KR20040073864A - Application downloading method which can download application packs and install automatically, make menu dynamically and integrated home server system using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An application downloading method for downloading application pack to automatically install and dynamically generating menu, and an integrated home server system using downloading method are provided to expose an application service and resources of an integrated home server middleware to an outer network, so that the outer network can retrieve/use the service of the home server middleware through an access medium, thereby remotely controlling an application pack and UPnP supporting hardware. CONSTITUTION: An integrated home server middleware(200) comprises as follows. A communication manager module(210) accesses a web service server in HTTP. A converter module(220) reciprocally converts a UPnP standard message into a web service message. A description manager module(240) stores/manages description information on service details of a product and product-related information. A control point module(230) requests a service by recognizing/controlling a hardware device and an application pack(260) plugged in the middleware(200), and receives service performance results. The application pack(260) consists of an application pack device module(262) for substantially performing a service and an application pack presentation module(261) for controlling the device module(262). An application manager module(250) manages information on an application ID, a name, and a presentation path. A menu handler module(270) adds/deletes/manages a menu for the application pack(260).

Description

Application downloading method which can download application packs and install automatically, make menu dynamically and integrated home server system using it }

The present invention implements an integrated home server system that can download and automatically install UPnP standard application packs and dynamically add them to menus, and extends the scope of application by applying the UPnP concept to software application packs as well as hardware devices. .

With the spread of PCs and digital home appliances these days, the field of home networks connecting these digital devices is in the spotlight. These home network connection technologies are being studied, and three connection technologies are highlighted. One is Jini connection technology announced by SUN, the other is HAVi connection technology announced by SONY, and the other is UPnP connection technology proposed by MicroSoft.

Among them, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) connection technology is an extension of the concept of Plug and Play, which used to control devices from PCs, and controls devices using IP-based HTTP protocol. That is, it is a technology that automatically connects devices with UPnP access standards (hereinafter referred to as UPnP devices) to the network, assigns IP addresses, and finds, uses and controls them in another UPnP device.

To this end, the UPnP access technology is divided into five driving stages: (i) Addressing, (ii) Discovery, (iii) Description, and (iv) control (v) Presentation.

The addressing step (Step 1) is a step in which UPnP devices are assigned an address to have their own by accessing the network. There are a DHCP method and an AUTO IP method. The DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) method is a method in which a host that has reserved a plurality of IPs is assigned a remaining IP from the host when the UPnP device is connected to a network near the host. The AUTO IP method is used to connect to a connected network. This method is used when there is no such host, and it is a method of temporarily setting a globally-promised IP as its own address.

The discovery step (step 2) is where the devices requesting the service (Control Point, or CP) and the device that actually performs the service (Controlled Device, or CD) are connected to the network or the user When a service request is received from a service, a process of searching for a necessary service or advertizing its presence to another device connected to the existing device using the Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP).

The description step (step 3) refers to a step of obtaining a description URL of a controlled device (CD) that actually performs a service from a control point (CP) requesting a service. The description URL includes information about the CD itself (e.g., model name, model number, serial number, etc.), information on services provided by the CD (e.g. copy function, multi-function phone, fax function, address book function, etc.), Detailed information about the services supported by the CD (for example, a list of statements, actions performed, parameters required for the operation, etc.) are expressed in XML format.

The control step (step 4) is a step in which the CP controls the CD so that the CP performs a specific service. When the CP transmits control information for requesting a service from the CD, the CD performs a corresponding service and then sends a result value to the CP. The CP knows the service performance status based on the received performance result.

The presentation step (Fifth step) is a process of checking and controlling the status of the CD through the presentation URL of the CD. That is, if the CD has a URL for presentation, the CP retrieves the web page for the presentation from that URL and uploads the document to the browser. Depending on the functionality supported by the CD, you can control the device or check the device's status from this web page. In the UPnP, the presentation process is optional, so the presentation process is not necessary when implementing the UPnP system.

