Remote On-Site Examination System

Abstract

To provide a remote witness test system capable of sharing a sequence test of a function unit stored in a control center with a remote customer.SOLUTION: A sequence test device 3 which carries out a sequence test of a function unit stored in a control center 1 is connected to the function unit by a sequence test connection cable 2 to transmit and receive a signal simulating an external circuit to obtain test results, and photographs the function unit in the sequence test by a built-in movable Web camera 5. When obtained visual information is transmitted to a remote witness test server 7 constructed with a cloud-type Web meeting system 8 by a wireless communication module 4, the remote witness test server 7 shares the information with a PC 10 of a customer 9 in a remote area via the cloud-type Web meeting system 8 so that the movable Web camera 5 can be remotely controlled from the PC 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a remote witnessing test system for conducting a sequence test of functional units stored in a control center under the remote witnessing of a customer at a remote location.

Background Art

[0002] In order to confirm that the functional units stored in the housing of the control center operate normally, it is obligatory to conduct a sequence test according to the JEM standard. This sequence test is often conducted under the witness of the customer. However, there are cases where it is difficult for the customer to visit the factory directly, for example, when the customer lives far away or due to reasons such as requests for movement restrictions by the government due to the prevention of the spread of diseases. In such cases, a witnessing test using a remote environment may be conducted, and this tendency has been increasing year by year. In a witnessing test using a remote environment, it is possible to transmit the inspection results of a factory at a remote location to a server for remote witnessing tests and share the inspection results with the customer in real time.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a method of conducting a sequence test in a control panel by checking the presence or absence of the buzzer sound and the presence or absence of the lighting of the signal lamp provided in the control panel. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a system for performing sequence testing of electrical equipment such as distribution boards remotely (for example, from a central control room). In Patent Document 2, the power system simulation test device is divided into a contact input / output interface section located at the test site and a control unit, operation unit, and display unit. Through the contact input / output interface located at the test site, a tester remotely operates the system to apply a simulated contact test signal, captures the contact output, and compares it with the corresponding information of the electrical equipment's response using a remotely located control unit to determine whether the electrical equipment's response is correct. The determination result is then displayed on a remotely located display unit, and can also be stored in an external storage unit via an external storage interface. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-003103 (pages 1-3, Figure 1) [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 8-168173 (pages 3-4, Figure 2) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] When customers visit the factory to perform sequence testing of each functional unit in the control center, rather than remotely, a buzzer function is often used to check contacts. The system is designed so that the buzzer sounds when the contacts of each functional unit are functioning correctly. (See Patent Document 1) By hearing this buzzer, testers and customers can recognize that the contact check of the test subject has passed. On the other hand, if a customer does not visit the factory but instead observes the sequence test remotely from a distance, even if a microphone is used to allow the customer at the remote location to hear the buzzer sound, the buzzer sound may not be audible depending on the microphone's sound pickup performance. This makes it difficult for the tester to communicate with the customer about which functional unit is being tested. Furthermore, even if communication with the examiner is possible, the time required for communication can lead to a prolonged overall examination time for the sequence test.

[0006] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 allows for remote determination of whether the operation and response of the electrical device are correct, but it does not describe remote observation. In Patent Document 2, even if a tester can operate the device remotely and view the display of the test results, they cannot remotely view the state of the electrical device under test or the state of the indicator lights. Therefore, the invention described in Patent Document 2 has the problem that customers who are remotely presenting cannot visually confirm the status of the functional units during sequence testing. Furthermore, there was the problem that it was even more difficult for customers participating remotely to freely check the parts they wanted to see.

[0007] This application discloses technology to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a remote witness testing system that can share sequence testing of functional units housed in a control center with customers in remote locations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The remote witness testing system disclosed herein is a remote witness testing system for conducting sequence testing under the remote witnessing of a customer located in a remote location, comprising: a sequence testing device that transmits and receives signals for sequence testing to and from the target device for sequence testing to obtain test results; a test server that processes the test results obtained by the sequence testing device for sharing with the customer; a cloud-based web conferencing system built on the test server to enable remote meetings with the customer, and the test results and visual images are shared with the customer via this cloud-based web conferencing system; a movable web camera incorporated into the sequence testing device for photographing the target device during sequence testing, the movable web camera being configured to be remotely operated by the customer, and the visual images captured by the movable web camera being shared with the customer by the test server. The above visual images include footage captured by the customer remotely operating the above-mentioned movable webcam. It is. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the remote witness examination system disclosed in this application Ba, Shi The results of the trial can be shared with customers in remote locations. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the remote witness testing system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows the sequence testing apparatus for the remote witness testing system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the remote witness testing system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 4] This figure shows the hardware configuration of the sequence testing device for the remote witness testing system according to Embodiments 1 and 2.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Embodiment 1. Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a remote attendance test system according to Embodiment 1. In FIG. 1, a plurality of functional units are housed in the control center 1 in the production factory 20 of the control center, and a sequence test is performed on each functional unit. The sequence test connection cable 2 is a connection cable that connects the control center 1 and a sequence test device 3 described later.

