JP2005033239A - Method of accessing network compatible facility/equipment, and apparatus thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that it is impossible to access each of facility/equipment from the integrated window of an internal network by a plurality of gateways (hereinafter called as GW) in network compatible of conventional facility/equipment, and it is also impossible to deal with dynamic distribution of an external address or newly connected equipment because the equipment configuration and the GWs have fixed set values. <P>SOLUTION: An apparatus has an access path determining means in a data center. When the network configuration changes, the GWs transmit the network configuration to a data center, and the data center determines an access path to the facility/equipment when an operation request is performed from an operation terminal, thereby dealing with the change in an internal configuration and the change in the external network setting of the GWs. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote control system for a network-compatible device, an apartment house or a general residential remote monitoring system, an out-of-home access method and apparatus for devices and services corresponding to a plurality of home networks.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, air conditioners, water heaters, lighting equipment, and various household appliances (hereinafter “equipment equipment”) installed in general houses, hotels, apartment buildings such as condominiums, etc. are directly controlled by the residents of the households that use them. That is, the switch is turned on and off.
[0003]
However, with the development of network technology, these equipments are also connected to each other via a network, and centralized management has become possible.
[0004]
As a network technology for connecting these equipments to each other, a dedicated internal network such as a condominium or factory such as BACNET, and the ECHONET standard which is a dedicated internal network for home appliances have been proposed.
[0005]
However, these network technologies can only be used within the building. Therefore, in order to access the equipment connected to the above-described network from a network outside the building (hereinafter referred to as “external network”) such as a telephone line network or the Internet, the network within the building (hereinafter referred to as “internal network”). )) And an external network device (hereinafter referred to as “gateway”).
[0006]
The gateway converts information according to a protocol used in the external network into a protocol used in the internal network. The equipment connected to the internal network cannot normally connect to the external network itself, but is first connected to the gateway via the internal network and then connected to the external network.
[0007]
When accessing equipment from a device such as an operating terminal connected to an external network, the operating terminal accesses the gateway via the external network, and the gateway acts as an agent for accessing the equipment connected to the internal network. .
[0008]
When a telephone line is used as the external network, a push signal is transmitted from the telephone as an operation terminal, and the gateway controls the power on and off of the equipment based on the signal.
[0009]
On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, an equipment device controller corresponding to a gateway installed in a general house and a management server in which information on the equipment device controller is recorded are connected via an external network. A method of controlling facility equipment in a house from an information equipment terminal such as a PC via a management server is disclosed.
[0010]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-218559 A
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described technology, since it is assumed that there is only one building containing equipment that is operated by a single user, the equipment and network of each house in a condominium that is a collection of many houses. The management of residents who use is not considered. In addition, there is a problem that it is not possible to selectively access the equipment connected to the internal network from the unified portal access window for the internal network composed of a plurality of areas composed of a plurality of gateways. .
[0012]
Further, in the prior art, the configuration values of the equipment inside the building and the setting values of the external / internal network interface assigned to the gateway are determined in advance. Therefore, for example, when a telephone number is changed or an external address is dynamically distributed, the user also needs to change the number or address in order to access the equipment via the external network. .
[0013]
Furthermore, when a new facility device is connected to the internal network, it is necessary to assign an external access route to the facility device to the gateway, so there is a problem that the gateway software configuration needs to be changed.
[0014]
In addition, the prior art has a problem that it is impossible to manage the operation authority of the equipment.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, a computer installed in a data center has an access route determination means. That is, when the gateway device detects a change in the internal network configuration and external network interface settings, the information is transmitted to the data center. The computer in the data center updates information for determining the access route to the equipment based on the transmitted information. Further, the computer of the data center determines the access route to the equipment based on the transmitted information from the gateway device at the time when the operation request is made from the operation terminal, and transmits it to the operation terminal. Responds to configuration changes and gateway network external network interface settings changes.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a remote control system for equipment corresponding to a network to which the present invention is applied.
[0018]
The system includes buildings 106 and 111, an external network 110 connected to the buildings 106 and 111, a data center 103 connected to the external network 110, and an operation terminal 101 connected to the external network 110.
[0019]
The building 106 has a network configuration corresponding to individual houses. The building 106 includes a gateway 102 connected to the external network 110, various facility devices 105, and an internal network 104 that interconnects the gateway 102 and various facility devices 105. In the building 106, one gateway 102 corresponds to one external interface setting.
The gateway 102 has an external address as an external network interface setting, and a connection setting of facility equipment as an internal network interface setting.
