JP4059255B2 - Multi-point terminal cooperation method and telemedicine support system using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is a multipoint terminal cooperation method for performing the same processing by sending and receiving commands between a plurality of terminal devices and a management server, and displaying the same patient medical care data on the terminal device using this method, The present invention relates to a telemedicine support system in which a plurality of doctors cooperate to perform medical care.

  Conventionally, there is a joint work support system using a multi-point video conference system as a method of performing joint work among a plurality of terminals. This is discussed in pages 37 to 42 of the IEICE Tech Bulletin OFS 93-36 (1994-01). In this conventional example, in order to realize joint work with a plurality of terminal devices, a plurality of terminal devices are controlled using a multipoint control unit (MCU). When an instruction is input to execute a desired process from a certain terminal device, the desired process indicated by the instruction input is executed by the own terminal device, and the instruction input is transmitted to the MCU. Then, by transmitting an instruction input from the MCU to another terminal device, a desired process is realized by a plurality of terminal devices. At this time, in order to uniquely determine the order of processing executed between the terminal devices, a terminal device that wishes to input an instruction first obtains an operation right and then transmits the instruction input to the MCU.

  In addition, as an application example of a system for collaborative work between a plurality of terminal devices as described above, a plurality of doctors discussed in Japan Medical Association Vol. 55 No. 1 (1996) pp. 65 to 69 There is a telemedicine support system that performs diagnosis in cooperation with referring to the same medical data.

IEICE Technical Report OFS 93-36 (1994-01), pages 37 to 42

  In the above-described conventional method, processing is immediately executed in a terminal that has input an instruction. However, in other terminals, processing is performed after being transmitted via an MCU. There may be a time difference at the start of execution. Furthermore, since the MCU distributes the instruction input received from the terminal device to other terminal devices one after another, for example, in the terminal device having lower performance than the other, processing is accumulated between terminal devices such as processing is accumulated and execution is delayed. There was a problem that the timing was greatly different.

In addition, in the conventional method described above, since it is necessary to acquire an operation right in order to input an instruction, it is impossible to input an instruction from a plurality of terminal devices at the same time, and a plurality of operators can simultaneously speak at an arbitrary time. There was no consideration for possible forms of use.
Furthermore, since time for processing to acquire the operation right is required, there is a problem that the waiting time from instruction input to processing execution is large.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to consistently process the processing between terminals (with no time lag) so that an operator can speak at an arbitrary time and has good responsiveness, and It is to provide a telemedicine support system using this.

  In order to achieve the above object, the multipoint terminal cooperation method of the present invention includes a plurality of terminal devices through which an operator inputs instructions and a management server that controls the terminal devices, and each terminal device is operated by an operator. When the processing command corresponding to the instruction content is registered in the management server and the management server sends the registered processing command to each terminal device and executes it, the management server confirms when executing the same processing in each terminal device. A confirmation substep for confirming that all the terminal devices have completed the execution of the processing command by receiving a command (a command for notifying the management server of the completion of the execution of the processing command) from all the operation terminals; After the execution completion confirmation in the confirmation sub-step, the processing command newly registered in the management server is transmitted to each terminal device and immediately (that is, each terminal device) At the same time) it was set to include a request executing step having an execution sub-steps to be executed.

  Alternatively, in order to achieve the above object, the remote medical care support system of the present invention displays medical data of the same patient on a plurality of terminal devices, and a plurality of doctors operating the plurality of terminal devices have the same medical data. When the diagnosis is performed in cooperation with each other with reference to the above, the plurality of terminal devices having a display screen for displaying the patient's medical data, an input means for the operator to input instructions, and the plurality of terminal devices are controlled. Having a communication means for transmitting commands between the management server, the plurality of terminal devices, and the management server, a doctor operating a certain terminal device instructs processing on the medical data displayed on the terminal device In such a case, the instruction content is executed by each terminal device using the multipoint terminal cooperation method of the present invention, and the same screen is displayed on the plurality of terminal devices.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of terminal devices including a terminal device that has input an instruction start processing all at once by transmitting a command from the management server, and confirm that the processing is completed in each terminal device. Then, the next process is started. Therefore, the start timings of the processes between the terminal apparatuses can be matched, and it can be assured that each terminal apparatus is executing the same process. In addition, since the processing proceeds in the order in which the processing commands are registered in the management server, even if each terminal performs an arbitrary operation, the processing order can be made consistent among the terminal devices, and acquisition of the operation right is always necessary. Instead, the operator can input an instruction at an arbitrary time. Furthermore, since the time required to acquire the operation right is unnecessary, the waiting time from the instruction input to the process execution can be shortened.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to always match the processing between terminals (with no time lag), the operator can speak at any time, and the responsiveness is improved. A support system can be provided.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram for explaining an embodiment of the multipoint terminal cooperation method of the present invention. In this embodiment, a plurality of terminal devices and a management server (for example, composed of a personal computer or a workstation) are connected to each other via a communication line (for example, a computer network constructed by a transmission medium such as a telephone line or a communication cable). This is a multipoint terminal cooperation method used in a system having the above-described configuration (details will be described in the sixth embodiment (FIG. 12)).

  In FIG. 1, 412 transmits a processing command from the terminal device to the management server in accordance with the operator's instruction, and a registration request step for registering in the management server. 404 transmits the registered processing command from the management server to each terminal device. This is a request execution step to be executed by each terminal device. The main process 409 and the processing command registration process 411 are processing flows of the management server.

  The request registration step 412 includes a process command generation and transmission step (413, 414) executed by the terminal device, and a process command reception and registration step (415, 416) executed by the management server. Since steps 415 and 416 are executed as separate processes (processing command registration process 411), they can be executed in parallel with the request execution step 404 (that is, processing commands can be received and registered simultaneously with the request execution step).

