Control relay device and control relay method

The control relay device addresses security policy restrictions by using HDMI/USB and USB/HID conversions with a passcode mechanism, enabling secure remote control of devices from outside secure networks.

JP7786961B2Active Publication Date: 2025-12-16HITACHI INFORMATION & TELECOMM ENG LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2022008008
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2022-01-21
Publication Date
2025-12-16
Estimated Expiration
2042-01-21

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing remote control technologies do not consider connection restrictions imposed by security policies, making it unsafe to control devices from outside secure networks.

Method used

A control relay device with HDMI and USB interfaces that perform HDMI/USB and USB/HID conversions, along with a one-time passcode mechanism, to securely relay control and display information between a control device and a controlled device, ensuring authentication and authorization.

Benefits of technology

Enables safe control of devices from outside secure networks without compromising security, allowing pseudo remote desktop operations without network installation or software changes.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a technique for safely controlling a device to be controlled.SOLUTION: A control relay device comprises: an HDMI and a first USB interface which are connected to a device to be controlled; a second USB interface and a third USB interface which are connected to a control device for controlling the device to be controlled; an HDMI / USB conversion section that performs HDMI / USB conversion on display information received via an HDMI to output the display information to the second USB interface; and a USB / HID conversion section that performs USB / HID (Human Interface Device) conversion on control information received via the third USB interface to output the control information to the first USB interface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control relay device and a control relay method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a remote control device that captures the actual status of controlled devices connected to an I / O control device at a control station and transmits it to an operating station, displays all the images received at the operating station, and displays a control target table showing the control contents possible for each controlled device, and accepts from the user the specification of two diagonal points P1 and P2 for the area where the controlled devices are displayed, and then accepts specification from the control target table as to which controlled device the area corresponds to, thereby creating an I / O map. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-215388 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 determines and controls the target device to be remotely controlled from an image. This technology is an example of a technology that constitutes remote control technology, but since there is no description or consideration given to the method of connecting to the controlled device, it cannot be used when there are connection restrictions imposed by security policies.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for safely controlling a control target device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present application includes a plurality of means for solving at least part of the above-mentioned problems, examples of which are as follows: To solve the above-mentioned problems, a control relay device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and a first USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface connected to a device to be controlled, a second USB interface and a third USB interface connected to a control device that controls the device to be controlled, an HDMI / USB conversion unit that performs HDMI / USB conversion on display information received via the HDMI and outputs the information to the second USB interface, and a USB / HID conversion unit that performs USB / HID (Human Interface Device) conversion on control information received via the third USB interface and outputs the information to the first USB interface.

[0007] Furthermore, the control relay device may further include a one-time passcode issuing unit that, when connected to the control device via the third USB interface, generates a one-time passcode, transfers it to the control device via IN, and prompts the user to enter the passcode.

[0008] In addition, in the above control relay device, the one-time passcode issuing unit may deactivate the processing of the HDMI / USB conversion unit and the USB / HID conversion unit if the input control information does not match the one-time passcode.

[0009] Furthermore, in the above control relay device, when the HDMI / USB conversion unit is connected to the device to be controlled via the HDMI, it may receive display information for image authentication from the device to be controlled, perform HDMI / USB conversion, and output the information to the second USB interface to perform image authentication.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above control relay device, the first USB interface may connect the device to be controlled as a host controller, the third USB interface may connect the control device as a host controller, and the USB / HID conversion unit may serially convert the control information received via the third USB interface and then convert it into HID information.

[0011] In the above control relay device, the device to be controlled may be connected to a closed network, and the control device may act as a proxy for inputting a password token.

[0012] In the control relay device, the control device may instruct the device to be controlled to operate a physical operator.