[0020]
The facility device 105 has an internal network interface for communicating with the gateway 102, and transmits a connection request to the gateway 102 when newly connected to the internal network 104. Upon receiving the connection request, the gateway 102 newly generates access route information for accessing the equipment device 105 from the external network 110 or the internal network 104, and updates and saves the connection setting of the equipment device 105 in the network interface settings. To do. The operator or the user himself / herself sets the operation right for the equipment.
[0021]
When the gateway 102 receives a connection request or detects a change in the network interface setting value, such as when an external address is changed, the gateway 102 transmits the data to the data center 103, and the data center 103 sends the data to the database. Record.
[0022]
When the user performs external access to the equipment 105 using the operation terminal 101, the user first accesses the data center 103 using the operation terminal 101 and transmits an equipment operation request. Upon receiving this, the data center 103 searches for who the user is, and searches for the network interface setting of the gateway 102 that can be used by the user and the equipment 105 having the operation right.
[0023]
The data center 103 combines the external address of the gateway 102 and the access route information to each equipment connected to the internal network 104 to form an access route that reaches the equipment 105 from the data center 103. The access route information is transmitted to the operation terminal 101.
[0024]
On the other hand, the building 111 corresponds to a network configuration having a housing 107 such as a condominium and a router 107 that centrally manages a plurality of gateways 102.
The building 111 includes a plurality of buildings 106, a router 107, and an internal backbone network 109 that interconnects the gateway 102 and the router 107 included in the plurality of buildings 106. In this configuration, one router 107 corresponds to one external interface setting. In this case, the router 107 has a routing setting for forwarding each gateway 102 by a connection port at the time of external access.
[0025]
The data center 103 has an external address and a connection port setting corresponding to each gateway 102 as the external network interface setting value of the gateway 102 for the building 110. In response to an equipment operation request from a user, the data center 103 combines an external address, a connection port of the user's gateway, and routing information to the equipment equipment 105 having an operation right, and configures an access route. Information on the access route is transmitted to the operation terminal 101.
[0026]
Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the gateway 102.
The gateway 102 includes a CPU 201 that executes various programs, a volatile storage device 202 configured by a DRAM and the like, a super I / O chip having an input / output interface that controls peripheral devices, a peripheral controller 203 configured by a bus bridge, and the like. It is an apparatus provided with. These elements are connected to each other by a bus 205.
[0027]
Further, the gateway 102 includes an external network interface 208 used for connection to the external network 110, an internal network interface 207 used for connection to the internal network 104, and a nonvolatile storage device 206. The external network interface 208, the internal network interface 207, and the nonvolatile storage device 206 can be accessed from the CPU 201 via the peripheral controller 203.
[0028]
When the Internet is used as the external network 110, the external network interface 208 is configured by an Ether chip or the like. The internal network interface 207 includes a power line modem when a power line is used as an internal network, and a wireless LAN card and a card bus controller when a wireless LAN is used.
[0029]
The nonvolatile storage device 206 includes a battery backup memory, a hard disk, a flash memory, and the like. The nonvolatile storage device 206 includes an OS and a BIOS (not shown), a network configuration / setting change detection program 209, an equipment operation program 210, a data center communication program 211, a network interface setting value 212, and the like. Setting information is saved.
[0030]
The network configuration / setting change detection program 209 is a program executed by the CPU 201 in order for the gateway 102 to monitor the external network interface and monitor the connection request of equipment and detect a change in the network configuration of the building 106. . When detecting the change, the CPU 201 stores the current setting value of the network interface in the nonvolatile storage device 206.
[0031]
The facility device operation program 210 is a program executed by the CPU 201 to operate each facility device 105. The CPU 201 executes this program and transmits a command to the facility device 105 through the internal network interface 201. Note that there are a plurality of programs 210 corresponding to each facility device 105. In the non-volatile storage device 206, information on an access path and an operation name for performing an operation command to the equipment 105 used by the equipment operation program 210 is stored as a network interface setting value 212.
[0032]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data format of the network interface setting value 212 stored in the nonvolatile storage device 206. The contents of each item will be briefly described below.
The external address is a global address that the external network interface of the gateway 102 has. The equipment ID is a code representing the equipment 105 and is unique to each equipment type, and corresponds to a manufacturer product code or the like. The device name is a general common name of the facility device 105. Of course, the name unique to each equipment may be used. The internal network address is an address of the internal network in the building 106 assigned to the equipment 105 and is a unique value for each equipment. The equipment access path corresponds to a control code assigned to each operation of the equipment 105, and is a unique value for each operation. The operation name is a general common name for each operation described above.
[0033]
The data center communication program 211 is a program executed by the CPU 201 for the gateway 102 to transmit the value registered in the network interface setting value 212 to the data center 103. Further, when the gateway 102 receives an operation request from the data center 103 to the equipment 105 and transmits the operation request to the equipment 105, the data center communication program 211 is also executed together with the operation equipment program 210. Furthermore, when the equipment device 105 is newly connected, the gateway 102 also executes it when the equipment device operation program for the equipment device 105 is downloaded from the data center 103.
