WO2025083744A1 - Display control device and display control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a display control device capable of continuing display as much as possible even when there is an abnormality in hardware (auxiliary device) for assisting creation of display data. A display control device 1 includes: a display data creation part 13 for creating display data to be displayed on a display device 2; a plurality of auxiliary devices 60 composed of hardware for assisting creation of the display data; and an abnormality detection part for detecting abnormality of the plurality of auxiliary devices 60. The display data creation part 13 changes a creation method of the display data according to the auxiliary device 60 in which the abnormality is detected.

Description

Display control device and display control method

The present invention relates to a display control device and a display control method.

For example, display devices such as liquid crystal displays are used in a variety of fields.

As an example of the use of a display device, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a display installed inside an elevator car that displays elevator operation information, camera images, and the like via a display control device.

JP 2008-143684 A

When creating display data to be displayed on a display device, a display control device may create the display data using hardware (hereafter referred to as auxiliary devices) that assists in the creation of the display data, such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a display-only unit, or various hardware accelerators.

If there is an abnormality in this auxiliary device, it is conceivable that an error will be notified and no display will be shown on the display device. However, if no display is always displayed when there is an abnormality in just one of the multiple auxiliary devices, there is a problem that the serviceability of elevators and other devices that use this display device will be reduced.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a display control device and a display control method that can continue displaying data as long as possible even if an abnormality occurs in the hardware (auxiliary device) that assists in the creation of display data.

In order to solve the above problems, the display control device of the present invention has a display data creation unit that creates display data to be displayed on a display device, a plurality of auxiliary devices configured with hardware that assists in the creation of the display data, and an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormalities in the plurality of auxiliary devices, and the display data creation unit changes the method of creating the display data depending on the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected.

In addition, the display control method of the present invention changes the method of creating the display data depending on the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected when creating the display data to be displayed on the display device using at least one of a plurality of auxiliary devices configured with hardware that assists in the creation of the display data.

The display control device and display control method of the present invention allow display to continue as long as possible even if an abnormality occurs in the hardware (auxiliary device) that assists in the creation of display data.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a display screen according to an embodiment. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an outline of the operation of the display control device according to the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the operation of step S3 in FIG. 3 . 4 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the operation of step S4 in FIG. 3 .

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the case where a display is performed on a display device installed inside an elevator car will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to a case where a display is performed on a display device installed outside an elevator car, or to a display control device that causes a display device used for purposes other than elevators to perform a display.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the embodiment.

The display control device 1 of this embodiment has, for example, a control unit 10, a display communication device 20, a control communication device 30, a camera communication device 40, a content storage unit 50, and a plurality of auxiliary devices 60 configured with hardware that assists in the creation of display data. The auxiliary devices 60 include, for example, a GPU 61, a display-only unit 62, an image hardware accelerator 63, a video hardware accelerator 64, and a communication hardware accelerator 65. These configurations are merely examples, and the camera communication device 40 and the communication hardware accelerator 65 may be omitted, or another auxiliary device 60 may be added.

The display communication device 20 communicates with the display device 2. The display communication device 20 may be a communication device that performs serial communication using a communication method such as LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling). The display communication device 20 has a communication buffer (not shown) and transmits communication data stored in the communication buffer to the display device 2.

The display device 2 can be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

The control communication device 30 communicates with the elevator control device 3. The control communication device 30 can be, for example, a communication device that performs serial communication.

The camera communication device 40 communicates with the camera 4. The camera 4 may be, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) camera installed inside an elevator car. The communication with the camera 4 is encrypted.

The control unit 10 has, as its functional units, a control communication control unit 11, an abnormality detection unit 12, a display data creation unit 13, and a display communication control unit 14. Each functional unit of the control unit 10 can be realized by executing a program on a calculation processing system that includes, for example, a calculation processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an auxiliary storage device, an input/output interface, etc.

The content storage unit 50 is a storage unit that stores content such as images (still images) and videos, and can be realized, for example, by an auxiliary storage device or memory of the above-mentioned computing system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen according to an embodiment.

On the display screen 70 of the display device 2, for example, the current floor "5" is displayed as floor information, an upward arrow indicating that the car is moving upwards is displayed as direction information, the current date is displayed as date information, and the current time is displayed as time information. When there is a content display command, the content to be displayed, such as information on weather and news, images, videos, streaming video from camera 4, etc., is displayed in a specified area. Here, an example is shown in which streaming video from camera 4 is displayed.

The display control method of the embodiment changes the display data creation method according to the auxiliary device 60 in which an abnormality is detected when creating display data to be displayed on the display device 2 using at least one of a plurality of auxiliary devices 60 configured with hardware that assists in the creation of display data. For example, depending on the auxiliary device 60 in which an abnormality is detected, the display is changed to a low frame rate display, and content (images, videos, streaming video, etc.) corresponding to the auxiliary device 60 in which an abnormality is detected is removed from the display.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart outlining the operation of the display control device of the embodiment.

