JP2008032655A - Control terminal and equipment control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent hazardous remote control from the outside of a house. <P>SOLUTION: This control terminal 10a for controlling equipment to be controlled comprises a location determining section 111a for determining whether the location of own terminal is within a predetermined region in which the equipment to be controlled is installed, and a specifiable command selection section 112 for selecting a specifiable command to the equipment to be controlled, of the commands for controlling the equipment to be controlled, in response to whether the location of own terminal is inside the predetermined region. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control terminal for controlling a controlled device and a device control method used for the control terminal.

  In recent years, devices such as home appliances and home appliances can be connected to a communication network laid in a house or the like, a so-called “home network”. Such a home network is generally connected to the Internet or a telephone network including a mobile phone network. For this reason, the user can remotely control the controlled device connected to the home network from outside the home using a control terminal such as a mobile phone terminal (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In addition to a connection function with a mobile phone network, a mobile phone terminal (hereinafter referred to as “dual terminal”) having a connection function with a wireless local area network (LAN) or the like has been developed. In the dual terminal, it is possible to connect to a wireless LAN in a place such as a house where a wireless LAN environment is established, and to connect to a mobile phone network in a place such as outside the house where the wireless LAN environment is not established. Furthermore, if a dual terminal is used as a control terminal in a home network, it is possible to provide a control environment with the same operational feeling (user interface) without being conscious of inside and outside the house.
JP 2001-256156 A

  However, some controls that can be executed in the home network may be dangerous when executed from outside the house. For example, unlocking the key, starting the fan heater, releasing the operation of the security sensor, and the like correspond to remote control in which danger occurs.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a control terminal and a device control method capable of preventing dangerous remote control from outside the house.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first feature of the present invention is a control terminal for controlling a controlled device, wherein whether or not the location of the terminal is within a predetermined area where the controlled device is installed is determined. A location determination unit for determining, and an instructable command for selecting a command that can be instructed to the controlled device from commands for controlling the controlled device, depending on whether the location of the terminal is within a predetermined area The gist is to include a selection unit.

  According to this feature, the instructable command selection unit selects a command that can be instructed to the controlled device according to whether or not the location of the terminal is within a predetermined area, thereby It is possible to prevent dangerous remote control from a place (for example, outside the house) other than the predetermined area.

  According to a second feature, the control terminal according to the first feature further includes a plurality of communication interfaces respectively connected to the plurality of communication networks, and a communication selection unit that selects a destination communication network from the plurality of communication networks. The location determination unit determines that the location of the terminal is within the predetermined area when the communication system of the selected communication network matches the communication system of the communication network laid in the predetermined area. And

  According to this feature, the location determination unit determines whether the location of the own terminal is within a predetermined area (for example, at home) according to the communication network of the connection destination, so that the location of the own terminal is within the predetermined area. It can be easily determined whether or not.

  The third feature is that in the control terminal according to the second feature, the location determination unit matches the communication method of the selected communication network with the communication method of the communication network laid in the predetermined area, and The gist is to determine that the location of the terminal is within the predetermined area when the identifier of the selected communication network matches the identifier of the communication network laid in the predetermined area.

  According to this feature, the location determination unit matches the communication method of the selected communication network with the communication method of the communication network laid in the predetermined area, and the identifier of the selected communication network is If it matches the identifier of the communication network laid in the predetermined area, it can be determined whether the location of the own terminal is within the predetermined area by determining that the location of the own terminal is within the predetermined area. Can be determined.

  The fourth feature is that, in the control terminal according to the first feature, a plurality of communication interfaces respectively connected to the plurality of communication networks, and a received electric field from a communication network laid in a predetermined area among the plurality of communication networks. The present invention further includes a reception strength detection unit that detects the strength, and the location determination unit determines that the location of the terminal itself is within a predetermined area when the received electric field strength is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

  According to this feature, the location determination unit determines that the location of the terminal is within the predetermined region when the received electric field strength from the communication network laid in the predetermined region is equal to or greater than the threshold. It is possible to easily determine whether the location of is within a predetermined area.