[0034]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the facility device 105.
[0035]
The equipment 105 includes an internal network interface 407 for communicating with the gateway 102, a nonvolatile storage device 406 for storing the control program 409 and the information table 410, a CPU 401 for executing the program, a volatile storage device 402, and an internal network interface. A peripheral controller 403 is provided to connect the 407 and the CPU 401. In addition, the equipment 105 includes a device 408 unique to the equipment, such as a light bulb for lighting and a heat source for air conditioning.
[0036]
The control program 409 is executed by the CPU 401 when a command is received through the control of the equipment-specific device 408 and the network interface 407, and the equipment-specific device 408 is controlled according to the command. When the facility device 105 is connected to the internal network 104, the connected facility device 105 executes the control program 409, transmits a connection request to the gateway 102, and sets an address in the internal network 104. The connection request at this time includes an equipment device ID and a device name as information, and an internal network address is given from the gateway 102 as a response to the connection request.
[0037]
In the information table 410, information on the equipment device ID, equipment name, and internal network address of the equipment 105 itself is registered. The equipment ID and the equipment name depend on the equipment manufacturer and type. The internal network address is a value specific to the equipment itself.
[0038]
In the equipment 105, a so-called one-chip microcomputer in which a part or all of the broken line in the drawing is made into one chip may be used. The same applies to the gateway 102. The network interface 407 may be included in one chip.
[0039]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the data center 103.
The data center 103 is composed of a plurality of computers (hereinafter referred to as “servers”), and each server is connected by a LAN in the data center. Each of these servers (hereinafter “server group”) performs a specific process.
[0040]
The data center 103 includes a router 601 for connecting to the external network 110, a firewall 602 for preventing an access packet directly from the router 601 to another server group from flowing, a user database 605, a device database 606, a WEB server 607, an application A server 609, a server load balancer 603, and a data backup device 610 are provided, and each is connected via a Layer 3 switch 604.
[0041]
The setting of the firewall 602 is determined by the policy of the data center 103 operation.
The user database 605 stores a user ID of a user who receives the service and data for authenticating the user. In the device database 606, an external address of the gateway 102 corresponding to the user, an access route to the facility device 105 connected to the gateway 102 via the internal network 104, and the like are recorded as a network interface value corresponding to the user ID. Has been.
[0042]
The WEB server 607 is accessed from both the operation terminal 101 and the gateway 102. Therefore, the WEB server 607 has two types of WEB pages, a user page 611 and a device page 612. Further, for the database administrator, the WEB server 608 has an administrator page 613.
[0043]
The WEB server 607 identifies the user using the user database 605 and the input password in response to the connection request of the operation terminal 101 by the user via the user page 611. Further, the WEB server 607 searches the device database 606 based on the identified result, acquires the external address of the gateway 102 corresponding to the user and the access route list of the facility device 105 that can be operated by the user, and obtains the result as WEB. Generate as a page. The generated WEB page is transmitted to the operation terminal 101, and the user operates the WEB page to make an operation request to the data center 103.
[0044]
Further, the WEB server 607 accepts access from the gateway 102 via the device page 612. The WEB server 607 receives network interface setting value data from the gateway 102 and updates the device database 606. In addition, the WEB server 607 makes an operation program transmission request to the application server 609.
[0045]
The application server 609 is a server for operating various service programs other than those described above. In the present embodiment, a download service for the equipment device ID and the corresponding device operation program is performed.
[0046]
The administrator page 613 is used when the administrator accesses the data center 103 when setting the equipment device operation right of the device database 606, adding a user to the user database, or dealing with a case where an error occurs. This page is used for
[0047]
One or more web servers 607 may be used. The server load balancer 603 controls the load balance of access to the WEB server 607.
[0048]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data format of the user database 605. The user database 605 has a plurality of records. One record includes fields for a user name, a user ID, an encrypted password, and an operation right level of the user. Maintenance such as addition and correction of records is performed by the data center administrator via the administrator page 613.
[0049]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data format of the device database 606. Fields other than the house ID, user ID, and operation right level are set by receiving network interface setting values from the gateway 102. Maintenance of the house ID, user ID, and operation right is performed by the data center administrator via the administrator page 613.
[0050]
The operation right level is composed of a combination of the type of user who can operate the facility device 105 and an access level number. For example, Norm is set for the general user, Comm is set for the common facilities in the housing complex, and Spec is set for the maintenance staff. The number indicates that the operation of the equipment 105 up to the level corresponding to the number can be executed. For example, a user with the access right Norm 5 can control the equipment devices 105 having the operation right level in which Norm 0 to Norm 5 and Comm are set.
