JP7162285B1 - Communication method and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to facilitate data communication between a terminal and a device. A device (10) has a light-receiving element that receives visible light, and a terminal (13) has light-emitting means and a control section. The light-emitting means of the terminal is positioned corresponding to the light-receiving element of the device, the control section flashes the light-emitting means to transmit information with visible light, and the light-receiving element of the device receives the information transmitted from the light-emitting means. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a communication method and communication system, and more particularly to communication used in IOT (Internet of Things).

2. Description of the Related Art IoT (Internet of Things), in which sensors are arranged in the vicinity of an object to be measured and data detected by the sensors is collected through a wireless network, is being used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication device capable of automatically receiving and transmitting sensor-detected data. Regarding article management using sensors, Patent Document 2 discloses that a reader antenna unit receives a contactless wireless IC tag attached to an object to be detected, and the received IC tag information and position detection information are sent to a base station. An inventory management system is disclosed that performs inventory management through wireless communication.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-23087 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-82976

For example, in the apparel industry, there are many small and medium-sized enterprises with several employees and individual businesses, and they have to purchase materials, manufacture and sell clothes, or deliver them to major apparel companies. Of course, they also need to manage the inventory of materials and manufactured goods that accompany these operations.

As one countermeasure, as described in Patent Document 2, there is a proposal to manage the inventory of materials and manufactured products using IC tags. However, attaching IC tags to materials and manufactured products, installing radio equipment therefor, and constructing an information processing system for processing IC tag information requires a large amount of money. In addition, it is not easy for small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors to implement the system because it takes time and effort to operate it on a daily basis. Moreover, it is difficult to say that the workers are well versed in information processing technology and its operation. Therefore, there is a demand for a system in which even a person unfamiliar with information processing technology can manage articles such as inventory by a simple means without imposing a heavy load.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate data communication between a terminal and a device.

A preferable example of the communication method according to the present invention is a communication method between a device and a terminal,
The device has a light receiving element that receives visible light,
The terminal has a light emitting means and a control unit,
positioning the light emitting means of the terminal corresponding to the light receiving element of the device;
a step in which the control unit blinks the light emitting means to transmit information with visible light;
the light receiving element of the device receiving the information transmitted from the light emitting means;
A communication method comprising:

A preferable example of the communication method according to the present invention is a communication method between a first device and a second device,
The first device has a light receiving element that receives visible light,
The second device has a display unit and a control unit,
a step of associating the light-receiving element of the first device with the display screen of the display unit of the second device;
a step in which the control unit blinks the display screen of the display unit to transmit data with visible light;
a step in which the light receiving element of the first device receives the data transmitted by visible light;
A communication method comprising:
The present invention is also understood as a communication system that implements the above communication method.

According to the present invention, data communication between a terminal and a device can be easily performed.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device management system in Example 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device; 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a terminal; FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of a management server. 1 is a perspective view showing the concept of visible light communication between terminal 13 and device 10. FIG. 3 is a side view showing how visible light communication is performed between the terminal 13 and the device 10. FIG. 4 is a timing chart of transmission signals in visible light communication between the terminal 13 and the device 10. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a device management table; It is a figure which shows the structural example of an article management table. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example format of initial setting data; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the format of device data; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart relating to data communication operations among terminals, devices, and a management server; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example of a registration confirmation screen of a terminal; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example of a registration confirmation screen of a terminal in Example 2;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device management system according to this embodiment.
In the device management system, a plurality of devices 10, mobile terminals (hereinafter simply referred to as terminals) 13 such as smartphones and tablet terminals, and a management server 12 are connected by a wireless network such as a wireless LAN 18 and a network (public network) 19. configured.

Here, the device 10 may be a sensor device that detects an object or its state. Also, the sensor may be a sensor that measures temperature, humidity, vibration, or the like. Detection data of the device 10 is transmitted to the management server 12 via a wireless LAN such as Wifi (Wireless Fidelity) 18 and a network 19 . In this embodiment, the device is a counter that acquires (inputs) the number of articles (count) for application to inventory management of articles. The counter has a simple configuration that can be easily operated by the user and realized at low cost. Details of the counter will be described later with reference to FIG. For inventory control, a plurality of counters are arranged, for example, on shelves that store items such as clothing materials (eg, different types of yarns and fabrics) and ready-made garments. When a cardboard box containing raw materials is placed on a shelf or in a warehouse, double-sided adhesive tape may be applied to the back of the device 10, which is a counter, to fix the device 10 to the side of the cardboard.

The terminal 13 communicates with the management server 12 and the device 10 to acquire data managed by the management server 12 and transmits data to the device 10 . Communication means with the device 10 is, for example, visible light communication that can be performed by a simple operation of the terminal 13 . Details of the terminal 13 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The management server 12 is, for example, an information processing device having a processing unit (CPU) and a storage unit that manage the devices 10 and the inventory status of goods. Details of the management server 12 will be described later with reference to FIG.

