided in the factory 1 via communication lines. Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which a plurality of printing facilities 2 are connected in a bus configuration, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of printing facilities 2 are connected in a star configuration around a gateway 3. may Also, the printing equipment 2 and the gateway 3 may perform wireless communication instead of wired communication.

Each printing equipment 2, for example, the numerical information of the detection result of detecting the remaining amount of ink or toner by the sensor, the numerical information of the detection result of detecting the temperature or humidity of the device by the sensor, and the operating state of each mechanism. Data including various information such as flag information to indicate is transmitted to the gateway 3 . Data transmitted by the printing equipment 2 in this embodiment includes numerical information and flag information. Each printing equipment 2 repeats this data transmission at a predetermined cycle (for example, once every several seconds to several tens of seconds).

The gateway 3 is provided in the factory 1 and can communicate with one or a plurality of printing facilities 2 via communication lines within the factory 1 . Also, the gateway 3 can communicate with the server device 4 by wireless communication using, for example, a mobile phone communication network or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). However, the gateway 3 and the server device 4 may perform wired communication. The gateway 3 receives data periodically transmitted by the printing equipment 2 and performs processing for transmitting the received data to the server device 4 . In this embodiment, the gateway 3 transmits three types of data based on the data received from the printing equipment 2: (1) transmission of real-time data, (2) transmission of processed data, and (3) transmission of past log data. to the server device 4 .

(1) Transmission of real-time data The gateway 3 sends the data received from the printing equipment 2 to the server device 4 at a period similar to the data transmission period of the printing equipment 2 (for example, once every several seconds to several tens of seconds). Send. The gateway 3 acquires numerical information and flag information included in the received data from the printing equipment 2, generates one piece of transmission data containing a plurality of pieces of information acquired regarding the plurality of printing equipment 2, and transmits the data to the server device 4. . Real-time data may not include flag information.

(2) Transmitting processed data The gateway 3 refers to flag information included in a plurality of data received in chronological order from the printing equipment 2, and determines whether or not there is a change in the state of the printing equipment 2 indicated by the flag information. . The gateway 3 generates data indicating changes in the flag information and transmits this to the server device 4 as processed data. The gateway 3 transmits processed data indicating changes in the state of the printing equipment 2 to the server device 4 at a cycle longer than the transmission cycle of real-time data (for example, once every several tens of seconds to several minutes).

(3) Transmission of past log data The gateway 3 stores numerical information and flag information included in the data received from the printing equipment 2 for a predetermined period (for example, several hours to several days). The gateway 3 transmits all the stored information as past log data to the server device 4 with this predetermined period as a cycle. After completing transmission of the past log data, the gateway 3 may erase the stored past log data.

When the server device 4 receives the data from the gateway 3, it gives the gateway 3 a notice of completion of reception. Based on the presence or absence of this notification, the gateway 3 can determine whether the data transmission has succeeded or failed. The gateway 3 can resend the data when the data transmission to the server device 4 fails. However, the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment does not retransmit the above real-time data even if the data transmission fails. The gateway 3 retransmits the processed data and the past log data when the data transmission fails. The cause of communication failure by the gateway 3 and the server device 4 may be of any kind.

The server device 4 is installed, for example, outside the factory 1, for example, in a data center or the like. The server device 4 can transmit and receive data to and from the gateway 3, the terminal device 5, and the like via wired or wireless communication. The server device 4 according to the present embodiment receives data transmitted from the gateway 3, and stores and accumulates the received data. The server device 4 may store not only data relating to one factory 1 but also data relating to a plurality of factories 1 .

Each time the server device 4 according to the present embodiment receives the above-described real-time data transmitted from the gateway 3 at a predetermined cycle, the numerical value information and flag information of one or more printing facilities 2 included in the received real-time data and store the obtained information. In this embodiment, the gateway 3 does not retransmit real-time data even if it fails to transmit. Therefore, the real-time data received and stored by the server device 4 may be lost in time series. Therefore, the server device 4 according to the present embodiment supplements numerical information and flag information related to real-time data that could not be received based on processed data and past log data that are received thereafter. However, the server device 4 may be configured to store past log data instead of storing real-time data.

The server device 4 also provides the terminal device 5 used by the user with the accumulated information on the printing equipment 2 . The server device 4 extracts necessary information from the accumulated information in response to a request from the terminal device 5 and transmits data including the extracted information to the terminal device 5 . The terminal device 5 is a personal computer, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or the like, and may be a general-purpose information processing device having a communication function and a user interface. The user accesses the server device 4 using an application program such as an Internet browser of the terminal device 5, for example, and selects various menus displayed on the browser to select the desired printing facility of the desired factory 1. 2 can be displayed on the terminal device 5 .

For example, the user can display the amount of ink, toner, or the like remaining in a particular printing facility 2 on the terminal device 5 in real time. In this case, a request for real-time display is given from the terminal device 5 to the server device 4, and in response to this request, the server device 4 transmits the real-time data received from the gateway 3 to the terminal device 5, so that the terminal device 5 can display real-time data. Display is realized. Further, for example, the user can display on the terminal device 5 the change in the remaining amount of ink, toner, or the like in the printing equipment 2 for one month. In this case, the terminal device 5 requests the server device 4 to display the remaining amount for one month. As a result, the terminal device 5 can display the remaining amount for one month. It should be noted that the information display by the terminal device 5 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

Further, in the monitoring system according to this embodiment, the user can remotely control the printing equipment 2 using the terminal device 5 . For example, the user can use the terminal device 5 to issue a control command or the like to stop the operation of the printing equipment 2 . The terminal device 5 transmits the received control command to the server device 4 based on the user's operation. The server device 4 transmits the control command received from the terminal device 5 to the gateway 3 . The gateway 3 transmits the received control command to the printing equipment 2 to be controlled. The printing equipment 2 that has received the control command performs control according to the received control command.

<Device configuration>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the gateway 3 according to this embodiment. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment includes a processing unit (processor) 31, a storage unit (storage) 32, a transmission/reception buffer 33, a first communication unit (transceiver) 34, a second communication unit (transceiver) 35, and the like. It is The processing unit 31 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The processing unit 31 reads and executes a program 32 a stored in the storage unit 32 to perform various processes for relaying data transmission/reception between the printing equipment 2 and the server device 4 .

The storage unit 32 is configured using, for example, a non-volatile memory device such as a flash memory, or a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk. The storage unit 32 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 31 and various data required for processing by the processing unit 31 . In the present embodiment, the storage unit 32 stores a program 32a executed by the processing unit 31, and is provided with a log storage unit 32b that stores information included in messages received from the printing equipment 2 for a predetermined period of time. It is

The program 32a may be written into the storage unit 32, for example, during the manufacturing stage of the gateway 3. FIG. For example, the program 32a may be distributed by the server device 4 or another server device or the like, and the gateway 3 may obtain the program through communication. For example, the program 32a may be stored in the storage unit 32 after the gateway 3 reads the program 32a recorded on the recording medium 99 such as a memory card or an optical disk. For example, the program 32 a may be recorded in the recording medium 99 and read by the writing device and written in the storage unit 32 of the gateway 3 . The program 32 a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or may be provided in the form of being recorded on the recording medium 99 .