[0013] Furthermore, a control relay method according to another aspect of the present invention is a control relay method of a control relay device that relays between a device to be controlled and a control device that controls the device to be controlled, wherein the control relay device has an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and a first USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface that connect to the device to be controlled, and a second USB interface and a third USB interface that connect to the control device that controls the device to be controlled, and is characterized by carrying out an HDMI / USB conversion step of performing HDMI / USB conversion on display information received via the HDMI and outputting it to the second USB interface, and a USB / HID (Human Interface Device) conversion step of performing USB / HID conversion on control information received via the third USB interface and outputting it to the first USB interface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for safely controlling a controlled device. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system using a control relay device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control relay device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a flow of relay processing. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system using a control relay device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of relay processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a notification system to which a control relay device is applied. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a token input proxy system to which a control relay device is applied. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a power-on auxiliary system to which a control relay device is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings used to describe the embodiments, identical components are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted. In the following embodiments, the components (including element steps, etc.) are not necessarily essential unless otherwise specified or considered to be fundamentally essential. Furthermore, when a term "consists of A," "composed of A," "having A," or "including A" is used, it does not necessarily exclude other elements, unless otherwise specified to include only that element. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of a component, etc., it is intended to include those that are substantially similar or similar to that shape, etc., unless otherwise specified or considered to be fundamentally essential.

[0017] In the following description, the input / output unit and display unit of the control device 200 may be one or more interface devices, although they are not shown. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O interface devices are interface devices for the control device 200. The I / O interface devices for the control device 200 may be user interface devices, for example, input devices such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or output devices such as a display device. One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., an NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0018] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0019] In the following description, the term "storage unit" or "storage" may refer to either a memory or a persistent storage device, or both. Specifically, the persistent storage device may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0020] Also, in the following description, a "processing unit" or a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor device in a broader sense, such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0021] Furthermore, in the following description, functions may be described using the expression "yyy unit." However, the functions may be realized by one or more computer programs executed by a processor, by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGAs or ASICs), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program executed by a processor, the specified processing is performed using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate, and therefore the function may be considered to be at least a part of the processor. Processing described using a function as the subject may be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a computer from which the program is distributed or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is merely an example; multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0022] In the following description, when a process is described using a "program" or a "processing unit" as the subject, the process described using a program as the subject may be a process performed by a processor or a device having that processor. Two or more programs may be realized as one program, and one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0023] In the following description, information that provides an output for an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table" or "xxx memory unit," but the information may be a table of any structure, or may be a neural network that generates an output for an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. In the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or two or more tables may all or partly be one table.

[0024] Furthermore, in the following description, a "control device" may be a system made up of one or more physical computers, or may be a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) realized on a group of physical computing resources (e.g., a cloud infrastructure). When a control center device "displays" display information, it may mean that the display information is displayed on a display device possessed by the computer, or that the computer transmits the display information to a display computer (in the latter case, the display information is displayed by the display computer).

[0025] Although implementations vary depending on their intended use, personal computers (PCs) and server devices often reside on closed networks known as secure networks. In such cases, it is desirable to be able to control the target server device via external communications for the convenience of operational management in emergencies. However, enabling control from outside via a network carries the risk of significantly compromising security, making this a challenging feat. For example, enabling configuration changes to a server device via the Internet often requires placing the server device in a demilitarized zone (DMZ), which reduces security, or implementing network measures such as changing firewall policies, as well as reconfiguring the target device by installing software to allow external operations.

[0026] In order to address these issues, the inventors have devised a method for safely controlling a controlled device. To achieve this, they have devised a method using a control relay device that relays between the controlled device and the control device that controls the controlled device. In this method, the control relay device has an HDMI and a first USB interface that connect to the controlled device, and a second USB interface and a third USB interface that connect to the control device that controls the controlled device. The control relay device is connected to the controlled device via the HDMI and USB, and to the control device via the two USB interfaces, the second USB interface and the third USB interface.

[0027] More specifically, the control relay device performs an HDMI / USB conversion step of performing HDMI / USB conversion on display information received from the controlled device via an HDMI interface and outputting the information to a second USB interface connected to the control device, and a USB / HID (Human Interface Device) conversion step of performing USB / HID conversion on control information received via a third USB interface connected to the control device and outputting the information to a first USB interface connected to the controlled device.

[0028] In a more specific first embodiment, when screen information for display is received from the control target device via HDMI, the control relay device relays this to the control device via USB by IN transfer with the control target device as the host, and the control target device displays it. Also, when mouse or keyboard input is received from the control device via USB by OUT transfer with the control target device as the host, the control relay device relays this to the control target device via USB by IN transfer with the control target device as the host, and the control target device accepts it as an HID input operation.

