CN117149814A

CN117149814A - Device, server, associated information acquisition system and method, and recording medium

Info

Publication number: CN117149814A
Application number: CN202310576167.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 宫内恒治; 绪方伸夫
Original assignee: Sharp Corp
Current assignee: Sharp Corp
Priority date: 2022-06-01
Filing date: 2023-05-19
Publication date: 2023-12-01

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus, a server, an associated information acquisition system and method, and a recording medium capable of acquiring appropriate information according to the state of the apparatus. The device comprises: a search key generation unit that acquires device information of a plurality of items and generates a search key including the device information of the plurality of items; and a communication unit that transmits the search key to a server that extracts the associated information associated with the search key, and receives the associated information from the server that holds the associated information.

Description

Device, server, associated information acquisition system and method, and recording medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, a server, an associated information acquisition system, an associated information acquisition method, and a program. The present application claims priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2022-089314, 6 of 1 of 2022 and Japanese patent application No. 2023-061818 of 4 of 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a technique of displaying keywords of reduced manual information, receiving keywords selected by a user from the displayed keywords, and acquiring manual information corresponding to the received keywords and version information from a server.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2013-130966

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to solve the technical problems

In the technique disclosed in patent document 1, when a user erroneously selects a keyword, manual information required for the user may not be acquired. Accordingly, an object of one embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a device, a server, a related information acquisition system, a related information acquisition method, and a program capable of acquiring appropriate information according to a state of the device.

Solution for solving the problem

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to an apparatus comprising: a search key generation unit that acquires device information of a plurality of items and generates a search key including the device information of the plurality of items; and a communication unit that transmits the search key to a server that extracts the associated information associated with the search key, and that receives the associated information from the server that stores the associated information.

The server according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a search key acquisition unit that acquires a search key including device information of a plurality of items acquired by a device; and an associated information extracting unit that extracts, from a database in which the associated information is associated with a combination of the device information, associated information associated with a combination in which the device information included in the search key matches.

An associated information acquisition system according to an aspect of the present disclosure is constituted by the device and the server.

The related information acquisition method related to one mode of the present disclosure includes: acquiring equipment information of a plurality of items; generating a search key containing device information of the plurality of items; and a step of transmitting the search key to a server that extracts associated information associated with the search key; and a step of receiving the association information from a server that holds the association information.

A computer-readable recording medium according to an aspect of the present disclosure records a program that causes the computer to execute: a function of acquiring device information of a plurality of items; a function of generating a search key including device information of the plurality of items; and a function of transmitting the search key to a server that extracts associated information associated with the search key; and a function of receiving the association information from a server that holds the association information.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the related information acquisition system.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the apparatus according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3A is a diagram showing an example of device information of a plurality of items and tags attached to the items in the case where the operation state of the device according to the first embodiment is the normal operation state.

Fig. 3B is a diagram showing an example of device information of a plurality of items and a tag attached to each item in the case where the operation state of the device according to the first embodiment is an error state.

Fig. 3C is a diagram showing an example of device information of a plurality of items and labels attached to the items in the case where the operation state of the device according to the first embodiment is the setting change state.

Fig. 4A is a diagram showing an example of a search key for device information including a plurality of items shown in fig. 3A.

Fig. 4B is a diagram showing an example of a search key for device information including a plurality of items shown in fig. 3B.

Fig. 4C is a diagram showing an example of a search key for device information including a plurality of items shown in fig. 3C.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a server.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the related information acquisition system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7A is a diagram showing an example of a related information database including reference destination information indicating a file name.

Fig. 7B is a diagram showing an example of a related information database including reference destination information indicating URLs.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of presentation information indicating the related information.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of device information of a plurality of items and a tag attached to each item in a case where a plurality of external connection methods of devices according to the second embodiment are provided.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a search key for device information including a plurality of items shown in fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of extracting and presenting a plurality of pieces of associated information in the associated information acquisition system according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of sequentially presenting a plurality of presentation information indicating a plurality of pieces of associated information related to an external connection method.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of selecting a plurality of pieces of presentation information by the presentation information representing the catalog.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a device according to a third embodiment including an external device type determination unit.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of device information including a plurality of items of a device class and a tag attached to each item in the device according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a search key for device information including a plurality of items shown in fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of presentation information items indicating the associated information of each external connection method.

Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a server according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device according to the fifth embodiment.

Detailed Description

(first embodiment)

A first embodiment is described with reference to fig. 1 to 8. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof will be omitted. (the same applies to the following)

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the related information acquisition system 100. The association information acquisition system 100 includes a device 101 and a server 102. The device 101 and the server 102 communicate via a network 103.

The apparatus 101 is an information processing apparatus including a communication unit. For example, the device 101 is a display device such as a television, an electronic device such as a home electronic device, or the like. The device 101 acquires device information of a plurality of items indicating the state of the device 101, generates a search key 111 containing the acquired device information of the plurality of items, and transmits the search key to the server 102 via the network 103. Then, the device 101 acquires the association information 112 associated with the retrieval key 111 from the server 102. The association information 112 includes information corresponding to at least one state selected from the group consisting of a setting state of the device 101, an operation state of the device 101, and an external connection state of the device 101. For example, the association information 112 represents information of a usage specification related to the function, operation setting, maintenance, and corresponding processing of an error of the device 101.