The transmission/reception buffer 33 is configured using a volatile memory device such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The transmission/reception buffer 33 temporarily stores the reception data received by the first communication unit 34 and the second communication unit 35, the transmission data generated by the processing unit 31, and the like.

The first communication unit 34 is connected to one or a plurality of printing equipments 2 via communication lines provided inside the factory 1 . Standards such as RS-232C, for example, may be adopted for connection between the gateway 3 and the printing equipment 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various standards may be used. The first communication unit 34 receives data transmitted from the printing equipment 2 and provides the received data to the processing unit 31 via the transmission/reception buffer 33 . The first communication unit 34 also transmits the transmission data given from the processing unit 31 via the transmission/reception buffer 33 to the printing equipment 2 .

The second communication unit 35 can communicate with various devices via a network N including the Internet, wireless LAN, mobile phone communication network, and the like. In this embodiment, the second communication unit 35 communicates with the server device 4 via the network N. FIG. The second communication unit 35 transmits data given from the processing unit 31 to the server device 4 via the transmission/reception buffer 33 . The second communication unit 35 also provides the reception data received from the server device 4 to the processing unit 31 via the transmission/reception buffer 33 .

In the processing unit 31 of the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment, the processing unit 31 reads out and executes the program 32a stored in the storage unit 32, so that the reception processing unit 31a, the data acquisition unit 31b, the data generation unit 31c, transmission processing unit 31d, etc. are implemented as software functional blocks. The reception processing unit 31 a performs processing for receiving data from the printing equipment 2 by acquiring the reception data received from the printing equipment 2 by the first communication unit 34 from the transmission/reception buffer 33 . Similarly, the reception processing unit 31 a performs processing for receiving data from the server device 4 by acquiring the reception data received from the server device 4 by the second communication unit 35 from the transmission/reception buffer 33 .

The data acquisition unit 31b extracts and acquires numerical information and flag information included in the data from the printing equipment 2 received by the reception processing unit 31a. The numerical value information and flag information acquired by the data acquisition unit 31b are information transmitted as real-time data, and are also information stored as log information. The data acquisition unit 31b attaches, to the acquired numerical information and flag information, identification information for identifying the printing equipment 2 that sent this data, information on the date and time when this data was received, etc., and stores the log in the storage unit 32. Stored in section 32b.

The data generation unit 31c performs processing for generating data to be transmitted to the server device 4 based on the information acquired by the data acquisition unit 31b and the information stored in the log storage unit 32b. The data generation unit 31c generates real-time data for transmission by adding headers, footers, and the like to the numerical information and flag information acquired by the data acquisition unit 31b. Each time the data acquisition unit 31b acquires flag information, the data generation unit 31c compares the flag information with the flag information of the previously received data, and extracts data whose flag information has changed. Processed data indicating changes in the flag information (indicating changes in the state of the printing equipment 2) is generated. The data generation unit 31c also generates past log data by reading out and grouping together a plurality of pieces of information accumulated in the log storage unit 32b over a predetermined period.

The transmission processing unit 31d performs processing for transmitting the transmission data generated by the data generation unit 31c to the server device 4 at a predetermined cycle. The transmission processing unit 31 d stores data for transmission in the transmission/reception buffer 33 and can transmit this data to the server device 4 by giving a transmission command to the second communication unit 35 . The transmission processing unit 31d transmits real-time data, for example, once every several seconds to several tens of seconds. The transmission processing unit 31d transmits the processed data, for example, once every several tens of seconds to several minutes. The transmission processing unit 31d transmits past log data, for example, once every several hours to several days. Note that the cycle in which the data generator 31c generates each data may be the same as the transmission cycle of each data.

Further, when the transmission of data to the server device 4 fails, the transmission processing unit 31d performs processing for retransmitting the data. After completing the reception of the data from the gateway 3, the server device 4 notifies the gateway 3 of reception completion. If the gateway 3 does not receive a reception completion notification from the server device 4 within a predetermined time after the data transmission, the gateway 3 determines that the data transmission has failed and retransmits the data. However, in the present embodiment, the transmission processing unit 31d does not retransmit real-time data even if transmission fails. The transmission processing unit 31d retransmits the processed data and the past log data when the transmission fails.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server device 4 according to this embodiment. The server device 4 according to the present embodiment includes a processing unit (processor) 41, a storage unit (storage) 42, a communication unit (transceiver) 43, and the like. The processing unit 41 is configured using an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or MPU. The processing unit 41 reads out and executes a server program 42a stored in the storage unit 42 to store data related to the printing equipment 2 transmitted from the gateway 3 and to transfer data related to the printing equipment 2 to the terminal device 5. various processing such as processing for transmitting

The storage unit 42 is configured using, for example, a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk. The storage unit 42 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 41 and various data required for processing by the processing unit 41 . In the present embodiment, the storage unit 42 stores a server program 42a executed by the processing unit 41. FIG. The storage unit 42 is also provided with a printing facility DB (database) 42b that stores data relating to the printing facility 2 .

The server program 42a may be written in the storage unit 42 during the manufacturing stage of the server device 4, for example. For example, the server program 42a may be delivered by another remote server device or the like, and the server device 4 may acquire the program through communication. For example, the server program 42a may be stored in the storage unit 42 after the server device 4 reads the server program 42a recorded in the recording medium 98 such as a memory card or an optical disc. For example, the server program 42 a may be recorded in the recording medium 98 and read by a writing device and written in the storage unit 42 of the server device 4 . The server program 42 a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or may be provided in the form of being recorded on the recording medium 98 .

The printing equipment DB 42b stores information such as numerical information and flag information included in the data received from the gateway 3, that is, information related to the printing equipment 2. FIG. The information about the printing equipment 2 is stored in association with information such as identification information identifying the factory 1, identification information identifying the printing equipment 2, and information such as the date and time when the gateway 3 acquired the information. The printing facility DB 42b stores this information for a long period of time, for example several years to several decades.

The communication unit 43 can communicate with various devices via a network N including the Internet, wireless LAN, mobile phone communication network, and the like. In this embodiment, the communication unit 43 communicates with the gateway 3, the terminal device 5, and the like via the network N. FIG. The communication unit 43 transmits data received from the processing unit 41 to other devices, and provides the processing unit 41 with data received from other devices.

Note that the storage unit 42 may be an external storage device connected to the server device 4 . The server device 4 may be a multicomputer including a plurality of computers, or may be a virtual machine virtually constructed by software. The server device 4 is not limited to the above configuration, and may include, for example, a reading unit for reading information stored in a portable storage medium, an input unit for receiving operation inputs, or a display unit for displaying images. .

Further, in the processing unit 41 of the server device 4 according to the present embodiment, the server program 42a stored in the storage unit 42 is read out and executed by the processing unit 41, whereby the reception processing unit 41a, the transmission processing unit 41b, the complement The unit 41c, the data processing unit 41d, and the like are implemented as software functional blocks. The reception processing unit 41 a performs processing for receiving data transmitted from the gateway 3 via the network N at the communication unit 43 . When receiving the real-time data transmitted from the gateway 3, the reception processing unit 41a stores the information included in this data in the printing facility DB 42b of the storage unit 42. FIG. Further, when the reception processing unit 41a receives the processed data and the past log data transmitted from the gateway 3, the reception processing unit 41a provides the information contained in the data to the complementing unit 41c.

