JP2004310377A - Management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a management system capable of being easily contracted and extended, and also easily developed to various purposes or diversed to another system by adding a necessary agent. <P>SOLUTION: In this management system, functions can be extended by combination of an equipment agent part A consisting of an equipment agent group with a function agent part consisting of a function agent group. As the function agent part, for example, a security agent part B1, a state grasping agent part B2 consisting of a grasping agent group for grasping living conditions, a watching agent part B3 consisting of a watching agent group for determining an abnormal sign or the like and performing a processing responding to it, an energy saving agent part B4 consisting of an energy saving agent group for determining an energy consumption state, and the like are combined, whereby this system can be extended to various systems. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

【００９２】
【表２】

【００９３】
この表１、表２のようなマネジメント方針（ポリシー）をポリシーエージェントに持たせ、且つこの内容を解釈する機能をポリシーエージェントに持たせることで、共用部屋の照明や、自室の照明、更には空調等を、時間帯、季節など住人の好みにあった居住環境や生活スタイルに合わせた制御が簡単に可能となる。
【００９４】
つまり上述した携帯電話機２００を操作してユーザコマンドを入力して、赤外線信号として送信すると、この赤外線信号が受光装置１１３を介してローカルコンピュータ３１に取り込まれ、ローカルコンピュータ３１は取り込んだユーザコマンドに基づいてＬＡＮ３０を介してサーバ１１４へユーザコマンド情報を送り、サーバ１１４内の機能エージェントは送られてきたユーザコマンド情報から対応する住人個人の方針に沿って照明器具１３、空調設備１４、テレビ１６などに対する制御情報を生成してホームゲートウェイ３１内の機器エージェントに渡す。そして最終的に機器エージェントが制御・監視システム側に制御情報をインターフェース部１１１ａを通じて送り、制御・監視システム側の制御監視ユニット１０８がこの制御情報に基づいて対応する照明器具１３、空調設備１４、テレビ１６等を制御するのである。
【００９５】
また照明器具１３や空調設備１４が設置される部屋毎に対応して、つまりシステム固有の特性の情報を持つルームマネージャエージェントを設け、マネジメント方針（ユーザポリシー）のブレイクダウンを行うようにしても良い。
【００９６】
例えばユーザコマンドが「明かりオン」という内容であって、対応する住人の方針（ポリシー）が「節約」や「今は節約重視」とあれば、対応するルームマネージャエージェントは部屋に設置されている照明器具１３の一部をオフにしたり、調光する制御情報を機器エージェントへ送るようにすることで、「節約」という方針に沿った制御を実現するのである。同様に方針が「明るいのが好き」であれば、ルームマネージャエージェントでは対応する部屋の全照明器具１３を１００％点灯させる制御情報を機器エージェントへ送る。更にユーザコマンドが「リラックしたい」の場合には、ルームマネージャエージェントは方針「柔らかい光だとリラックスする」から、部屋に設置されている照明器具１３の内、白色ランプの器具をオフ、昼光色ランプの器具をオン、或いはダウンライトのみをオンというような制御情報を機器エージェントへ送る。
【００９７】
更にまたユーザコマンドが例えば「アラーム７：００」というように目覚ましに対応するコマンドで、その方針が「朝は徐々に目覚めたい」という様な場合には、対応する部屋（寝室）の照明器具１３の照度を午前７時から例えば３０分かけて上げる制御を行うように制御情報を機能エージェントに送り、また午前７時の３０分前に空調設備１４、またテレビ（図示せず）の電源をオンするという制御情報を機能エージェントに送る。
【００９８】
このようにルームマネージャエージェントにシステム固有の特性に関する情報を有するとともに、住人（ユーザ）からの非具体的な制御方針をブレイクダウンするサービスエージェントとしての機能を備え、ポリシーエージェントに話し言葉のような自然言語で表記されたマネジメント方針の情報内容を解釈する機能を備えることで、ユーザ各人のマネジメント方針を平易な言葉で設定することができるとともに、指示を与えることができる。
【００９９】
ところで、携帯電話機２００には、ユーザコマンドを操作入力するための画面を表示装置２００ａに生成表示させる機能を持たせ、図１３（ａ）に示すように操作したい対象の機器（図では照明器具）の絵（写真）Ｘを表示させるとともに、オン、オフの操作用釦ＢＴ１、ＢＴ２や、所有する住人の「したいこと」を選択する釦を表示させるための釦ＢＴ３を表示させ、ユーザが照明器具１３をオン／オフさせたい場合には携帯電話機２００に設けてあるカーソルキー（例えば十字キー）を操作して画面上のカーソルを釦ＢＴ１又はＢＴ２上に移動させ、携帯電話機２００に設けてある指示用のキー（十字キー）を操作することで、コマンド入力を行う。また、したいことを指示したい場合には、釦ＢＴ３を上述同様にして操作することで、図１３（ｂ）に示すような複数の「したいこと」を自然言語で表記した操作釦Ｂａ…を表示した画面を表示させ、住人が「したいこと」を選択操作することができるようなっている。
【０１００】
そして上記操作によってユーザコマンド情報が移動体通信網とインターネット４０を通じてゲートウェイ３１に送られ、ＬＡＮ３０を通じて上述と同様にサーバ１０１内の対応する機能エージェントに取り込まれるようになる。
【０１０１】
また現在の機器制御状態を変更させるようなユーザコマンドを入力できる機能を持たせ、例えばユーザのマネジメント方針に従った照明制御や空調制御が為された場合において、実際に感じる明るさや温度を変更したい場合に、この機能を利用して照明器具１３の明るさを変更したり、空調設備１４の設定温度を変更することを指示できるようにしても良い。更にこの場合、機能エージェントとしてこの変更を学習するエージェントを設け、次からの制御にはこの変更された内容で制御を行うようにしても良い。
【０１０２】
学習用のエージェントを設けた場合には、次のような遠隔補助操作に適用させることも可能となる。例えばシステムに詳しい家人が遠隔に住み、システムを設置している住戸の住人である家人が操作方法を知らず、遠隔地の家人に操作方法をテレビ電話等を利用して尋ねるようなシーンでは、遠隔地の家人が所有する携帯電話機２０を利用して、この携帯電話機２０から移動体通信網２０２に接続される移動体通信用端末２０１を呼び出し、この移動体通信用端末２０１に対してユーザコマンドをＰＢ信号等で送り、このユーザコマンドを更に移動体端末２０１からゲートウェイ３１へ受け渡すことで、対象機器の遠隔操作を行い、このときに学習用のエージェントが制御内容を学習して、以後はこの学習内容に対応して学習用のエージェントが対応するという使い方が可能となる。
【０１０３】
またこの遠隔操作を利用することで、例えば独居老人宅に備えられた設備を遠隔地に住んでいる家族が遠隔操作することも可能となる。この場合独居老人宅と家族宅とにテレビカメラと、映像を壁面に投映するプロジェクタとを夫々設け、、夫々の独居老人宅内の様子を映したテレビカメラの映像信号を電話回線やインターネット４０を用いて家族宅へ送って家族宅のプロジェクタで壁面に投映し、また家族宅の様子を映したテレビカメラの映像信号を同様に独居老人宅内へ送って独居老人宅のプロジェクタで壁面に投映することで、双方で夫々の様子を見ることができるようにして恰も一軒の家のような雰囲気を作り、上述のようなリモコン機能を備えた携帯電話機２０で家族側から独居老人宅内の空調設備１４などの機器を遠隔操作するようにしても良い。勿論この場合、独居老人宅には実施形態１のような見守りシステムを構築することで、家族が遠隔地にいても老人の様子を知ることができる。
【０１０４】
上記赤外線信号送信器付きの携帯電話機２００をリモコン装置として用いる場合、キー入力ではなく、音声入力により指示を与え、この音声入力の指示をユーザコマンドとして変換して、送信するようにしても良い。また家庭内のコードレス電話の子機や、簡易型携帯電話機（ＰＨＳ）等を利用しても良い。
【０１０５】
上述のように本実施形態ではシステムでは移動体通信網２０２に接続する移動体端末２０１を外部との情報授受の手段として用いているので、次のような使い方もできる。例えば祖父や祖母が、他の家族が留守中に外出したときには、外出中の家族の携帯電話機２０宛に電子メールを送信するような方針をポリシーエージェントに持たせ、この方針に従って機能エージェントとして組み込んであるメールエージェントが働き、移動体通信網２０２上のメールサーバを通じて電子メールを家族の携帯電話機２０宛に送信し、祖父や祖母が外出したことを通知することも可能となる。
【０１０６】
また本実施形態でも実施形態１の様な省エネに対応するエージェント群を用いて省エネ管理も行える。
【０１０７】
ところで上記実施形態１，２は個人住宅や集合住宅を対象としているが、本発明は、図１の各エージェント部Ａ，ＢやポリシーエージェントＣ等の内容を変更、追加することで舞台、美術展、バザール等の設備の管理や、省エネ化、セキュリティにも適用できるのはいうまでもない。
【０１０８】
またユーザのマネジメント方針を、携帯電話機に入れて持ち運び可能として、ホテルやその他の施設のシステムのポリシーエージェントにユーザのマネジメント方針を入力することで、照明などをユーザの好む形で制御できることも可能となる。
【０１０９】
【発明の効果】
請求項１の発明は、監視対象や制御対象の機器からの情報授受や機器の制御処理を行う機器エージェントと、システムのマネジメントに関する処理を行う機能エージェントとを備えてこれらエージェントが協調することでマルチエージェントを構成しているので、新規の機器エージェント、機能エージェントとを追加したり、或いは既存の機器エージェント、機能エージェントを削除することで、柔軟性と、拡張性に富む制御・監視のシステムを構築でき、また機器だけが設置されているような場所にも必要なエージェントを持ち込むことで所望のマネジメントシステムを容易に構築できる。
【０１１０】
請求項２の発明は、請求項１の発明において、各エージェントの動作設定手段として、自然言語の記述による設定機能と、記述された自然言語により設定内容を解釈する機能とからなる動作設定手段を備えているので、ユーザは日頃使用している自然言語で動作設定内容を記述するだけで、各エージェントの動作設定ができる。
【０１１１】
請求項３の発明は、請求項１又は２の発明において、システム全体の動作設定手段として、自然言語の記述による設定機能と、記述された自然言語により設定内容を解釈する機能とからなる動作設定手段を備えているので、ユーザが日頃使用している自然言語で動作設定内容を記述するだけで、マネジメントシステムの動作設定ができる。
【０１１２】
請求項４の発明は、請求項１乃至３の何れかの発明において、機器エージェントには、機器についての情報授受、制御に関する情報を外部から取得する手段を備えているので、機器エージェントが対応していなかった機器についても外部から情報効果、制御の方法などを取得することができる。
【０１１３】
請求項５の発明は、請求項乃至４の何れか記載の発明において、システム固有の特性に関する情報を有し、各機器エージェント、各機能エージェントに対して協調するマネージャエージェントを具備しているので、機器エージェントや機能エージェントが対象システムの固有の特性の情報を知る必要がなくなり、機器エージェント、機能エージェントに或る程度の汎用性を持たせることができ、そのため他の対象システムとの交換や新規な機器エージェントや機能エージェントの追加が容易になる。
【０１１４】
請求項６の発明は、請求項１乃至５の何れか記載の発明において、ユーザのマネジメント方針を情報として有し、該情報を各エージェントの処理動作に反映させるポリシーエージェントを具備しているので、用途毎やユーザ毎のマネジメント方針の設定が容易になり、また機器エージェントや機能エージェントとしては汎用的なものが使用できる。
【０１１５】
請求項７の発明は、請求項６の発明において、ユーザのマネジメント方針の情報を外部に持たせ、該情報の管理機能を上記ポリシーエージェントに備えているので、ユーザがユーザのマネジメント方針を他のシステムに適用すること容易となり、これにより他のシステムでもそのユーザのマネジメント方針を反映した運用ができる。
【０１１６】
請求項８の発明は、請求項６又は７の発明において、機器の制御に係る非具体的なユーザのマネジメント方針をブレイクダウンするサービスエージェントを具備しているので、ユーザが抽象的、概略的、包括的というような非具体的な制御方針で指示することができるようになる。
【０１１７】
請求項９の発明は、請求項６乃至８の何れかの発明において、自然言語で表記されるマネジメント方針の情報内容を解釈する機能を上記ポリシーエージェントに備えているので、ユーザが日頃使う自然言語でマネジメント方針を記述、設定することができる。
