JP2007018303A - Terminal equipment and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide terminal equipment and a communication method for unifying user interfaces when network equipment is operated by a user. <P>SOLUTION: An output data preparing means 11 prepares output data where the function of network equipment is described based on command information showing a function capable of operating network equipment. A communication control means 5 transmits output data prepared by an output data preparing means 11 through a network to a user terminal. A connection equipment control means 10 transmits a command corresponding to a function selected by the user terminal based on the output data to network equipment. Even when the manufacturer of network equipment connected to the terminal equipment is different, the output data in which the function capable of operating the network equipment is described are transmitted to the user terminal so that it is possible for a user to operate the network equipment by a unified user interface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device connectable to a network and a communication method.

In recent years, a number of products in a category called “Internet home appliances” have been released by various companies as network devices that can be connected to a network. For this home appliance, for example, a network camera that distributes images of shops, construction sites, etc. via a network and can browse images from a remote personal computer, or a VTR that can be operated remotely via a network (Video Tape Recorder), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) recorder, air conditioner, and the like. Various network device control devices are known as methods for controlling such home appliances uniformly (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-306199 A

  However, since network devices often have different specifications for each manufacturer, user interfaces for operating network devices via a network may not be unified. For this reason, even the above-described network device control apparatus has a disadvantage that it is difficult for the user to operate a plurality of network home appliances (for example, air conditioners) from different manufacturers in the user's home.

  Moreover, in the above-described network device control apparatus, an anthropomorphic agent must be realized, and it is difficult to realize this in a terminal apparatus with limited hardware resources such as a central processing unit and a memory. There was an inconvenience.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a terminal device and a communication method that allow a user to easily operate a network device and improve convenience even if the operation interface of the network device is not unified. Objective.

  In order to solve this problem, a terminal device of the present invention is a terminal device that can be connected to a user terminal via a network and can be connected to one or more network devices, and can operate the network device. Output data creation means for creating output data describing the function of the network device based on command information indicating the function, and communication control for sending the output data created by the output data creation means to the user terminal via the network And a connected device control means for transmitting a command corresponding to the function selected by the user terminal based on the output data to the network device.

  According to the present invention, when the user operates the network device connected to the terminal device, the user can be provided with a unified user interface. Therefore, even if the operation interface of the network device is not unified, the user can The operation of the device can be performed easily and the convenience can be improved.

  A first invention of the present application is a terminal device that can be connected to a user terminal via a network and can be connected to one or more network devices, and is based on command information indicating an operable function of the network device. Output data creation means for creating output data describing the function of the network device, communication control means for sending the output data created by the output data creation means to the user terminal via the network, and based on the output data Connected device control means for transmitting a command corresponding to the function selected by the user terminal to the network device.

  According to this configuration, even if the manufacturer of the network device connected to the terminal device is different, output data describing the operable function of the network device is transmitted to the user terminal. The network device can be operated with the user interface provided.

  A second invention of the present application is the terminal device according to the first invention, wherein the output data creating means creates output data in which the function of the network device is described in a markup language.

  According to this configuration, since the output data is described in the markup language, it is possible to reliably display the functions operable on the network device on the display of the user terminal regardless of the model and specification of the user terminal.

  A third invention of the present application is the terminal device according to the first or second invention, wherein the communication control means encrypts and transmits the output data created by the output data creation means .

  According to this configuration, since data is encrypted when the user terminal or network device communicates with the terminal device, the transmitted / received data can be protected from eavesdropping or eavesdropping by a third party, and security can be ensured. .

  A fourth invention of the present application is a terminal device according to any one of the first to third inventions, further comprising an input data analyzing means for determining a connection environment of the user terminal, wherein the output data creating means is an input data The output data is created based on the connection environment determined by the analyzing means.

  According to this configuration, when the user operates a network device connected to the terminal device, an appropriate operation is performed according to an environment (for example, a personal computer, a portable information terminal, a mobile phone, etc.) used for the operation by the user. A user interface can be provided to the user.

