JP2004015193A - Remote control method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control method and apparatus that performs remote control with a simpler operation under a simpler environment independently of an environment of a computer or the like connected to a network. <P>SOLUTION: The remote control method for remotely controlling an apparatus of a control object controls the control object apparatus on the basis of contents of commands described in a title and / or a main text of electronic mail. Since a simple means such as a mobile phone can transmit / receive the electronic mail, the remote control method performs remote control with a simpler operation under a simple environment without the need for an environment of a computer or the like connected to a network. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote operation for setting a measuring device such as an electron microscope from a distance.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art As a method of operating various measuring devices such as an electron microscope and monitoring the status of the devices from a distance, a method using a network such as the Internet or a LAN is known. In order to perform remote operation using this network, it is necessary to install a device to be remotely controlled or a control device for controlling the device on the network, and a computer on the operation side that performs the remote operation. Further, this computer needs to have a function that is compatible with the protocol of an information search system such as the Web that operates on a network to be used.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In various measuring devices such as an electron microscope, there are cases where simple various setting operations such as driving a pump or turning on a power of an electron beam are performed before performing an actual measurement. After that, start the measurement operation.
[0004]
Therefore, various simple items such as setting are operated from a remote place, and after the setting is completed, if the actual measuring device can be operated around the time when the device becomes operable, the operation is performed. The measurement time can be reduced comprehensively, including the time required for moving from when the user requests the operation to when the actual analysis and measurement operation is performed.
[0005]
However, in a conventional configuration in which remote operation is performed from a computer installed on a network, the operation of the computer itself requires a predetermined operation procedure, and an operation operation that is not much different from the operation of the measurement device is performed. There must be. In addition, a computer is required for remote control, and there is a problem that remote control cannot be performed from a place where no computer is installed.
[0006]
Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and performs remote operation with simpler operation, and performs remote operation in a simpler environment without being bound by the environment of a computer or the like connected to a network. With the goal.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, an operation content of a remote operation is instructed to an operation target device by using an electronic mail. E-mail can be sent and received by simple means such as a mobile phone, so that it can be performed by simple operation, and remote operation can be performed in a simple environment without requiring an environment such as a computer connected to a network. It can be carried out.
[0008]
The remote operation method of the present invention is a remote operation method for remotely operating an operation target device, and operates the operation target device based on the operation content described in the title and / or the text of the e-mail.
[0009]
In the present invention, the remote operation is performed when the position where the operation target device or the control device for controlling the operation of the operation target device is located and the position where the operation is instructed are separated from each other, and when both positions are the same position. This also includes the case where the control device is different from the device that instructs the operation.
[0010]
The remote operation method of the present invention operates the operation target device based on the operation content described in the title or the body of the e-mail, and it is possible to instruct the operation by e-mail from the remote of the operation target device. it can.
[0011]
In order to operate based on the command content described in the title or body of the e-mail, the operation corresponding to the operation content of the operation target device was selected from the characters or character strings described in the title or body of the e-mail. A character or character string is selected, and the operation target device is operated based on the selected character or character string. Here, the characters are described using characters used for describing the title or body of the e-mail, such as kanji, hiragana, alphanumeric characters, symbols, pictograms, etc. This is performed in the form of a signal.
[0012]
The description format of characters and character strings set corresponding to the electronic mail may be different from the description format of the command for driving the operation target device or the control device that controls the operation target device. When the description format is different as described above, the remote operation device of the present invention converts the selected character or character string into a command for operating the operation target device, and operates the operation target device based on the format-converted command. . Thus, even when the description format of the e-mail is different from the description format of the command, remote control can be performed by using the e-mail.
[0013]
Further, the remote operation device of the present invention is a communication means for receiving an e-mail, and a character or a character corresponding to the operation content of the operation target device from a character or a character string described in the title or the body of the received e-mail. A means for selecting a column and a means for operating the operation target device based on the selected character or character string, and operating from the character or character string described in the title or body of the e-mail received by the communication means A character or a character string corresponding to the operation content of the target device is selected, and the operation target device is operated based on the selected character or character string.