【０１１８】
請求項１０の発明は、請求項１乃至９の何れかの発明において、上記機器として住戸に設置される設備機器、家電機器、各種センサが設けられ、設備機器、家電機器、各種センサの仕様情報を持ち、これらの仕様情報に基づいて設備機器や家電機器の稼働状況情報や各種センサからの検知情報を収集するとともに、これら設備機器、家電機器、各種センサを制御する機能を備えた機器エージェントを設けているので、柔軟性と拡張性に優れた制御、監視のシステムを実現することができる。
【０１１９】
請求項１１の発明は、請求項１０の発明において、上記機器エージェントが上記仕様情報を外部から取得する手段を有するので、機器の種類を気にせずに扱うことができ、特に知らない種類の機器の扱いも容易となる。
【０１２０】
請求項１２の発明は、請求項１０又は１１の発明において、上記機器エージェントが収集した情報を複合判定して住人の生活状況を把握する判定機能と判定結果に基づいた対応処理を行う機能エージェントとしてを設けているので、機器の状態から住人の生活状況を把握すことができるとともに、把握内容に対応した見守り処置がとれる。
【０１２１】
請求項１３の発明は、請求項１０又は１１の発明において、上記機器エージェントが収集した情報を複合判定して住人の生活状況を把握する判定機能を持つエージェントと、判定結果に基づいた対応処理を行うエージェントとを夫々独立した機能エージェントとして設けているので、システムの柔軟性、拡張性を更に増すことがきる。
【０１２２】
請求項１４の発明は、請求項１２又は請求項１３の発明において、上記判定機能の判定ロジックをユーザのマネジメント方針により変化させるので、システムの柔軟性を増すことができる上に、容易に多用途への転用が可能となる。
【０１２３】
請求項１５の発明は、請求項１０乃至１４の何れかの発明において、上記対応処理をユーザのマネジメント方針により変化させるので、システムの柔軟性を増すことができる上に、容易に多用途への転用が可能となる。
【０１２４】
請求項１６の発明は、請求項１２乃至１５の何れかの発明において、上記判定機能は、設備機器として用いられる電気錠の施錠・解錠を示す稼働状況情報と、人感センサの検知情報とを組み合わせて住人の帰宅／外出を判定するので、住人の帰宅、外出を簡便な形で把握することができる。
【０１２５】
請求項１７の発明は、請求項１２乃至１６の何れかの発明において、上記判定機能は、寝室に設けられた在室センサの検知情報と、寝室に対応する設備機器の稼働状況情報とに基づいて住人の就寝状況を判定するので、住人の就寝／非就寝を簡便な形で把握することができる。
【０１２６】
請求項１８の発明は、請求項１２乃至１６の何れかの発明において、上記判定機能は、生活状況を示す情報が一定範囲の基準状況に収まっているか否かで、異常兆候を把握するので、住人の生活状況の正常／異常を簡便な形で把握するこことができる。
【０１２７】
請求項１９の発明は、請求項１０乃至１８の何れかの発明において、上記機器エージェントが収集した情報を複合判定して省エネルギ状況を把握する判定機能と、判定結果から省エネルギの余地検出時の対応処理を行う機能とを有する機能エージェントを設けていることを特徴とする。
【０１２８】
請求項２０の発明は、請求項１０乃至１９の何れかの発明において、上記機器エージェントが収集した情報を複合判定して省エネルギ状況を把握する判定機能を持つエージェントと、判定結果から省エネルギの余地検出時の対応処理を行うエージェントとを夫々独立した機能エージェントとして設けているので、見守りに加えて簡便な形で省エネルギ化を図るシステムを実現できる。
【０１２９】
請求項２１の発明は、請求項１２乃至２０の発明において、上記判定機能の判定ロジックをユーザのマネジメント方針により変化させるので、システムの柔軟性が増し、容易に多用途に転用することが可能となる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明のマネジメントシステムの概略システム構成図である。
【図２】本発明の実施形態１のシステム構成図である。
【図３】同上に用いるマルチエージェントの説明図である。
【図４】同上に用いるローカルコンピュータのエージェント部の構成図である。
【図５】同上に用いるセンターサーバのエージェント部の構成図である。
【図６】同上に用いるローカルコンピュータの状況把握エージェント部及び機器エージェント部の詳細な説明図である。
【図７】同上に用いるセンターサーバの見守りエージェント部、省エネエージェント部、アクションエージェント部の詳細な説明図である。
【図８】（ａ）は同上でアラート時に発信される電子メールの例図である。
（ｂ）は同上でアラート時にユーザ側に提示されるＷｅｂページの一例図である。
【図９】（ａ）、（ｂ）は同上の定時報告時に発信される電子メールの別の例図である。
（ｃ）は同上の定時報告時にユーザ側に提示されるＷｅｂページの一例図である。
【図１０】（ａ）は同上の任意時の住人の状況のＷｅｂページ閲覧のためのメニュウー画面例図である。
（ｂ）は任意時の住人の状況を提示するＷｅｂページの例図である。
【図１１】（ａ）は同上の省エネ行動確認時のユーザへ提示される電子メールの例図である。
（ｂ）は同上（ａ）に応答時の返信メールの例図である。
（ｃ）〜（ｅ）は同上の省エネ行動確認時のユーザへ提示される電子メールの例図である。
【図１２】本発明の実施形態２の全体システム構成図である。
【図１３】同上での携帯電話機でのユーザコマンドの表示例図である。
【符号の説明】
１ 機器
Ａ 機器エージェント部
Ｂ 機能エージェント部
Ｂ１ セキュリティエージェント部
Ｂ２ 状況把握エージェント部
Ｂ３ 見守りエージェント部
Ｂ４ 省エネエージェント部[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a management system including a multi-agent system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Combining an elderly person who lives alone with a human detection sensor (human sensor) or a presence / absence switch, a device that monitors the elderly person (for example, Patent Document 1), and equipment in a house (in a dwelling unit) through a network An apparatus for monitoring and controlling (for example, Patent Document 2) is provided.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-250576
[Patent Document 2]
JP 2001-16203 A
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in each of the conventional examples described above, the system takes a form that is completed by a combination of a device and a processing unit corresponding to the device. In some cases, it is difficult to convert to a system.
[0005]
In view of the above, the present invention makes it possible to easily reduce and expand the system by deleting and adding device agents and function agents, and to expand the system to versatility by adding necessary agents. Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use management system.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a device agent that performs information transfer from and to a device to be monitored or controlled and a process for controlling the device, and a function agent that performs a process related to system management. In addition, these agents cooperate to form a multi-agent.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, as the operation setting means of each agent, an operation setting means comprising a setting function based on a description of a natural language and a function of interpreting the setting contents in the described natural language. It is characterized by having.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the operation setting means of the entire system includes a setting function by a description of a natural language and a function of interpreting the setting contents by the described natural language. Means is provided.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the device agent includes means for externally acquiring information relating to information transfer and control of the device.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, it is provided that a manager agent having information relating to a characteristic peculiar to the system and cooperating with each device agent and each function agent is provided. Features.
[0011]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, there is provided a policy agent which has a management policy of a user as information and reflects the information in a processing operation of each agent. Features.
[0012]
The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 6, information of a management policy of a user is externally provided, and the function of managing the information is provided in the policy agent.
[0013]
The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 6 or 7, a service agent is provided for breaking down a non-specific user management policy relating to device control.
[0014]
In a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, the policy agent has a function of interpreting information content of a management policy described in a natural language.
[0015]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, equipment, household appliances, and various sensors installed in the dwelling unit are provided as the equipment, and the specification information of the equipment, household appliances, and various sensors is provided. In addition to collecting operation status information of equipment and home appliances and detection information from various sensors based on these specification information, equipment agents with functions to control these equipment, home appliances, and various sensors It is characterized in that it is provided.
