JP2007178302A - Meteorological information collecting/providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide meteorological information reflecting meteorological conditions for respective subdivided areas without additional costs. <P>SOLUTION: A home server 21 transmits meteorological related information and location information detected from household electrical appliances and so forth toward a provider device 10. A meteorological information conversion program 11 determines the meteorological conditions of the area on the basis of the meteorological related information received from the home server. When a user accesses the provider side device 10 via a computer terminal 22, the meteorological information conversion program 11 specifies the current position of the user, generates a meteorological condition confirmation page of the region to transmit it to the computer terminal 22 of the user. When there is a reply from the user, the meteorological information conversion program 11 generates meteorological information as image information by reflecting the input confirmation information on the meteorological conditions determined on the basis of the meteorological related information, and pastes the image file on a blog page of the user according to the request from the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a weather information collecting / providing system including a provider side device and a user side device connected by a network, and in particular, weather information processed by a provider side device based on information collected from a user side device. It relates to a system that provides

When providing weather information on an Internet website, the weather information previously published by the Japan Meteorological Agency, or weather information independently analyzed by the company from a weather information provider (washing weather information, amusement park weather) Etc.) was purchased and used. On the other hand, when weather information is collected in-house, measurement data is collected from a weather forecasting device distributed in a plurality of regions to a server via a communication line, and the meteorological information is collected based on the measurement data collected in this server. A system for creating information and providing it to a user is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
JP 2002-342502 A

  However, since the weather information announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency and the weather information purchased from the weather information provider are limited to information at a predetermined point, there is a problem that the weather information of the area desired by the user cannot always be obtained. . In addition, when purchasing weather information from a weather information sales company, the cost of purchase increases, and in a system such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, a large number of weather forecasting devices must be provided on their own, There was also a problem that the cost increased.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said problem, The subject can provide the meteorological information which reflected the weather condition for every subdivided area, without incurring new expense. The purpose is to provide a weather information collection and provision system.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a weather information collecting / providing system according to the present invention includes a provider-side device and a user-side device connected by a network, and the user-side device includes weather-related information and location information. Are transmitted to the provider side device and a computer terminal capable of exchanging information with the provider side device. The provider side device includes the weather related information and the location information transmitted from the information transmission device. And the weather condition determined based on the weather-related information when the user in the area accesses the provider-side apparatus via the computer terminal. Prompt for confirmation of the situation and reflect the entered confirmation information in the weather situation determined based on the weather related information. Generated, the weather information and providing to the computer terminal when requested by the computer terminal.

  As the information transmitting apparatus, a home server that has recently become widespread can be used. In that case, what is necessary is just to transmit the weather relevant information from the household appliances connected to the home server to a provider side apparatus. For example, the set temperature of the air conditioner, the operating status of the washing machine, and the like are detected and transmitted as weather related information.

  Moreover, you may connect the sensor which acquires the information regarding a weather directly other than a household appliance to a home server. For example, information from a weather sensor with a built-in barometer may be transmitted. The information transmission device may include an outdoor device installed on the roof of a building, a utility pole, or the like.

  On the other hand, the provider side device may permit the use of weather information on its own website only to the user who has input the confirmation information. Further, the provider side device may automatically update the weather information based on the sensor signal transmitted from the information transmitting device. Further, the credibility of information from the information transmitting device may be evaluated, and the weather information may be updated based only on highly credible information.

  According to the meteorological information collecting / providing system of the present invention, the provider side device can determine the weather condition of the area based on the information from the information transmitting device installed by the user, and the confirmation input by the user. By determining, when a user in the area accesses the provider-side device, the certainty of the determination based on the weather-related information can be improved. Thereby, the provider side apparatus can acquire weather information with high immediacy and certainty at a low cost, and can provide this to the user as web service contents such as a home page and a blog.

  Embodiments of a weather information collecting / providing system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a weather information collection / provision system according to an embodiment. This system includes a provider side device 10 and a plurality of user side devices 20 connected to each other via a network N such as the Internet.

  The user-side device 20 includes a home server 21 as an information transmission device that transmits information related to weather and location information to the provider-side device 10, and a computer terminal 22 that can exchange information between the provider-side device 10. , 22. In addition, an outdoor device 23 installed on the rooftop of a building, a utility pole, or the like is connected to the network N as an information transmission device. Connected to the home server 21 are an air conditioner 31 and a washing machine 32 as home appliances, a weather sensor 33 with a built-in barometer as a sensor for directly acquiring information related to the weather, and a web camera 34. In FIG. 1, only one home server and one outdoor device are shown, but in reality, many users' home servers 21 and outdoor devices 23 are connected. The home server 21 and the outdoor device 23 are always connected to the network N by broadband. Further, when the home server 21 and the computer terminal 22 are arranged in the same house, they may be connected to a router and connected to the network N via the router.

