System and method for remote management of image processing device

• US 8,102,431 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GNST Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: GNST Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sung-Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): SELBY, GEVELL V
• Application Number:
  US12/364,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.1, 348/211.3, 348/211.4, 348/222.1, 348/372
• US Class Current: 348/211.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/003 Address allocation methods and details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/06 Monitoring of the line circuits, e.g. signalling of line faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A remote management system includes a plurality of image processing devices which each detect their own first state information according to a power state transition or an operation, provide the first state information via a network, and respond to polling; and a management server which manages the first state information provided by each image processing device and second state information obtained from a response to polling, and manages a history of each image processing device based on the first state information and the second state information. The remote management system can remotely collect and manage operation state, error information that can cause a malfunction, error information generated by abnormal operation as well as malfunction of individual image processing devices and can collect/manage state information such as image processing device internal operation state information, image processing device malfunction, network connection failure, and software error.

Claims

1. A system for remote management of image processing devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of image processing devices which each detect their own first state information according to a power state transition or an operation state, provide the first state information via a network, and respond to polling;

a management server which manages the first state information provided from each image processing device and second state information obtained from a polling response, and manages a history of each image processing device based on the first state information and the second state information, and

a plurality of consoles which each output state information in the form of a pop-up window or a warning sound,

wherein the management server provides the first state information provided from each image processing device to each console in real time and provides the second state information to each console when the second state information is obtained, and transmits the first state information on a text message and the second state information to a mobile phone number or a designed e-mail address.

2. The remote management system of claim 1, wherein the first state information includes at least one of power-on information, power-off information or reboot information according to a power state transition, image data loss information, image data storage state error information or storage failure information, and operating processor error information.

3. The remote management system of claim 1, wherein the second state information includes at least one of device error information of each image processing device, software error information and network connection failure information.

4. The remote management system of claim 1, wherein each image processing device transmits the first state information using a TCP/UDP-based socket communication method.

5. The remote management system of claim 1, wherein each image processing device comprises:

a power manager which manages a power state of the image processing device and provides power-on information, power-off information or reboot information according to the power state transition;

an image acquisition unit which acquires an image and provides an image signal;

a data storage which stores image data corresponding to the image signal;

a data processor which digitally processes the image signal provided from the image acquisition unit, detects data loss and a storage state while storing the image data in the data storage, and provides image data loss information or storage state error information; and

a state detector which detects a data storing state of the data storage and transmits storage failure information to the management server, detects an operation state of a processor and transmits processor error information to the management server, provides the information provided from the power manager and the data processor to the management server, and transmits a response to polling of the management server and software error information obtained by polling each processor to the management server.

6. The remote management system of claim 5, wherein the state detector detects a storage failure state when the amount of data stored in the data storage does not increase for a predetermined time or when the size of a file storing image data does not increase for a predetermined time.

7. The remote management system of claim 5, wherein the state detector polls each processor operating software and transmits the software error information when a processor responds with abnormal information or there is no polling response.

8. The remote management system of claim 5, wherein the state detector detects a processor error when operation of a processor included in a processor list of the image processing device is stopped.

9. The remote management system of claim 5, wherein the image processing device generates a thread when the state information is generated or polling is performed.

10. The remote management system of claim 1, wherein the management server comprises:

a state information processor which receives the first state information from the image processor and obtains the second state information from a polling response;

a database which stores the first state information and the second state information of each image processing device;

a state information provider which transmits the first state information and the second state information received from the state information processor to a console in real time or transmits the first state information and the second state information using a text message or an e-mail; and

a history manager which manages history information based on the first and second state information of each image processing device stored in the database.

11. The remote management system of claim 10, wherein the state information processor comprises:

a state information receiver which receives the first state information from each image processor and transmits the first state information through the state information provider in real time; and

a polling processor which obtains the second state information which is one of device error information, software error information or network connection failure information based on the polling response.

12. The remote management system of claim 10, wherein the history manager manages the history information according to identification information of the image processing device, type of state information, occurrence time or group, and searches for and provides history information according to an operator'"'"'s request.

13. An image processing device which acquires and stores an image, the device comprising:

a power manager which supplies an operating voltage to the image processing device and provides power-on information, power-off information or reboot information according to a power state transition;

an image acquisition unit which acquires an image and provides an image signal;

a data storage which is realized by a hard disk drive (HDD) and stores image data corresponding to the image signal;

a data processor which digitally processes the image signal provided from the image acquisition unit and provides image data loss information or storage state error information when data loss or a storage error occurs in processing the image signal; and

a state manager which generates storage failure state information when the amount of data stored in the data storage does not increase for a predetermined time, polls each processor operating software and generates software error information when a processor responds with abnormal information or there is no polling response, generates processor error information when a processor'"'"'s operation is stopped, and transmits the information provided from the data processor and the power manager and the generated information to a management server.

14. A method for remote management of image processing devices, comprising

at a management server, accessing and registering a plurality of image processing devices via a network;

at each image processing device, transmitting first state information, detected by the image processing device, to the management server;

at the management server, generating second state information based on a response to periodic polling;

at the management server, providing the first state information and the second state information to an operator console in real time;

at the console, outputting the first state information and the second state information; and

at the management server, managing history information based on the first state information and the second state information,

wherein transmitting the detected first state information to the management server comprises;

generating power-on information, power-off information or reboot information according a power state transition of each image processing device;

detecting a storage failure state when the amount of stored data does not increase for a predetermined time or the size of a file storing image data does not increase for a predetermined time and generating storage failure state information;

polling each processor operating software and generating software error information when a processor responds with abnormal information or there is no polling response; and

detecting a processor error when operation of a processor included in a processor list of the image processing device is stopped and generating processor error state information.

15. The remote management method of claim 14, wherein generating the second state information comprises:

periodically polling the image processing device, and when there is no polling response, determining malfunction of the image processing device, an operation error or network connection failure and generating device error information, network connection failure information or software error information.

16. The remote management method of claim 14, wherein providing the first state information and the second state information to an operator console in real time comprises;

transmitting the first state information and the second state information to the operator console or transmitting the first state information and the second state information using a text message based on a set mobile phone number or an e-mail.

17. The remote management method of claim 14, wherein managing the history information comprises:

managing the first and second state information according to identification information of an image processing device, type of state information, occurrence time, and group; and

when there is a request from an operator, searching for history information matching the request or statistically processing and providing history information.

18. The remote management method of claim 14, wherein at a management server, the accessing and registering a plurality of image processing devices via a network comprises:

when there is a registration list of registered image processing devices, accessing a corresponding image processing device based on registered access information;

when there is access information manually input by an operator, accessing an image processing device based on corresponding access information;

when a registration request message is received from an image processing device via a network, accessing a corresponding image processing device by extracting access information from the registration request message; and

when an automatic search is requested by an operator, accessing a corresponding image processing device by extracting access information from an access request message received after broadcasting an accessible message via a network.

19. The remote management method of claim 14, wherein at a management server, the accessing and registering a plurality of image processing devices via a network comprises:

when the image processing device operates to receive an accessible message, automatically generating an access request message including access information and transmitting the access request message to the management server; and

when the image processing device is set to a registration mode, automatically generating an access request message including access information of the image processing device based on access information of a set management and transmitting the access request message to the management server.