[0016]
According to an eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, the device agent has means for acquiring the specification information from the outside.
[0017]
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the tenth or eleventh aspect of the present invention, the function agent performs compound judgment of the information collected by the device agent to grasp a living state of a resident by performing compound judgment and a corresponding process based on the judgment result. Is provided.
[0018]
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the tenth or eleventh aspect of the present invention, an agent having a determination function of grasping a living situation of a resident by performing compound determination of information collected by the device agent and a corresponding process based on the determination result are provided. The agent is provided as an independent functional agent.
[0019]
According to a fourteenth aspect, in the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, the determination logic of the determination function is changed according to a management policy of a user.
[0020]
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the tenth to fourteenth aspects, the corresponding process is changed according to a management policy of a user.
[0021]
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, the determination function includes operating status information indicating locking / unlocking of an electric lock used as equipment, detection information of a human sensor, and Are combined to determine whether the resident has returned or left home.
[0022]
According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, the determination function is based on detection information of an occupancy sensor provided in the bedroom and operation status information of facility equipment corresponding to the bedroom. To determine the sleeping state of the resident.
[0023]
In the eighteenth aspect, in the invention according to any one of the twelfth to thirteenth aspects, the determination function is configured to grasp an abnormal sign based on whether or not the information indicating the living condition falls within a certain range of reference conditions. Features.
[0024]
According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of any one of the tenth to eighteenth aspects, a judging function of comprehensively judging information collected by the device agent to grasp an energy saving state, and detecting a room for energy saving from the judgment result. And a function agent having a function of performing the corresponding processing.
[0025]
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the tenth to nineteenth aspects, there is provided an agent having a determination function of determining the energy saving state by performing a combined determination of the information collected by the device agent; It is characterized in that an agent that performs a response process at the time of room detection is provided as an independent functional agent.
[0026]
According to a twenty-first aspect, in the twelfth to twentieth aspects, the determination logic of the determination function is changed according to a management policy of a user.
[0027]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments.
[0028]
FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of a management system of the present invention used for a system for controlling and monitoring devices around a house, and has specification information of a device 1 to be controlled and monitored, such as a house-related device and a sensor. A device agent unit A comprising a group of device agents for acquiring and controlling device operation status information and detection information, and a function agent comprising a group of function agents forming a multi-agent in cooperation with the device agent of the device agent unit A Unit B, a user policy agent C that has a user's management policy (user policy) as information and reflects it in the system operation, and a user's management policy from an external operation terminal 2 is fetched, and this management policy is stored in the user policy agent. User support for managing in C Constituted by the stringent D.
[0029]
The device agent of the device agent unit A has an interface for transmitting and receiving information between devices such as housing equipment and sensors and for controlling the devices, and has a role of absorbing differences between the connected devices 1. Agent with
[0030]
On the other hand, the function agents of the function agent section B are composed of agents corresponding to functions required as a control / monitoring system to be constructed, and these function agents are the device agent of the device agent section A, the policy agent C, and the user support agent. By cooperating with D, a system for performing multi-agent management is constructed.
[0031]
Here, for example, when a system for controlling and monitoring mainly for crime prevention and disaster prevention is constructed, a security agent unit B1 composed of a group of security agents is provided, and a system for controlling and monitoring mainly for watching elderly people is provided. In the case of construction, a situation grasping agent unit B2 composed of a situation grasping agent group having a decision function for grasping a living situation, and an abnormal sign and the like are judged from the situation judgment and processing corresponding thereto is performed. An energy-saving agent unit B4 comprising an energy-saving agent group for judging an energy consumption state when a system for controlling and monitoring for further energy saving is provided with a watching agent unit B3 comprising a group of watching agents. Various machines according to the system to be built. By preparing a function agent unit B comprising the agent, to facilitate the extension.
[0032]
Further, by giving the user policy agent C information as a management policy for each user to determine his or her own usage, the system can be developed for various uses.