<Device 10>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device 10. As shown in FIG.
The device 10 has a control unit 22, a wireless communication unit 23, counter buttons 211 and 212 (generally indicated as 21), a display unit 24, optical elements 261 and 262 (generally indicated as 26), and a power button 27. Realize the function. The control unit 22 has a processing unit (CPU) 221 , a memory 222 , and an optical element control unit 223 that controls the optical element 26 . The display unit 24 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays counter values, setting data, and the like. The optical element 26 is a light receiving element (optical means) and performs visible light communication with the terminal 10 . In one example, the optical element 261 is a light-receiving element for clock synchronization, and the optical element 262 is a light-receiving element that receives data in synchronization with the clock. Note that the optical element 26 may be called a visible light element.

The wireless communication unit 23 wirelessly communicates with the management server 12 via the Wifi 18 . The power button 27 is a button for switching power on/off of the device 10 . Note that the power button 27 is not necessarily required if the power is set to be turned on with the battery installed. The device 10 is driven by batteries (for example, two AAA batteries) (illustration of the batteries is omitted).

The counter button 211 is an addition button that adds "1" to the counter value each time it is pressed. The counter button 212 is a subtraction button that subtracts "1" from the counter value each time the button is pressed. In the case of inventory management of articles, the user (worker) presses the subtraction button 212 each time an article is taken out from the shelf where the article of interest is placed, and presses the addition button 211 each time the article of interest is added. Press When the processing unit 221 of the control unit 22 detects that the addition button 211 or the subtraction button 212 has been pressed, the value of the counter stored in the memory 222 is updated, and the updated value (current value) is displayed on the display unit 24. to display. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible for the user to manage the inventory quantity by a simple operation of pressing the counter button 21 . In addition, it is possible to easily construct a system for inventory control at a low cost.

In the control unit 22, the memory 222 stores management information of the device 10 (Wifi SSID and password, which will be described later), initial values, and counter values in separate storage areas. In addition, the memory 222 stores a unique device ID assigned in advance to each device 10 .

The processing unit 221 executes programs, controls each part, and performs various data processing. For example, processing for detecting pressing of the counter button 21 and updating the counter value in the memory 222, display control for displaying data on the display unit 24, and an optical element control unit 223 for visible light communication with the terminal 13 , processing for setting management information and initial values of the device 10 in the memory 222, data communication with the management server 12 via the wireless communication unit 23, and various other processing. Note that the optical element control unit 223 is implemented by the CPU 221 executing a visible light communication control program stored in the memory 222 . In one example, data of the latest value (current value) for each item managed by the management server 12 is controlled to be received via the network 19 and the Wifi 18 and stored in the memory 222 .

In this embodiment, transmission of the management information and the initial value of the counter to the device 10 is performed between the terminal 13 and the optical element 26 of the device 10 by visible light communication. For example, in an example where the device 10 communicates with the management server 12 via the Wifi 18, the management information such as the Wifi SSID and password (encryption key) is input to the terminal 13 and stored in the storage unit 34. and the optical element 26 of the device 10 through visible light communication to set management information in the memory 222 of the device 10 . Also, at the time of initial setting, initial value data for each item managed by the management server 12 is stored in the memory 222 . Here, this visible light communication is called a visible light communication interface.

<Terminal 13>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the terminal 13. As shown in FIG.
The terminal 13 is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal, and includes an input unit 31 , a display unit 32 , a control unit 33 , a storage unit 34 and a wireless communication unit 35 . A display unit for displaying information and an input unit for receiving input by user's operation are configured by, for example, a touch panel display. The storage unit 34 stores data (for example, management information, initial values, inventory data) acquired from the management server 12 via the input unit 31 and the wireless communication unit 35, and various programs. The wireless communication unit 35 enables communication via Wifi or the Internet.

The control unit 33 is, for example, a processor (CPU), and performs input display control of the input unit 31 and the display unit 32 and data communication control by the wireless communication unit 35 by executing programs. It also executes various application programs to implement various functions. A screen control unit 331 included in the control unit 33 controls visible light communication with the optical element 26 of the device 10 in this embodiment. The screen control unit 331 for visible light communication is implemented by executing a screen control application downloaded in advance and stored in the storage unit 34 .

<Management Server 12>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the management server 12. As shown in FIG.
The management server 12 is an information processing apparatus having a storage unit 40, a CPU 41, an input/output interface 42 connecting an input/output device 421 for input and display, a network interface 43 connected to the network 19, and an external storage device 44. be. Each function of the management server 12 is realized by a program stored in the external storage device 44 being developed in the storage unit 40 and executed by the CPU 41 . Management server 12 communicates with device 10 and terminal 13 via network interface 43 . Note that the management server 12 may be a personal computer (PC).