[0051]
The operation terminal 101 operated by the user may be an information processing apparatus that can use a WEB browser. Specifically, it is a mobile computer such as a PC or PDA, or a mobile phone having a browser function. Since this is a prior art, description here is omitted.
[0052]
Details of the operation in this system will be described below.
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure when the gateway 102 is first activated. Here, the Internet is used as the external network 110, and HTTP is used as an access protocol with the data center 103.
[0053]
After the activation, the gateway 102 is first given an IP address from an Internet provider by a conventional technique such as a DHCP client, and becomes an external address (steps 901 and 902).
[0054]
Since the setting of the external address has been changed at this time, the gateway 102 executes the network configuration / setting change detection program and stores the setting value of the network interface. At this time, only the external address of FIG. 3 is set in the network interface setting value 212 (step 903).
[0055]
Next, the gateway 102 executes the data center communication program 211, accesses the device page 612 of the data center 103, and transmits the network interface setting value (step 904).
[0056]
Upon receiving this request, the data center 103 adds the gateway 102 that issued the request to the device database 606 as a new gateway 102. At this time, the device database 606 has only the gateway IP address of FIG. 7 (step 905).
[0057]
Thereafter, the gateway 102 is always energized and connected to the external network 110, and periodically monitors the external address and the connection request of the equipment 105 by the network configuration / setting change detection program (step 906). When the power supply of the gateway 102 is turned off and turned on again, the above-described sequence is performed again. However, in this case, since the gateway 102 record already exists in the device database 606 on the data center 103 side, only the data update when the network interface setting value is different from the previous one is performed.
[0058]
In the processing of steps 901 and 902, a DHCP server may be placed in the data center 103 so that the data center 103 takes on the role of the Internet provider, or an IP address is set in advance in the gateway 102. This process itself may be omitted.
[0059]
In the operation sequence of FIG. 8 in the building 111, the router 107 performs a portion corresponding to the IP address lending of the Internet provider, and assigns an address on the backbone network 109 in the building to each gateway 102. The IP address having the port number forwarded to that address becomes the network interface setting value of the router 107.
[0060]
FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure when the equipment device 105 is connected to the internal network 104. Although the types of equipment 105 are various, the processing procedure shown in FIG. 9 is an operation common to each equipment 105.
[0061]
When the facility device 105 is connected to the internal network 104, first, the facility device 105 transmits a network connection request including the facility device ID and the device name to the gateway 102 in a broadcast format (step 1001). The gateway 102 that has received the broadcast message determines an internal network address specific to the equipment device 105 that is the message transmission source, and sends the information to the equipment device 105. At this point, the network interface setting value 212 of the gateway 102 is set with the equipment ID, equipment name, and internal network address for the connected equipment 105 in addition to the external address (step 1002).
[0062]
Thereafter, the gateway 102 requests the data center 103 to download the operation program for the equipment 105 from the received equipment ID. In response to this, the data center 103 transmits an operation program corresponding to the equipment ID from the application server 609 (steps 1003 and 1004).
[0063]
The equipment operation program includes a program module for transmitting a control command for the equipment and an equipment access path which is a control code for accessing the program and a name of the control code (which becomes an operation name). ing. The gateway 102 uses the operation program received from the data center 103 to determine the access route and operation name to the equipment 105 during the installation process.
[0064]
As a result, the internal network configuration of the building 106 or 111 changes, and the gateway 102 stores the access path to the facility device 105 as a network interface setting value. At this time, the access path and operation name are registered for the connected equipment 105 in the network interface setting value 212, and all the field values in FIG. 3 are set (step 1005).
[0065]
Thereafter, the gateway 102 executes the data center communication program 211 to access the device page 612, and transmits the changed network interface setting value to the data center 103 (step 1006).
[0066]
The data center 103 that has received the network interface setting value saves the received value in the device database 606, thereby updating the record relating to the gateway 102. At this time, in the item of the gateway 102 of the device database 606, in addition to the gateway IP address of FIG. 7, fields of equipment device access route and operation name are set. In the operation right level field, for example, a default value in accordance with a data center operation policy such as Norm0 is set (step 1007).
[0067]
The facility device 105 to which the internal network address is assigned enters a command reception waiting state via the internal network 104, a normal remote controller, a button, or the like (step 1008).
[0068]
Note that the start timing of steps 1001 and 1002 is not the time of transmission of a network connection request from the equipment 105, but the discovery of a new equipment 105 by periodic monitoring by the network configuration / setting change detection program of the gateway 102 described in FIG. It may be time. At this time, step 1001 is omitted, and the gateway 102 that has found a new facility device performs the process of step 1002 on the new facility device.
