JP6584942B2 - Control method and control apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a control device that controls a device and a device control method performed by the control device.

  There is a technology in which a controller remotely controls home appliances and the like through a network. When performing such remote control, it may be inappropriate to perform the next control for the same device in a short period of time from the previous control. For example, when the operation of a device takes time, there is a device that does not accept the next control during that time. In addition, there is a device that requires a certain time interval until the next control is performed due to the processing capability of the device to be damaged due to continuous control in a short time.

  In some cases, after the user remotely controls the device using a controller, the device status is acquired to check whether the device is in a desired state. At this time, if there is another user's control, the state of the device may further change and the user may be confused.

  Such a problem may be caused by storing a history of control performed by the controller and referring to the history to indicate to the user that the device cannot be controlled or temporarily holding the control request by the controller. However, the problem can be solved by performing control after a suitable time interval.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for requesting a user to make an instruction for remote control based on safety level information. Patent Document 1 describes a technique for requesting a determination instruction from a user when performing conflicting control within a predetermined period based on a history.

  On the other hand, there may be a plurality of controllers in the home. For example, there is a case where a television (TV) having a controller function is individually present in a plurality of rooms. In this case, the user operates devices in the house with the TV in each room, and one device receives control from a plurality of controllers.

  As a conventional technique for solving the problem of damage and deadlock due to simultaneous control from a plurality of controllers, there is Patent Document 2. In Patent Document 2, priority is given to a device control system, and a plurality of controllers are restricted from controlling devices simultaneously. In Patent Literature 3, each controller periodically generates a controller list that indicates which controller the device was last controlled in order to determine whether each of the plurality of controllers can control the device. It is described. In Patent Document 3, if a controller that intends to control a device is registered in this controller list that the corresponding device is last controlled by another controller, the corresponding device is currently set to other It is determined that the controller is controlled by the other controller, and the other controller is inquired of whether or not the device can be controlled.

JP 2014-216945 A JP 2001-346276 A International Publication No. 2010/119540

  However, in the above-mentioned patent document, further improvement is necessary in order to appropriately control the device so that the control by a plurality of controllers does not compete.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a control method performed by a plurality of control devices that are connected to a network and control devices connected to the network.
A first control device that is one of the plurality of control devices receives a device control history from the other control device when another control device in the plurality of control devices controls the device. A history receiving step;
A storage step of storing the device control history received from the other control device as a shared history added to the device control history in the first control device;
A request receiving step in which the first control device receives an input of a control request to the device by a user;
A determination step of determining whether or not the first control device can control the device based on the received control request based on the sharing history;
A command transmission step of transmitting a control command to the device when the first control device determines that the device can be controlled based on the received control request;
Execute.

  According to this aspect, when there are a plurality of controllers, it is possible to appropriately control the device so that the control by each controller does not compete.

The figure which shows an example of the whole structure of an apparatus control system when the apparatus control system provided with the control apparatus in embodiment of this indication is applied in the house. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the hardware of a controller main body and a user terminal The figure which shows the other example of a hardware structure of a controller main body and a user terminal. The figure which shows an example of the share history which a log | history preservation | save part records The figure which shows an example of the apparatus control screen used in order that a user may input a control request The figure which shows another example of the apparatus control screen used in order that a user may input a control request. The figure which shows another example of the apparatus control screen used in order that a user may input a control request. The figure which shows an example of a structure of the controller which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the apparatus control system in Embodiment 1 The figure which shows an example of a control interval table Flowchart showing the operation of the controller in the first embodiment Flowchart showing the operation of the controller in the first embodiment The figure which shows the example of a display of the apparatus control screen in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the example of a display of the apparatus control screen displayed by distinguishing the general controller and the controller of Embodiment 1 The figure which shows an example of a structure of the controller which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. The figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the apparatus control system in Embodiment 2. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the controller 1 in Embodiment 2. FIG. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the controller 1 in Embodiment 2. FIG. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the controller 1 in Embodiment 2. FIG.

(Knowledge that became the basis of the present invention)
When there are a plurality of controllers in the home, the device may receive control requests from the plurality of controllers within a certain time interval. Therefore, even if the controller sequentially controls the devices based on the device control history stored by itself, an appropriate time interval is not always provided. From the viewpoint of safety or law, the equipment is determined to execute control requests at regular time intervals.

  In Patent Document 1, although the device is controlled with reference to the history, since control by a single controller is premised, the device cannot be appropriately controlled when a control conflict by a plurality of controllers occurs. There is a problem.

  In Patent Document 2, when a control command from a remote control and a control command from a network interface conflict, one control command is selected according to a predetermined priority, and a control target device is controlled. As described above, in Patent Document 2, the control command is selected according to the predetermined priority, and the control command is not selected based on the device control history.

  In Patent Document 3, since the controller list is periodically generated, even if a device that has not been controlled by any controller is controlled by a controller immediately after the controller list is generated, the information is stored in the controller list. Cannot be reflected. Therefore, there is a problem that control contention for the device cannot be avoided.

  An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for appropriately controlling a device so that competition does not occur even when a plurality of controllers exist.

A control method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a control method that is performed by a plurality of control devices that are connected to a network and control devices connected to the network.
The first control device, which is one of the plurality of control devices, receives a history of device control from another control device when another control device in the plurality of control devices controls the device. Steps,
A storage step of storing the device control history received from the other control device as a shared history added to the device control history in the first control device;
A request receiving step in which the first control device receives an input of a control request to the device by a user;
A determination step of determining whether or not the first control device can control the device based on the received control request based on the sharing history;
A command transmission step of transmitting a control command to the device when the first control device determines that the device can be controlled based on the received control request;
Execute.

  According to this aspect, when the other control device controls the device, the first control device receives the device control history from the other control device. The first control device stores the received device control history together with its own device control history as a shared history. Therefore, the first control device can grasp which control device is currently controlled by the device by referring to the sharing history, and can appropriately control the device so that no conflict occurs.

  In the above aspect, in the determination step, it may be determined that the device can be controlled if a predetermined time has elapsed since the device was last controlled.

  According to this aspect, since it is determined that the device can be controlled if a predetermined time that has been set in advance has passed since the device that is the target of the received control request was last controlled, the predetermined time interval. You can control the equipment with a gap. For this reason, it is possible to comply with the regulation that the device must be controlled with a certain time interval, and the device can be operated safely.

In the above aspect, when it is determined in the determination step that the control of the device is impossible,
The display unit included in the control device that has received the control request input from the user or the display device connected to the control device via the network further executes a display step for displaying that the device cannot be controlled. May be.

  According to this aspect, when it is determined that the device cannot be controlled, this is notified to the user, so that the device can notify the user that control is currently impossible. As a result, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate control request from being input by the user.

  In the above aspect, the display step may further display a time until the device can be controlled.

  According to this aspect, since the time until the device becomes controllable is displayed, the user's discomfort when control is impossible can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to prevent a control request from being input by the user during a period during which control is impossible, and to reduce the processing load due to receiving the control request during this period.

