JP2006013928A - Operation terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To operate each device on the basis of a set position by allowing a user to set the rough position of each device in an operation terminal for controlling devices. <P>SOLUTION: Each device transmits device information held by a device information holding part 230 to the operation terminal 100. The operation terminal 100 holds the received device information in a device information holding part 130. An icon or the like of the device 200 included in the device information is displayed on a display part 140. The user sets the display position of each device 200 on the display part 140 through an operation inputting part 150. The set position is held by a set position holding part 160. The user selects each device 200 arranged at the position the user himself/herself set and uses the operation inputting part to instruct an operation to each device 200. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation terminal that controls devices, and more particularly to an operation terminal that appropriately selects and controls a plurality of devices, an operation system, an operation method in these, and a program that causes a computer to execute the method.

  In recent years, various devices in the home are controlled by a remote controller (remote controller) dedicated to the device from a location away from the device. This remote controller transmits a predetermined command to the device by infrared rays or radio waves in response to an operation input by a user. As the number of devices to be controlled in the home increases, the number of remote controllers dedicated to such devices increases, and there is a problem that management of a plurality of remote controllers becomes complicated. Therefore, a technique is provided in which one general-purpose remote controller for controlling these devices is provided, and an arbitrary device is selected and controlled from the general-purpose remote controller.

  On the other hand, home appliances are becoming wireless in a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) environment, and not only control by a remote controller but also data transfer between devices is realized by wireless connection. Since the user cannot directly see these wireless connections, there is a demand to know the state of connection between devices by some method when operating these devices with a remote controller.

For this reason, a remote controller having a function of acquiring the position of the remote controller itself and the position of each device has been proposed as a remote controller that allows a user to specify a device to be controlled and control the device (for example, Patent Documents). 1).
JP 2004-166193 A (FIG. 2)

  However, in the above-described prior art, in order to acquire the position of the remote controller itself and each device, the signals transmitted from the three radio wave sources in synchronization with each other at a predetermined cycle are received, and the actual reception of each signal is received. The position must be calculated from the time and the predetermined positions of the three radio wave sources. For the user, the position of each device does not necessarily coincide with the actual position, and it is considered sufficient if the position is specified to some extent along the intuition.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to allow an operation terminal (remote controller) for controlling a device to set an approximate position of each device by a user input and to operate each device based on the set position. .

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a first aspect of the present invention is an operation system including a plurality of devices and an operation terminal that controls the plurality of devices. Comprises transmission means for transmitting the device information of the device, and the operating terminal receives reception device information from the plurality of devices, and positions of the plurality of devices based on the device information. Display means for displaying and accepting means for accepting an operation input, and when the setting input related to the positions of the plurality of devices is accepted as the operation input, the display means receives the plural The operation system is characterized by displaying the position of the device. As a result, the position of the device is initially displayed based on the device information transmitted from a plurality of devices, and further, the position of the device is displayed in line with the user's intuition by making a setting input regarding the position of the device. Made.

  In addition, a second aspect of the present invention is an operation system including a plurality of devices and an operation terminal that controls the plurality of devices, and the plurality of devices measure distances between other devices. A measurement unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the measured distance. The operation terminal receives a measurement unit from the plurality of devices, and a setting input relating to the positions of the plurality of devices. And a detection unit that detects a position of the device from a value based on the setting input and the measured distance for other devices, while fixing a setting position by the setting input for a predetermined reference device in the plurality of devices. Means, the reference position is displayed for the reference device and the detection is performed for the other device, and the set position is displayed for the reference device, and the other device is displayed. For an operation system characterized by comprising display means for displaying the detected position. As a result, the setting position by the setting input is fixed for the reference device in the plurality of devices, and for the other devices, the more accurate position of the device is determined from the value based on the setting input and the distance between the devices measured in the plurality of devices. Detected.

  The third aspect of the present invention is a receiving means for receiving device information of a plurality of devices from a plurality of devices, a display means for displaying the positions of the plurality of devices based on the device information, and an operation Receiving means for receiving input, and when the setting input related to the positions of the plurality of devices is received as the operation input, the display means displays the positions of the plurality of devices based on the setting input. This is an operating terminal. As a result, the position of the device is initially displayed based on the device information received from a plurality of devices, and the device position is displayed in accordance with the user's intuition by making a setting input regarding the position of the device. The

  Here, when an instruction input at any position of the plurality of devices is received as the operation input, the display means performs a display prompting the operation of the device related to the instruction input based on the device information. It may be a thing. By this “display for prompting operation of the device”, an operation on the instructed device can be easily performed.

  In this case, the operation terminal further includes transmission means for transmitting the operation instruction to the device related to the operation instruction when a predetermined operation instruction for the display prompting the operation of the device is received as the operation input. can do. As a result, when an operation instruction for the “display for prompting operation of the device” is given, the operation instruction is transmitted to the device related to the operation instruction.

  The operation terminal may further include a connection unit for connecting a recording medium. At this time, the display unit includes at least one authentication identifier included in the authentication information recorded in the recording medium and the device information. The position of the device can be displayed only for the device with the same. As a result, a device that has not been authenticated through the authentication identifier can be excluded from operation.

  In addition, when the attribute input of the plurality of devices is received as the operation input, the display unit can display the positions of the plurality of devices based on the attribute input. Here, as the attribute input, an input indicating whether the device is a stationary device or a mobile device can be assumed. By displaying according to the attributes of these devices, it is possible to easily grasp the position of the device.