[0014]
Further, the communication means of the remote operation device of the present invention may have a function of transmitting device information of the operation target device by e-mail. By providing this function, the operation target device can be remotely monitored.
[0015]
Further, the remote control device of the present invention can include means for converting the format between characters and character strings of the e-mail and the commands and device information of the operation target device. Even when the data format is different between the control side of the operation target device and the control side, remote control and monitoring can be performed by mutual conversion.
[0016]
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a remote control device can be operated from a remote place using an electronic mail, or the device information of a remote control device can be monitored, and the electronic mail is transmitted and received by a simple portable terminal such as a mobile phone. Therefore, it can be used in a simple environment without requiring an environment of a computer or the like connected to a network or the like.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a remote operation according to the present invention.
In the remote operation according to the present invention, a pump is driven or an electron beam power is turned on in an operation target device such as various analyzers and measurement devices such as an electron microscope before actual analysis and measurement are performed. The simple operation such as the above is performed from a remote place. After the setting by the remote operation is completed, the actual measurement operation is started in the operation target device.
[0018]
In the remote operation according to the present invention, when the operation target device is operated, for example, for various settings, the operation content is described in the title or body of the e-mail. In the title or body of the e-mail, a character or a character string representing the operation content is described.
[0019]
Upon receiving the e-mail, the operation target device selects a character or character string representing the operation content from the characters or character strings described in the title or body of the e-mail, and selects the selected character or character string. Perform the operation represented by. At this time, the description format of the characters or character strings described in the e-mail does not always correspond to the description format of the command for instructing the operation of the operation target device. Therefore, in the present invention, the description format of the selected character or character string is converted into a description format of a command for instructing operation of the operation target device.
[0020]
The format conversion process includes a process of selecting a command corresponding to an operation content represented by a character or a character string, and a process of converting a description language representing a character or a character string of an e-mail into a description language representing a command. If the description language for expressing characters and character strings of an e-mail and the description language for expressing a command are the same or can be used, only processing for selecting a command corresponding to the operation content can be performed.
[0021]
The operation content to be executed by the operation target device can be described by a character or a character string in the title or body of the e-mail, and the command itself may be input in addition to inputting a sentence. The characters to be used are characters that can be used in electronic mail, and include, for example, kanji, hiragana, alphanumeric characters, symbols, pictograms, and the like.
[0022]
The command obtained by the format conversion is sent to a control device or the like to operate the operation target device, for example, to set the operation target device. The device status of the set operation target device can be confirmed at a remote place by e-mail. In this case, the device information indicating the device status of the operation target device is format-converted, described in, for example, the text or the title of the electronic mail, and transmitted to the receiving destination. At this time, the device information to be transmitted may be the content of the operation set in advance as the transmission information in addition to the content set by the operation. Further, the format described in the email may be determined in advance.
[0023]
The operation content that can be instructed by e-mail is not limited to the setting operation of the device, but may be various analysis operations and measurement operations, as well as a monitor operation for monitoring the status of the device. When a monitor operation is performed, the content requesting the device information is described in the e-mail. The remote control device extracts the device information of the operation target device based on the request for the device information, and transmits the device information to the request source in the form of e-mail in the same manner as described above.
[0024]
It should be noted that characters other than the characters and character strings representing the operation content and device information request described in the e-mail are not subjected to format conversion and have no effect on the operation target device. When the remote control device has a display unit, the received electronic mail may be displayed. At this time, it may be displayed differently from other transmission parts by, for example, displaying characters or character strings relating to the operation content or the device information request or underlining the characters.
[0025]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process of obtaining a command from the operation content described in the electronic mail.
If the title in the e-mail indicates "Start pump operation" or the text in the e-mail indicates "Turn on the pump", the operation target device is provided. It is determined that the operation is to turn on the power of the pump, and a command “COM1” corresponding to this operation is selected by format conversion.
