JP5180879B2 - Equipment system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an equipment system.

  2. Description of the Related Art In homes such as detached houses and apartment houses, there are equipment systems in which equipment equipment such as lighting equipment, air conditioning equipment, and televisions are connected to a network, and each equipment equipment is monitored and controlled via the network. Such an equipment system is also connected to the Internet, which is an external network, and can acquire necessary information from a site on the Internet.

  Currently, there is a huge amount of information provided by many sites existing on the Internet, and users can use search sites and dedicated sites to efficiently search for the information they want from these large amounts of information. A keyword is input from the search screen, and information corresponding to the keyword is searched and collected (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-223446 A

  However, in the above-described conventional equipment system, it is necessary for the user himself / herself to determine the information collection destination site and the keyword used for the search, and the user himself / herself also has to perform a search request operation. For example, when it is desired to collect information on the weather in Osaka, an operation of pressing the search start button on the screen after inputting the keyword “Osaka weather” is required.

  Therefore, since the user himself / herself designates a keyword, it has been impossible to perform a search for information that the user has not noticed. Furthermore, since the search is started and the necessary information is provided only when the user performs a search operation, a troublesome operation is necessary for the user, and information necessary for the user is automatically obtained based on the situation on the equipment system side. Could not be collected.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said reason, The objective is to provide the installation system which can collect a user's information easily on a network, reducing operation by a user. .

The invention of claim 1 is a facility system in which a plurality of terminal devices including one or more facility devices are connected to a network, and each terminal device communicates via the network. One or a plurality of information providing means for providing information, a search trigger notifying means for sending a search trigger signal corresponding to the state of each facility device to the network, and a search trigger detecting means for receiving the search trigger signal via the network The search trigger detection unit receives the search trigger signal according to the state of each facility device by referring to the search condition table associated with any information providing unit on the network and the related keyword , and the search condition table. access information providing means associated with the trigger signal, from the access information providing means, the search trigger detection Means, characterized in that it comprises an information collecting means for collecting predetermined information based on related keywords associated with the search trigger signal received is.

  According to the present invention, necessary information corresponding to the state of each facility device is automatically collected with reference to the search condition table, so that user operations can be reduced and information necessary for the user can be easily obtained from the network. Can be collected.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the first aspect, wherein the plurality of terminal devices include a parent device terminal that performs at least one of monitoring and control of each facility device, and the parent device terminal includes the search trigger detection unit and the search device. A search condition table and the information collecting means are provided.

  According to the present invention, the management of network communication can be centralized by providing both the monitoring function of each equipment device, the control function, and the information collecting function from the network in the base unit terminal. Simplification can be achieved.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the search trigger notification according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the facility device detects a user behavior and a search trigger signal for sending a detection result by the user behavior detection means to the network as a search trigger signal. Means.

  According to this invention, it is possible to collect information suitable for the user's behavior.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the equipment includes a search trigger notifying unit that transmits its own operation content as a search trigger signal to the network.

  According to this invention, it is possible to collect information suitable for the operation content of the equipment.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the information collecting unit is provided with a notifying unit that notifies the information collected.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide information to the user.

  The invention of claim 6 provides the information in any one of claims 1 to 5 by referring to the control content table in which the contents of each information provided by the information providing means are associated with the operation of the equipment and the control content table. Device control means for controlling the equipment so as to perform an operation associated with the content of the information collected from the means.

  According to this invention, it is possible to automatically control the necessary equipment 1 based on the contents of the collected information without the user performing an operation.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention provides the presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of a user according to the sixth aspect, wherein the equipment control means controls equipment according to the detection result of the presence / absence detecting means. It is characterized by changing.

  According to this invention, it is possible to perform finer automatic control by changing the control of the equipment based on the collected information according to the presence / absence of the user. Alternatively, since automatic control based on only collected information may result in control unintended by the user, it is possible to prevent control unintended by the user by setting automatic control only when at home. .

