JP3013132B2 - Remote maintenance system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote maintenance system for remotely maintaining, from a center, a monitored unit provided with an automatic device such as an automatic cash dispenser. When an automatic device operated by a customer such as a plurality of automatic cash dispensers or various vending machines is installed, a system for remotely monitoring the automatic device from a center without employing a maintenance person is employed. . In the event of a failure of the automatic equipment, a telephone is set up for the customer to talk with the maintenance person at the center. Also, an integrated service digital network (ISDN; Int) is provided between the center and the monitored unit where the automatic equipment is installed.
A configuration is also known in which the connection is made via an egrated service digital network. A call is performed using the B channel of 2B + D channels, and various data is transmitted and received using the D channel. It is desired that the center of such a system can easily collect the status information of the monitored part.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A place where one or a plurality of automatic cash dispensers or vending machines are installed is defined as a monitored unit. 2. Description of the Related Art A system for collecting and monitoring state information of vending machines at a center is known. Further, the monitored unit is provided with a telephone set that allows a customer to call the center and make a call when an automatic cash dispenser or a vending machine fails. In that case,
Generally, two lines, a line for communication and a line for transmitting state information, are pulled into the monitored unit. However, by switching between transmission of state information and telephone communication, only one line is required. Known systems are also known.

[0003] Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
Has a 2B + D channel configuration,
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which communication is performed by the B channel among 2B + D channels by one line, and various data such as status information is transmitted and received by the D channel. In addition, the monitored unit's telephone has a configuration dedicated to outgoing calls to the center so that incoming calls from general subscribers cannot be made to the monitored unit's telephone.

The monitored unit connected to the ISDN line includes a terminal connection device containing an automatic device such as an automatic cash dispenser and a telephone, and a terminal adapter for connecting the terminal connection device to the ISDN line. Various data between the center and the automatic device of the monitored unit are transmitted as packets on the D channel.

When the customer lifts the handset of the telephone, the off-hook detection data is transmitted to the center using the D channel, and the monitored unit calls the center in accordance with the call instruction from the center, and the telephone of the center is called. , A telephone call is made using the B channel between the telephone at the center and the telephone at the monitored unit. That is, the telephone set of the monitored unit cannot send a call to any place other than the center, and has a configuration that does not accept an incoming call.

[0006]

As described above, the monitored part includes a terminal adapter, a terminal connection device, an automatic device, a telephone, and the like. 232C, etc., and the B channel is connected by an 8-core cable. For out-of-hook calls of the telephone, the D channel is connected to the integrated service digital network from the terminal connection device via the terminal adapter. Notified and the call is made via the B channel. Various data of the monitored unit is transmitted and received via the D channel. The center can monitor an automatic device or the like of the monitored part by transmitting and receiving data via the D channel. However, when various data cannot be transmitted and received via the D channel due to a failure of the interface between the terminal adapter and the terminal connection device, a disconnection of a cable according to a standard such as RS-232C, or a disconnection of a connector, etc. In this case, the status of the automatic device cannot be monitored, and a call cannot be made by off-hook of the telephone.

[0007] When the transmission and reception of such various data becomes impossible, a maintenance person goes to the monitored part from the center to search for a failed part and repair it. For example, a system that periodically transmits / receives various data to / from the monitored unit at the center, and when the periodic data cannot be transmitted / received, determines that a failure has occurred in the monitored unit, A maintenance person can be dispatched to search for and repair a failed part.

[0008] However, since a maintenance person needs to go directly to the monitored part to search for a fault location, there is a problem that processing when a failure occurs in a large number of distributed monitored parts is not easy. The present invention relates to an interface between the monitored unit and the center.
An object of the present invention is to perform maintenance of a monitored part by effectively using a B channel of an SDN line.

[0009]

A remote maintenance system according to the present invention, which will be described with reference to FIG. 1, is a system for connecting a center 1 and a monitored unit 2 via an integrated service digital network (ISDN) 3. The monitored unit 2 includes an automatic device 4 such as an automatic cash dispenser or a vending machine operated by a customer,
A telephone 5, a terminal connection device 6 for performing only data transmission / reception processing for the automatic device 4 and a transmission process for the telephone 5, and a connection between the terminal connection device 6 and the integrated service digital network 3; 1 and a terminal adapter 7 for performing a connection process between a telephone 5 and a call between the center 1 and a network control unit 8 and a modem control unit 9 in the terminal connection device 6. The monitored unit 2 receives a call for remote maintenance from the center 1 and receives an incoming call via the integrated service digital network 3 by this call. The monitored unit 2 responds by the network control unit 8 of the terminal connection device 6 to control the modem control unit 9. In accordance with the maintenance command from the center 1 received through the modem control unit 9 through the connection, the maintenance information of the monitored unit 2 is transmitted through the modem control unit 9.

