JPH11312131A - Network management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable also a worker having no expert knowledge of a network to easily register a new installation equipment in the network. SOLUTION: This network management system is provide with plural installation equipment connected to the network and a network management device 10 for controlling these equipment 20 and managing the equipment 20, in cooperation with a center device 30 installed in a different place. In this case, the device 30 has an equipment information table 32 for recording the inherent ID information of respective installation equipment 20 and the device 10 has an equipment information list 11 for recording the ID information of each installation equipment 20 to be connected to the network in charge, and at the receiving of ID formation transmitted from the equipment 20, compares the list 11 with the table 32 and decides the approval the connection/disconnection of the equipment 20 based on the table 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network management system in which equipment, which is equipment related to equipment such as lighting and air conditioning, is connected to a network and is controlled by a network management device, which is a server of the network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional network management system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a network management system.

A network management device 10 controls a plurality of equipment devices 20 connected on a network, and manages the equipment devices 20 in cooperation with a center device 30 in another place. The network management device 10 is a network control server, and is a facility device 2 such as a lighting fixture or an air conditioner.
0 to monitor the operation of the equipment 20.

[0004] The network management device 10 is a
A device information list 11 which is a list of 0s is provided. The center device 30 is provided in a network management company and manages customers for each network.
1 is provided. The customer database 31 includes a device information table 32 which is a database in which the device information lists 11 of the respective networks are integrated.

When additional equipment 20 is additionally connected to the network, communication management on the network is performed.
It is necessary to set the address of the new equipment 20 in the network management device 10 from the operation terminal 21 or to directly input the address of the new equipment 20 to the network management device 10.

[0006]

However, in the conventional network management system as described above, when a new facility device 20 is additionally connected to the network,
In most cases, the person in charge of the connection work is an electric technician who does not have the expertise of the network, and there is a problem that the work of registering the new equipment 20 in the network in a communicable manner is delayed. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object thereof is to enable even a worker who does not have network expertise to obtain
It is an object of the present invention to provide a network management system that can easily perform a setting for registering a new facility device in a network.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the equipment connected to a network and the equipment are controlled, and the equipment is managed in cooperation with a center device in another place. A network management system for performing the above, wherein the center device has a device information table for recording unique ID information of the equipment, and the equipment is connected to a network. Then, the ID information is transmitted to a network, and the network management device has a device information list for recording the ID information on the equipment connected to the network in charge, and transmits the ID information from the equipment. Receiving the generated ID information, the device information list is compared with the device information table, Vessels of the connection approval or disapproval, characterized in that the device information table is performed on the basis.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
The network management system according to claim 1, wherein a notification unit is connected to the network, and the network management device compares the device information list with the device information table, and the ID information of the equipment device is the device. If the information is not recorded in the information table, the information means is notified to prompt the user to perform a corresponding process.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a network management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, and a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network management system. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the network management system. FIG. 3 is a communication procedure diagram of the network management system. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the network management device.

The network management device 10 controls a plurality of equipment devices 20 connected on the network, and manages the equipment devices 20 in cooperation with a center device 30 in another location. The network management device 10 is a network control server, and is a facility device 2 such as a lighting fixture or an air conditioner.
0 to monitor the operation of the equipment 20.

The network management device 10 includes the equipment 2
A device information list 11 which is a list of 0s is provided. The center device 30 is provided in a network management company such as an engineering company or a remote management center, and manages a customer database 31 for each network.
Is provided. The customer database 31 includes a device information table 32 which is a database in which the device information lists 11 of the respective networks are integrated. When a new facility device 20 is additionally connected to the network, a network engineer who has trained the network technology with ID information unique to the facility device 20 indicating an address of the new facility device 20 in order to manage communication on the network. Are set in the device information table 32 in advance.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram further embodying such a network management system. As shown in FIG. 2, on the customer system side, a network management device 10 as a control server, a modem 12, an operation terminal 21,
Air conditioning system 20a and lighting system gateway 2
0b forms a network connection. The lighting system gateway 20b includes lighting devices 20b ₁ , 20b.
b ₂ are connected controllably. On the remote management center side, a center device 30, a customer database 31, and a remote router 33 form a network connection. The network on the customer system side is ISD
It is communicably connected to a network on the remote management center side via a public line T such as an N line.

