JP2012042315A - Communication apparatus or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus or the like capable of easily setting the time.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a communication apparatus capable of communicating between a portable terminal 1 and an electronic device 3 to which time information can be set. The communication apparatus includes an antenna and a communication control section and further comprises an NFC interface 17 for performing radio communication with the portable terminal 1, and time information setting means for receiving time information transmitted from the portable terminal 1 via the NFC interface 17 and setting the time information of the electronic device 3 on the basis of the received time information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device or the like that receives time information from a mobile terminal and sets the time of a home appliance.

  Conventionally, there are many home appliances that have a clock function. Such home appliances are provided with a display panel, and the current time is displayed on the display panel by a clock function. This current time can be set by a predetermined button or the like provided on the housing of the home appliance.

  On the other hand, in recent years, a radio timepiece that receives a standard radio wave including standard time information and sets the time based on the standard time information is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-119049 A

  By the way, if a radio timepiece is used as a clock function of a home appliance, it is convenient because the current time is automatically set, but the home appliance needs to be installed at a position where radio waves reach.

  However, it is necessary to manually set the current time of the home appliance at a position where radio waves do not reach. Manual setting of the current time requires a button operation or the like, which is troublesome.

  In addition, home appliances can set a timer time, for example, by operating a button. Generally, however, the setting of the timer time is manually performed, which takes time.

  On the other hand, a portable terminal having a clock function has been conventionally known, and it is convenient if the time of the home appliance can be set by such a portable terminal, but the specification of the transmission / reception of information between different apparatuses is the apparatus. It is not easy because it varies from one to the other.

  The present invention has been made with the above-described problem as an example, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device and the like that can easily set the time.

  In order to solve the above problem, a communication device according to claim 1 is a communication device capable of communicating between a mobile terminal and an electronic device capable of setting time information, and the communication device includes an antenna and a communication device. A communication interface that includes a control unit and performs wireless communication with the mobile terminal; and time information transmitted from the mobile terminal via the communication interface; and the electronic apparatus based on the received time information And time information setting means for setting the time information.

  According to the present invention, information can be transmitted and received between different devices, and the time setting of the electronic device can be easily performed from the portable terminal.

  The communication device according to claim 2 is the communication device according to claim 1, wherein the time information is transmitted from the portable terminal together with identification information according to an operation of the electronic device. .

  According to the present invention, information can be transmitted and received between different devices, and the time setting according to the operation of the electronic device can be easily performed from the portable terminal.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, an electronic apparatus includes the communication device according to the first aspect.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device capable of easily setting the time from a mobile terminal.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the time setting of an electronic device can be performed simply using a portable terminal.

It is a figure which shows an example of schematic structure of an information processing system. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of functional blocks in a mobile phone 2. FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the functional block in the rice cooker 4. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process about the current time setting process of the information processing system S in this embodiment, the flow of information, etc.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment described below is an embodiment when the present invention is applied to the information processing system S.

[1. Configuration of information processing system S]
First, the configuration and the like of the information processing system S in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an information processing system.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system S includes a mobile terminal 1 and an electronic device 3. The portable terminal 1 and the electronic device 3 can exchange data with each other in a non-contact manner via an NFC (Near Field Communication) interface. In the information processing system S of the present embodiment, the time information transmitted from the mobile terminal 1 can be received by the electronic device 3.

  Here, the mobile terminal 1 is, for example, a mobile phone 2 that is generally hands-free, and the electronic device 3 is a household electrical appliance that can set time information, for example, a rice cooker 4. Moreover, time information is the time which should be set with the rice cooker 4, for example, the present time used for a clock function, the timer time for operating the predetermined function which the rice cooker 4 has at a predetermined time, etc.

  In the information processing system S of the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 will be described using the mobile phone 2 as an example, and the electronic device 3 will be described using the rice cooker 4 as an example.

[1-1. Configuration and function of mobile phone 2]
Next, the configuration and the like of the mobile phone 2 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration inside the mobile phone 2. Note that the general configuration and functions of the mobile phone are already known techniques, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 2 includes a display 2a for displaying predetermined information and an operation key 2b for inputting or selecting information, and further includes an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, and the like (not shown). Configured.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 2 includes a clock unit 5, an operation unit 6, an NFC interface unit 8 (an example of a communication interface of the present application), and a system control unit 10.

  The clock unit 5 sets the current time and displays the current time on the display 2a. The clock unit 5 has, for example, a clock (radio clock) function that reads a standard radio wave including a standard time information signal at regular intervals and automatically adjusts the time. The current time information is shown. The current time information is read according to an instruction from the system control unit 10 and output to the NFC interface unit 8.

