Apparatus monitoring system, apparatus monitoring method, and apparatus monitoring program

Abstract

To provide an apparatus monitoring system, an apparatus monitoring method, and an apparatus monitoring program with which it is possible to appropriately notify an event occurring in a target apparatus to be monitored.SOLUTION: An apparatus monitoring system 10 comprises: an acquisition processing unit 112 that, when an event occurs in a target apparatus 3 to be monitored, acquires event information from the target apparatus 3; and a notification processing unit 113 that, on the basis of notification setting information for the target apparatus 3, determines whether to notify a monitoring device 2 of the event information corresponding to the target apparatus 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for monitoring target equipment such as station equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] Systems for remotely monitoring station equipment installed at railway stations are known. For example, a system has been proposed in which, when an abnormality occurs in the station equipment or when a user (passenger) presses an intercom installed in the station equipment, an alarm sounds in a monitoring device installed in a monitoring center and an image of the station is displayed on a display screen (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-238046 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, station equipment may undergo maintenance work such as inspection, maintenance, replacement, installation, and removal. When maintenance work is performed on station equipment, an abnormality signal (abnormality notification) is output from the station equipment, causing the monitoring device to recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the station equipment. This can lead to problems such as operators taking unnecessary action regarding station equipment undergoing maintenance work, or delaying necessary action regarding station equipment in operation (for example, responding to a malfunction or a user's call).

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a device monitoring system, a device monitoring method, and a device monitoring program that are capable of properly notifying an event that occurs in a monitored target device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An equipment monitoring system according to the present invention is a system for notifying a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, and includes an acquisition processing unit that acquires the event information from the target equipment when the event has occurred in the target equipment, and a notification processing unit that determines whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target equipment based on notification setting information for the target equipment.

[0007] An equipment monitoring method according to the present invention is a method for notifying a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, wherein the equipment monitoring method is executed by one or more processors to acquire the event information from the target equipment when the event has occurred in the target equipment, and determine whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target equipment based on notification setting information for the target equipment.

[0008] A device monitoring program according to the present invention is a program for notifying a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target device, the device monitoring program causing one or more processors to execute the following steps: acquiring the event information from the target device when the event has occurred in the target device; and determining whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target device based on notification setting information for the target device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a device monitoring system, a device monitoring method, and a device monitoring program that are capable of appropriately notifying an event that occurs in a monitored target device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a device monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a device monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of event registration information used in the device monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on the user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on the user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the device monitoring process executed by the device monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitoring device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitoring device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of priority information used in the device monitoring system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the device monitoring process executed by the device monitoring system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16]FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring screen displayed on a monitoring device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to help understand the present invention. Note that the following embodiments are examples that embody the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0012] [Equipment Monitoring System 10] The device monitoring system 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a system that notifies a monitoring device 2 of event information relating to an event that occurs in a monitored target device 3. The target device 3 includes devices used by users and facility equipment. The events include the occurrence of an abnormality or failure in the target device 3, an operation by a user to call an operator who monitors the target device 3 (call operation), and the like.

[0013] The equipment monitoring system 10 can be applied to a system that notifies an operator's monitoring device 2 of event information related to an event that occurs in station service equipment installed in a railway station, for example. In this case, the target equipment 3 includes equipment installed in the station that is used by users (passengers) who use the station, such as ticket vending machines, fare adjustment machines, automatic ticket gates, elevators, escalators, and intercoms, as well as facility equipment such as broadcasting equipment, lighting equipment, and sensors. The events include an abnormality or malfunction of the station service equipment, or an operation (call operation) by a user to call an operator by pressing an intercom installed in the station service equipment.

[0014] The target devices of the present invention are not limited to station service equipment, but may be devices in various fields, such as check-in machines installed at airports, ticket vending machines installed at bus stops, and check-in machines installed at accommodation facilities. The device management system of the present invention is applicable to a system that notifies a monitoring device of event information related to events that occur in these monitored target devices. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the device monitoring system 10 is applied to a system that notifies a monitoring device 2 of event information related to events that occur in target devices 3, such as station service equipment installed at railway stations.

[0015] 1, the device monitoring system 10 includes a management server 1, a monitoring device 2, and target devices 3. The management server 1, the monitoring device 2, and the target devices 3 can communicate with each other via a network N2 such as the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or a public telephone line. The target devices 3 include ticket vending machines, fare adjustment machines, automatic ticket gates, elevators, escalators, intercoms, broadcasting equipment, lighting equipment, sensors, and the like.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, multiple target devices 3 are installed at each station. The target devices 3 are connected to each other via a network N1 such as a LAN so that they can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the target devices 3 are connected to a management server 1, which is a server device managed by a railway operator (railway company), via a network N2 such as a dedicated line or public line. The management server 1 is a management device managed by the railway operator that operates the railway business, including the stations, or a relay server connected to the management device, and manages the target devices 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the management server 1 is connected to the network N2 and performs data communication with each target device 3 at each station via the network N2 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. The monitoring device 2 is installed at the railway operator or an affiliated company of the railway operator and is an operation device, such as a personal computer (PC), used by an operator to monitor each target device 3. For example, multiple monitoring devices 2 are installed at a monitoring center that monitors each station. One operator is assigned to each monitoring device 2, and each operator uses the monitoring device 2 to monitor the status (operating status, abnormal status) of each target device 3 installed at each station. Furthermore, for example, when a user presses the intercom button on a ticket machine at a station, an operator can respond to the call notified to the monitoring device 2 and talk to the user.

[0017] Meanwhile, station equipment such as ticket vending machines may undergo maintenance work such as inspection, maintenance, replacement, installation, and removal. When maintenance work is performed on station equipment, an abnormality signal (abnormality notification) is output from the station equipment, and the monitoring device 2 recognizes that an abnormality has occurred in the station equipment. This can lead to problems such as operators taking unnecessary action regarding station equipment undergoing maintenance work, or delaying necessary action regarding station equipment that is in operation (for example, responding to a malfunction or a user's call).

[0018] Therefore, the device monitoring system 10 has a configuration that can appropriately notify the monitor (operator) of an event that occurs in the monitored target device 3. This configuration will be described in [Embodiment 1].

[0019] Furthermore, if an abnormality (such as a malfunction) occurs in station equipment, the station equipment outputs an abnormality signal to the monitoring device 2. Furthermore, when an operator presses the intercom of the malfunctioning station equipment, the station equipment outputs a call signal to the monitoring device 2. In this case, an abnormality notification and a call notification for the same station equipment will be displayed on the monitoring device 2, but it is difficult for the operator to know whether the target device 3 for each notification is the same station equipment, which can lead to problems such as missing a response to one of the notifications or responding to multiple notifications at the same time.

[0020] Therefore, the device monitoring system 10 further includes a configuration that enables an operator to appropriately respond to an event that occurs in the target device 3. This configuration will be described in [Embodiment 2].

[0021] [Embodiment 1] [Administration Server 1] Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the equipment monitoring system 10. Fig. 2 shows target equipment 3 installed in a specific station, including ticket vending machines, fare adjustment machines, automatic ticket gates, elevators, escalators, and intercoms. Each target equipment 3 is capable of data communication with the management server 1 via the network N2.

[0022] The management server 1 is an information processing device (server device) that includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation display unit 13, and a communication unit 14. The management server 1 is not limited to a single computer, but may be a computer system in which multiple computers operate in cooperation. Furthermore, various processes executed by the management server 1 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or multiple processors.