  The fifth feature is the control terminal according to the first feature, further comprising a communication interface connected to the communication network, and the location determination unit detects that the controlled device is connected to the communication network, The gist is to determine that the location of the terminal is within a predetermined area.

  According to this feature, when the controlled device is connected to the communication network, the location determination unit determines that the location of the own terminal is within the predetermined region, so that the location of the own terminal is within the predetermined region. It can be easily determined whether or not there is.

  A sixth feature is a device control method used for a control terminal that controls a controlled device, the step of determining whether the location of the control terminal is within a predetermined area where the controlled device is installed; The present invention includes a step of selecting a command that can be instructed to the controlled device from commands for controlling the controlled device, depending on whether the location of the control terminal is within a predetermined area.

  According to this feature, the method includes a step of selecting a command that can be instructed to the controlled device from the commands for controlling the controlled device, depending on whether or not the location of the control terminal is within a predetermined area. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dangerous remote control from a place other than the predetermined area where the controlled device is installed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the control terminal and apparatus control method which can prevent dangerous remote control from the place away from to-be-controlled apparatuses, such as a house, can be provided.

  Next, first to third embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings in the first to third embodiments, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

[First Embodiment]
(Example of overall system configuration)
FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a device control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The device control system shown in FIG. 1 includes a control terminal 10a, an IP (Internet Protocol) network 30a, a home wireless LAN 30b, an external wireless LAN 30c, a mobile phone network 30d, and a controlled device 20. .

  The home wireless LAN 30b is laid in the home of the user of the control terminal 10a and has at least one access point (hereinafter referred to as “AP”). The outside wireless LAN 30c is laid outside the user's home of the control terminal 10a and has at least one AP.

  The cellular phone network 30d includes, for example, a radio base station (not shown) and a radio access network (RAN). The IP (Internet Protocol) network 30a is, for example, the Internet, and connects the in-home wireless LAN 30b, the out-of-home wireless LAN 30c, and the mobile phone network 30d to each other.

  The controlled device 20 is installed in the user's home of the control terminal 10a and is connected to the home wireless LAN 30b. In the example of FIG. 1, the controlled device 20 includes an air conditioner 20a, a fan heater 20b, and a human sensor 20c. The controlled device 20 performs various operations by receiving a control instruction message including a command for controlling itself from the control terminal 10a.

  The control terminal 10a is a mobile phone terminal (dual terminal) having a plurality of communication interfaces (hereinafter referred to as “communication I / F”), and is connected to the home wireless LAN 30b, the external wireless LAN 30c, and the mobile phone network 30d. Is possible. The control terminal 10a remotely controls the controlled device 20 via the in-home wireless LAN 30b, the out-of-home wireless LAN 30c, or the mobile phone network 30d.

  Further, the control terminal 10a determines whether or not the location of the own terminal is in the home where the controlled device 20 is installed, and determines the controlled device 20 depending on whether or not the location of the own terminal is in the home. Of the commands to be controlled, a command that can be instructed to the controlled device 20 (hereinafter referred to as “instructible command”) is selected.

  In the following first embodiment, the control terminal 10a determines that the location of its own terminal is in-home when the communication method of the connection-destination communication network is a communication network (in-home wireless LAN 30b) laid in the house. The case where it does is demonstrated.

(Configuration example of control terminal)
As shown in FIG. 2, the control terminal 10a according to the first embodiment includes a wireless LAN communication I / F 101, a mobile phone network communication I / F 102, a reception intensity detection unit 103, a communication selection unit 104a, and a control instruction. Message generation unit 105, connection information storage unit 106, display unit 107, device control screen generation unit 108, control command information storage unit 109, operation detection unit 110, location determination unit 111a, and instructable command selection Unit 112 and an input unit 113. As the display unit 107, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) can be used. For example, a keypad or a scroll button can be used as the input unit 113.

