System for remote supervision and diagnosis using mobile program

• US 8,213,318 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ooba, Yoshikazu, Idemori, Kimito, Sumi, Katsuhiro, Ohno, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, JUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/362,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20090196187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 370/60.1, 370/85.15, 370/242, 370/400
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24215 Scada supervisory control and data acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/02 Automatically-operated arrangements

Abstract

A system for performing remote supervision and diagnosis, having a plurality of local terminals for performing supervision and diagnosis on an object, by executing a mobile program transmitted from a central system. When a disaster occurs and the network is cut, inevitably disconnecting the local terminals from the central system, one of the local terminals is set as a representative local terminal. The representative local terminal collects from the local terminals the maintenance information required for supervising and diagnosing the object.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of local terminals connected to a central system by a network and configured to perform supervision and diagnosis on an object apparatus existing in a specific area;

a program-moving module configured to move a supervision/diagnosis program or an anti-disaster process program from the central system to any one of the local terminals;

a setting module configured to set one of the local terminals arranged in the specific area as a representative local terminal when the local terminals are disconnected from the central system in spite of the network, the setting module setting ones of the local terminals which are operable each as the representative local terminal in a prescribed order; and

an information-collecting module configured to collect anti-disaster maintenance information via the representative local terminal from any other local terminal arranged in the area by moving an anti-disaster information-collecting mobile program from the representative local terminal to any other local terminal arranged in the area, the representative local terminal collecting the anti-disaster maintenance information from all local terminals arranged in the area, by utilizing the anti-disaster process program.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information-collecting module collects the anti-disaster maintenance information via the representative local terminal from any other local terminal arranged in the area, by utilizing data communication between the local terminals.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the information-collecting module starts collecting the anti-disaster maintenance information in response to a signal indicating occurrence of a disaster or to a request coming from an external unit system, and collects the anti-disaster maintenance information from the other local terminals by requesting the other local terminals to transmit the anti-disaster maintenance information.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising a module configured to determine that the network has been cut in the area when no responses come from the representative local terminal within a prescribed time, and to generate data showing that the network has been cut in the area.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein in the information-collecting module, the representative local terminal starts collecting the anti-disaster maintenance information in response to automatic detection of a disaster or to a request for starting anti-disaster process, coming from an external unit system, and collects the anti-disaster maintenance information from the other local terminals by moving an anti-disaster information-collecting mobile program.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information-collecting module starts collecting the anti-disaster maintenance information in response to a signal indicating occurrence of a disaster or to a request coming from an external unit system, and collects the anti-disaster maintenance information from the other local terminals by requesting the other local terminals to transmit the anti-disaster maintenance information.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising a module configured to determine that the network has been cut in the area when no responses come from the representative local terminal within a prescribed time, and to generate data showing that the network has been cut in the area.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the information-collecting module, the representative local terminal starts collecting the anti-disaster maintenance information in response to automatic detection of a disaster or to a request for starting anti-disaster process, coming from an external unit system, and collects the anti-disaster maintenance information from the other local terminals by moving an anti-disaster information-collecting mobile program.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the information-collecting module, the representative local terminal starts collecting the anti-disaster maintenance information in response to automatic detection of a disaster or to a request for starting anti-disaster process, coming from an external unit system, and collects the anti-disaster maintenance information from the other local terminals by moving the anti-disaster information-collecting mobile program.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a module configured to determine that the network has been cut in the area when the anti-disaster information-collecting mobile program is unable to move from the representative local terminal to any other local terminal arranged in the same area.