[0012] The sequence test device 3 is configured to perform a sequence test on each functional unit of the control center 1. The sequence test device 3 includes a wireless communication module 4 capable of outputting a test result as a wireless electrical signal in order to transmit the test result to a remote attendance customer in real time, and a movable Web camera 5 (camera) for shooting the functional unit to be tested in order to share visual information (visual video) with the customer is incorporated. The tester 6 is a tester working in the production factory 20 of the control center, and performs a sequence test on the functional unit of the control center 1 using the sequence test device 3.

[0013] This sequence test device 3 is a device that can simulate an external circuit that exchanges signals with the control center 1. In addition, the sequence test is to confirm the operation and signals of the in-board devices at the cable inlet terminal for the circuits in which the in-board devices of the functional unit to be tested operate and the circuits that are sent out from inside the board by signals from outside the board based on the sequence diagram. In addition, the above-mentioned visual information is video information captured by the movable Web camera 5, including the state of the functional unit during the sequence test and the information of the indicator lights provided on the board of the functional unit and lit according to the sequence test results.

[0014] The server 7 for remote attendance test (test server) is network-connected to the wireless communication module 4 of the sequence test device 3 via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The cloud-based Web conferencing system 8 enables remote meetings with customers. It is built within the server 7 for remote attendance test and is connected to the PC (Personal Computer) 10 of the customer 9 at the remote location 30.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the sequence test device of the remote attendance test system according to Embodiment 1. In FIG. 2, reference numerals 3 to 5 are the same as those in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows, with arrows, how the wireless communication module 4 and the movable Web camera 5 are incorporated into the sequence test device 3.

[0016] Next, the operation will be described. Embodiment 1 pertains to the sequence test of the functional units of the control center 1 in a remote attendance test. When conducting the sequence test of the functional units of the control center 1, not limited to the remote environment, the test target functional unit of the control center 1 and the sequence test device 3 are connected with the sequence test connection cable 2. Then, the tester 6 working at the production factory 20 of the control center conducts a sequence test on the functional unit to be tested.

[0017] The sequence test device 3 used for the sequence test of the functional unit is network-connected to the server 7 for remote attendance test. This server 7 for remote attendance test records the test results output by the sequence test device 3 and the visual information including the state of the functional unit and the indicator lights captured by the movable Web camera 5, and performs processing for real-time transmission to the customer 9 at the remote location 30.

[0018] For mobility reasons, it is preferable that the sequence test device 3 be connected via wireless LAN through the wireless communication module 4. However, if the use of wireless LAN is difficult due to the factory's network environment, a wired connection using an Ethernet® standard compliant communication cable such as a LAN cable is also acceptable.

[0019] The remote witness testing server 7 then transmits the test results and visual information captured by the movable web camera 5 to the customer's PC 10 via a cloud-based web conferencing system 8 built within the remote witness testing server 7. Furthermore, when remotely connecting a web conferencing system to 30 customers (9) operating PCs (10) in remote locations, it is common practice to use a cloud-based web conferencing system via an internet connection. On the other hand, in Embodiment 1, it is necessary to include in the web conferencing system a function to output test results from the sequence test device 3 and a function to operate the movable web camera 5 from the customer's side. For this reason, the web conferencing system will be a cloud-type web conferencing system 8 built and used within the remote witness test server 7.

[0020] In this manner, the results of the sequence test and the visual information captured by the movable webcam 5 are transmitted to the remote witness test server 7 via the wireless communication module 4 incorporated in the sequence test device 3. Then, a cloud-based web conferencing system 8 built on the remote witness test server 7 transmits the sequence test results and visual information captured by the movable web camera 5 to a PC 10 operated by the customer 9 at a remote location 30, and shares them with the customer. This enables remote on-site testing by the customer.

[0021] Furthermore, the customer's PC 10 will have a client application pre-installed for connecting to the cloud-based web conferencing system 8, and will be connected to the cloud-based web conferencing system 8 via a secure dedicated line such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network) on a private network. Furthermore, a customer 9, who is remotely present at a remote location 30, can operate a movable webcam 5 integrated into the sequence testing device 3 at the control center's production plant 20 by operating a PC 10.

[0022] According to Embodiment 1, sequence testing of functional units housed in the control center can be shared with customers remotely present at a distant location. Furthermore, customers in remote locations can operate the movable webcam remotely to freely view the areas they wish to check. This allows not only the transmission of test result data, but also the free, real-time sharing of visual information about the functional units during testing, thereby improving the reliability of remotely supervised testing.