  The wireless LAN communication I / F 101 performs communication by connecting to a wireless LAN (in-home wireless LAN 30b or out-of-home wireless LAN 30c). The mobile phone network communication I / F 102 communicates by connecting to the mobile phone network 30d.

  The connection information storage unit 106 stores home network information indicating information related to the home wireless LAN 30b and connection information indicating information related to the communication network to which the connection is made. The control command information storage unit 109 stores control command information in which various commands for the controlled device 20 are associated with a place where the command can be executed (for example, inside or outside the house). Details of home network information, connection information, and control command information will be described later.

  The reception intensity detection unit 103 detects the reception electric field intensity from the wireless LAN (in-home wireless LAN 30b or external wireless LAN 30c). The detection result of the received electric field strength is notified to the communication selection unit 104a.

  The communication selection unit 104 a selects a connection destination communication network according to the received electric field strength notified from the received strength detection unit 103. Specifically, the communication selection unit 104a selects a wireless LAN (in-home wireless LAN 30b or out-of-home wireless LAN 30c) as a connection destination communication network when the notified received electric field strength is equal to or higher than a set level.

  On the other hand, the communication selection unit 104a selects the mobile phone network 30d as the connection destination communication network when the notified received electric field strength becomes weaker than the set level. However, even if the notified received electric field strength is lower than the set level, the communication selecting unit 104a does not use the cellular phone network 30d when the received electric field strength from another wireless LAN is higher than the set level. Instead, the other wireless LAN is selected as the connection destination. When the communication network of the connection destination is switched, the communication selection unit 104a notifies the location determination unit 111a of the communication method identifier and the network identifier of the communication network connected after the switching, and requests the determination of the location of the own terminal.

  The location determination unit 111a receives the communication method identifier and network identifier of the connection destination communication network notified from the communication selection unit 104a, and the communication method identifier and network identifier included in the home network information stored in the connection information storage unit 106. If they are the same, that is, if the communication network of the connection destination is the home wireless LAN 30b, it is determined that the location of the own terminal is in the home. On the other hand, when the communication method identifier and the network identifier are different, that is, when the communication network of the connection destination is not the home wireless LAN 30b, it is determined that the location of the own terminal is outside the home.

  The operation detection unit 110 detects an operation input to the input unit 113 by the user. The operation content detected by the operation detection unit 110 includes a display request operation for a device control screen for controlling the controlled device 20 and a control instruction operation for controlling the controlled device 20. When the operation detection unit 110 detects a display request operation for the device control screen, the operation detection unit 110 requests the instructable command selection unit 112 to select an instructable command.

  The instructable command selection unit 112 selects an instructable command in response to an instructable command selection request from the operation detection unit 110. Specifically, the instructable command selection unit 112 responds to the location of its own terminal based on the connection information stored in the connection information storage unit 106 and the control command information stored in the control command information storage unit 109. Command to be selected is selected as an instructable command. The instructable command selected by the instructable command selection unit 112 is notified to the device control screen generation unit 108.

  The device control screen generation unit 108 generates device control screen data based on the instructable command notified from the instructable command selection unit 112. The display unit 107 displays the device control screen generated by the device control screen generation unit 108. On the device control screen, a list of controlled devices 20 and instructable commands are displayed in association with each other. The user uses the input unit 113 to determine a command for the controlled device 20 from the device control screen displayed on the display unit 107.

  The operation detection unit 110 detects a control instruction operation input by the user during display of the device control screen, and notifies the control instruction message generation unit 105 of the content of the control instruction operation.