Thereafter, every time a new equipment device 105 is connected, the network interface setting value is updated and registered in the data center 103 through this sequence.
[0069]
In the operation sequence of FIG. 9 in the building 111, the router 107 enters between the gateway and the data center. However, since the router 107 only performs an operation for routing communication between the gateway and the data center, the difference from the above description. There is no particular.
[0070]
FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a processing procedure when the user accesses the facility device 105 via the external network 110 using the operation terminal 101 (hereinafter “external access”).
A user who accesses externally is registered in advance in the user database 605 by the administrator of the data center 103 as a service user, and the user ID, the house ID, and the building name are recorded in the record of the device database 606 corresponding to the gateway 102 used by the user. Field value is set.
[0071]
First, the user accesses the data center 103 with the WEB browser of the portable terminal 101 and connects to the user page 611 of the WEB server 607 (step 1101).
The WEB server 607 makes an authentication request to the user, and the user inputs a user ID and a password (steps 1102 and 1103).
[0072]
Next, the WEB server 607 transmits the input user ID and password to the user database 605 to authenticate the user (step 1104). When notified from the user database 605 that the user has been authenticated, the WEB server 607 inquires the equipment database 606 about the equipment 105 that can be operated by the authenticated user and its access route, and receives the result. After that, the WEB server 607 selects the equipment device 105 corresponding to the user ID and the operation right level from the device database 606 based on the received result, converts the operation name into information in the HTML link format, and uses this as the operation WEB. A page is transmitted to the user's operation terminal 101 (steps 1105 and 1106).
[0073]
The user operates the URL link of the operation WEB page displayed on the portable terminal 101 to make an operation request to the equipment device 105 (step 1107).
The data center 103 that has received the operation request transmits the equipment access path of the URL clicked by the user to the gateway 102.
[0074]
The gateway 102 that has received the information on the equipment access path transmits a command corresponding to the access path to the equipment 105 via the internal network 104 by executing the equipment operation program 210 corresponding to the access path ( Step 1109). The facility device 105 executes the command and returns the result to the gateway 102 (step 1110).
[0075]
The gateway 102 having received the result transmits the operation result to the data center 103 (step 1111). The data center 103 that has received the result converts the result transmitted from the gateway 102 into HTML, and sends it to the user operation terminal 101 as a WEB page (step 1112). The user sees this and confirms the operation result.
[0076]
Note that a device operation URL may be directly used instead of an access route as a link used for the operation WEB page. In this case, the gateway 102 is directly accessed from the user's operation terminal 101, and the load on the data center can be reduced instead of lowering the security level.
[0077]
In the operation sequence of FIG. 10 in the building 111, as in the operation sequence of FIG. 9, the router 107 enters between the gateway and the data center. However, the router 107 only operates to route communication between the gateway and the data center. Since it is not performed, there is no difference from the above description.
[0078]
Hereinafter, each program for realizing the operation sequence will be described in detail.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the network configuration / setting change detection program.
[0079]
When the gateway 102 is activated and the program is started, two threads, an external address monitoring thread and an equipment connection monitoring thread, are created.
[0080]
In the external address monitoring thread, first, the external address is checked in ST1201. As a result of searching the value obtained here and the network interface setting value in ST1202, it is determined whether or not it has been updated in ST1203. If the address is received from the provider when it is first started, there is no set value from the beginning, so this always branches to the YES side. If updated, the setting value is stored in ST1204.
[0081]
Next, in ST1205, the process proceeds to the data center communication program. Here, the process is passed along with the updated external address data as a request for registration of the external address to the data center. This part is processing of data center access 1 of the data center communication program.
[0082]
After that, the process returns to ST1201 and proceeds to the external address check process again. If the external address has not been updated in ST1203, the process returns to ST1201. Note that the external address check in ST1201 is performed at regular intervals.
[0083]
In the equipment device connection monitoring thread, the equipment device connection request reception waiting state is normally set in ST1206. When a connection request is received from the facility device 105, the ID and name of the facility device 105 are received as data, and the process proceeds to the next ST1207 network interface setting value search.
[0084]
As a result of the search, if the connection request is the previously connected equipment 105 in the determination in ST1208, the address assigned last time in the search result is set as a response to the connection request, and the process returns to ST1206.
[0085]
If the connection request is a new equipment device 105 in ST1208, a new internal network address is assigned to this equipment device 105 in the processing of ST1210.
[0086]
Next, in ST1211, the process proceeds to the data center communication program. Here, the processing is passed as a request for downloading the equipment operation program to the data center together with the equipment ID received at the time of accepting the connection request. This part is processing of data center access 2 of the data center communication program.