The storage unit 40 stores a device management program 401 that manages the devices 10 , an item management program 402 that manages the quantity of items, a device management table 403 , an item management table 404 , and another management table 405 . An item management program 402 and an item management table 404 are used for inventory management. In addition to the above, for example, there is a program and its management table for managing the order and purchase status of raw materials for goods, a program and its management table for managing manufactured products (manufactured products), their delivery destinations and delivery status You may As another management table 405, for example, there is a management table for managing order/purchase data of the above-mentioned materials, the place of purchase, and the status of delivery.

A function realized by executing the device management program 401 may be called a device management unit 401 , and a function realized by executing the item management program 402 may be called an item management unit 402 . Also, the management tables described above may be stored in the external storage device 44 . In this embodiment, it is called a management table as described above, but it may also be called a management DB (database) or simply device management information. Details of the processing operation of the above program and the management table will be described later.

<Visible Light Communication Between Terminal 13 and Device 10>
Visible light communication between the terminal 13 and the device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the device 10 and the terminal 13 at the time of information communication, especially the state of transmitting data held by the terminal 13 to the device 10 by visible light communication. The reference numerals of the device 10 indicate the same parts as the reference numerals shown in FIG. In the terminal 13, 130 indicates the display screen of the touch panel display that serves as both the input section 31 and the display section 32. FIG. For convenience of understanding, the device 10 and the terminal 13 are shown separated from each other in FIG. ing.

As shown in FIG. 6, visible light communication is performed with the optical elements 261 and 262 of the device 10 while a split screen 131 and a split screen 132 obtained by splitting the display screen 130 into two blink. That is, the screen control unit 331 controls the split screen 131 to blink in synchronization with the clock and the split screen 132 to blink in synchronization with the data signal. Opposite optical element 261 receives the clock and optical element 262 receives data.

A user operates the input unit 31 of the terminal 13 to input the SSID and password of the Wifi used by the device 10 . As shown in FIG. 13, the entered SSID and password are displayed in a display area 1301 of the display screen 130 of the terminal 13, and the article ID and article name obtained from the management server 12 and the number thereof are displayed in a display area 1302. be. These data are temporarily stored in the storage section 34 of the terminal 13 . When the setting button 1303 is operated by the user, the visible light communication application of the terminal 13 is activated and the visible light communication is started. Item data such as an ID (including initial values, for example) is sent to the device 10 . In order to identify information (for example, management information and article data) transmitted between the terminal 13 and the device 10, an identification code is added to the head of the information.

The management information such as the SSID and password and the article data received by the optical element 26 (specifically, the light receiving element 262) are stored in separate storage areas of the memory 222 according to the identification code. When the SSID and password are set, the data acquired by the device 10 (that is, the counter value input by the button 21) can be transmitted from the wireless communication section 23 to the management server 12 via the Wifi 18 and the network 19. Note that the setting of management information such as the SSID and password may be performed at different times from the setting of initial values for the device 10. In that case, visible light communication is performed separately.

When using Wifi for communication of the device 10, it is conceivable to use general Bluetooth communication to transmit management information (SSID and password) to and from the smartphone. However, Bluetooth pairing is unstable in connection and takes time and effort, and is very difficult for inexperienced users. Therefore, the present inventor transmits data such as management information by visible light communication between a terminal 13 such as a smartphone and an optical element mounted on the device 10, and sets the data in the device 10, thereby enabling communication connection. This eliminates the complexity associated with the settings, making it easier for even inexperienced users. In visible light communication, the visible light modulating means of the transmitting side device (terminal 13) modulates the transmission data to the brightness of visible light and transmits it, and the receiving side device (device 10) demodulates the visible light received by the light receiving element. It is a communication method (visible light communication interface) that transmits and receives target data by acquiring data using

Visible light communication can be transmitted if the device on the transmitting side has a display unit with a backlight, and does not require any special device. Moreover, it is possible to divide the screen of the terminal into a plurality of areas and transmit different modulated signals using the divided areas. It is not necessary to newly install a device for transmitting visible light to a normal terminal, and it can be easily realized by applying a mobile terminal such as a smart phone. Moreover, there is an advantage that the receiving side can use an inexpensive visible light receiving element and does not require an expensive element such as Bluetooth.

Some refinements and advantages considered by the inventors are further described.
Since the frame rate of the screen of the terminal 13 may change depending on the performance of the device 10, the length representing 1 bit may change for each device. In addition, when a processing failure occurs, the subsequent timing is shifted at the time of the processing failure, so it is important to appropriately convey the timing of bit change.

Therefore, the present inventor considered timing control of visible light communication. That is, the screen of the terminal 13 on the transmission side is divided into two divided screens 131 and 132, and the first part transmits the light/dark pattern corresponding to the clock, and the second part transmits the light/dark pattern corresponding to the data. to control. On the other hand, one optical element 261 of the optical elements 26 of the device 10 is used for receiving a clock of an optical pattern (a pattern obtained by modulating transmission data into visible light), and the brightness of the optical pattern always changes at the timing when a bit changes. The data signal received by the other optical element 262 is read based on this switching.