  The control instruction message generation unit 105 generates a control instruction message according to the content of the control instruction operation notified from the operation detection unit 110. Thereafter, the control instruction message generation unit 105 acquires information related to the communication network of the connection destination from the connection information storage unit 106, and controls the wireless LAN communication I / F 101 or the mobile phone network communication I / F 102 based on the acquired information. Request to send a message. The wireless LAN communication I / F 101 or the mobile phone network communication I / F 102 transmits a control instruction message in response to a transmission request for the control instruction message. Details of the control instruction message will be described later.

(Home network information and connection information)
Next, home network information stored in the connection information storage unit 106 will be described. The home network information is information in which a communication method identifier for identifying a home network communication method and a network identifier for identifying a home network (for example, ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier)) are associated with each other. In the example of FIG. 3A, the communication scheme identifier “wireless LAN” and the network identifier (ESSID) “HOME-AP” are associated with each other. The home network information can be acquired while connected to the home network (home wireless LAN 30b).

  Next, connection information stored in the connection information storage unit 106 will be described. The connection information is information in which the communication method identifier of the connection destination communication network, the network identifier for identifying the connection destination communication network, and the location information of the own terminal determined by the location determination unit 111a are associated with each other.

  FIG. 3B shows connection information when the connection destination is the mobile phone network 30d. The connection information shown in FIG. 3B associates the communication method identifier “mobile phone network” with the location of the terminal “outside home”.

  FIG. 3C shows connection information when connected to the home wireless LAN 30b. The connection information shown in FIG. 3C associates the communication method identifier “wireless LAN”, the network identifier “HOME-AP”, and the location “in-home” of the terminal itself.

  The location determination unit 111a described above compares the home network information and the connection information. If the home network information and the connection information match, the location determination unit 111a determines that the location of the terminal is in the home, If the connection information does not match, it is determined that the location of the terminal is outside the home.

(Control command information)
Next, control command information stored in the control command information storage unit 109 will be described. The control command information includes a device identifier for identifying each controlled device, device type information indicating the device type of each controlled device, a controllable command for each controlled device, and a location where each command can be indicated Is associated with each other.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the device identifier “bedroom air conditioner”, the device type information “air conditioner”, the command “on”, and the instructable location “all (in-home / out-of-home) possible” are associated. . As for the device type information “air conditioner”, there is a low possibility of danger even if it is controlled from outside the house. Therefore, for each command corresponding to the device identifier “bedroom air conditioner”, the instructable location is “all (in-home / “Outside the house)”. On the other hand, for remote control where there is a high possibility of danger if it is controlled from outside the house, the instructable location is limited to “in-house”.

(Control instruction message)
Next, the control instruction message generated by the control instruction message generation unit 105 will be described. The control instruction message includes a device identifier for the controlled device to be remotely controlled and a command indicating the content of the remote control. In the example of FIG. 5, the control instruction message includes a device identifier “bedroom air conditioner” and a command “ON”.

(Operation example of control terminal)
Next, an operation example of the control terminal 10a will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S101, the operation detection unit 110 determines whether or not the user has requested display of the device control screen. When the display of the device control screen is requested by the user, the process proceeds to step S102.

  In step S102, the location determination unit 111a acquires the location of the own terminal from the connection information stored in the connection information storage unit 106, and determines whether the location of the own terminal is in the house. If it is determined that the location of the terminal is in the house, the process proceeds to step S103. If it is determined that the location of the terminal is outside the home, the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S103, the instructable command selection unit 112 acquires a command that can be instructed from the control command information storage unit 109 and notifies the device control screen generation unit 108 of the acquired command as an instructable command. The device control screen generation unit 108 generates a home device control screen using the notified instructable command.

  In step S104, the instructable command selection unit 112 acquires a command that can be instructed outside the home from the control command information storage unit 109, and notifies the device control screen generation unit 108 of the acquired command as an instructable command. The device control screen generation unit 108 generates an out-of-home device control screen by using the notified instructable command.

  In step S105, the display unit 107 displays the device control screen generated in step S103 or step S104.