In step S1, the control communication device 30 receives control communication from the elevator control device 3.

In step S2, the control communication control unit 11 extracts data from the received control communication. The extracted data includes, for example, information about the elevator operation status, such as floor information and direction information, time information, and command information, such as a content display command.

In step S3, the abnormality detection unit 12 detects an abnormality in the auxiliary device 60. It is desirable for the abnormality detection unit 12 to also detect an abnormality in the display communication device 20. Details of the operation in step S3 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

In step S4, the display data creation unit 13 creates display data to be displayed on the display device 2. Specifically, the display data creation unit 13 creates display data based on predetermined information obtained via the control communication device 30, such as floor information, direction information, time information, and content display commands. The display data creation unit 13 creates the display data using at least one of the multiple auxiliary devices 60.

For example, the display data creation unit 13 has, as its functional units, a UI (User Interface) control unit (not shown) and a drawing editing unit (not shown). The display data creation unit 13 uses the UI control unit to determine a screen configuration using a combination of predetermined images, videos, and streaming video from the camera 4 based on the above-mentioned specified information. For example, it determines a screen configuration in which floor information, direction information, and time information are displayed in a specified area, and when there is a content display command, the content to be displayed is displayed in a specified area.

Next, the display data creation unit 13, using a drawing and editing unit (not shown), determines color information for each pixel of the display screen by referring to image and video data from the content storage unit 50 and by referring to streaming video from the camera 4, based on the screen configuration determined by the UI control unit. At this time, for example, in the case of an image, an image hardware accelerator 63 that decodes compressed images is used. In the case of a video, the video is decoded using a video hardware accelerator 64 that decodes compressed video, and the decoded data is expanded by a GPU 61 that can perform general-purpose arithmetic processing at high speed into a display-only unit 62, which constitutes a layer. In the case of streaming video from the camera 4, the encryption is decrypted using a communication hardware accelerator 65 that decrypts encrypted communication. Note that the GPU 61 and the display-only unit 62 may be used for something other than video. In this way, the display data creation unit 13 creates display data to be displayed on the display device 2.

Here, the display data creation unit 13 changes the method of creating the display data depending on the auxiliary device 60 in which an abnormality has been detected. For example, the display data creation unit 13 creates display data at a lower frame rate than when no abnormality is detected depending on the auxiliary device 60 in which an abnormality has been detected, and creates display data excluding the content corresponding to the auxiliary device 60 in which an abnormality has been detected. Details of the operation in step S4 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

In step S5, the display communication control unit 14 converts the display data into communication data that matches the communication format, and stores the communication data in the communication buffer of the display communication device 20. Then, the display communication device 20 transmits the communication data stored in the communication buffer to the display device 2.

The communication data transmitted in the above manner is received by the display device 2 and displayed on the screen of the display device 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that explains the details of the operation of step S3 in FIG. 3.

In step S11, the abnormality detection unit 12 performs an abnormality diagnosis and detects abnormalities in the auxiliary device 60 and the display communication device 20.

In step S12, the abnormality detection unit 12 determines whether there is an abnormality in the display communication device 20. If there is an abnormality in the display communication device 20, the process proceeds to step S13, where the abnormality detection unit 12 notifies the elevator control device 3 of an error via the control communication control unit 11 and the control communication device 30, and in step S14, the abnormality detection unit 12 sets display disabled. If this display disabled setting has been set, the display data creation unit 13 does not create display data and ends the process. If there is no abnormality in the display communication device 20, the process in step S3 ends and the process proceeds to step S4.

In addition, in step S3, the abnormality detection unit 12 also determines whether there is an abnormality in the display-only unit 62, and if there is an abnormality in the display-only unit 62, it may notify an error and set display to be disabled, just as in the case where there is an abnormality in the display communication device 20.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that explains the details of the operation of step S4 in FIG. 3.

In step S21, the display data creation unit 13 determines whether there is an abnormality in the GPU 61. If there is an abnormality in the GPU 61, high frame rate display is not possible, so the process proceeds to step S22, where the display data creation unit 13 sets low frame rate display and proceeds to step S23. If there is no abnormality in the GPU 61, the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, the display data creation unit 13 determines whether there is an abnormality in the display-only unit 62. If there is an abnormality in the display-only unit 62, display at a high frame rate is not possible, so the process proceeds to step S24, where the display data creation unit 13 sets a low frame rate display and proceeds to step S25. If there is no abnormality in the display-only unit 62, the process proceeds to step S25.