The server 102 is an information processing apparatus that extracts the association information 112 associated with the search key 111.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the apparatus 101. The device 101 includes a storage unit 201, an operation receiving unit 202, a communication unit 203, an external device connection unit 204, a display unit 205, a control unit 206, and the like.

The storage unit 201 is a recording medium capable of recording various data, programs, and the like, and is a storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory: random access memory), a hard disk drive, and a flash memory. The storage unit 201 stores a plurality of items of device information and a device control program. The device information stored in the storage unit 201 is stored and updated each time the state of the device 101 is changed.

The operation receiving unit 202 receives a user operation requesting the related information 112. For example, the operation receiving unit 202 receives a user operation requesting the related information 112 via an operation button (not shown) or a remote control provided in the device 101.

The communication unit 203 is an interface for connecting to the network 103 and performing communication. Specifically, the communication unit 203 transmits the search key 111 to the server 102, and receives the associated information 112 from the server 102.

The external device connection section 204 is an interface for connection with an external device. For example, the external device connection section 204 is an interface for connecting to a wired connection device via HDMI (High-Deinition Multimedia Interface: high definition multimedia interface), USB (Universal Serial Bus: universal serial bus), LAN (Local Area Network: local area network), or the like, and to a wireless connection device via wireless LAN, bluetooth (registered trademark).

The display section 205 displays various information including the related information 112. For example, the display portion 205 is a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel, or the like.

The control section 206 executes various processes according to the device control program and data stored in the storage section 201. For example, the control unit 206 is implemented using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit ).

The control unit 206 includes a search key generation unit 211, a related information acquisition unit 212, a presentation unit 213, and the like.

The search key generation unit 211 acquires device information of a plurality of items, and generates a search key 111 including the device information of the plurality of items. Specifically, the search key generation unit 211 acquires the device information of the plurality of items from the storage unit 201, and generates the search key 111 including the acquired device information of the plurality of items, with the operation of the user requesting the related information 112 as a trigger. The plurality of items includes at least one item selected from the group consisting of an item related to a set state of the device 101, an item related to an operation state of the device 101, and an item related to an external connection state of the device 101. The items related to the external connection state include items related to an external connection method.

The related information acquisition unit 212 acquires the related information 112 received by the communication unit 203.

The presentation unit 213 presents the related information 112 to the user.

Fig. 3A is a diagram showing an example of device information 301 of a plurality of items and a tag attached to each item in the case where the operation state of the device 101 is the normal operation state. The device information 301 of the plurality of items indicates a model name, language setting, firmware version, operation state, device details, and external connection method.

The device information 301 of the plurality of items shows a case where the model name is S001, the language is set to japanese, the firmware version is V100, and the operation state is a normal operation state. In addition, the device information of the device details is linked with the operation state of the device 101, and when the operation state of the device 101 is the normal operation state, the device information indicates the input of the display of the normal operation. For example, when the device 101 is receiving TV broadcasting, it is a terrestrial Digital Television (DTV), BS, CS, and in the example of fig. 3A, HDMI input signals are displayed. In the case where the device 101 includes a plurality of HDMI terminals, device information indicating details of the device is numbered at the end such as hdmi_1 and hdmi_2 so that it can be discriminated which HDMI terminal is connected. Such identification is required because the corresponding function of each HDMI terminal is sometimes different, and the associated information is also different.

As illustrated in fig. 3A, labels model, language, version, status, detail, connection are attached to items of model name, language setting, firmware version, operation state, device details, and external connection method.

Fig. 3B is a diagram showing an example of device information 302 of a plurality of items and a tag attached to each item in the case where the operation state of the device 101 is an error state. The items and tags illustrated in fig. 3B are the same as those illustrated in fig. 3A, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. (the same applies to the following)

The device information indicating the details of the device is linked with the operation state of the device 101, and indicates that an error assigned by an error code (E001 or the like) has occurred when the device 101 is in the error state. Specifically, a case where an error occurs when the HDMI input signal shown in fig. 3A is displayed is illustrated. At this time, the operation state is switched from NORMAL to ERROR, and the device details are switched from hdmi_1 to ERROR code (E001). The device information indicating the external connection method is held as hdmi_1.

Fig. 3C is a diagram showing an example of the device information 303 of the plurality of items and the tag attached to each item in the case where the operation state of the device 101 is the setting change state. The device information 303 of the plurality of items indicates a state in which the operation state is a setting change state, and details of the device are a state in which Brightness (Brightness) is adjusted by image quality (Picture) of a setting menu (Tools), and a state in which no external connection is present.

