JP2016004415A - Portable device, program and control program update system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable device that enhances convenience of a user upon updating control programs of electronic products.SOLUTION: A portable device comprises: a first communication unit 12 that is communicatable with a television 20; a second communication unit 13 that is communicatable with an external server 30 via a communication network 100; and a control unit 11 that, when a control program stored in the external server 30 is determined to be more up-to-date by comparing version information on a control program 26a acquired via the first communication unit 12 and installed in the television 20 with version information on a control program acquired via the second communication unit 13 and stored in the external server 30, receives the control program stored in the external server 30 via the second communication unit 13 to transmit the control program to the television 20 via the first communication unit 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable device, a program, and a control program update system for updating a control program installed in an electrical product.

  Generally, a television that does not have a communication unit that communicates with an external server cannot automatically update a control program to a new version via the Internet. For this reason, it is necessary to download a new control program from the manufacturer's web page using a personal computer connected to the Internet and update it to the television via a USB memory or the like.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-271692

  However, it is necessary for the user to regularly check the manufacturer's web page to determine whether the TV control program is a new version.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable device that improves user convenience when updating a control program for an electrical product. Another object of the present invention is to provide a program for controlling the operation of such a portable device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a control program update system having such a portable device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a portable device according to the present invention includes a first communication unit capable of communicating with an electrical product, a second communication unit capable of communicating with an external server via a communication network, and a first communication unit. The acquired version information of the control program installed in the electrical product is compared with the version information of the control program stored in the external server acquired via the second communication unit and stored in the external server. A control unit that receives the control program stored in the external server via the second communication unit and transmits the control program to the electrical product via the first communication unit when it is determined that the control program is newer. Have.

  According to this configuration, the control unit of the mobile device receives a newer control program from the external server via the second communication unit and transmits it to the electrical product via the first communication unit.

  In the portable device having the above configuration, it is preferable that the external server with which the second communication unit communicates is determined based on version information of a control program installed in the electrical product.

  In order to achieve the above object, the program of the present invention causes the installation-destination mobile device to function as the mobile device having the above configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, the control program update system of the present invention stores an electric product in which the control program is installed, a first communication unit capable of communicating with the electric product, and a communication program via a communication network. A control program update system comprising: a portable device having a second communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, wherein the portable device is installed in the electrical product acquired via the first communication unit When it is determined that the control program stored in the external server is newer by comparing the version information of the program with the version information of the control program stored in the external server acquired via the second communication unit A control program stored in the external server is received via the second communication unit, and the electric power is received via the first communication unit. A control unit for transmitting to the goods.

  According to the portable device, program, and control program update system of the present invention, the control unit of the portable device compares the version information of the control program installed in the electrical product with the version information of the control program stored in the external server. If the control program stored in the external server is new, a newer control program is transmitted to the electrical product. Thereby, when updating the control program of the electric product, the convenience for the user can be improved.

The figure which shows the structure of the control program update system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the television which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows operation | movement of the control program update system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows operation | movement of the control program update system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control program update system 1 according to the present invention. The control program update system 1 includes a mobile phone (mobile device) 10 and a television (electric product) 20.

  The mobile phone 10 and the television 20 are devices compatible with MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), and are connected to each other via a wired transmission cable (hereinafter referred to as MHL cable) 50 corresponding to the MHL standard. The MHL cable 50 has a data line (TMDS line) for transmitting video signals and audio signals, a CBUS line for transmitting control commands, and a power supply line for supplying power to the device. The cellular phone 10 and the television 20 can send a control command via the CBUS line. Accordingly, the mobile phone 10 and the television 20 have a CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) function, and can control the operation of the mobile phone 10 or the television 20 from one to the other.

  The mobile phone 10 is connected to the external server 30 via the communication network 100. The communication network 100 is a wide area communication network constructed by interconnecting a plurality of networks. Specific examples of the communication network 100 include a 3G (3rd Generation) network, a 4G (4rd Generation) network, and a WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) network. The mobile phone 10 can perform voice communication and data communication by being connected to the communication network 100. Specifically, a call can be made with another mobile phone via the communication network 100, and data can be exchanged with the external server 30.

  The external server 30 stores a control program 30a for the television 20. The external server 30 can transmit the control program 30 a to the mobile phone 10 via the communication network 100.

<Configuration of mobile phone>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the mobile phone 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 10 includes a control unit 11, a first communication unit 12, a second communication unit 13, a display unit 14, a memory 15, a microphone unit 16 for inputting sound, and a speaker unit 17 for outputting sound. Including.