[0033]
Next, an embodiment of a control / monitoring system using the present system will be described.
[0034]
(Embodiment 1)
In the present embodiment, a control / monitoring system that is installed in a residence of an elderly person and monitors an elderly person who is a resident is constructed. As shown in FIG. , A toilet sensor 11 installed at a door of a toilet to detect the entrance of a toilet, an electric lock 12 installed at an entrance of a house such as a front entrance, a lighting fixture 13 installed at an appropriate place such as each room in a house, and an air conditioner 14, the electric curtain 15, the television 16, the massager 17, the heating toilet seat 18 and the like are connected via corresponding control and monitoring terminals (not shown), respectively, and are connected via the local bus 3. A predetermined signal form is sent to and from each terminal such as the sensors 10 and 11, the electric lock 12, the lighting fixture 13, the air conditioner 14, the massage machine 17, the television 16, the electric curtain 17, and the heating toilet seat 18. A communication function for control and monitoring that performs two-way communication based on a transmission signal of the above, and a protocol conversion function that bidirectionally converts between a protocol used in the LAN 30 and a protocol used in the local bus 3 using a predetermined networking system such as 10 BASET. Is connected.
[0035]
A local computer 32 composed of a personal computer and a router 33 are connected to the LAN 30. A modem for an analog telephone line, a dial-up connection using a terminal adapter for ISDN, and a modem such as ADSL are connected to the WAN side of the router 33. The Internet 40 is connected by a constant connection using the Internet.
[0036]
That is, when the WAN side of the router 33 is connected to the Internet 40, the local computer 32 and the home gateway 31 of the LAN 30 and the center server 41 and the mail server 42 on the Internet 40, and furthermore, the gateway 43 and the mobile communication network are connected. Information can be exchanged with the mobile phone 20 constituting the operation terminal through the Internet 44 using a predetermined Internet protocol.
[0037]
Here, the configuration of the multi-agent used in the system according to the present embodiment has an interface for acquiring operation status information and detection information of each sensor, each equipment and home appliance as shown in FIG. , A device agent unit A comprising a group of device agents having specifications of each equipment and home appliance, and a status grasping agent for grasping the occupant's occupancy status and activity status from the operation status information and detection information of each sensor and each device 1. A situation monitoring agent unit B2 composed of a group, and a monitoring agent that determines the occupancy status of a resident and an abnormal sign in cooperation with each status monitoring agent of the status monitoring agent unit B2 and each device agent of the device agent unit A. A monitoring agent unit B3 composed of a group, and each device agent and the status The energy consumption status (room for energy saving) is determined in cooperation with each status grasping agent of the agent unit B2 and the action agent unit B5 described later, and the detection and determination of the energy saving target device for energy saving measures performed through the device agent is performed. In cooperation with the energy saving agent unit B4 composed of the energy saving agent group, and each monitoring agent of the watching agent unit B3 and each energy saving agent of the energy saving agent unit B4, the corresponding action is determined and execution (email, creation of HTML data, etc.) is determined. And an action agent section B5 comprising a group of action agents to perform.
[0038]
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a device agent unit A composed of a group of device agents and a status grasping agent unit B2 composed of a group of status grasping agents are incorporated in a local computer 32 composed of a personal computer connected to the LAN 30. .
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 5, the computer constituting the center server 41 on the Internet 40 incorporates an energy-saving agent section B4, a watching agent section B3 and an action agent section B5, and stores a log file for exchanging mails with the user. It has a stored database DB.
[0040]
Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the situation grasping agent section B2 includes an occupancy state agent B21, an outing / coming home agent B22, a bathing agent B23, a toilet agent B24, and a sleeping agent B25. A11, an air conditioning (air conditioner) agent A12, a television agent A13, a massage machine agent A14, and a curtain agent A15 are provided. In FIG. 6, each agent is abbreviated as A after the name.) Each of the device agents A11... Can obtain specification information such as the type of the corresponding device from the outside using the local computer 32, and can also set its operation in a natural language, and has an interpretation function. Further, information on a method of information exchange with a device and a control method can be obtained from outside using the local computer 32.
[0041]
Further, based on information from each of the agent units A and B2, an inconsistency check agent B31 that checks for inconsistencies in the occupancy status assuming one resident is provided as one of the agents. The operation settings of these agents B31... Can be set by an external operation through the LAN 30, and a natural language is used as a language for the setting, and the agents B31.
[0042]
Next, the functions of these agents will be described.
[0043]
The occupancy status agent B21 determines where the resident is currently based on the detection information of the human sensor 10 provided in each room and the entry detection information of the toilet sensor 11, or determines whether or not the resident is in one day. The occupancy status is grasped, and the judgment result and the grasped information are monitored and given to the agent section B3.
[0044]
The outing / homecoming agent B22 determines whether the resident has gone out / returned, grasps the current outing / occupancy status from the locking / unlocking information of the electric lock 12 or the detection information of the human sensor 10 installed at the entrance, and furthermore, “today” And the like, and the monitoring result and the grasped information are provided to the agent section B3.
[0045]
The bathing agent B23 makes a bathing use judgment, a current use situation judgment, and grasps a current bathing time zone based on the on / off information of the lighting equipment 13 installed in the bathroom, and obtains the judgment results and the grasped information. And is given to the agent section B3.
[0046]
The toilet agent B24 performs a toilet use determination, a current use status determination, a grasp of today's toilet use time period, and the like based on the detection information of the toilet sensor 11, monitors the determination and the grasped information, and gives the information to the agent unit B3. It has become.
[0047]
Further, the sleeping agent B25 determines whether to go to bed or grasps the current bedtime based on the bedroom occupancy information from the occupancy status agent B21 and the on / off information of the lighting equipment 13 installed in the bedroom. Then, the judgment result and the grasped information are monitored and given to the agent section B3.
[0048]
The lighting agent A11 of the equipment agent unit A grasps the current on / off status of the lighting fixture 13 in each room from the on / off information of the lighting fixture 13, and further grasps the on-time period of each lighting fixture 13 today. The information is provided to the agent unit B3 and the energy saving agent unit B4 while monitoring the grasped information, and the corresponding lighting device 13 is turned off based on the off control information given through the energy saving agent unit B4.
[0049]
Further, the air conditioning agent A12 grasps the current on / off status of each air conditioning facility 14 from the on / off information and the temperature setting information of the air conditioning facility 14 and grasps the set temperature, and also grasps the ON time zone of each air conditioning facility today. The set temperature is ascertained, the grasped information is monitored and given to the agent unit B3 and the energy saving agent unit B4, and the corresponding air conditioner 14 is controlled based on the off control information and the temperature setting control information given through the energy saving agent unit B4. Off control and temperature setting control are performed.
[0050]
The television agent A13 grasps the current on / off status of the television 16 from the on / off information of the television 16 and further grasps the ON time period of the television 16 today, and monitors the grasped information to check the agent section B3 and energy saving. The off control of the corresponding television 16 is performed based on the off control information provided to the agent unit B4 and through the energy saving agent unit B4.
[0051]
The massage machine agent A14 grasps the current on / off status of the massage machine 17 from the on / off information of the massage machine 17, and grasps the ON time period of the massage machine 17 today, and monitors the grasped information. The control is given to the agent section B3 and the energy saving agent section B4, and the corresponding massage machine 17 is turned off based on the off control information given through the energy saving agent section B4.
[0052]
Further, the curtain agent A15 grasps the current opening / closing state of the electric curtain 15 from the opening / closing detection information of the electric curtain 15 opening / closing detection switch (not shown), grasps a time period when the electric curtain 15 is open today, and the like. The information is provided to the grasping information watching agent unit B3 and the energy saving agent unit B4, and the opening / closing off control of the corresponding electric curtain 15 is performed based on the opening / closing control information given through the energy saving agent unit B4.