Fig. 4A is a diagram showing an example of the search key 111a of the device information 301 including a plurality of items illustrated in fig. 3A. The search key 111a illustrated in fig. 4A represents, in XML form, the device information 301 to which the tag shown in fig. 3A is attached to each item. Specifically, in the case of the XML format, device information of each item is described between the start tag and the end tag of each tag illustrated in fig. 3A. In addition, although fig. 4A shows the search key 111a in the form of XML, the search key 111a may be in another form as long as the device information necessary for the device information 301 of a plurality of items is not included.

As shown in fig. 4A, the search key 111a indicates a model name, language setting, firmware version, operation state, device details, and external connection method shown in the device information 301 of the plurality of items illustrated in fig. 3A. Further, as illustrated in fig. 4A, when the device information 301 of the item related to the operation state of the device 101 indicates that the item is in the normal operation state, the search key 111a is linked with the operation state of the device 101, and the device information of the tag attached with the details is shown as HD mi_1. The device information shown as hdmi_1 indicates that the device 101 is in a state of inputting or outputting a signal via HDMI.

Fig. 4B is a diagram showing an example of the search key 111B including the device information 302 of the plurality of items illustrated in fig. 3B. The search key 111B illustrated in fig. 4B represents, in XML form, the device information 302 to which the tag shown in fig. 3B is attached to each item.

As illustrated in fig. 4B, when the device information 302 of the item related to the operation state of the device 101 indicates that the item is in the error state, the search key 111B includes the device information 302 indicating the error code. That is, the device information indicating the device details is linked with the operation state of the device 101, and when the operation state is an error state, the device information to which the tag of the detail is attached is displayed with an error code (e.g., E001) on the search key 111 b.

Fig. 4C is a diagram showing an example of the search key 111C of the device information 303 including a plurality of items illustrated in fig. 3C. The search key 111C illustrated in fig. 4C represents, in XML form, the device information 303 to which the tag shown in fig. 3C is attached to each item.

As illustrated in fig. 4C, when the device information 303 of the item related to the operation state of the device 101 indicates that the device is in the setting change state, the device information of the tag to which the detail is added in the search key 111C shows Tools/Picture/Brightness. The device information indicates that the device 101 is in a state in which brightness is being adjusted in the setting menu. Here, the device information of the external connection method is blank, which means that there is no external connection, and the external connection method of the device information is represented by a blank element.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the server 102. The server 102 includes a storage section 501, a communication section 502, and a control section 503.

The storage unit 501 is a recording medium capable of recording various data, programs, and the like, and is a storage device such as a RAM, a hard disk drive, and a flash memory. The storage unit 501 stores a related information database 511 and a server control program. The association information database 511 associates and stores information for referring to the association information 112 in a subdivided state based on a combination of all the device information corresponding to the search key. In the following description, the device information registered in the association information database 511 is referred to as index information. Further, the information stored in the related information database 511 for referring to the related information 112 is referred to as reference destination information. For example, when the associated information 112 is data of a usage specification of the device 101, the storage destination of the data of the usage specification is indicated with reference to the destination information.

The communication unit 502 is an interface for connecting to and communicating with the network 103. Specifically, the communication section 502 receives the search key 111 from the device 101, and transmits the association information 112 extracted by the association information extraction section 513 to the device 101. The search key 111 received by the communication section 502 contains device information of a plurality of items acquired by the device 101.

The control section 503 executes various processes according to the server control program and data stored in the storage section 501. For example, the control unit 503 is implemented using a processor such as a CPU.

The control unit 503 includes a search key acquisition unit 512, a related information extraction unit 513, and the like.

The search key acquisition unit 512 acquires the search key 111 received by the communication unit 502, and sends the search key 111 to the associated information extraction unit 513.

The association information extraction unit 513 extracts association information 112 from the association information database 511, and the association information 112 is associated with a combination in which the device information included in the search key 111 matches. Here, the device information preferably includes device information related to an operation state of the device.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment. It is assumed that at the point in time when the device 101 starts the process of step S601 shown in fig. 6, the device 101 is in a state capable of communicating with the server 102.

In step S601, the search key generation unit 211 determines whether or not the operation reception unit 202 has received the operation of the user requesting the related information 112. For example, when the user performs an operation of requesting the related information 112 using a button or a remote controller provided in the device 101, the operation receiving unit 202 determines that the user's operation of requesting the related information 112 is received.

When the operation receiving unit 202 does not receive the user operation requesting the related information 112 in step S601, the control unit 206 returns the process to the process of step S601. On the other hand, when the operation receiving unit 202 receives the user operation requesting the related information 112 in step S601, the search key generating unit 211 acquires the device information of the plurality of items corresponding to the state of the device at that time from the storage unit 201 in step S602.

In step S603, the search key generation section 211 generates the search key 111 based on the device information of the plurality of items acquired in step S602. In this way, the search key 111 can be generated without missing the acquired device information of the plurality of items. Further, by acquiring device information of a plurality of items corresponding to the state of the device and generating the search key 111, it is possible to prevent the generation of the search key 111 irrespective of the state of the device 101.

In step S604, the communication unit 203 transmits the search key 111 to the server 102.