Furthermore, the inventor devised so that visible light communication can be performed stably even if the brightness of the screen of a terminal such as a smart phone or the processing speed fluctuates. FIG. 7 shows a timing chart of transmission signals in the terminal 13 in visible light communication. A clock and transmission data are shown as a transmission signal, and black and white of the split screens 131 and 132 of the terminal 13 are shown blinking according to the transmission signal. A transmission preparation period (start trigger), a transmission start signal, and data transmission are set along the passage of time (horizontal axis).

As shown in FIG. 7, during the transmission preparation period, both split screens 131 and 132 are used, and the screen control unit 331 of the terminal 13 controls to transmit the light-dark pattern of the clock and its inverted signal (inverted clock). do. As a result, the split screen 131 and the split screen 132 alternately repeat blinking, and accordingly, the optical element 261 of the device 10 on the receiving side receives the clock, and the optical element 262 receives the inverted clock. The screen control unit 331 adjusts the thresholds of the clock and the transmission data based on the bright and dark pattern in which the split screen 131 and the split screen 132 alternately blink correctly. For example, the median value of the signal heights of the clock and transmission data is set as the threshold.

During the transmission start signal period after the transmission preparation period has passed, the screen control unit 331 applies a clock to the split screen 132 that has been sending the reverse clock, and the split screens 131 and 132 become the same brightness ( M in FIG. 7). After that, the split screen 132 is switched for transmission data. On the receiving side, when the optical element control section 223 of the device 10 detects signals of the same brightness (bright state) in the optical elements 261 and 262 and then detects a dark state at the same timing by the optical element 261, data transmission is performed. Judge that it is a start signal.

By controlling the period described above, adjustment is made for blur caused by the brightness of the screen of the terminal and the processing speed. After that, the screen control unit 331 switches the split screen 131 for the clock to blink at a timing of 1/2 or less, and blinks the split screen 132 according to the transmission data "1" and "0", respectively. Sends a light-dark pattern. On the receiving side, the optical element 261 of the device 10 receives the light/dark pattern of the clock, and the optical element 262 receives the light/dark pattern of the transmission data. The reason for switching the clock timing to 1/2 or less is to increase the transmission speed.

<Regarding each management table and data format>
FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the device management table.
The device management table 403 associates and manages a device ID unique to the device 10, an item ID unique to an item, and a flag. The flag manages whether the device ID and the article ID have been associated with each other. Management of this association is performed by executing the device management program 401 . Device IDs and article IDs need only be managed by the system, and need not necessarily be recognized by the user.

FIG. 9 shows the configuration of an article management table.
The article management table 404 manages article names, article IDs, current values, and change histories of all articles. All items are all items subject to inventory management, regardless of whether or not they are tied to a device. For example, information on goods delivered based on orders or newly purchased is sequentially registered in the goods management table 404 by input from the terminal 13 . At the time of registration, the article management unit 402 generates and assigns an article ID for each article registration. The current value represents the current number of items, ie the most recent update. The change history keeps the previous current value as a log each time the number of items in question is updated. Logs are given updated time information.
The user can download the content of the article management table 404 to the terminal 13 and display it on the display section to check the inventory status of the article.

FIG. 10 shows the format of the initialization data.
The initial setting data transmitted from the terminal 13 to the device 10 is in a format having a Wifi SSID, an encryption key (password), and item data (item ID and quantity). It should be noted that there are cases where only the SSID and encryption key of Wifi are transmitted, or where only article data is transmitted, in which case other data is not included.

FIG. 11 shows the format of device data.
Device data, that is, data transmitted from the device 10 to the management server 12 is in a format having an article ID, pre-update data, and post-update data. For example, if the pre-update counter value held in the memory 222 is "15" and two articles are taken out from the article storage shelf, the post-update counter value is "13" and the device data contains: The pre-update data "15" and the post-update data "13" are included.

<Screen display example of terminal 13>
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of the registration confirmation screen of the terminal 13. As shown in FIG.
A screen for confirming information to be registered in the device 10 is displayed on the screen of the touch panel forming the display unit and input unit of the terminal 13 . The registration confirmation screen includes a display area 1301 that displays the SSID and password, which are the management information of the Wifi used by the device 10, and a display area that displays the item ID, item name, and number (item data) assigned to the device 10. 1302 and a setting button 1303 for instructing registration of these information. Note that the article ID is a code for management and does not necessarily need to be displayed.

This registration confirmation screen is used to newly associate an article with the device 10 and register management information for connecting the device 10 to Wifi. Newly delivered items are stored in the item management table 404, but items to which the device 10 has not yet been assigned according to the user's selection (tied unfinished items). The item ID, item name and quantity are displayed in the display area 1302 . Also, the SSID and password that the user inputs from the input unit 31 of the terminal 13 are displayed in the display area 1301 .