  In the request execution step 404, a registered processing command is transmitted from the management server to each operation terminal and executed simultaneously in each terminal device, and a confirmation command (execution of the processing command from the terminal device to the management server is executed). And a confirmation sub-step 406 for receiving a command to notify completion from all the operation terminals.

Next, referring to FIG. 1, a series of procedures from the operator's instruction to the execution of the process will be briefly described.
After the processing command registration area is secured and initialized (401) and the processing command registration process 411 is started (402), the operator instructs a desired process (for example, display of an image or text) on the operation terminal. . Then, a request registration step 412 is executed, and a processing command corresponding to the instruction content of the operator is registered in the management server through processing command generation 413, transmission 414, and reception 415.

After registration, the result of the determination step 403 is Y (Yes), the execution substep 405 of the request execution step is executed, and the registered processing commands are executed simultaneously on each terminal device (for example, images and characters are displayed simultaneously) ) Subsequently, the confirmation sub-step 406 is executed, and the reception of the confirmation command 407 and the determination step 408 are repeated until the confirmation command is received from all the operation terminals.
When all the confirmation commands are received, the result of determination step 408 is Y, and the process proceeds to processing of a new processing command. That is, when a new process command is registered during the execution of the process command, the result of determination step 403 is Y, and the request registration step is repeated.

  In the conventional method, since there is no confirmation sub-step, the processing command registered in the management server is immediately transmitted to each terminal device, and each terminal device newly executes a previous processing command and then newly executes it. The received processing command was executed. In this embodiment, using the confirmation sub-step, after waiting until confirmation commands are received from all the operation terminals (that is, after all processing terminals have executed the processing commands), they are newly registered in the management server. The processing command was sent. Therefore, each terminal device can execute the newly received processing command immediately (that is, simultaneously in each terminal device) because there is no processing command being executed.

  Next, a more specific embodiment of the example shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the execution timing of each processing step and commands on the communication line in an embodiment of the multipoint terminal cooperation method of the present invention. In this example, an example in which three terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3) and one management server 2 are connected is shown. For example, when an instruction input 3 is performed by an operator at one terminal device (1-1), the processing indicated by the instruction input is performed as a request registration step 5, a request execution step 6 (6-1, 6-2...), And The control is executed by three steps of control step 7 for controlling the two steps. The request registration step 5 and the request execution step 6 are started by start events 11, 12 and 14 from the control step 7. The request registration step 412, the request execution step 404, the execution sub-step 405, and the confirmation sub-step 406 in FIG. 1 correspond to 5, 6-1, 8 and 9 in FIG.

  The request registration step 5 is a step of registering in the management server 2 the process indicated by the instruction input 3 performed by the operator in any of the terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3). The processing command 4 generated by the instruction input 3 is transmitted to the management server 2, and the processing command 4 is registered 15 in the management server 2. The request execution step 6 is a step of executing the processing command 4 registered in the management server 2 in each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3), and includes an execution substep 8 and a confirmation substep 9. The execution sub-step 8 extracts the processing command 4 registered in the management server 2 (16), transmits it to each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3), and executes the processing indicated in the processing command 4 (17-1 to 17-3). The confirmation sub-step 9 generates (18-1 to 18-3) a confirmation command 10 for confirming the completion of execution of the process indicated by the process command 4 in each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3). The confirmation command 10 is transmitted from each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3) to the management server 2. The management server 2 receives the confirmation command 10 and confirms (19) the completion of execution of processing in all the terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3).

The control step 7 is a step for controlling the start timing of the request registration step 5 and the request execution step 6. When the processing command 4 is generated by the operator's instruction input 3, the start event (11) of the request registration step 5 is generated, and when the processing command is registered or when the completion notification (13) of the request execution step 7 is received, The start event (12, 14) of the request execution step 6 is generated, and the processing command registration and execution timing is controlled.
The control step 7 is distributed and implemented on each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3) and the management server 2. In this example, the part that generates the request registration start event is arranged on each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3), and the other part is arranged on the management server 2.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the control step 7 arranged on the terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3), and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the control step 7 arranged on the management server 2. When there is an unregistered processing command in the terminal device (201), the control step 7 arranged on the terminal device generates a request registration start event (202) and starts the request registration step 5. The control step 7 arranged on the management server 2 generates a request execution start event (12, 14) when a processing command registered in the management server 2 exists (211), and (212) starts the request execution step 6. To do. Then, it waits for a processing command execution completion notification (13) from the request execution step 6 (213), and after receiving the notification, returns to the waiting state for the registered processing command.

  Next, using the above three steps, first, a procedure for executing the process indicated by the instruction input 3 performed by the operator of the terminal device A (1-1), and a procedure for executing the next process in succession. explain.

  First, when the operator of the terminal device A (1-1) performs the instruction input 3, the control step 7 generates the request registration step 5 start event (11), starts the request registration step 5, and the instruction input 3 The processing command a (4) representing the processing operated in step 1 is registered in the management server 2. Then, in the control step 7, since the registered processing command 4 exists, the start event 12 of the request execution step (6-1) is generated. The request execution step (6-1) started by the start event 12 executes the processing shown in the processing command a (4) in each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3), and the confirmation command ar (10) In response, it is confirmed that the execution of the processing command a (4) is completed in all the terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3).

  Further, when the processing command next to the processing command a (4) is registered during the execution of the request execution step (6-1), the control step 7 starts from the request execution step (6-1) to all terminal devices ( After receiving the execution completion notification 13 in 1-1 to 1-3), a new start event 14 is generated to execute the next request execution step (6-2). That is, the processing commands registered at an arbitrary time are executed in order while confirming the execution of each processing command.