The transmission processing unit 41b performs processing for transmitting various data stored in the printing equipment DB 42b to the terminal device 5 via the network N by the communication unit 43. FIG. For example, in response to a request from the terminal device 5, the transmission processing unit 41b extracts information about a predetermined period of time and a predetermined printing facility 2 from the printing facility DB 42b, and sends data including the extracted information to the terminal device 5 that made the request. Send. Further, for example, when displaying information about the printing equipment 2 in real time on the terminal device 5, the transmission processing unit 41b acquires the information included in the data received by the reception processing unit 41a, and can be sent to

The complementing unit 41c performs a process of complementing the information stored in the printing facility DB 42b based on the processed data and past log data from the gateway 3 received by the reception processing unit 41a. Since the real-time data sent by the gateway 3 is not resent when the transmission fails, there is a possibility that the information stored in the printing equipment DB 42b based on the real-time data will be lost. For example, the complementing unit 41c receives past log data accumulated over a predetermined period in the gateway 3, extracts information not stored in the printing facility DB 42b from this past log data, and prints the extracted information. By storing in the equipment DB 42b, the missing information in the printing equipment DB 42b can be complemented.

The data processing unit 41d performs various processing on the data received from the gateway 3. FIG. For example, the data processing unit 41d can acquire numerical information about a specific printing facility 2 included in past log data, and generate data such as an average value or a deviation value for a plurality of acquired numerical information. Further, for example, the data processing unit 41d can generate image data in which a plurality of numerical information are graphed. The data generated by the data processing unit 41d is not limited to the above, and various data can be generated by the processing of the data processing unit 41d.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device 5 according to this embodiment. The terminal device 5 according to the present embodiment includes a processing section (processor) 51, a storage section (storage) 52, a communication section (transceiver) 53, a display section 54, an operation section 55, and the like. The processing unit 51 is configured using an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or MPU. The processing unit 51 reads and executes a program 52 a stored in the storage unit 52 to perform various processes such as communication processing with the server device 4 and processing for displaying information about the printing equipment 2 .

The storage unit 52 is configured using a non-volatile memory element such as a flash memory, for example. The storage unit 52 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 51 and various data necessary for the processing of the processing unit 51 . In the present embodiment, the storage unit 52 stores a program 52a executed by the processing unit 51. FIG. The program 52a may be written into the storage unit 52 during the manufacturing stage of the terminal device 5, for example. For example, the program 52a may be distributed by a remote server device or the like and acquired by the terminal device 5 through communication. For example, the program 52a may be stored in the storage unit 52 after the terminal device 5 reads the program 52a recorded in the recording medium 97 such as a memory card or an optical disc. For example, the program 52 a may be recorded in the recording medium 97 and read by a writing device and written in the storage unit 52 of the terminal device 5 . The program 52 a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or may be provided in the form of being recorded on the recording medium 97 .

The communication unit 53 can communicate with various devices via a network N including the Internet, wireless LAN, mobile phone communication network, and the like. In this embodiment, the communication unit 53 communicates with the server device 4 via the network N. FIG. The communication unit 53 transmits data provided from the processing unit 51 to the server device 4 and provides data received from the server device 4 to the processing unit 51 .

The display unit 54 is configured using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various images, characters, etc. based on the processing of the processing unit 51 . The operation unit 55 receives a user's operation using an input device such as a touch panel, keyboard, or mouse, and notifies the processing unit 51 of the received operation.

Further, in the terminal device 5 according to the present embodiment, the processing unit 51 reads out and executes the program 52a stored in the storage unit 52, so that the reception processing unit 51a, the display processing unit 51b, etc. are configured as software functional blocks. Realized. The reception processing unit 51 a performs processing for receiving data transmitted from the server device 4 via the network N by the communication unit 53 . The reception processing unit 51a provides the information included in the received data to the display processing unit 51b.

The display processing unit 51b performs processing for displaying information about the printing equipment 2 on the display unit 54 based on the information included in the data received by the reception processing unit 51a. In the present embodiment, the display processing unit 51b can perform three types of display: real-time display based on real-time data, flag information display based on processed data, and period display based on past log data.

<Data relay processing>
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of data that the printing equipment 2 transmits to the gateway 3. As shown in FIG. The data transmitted by the printing equipment 2 in this embodiment has a structure in which a header portion, a data portion, and a footer portion are connected. The header portion includes, for example, identification information such as the ID or address of the printing equipment 2 that is the source of this data, and identification information such as the ID or address of the gateway 3 that is the destination of the data. Various information about the printing equipment 2 is stored in the data section. The footer portion includes, for example, information for error detection or error correction of this data.

The transmission data of the printing equipment 2 has, for example, a predetermined data length, the leading portion is assigned to the header portion, the trailing portion is assigned to the footer portion, and the portion between them is assigned to the data portion. How the data portion of the predetermined data length is used and what kind of information is transmitted may differ for each printing facility 2 . In the illustrated example, the printing equipment A divides the data section into three areas, storing numerical information in the first area, flag information in the second area, and numerical information in the third area. are doing. Printing equipment B divides the data section into two areas, the first area stores numerical information, and the second area stores flag information.

Each printing equipment 2 acquires, for example, numerical information related to the detection result of the sensor and flag information indicating its own operating state, etc., generates data in the illustrated format, and transmits the data to the gateway 3 at a predetermined cycle. . The gateway 3 pre-stores in the storage unit 32 information such as a table showing the correspondence between what kind of information is stored in the data portion of the data transmitted by each printing equipment 2 . The data acquisition unit 31b of the gateway 3 acquires numerical information and flag information from appropriate positions of the received data based on this table.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a log stored in the log storage unit 32b of the gateway 3. As shown in FIG. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment receives data from the printing equipment 2 provided in the factory 1, acquires information contained in the received data, and stores the information in the log storage section 32b of the storage section 32. FIG. The log storage unit 32b contains information such as an ID for identifying the printing equipment 2 that sent the data, numerical information and flag information stored in the data portion of the received data, and information on the date and time when the data was received. They are stored in association with each other. The gateway 3 can acquire the ID of the printing equipment 2 from the header portion of the received data. The gateway 3 also has a function of measuring the date and time, and can obtain information on the date and time when the data was received by this function.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of real-time data transmitted by the gateway 3. As shown in FIG. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment generates real-time data having the configuration shown in the drawing based on the information stored in the log storage unit 32b at a predetermined cycle (for example, once every several seconds to several tens of seconds). Send to the server device 4 . The real-time data includes a gateway ID for identifying the gateway 3, date and time information for transmitting this real-time data, and information on one or more printing facilities 2. FIG.

The information about each printing equipment 2 included in the real-time data includes information such as an ID for identifying the printing equipment 2, information on the data part of the data received from the printing equipment 2, and information on the reception date and time when this data was received. , which are also information stored in the log storage unit 32b. The number of pieces of information about printing equipment 2 included in real-time data is the maximum number of printing equipment 2 connected to gateway 3 . That is, the real-time data includes one latest piece of information for each printing facility 2 .