[0023] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface that connects the management server 1 to the network N2 via a wired or wireless connection and performs data communication with external devices such as each target device 3 via the network N2 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0024] The operation display unit 13 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

[0025] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory that stores various types of information. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores data such as event registration information D1 acquired from the target device 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the event registration information D1.

[0026] 3, the event registration information D1 registers information such as the corresponding "device name," "station name," "corner name," "IP address," and "notification flag" for each event that occurs in the target device 3. The event registration information D1 registers information (event information) that is output from the target device 3 when an abnormality or failure occurs in the target device 3. The event registration information D1 also registers information (event information) that is output from the target device 3 when a user presses the intercom provided in the target device 3 to call an operator (call operation).

[0027] The device name is the name of the target device 3. The station name is the name of the station where the target device 3 is installed. The corner name is information indicating the installation location of the target device 3 within the station. The IP address is identification information of the target device 3 for performing data communication with the target device 3. The notification flag is information for identifying whether or not to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information, and is registered as "1" or "0". If "1" is registered in the notification flag, the event information is notified to the monitoring device 2. If "0" is registered in the notification flag, the event information is not notified to the monitoring device 2. The control unit 11 associates and registers a notification flag ("1" or "0") with each piece of event information based on the notification setting information described below.

[0028] In another embodiment, some or all of the data such as the event registration information D1 may be stored in another server accessible from the management server 1 via the network N2. For example, the event registration information D1 may be stored in a station server (not shown) installed in a station. In this case, the control unit 11 of the management server 1 may acquire the event registration information D1 from the station server and execute various processes such as the device monitoring process (see FIG. 10) described below.

[0029] The storage unit 12 also stores control programs such as an equipment monitoring program for causing the control unit 11 to execute an equipment monitoring process (see FIG. 10 ) described below. For example, the control program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or a DVD drive provided in the management server 1 and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0030] The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as an OS that cause the CPU to execute various types of arithmetic processing are pre-stored. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various types of information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various types of processing executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the management server 1 by having the CPU execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or the storage unit 12.

[0031] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a display processing unit 111, an acquisition processing unit 112, and a notification processing unit 113. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes in accordance with the control program using the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The control program may be a program for causing multiple processors to function as the processing units.

[0032] When an event occurs in target equipment 3 such as station service equipment installed in a station, control unit 11 executes a process (notification process) of notifying event information relating to the event to monitoring device 2. An outline of the basic configuration of the notification process will be described using Figs. 4 to 6.

[0033] The display processing unit 111 outputs a display instruction to the monitoring device 2 to display the monitoring screen P1. For example, when an operator of the monitoring device 2 starts up an equipment monitoring application, the display processing unit 111 may cause the monitoring device 2 to display the monitoring screen P1. Fig. 4 shows an example of the monitoring screen P1. The monitoring screen P1 includes an event information display field P11 that displays event information notified from the management server 1, an information display field P12 that displays a route map, detailed event information, etc., an image display field P13 that displays camera images of the target device 3 or the area around the target device 3, and a status display field P14 that displays the event occurrence status at each station.

[0034] 4, for example, the display processing unit 111 displays a route map in the information display field P12 and displays a station icon K2 for each monitored station in the status display field P14 on the monitoring screen P1 displayed on the monitoring device 2. The display processing unit 111 also displays a station staff icon K3 in association with the station icon K2 of a manned station where a station staff member is present. A station icon K2 that is not associated with a station staff icon K3 indicates that the station is an unmanned station.

[0035] When an event occurs in a target device 3 in a station, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires event information from the target device 3. For example, when an abnormality occurs in ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an abnormality signal from the ticket vending machine. The abnormality includes an abnormality (failure) that occurs during operation and an abnormality due to maintenance work. For example, when a user presses the intercom button at ticket vending machine No. 2 at A1 station, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires a call signal from the ticket vending machine. For example, when a user presses the intercom button in an elevator at A3 station, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires a call signal from the elevator. An abnormality in the target device 3 and a call to a user at the target device 3 are examples of events of the present invention. When the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the event information, it registers the device name, station name, corner name, and IP address corresponding to the event information in event registration information D1 (see FIG. 3).

[0036] The notification processing unit 113 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information. Specifically, the notification processing unit 113 displays an event icon K1 in the event information display field P11 based on an abnormality signal or a call signal. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an abnormality signal from the first ticket vending machine at A1 station, the notification processing unit 113 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information and displays the event icon K1 in the event information display field P11. The notification processing unit 113 also displays the station name, the name (device name) of the event source (target device 3), and the event type ("abnormality" or "call") in association with the event icon K1. Note that the event information display field P11 may be scrollable horizontally if multiple event icons K1 do not fit within the display area. Furthermore, multiple event icons K1 may be displayed in two rows, one above the other, in the event information display field P11.

[0037] Furthermore, when the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires event information from multiple target devices 3, the notification processing unit 113 displays multiple event icons K1 corresponding to each piece of event information side by side in the event information display field P11. For example, the notification processing unit 113 displays the event icons K1 side by side in the event information display field P11 in the order in which the acquisition processing unit 112 acquired the event information (in the order in which the events occurred). For example, the notification processing unit 113 displays the event icon K1 of the first acquired event information at the left end of the event information display field P11, and when the next piece of event information is acquired, the first event icon K1 is shifted to the right and a new event icon K1 is displayed at the left end. Thereafter, each time event information is acquired, the previous event icon K1 is shifted to the right and displayed. In another embodiment, the notification processing unit 113 may display the event icon K1 of the first acquired event information at the left end of the event information display field P11, and the event icon K1 of the next acquired event information is displayed immediately to the right of it, and thereafter, each time event information is acquired, the event icon K1 is displayed side by side to the right.

[0038] When the monitoring device 2 is notified of the event information, that is, when the event icon K1 is displayed in the event information display field P11 of the monitoring screen P1 (see FIG. 4), the operator takes action to deal with the event occurring in the target device 3.

[0039] For example, when an operator receives a call from ticket vending machine No. 2 at A1 station, the operator selects (e.g., by touching) the corresponding event icon K1 as shown in FIG. 5. The display processing unit 111 displays an operation screen P21 of the ticket vending machine corresponding to the selected event icon K1 in the information display field P12 (see FIG. 5). The operation screen P21 is the same screen as the screen currently displayed on ticket vending machine No. 2 at A1 station, and is a remote operation screen that the operator can operate using the monitoring device 2. The display processing unit 111 also displays a camera image in the image display field P13 that includes ticket vending machine No. 2 at A1 station and a user who pressed the intercom button at the ticket vending machine. For example, the camera is installed in a position that allows it to capture multiple ticket vending machines from the front, and can capture a zoomed-in image of the area around the ticket vending machine where the intercom button was pressed. The operator communicates with the user who pressed the intercom button at ticket vending machine No. 2 at A1 station to explain the operation or remotely operate the machine on behalf of the user. The monitoring device 2 is capable of performing data communication with the target device 3 based on the IP address (see FIG. 3) included in the event information.

[0040] For example, when an operator receives an abnormality notification from ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station, the operator selects the corresponding event icon K1 as shown in FIG. 6. The display processing unit 111 displays detailed information P22 of the ticket vending machine corresponding to the selected event icon K1 in the information display field P12 (see FIG. 6). The display processing unit 111 also displays a camera image including ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station in the image display field P13. The detailed information P22 includes device information for ticket vending machine No. 1, the details of the abnormality, and information on how to deal with the abnormality. The operator checks the detailed information P22 and takes the necessary action (such as requesting repairs, restarting the machine, or shutting off the power).