When the communication unit 502 receives the search key 111 in step S605, the search key acquisition unit 512 acquires the received search key 111 and sends it to the related information extraction unit 513.

In step S606, the related information extraction unit 513 determines a combination of index information matching the device information included in the search key 111 from the related information database 511.

In step S607, the related information extraction unit 513 refers to the reference destination information associated with the combination of the index information determined in step S606, and extracts the related information 112.

Here, the association information 112 may be stored not only in the association information database 511 but also in a server (not shown) different from the server 102. For example, when the reference destination information indicates a URL for accessing the data of the usage specification, the related information extraction unit 513 obtains the data of the usage specification indicated by the UR L as the related information 112 from the communication unit 502 connected to the URL destination via the network 103. By indicating the URL of a server different from the server 102 as the reference destination information, it is not necessary to store all the data of the usage specification in the related information database 511. For example, it is assumed that the server 102 is set in country a, and index information related to the device 101 used in country B and index information related to the device 101 used in country C are contained in the association information database 511. In this case, the related information database 511 shows the URL of the server set in the B country as the reference destination information on the device 101 used in the B country, and shows the URL of the server set in the C country as the reference destination information on the device 101 used in the C country. Further, the data of the usage specification relating to the device 101 used in the B country is stored in the memory of the server set in the B country, and the data of the usage specification relating to the device 101 used in the C country is stored in the memory of the server set in the C country. Accordingly, the related information 112 can be stored in a plurality of servers without storing all the data of the usage instruction in the related information database 511 of the server 102, and thus maintainability of the data of the usage instruction can be improved.

Accordingly, the related information extraction section 513 extracts the related information 112 associated with the combination matching the device information contained in the search key 111 by executing the processing of steps S606 to S607. Since the search key 111 contains device information of a plurality of items indicating the state of the device 101, the related information extraction section 513 can extract the related information 112 corresponding to the state of the device 101.

In step S608, the communication section 502 transmits the association information 112 extracted in step S607 to the device 101. Since the association information 112 is stored in the server 102, the device 101 does not need to save the association information 112. Thus, a memory for storing the association information 112 is not required for each device 101, and the memory cost of the device 101 can be suppressed.

When the communication unit 203 receives the association information 112 from the server 102 in step S609, the association information acquisition unit 212 acquires the received association information 112 and sends it to the presentation unit 213.

In step S610, the presentation unit 213 presents the association information 112 to the user. Specifically, the presentation unit 213 converts the association information 112 into a format suitable for presentation. In the following description, information converted into a form suitable for presentation of the associated information 112 is referred to as presentation information. For example, when the related information 112 is displayed on the display unit 205, the presentation unit 213 converts the related information 112 into presentation information. In this case, the presentation information is information including characters and images displayed on the display section 205. Alternatively, the presentation unit 213 may transmit the association information 112 to a terminal different from the device 101. A terminal different from the device 101 is, for example, a smart phone. Alternatively, in the case where the device 101 includes a speaker (not shown), the presentation unit 213 may convert the associated information so that the speaker outputs a sound indicating the associated information 112. In this case, the presentation information is a sound signal for outputting a sound representing the associated information 112 from the speaker.

Fig. 7A is a diagram showing an example of the related information database 511 including the reference destination information indicating the file name. Fig. 7A shows index information and reference destination information in XML form.

In the region 701, index information indicated by a model as a label related to a model name is S001. The index information indicated by language, which is a tag related to language setting, is JAPANESE. Further, index information indicated by version, which is a tag related to the firmware version, is V100. In the area 701, index information and reference destination information associated with device details in the operation states of ERRO R, NORMAL, and reference are described in a hierarchical structure. Specifically, index information described in a range between < ERROR > and </ERROR > indicates index information associated with a case where the operation state is an ERROR state. Index information described in a range between < NORMAL > and </NORMAL > indicates index information associated with a case where the operation state is a NORMAL operation state. The index information described in the range between < SETTING > and </SETTING > indicates index information associated with a case where the action state is the SETTING change state. Further, in the region 701, the reference destination information associated with the action state and the device details is shown as a character string between < manual > and </manual >.

In the following description, a process of extracting information of a reference destination by hierarchically and sequentially specifying areas matching at least one piece of device information included in the search key 111b from the related information database 511 when the operation state is an error state is exemplified and described. In the following description, for convenience of description, the region 702 and the region 703 included in the region 701 are illustrated and described. In an area 702 within the area 701, index information indicated by status, which is a tag related to an operation state, is ERROR. The area 702 contains index information associated with the case where the error code is E001 and index information associated with the case where the error code is E002.

For example, it is assumed that the search key acquisition section 512 acquires the search key 111B illustrated in fig. 4B. In this case, the related information extraction unit 513 extracts, from the related information database 511, the region 701 matching the model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by the device information included in the search key 11b. Then, the related information extraction unit 513 extracts, from the region 701, a region 702 where the index information indicated by status, which is a tag related to the operation state, is ERROR. Then, the related information extraction section 513 extracts, from the area 702, an area 703 whose index information indicated by a detail which is a tag related to the device details is E001. Then, the related information extraction section 513 extracts the reference destination information indicated by manual, which is a tag immediately after the area 703.