In the above aspect, the display step further displays information prompting the user to input an answer as to whether to automatically control the device based on the received control request when the device becomes controllable. And
In the command transmission step, when an input to automatically execute control of the device is received, the first control device holds the received control request, and after the elapse of time until the control becomes possible, A control command may be transmitted to the device.

  According to this aspect, since the control command corresponding to the input control request is automatically transmitted when the controllable time has elapsed, the trouble of re-inputting the control request can be saved. In addition, the user can select whether or not to automatically transmit a control command corresponding to the control request.

  In the above aspect, the display step may further display a current state of the device.

  According to this aspect, when it is determined that the device cannot be controlled, the current state of the device is displayed, so that it is possible to present the user with a determination material as to whether or not to control the device.

In the above aspect, the first control device does not have the same function as the first control device, and the control device different from the first control device is transmitted from the different control device. A detection step of detecting using information included in the data;
When the heterogeneous control device is detected, the heterogeneous control device exists in a display unit included in the control device that has received the control request input from the user or a display device connected to the control device via a network. A presence display step for displaying the effect may be further executed.

  According to this aspect, when a control device that does not have the same function as the first control device and is different from the first control device is detected, the fact is notified to the user. The user can be notified that there is a device.

  In the above aspect, when the first control device transmits the control command in the command transmission step, the first control device may transmit information on the control command to the other control device.

  According to this aspect, since the information regarding the control command is transmitted to the other control device by the first control device, the history of device control by the first control device can be shared with the other control device.

Further, another control method according to the present invention is a control method performed by a plurality of control devices connected to a network and controlling devices connected to the network,
The plurality of control devices include a first control device that is one of the plurality of control devices, and one or more other control devices different from the first control device,
A request receiving step in which a second control device, which is one of the other control devices, receives an input of a control request to the device by a user;
A request transmitting step in which the second control device transmits the control request to the first control device;
A request receiving step in which the first control device receives the control request transmitted from the second control device;
A storage step of storing the received control request as a history of device control in the second control device, in addition to a history of device control in the first control device;
A determination step of determining whether or not the first control device can control the device based on the received control request based on the sharing history;
A command transmission step of transmitting a control command to the device when the first control device determines that the device can be controlled based on the received control request;
Execute.

  According to this aspect, when a control request is input by the user in the second control device, the control request is transmitted to the first control device. When receiving the control request, the first control device stores the received control request as a device management history in the second control device as a shared history in addition to its own device control history. Therefore, the first control device can grasp which control device is currently controlled by the device by referring to the sharing history, and can appropriately control the device so that no conflict occurs. In addition, since the control request input in the second control device is transmitted to the first control device and then the control command is transmitted to the device, only the first control device needs to manage the sharing history. The control device need not have a sharing history.

In the above aspect, when it is determined in the determination step that the device can be controlled,
A display unit included in the second control device or a display device connected to the second control device via a network displays information indicating that the device can be controlled;
A display device connected to a control device other than the second control device or a control device other than the second control device via a network may display that the device cannot be controlled.

  According to this aspect, when the device can be controlled by the second control device, the display device included in the second control device or the display device connected to the second control device via the network can control the device. Is displayed, it is possible to notify the user corresponding to the second control device that the device can be controlled.

  On the other hand, the display device connected to the control device other than the second control device or the control device other than the second control device via the network displays that the control of the device is impossible. It is possible to notify a user corresponding to a control device other than the control device that the control of the device is impossible.

  The present disclosure can be realized not only as a control method for executing the characteristic processing as described above but also as a control device including a processing unit for executing the characteristic steps included in the control method. You can also. It can also be realized as a computer program that causes a computer to execute the characteristic steps included in such a control method. Needless to say, such a computer program can be distributed via a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a communication network such as the Internet.

  Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present disclosure. Numerical values, shapes, components, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept are described as optional constituent elements. In all the embodiments, the contents can be combined.

(overall structure)
First, an overall configuration of a device control system including a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a device control system when a device control system including a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to a home. The device control system includes, for example, two controllers 1 (an example of a first control device and a second control device). Hereinafter, when the two controllers 1 are described separately, one controller 1 is described as a controller 1A, and the other controller is described as a controller 1B. Moreover, although two controllers 1 are shown in FIG. 1, this is only an example, and the device control system may be configured with three or more controllers.

  The controller 1 includes a controller main body 2 and a user terminal 3 on which a user operates. There is a network 20 in the house. The network 20 interconnects the controller 1 and the refrigerator 11, the air conditioner 12, and the lighting device 13 that are devices controlled by the controller 1. These devices are controlled by receiving a predetermined control command from the network 20. In FIG. 1, household appliances such as a refrigerator 11, an air conditioner 12, and a lighting device 13 are shown as devices, but this is merely an example, and other televisions, washing machines, microwave ovens, recorders, or audio devices Etc. may be adopted as the home appliance device. In FIG. 1, since the device is installed in the house, the device is referred to as a home appliance, but if the device control system in the present disclosure is applied to an environment other than the home such as an office, A device is simply called a device.

  The user operates the user terminal 3 to control the refrigerator 11, the air conditioner 12, and the lighting device 13. The control referred to here includes, for example, control for turning on / off the power of the device, control for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner 12, control for changing the brightness of the lighting device 13, and the like. The user can remotely control the device by inputting a control request for controlling the device to the user terminal 3.

  The user terminal 3 may be configured integrally with the controller main body 2 or may be configured separately. When configured separately, the user terminal 3 may transmit a control request input by the user to the controller body 2 through the network 20. Moreover, the user terminal 3 does not need to be in the house. A control request may be transmitted to the controller 1 from outside the home via a network or server outside the home.

  The network 20 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) installed in a home, and may be wired or wireless. As the network 20, for example, an IEEE 802.3 series wired LAN, an IEEE 802.11 series wireless LAN, or a LAN in which both are mixed can be employed.

  2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the controller main body 2 and the user terminal 3. FIG. 2A shows an example of a hardware configuration of the controller 1 when the controller main body 2 and the user terminal 3 are integrally configured. FIG. 2B shows an example of a hardware configuration of the controller 1 when the controller main body and the user terminal 3 are configured separately.

  2A, the controller main body 2 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 31, a memory 32 such as a random access memory, and an external storage device 33 such as a hard disk and a flash ROM, and has a general computer configuration. Further, the controller main body 2 of FIG. 2A has a network interface 34 for connecting to the network 20. The network interface 34 includes, for example, a LAN card for connecting the controller 1 to a wired LAN and a communication device for connecting the controller 1 to a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi.

  The input device 35 is composed of an input device such as a switch or a keyboard, for example, and the output device 36 is composed of a display device such as a display. In addition, if the user terminal 3 is comprised by the apparatus with which the controller 1 is provided with a touch panel, the input device 35 and the output device 36 will be comprised integrally by a touch panel. In FIG. 2A, the controller 1 may be mounted on a device, a dedicated communication device such as a gateway, or a dedicated device such as a home server, for example.