When the user confirms the display contents of the registration confirmation screen and presses the setting button 1303, the visible light communication is started, and the SSID and password as well as the article ID and the number thereof are sent to the terminal via the visible light communication interface. 13 to the device 10 . Note that the number of articles can be transmitted later by communication between the management server 12 and the device 10, so it does not necessarily have to be transmitted first. Also, the item name and the number of items registered in each device may be input from the input unit of the terminal 13 without being acquired from the management server 12 .

<Data communication operation>
Next, referring to FIG. 12, the setting of management information in the device 10 and the operation of data communication with the device 10 associated with inventory management of articles will be described.
As a prerequisite for entering this operation, the user possesses an unused device 10 having a device ID. A device ID is stored in advance in the memory 222 of the prepared device 10 . In addition, there are items around the user that are not associated with the device 10 . In such a situation, the article and the device 10 are tied by the user's operation of the terminal 13 .

First, the user operates the terminal 13 to issue an article list acquisition request to the management server 12 (S11). This is an initial setting operation for associating the device 10 held by the user with an article to be detected by the device 10 . In the management server 12 that has received the acquisition request, the item management unit 402 refers to the item management table 404 and acquires all item data (item list) (S12). Then, the article list is transmitted from the management server 12 to the terminal 13 as a reply to the acquisition request (S13). The terminal 13 receives the article list via the wireless communication section 35 and temporarily stores it in the storage section 34 . At the same time, the contents of the article list are displayed on the screen of the display section 32 .

The user can check the inventory status by looking at the article list (that is, inventory list) displayed on the screen of the display unit 32 . In one aspect, the user can exit at this stage by pressing a "return key" (not shown) displayed on the display screen. On the other hand, when the user wants to manage the inventory of articles using the device, the following operations are performed as in the present embodiment.

Next, the user taps and selects an item to be associated with the device from the item list displayed on the screen. For example, when the contents of the item management table 404 (FIG. 9) are displayed on the screen of the display unit 32, when the user selects "Bn" and "Button (small white)", which are unlinked items, the control unit The display of the display unit 32 is switched by the control of 33, and a registration confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed. A display area 1302 of the registration confirmation screen displays the article ID, article name, and quantity (article data) selected earlier. Furthermore, at the time of initial setting, the user operates the input unit 31 of the terminal 13 to input the SSID and password of the Wifi used by the device 10 . The display area 1301 displays these management information. It is also possible for the user to input the item name and quantity from the input unit 31 without acquiring them from the item management table 404 .

If the user confirms the contents of the registration confirmation screen and there is no problem, the terminal 13 is ready to transmit the SSID and password of Wifi and the article data to the target device 10 . Then, the user places the device 10 on the screen of the terminal 13 so that the surface of the device 10 with the optical element 26 faces them, and operates the setting button 1303 . Then, the screen control unit 331 of the terminal 13 is activated, and data transmission is performed between the terminal 13 and the device 10 using the visible light communication interface for transmitting a data registration request to the device 10 (FIGS. 7) (S14).

A light/dark pattern obtained by modulating the SSID, password, and article data by the screen control unit 331 is received by the optical elements 261 and 262 under the control of the optical element control unit 223 of the device 10, and demodulated by the CPU 221. . The demodulated SSID, password and article data are stored in the memory 222 of the device 10 and registered (S15). When the registration is completed, the device ID stored in advance in the memory 222 is read out, added to the registration confirmation notification, and transmitted from the device 10 to the management server 12 (S16). When the management server 12 receives the registration confirmation notification, the device management unit 401 associates the received device ID with the product ID in the device management table 403, sets the flag to "completed", and registers the device ID (S17). . Then, a notification of completion of registration is transmitted to the terminal 13 (S18).

With this, a series of operations for initial setting relating to one item is finished, and connection of Wifi 18 and network 19 is enabled between the linked device 10 and the management server 12 . When the user operates the "return button" (not displayed) displayed on the registration completion notification display screen, the process returns to S14, and the control unit 33 displays the item list screen again. Then, in the same manner as the above operation, the user can be prompted to select an item that has not been linked, and the above operation can be repeated.

Here, if the initial setting fails, for example, if the terminal 13 fails to receive the registration completion notification (S18) within a certain period of time (for example, timeout occurs), the control unit 33 of the terminal 13 initializes the device 10. It judges that the setting has failed, and displays that the initial setting has failed on the screen of the terminal 13. - 特許庁When the user sees the failure screen display and recognizes that the initial setting has failed, the operation from step S11 is repeated.

If the initial setting is successful, during operation, when the control unit 22 of the device 10 detects that the counter button 21 has been pressed by the user (S21), the CPU 221 of the control unit 22 acquires article data from the management server 12. Send the request (S22). The item data acquisition request is for confirming whether the counter value held in the memory 222 of the device 10 matches the current value stored in the item management table 404 . An article ID is added to the acquisition request. The acquisition request is sent to the management server 12 via the Wifi 18 and the network 19 set by the SSID and password registered in the memory 222 .