When the real-time data transmission timing comes, the gateway 3 acquires the latest information about each printing equipment 2 from among the multiple pieces of information stored in the log storage unit 32b, and transmits real-time data including the acquired pieces of information. is generated and transmitted to the server device 4 . At this time, the gateway 3 treats the information included in the data received from the printing equipment 2 after the transmission of the previous real-time data as the information included in the current real-time data. If the latest information about the printing facility 2 has already been sent as previous real-time data, this information need not be included in the current real-time data.

The gateway 3 stores the generated real-time data in the transmission/reception buffer 33 and transmits the real-time data to the server device 4 by giving a transmission command to the second communication unit 35 . When the server device 4 receives data from the gateway 3, the server device 4 notifies reception completion. Based on the presence or absence of this notification, the gateway 3 determines whether the data transmitted by itself has been received by the server device 4, that is, whether the data transmission is correct or not. can be determined. However, in this embodiment, the gateway 3 does not retransmit the real-time data even if transmission of the real-time data fails. The gateway 3 erases the real-time data stored in the transmission/reception buffer 33 regardless of success or failure of transmission.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of processed data transmitted by the gateway 3. As shown in FIG. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment processes the illustrated data based on the information stored in the log storage unit 32b at a cycle longer than the transmission cycle of real-time data (for example, once every several tens of seconds to several minutes). Data is generated and transmitted to the server device 4 . The processed data includes a gateway ID that identifies the gateway 3, information on the transmission date and time of the previous processed data, information on the transmission date and time of the current processed data, and information on one or more printing equipment 2. there is The information about each printing facility 2 contained in the processed data includes information such as an ID for identifying the printing facility 2, information on the data part of the data received from the printing facility 2, and information on the data received from the printing facility 2, as in the real-time data. and information on the received date and time.

The gateway 3 examines the flag information contained in the data received from the printing equipment 2 after the transmission of the previous processed data. The gateway 3 compares the flag information in chronological order for each printing facility 2 and extracts all the information on the timing at which the flag information changes from the log storage unit 32b. The gateway 3 generates processed data including all the extracted information and transmits the processed data to the server device 4 . Thus, processing data may contain multiple pieces of information about one printing facility 2 .

The gateway 3 transmits the generated processed data to the server device 4, and determines whether the transmission of the processed data is correct based on whether or not a reception completion notification has been received from the server device 4. In this embodiment, the gateway 3 retransmits the processed data when transmission of the processed data fails. Note that the retransmission of the processed data may be performed without delay when it is determined that the transmission has failed. However, the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment retransmits the processed data by including the information of the processed data whose transmission has failed in the processed data to be transmitted in the next cycle.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of past log data transmitted by the gateway 3. As shown in FIG. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment, based on the information stored in the log storage unit 32b at a cycle longer than the transmission cycle of the processed data (for example, once a cycle of several hours to several days), the past log shown in the figure Data is generated and transmitted to the server device 4 . In the present embodiment, the past log data is divided for each printing facility 2 and generated, and the gateway 3 transmits the past log data for each printing facility 2 to the server device 4 . Each past log data includes information such as an ID that identifies the printing facility 2, the date and time range of the information contained in this past log data (first data reception time and last data reception time), and information about this printing facility 2 The data portion stored in the log storage portion 32b and the information on the data reception time are included respectively.

The gateway 3 targets the data received from the printing equipment 2 after the previous transmission of past log data, and transmits information contained in all received data to the server device 4 as past log data. Note that the gateway 3 may erase all the information stored in the log storage unit 32b after transmitting the past log data. When erasing the information in the log storage unit 32b, the gateway 3 may generate and transmit past log data including all the information stored in the log storage unit 32b.

The gateway 3 transmits the generated past log data to the server device 4 and determines whether or not the transmission of the past log data is correct based on whether or not a reception completion notification has been received from the server device 4 . In the present embodiment, the gateway 3 retransmits the past log data when transmission of the past log data fails. Similar to retransmission of processed data, retransmission of past log data is performed by including information of past log data that has failed to be transmitted in past log data to be transmitted in the next cycle. However, the gateway 3 may resend the past log data without delay when it determines that the past log data has failed to be sent.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the printing facility DB 42b of the server device 4. As shown in FIG. The server device 4 according to the present embodiment receives data transmitted from the gateway 3, acquires information included in the received data, and stores the information in the printing facility DB 42b. The printing equipment DB 42b contains information such as a gateway ID for identifying the gateway 3, information such as an ID for identifying the printing equipment 2, information on the data part of data received from the printing equipment 2, and data received by the gateway 3. Date and time information is stored in association with this.

In this embodiment, every time the server device 4 receives real-time data transmitted by the gateway 3, it acquires information contained in the received real-time data and stores it in the printing equipment DB 42b. In addition, the server device 4 fails to transmit real-time data from the gateway 3 to the server device 4, and uses information contained in processed data or past log data received thereafter to obtain information about real-time data that could not be received. The information is complemented and stored in the printing equipment DB 42b. Note that the server apparatus 4 may store information in the printing facility DB 42b each time past log data is received instead of storing information in the printing facility DB 42b each time real-time data is received.

<Information display>
The server device 4 that stores the information about the printing facility 2 obtained from the gateway 3 in the printing facility DB 42b provides the information stored in the printing facility DB 42b in response to a request from the terminal device 5. FIG. The terminal device 5 displays information about the printing equipment 2 based on the information provided by the server device 4 . In the present embodiment, the terminal device 5 can display information about the printing equipment 2 in three ways: (1) real-time display, (2) operating status display, and (3) period display.

For example, the user can perform operations such as selection and switching of display methods on a menu screen or the like displayed on the terminal device 5 . Also, the user can perform an operation to select the printing equipment 2 for which information is to be displayed. The terminal device 5 transmits the selected contents of the display method and the display object received by the terminal device 5 to the server device 4, and the server device 4 acquires the information of the printing facility 2 according to the user's selection from the printing facility DB 42b. Send to the terminal device 5 . The terminal device 5 that has received the information from the server device 4 displays the information about the printing equipment 2 in a manner selected by the user.

(1) Real-Time Display FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of real-time display of information about the printing facility 2 by the terminal device 5. As shown in FIG. In the real-time display of this example, numerical information on the remaining amount of ink for each printing facility 2 is displayed. In the illustrated example, for each of the four printing facilities A to D, a graph showing the remaining amount of ink and the date and time when this information was acquired are displayed in association with each other. The display of these information is based on the numerical information included in the data sent by the printing facility 2 . In this example, it is assumed that the data transmitted by the printing equipment 2 includes numerical information obtained by detecting the remaining amount of ink accumulated in the tank of the printing equipment 2 by a sensor or the like.

In the illustrated example, the information acquisition date and time for printing equipment A to C are displayed as around 10:38 on April 15, 2019, but the information acquisition date and time for printing equipment D is April 15, 2019. The date is displayed as 4:12:41. This indicates that the information about the printing equipment D has not been acquired after 4:12:41 and the information about the printing equipment D has not been updated in real time. For example, such a display may be made when the information about the printing equipment D cannot be acquired due to factors such as communication failure.