  In the example of FIG. 2B, the user terminal 3 is configured by an information processing device independent of the controller main body 2 such as a tablet terminal, for example, and includes a CPU 31, a memory 32, an external storage device 33, a network interface 34, an input device 35, and an output. A device 36 is provided. Note that the user terminal 3 in FIG. 2B may be configured by a portable information processing device such as a smartphone. In FIG. 2B, the controller main body 2 may be mounted on, for example, a device, a communication device such as a gateway, or a dedicated device such as a home server. The user terminal 3 corresponds to an example of “a display device connected to the control device via a network”.

  Returning to FIG. In FIG. 1, the controller main body 2 includes a device control unit 101 (an example of a request receiving unit), a control information communication unit 102 (an example of a control information transmission unit), a history storage unit 103, and a control availability determination unit 104. The terminal 3 includes an operation unit 201 and a display unit 202. The device control unit 101, the control information communication unit 102, the history storage unit 103, and the control availability determination unit 104 are realized when a processor such as the CPU 31 executes software, but this is an example. The device control unit 101, the control information communication unit 102, the history storage unit 103, and the control availability determination unit 104 may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit LSI or a dedicated circuit (ASIC or FPGA).

  The operation unit 201 receives a control request input by the user to the input device 35, and outputs the received control request to the controller body 2. The display unit 202 is configured by the output device 36 (FIGS. 2A and 2B), and presents information such as the device status notified from the controller body 2 to the user.

  When a control request from the user is input via the user terminal 3, the device control unit 101 transmits a control command for realizing the control request to the control target device via the network 20. As a result, the device is controlled in accordance with the user's control request.

  The control information communication unit 102 communicates device control information with a plurality of controllers 1. The device control information is information indicating what control is performed on which device.

  The history storage unit 103 stores a shared history including a history of device control performed by its own controller 1 and a history of device control performed by another controller 1 received by the control information communication unit 102.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the sharing history T3 recorded by the history storage unit 103. As illustrated in FIG. The sharing history T3 stores “device ID”, “control time”, “type”, “model number”, “control content”, and “user” in association with each other.

  “Device ID” is an identifier for uniquely identifying a home device. The “device ID” is shared among a plurality of controllers 1 in the home. That is, the same “device ID” indicates the same device in any controller 1. As the “device ID”, for example, a communication address on the network 20 of the device, a serial number unique to the device, or the like can be adopted.

  “Control time” indicates the time when the device is controlled. The sharing history T3 only needs to store at least the last controlled time for each device as the “control time”.

  “Type” indicates the type of equipment such as “air conditioner” or “lighting”. The “model number” is a symbol string given to the device in the product classification. “Control content” is the content of control performed on the device. For example, information such as “temperature change” for the air conditioner 12, “power ON” for the lighting device 13, “open door” or “close door” for the refrigerator 11 corresponds to “control content”. To do.

  “User” indicates the name of the user who made a control request to the device. The device control system shown in FIG. 1 manages user account information in which a user name and a password are associated, for example. And when using a device control system, a user inputs a user name and a password, and logs in to a device control system. Therefore, the device control system can specify the user name of the user who has input the control request from the user name input at the time of login.

  Returning to FIG. The control availability determination unit 104 determines whether the control performed by the device control unit 101 is possible based on the sharing history T3. Specifically, when the device control unit 101 receives a control request for a certain device, the control availability determination unit 104 acquires “control time” and “control content” when the device was last controlled from the sharing history T3. . Then, the control availability determination unit 104 determines that the control request cannot be controlled unless a predetermined time interval has elapsed from the acquired “control time” according to the acquired “control content”.

  In this case, the control availability determination unit 104 may calculate the remaining time until control is possible. Specifically, the control availability determination unit 104 subtracts the remaining time by subtracting the current time from the time obtained by adding a predetermined time interval according to the acquired “control content” to the acquired “control time”. What is necessary is just to calculate.

  On the other hand, if the time interval predetermined according to the acquired “control content” has elapsed from the “control time” acquired from the sharing history T3, the control availability determination unit 104 can control the control request. judge.

  When the control availability determination unit 104 determines that control is impossible, the control availability determination unit 104 does not transmit a control command corresponding to the control request to the device. Then, the control availability determination unit 104 displays on the display unit 202 that control is not possible and the remaining time until control becomes possible. In this case, the control availability determination unit 104 may hold the control request until control becomes possible, and automatically transmit a control command when control becomes possible. This prevents a control command from being transmitted to the device before the necessary time interval has elapsed since the device was last controlled.

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of a device control screen 301 used for a user to input a control request. On the device control screen 301 shown in FIG. 4A, a refrigerator 11, an air conditioner 12, and a refrigerator icon 311 indicating the lighting device 13, an air conditioner icon 312, and a lighting icon 313 are arranged in the house.

  As described above, the control availability determination unit 104 can determine whether the device is currently controllable using the sharing history T3. The upper diagram of FIG. 4A shows the device control screen 301 in the initial state. As shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 4A, on the device control screen 301 in the initial state, all icons are displayed in a normal display mode. Here, the normal display mode corresponds to a mode in which the icon is displayed in a state having a predetermined default brightness.

  For example, when the controller 1A receives a control request for the air conditioner 12 from the user, the control history of the air conditioner 12 by the controller 1B is stored in the sharing history T3, and the control availability determination unit 104 of the controller 1A Judged that control is impossible. In this case, the display unit 202 of the controller 1A switches the display of the device control screen 301 to the lower diagram of FIG. 4A.

  4A shows a device control screen 301 when it is determined that the air conditioner 12 cannot be controlled. In the example in the lower diagram of FIG. 4A, for example, the device control screen 301 indicates that the air conditioner 12 cannot be controlled by displaying the air conditioner icon 312 with lower brightness than the normal display mode. In this example, the air conditioner icon 312 is displayed by switching from white to gray. Thereby, the user can recognize that the air conditioner 12 is currently uncontrollable. As a result, it is possible to prevent the user from inputting a control request to the air conditioner 12 in an uncontrollable state. In addition, when the time which cannot be controlled passes and the air conditioner 12 becomes controllable, the display part 202 of the controller 1A will show the apparatus control screen 301 from the apparatus control screen 301 shown in the lower figure of FIG. 4A to the upper figure. Switch to the device control screen 301. Thereby, the user can recognize that the air conditioner 12 can be controlled.

  FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a device control screen 302 as another example. The device control screen 302 is further provided with a device control column 321 with respect to the device control screen 301. The device control column 321 is used for inputting a control request for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner. In the device control screen 302, the display unit 202 is configured with a touch panel. The device control column 321 includes a temperature increase button B41 described as “temperature high” for increasing the set temperature, a temperature decrease button B42 described as “temperature low” for decreasing the set temperature, and a set temperature. And a temperature display field B43 for displaying. The user changes the set temperature of the air conditioner 12 by tapping the temperature increase button B41 or the temperature decrease button B42 and changing the set temperature displayed in the temperature display field B43.

  In FIG. 4B, the device control column 321 of the air conditioner 12 is displayed because, for example, the user has tapped the air conditioner icon 312 to clearly indicate the intention to input a control request to the air conditioner 12. In order to input a control request to the refrigerator 11 or the lighting device 13 other than the air conditioner 12, the user may tap the refrigerator icon 311 or the lighting icon 313. In this case, the device control column 321 of the refrigerator 11 or the lighting device 13 is displayed.