  Further, the setting input related to the position may be a setting input related to a position in a predetermined room, or may be a setting input related to a position over a plurality of rooms. In the former case, the display means can obtain an average value for each room with respect to the signal intensity from the devices at positions over a plurality of rooms, and can display the room having the highest average value as the location of the operation terminal.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receiving means for receiving measurement distances between a plurality of devices, a receiving means for receiving a setting input relating to the positions of the plurality of devices, and a predetermined in the plurality of devices. Detecting means for detecting the position of the device from the value based on the setting input and the measurement distance for the other devices, and fixing the setting position by the setting input for the reference device, and the setting position for the reference device An operation terminal comprising display means for displaying and displaying the detected position for other devices. As a result, the setting position by the setting input is fixed for the reference device in the plurality of devices, and for the other devices, the more accurate position of the device is determined from the value based on the setting input and the distance between the devices measured in the plurality of devices. Detected.

  Here, the reference device can be determined as devices at both ends of the longest measurement distance among the measurement distances. At this time, the reference device may be provided for each room as the setting input related to the position as the setting input related to the position over a plurality of rooms.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation method in an operation terminal including a display unit that displays positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled, and device information of the plurality of devices is respectively obtained from the plurality of devices. If a setting input related to the position is already received for each device related to the receiving procedure and the device information, the display means displays the position based on the setting input, and the setting input related to the position has not been received yet. For example, a procedure for displaying as an unregistered device on the display means, a procedure for receiving a setting input relating to the position, a procedure for displaying the positions of the plurality of devices on the display means based on the setting input relating to the position, A procedure for instructing a corresponding device to operate when a designated position is designated.As a result, the position of the device is initially displayed based on the device information received from a plurality of devices, and the device position is displayed in accordance with the user's intuition by making a setting input regarding the position of the device. The

  Further, a sixth aspect of the present invention is an operation method in an operation terminal including a display unit that displays the positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled, and a procedure for receiving a setting input related to the positions of the plurality of devices. A procedure for receiving measurement distances between these devices from the plurality of devices, a procedure for setting a predetermined reference device in the plurality of devices, a measurement distance of the reference devices, and a display on the display unit of the reference device A procedure for determining a reduction rate from the distance of the reference device, a procedure for obtaining a display distance on the display unit of a device other than the reference device from the measurement distance of the device other than the reference device and the reduction rate, and the reference device For a device other than the reference device with the setting position set by the setting input fixed, the procedure for detecting the position of the device from the setting input and the distance on the display, and the reference For a device, a procedure for displaying the set position on the display means and a device other than the reference device for displaying the detected position on the display means, and a corresponding device when the displayed position is indicated And a procedure for issuing an operation instruction. As a result, the setting position by the setting input is fixed for the reference device in the plurality of devices, and for the other devices, the more accurate position of the device is determined from the value based on the setting input and the distance between the devices measured in the plurality of devices. Detected.

  Further, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in an operation terminal including a display unit that displays positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled, a procedure of receiving device information of each of the plurality of devices from the plurality of devices, If a setting input related to the position is already received for each device related to the device information, the display means displays the position based on the setting input, and if the setting input related to the position is not received yet, the display means A procedure for displaying as an unregistered device, a procedure for receiving a setting input relating to the position, a procedure for displaying the positions of the plurality of devices on the display means based on the setting input relating to the position, and the displayed position indicating A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for giving an operation instruction to a corresponding device.As a result, the position of the device is initially displayed based on the device information received from a plurality of devices, and the device position is displayed in accordance with the user's intuition by making a setting input regarding the position of the device. The

  In addition, according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in an operation terminal including a display unit that displays the positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled, a procedure for receiving a setting input regarding the positions of the plurality of devices; Reduction from a procedure for receiving a measurement distance between these devices, a procedure for setting a predetermined reference device in the plurality of devices, a measurement distance of the reference device, and a display distance on the display unit of the reference device A procedure for determining a rate, a procedure for obtaining a display distance on the display unit of a device other than the reference device from the measurement distance of the device other than the reference device and the reduction ratio, and the setting input for the reference device For a device other than the reference device with the set position fixed, the procedure for detecting the device position from the setting input and the display distance, and for the reference device A procedure for displaying the set position on the display means and displaying the detected position on the display means for devices other than the reference device, and operating instructions to the corresponding device when the displayed position is indicated A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for performing the above. As a result, the setting position by the setting input is fixed for the reference device in the plurality of devices, and for the other devices, the more accurate position of the device is determined from the value based on the setting input and the distance between the devices measured in the plurality of devices. Detected.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, in an operation terminal that controls a device, an excellent effect of allowing a rough position of each device to be set by user input and operating each device based on the set position. Can be played.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an operation system formed including an operation terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this operation system, the operation terminal 100 controls the plurality of devices 200 by radio signals. The operation terminal 100 has a function as the above-described remote controller (remote controller), may be a terminal specialized for controlling the device 200, and is realized as one function such as a mobile phone or a mobile terminal. It may be a thing.

  The operation terminal 100 includes a transmission / reception unit 110, a control unit 120, a device information holding unit 130, a display unit 140, an operation input unit 150, a setting position holding unit 160, a signal strength holding unit 170, and a recording medium interface. 190.

  The transmission / reception unit 110 transmits / receives a radio signal to / from the device 200. The high-frequency signal received via the antenna 101 is converted into an intermediate signal and then demodulated as reception data, or the transmission data is modulated. Then, the intermediate signal is converted into a high-frequency signal and transmitted through the antenna 101.

  The control unit 120 controls the entire operation terminal 100, and can be realized by executing a predetermined program by a hardware circuit or a processor (not shown). Details of the operation by the control unit 120 will be described later.