  A fifth invention of the present application is a terminal device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, and the terminal device is connectable via a network to a command database storing command information, and is output. The data creation means obtains predetermined command information from the command database and creates output data based on the obtained command information.

  According to this configuration, only necessary command information needs to be stored in the terminal device, and the storage device of the terminal device can be saved.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication method for communicating with a user terminal and one or more network devices via a network, the network device based on command information indicating an operable function of the network device. The output data describing the function is created, the created output data is sent to the user terminal via the network, and the command corresponding to the function selected by the user terminal based on the output data is sent to the network device. It is characterized by doing.

  According to this configuration, even if the manufacturer of the network device connected to the terminal device is different, output data describing the operable function of the network device is transmitted to the user terminal. The network device can be operated with the user interface provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration using the terminal device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  1 is a terminal apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Reference numeral 2 denotes a network device such as a home appliance having a network function connected to the terminal device 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as “net home appliance”). Reference numeral 3 denotes a network constituted by the Internet, an intranet, or the like. Reference numeral 4 denotes a user terminal capable of transmitting and receiving data via the network 3.

  The terminal device 1 may be any communication device as long as it transmits command information to be described later to the user terminal 4 and transmits a command to the connected network device 2. Examples of the terminal device 1 include a gateway such as a home gateway, a server, and a personal computer. The user terminal 4 is a terminal capable of operating and setting the terminal device 1 and the network device 2 and is, for example, a personal computer, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the terminal device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes communication control means. The communication control unit 5 controls communication with the user terminal 4 and the connected network device 2 through the network 3. The communication control means 5 encrypts and decrypts the data, so that when the user terminal 4 or the network device 2 communicates with the terminal device 1, the transmitted / received data is protected from interception or eavesdropping by a third party. It becomes possible to do. For encryption, for example, protocols such as SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and IPSec (IP Security Protocol) can be used, and in the case of wireless, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) can be used. But this is not the case.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes user data input / output means. The user data input / output means 6 provides the user with a user interface for displaying various settings and statuses from the user terminal 4 to the terminal device 1 and the network device 2. The user data input / output means 6 usually has an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) server function, starts a Web browser on the user terminal 4, and sets the terminal device 1 and the network device 2 on the screen. You can go and display the status.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes input data analysis means. The input data analysis unit 7 analyzes various data such as a set value input from the user data input / output unit 6 and a command to the network device 2.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes command storage means. The command storage unit 8 stores command information. The command information refers to information indicating the operable function of the network device. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the command describing the model name of the network device 2 and an instruction for controlling the device. A group.

  FIG. 6 shows a diagram showing an example of command information stored in the command storage means in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 6A shows the command information of the camera having the model name “AA-1357A”, and FIG. 6B shows the command information of the camera having the model name “BB-XDR”. These two cameras have different manufacturers, and the model name is defined by the manufacturer.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the camera command information of the model name “AA-1357A” includes “pan (left)” (swing to the left in the horizontal direction), “pan (right)” (horizontal Tag “tilt to the right of direction”, “tilt (up)” (vertical head up), “tilt (down)” (vertical head down), and “scan” The command “<COMMAND>” described in FIG. That is, the camera of the model name “AA-1357A” can operate the functions of “pan (left)”, “pan (right)”, “tilt (up)”, “tilt (down)”, and “scan”. It is.

  In the camera command information of the model name “BB-XDR”, as shown in FIG. 6B, a command “<COMMAND>” in which “pan (left)” and “pan (right)” are described by tags. It is shown. That is, the camera of the model name “BB-XDR” can operate the functions of “pan (left)” and “pan (right)”.