[0029] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system using a control-relay device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The control-relay device 100 is connected to a control target device 10, which is implemented as a general computer device, via HDMI and USB. Because the control target device 10 is a general computer, a simplified explanation will be given. An HDMI driver 20 connects the control-relay device 100 so as to output screen information via HDMI, and a USB / controller driver 40 functions as a host controller for the control-relay device 100 and connects the control-relay device 100 so as to receive HID input from the control-relay device 100, which is then received as input by an HID Class driver 30.

[0030] The control-relay device 100 includes a USB / HID converter 120 and an HDMI / USB converter 140. When the HDMI / USB converter 140 receives screen information from the control target device 10 via HDMI, it converts the information into information conforming to the USB CDC-ACM (Communications Device Class-Abstract Control Model) standard and transfers it to the control device 200 via USB by IN transfer.

[0031] Furthermore, when the USB / HID conversion unit 120 receives input information from the control device 200 via USB by OUT transfer with the control device 200 as the host, it serially converts the input information, converts the serial data into HID data, and transfers it to the control target device 10 via USB by OUT transfer with the control target device 10 as the host.

[0032] More specifically, the USB / HID conversion unit 120 includes a serial driver 121, firmware 122, a one-time passcode issuing unit 123, an HID Class report 124, a USB / controller driver 125, and a USB to serial conversion unit 130.

[0033] The USB to serial converter 130 converts input information received from the control device 200 via USB into serial information. The serial driver 121 receives the converted serial information. The firmware 122 reconstructs the serial information into HID information using the HID Class report 124 and the USB / controller driver 125, and transfers it to the controlled device 10 via USB.

[0034] The control device 200 is a general-purpose computer, and therefore will be described briefly. The control device 200 includes a USB / controller driver 210, a USB CDC-ACM Class driver 220, and an authentication processing unit 230. The USB / controller driver 210 fulfills the role of a host controller for the control-relay device 100 and connects to the control-relay device 100 to accept input of screen information via USB, and the USB CDC-ACM Class driver 220 accepts the screen information and displays it on a display or the like of the control device 200.

[0035] Furthermore, input information received from a user 300 using the control device 200 via an input device such as a mouse or keyboard is transferred by a USB / controller driver 210 to the control-relay device 100 via USB.

[0036] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control-relay device. The control-relay device 100 includes a processor 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 102 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage 103 such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), a USB cable 107 for image display on the control device side, a USB cable 108 for control reception on the control device side, an HDMI cable 109 for image reception on the control target device side, a USB cable 110 for control output on the control target device side, and a bus connecting these.

[0037] The USB cable 110 for control output on the controlled device side described above corresponds to the first USB interface, the USB cable 107 for image display on the control device side corresponds to the second USB interface, and the USB cable 108 for control reception on the control device side corresponds to the third USB interface.

[0038] The USB cable 110 for control output on the control target device side, the USB cable 107 for image display on the control device side, and the USB cable 108 for control reception on the control device side all play the role of USB peripherals (functions). The USB cable 107 for image display on the control device side is responsible for IN transfer with the control device 200 as the host controller. The USB cable 108 for control reception on the control device side is responsible for OUT transfer with the control device 200 as the host controller. The USB cable 110 for control output on the control target device side performs IN transfer with the control target device 10 as the host controller.

[0039] The USB / HID conversion unit 120 and the HDMI / USB conversion unit 140 are realized by a program that causes the processor 101 to perform processing. This program is stored in the memory 102 and is executed by the processor 101 when it is executed.

[0040] The above is an example of the hardware configuration of the control-relay device 100 in this embodiment. However, the configuration is not limited to this and may be configured using other hardware. Note that the control target device 10 and the control device 200 have well-known elements of a general computer, such as an OS, middleware, and applications, although not shown.

[0041] [Explanation of Operation] Next, the operation of the control-relay device 100 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0042] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of relay processing. The relay processing starts when the control-relay device 100 is connected to the control device 200.

[0043] First, the one-time passcode issuing unit 123 of the control-relay device 100 generates a one-time passcode for PIN authentication and transmits the one-time passcode to the control device 200 (step S001). Then, the authentication processing unit 230 of the control device 200 performs PIN authentication to determine whether input information matches the passcode (step S002). Then, if the authentication is successful, the authentication processing unit 230 activates the control-relay device 100 and starts subsequent communication (step S003).