[0053]
FIG. 7 shows a specific configuration example of the watching agent unit B3, the energy saving agent unit B4, and the action agent unit B5 of the center server 41. The watching agent unit B3 includes the above-described abnormality check agent B31, the situation grasping agent unit B2, and the like. An abnormal sign agent B32 for detecting an abnormal sign based on information from each of the agents B11..., A11... Of the equipment agent section A and information from the inconsistency check agent B31 described above. A daily grasping agent B33 having a function of periodically (for example, every hour) creating a summary of today's situation based on information from each of the agents B11, A11 and the information from the abnormal symptom agent B32.
[0054]
On the other hand, the energy saving agent unit B4 passes control information to each agent A11 of the device agent unit A based on the device control execution instruction information from the action agent unit B5, and also directly controls the heating toilet seat 18, for example. Energy saving control agent B41 having a function of generating control information of the weather information, a weather information agent B42 for obtaining weather information from a weather information Web site and outputting current weather information, and a weather information and status grasping agent unit B2 , An energy-saving diagnosis agent B43 for detecting an energy-saving target based on information from the agents B11,.
[0055]
Further, the action agent unit B5 sends a notification sent when there is an abnormality in the abnormal symptom agent B32, a completion notification of the status summary from the daily grasping agent B33, and detection of an energy saving target from the energy saving diagnosis agent B43. An action determination agent B51 that determines creation and transmission of an e-mail based on the notification, and further determines creation of a Web page, and a periodic report based on the determination of the action determination agent B51, an alert at the time of abnormality, and confirmation of energy saving action (control). A mail agent B52 that creates each mail and sends the mail to a mail address of a user registered in advance via the mail server 42, and stores the mail in the center server 41 based on the Web page creation determination of the action determination agent B51. Web server unit 41 Creates a Web page of a Web site for users to be constructed by HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), creates a CGI (Common Gateway Interface), and confirms the user's approval of energy-saving control sent through the Web page. A Web agent B53 for notifying the instruction to the energy saving control agent B41 is provided (the agent is abbreviated as name A in FIG. 7).
[0056]
Next, the operation in the present embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIGS.
[0057]
Assuming that the abnormal sign agent B32 of the center server 41 has now detected the abnormal sign of the resident from the detection information of the toilet agent B24 sent from the local computer 32 of the monitoring target dwelling unit to the center server 41 through the Internet 40, In response, the action determination agent B51 determines the creation and transmission of the e-mail and the creation of the Web page, and based on the determination, sends the e-mail M having a text as shown in FIG. And send it to the user's email address. The mail server 42 mediates and manages the transmission and reception of the electronic mail.
[0058]
In the text example of the e-mail M shown in FIG. 8A, a comment sentence indicating that the resident who is the watching target has been in the toilet for a long time, and a sentence urging the user to confirm the situation are described. A button unit U for linking to a URL of a Web page on which detailed information is posted is described. Also, the transmission time and the like are described.
[0059]
In response to the notification of the arrival of the e-mail, the user who reads the text on the mobile phone 20 having a Web browser function, for example, first puts a cursor on the button unit U in order to grasp the situation, and performs a key operation. The linked URL is accessed, and the Web page corresponding to the URL is displayed on the screen of the Web browser of the mobile phone 20 as shown in FIG. 8B.
[0060]
FIG. 8B shows an example of a display screen of a Web page created by the Web agent B53 based on the current status summary created by the daily grasping agent B33 of the center server 41. In this Web page, there are special items. Along with the headline "Toilet long hours", information indicating how residents enter and leave the toilet is posted. In addition, “Today's report” includes the number and time of residents going out and time, the number of baths and their time, the number of times of use of toilets and their time, the maximum and minimum temperatures, the time of use of the air conditioner (air conditioner) 14, and the like. The set temperature and the like are indicated. This display screen is a part, and by scrolling the screen, it is possible to browse other information (time zone of using the massage machine, time zone of using TV, bedtime, etc.).
[0061]
As a result, the situation of the resident can be understood, and based on the situation, countermeasures can be taken such as calling the person and confirming the situation or going directly to the house. ,
In the case of FIG. 8, the abnormal sign is detected based on being in the toilet for a long time. If the abnormal sign is detected from other situations, the user is notified by an e-mail of the corresponding text, and A process of displaying corresponding detailed information on a Web page is performed.
[0062]
FIG. 9 shows an example of a text of an e-mail M periodically sent to report the status of a resident on today's day, and an example of a display screen of a Web page on which detailed information is posted. FIG. 9A shows an example of a text of an e-mail M in which a comment indicating that the resident has many toilets at night is shown, and FIG. 9B shows a comment indicating that the resident is living normally. An example of the text of the e-mail M is shown below.
[0063]
FIG. 9C is a display screen example of a Web page corresponding to FIG. 9A. In this illustrated example, a headline “many night toilets” and the number of times are posted as special items. I have. In addition, the “report of the day” includes, in addition to the items shown in FIG. 8B, the time period during which the massager is used, the time period during which the television is used, and the bedtime.
[0064]
FIGS. 8 and 9 show the case of detecting an abnormal sign and the case of a regular direction. For example, a user logs in after being authenticated from a homepage for a watching service published on a Web server 40a, and FIG. The menu screen shown is called up, and a web page of the current situation of the resident and the past (eg, yesterday) situation can be called from the selection buttons BTa and BTb of the menu screen.
[0065]
For example, when the selection button BTa of the current resident status is selected and operated, as shown in FIG. 10B, information indicating the current resident status based on the current status summary created by the one-day grasp agent B33 is displayed. The posted Web page can be browsed. In other words, the family of the resident can check the safety of the resident at any time.
[0066]
8 to 10 show the operation related to watching the resident. For example, in the operation for saving the energy of the entire dwelling unit, an e-mail is sent to the resident's own mobile phone 20 according to the situation, and the energy saving control is confirmed each time. Is also performed.
[0067]
In other words, when it is determined that the resident is out and at the same time forgetting to turn off the lighting equipment in the dwelling unit, the center is determined based on the information from the status monitoring agent unit B20 and the device agent unit A of the local computer 43. Based on the diagnosis of the energy saving diagnosis agent B43 of the server 41, it is determined that there is an energy saving measure, and based on the determination notification, the action determination agent B51 determines creation / transmission of the corresponding e-mail. With this determination, the mail agent B52 creates a corresponding electronic mail and sends it to the resident's mail address.
[0068]
FIG. 11A shows an example of the text of an e-mail M transmitted when the lighting device 13 in the room is in the on state while the predetermined room in the dwelling unit is absent (not used) for a long time. In this case, the text confirms that the lighting equipment 13 is turned off to the resident. Then, when the user moves the cursor to the part where Yes / No is displayed and, for example, selects “Yes”, the operation data is transferred to the Web server 40a, and energy saving is performed from the Web agent B53 based on the transferred data. The confirmation of the energy saving control is notified to the agent B41.
[0069]
The OFF control information is transmitted from the energy saving agent B41 which has received the notification to the lighting agent A11 of the local computer 32 via the Internet 40. In response to this, the lighting agent A11 sends an off control signal to the terminal of the corresponding lighting fixture 13 through the home gateway 31 and the home bus 3 to turn off the power of the lighting fixture 13.
[0070]
Then, when monitoring information indicating that the lighting equipment 13 has been turned off is sent from the terminal unit to the lighting agent A11 of the local computer 32 via the gateway 31 as operating status information, the center server 41 via the Internet 40 by the lighting agent A11. Is transmitted to the energy-saving diagnosis agent 43 of the above-mentioned, and the energy-saving diagnosis agent b43 notifies the action determination agent B51 that the energy saving target of the lighting device 13 becomes unnecessary. In response to this, the action determination agent B51 decides to create and send an e-mail indicating the control result, and the e-mail agent B52 creates an e-mail notifying that the lighting fixture 13 in the long absence room has been turned off. Send to the residents. FIG. 11B shows an example of the text of the electronic mail M.
[0071]
In addition to the absence, when the user forgets to turn off the lighting equipment 13 when going out, an e-mail of the example text shown in FIG. 11C is used, and the heating toilet seat 18 in the time zone when the user often goes out based on grasping the situation of his life pattern. An e-mail shown in FIG. 11D requesting that the temperature be reduced, and an e-mail shown in FIG. 11E for promoting energy saving in cooling by occupying the electric curtain 15 based on the weather information of the weather information agent B42. An e-mail is automatically sent to a resident, and the corresponding device is controlled in response to the resident's confirmation of the energy-saving measures in response to the e-mail, thereby saving energy.