[0041] Also, for example, when an operator receives a call from an elevator or toilet in a station, the operator can talk to the user.

[0042] In this way, when the control unit 11 acquires event information output from the target device 3 in each station, it notifies the monitoring device 2. This enables the operator to quickly deal with the event.

[0043] Here, the control unit 11 has the following configuration so that event information that does not require the operator to take action is not notified to the monitoring device 2.

[0044] Specifically, the notification processing unit 113 determines whether or not to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information corresponding to the target device 3, based on the notification setting information for the target device 3. Specifically, the notification processing unit 113 determines whether or not to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information, based on the notification setting information set by the user.

[0045] For example, the notification processing unit 113 determines whether or not to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information corresponding to the target device 3 based on the content of the setting operation performed by the user to set whether or not notification of the event information corresponding to the target device 3 is required.

[0046] FIG. 7 shows an example of the non-notification setting screen P2 that accepts a user's setting operation. The non-notification setting screen P2 may be displayed on the monitoring device 2, on the operation terminal of a worker performing maintenance work, or on the operation terminal of a station attendant. For example, when (or before) starting maintenance work on the first fare adjustment machine at A2 station, the worker displays the non-notification setting screen P2, enters the station name, the device, and the machine number, and presses the register button. When the notification processing unit 113 acquires the notification setting information entered on the non-notification setting screen P2, it excludes the target device 3 that has been set as non-notification from the notification targets. In this example, the notification processing unit 113 excludes the first fare adjustment machine at A2 station from the notification targets. If the first fare adjustment machine at A2 station is excluded from the notification targets, for example, when the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an abnormal signal from the first fare adjustment machine at A2 station, the notification processing unit 113 does not notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information of the fare adjustment machine. That is, when the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires event information (an abnormality signal) from a target device 3 that the user has set to non-notification, the notification processing unit 113 does not notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information.

[0047] When the notification setting information is acquired, the notification processing unit 113 registers "0" (non-notification) in the notification flag of the event registration information D1 (see FIG. 3). When the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an abnormal signal, the notification processing unit 113 refers to the notification flag and determines whether or not to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information. That is, when "1" is registered in the notification flag, the notification processing unit 113 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information, and when "0" is registered in the notification flag, the notification processing unit 113 does not notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information.

[0048] The user may also perform an operation to cancel the non-notification setting. For example, when a worker finishes maintenance work on the No. 1 fare adjustment machine at A2 station, the worker displays the cancellation setting screen P3 shown in FIG. 8, enters the station name, the equipment, and the machine number, and presses the cancellation button. When the notification processing unit 113 acquires the cancellation setting information entered on the cancellation setting screen P3, it restores the target equipment 3 that was excluded from the notification targets to the notification targets. In this example, the notification processing unit 113 restores the No. 1 fare adjustment machine at A2 station to the notification targets. For example, when the notification processing unit 113 acquires the cancellation setting information, it changes the notification flag in the event registration information D1 (see FIG. 3) from "0" (non-notification) to "1" (notification). If the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an abnormal signal from the No. 1 fare adjustment machine at A2 station after the notification flag has been changed to "1," the notification processing unit 113 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information.

[0049] In another embodiment, the non-notification setting screen P2 may be displayed on the monitoring device 2, and the operator of the monitoring device 2 may perform the non-notification setting. Alternatively, the cancellation setting screen P3 may be displayed on the monitoring device 2, and the operator of the monitoring device 2 may perform the non-notification cancellation setting. In other words, the user who performs the non-notification setting and the non-notification cancellation setting may be a maintenance worker, the operator of the monitoring device 2, or a station staff member.

[0050] In another embodiment, the user may set a work period (work start date and time and work end date and time) for the maintenance work. In this case, the notification processing unit 113 excludes the work period from the notification targets (sets the period as non-notification) for the target equipment 3 for the maintenance work. For example, the notification processing unit 113 sets the period as non-notification when the work start date and time arrives, and cancels the non-notification when the work end date and time arrives.

[0051] Information set by the user for the target device 3, that is, notification and non-notification setting information and maintenance work time setting information, are examples of notification setting information of the present invention.

[0052] In another embodiment, the notification processing unit 113 may determine whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information based on pre-registered maintenance work schedule information. That is, the notification processing unit 113 may set notification or non-notification of event information based on the maintenance work schedule information. For example, the schedule information includes the name of the equipment to be subjected to the maintenance work, the installation location of the equipment (such as the station name or corner name), the IP address, the work start date and time, and the work end date and time, and is stored in the management server 1 or the maintenance server (not shown). The notification processing unit 113 refers to the schedule information to register and update the notification flag (see FIG. 3 ) of each target device 3. Then, each time the notification processing unit 113 acquires an abnormality signal from the target device 3, the notification processing unit 113 refers to the notification flag and determines whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information. As a result, if the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires event information from the target device 3 during the maintenance work period for the target device 3, the notification processing unit 113 does not notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information.

[0053] The schedule information is an example of notification setting information of the present invention. According to the above configuration, notification processing unit 113 can automatically determine whether to notify or not notify event information, regardless of the setting operation of the user.

[0054] In another embodiment, the notification processing unit 113 may determine whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information based on the type of event. For example, notification or non-notification may be registered in advance in association with each event type (failure, maintenance work, user call, etc.). For example, the control unit 11 may register a notification flag of "1" (notification) in association with "failure" and "user call," and register a notification flag of "0" (non-notification) in association with "inspection," "maintenance," "replacement," "new installation," and "removal." If the type of event information acquired by the acquisition processing unit 112 is "failure" or "user call," the notification processing unit 113 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information. On the other hand, if the type of event information acquired by the acquisition processing unit 112 is "inspection," "maintenance," "replacement," "new installation," or "removal," the notification processing unit 113 does not notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information. That is, the notification processing unit 113 may be configured not to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information if the type of event of the target device 3 is maintenance work.

[0055] According to the above configurations, even if an abnormal signal is output from the ticket vending machine because an operator switches the machine to maintenance mode (or maintenance mode) or cuts off the power during maintenance work on the ticket vending machine, the event information is not notified to the monitoring device 2, which prevents the operator from needlessly dealing with an abnormality in the ticket vending machine during maintenance work. Note that the user can set notification or non-notification for each target device 3, so it is also possible to set non-notification for desired target devices 3 regardless of whether maintenance work is being performed. For example, the user (station staff) may set non-notification for station service equipment that is out of use.

[0056] In each of the above configurations, the event information of the target device 3 that has been set to non-notification is not notified to the monitoring device 2. However, in another embodiment, the notification processing unit 113 may associate identification information that can identify the type of event of the target device 3 with the event information and notify the monitoring device 2 of the associated information. For example, if the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an abnormality signal from a fare adjustment machine at A2 station that is undergoing maintenance work, the notification processing unit 113 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information of the fare adjustment machine in an identifiable manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the notification processing unit 113 displays an event icon K5 in the event information display field P11 that can identify that the abnormality is due to maintenance work. The notification processing unit 113 displays each event icon in different display modes: one that indicates an abnormality due to maintenance work and one that indicates an abnormality due to a malfunction or a call.