Communication on the public line T is TCP / IP
Is performed as a control protocol, an HTTP server operates in the network management apparatus 10, and an operation terminal 21
A man-machine interface is provided using a WWW browser, and various control functions are set by a Java (registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.) language program.

An example of additional connection of new equipment 20 and communication management on the network in such a network management system will be described below with reference to the communication procedure diagram of FIG. The operation of the network management device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

For example, it is assumed that the air conditioning system 20a is newly connected to a network. Air conditioning system 20a
Is connected to the network and turned on by a construction worker (step 100 in FIG. 4), transmits the preset unique ID information to the network, for example, in a packet including its own URL ( FIG. 3 Procedure A). The network management device 10 includes the air conditioning system 2
Upon receiving the ID information transmitted from Oa (step 110 in FIG. 4), the device information list 11 is compared with the device information table 32, and whether or not the air conditioning system 20a is connected is determined based on the device information table 32 (see FIG. 4). Step 120 in FIG. 4).

That is, the network management device 10
If the ID information received from the air conditioning system 20a is registered in the device information list 11, the device information list 11
The air conditioning system 2 is not changed (step 130 in FIG. 4).
If the ID information received from the device 0a is not registered in the device information list 11, the center device 3
0, a communication connection is made, and the device information table 32 is called from the center device 30 (procedure B in FIG. 3, step 140 in FIG. 4), and the ID information of the air conditioning system 20a is a number already recorded in the device information table 32. It is determined whether or not there is (procedure C in FIG. 3, step 150 in FIG. 4).

The network management device 10 may connect the air conditioning system 20a to the network if the ID information of the air conditioning system 20a is a number already recorded in the device information table 32.
Is registered in the device information list 11 (procedure D in FIG. 3, step 160 in FIG. 4). If the ID information of the air conditioning system 20a is not a number already recorded in the table 32, the device information list 11 is registered. No change (Fig. 4
Step 130), the setting device 3 notifies the center device 3
Notify 0.

When the setting of the air conditioning system 20a becomes possible, the operation terminal 21 transmits
For example, the device information list 11 is read as an HTML format document, and a list of URLs of the usable equipment 20 including the air conditioning system 20a can be obtained (procedure E in FIG. 3). The user can select a desired equipment 20 from the list of URLs obtained in this way and perform various controls (procedure F in FIG. 3).

Therefore, in the network management system of the present invention, the center device 30 has the device information table 32 for recording the unique ID information of the facility device 20, and the facility device 20 Is connected to the network, the ID information is transmitted to the network. The network management device 10 has a device information list 11 for recording ID information on the equipment 20 connected to the network in charge. When the transmitted ID information is received, the device information list 11 is compared with the device information table 32, and the connection of the equipment 20 is determined based on the device information table 32. Equipment 2
When additional 0 is connected, the ID of the equipment 20 must be
If the information is correctly registered in the device information table 32 in advance, even a worker who does not have the expertise of the network can easily set the new device 20 to be registered in the network. I can do it.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the network management apparatus. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of the same parts will be omitted.

The configuration of the network management system according to the second embodiment, which is different from the network management system according to the first embodiment, is that the operation of the network management apparatus 10 is partially changed. That is, if the ID information of the air conditioning system 20a is not a number already recorded in the device information table 32 in step 150, the network management device 10
1 is forcibly rewritten according to the contents already recorded in the device information table 32.