In the management server 12, the article management section 402 searches the article management table 404 and acquires the current value of the article corresponding to the article ID (S23). Then, the item ID and its current value are transmitted to the device 10 having the requested device ID (S24).

The CPU 221 of the device 10 receives the article ID and the current value, and checks the current value against the counter value (pre-update data) stored in the memory 222 (S25). This collation is to match the counter value held by the device 10 with the current value managed by the management server 12 (the current value held by the article management table 402) before the counter value is updated by pressing the counter button 21. This is for confirmation. If there is no match as a result of collation, the current value of the item management table 402 managed by the management server 12 is used as a master, and the current value obtained from the management server 12 is rewritten as the counter value in the memory 222 .

Then, the CPU 221 subtracts the number of times the button 212 has been pressed from the latest counter value (pre-update data) held in the memory 222, and temporarily stores the updated value (post-update data) in the memory 222 (S26). . Note that when the button 211 is pressed, the updated value is added. Thereafter, the CPU 221 attaches an article ID to the pre-update data and the post-update data (see FIG. 11), and transmits an article data update request to the management server 12 (S27). The update request is transmitted via Wifi 18 and network 19 in which the management information is set.

When the management server 12 receives the update request, the article management unit 402 searches the article management table 404 using the received article ID as a key, and rewrites the current value corresponding to the article ID to the updated value (S28, S29). At the same time, the previous current value is added with time information and stored in the change history. The processes S21 to S29 are performed each time the button 21 of the device 10 is pressed. This allows the item management table 404 to manage the latest number of items for each item ID.

An example of the data communication operation has been described above, but it is not always necessary to use a new device when linking a device and an article. For example, when it is no longer necessary to associate a previously used device with an article, the device may be used for association with another new article. For example, a previously used device ID (eg, D0001) may be registered in association with a new article ID (eg, Bn+1). In this case, the operations of S11 to S18 are performed, and the management information and the product data of the new product are registered in the memory of the device. This is so-called device reuse, and a limited number of devices can be used effectively.

It is also possible to assign multiple devices to the same item. In this case, in the device management table 403, multiple device IDs are associated with the same product ID and registered in multiple columns. The advantage of assigning multiple devices to the same item is that, for example, one device can be placed on a warehouse shelf where the item is stored, and another device can be placed on the worker's desk to monitor the inventory status of that item. There is an example of using it as

By the above processing, it becomes possible to link the selected article and the device, and the inventory of the article can be managed using the device. Also, the user can specify an item ID from the terminal 13 or transmit an item list acquisition request to the management server 12 to acquire the latest inventory data of individual items or all items, and use the terminal 13 You can check it by displaying it on the screen.

Communication between the terminal 13 and the device 10 in the first embodiment is performed by inputting and displaying data to be transmitted on the screen of the terminal 13 such as a smartphone, as shown in FIGS. Data is communicated from the terminal 13 to the device 10 with visible light while the device 10 is mounted on the screen of the terminal 13 .

In the second embodiment, a terminal 13 such as a tablet terminal or a flat type (180-degree open/close type) notebook PC (personal computer) (the reference numerals in FIG. 3 are used for convenience of explanation) is used, and from one terminal 13 Visible light data communication is enabled for a plurality of devices 10 at the same time. FIG. 14 shows an example of a screen of a terminal that performs visible light communication with multiple devices 10 .

As shown in the figure, the registration confirmation screen of the terminal 13 has a first display area 141 for displaying the entered Wifi SSID and password, and a second display area corresponding to each of a plurality of (three in the figure) devices. 142. The second display area 142 for each device includes a field 1421 for displaying article data (article ID, article name, quantity) for the device 10 to be registered, and a device layout display for arranging the device of the data registration destination. It has a column 1422 . The device layout display field 1422 is preferably a quadrilateral slightly larger than the size of the surface of the device 10 on the light receiving element side. This is so that the user can easily check the blinking of the screen of the terminal 13 (specifically, the display units 261' and 262') during visible light communication of data. The left and right display fields 142 are color-coded so that the optical element 261 of the device 10 is positioned in the left display section 261' and the optical element 262 is positioned in the right display section 262'. The screen control unit 331 of the terminal 13 can perform visible light communication with each device 10 individually by controlling the blinking of the display units 261 ′ and 262 ′ of each device layout display column 1422 .

The Wifi SSID and password that the user has entered from the input unit of the terminal 13 are displayed in the first display area 141 . The article data acquired from the management server 12 is displayed in the second display area 142 for each of the three devices. It should be noted that the item name and the number of items registered in each device may be input from the input unit of the terminal 13 without being acquired from the management server 12 . The user confirms the article name and quantity for each device displayed in the second display area 142 and, if necessary, corrects them by operating the input unit.

