Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
1996-09-30
2001-01-09
Le, Dieu-Minh T. (Department: 2785)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
C714S044000, C714S047300, C710S015000, C348S180000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173422
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a video/audio device error monitoring system used to integrally monitor and control errors of video/audio devices in a broadcasting station or a video/audio media production studio where a number of such video/audio devices are connected for recording, reproducing, storing and compiling video/audio data.
2. Related Art
In a typical broadcasting station or in a production studio for preparing a program or other video/audio media, a number of (several or decades of) video/audio devices are used for recording, reproducing, storing and compiling video/audio information.
Video/audio information is recorded on recording media by each of individual video/audio recording devices, and these recording media are cumulatively stored in a video/audio storage device. Video/audio information is reproduced from individual recording media by multiple video/audio reproducing devices, and are compiled by an video/audio compiler. Certain production studios, for example, are equipped with a number of such systems to progress works in parallel.
Also in typical broadcasting stations that need to progress multiple jobs in parallel, namely, delivery of a program, recording, accumulation and compilation of video/audio information to prepare another program, many sets of video/audio devices are installed.
Such a system connecting a number of devices involves a high probability of error in one or more of the devices. In a broadcasting station, in particular, when any error occurs in a device concerned with actual transmission of programs, a quick remedy to the error is required. To enable quick remedies to errors, it is effective to record information on past errors as histories of respective devices to previously know from the information whichever errors are liable to occur in individual devices.
Conventionally, however, even in a system connecting a number of video/audio devices, no means was prepared to integrally grasp the status of actual use and operation of these devices connected to the system. For example, in a system with video/audio devices located in separate rooms, it was only possible to manage the devices for each room but impossible to centralize data on all devices in different rooms.
For example, in a conventional error monitoring system shown in
FIG. 18
, a monitor personnel is in charge of devices in each room. When any error occurs in a device of his room, he personally must step to the site of the device to find out the nature of the error. In the illustrated example, when an error occurs in a device in a studio
181
, the man in charge of the studio
181
goes to the editing room
182
to give a notice, the man in charge of the editing-room
182
transfers the notice to the man in charge of the master control room, thereby to gather error information on devices in different rooms in the broadcasting station.
It was therefore difficult to obtain precise knowledge on errors of individual devices and to keep prior estimation of natures of errors that are liable to occur in respective devices.
Another problem with the conventional error monitoring system is that management of error histories of video/audio devices is simply the way that each man in charge describes such errors on a error history note as shown in FIG.
18
. It was therefore difficult to manage information on individual devices in a system of a broadcasting station. Beside this, it was also difficult to keep prior knowledge on errors that are liable to occur in respective devices.
When an error occurs in a device, it sometimes accompanies the job of opening an operation manual of the device to know the precise nature of the error, which will inevitably causes a delay in actual remedy to the error. This is particularly so when a rare error occurs.
Recently, more and more digital devices have been provided also in the field of video/audio devices. Another problem with the conventional error monitoring system is that it is difficult to visually monitor and control the status of operations of devices in case of digital devices as compared with video/audio devices in form of an analog circuit.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a video/audio device error monitoring system including a number of video/audio devices, which can manage errors in all devices integrally and totally.
According to the invention, there is provided an error monitoring system for conducting error monitoring of a plurality of video/audio devices, comprising:
processing means for executing an error monitoring process by detecting errors occurring in the video/audio devices;
communication means connecting the video/audio devices to the processing means; and
display means connected to the processing means to simultaneously display on a common display plane a plurality of images indicating the video/audio devices and to give an error indication in accordance with a result of the error monitoring process by the processing means;
the processing means automatically executing the error monitoring process against respective the video/audio devices, and controlling the display means to give the error indication by emphasizing one of the images corresponding to one of the video/audio devices from which an error is detected by the processing means.
According to another aspect of the invention, there provided an error monitoring system for conducting integral error monitoring of a plurality of video/audio devices that are grouped into certain units, comprising:
first information processing means that acquires error information for each of the units by detecting any error existing in the video/audio devices;
communication means connecting the video/audio devices to the first information processing means;
second information processing means connected to the first information processing means through a predetermined communication line to acquire the error information acquired by the first information processing means;
third information processing means connected to the second information processing means through the communication line to acquire the error information acquired by the second information processing means; and
display means connected to and controlled by the third information processing means to display images indicating the video/audio devices connected to the first information processing means and to give an error indication by emphasizing the image of particular one of the video/audio devices when the third information processing means detects an error in the particular video/audio device.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an error monitoring system for conducting integral error monitoring of a plurality of video/audio devices, comprising:
information processing means that acquires error information for each of the units by detecting any error existing in the video/audio devices, and acquires device identifying information identifying respective video/audio devices and monitor information of the video/audio devices;
communication means connecting the video/audio devices to the information processing means; and
storage means connected to the information processing means to store the device identifying information and the device monitor information so as to permit the device monitor information to be obtained by means of the device identifying information;
the information processing means automatically storing the acquired device identifying information and device monitor information in the storage means, automatically managing the device monitor information based on the device identifying information, automatically searching into the storage means to find out the device identifying information on one of the video/audio devices based on new device monitor information when the new device monitor information is obtained, and adding the new device monitor information to the device monitor information searched out.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an error monitorin
Kimura Hisao
Tanaka Takehiko
Yamamoto Toshiaki
Baderman Scott T.
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Kessler Gordon
Le Dieu-Minh T.
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