[0057] This allows the operator to easily understand that no action is required for the fare adjustment machine at A2 station by looking at the event information display field P11 shown in Fig. 9. The notification processing unit 113 may display the event icon in a different manner (for example, in a different color) so that each of "inspection," "maintenance," "replacement," "new installation," and "removal" can be distinguished.

[0058] In another embodiment, the display processing unit 111 may display, in the event information display field P11 of the monitoring screen P1, the event icons K1 of all of the target devices 3 that are in operation. In addition to displaying the event icons K1 of all of the target devices 3, the display processing unit 111 may also display information that enables identification of the operation status (operating, stopped, or being handled) on each event icon K1.

[0059] [Monitoring device 2] 2, the monitoring device 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation display unit 23, and a communication unit 24. The monitoring device 2 is, for example, an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet terminal, or a smartphone.

[0060] Specifically, the operator starts the equipment monitoring application on the monitoring device 2, thereby acquiring data for the monitoring screen P1 from the management server 1 and displaying the monitoring screen P1 on the operation display unit 23. Then, the operator monitors for abnormalities in the target equipment 3, such as station service equipment, and takes action against the abnormalities on the monitoring screen P1.

[0061] The communication unit 24 is a communication interface that connects the monitoring device 2 to the network N2 by wire or wirelessly and executes data communication with external devices such as the management server 1 via the network N2 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0062] The operation display unit 23 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays information such as various web pages, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

[0063] The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a semiconductor memory, HDD, SSD, or flash memory that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 22 stores a control program such as a browser program. Specifically, the browser program is a control program that causes the control unit 21 to execute communication processing with an external device such as the management server 1 in accordance with a communication protocol such as HTTP. The browser program may also be a dedicated application for executing communication processing with the management server 1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0064] The control unit 21 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit that pre-stores control programs such as a BIOS and an OS that cause the CPU to execute various types of processing. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various types of information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various types of processing executed by the CPU. The control unit 21 controls the monitoring device 2 by having the CPU execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or the storage unit 22.

[0065] Specifically, the control unit 21 functions as a browser processing unit by executing various processes in accordance with the browser program stored in the storage unit 22. The browser processing unit is capable of executing browser processing to display a web page provided from the management server 1 via the network N2 on the operation display unit 23 and input operations for the operation display unit 23 into the management server 1. In other words, the monitoring device 2 can function as an operation terminal for the management server 1 by the control unit 21 executing the browser program. Note that some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 21 may be configured with electronic circuits.

[0066] For example, a dedicated application (device monitoring application) corresponding to the management server 1 is installed in the monitoring device 2, and when an operator of the monitoring device 2 performs an operation to start the device monitoring application, various operation screens (web pages) are displayed on the operation display unit 23. This allows the operator to display a monitoring screen P1 (see FIG. 4, etc.), and also allows the operator to display, on the monitoring screen P1, a route map (see FIG. 4), an operation screen P21 (see FIG. 5) of the target device 3, detailed information P22 (see FIG. 6) of the target device 3 in which an abnormality has occurred, and the like.

[0067] [Device monitoring process of embodiment 1] 10, the device monitoring process executed in the device monitoring system 10 will be described below. Specifically, the device monitoring process is executed by the control unit 11 of the management server 1. In addition, the control unit 11 executes the device monitoring process every time an event (such as an abnormality, a failure, or a call) occurs in the target device 3.

[0068] The present invention can be understood as an invention of an equipment monitoring method that executes one or more steps included in the equipment monitoring process. Furthermore, one or more steps included in the equipment monitoring process described herein may be omitted as appropriate. The steps in the equipment monitoring process may be executed in a different order as long as the same operational effect is achieved. Furthermore, while the description here takes as an example a case in which the control unit 11 executes each step in the equipment monitoring process, one or more processors may execute each step in the equipment monitoring process in a distributed manner. The equipment monitoring method is one example of the equipment monitoring method of the present invention.

[0069] <Step S11> First, in step S11, the control unit 11 determines whether or not event information has been acquired from a target device 3 such as station service equipment. For example, if a malfunction (an example of an event) occurs in an operating ticket vending machine, the control unit 11 acquires an abnormality signal (an example of event information) from the ticket vending machine. Alternatively, for example, if a user presses the ticket vending machine's intercom to call the ticket vending machine (an example of an event), the control unit 11 acquires a call signal (an example of event information) from the ticket vending machine. Alternatively, for example, if an abnormality (an example of an event) occurs in a fare adjustment machine undergoing maintenance, the control unit 11 acquires an abnormality signal (an example of event information) from the fare adjustment machine. Upon acquiring the event information, the control unit 11 registers the device name, station name, corner name, and IP address corresponding to the event information in the event registration information D1 (see FIG. 3).

[0070] <Step S12> In step S12, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it is necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 of the acquired event information. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines, based on the notification setting information for the target device 3, whether or not it is necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information corresponding to the target device 3.

[0071] The notification setting information is set in advance, for example, in response to a user setting operation that sets whether or not to notify event information. When the user determines that notification of event information is unnecessary, the user sets the event information to non-notification on the non-notification setting screen P2 (see FIG. 7). For example, when maintenance work is performed on the first fare adjustment machine at A2 station, the user (such as a maintenance worker, an operator of the monitoring device 2, or a station attendant at A2 station) displays the non-notification setting screen P2 on the user terminal, enters the station name, the device, and the machine number, and presses the register button. In this way, when the user determines that it is not necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 even if an event such as an abnormality occurs in the target device 3, the user sets the target device 3 to non-notification in advance. As a result, when the control unit 11 acquires event information from the target device 3 that has been set to non-notification by the user (S11: Yes), it determines that it is not necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 (S12: No). When the control unit 11 acquires event information from a target device 3 that the user has not set to non-notification (S11: Yes), the control unit 11 determines that it is necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 (S12: Yes).

[0072] In another embodiment, the notification setting information may be set according to, for example, schedule information of a maintenance work that has been registered in advance. For example, when the control unit 11 acquires event information from the target device 3 during a work period included in the schedule information for the target device 3 (S11: Yes), the control unit 11 determines that it is not necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information (S12: No). On the other hand, when the control unit 11 acquires event information from the target device 3 outside of a work period included in the schedule information for the target device 3 (S11: Yes), the control unit 11 determines that it is necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information (S12: Yes).

[0073] When the control unit 11 determines that it is necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 of the acquired event information (S12: Yes), it shifts the process to step S13. On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that it is not necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 of the acquired event information (S12: No), it shifts the process to step S14. When the control unit 11 determines that it is not necessary to notify the monitoring device 2 of the acquired event information (S12: No), it registers "0" (non-notification) in the notification flag of the event registration information D1. Furthermore, the control unit 11 may register "1" (notification) in the notification flag of each target device 3 as an initial setting.

[0074] <Step S13> In step S13, the control unit 11 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information. For example, if a ticket vending machine No. 1 in operation at A1 station breaks down and the control unit 11 receives an abnormal signal from the ticket vending machine, the control unit 11 causes an event icon K1 corresponding to the abnormal signal to be displayed in the event information display field P11 of the monitoring screen P1 displayed on the monitoring device 2 (see FIG. 4). Also, for example, if a user presses the intercom of ticket vending machine No. 2 at A1 station and receives a call signal from the ticket vending machine, the control unit 11 causes an event icon K1 corresponding to the call signal to be displayed in the event information display field P11 (see FIG. 4).