  The device information holding unit 130 holds device information regarding the device 200 to be controlled. The device information is transmitted from the device 200, but this transmission may be performed in response to a device information request command from the operation terminal 100, and the device 200 is received without receiving the device information request command. May be transmitted periodically.

  The display unit 140 displays a screen related to device selection and operation, and can be realized by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The operation input unit 150 receives an operation input from the user, and may be, for example, a predetermined input key or a touch panel integrated with the display unit 140 described above.

  The setting position holding unit 160 holds the setting of the position of the device 200 input via the operation input unit 150. As will be described later, this set position can include a two-dimensional layout, a floor-specific layout, and the like. The signal strength holding unit 170 holds the signal strength of the signal received from each of the devices 200.

  The recording medium interface 190 is an interface for mounting a recording medium. As this recording medium, for example, a portable memory card can be assumed. In the embodiment of the present invention, this recording medium is used for mutual authentication.

  On the other hand, the device 200 includes a transmission / reception unit 210, a control unit 220, a device information holding unit 230, a time measuring unit 280, and a recording medium interface 290. The transmission / reception unit 210 transmits / receives a radio signal to / from the operation terminal 100. The control unit 220 controls the entire device 200.

  The device information holding unit 230 holds device information regarding the device 200. This device information is transmitted in response to a device information request command from the operation terminal 100, or is transmitted periodically.

  The timer 280 is a timer and is used to measure the time required for each process. The recording medium interface 290 is an interface for mounting a recording medium, and a portable memory card can be assumed as described above.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a content example of the device information 610 in the embodiment of the present invention. Device information 610 transmitted from the device 200 to the operation terminal 100 includes device identifier 611, device name information 612, icon information 613, operation command information 614, position information 615, attribute information 616, and setting information 617. Authentication information 618, related device information 619, and manual information 620.

  The device identifier 611 is an identifier for identifying the device 200, and uniquely identifies at least the device 200 connected to the operation terminal 100. The device name information 612 indicates the device name of the device 200. The device name may be a general name of the device 200 or a specific name including a vendor name, a model number, and the like.

  The icon information 613 is an icon for displaying the device 200. This icon is used for displaying the set position of the device on the display unit 140.

  The operation command information 614 is a command for operating the device 200. For example, in the case of a video deck device, commands are prepared for respective operations such as playback, fast forward, rewind, stop, and recording. These commands are displayed on the operation screen in the display unit 140.

  The position information 615 indicates the position of the device 200. Although the position of the device 200 is initially indefinite, the set position is transmitted to the device 200 when the set position is input by the user thereafter. The device 200 holds the set position as the position information 615 and then transmits it to the operation terminal 100.

  The attribute information 616 indicates the attribute of the device 200. As this attribute, for example, the type of whether the device 200 is a stationary device (stationary) or a mobile device (mobile) is applicable.

  The setting information 617 indicates the current setting of the device 200. For example, in the case of a television device, the setting information 617 indicates the current state of settings such as volume and light amount. The authentication information 618 indicates an authentication identifier of the device 200. This authentication identifier will be described later.

  The related device information 619 indicates information related to the related device of the device 200. As this related device, for example, devices constituting a home theater correspond to each other.

  The instruction information 620 indicates information related to the instruction manual of the device 200, and for example, online help or online manual corresponds to this.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a device position setting sequence according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, when the operation terminal 100 transmits a device information request command (711), the device 200 receives (721) the device information request command. Then, the device 200 reads the device information from the device information holding unit 230 and transmits it to the operation terminal 100 (722). When device information is received from the device 200 (712), the operation terminal 100 holds the device information in the device information holding unit 130 (713).

  The operation terminal 100 confirms (714) the authentication identifier of the device 200. That is, the authentication identifier included in the authentication information 618 is compared with the authentication identifier recorded on the recording medium attached to the recording medium interface 190, and if there is a match, it is determined that the authentication has been performed. An authentication identifier is recorded on the recording medium, and once this recording medium is attached to the recording medium interface 290 of the device 200 to be used, the history of the authentication identifier is recorded on the device 200. Thereafter, even after the recording medium is attached or detached, the device 200 functions as an authenticated device. This authentication identifier is recorded in the authentication information 618 in the device information 610 and transmitted to the operation terminal 100. There may be a plurality of authentication identifiers recorded in the authentication information 618.

  When the user uses the operation terminal 100, the user attaches the recording medium on which the authentication identifier is recorded to the recording medium interface 190. The operation terminal 100 treats only the device that records the authentication identifier recorded in the recording medium attached to the recording medium interface 190 as the authentication information 618 as valid, and displays (715) on the display unit 140.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example at the time of setting in the embodiment of the present invention. In the device display (715) of FIG. 3, the content of the setting position holding unit 160 is read, and the device whose position is not yet set is displayed on the display unit 140 as shown in FIG. The arrangement is not displayed on the screen 141 and is displayed in the device list on the device list display screen 142. In the device list of FIG. 4A, a device name indicated by the device name information 612 and an icon indicated by the icon information 613 are displayed.

  The user selects a device from the device list displayed on the device list display screen 142, and moves the icon to an arbitrary position on the setting position display screen 141 using the operation input unit 150. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the user sets the position of each device on the setting position display screen 141 so that the user can easily grasp it intuitively. Note that the user may leave the device whose position is not desired to be left on the device list display screen 142 as it is.

  When the operation terminal 100 receives an input of the setting position by the operation input unit 150 (716), the operation terminal 100 holds the setting position in the setting position holding unit 160 (717) and displays the setting position on the setting position display screen 141 of the display unit 140. The arrangement is displayed (718).