[0026]
If the body name in the e-mail includes "turn on the power of the electron beam", it is determined that the operation of turning on the power of the electron beam included in the operation target device is performed. Is selected by format conversion. The commands COM1, COM2, etc. are command names to be displayed on display means or the like, and coded data is sent to control means for controlling the operation target device.
[0027]
Before performing this format conversion, it interprets the description shown in the title or body name of the e-mail to determine whether there is a description related to the operation content, and determines the description related to the operation content. elect. For this content interpretation, a text interpretation program or dictionary can be used. The selected operation content is converted into a corresponding command by format conversion. Descriptions irrelevant to the operation content are not subject to format conversion. The operation content described in the e-mail may be represented by a command name in addition to the document. The operation contents and commands shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples, and may be operation contents and commands corresponding to the operation target device.
[0028]
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram for explaining one configuration example of the remote control device of the present invention.
The operation target device 2 (for example, the electron microscope main body) is normally controlled by the control unit 3 based on an operation performed by the operation device 4. The remote control device 1 of the present invention includes a communication unit 1a, a selection unit 1b, and a format conversion unit 1c, and remotely controls the operation target device 2.
[0029]
The communication means 1a is connected to a network 5 such as the Internet, a LAN, or a WAN, and has an e-mail transmission / reception function for exchanging e-mail with a portable terminal 6 connected to the network 5. Examples of the mobile terminal 6 include an electronic mail terminal 6A and a mobile phone 6B.
[0030]
The selecting unit 1b selects a part related to the operation content from the description in the e-mail received by the communication unit 1a. The selection can be performed by selecting a predetermined character or character string from the description of the e-mail, or by selecting the operation content by interpreting the description of the e-mail. A sentence interpretation program or dictionary can be used for this function. The selecting means 1b can be included in the communication means 1a.
[0031]
Further, a determination may be made as to whether there is any inconsistency in the operation content described in the e-mail. For example, if the operation content requests the same operation target device to simultaneously perform operations that cause the opposite operation, it is determined that the operation content is inconsistent. If the operation content is inconsistent as a result of this determination, a reply indicating that there is an unclear point in the operation content can be sent by e-mail, for example, to notify the portable terminal side.
[0032]
The format conversion unit 1c converts the operation content portion selected by the selection unit 1b into a command format that can be understood by the control unit 3. The processing performed by the format conversion includes a processing of selecting a command corresponding to the operation content represented in the e-mail, and a processing of converting a description language of characters and character strings of the e-mail into a description language of the command. If the description language of the e-mail and the description language of the command are the same or can be used, only the process of selecting a command representing the operation content without converting the description language can be performed.
[0033]
The functions of the communication unit 1a, the selection unit 1b, and the format conversion unit 1c can be configured by software in addition to hardware.
[0034]
The command selected by the format conversion unit 1c is sent to the control unit 3 and causes the operation target device 2 to perform a predetermined operation. Generally, the operating device 4 records the device information of the operation target device 2. Even when the operation is performed according to the command, the device information at that time is recorded in the operating device 4. This device information is converted into the description format of the e-mail by the format conversion 1c, and then returned to the portable terminal 6 that has requested the operation through the network 5 by the communication means 1a. The communication unit 1a stores the address of the transmission destination mobile terminal 6 in order to return the device information to the mobile terminal 6 that has requested the operation.
[0035]
In the case of simply monitoring the device information without requesting the operation, the format conversion means 1c may directly request the device information from the operation device 4 without sending a command to the control means 3. You can also.
[0036]
Hereinafter, an operation example according to the present invention will be described with reference to the relationship diagram of FIG. 4 and the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 4 is a relationship diagram for explaining the flow of data between the respective means, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing on the portable terminal side, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing on the remote control device side. is there. The numbers in parentheses below correspond to the numbers in FIG.