[0044] When the control-relay device 100 is activated, the control target device 10 outputs image authentication data to the control-relay device 100 via HDMI (step S004). The HDMI / USB converter 140 of the control-relay device 100 converts the image authentication data into USB data (step S005). Then, the HDMI / USB converter 140 passes the image authentication data converted into USB data to the control device 200 (step S006). Then, the authentication processing unit 230 of the control device 200 accepts input from the user 300 using the passed image authentication data and performs image authentication (step S007).

[0045] If the image authentication fails (if "authentication failed" in step S007), the control device 200 deactivates the target device (control target device 10) (step S008). That is, the control-relay device 100 cuts off subsequent communication between the control device 200 and the control target device 10.

[0046] If the image authentication is successful (if "authentication successful" in step S007), the control device 200 activates the target device (control target device 10) (step S009). That is, the control-relay device 100 continues the subsequent communication between the control device 200 and the control target device 10.

[0047] Then, the USB / HID converter 120 of the control-relay device 100 activates serial / USB conversion (step S010). Also, the HDMI / USB converter 140 of the control-relay device 100 activates HDMI / USB conversion (step S011).

[0048] Thereafter, the control-relay device 100 relays input and output communication between the control target device 10 and the control device 200 as needed. For example, when a display screen is output from the control target device 10, the control target device 10 outputs the display screen to the control-relay device 100 via HDMI (step S012). The HDMI / USB converter 140 of the control-relay device 100 converts the display screen into USB data (step S013). Then, the HDMI / USB converter 140 passes the display screen converted into USB data to the control device 200 (step S014).

[0049] Also, for example, when there is an input operation from the control device 200, the USB / controller driver 210 of the control device 200 accepts the input device operation on the display screen (step S015).Then, the USB / controller driver 210 passes the input device operation to the control-relay device 100 (step S016).

[0050] Then, the USB / HID converter 120 of the control-relay device 100 performs USB / HID conversion on the operation of the input device that has been handed over (step S017). Then, the USB / HID converter 120 of the control-relay device 100 hands over the input device operation to the control target device 10 by HID (step S018). By repeating this process as needed, input / output control can be performed between the control device 200 and the control target device 10, and the control target device 10 can be operated from the control device 200 using a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

[0051] The above is the system using the control relay device according to the first embodiment. According to the system using the control relay device according to the first embodiment, a pseudo remote desktop operation is possible from the control device by connecting a control relay device simulating a USB device to the USB host controller of the control target device without going through an IP network such as the Internet or installing software in the control target device. Therefore, even if the control target device is connected to a closed network and cannot be controlled from outside via the network, it can be said that it is possible to control the control target device from the control device via the control relay device. Furthermore, it can be said that remote control is possible without changing the control target device (without installing software).

[0052] In addition, the control-relay device that can operate the controlled device must be authenticated by the control device, and device authentication can be performed. Only when the control-relay device is authenticated can operation information for the controlled device be passed from the control device to the controlled device.

[0053] Furthermore, unless the user not only authenticates the control relay device but also recognizes and authenticates the image authentication data obtained from the controlled device, operation information for the controlled device cannot be passed from the control device to the controlled device.

[0054] Therefore, according to the system using the control relay device of the first embodiment, even if there are connection restrictions based on the security policy of the controlled device 10, the controlled device can be controlled safely without reducing security against unauthorized access.

[0055] Although the control-relay device according to the first embodiment has been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the control-relay device 100 may be configured to be able to connect to a plurality of control-target devices 10. Alternatively, the control-relay device 100 may be connected to a plurality of control-target devices 10 via a hub, and the connection may be switched by the hub. In this way, it is possible to maintain security performance and prevent unauthorized access even when a plurality of control-target devices are connected to the control-relay device.

[0056] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system using a control-relay device according to the second embodiment. The control-relay device 100 shown in FIG. 4 is similar to the control-relay device 100 according to the first embodiment. In a system using the control-relay device according to the second embodiment, the control-relay device 100 is not directly connected to the control-target device 10 via HDMI and USB, but is connected to the control-target device 10 and the control-target device EX11 via a hub 5. The hub 5 includes an HDMI switching unit 6 and a USB switching unit 7. Upon receiving a switching instruction from the control-relay device 100, the HDMI switching unit 6 and the USB switching unit 7 switch the connection between the control-target device 10 and the control-target device EX11, so that either the control-target device 10 or the control-target device EX11 can communicate with the control-relay device 100.