As described above, in this embodiment, the processing command 4 representing the processing desired by the operator is registered in the management server 2, and the registered processing command 4 is executed by all the terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3). , I tried to confirm. Accordingly, since registered processing commands can be transmitted to a plurality of terminal devices and the execution thereof can be started simultaneously, the terminal device (1-1) that has generated the processing command and other terminal devices (1-2, 1-3) ) Can be made to coincide with each other. Furthermore, since the next process is started after confirming that each process is completed, it can be ensured that each terminal apparatus is executing the same process. Furthermore, since the processing commands are executed in the order in which they are registered in the management server 2, the processing order between terminals can be matched without using an operation right. Further, by not using the operation right, the time required for obtaining the operation right is not required, the waiting time from the instruction input to the execution of the process can be shortened, and the response of the system can be improved.
<Example 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. When an instruction is input continuously on a certain terminal device, the frequency of processing commands generated by the instruction input increases. At this time, in the multipoint terminal cooperation method shown in the first embodiment, the terminal device that performs continuous instruction input repeats the request registration step, and the request execution step cannot be executed. Therefore, this problem is solved by using a method for controlling the start timing of the request registration step.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a system cooperation method for transmitting and receiving commands between the three terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3) and the single management server 2 and performing the same processing as in FIG. FIG. The processing procedure when the operator of one terminal device (1-1) performs the instruction inputs 3-3 and 3-4 continuously is shown. The operations of the request registration step (5-3, 5-4) and the request execution step (6-3) are the same as those in the first embodiment.
The control step 7 is distributed and arranged in each terminal device and the management server as in the first embodiment, and controls the start timing of the request registration step 5 and the request execution step 6. However, the control step 7 arranged in the terminal device is different from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the control step 7 arranged in the terminal device in this embodiment. In this control step 7, when there is an unregistered processing command (4-3) (201), a request registration event (11) is generated (202), and a processing command is registered by performing the request registration step (5-3). To do. After that, the registered processing command is executed and a confirmation command (10-3) is transmitted to the management server 2 (21), and the processing waits (221), and returns to the registration of the next processing command. The control step 7 arranged in the management server 2 performs the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 as in the first embodiment.

Next, a procedure for executing processing when the operator of the terminal device A (1-1) performs the instruction inputs 3-3 and 3-4 continuously will be described.
First, the operator of one terminal device (1-1) continuously inputs instruction inputs 3-3 and 3-4. Then, the control step 7 starts the request registration step (5-3) to register the processing command a1 (4-3), and subsequently the request execution step (6-3) of the processing command a1 (4-3). To start. However, registration is not started for the processing command (4-4) of the next instruction input 3-4.
In the control step 7, when the execution of the processing command (4-3) is completed in the terminal device A (1-1) and the confirmation command a1r (10-3) is transmitted (21), the terminal device A (1-1) is transmitted. The request registration step of the above unregistered processing command (4-4) is started.

As described above, in this embodiment, when registering a processing command continuously from the same terminal device, the processing command registered previously is executed on the own terminal device and then the next processing command is registered. . Therefore, even if an instruction is input continuously on a certain terminal device, only the request registration step is not repeated, and the registered processing can be reliably executed.
<Example 3>
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the first and second embodiments, commands are accumulated on the terminal device or the management server, and the interval from the instruction input by the operator to the execution of the process may be long. For example, when instructions are input simultaneously at a plurality of terminals, a plurality of processing commands are accumulated in the management server. Further, when an instruction is input continuously on a certain terminal device, processing commands are accumulated on the terminal device (assuming there is a processing command buffer). These occur when the processing execution interval is longer than the instruction input interval. The processing execution interval is determined by the time required for communication when the actual processing execution time is short. The communication time has a large proportion of overhead, and reducing the number of times of communication leads to a reduction in execution time. Therefore, the above problem is solved by using a method of editing a plurality of commands and reducing the number of times of communication between the terminal device and the management server.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a system cooperation method for transmitting and receiving commands between the three terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3) and the single management server 2 and performing the same processing, as in FIG. FIG. When the operator of the terminal device (1-1) and the terminal device (1-2) inputs an instruction (3-5, 3-6) almost simultaneously, using the command editing step 31, the management server 2 or The command is edited on the terminal device (1-1 to 1-3) and the instruction input is executed.
In the present embodiment, a command editing step 31-1 for combining when a plurality of processing commands are registered in the management server, and a command editing step 31- for combining when a plurality of confirmation commands are generated in the terminal device. 2 was added.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the command editing step 31. In the command editing step 31, first, the amount of existing commands is checked (231).
If there are a plurality of commands, the editing method is determined according to the type of command (232). If the command is a registered processing command, a plurality of processing commands are combined, and the combined command is registered instead of the original processing command (233). If the command is a confirmation command, synthesis is performed (234), and execution completion is confirmed using the synthesized command instead of the original confirmation command.

  Next, the execution procedure of the process of this embodiment using the command editing step 31 will be described. First, when the operator of the terminal device A (1-1) performs the instruction input 3-5, the request registration step (5-5) is started by the control step 7, and the processing command a1 (4-5) is sent to the management server. 2 is registered. Here, the command editing step is started, but since only one command is registered, the command editing step ends without doing anything. Subsequently, when the operator of the terminal device B (1-2) performs the instruction input 3-6, the processing command b1 (4-6) is similarly registered in the request registration step (5-6), and then the command The edit step 31-1 is activated. In the command editing step (31-1), since there are two registered processing commands a1 (4-5) and b1 (4-6), the command a1 + b1 (32-1) is generated and registered. The synthesized command a1 + b1 (32-1) is registered instead of the processing commands a1 (4-5) and b1 (4-6). When the request execution step (6-5) is activated by the control step 7, the execution sub-step (8-5) of the request execution step (6-5) executes the combined command a1 + b1 (32-1) as one command. And a1 (4-5) and b1 (4-6) are executed.