  The first communication unit 12 transmits and receives control commands to and from the television 20 via the CBUS line of the MHL cable 50 and transfers the received control commands to the control unit 11. In addition, the control program 30 a received from the external server 30 can also be transmitted to the television 20 via the CBUS line of the MHL cable 50.

  The second communication unit 13 is connected to the communication network 100 via the antenna 13a. Thereby, radio signals can be transmitted to and received from the base station of the mobile phone 10. Specifically, the second communication unit 13 transmits the audio data input to the microphone unit 16 as a radio signal and receives the other party's audio data as a radio signal. In addition, the control program 30a is received as a radio signal from the external server 30.

  The display unit 14 has a touch panel (input unit) 14a that is operated by a user and functions as an operation button. The user can perform various operations of the mobile phone 10 by touching the touch panel 14a. Various operations of the television 20 can also be performed via the MHL cable 50.

  The memory 15 stores a control program 15a for operating the control unit 11 and a program 15b for updating the control program 26a of the television 20 (hereinafter referred to as a version update program 15b). The version update program 15 b is an application that receives the control program 30 a from the external server 30 and transmits it to the television 20 when the control program stored in the external server 30 is newer than the control program 26 a installed in the television 20. In addition, the memory 15 includes a scratch pad memory 15 c that temporarily stores data to be transmitted to the television 20.

  The control unit 11 controls each unit of the mobile phone 10 based on the operation of the touch panel 14a by the user. Further, when the activation of the version update program 15b is instructed by the user, the control unit 11 reads the version update program 15b from the memory 15 and activates it. Also, when a control command is received from the television 20, each unit is controlled based on the command.

<TV configuration>
Next, the internal configuration of the television 20 will be described using the block diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the television 20 includes a control unit 21, a first communication unit 22, a tuner unit 23, a display unit 24, a speaker unit 25, a memory 26, and a remote control signal receiving unit 27.

  The first communication unit 22 transmits and receives control commands to and from the mobile phone 10 via the CBUS line of the MHL cable 50.

  The tuner unit 23 is connected to the antenna 23a, and receives the digital broadcast signal of each channel distributed from the broadcast station via the antenna 23a. The tuner unit 23 performs demodulation processing, error correction processing, and the like on the received digital broadcast signal, extracts video signals, audio signals, and SI (Service Information) data, and outputs them to the control unit 21. Note that SI data stores program information of television programs.

  The display unit 24 displays the video of the television program received by the tuner unit 23. The speaker unit 25 outputs the audio of the television program received by the tuner unit 23.

  The memory 26 stores a control program 26 a for operating the control unit 21. Further, the memory 26 has a scratch pad memory 26b for temporarily storing data to be transmitted to the mobile phone 10.

  The remote control signal receiving unit 27 converts an infrared signal received from a remote control (not shown) into an electrical signal and transfers it to the control unit 21.

  The control unit 21 controls each unit of the television 20. Further, when a control command is received from the remote controller or the mobile phone 10, each unit is controlled based on the command.

<Control program version update processing>
Next, control program version update processing using the mobile phone 10 will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the mobile phone 10 and the television 20 are connected via the MHL cable 50.

  First, when the user operates the touch panel 14a to instruct activation of the version update program 15b, the control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 requests the television 20 to notify the location where the version information of the control program 26a is stored. Send a control command.

  Based on the received control command, the control unit 21 of the television 20 stores the version information of the control program 26a in the scratch pad 26b of the memory 26, and transmits the storage location to the mobile phone 10 using the control command. The control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 acquires version information of the control program 26 a of the television 20 based on the control command received from the television 20 and temporarily stores it in the memory 15.

  Next, the control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 inquires the version information of the control program 30 a stored in the external server 30 via the second communication unit 13 and compares it with the version information of the control program 26 a of the television 20. When it is determined that the control program 30 a stored in the external server 30 is newer, the control program 30 a is received from the external server 30 via the second communication unit 13.

  Note that the version information of the control program 26a includes manufacturer information of the control program 26a, and the control unit 11 determines the external server 30 that is the communication destination based on the version information of the control program 26a.

  Next, the control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 transmits the control program 30 a received from the external server 30 to the television 20. Thereafter, a selection screen for selecting whether or not the television 20 updates the control program 30 a is displayed on the display unit 14 of the mobile phone 10. When the user operates the touch panel 14a to instruct execution of the update, the control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 transmits a control command for instructing the television 20 to start the update to the television 20.

  Note that a selection screen for determining whether or not to update the control program 30 a may be displayed on the display unit 24 of the television 20. At this time, the user may operate the television 20 to instruct the controller 21 of the television 20 to start updating. The operation of the television 20 may be performed via a remote controller (not shown).