  When the set temperature is input using the device control screen 302 shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 4B, but the control availability determination unit 104 determines that control is impossible, the display unit 202 displays the device control shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 4B. The display is switched from the screen 302 to the lower diagram of FIG. 4B.

  The device control screen 302 in the lower diagram of FIG. 4B further includes an uncontrollable notification column 331 with respect to the device control screen 301 in the lower diagram of FIG. 4A.

  In the non-controllable notification column 331, a message “Currently not operable from this controller. Xx has raised the temperature. Cannot be operated for another 10 seconds.” Is displayed. Here, “xx” indicates the name of the user who controlled the air conditioner 12. “10 seconds” indicates the remaining time until the air conditioner 12 becomes controllable.

  Thus, in addition to the information indicating that the control is impossible, the control impossible notification column 331 includes information indicating which user's control request cannot control the air conditioner 12 and the control of the air conditioner 12. The remaining time until it becomes possible is displayed. As a result, it becomes possible to notify the user who has not been granted the control request of the reason why the control is impossible and the remaining time, and the user's discomfort can be reduced.

  Further, the non-controllable notification column 331 may include a message input column (not shown) in which the user inputs an arbitrary message when the user inputs a control request. In this case, the controller 1 to which the message is input may store the message input in its own sharing history T3 and transmit this message to the other controller 1 together with the input control request. And the other controller 1 should just memorize | store the received message in own share log | history T3. The other controller 1 reads out this message from the sharing history T3 and displays it in the uncontrollable notification column 331 when the control request is input from the user and the controllability determining unit 104 determines that control is not possible. May be.

  Thereby, the intention of a control request | requirement etc. can be shared between different users, and the discomfort given to a user when control is impossible can be reduced more. Here, the message has been described as being input by the user, but a form in which the user can select a desired message from a plurality of messages prepared in advance may be employed.

  The non-controllable notification column 331 is a selection column 332 for prompting the user to select whether or not to automatically execute the input control request when the remaining time has passed and the air conditioner 12 becomes controllable. It has. In the selection column 332, a message “Do you want to perform this operation after 10 seconds?” Is displayed, and the user is prompted to select whether or not to automatically execute the control request.

  In the selection field 332, a “YES” button and a “NO” button are further arranged. If the user wishes to automatically execute the input control request when the remaining time has elapsed, the user selects the “YES” button. On the other hand, when the remaining time has elapsed and the user does not wish to automatically execute the input control request, the user selects the “NO” button. When the “YES” button is selected, the control request is automatically executed when the remaining time has elapsed, so that the user does not need to input the control request again, and the operation burden on the user can be reduced.

  On the other hand, there are users who look at the non-controllable notification column 331 and who want to input the control request again or determine that the control request need not be automatically executed based on the contents of the status display column 333. In this case, the user can select the “NO” button to prevent the control request from being automatically executed when the remaining time has elapsed. As a result, it is possible to flexibly meet such user needs.

  The non-controllable notification column 331 further includes a status display column 333 for displaying the current status of the device relating to the control request input by the user. Here, since the user has input a control request for changing the set temperature to the air conditioner 12, the status display column 333 displays a message “Current temperature is 27 degrees”, and the air conditioner 12. Is notified to the user.

  When the control of the air conditioner 12 is impossible, a control request for changing the temperature of the air conditioner 12 may be input from another controller 1 immediately before. In that case, the current set temperature of the air conditioner 12 may be different from the set temperature assumed by the user. Therefore, by displaying the latest state of the air conditioner 12 in the state display column 333, it is possible to provide a determination material for the user to determine whether or not to make a control request again. The controller 1 may acquire the current state of the air conditioner 12 by referring to the sharing history T3, or directly communicate with the air conditioner 12 via the network 20 to determine the current state of the air conditioner 12. You may get it.

  The user may desire to input a control request (for example, power ON, operation mode switching) other than a change in the set temperature as a control request for the air conditioner 12. In this case, a switch button for switching the display to the device control column 321 for inputting another control request may be provided in the device control column 321 shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 4B. Thereby, the user can switch the device control column 321 to the device control column 321 for inputting a desired control request.

  FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating another example of the device control screen 303. The device control screen 303 in FIG. 4C notifies the user of whether or not the device can be controlled by displaying a device icon of the device installed in the home on the layout screen showing the home layout. The device icons are arranged at positions on the layout screen corresponding to the actual installation positions of the corresponding devices.

  In this example, device icons 314 and 315 indicating two controllers are arranged on the device control screen 303. 4C shows the device control screen 303 in the initial state.

  4C, the controller 1A represented by the device icon 314 controls the air conditioner 12 indicated by the air conditioner icon 312. The control availability determination unit 104 of the controller 1A determines that the air conditioner 12 is not controllable. Yes. In this case, an uncontrollable notification column 334 is displayed on each device control screen 303 of the controller 1A and the controller 1B indicated by the device icon 315 (device icon of the television). The uncontrollable notification column 334 is similar in display content to the uncontrollable notification column 331 shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 4B. However, in the example in the lower diagram of FIG. 4C, when the control request to the air conditioner 12 by the controller 1 </ b> A represented by the device icon 314 is executed, the uncontrollable notification column 334 is displayed.

  In this non-controllable notification column 334, a message “xx has raised the temperature. Cannot operate for another 10 seconds.” Is displayed, and it is clearly indicated that the user “xx” has raised the temperature of the air conditioner 12. Has been. In addition, in the non-controllable notification column 334, a message input by the user “xx” is displayed, and the intention of the control request is clearly indicated.

  In addition, an arrow mark Y31 from the device icon 314 to the air conditioner icon 312 is displayed on the device control screen 303. Thereby, the user can recognize at a glance that the air conditioner 12 is controlled by the controller 1 </ b> A indicated by the device icon 314.

  Next, a more specific embodiment of the controller 1 of the present disclosure will be described.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the controller 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The controller 1 further includes a controller detection unit 105 and a device database unit 106 in addition to the controller 1 shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the control information communication unit 112 includes a control information notification unit 1011 and a control information reception unit 1012.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the device control system according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, each of the controllers 1A and 1B determines whether or not it accepts an input user control request. Further, when the controller 1A, 1B determines that the input control request is uncontrollable, and holds the input control request until it becomes controllable, each of the input control requests Hold on.

  The controller detection unit 105 detects another controller 1 connected to the network 20. For example, the controller detection unit 105 periodically transmits a presence notification indicating its presence to the network 20 by broadcast. At the same time, the controller detection unit 105 receives the presence notification transmitted from the other controller 1. Thereby, the controllers 1 can detect each other's presence.

  Alternatively, the controller detection unit 105 may broadcast a confirmation request for a response from another controller 1. In this case, when receiving a confirmation request from another controller 1, the controller detection unit 105 returns a response to the confirmation request. Depending on the protocol of the network 20, the term “broadcast” may be used to indicate transmission to an unspecified number of people. Depending on the communication method, transmission to an unspecified number of people may be referred to as “multicast”. In the present disclosure, “broadcast” is a generic term for a term indicating transmission to an unspecified number of people, such as “multicast”.