For example, the information indicating "C: \data/S001_JAPANESE_V100_E001.Html" indicates the model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by the device information of the plurality of items included in the search key 111b, and the file name of the instruction manual of the device 101 associated with the error to which the error code E001 is assigned. When the data of the usage specification of the device 101 is stored in the server 102, the data of the usage specification related to the error code E001 described in the file is extracted as the associated information 112.

Fig. 7B is a diagram showing an example of the related information database 511 including the reference destination information indicating the URL. The same parts as those of fig. 7A will be omitted. The difference from fig. 7A is only in the specifying method with reference to the destination information.

In the case where the data of the usage specification of the device 101 is stored in a server different from the server 102, as illustrated in fig. 7B, the URL of the usage specification of the device 101 is used for referring to the destination information. For example, the reference target information indicating "https:// …/S001/JAPANESE/V100/E001.Htm l" indicates a URL of a specification of use of the device 101 related to an error assigned with the error code E001, with respect to a model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by device information of a plurality of items included in the search key 111 b. In this case, the related information extraction unit 513 refers to the URL to extract, as the related information 112, data of the use specification related to the error assigned to the error code E001, with respect to the model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by the device information of the plurality of items included in the search key 111 b. In the above description, the description has been given of the fact that the related information database 511 is configured in XML, but other forms are possible as long as the index information and the reference destination information are registered without omission.

The search key 111b includes device information to which a tag indicating connection of an external connection method is attached. However, when the operation state of the device 101 is an error state, it is more desirable for the user to acquire the associated information 112 related to the device information indicating the error code than to acquire the associated information 112 related to the external connection method in order to eliminate the error. Therefore, when the operation state of the device 101 is an error state, the server 102 acquires only the associated information 112 related to the device information indicating the error code. Thus, the related information 112 having a relatively high priority for the user can be presented with priority according to the operation state of the device 101.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of presentation information 801 of the associated information 112 related to the error code E001. For example, the description of the error code E001 shown in the presentation information 801 indicates information about an error to which the error code E001 is assigned, symptoms of the error, countermeasures, and a user-referenceable information.

As described above, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, since the user does not specify a keyword, the device 101 acquires device information indicating the state of the device and generates the search key 111, it is possible to acquire appropriate information according to the state of the device.

(second embodiment)

A second embodiment in which the operation state of the device 101 is a normal operation state and the external connection is plural is described with reference to fig. 9 to 13. Note that, the common reference numerals are used to refer to the structures and processes having functions substantially common to those of the other embodiments, and descriptions thereof are omitted. (the same applies to the following)

The presentation unit 213 according to the present embodiment presents a plurality of pieces of associated information 112 related to the device information of at least one of the plurality of items.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of device information 901 of a plurality of items and a tag attached to each item in the case where the operation connection method of the device 101 is plural.

Among the device information 901 of the plurality of items, the device information indicating the external connection method indicates that the device 101 is in a state of being connected by the plurality of external connection methods of Bluetooth, USB, LAN and hdmi_1.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the search key 111d of the device information 901 including a plurality of items illustrated in fig. 9. The search key 111d illustrated in fig. 10 represents, in XML form, a plurality of pieces of device information 901 each item of which is attached with the tag illustrated in fig. 9.

In the search key 111d, a label of connection is attached to a plurality of pieces of device information. Specifically, a tag of connection is attached to device information indicating BLUETOOTH, device information indicating USB, device information indicating LAN, and device information indicating hdmi_1.

The configuration of the server 102 according to the present embodiment is illustrated in fig. 5. The related information extraction unit 513 according to the present embodiment extracts, from the related information database 511, a plurality of related information 112 associated with a combination matching the device information included in the search key 111.

The communication unit 502 according to the present embodiment transmits the plurality of pieces of association information 112 extracted by the association information extraction unit 513 to the device 101.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of extracting and presenting a plurality of pieces of associated information in the associated information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment. The processing of steps S701 to S1105 illustrated in fig. 11 is the same as the processing of steps S601 to S306 illustrated in fig. 6, and therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

When the search key acquisition unit 512 acquires the search key 111 in step S1105, the associated information extraction unit 513 determines a plurality of index information matching a plurality of pieces of device information included in the combination of device information indicated by the search key from the associated information database 511 in step S1106.

In step S1107, the related information extraction unit 513 refers to the plurality of pieces of reference destination information associated with the respective index information of the plurality of pieces of index information determined in step S1106, and extracts the plurality of pieces of related information 112 and the like from the related information database 511. That is, the related information extraction unit 513 according to the present embodiment is capable of extracting a plurality of related information 112, based on the operation state, the external connection state, and the like of the device 101, unlike the related information extraction unit 513 according to the first embodiment.

In step S1108, the communication section 502 transmits the plurality of pieces of association information 112 extracted in step S1107 to the device 101.