  The invention according to claim 8 is the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the search condition table includes filtering information for individually setting whether or not each of the associated information providing means is accessible, and the filtering information is inaccessible. And wait information for setting a waiting time until the access permission can be reset after being set to permit, and the information collecting means refers to the search condition table and received by the search trigger detecting means When accessing the information providing means associated with the search trigger signal, access is made based on filtering information and weight information.

  According to this invention, it is possible to achieve both reduction in communication load and reliability of collected information by dynamically changing the setting of the search condition table using filtering information and weight information.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that information necessary for the user can be easily collected from the network by reducing operations by the user.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the equipment system of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the block configuration of the equipment apparatus same as the above. It is a figure which shows the block configuration of the main | base station terminal same as the above. It is a figure which shows the block configuration of a user interface apparatus same as the above. It is a figure which shows the structure of a search condition table same as the above. It is a figure which shows the structure of a control content table same as the above.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an equipment system according to the present embodiment, in which terminal devices such as a plurality of equipment 1 (11, 12,...), A master terminal 2, a user interface device 3, and the like are detached houses and apartment houses. Are connected to each other via a home network NT1 so as to be communicable with each other, thereby constituting a home system HS. Further, a router 4 is disposed in the home, and the home network NT1 is communicably connected to the Internet NT2 via the router 4, and one or more information providing servers 5 are provided on the Internet NT2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the facility device 1 corresponds to the state of the communication unit 1 a that exchanges information via the home network NT 1, the function unit 1 b that provides the user with functions unique to the facility device, and the state of the function unit 1 b. A search trigger notification unit 1c (search trigger notification means) for sending a search trigger signal to the home network NT1 is provided, and unique ID information (for example, MAC address) is allocated, and is monitored and controlled by the master terminal 2 Has been.

  The master terminal 2 has a packet processing function, a path switching function, a network security function, a UPnP (universal plug and play) control point function, and the like, and controls a data transfer in the network. Consists of. And as shown in FIG. 3, the communication part 2a which transmits / receives information via the home network NT1, the search trigger detection part 2b (search trigger detection means) which receives the search trigger signal from the equipment 1, and the function part 1b The search trigger table 2c refers to the search condition table 2c in which each search trigger signal corresponding to the state of the URL is associated with the URL of one of the sites (information providing means) in the information providing server 5, and the search trigger table 2c. Accesses the URL associated with the search trigger signal received, and collects predetermined information from the site of the accessed URL, and a device that controls the functions of the desired equipment 2 Control unit 2e (device control means) and user information storage unit 2f that stores information about the user (user address information, age information, occupation information, etc.) And a control content table 2g associating the content of the information provided by the site information providing server 5 to the operation of the equipment 1.

  The user interface device 3 has a browser function, and constitutes notification means for notifying the contents of information collected by the information collection unit 2d of the parent device 2 and, as shown in FIG. A communication unit 3a for transmitting / receiving information via the terminal, a display unit 3b including a liquid crystal display and a drive circuit for displaying the notification data of the collected information received from the master terminal 2, and a speaker unit 3c for outputting sound according to the notification data Is provided.

  Since the router 4 is well known in the art, detailed illustration and description thereof will be omitted.

  The information providing server 5 stores a plurality of sites that provide various information, and each site is assigned a URL, and the terminal device accesses the desired site by designating the URL, and each site Collect information from. Information provided from each site includes weather information, traffic information, shopping information, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, management of network communication can be centralized by providing both the monitoring function and control function of each equipment device 1 and the function of collecting information from the network in the base unit terminal 2. Simplification.

  In addition to the configuration in which the search trigger detection unit 2b, the search condition table 2c, the information collection unit 2d, and the device control unit 2e in FIG. Alternatively, the user interface device 3 may be provided entirely. Alternatively, it may be configured to be distributed and provided to terminal devices other than the equipment device 1, the parent device terminal 2, and the user interface device 3.

  Hereinafter, the information search operation of this equipment system will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the equipment 11 is a humidity sensor, and its functional unit 1b is configured with a humidity measurement function. The result of measuring the humidity in the house (humidity measurement signal) is periodically used as a search trigger signal. Transmit to terminal 2.