[0072]
By the way, in the present embodiment, as one of the situation grasps other than the above, the bathing situation is determined by combining the operation situation information of a plurality of devices used at the time of bathing, and an abnormal sign is detected from the bathing situation. May be.
[0073]
Further, the device may include an imaging camera that captures an image of a monitoring area, and an agent that determines a situation from image data of video captured by the imaging camera may be provided. In this case, the device agent has specification information for each type of each imaging camera, and appropriately controls each imaging camera according to the specification information based on a control policy. The device agent may be provided with a unit for acquiring the specification information of the imaging camera from outside.
[0074]
On the other hand, the determination logic of the function agent that determines the situation from the image information of the imaging camera may be changed during monitoring according to the management policy of the user. At the same time, the corresponding process may be changed according to the management policy of the user according to the content of the determination by the determination logic.
[0075]
When the situation is determined based on the image data of the imaging camera, an agent having a determination logic function may be provided as an independent function agent. In addition, an agent having a function of instructing a corresponding processing operation based on the determination may be provided as an independent function agent.
[0076]
Further provided with a remote control receiver for receiving a remote control signal transmitted to a remote controllable equipment installed in the dwelling unit, the function of obtaining the operating status information of the equipment from the received signal of the remote control receiver The device agent may have it.
[0077]
In addition, a function agent having a function of grasping map information in the dwelling unit may be provided for grasping the behavior of the dwelling unit, and control and monitoring may be performed to reflect the location of the dwelling unit in the dwelling unit.
[0078]
Further, the above-mentioned user policy agent C and user support agent D are further incorporated in the above-mentioned center server 41. For example, as an elderly person monitoring policy, transmission of an e-mail of the above-mentioned regular report on living conditions as described above, and detection of abnormal signs As a user policy, a monitoring policy for the elderly who sends an e-mail indicating a warning if they do not leave the bedroom for one day, and a communication policy for sending e-mails to specific families at the end of the day. By providing the agent C, various types of watching systems can be constructed.
[0079]
With the system of the present embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to watch over the resident and save energy in the dwelling unit.
[0080]
In the above embodiment, a monitoring system for elderly people living alone is constructed. However, by adding or changing function agents or equipment agents, crime prevention / disaster prevention and energy saving management in a normal single-family house can be achieved. A control / monitoring system that performs such operations can be constructed.
[0081]
For example, if a window sensor or a corresponding device agent is used and a security agent is provided as a functional agent, for example, when the indoor sensor does not respond, the window sensor detects the opening of the window, Without the operation, when the device is activated or the motion sensor is working, or when the whole family is in the house and the electric lock is unlocked even though the motion sensor in front of the entrance is not responding, or the whole family is away However, it is possible to realize a system for notifying an abnormal alarm that issues an alarm when a device operates or a human sensor in a house detects a person. In this case, when the whole family is in the house, when the electric lock at the entrance is in an unlocked state, when sleeping or forgetting to close the window when going out, a function to issue a forecast, and When an abnormality is detected by a sensor such as a fence, etc., a system that turns on the lighting in the house or a dedicated light to take preventive measures, and also sends an e-mail or exclusive call to a mobile phone of a family member who is out when an abnormality alert is issued Make a call to emit a sound or notify the location of the intruder to minimize the damage, and also set an alarm setting suitable for each life scene such as staying at home, sleeping, going out, etc. Functions can be easily handled by adding or changing agents.
[0082]
(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the system is mainly for watching a single resident. However, the system can be used for a control / monitoring system of an apartment house, for example.
[0083]
FIG. 12 shows the configuration of the control / monitoring system of this apartment house. As shared facilities, a lobby intercom 100 with a camera installed in a common entrance lobby, and an alarm monitoring panel 101 installed in a manager's room and the like, A housing information panel 102 with a monitor device provided in each dwelling unit H is connected to a video signal line 103, an audio signal line 104, and a control signal line 105. In response to a call from the lobby intercom 100, for example, the alarm monitoring panel 101 The intercom device of the house information panel 102 and the lobby interphone 100 are connected by an audio signal line 104 by the operation of a monitoring control unit (not shown) incorporated in the communication system to form a communication path, thereby allowing the visitor and the resident to communicate with each other. Call, and a video signal of the visitor is transmitted from the camera of the lobby intercom 100 via the video signal line 103. Sending to the monitor device 102a of the information panel 102 to enable the resident to monitor the appearance of the visitor, the intercom device attached to the alarm monitor panel 101 in the control room, the intercom device and the lobby of the house information panel 102 It is possible to establish a communication path with the intercom 100. Further, by transmitting an alarm signal from the security sensor 106 and the emergency push button device 107 connected to the house information panel 102 to the monitoring control unit as monitoring information, an alarm can be issued from the alarm monitoring panel 101. Has become. In the figure, reference numeral 108 denotes a power supply superimposing unit for supplying power via the video signal line 103, and reference numeral 109 denotes a power supply line for supplying DC from the alarm monitoring panel 101 to the lobby intercom 100.
[0084]
On the other hand, in the dwelling unit H, a local computer 32 and a gateway 31 connected to a server 114 incorporating a function agent group and a policy agent are provided via a LAN 30 in the house. The gateway 31 can be connected to an external mobile phone 20 via a mobile communication network 202 by a mobile communication terminal 201 such as a PHS in addition to the LAN 30. Further, it is connected to a control / monitoring local bus 3 'using time division multiplex transmission via an interface unit 111a, and is connected to a control signal line 105 in an apartment house via an interface unit 111b. The video signal line 103 is connected via a video buffer 112.
[0085]
The local computer 32 is installed in an appropriate place in the dwelling unit H, for example, and is connected to a light receiving device 113 for receiving an optical signal from a mobile phone 200 having an infrared signal transmitter owned by each resident. A user command transmitted through the server 200 is fetched, and user command information can be transmitted to the server 114 through the LAN 30 based on the user command.
[0086]
The mobile phone 200 has, for example, a function of displaying, on a display device, a screen for inputting a command for directly turning on / off the device 1 and a screen for selecting and inputting a desired operation. A user command can be input, and when the user command is transmitted as an optical signal, the user command includes information for identifying an individual who owns the resident.
[0087]
In the dwelling unit, terminals (not shown) provided in devices such as various lighting fixtures 13, air conditioners 14, televisions 16, and access to the terminals by time division multiplex transmission via a local bus 3 ′. Thus, a control / monitoring system including a monitoring control unit 115 for passing control information for controlling a device corresponding to the terminal unit and receiving operation status information of the device via the terminal unit to control and monitor the device is installed. Have been.
[0088]
The local bus 3 ′ of the control / monitoring system and the home gateway 31 are connected via the interface unit 111 a that bidirectionally converts a signal of general-purpose communication (for example, RS232C) and a signal of the control / monitoring system, A device agent (not shown) incorporated in the home gateway 31 can receive the operating status information from the control / monitoring system side or pass the control information to the control / monitoring system side.
[0089]
Here, the device agent of the gateway 31 has an interface function for acquiring the above-mentioned operation status information and outputting the control information, and exchanges information with the agent on the server 114 side via the LAN 30. And cooperate to form a multi-agent.
[0090]
Here, the server 114 incorporates a policy agent that has a user management policy that matches the lifestyle of each resident who lives in the unit. For example, Table 1 shows an example of management policies (policies) of all the residents with respect to the lighting equipment 13 and the air conditioning equipment 14. Table 2 shows examples of management policies of individual residents. In this case, a natural language is used to describe an abstract, schematic, comprehensive, or non-specific management policy.
[0091]
[Table 1]

[0092]
[Table 2]

[0093]
By giving the policy agent a management policy as shown in Tables 1 and 2 and a function of interpreting the contents of the policy agent, the lighting of the common room, the lighting of the own room, and the air conditioning are further provided. This can be easily controlled according to the living environment and life style that suits the resident's preference, such as time zone and season.