  The command information stored in the command storage unit 8 is described in association with an operation on the network device 2 and a command necessary for the operation using a description language such as XML (Extensible Markup Language). Note that the description language includes a markup language and the like, for example, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) in addition to XML. Further, the command information is not limited to the case described in the markup language as described above, but may be constituted by a series of data transmitted when an operation is performed on the network device 2.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes connected device information management means. As shown in FIG. 5, the connected device information management unit 9 stores and manages information necessary for managing the network device 2 connected to the terminal device 1 such as the model name and IP address of the network device 2.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of network device information managed by the connected device information management means according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the identifier uniquely assigned to the network device 2 connected to the terminal device 1, the device name arbitrarily set by the user, the model name defined by the manufacturer, and the set IP address are managed. ing. Here, two cameras, a camera with a model name “AA-1357A” arranged at “entrance” and a camera with a model name “BB-XDR” arranged in “bedroom”, are connected to the terminal device 1. An example in which the network device 2 is connected is shown.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes connected device control means. The connected device control unit 10 controls the network device 2 by transmitting / receiving data such as commands to / from the network device 2 using the communication control unit 5.

  Reference numeral 11 denotes output data creation means. The output data creation unit 11 outputs data to the user using the user data input / output unit 6 and creates a response to the user described using a markup language such as HTML. The created output data (response) is transmitted to the user terminal 4 via the network 3 by the user data input / output means 6 and the communication control means 5. Note that this output data can also be described in a markup language such as XML or SGML, as described above.

  Hereinafter, operation | movement of the terminal device 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is demonstrated based on FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, it is assumed that two cameras from different manufacturers are connected to the terminal device 1 as the network device 2.

  In step S <b> 1, the user accesses the terminal device 1 via the network 3 using the user terminal 4. Examples of the access method include a method of accessing a specific page using the web browser of the user terminal 4 when the terminal device 1 is equipped with an HTTP server function. In recent years, there is also a terminal device that provides a function called “portal” that displays a list of all connected network devices 2. In such a terminal device, when accessing a specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator), a list of network devices 2 is displayed.

  Here, the description will proceed assuming that the terminal device 1 has an HTTP server function and the user has accessed a portal for displaying a list of network devices 2 using the Web browser of the user terminal 4.

  In step S <b> 2, a request from the user received by the communication control unit 5 and input by the user data input / output unit 6 is analyzed using the input data analysis unit 7. As a result of analysis, if the access is to the portal, the connected device control means 10 outputs a list of connected network devices 2 from the connected device information management means 9 in order to output a list of connected network devices 2. And information such as device names and IP addresses (see FIG. 5).

  In step S3, the output data creation means 11 is used to create output data (HTML data) describing the connected network device 2 as data to be output to the user from the information read in step S2. To do. Here, output data is created using HTML, but it is also possible to create output data in a markup language such as SGML or XML.

  At this time, the input data analysis unit 7 may determine the connection environment of the user terminal 4 so that the output data generation unit 11 generates output data according to the connection environment determined by the input data analysis unit 7. Is possible. The connection environment of the user terminal 4 refers to an environment used by the user for operation. Specifically, the attribute of the user terminal 4 (for example, the type of personal computer, PDA, mobile phone, etc.) and the content description used by the carrier There are languages. By doing so, when the user operates the network device 2 connected to the terminal device 1, an appropriate user interface (for example, in the case of access from a portable information terminal) according to the connection environment of the user terminal 4. HTML data with a reduced screen size can be output, and in the case of access from a mobile phone, a content description language corresponding to the carrier can be provided to the user.

  In step S 4, the user data input / output unit 6 outputs the output data created in step S 3 to the user terminal 4 via the network 3 using the communication control unit 5.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of output data displayed on the display of the user terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 4A, two cameras, That is, “entrance camera” and “bedroom camera” are displayed.

  In step S5, the user selects the network device 2 to be operated on the user terminal 4 on which the HTML data (portal) is displayed. Information input by the user (with an identifier corresponding to the selected network device 2) is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the terminal device 1 via the network 3. The transmitted data is input into the terminal device 1 by the communication control means 5 and the user data input / output means 6.

  In step S6, the input data analysis means 7 is used to analyze the data input by the user (extract the selected identifier). In this step, based on the extracted identifier, information on which device is the operation target is acquired.

  In step S7, according to the result analyzed in step S6, the connected device control unit 10 reads information on the network device 2 to be operated from the command storage unit 8 and the connected device information management unit 9. In this step, according to the model name of the network device 2 selected by the user, what function the model supports is read from the command storage unit 8.