As such, UPnP connection technology can control devices connected to a network through addressing, discovery, description, control, and presentation steps. For example, the camera can directly find and use a printer that can print pictures, or the web television can find and use a VCR.

However, in the conventional home server middleware, hardware and software are controlled with separate processing routines, and there is no technology that can apply the same mechanism for hardware and software. In particular, there is no suggestion on how to download and install an application pack in the form of a software when connecting to a network by applying the UPnP protocol.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, by extending the concept of the existing UPnP hardware access technology to present a system that connects the software application to the network according to the UPnP standard, by applying UPnP to the software and hardware Not only can you control the software in the same way, but you can also convert and extend the Web service form in the same way. Furthermore, the present invention aims to facilitate installation and expansion of an application pack by suggesting a method of downloading and automatically installing an application pack in the form of software. In addition, the web service conversion module is provided so that the service can be exposed and used on the external network as a web service so that any device can be provided anytime, anywhere.

1 is a state configuration diagram showing a connection state of the integrated home server middleware on the network.

2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an integrated home server middleware.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the integrated home server middleware when a UPnP service is requested to another device or another integrated home server through the integrated home server middleware.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an integrated home server middleware when a service request is received from a hardware device conforming to UPnP protocol located in a home network or an object in an external network.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of automatically installing an application pack in an integrated home server.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

200: integrated home server middleware 210: communication manager module

220: converter module 230: control point module

240: description manager module 250: application manager module

260: Application Pack

261: Application Pack Presentation Module

262: Application Pack Device Module

In order to achieve the above object, the integrated home server system adopting the UPnP network connection standard is a UPnP hardware device that is connected to the home network and registered as a plug-in. Integrated home server middleware to control according to, and a web service server located between the connection medium on the external network located on the external network and the integrated home server middleware to provide a service to perform data sharing and control between them do.

The integrated home server middleware includes a communication manager module for performing HTTP communication with the web service server to perform a web service communication with an access medium on an external network, and a UPnP standard processed in the integrated home server middleware. The converter module converts the message into a web service message, which is a web service connection standard, and description information including product related information about the hardware device and application pack plug-in registered in the integrated home server middleware and detailed service information of the product. A description manager module that stores and manages, a control point module that recognizes and controls a hardware device and an application pack plugged into the integrated home server middleware, requests a service, and receives a service execution result; Service request according to connection standard An application pack including an application pack device module, which is a module that actually performs a corresponding service, and an application pack device module, which is a user interface module for controlling the application pack device module, a generation of the application pack, An application manager module for terminating, deleting, adding, and managing application ID, NAME, and presentation path information for an application pack is provided.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a state configuration diagram showing a connection state of the integrated home server middleware on the network.

The integrated home server middleware 200 according to the present invention extends the UPnP concept applied only to a hardware device to S / W, as well as an application pack (260a ..., 260m) that is software. ) Is also applicable. That is, the hardware devices 110a..110n connected to the home network or the external access medium 130 connected to the external network, the access device on the external network, the external integrated home server middleware, and the personal information terminal 140 ) May make a specific service request to the application pack of the integrated home server middleware 200, while the application pack embedded in the integrated home server middleware may be sent to the hardware device 110a..110n or the external access medium 130. You can make specific service requests.

The integrated home server middleware 200 is a plug-in where an application pack (260a .., 260m) conforming to the UPnP standard is plugged in, and is middleware operating on a platform such as an operating system of a personal computer capable of implementing application pack execution. In addition, the integrated home server middleware 200, in addition to the application pack (260a .., 260m), hardware devices (110a .., 110n) complying with the UPnP standard are connected to the local area network, so they notify the service request or You can make a service request from.