  The device database unit 106 stores a control interval table T7 that predefines a necessary control interval according to the type of device and the control over the device. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control interval table T7. The control interval table T7 stores “type”, “model number”, “control content”, and “control interval” in association with each other. The “type”, “model number”, and “control content” are the same as those in FIG.

  The “control interval” is a time interval required when a certain control is performed on a certain device before the next control is performed on the device. Here, the control interval table T7 is stored in the controller 1, but this is an example. The control interval table T7 may be stored outside the controller 1 such as a cloud server. In this case, the controller 1 may refer to the control interval table T7 provided outside as needed.

  In the first embodiment, the control availability determination unit 104 refers to the control interval table T7 in addition to the sharing history T3, and determines whether the control performed by the device control unit 101 is possible. Specifically, when the device control unit 111 accepts a control request for a certain device, the control availability determination unit 104 acquires “control time” and “control content” when the device was last controlled from the sharing history T3. . Further, the control availability determination unit 104 acquires a “control interval” corresponding to the acquired “control content” from the control interval table T7. Then, if the acquired “control interval” has not elapsed from the acquired “control time”, the control availability determination unit 104 determines that control for the control request is impossible.

  In this case, the control availability determination unit 104 may calculate the remaining time by subtracting the current time from the time obtained by adding the acquired “control time” to the acquired “control time”.

  On the other hand, if the acquired “control interval” has elapsed from the acquired “control time”, the control availability determination unit 104 determines that control for the control request is possible. Thereby, according to the content of the control with respect to the kind of apparatus and an apparatus, an apparatus can be controlled by an appropriate time interval.

  The control information notification unit 1011 transmits device control information to the other controller 1 detected by the controller detection unit 105. Further, the control information notification unit 1011 receives device control information from another controller 1. The device control information is information for notifying other controllers 1 that the control for the control request has been executed. The device control information includes, for example, “device ID”, “control time”, “type”, “model number”, and “control content”. Upon receiving the device control information, the other controller 1 stores the content of the device control information in the sharing history T3. Thereby, the plurality of controllers 1 can store the same sharing history T3.

  8A and 8B are flowcharts showing the operation of the controller 1 in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the device control screen 302 of FIG. 4B is adopted as the device control screen.

  FIG. 8A is a flowchart when the user inputs a device control request. In step S1000, the operation unit 201 receives an input of a user's control request and notifies the device control unit 111 of the input control request.

  Upon receiving the notification, the device control unit 111 notifies the control availability determination unit 104 of the content of the control for the control request, and inquires about the availability of the control for the control request and the remaining time until the control is enabled (step S1001). The control availability determination unit 104 determines whether the notified control is currently possible or impossible using the shared history T3 stored in the history storage unit 103 and the control interval table T7 stored in the device database unit 106. (Step S1002). When control is impossible, the control availability determination unit 104 calculates the remaining time until control is possible, and responds to the device control unit 111 with the calculated remaining time together with the result of control availability.

  The operation after step S1003 branches depending on whether control is possible. If control is possible (YES in step S1003), the device control unit 111 transmits a control command to the device (step S1007). On the other hand, if control is not possible (NO in step S1003), the display unit 202 displays a control impossible notification column 331 on the device control screen 302 as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. It is displayed and the remaining time until it becomes controllable (step S1004).

  Subsequently, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 4B, the display unit 202 displays a selection field 332 on the device control screen 302, and inputs whether or not to automatically execute the input control request when control becomes possible. Is obtained from the user (step S1005). If the user selects not to execute automatically (NO in step S1005), the process ends. In this case, the user needs to input a control request again after the remaining time has elapsed.

  On the other hand, if the user selects automatic execution (YES in step S1005), the device control unit 111 holds the control request notified in step S1000 until control becomes possible (step S1006), and becomes controllable. Then, the process proceeds to step S1007. In this case, after the user can control, the control request is automatically executed without inputting the control request again.

  In step S1007, the device control unit 111 transmits a control command corresponding to the control request to the corresponding device. In step S1008, the history storage unit 103 stores the control content corresponding to the control request in the shared history T3 as a device control history.

  In step S <b> 1009, the control information notification unit 1011 transmits device control information indicating the content of the executed control request to the other controller 1. The other controller 1 updates its own sharing history T3 using the device control information. As a result, the sharing history T3 is synchronized between the controllers 1.

  Note that the processing order from step S1007 to step S1009 is not the order shown in the figure, and an arbitrary order may be adopted. In addition, after step S1007, in order to confirm whether or not the control has actually succeeded, a process of acquiring the state of the apparatus and a process of receiving a response of the apparatus to the control command may be provided.

  FIG. 8B is a flowchart showing processing of the controller 1 when device control information is received from another controller 1. In step S <b> 1100, the control information receiving unit 1012 receives device control information indicating the content of control executed by another controller 1. Here, the received device control information is the device control information transmitted by the other controller 1 in step S1009.

  The history storage unit 103 records the content of the control indicated by the received device control information in the sharing history T3, as in the case where the control is performed by the history storage unit 103 (step S1101). As a result, the history of device control of itself and the history of device control of other controllers 1 existing in the network 20 are recorded in the sharing history T3. Therefore, the control availability determination unit 104 can determine control availability using the sharing history T3 including the history of device control performed by the controller 1 of itself and the other controller 1.

  In the present embodiment, the controller 1 includes the controller detection unit 105 that detects the presence of the other controller 1, so that it can be determined whether the other controller 1 exists on the network 20.

  FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a display example of the device control screen 302 in the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 9A shows a display example of the device control screen 302 when the controller detection unit 105 detects the presence of another controller 1. The upper diagram in FIG. 9A shows the device control screen 302 in the initial state, and the details are the same as those in FIG. 4A. When another controller 1 is connected on the network 20, the controller 1 may not be able to control the device as described above. Therefore, when the controller detection unit 105 detects the presence of another controller 1, the display unit 202 notifies the user of a message that the control may be impossible as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 9A. A warning 901 is displayed on the device control screen 302. In the warning 901, a message “There is another controller in the house. It may not be operated.” Is displayed. As a result, the controller 1 can warn the user in advance that there is a possibility that control of the device may become impossible due to the presence of the other controller 1. As a result, user discomfort can be reduced when control over the device becomes impossible.

  In the present embodiment, the controller detection unit 105 has the function of the controller 1 of the present embodiment by using a general communication protocol for controlling and discovering devices connected to the network. No controller (hereinafter referred to as “general controller”) can be detected. For example, the controller 1 determines whether the other controller is a general controller from information (for example, a model number) related to the controller included in a response returned from the other controller when making an inquiry to the other controller. What is necessary is just to determine.

  FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating a display example of the device control screen 303 in which the general controller and the controller 1 according to the first embodiment are displayed separately. On the device control screen 303 shown in FIG. 9B, the device icon 316 indicating the general controller detected by the controller detection unit 105 is displayed in a display mode different from the device icon 315 indicating the controller 1. Here, as a different display mode, for example, a mode in which at least one of brightness, saturation, and hue is displayed for the device icon 315 indicating the controller 1 can be adopted. Thereby, the user can grasp | ascertain the controller 1 which can control an apparatus with an appropriate control space | interval, and the controller 1 which cannot perform the control.

  Note that the device control screen 303 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B can also be realized by the controller 1 of the second embodiment by providing the controller detection unit 105.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the controller 1 was provided with the controller detection part 105, it is not limited to this, The controller detection part 105 may be omitted. In this case, the control information notification unit 1011 may transmit the device control information by broadcast.

  In the present embodiment, when the device control system includes three or more controllers 1, it may occur that a plurality of remaining controllers 1 other than one controller 1 hold the control request. In this case, when the corresponding device can be controlled, the control requests held by the remaining plurality of controllers 1 are simultaneously executed, and a plurality of control commands are simultaneously transmitted to the corresponding device.

  In order to prevent this, for example, the control availability determination unit 104 calculates a period obtained by adding a random time to the “control interval” acquired from the control interval table T7 as a new “control interval” of the corresponding device. Good. As a result, the timing at which the suspended control request is executed can be changed among the plurality of controllers 1.

  In this case, among the plurality of controllers 1 that have held the control request, the controller 1 with the newest “control interval” transmits a control command corresponding to the held control request, and controls the corresponding device. Will do. In this case, the controller 1 other than the controller 1 that transmitted the control command updates the sharing history T3 based on the device control information transmitted from the controller 1 that transmitted the control command. At the time of this update, the controller 1 holding the control request may recalculate the “control interval” of the corresponding device.

  The controller 1 may calculate a new “control interval” by adding a different fixed time assigned to each controller 1 to the “control interval” acquired from the control interval table T7. In this case, the control availability determination unit 104 may calculate the fixed time by executing a hash calculation on an address on the network 20 of its own controller 1, for example.

  As described above, the controller 1 according to the present embodiment operates in the same manner as in the case where the controller 1 exists alone in the house except for the determination of whether control is possible. Therefore, the user can use the controller 1 without changing the operation mode between the case where the controller 1 exists alone and the case where there are a plurality of controllers 1.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the controller 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The controller 1 in the present embodiment further includes a controller detection unit 105, a device database unit 106, and a representative controller determination unit 107, as compared with the controller 1 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the control information communication unit 122 includes a control request transfer unit 1021, a control request reception unit 1022, and a control availability return unit 1023.

  The controller detection unit 105 and the device database unit 106 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The representative controller determination unit 107 determines a representative controller 1a from among the plurality of controllers 1 using a predetermined rule as will be described later.

  The control request transfer unit 1021 functions when its own controller 1 is a non-representative controller 1b, and transfers the control request received by the device control unit 121 to the representative controller 1a.

  The control request receiving unit 1022 functions when its own controller 1 is a representative controller 1a, and receives a control request transferred from a non-representative controller 1b.

  The control availability reply unit 1023 functions when its own controller 1 is the representative controller 1a, and a determination result indicating whether or not the control request received from the device control unit 121 from the non-representative controller 1b is possible. Is transmitted, and control availability information indicating a determination result is transmitted to the requesting controller 1b that is not a representative.

  In addition to the function of the device control unit 101 of the first embodiment, the device control unit 121 (an example of a request reception unit) further determines whether or not its own controller 1 is the representative controller 1a in the representative controller determination unit 107. It has a function to query. Further, the device control unit 121 has a function of notifying the control availability return unit 1023 of the control determination result for the control request by the control availability determination unit 104. Furthermore, the device control unit 121 has a function of acquiring a control request received by the control request receiving unit 1022.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the device control system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, one representative controller is determined from the plurality of controllers 1. In the example of FIG. 11, the left controller 1 is a representative controller 1a, and the right controller 1 is a non-representative controller 1b. The representative controller 1a stores a sharing history T3 for home device control. The representative controller 1a also determines whether or not the non-representative controller 1b can control the request control input by the user. In the present embodiment, among the blocks provided in the controller 1, some blocks function in the case of the representative controller 1a, and the remaining part functions in the case of the non-representative controller 1b. In FIG. 11, blocks that do not function in the case of the representative controller 1 a and blocks that do not function in the case of the non-representative controller 1 b are indicated by stippling. In FIG. 11, the block included in the representative controller 1 a is suffixed with “a”, and the block included in the non-representative controller 1 b is suffixed with “b”.

  The representative controller determination unit 107 determines one controller 1 as the representative controller 1a from among the plurality of controllers 1 existing on the network 20 detected by the controller detection unit 105.

  The representative controller determination unit 107 included in each controller 1 uses a predetermined rule in which the same one controller 1 is determined as the representative controller 1a among all the controllers 1 existing on the network 20, using the representative controller 1a is determined. As the predetermined rule, for example, a rule for determining the controller 1 having the smallest communication address in the network 20 as the representative controller 1a can be adopted. Or as a predetermined rule, the rule which determines the controller 1 with the highest priority as the representative controller 1a is employable, for example.

  In this case, the representative controller determination unit 107 determines the priority of each controller based on information exchanged between the controllers when the controller detection unit 105 detects another controller 1 and a general controller connected to the network 20. May be calculated.

  Here, the information exchanged between the controllers includes the version of software used by the controller 1 and the model number of the controller 1. Therefore, for example, the representative controller determination unit 107 calculates the priority of each controller 1 so that the controller 1 with a newer software version has a higher priority, and the controller 1 with a specific model number has a higher priority. That's fine.

  This is because the newer version of the software is considered to have improved functions and defects, and is suitable for the representative controller 1a. Further, when comparing the controller 1 mounted on a stationary apparatus such as a television with the controller 1 mounted on a portable apparatus such as a tablet terminal, the former is more stable than the latter. It is considered suitable for representatives. Therefore, as a specific model number, a model number indicating a stationary device can be adopted. In the present embodiment, the method of determining the representative controller 1a is not limited to this method, and any rule can be used as long as the same controller 1 is determined as the representative controller 1a in all the controllers 1. It may be adopted.

  In the present embodiment, the non-representative controller 1b transfers a control request to the representative controller 1a. The control request includes at least the “device ID” of the device to be controlled and the content of the control. As the content of the control, for example, a control command transmitted from the device control unit 121 to the device may be used as it is. The representative controller 1a specifies the device to be controlled from the “device ID” included in the control request transferred from the non-representative controller 1b, and transmits a control command to the specified device. In other words, in the present embodiment, the representative controller 1a aggregates the device control history of all the controllers 1 in the house including the device control history of itself and records it in the shared history T3, and controls to the corresponding device. Send a command.

  12A, 12B, and 12C are flowcharts showing the operation of the controller 1 in the second embodiment. In FIG. 12A, FIG. 12B, and FIG. 12C, the apparatus control screen 302 of FIG. 4B is employ | adopted as an apparatus control screen similarly to Embodiment 1. FIG.