[0010]

When a call for remote maintenance is sent from the center 1 to the monitored unit 2 via a telephone or a modem, the integrated service digital network 3 calls the monitored unit 2, and this call is made. To the monitored unit 2 by the network control unit 8 of the terminal connection device 6. Thereby, the connection between the modem at the center and the modem control unit 9 of the monitored unit 2 is established. That is, the network control unit 8 performs incoming call processing from the center 1 and enables data transmission / reception via the B channel by connection between modems. Therefore, the monitored unit 2 receiving the maintenance command from the center 1 via this B channel
Sends the maintenance information to the center 1 via the B channel, and the B channel can be used effectively.

[0011]

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an embodiment of the present invention.
Is a center, 12 is a monitored unit, 13 is an integrated service digital network (ISDN), 14 is an automatic device such as an automatic teller machine, 15 is a telephone, 16 is a terminal connection device, 17 is a terminal adapter, and 18 is a network control unit. , 19 is a modem control unit,
20 is a call control unit, 21 is a message control unit, 22, 2
3 is a selector, 24 is a monitoring console, 25 is a telephone, 26 is a terminal adapter, 27 is a selector, and 28 is an input operation unit including a modem.

A plurality of monitored units 12 are connected to the center 11 via an integrated service digital network 13. The monitored unit 12 includes a plurality of automatic devices and telephones. . Also, various information corresponding to the monitored unit 12 is displayed on the display of the monitoring console 24 of the center 11.

The terminal adapter 17 of the monitored unit 12
And the call control unit 20 and the network control unit 18 of the terminal connection device 16.
And the modem control unit 19 are selectively connected by the selector 22, and the network control unit 18 is connected when waiting for an incoming call. Although only one automatic device 14 and one telephone 15 are shown, usually a plurality of automatic devices 14 and telephones 15 are installed and connected to the terminal connection device 16 in, for example, a bus format. The telephone 15 includes a message control unit 21 and a call control unit 20.
Are selectively connected to the selector by the selector 23.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a telephone call operation by the telephone according to the embodiment of the present invention, and shows a sequence of the center 11, the network (the integrated service digital network 13), the TA (the terminal adapter 17), and the telephone 15. First, when the customer picks up the handset of the telephone set 15 of the monitored unit 12, the terminal connection device 16 detects the off-hook of the telephone set 15 and notifies the terminal adapter (TA) 17 thereof.
The message control unit 21 is connected to the telephone 15 by the selector 23.
And a message such as "Connecting. Please wait for a while." Is sent from the message control unit 21. The terminal adapter (TA) 17
The center 11 via a network by a user / user signal procedure or the like.
Outgoing call data.

The center 11 sends the connection request data to the monitored unit 12 via the network according to the user / user signal procedure based on the outgoing call data. The terminal adapter (TA) 17 of the monitored unit 12 sends a telephone connection request to the terminal connection device 16, and the terminal connection device 16 sends a network connection request to the terminal adapter (TA) 17 as in the case of calling by telephone. The control unit 18 sets an off-hook state. As a result, the terminal adapter (TA) 17 sends out a dial tone, and the network controller 18 of the terminal connection device 16 that has detected the dial tone sends the telephone number of the center 11 to the terminal adapter (TA) 17 via the selector 22. Automatically dial.

The terminal adapter (TA) 17 receives the telephone number and transmits it to the network. The network calls the center 11 and sends a ring back tone to the terminal connection device 16. When a call is received by the telephone 25 of the center 11 and answered, the terminal adapter (TA) 1
7 notifies the terminal connection device 16 of a response to the call by reversing the polarity, and the terminal connection device 16
3 and the message control unit 21 to stop the message sent to the telephone 15, connect the telephone 15 and the call control unit 20 via the selector 23, and 20 and the terminal adapter 17 are connected. Thereby, the telephone 2 of the center 11
A call using the B channel can be made between the telephone number 5 and the telephone set 15 of the monitored unit 12.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the remote maintenance connection according to the embodiment of the present invention.
5 makes a call to the monitored unit 12 for remote maintenance, the network establishes a terminal adapter (TA) 1 of the monitored unit 12.
7 to the terminal adapter (TA) 1
7 transmits ringing to the terminal connection device 16.