[0075] When an event icon K1 is displayed in the event information display field P11 of the monitoring screen P1 displayed on the monitoring device 2, the operator can select the event icon K1 to handle the event. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, when receiving a call from ticket vending machine No. 2 at A1 station, the operator selects the event icon K1 and, while viewing the operation screen P21 (remote operation screen) and camera image of ticket vending machine No. 2, talks to the user who pressed the intercom on the ticket vending machine.

[0076] Also, for example, as shown in Figure 6, when an operator receives an abnormal signal from ticket vending machine No. 1 at station A1, he or she selects event icon K1 and, while viewing detailed information P22 and camera images from ticket vending machine No. 1, takes the necessary action, such as requesting repairs for the ticket vending machine, restarting it, or shutting off the power.

[0077] <Step S14> In step S14, the control unit 11 does not notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information. For example, if the fare adjustment machine at A2 station is set to non-notification mode for maintenance work, and the control unit 11 acquires an abnormal signal from the fare adjustment machine, it does not display the event icon K1 corresponding to the abnormal signal in the event information display field P11.

[0078] In another embodiment, when the control unit 11 acquires event information from a target device 3 that is set to notify, the control unit 11 may notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information in an identifiable manner. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, when the control unit 11 acquires an abnormality signal from a fare adjustment machine at A2 station where maintenance work is being performed, the control unit 11 may display an event icon K5 in the event information display field P11 that can be identified as an abnormality caused by maintenance work.

[0079] <Step S15> In step S15, the control unit 11 determines whether or not an end operation has been accepted. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines that an end operation has been accepted when the operator presses the "System Exit" button (see FIG. 4, etc.) on the monitoring device 2. When the control unit 11 accepts an end operation (S15: Yes), it ends the device monitoring process. The control unit 11 repeatedly executes the above process until an end operation is accepted (S15: No).

[0080] In this way, the control unit 11 executes the device monitoring process each time an event (abnormality, failure, or call) occurs in the target device 3. Furthermore, when the operator takes action in response to the event information notified to the monitoring device 2, the control unit 11 deletes the corresponding event icon K1 from the event information display field P11 on the monitoring screen P1, and updates the display positions and display order of the other event icons K1.

[0081] As described above, the device monitoring system 10 according to the first embodiment is a system that notifies the monitoring device 2 of event information related to an event that has occurred in a monitored target device 3. Specifically, when an event has occurred in the target device 3, the management server 1 acquires the event information from the target device 3, and determines whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information corresponding to the target device 3 based on the notification setting information for the target device 3. In this way, the management server 1 determines whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information based on the setting information regarding whether or not a notification is required that is preset for the target device 3. This allows for an operation in which the event information is notified to the monitoring device 2 when an event that requires notification has occurred in the target device 3, and the event information is not notified to the monitoring device 2 when an event that does not require notification has occurred in the target device 3. This allows the operator of the monitoring device 2 to avoid dealing with events that do not require a response (for example, an abnormality during maintenance work) and can appropriately deal with events that require a response (such as a malfunction or a call).

[0082] The target device 3 may be, for example, at least one of a ticket vending machine, a fare adjustment machine, a ticket gate, and an intercom installed in a railway station.

[0083] Furthermore, the management server 1 may determine whether or not to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information based on notification setting information set by the user. For example, when the management server 1 acquires event information from a target device 3 that the user has set to notify, the management server 1 may be configured not to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information. This allows the user's intention to be reflected in whether or not notification is required when an event occurs in the target device 3.

[0084] Furthermore, the management server 1 may determine whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information based on notification setting information including pre-registered schedule information for maintenance work. The schedule information may be registered in advance when maintenance work is planned. The schedule information is information that can be used to determine whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information, and is an example of the notification setting information of the present invention. For example, when the management server 1 acquires event information from the target device 3 during the maintenance work period for the target device 3, the management server 1 may be configured not to notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information.

[0085] Furthermore, the management server 1 may determine whether to notify the monitoring device 2 of event information based on notification setting information that is preset according to the type of event. For example, the management server 1 may not notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information when the type of event of the target device 3 is maintenance work, and may notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information when the type of event of the target device 3 is a failure of the target device 3 or a call from the user of the target device 3. This makes it possible to automatically control whether to notify or not notify the event information when an event occurs, regardless of the user's setting operation. Furthermore, the management server 1 may associate identification information that can identify the type of event of the target device 3 with the event information and notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information.

[0086] In addition, the management server 1 may acquire event information from the target device 3 when an abnormality occurs in the target device 3 or when a user operates a call unit (e.g., an intercom) installed in the target device 3.

[0087] Furthermore, the management server 1 may display an icon image (event icon K1) corresponding to the event information on the monitoring device 2, and when the icon image is selected, may display an operation screen corresponding to the event information (for example, operation screen P21 in FIG. 5 or detailed information P22 in FIG. 6) on the monitoring device 2. This allows the operator to appropriately deal with an event that has occurred in the target device 3.

[0088] Furthermore, the management server 1 may display the event information and a railway route map side by side in the monitoring device 2, and may also identifiably display the station where the target device 3 where the event occurred is located among the multiple stations displayed on the route map. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , when an event occurs in the target device 3 at each of stations A1, A2, and A3, the control unit 11 of the management server 1 displays the line station icons F1 to F3 of stations A1, A2, and A3 in an identifiable manner on the route map in the information display field P12. The control unit 11 may also display the line station icons F1 to F3 in a manner corresponding to the type of event. For example, the control unit 11 may blink the line station icon of the station where the target device 3 that output the call signal is located and light up the line station icon of the station where the target device 3 that output the abnormality signal is located. The control unit 11 may also display the line station icons of unmanned stations and manned stations in different manners corresponding to the station staff icon K3. For example, the control unit 11 causes the line station icon F3 of the unmanned station A3 to blink, and causes the line station icons F1 and F2 of the manned stations A1 and A2 to light up.

[0089] [Embodiment 2] The equipment monitoring system 10 of embodiment 2 has a configuration that enables an operator to respond appropriately to each notification, even if, for example, an abnormality notification and a call notification for the same station service equipment are displayed on the monitoring device 2.

[0090] In the device monitoring system 10 according to the second embodiment described below, the description of the same configuration as that shown in the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0091] The notification processing unit 113 of the management server 1 according to the second embodiment is configured to, when multiple events occur in a specific target device 3, associate multiple pieces of event information corresponding to each of the multiple events with each other and notify the monitoring device 2.

[0092] For example, the multiple events include an abnormality (failure) of ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station and a user's call operation on the intercom installed in ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station. When ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station breaks down, acquisition processing unit 112 acquires an abnormality signal from the ticket vending machine. Also, when a user who is trying to use the broken ticket vending machine presses the intercom on the ticket vending machine, acquisition processing unit 112 acquires a call signal from the ticket vending machine. In this way, acquisition processing unit 112 may acquire multiple pieces of event information (abnormality signal and call signal) from the same target device 3 (ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station in the above example).

[0093] In this case, the notification processor 113 displays the plurality of pieces of event information in the same display mode but in a different display mode from the other pieces of event information on the monitoring device 2. In the above example, the notification processor 113 displays the event icon K21 corresponding to the abnormal signal and the event icon K22 corresponding to the call signal in association with each other on the monitoring device 2.

