JP2006203956A - Gateway apparatus and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gateway apparatus capable of always keeping a correct time state and placing an access limit therefrom onto a remote server. <P>SOLUTION: Upon the receipt of a message of an in-building apparatus control request from the remote server 2, an arithmetic processing section 10 of the gateway apparatus 1 controls an in-building apparatus 50 via an in-building network 4 and corrects a current time of a timer 16 on the basis of time information of the remote server 2, thus the gateway apparatus can correct its present time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a home network device that connects a remote server outside a building and equipment in the building to provide a remote control service for the equipment in the building.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional gateway device. The gateway device 101 is connected to the remote server 102 via the external network 103 and is further connected to the internal devices 150 and 151 via the internal network 104. The arithmetic processing unit 310 controls network communication outside the building through the outside communication interface 117 and realizes communication with the remote server 102, and similarly realizes communication with the in-building devices 150 and 151 through the building communication interface 114. Yes.
JP 2002-77274 A

  Since such a conventional gateway apparatus does not have a timer unit for holding the current time and does not have means for automatically synchronizing time, the time of the gateway apparatus cannot always be maintained in a correct state.

  Further, in the conventional gateway device, since the service of the gateway device cannot be set to be valid or invalid from the remote server, it is not possible to limit the access of the gateway device to the remote server.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a gateway device that can always maintain a correct time state and can restrict access from a gateway device to a remote server. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a gateway device of the present invention is a gateway device connected to an external network connected to a remote server and an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building. The gateway device includes a remote server that includes an external building control unit that controls the external network, an internal network communication control unit that controls the internal network, a calculation processing unit, a storage unit, and a timer unit that holds the current time. When receiving a building device control request message from, the arithmetic processing unit controls the building device via the building network and corrects the current time of the timer unit based on the time information of the remote server. It is characterized by doing.

In the gateway device of the present invention, when the gateway device receives a message of building equipment control request from a remote server, the arithmetic processing unit controls the equipment in the building via the building network, and the time of the remote server Since the current time of the timer unit is corrected based on the information, the current time of the gateway device can be corrected.

A first invention relates to a gateway device, and relates to a gateway device connected to a network outside a building connected to a remote server and a network inside the building connected to a device inside the building installed in each building. An external building control unit for controlling, an intra-building network communication control unit for controlling an intra-building network, an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit, and a timer unit for holding the current time, and the gateway device is a building from a remote server. When an internal device control request message is received, the arithmetic processing unit controls the internal device via the intra-building network and corrects the current time of the timer unit based on the time information of the remote server. is there. Thereby, the current time of the gateway device can be corrected.

  Further, the second invention relates to a gateway device, and relates to a gateway device connected to an external network connected to a remote server and an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building. A network control unit outside the building that controls the network, an intra-building network communication control unit that controls the network in the building, an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit, and a timer unit that holds the current time. When a device control request is received via the network outside the building, the processing unit controls the device inside the building via the network inside the building, and after completion of the device control within the building, the arithmetic processing unit sends the time to the remote server via the network outside the building. A request for synchronization is made and the response included in the time synchronization response sent back from the remote server. Based on the current time information Tosaba, and corrects the current time of the timer section.

  The third invention relates to a communication system, in a communication system comprising an external network connected to a remote server and an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building. When making a device control request in the building via the network outside the building, a message with the current time of the remote server is transmitted to the device control request in the building.

  Moreover, 4th invention is related with a communication system, The network outside a building connected to a remote server, The network inside a building connected to the equipment in a building installed in each building, The network outside a building, and the said network inside a building In a communication system comprising a connected gateway device, when the gateway device receives a message with the current time of the remote server that is transmitted when the remote server makes a device control request in the building via the outside network. The arithmetic processing unit included in the gateway device sets the current time information of the remote server included in the message in the timer unit.

  The fifth invention relates to a communication system, and connects an external network connected to a remote server, an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building, an external network, and an internal network. In the communication system having the gateway device, the operation state setting request for setting the operation of the gateway device to be valid or invalid is transmitted from the remote server via the network outside the building.