In the present invention, the hardware device (110a .., 110n) refers to an electronic device (electronic device such as a camcorder, printer, Internet TV, etc. conforming to the UPnP protocol) controlled according to the UPnP protocol, and the application pack (260a .., 260m) ) Is an application program such as VOD and EPG provided service that conforms to UPnP protocol and refers to a software pack that is plugged into the integrated home server middleware. Hereinafter, the hardware devices 110a..110n and the application packs 260a..260m conforming to the UPnP standard will be referred to as UPnP devices.

On the other hand, the external access medium 130, the personal information terminal 140 may make a specific service request to the application pack (260a., 260m) of the integrated home server middleware 200, on the contrary, embedded in the integrated home server middleware The applied application pack may make a specific service request to the external access medium 130. The integrated home server middleware 200 registers its location, application service type, and resource with the web service server 120. In this case, the integrated home server middleware 200 is capable of easily searching for a service and exchanging a corresponding service request message with a personal information terminal 140 and an external access medium 130 located in an external network. .

The web service is a standardized service (HTTP) provided through the web, and is an extended concept of a remote procedure call (RPC). Using the HTTP protocol, you can call objects located on other networks regardless of your OS (Windows, Unix, Linux, Mac OS, etc). Web services are exposed to the outside in the form of WSDL and registered with UDDI.

Accordingly, the web service server 120 provides a UDDI service to share various services and data of the integrated home server middleware. Universal description, discovery, and integration (UDDI) is an XML-based registry for listing itself in global business listings on the Internet, simplifying online transactions by enabling companies to find each other on the Web. UDDI is often compared to people in the offline world, companies, and industry directories, providing a list of companies by name, product, location, and web services they offer. As a result, the integrated home server middleware 200 may expose the internal services and resources of the integrated home server middleware to the outside by using the UDDI function of the web service server 120, such as an external PDA or PCS. The personal information terminal 140 and the external network middleware 130 may use the service by searching for the service of the integrated home server middleware 200 through this.

In addition, the web service server 120 functions as an interface with external service contents, and has an installation file of the integrated home server middleware, thereby downloading the integrated home server middleware installation file to the user's platform. In addition, in some cases, an application pack to be managed in the integrated home server middleware is stored and downloaded to the integrated home server middleware if necessary. The application pack download is automatically installed in the integrated home server middleware by the Software Plug and Play (SPnP) method. The operation of the SPnP will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an integrated home server middleware.

The communication manager module 210 is responsible for a communication function with an external device. The communication manager module 210 connects to the web service server 120 shown in FIG. 1 to connect an external access medium 130 (eg, an external integrated home server middleware, Function to request service or receive service request by accessing HTTP protocol with external device). That is, after requesting a specific service to the external access medium on the external network and receiving the processing result and transmits to the converter module 220, on the other hand, if there is a service request from the outside, the requested service message is sent to the converter module It delivers to the device through and receives the result and delivers it to the outside.

The description manager module 240 integrates and manages UPnP descriptions of various UPnP devices, that is, hardware devices 110a... 110n and UPnP descriptions of the application pack 260 illustrated in FIG. 1. Requests a description file of the device to a plurality of UPnP devices registered in the integrated home server middleware, receives it and stores it in a database (241), and if the description information for the device is changed, the description information is modified. It also manages UPnP description and Web service description transformations, and owns the WSDL file.

Here, the description file refers to a representation of information about hardware devices (H / W) and application packs (S / W) conforming to the UPnP protocol in XML format. The hardware devices and application packs each include a description file that stores its own information. Have In the description file, the hardware device (H / W) contains the product-specific information (model name, model number, serial number, manufacturer name, etc.) and the path of SCPD containing detailed information of the services supported by the hardware device. In the case of an application pack (S / W), it includes the path of SCPD that contains product-related information (application ID, type, function, parameters, etc.) and detailed information about services supported by the application pack. The description file may be changed according to a situation such as software update.

In the above, SCPD (Service Control Protocol Description) is a UPnP device (hardware device and application pack integration concept) is a detailed information about the service that it supports in the form of XML, for example, a list of statements, the operation to perform The list of parameters and parameters required for the operation is listed.