[0094] 12, for example, the notification processor 113 displays an event icon K21 corresponding to an abnormal signal and an event icon K22 corresponding to a call signal in the same manner for the first ticket vending machine at A1 station in the event information display field P11 on the monitoring screen P1 displayed on the monitoring device 2. In addition, the notification processor 113 displays the event icons K21 and K22 in a manner different from the other event icons K1.

[0095] This allows the operator to easily understand that an abnormality and a user call are occurring in the same target device 3 (here, ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station). The operator can also infer that, for example, a malfunction in ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station caused the user to press the intercom. Note that, as shown in FIG. 12, the notification processing unit 113 displays the event icon K1 in the event information display field P11 in the order in which the event information was acquired, but in another embodiment, the event icons K21 and K22, which are associated with each other, may be displayed adjacent to each other.

[0096] Here, the notification processing unit 113 may display multiple pieces of event information acquired from the same target device 3 in different display areas. Specifically, the notification processing unit 113 causes the monitoring device 2 to display event information corresponding to an abnormality in the target device 3 in a device abnormality display area P11A of the event information display field P11, and to display event information corresponding to a call operation in a call display area P11B of the event information display field P11. For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , the control unit 11 divides the event information display field P11 on the monitoring screen P1 into a device abnormality display area P11A that displays event information (event icon K1) of the target device 3 in which an abnormality or failure has occurred, and a call display area P11B that displays event information (event icon K1) of the target device 3 called by the user. When an abnormality signal is output from the target device 3, the notification processing unit 113 displays an event icon K1 corresponding to the target device 3 in the device abnormality display area P11A, and when a call signal is output from the target device 3, the notification processing unit 113 displays the event icon K1 corresponding to the target device 3 in the call display area P11B.

[0097] The sizes (display widths) of the device abnormality display area P11A and the call display area P11B may be the same or may be changeable depending on the number of event information items (the number of event icons K1) or a user setting operation. Furthermore, the device abnormality display area P11A and the call display area P11B may be scrollable left and right when multiple event icons K1 do not fit in the display area. Furthermore, the device abnormality display area P11A and the call display area P11B may display multiple event icons K1 in two rows, one above the other.

[0098] In another embodiment, the notification processing unit 113 may display the event icons K21 and K22 in the same manner in the configuration shown in Fig. 13. That is, the control unit 11 may have both a function of displaying multiple pieces of event information acquired from the same target device 3 in different manners and a function of displaying multiple pieces of event information acquired from the same target device 3 in different display areas (device abnormality display area P11A and call display area P11B), or may have only one of these functions.

[0099] In another embodiment, the notification processing unit 113 may display multiple pieces of event information in the call display area P11B in an order according to the priority set in advance for each target device 3. FIG. 14 shows an example of the priority information D2. In the priority information D2, a priority is set for each call device. For example, the intercom in an elevator and the intercom in a tray are set to the highest priority of "5," while the intercom at a ticket machine and the intercom at a fare adjustment machine are set to the highest priority of "4." In this case, for example, when a user presses the intercom in an elevator at a station, the notification processing unit 113 displays the event information (event icon K1) corresponding to the call signal at the top of the call display area P11B (for example, at the left end). Alternatively, the notification processing unit 113 flashes the event icon K1 in the call display area P11B. Also, for example, when a user presses the intercom button on the ticket machine, the notification processing unit 113 displays or lights up the corresponding event icon K1 below (for example, to the right of) the event icon K1 corresponding to the call signal from the intercom inside the elevator.

[0100] In this way, the notification processing unit 113 determines the display position and display mode of the event icon K1 according to the priority, and for example, prioritizes the display of the event icon K1 of event information with high urgency. Note that the notification processing unit 113 may also determine the display position of the event icon K1 according to the priority in the device abnormality display area P11A. For example, the notification processing unit 113 displays the event icon K1 corresponding to the event information of the target device 3 in which an irreversible abnormality has occurred at the top, and displays the event icon K1 corresponding to the event information of the target device 3 in which an abnormality has occurred due to maintenance work at the bottom.

[0101] In the second embodiment, the control unit 11 may exclude the target devices 3 that are set to non-notification from the targets of notifications to the monitoring device 2, as in the first embodiment. Also, the configuration of the second embodiment in which the display position and display mode of the event icon K1 are determined according to the priority may be applied to the first embodiment.

[0102] In another embodiment, the notification processing unit 113 may prioritize displaying, among multiple pieces of event information, event information for which the operator is currently responding to a call operation in the call display area P11B. For example, on the monitoring screen P1 shown in FIG. 13 , while the operator is talking to a user of the first ticket vending machine at A1 station by pressing the event icon K22 displayed in the call display area P11B, the notification processing unit 113 fixes and displays the event icon K22 at the top (left end) of the call display area P11B. That is, even if the operator acquires new event information while responding to the event icon K22, the notification processing unit 113 prioritizes and displays the event icon K1 without changing its display position. Similarly, the notification processing unit 113 may fix and display the event icon K21 in the device abnormality display area P11A associated with the event icon K22 at the top (left end) of the device abnormality display area P11A. The notification processing unit 113 may also change the display mode of the event icon K1 for which the operator is currently responding.

[0103] [Device monitoring process of embodiment 2] 15, the device monitoring process executed in the device monitoring system 10 according to the second embodiment will be described below. Specifically, the device monitoring process is executed by the control unit 11 of the management server 1. In addition, the control unit 11 executes the device monitoring process every time an event (abnormality, failure, or call) occurs in the target device 3.

[0104] <Step S21> First, in step S21, the control unit 11 determines whether or not event information has been acquired from a target device 3 such as station service equipment. For example, if a malfunction (an example of an event) occurs in an operating ticket vending machine, the control unit 11 acquires an abnormality signal (an example of event information) from the ticket vending machine. Alternatively, for example, if a user presses the ticket vending machine's intercom to call the ticket vending machine (an example of an event), the control unit 11 acquires a call signal (an example of event information) from the ticket vending machine. Alternatively, for example, if an abnormality (an example of an event) occurs in a fare adjustment machine undergoing maintenance, the control unit 11 acquires an abnormality signal (an example of event information) from the fare adjustment machine. Upon acquiring the event information, the control unit 11 registers the device name, station name, corner name, and IP address corresponding to the event information in the event registration information D1 (see FIG. 3).

[0105] <Step S22> In step S22, the control unit 11 determines whether multiple pieces of event information have been acquired from the same target device 3. For example, if ticket vending machine No. 1 at A1 station breaks down, the control unit 11 acquires an abnormality signal (event information) from the ticket vending machine. Thereafter, for example, when a user tries to use the same ticket vending machine, the user presses the intercom because the ticket vending machine is broken. The control unit 11 acquires a call signal (event information) from the ticket vending machine. In this case, the control unit 11 acquires multiple pieces of event information (an abnormality signal and a call signal in the above example) from the same ticket vending machine.

[0106] If the control unit 11 determines that multiple pieces of event information have been acquired from the same target device 3 (S22: Yes), it shifts the process to step S23. On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines that multiple pieces of event information have not been acquired from the same target device 3 (S22: No), it shifts the process to step S24. The control unit 11 determines whether or not there are multiple pieces of event information acquired from the same target device 3 among the event information that has been notified to the monitoring device 2 and has not yet been handled, i.e., the event information that is being displayed in the event information display field P11.