  FIG. 12A is a flowchart illustrating processing of the representative controller 1a when receiving an input of a control request from a user. In step S2000 of FIG. 12A, the operation unit 201a of the representative controller 1a receives an input of a user's control request and notifies the device control unit 121a of the input control request. In step S2001, the device control unit 121a inquires of the representative controller determination unit 107a whether or not its own controller 1 is currently the representative controller 1a.

  In FIG. 12A, the process after step S2101 shows the process when the controller 1 is the representative controller 1a (YES in step S2001). When the controller itself is not the representative controller 1a (NO in step S2001), the process proceeds to S2201 in FIG. 12B, and the processes after S2201 are executed.

  The processing from step S2101 to step S2108 is the same as the processing from step S1001 to step S1008 of the first embodiment. That is, using the sharing history T3 and the “control interval” acquired from the control interval table T7, the control availability determination unit 104a determines whether control for the input request control is possible (steps S2101 to S2103). ). If control is possible (YES in step S2103), device controller 121a transmits a control command to the device (step S2107). If the control is impossible (NO in step S2103), the display unit 202a displays on the device control screen 302 that the control is impossible and the remaining time until control becomes possible, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 4B. It is displayed (step S2104), and when the control becomes possible, the user is requested to input whether or not the control request is automatically executed (step S2105). When the user selects automatic execution (YES in step S2105), the device control unit 121a holds the control request until control is possible (step S2106), and transmits a control command when control is possible (step S2107). . After transmitting the control command, the history storage unit 103a records the content of the control for the corresponding control request in the sharing history T3 (step S2108). In the second embodiment, since the non-representative controller 1b does not need to manage the sharing history T3, the representative controller 1a does not transfer the control request to the non-representative controller 1b in this flowchart.

  FIG. 12B is a flowchart illustrating processing of the non-representative controller 1b when the non-representative controller 1b receives an input of a control request from the user. The processes in steps S2000 and S2001 are the same as in FIG. 12A. Here, since the controller 1 is a non-representative controller 1b, the device control unit 121b determines that its own controller 1 is not the representative controller 1a (NO in step S2001). If own controller 1 is representative controller 1a (YES in step S2001), the process proceeds to S2101 in FIG. 12A.

  The control request transfer unit 1021b transfers the control request to the representative controller 1a determined by the representative controller determination unit 107b (step S2201). The control request transfer unit 1021b receives control availability information (described later) returned as a response by the representative controller 1a (step S2202).

  Next, the device control unit 121b determines whether control is possible from the received control availability information (step S2203). If the controllability information indicates that control is possible (YES in step S2203), device controller 121b ends the process. On the other hand, if the control availability information indicates that control is impossible (NO in step S2203), device control unit 121b advances the process to step S2204.

  In step S2204, the display unit 202b requests the user to input whether or not to automatically execute the control request when control becomes possible. When the user selects automatic execution (YES in step S2204), the control request transfer unit 1021b transmits a response to automatically execute the control request to the representative controller 1a (step S2205). On the other hand, when the user does not select automatic execution (NO in step S2204), the control request transfer unit 1021b transmits a response to the effect that the control request is not automatically executed to the representative controller 1a (step S2206).

  FIG. 12C is a flowchart illustrating processing of the representative controller 1a when the representative controller 1a receives a control request from the non-representative controller 1b. The control request receiving unit 1022a receives the control request transferred in step S2201 in FIG. 12B (step S2300).

  In this embodiment, when the representative controller 1a receives a control request from the non-representative controller 1b, its own operation unit 201a receives an input of the control request from the user (step S2000 in FIG. 12A). The same processing is performed.

  That is, the device control unit 121a inquires of the control availability determination unit 104a whether or not the control request received from the non-representative controller 1b is currently executable and the remaining time until control is possible (step S2301). Upon receiving the inquiry, the control availability determination unit 104a determines whether or not the control request received from the non-representative controller 1b is currently controllable, and calculates the remaining time until control becomes possible (step) S2302).

  If control is possible (YES in step S2303), the control availability reply unit 1023a transmits control availability information indicating that control is possible to the non-representative controller 1b that has transferred the control request (step S2307). The control availability information transmitted in step S2307 is received by the control request transfer unit 1021b of the controller 1b in step S2202 of FIG. 12B. Thereby, the non-representative controller 1b recognizes that control for the transferred control request is possible.

  Next, the device control unit 121a transmits a control command corresponding to the control request received from the non-representative controller 1b to the device (step S2308). Thereby, the control request transferred from the non-representative controller 1b is executed via the representative controller 1a.

  If control is not possible (NO in step S2303), the control availability reply unit 1023a transmits control availability information indicating that control is impossible to the non-representative controller 1b that transferred the control request (step S2304). . The control availability information transmitted in step S2304 is received by the control request transfer unit 1021b of the controller 1b in step S2202 of FIG. 12B. Thereby, the non-representative controller 1b recognizes that control for the transferred control request is impossible.

  In step S2305, a response to automatically execute control for the control request transferred from the non-representative controller 1b in step S2205 in FIG. 12B, or a control request transferred from the non-representative controller 1b in step S2206 in FIG. 12B. The control request receiving unit 1022a receives a response indicating that the control for is not automatically executed. If a response indicating that automatic execution is not performed is received and automatic execution is not requested (NO in step S2305), the process ends.

  On the other hand, if a response indicating automatic execution is received and automatic execution is requested (YES in step S2305), the device control unit 121a holds the control request received in step S2300 (step S2306) and can be controlled. If so, a control command is transmitted to the device (step S2308).

  After transmitting the control command, the history storage unit 103a records the content of control for the corresponding control request in the sharing history T3 (step S2309). As a result, the content of control in response to the control request from the controller 1b received in step S2300 is recorded in the sharing history T3.

  Through the above operation, the content of control for the control request input to the non-representative controller 1b is recorded together with the content of control for the control request input to the representative controller 1a in the sharing history T3 stored by the representative controller 1a. Is done. As a result, the representative controller 1a can collectively determine whether the control request input to the non-representative controller 1b and the control request input to the representative controller 1a can be controlled. As a result, even if there are a plurality of controllers 1 in the house, the device can be controlled with an appropriate control interval.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 4B, 302 is adopted in the device control screen on which the uncontrollable notification column 331 including the selection column 332 and the status display column 333 is displayed. Is not limited to this. For example, the device control screens 301 and 303 in FIGS. 4A and 4C may be employed.

  In the second embodiment, the control of all the devices is integrated into the representative controller 1a, and the actual device is controlled by the representative controller 1a. Therefore, it is possible to control the device with an appropriate control interval without having the non-representative controller 1b manage the sharing history T3.

  If it is determined in step S2203 in FIG. 12B that the device can be controlled (YES in step S2203), the display unit 202b of the non-representative controller 1b that is the request source can control the corresponding device. You may display the information which shows. In this case, the display unit 202a may display a message indicating that the corresponding device can be controlled on the device control screens 301, 302, and 303.

  On the other hand, the display unit 202b of the non-representative controller 1b and the display unit 202a of the representative controller 1a other than the request source may display information indicating that the corresponding device cannot be controlled. In this case, the display unit 202b and the display unit 202a display the device control screens 301, 302, and 303 in the lower diagrams of FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C as they are to indicate that the corresponding device cannot be controlled. That's fine.