  In the sixth invention, particularly in the gateway device of the fifth invention, when the operation state setting request received from the remote server is received, the arithmetic processing unit stores the operation state information in the storage means.

  In the seventh invention, in particular, in the arithmetic processing unit of the fifth invention, the operation state information stored in the storage means is read to determine whether the gateway device is valid or invalid.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of a system including a gateway device of the present invention. The gateway device 1 includes an outside building communication interface 17, an arithmetic processing unit 10, an inside building communication interface 14, a storage unit 15, and a timer 16. The gateway device 1 communicates with the remote server 2 connected to the network 3 outside the building via the network 3 outside the building, and further, the equipment 50 within the building connected to the network 4 inside the building via the network 4 inside the building. , 51 to communicate.

  The arithmetic processing unit 10 includes an outside building communication control unit 11 that performs communication control of the outside network 3 via the outside building communication interface 17 and an outside building that performs communication control of the inside network 4 via the inside communication interface 14. The communication control unit 13 includes a protocol conversion unit 12 that performs protocol conversion of communication data of the network 3 outside the building and the network 4 within the building.

  In the above configuration, when the remote server 2 makes a control request for the in-building device 50, the control request message M10 is transmitted to the gateway device 1 via the network 3 outside the building, and the control request message is sent to the gateway device. 1 Protocol conversion from the communication protocol outside the building to the protocol conversion unit 13 from the communication protocol outside the building 11 to the control request message m10 of the communication protocol within the building is performed via the communication interface 17 inside the building. Is called. The control request message m10 converted into the in-building control protocol is transmitted from the in-building communication control unit 13 to the in-building network 4 via the in-building communication interface 14, and can control the in-building equipment 50.

  For example, when the building is a normal house and the in-building device 50 is an air conditioner in the house, the remote server 2 instructs the air conditioner via the gateway device 1 to turn on / off the power, change the set temperature, etc. Is transmitted as a control request, and the gateway apparatus 1 changes the protocol.

  The control request message M10 includes the current time information of the remote server 2. The protocol conversion unit 13 reads the current time information of the remote server 2 from the control request message M10, and the arithmetic processing unit 10 uses the time information. By setting the timer 16, the current time of the gateway device 1 can be corrected.

  Further, when the computation of the gateway device 1 is started by turning on the power, the arithmetic processing unit 10 transmits a time synchronization request message M20 to the remote server 2 via the network 3 outside the building. On the other hand, the remote server 2 returns a time synchronization response message M21 including the current time information of the remote server 2 to the arithmetic processing unit 10 via the network 3 outside the building. The protocol conversion unit 12 reads the current time information of the remote server 2 from the time synchronization response message M21, and the arithmetic processing unit 10 can correct the current time of the gateway device 1 by setting this time information in the timer 16. .

  Further, the storage means 15 comprising a non-volatile memory stores serial number information unique to the gateway device, and the arithmetic processing unit 10 transmits the time synchronization request message M20 to the remote server 2 in the following procedure. The delay time until is determined.

  For example, if the one-digit value obtained by converting the serial number into a decimal number is defined as N1, and a value obtained by multiplying N1 by a constant S is defined as a delay time T, the gateway device performs a delay of T seconds at the start and then sends it to the remote server 2. A time synchronization request message M20 is transmitted to the remote server.

As a result, even when the gateway device is installed in the same area and a power failure occurs, when the power failure is restored, a plurality of gateway devices are activated all at once, and the time synchronization request message M20 is remotely transmitted all at once. By transmitting to the server 2, the effect of suppressing an increase in processing load on the remote server 2 is exhibited. That is, since there is a delay every T seconds based on the serial number of the gateway device, the simultaneous access load from the gateway to the remote server 2 can be reduced to a tenth.

  The above is only an example of a rule for determining the delay time T. However, if the delay time T is determined according to another rule, the load distribution level for the remote server 2 can be changed.