After confirming the data displayed in the first and second display areas 141 and 142 , the user arranges the devices 10 in the corresponding device layout display fields 1422 . Then, when the setting button 143 is pressed, the display units 261' and 262' blink, visible light communication is started, and data transmission to each device 10 is sequentially performed. As a result, the SSID and password, as well as the item name and quantity data for each device are transmitted from the terminal 13 to each device 10 .

In the above example, the first display area 141 for SSID and password and the second display area 142 for multiple devices are provided on the same screen. The display area 141 and the second display area 142 may be provided on separate screens. Also, the number of devices displayed in the second display area 142 may be increased or decreased as appropriate.

According to the second embodiment, by arranging multiple devices on the screen of one terminal, it is possible to perform batch data communication with multiple devices and register necessary data in each device. . In addition, since there is no need to set the timing and threshold value associated with visible light communication for each device, the efficiency of data registration in the device is improved.

The present invention is not limited to Embodiments 1 and 2, and can be implemented by various modifications or other applications. Some other examples are described below.

<Example of management server 12>
In Example 1, the management server 12 is a computer, but according to another example, the functions of the management server 12 can be implemented using the cloud. That is, part or all of the functions shown in FIG. 4 can be provided to a cloud computer or realized by a cloud service. For example, ASP (Application Service Provider) and API (Application Programming Interface) can be used to read/write device management table 403, article management table 404, and data to and from these management tables.

<Example of article management table>
In Embodiment 1, the article management table 404 of the management server 12 is an inventory management table for managing raw materials for clothing. According to another example, the article management table may be a table that manages inventory of manufactured clothing items, such as shirts, pants, jackets, and the like.

Also, the item management table itself does not have to be configured independently. For example, in the case of a system that manages a series of processes from raw materials to product production and distribution as SCM (supply chain management), data for raw material inventory management and product inventory management is selected from the SCM and implemented. It can also be used as in Example 1.
Alternatively, a device ID registration column may be provided in the item management table 404, and the device ID for which the linking has been completed may be registered in association with the item ID.

<Example of article ID>
Although the article ID is used to identify the article in the first embodiment, it may be used for other means or purposes. For example, information that identifies the object detected by the device or data such as the physical quantity that is detected or information associated with it, information such as the address that identifies the device, or information unique to or attached to the device, etc. You may use as identification information of object. In this case, instead of the article management table 404, it will be called a detection target management table (for example, a temperature management table).

<Example 1 of device 10>
In Example 1, the counter 10 inputs the count value by operating the button 21, but the input means is not limited to the button. For example, a voice microphone is provided in place of the button 21, and the voice input from the voice microphone can be recognized as count value data by the voice recognition function of the voice recognition program executed by the control unit 22.

<Example 2 of Device 10>
In Example 1, the device 10 is a counter that detects the number of items in an example applied to an inventory management system. According to other examples, the device 10 can be applied to applications other than inventory management without being limited to the first embodiment. For example, the device 10 can also be applied to sensors that detect physical quantities and positions of objects, such as infrared sensors, distance sensors, weight sensors, humidity sensors, and temperature sensors. In this case, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, or the like is connected instead of the button 21 of the first embodiment, and the memory 222 stores data such as physical quantities detected by the sensor. Also, the article ID in Example 1 can be a unique identification ID that identifies an object, a physical quantity, or a device detected by the sensor. The control unit 22 transmits data such as a physical quantity detected by the sensor together with a unique identification ID to an external device such as a management server that has requested detection.

<Initial setting of device 10>
In the first embodiment, initial setting of management information and article data is performed in the device 10 in the format of FIG. 10 . According to another example, various initial settings other than management information and item data can be performed.

For example, when an energy-saving mode (sleep mode) function is provided after a certain period of time has elapsed after the button of the device 10 is pressed, the time until sleep can be initially set.
Another example is the setting for monitoring remaining battery power. For example, the remaining battery level can be monitored by transmitting the remaining battery level to the management server when a button is pressed. In this case, an initial setting can be made as to whether the remaining battery level is to be transmitted to the management server or whether the device is to generate an alarm.
Another example is setting the volume of the button operation sound. For example, the device 10 can be provided with a buzzer to rapidly increase or decrease the counter value when the button is pressed for a long time. In this case, the volume of the buzzer can be initialized.
Note that the initial setting of the above functions does not necessarily have to be performed at the same time as the initial setting of the management information and article data in the first embodiment, and may be performed as appropriate thereafter. Initial setting of the above functions is also performed using visible light communication as in the first embodiment.

<Example of communication between terminal 13 and device 10>
In the first embodiment, the light receiving element 261 is used for clock reception, and the light receiving element 262 is for data reception, and receives visible light emitted from the corresponding split screen of the terminal 13. However, other examples are not limited to this. For example, the device 10 having only one light receiving element may be configured to receive the visible light of the data signal emitted by the light emitting means of the terminal 13 . In this case, although there is no light-receiving element for receiving a synchronous clock as in the first embodiment, if the data time width of 1 bit constituting the data and the data start position (predetermined code data) are known in advance, the device 10 The processing unit 221 can recognize data consisting of consecutive 1s or 0s and the data start position from the flickering of visible light received by the light-receiving element (that is, "1" and "0") and its time width.