[0107] <Step S23> In step S23, the control unit 11 associates multiple pieces of event information acquired from the same target device 3 with each other and notifies the monitoring device 2. For example, when the control unit 11 acquires an abnormality signal and an intercom call signal from the first ticket vending machine at A1 station, as shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 11 displays an event icon K21 corresponding to the abnormality signal in the device abnormality display area P11A of the event information display field P11 of the monitoring screen P1 displayed on the monitoring device 2, and displays an event icon K22 corresponding to the call signal in the call display area P11B. Furthermore, the control unit 11 displays the event icon K21 and the event icon K22 in the same manner (color, lighting, blinking, etc.). The control unit 11 also displays the event icon K21 and the event icon K22 in a manner different from that of the other event icons K1.

[0108] Here, when the operator presses the event icon K21 or the event icon K22 on the monitoring screen P1 shown in Fig. 13, the control unit 11 may display detailed information P22 of the first ticket vending machine at A1 station, the operation screen P21, and a camera image, as shown in Fig. 16. This allows the operator to check the cause of the abnormality while talking to the user.

[0109] <Step S24> In step S24, the control unit 11 notifies the monitoring device 2 of the event information acquired in step S21 without associating it with other event information. In this case, the control unit 11 displays the event icon K1 corresponding to the event information in the same manner as the other event icons K1 in the device abnormality display area P11A or the call display area P11B.

[0110] In another embodiment, when the control unit 11 acquires multiple pieces of event information from the same target device 3, it may determine in step S22 whether the multiple events corresponding to the multiple pieces of event information are of different types. For example, the control unit 11 may determine whether the multiple events occurring in the same target device 3 include an abnormality (such as a malfunction) of the target device 3 and a call from a user. Then, when the multiple events occurring in the same target device 3 are of different types, the control unit 11 associates the respective pieces of event information with each other and notifies the monitoring device 2. Furthermore, when the multiple events occurring in the same target device 3 are of the same type, the control unit 11 may delete the event information of one of the events and notify the monitoring device 2 of the event information of the other event.

[0111] <Step S25> In step S25, the control unit 11 determines whether or not an end operation has been accepted. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines that an end operation has been accepted when the operator presses the "System Exit" button on the monitoring device 2. If the control unit 11 accepts an end operation (S25: Yes), it ends the device monitoring process. The control unit 11 repeatedly executes the above process until an end operation is accepted (S25: No).

[0112] In this way, the control unit 11 executes the device monitoring process each time an event (abnormality, failure, or call) occurs in the target device 3. Furthermore, when the operator takes action in response to the event information notified to the monitoring device 2, the control unit 11 deletes the corresponding event icon K1 from the event information display field P11 on the monitoring screen P1, and updates the display positions and display order of the other event icons K1.

[0113] As described above, the device monitoring system 10 according to the second embodiment is a system that notifies the monitoring device 2 of event information related to an event that occurs in a monitored target device 3. Specifically, the management server 1 acquires event information from the target device 3 when an event occurs in the target device 3. Furthermore, when multiple events occur in a specific target device 3, the management server 1 associates multiple pieces of event information corresponding to the multiple events with each other and notifies the monitoring device 2 of the associated information. In this way, when the management server 1 acquires multiple pieces of event information from the same target device 3, it associates the multiple pieces of event information with each other and notifies the monitoring device 2 of the associated information. This allows the operator to easily determine whether the target device 3 for multiple notifications is the same device, preventing missed responses to any notifications or duplicate responses to multiple notifications. This enables the operator to appropriately respond to events that occur in the target device 3. For example, the multiple events include an abnormality in the target device 3 and a user's call operation on an intercom installed in the target device 3.

[0114] Furthermore, the management server 1 may cause the monitoring device 2 to display the event information of each of the multiple events in the same display format but different from the display format of other event information, thereby enabling the operator to easily distinguish between multiple events occurring in the same target device 3.

[0115] In addition, the management server 1 may cause the monitoring device 2 to display event information corresponding to an abnormality in the target device 3 in the device abnormality display area P11A of the event information display field P11, and may cause event information corresponding to the call operation to be displayed in the call display area P11B of the event information display field P11 (see Figure 13).

[0116] Furthermore, the management server 1 may change the size of each of the device abnormality display area P11A and the call display area P11B depending on the number of pieces of event information. For example, if there are many abnormalities in the target device 3, the management server 1 may increase the width of the device abnormality display area P11A, and if there are many calls to the target device 3, the management server 1 may increase the width of the call display area P11B.

[0117] Furthermore, the management server 1 may display multiple pieces of event information in the call display area P11B in an order according to the priority (see FIG. 14) previously set for each target device 3. This allows the operator to deal with events of target devices 3 with higher priority (importance) first.

[0118] Furthermore, the management server 1 may preferentially display, in the call display area P11B, information about an event that an operator is currently handling in response to a call operation, among multiple pieces of event information. This allows the operator to easily understand the event that is currently being handled. Furthermore, the management server 1 may synchronize the monitoring screens P1 of multiple monitoring devices 2. This allows each operator to easily understand the event that another operator is currently handling.

[0119] The device monitoring system according to the present invention can also adopt a form that combines the above-described first and second embodiments.

[0120] In the above-described first and second embodiments, the management server 1 alone corresponds to the equipment monitoring system according to the present invention, but the equipment monitoring system according to the present invention may include one or more of the components of the management server 1, the monitoring device 2, and the target equipment 3 (such as station service equipment). For example, if the components of the management server 1 and the monitoring device 2 cooperate to share and execute the equipment monitoring process, a system including the multiple components that execute the process may constitute the equipment monitoring system according to the present invention. For example, the monitoring device 2 alone may constitute the equipment monitoring system according to the present invention. In this case, the monitoring device 2 may be configured to include each of the processing units 111 to 113 shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the management server 1, the monitoring device 2, and the target equipment 3 may constitute the equipment monitoring system according to the present invention.

[0121] [Appendix 1 of the invention] Below, we will add a summary of the invention extracted from the above-mentioned embodiment 1. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following addendum can be selected and combined as desired.

[0122] <Appendix 1> An equipment monitoring system that notifies a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, an acquisition processing unit that acquires the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; a notification processing unit that determines whether or not to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target device based on notification setting information for the target device; An equipment monitoring system comprising:

[0123] <Appendix 2> the notification processing unit determines whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information based on the notification setting information set by a user. 1. An equipment monitoring system as described in Appendix 1.

[0124] <Appendix 3> When the acquisition processing unit acquires the event information from the target device that the user has set to non-notification, the notification processing unit does not notify the monitoring device of the event information. 1. An equipment monitoring system as described in Appendix 2.

[0125] <Appendix 4> the notification processing unit determines whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information based on the notification setting information including pre-registered maintenance work schedule information. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.

[0126] <Appendix 5> When the acquisition processing unit acquires the event information from the target device during a work period of the maintenance work on the target device, the notification processing unit does not notify the monitoring device of the event information. 1. An equipment monitoring system as described in Appendix 4.

[0127] <Appendix 6> the notification processing unit determines whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information based on the notification setting information that is preset according to the type of the event. 6. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of appendices 1 to 5.

[0128] <Appendix 7> the notification processing unit does not notify the monitoring device of the event information when the type of the event of the target device is maintenance work; 1. An equipment monitoring system as described in Appendix 6.

[0129] <Appendix 8> the notification processing unit notifies the monitoring device of the event information when the type of the event of the target device is a failure of the target device or a call from a user of the target device; 8. An equipment monitoring system according to claim 6 or 7.