In step S1109, when the communication unit 203 receives the plurality of pieces of associated information 112 from the server 102, the associated information acquisition unit 212 acquires the plurality of pieces of received associated information 112, and sends the acquired pieces of associated information to the presentation unit 213.

In step S1110, the presentation unit 213 presents the selected associated information 112 from the acquired plurality of associated information 112 to the user. For example, if the operation receiving unit 202 receives an operation to select the associated information 112 to be presented to the user, the presenting unit 213 presents the selected associated information 112 to the user.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a case where presentation information 1201 to 1204 indicating a plurality of pieces of related information related to an external connection method are presented in order. The presentation information 1201 to 1204 are associated information 112 associated with the device information of the tag attached with the connection shown in fig. 9 and 10.

The presentation unit 213 causes the display unit 205 to sequentially display the presentation information 1201 to the presentation information 1204. In this case, the presentation unit 213 may switch the presentation information 1201 to the presentation information 1204 by a user operation, and cause the display unit 205 to display the same. In this way, the presenting unit 213 can present the association information 112 requested by the user among the plurality of association information 112 corresponding to the state of the device 101 to the user.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of pieces of presentation information 1301 to 1304 indicating a plurality of pieces of associated information 112 related to an external connection method are selected by the presentation information 1305 indicating a directory. The presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304 indicate a plurality of pieces of associated information 112 associated with the device information of a plurality of items included in the search key 111d illustrated in fig. 10.

The presentation information 1305 indicates a catalog screen related to the presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304. Items HDMI, BLUETOOTH, USB, LAN shown in the presentation information 1305 are directories for presenting the presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304, respectively.

For example, when the operation receiving unit 202 receives a user operation to select an HDMI item, a BLUETOOTH item, a USB item, or a LAN item in a state in which the presentation unit 213 displays the presentation information 1305 on the display unit 205, the presentation unit 213 displays the presentation information selected from the presentation information 1301 to 1304 on the display unit 205 according to the selected item.

As described above, the presentation unit 213 can present the presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304 related to the item selected by the user to the user, and can improve the user's convenience. Further, the presentation unit 213 can display the presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304 on the display unit 205 more quickly than when the presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304 are displayed on the display unit 205 in order.

As described above, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the device 101 can appropriately present the plurality of related information 112 corresponding to the state of the device 101 to the user.

(third embodiment)

A third embodiment of discriminating the type of the external device such as the model name of the external device connected to the device 101 and presenting the associated information corresponding to the discriminated type will be described with reference to fig. 14 to 17.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 101 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the device 101 illustrated in fig. 14 differs from the configuration of the device 101 illustrated in fig. 2 in that the device 101 illustrated in fig. 14 includes an external device type determining unit 1401, and the presenting unit 213 presents the association information 112 corresponding to the type of the external device connected to the device 101.

The external device type determination unit 1401 determines the type of the external device to which the device 101 is connected. The category of the external device includes not only the category on the classification but also more detailed information such as the model name.

The search key generation unit 211 according to the present embodiment generates the search key 111 including device information indicating the type of the external device determined by the external device type determination unit 1401. Then, the search key generation unit 211 transmits the generated search key 111 to the server 102 via the network 103.

The configuration of the server 102 according to the present embodiment is illustrated in fig. 5.

When the search key 111 according to the present embodiment includes device information indicating the model name of the external device to which the device 101 is connected, the related information extraction unit 513 acquires the related information 112 related to the external device having the model name indicated by the device information from an information processing apparatus such as an information processing apparatus managed by the manufacturer of the external device and different from the server 102. Specifically, the related information extraction unit 513 searches for a URL indicating a specification of use of the external device having the model name indicated by the device information via the internet, and acquires data of the specification of use of the external device indicated by the searched URL as the related information 112.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of device information 1501 of a plurality of items including a device type and a tag attached to each item in the device 101. The device information 1501 of the plurality of items indicates model names, language settings, firmware versions, operation states, device details, types of connected devices, external connection methods, and types of external devices.

The device information indicating the device details and the device information indicating the category of the connected device in the device information 1501 of the plurality of items indicates that the device 101 is in a state of playing a BD player connected via HDMI. Also, the device information indicating the external connection method indicates that the device 101 is in a state of being connected to the outside via BLUETOOTH and hdmi_1. Further, the device information indicating the type of the external device indicates a state in which external connection is made to the external speaker through BLUETOOTH, which is the first example in hdmi_1, and BLUETOOTH, which is an external connection method.

As illustrated in fig. 15, labels model, language, version, status, detail, detail1 and connection, connection1 are attached to items of model name, language setting, firmware version, operation state, device details, type of connected device, external connection method, and type of external device.

Fig. 16 shows an example of the search key 111e that represents the device information 1501 of the plurality of items illustrated in fig. 16. The search key 111e illustrated in fig. 16 represents, in XML form, device information 1501 of a plurality of items to each of which the tag illustrated in fig. 15 is attached.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the presentation information 1701 to 1702 for each external connection method.