[0094]
That is, when the user operates the above-described mobile phone 200 to input a user command and transmit it as an infrared signal, the infrared signal is captured by the local computer 31 via the light receiving device 113, and the local computer 31 receives the user command based on the captured user command. The user command information is sent to the server 114 via the LAN 30 via the LAN 30, and the function agent in the server 114 sends the user command information to the lighting equipment 13, the air conditioner 14, the television 16, etc. from the sent user command information according to the policy of the corresponding resident. The control information is generated and passed to the device agent in the home gateway 31. Finally, the equipment agent sends control information to the control / monitoring system through the interface unit 111a, and the control / monitoring unit 108 on the control / monitoring system uses the corresponding lighting equipment 13, air conditioner 14, television 16 and the like are controlled.
[0095]
Further, a room manager agent having information on characteristics unique to the system may be provided corresponding to each room where the lighting equipment 13 and the air conditioning equipment 14 are installed, and the management policy (user policy) may be broken down. .
[0096]
For example, if the user command is "light on" and the corresponding resident's policy is "saving" or "now saving important", the corresponding room manager agent is the lighting installed in the room. By turning off a part of the device 13 or sending control information for dimming to the device agent, control according to the policy of "saving" is realized. Similarly, if the policy is “I like bright”, the room manager agent sends control information for turning on all the lighting devices 13 in the corresponding room to 100% to the device agent. Further, when the user command is “I want to relax”, the room manager agent turns off the white lamp among the lighting fixtures 13 installed in the room and turns on the daylight lamp from the policy “Relax with soft light”. It sends control information to the device agent, such as turning on the appliance or turning on only the downlight.
[0097]
Furthermore, if the user command is a command corresponding to wake-up such as "alarm 7:00" and the policy is "I want to wake up gradually in the morning", the lighting fixture 13 in the corresponding room (bedroom) The control information is sent to the function agent so as to perform control to increase the illuminance from 7:00 am over, for example, 30 minutes, and the air conditioner 14 and a television (not shown) are turned on 30 minutes before 7:00 am Is sent to the function agent.
[0098]
In this way, the room manager agent has information on system-specific characteristics, has a function as a service agent that breaks down non-specific control policies from residents (users), and provides a natural language such as spoken language to the policy agent. By providing a function of interpreting the information content of the management policy described in the above, the management policy of each user can be set in plain words and an instruction can be given.
[0099]
By the way, the mobile phone 200 is provided with a function of generating and displaying a screen for inputting a user command on the display device 200a, and the device to be operated as shown in FIG. (X), and buttons BT1 and BT2 for operating on and off, and a button BT3 for displaying a button for selecting the “destination” of the resident, and the user can use the lighting equipment. When it is desired to turn on / off 13, the cursor on the screen is moved to the button BT 1 or BT 2 by operating a cursor key (for example, a cross key) provided on the mobile phone 200, and an instruction provided on the mobile phone 200 is displayed. A command is input by operating a key (cross key). When the user wants to give an instruction, the user operates the button BT3 in the same manner as described above to display a plurality of "I want to do" in natural language as shown in FIG. 13B. Screen is displayed, and the resident can select and operate "what he wants to do".
[0100]
By the above operation, the user command information is sent to the gateway 31 via the mobile communication network and the Internet 40, and is taken into the corresponding function agent in the server 101 via the LAN 30 in the same manner as described above.
[0101]
In addition, it is necessary to provide a function that can input a user command that changes the current device control state. For example, when lighting control or air-conditioning control is performed according to a user management policy, the user wants to change the brightness or temperature actually felt. In this case, the function may be used to change the brightness of the lighting fixture 13 or to instruct to change the set temperature of the air conditioner 14. Further, in this case, an agent that learns this change may be provided as a function agent, and control may be performed with the changed content for the subsequent control.
[0102]
When a learning agent is provided, it can be applied to the following remote assisting operation. For example, in a scene where a family member who is familiar with the system lives in a remote place, and a family member who is a resident of the dwelling unit where the system is installed does not know the operation method, and asks a family member in a remote place about the operation method using a videophone or the like, Using the mobile phone 20 owned by the local resident, the mobile phone 20 calls the mobile communication terminal 201 connected to the mobile communication network 202, and issues a user command to the mobile communication terminal 201. The user command is transmitted by a PB signal or the like, and the user command is further transferred to the gateway 31 from the mobile terminal 201 to remotely control the target device. At this time, the learning agent learns the control contents. It is possible to use a learning agent corresponding to the learning content.
[0103]
Also, by using this remote control, it becomes possible for a family living in a remote place to remotely control equipment provided in, for example, a solitary elderly home. In this case, a television camera and a projector for projecting an image on a wall are provided at the solitary home for the elderly and a family home, respectively, and the video signal of the TV camera showing the state of the home for the aged alone is transmitted using a telephone line or the Internet 40. And send it to the family's home and project it on the wall with the projector at the family's home, and also send the video signal of the TV camera showing the state of the family's home to the house for the elderly alone and project it on the wall with the projector at the home for the elderly alone The two sides can see each other to create an atmosphere similar to that of a single house, and the family can use the mobile phone 20 with the remote control function as described above to control the air conditioner 14 in the home for the elderly living alone. May be remotely controlled. Of course, in this case, the monitoring system as in the first embodiment is constructed in the home for the elderly alone so that the family can know the state of the elderly even in a remote place.
[0104]
When the mobile phone 200 with the infrared signal transmitter is used as a remote controller, an instruction may be given by voice input instead of key input, and the voice input instruction may be converted into a user command and transmitted. Further, a cordless telephone handset at home or a simple portable telephone (PHS) may be used.
[0105]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the system uses the mobile terminal 201 connected to the mobile communication network 202 as a means for exchanging information with the outside, so that the following usage is also possible. For example, when a grandfather or grandmother goes out while another family member is away, the policy agent has a policy of sending an e-mail to the mobile phone 20 of the family member who is out, and as a function agent according to this policy, incorporates the policy agent. A mail agent works, and an electronic mail can be sent to the family's mobile phone 20 through a mail server on the mobile communication network 202 to notify that the grandfather or grandmother has gone out.
[0106]
Also in the present embodiment, energy saving management can be performed using an agent group corresponding to energy saving as in the first embodiment.
[0107]
By the way, the first and second embodiments are directed to a private house or an apartment house. However, the present invention changes the stage, art exhibition by changing or adding the contents of the agent units A and B and the policy agent C in FIG. Needless to say, it can be applied to the management of facilities such as bazaars, energy saving, and security.
[0108]
In addition, it is possible to control the lighting and other aspects of the user's preference by entering the user's management policy into the policy agent of the hotel or other facility system, assuming that the user's management policy can be carried in a mobile phone. Become.
[0109]
【The invention's effect】
The invention according to claim 1 is provided with a device agent for transmitting and receiving information from a device to be monitored or controlled and for controlling a device, and a function agent for performing a process related to system management. Since it is composed of agents, adding a new device agent or function agent or deleting an existing device agent or function agent creates a flexible and scalable control / monitoring system. It is possible to easily build a desired management system by bringing necessary agents to a place where only devices are installed.
[0110]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the operation setting means for each agent includes an operation setting means having a setting function based on a description of a natural language and a function of interpreting the setting contents in the described natural language. Since the user is provided, the user can set the operation of each agent only by describing the contents of the operation setting in a natural language used on a daily basis.
[0111]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the operation setting means of the entire system includes a setting function by a description of a natural language and a function of interpreting the setting contents by the described natural language. Since the means is provided, the operation setting of the management system can be performed simply by describing the operation setting contents in a natural language which the user uses on a daily basis.
[0112]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the device agent includes means for externally acquiring information relating to information exchange and control of the device. Information effects, control methods, and the like can be acquired from outside even for devices that have not been used.
[0113]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the information processing apparatus has information relating to a characteristic peculiar to the system and includes a manager agent that cooperates with each device agent and each function agent. Device agents and functional agents do not need to know information on the specific characteristics of the target system, and can have a certain degree of versatility for device agents and functional agents. Equipment agents and function agents can be easily added.