[0087]
When the return of the download end is returned from the process 2, the facility device operation program installation / initialization process of the next ST1212 is entered, and the process is transferred to the downloaded program. This part is the processing of the flowchart A of the equipment operation program.
[0088]
When the processing of the equipment device operation program of A returns, the equipment device access path and operation name passed as return values are acquired in ST1213, and are stored as network interface setting values 212 in ST1214.
[0089]
Next, the process proceeds to the data center communication program 211 in ST1214. Here, the processing is passed with the request for registration of the access route and operation name to the data center 103 together with the equipment device name, access route and operation name. This part is processing of data center access 3 of the data center communication program 211. When this step is completed, the process returns to ST1206 again to enter the equipment device connection request acceptance waiting state.
[0090]
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the data center communication program 211.
When the program 211 is started, the communication reception waiting state ST1301 is normally set. Since HTTP is used as a communication protocol with the data center 103, communication reception waits for socket communication connection by a server socket at a predetermined port and communication processing request interrupt event from another program.
[0091]
When a communication processing request is received from the network configuration / setting change detection program 209 to the data center 103, the process leaves the waiting state for acceptance, and enters the data center access processing in the conditional branch of ST1302. When the communication processing request is based on the above-described network configuration / setting change detection program, the following processing branches 1 to 3 are performed.
[0092]
1: In ST1303, an external address registration URL is created in which the external address data passed from ST1303 of the network configuration / setting change detection program 209 is embedded. Thereafter, the URL of the data center 103 is accessed in ST1307.
[0093]
2: Create an equipment device operation program request URL in which the equipment device ID data passed from ST1211 of the network configuration / setting change detection program 209 is embedded in ST1304. Thereafter, the URL of the data center 103 is accessed in ST1307.
[0094]
3: In ST1305, the equipment configuration name, the access route embedded with the operation route and the operation name passed from ST1214 of the network configuration / setting change detection program 209, and the operation name registration URL are created. Thereafter, the URL of the data center 103 is accessed in ST1307.
1 to 3, after accessing the data center 103, return to the communication acceptance waiting state of ST 1301.
[0095]
When communication processing to the data center 103 comes from a program other than the network configuration / setting change detection program 209, the request URL is added to the top of the device page to the data center in ST1306 with the received data as the request URL, and ST1307 Access at. If the URL does not exist, or even in the case of processes 1 to 3, communication cannot be performed normally due to some problem, and if time-out occurs, the process branches to the error process of ST1312.
[0096]
On the contrary, when the data center 103 accesses the gateway 102, the connection to the server socket is made in ST1301, and the determination in ST1302 goes out to the NO side. If the access path is an equipment access route, the process branches from the URL information on the path to the equipment equipment operation program of ST1309 in the conditional branch of ST1308. This is a process equivalent to the execution of the CGI program according to the URL. This part is the processing of the flowchart B of the equipment operation program 210. When the processing of the equipment device operation program 210 of B returns, the equipment device state information passed as a return value is acquired in ST1310, and an operation result response URL in which this is embedded is created. Thereafter, the URL of the data center 103 is accessed in ST1307.
[0097]
If it is not an equipment access path, the process exits to the NO side at ST1308. If the response is a device page access result response, the process branches to ST1313. In this case, since this is a request for communication processing from another program to the data center 103, the result response is returned as a return value to the caller of communication processing in ST1316. Return to waiting for communication. If it is an application server access response result, it is a response result of the process 2 and the program download process is performed in ST1315. After this process is completed, a result response is returned as a return value to the communication process caller in ST1316, and the process returns to ST1301 waiting for communication reception.
[0098]
In other cases, the determination at ST1311 results in NO, and after error processing, the result response is returned as a return value to the communication process caller at ST1316, and the process returns to ST1301 waiting for communication reception.
[0099]
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the facility device operation program 210.
[0100]
The equipment operation program 210 is not registered in the gateway 102 at first, and after requesting the equipment configuration operation program of the network configuration / setting change detection program 209, the data center communication program 211 first executes the nonvolatile storage device 206 on the gateway 102. Saved in. Thereafter, when the processing returns from the data center communication program to the network configuration / setting change detection program 209, the processing section of start A starts in the installation and operation processing of the equipment operation program in ST1212. In ST1401, initialization processing unique to the equipment operation program is performed. Thereafter, in ST1402, the equipment device access route in the program and the operation name given to the route are returned to the network configuration / setting change detection program 209, and the process is terminated.