  In this example, the device 200 transmits device information in response to a device information request command from the operation terminal 100, but the device 200 may periodically transmit device information in addition to this. Absent.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a device operation sequence according to the embodiment of the present invention. The operation terminal 100 displays (731) each device on the display unit 140 according to the setting position input by the setting sequence of FIG. On the other hand, the user selects an operation target device and inputs an instruction for an icon using the operation input unit 150. Upon receiving this instruction input (732), the operation terminal 100 reads out device information 610 of the corresponding device from the device information holding unit 130 (733). An operation screen is displayed on the display unit 140 based on the operation command information 614 of the device information 610 (734).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example at the time of operation in the embodiment of the present invention. The operation screen (734) in FIG. 5 is displayed as an operation screen 143 different from the setting position display screen 141 as shown in FIG. 6 (a). In the example of FIG. 6A, the video cam operation screen including the play, fast forward, rewind, stop, and recording operation buttons is displayed assuming that the video cam icon is designated.

  The user selects a desired operation button from the operation buttons displayed on the operation screen 143, and instructs the operation button through the operation input unit 150. When the operation input is received by the operation input unit 150 (735), the operation terminal 100 transmits a corresponding operation command to the device 200 (736) and displays an operation state associated with the operation on the display unit 140 (737). . For example, when the playback button is instructed, a state in which playback data is transmitted from the video cam to the television device is displayed as shown in FIG.

  When receiving an operation command from the operation terminal 100 (746), the device 200 performs an operation (747) according to the operation command.

  In this way, after setting the position of each device as shown in FIG. 4 (b) so that the user can easily grasp it intuitively, as shown in FIG. 6 (a) based on the position setting. The operation can be instructed to each device through the operation screen. Further, when displaying the device list of FIG. 4A, only the devices that are authenticated for the user are displayed, so that the devices can be selected by narrowing down to the necessary devices.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a device attribute input sequence according to the embodiment of the present invention. With respect to the device 200 displayed (751) on the display unit 140 by the operation terminal 100, the user can specify an attribute using the operation input unit 150. As this attribute, for example, as described above, it can be specified whether the device 200 is a stationary device or a mobile device. As a result, it is estimated that the set position will not change if it is a stationary device, and it is estimated that the set position is indefinite if it is a mobile device. A television device or the like is an example of the former, and a mobile terminal or the like is an example of the latter. In the case of a notebook personal computer, it is normally considered a mobile device, but it can be understood as a stationary device when mounted on a cradle.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example at the time of attribute input in the embodiment of the present invention. When inputting attributes, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, a mobile device screen 144 different from the setting position display screen 141 is provided, and the stationary device is set at an arbitrary position on the setting position display screen 141. The mobile device can be set on the mobile device screen 144. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 8B, a mobile device area 145 is provided in the setting position display screen 141, and a stationary device is set at an arbitrary position on the setting position display screen 141. Can be set in the mobile device area 145.

  When receiving an attribute input from the operation input unit 150 (752), the operation terminal 100 holds the attribute in the setting position holding unit 160 (753) and performs display (754) according to the attribute on the display unit 140. .

  The attribute input in this way may be transmitted from the operation terminal 100 to the device 200. In this case, the device 200 that has received the attribute desirably stores the attribute in the device information holding unit 230 as the attribute information 616 in the device information 610. Thus, the next time device information is transmitted, the attribute information 616 can be transmitted to the operation terminal 100.

  In this example, the attribute input is performed by the user from the operation input unit 150, but may be automatically determined from the device name information 612, for example.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another display example in the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9A, the setting position display screen is divided for each room, and the arrangement of each device is displayed for each room, such as a first-floor living room, a first-floor Japanese-style room, and a second-floor bedroom. Such a position setting for each room can also be realized by the setting position input (716) shown in FIG.

  Such display for each room is particularly effective when not only control by the operation terminal 100 but also data transfer between the devices 200 is realized by wireless connection in the WPAN environment. For example, for the control by the remote controller, a wireless system that has a low transmission rate but is far away, such as Zigbee conforming to IEEE 802.15.4, is used. On the other hand, for actual data transfer, for example, IEEE 802.11a In some cases, a wireless system such as UWB (Ultra Wide Band) is used that can transmit a large amount of data at a high speed although the transmission distance is relatively short. Under such an environment, since the transmission distance differs between the control signal from the operation terminal 100 and the data signal between the devices 200, a situation may occur in which the data signal does not reach even if the control signal arrives.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the operation terminal 100 is operated in the first floor, the control signal 401 is normally controlled with the television device 241 in the first floor, and the second floor bedroom is It is assumed that control with the control signal 402 is normally performed even with the DVD device 242. At this time, even if a reproduction operation is performed in the DVD device 242 and the data signal 410 is transmitted to the television device 241, data transmission may not be possible depending on the wall material or the like.

  On the other hand, by displaying the set positions over a plurality of rooms as shown in FIG. 9A, it is shown to the user so that the user can intuitively understand that there is a possibility that the data transmission may be hindered. be able to.

  The distinction for each room input in this way may be transmitted from the operation terminal 100 to the device 200. In this case, it is desirable that the device 200 that has received the discrimination for each room holds the discrimination for each room in the device information holding unit 230 as part of the position information 615 in the device information 610. As a result, the next time device information is transmitted, it can be transmitted to the operation terminal 100 including the distinction for each room.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a signal strength investigation sequence in the embodiment of the present invention. When the devices 200 are distinguished and displayed for each room as shown in FIG. 9A, the approximate position of the operation terminal 100 can be grasped by measuring the signal intensity of the signal received from each device 200. For this purpose, the following processing is performed.