[0037]
When operating a remote operation target device from the mobile terminal side, first, an electronic mail including the operation content is created on the mobile terminal side. The content of the operation is described in the title or the body of the e-mail (step S1) and transmitted (1) (step S2).
[0038]
Upon receiving the e-mail (2) (step S11), when displaying the received e-mail (step S12), the remote control device 1 displays the e-mail on a display means (not shown) (step S13). . The selecting means 1b determines whether or not the operation content is included in the description content of the received e-mail, and selects an operation content portion (3) (step S14). If the operation content is included, the selected operation content portion is converted by the format conversion unit 1c into a command format executable by the control unit 3 (4) and sent to the control unit 3 (5) (step S15). ).
[0039]
The control means 3 controls based on the command (6), and causes the operation target device 2 to execute a predetermined operation (7) (step S16). The operation target device 2 sends device information based on the executed operation result to the control device 4, and the control device 4 records the sent device information (8). The control device 4 detects the device information and sends the recorded device information to the format conversion means 1c (9) (step S17). The format converting means 1c converts the device information into an electronic mail signal form by format conversion (10) (step S18), and the communication means 1a transmits the electronic mail to the form terminal 6 through the network 5 (11) (step). S19).
[0040]
The portable terminal 6 receives the e-mail transmitted from the communication means 1a (12) (step S3) and displays it on a display means (not shown) (13) (step S4).
When the operation target device 2 is operated by the control device 4, the command input to the control device 4 is executed (20) to operate the operation target device 2 (21). The device information by the operation is recorded in the control device 4 (8).
[0041]
In the operation content selection and format conversion, if the operation content is a monitor operation requesting device information (14), the device information stored in the control device 4 is read out and sent to the format conversion means 1c (9). The conversion means 1c converts the device information into an electronic mail signal form by format conversion (10), and the communication means 1a transmits the electronic mail to the form terminal 6 through the network 5 (11).
[0042]
The communication means 1a holds address information unique to the mobile terminal to be connected, and confirms the mobile terminal requesting an operation request by using the address information and the password, so that only the specific user can be checked. Operation can be tolerated.
[0043]
According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the operation target device can be remotely controlled by using an e-mail, a mobile phone, an e-mail terminal, or the like can be used even when a use environment such as a computer connected to a network is not provided. If the environment can transmit the e-mail, remote control can be performed.
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a remote operation can be performed by a simpler operation. Further, remote control can be performed in a simpler environment without being bound by an environment of a computer or the like connected to a network.
[0044]
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a remote operation according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process for obtaining a command from operation contents described in an electronic mail according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a remote control device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a relationship diagram for explaining the flow of data between each means of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing on the mobile terminal side according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing on the remote control device side of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Remote operation apparatus, 1a ... Communication means, 1b ... Selection means, 1c ... Format conversion means, 2 ... Operation target apparatus, 3 ... Control means, 4 ... Operation apparatus, 5 ... Network, 6 ... Portable terminal.

Claims (6)

A remote operation method for remotely operating an operation target device, wherein the operation target device is operated based on operation contents described in a title and / or a text of an electronic mail. A character or character string corresponding to the operation content of the operation target device is selected from the characters or character strings described in the title and / or body of the e-mail, and the operation target device is operated based on the selected character or character string. 2. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The remote operation method according to claim 2, wherein the selected character or character string is converted into a command for operating the operation target device, and the operation target device is operated based on the command. A communication means for receiving an e-mail;
Means for selecting a character or a character string corresponding to the operation content of the operation target device from characters or a character string described in the title and / or the body of the received e-mail;
Means for operating the operation target device based on the selected character or character string. The remote control device according to claim 4, wherein the communication unit transmits device information of the operation target device by electronic mail. The remote control device according to claim 4, further comprising a unit configured to perform format conversion between a character or a character string of an electronic mail and a command and / or device information of an operation target device.

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