  Moreover, the equipment 12 is a human sensor, and its function part 1b is configured by a human detection function including a pyroelectric sensor, and the result of detecting a human body existing in a predetermined area such as a living room or a bedroom ( A person detection signal) is periodically transmitted to the master terminal 2 as a search trigger signal.

  The facility device 13 is a home switch (presence / absence detection means), and its function unit 1b is configured with a switch function, and the user in the home switches the operation unit of the switch so that there is a user in the home. Or a home signal indicating that there is no user in the home is periodically transmitted to the parent terminal 2 as a search trigger signal.

  The equipment 14 is a clock device, and its function unit 1b is configured with a timer function for measuring time, and a time signal indicating the current time every predetermined time (for example, every 5 minutes) is used as a search trigger signal. To the machine terminal 2.

  The equipment 15 is a user's schedule management device, and its functional unit 1b sets the user's schedule in units of season, month, day of the week, day, hour, and minute. For example, a schedule for going out, going home, etc. A schedule signal indicating that the set time has come is transmitted to the parent device terminal 2 as a search trigger signal.

  Further, the equipment 16 is a television receiver, and its functional unit 1b is composed of a television function. The master unit uses a set status signal indicating each set status of power on / off, channel and volume as a search trigger signal. The power can be turned on / off and the channel and volume can be set by a control signal transmitted to the terminal 2 and received via the home network NT1.

  The equipment 17 is a skylight opening / closing drive device, and its function unit 1b is configured by a drive function such as a motor for opening and closing the skylight, and opens and closes the skylight by a control signal received via the home network NT1. It can be carried out.

  Moreover, the equipment 18 is a lighting device, and its functional unit 1b is configured by a lighting function, and the parent device terminal 2 uses a setting state signal indicating each setting state of power on / off and dimming setting as a search trigger signal. The power can be turned on and off and the dimming setting can be performed by the control signal received via the home network NT1.

  Hereinafter, the equipment devices 11 to 18 are referred to as a humidity sensor 11, a human sensor 12, a home switch 13, a clock device 14, a schedule management device 15, a television receiver 16, a skylight opening / closing drive device 17, and a lighting device 18. The search trigger signal indicates the state (detection result, operation state, etc.) of each equipment device.

  And in the main | base station terminal 2, the search trigger detection part 2b receives the search trigger signal transmitted from the equipment 1, and the information collection part 2d receives information from each site of the information provision server 5 according to the received search trigger signal. Collect.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the search condition table 2 c includes items of the contents of the search trigger signal, the URL of the information providing source site, related keywords, filtering information, and weight information. The information collection unit 2d refers to the search condition table 2c, accesses the URL of the information providing source site associated with the content of the search trigger signal received by the search trigger detection unit 2b, and receives predetermined information from the accessed site. To collect.

  For example, when the humidity sensor 11 outputs a humidity measurement signal indicating a humidity of 60% or less as a search trigger signal, the information collection unit 2d of the parent device terminal 2 accesses the URL of the weather information site of the information providing server 5. Collect information about the weather. At this time, since the weather information differs from region to region, the user's address is set as a related keyword, and the information collection unit 2d reads the user's address information from the user information storage unit 2f and accesses the weather information site. Sets this address information as an argument. In the weather information site, only the weather information related to the area to which the user's address belongs is provided to the information collection unit 2d of the parent device terminal 2 based on the address information set as an argument when accessing from the parent device terminal 2. Thus, by setting the user's address as the related keyword, it is possible to collect information that matches the user.

  Further, if a humidity measurement signal indicating a humidity of 60% or less is output as a search trigger signal, the weather information site is always accessed when the weather information site is accessed. Access restrictions may be enforced. Accordingly, when the information collecting unit 2d accesses the weather information site and collects the weather information, the information collecting unit 2d switches the filtering information from off to on, and receives the humidity measurement signal indicating the humidity of 60% or less while the filtering information is on. However, by not accessing the weather information site, the load on the site and communication traffic are reduced.