  First, as in the case of FIG. 3, when the operating terminal 100 transmits a device information request command (761), the device 200 receives this device information request command (771). Then, the device 200 reads the device information from the device information holding unit 230 and transmits it to the operation terminal 100 (772). When device information is received from the device 200 (762), the operation terminal 100 detects the signal strength of the received signal and holds it in the signal strength holding unit 170 (763). As this signal strength, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) detected in a signal strength display unit (not shown) in the transmission / reception unit 110 can be used.

  The operation terminal 100 reads out the signal strength obtained in this way from the signal strength holding unit 170 and calculates the average value of the signal strength for each room while referring to the setting position holding unit 160 (764). . As a result, the location is determined (765) on the assumption that there is a high possibility that the operation terminal 100 is present in the room having the highest average signal strength.

  In this case, in the display example of FIG. 9A, for example, if the average value of the signal strength in the first floor is the highest, the display in the first floor is highlighted (highlighted) or displayed with a frame. The possibility of the location of the operation terminal 100 can be clearly indicated.

  Next, a method for detecting a more accurate position of each device in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments of the present invention described so far, a rough arrangement of devices by the user is used. However, in some cases, the user may desire a more accurate position display. Even in this case, by using the above-described rough device arrangement, a more accurate position can be detected more easily than in the past.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of the set position in the embodiment of the present invention. The user can perform position setting as shown in FIG. 11A by the processing described with reference to FIG. In this figure, the positions of the device A (245), the device B (246), and the device C (247) are set by a user operation. That is, FIG. 11A is a rough device arrangement by the user, which may be different from the actual arrangement.

At this time, it is assumed that the actually measured distances between the devices are as shown in FIG. That is, the measurement distance _Dab between the device A (245) and the device B (246) is 6 [m], and the measurement distance _Dbc between the device B (246) and the device C (247) is 5 [m. The measurement distance D _ca between the device C (247) and the device A (245) is assumed to be 3.5 [m].

Then, two reference devices for determining the position are selected from each device. This selection may be instructed, for example, by the user using the operation input unit 150, or a device that forms both ends of the longest measurement distance may be used as the reference device. Here, since the measurement distance D _ab is the longest, the device A (245) and the device B (246) are used as reference devices.

Next, the overall reduction rate α is obtained using the reference device. For example, assuming that the display distance _Xab on the display unit 140 between the device A (245) and the device B (246) is 6 [cm], the reduction ratio α is _Xab / _Dab . 1/100. If the reduction rate α is used, the display distance X _bc between the device B (246) and the device C (247) and the device C (247) and the device A (245) from the remaining measurement distances D _bc and D _ca Display distance _Xca between the two can be obtained. That is, the display distance X _bc is 5 [cm], and the display distance X _ca is 3.5 [cm]. And the exact position on the display part 140 of the apparatus C (247) is detectable by these display distance _Xab , _Xbc, and _Xca .

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a timing example of distance measurement between devices in the embodiment of the present invention. Here, it is assumed that the distance between the device A and the device B is measured. First, device A transmits a packet 510 to device B in order to measure the distance to device B. When device B receives packet 510 from device A, device B returns packet 520. The device A measures the time from when the packet 510 is transmitted until the reception of the packet 520 is detected by the time measuring unit 280.

At this time, the time t _A from when the device A transmits the packet 510 to when it is received at the device B is a delay time (t _DT1 ) in the transmission / reception unit 210 of the device A in addition to the propagation time (t _AIR ) in space. )including. In addition to the processing time (t _P2 ) of the device B, the time t _B from when the device B receives the packet 510 to the transmission of the packet 520 is a delay time (t _DR2 ) in the transmission / reception unit 210 of the device B. including. Further, the time t _C from when the device B transmits the packet 520 to when it is received at the device A is the processing time (t _P1 ) of the device A and the time of the device A in addition to the space propagation time (t _AIR ). The delay time (t _DR1 ) in the transmission / reception unit 210 is included.

That is, the time t from when the device A sends the packet 510 until it detects the packet 520 from the device B is
t = t _A + t _B + t _C = 2 × t _AIR + (t _P1 + t _P2 + t _DT1 + t _DR1 + t _DR2 )
Represented as: Since the time in parentheses is the inherent time by the devices A and B, the value obtained by subtracting these inherent times from the time obtained by the time measuring unit 280 and further dividing by 2 is the space propagation time t _AIR .

Thus, the distance d between the device A and the device B is
d = V × t _AIR
Represented as: Where V is the propagation speed of radio waves (= 3 × 10 ⁸ [m / sec]).

  For an ultra-wideband signal such as UWB, high time resolution can be obtained in received pulse detection or correlation detection. For example, if the time resolution is 1 nanosecond, the distance resolution is 30 cm according to the above equation.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of device position detection according to the embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the positions of the devices A (245) and B (246) are determined, and the display distance _Xca between the devices A (245) and C (247) and the devices B (246) and C (247) are further determined. ) it is assumed that the display distance X _bc is known between. At this time, in order to obtain an accurate position of the device C (247) on the display unit 140, as shown in FIG. 13A, a circle with a radius X _ca centered on the device A (245) and the device B (246). The intersection point with a circle having a radius X _bc centered on the circle) may be obtained.

  There are two intersections of the circles, Y (248) and Z (249), and in order to check which intersection the device C (247) exists, usually three reference devices are required. And In the embodiment of the present invention, since the user sets the approximate position of the device C (247), the accurate position of the device C (247) can be easily obtained by using this set position. .