  In the confirmation substep (9-5), confirmation commands a1r (10-5) and b1r (10-6) are generated as a result of the execution of the processing commands a1 (4-5) and b1 (4-6). The command editing step is activated when the confirmation command a1r (10-5) is generated, but nothing is done because there is only one command. When the confirmation command b1r (10-6) is generated, the command editing step (31-2) is started, and the commands a1r + b1r (32-2) are generated by combining the confirmation commands a1r (10-5) and b1r (10-6). To do. In the confirmation substep (9-5), the completion of execution is confirmed by the synthesized command a1r + b1r (32-2).

  Next, a case where the processing command stored on the terminal device is edited will be described. FIG. 8 shows an example of a system cooperation method for transmitting and receiving commands between the three terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3) and the single management server 2 and performing the same processing, as in FIG. FIG. When the operators of the terminal device A and the terminal device B perform continuous instruction input (3-8 to 3-9, 3-10 to 3-11), command editing steps 31-4 and 31-5 are performed. This shows the process from editing to registration to the management server 2.

  In the command editing steps 31-4 and 31-5, since the command type is an unregistered processing command in the flowchart of FIG. 7 (232), the command is combined or deleted (235), and the edited command is registered. To. For example, when there are instruction inputs 3-8 and 3-9 in the terminal device A (1-1), since there are a plurality of processing commands a2 (4-8) and a3 (4-9), command editing In step 31-4, a2 (4-8) and a3 (4-9) are synthesized, and a synthesized command a2 + a3 (32-4) is generated. When the request registration start event occurs, the control step 7 registers the synthesized command a2 + a3 (32-4) in the request registration step 5-8.

  When the terminal device B receives the instruction inputs 3-10 and 3-11, the command editing step 31-5 selects the older one of the processing commands b2 (4-10) and b3 (4-11). The processing command b2 (4-10) is deleted. In a request registration step 5-9 started by the control step 7, only the processing command b3 (4-11) is registered in the management server 2. Here, whether to synthesize a plurality of commands (31-4) or delete an old command (31-5) is determined by the contents of the command.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when there are a plurality of commands, editing such as composition or deletion is performed by the command editing step. Therefore, when registering a processing command generated in the terminal device to the management server, executing the registered processing command on the terminal device, and further confirming the execution completion by the confirmation command, communication between the terminal device and the management server The number of times can be reduced, and the waiting time from the instruction input by the operator to the execution can be shortened.

  For example, consider a case in which a management server and a terminal device are connected by an ISDN line (64 kbps), and processing having a short execution time (assuming 10 ms) is performed in cooperation with a command of about 100 bytes. In this case, since a communication of about 40 ms is performed three times from the generation of one processing command until the execution is completed, the processing time is about 130 ms. Therefore, the time when the two commands are executed separately is about 260 ms. When this embodiment is used, the communication overhead (about 30 ms / one communication) can be reduced, so that it can be executed in about 170 ms and the response time can be increased by about 50%.

  In this embodiment, the command editing step 31 is executed when there are a plurality of commands when a command is generated in the terminal device or registered in the management server. However, before the registration of the processing command is started, the request execution step is executed. Before starting the process and before sending the confirmation command, the number of commands may be checked to determine whether or not to edit. Further, as the editing method, a method of combining all and a method of deleting old commands are shown, but a method of deleting every several commands and combining other methods may be used. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a method of connecting a plurality of processing commands is shown as a combining method. However, the contents of the command may be analyzed in more detail and combined. For example, the command content may be changed or a new command may be generated.

In this embodiment, the command editing step for the confirmation command is composed of only the confirmation command as shown in 31-2 of FIG. 6, but the terminal device C of FIG.
As shown in the command editing step 31-3 of (1-3), when the processing command 4-7 is generated by the instruction input 3-7 when editing the confirmation command, the command editing step (31-3) , The processing commands c1 (4-7) are combined with the confirmation commands a1r (10-5) and b1r (10-6) to generate a1r + b1r + c1 (32-3), and the request execution step (5 -7) may be performed.
<Example 4>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. When the operator inputs an instruction for processing, the format of the processing command is a set of information for identifying the processing target and processing content for the processing target. For example, when an image displayed on the screen of a terminal device is designated as a processing target and the image is enlarged as processing content, the processing command is expressed by a set of image identification information and enlargement processing content. In the present invention, even if operators of different terminal devices simultaneously input instructions to the same processing target, the processing commands are executed in the order in which the processing commands are registered in the management server. The process can be executed.

  However, in the above-described embodiment, the processing target may be erased by the processing command registered immediately before, and the next registered processing command may not be executable. For example, when the previously registered processing command instructs to delete the display image, an enlargement operation for the display image can be input from another terminal before the deletion is executed. However, when the enlargement is actually executed, the image has already been erased by the previous processing command, and the enlargement operation cannot be executed. In the present embodiment, the above problem is solved by using a method for managing the processing target of a processing command and controlling the execution of the command.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of a system cooperation method that transmits and receives commands between three terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3) and one management server 2 and performs the same processing on a time axis. FIG. The operator of the terminal device A and the terminal device B registers and executes the instruction input (3-12, 3-13) performed almost simultaneously. Here, functions other than the command management step 51 have the same functions as in FIG.

  The command management step 51 manages the processing target (52) of the processing command so that only the executable processing command is executed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the processing target table (55) held by the command management step 51. The processing target table (55) holds processing target identification information 56-1 to 56-4. The command management step 51 examines the contents of the processing command when it is registered, and adds processing target identification information to the processing target table (55) and deletes the processing target when generating the processing target. Sometimes it is deleted from the processing target table (55). When the processing command is registered, the processing target identification information in the processing target table (55) is checked, and the processing command having no processing target is deleted and not executed.