[0023] Embodiment 2. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the remote witness testing system according to Embodiment 2. In Figure 3, reference numerals 1-9, 20, and 30 are the same as those in Figure 1. The mobile terminal 11 at the remote location 30 is a smartphone or tablet, and is operated by the customer 9 at the remote location 30.

[0024] In the configuration of Embodiment 1, the customer 9 located in a remote location 30 connected to a cloud-based web conferencing system 8 via a PC 10 to participate in the remote witness examination. However, in Embodiment 2, a mobile terminal 11 such as a smartphone or tablet is used instead of the PC 10. In other words, the equipment and system configuration at the production plant 20 of the control center in Embodiment 2 is the same as in Embodiment 1, but the customer 9 at the remote location 30 uses a mobile terminal 11 such as a smartphone or tablet.

[0025] Here, if the mobile terminal 11 used has the same OS (Operating System) as the PC 10 used in Embodiment 1, it is possible to connect to the cloud-based web conferencing system 8 by installing the same client application on the mobile terminal 11. On the other hand, if the operating system of the mobile device 11 is different from that of the PC 10, a separate client application compatible with the operating system of the mobile device 11 must be prepared.

[0026] While Embodiment 2 has disadvantages for the reasons mentioned above, it also has advantages that Embodiment 1 does not. For example, by incorporating a communication module that can connect to the network of the control center's production plant 20 via VPN into the mobile terminal 11, the customer 9 can participate in remote witness testing from anywhere, regardless of location.

[0027] According to Embodiment 2, in addition to the effects of Embodiment 1, even if a customer is unable to leave their home due to, for example, government restrictions on going out to prevent the spread of an epidemic, they will be able to participate in remote on-site examinations from their home. Furthermore, even if a customer is on a business trip to another location, they can participate in the remote test from their current location.

[0028] The sequence test device 3 and the remote witness test server 7 each consist of a processor 100 and a storage device 101, as shown in Figure 4 as an example of the hardware. Although not shown, the storage device comprises a volatile storage device such as random access memory and a non-volatile auxiliary storage device such as flash memory. Alternatively, a hard disk may be provided as an auxiliary storage device instead of flash memory. The processor 100 executes the program input from the storage device 101. In this case, the program is input to the processor 100 from the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device. The processor 100 may also output data such as calculation results to the volatile storage device of the storage device 101, or it may save the data to the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device.

[0029] Furthermore, while this explanation uses a cloud-based web conferencing system, it is not limited to this; an on-premise web conferencing system can also be used. Furthermore, while a cloud-based web conferencing system was built within the remote witness testing server 7 in this example, the system is not limited to this configuration. Alternatively, a separate server for building the cloud-based web conferencing system could be set up, or an existing web conferencing system service could be used. Furthermore, although we have used the sequence testing of a control center as an example here, the method is not limited to this and can also be applied to the sequence testing of switchgear.

[0030] While this disclosure describes various exemplary embodiments and examples, the various features, aspects, and functions described in one or more embodiments are not limited to the application of a particular embodiment, but are applicable to the embodiments individually or in various combinations. Accordingly, countless variations not illustrated are conceivable within the scope of the technology disclosed herein. These include, for example, modifications, additions, or omissions of at least one component, as well as the extraction of at least one component and its combination with components of other embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 control center, 2 connection cables for sequence testing, 3. Sequence testing equipment, 4. Wireless communication module, 5. Movable webcam, 6. Examiners, 7. Server for remote observation of examinations, 8. Cloud-based web conferencing system, 9 customers, 10 PCs, 11 mobile devices, 20 control center production plants. 30 remote locations, 100 processors, 101 memory devices

Claims

1. A remote witness testing system for conducting sequence testing under the remote presence of a customer in a remote location, A sequence testing device that transmits and receives signals for sequence testing to the target device for sequence testing and obtains test results. This sequence testing device includes a test server for processing and sharing the test results obtained with the customer. The above test server is equipped with a cloud-based web conferencing system that enables remote meetings with the customer, and the test results and visual images are shared with the customer via this cloud-based web conferencing system. The sequence testing apparatus described above incorporates a movable webcam for photographing the target apparatus during sequence testing, the movable webcam is configured to be remotely operated by the customer, the visual images captured by the movable webcam are shared with the customer by the test server, and the visual images include images captured by remotely operating the movable webcam from the customer's side, characterized in that this is a remote witness testing system.

2. The remote witness testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the target device is a functional unit or switchgear housed in a control center.

3. The remote on-site testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the above-mentioned cloud-based web conferencing system is connected to the customer's PC via VPN.

4. The remote on-site testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the above-mentioned cloud-based web conferencing system is connected to the customer's mobile device via VPN.

5. The remote witness testing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sequence testing apparatus incorporates a wireless communication module for connecting to the test server via a wireless network.

Images