[0101]
When the user performs external access to the equipment, the data center 103 is connected to the data center communication program 211 in the form of the equipment access path, and the processing part from start B starts in ST1309. Since the equipment access path corresponds one-to-one for each operation, the command corresponding to the operation is specified by the path information. In ST1403, the command is transmitted to the equipment device 105, and in ST1404, the result of executing the command from the equipment device 105 is received. Thereafter, the status information received to the data center communication program 211 in ST1405 is returned as a return value, and the process is terminated.
[0102]
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the network control portion of the control program 409 executed by the facility device 105.
At startup, first, the internal network address is confirmed in ST1501. If the communication can be normally performed, the process shifts from ST1502 to ST1505 command waiting state. If it is not normal, such as when the address is not set, the process proceeds from ST1502 to the internal network connection request of ST1503. In this step, the equipment device ID and device name are transmitted to the gateway 102, and the address assigned from the gateway 102 is set and stored in ST1504. Thereafter, the mobile terminal shifts to a ST1505 command waiting state.
[0103]
In the command waiting state, it is in a state waiting for receiving a command for itself from the internal network. When a command transmitted from the equipment operation program 210 is received, it is determined in ST1506 whether it is a correct command. If it is correct, a device-specific device is operated in accordance with the command in ST1508. Thereafter, in ST1509, the state of the equipment 105 as a result of the operation is transmitted. If the command is not correct, the status is transmitted after error processing in ST1507.
After transmitting the status, the process returns to the ST1505 command waiting state again.
[0104]
Hereinafter, each WEB page constructed in the WEB server 607 of the data center 103 will be described.
FIG. 15 shows state transitions and links of the user page 611.
The top page takes the form of entering a user name and password as 1601. The WEB server 607 inquires of the user name and password input here to the user database 605, and if the user is a regular user, extracts the user ID and the operation right level from the user database 605. Further, the WEB server 607 makes an inquiry to the device database 606 using the user ID and the operation right level as key values, and extracts the equipment device 105 and the operation name that can be controlled by the user. Note that CGI is used for operations such as database queries and HTML conversion.
[0105]
When the list of the facility device 105 and the operation name is extracted, the WEB server 607 converts the extracted information into HTML such as 1602 and makes a transition from the top page as the operation WEB page. When the user clicks the link corresponding to the operation name on the operation WEB page, the WEB server 607 inquires the equipment database 606 for the equipment access path corresponding to the link, and the gateway IP address and equipment access path obtained as a result thereof. Access to equipment based on When the facility device is accessed, the operation response is transmitted from the data communication program 211 and the facility device operation program 210 on the gateway 102 to the device operation page of the WEB server 607. Therefore, the WEB server 607 operates from the device page. Receive a response. The WEB server 607 converts this response into HTML, and transitions from the operation WEB page as an operation result state display page like 1603. With the status display page and the operation WEB page, the user can perform external access to the equipment 105 from the browser.
[0106]
FIG. 16 shows the state transition and link of each page included in the device page 612. Unlike the user page 611, there is no connection between the pages, only the operation by the CGI is performed from each page, and there is no WEB page that displays a specific image.
[0107]
The external address registration page registers the IP address of the gateway 102 transferred in the form of a URL in the device database 606 by the data center communication program 211 of the gateway 102.
[0108]
The facility device operation program request page first queries the application server 609 for the facility device operation program corresponding to the ID from the facility device ID embedded in the URL. The extracted equipment operation program 210 is connected to the application server access response result executed in ST1314 of the data center communication program 211 of the gateway 102, and is transmitted to the gateway 102 side in accordance with the download process of ST1315.
[0109]
The access route / operation name registration page registers the equipment device name, access route, and operation name embedded in the URL in the device database 606.
The operation result response page performs an operation of passing the equipment state information embedded in the URL to the WEB operation page CGI of the user page.
[0110]
FIG. 17 shows state transitions and links of the administrator page 613.
The top page takes the form of entering a user name and password, such as 1801. The WEB server 607 determines whether it is a legitimate administrator here, and transitions to a menu page 1802 if the user name and password are correct. From the menu page, you can jump to the home registration page of the user registration page and the operation right management page.
[0111]
The user registration page takes the form of entering a user name, password, and operation right as in 1803. The latest user ID is generated by adding the entered parameters to the user database, and these are stored in the user database. sign up. In the case of a user who has already been registered, the update is overwritten.
[0112]
The house selection page 1804 of the operation right management page makes an inquiry to the equipment database 606 using the house ID as a key value, and takes out a list of building names and facility equipment names and operation names corresponding to the house ID. These are converted into HTML to form an operation right management page 1805, where the operation right is input for each operation. The corrected operation right level is registered in the device database 606.