  In step S8, the output data creation means 11 is used to create data (HTML data) for output to the user from the information read in step S7.

  In step S 9, the user data input / output unit 6 outputs the data created in step S 8 via the network 3 using the communication control unit 5.

  For example, when the user selects “entrance camera”, the identifier “1” is input into the terminal device 1 as information input by the user. The connected device control means 10 reads the model name corresponding to the identifier “1”, that is, the model name “AA-1357A” from the information stored in the connected device information management means 9 (see FIG. 5). When the model name is read, the connected device control unit 10 reads “Pan (left)” corresponding to the model name “AA-1357A” from the command information stored in the command storage unit 8 (see FIG. 6A). "," Pan (Right) "," Tilt (Up) "," Tilt (Down) ", and" Scan "command information is read. The output data creation means 11 creates output data describing the function of the camera having the model name “AA-1357A” based on the read command information. The user data input / output means 6 creates the output data. The output data is output using the communication control means 5.

  Upon receiving the output data, the user terminal 4 displays the output data on a display (not shown) as shown in FIG. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a display example of output data indicating the function of the “entrance camera”. On the display (not shown) of the user terminal 4, “pan (left)” and “pan (right)” are displayed. "," Tilt (up) "," tilt (down) ", and" scan "functions are displayed.

  On the other hand, when the user selects “bedroom camera”, the identifier “2” is input into the terminal device 1 as information input by the user. The connected device control means 10 reads the model name corresponding to the identifier “2”, that is, the model name “BB-XDR” from the information (see FIG. 5) stored in the connected device information management means 9. When the model name is read, the connected device control unit 10 reads “Pan (left)” corresponding to the model name “BB-XDR” from the command information stored in the command storage unit 8 (see FIG. 6B). "And" Pan (right) "command information is read out. The output data creation means 11 creates output data describing the function of the camera having the model name “BB-XDR” based on the read command information, and the user data input / output means 6 creates the output data. The output data is output using the communication control means 5.

  Upon receiving the output data, the user terminal 4 displays the output data on a display (not shown) as shown in FIG. FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a display example of output data indicating the function of the “bedroom camera”, and “pan (left)” and “pan (right)” are displayed on the display (not shown) of the user terminal 4. "Is displayed.

  In step S10, the user selects an operation to be executed on the user terminal 4 on which the output data output in step S9 is displayed. Information input by the user is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the terminal device 1 via the network 3. The transmitted data is input into the terminal device 1 by the communication control means 5 and the user data input / output means 6. In step S11, the input data analyzing means 7 is used to analyze data input by the user. In this step, information on which operation is performed is acquired.

  In step S <b> 12, the connected device control unit 10 reads a command to be transmitted from the command storage unit 8 in order to operate the network device 2 according to the result analyzed in step S <b> 11.

  In step S13, the connected device control means 10 transmits the command read in step S12 to the network device 2 to be operated using the communication control means 5. The protocol used for command transmission may be HTTP or SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), but is not limited thereto.

  In step S14, the output data creation means 11 is used to create output data described in HTML as data to be output to the user. Here, the output data may be one that notifies the user of the success / failure of the operation, but is not limited thereto. Note that output data described in HTML can be created in a markup language such as SGML or XML.

  In step S15, the user data input / output means 6 outputs the output data created in step S14 via the network 3 using the communication control means 5. When receiving the output data, the user terminal 4 displays the output data on a display (not shown) as shown in FIG. FIG. 4D is a diagram illustrating a display example of output data indicating that the selected function has been executed. In this example, a “pan (left)” operation is performed on the “entrance camera”. Is displayed.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when a user operates a network device connected to a terminal device, a unified user interface can be provided to the user.

  Further, the user data input / output means 6 is constituted by an HTTP server (Web server), so that the user can access the terminal device 1 from various network terminals equipped with a Web browser such as a personal computer, a mobile phone, and a mobile terminal device. The connected network device 2 can be operated.