  Based on the weather related information and the location information transmitted from the home server 21 and the outdoor device 23, the provider side device 10 determines the weather condition of the region where the transmitting device is arranged, and the user in the region is a computer. When accessing the blog service of the provider-side device 10 via the terminal 22, the user is prompted to confirm the weather condition determined based on the weather related information, and the input confirmation information is determined based on the weather related information. A weather information conversion program 11 that generates weather information (image files such as weather maps) reflecting weather conditions, a blog creation program 12 that provides a blog service to users, and a home server 21 and an outdoor device 23 An application having an automatic weather information update program 13 for automatically updating the weather information based on the recorded information Deployment is a server.

  Further, the provider side device 10 stores a user registration information database (DB) 14 that stores confirmation information input by the user, and weather related information and location information transmitted from the home server 21 and the outdoor device 23. Transmitting device registration information DB15, image file DB16 for storing image files generated by the weather information conversion program 11, blog article DB17 for storing blog articles created by the blog creation program 12, and update on weather reports There is provided a user image registration information DB 18 in which an image to be transmitted is registered instead of an image file such as a weather map when the program 13 does not execute automatic update.

  Next, the operation of the weather information collecting / providing system of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG.

  The home server 21 transmits the weather related information and location information detected from the connected home appliances and the like to the provider device 10 (S01). A data format for exchanging information between the provider-side device 10 and the home server 21 is defined in advance, and information is exchanged according to this data format. For example, the information transmitted from the home server 21 has the following parameters for each connected device.

  The parameters of the air conditioner 31 include “stop”, “cooling”, “heating”, “dehumidification”, and “air blowing” as the types of operation, and the set temperature is a parameter. The parameters of the washing machine 31 include “stop” and “operation” as the types of operation, and “standard” and “speedy” as the washing course as parameters. As parameters of the weather sensor 33, there are “sunny”, “cloudy”, “rain”, and “snow” as weather forecasts, and humidity is a parameter. The parameters of the web camera 34 include “stop” and “operation” as the operation type, and “light” and “dark” as the light amount level, “still”, “fast”, “slow” as the motion level, and contrast. “Clear” and “Unclear” are used as parameters.

  As the data format, for example, “ES-20” indicates that the set temperature of the air conditioner 31 is 20 degrees, “SKH” indicates that the washing machine 32 is “operating” and the course is “standard”. “TS-40” indicates that the humidity detected by the weather sensor 33 is 40%, the webcam 34 is “operating”, the light level is “bright”, the motion level is “slow”, and the contrast is “clear” "WKAOM" means that this is a cgi parameter https://tenki.nifty.com/blog/cgi-bin/entry.cgi?ES-20&S-KH & T-S-40 & W-KAOM And can be transmitted to the provider side device 10.

  The meteorological information conversion program 11 receives weather-related information and location information from the home server 21, and based on the weather-related information, the weather condition (sunny, cloudy, rain, snow, blizzard, etc.) and additional information of the area concerned (Discomfort index, washing days, etc.) are determined (S02), and these pieces of information are stored in the transmitter registration information DB 15 (S03).

  An example is shown about the judgment of the weather condition and various information relevant to this based on the weather related information from such household appliances. For example, the set temperature of the air conditioner can be used as an index indicating comfort, such as a “discomfort index” reported in some weather forecasts. If the outside is sunny but there is a temperature difference between the room and the outside air, it is more comfortable to stay with an air conditioner, so even if it is clear and the temperature is moderate, if the air conditioner is operating, it is “chilly "Steaming and steaming", "Uncomfortable with the window open (caused by smog, pollen, etc.)" can be predicted.

  The information from the washing machine is useful for providing weather forecasts for “electrical manufacturer blog” and “detergent maker blog” in addition to being used for determining the weather. For example, by collecting the operating time and operation mode, when a sign such as a long-term cleaning at the end of the year shows that the operating time of the washing machine is long appears on the DB data, the data is used to advertise on the blog. You can also put it out.