  The operation unit 6 receives an operation (instruction) from the user using the operation key 2b, receives timer time information selected or input using the operation key 2b, for example, and outputs it to the NFC interface unit 8.

  The NFC interface unit 8 includes an antenna 8 a and an NFC communication control unit 8 b and performs wireless communication with the rice cooker 4. Specifically, the NFC interface unit 8 transmits the above-described current time information and timer time information to the NFC interface unit 17 of the rice cooker 4 under the control of the system control unit 10.

  NFC is a well-known technique, so detailed description is omitted. However, the NFC interface of the present embodiment is a 13.56 MHz band short-range wireless communication standard, and can perform data communication without contact between different devices. .

  The system control unit 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, and the CPU stores a mobile application stored in the ROM or the like. By reading and executing software or the like that directly has a function for performing the work desired to be executed above, each unit in the mobile phone 2 is controlled in an integrated manner.

  The mobile phone 2 of the present embodiment has a time setting processing application as an example of the mobile application. This application for time setting processing is software for realizing establishing a predetermined time setting with the rice cooker 4 using the mobile phone 2.

  The system control unit 10 of the cellular phone 2 executes the time setting processing application to execute the current time information read from the clock unit 5 or the timer time information input or selected by the user as the NFC interface unit 8. Is sent to the rice cooker 4.

  In addition, since these time information is time information used for a different use with the rice cooker 4, it is linked | related with the identification information according to operation | movement of the rice cooker 4 prescribed | regulated previously. This identification information is, for example, a number associated in advance with the current time setting process or the timer time setting process, and is displayed on the display 2a and specified by the user's selection.

  That is, the system control unit 10 transmits these time information to the rice cooker 4 via the NFC interface unit 8 together with the identification information (number) associated with the time information.

  Moreover, when time information is time information used only for the use prescribed | regulated previously, only time information is transmitted to the rice cooker 4, without being tied with identification information.

  In this embodiment, the mobile phone 2 is applied as an example of a mobile terminal, but the present invention is also applicable to a PDA, a portable player, and the like.

[1-2. Configuration and function of rice cooker 4]
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the structure of the rice cooker 4 in this embodiment, etc. are demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration inside the rice cooker 4. In addition, since it is a well-known technique about the general structure and function in the rice cooker 4, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker 4 includes a display 12 that displays predetermined information, an operation key 13 for inputting or selecting information, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rice cooker 4 sets the current time and the timer time and controls the clock unit 15 that displays these times, and cooks rice (including control to cook rice by setting the timer time). A rice cooking unit 14, an NFC interface unit 17, and a system control unit 20 are provided.

  The clock unit 15 has, for example, a clock (radio clock) function that reads a standard radio wave including a standard time information signal at regular intervals and automatically adjusts the time, and indicates current time information that changes every moment. Has current time information.

  The NFC interface unit 17 is the same as the NFC interface unit 8 mounted on the mobile phone 2 and includes an antenna 17a, an NFC communication control unit 17b, and the like, and performs wireless communication with the mobile phone 2. Do. Specifically, the NFC interface unit 17 receives time information transmitted from the mobile phone 2 under the control of the system control unit 20.

  The system control unit 20 includes, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and the CPU directly has a function of performing a task that the user wants to execute on the rice cooker. By reading and executing software, etc., each part in the rice cooker 4 is comprehensively controlled.

  The rice cooker 4 of this embodiment further has a time setting processing application. This application for time setting processing is software for realizing establishing a predetermined time setting with the rice cooker 4 using the mobile phone 2.

  The system control unit 20 of the rice cooker 4 receives the time information transmitted from the mobile phone 2 through the NFC interface unit 17 by executing this time setting processing application, and based on the received time information, The time setting process of the rice cooker 4 is performed. The time setting process is, for example, a current time setting process or a timer time setting process set by the clock unit 15.

  Specifically, the system control unit 20 of the rice cooker 4 reads the identification information associated with the received time information, and determines the processing mode of the time information to be set. This processing form includes, for example, a current time setting process and a timer time setting process.

  That is, if the identification information relates to the current time setting process, the current time information of the clock unit 15 is set based on the time information received from the mobile phone 2. On the other hand, if it relates to the setting of the identification information timer time, the timer time of the rice cooking unit 14 is set based on the time information received from the mobile phone 2.

  The rice cooker 4 of this embodiment is a rice cooker in which an NFC interface unit 17 and a ROM in which a time setting processing application is stored are mounted on a rice cooker that is generally sold. The communication apparatus functions by combining the NFC interface unit 17 of this embodiment with a ROM or the like.