Converter module 220 is a place for performing message conversion to provide web communication between UPnP devices and UPnP access media on external networks, and converts UPnP messages into web service messages (or web service messages). To UPnP message). It also converts SCPD of UPnP device into WSDL of web service.

In addition, the converter module has a web service description database (221, Web service description database) that stores the WSDL file required for the integrated home server middleware to expose the service provided by the external network. That is, a WSDL file describing the services provided by the integrated home server middleware and how to access them is stored in the web service description database. The above Web Service Description Language (WSDL) is a protocol for accessing objects on the web (UPnP devices), which uses XML syntax to send text commands to the Internet using HTTP.

The control point module 230 is a module for recognizing and controlling hardware devices and application pack devices plugged into the integrated home server middleware. That is, when a service request is made from the outside in the form of a web service, the service request is transmitted to a corresponding hardware device or an application pack, and the service execution result and various events are received from the corresponding device. On the contrary, when a service request for a specific UPnP device is received from an application pack, a message is generated according to the UPnP protocol and received and requested through a communication manager when performing a service for an external device.

The menu handler module 270 is responsible for adding the existence of the downloaded application pack to the menu window of the integrated home server middleware or deleting unnecessary application pack menus from the menu window.

The application pack 260 refers to an application installed in the integrated home server middleware to perform a function such as a VOD service or an EPG service. They are designed according to the UPnP protocol and can be developed by a software development tool (SDK). The user can select and download a desired application among gallery-displayed applications from an application provider. The downloaded application pack is automatically recognized / installed by SPnP and automatically added to the menu. This SPnP installation method will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. Meanwhile, although only one application pack is illustrated in FIG. 2, the integrated home server middleware may download and install several application packs.

Meanwhile, the downloaded application pack includes an application pack device module that actually executes an application, an application pack presentation module, and a description file for controlling the application pack device. Therefore, when the downloaded application pack is installed in the integrated home server middleware, the application pack includes an application pack device module 262 and an application pack presentation module 261 therein.

The application pack device module 262 is a module designed according to UPnP protocol and actually performs a requested service inside or outside the integrated home server middleware. That is, if there is a service request through the integrated home server middleware inside or outside, the service is executed after receiving the service request and the execution result and various event conditions are transmitted in accordance with UPnP protocol.

The application pack device module includes a device description file 264 containing basic information (device type, model name, service list, etc.) about its application pack device, and SCPD (defining the functions of services provided by the application pack device module). 263). The SCPD 263 is a document in which detailed information (statement list, execution operation, parameter, etc.) of a specific service provided by a corresponding application pack device is expressed in an XML form. Will have SCPD of.

The paths of the SCPDs are included in the service list in the device description file 264. Thus, each SCPD is mapped 1: 1 with SCPD path information in the service description of the device description. Eventually, one application pack device module will have one description file and several SCPDs.

The application pack presentation module 261 is a user interface (UI) for controlling the application pack device module 262, and executes or executes html format (all files supporting html such as asp, jsp, php). Implemented in file format.

For example, if the application pack presentation module is implemented in html format, the corresponding URL of the application pack presentation module will be posted to a web browser, and the user will be able to view the application pack on this web page according to the functionality supported by the application pack device module. You can control the device module or check the status of the application pack device module. Similarly, when the application pack presentation module is implemented as an executable file, the user may drive the application pack presentation module executable file to control the application pack device module or check the status.

The application manager module 250 is a place for managing and plugging in application packs. The application manager module 250 manages creation, termination, deletion, and addition of application packs. Receive the description and manage the integration.

In addition, the application pack manager module includes an application downloader 251 and an application information manager 252. The application downloader 251 downloads an application pack from a provider and installs it in an integrated home server middleware. The application information manager 252 manages information on an application pack (application ID, NAME, presentation path, etc.) and provides information on the application pack when requested from another module.