  The weather sensor has a function to display a weather forecast based on atmospheric pressure change and temperature / humidity, so these information can be used directly as weather information, but the weather sensor information can be used as information from other home appliances. It is also possible to analyze information in combination. For example, information on “operation” (or “stop” after “operation”) is obtained from the washing machine, information on “sunny” and “low humidity” is obtained from the weather sensor, and “indoor humidity is high” from the air conditioner Can be analyzed that laundry is being dried in the house. In such a case, you can advertise your laundry on the blog, washing and drying machine information, salon sales, and balcony reform.

  When the user accesses the blog service of the provider apparatus 10 via the computer terminal 22 (S04), an authentication server (not shown) of the provider apparatus 10 requests the user to input an ID and a password (not shown). When the correct ID and password are transmitted from the user (S05), the meteorological information conversion program 11 identifies the current position of the user, reads out information on the weather condition of the area including the position from the transmission device registration information DB 15, A weather condition confirmation page as shown in FIG. 3 is generated and transmitted to the user's computer terminal 22 (S06). The current position of the user is determined from the location information, telephone number, building name, and the like. On the confirmation page, the region and weather are displayed, and YES and NO buttons are displayed. In the example of FIG. 3, “Tokyo Shinagawa Ward” is displayed as the area, and “rain” is displayed as the weather. If the weather displayed on the confirmation page is the same as the current weather, the user clicks YES, otherwise clicks NO. In this example, the weather displayed on the confirmation page is the weather determined based on information from a plurality of home servers 21 and external devices 23 in the area, and is confirmed by a plurality of users in the area. The accuracy of information is ensured by performing statistical processing. In this case, you may divide | segment simply in an area and you may form the user group only in a housing complex or a limited area. The provider-side device 10 can determine from which region (location) the home server 21 is connected. For example, it holds information associated with the user's contract carrier and its management number (serial number), ID / password, e-mail address, and the like. Therefore, it is possible to share, for example, “statistical information of 500 users in Omori, Tokyo Ota-ku”. Such a user group may be registered in the DB in advance through a registration screen or the like.

  When there is an answer from the user to the confirmation page (S07), the weather information conversion program 11 generates the weather information as image information by reflecting the input confirmation information on the weather situation determined based on the weather related information. (S08) and stored in the image file DB 16 (S09). If the answer from the user is YES, the weather information conversion program 11 registers the weather information displayed on the confirmation page in the user registration information DB 14. If the answer is NO, the weather information conversion program 11 generates a correction input page as shown in FIG. 4 and transmits it to the user's computer terminal 22. On the correction input page, an area input field and a weather input field are displayed, and each can be selected and input from a pull-down menu. When necessary information is entered in these fields and the completion button is clicked, this information is transmitted to the provider apparatus 10, and the weather information conversion program 11 registers the received information in the user registration information DB 14. Then, when the cancel button is clicked on the correction input page, the weather information conversion program 11 displays a cancel message as shown in FIG. 5 on the user's computer terminal 22 and ends the process. In this case, access to the management screen of the blog page is not permitted.

  The blog creation program 12 sends a management screen of the user's blog page to a user who has answered validly to the confirmation page or correction input page (click YES on the confirmation page or click Finish on the correction input page) (S10). The user who responds to the confirmation page pastes an image of weather information such as a weather map registered in the image file DB 16 on his / her blog page when creating or updating his / her blog page. be able to. Note that only users who have entered confirmation information are allowed to use weather information on their website. When there is a weather information image paste request from the user (S11), the blog creation program 12 accesses the image file DB 16 to read the image file and paste it on the user's blog page (S12). Further, the blog creation program 12 stores the content of the blog article including weather information in the blog article DB 17 (S13). A general user can access the blog page via the computer terminal 22 and browse a blog article including weather information.

  Note that if only the above procedure is used and there is no user access and the answer on the confirmation page cannot be obtained, the content of the weather information may not be updated and the content of the weather information may become outdated. . Therefore, in the system of the embodiment, the content of the image file displaying the weather information is automatically updated as necessary by the weather information automatic update program 13 in the provider side device 10.

  The weather information automatic update program 13 determines and executes automatic update based on the following settings 1 to 3. Setting 1 relates to switching of automatic update ON / OFF. The parameter “ON” of this setting means that automatic updating is executed based on the setting 2 and setting 3. The parameter “OFF” means that automatic update is not executed. If automatic updating is not executed, a link to an image with a message such as “There is no weather information” is performed.