Real-time display by the terminal device 5 is performed based on real-time data transmitted by the gateway 3 . The terminal device 5 requests the server device 4 to acquire information contained in the real-time data at the same cycle as the transmission cycle of the real-time data by the gateway 3 . The server device 4 transmits information included in the real-time data to the terminal device 5 in response to a request from the terminal device 5 . At this time, the server device 4 may acquire the information to be transmitted to the terminal device 5 directly from the real-time data received from the gateway 3 or from the printing equipment DB 42b. The terminal device 5 can update the display each time it receives information from the server device 4 and provide the user with the latest numerical information on the printing equipment 2 . In this example, real-time display is performed based on numerical information regarding the printing equipment 2, but real-time display based on flag information may be performed. Further, the server device 4 may transmit information included in the received real-time data to the terminal device 5 each time real-time data is received from the gateway 3 instead of transmitting information in response to a request from the terminal device 5. good. Alternatively, the server device 4 may transmit the information included in the real-time data received from the gateway 3 to the terminal device 5 at the same cycle as the transmission cycle of the real-time data from the gateway 3 .

Further, transmission of real-time data by the gateway 3 is not retransmitted due to failure. Therefore, in real-time display, if the gateway 3 fails to transmit real-time data, the terminal device 5 does not update the display. The display of the printing equipment D in FIG. 11 is in a state where the display is not updated in real time. In such a case, the terminal device 5 may notify that updating of the real-time display is delayed. For example, when the real-time display has not been updated for a transmission period of real-time data or a predetermined period longer than that, the terminal device 5 can display a message, an icon, or the like notifying that the display has not been updated. can.

Even if the real-time display is delayed, the real-time display is resumed after the server device 4 acquires new real-time data. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the last update of the information about the printing facility D is delayed at 4:12:41. The display is updated with information on the date and time when the data was acquired.

(2) Operation Status Display FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation status display of information about the printing facility 2 by the terminal device 5. As shown in FIG. In the operation status display, whether the status of each printing facility 2 is active or stopped is shown in a timing chart with time on the horizontal axis. In this example, the periods indicated by the hatched rectangles drawn in the figure indicate that the printing facility 2 is in operation. A period in which no rectangle is drawn indicates that the printing equipment 2 is in a stopped state.

Also, the display of the printing facility C has a missing part. In FIG. 12, this missing portion is shown as a rectangular area with straight lines connecting the diagonals. This missing portion indicates that the server device 4 was unable to obtain the flag information regarding the printing equipment C. FIG. Also, by displaying the missing portion in this way, the user can recognize whether the printing equipment C is in a stopped state or whether the flag information regarding the printing equipment C cannot be acquired.

In this example, the flag information included in the data transmitted by each printing facility 2 includes a flag indicating whether this printing facility 2 is in an operating state or in a stopped state. The operation status display by the terminal device 5 is performed based on the flag information included in the processed data transmitted by the gateway 3 . The server device 4 transmits the information included in the processed data received from the gateway 3 to the terminal device 5 at the same cycle as the transmission cycle of the processed data from the gateway 3 . At this time, the server device 4 may acquire the information to be transmitted to the terminal device 5 directly from the processed data received from the gateway 3 or from the printing facility DB 42b. In this example, the server device 4 acquires, for example, the latest information from the received processed data, acquires information dating back to a predetermined period from the printing facility DB 42b, and collectively transmits the acquired information to the terminal device 5. , the operation status display shown in the figure can be performed. The terminal device 5 can update the display according to the transmission of information from the server device 4, and inform the user of the timing when the operating state of the printing facility 2 changes.

In addition, regarding the missing part where the server device 4 could not acquire the flag information and could not display the appropriate operation status, based on the information included in the processed data or the past log data acquired by the server device 4 after that Complemented and displayed.

(3) Period Display FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of period display of information about the printing equipment 2 by the terminal device 5 . In the period display, the numerical information of each printing facility 2 is illustrated in a graph with time on the horizontal axis. In this example, changes in the amount of ink remaining in each printing facility 2 over a predetermined period are displayed graphically. The printing facility 2 and the period to be displayed as the period display can be selected by the user on the terminal device 5 . The terminal device 5 transmits the information on the printing facility 2 and the period selected by the user to the server device 4, and the server device 4 acquires the information on the selected printing facility 2 and the period from the printing facility DB 42b and sends it to the terminal device 5. Send.

Also, the display of the printing facility C has a missing part. In FIG. 13, this missing portion is shown as a rectangular area with straight lines connecting the diagonals. This missing portion indicates that the server device 4 was unable to obtain the past log data regarding the printing equipment C. FIG. In this embodiment, past log data is retransmitted when transmission fails. When the server device 4 acquires the retransmitted past log data, the server device 4 uses the information included in the acquired past log data to store and display the missing portion.

In this embodiment, the period display is not updated even when the server device 4 receives new data from the gateway 3 . The server device 4 transmits data for period display only once in response to a request from the terminal device 5 . Thereafter, when, for example, the period is changed on the terminal device 5, or when an operation to update the display is performed, the terminal device 5 requests the server device 4 to display the period. In response, the server device 4 transmits necessary information to the terminal device 5, and the terminal device 5 updates the display. However, for example, every time the server device 4 receives real-time data from the gateway 3, the server device 4 transmits the latest information to the terminal device 5, and even if the terminal device 5 that receives this information updates the period display. good.

In any of the real-time display, operating status display, and period display, the image of the display screen displayed on the terminal device 5 may be generated by the server device 4 or may be generated by the terminal device 5. may When the server device 4 generates an image, the server device 4 may generate an image for display using information acquired from the printing facility DB 42 b and transmit the generated image to the terminal device 5 . When the terminal device 5 generates an image, the server device 4 transmits information acquired from the printing equipment DB 42b to the terminal device 5, and the terminal device 5 generates an image for display using the information received from the server device 4. may

<Flowchart>
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of data transmission processing performed by the printing facility 2 according to this embodiment. The printing equipment 2 according to this embodiment repeatedly transmits information to the gateway 3 at a predetermined cycle. The printing equipment 2 determines whether or not the timing for transmitting data to the gateway 3 has come (step S1). If the data transmission timing has not come yet (S1: NO), the printing equipment 2 waits until the transmission timing comes. When it is time to send data to the gateway 3 (S1: YES), the printing equipment 2 acquires numerical information such as the remaining amount of ink by using a sensor or the like (step S2). The printing equipment 2 also acquires flag information indicating its own operating state (step S3). The printing equipment 2 generates data for transmission by attaching appropriate headers and footers to the obtained numerical information and flag information (step S4). The printing equipment 2 transmits the generated data to the gateway 3 (step S5), and ends the process.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing the procedure of data reception processing performed by the gateway 3 according to this embodiment. The reception processing unit 31a of the processing unit 31 of the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the first communication unit 34 has received data transmitted from the printing equipment 2 (step S11). If data has not been received (S11: NO), the reception processing unit 31a waits until data is received. When data is received from the printing equipment 2 (S11: YES), the reception processing unit 31a acquires the data part included in the predetermined position of the received data (step S12). The reception processing unit 31a adds reception time information at which this data was received to the acquired data portion (step S13). The reception processing unit 31a stores this data in the log storage unit 32b of the storage unit 32 in association with the ID, etc. of the printing equipment 2 that is the transmission source (step S14), and ends the process.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing the procedure of real-time data transmission processing performed by the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment repeatedly transmits real-time data related to the printing equipment 2 at predetermined intervals. The transmission processing unit 31d of the processing unit 31 of the gateway 3 determines whether or not it is time to transmit real-time data to the server device 4 (step S21). If the real-time data transmission timing has not come yet (S21: NO), the transmission processing unit 31d waits until the transmission timing comes.