[0057] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of relay processing according to the second embodiment. The flow of relay processing according to the second embodiment is basically the same as the flow of relay processing according to the first embodiment, so the differences will be mainly described.

[0058] The communication between the control target device 10 and the control device 200 operates in a similar manner, but when the control device 200 instructs the Hub 5 to select the control target device EX11 (step S020), the Hub 5 switches the HDMI connection and USB connection to the control target device EX11.

[0059] Then, the control target device EX11 outputs the image authentication data to the control-relay device 100 via HDMI (step S021). After this, the same image authentication procedure as that of the control target device 10 in the relay processing according to the first embodiment is performed. That is, the HDMI / USB converter 140 of the control-relay device 100 converts the image authentication data into USB data (step S005), the HDMI / USB converter 140 passes the image authentication data converted into USB data to the control device 200 (step S006), and the authentication processing unit 230 of the control device 200 accepts input from the user 300 using the passed image authentication data and performs image authentication (step S007).

[0060] The above is an example of the flow of relay processing according to the second embodiment. According to the example of the flow of relay processing according to the second embodiment, it is possible to maintain security performance and prevent unauthorized access even when multiple control target devices are connected to a control relay device.

[0061] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an alarm system to which a control relay device is applied. This alarm system is a specific example of configuring an alarm system according to the third embodiment using the control relay device according to the first embodiment. The alarm device 200A in this system corresponds to the control device 200 according to the first embodiment. In addition to the configuration of the control device 200, the alarm device 200A also includes an alarm processing unit 240. When predetermined information is output as display information from the control target device 10, the alarm processing unit 240 issues an alarm by message or e-mail to a separately registered smartphone 400. For example, the alarm processing unit 240 detects that a predetermined image or a predetermined text image, or a predetermined display at a predetermined position, is displayed as image information from the control relay device 100, and sends an alert e-mail to the smartphone 400.

[0062] More specifically, when the notification processing unit 240 detects through image analysis of the screen information of the controlled device 10 that a specified error message pop-up (e.g., a message pop-up indicating that an error has been detected) has been displayed, it sends an email containing the same text to the smartphone 400.

[0063] By configuring the notification system according to the third embodiment as described above, even if the control target device 10 cannot directly send an e-mail, the smartphone 400 can receive a notification via the notification device 200A.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a token input proxy system to which a control relay device is applied. The token input proxy system is a specific example of a token input proxy system according to a fourth embodiment, using the control relay device according to the first embodiment. The controlled device 10 is connected to a closed network. The operator device 200B in this system corresponds to the control device 200 according to the first embodiment and inputs a password token on behalf of the controlled device 10. The operator device 200B includes a token input proxy processing unit 250 in addition to the configuration of the control device 200. When predetermined login account information is output as display information from the controlled device 10, the token input proxy processing unit 250 reads the account ID and other information of the login account from the screen information, passes the account ID to the login proxy device 500, and instructs the login proxy device 500 to generate a password token and enter it via a keyboard.

[0065] The login proxy device 500 is connected to an imaging device 550 and a password token display device 560. The login proxy device 500 includes a token information acquisition unit 520 and a keyboard input robot 510. The token information acquisition unit 520 operates buttons on the password token display device 560 to generate and display a password token, and acquires password token information by having the imaging device 550 read the password token. The keyboard input robot 510 then obtains screen information from the control target device 10, inputs an account ID and a password token, and logs in to perform various procedures related to a specified account from the operator device 200B. As a result, for example, when a customer logs in at a bank call center using a password token generated using the password token display device 560, and a call center operator processes various procedures on behalf of the unfamiliar customer, the call center operator can input the password token without needing to know the password token.

[0066] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power-on assistance system to which a control relay device is applied. The power-on assistance system is a specific example of a power-on assistance system according to the fifth embodiment, which uses the control relay device according to the first embodiment. The operator device 200C in this system corresponds to the control device 200 according to the first embodiment. In addition to the configuration of the control device 200, the operator device 200C includes a power-on processing unit 260. When predetermined screen information is output as display information from the control target device 10, the power-on processing unit 260 separately instructs the auxiliary device 600 to power on the control target device 10.

[0067] If the controlled device 10 is a device such as a supercomputer or is in a state where the power supply is completely cut off and does not support powering on via a network, it may be necessary to directly touch the controlled device 10 to power it on. However, there are not many cases where physical contact with devices that require the highest level of security is permitted, and therefore in an emergency, security may become a disadvantage and cause problems in powering on.