  Next, the processing procedure of this embodiment using the command management step 51 will be described. The contents of the processing target table of the command management step 51 at the beginning of FIG. 9 are the identification information of the processing targets W, X, Y, Z (56-1 to 56-4) as indicated by 55 in FIG. First, the operator of the terminal device A (1-1) performs an instruction input 3-12 to delete X (52). Subsequently, in the request registration step (5-10), a processing command a4 (4-12) for erasing X (52) is registered. Then, the command management step (51-1) looks at the contents of the processing command a4 (4-12) and deletes the identification information (56-2) of X (52) from the processing target table 55. Further, almost simultaneously with the instruction input (3-12) at the terminal device A (1-1), the operator of the terminal device B (1-2) performs the instruction input 3-13 for operating the X (52). Do. Subsequently, in the request registration step (5-11), a processing command b4 (4-13) representing an operation on X (52) is registered in the management server. The command management step (51-2) deletes the processing command b4 (4-13) because the identification information of the processing target X (52) of the processing command b4 (4-13) does not exist in the processing target table. As a result, since the registered processing command is only the processing command a4 (4-12) instructing the deletion of X (52), in the request execution step (6-6), the processing command a4 (4-12) ).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the processing target indicated by the processing command is managed, and the processing command having no processing target is deleted and not executed. Therefore, even when the processing target is deleted and cannot be executed by the processing command executed immediately before, inconsistency between the processing commands can be prevented and the occurrence of an error can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the command management step deletes a processing command that is not a processing target, but may notify the terminal device that generated the processing command that the processing command has been deleted. In this embodiment, the command management step is executed on the management server. However, the command management step may be executed before the processing is executed on the terminal device.
<Example 5>
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, each terminal device can input an instruction at an arbitrary time, and the execution order of processing of each terminal device can be matched. However, when there are a large number of terminal devices or the like, if various instruction inputs are performed simultaneously from a plurality of terminals, various processes may be executed and confused. In such a case, it may be desirable to limit the number of terminals that can input instructions using the operation right. For example, when an image is displayed on each terminal device and an operator of a certain terminal device explains to an operator of another terminal device, it is easier to explain if the operator of the other terminal device does not operate. Therefore, a method for introducing an operation right using a method capable of permitting and prohibiting instruction input at a terminal device will be described.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a system cooperation method that transmits and receives commands between three terminal devices (1-1 to 1-3) and one management server 2 and performs the same processing on a time axis. FIG. This figure shows a case where the operator of the terminal device A performs an instruction input (3-14) for designating an operation right. Here, functions other than the operation right management step 61 have the same functions as in FIG. The operation right management step 61 controls permission or prohibition of instruction input of each terminal device according to the contents of the processing command (4-14) registered by the instruction input (3-14). The processing command (4-14) describes identification information of the terminal device and permission or prohibition of instruction input at the terminal device. The terminal device for which prohibition of instruction input is designated by the operation right management step 61 does not generate a processing command even if the operator inputs an instruction.

  Next, the processing procedure of this embodiment using the operation right management step 61 will be described. First, the operator of the terminal device A (1-1) permits the instruction input of the own terminal A and prohibits the instruction input of the other terminal devices B (1-2) and C (1-3). Instruction input 3-14 is performed. The control step 7 starts the request registration step (5-12), and registers the processing command a5 (4-14) instructing the control of the operation right generated by the instruction input 3-14 in the management server.

  The request execution step 7 started by the control step 7 transmits the processing command a5 (4-15) to each terminal device (1-1 to 1-3) and executes it in the execution sub-step 8-7. Then, since the contents of the processing command 4-14 are contents for controlling the operation right, the operation right management step 61 is activated. The operation right management step 61 permits the instruction input of the terminal device A (1-1) according to the contents of the processing command (4-14) (62), and the terminal devices B (1-2) and C (1-3). ) Is prohibited (63-1, 63-2). Then, confirmation sub-step 9-7 confirms that the control of the operation right is completed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, an operation right management step for setting permission and prohibition of operator instruction input is prepared for each terminal device, and instruction input on the terminal device can be controlled by a processing command. Therefore, it is possible to realize a multi-point terminal cooperation method that restricts terminal devices that can input instructions using the operation right, and further controls the operation right and a method that does not use the operation right that allows the operator to arbitrarily input instructions. The method can be switched arbitrarily depending on the scene to be used.

In this embodiment, instruction input at the terminal device is permitted and prohibited by the operation right management step, but registration of processing commands may be permitted and prohibited on the management server side. In this embodiment, the operation right management step is executed when the processing command for instructing the control of the operation right is executed. However, when the processing command for instructing the control of the operation right is registered, the operation right management step is performed. May be executed.
<Example 6>
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. There is a remote medical care support system in which medical data of the same patient is displayed on a plurality of terminal devices, and a plurality of doctors cooperate to make a diagnosis while referring to the same medical data. A present Example is an Example regarding the remote medical treatment support system using the multipoint terminal cooperation method of this invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a telemedicine support system. 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 are terminal devices A, B, and C operated by a doctor. The display (72-1 to 72-3) for displaying an image and the operator inputs an instruction 3 A keyboard (73-1 to 73-3) and a mouse (74-1 to 74-3). Reference numeral 2 denotes a management server that controls operations of the terminal devices A, B, and C. Each terminal device and management server are realized using, for example, a personal computer or a workstation.
Reference numeral 71 denotes a communication line, which transmits processing commands between the terminal devices A, B, and C and the management server. The communication line is realized by, for example, a general telephone line, an ISDN line, or a computer network such as a LAN.