When the real-time data transmission timing has arrived (S21: YES), the data acquisition unit 31b of the processing unit 31 retrieves the data received from the printing equipment 2 after the previous real-time data transmission from the log storage unit 32b for each print. The latest information for each facility 2 is acquired (step S22). The data generation unit 31c of the processing unit 31 generates real-time data to be transmitted to the server device 4 by attaching the ID of the gateway 3, transmission date and time information, etc. to the information of the printing equipment 2 acquired from the log storage unit 32b ( step S23). The transmission processing unit 31d stores the generated real-time data in the transmission/reception buffer 33 (step S24). The transmission processing unit 31d transmits the real-time data stored in the transmission/reception buffer 33 to the server device 4 by giving a transmission command to the second communication unit 35 (step S25). The transmission processing unit 31d erases the transmitted real-time data from the transmission/reception buffer regardless of whether the real-time data has been received by the server device 4 (step S26), and ends the process.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing the procedure of transmission processing of processed data performed by the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment repeatedly transmits processed data related to the printing equipment 2 at a predetermined cycle. The transmission processing unit 31d of the processing unit 31 of the gateway 3 determines whether or not it is time to transmit the processed data to the server device 4 (step S41). If the transmission timing of the processed data has not come (S41: NO), the transmission processing unit 31d waits until the transmission timing.

When the transmission timing of the processed data has arrived (S41: YES), the data acquisition unit 31b of the processing unit 31 acquires chronologically forward and backward information for the data received from the printing equipment 2 after the transmission of the previous processed data. are compared, and information indicating a change in the flag information is obtained from the log storage unit 32b (step S42). Further, the data acquisition unit 31b determines whether or not the last processed data is saved as the saved data due to the previous failed transmission of the processed data (step S43). If there is stored data (S43: YES), the data acquisition unit 31b acquires this stored data (step S44), and proceeds to step S45. If the saved data does not exist (S43: NO), the data acquisition unit 31b advances the process to step S45.

Next, the data generation unit 31c of the processing unit 31 attaches the ID of the gateway 3, the previous transmission date and time information of the processed data, the current transmission date and time information, etc. to the information acquired in steps S42 and S44, and the server device 4 is generated (step S45). The transmission processing unit 31d stores the generated processed data in the transmission/reception buffer 33 (step S46). The transmission processing unit 31d transmits the processed data stored in the transmission/reception buffer 33 to the server device 4 by giving a transmission command to the second communication unit 35 (step S47).

The transmission processing unit 31d determines whether or not a notification of completion of reception of the processed data transmitted in step S47 has been received from the server device 4 (step S48). When receiving the reception completion notification (S48: YES), the transmission processing unit 31d erases the processed data from the transmission/reception buffer 33 (step S49), and ends the process. If the notification of reception completion is not received (S48: NO), the transmission processing unit 31d saves the processed data for retransmission (step S50), and terminates the process. The processed data is saved using the storage area of the storage unit 32 or the transmission/reception buffer 33 .

FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the procedure of past log data transmission processing performed by the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment. The gateway 3 according to the present embodiment repeatedly transmits past log data related to the printing equipment 2 at a predetermined cycle. The transmission processing unit 31d of the processing unit 31 of the gateway 3 determines whether or not it is time to transmit the past log data to the server device 4 (step S61). If the transmission timing of the past log data has not come yet (S61: NO), the transmission processing unit 31d waits until the transmission timing comes.

When it is time to send past log data (S61: YES), the data acquisition unit 31b of the processing unit 31 acquires all information stored in the log storage unit 32b (step S62). Further, the data acquisition unit 31b determines whether or not the previous past log data is saved as the save data due to the previous past log data transmission failure (step S63). If there is stored data (S63: YES), the data acquisition unit 31b acquires this stored data (step S64), and proceeds to step S65. If the saved data does not exist (S63: NO), the data acquisition unit 31b advances the process to step S65.

Next, the data generation unit 31c of the processing unit 31 generates past log data in which information is organized for each printing equipment 2 based on the information acquired in steps S62 and S64 (step S65). The transmission processing unit 31d stores the generated past log data in the transmission/reception buffer 33 (step S66). The transmission processing unit 31d transmits the past log data stored in the transmission/reception buffer 33 to the server device 4 by giving a transmission command to the second communication unit 35 (step S67).

The transmission processing unit 31d determines whether or not a reception completion notification for the past log data transmitted in step S67 has been received from the server device 4 (step S68). When receiving the reception completion notification (S68: YES), the transmission processing unit 31d deletes the past log data from the transmission/reception buffer 33 (step S69). After that, the transmission processing unit 31d erases all the information stored in the log storage unit 32b (step S70), and terminates the process. If the notification of reception completion is not received (S68: NO), the transmission processing unit 31d saves the past log data for retransmission (step S71), and terminates the process. The past log data is saved using the storage area of the storage unit 32 or the transmission/reception buffer 33 .

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing the procedure of processing performed by the server device 4 according to the present embodiment. The reception processing unit 41a of the processing unit 41 of the server device 4 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the communication unit 43 has received real-time data transmitted from the gateway 3 (step S81). When real-time data is received (S81: YES), the reception processing unit 41a transmits a notification to the effect that the reception of real-time data is completed to the gateway 3 (step S82). Next, the reception processing unit 41a stores the information included in the received real-time data in the printing equipment DB 42b (step S83), and terminates the process. Note that the server device 4 may transmit this information to the terminal device 5 that requires the information contained in the received real-time data, that is, the terminal device 5 that is performing real-time display.

If real-time data has not been received (S81: NO), the reception processing unit 41a determines whether or not the communication unit 43 has received processed data transmitted from the gateway 3 (step S85). When the processed data has been received (S85: YES), the reception processing unit 41a transmits a notification to the effect that the reception of the processed data has been completed to the gateway 3 (step S86). Next, the complementing unit 41c of the processing unit 41 acquires information contained in the received processed data, performs a process of complementing information not stored in the log storage unit 32b (step S87), and ends the process. Note that the server device 4 may transmit this information to the terminal device 5 that requires the information contained in the received processed data, that is, the terminal device 5 that displays the operating status.