  The control unit 21 of the television 20 that has received the control command for instructing the start of the update executes the update, and notifies the mobile phone 10 that the update has ended after the end of the update. In addition, you may display the update content of the control program 30a on the display part 24 of the television 20 after completion | finish of update.

  According to the present embodiment, the control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 compares the version information of the control program 26a installed in the television 20 with the version information of the control program 30a stored in the external server 30, and the external server If the control program 30 a stored in 30 is newer, the control program 30 a is transmitted to the television 20. Thereby, when updating the control program 26a of the television 20, the convenience for the user is improved.

  Further, since the mobile phone 10 and the television 20 are connected via the MHL cable 50 of the MHL standard so as to be capable of bidirectional communication, the control program 26 a can be updated only by operating the mobile phone 10.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the control program update system 1 according to the second embodiment. In addition, the same part as 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits description. In the second embodiment, the version update program 15 b is stored in the memory 26 of the television 20 in advance, and the version update program 15 b is transmitted from the television 20 to the mobile phone 10.

  Specifically, if it is detected that the mobile phone 10 and the television 20 are connected via the MHL cable 50 and the version update program 15b is not installed in the mobile phone 10, the control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 A control command for requesting notification of the location where the version update program 15b is stored is transmitted to the television 20.

  Based on the received control command, the control unit 21 of the television 20 stores the version update program 15b in the scratch pad memory 26b of the memory 26, and transmits the storage location to the mobile phone 10 using the control command. The control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 acquires the version update program 15 b based on the control command received from the television 20 and stores it in the memory 15.

  The control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 installs the acquired version update program 15b. Thereafter, when the version update program 15b is activated, the control unit 11 inquires of the manufacturer's Web page via the second communication unit 13 whether or not the installed version update program 15b is the latest version.

  If it is not the latest version, the mobile phone 10 acquires the latest version program from the manufacturer's Web page and updates the program. Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the mobile phone 10 starts to acquire the version information of the control program 26a of the television 20. Note that the version update program 15b may be installed after the latest program is acquired without being inquired of the manufacturer's Web page as to whether or not it is the latest version.

  According to the present embodiment, the user is saved the trouble of searching for the download location of the version update program 15b, and the latest version update program 15b can be installed in the mobile phone 10. Therefore, the convenience for the user can be further improved.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case where the mobile phone 10 is used as a mobile device and the television 20 is used as an electrical product is described. However, the terminal device is connectable to a wide area communication network. It may be other than the mobile phone 10 as long as it can communicate with the television 20 and can acquire version information of the control program 26a and transmit a new control program 30a. For example, the present invention can be carried out in a PDA, notebook computer, tablet terminal or the like other than the mobile phone 10.

  In addition, the electrical products other than the television 20 can be implemented in electrical products other than the television 20 as long as they correspond to the standard capable of transmitting the version information of the mobile phone 10 and the control program 26a.

  Further, the mobile device may acquire version information of the control program 26a using an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable instead of the MHL cable 50.

1 Control program update system 10 Mobile phone (mobile device)
11, 21 Control unit 12, 22 First communication unit 13 Second communication unit 14, 24 Display unit 15, 26 Memory 16 Microphone unit 17, 25 Speaker unit 20 Television (electric product)
23 Tuner unit 27 Remote control signal receiver unit 30 External server 50 MHL cable

Claims (4)

A first communication unit capable of communicating with an electrical product;
A second communication unit capable of communicating with an external server via a communication network;
Comparing the version information of the control program installed in the electric product acquired through the first communication unit with the version information of the control program stored in the external server acquired through the second communication unit When it is determined that the control program stored in the external server is newer, the control program stored in the external server is received via the second communication unit, and the electronic product is transmitted to the electrical product via the first communication unit. And a control unit for transmitting the portable device.   The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the external server with which the second communication unit communicates is determined based on version information of a control program installed in the electrical product.   A program for causing an installation-destination mobile device to function as the mobile device according to claim 1 or 2. A portable device having an electrical product in which a control program is installed, a first communication unit capable of communicating with the electrical product, and a second communication unit capable of communicating with an external server storing the control program via a communication network; A control program update system comprising:
The portable device has version information of a control program installed in the electric product acquired through the first communication unit, and version information of the control program stored in the external server acquired through the second communication unit. When the control program stored in the external server is determined to be newer than the control program stored in the external server via the second communication unit, the control program stored in the external server is received via the first communication unit. A control program update system having a control unit for transmitting to the electrical product.

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