The cue information 1701 indicates the association information 112 related to the case of connection to the BD player via HDMI. For example, the HDMI specification shown in the cue 1701 indicates a description of a method in which the device 101 is connected to a BD player via HDMI. The presentation information 1701 may indicate a description written in the specification of the BD player, which is obtained by the associated information extracting unit 513 searching for a URL indicating the specification of the BD player.

The presentation information 1702 indicates the associated information 112 related to the connection to the external speaker via Bluetooth. For example, the BLUETOOTH description shown in hint information 1702 represents a description of a method of connecting to an external speaker via BLUETOOTH. The presentation information 1702 may indicate a description described in the specification of the external speaker, which is obtained by the associated information extraction unit 513 by searching for a URL indicating the specification of the external speaker.

As described above, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the related information 112 corresponding to the type of the model including the external device to which the device 101 is connected is acquired. In the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, when the device 101 is in a state of being connected to an external device, the related information 112 corresponding to the operation state of the device 101 can be presented to the user together with the related information 112 corresponding to the type of the model including the connected external device. Here, the server 102 acquires, as the associated information 112, data of a use specification or the like corresponding to the model of the external device through the internet, and transmits the acquired data to the device 101, whereby even when the manufacturer who provides the device 101 is different from the manufacturer who provides the external device, the associated information corresponding to the model of the external device can be presented to the user. Therefore, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the information required by the user can be presented in more detail than in the other embodiments, depending on the operation state of the device 101 and the external connection state.

(fourth embodiment)

A fourth embodiment of generating the search key 111 by the server 102 will be described with reference to fig. 18 to 19.

Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 101 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the device 101 illustrated in fig. 18 is different from the configuration of the device 101 illustrated in fig. 2 in that the device 101 illustrated in fig. 18 includes a device information transmitting section 1801 instead of the search key generating section 211.

The device information acquisition unit 1801 acquires device information of a plurality of items, and transmits the acquired device information of the plurality of items to the server 102. For example, when the operation receiving unit 202 receives an operation from the user requesting the related information 112, the device information transmitting unit 1801 acquires device information of a plurality of items corresponding to the state of the device at that time from the storage unit 201, and transmits the acquired device information of the plurality of items to the server 102.

Fig. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the server 102 according to the present embodiment.

The configuration of the server 102 illustrated in fig. 19 differs from the configuration of the server 102 illustrated in fig. 5 in that the server 102 illustrated in fig. 19 includes a search key generation unit 1901 instead of the search key acquisition unit 512.

The search key generation unit 1901 acquires device information of a plurality of items, and generates a search key 111 including the device information of the plurality of items. Then, the search key generation unit 1901 transmits the generated search key 11 to the associated information extraction unit 513.

By the server 102 generating the search key 111, the device 101 can acquire the associated information without performing processing of generating the search key 111. Thus, the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment can reduce the processing load on the device 101.

(fifth embodiment)

A fifth embodiment in which the device 101 acquires device information indicating the operation state of the external device and presents associated information corresponding to the operation state of the external device will be described with reference to fig. 20.

Fig. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 101 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the device 101 illustrated in fig. 20 differs from the configuration of the device 101 illustrated in fig. 14 in that the device 101 illustrated in fig. 20 includes an external device information acquisition unit 2001, and the device 101 acquires device information including items related to the operation state of the external device, and the presentation unit 213 presents the related information 112 according to the operation state of the external device.

The external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires external device information indicating an operation state of the external device. For example, the external device information indicates information related to an error occurring in the external device. For example, in the case where the external device information indicates information related to an error occurring in the external device, the external device information shows an error code or the like. The external device information is represented in a form corresponding to a connection method between the device 101 and the external device.

The external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires external device information by receiving external device information from an external device. Alternatively, the external device information acquiring unit 2001 may transmit a predetermined signal to the external device, and acquire a response to the predetermined signal as the external device information. Alternatively, the external device information acquiring unit 2001 may determine the operation state of the external device based on the communication state between the device 101 and the external device, and generate external device information indicating the operation state of the external device. For example, the external device information acquisition unit 2001 may generate external device information indicating that the external device is in an error state when a predetermined signal is not received from the external device.

When the external device information acquiring unit 2001 acquires the external device information, the device information includes an item related to the operation state of the external device shown by the external device information.

When the external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires the external device information, the search key generation unit 211 according to the present embodiment generates the search key 111 including an item related to the operation state of the external device shown by the external device information. Then, the search key generation unit 211 transmits the generated search key 111 to the server 102 via the network 103.

When the search key 111 according to the present embodiment includes device information indicating the model name of the external device to which the device 101 is connected and external device information, the related information extraction unit 513 acquires related information 112 related to the external device information from an information processing apparatus such as an information processing apparatus managed by the manufacturer of the external device, which is different from the server 102.

For example, in the case where the external device information indicates that the external device is in an error state, the association information 112 indicates a coping method related to an error of the external device. The presentation unit 213 presents the user with the associated information indicating the method of handling the error of the external device, thereby enabling the user to handle the error generated in the external device.