[0068] To solve this problem, an auxiliary device 600 having a power-on operator 670, which is a physical operator for pressing the power button of the control target device 10, is provided near the power button, and an imaging device 650 for capturing an image of a status display 50 (display) such as an LED of the control target device 10 is provided near the display of the control target device 10. Then, a monitoring unit 620 of the auxiliary device 600 monitors the state of the status display 50 as an image via the imaging device 650, and an operation control unit 610 controls the operation of the power-on operator 670 (pressing the power button).

[0069] When the operator device 200C issues a power-on instruction to the auxiliary device 600, the operation control unit 610 controls the power-on operator 670 to power on the control target device 10, and the monitoring unit 620 can monitor the startup control by capturing the status display 50 as an image via the imaging device 650. This makes it possible to power on the control target device 10 safely and quickly even in an emergency.

[0070] The above is an embodiment of the control relay device according to the present invention. Note that in the above embodiment, the configuration is described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all of the described configurations.

[0071] Furthermore, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, etc. may be partially or entirely realized in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all configurations are interconnected.

[0072] Furthermore, the configurations, functions, processing units, etc. of the control-relay device 100 described above may be partly or entirely executed by another device for integrated processing, for example, to be implemented in a secure distributed system.

[0073] Furthermore, the technical elements of the above-described embodiments may be applied independently, or may be divided into multiple parts such as program parts and hardware parts and applied.

[0074] The present invention has been described above mainly with reference to the embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 5: Hub, 10: Control target device, 20: HDMI driver, 30: HID Class driver, 40: USB / controller driver, 50: Status display, 100: Control relay device, 120: USB / HID conversion unit, 121: Serial driver, 122: Firmware, 123: One-time passcode issuing unit, 124: HID Class report, 125: USB / controller driver, 130: USB to serial conversion unit, 140: HDMI / USB conversion unit, 200: Control device, 210: USB / controller driver, 220: USB CDC-ACM Class driver, 230: Authentication processing unit, 300: User.

Claims

1. a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) and a first Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface for connecting to a device to be controlled; a second USB interface and a third USB interface connected to a control device that controls the device to be controlled; an HDMI / USB conversion unit that performs HDMI / USB conversion on display information received via the HDMI and outputs the converted information to the second USB interface; a USB / HID (Human Interface Device) conversion unit that performs USB / HID conversion on the control information received via the third USB interface and outputs the converted control information to the first USB interface; A control relay device comprising:

2. 2. The control relay device according to claim 1, and a one-time passcode issuing unit that, when connected to the control device via the third USB interface, generates a one-time passcode, transfers it via IN to the control device serving as a USB host, and prompts the user to input the passcode. A control relay device characterized by:

3. 3. The control relay device according to claim 2, the one-time passcode issuing unit deactivates processing of the HDMI / USB conversion unit and the USB / HID conversion unit when the input control information does not match the one-time passcode. A control relay device characterized by:

4. The control relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, When the HDMI / USB conversion unit is connected to the device to be controlled via the HDMI, it receives display information for image authentication from the device to be controlled, performs HDMI / USB conversion, and outputs the information to the second USB interface to perform image authentication. A control relay device characterized by:

5. The control relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the first USB interface connects the device to be controlled as a host controller; the third USB interface connects the control device as a host controller; the USB / HID conversion unit serializes the control information received via the third USB interface and then converts it into HID information; A control relay device characterized by:

6. The control relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the device to be controlled is connected to a closed network, The control device acts as a proxy for inputting a password token. A control relay device characterized by:

7. The control relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the control device instructs the device to be controlled to operate a physical operator; A control relay device characterized by:

8. A control relay method for a control relay device that relays between a control target device and a control device that controls the control target device, comprising: The control relay device a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) and a first Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface connected to the device to be controlled; a second USB interface and a third USB interface connected to the control device that controls the device to be controlled, an HDMI / USB conversion step of performing HDMI / USB conversion on display information received via the HDMI and outputting the converted information to the second USB interface; a USB / HID (Human Interface Device) conversion step of converting the control information received via the third USB interface into USB / HID and outputting the converted control information to the first USB interface; A control relay method characterized by carrying out the above.

Citation Information

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