If the processed data has not been received (S85: NO), the reception processing unit 41a determines whether or not the past log data transmitted from the gateway 3 has been received by the communication unit 43 (step S89). If past log data has not been received (S89: NO), the reception processing unit 41a returns to step S81 and waits until any data is received. If past log data has been received (S89: YES), the reception processing unit 41a transmits a notification to the effect that the past log data has been received to the gateway 3 (step S90). Next, the complementing unit 41c of the processing unit 41 acquires information included in the received past log data, complements information not stored in the log storage unit 32b (step S91), and ends the process.

It should be noted that the complementary processing in steps S87 and S91 of this flow chart does not necessarily have to be performed. If there is no loss in the information stored in the printing equipment DB 42b, or if the received data does not contain information corresponding to the missing portion, the complementing process is not performed.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing performed by the terminal device 5 according to this embodiment. The processing unit 51 of the terminal device 5 according to the present embodiment receives display settings and the like regarding the information of the printing equipment 2 desired by the user on the menu screen or the setting screen displayed on the display unit 54 (step S101). For example, the processing unit 51 receives selection of any of real-time display, operation status display, and period display, and selection of the printing equipment 2 to be displayed. The processing unit 51 requests the server device 4 to acquire data necessary for displaying information about the printing equipment 2 based on the received display settings (step S102).

The reception processing unit 51a of the processing unit 51 determines whether or not the data transmitted by the server device 4 in response to the request has been received (step S103). If data has not been received (S103: NO), the reception processing unit 51a waits until data is received from the server device 4. FIG. When data is received from the server device 4 (S103: YES), the display processing section 51b of the processing section 51 displays information on the printing equipment 2 on the display section 54 based on the received data (step S104). Here, the display processing unit 51b performs real-time display, operation status display, or period display based on the display settings received in step S101.

In the present embodiment, the terminal device 5 requests the server device 4 to acquire data, and the terminal device 5 acquires data necessary for display from the server device 4 . In the case of real-time display, the terminal device 5 requests the server device 4 to acquire data at predetermined intervals (for example, once every several seconds to several tens of seconds). In the case of the operating status display and the period display, the terminal device 5 requests acquisition of data according to the display update operation by the user.

After displaying the information, the reception processing unit 51a determines whether or not it is time to acquire data from the server device 4 (step S105). In the case of real-time display, the timing of data acquisition occurs at a predetermined cycle, and in the case of operating status display and period display, the timing of data acquisition occurs according to the user's operation. If it is determined that the data acquisition timing has come (S105: YES), the reception processing unit 51a requests the server device 4 to acquire data (step S106). The reception processing unit 51a determines whether or not the data transmitted in response to the request has been received from the server device 4 (step S107). If data has been received from the server device 4 (S107: YES), the display processing unit 51b updates the information display regarding the printing equipment 2 based on the newly received data (step S108), and proceeds to step S105. return.

If the data acquisition timing for the server device 4 has not come yet (S105: NO), the processing unit 51 determines whether or not the user has performed an operation to terminate the display of information about the printing equipment 2 (step S109). If the end operation has not been performed (S109: NO), the processing unit 51 returns the processing to step S105. If a termination operation has been performed (S109: YES), the display processing unit 51b terminates the display of information about the printing equipment 2, displays, for example, a menu screen on the display unit 54 (step S110), and terminates the process.

<Summary>
In the monitoring system according to the present embodiment having the above configuration, the gateway 3 intervenes between the printing equipment 2 to be monitored and the server device 4 to relay data. The gateway 3 receives data transmitted from the printing equipment 2, acquires numerical information, flag information, etc. from the received data, generates real-time data (first data), and transmits the real-time data to the server device 4. . At this time, the gateway 3 does not resend this real-time data even if the transmission to the server device 4 fails.

In addition, the gateway 3 acquires numerical information and flag information stored in the log storage unit 32b based on the received data, generates processed data or past log data (second data), and generates processed data or past log data (second data). Log data is sent to the server device 4 . At this time, if the transmission to the server device 4 fails, the gateway 3 retransmits the processed data or past log data that failed to be transmitted. The gateway 3 provides two data transmission methods: transmission of real-time data including first data that is not retransmitted, and transmission of processed data or past log data that is retransmitted. Data transmission to a suitable server device 4 can be realized.

In addition, the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment stores data received from the printing equipment 2 in the log storage unit 32b, and uses the data accumulated in the log storage unit 32b over a predetermined period as past log data to be resent. Send to the server device 4 . Thereby, accumulated data including information of real-time data that has not been retransmitted can be transmitted to the server device 4 as past log data, and the server device 4 can acquire information of real-time data that has not been received from the past log data. can be done.

Further, the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment generates processed data related to the state change of the printing equipment 2 based on the data received from the printing equipment 2 and transmits the processed data to the server device 4 . Thereby, the state change of the printing equipment 2 can be reliably transmitted to the server device 4 .

Also, the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment uses the numerical value information and flag information extracted from a predetermined position (data portion) of the data received from the printing equipment 2 as real-time data. The gateway 3 also extracts flag information indicating the state of the printing equipment 2 from a predetermined position in the received data, and generates processed data related to the state change of the printing equipment 2 based on the plurality of pieces of flag information extracted in time series. do. As a result, the data transmitted from the printing facility 2 can contain a plurality of types of information, and the gateway 3 can generate real-time data and processed data from predetermined positions in the data received from the printing facility 2 .

Further, the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment stores real-time data to be transmitted to the server device 4 in the transmission/reception buffer 33, and deletes the real-time data from the transmission/reception buffer 33 when the transmission fails. As a result, it is possible to prevent the storage capacity of the transmission/reception buffer 33 from being squeezed by continuous storage of real-time data that is not retransmitted.

Also, the gateway 3 according to the present embodiment stores information for generating past log data in the nonvolatile storage unit 32 . The gateway 3 stores the information for generating the past log data in the storage unit 32 until the transmission succeeds, and erases the information after the past log data has been successfully transmitted. This prevents the loss of past log data that needs to be resent.

Further, the server device 4 according to the present embodiment receives real-time data, processed data, and past log data relating to the printing equipment 2 from the gateway 3, and stores information contained in the received data in the equipment DB 42b of the storage unit 42. . The server device 4 transmits the information stored in the facility DB 42 b to the terminal device 5 . The terminal device 5 receives data from the server device 4 and displays information related to the printing facility 2 on the display unit 54 . As a result, the server device 4 accumulates information related to the printing equipment 2 , and the user can view the information accumulated in the server device 4 using the terminal device 5 .

The server device 4 may transmit the information included in the real-time data to the terminal device 5 each time it receives the real-time data from the gateway 3 . The terminal device 5 updates the display on the display unit 54 each time information is received from the server device 4 . As a result, the information related to the printing equipment 2 can be updated one by one by the terminal device 5, and the real-time display of the information related to the printing equipment 2 can be realized.

Moreover, the server device 4 according to the present embodiment complements information related to real-time data that has not been transmitted from the gateway 3 due to a transmission failure, based on the processed data and past log data transmitted by the gateway 3 . As a result, the server device 4 can acquire the information contained in the real-time data that is not retransmitted by storing it based on the processed data and the past log data, and reliably stores and accumulates the information regarding the printing equipment 2. be able to.