That is, when the equipment 20 including the air-conditioning system 20a is just connected, a communication error is likely to occur. In such a case, the equipment devices 20 already in use other than the air conditioning system 20a, which is a new equipment device, are listed in the device information list 11 without inconsistency.
The D information is recorded in the device information table 32. A communication error may be caused only in the newly connected air conditioning system 20a. Therefore, the equipment 20 causing the communication error can be considered to be the air conditioning system 20a.
0 indicates that the equipment 20 in which the communication error has occurred is regarded as the air conditioning system 20a, and the equipment information list 11
Is forcibly rewritten according to the contents already recorded in the device information table 32 (step 151 in FIG. 5).

In this case, substantially the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. [Third Embodiment] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the network management apparatus. Note that the second
The same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those of the embodiment, and the detailed description of the same portions will be omitted.

The network management system according to the third embodiment is different from the network management system according to the second embodiment in that a notifying means is connected to the network. The device information list is compared with the device information table, and if the ID information of the equipment is not recorded in the device information table,
This is to notify the notifying means so as to prompt the user to perform a corresponding process.

The network management device 10 is configured to use the second
The result of the comparison in step 150 of this embodiment is displayed on its own display, and also notified by sound such as recorded voice. Here, the functions of display display and sound notification will be referred to as notification means.

Even if the ID information of the air conditioning system 20a is not a number already recorded in the device information table 32 in step 150, the network management device 10 stores the device information list 11 in the device information table 32 as in step 151. Is not forcibly rewritten in accordance with the contents already recorded in step S151. First, whether or not rewriting as in step 151 is allowed is displayed on its own display (step 152 in FIG. 6).

When the user's selection is made by key-in or the like (step 153 in FIG. 6), the network management apparatus 10 performs rewriting as in step 151 above, or stores the information in the device information list 11 according to the user's selection. No change is made (step 154 in FIG. 4).

Therefore, in addition to the effect of the second embodiment, a notifying means is connected to the network, and the network management device 10 compares the device information list 11 with the device information table 32 and If the ID information is not recorded in the device information table 32, the notification means is notified to prompt the user to perform the corresponding process. Can be selected with.

In the above embodiment, the notification means is the display display or sound notification of the network management device 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the notification means may be the display display or sound of the operation terminal. It may be executed by notification. That is, the operation terminal may receive the determination result from the network management device, notify the result, and transmit the key-in result from the user to the network management device.

[0032]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the center device has a device information table for recording unique ID information of the equipment, and when the equipment is connected to the network, ID information is transmitted to the network, and the network management device has a device information list for recording ID information on the equipment connected to the network in charge, and receives the ID information transmitted from the equipment. Since the device information list is compared with the device information table, the connection / rejection of the equipment is performed based on the device information table. If the ID information of the equipment is registered in advance in the equipment information table without mistake, the user does not have the expertise of the network. Even the worker, the settings to register the new equipment to the network, easily.

[0033] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
In addition to the effects of the invention described above, a notification unit is connected to the network, and the network management device compares the device information list with the device information table, and ID information of the equipment must be recorded in the device information table. For example, the notification unit is notified to prompt the user to perform a corresponding process. Therefore, whether to rewrite the device information list can be selected at the connection site.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the above network management system.

FIG. 3 is a communication procedure diagram of the above network management system.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the network management device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the network management device of the network management system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the network management device of the network management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a conventional network management system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 network management device 11 device information list 20 equipment 30 center device 32 device information table

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04Q 9/00 311

Claims (2)

[Claims] An equipment connected to a network,
A network management system including a network management device that controls the equipment and manages the equipment in cooperation with a center device in another place, wherein the center device transmits unique ID information of the equipment. A device information table for recording, wherein the equipment device transmits the ID information to the network when connected to the network, and the network management device is configured to connect the equipment device to the network in charge. A device information list for recording the ID information relating to the device, and upon receiving the ID information transmitted from the facility device, compares the device information list with the device information table to determine whether connection of the facility device has been approved. A network pipe based on the device information table. System. 2. A notifying unit is connected to the network, and the network management device compares the device information list with the device information table, and records the ID information of the equipment in the device information table. 2. The network management system according to claim 1, wherein, if not performed, the notification unit is notified to prompt the user to perform a corresponding process.