  In addition to the serial number information, the storage unit 15 stores remote server connection information including the IP address of the remote server 2 and authentication information for accessing the remote server 2. This information can be read from the storage means 15 and the remote server to be connected can be switched. By selectively storing the connection information stored in the storage unit 15 for each gateway device, the access load on the remote server can be reduced. Further, this remote server connection information is transmitted from the remote server 2 via the network 3 outside the building to the arithmetic processing unit 10, converted into a protocol by the protocol conversion unit 12, and stored in the storage unit 15. Therefore, when the number of gateway devices connected to the remote server 2 increases and the processing load of the remote server 2 increases, the remote server 2 can connect the remote server to any gateway device as described above. By updating the connection information, the processing load on the remote server 2 can be reduced as a result.

  Further, the remote server 2 transmits a setting request message M30 for setting the operation state of the gateway device 1 to be valid or invalid, and when the arithmetic processing unit 10 of the gateway device 1 receives the setting request message M30, the storage unit 15 stores the operation state information in the storage means. The arithmetic processing unit 10 is provided with a determination unit that reads the operation state information stored in the storage unit 15 and determines whether the gateway device is enabled or disabled. If the determination means determines that the operation state information stored in the storage means is valid, the gateway function is set to be valid, and the determination means stores the operation state information stored in the storage means as invalid. If it is determined that there is, the gateway function is disabled. The gateway device status can be enabled or disabled for the remote server.

  As described above, the gateway device and the communication system according to the present invention can correct the current time of the gateway device and always maintain the correct time state.

The schematic block diagram of the gateway apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the sequence of the control request process of the gateway apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the sequence of the time synchronous process of the gateway apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention Schematic configuration diagram of a conventional gateway device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Gateway apparatus 2,102 Remote server 3,303 Outside-building network 4,104 In-building network 10,110 Arithmetic processing part 11,111 Outside-building communication control part 12,112 Protocol conversion part 13 In-building communication control part 14, 114 Communication interface in building 15 Storage means 16 Timer unit 17, 117 Communication interface outside building

Claims (7)

In a gateway device connected to an external network connected to a remote server and an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building, an external control unit for controlling the external network, and the internal An in-building network communication control unit that controls the network, an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit, and a timer unit that holds the current time, and the gateway device receives an in-building device control request message from the remote server In this case, the arithmetic processing unit controls the in-building device via the in-building network and corrects the current time of the timer unit based on time information of the remote server. apparatus. In a gateway apparatus connected to an external network connected to a remote server and an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building, the external network control unit for controlling the external network and the internal network An in-building network communication control unit that controls the network, an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit, and a timer unit that holds the current time, and the gateway device controls the in-building device from the remote server via the external network When the request is received, the arithmetic processing unit controls the equipment in the building via the network in the building, and performs a time synchronization request to the remote server via the network outside the building after completion of the equipment control in the building, Remote server included in time synchronization response returned from the remote server Based on the current time information, the gateway device and correcting the present time of the timer unit. In a communication system including an external network connected to a remote server and an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building, an in-building device control request from the remote server via the external network A communication system for transmitting a message accompanied by a current time of the remote server to the in-building device control request. In a communication system comprising an external network connected to a remote server, an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building, and a gateway device connected to the external network and the internal network, When the gateway device receives a message with the current time of the remote server that is transmitted when the remote server makes a device control request in the building via the outside network, the arithmetic processing unit included in the gateway device is A communication system, wherein current time information of a remote server included in the message is set in a timer unit. In a communication system comprising an external network connected to a remote server, an internal network connected to an in-building device installed in each building, and a gateway device connected to the external network and the internal network, A communication system for transmitting an operation state setting request for enabling or disabling operation of the gateway device from a remote server via the outside network. 6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein, when the gateway device receives an operation state setting request received from a remote server, the arithmetic processing unit stores the operation state information in a storage unit. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the arithmetic processing unit reads the operation state information stored in the storage unit and determines whether the gateway device is valid or invalid.

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