  Further, the input data analysis means 7 can discriminate the user connection environment (access source connected device information), and the output data creation means 11 can create output data according to the connection environment discriminated by the input data analysis means 7. Therefore, when the user operates the network device connected to the terminal device, an appropriate user interface (for example, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, etc.) For example, in the case of access from a portable information terminal, HTML data with a reduced screen size is output, and in the case of access from a mobile phone, a content description language corresponding to the carrier is used.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a system configuration using the terminal device 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Each element of the terminal device 1 shown in FIG. 7 is the same as that of the terminal device 1 shown in FIG. 2, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. Only differences from the terminal device 1 shown in FIG. 2 will be described below.

  The terminal device 1 shown in FIG. 7 is connected to the command database 12 via the network 3. The command database 12 is a database in a storage device on the network 3 outside the terminal device 1, and is a database of command information of network devices shipped from each manufacturer for each model. The command information is the same as that already described with reference to FIG. 6, and is described in association with an operation on the network device 2 (see FIG. 1) and a command necessary for the operation using a description language such as XML. Further, it is assumed that the command storage means 8 of the terminal device 1 does not store command information in the initial state.

  In the above configuration, the terminal device 1 downloads from the command database 12 as necessary. For example, the user data input / output unit 6 downloads predetermined command information from the command database 12 via the communication control unit 5 and the network 3 when the terminal device 1 is started up or when the network device 2 is connected. The command information thus stored is stored in the command storage means 8. The output data creation unit 11 acquires predetermined command information from the command storage unit 8 and generates output data based on the acquired command information.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the command storage unit 8 obtains the command information of the network device 2 connected to the terminal device 1 from the command database 12 existing on the network 3 outside the terminal device 1. By acquiring, only necessary command information needs to be stored in the command storage means 8, and the storage device of the terminal device 1 can be saved, and at the same time, it becomes easy to deal with new network home appliances.

  In addition, the network apparatus 2 connected to the terminal device 1 may be single or plural. In addition, the terminal device 1 is configured to be connected to the network device 2 and the network 3, but the connection form may be either wired or wireless.

  The terminal device of the present invention can provide the user with a unified user interface when the user operates a network device connected to the terminal device. Therefore, it can be used for home gateways and servers that manage various network devices such as network home appliances.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a system configuration using a terminal device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Functional block diagram showing functions of the terminal device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the terminal device in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a display of the output data displayed on the display of the user terminal in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the information of the network device which the connection apparatus information management means in Embodiment 1 of this invention manages. The figure which shows an example of the command information stored in the command memory | storage means in Embodiment 1 of this invention System configuration diagram showing an example of a system configuration using the terminal device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal device 2 Network equipment 3 Network 4 User terminal 5 Communication control means 6 User data input / output means 7 Input data analysis means 8 Command storage means 9 Connected equipment information management means 10 Connected equipment control means 11 Output data creation means 12 Command database

Claims (6)

A terminal device that can be connected to a user terminal via a network and can be connected to one or more network devices,
Based on command information indicating the operable function of the network device, output data creating means for creating output data describing the function of the network device;
Communication control means for transmitting the output data created by the output data creation means to the user terminal via the network;
A terminal device comprising: a connected device control means for transmitting a command corresponding to a function selected by the user terminal based on the output data to the network device. The terminal device according to claim 1,
The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output data creating means creates output data in which a function of the network device is described in a markup language. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2,
The terminal device characterized in that the communication control means encrypts and transmits the output data created by the output data creation means. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:
Input data analysis means for determining the connection environment of the user terminal,
The terminal device characterized in that the output data creation means creates the output data based on the connection environment determined by the input data analysis means. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The terminal device is freely connectable with a command database storing the command information via the network,
The output data creation means obtains predetermined command information from the command database, and creates the output data based on the obtained command information. A communication method for communicating with a user terminal via a network and one or more network devices,
Based on command information indicating the operable function of the network device, create output data describing the function of the network device,
The created output data is transmitted to the user terminal via the network,
A communication method, comprising: transmitting a command corresponding to a function selected by the user terminal based on the output data to the network device.

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