  For example, a measure for selecting an intersection with a shorter distance from the position of the device C (247) on the display unit 140, a device that divides the region into two by a line connecting the reference devices A (245) and B (246) A policy for selecting an intersection existing in a region where C (247) exists, a policy for excluding an intersection outside the display unit 140, or the like can be considered. In the example of FIG. 13A, the intersection point Z (249) is obtained as the position of the device C (247) in any case.

Here, the coordinate value of the intersection Z (249) is obtained as follows. As shown in FIG. 13B, the coordinate values of the devices A, B and C are defined as (X1, Y1), (X2, Y2) and (X3, Y3), respectively, and two right triangles ACD and CBE are assumed. When the Pythagorean theorem is applied to these right triangles, the following equation holds.
X _ca ² = (X3-X1) ² + (Y1-Y3) ^{2
_{X bc 2 = (X2-X3}} ) 2 + (Y2-Y3) 2

  There are two sets of values (X3, Y3) that satisfy the solution of this two-dimensional equation, but by applying the above-mentioned measures, the position of the device C (247) corresponding to the original intersection Z (249) is obtained. be able to.

  Such device position detection is more effective when combined with the position setting for each room as described with reference to FIG. When performing distance measurement by radio such as UWB, relatively accurate distance measurement is possible in the same room or a space with a line of sight, but the accuracy drops dramatically when a wall or ceiling is passed along the way. . Therefore, by using the position setting for each room and performing control so that position detection is not performed between devices existing in different rooms, position detection with higher accuracy becomes possible.

  Next, the operation of the operation terminal 100 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a device position setting process in the embodiment of the present invention. When the transmission / reception unit 110 transmits a device information request command (step S911), the control unit 120 waits for the device information 610 to be transmitted from the device 200 (step S912). When the transmission / reception unit 110 receives the device information 610, the control unit 120 holds the device information 610 in the device information holding unit 130 (step S913).

  At this time, if the authentication identifier in the authentication information 618 of the device information 610 does not match the authentication identifier recorded on the recording medium attached to the recording medium interface 190 (step S914), the device 200 does not exist. Are treated as

  On the other hand, if the authentication identifiers match in step S914, the control unit 120 checks the setting position holding unit 160. If the corresponding device is not yet registered in the setting position holding unit 160 (step S915), the display unit 140 is checked. Are displayed as unregistered devices on the device list display screen 142 (FIG. 4) (step S916). On the other hand, if the position of the corresponding device has been set and already registered in the set position holding unit 160 (step S915), the control unit 120 displays the device in the set position display screen 141 (FIG. 4). ) Is displayed at the set position (step S917).

  When the input of the device setting position is received from the user by the operation input unit 150 (step S918), the display unit 140 displays the device at the setting position, and the control unit 120 sets the setting position to the setting position holding unit 160. (Step S919).

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of device operation processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. When there is a device instruction (icon tap, etc.) from the user via the operation input unit 150 (step S921), the control unit 120 reads out device information 610 of the instructed device from the device information holding unit 130 (step S922). . Based on the operation command information 614 of the device information 610, the operation screen 143 (FIG. 6) is displayed (step S923).

  When an operation input is performed by the operation input unit 150 from the user on the operation screen 143 (step S924), the control unit 120 transmits an operation command corresponding to the operation input to the device via the transmission / reception unit 110. (Step S925).

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a signal strength investigation process according to the embodiment of the present invention. In order to investigate the signal strength of the received signal from each device, the control unit 120 transmits a device information request command to each device via the transmission / reception unit 110 (step S931). The control unit 120 checks (counts) the number of devices each time device information is received from each device in the transmission / reception unit 110 (step S932) (step S933).

  When the device information is received from each device, the control unit 120 holds the signal strength of the received signal of all devices in the signal strength holding unit 170, and calculates the average value of the signal strength for each room while referring to the setting position holding unit 160. (Steps S934 and S935).

  Using the average signal strength for each room obtained in this way, the control unit 120 determines that the room where the average signal strength is the highest is the location of the operation terminal 100 (step S936). At this time, as described above, the room which is the location can be clearly indicated by performing a highlighted display or a framed display in the display of FIG. 9A.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a device position detection process in the embodiment of the present invention. First, each device transmits a signal from the transmission / reception unit 210 and waits for a response from the device in order to measure the distance between the devices. Then, the time required during this period is measured by the timer 280, and based on this, the distance D between the devices is measured as described above (step S951). The distance D thus measured is transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 210 of each device 200 and received by the transmission / reception unit 110 of the operation terminal 100. Then, two reference devices for determining the position from among the devices are set (step S952). As described above, the reference device may be instructed by the user using the operation input unit 150, and the device that forms both ends of the longest distance among the measurement distances may be used as the reference device.

  Next, the control unit 120 determines the overall reduction rate α using the reference device (step S953), and displays the measurement distance D on the display unit 140 by multiplying the measurement distance D by the reduction rate α. The distance is converted to X (step S954).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 13A, the control unit 120 assumes a circle whose radius is equivalent to the display distance X with the reference device as a center point, and sets the position corresponding to the intersection of the circles to the actual device other than the reference device. It detects as a position (step S954). For the reference device, the set position is displayed as it is on the display unit 140 as in step S919 (FIG. 14), but for the devices other than the reference device, the position detected in step S954 is displayed on the display unit 140. In this way, when position detection is performed for all devices, the entire process is terminated (step S955).