  In step S106, the operation detection unit 110 determines whether a control instruction is input from the user. When a control instruction is input from the user, the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S107, information related to the communication network of the connection destination is acquired from the connection information storage unit 106, and the wireless LAN communication I / F 101 or the mobile phone network communication I / F 102 is requested to transmit a control instruction message based on the acquired information. . The wireless LAN communication I / F 101 or the mobile phone network communication I / F 102 transmits a control instruction message in response to a transmission request for the control instruction message.

  According to the first embodiment, when not connected to the home wireless LAN 30b, control commands that are permitted only from home, such as turning on the fan heater, cannot be executed. However, there is a case where the user is not connected to the home wireless LAN 30b for some reason even when in the home.

  For example, the reception electric field strength of the home wireless LAN 30b is not sufficient due to the influence of the position of the AP and the like, and it is conceivable that the mobile phone network 30d is connected while in the home. It is also conceivable that some failure occurs in the home wireless LAN 30b such as an AP and the home wireless LAN 30b cannot be connected.

  Therefore, even if not connected to the home wireless LAN 30b, if a predetermined condition is satisfied, it is determined that the user is in the home and the execution of the control command permitted only from the home is permitted. At this time, as the predetermined condition, it is conceivable that the user intentionally performs an operation, receives a minute radio wave of the home wireless LAN 30b that does not change the connection destination, and the like.

(Function and effect)
As described above in detail, according to the first embodiment, the instructable command selection unit 112 receives an instruction from a command that controls the controlled device 20 according to whether or not the location of the terminal itself is in the house. By selecting the possible commands, it is possible to limit commands that can be instructed from outside the house, so that dangerous remote control from outside the house can be prevented.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the location of the control terminal 10a is in the house, “ON” and “OFF” are displayed on the display unit 107 as commands that can be instructed to the human sensor 20c on the device control screen. Although displayed, if the location of the control terminal 10 a is outside the home, only “ON” is displayed on the display unit 107 as a command that can be instructed to the human sensor 20 c. Similarly, when the location of the control terminal 10a is in the house, “ON” and “OFF” are displayed as commands that can be instructed to the fan heater 20b, but the location of the control terminal 10a is outside the home. Only “OFF” is displayed on the display unit 107 as a command that can be instructed to the fan heater 20b.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, the location determination unit 111a matches the communication method of the connection destination communication network with the communication method of the home wireless LAN 30b, and the network identifier of the connection destination communication network is the home wireless. By determining that the location of the own terminal is in the house when it matches the network identifier of the LAN 30b, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the location of the own terminal is in the house.

  That is, by making a match determination for the communication method, it is possible to distinguish between the wireless LAN (the home wireless LAN 30b and the outside wireless LAN 30c) and the mobile phone network 30d, and by making a match determination for the network identifier, The external wireless LAN 30c can be discriminated.

[Second Embodiment]
In 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the case where the control terminal 10a performed the switching of a connection destination automatically was demonstrated. In the second embodiment of the present invention, a case where the user manually switches the connection destination communication network will be described.

  When the connection destination communication network is switched manually, connection to the mobile phone network 30d may be selected even in the home. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the location of the control terminal is determined according to the received electric field strength from the home network (home wireless LAN 30b). Note that, in the following second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

(Configuration example of control terminal)
As shown in FIG. 8, the control terminal 10b according to the second embodiment requests the location detection unit 111b to detect the location when the commandable command selection unit 112 selects the command that can be instructed. 111b is different from FIG. 2 in that it determines the location of its own terminal based on the received electric field strength detected by the received strength detector 103 and notifies the instructable command of the determination result.

  The connection information storage unit 106 holds only connection information and does not hold home network information, and the communication selection unit 104b switches connection destinations based on the detection result of the operation detection unit 110. , Different from FIG.

  When receiving the instructable command selection request from the operation detection unit 110, the instructable command acquisition unit 112 requests the location detection unit 111b to detect the location of the terminal itself. And based on the detection result of the location detection part 111b, the command corresponding to the location of the own terminal is selected as an instructable command. The instructable command selected by the instructable command acquisition unit 112 is notified to the device control screen generation unit 108.