  According to the present disclosure, it is useful for a technique for controlling a device in a network environment in which a plurality of controllers exist in a network.

1, 1A, 1B Controller 1a Representative controller 1b Non-representative controller 2, 2a, 2b Controller main body 3, 3a, 3b User terminal 20 Network 101, 111, 121, 121a, 121b Device control unit 102, 112, 122, 122a, 122b Control information communication unit 103, 103a, 103b History storage unit 104, 104a, 104b Control availability determination unit 105, 105a, 105b Controller detection unit 106, 106a, 106b Device database unit 107, 107a, 107b Representative controller determination unit 201, 201a , 201b Operation unit 202, 202a, 202b Display unit 301, 302, 303 Device control screen 1011 Control information notification unit 1012 Control information reception unit 1021, 1021a, 1021b Control Request transfer unit 1022, 1022a, 1022b Control request receiving unit 1023, 1023a, 1023b Control availability return unit

Claims (11)

A control method performed by a plurality of control devices connected to a network and controlling devices connected to the network,
A first control device that is one of the plurality of control devices receives a device control history from the other control device when another control device in the plurality of control devices controls the device. A history receiving step;
A storage step of storing the device control history received from the other control device as a shared history added to the device control history in the first control device;
A request receiving step in which the first control device receives an input of a control request to the device by a user;
A determination step of determining whether or not the first control device can control the device based on the received control request based on the sharing history;
A command transmission step of transmitting a control command to the device when the first control device determines that the control of the device based on the received control request is possible;
In the determination step, when it is determined that control of the device is impossible,
The display unit included in the control device that has received the control request input from the user or the display device connected to the control device via the network further executes a display step for displaying that the device cannot be controlled. ,
In the display step, the time until the device becomes controllable is further displayed,
The display step further displays information prompting the user to input an answer as to whether to automatically control the device based on the received control request when the device becomes controllable,
In the command transmission step, when an input to automatically execute control of the device is received, the first control device holds the received control request, and after the elapse of time until the control becomes possible, Send control commands to the device,
Control method. In the determination step, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the device was last controlled, it is determined that the device can be controlled.
The control method according to claim 1. In the display step, the current state of the device is further displayed.
The control method according to claim 1 . A control method performed by a plurality of control devices connected to a network and controlling devices connected to the network,
A first control device that is one of the plurality of control devices receives a device control history from the other control device when another control device in the plurality of control devices controls the device. A history receiving step;
A storage step of storing the device control history received from the other control device as a shared history added to the device control history in the first control device;
A request receiving step in which the first control device receives an input of a control request to the device by a user;
A determination step of determining whether or not the first control device can control the device based on the received control request based on the sharing history;
A command transmission step of transmitting a control command to the device when the first control device determines that the control of the device based on the received control request is possible;
The first control device does not have the same function as the first control device, the control device is different from the first control device, and the information included in the communication data transmitted from the different control device is A detecting step to detect using,
When the heterogeneous control device is detected, the heterogeneous control device exists in a display unit included in the control device that has received the control request input from the user or a display device connected to the control device via a network. A presence display step for displaying the effect is further executed.
Control method. When the first control device transmits the control command in the command transmission step, the first control device transmits information on the control command to the other control device.
The control method according to claim 1. A control method performed by a plurality of control devices connected to a network and controlling devices connected to the network,
The plurality of control devices include a first control device that is one of the plurality of control devices, and one or more other control devices different from the first control device,
A request receiving step in which a second control device, which is one of the other control devices, receives an input of a control request to the device by a user;
A request transmitting step in which the second control device transmits the control request to the first control device;
A request receiving step in which the first control device receives the control request transmitted from the second control device;
A storage step of storing the received control request as a history of device control in the second control device, in addition to a history of device control in the first control device;
A determination step of determining whether or not the first control device can control the device based on the received control request based on the sharing history;
A command transmission step of transmitting a control command to the device when the first control device determines that the control of the device based on the received control request is possible ;
In the determination step, when it is determined that control of the device is impossible,
A display unit included in the second control device or a display device connected to the second control device via a network performs a display step of displaying that the device cannot be controlled;
In the display step, the time until the device becomes controllable is further displayed,
The display step further displays information prompting the user to input an answer as to whether to automatically control the device based on the received control request when the device becomes controllable,
In the command transmission step, when an input to automatically execute control of the device is received, the first control device holds the received control request, and after the elapse of time until the control becomes possible, Send control commands to the device,
Control method. In the determination step, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the device was last controlled, it is determined that the device can be controlled.
The control method according to claim 6 . In the display step, the current state of the device is further displayed.
The control method according to claim 6 . In the determination step, when it is determined that the device can be controlled,
A display unit included in the second control device or a display device connected to the second control device via a network displays information indicating that the device can be controlled;
A display device connected to the control device other than the second control device or another control device other than the second control device via a network displays that the control of the device is impossible;
The control method according to claim 6 . A control device that constitutes a control system that is connected to a device via a network and includes a plurality of control devices that control the device,
A history storage unit that stores a history of device control in the self-control device and a history of device control in a control device other than the self-control device included in the plurality of control devices;
A request receiving unit that receives an input of a control request from the user to the device;
Based on the sharing history, a control availability determination unit that determines whether the device can be controlled based on the received control request;
When it is determined that control of the device based on the received control request is possible, a control information transmission unit that transmits a control command to the device, and
If the control availability determination unit determines that control of the device is impossible, the control of the device is not performed on a display unit included in the control device or a display device connected to the control device via a network. Display that it is possible,
The display indicating that it is impossible automatically displays the time until the device becomes controllable and automatically controls the device based on the received control request when the device becomes controllable. Display information that prompts the user to enter an answer whether or not
When the control information transmission unit receives an input to automatically execute control of the device, the control information transmission unit suspends the received control request and sends a control command to the device after the elapse of time until the control becomes possible. Send,
Control device. A control device that constitutes a control system that is connected to a device via a network and includes a plurality of control devices that control the device,
A request receiving unit for receiving, from the other control device, an input of a control request to the device input in another control device other than the own control device;
The control request received by the request receiving unit, as a device control history in the other control device, in addition to the device control history in the self-control device, a history storage unit to save as a shared history,
A control availability determination unit that determines whether the device is controllable based on the control request received by the request reception unit based on the sharing history;
A control information transmission unit that transmits a control command to the device when it is determined that the control of the device based on the control request received by the request reception unit is possible;
When it is determined that the control of the device is impossible, the control availability determination unit controls the device to a display unit included in the other control device or a display device connected to the other control device via a network. Display that it is impossible,
The display indicating that it is impossible automatically displays the time until the device becomes controllable and automatically controls the device based on the received control request when the device becomes controllable. Display information that prompts the user to enter an answer whether or not
When the control information transmission unit receives an input to automatically execute control of the device, the control information transmission unit suspends the received control request and sends a control command to the device after the elapse of time until the control becomes possible. Send,
Control device.

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