  The weight information is set to 3 hours, and when 3 hours have passed since the filtering information is switched on, the filtering information is switched from on to off again, so that the humidity measurement indicates a humidity of 60% or less. When the signal is received, the weather information site is returned to an accessible state. That is, the wait information sets a waiting time from when the filtering information is once set to not permit access until it can be reset to permit access.

  Therefore, although the weather information may change with time, the communication load can be reduced and collected by dynamically changing the setting of the search condition table 2c using the filtering information and the weight information in this way. It balances the reliability of information.

  Then, the information collecting unit 2d transmits the weather information collected from the weather information site to the user interface device 3. The user interface device 3 that has received the weather information from the master terminal 2 displays the weather information on the display unit 3b, thereby notifying the user of the weather information search result. At this time, the user may be notified of new arrivals of weather information by outputting a buzzer sound or a human voice from the speaker unit 3c.

  Further, when the clock device 14 outputs a time signal indicating PM 7:00 as a search trigger signal, the information collecting unit 2d of the parent device terminal 2 accesses the URL of the crime information site of the information providing server 5 and relates to the crime. Collect information. At this time, since the crime information varies from region to region, the user's address is set as a related keyword, and the information collecting unit 2d reads the user's address information from the user information storage unit 2f and accesses the crime information site. Sets this address information as an argument. In the crime information site, only the crime information related to the area to which the user's address belongs is provided to the information collecting unit 2d of the parent device terminal 2 based on the address information set as an argument when accessing from the parent device terminal 2.

  Then, the information collecting unit 2d transmits the crime information collected from the crime information site to the user interface device 3. The user interface device 3 that has received the crime information from the parent device terminal 2 displays the crime information on the display unit 3b, thereby notifying the user of the search result of the crime information. At this time, the user may be notified of new arrivals of crime information by outputting a buzzer sound or a human voice from the speaker unit 3c.

  When the user who sees the crime information knows the occurrence of the crime in the area, the user can take measures such as paying attention to the door lock. Similarly to the weather information, it is possible to reduce both the communication load and the reliability of the collected information by dynamically changing the setting of the search condition table 2c using the filtering information and the weight information. is there.

  In addition, using a time signal output as a search trigger signal by the clock device 14, necessary information may be collected from a designated site using a specific date, day of the week, and season as a search trigger.

  As described above, information suitable for the operation content of the equipment device 1 is collected by collecting information based on the operation content of the equipment device 1 such as the detection result of the humidity sensor 11 and the time measurement result of the clock device 14. be able to.

  Further, the schedule management device 15 uses the user's schedule 1, schedule 2,. . . When the schedule signal indicating that the schedule X has reached the set time is output, the information collecting unit 2d of the parent terminal 2 accesses the URL of the general search site of the information providing server 5, and the general search site A search using a phrase set as a related keyword using is performed, and the searched information is collected. At this time, the schedules 1, 2,... . . , X are set, and schedules 1, 2,. . . , X can be collected.

  The information collecting unit 2d then collects the schedules 1, 2,. . . , X related information is transmitted to the user interface device 3. The user interface device 3 that has received the schedule related information from the master terminal 2 notifies the user of the search result of the schedule related information by displaying the schedule related information on the display unit 3b. At this time, the user may be notified of new arrivals of schedule related information by outputting a buzzer sound or a human voice from the speaker unit 3c.

  The user who sees the schedule related information can acquire information on the place of travel set in the schedule X (transportation means, map, required time, etc.), and can easily create an action plan. Similarly to the weather information, it is possible to reduce both the communication load and the reliability of the collected information by dynamically changing the setting of the search condition table 2c using the filtering information and the weight information. is there.