  The location detection unit 111b detects the location of the terminal itself based on a request from the instructable command acquisition unit 112. Specifically, if the received electric field strength from the home wireless LAN 30b detected by the received strength detection unit 103 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is determined that the location of the own terminal is in the home. On the other hand, when the received electric field intensity from the home wireless LAN 30b is smaller than the threshold, it is determined that the location of the terminal is outside the home.

  When the operation detection unit 110 detects a connection destination switching operation from the user, the operation detection unit 110 requests the communication selection unit 104b to switch the connection destination. When the communication selection unit 104b is requested to switch the connection destination, the communication selection unit 104b switches the communication network of the connection destination.

  In the second embodiment, the connection information held by the connection information storage unit 106 is information in which a communication method identifier and a network identifier are associated with each other, and the location information included in the first embodiment is Not included.

(Operation example of control terminal)
Next, an operation example of the control terminal 10b will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S101, the operation detection unit 110 determines whether or not the user has requested display of the device control screen. When the display of the device control screen is requested by the user, the process proceeds to step S201.

  In step S201, the location detection unit 111b acquires the received electric field strength from the home wireless LAN 30b detected by the reception strength detection unit 103, and determines whether or not the threshold value is greater than or equal to the threshold value. If the received electric field strength is greater than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, when the received electric field strength is smaller than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S104. Since the subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, redundant description is omitted.

(Function and effect)
According to the second embodiment, the location determination unit 111b determines the location of its own terminal according to the received electric field strength from the home wireless LAN 30b, so that the user manually switches the communication network to be connected. However, it can be easily determined whether the location of the terminal is in the house.

[Third Embodiment]
In the third embodiment of the present invention, a case will be described in which the location of the control terminal is determined according to whether or not the controlled device 20 is connected to the connection destination communication network. In the following third embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

(Configuration example of control terminal)
A configuration example of the control terminal 10c according to the third embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the control terminal 10 c is different from FIG. 2 in that it includes a device list storage unit 120 that stores a device list describing device identifiers of each controlled device.

  The communication I / F 121 may include a wireless LAN communication I / F and a mobile phone network communication I / F as in FIG. 2, or may include only the wireless LAN communication I / F.

  The location determination unit 111c acquires the device identifier of each device connected to the connection destination communication network via the communication I / F 121.

  In addition, the location determination unit 111c compares the device list stored in the device list storage unit 120 with each device identifier acquired via the communication I / F 121, and transmits the controlled device 20 to the connection destination communication network. It is determined whether or not is connected. As a result, when it is determined that the controlled device 20 is connected to the communication network of the connection destination, it is determined that the location of the own terminal is in the home. On the other hand, when it is determined that the controlled device 20 is not connected to the communication network of the connection destination, it is determined that the location of the own terminal is outside the home.

(Operation example of control terminal)
Next, an operation example of the control terminal 10c will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S101, the operation detection unit 110 determines whether or not the user has requested display of the device control screen. When the display of the device control screen is requested by the user, the process proceeds to step S301.

  In step S301, the location determination unit 111c determines whether or not the controlled device 20 is connected to the connection destination communication network. When it is determined that the controlled device 20 is connected to the connection destination communication network, the process proceeds to step S103. When it is determined that the controlled device 20 is not connected to the connection destination communication network, the process proceeds to step S104. Since the subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, redundant description is omitted.

(Function and effect)
According to the third embodiment, the location determination unit 111c determines that the location of the own terminal is in the home when the controlled device 20 is connected to the communication network to which the controlled device 20 is connected, thereby determining the location of the own terminal. It can be easily determined whether or not the user is in the house.