[0113]
By using the system described so far, various equipment devices (air conditioning, lighting, power reception and transformation, disaster prevention, security, elevators, etc.), data centers, service personnel, managers, and residents are connected to the network to remotely operate various devices. A system for monitoring, data collection, and various management can be constructed.
[0114]
For example, remote monitoring of equipment, remote control, monitoring of failure, etc., equipment maintenance service that provides information in the event of an abnormality, energy saving control, management agency service that checks and manages power consumption of equipment, and creates energy saving proposals, A remote security service that manages entry / exit of residents by using cameras and sensors as equipment can be established.
[0115]
Even if the equipment itself does not have the same function as the equipment equipment control program of the present invention, if the administrator installs the operation program in the gateway and registers it in the data center, it is incorporated into this system as well. Is possible.
[0116]
According to the above-described remote access method and apparatus for a remote control system of the present invention, the access path data of the gateway and the equipment is held in the data center, and the access path to the equipment is configured when accessed by the user. Can do.
[0117]
As a result, the user can selectively access the equipment to the internal network consisting of multiple areas while keeping the access destination for external access as a data center without worrying about the gateway network interface settings. Access can be made.
[0118]
In addition, when a new equipment is connected, the gateway registers the external access route to the equipment and downloads the operation program to the data center, so the user does not need to change the software configuration of the gateway and it is easy to use. Will be better.
[0119]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the remote access system remote access method and apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to select from a unified portal access window for a home network composed of a plurality of areas composed of a plurality of gateways. There is an effect that it becomes possible to access the equipment.
[0120]
As a result, it is possible to manage individual facilities and occupants of a condominium having a large number of units, access control of facility devices for a large number of ordinary houses, and the like.
[0121]
In addition, the configuration of equipment inside the building and the external / internal network interface settings assigned to the gateway are not fixed and need not be fixed, so even if the external address is dynamically distributed, etc. This has the effect that it is not necessary to change the address for external access.
[0122]
In addition, since user management and facility device operation right management are performed in the data center, there is an effect that access to facility devices can be restricted.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a remote control system for network-compatible equipment according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a gateway.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data format of a network interface setting value.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of facility equipment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a data center.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data format of a user database.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data format of a device database.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a processing procedure when a gateway is activated.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing procedure when equipment is connected.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a processing procedure when a user performs external access to equipment.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a network configuration / setting change detection program;
FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a data center communication program.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of an equipment operation program.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a flowchart of a network control portion of a control program.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing state transitions and links of a user page.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a state transition and a link of a device page.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing state transitions and links of an administrator page.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Operation terminal, 102 ... Gateway, 104 ... Internal network, 105 ... Equipment, 106 ... Building, 107 ... Router, 109 ... Core network, 110 ... External network, 111 ... Building

Claims (14)

A method of accessing a device connected to an internal network connected to an external network via a gateway device via the external network, and issuing an access request to the device to a computer connected to the external network And
The computer determines an access route to the device based on the access request, issues an access request to the gateway device according to the access route,
The gateway apparatus accesses the device via the internal network in accordance with the access path information included in the access request. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer has information for determining the access path. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information is updated by data transmitted from the gateway device to the computer. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the gateway device transmits the data when a new device is connected to the internal network. A method for accessing equipment on a network, wherein the equipment is accessed using an address that converts the network protocol used at the time of access to the protocol of the network to which the equipment to be operated is connected. How to access the device. An interface connected to the first network that the user uses when accessing;
An interface connected to a second network to which equipment is connected;
The address of the first network used at the time of access and the access route to the equipment are held as network interface setting values, and when the value of the network interface changes, the first network is connected. A gateway device that transmits the information to a computer. The case where the value of the network interface changes is a case where the equipment is connected to the second network. A calculator,
A building connected to the computer via a first network;
A system having a terminal connectable to the computer via the first network system,
The building further includes
A gateway device connected to the first network;
A second network connected to the gateway device;
A device connected to the second network,
The terminal issues an access request to the device to the computer,
The computer determines an access route to the device, issues an access request to the gateway device according to the access route,
The gateway device accesses the device via the second network in accordance with the access path information included in the access request. 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the computer has information for determining the access route. The system according to claim 9, wherein the information is updated by data transmitted from the gateway device to the computer. The system according to claim 10, wherein the gateway device transmits the data when a new device is connected to the second network. The building has a plurality of gateway devices, and further has a router device between the first network and the plurality of gateway devices,
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the computer issues an access request based on the access path to any one of the plurality of gateway devices via the router device. 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the access path includes information indicating a port of the router device. A computer connected to a gateway device via a network,
An interface for connecting to the network, a processing unit, and a storage unit;
A computer that registers information about a device connected to the gateway device transmitted from the gateway device via the interface in the storage unit.

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