  Further, when the human sensor 12 outputs a human detection signal in the living room as a search trigger signal and the television receiver 16 outputs a setting state signal indicating power-on as the search trigger signal, information on the master terminal 2 The collection unit 2d accesses the URL of the TV program information site of the information providing server 5 and collects information such as a program guide related to the TV program. At this time, since the receivable television programs differ depending on the region and time, the user's address and time are set in the related keyword, and the information collecting unit 2d reads the user's address information from the user information storage unit 2f. Acquires the current time information from the clock device 14, and sets the address information and time information as arguments when accessing the television program information site. In the TV program information site, based on the address information and time information set as arguments when accessed from the master terminal 2, only the information related to the TV program currently viewable in the area to which the user's address belongs is stored in the master terminal 2 To the information collecting unit 2d.

  Then, the information collecting unit 2d transmits the television program information collected from the television program information site to the user interface device 3. The user interface device 3 that has received the TV program information from the master terminal 2 displays the TV program information on the display unit 3b, thereby notifying the user of the TV program information search result. At this time, the user may be notified of the new arrival of the TV program information by outputting a buzzer sound or a human voice from the speaker unit 3c.

  The user who has seen the TV program information can know the TV programs that are currently viewable in the area and can be used as a reference for program selection. Similarly to the weather information, it is possible to reduce both the communication load and the reliability of the collected information by dynamically changing the setting of the search condition table 2c using the filtering information and the weight information. is there.

  Further, when the human sensor 12 outputs a human detection signal in the bedroom as a search trigger signal, and the lighting device 18 outputs a setting state signal indicating a light control level at power-off or at bedtime as the search trigger signal. The information collection unit 2d of the parent device terminal 2 detects the user's sleep, accesses the URL of the music information site of the information providing server 5, and collects music data suitable for sleep.

  Then, the information collecting unit 2d transmits the list information of the music data collected from the music information site to the user interface device 3. The user interface device 3 that has received the music data list information from the master terminal 2 displays the music data list on the display unit 3b, thereby notifying the user of the search result of music data suitable for sleep. At this time, the user may be notified of new arrivals in the list information of the music data by outputting a buzzer sound or a human voice from the speaker unit 3c.

  The user who sees the list information of the music data can know music suitable for sleep, can reproduce by selecting the desired music data by the GUI function of the display unit 3b, and can output from the speaker unit 3c. it can. Similarly to the weather information, it is possible to reduce both the communication load and the reliability of the collected information by dynamically changing the setting of the search condition table 2c using the filtering information and the weight information. is there.

  Thus, based on the detection result of the human sensor 12, the schedule setting of the schedule management device 15, and the setting state of the television receiver 16 and the lighting device 18, the user's behavior such as going out, watching TV or sleeping is detected. Thus (user behavior detection means), information suitable for the user's behavior can be collected.

  Therefore, in the facility system of the present embodiment, the base unit terminal 2 receives information suitable for the operation content of the equipment device 1 and the user's behavior from the site on the Internet NT2 in accordance with the operation content of the equipment device 1 and the user's behavior. Information that is suitable for the user is automatically collected, and the collected information is notified to the user by the user interface device 3, and the user's operation is reduced, and information necessary for the user is easily collected from the site on the Internet NT2. It is possible to provide information to the user.

  Further, the related keywords in the search condition table 2c are set in advance by the user, and it becomes unnecessary to input the keyword every time the information is collected by the user, thereby further reducing user operations. Further, by setting the related keywords in the search condition table 2c in advance at the time of factory shipment or construction, a keyword that the user does not come up with is set, and it is possible to perform a search for information that the user does not notice. . Furthermore, if a related keyword is set for each user, the related keyword can be set differently for each user, and information that is optimally customized for each user can be collected.

  Next, device control by the device control unit 2e of the parent terminal 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the control content table 2g of the master terminal 2 associates the control content with the content of the collected information. The device control unit 2g refers to the control content table 2g and the information collecting unit 2d A control signal having a control content corresponding to the content of information collected from the site is transmitted to the equipment 1.

  For example, when the information collection unit 2d accesses the weather information site and collects weather information, and this weather information includes a rain forecast, the device control unit 2e controls the skylight opening / closing drive device 17 to close the skylight. To prevent rain from entering in advance. In this case, in addition to opening and closing the skylight, it is also possible to transmit a control signal to a driving device that automatically folds and stores the clothes-line basket.