  Setting 2 relates to the update schedule. When automatic update is set to ON in setting 1, how often automatic update is executed is set. The time detection uses the time function of the operating system. The parameters include “immediate”, “hour / minute”, “day of the week”, “month”, “year”, and “summer time”. “Immediately” means that the update is executed as soon as the information from the home server 21 is received (refer to the transmission device registration information DB). “Hour / minute” means updating to an arbitrary time or a predetermined minute every hour. “Day of the week” means to update every day or any day from Monday to Friday. “Month” is updated to any month (not set every hour and every day), “Year” is updated to any year (not set every hour and every day). When “year” is designated, the date and time are automatically set at the time of setting. “Daylight saving time” is normally used when OFF, and is set to ON when daylight saving time is in effect to adjust the time.

  Setting 3 relates to an update pattern. When the automatic update is set to ON in setting 1, the contents of the image pattern generated when the automatic update is performed are set. The parameters include “information transmitting device”, “others”, and “arbitrary”. When “information transmitting device” is set, the image file is generated by trusting weather-related information transmitted from the home server 21 and the external device 23. When “others” is set, if confirmation information has already been sent from another user in the same region, the information is updated using the information (read out from the user registration information DB 14 and used). When “arbitrary” is set, an image file pattern (banner image or the like) to be displayed when there is no confirmation information can be set. Those registered in the system as a setting file or the like may be used, and arbitrary images can be linked. For example, message images such as “Please wait for a while”, “Now being observed”, and globe images can be displayed. Further, when linking arbitrary images, a directory for each user may be prepared in advance in the user image registration information DB 18 of the provider-side device 10, and an image file may be registered in the directory. For example, a link such as http://xxx.images.nifty.com/user1/images0001.jpg is used.

  The state of various devices connected to the home server cannot be grasped. For example, the weather sensor 33 may be arranged in an air-conditioned room, and there is concern about the authenticity of information. On the other hand, since the external device 23 is disposed outside a rooftop, a utility pole, a traffic light, or the like, the information is credible. Furthermore, even with the same information transmitting device, it is considered that the credibility of information is higher than that of a general household, for example, in the information of a device installed in a public office. Therefore, even when “information transmitting apparatus” is set as a parameter, the contents may be classified more finely, and only information with high credibility may be used for updating according to the credibility of information.

  Further, in the above embodiment, a plurality of users confirm the weather based on information from the plurality of home servers 21. However, only the user may confirm the information of the own home server. .

It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the weather information collection and provision system of embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the provider side apparatus and user side apparatus in the system of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the confirmation page in the system of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the correction input page in the system of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cancellation message in the system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 Provider side device 11 Weather information conversion program 12 Blog creation program 13 Weather information automatic update program 14 User registration information DB
15 Transmitter registration information DB
16 Image file DB
17 Blog article DB
18 User image registration information DB
20 User side device 21 Home server 22 Computer terminal 23 Outdoor device

Claims (7)

In a meteorological information collection and provision system composed of provider side devices and user side devices connected by a network,
The user side device includes an information transmitting device for transmitting information related to weather and location information to the provider side device, and a computer terminal capable of exchanging information with the provider side device,
The provider side device determines the weather condition of the area where the transmission device is arranged based on the weather related information and the location information transmitted from the information transmission device, and the user of the region via the computer terminal When accessing the provider-side device, it prompts for confirmation input of the weather condition determined based on the weather-related information, and reflects the input confirmation information in the weather condition determined based on the weather-related information. A meteorological information collecting / providing system which generates meteorological information and provides the meteorological information to the computer terminal when requested by the computer terminal.   The weather information collecting / providing system according to claim 1, wherein the information transmitting device is a home server, and transmits weather related information from home appliances connected to the home server to the provider side device.   The home server is connected to a sensor that directly acquires information related to the weather in addition to the home appliance, and the home server transmits information from the home appliance and a sensor signal as weather-related information. The meteorological information collection and provision system according to claim 2.   The meteorological information collecting / providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information transmitting device includes an outdoor device installed on a rooftop of a building, a utility pole, or the like.   The said provider side apparatus permits utilization of the said weather information in an own website only to the user who input the said confirmation information, The weather information collection and provision in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. system.   6. The meteorological information collection / provision according to claim 1, wherein the provider side device automatically updates the weather information based on the weather related information transmitted from the information transmitting device. system.   The said provider side apparatus classifies the weather relevant information transmitted from the said information transmission apparatus by reliability, and updates the said weather information automatically only based on highly reliable information. Weather information collection and provision system described in 1.