  Next, the operation of the remote medical care support system in FIG. 12 will be described. This system displays a display image on a certain terminal device on all terminal devices. For example, when the doctor of the terminal device A instructs image enlargement processing on an image displayed in advance, the enlarged images are displayed on the three terminal devices A, B, and C. This system has, for example, six types of function menus 301 shown in FIG. It is assumed that image data (image data) to be displayed is prepared in advance in each terminal device. Specifically, image data is transmitted in advance via a communication line, or a recording medium (for example, a magneto-optical disk) storing image data is prepared in advance. In addition, each terminal device is provided with voice communication means using a telephone or a video phone that can communicate at multiple points, and is used together with this system.

First, the doctor of the terminal device A (1-1) selects the image display 302 from the function menu 301. Then, a processing command corresponding to the instruction input (image display) is generated. This processing command has a processing target (image identifier) and processing content (image display). The image identifier is information (numerical value or name) for specifying image data. For example, a file name is used as an image identifier, a file name list is displayed when the image display 302 is selected, and a desired image is determined by a doctor.
The generated image display processing command is transmitted to each of the terminal devices A, B, and C according to the procedure of the multipoint terminal cooperation method shown in FIG. Here, the image display processing command corresponds to the processing command 4 in FIG.

  Receiving the image display processing command, each terminal device A, B, C selects image data with the same file name from image data prepared in advance according to the contents of the processing command, and displays it on the display. As a result, the same image (75-1, 75-2, 75-3) is displayed on each terminal device A, B, C. After the display is completed, the confirmation command 10 is transmitted to the management server.

Next, the doctor of the terminal device B (1-2) selects the pointer 305 from the function menu 301. Then, the point of interest on the image is designated with the mouse. Then, a processing command having a processing target (image identifier), processing content (pointer display), and parameters (pointer identifier and display coordinates) is generated. The pointer identifier is information (numerical value or name) for specifying a pointer to be newly displayed. For example, a numerical code generated by an appropriate procedure based on the difference between the operator and the terminal device is used. The generated processing command is transmitted to each of the terminal devices A, B, and C in accordance with the procedure of the multipoint terminal cooperation method shown in FIG. 18 as with the image display processing command. The terminal devices A, B, and C that have received the pointer display processing command display the pointer at the designated coordinates on the image in accordance with the contents of the processing command. As a result, pointers (76-1 to 76-3) are displayed at the same positions on the images of the terminal apparatuses A, B, and C. After the display is completed, the confirmation command 10 is transmitted to the management server.
Subsequently, the doctor of the terminal device B (1-2) drags the image with the mouse and inputs an instruction to move the pointer.

FIG. 14 shows a screen (81) in which an instruction is input by dragging the mouse on the terminal device B, and a screen (82) as a result of displaying a pointer on each terminal device A, B, C.
Reference numerals 84-1 and 76-4 denote pointer display coordinates p1 of a pointer display processing command and displayed pointers (corresponding to 76-1 to 76-3 in FIG. 12). When the mouse cursor 83 is moved to the coordinate p4 by dragging the mouse while displaying the pointer 76-4, a processing command having a processing target (pointer identifier), processing content (pointer movement), and parameters (display coordinates) is displayed. Are generated for three coordinates of the display coordinates p2, p3, and p4 of the pointer. The command editing step (31-5) in FIG. 8 is applied to the generated three commands to delete the commands.
When deleting, the processing command of old coordinates p2 and p3 among the three commands is deleted, and the latest coordinate p4 is left to be executed. Then, by transmitting and executing the processing command (4-16) of p4, the pointers of the terminal apparatuses A, B, C are moved to the position 76-5. Similarly, the old p5 and p6 are deleted from the three processing commands of the pointer display coordinates p5, p6 and p7, the p7 processing command is executed, and the pointer is moved to the position 76-6.

  Next, the doctor of the terminal device A (1-1) selects the pen 306 from the function menu 301. Then, the mouse cursor is displayed in the shape of a pen, and the operator moves the pen-type cursor by dragging the mouse, and displays a line on the screen according to the movement locus.

FIG. 15 shows a screen (91) showing a state in which an instruction is input to display a line by dragging the mouse on the terminal device A, and a screen (results of lines entered on the terminal devices A, B, and C). 92). First, when a coordinate l1 is designated using a pen-type mouse cursor 93 (hereinafter referred to as a pen), a process having a processing target (image identifier), processing content (line entry start), and parameters (line identifier and line start point coordinate l1). A command (4-18) is generated. The line identifier is information (numerical value or name) for specifying a line to be newly displayed. For example, a numerical code generated by an appropriate procedure based on the difference between the operator and the terminal device is used. Then, the processing command (4-18) is transmitted to each of the terminal devices A, B, and C, and the starting point of the line is displayed as a point at the position of the execution result 95-1. The procedure so far is the same as the procedure for displaying the pointer in FIG. If the operator moves the pen 93 to the coordinate 14 while displaying the start point of the line 95-1, the processing target (line identifier), processing content (line extension), and parameters (line extension coordinates) are displayed. The processing command is generated for three of the extended coordinates l2, l3, and l4 of the line. The command editing step (31-4) of FIG. 8 is applied to the generated three commands to synthesize processing commands. When synthesizing, all the coordinates l2, l3, and l4 are synthesized in order to draw a smooth curve. Then, by transmitting and executing the synthesized command (32-5), the line of the section 95-2 is displayed on the screen of each terminal device A, B, C. Similarly, when three processing commands of line extended coordinates l5, l6, and l7 are generated, three processing commands l5, l6, and l7 are synthesized. Then, by transmitting and executing the synthesized command (32-6), the lines of the section 95-3 are displayed on each terminal device A, B, C.