3 and 4 are flowcharts illustrating an operation process when the integrated home server middleware of the present invention requests a specific service from another device (FIG. 3) or receives a service request from an external device (FIG. 4). do.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an integrated home server middleware when a UPnP service is requested to another device or another integrated home server middleware through the integrated home server middleware.

When the user makes a UPnP service request (S302) through the integrated home server middleware, the integrated home server middleware analyzes (S304) which device (or other integrated home server middleware) the service request is located at. . As a result of the analysis, when the service request for the UPnP interworking hardware device connected to the home network is requested (S308) and receives the service execution result from the corresponding hardware device according to the UPnP protocol (S310).

On the other hand, as a result of the analysis, when the requested device to be serviced is a device that exists in an external network instead of the network of the integrated home server middleware, the UPnP message is converted into a message capable of web service (S312) (UPnP request conforming to the SCPD). After converting the message into a web service request message conforming to the WSDL), the device is located using the web service server (UDDI) and connected to the corresponding device (S314). Thereafter, a request for a service of a web service (S316) and a received service result are received (S318). The received web service result message is converted into a UPnP result message conforming to the UPnP description format (S320).

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an integrated home server middleware when a service request is received from a hardware device conforming to UPnP protocol located in a home network or an object in an external network (external integrated home server middleware or an access device on an external network). to be.

When receiving the web service request from the UPnP device in the home network or the connection object in the external network (S402), it is determined in which object the received service request is from (S404). In the case of a request from an external network device, the received web service request message (WSDL) is converted to conform to the UPnP protocol (S406), and then the requested service is searched (S408). The hardware is UPnP interlocked with the integrated home server middleware. In the case of the service request from the device, the requested service is searched without message conversion (S408). The service request is made to the retrieved application pack (S410), and the result of the service performed by the corresponding application pack is received (S412) and transmitted to the service request object (S418). In this case, when the service execution result is transmitted to the object of the external network, the service is converted into a web service format (S416) and then transmitted (S418).

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of automatically installing an application pack in an integrated home server middleware.

Application packs that are automatically recognized and installed in the integrated home server middleware are automatically installed and registered in the system without the user's separate installation work. This is a software extension of the UPnP concept of hardware devices subject to the UPnP protocol. This is called SPnP (Software Plug and Play). The following describes the process of installing an application pack download by SPnP.

The application downloader 251 downloads a specific application pack from the service gallery provided by the service provider (S502). The downloaded application pack 260 includes an application pack device module 262, an application pack presentation module 261, and various information files (installation information file, service description information file of the application pack device module). When all the downloads are made, the application pack 260 is released to the designated path, and the application pack device module 262 is installed on the system platform on which the integrated home server middleware is running (S504). Thereafter, information about the application pack device module 262 (application ID, application pack name, application pack presentation module path, etc.) installed in the platform is transmitted to the application information manager 252 (S506). The application information manager 252, which has received the information about the application pack device module 262, stores the corresponding information in XML format and notifies the application manager module 250 that the new application pack is installed (S508). The notified application manager module 250 has a plug-in step of loading a dynamic link library (DLL) of the notified application pack device module 262, and the plugged in application pack device module 262 is The presence of the application pack is broadcasted according to the UPnP protocol (S510).

The application pack device module 262 uses a specific IP and a PORT for broadcasting. Through such broadcasting, external devices can know the IP of the integrated home server middleware where the application is installed. In addition, the broadcast is also received by the integrated home server middleware itself, which is in charge of the internal control point module 230 of the integrated home server middleware.

Therefore, when the control point module 230 broadcasts from the application manager module of the middleware to which it belongs, the control point module 230 acquires the broadcasted information and recognizes the application pack device module as a local address of 127.0.0.1. Then, the application manager module 250 requests description information on the corresponding application pack device module 262 and obtains it (S512).