Since the selector 22 of the terminal connection device 16 connects the network controller 18 to the terminal adapter (TA) 17, the network controller 18 sets the terminal adapter (TA) 17 in an off-hook state. In response to the call from the center 11. This response information is sent from the terminal adapter (TA) 17 to the center 11 via the network. The selector 2 of the terminal connection device 16
2 to connect the modem controller 19 to the terminal adapter (TA) 17.

In the center 11, an input operation unit 28 is connected by a selector 27 so that the input operation unit 28
The modem connection sequence between the modem of the monitored unit 12 and the modem control unit 19 of the monitored unit 12 is performed, and an ID (identification information) request is sent from the terminal connection device 16 to the center 11. This I
In response to the D request, the center 11 sends an ID. When the terminal connection device 16 confirms that the center is the center 11 by checking the received ID, the data can be transferred between the modems using the B channel. By confirming such an ID, an incoming call to the monitored unit 12 from a location other than the center 11 can be prevented.

In this data transfer state, the center 1
The maintenance command is sent out by operating the input operation unit 28 of 1, and the modem control unit 19 of the monitored unit 12 sends out maintenance information in accordance with the maintenance command. That is, the monitored unit 12
The terminal connection device 16 of this example has an incoming call function, and the terminal connection device 16 collects maintenance information of the automatic device 14 and the like.
The maintenance information is transmitted via the channel. Upon completion of the data transfer, the data transfer line is disconnected by a normal line disconnection sequence (not shown).

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the monitored unit 2 includes the automatic unit 4, the telephone 5, the terminal connection unit 6, and the terminal adapter 7, and the terminal connection unit 6 includes the network control unit 8 And a modem control unit 9, when a call for remote maintenance is made from the center 1, a response is made by the network control unit 8,
A modem control unit 9 is connected to send maintenance information to the center 1 in accordance with a maintenance command from the center 1. The network control unit 8 can respond to a call for remote maintenance from the center, Since data can be transmitted and received using the B channel of the ISDN by the modem control unit 9, even if the automatic unit 4 or the interface between the telephone 5 and the terminal connection unit 6 fails, the maintenance command from the center 1 is used. Sends the maintenance information of the monitored unit 2 to the center 1 in accordance with
There is an advantage that the center 1 can perform remote maintenance of the monitored unit 2 based on the maintenance information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a telephone call operation by the telephone according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a remote maintenance connection according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Center 2 Monitored unit 3 Integrated service digital network 4 Automatic device 5 Telephone 6 Terminal connection device 7 Terminal adapter 8 Network control unit 9 Modem control unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07D 1/00 G07D 3/00 G07D 9/00 G07D 9/04 G06F 5/00-9/10 G06F 11 / 28-11/34 G06F 13/00 G06F 17/00-19/00 H04M 3/08-3/14 H04M 3/22-3/36 H04M 11/00-11/10 H04Q 1/20-1/26

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A center (1) and a monitored unit (2) are composed of a basic 2B + D channel of an integrated service digital network (3).
The monitored unit (2) connected through an interface
Is an automatic device (4) operated by the customer and a telephone (5)
And data transmission / reception processing to and from the automatic device (4).
Fine said telephone (5) originating process and the call and the terminal connection unit to perform (6), the terminal connecting device (6) and the integrated services digital network (3) and a terminal adapter for connecting between the (7) In the remote maintenance system provided with the above, the terminal connection device (6) is connected to the terminal (6 ) from the center (1).
Network control unit (8) that performs transmission processing and transmission control of maintenance information
And a modem control unit (9) for performing the monitoring , wherein the monitored unit (2) includes the terminal adapter (7).
Call for remote maintenance from the center (1) via the
Then, the network control unit (8) of the terminal connection device (6)
The modem controller (9) is connected in response to the connection, and
B from the center (1) via the modem controller (9)
The maintenance information according to the maintenance command by the channel is
A remote maintenance system characterized in that transmission is performed by a channel .