  Subsequently, the doctor of the terminal device B (1-2) also selects the pen 306 from the function menu 301 in the same manner as the doctor of the terminal device A (1-1). Then, the doctors of the terminal devices A and B display lines simultaneously.

FIG. 16 shows a screen (101-1) showing how to input an instruction with the pen (93-1) on the terminal device A, and a screen showing how to input an instruction with the pen (93-2) on the terminal device B ( 101-2) and a screen (102) of the result in which lines are entered in the terminal devices A, B, and C. FIG. Here, it is assumed that the doctors of the terminal devices A and B are in the middle of drawing a line by dragging the mouse.
Lines 95-4 and 95-5 are portions already displayed by the drag operation of the doctors of the terminal devices A and B, respectively. First, when the pen (93-1) is moved to the coordinate la4 by dragging the mouse of the doctor of the terminal device A, the processing command for instructing the extension of the line is set to 4 of the extended coordinates la1, la2, la3, la4. Generate coordinates. The four generated processing commands are synthesized by applying the command editing step (31-4) shown in FIG. 8 as in FIG. Then, the synthesized command (32-7) is registered in the management server.

Simultaneously with the instruction input in the terminal device A, the pen (93-2) is moved to lb4 in the terminal device B, and the processing command for instructing the extension of the line is set to 4 of the extended coordinates lb1, lb2, lb3, and lb4. Generate coordinates. The four generated processing commands are combined in the same manner as the terminal device A, and the combined command (32-8) is registered in the management server 2.
At this point, since the synthesized commands 32-7 and 32-8 are stored in the management server 2 from the terminal devices A and B, respectively, the command editing step (31-1) in FIG. Do. The two commands have different processing targets, but have the same processing content of line extension, and high responsiveness is required for line entry. Therefore, editing is performed to synthesize the two commands. Then, by transmitting and executing the synthesized command (32-9), lines 95-4 and 95-5 are displayed on the display screen of each terminal device A, B, C.

Next, the doctor of the terminal device A (1-1) tries to close the displayed image by selecting the image close 303 from the function menu 301. On the other hand, the doctor of the terminal apparatus B selects the image enlargement 304 from the function menu 301 and enlarges the displayed image.

FIG. 17 shows a state (111-1) when an instruction input (3-17) for closing the image 75 displayed on the terminal apparatus A is performed, and an instruction input for enlarging the image displayed on the terminal apparatus B ( 3-18) shows a state (111-2) when the operation is performed, and a result screen (112) in each terminal device A, B, C.
First, when the doctor of the terminal device A performs an instruction input (3-17) for selecting the menu 303 for closing the image, a processing command (4-19) is generated. This processing command (4-19) has a processing target (image identifier) and processing content (image close).
On the other hand, when the doctor of the terminal device B performs an instruction input (3-20) for selecting the image enlargement menu 304, a processing command (4-20) is generated. This processing command (4-20) has a processing target (image identifier (the same as the image identifier specified by the terminal device A)) and processing content (image enlargement).

  These two processing commands are processed in accordance with the multipoint terminal cooperation method shown in FIG. The processing commands 4-19 and 4-20 correspond to 4-12 and 4-13 in FIG. 9, respectively, and the image (75) to be operated by the terminal devices A and B is the processing target X (52) in FIG. Corresponding to When the processing command (4-19) is closed, there is no image to be enlarged by the processing command (4-20), so the processing command (4-20) is deleted in the command management step (51). To do. As a result, only the processing command (4-19) is transmitted and executed, and the image (75) displayed on each terminal device A, B, C is closed.

  Next, the doctor of the terminal device A selects the exclusive / cancel 307 from the function menu 301. Then, a processing command specifying permission or prohibition of instruction input at each terminal device is generated. The content of this processing command has a processing target (terminal device identifier) and processing content (whether or not an instruction can be input for each terminal device). The terminal device identifier is information (numerical value or name) for identifying each terminal device, and for example, a numerical code assigned in advance for each terminal device is used. Here, since the terminal device A wants to occupy the operation right, the terminal device A is designated to permit instruction input, and the terminal devices B and C are designated to prohibit instruction input.

  The generated processing command is transmitted to each terminal device A, B, C according to the procedure of the multipoint terminal cooperation method for controlling the operation right shown in FIG. This processing command corresponds to 4-14 in FIG. In the terminal devices A, B, and C that have received this processing command, in accordance with the contents of the processing command, the terminal device A is allowed to input instructions in the operation right management step (61 in FIG. 11), and the terminal devices B and C are instructed to input instructions. Is prohibited. Thus, the instruction input at the terminal device A is executed, but the instruction input at the terminal devices B and C is not executed, and the doctor of the terminal device A shows the doctor of the terminal devices B and C as shown in FIG. Explanation can be made while using each function alone.

  When the general description is finished and the instruction input from the terminal devices B and C is permitted, the exclusive / cancel 307 is selected from the function menu 301 again. Then, a processing command that permits instruction input in all the terminal devices A, B, and C is generated. This processing command is transmitted again according to the multipoint terminal cooperation method shown in FIG. 11, and is executed by each terminal device A, B, C. In each of the terminal devices A, B, and C, the instruction input from all the terminal devices is permitted by the operation right management step 61, so that the instruction input can be performed from any terminal.