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the set position of each device 200 is displayed on the display unit 140 in accordance with the set position input from the operation input unit 150 by the user, so that the device to be operated can be selected by the user. Can be displayed in an intuitively understandable state. In this device display, the user selects a device to be operated and instructs the operation. In the position setting of the device by the user, the device can be classified into a stationary device and a mobile device, and the latter can be displayed in another area without performing position setting.

  Further, the position setting of the device by the user is not limited to a specific room, and can be distributed in each room. In this case, it is also possible to estimate the location of the operation terminal 100 by obtaining an average value of the signal strength of the device for each room.

  Furthermore, when the device 200 is controlled from the operation terminal 100, both devices can be excluded from the operation of the operation terminal 100 by making the authentication identifiers coincide with each other.

  The embodiment of the present invention is an example for embodying the present invention and has a corresponding relationship with the invention-specific matters in the claims as shown below, but is not limited thereto. However, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  That is, in claim 1, the device corresponds to the device 200, for example. An operation terminal corresponds to the operation terminal 100, for example. The transmission means corresponds to the transmission / reception unit 210, for example. A receiving unit corresponds to the transmission / reception unit 110, for example. The display means corresponds to the display unit 140, for example. The accepting unit corresponds to the operation input unit 150, for example.

  In claim 2, the device corresponds to the device 200, for example. An operation terminal corresponds to the operation terminal 100, for example. Further, the measuring means corresponds to the time measuring unit 280, for example. The transmission means corresponds to the transmission / reception unit 210, for example. A receiving unit corresponds to the transmission / reception unit 110, for example. The accepting unit corresponds to the operation input unit 150, for example. The detection unit corresponds to the control unit 120, for example. The display means corresponds to the display unit 140, for example.

  Further, in claim 3, the receiving means corresponds to the transmitting / receiving unit 110, for example. The display means corresponds to the display unit 140, for example. The accepting unit corresponds to the operation input unit 150, for example.

  Further, in claim 4, the display prompting the operation corresponds to, for example, the operation screen 143.

  Further, in claim 5, the transmission means corresponds to the transmitting / receiving unit 110, for example.

  Further, in claim 6, the connection means corresponds to the recording medium interface 190, for example.

  Further, in claim 12, the receiving unit corresponds to, for example, the transmission / reception unit 110. The accepting unit corresponds to the operation input unit 150, for example. The detection unit corresponds to the control unit 120, for example. The display means corresponds to the display unit 140, for example.

  In claim 15 or 17, a procedure for receiving device information of a plurality of devices from a plurality of devices corresponds to, for example, step S912. In addition, if a setting input related to the position is already received for each device related to the device information, the display means displays the position based on the setting input, and if the setting input related to the position is not yet received, the display means displays an unregistered device. For example, corresponds to steps S915 to S917. A procedure for receiving a setting input related to a position corresponds to step S918, for example. The procedure for displaying the positions of a plurality of devices on the display unit based on the setting input related to the position corresponds to, for example, step S919. In addition, a procedure for giving an operation instruction to a corresponding device when the displayed position is instructed corresponds to, for example, step S925.

  Further, in claim 16 or 18, a procedure for accepting a setting input regarding the positions of a plurality of devices corresponds to, for example, step S918. The procedure for receiving the measurement distance between these devices from a plurality of devices corresponds to, for example, step S951. A procedure for setting a predetermined reference device among a plurality of devices corresponds to, for example, step S952. The procedure for determining the reduction ratio from the measurement distance of the reference device and the display distance on the reference device display unit corresponds to, for example, step S953. The procedure for obtaining the display distance on the display unit of the device other than the reference device from the measurement distance and the reduction ratio of the device other than the reference device corresponds to, for example, step S954. Further, the procedure for fixing the setting position by the setting input for the reference device and detecting the position of the device from the setting input and the distance on the display for devices other than the reference device corresponds to, for example, step S955. The procedure for displaying the set position for the reference device on the display means and displaying the detected position for the devices other than the reference device on the display means corresponds to, for example, step S919. In addition, a procedure for giving an operation instruction to a corresponding device when the displayed position is instructed corresponds to, for example, step S925.

  The processing procedure described in the embodiment of the present invention may be regarded as a method having a series of these procedures, and a program for causing a computer to execute these series of procedures or a recording medium storing the program May be taken as

  As an application example of the present invention, for example, the present invention can be applied when a plurality of electronic devices are controlled by a single remote controller.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the operation system formed including the operation terminal 100 in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the content of the apparatus information 610 in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting sequence of the apparatus position in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display at the time of the setting in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation sequence of the apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display at the time of operation in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the attribute input sequence of the apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display at the time of the attribute input in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the signal strength investigation sequence in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the setting position in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a timing of the distance measurement between the apparatuses in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the position detection of the apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the setting process of the apparatus position in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation process of the apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the investigation process of the signal strength in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detection process of the apparatus position in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Operation terminal 101 Antenna 110 Transmission / reception part 120 Control part 130 Equipment information holding part 140 Display part 150 Operation input part 160 Setting position holding part 170 Signal strength holding part 190 Recording medium interface 200 Equipment 210 Transmission / reception part 220 Control part 230 Equipment information holding part 280 Timekeeping unit 290 Recording medium interface

Claims (18)