[0114]
The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a policy agent that has a management policy of the user as information and reflects the information in a processing operation of each agent. It is easy to set a management policy for each application or each user, and a general-purpose device agent or function agent can be used.
[0115]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, information of a user's management policy is externally provided, and the information management function is provided in the policy agent. The system can be easily applied to the system, so that other systems can operate based on the management policy of the user.
[0116]
The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a service agent for breaking down a non-specific management policy of the user relating to the control of the device. The instruction can be given by a non-specific control policy such as comprehensive.
[0117]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, the policy agent has a function of interpreting information content of a management policy described in a natural language. Can describe and set a management policy.
[0118]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, equipment, household electrical appliances, and various sensors installed in the dwelling unit as the equipment are provided, and the specification information of the equipment, household electrical appliances, and various sensors is provided. In addition to collecting operation status information of equipment and home appliances and detection information from various sensors based on these specification information, equipment agents with functions to control these equipment, home appliances, and various sensors Since it is provided, a control and monitoring system with excellent flexibility and expandability can be realized.
[0119]
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the device agent has means for acquiring the specification information from the outside, it is possible to handle the device information without worrying about the type of the device. Is also easier to handle.
[0120]
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the tenth or eleventh aspect of the present invention, the function agent that performs a combined determination of the information collected by the device agent to grasp the living situation of the resident and a corresponding process based on the determination result. Is provided, the living condition of the resident can be grasped from the state of the device, and a monitoring action corresponding to the grasped content can be taken.
[0121]
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the tenth or eleventh aspect of the present invention, an agent having a determination function of grasping a living situation of a resident by performing compound determination of the information collected by the device agent and a corresponding process based on the determination result are provided. Since each of the agents is provided as an independent functional agent, the flexibility and expandability of the system can be further increased.
[0122]
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, the determination logic of the determination function is changed according to a user's management policy, so that the flexibility of the system can be increased and the system can be easily used for many purposes. It can be diverted to
[0123]
According to the invention of claim 15, in the invention of any of claims 10 to 14, the corresponding processing is changed according to the management policy of the user, so that the flexibility of the system can be increased and the system can be easily used for various purposes. Diversion becomes possible.
[0124]
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, the determination function includes operating status information indicating locking / unlocking of an electric lock used as equipment, detection information of a human sensor, and Is determined by determining whether the resident has returned home or going out. Therefore, the resident can return home or go out in a simple manner.
[0125]
According to a seventeenth aspect, in any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, the determination function is based on detection information of an occupancy sensor provided in the bedroom and operation status information of facility equipment corresponding to the bedroom. The sleep state of the resident is determined in this manner, so that the resident's sleep / non-sleep state can be grasped in a simple manner.
[0126]
According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, the determination function grasps an abnormal sign by determining whether information indicating a living situation falls within a certain range of a reference situation. It is possible to grasp the normal / abnormal of the living situation of the resident in a simple manner.
[0127]
The invention of claim 19 is the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein the information collected by the device agent is combined to determine the energy saving state by making a combined determination, and when the room for energy saving is detected from the determination result. And a function agent having a function of performing the corresponding processing.
[0128]
The invention of claim 20 is the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 19, wherein an agent having a judgment function of grasping an energy saving state by performing compound judgment on information collected by the device agent, and energy saving based on the judgment result. Since the agent for performing the processing at the time of the room detection is provided as an independent function agent, a system for saving energy in a simple manner in addition to watching can be realized.
[0129]
According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth to twentieth aspects, the determination logic of the determination function is changed according to a user's management policy, so that the flexibility of the system is increased and the system can be easily diversified. Become.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a management system of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a multi-agent used in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an agent unit of the local computer used in the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an agent unit of the center server used in the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a detailed explanatory diagram of a situation grasp agent unit and a device agent unit of the local computer used in the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a detailed explanatory diagram of a watching agent unit, an energy saving agent unit, and an action agent unit of the center server used in the embodiment.
FIG. 8A is an example diagram of an e-mail transmitted at the time of an alert in the embodiment.
FIG. 2B is an example diagram of a Web page presented to a user at the time of an alert in the embodiment.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing another example of an e-mail transmitted at the time of a regular report of the above.
(C) is an example of a Web page presented to the user at the time of the regular report of the above.
FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen for browsing a Web page of a situation of a resident at any time in the above embodiment.
(B) is an example figure of a Web page which presents a resident's situation at any time.
FIG. 11A is an example diagram of an e-mail presented to the user at the time of confirming the energy-saving action according to the first embodiment.
(B) is an example diagram of a reply mail at the time of response to (a).
(C)-(e) is an example figure of the e-mail presented to a user at the time of the same energy saving action confirmation.
FIG. 12 is an overall system configuration diagram of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a user command on the mobile phone in the above.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 equipment
A Equipment Agent Department
B Function Agent
B1 Security Agent Department
B2 Situation grasp agent part
B3 Watching Agent Department
B4 Energy Saving Agent Department

Claims (21)

A multi-agent system is provided with a device agent that exchanges information from devices to be monitored and controlled and controls devices, and a function agent that performs processing related to system management. Management system characterized by the following. 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the operation setting means of each agent includes an operation setting means including a setting function based on a description of a natural language and a function of interpreting the setting contents in the described natural language. . 3. The operation setting means according to claim 1, further comprising an operation setting means comprising a setting function based on a description of a natural language and a function of interpreting the setting contents in the described natural language. Management system. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the device agent includes means for externally acquiring information on information exchange and control of the device. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a manager agent having information on characteristics unique to the system and cooperating with each device agent and each function agent. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a policy agent having a management policy of the user as information and reflecting the information in a processing operation of each agent. 7. The management system according to claim 6, wherein information of a user's management policy is externally provided, and the function of managing the information is provided in the policy agent. 8. The management system according to claim 6, further comprising a service agent for breaking down a non-specific user management policy related to device control. The management system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the policy agent has a function of interpreting information content of a management policy written in a natural language. Equipment, household appliances, and various sensors installed in the dwelling unit as the above equipment are provided, and have specification information of the equipment, household appliances, and various sensors, and operation status information of the equipment and household appliances based on these specification information. The management according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a device agent having a function of collecting detection information from the sensors and various sensors and controlling these equipment, home appliances, and various sensors. system. 11. The management system according to claim 10, wherein said device agent has means for acquiring said specification information from outside. 12. The management system according to claim 10, further comprising: a determination function for performing a composite determination on the information collected by the device agent to grasp a living situation of the resident and a function agent for performing a corresponding process based on the determination result. system. An agent having a judgment function to grasp the living conditions of residents by performing compound judgment on the information collected by the device agent, and an agent that performs corresponding processing based on the judgment result are provided as independent function agents. The management system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein 14. The management system according to claim 12, wherein the determination logic of the determination function is changed according to a management policy of a user. 15. The management system according to claim 10, wherein the response processing is changed according to a management policy of a user. 13. The deciding function according to claim 12, wherein the operation status information indicating the locking / unlocking of the electric lock used as the equipment is combined with the detection information of the motion sensor to determine whether the resident has returned or left. 16. The management system according to any one of items 15 to 15. 17. The deciding function according to claim 12, wherein the sleeping state of the resident is determined based on detection information of an occupancy sensor provided in the bedroom and operation status information of equipment corresponding to the bedroom. The management system according to any of the above. 17. The management system according to claim 12, wherein the determination function grasps an abnormal sign based on whether information indicating a living situation falls within a predetermined range of reference situations. It is characterized in that a function agent having a function of determining the energy saving state by performing compound judgment on the information collected by the device agent and a function of performing a corresponding process when detecting a room for energy saving from the judgment result is provided. The management system according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein An agent having a judgment function of grasping the energy saving state by performing compound judgment on the information collected by the device agent and an agent performing a response process when detecting a room for energy saving from the judgment result are provided as independent function agents. 20. The management system according to claim 10, wherein: 21. The management system according to claim 12, wherein a determination logic of the determination function is changed according to a management policy of a user.

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