  In addition, although the rice cooker 4 was applied in this embodiment as an example of an electronic device, for example, a telephone having a clock function, a FAX device, an audio device, a water heater display panel, and a table clock or a wall clock. Applicable. That is, by incorporating the communication device of the present application into these electronic devices, the above-described current time setting process and timer time setting process can be performed. Accordingly, the communication device of the present application can be used (developed) as a versatile module (device) that can be mounted on various electronic devices.

[2. Operation of information processing system]
Next, the operation of the information processing system S in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is an example of setting the current time or timer time of the rice cooker 2 based on time information transmitted from a mobile phone. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a process, a flow of information, and the like regarding the time setting process of the information processing system S in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, in order to perform the time setting process of the rice cooker 4 using the mobile phone 2, when the time setting processing application is activated by the operation of the mobile phone 2 by the user (step S <b> 1), The system control unit 10 transmits to the rice cooker 4 the time information associated with the identification information by the input or selection (step S2) by the user of the type of use for which the time is to be set and the time information.

  The system control unit 20 of the rice cooker 4 receives the identification information and time information transmitted from the mobile phone 2 by the NFC interface unit 17 (step S3), and the processing mode in which the time information should be set based on the identification information Is determined (step S4). If the result of this determination is that the processing mode is current time setting processing, the process proceeds to step S6, where the current time of the clock unit 15 is set based on the time information received from the mobile phone 2, and the processing ends. . This current time setting process is performed, for example, by replacing the time information displayed by the clock function of the rice cooker 4 with the time information received from the mobile phone 2. The current time setting process only needs to be performed using time information transmitted from the mobile phone 2, and may be another setting method using a known technique.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S4 is that the timer time is set, the process proceeds to step S5, where the timer time to be set is set based on the received time information, and the process ends.

  As described above, the information processing system S of the present embodiment transmits and receives time information to and from the NFC interface units 8 and 17 as described above, and the system control unit 20 of the rice cooker 4 receives from the mobile phone 2. The current time of the rice cooker 4 or the timer time can be easily set based on the time information.

  In addition, the information processing system S of the present embodiment allows the rice cooking by bringing the mobile phone 2 closer to the rice cooker 4 even if the rice cooker 4 is installed in a place where the reception state of the radio timepiece is poor due to the above operation. It is possible to set the current time and timer time of the device 4, and it is convenient to set the time easily.

  In addition, when the time information to be set is only a pre-defined processing mode, the determination step in step S5 is not necessary, and the current time and timer of the rice cooker 4 are based on the time information received from the mobile phone 2. What is necessary is just to set time. Thereby, the present time or timer time of the rice cooker 4 can be easily set.

  Moreover, in embodiment mentioned above, the system control part 20 of the rice cooker 4 sets time information etc. based on the identification information and time information transmitted from the system control part 10 of the mobile telephone 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the system control unit 20 of the rice cooker 4 requests the system control unit 10 of the mobile phone 2 to transmit the identification information and time information at a predetermined timing (for example, every 60 sec). A signal may be transmitted (that is, polled).

  Moreover, you may make it transmit the signal which requests | requires transmission of the said identification information and time information from the system control part 20 of the rice cooker 4 based on the operation key 13 of the rice cooker 4 by a user.

  In the above-described embodiment, the NFC interface is applied as an example of the communication interface. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an arbitrary communication mode can be selected. For example, wireless LAN such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WIFI (wireless fidelity), non-contact communication by providing a non-contact IC chip and a reader / writer device with each other can be applied.

  As described above, the information processing system S of the above embodiment can transmit and receive information to and from the mobile phone 2 by using the NFC interface units 8 and 17, and the time information transmitted from the mobile phone 2. Therefore, the current time of the rice cooker 4 is set or the timer time is set, so that the predetermined time of the rice cooker 4 can be easily set.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible within the range of the summary of this invention. For example, the clock unit 15 of the rice cooker 4 of the present embodiment displays the time by a radio clock, but may be a conventionally known mechanical clock or electronic clock.

2 Mobile phone 4 Rice cooker 8, 17 NFC interface part S Information processing system

Claims (3)

A communication device capable of communicating between a portable terminal and an electronic device capable of setting time information,
The communication device
A communication interface that includes an antenna and a communication control unit and performs wireless communication with a mobile terminal;
Time information setting means for receiving time information transmitted from the portable terminal via the communication interface, and setting time information of the electronic device based on the received time information;
A communication apparatus comprising:   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time information is transmitted from the portable terminal together with identification information corresponding to an operation of the electronic device.   An electronic apparatus in which the communication device according to claim 1 is incorporated.

Images