As described above, the remote medical care support system of the present invention applies the multipoint terminal cooperation method of the present invention shown in the first to fifth embodiments. Therefore, since the processing content and display between terminal devices can always be matched, it can be guaranteed that the doctors are referring to the same information, and the occurrence of medical errors can be prevented. Furthermore, since the operation right is not necessarily required and can be used as a part of the function, for example, when a plurality of doctors discuss, it is possible to input an instruction at any time without using the operation right. When a doctor explains, it is possible to provide an environment for collaborative work according to the use form at that time, such as prohibiting other operations using the operation right.
In addition to shortening the response time from instruction input to display by not using the operation right, editing the command reduces the number of communications, thereby reducing communication overhead and preventing command accumulation. This can improve the responsiveness. Further, by managing the command processing target, it is possible to prevent an error from occurring and improve the reliability of the system.

  In this embodiment, the configuration using three terminal devices has been described, but any number of terminal devices may be connected as long as two or more terminal devices are connected.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration using a dedicated personal computer or workstation that operates the management server 2 has been described. However, the same personal computer or workstation as the terminal device may be used as the management server. In that case, the management server is configured by software so as to coexist with one of a plurality of terminal devices to be linked.

The flowchart which shows one Example of the multipoint terminal cooperation method of this invention. The flowchart which shows an example of the control step arrange | positioned on a terminal device. The flowchart which shows an example of this control step arrange | positioned on a management server. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the multipoint terminal cooperation method which controls a registration start timing. The flowchart of an example of the control step arrange | positioned at the terminal device which controls a registration start timing. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the multipoint terminal cooperation method which edits a command. The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of a command edit step. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the multipoint terminal cooperation method which edits a command. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the multipoint terminal cooperation method which manages command execution. The figure which shows an example of the content of the process target table which a command management step has. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the multipoint terminal cooperation method which controls an operation right. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Explanatory drawing which shows the telemedicine assistance system of one Example of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the function menu of a telemedicine assistance system. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the instruction | indication input of a pointer movement, and the pointer display result of each terminal device. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the instruction | indication input of a line entry, and the entry result of each terminal device. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the instruction | indication input in two terminal devices, and the entry result of each terminal device. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the screen in each terminal device when the instruction | indication which closes an image is performed in the terminal device A, and the instruction | indication of an image expansion is performed in the terminal device B. FIG. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of one Example of the multipoint terminal cooperation method of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1-1 to 1-3... Terminal device, 2 ... management server, 3-1 to 3-18 ... instruction input, 4-4 to 4-20. 12 ... Request registration step, 6-1 to 6-7 ... Request execution step, 7 ... Control step, 8, 8-1 to 8-7 ... Execution substep, 9, 9-1 to 9-7 ... Confirmation substep 10,
10-1 to 10-6 ... confirmation command, 11 ... request registration start event, 12, 14 ... request execution start event, 13 ... execution completion notification, 15 ... registration process, 16 ... registered command extraction process, 17-1 17-3 ... Process execution, 18-1 to 18-3 ... Confirmation command generation, 19 ... Execution confirmation, 21 ... Completion of execution in terminal device A, 31-1 to 31-5 ... Command editing step, 32-1 32-9 ... Composite command,
51-1 to 51-2 ... command management step, 55 ... processing target table, 56-1 to 56-4 ... processing target identification information, 61 ... operation right management step, 62 ... instruction input permission, 63-1 to 63- 2 ... Instruction input prohibition, 71 ... Communication line, 72-1 to 72-3 ... Display screen, 73-1 to 73-3 ... Keyboard, 74-1 to 73-3 ... Mouse, 75, 75-1 to 75- 3 ... Image, 76-1 to 76-6 ... Pointer, 81 ... Pointer input state, 82 ... Pointer display result, 83 ... Mouse cursor, 84-1 to 84-7 ... Pointer display coordinates, 91, 101- 1-101-2 ... line input, 92, 102 ... line display results, 93, 93-1 to 93-2 ... pen-type mouse cursors, 94-1 to 94-7, 103-1 to 103- 4, 104-1 to 104-4 ... line coordinates, 9 -1 to 95-7 ... line, 111-1 ... state of instruction input for closing image, 111-2 ... state of input of image enlargement instruction, 112 ... screen after processing for closing image, 301 ... function menu, 302 to 307 ... Contents of function menu.

Claims (3)

A cooperation system of a plurality of terminal devices, each terminal device of the plurality of terminal devices,
Instruction input means for inputting instructions of processing to be executed for the plurality of terminal devices;
Processing command generation means for generating a processing command in accordance with an instruction input by the instruction input means;
Command transmitting means for transmitting and registering the generated processing command to a server connected to the plurality of terminal devices;
Command storage means for storing the generated processing commands and unregistered processing commands;
Command editing means for editing a plurality of processing commands;
Timing control means for controlling the timing for registering unregistered processing commands in the server;
Means for receiving and executing a processing command registered from the server;
Display means for displaying a process corresponding to the executed process command,
The command transmission means is means for causing the server to register an execution confirmation command of an executed processing command,
The timing control unit starts request registration of a second processing command in response to an instruction input subsequent to the first processing command after the execution confirmation command of the first processing command is registered in the management server. Control to
The command editing means inputs the second processing command stored in the command storing means and the instruction of the second processing command before the timing control means starts registration for the second processing command. A plurality of terminals characterized in that editing is performed by deleting or combining the third processing command corresponding to the instruction input after the second processing command before registration of the second processing command is started as a command to be registered. Linkage system. In the multi-terminal cooperation system according to claim 1, when the processing command is a content indicating a process of moving a pointer indicating a position on a screen, the command editing unit includes:
An editing system for deleting the second processing command, wherein the command transmission means transmits the third processing command to a server to register it.   2. The multi-terminal cooperation system according to claim 1, wherein when the processing command indicates a process of entering a line on a screen and includes a coordinate on the line, the command editing means includes Editing to create a fourth processing command that is a combination of the second processing command and the third processing command, and the command transmission means transmits the fourth processing command to the server for registration. A multi-terminal linkage system.

Images