  In addition, when the weather information collected from the weather information site by the information collecting unit 2d includes a sunny forecast, the device control unit 2e can automatically ventilate the house by operating a ventilation device (not shown). It is.

  When the program information collected from the television program information site by the information collecting unit 2d includes a sports program broadcast schedule, the device control unit 2e automatically operates the recording device (not shown) to record the sports program. It is also possible to do this.

  Thus, based on the content of the collected information, the necessary equipment 1 can be automatically controlled without the user performing an operation.

  Furthermore, more detailed automatic control can be performed by changing information collection and device control based on the collected information depending on whether the user is at home or away.

  For example, when a user who goes out operates the home switch 13 to transmit an absence signal to the parent device terminal 2, the information collection unit 2d of the parent device terminal 2 is absent while the absence signal is input. Judge. And since the information collection part 2d does not need to collect weather information, when a user is absent, when the URL of a weather information site is set to the item of information provision origin site URL of the search condition table 2c, The filtering information corresponding to the URL of the weather information site is switched on, access to the weather information site is prohibited, and unnecessary communication traffic is reduced.

  If this absence state continues for a predetermined period or longer, filtering information corresponding to the URL of the weather information site is switched off, and access to the weather information site is permitted. If the weather information collected from the weather information site includes a sunny forecast, the ventilation device can be operated to automatically ventilate the house.

  On the other hand, when the user who has returned home operates the home switch 13 and transmits a home signal to the parent device terminal 2, the information collection unit 2d of the parent device terminal 2 is home while the home signal is being input. Judge. The information collecting unit 2d collects weather information if the user is at home, but does not automatically control the ventilation device.

  Alternatively, since automatic control based on only collected information may result in control unintended by the user, it is possible to prevent control unintended by the user by setting automatic control only when at home. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 (11-15) Equipment 1c Search trigger notification part 2 Base terminal 2b Search trigger detection part 2c Search condition table 2d Information collection part 3 User interface apparatus 4 Router 5 Information provision server NT1 Home network NT2 Internet

Claims (8)

A facility system in which a plurality of terminal devices including one or more facility devices are connected to a network, and each terminal device communicates via the network,
One or more information providing means connected to the network and providing information to the terminal device;
Search trigger notification means for sending a search trigger signal to the network according to the state of each equipment device;
Search trigger detection means for receiving a search trigger signal via a network;
A search condition table in which a search trigger signal corresponding to the state of each facility device is associated with any information providing means on the network and related keywords ;
With reference to the search condition table, the information providing means associated with the search trigger signal received by the search trigger detecting means is accessed, and from the accessed information providing means , the search trigger detecting means is associated with the search trigger signal received. And an information collecting means for collecting predetermined information based on the related keywords .   The plurality of terminal devices include a parent device terminal that performs at least one of monitoring or control of each facility device, and the parent device terminal includes the search trigger detection unit, the search condition table, and the information collection unit. The facility system according to claim 1.   The said equipment is provided with a user action detection means for detecting a user's action, and a search trigger notification means for sending a detection result by the user action detection means to the network as a search trigger signal. The facility system described.   The equipment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the equipment includes a search trigger notification means for sending its own operation content to the network as a search trigger signal.   The equipment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an informing unit for informing about information collected by the information collecting unit.   By referring to the control content table in which the contents of each information provided by the information providing means are associated with the operation of the equipment and the control content table, the operations associated with the contents of the information collected from the information providing means are performed. The equipment system according to claim 1, further comprising equipment control means for controlling the equipment.   The presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of a user is provided, and the device control means changes the control of the equipment according to the detection result of the presence / absence detecting means. Equipment system. The search condition table includes filtering information for individually setting whether or not access to each associated information providing unit is permitted, and from when the filtering information is set to access not permitted until access can be reset. Store wait information to set the waiting time,
The information collection means refers to the search condition table, and accesses the information providing means associated with the search trigger signal received by the search trigger detection means based on filtering information and weight information. The equipment system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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