After acquiring description information about the application pack device module 262 as described above, the menu handler module 270 in the integrated home server middleware may classify the newly recognized application pack device into a category (home control, multimedia, broadcasting). Service pack menu), thereby completing the application pack service using menu.

Although the technical spirit of the present invention has been described in detail according to the above-described preferred embodiment, the above-described embodiment is for the purpose of description, and various ordinary embodiments of the present invention may be made by those skilled in the art. I can understand.

As described above, by applying the integrated home server middleware according to the present invention to a home network automation system, an application network and an application medium of the integrated home server middleware are exposed to an external network so that the access medium on the network in the external network (personal information terminal) ), It is possible to search and utilize the services of the integrated home server middleware, which enables remote control of the software application pack and UPnP support hardware. In addition, the application pack installation is spontaneous according to SPnP without the user's need for additional work, so the user can easily add and expand the application pack.

Claims (6)

The home automation system which applied UPnP which is network connection standard, Integrated home server middleware that controls plug-in registered application packs in the form of programs and plug-in registered UPnP hardware devices connected to a local area network according to UPnP standards, It is provided with a web service server located between an access medium located on an external network and the integrated home server middleware to provide a service for performing data sharing and control therebetween. The integrated home server middleware, A communication manager module that connects the web service server with the HTTP protocol to perform a web service communication with a connection medium on an external network; A converter module for converting a UPnP standard message processed in the integrated home server middleware into a web service message that is a web service access standard; A description manager module for storing and managing description information including product-related information about the hardware devices and application packs plug-in registered in the integrated home server middleware and detailed service information of the products; A control point module for recognizing and controlling a hardware device and an application pack plugged into the integrated home server middleware, requesting a service, and receiving a service execution result; An application pack including an application pack device module, which is a module that actually performs a corresponding service when a service request conforms to a UPnP connection standard, and an application pack presentation module, which is a user interface module for controlling the application pack device module; , An application manager module for creating, terminating, deleting, and adding the application packs and managing the application ID, NAME, and presentation path information of the application packs; Menu handler module to add, delete, and manage menus for application packs Home automation system comprising a. The home automation system according to claim 1, wherein the converter module stores a WSDL file describing a service content provided by the integrated home server middleware as a database. The method of claim 1, wherein the description information in the description manager module includes a model name, a model number, a serial number, a manufacturer name, and a path of SCPD that describes detailed information of a service supported by the corresponding hardware device. In the case of a pack, a home automation system including an application ID, a type, a function, a parameter, and a path of SCPD including detailed information on a service supported by the application pack. UPnP hardware device plugged in to local area network and integrated home server middleware that controls plug-in installed application pack in the form of program according to UPnP standard, connection medium located on external network and In the system that implements home automation according to UPnP access standard with web service server located between integrated home server middleware and performing data sharing and control between each other, the application pack is plugged into integrated home server middleware. How to register, A first step of downloading and installing an application pack on a platform on which an integrated home server middleware is implemented, and transmitting product information on the application pack to the integrated home server middleware; Storing the product information on the received application pack in XML format, loading the device module of the application pack, plugging it into the integrated home server middleware, and broadcasting the existence of the application pack according to the UPnP protocol. Steps, Requesting the application pack for description information including service detailed information of the application pack and obtaining the same; Step 4 of adding menus for newly registered application packs to the menu window of the integrated home server middleware How to register the plug-in with an integrated home server middleware. The application pack device module of claim 4, wherein the downloaded application pack in the first step includes an application pack device module that actually performs a corresponding service when a service request is made according to a UPnP connection standard, and a user interface for controlling the application pack device module. A method of plug-in registration in an integrated home server middleware comprising an application pack presentation module, an application pack installation information file, and a description information file related to a service of an application pack device module. 5. The integrated application pack of claim 4, wherein the product information about the application pack in the first step includes an application pack ID, an application pack name, and a location path to the application pack presentation module. How to register a plug-in with home server middleware.