An operation system comprising a plurality of devices and an operation terminal for controlling the plurality of devices,
The plurality of devices includes a transmission unit that transmits device information of the devices,
The operation terminal includes a receiving unit that receives the device information from the plurality of devices, a display unit that displays positions of the plurality of devices based on the device information, and a receiving unit that receives an operation input. ,
When the setting input regarding the position of the plurality of devices is received as the operation input, the display unit displays the position of the plurality of devices based on the setting input. An operation system comprising a plurality of devices and an operation terminal for controlling the plurality of devices,
The plurality of devices includes a measuring unit that measures a distance between other devices, and a transmitting unit that transmits the measured distance,
The operation terminal includes a receiving unit that receives the measured distances from the plurality of devices, a receiving unit that receives a setting input regarding the positions of the plurality of devices, and the setting input for a predetermined reference device in the plurality of devices. For the other devices, the detection position for detecting the position of the device from the value based on the setting input and the measured distance, and the set position for the reference device is displayed and the other devices are displayed. And a display means for displaying the detected position. Receiving means for receiving device information of each of the plurality of devices from a plurality of devices;
Display means for displaying the positions of the plurality of devices based on the device information;
Receiving means for receiving an operation input,
When the setting input regarding the position of the plurality of devices is received as the operation input, the display means displays the position of the plurality of devices based on the setting input. The display means, when an instruction input at any position of the plurality of devices is received as the operation input, performs a display prompting an operation of the device related to the instruction input based on the device information. The operation terminal according to claim 3. The apparatus further comprises a transmission means for transmitting the operation instruction to the device related to the operation instruction when a predetermined operation instruction for a display prompting the operation of the device is received as the operation input. Item 4. The operation terminal according to Item 4. Further comprising a connection means for connecting the recording medium,
The said display means displays the position of the said apparatus only about the apparatus with which the authentication identifier recorded on the said recording medium and at least 1 authentication identifier contained in the said apparatus information correspond. Operation terminal. 4. The operation terminal according to claim 3, wherein when the attribute input of the plurality of devices is accepted as the operation input, the display means displays the positions of the plurality of devices based on the attribute input. . The operation terminal according to claim 7, wherein the attribute input of the plurality of devices indicates whether the device is a stationary device or a mobile device. The operation terminal according to claim 3, wherein the setting input related to the position is a setting input related to a position in a predetermined room. The operation terminal according to claim 3, wherein the setting input related to the position is a setting input related to a position over a plurality of rooms. The said display means calculates | requires the average value for every room about the signal strength from the apparatus in the position over several rooms, and displays the room where the said average value is the highest as a location of the said operation terminal. The operation terminal described. Receiving means for receiving measurement distances between these devices from a plurality of devices;
Receiving means for receiving a setting input related to the positions of the plurality of devices;
Detection means for detecting a position of the device from a value based on the setting input and the measurement distance for the other devices, while fixing a setting position by the setting input for the predetermined reference device in the plurality of devices;
An operation terminal comprising: a display unit that displays the set position for the reference device and displays the detected position for other devices. The operation terminal according to claim 12, wherein the reference device is a device at both ends of the longest measurement distance among the measurement distances. The setting input related to the position is a setting input related to the position over a plurality of rooms,
The operation terminal according to claim 13, wherein the reference device is provided for each room. An operation method in an operation terminal including display means for displaying positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled,
A procedure for receiving device information of each of the plurality of devices from the plurality of devices;
If a setting input related to the position has already been received for each device related to the device information, the display means displays the position based on the setting input, and if the setting input related to the position has not been received yet, the display means The procedure to display as an unregistered device,
A procedure for accepting a setting input related to the position;
A procedure for displaying the positions of the plurality of devices on the display means based on a setting input relating to the position;
And a procedure for performing an operation instruction to a corresponding device when the displayed position is instructed. An operation method in an operation terminal including display means for displaying positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled,
A procedure for receiving a setting input related to the positions of the plurality of devices;
Receiving a measurement distance between these devices from the plurality of devices;
A procedure for setting a predetermined reference device in the plurality of devices;
A procedure for determining a reduction ratio from the measurement distance of the reference device and the distance on the display in the display unit of the reference device;
A procedure for obtaining a distance on the display in the display unit of a device other than the reference device from the measurement distance of the device other than the reference device and the reduction ratio;
A procedure for detecting the position of the device from the setting input and the distance on the display for devices other than the reference device by fixing the setting position by the setting input for the reference device;
Displaying the set position on the display unit for the reference device and displaying the detected position on the display unit for devices other than the reference device;
And a procedure for performing an operation instruction to a corresponding device when the displayed position is instructed. In an operation terminal including a display unit that displays the positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled,
A procedure for receiving device information of each of the plurality of devices from the plurality of devices;
If a setting input related to the position has already been received for each device related to the device information, the display means displays the position based on the setting input, and if the setting input related to the position has not been received yet, the display means The procedure to display as an unregistered device,
A procedure for accepting a setting input related to the position;
A procedure for displaying the positions of the plurality of devices on the display means based on a setting input relating to the position;
A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for giving an operation instruction to a corresponding device when the displayed position is indicated. In an operation terminal including a display unit that displays the positions of a plurality of devices to be controlled,
A procedure for receiving a setting input related to the positions of the plurality of devices;
Receiving a measurement distance between these devices from the plurality of devices;
A procedure for setting a predetermined reference device in the plurality of devices;
A procedure for determining a reduction ratio from the measurement distance of the reference device and the distance on the display in the display unit of the reference device;
A procedure for obtaining a distance on the display in the display unit of a device other than the reference device from the measurement distance of the device other than the reference device and the reduction ratio;
A procedure for detecting the position of the device from the setting input and the distance on the display for devices other than the reference device by fixing the setting position by the setting input for the reference device;
Displaying the set position on the display unit for the reference device and displaying the detected position on the display unit for devices other than the reference device;
A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for giving an operation instruction to a corresponding device when the displayed position is indicated.

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