In the present embodiment, the printing facility 2 is used as the device to be monitored, but the monitoring target of the monitoring system is not limited to the printing facility 2, and may be various devices. Also, the format of transmission data, screen display, and the like described in the present embodiment are merely examples, and are not limited to these. In the present embodiment, the server device 4 stores the information contained in the received real-time data in the printing facility DB 42b, and supplements the missing part with the processed data and the past log data, but it is not limited to this. do not have. The server device 4 may be configured to receive past log data and store it in the printing facility DB 42b.

The embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and should be considered not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the meaning described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

1 factory 2 printing equipment (monitored equipment)
3 gateway (data relay device)
4 server device 5 terminal device 31 processing unit 31a reception processing unit (receiving unit)
31b data acquisition unit 31c data generation unit (first generation unit, second generation unit)
31d transmission processing unit (first transmission processing unit, second transmission processing unit)
32 storage unit 32a program (computer program)
32b log storage unit 33 transmission/reception buffer (storage unit)
34 first communication unit 35 second communication unit 41 processing unit 41a reception processing unit (receiving unit)
41b Transmission processing unit (transmission unit)
41c complementing unit 42 storage unit 42a server program (computer program)
42b Printing Equipment DB
43 communication unit 51 processing unit 51a reception processing unit (receiving unit)
51b display processing unit 52 storage unit 52a program (computer program)
53 communication unit 54 display unit 55 operation unit 97, 98, 99 recording medium N network

Claims (12)

a receiving unit for receiving data including numerical information and flag information transmitted by the monitored device;
a first generating unit that generates first time-series data including at least the numerical information from the data received by the receiving unit;
a first transmission processing unit that transmits the first data generated by the first generation unit to a server device;
a second generating unit that generates second data related to a state change of the monitored device based on the flag information included in the data received by the receiving unit;
a second transmission processing unit that transmits the second data generated by the second generation unit to the server device;
a third generating unit that generates third data in which the numerical information and the flag information included in the data received by the receiving unit are accumulated over a predetermined period;
a third transmission processing unit that transmits the third data generated by the third generation unit to the server device;
with
wherein, when transmission of the first data to the server device fails, the first transmission processing unit does not retransmit the first data;
The second transmission processing unit retransmits the second data when transmission of the second data to the server device fails,
The third transmission processing unit retransmits the third data when transmission of the third data to the server device fails.
Data relay device. The first generating unit sets data extracted from a predetermined position of the data received by the receiving unit as the first data,
The second generating unit extracts flag information indicating a state of the monitored device from a predetermined position of the data received by the receiving unit, and based on the plurality of pieces of flag information extracted in time series, the monitored device. generating the second data relating to the state change of
The data relay device according to claim 1 . comprising a buffer for storing the first data;
after transmission of the first data by the first transmission processing unit, erasing the first data stored in the buffer regardless of success or failure of transmission;
3. The data relay device according to claim 1 or 2 . A non-volatile storage unit that stores the third data or data for generating the third data,
until the third transmission processing unit successfully transmits the third data, the storage unit stores the third data or data for generating the third data;
The data relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . a transmission cycle of the second data by the second transmission processing unit is longer than a transmission cycle of the first data by the first transmission processing unit;
a transmission cycle of the third data by the third transmission processing unit is longer than a transmission cycle of the second data by the second transmission processing unit;
The data relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. receiving data including numerical information and flag information transmitted by the monitored device;
generating time-series first data containing at least the numerical information from the received data;
transmitting the generated first data to the server device;
generating second data related to the state change of the monitored device based on the flag information included in the received data;
transmitting the generated second data to the server device;
generating third data by accumulating the numerical information and the flag information included in the received data over a predetermined period;
transmitting the generated third data to the server device;
when transmission of the first data to the server device fails, without retransmitting the first data;
when transmission of the second data to the server device fails, retransmitting the second data;
When transmission of the third data to the server device fails, retransmitting the third data;
Data relay method. A monitoring system in which a server device acquires data related to a monitored device via a data relay device,
The data relay device
a receiving unit that receives data including numerical information and flag information transmitted by the monitored device;
a first generating unit that generates first time-series data including at least the numerical information from the data received by the receiving unit;
a first transmission processing unit that transmits the first data generated by the first generation unit to a server device;
a second generating unit that generates second data related to a state change of the monitored device based on the flag information included in the data received by the receiving unit;
a second transmission processing unit that transmits the second data generated by the second generation unit to the server device ;
a third generating unit that generates third data in which the numerical information and the flag information included in the data received by the receiving unit are accumulated over a predetermined period;
a third transmission processing unit that transmits the third data generated by the third generation unit to the server device;
has
wherein, when transmission of the first data to the server device fails, the first transmission processing unit does not retransmit the first data;
The second transmission processing unit retransmits the second data when transmission of the second data to the server device fails,
The third transmission processing unit retransmits the third data when transmission of the third data to the server device fails,
The server device
a receiving unit that receives the first data , the second data , and the third data transmitted by the data relay device;
a storage unit that stores the first data , the second data , and the third data received by the receiving unit;
a transmission unit configured to transmit the first data , the second data , and the third data stored in the storage unit to a terminal device;
Monitoring system. Time-series first data including at least numerical information related to a monitored device is transmitted without retransmission in the event of a transmission failure, and the monitored device generated based on flag information related to the monitored device. When the transmission fails, the second data related to the state change is retransmitted and transmitted, and when the transmission fails, the third data obtained by accumulating the numerical value information and the flag information over a predetermined period is retransmitted. a receiving unit that receives the first data , the second data, and the third data from the data relay device that transmits the data;
a storage unit that stores the first data , the second data , and the third data received by the receiving unit;
A server device comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the first data , the second data , and the third data stored in the storage unit to a terminal device. 9. The server device according to claim 8 , wherein said transmission unit transmits said first data , said second data and said third data to said terminal device in response to a request from said terminal device. 10. The server device according to claim 8 , further comprising a complementing unit that complements the first data not transmitted from the data relay device due to transmission failure based on the third data received by the receiving unit. to the computer,
receiving data including numerical information and flag information transmitted by the monitored device;
generating time-series first data containing at least the numerical information from the received data;
transmitting the generated first data to the server device;
generating second data related to the state change of the monitored device based on the flag information included in the received data;
transmitting the generated second data to the server device;
generating third data by accumulating the numerical information and the flag information included in the received data over a predetermined period;
transmitting the generated third data to the server device;
when transmission of the first data to the server device fails, without retransmitting the first data;
when transmission of the second data to the server device fails, retransmitting the second data ;
When transmission of the third data to the server device fails, the third data is retransmitted.
A computer program that causes a process to be performed. to the computer,
Time-series first data including at least numerical information related to a monitored device is transmitted without retransmission in the event of a transmission failure, and the monitored device generated based on flag information related to the monitored device. When the transmission fails, the second data related to the state change is retransmitted and transmitted, and when the transmission fails, the third data obtained by accumulating the numerical value information and the flag information over a predetermined period is retransmitted. receiving the first data , the second data and the third data from a data relay device for transmission ;
storing the received first data , second data and third data in a storage unit;
A computer program for executing a process of transmitting the stored first data , second data , and third data to a terminal device.

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