In step S25, the display data creation unit 13 determines whether there is an abnormality in the image hard accelerator 63. If there is an abnormality in the image hard accelerator 63, the compressed image cannot be decoded, so the process proceeds to step S26, where the display data creation unit 13 sets the display data to be created excluding the compressed image, so that image display is disabled, and the process proceeds to step S27. If there is no abnormality in the image hard accelerator 63, the process proceeds to step S27.

In step S27, the display data creation unit 13 determines whether there is an abnormality in the video hardware accelerator 64. If there is an abnormality in the video hardware accelerator 64, the compressed video cannot be decoded, so the process proceeds to step S28, where the display data creation unit 13 sets the video display disabled so that display data is created excluding the compressed video, and the process proceeds to step S29. If there is no abnormality in the video hardware accelerator 64, the process proceeds to step S29.

In step S29, the display data creation unit 13 determines whether there is an abnormality in the communication hardware accelerator 65. If there is an abnormality in the communication hardware accelerator 65, the encrypted communication cannot be decrypted, so the process proceeds to step S30, where the display data creation unit 13 sets the display data to be created excluding the video of the encrypted communication, so that streaming video cannot be displayed, and the process proceeds to step S31. If there is no abnormality in the communication hardware accelerator 65, the process proceeds to step S31.

In step S31, the display data creation unit 13 creates display data. At this time, if there is a setting for low frame rate display, the display data creation unit 13 creates display data at a predetermined low frame rate, and also takes into account the settings for disabling image display, disabling video display, and disabling streaming video display, determines the screen configuration excluding content that is not allowed, and creates the display data.

As a result, even if there is an abnormality in the hardware (auxiliary device 60) that assists in the creation of display data, display can be continued as much as possible, making it possible to continue service while minimizing degradation of serviceability for elevators and other devices that use the display device 2. For example, even if there is an abnormality in all of the auxiliary devices 60 in the embodiment, it is possible to at least display floor information, direction information, date information, time information, and the like at a low frame rate, making it possible to perform degraded operation that continues to display the minimum amount of information necessary.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. In addition, some or all of the configurations described in the embodiments may be combined and applied.

1...display control device, 2...display device, 3...elevator control device, 4...camera, 10...control device, 11...control communication control device, 12...abnormality detection device, 13...display data creation unit, 14...display communication control device, 20...display communication device, 30...control communication device, 40...camera communication device, 50...content storage unit, 60...auxiliary device, 61...GPU, 62...display-only unit, 63...image hardware accelerator, 64...video hardware accelerator, 65...communication hardware accelerator, 70...display screen.

Claims (11)

a display data generating unit that generates display data to be displayed on a display device;
A plurality of auxiliary devices configured with hardware for assisting in the creation of the display data;
An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in the plurality of auxiliary devices,
The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display data creation unit changes a method of creating the display data in response to the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected. In claim 1,
The display control device is characterized in that the display data creation unit creates the display data at a lower frame rate than when no abnormality is detected, depending on the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected, and creates the display data excluding the content corresponding to the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected. In claim 1,
The plurality of auxiliary devices include a GPU that performs general-purpose arithmetic processing;
The display control device is characterized in that, when an abnormality in the GPU is detected, the display data creation unit creates the display data at a frame rate lower than when an abnormality in the GPU is not detected. In claim 1,
The plurality of auxiliary devices include display-only units that form a layer;
The display control device is characterized in that, when an abnormality is detected in the display-only unit, the display data creation unit creates the display data at a lower frame rate than when an abnormality in the display-only unit is not detected, or does not create the display data. In claim 1,
the plurality of auxiliary devices include an image hard accelerator for decoding compressed images;
The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display data creation unit creates the display data excluding the compressed image when an abnormality is detected in the image hardware accelerator. In claim 1,
the plurality of auxiliary devices include a video hardware accelerator for decoding compressed video;
The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display data creation unit creates the display data excluding the compressed moving image when an abnormality is detected in the video hardware accelerator. In claim 1,
the plurality of auxiliary devices include a communications hardware accelerator that decrypts encrypted communications;
The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display data creation unit creates the display data excluding encrypted communication images when an abnormality is detected in the communication hardware accelerator. In claim 1,
a display communication device that transmits the display data to the display device;
The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality detection unit notifies an error when an abnormality is detected in the display communication device. In claim 1,
A control communication device that communicates with the elevator control device,
The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display data generating unit generates the display data based on information obtained via the control communication device. A display control method characterized in that, when creating display data to be displayed on a display device using at least one of a plurality of auxiliary devices constituted by hardware that assists in the creation of display data, the method of creating the display data is changed depending on the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected. In claim 10,
A display control method characterized in that, in accordance with the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected, the display data is created at a lower frame rate than when no abnormality is detected, and the display data is created excluding content corresponding to the auxiliary device in which an abnormality is detected.

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