[Other Embodiments]
As described above, the present invention has been described according to the first to third embodiments. However, it should not be understood that the description and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, a case has been described in which the control terminals 10a and 10b can be connected to the wireless LAN (the home wireless LAN 30b and the outside wireless LAN 30c) and the mobile phone network 30d. Alternatively, the mobile phone network 30d may be connected to a communication network of another communication method instead of the mobile phone network 30d. Furthermore, the control terminals 10a and 10b are not limited to the configuration corresponding to two communication methods, and may be configured to be compatible with three or more communication methods.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the configuration in which the control command information is held inside the control terminals 10a and 10b has been described. However, the server device outside the control terminals 10a and 10b or the controlled device 20 The control terminals 10a and 10b may appropriately read out the stored control command information.

  Furthermore, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the case where the server device is not installed in the home has been described. However, in order to avoid implementation of a complicated communication protocol in the controlled device 20, the controlled device 20 A home server, which is a server device that manages the server, may be installed in the house.

  Thus, it should be understood that the present invention includes various embodiments and the like not described herein. Therefore, the present invention is limited only by the invention specifying matters in the scope of claims reasonable from this disclosure.

It is a figure which shows the example of whole structure of the apparatus control system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the control terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a specific example of home network information according to the first embodiment, and FIGS. 3B and 3C are diagrams illustrating a specific example of connection information according to the first embodiment. . It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control command information which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control instruction message which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the control terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action and effect of 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the control terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the control terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the control terminal which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the apparatus information which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the control terminal which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10a, 10b, 10c ... control terminal 20 ... controlled device 20a ... air conditioner 20b ... fan heater 20c ... human sensor 30a ... IP network 30b ... home wireless LAN
30c: Wireless LAN outside the house
30d ... Mobile phone network 101 ... Wireless LAN communication I / F
102 ... Mobile phone network communication interface
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 103 ... Reception intensity detection part 104a, 104b ... Communication selection part 105 ... Control instruction message generation part 106 ... Connection information storage part 107 ... Display part 108 ... Device control screen generation part 109 ... Control command information storage part 110 ... Operation detection part 111a 111b, 111c ... location determination unit 112 ... command selectable command selection unit 113 ... input unit 120 ... device list storage unit 121 ... communication I / F

Claims (6)

A control terminal for controlling a controlled device,
A location determination unit that determines whether the location of the terminal itself is within a predetermined area where the controlled device is installed;
An instructable command selection unit that selects a command that can be instructed to the controlled device, out of commands that control the controlled device, depending on whether or not the location is within the predetermined area. Control terminal characterized by. A plurality of communication interfaces respectively connected to a plurality of communication networks;
A communication selection unit that selects a communication network of a connection destination from the plurality of communication networks,
The location determination unit determines that the location is within the predetermined area when a communication system of the selected communication network matches a communication system of a communication network laid in the predetermined area. The control terminal according to claim 1.   The location determination unit is configured such that a communication method of the selected communication network matches a communication method of a communication network laid in the predetermined area, and an identifier of the selected communication network is within the predetermined area. The control terminal according to claim 2, wherein the location is determined to be within the predetermined area when the identifier matches a communication network identifier installed in the network. A plurality of communication interfaces respectively connected to a plurality of communication networks;
Of the plurality of communication networks, further comprising a reception intensity detection unit that detects a reception electric field intensity from a communication network laid in the predetermined area,
2. The control terminal according to claim 1, wherein the location determination unit determines that the location is within the predetermined region when the received electric field strength is equal to or greater than a threshold value. A communication interface for connecting to a communication network;
2. The control terminal according to claim 1, wherein the location determination unit determines that the location is within the predetermined area when detecting that the controlled device is connected to the communication network. . A device control method used in a control terminal for controlling a controlled device,
Determining whether the location of the control terminal is within a predetermined area where the controlled device is installed;
Selecting a command that can be instructed to the controlled device from among the commands for controlling the controlled device, depending on whether the location is within the predetermined area. Device control method.

Images