As described above, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the related information 112 corresponding to the operation state of the external device is acquired. In the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the related information 112 corresponding to the operation state of the device 101 can be presented to the user together with the related information 112 corresponding to the operation state of the connected external device. Therefore, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the user can be presented with information necessary for the user in more detail than in the other embodiments, depending on the operation state of the external device.

(modification)

The following describes a modification example in which the device 101 transmits device information including items related to the operation states of the external devices to the server 102, and the server 102 receives the device information and generates search keys including items related to the operation states of the external devices.

As a modification of the related information acquisition system 100 according to the fifth embodiment, as illustrated in fig. 18, the device 101 may include a device information transmitting unit 1801 instead of the search key generating unit 211, and the server 102 may include a search key generating unit 1901 instead of the search key acquiring unit 512, as illustrated in fig. 19.

In the device 101 according to the present modification, when the external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires the external device information, the device information transmission unit 1801 transmits device information including a plurality of items of the acquired external device information to the server 102. Then, the search key generation unit 1901 receives device information including items related to the operation states of the external devices from the device 101, acquires the device information, and generates the search key 111 including the acquired device information. In this way, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present modification, the server 102 can generate the search key 111 including the item related to the operation state of the external device.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments in which the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments are appropriately combined are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Further, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical methods separately disclosed in the respective embodiments.

Description of the reference numerals

The 100-related information acquisition system includes a 101 device, a 102 server, a 103 network, a 111 search key, 111a to 111e search keys, 112-related information, 201 storage, 202 operation reception, 203 communication, 204 external device connection, 205 display, 206 control, 211 search key generation, 212-related information acquisition, 213 presentation, 301 device information, 302 device information, 303 device information, 501 storage, 502 communication, 503 control, 511-related information database, 512 search key acquisition, 513-related information extraction, 701 area, 702 area 703, 801 presentation, 901 device information, 1201 presentation, 1202 presentation, 1203 presentation, 1204 presentation, 1301 presentation, 1302 presentation, 1303 presentation, 1304 presentation, 1305 presentation, 1401 external device type discrimination, 1501 device information, 1701 presentation, 1702 presentation, 1801 device information transmission, 1901 search key generation, 2001 external device information acquisition.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a search key generation unit that acquires device information of a plurality of items and generates a search key including the device information of the plurality of items; and

and a communication unit that transmits the search key to a server that extracts the associated information associated with the search key, and that receives the associated information from the server that stores the associated information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

the plurality of items include at least one item selected from the group consisting of an item related to a set state of the device, an item related to an action state of the device, and an item related to an external connection state of the device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

the plurality of items include at least one item selected from the group consisting of an item related to a set state of the device, an item related to an operation state of the device, an item related to an external connection state of the device, and an item related to an operation state of an external device connected to the device.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 or 3,

The item related to the external connection state includes one item selected from the group consisting of a category of an external device connected to the device and an external connection method.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein,

the association information includes information corresponding to at least one state selected from the group consisting of the setting state, an operation state of the device, and the external connection state.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the device comprises a plurality of sensors,

the association information includes information corresponding to at least one state selected from the group consisting of the setting state, the operation state of the device, the external connection state, and the operation state of the external device.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 or 3,

when the device information of the item related to the operation state of the device indicates an error state, the search key includes device information indicating an error code, and the associated information includes information related to the error to which the error code is assigned.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 to 3,

the search key generation unit acquires the device information of the plurality of items using an operation of a user requesting the associated information as a trigger.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 to 3,

the system also comprises a prompting part which prompts the association information to a user.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein,

the presenting unit presents the plurality of pieces of associated information when the communication unit receives the plurality of pieces of associated information related to the device information of at least one of the plurality of items.

11. A server, comprising:

a search key acquisition unit that acquires a search key including device information of a plurality of items acquired by a device; and

and an associated information extracting unit that extracts, from a database associated with a combination of associated information and device information, associated information associated with a combination matching the device information included in the search key.

12. An associated information acquisition system, comprising:

a device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3; and

the server of claim 11.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a device information transmitting unit that acquires device information of a plurality of items and transmits the device information of the plurality of items to a server that extracts the associated information; and

And a communication unit that receives the associated information from a server that stores the associated information associated with a search key including the device information of the plurality of items.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the device comprises a plurality of sensors,

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the device comprises a plurality of sensors,

16. A server, comprising:

a search key generation unit that generates a search key including device information of a plurality of items acquired by a device; and

17. An associated information acquisition system, comprising:

the apparatus of claim 13; and

the server of claim 16.

18. A method for acquiring association information, comprising:

acquiring equipment information of a plurality of items;

generating a search key containing device information of the plurality of items; and

a step of transmitting the search key to a server that extracts associated information associated with the search key; and a step of receiving the association information from a server that holds the association information.

19. A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program causing the computer to execute:

a function of acquiring device information of a plurality of items;

a function of generating a search key including device information of the plurality of items; and

a function of transmitting the search key to a server that extracts associated information associated with the search key; and a function of receiving the association information from a server that holds the association information.