As another example, all of the plurality of light receiving elements may be used as elements for data reception. In this case, a plurality of split screens or a plurality of light emitting means of the terminal 13 may transmit a plurality of data in a multiplexed manner corresponding to the plurality of light receiving elements, and the plurality of light receiving elements of the device 10 may receive the data in a multiplexed manner. can be done. For example, one of three or more light receiving elements may be used for receiving the synchronous clock.

In addition, as another example, it is not limited to blinking the split screen of the terminal on the transmission side. For example, the transmitting device has one or more light emitting elements (light emitting means) at positions corresponding to one or more light receiving elements of the receiving device, and blinks the light emitting elements according to the transmission data. You can control it.

<Example of communication interface between device 10 and management server 12>
In Embodiment 1, Wifi is used as a wireless communication interface between the device 10 and the management server 12, but it is not limited to this, and for example, ZigBee (registered trademark) or LTE (Long Term Evolution) can be used. can be done. For example, ZigBee can be connected to many devices, consumes little standby power during sleep, and has a short wake-up time. The method of the first embodiment can be applied to setting management information such as addresses and operation modes related to ZigBee.

10: Device 12: Management Server 13: Terminal 18: Fifi 19: Network
21, 211, 212: button 22: control unit 221: processing unit 222: memory 223: optical element control unit 23: wireless communication unit 24: display unit 26, 261, 262: optical element 31: input unit 32: display unit : control unit 331: screen control unit 34: storage unit 35: wireless communication unit 40: storage unit 41: CPU 42 input/output interface 401: device management program 402: article management program 403: device management table 404: article management table 405: Other management table

Claims (8)

A method of communication between a first device and a second device, comprising:
The first device has a light receiving element that receives visible light,
The second device has a display unit and a control unit,
a step of associating the light-receiving element of the first device with the display screen of the display unit of the second device;
a step in which the control unit blinks the display screen of the display unit to transmit data with visible light;
a step in which the light receiving element of the first device receives the data transmitted by visible light;
has
The display screen of the display unit includes a first display area for displaying data input from an input unit or data acquired from another device, a second display area in which the first device is arranged, has
The control unit blinks the second display area and transmits visible light the data displayed in the first display area.
A communication method characterized by: The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the first display area and the second display area are provided on the same display screen . The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the first display area and the second display area are provided on separate display screens . the display unit of the second device displays a display screen having a plurality of display areas as the second display area ;
arranging a plurality of the first devices on the plurality of display areas;
The control unit transmits visible light by blinking the plurality of display areas , respectively.
The communication method according to claim 1 . A communication system for communicating between a first device and a second device,
The first device has a light receiving element that receives visible light,
The second device has a display unit and a control unit,
In a state in which the light receiving element of the first device and the display screen of the display unit of the second device are associated with each other, the control unit flashes the display screen of the display unit to display data. transmit visible light,
the light receiving element of the first device receives the data transmitted by visible light ;
The second device has an input unit for inputting data and a storage unit for storing data,
The display screen of the display unit includes a first display area for displaying data input from an input unit or data obtained from another device, a second display area in which the first device is arranged, has
The control unit blinks the second display area and transmits the data displayed in the first display area with visible light.
A communication system characterized by: A method of communication between a first device and a second device, comprising:
The first device has a light receiving element that receives visible light,
The second device has a display unit and a control unit,
The light receiving element has a first light receiving element and a second light receiving element,
the display unit displays a display screen having a first split screen and a second split screen;
the control unit controls to transmit a light-dark pattern corresponding to a clock from the first split screen and to transmit a light-dark pattern corresponding to data from the second split screen;
wherein the first device receives the light-dark pattern of the data by the second light-receiving element in synchronization with the light-dark pattern of the clock received by the first light-receiving element;
A communication method characterized by: A method of communication between a first device and a second device, comprising:
The first device has a plurality of light receiving elements that receive visible light,
The second device has a display unit and a control unit,
the display unit displaying a display screen having a plurality of display areas;
a step in which the control unit blinks each of the plurality of display areas to transmit data with visible light;
each of the plurality of light receiving elements of the first device receiving the data transmitted by visible light from each of the plurality of display areas ;
A communication method characterized by comprising: A method of communication between a first device and a second device, comprising:
The first device has a light receiving element that receives visible light,
The second device has a display unit and a control unit,
the display unit displaying a display screen having a plurality of display areas;
associating each of the plurality of first devices with each of the plurality of display areas ;
a step in which the control unit blinks each of the plurality of display areas to transmit data with visible light;
a step in which the light-receiving elements of the plurality of first devices receive the data transmitted by visible light from each of the corresponding plurality of display areas ;
A communication method characterized by:

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