[0130] <Appendix 9> the notification processing unit associates the event information with identification information capable of identifying the type of the event of the target device, and notifies the monitoring device of the event information. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of appendices 1 to 8.

[0131] <Appendix 10> the acquisition processing unit acquires the event information from the target device when an abnormality occurs in the target device or when a calling unit installed in the target device is operated by a user. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 9.

[0132] <Appendix 11> the notification processing unit causes the monitoring device to display an icon image corresponding to the event information; When the icon image is selected, an operation screen corresponding to the event information is displayed on the monitoring device. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 10.

[0133] <Appendix 12> The target devices include at least one of a ticket vending machine, a fare adjustment machine, a ticket gate, and an intercom installed at a railway station. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 11.

[0134] <Appendix 13> In the monitoring device, the event information and a railway route map are displayed side by side, and the station in which the target device where the event occurred is installed is displayed in an identifiable manner among a plurality of stations displayed on the route map. 13. The equipment monitoring system of claim 12.

[0135] <Appendix 14> 1. A device monitoring method for notifying a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored device, comprising: acquiring the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; determining whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target device based on notification setting information for the target device; The equipment monitoring method is executed by one or more processors.

[0136] <Appendix 15> An equipment monitoring program that notifies a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, acquiring the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; determining whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target device based on notification setting information for the target device; An equipment monitoring program for causing one or more processors to execute the above.

[0137] [Appendix 2 of the invention] Below, we will add a summary of the invention extracted from the above-mentioned embodiment 2. Note that the configurations and processing functions explained in the following addendum can be selected and combined as desired.

[0138] <Appendix 1> An equipment monitoring system that notifies a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, an acquisition processing unit that acquires the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; a notification processing unit that, when a plurality of events occur in a predetermined target device, associates a plurality of pieces of event information corresponding to the plurality of events with each other and notifies the monitoring device of the plurality of events; An equipment monitoring system comprising:

[0139] <Appendix 2> The plurality of events include an abnormality in the target device and a call operation by a user to a call unit installed in the target device. 1. An equipment monitoring system as described in Appendix 1.

[0140] <Appendix 3> the notification processing unit causes the monitoring device to display the event information of the plurality of events in the same display mode but in a display mode different from other event information; 3. An equipment monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0141] <Appendix 4> the notification processing unit causes the monitoring device to display event information corresponding to an abnormality in the target device in an equipment abnormality display area of ​​an event information display field, and to display event information corresponding to the call operation in a call display area of ​​the event information display field. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.

[0142] <Appendix 5> changing the sizes of the device abnormality display area and the call display area according to the number of pieces of event information; 1. An equipment monitoring system as described in Appendix 4.

[0143] <Appendix 6> the notification processing unit displays the plurality of pieces of event information in the call display area in an order according to a priority set in advance for each of the target devices; 6. An equipment monitoring system according to claim 4 or 5.

[0144] <Appendix 7> the notification processing unit causes the call display area to preferentially display, among a plurality of pieces of event information, event information for which an operator is currently responding to the call operation. 7. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of appendices 4 to 6.

[0145] <Appendix 8> the acquisition processing unit acquires the event information from the target device when an abnormality occurs in the target device or when a calling unit installed in the target device is operated by a user. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of appendices 1 to 7.

[0146] <Appendix 9> the notification processing unit causes the monitoring device to display an icon image corresponding to the event information; When the icon image is selected, an operation screen corresponding to the event information is displayed on the monitoring device. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of appendices 1 to 8.

[0147] <Appendix 10> The target devices include at least one of a ticket vending machine, a fare adjustment machine, a ticket gate, and an intercom installed at a railway station. An equipment monitoring system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 9.

[0148] <Appendix 11> In the monitoring device, the event information and a railway route map are displayed side by side, and the station in which the target device where the event occurred is installed is displayed in an identifiable manner among a plurality of stations displayed on the route map. 11. The equipment monitoring system of claim 10.

[0149] <Appendix 12> 1. A device monitoring method for notifying a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored device, comprising: acquiring the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; When a plurality of events occur in a predetermined target device, the plurality of events are associated with each other and notified to the monitoring device; The equipment monitoring method is executed by one or more processors.

[0150] <Appendix 13> An equipment monitoring program that notifies a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, acquiring the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; When a plurality of events occur in a predetermined target device, the plurality of events are associated with each other and notified to the monitoring device; An equipment monitoring program for causing one or more processors to execute the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0151] 1: Management server 2: Monitoring device 3: Target device 10: Equipment monitoring system 11: Control section 12: Storage section 13: Operation display section 14: Communications Department 21: Control unit 22: Storage section 23: Operation display section 24: Communications Department 111: Display processing unit 112: Acquisition processing unit 113: Notification processing unit D1: Event registration information D2 :Priority information K1: Event icon P1: Monitoring screen P11: Event information display column P11A: Equipment error display area P11B: Call display area P12: Information display field P13: Image display column P2:Non-notification setting screen P21: Operation screen P22: Detailed information P3: Cancellation setting screen

Claims

1. An equipment monitoring system that notifies a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, an acquisition processing unit that acquires the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; a notification processing unit that determines whether or not to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target device based on notification setting information for the target device; An equipment monitoring system comprising:

2. the notification processing unit determines whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information based on the notification setting information set by a user. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 1 .

3. When the acquisition processing unit acquires the event information from the target device that the user has set to non-notification, the notification processing unit does not notify the monitoring device of the event information. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 2 .

4. the notification processing unit determines whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information based on the notification setting information including pre-registered maintenance work schedule information. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 1 .

5. When the acquisition processing unit acquires the event information from the target device during a work period of the maintenance work on the target device, the notification processing unit does not notify the monitoring device of the event information. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 4 .

6. the notification processing unit determines whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information based on the notification setting information that is preset according to the type of the event. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 1 .

7. the notification processing unit does not notify the monitoring device of the event information when the type of the event of the target device is maintenance work; The equipment monitoring system according to claim 6 .

8. the notification processing unit notifies the monitoring device of the event information when the type of the event of the target device is a failure of the target device or a call from a user of the target device; The equipment monitoring system according to claim 6 .

9. the notification processing unit associates the event information with identification information capable of identifying the type of the event of the target device, and notifies the monitoring device of the event information. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 1 .

10. the acquisition processing unit acquires the event information from the target device when an abnormality occurs in the target device or when a calling unit installed in the target device is operated by a user. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 1 .

11. the notification processing unit causes the monitoring device to display an icon image corresponding to the event information; When the icon image is selected, an operation screen corresponding to the event information is displayed on the monitoring device. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 1 .

12. The target devices include at least one of a ticket vending machine, a fare adjustment machine, a ticket gate, and an intercom installed at a railway station. The equipment monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. In the monitoring device, the event information and a railway route map are displayed side by side, and the station in which the target device where the event occurred is installed is displayed in an identifiable manner among a plurality of stations displayed on the route map. The equipment monitoring system according to claim 12.

14. 1. A device monitoring method for notifying a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored device, comprising: acquiring the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; determining whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target device based on notification setting information for the target device; The equipment monitoring method is executed by one or more processors.

15. An equipment monitoring program that notifies a monitoring device of event information relating to an event that has occurred in a monitored target equipment, acquiring the event information from the target device when the event occurs in the target device; determining whether to notify the monitoring device of the event information corresponding to the target device based on notification setting information for the target device; An equipment monitoring program for causing one or more processors to execute the above.

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