JP2016103863A - Controller, equipment operation system, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid the conflict of operations from a plurality of terminals, without degrading the comfort of a user.SOLUTION: A controller 20 includes a receiving part 220, a monitoring part 210, a generation part 230, a transmission part 270, and a notification part 280. The receiving part 220 receives an operation signal for operating electrical equipment 10 from operation terminals 51 and 52. The monitoring part 210 acquires a state from electrical equipment 10. The generation part 230, until a fixed time elapses after the operation signal from one operation terminal is received by the receiving part 220, generates a control command on the basis of a received operation signal except the operation signal received from the other operation terminal. The transmission part 270 transmits one control command generated by the generation part 230 to the electrical equipment 10. The notification part 280 notifies the other terminal of information for displaying the fact that the operation of the electrical equipment 10 is not possible on the other terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device, a device operation system, a control method, and a program.

  In recent years, techniques for operating devices installed in houses and the like from a terminal via a network have been actively developed. As this type of technology, a technology that avoids competition of operations from a plurality of terminals has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a remote controller is limited in content processing requests to a remote control target device that is processing content by a request from another remote controller.

JP 2007-184745 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the size of the content is large, the processing takes time, and the time for which the processing request from the remote controller is limited also becomes long. For this reason, the user's comfort using the remote controller may be impaired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to avoid competition of operations from a plurality of terminals without impairing user comfort.

In order to achieve the above object, the control device of the present invention provides:
A control device that controls the electrical device by transmitting a control command to the electrical device via a device network to which the electrical device installed in a house is connected,
Receiving means for receiving an operation signal for operating the electric device from a plurality of terminals via a communication network;
Monitoring means for periodically requesting the output of the state from the electrical device and acquiring the state output from the electrical device;
The operation signal received by the receiving unit is excluded from the operation signal received from the other terminal by the receiving unit until a predetermined time has elapsed since the receiving unit received the operation signal from the one terminal. Generating means for generating a control command based on;
Transmitting means for transmitting one control command generated by the generating means to the electrical device;
Notification means for notifying the other terminal of information for causing the other terminal to display that the electric device cannot be operated.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time for which the operation from the terminal is limited as much as possible while avoiding the conflict of control commands. Eventually, it is possible to avoid competition of operations from a plurality of terminals without impairing the user's comfort.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the apparatus operation system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the function of a controller. It is a figure which shows an example of a table. It is a figure which shows an example of communication in an apparatus operation system. 6 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a controller according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a main process. It is a flowchart which shows a transmission process. It is a figure which shows an example of communication in an apparatus operation system. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a controller according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main processing according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main processing according to the fifth embodiment.

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

Embodiment 1 FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a device operating system 100 according to the present embodiment is a system for remotely operating a device installed in a house H1 via a network. As shown in FIG. 1, the device operation system 100 includes an electric device 10 installed in a house H1, a dedicated terminal 11 for operating the electric device 10, a controller 20 that controls the electric device 10, an inside and outside of the house H1. It has a router 30 that relays communication in the network, a server 40 that transmits data related to operations, and operation terminals 51 and 52 for operating the electrical device 10.

  The electric device 10, the sensor 12, and the controller 20 are connected to each other via a device network NW1. The device network NW1 is constructed as a subnetwork in a LAN (Local Area Network). This subnetwork is a network for communicating according to a communication protocol such as ECHONET Lite (registered trademark). The electric device 10, the sensor 12, and the controller 20 communicate with each other via the device network NW1 by transmitting and receiving signals according to this communication protocol.

  The controller 20, the router 30, and the operation terminal 51 are connected to each other via the communication network NW2. The communication network NW2 is a LAN constructed in the house H1, for example. The router 30, the server 40, and the operation terminal 52 are connected to each other via the wide area network NW3. The wide area network NW3 is, for example, the Internet.

  The controller 20, the server 40, and the operation terminals 51 and 52 communicate with each other via the communication network NW2 and the wide area network NW3 by transmitting and receiving signals according to a communication protocol such as HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure). However, the controller 20 and the server 40 communicate with each other by synchronizing data by polling. The server 40 and the operation terminal 52 communicate with each other as a web server and a client.

  The electric device 10 is a facility device or a home appliance installed in the house H1, and is, for example, an air conditioner that adjusts the air state in a room in the house H1. The electrical device 10 may be a device other than an air conditioner. For example, the electric device 10 may be an electric water heater, an electromagnetic cooker, a floor heater, or a refrigerator.

  The electrical device 10 operates in accordance with control commands received from the dedicated terminal 11 and the controller 20. For example, when the electric device 10 receives the control command for starting the cooling operation when the operation is stopped, the electric device 10 starts the cooling operation and blows cool air from the outlet.

  In addition, the electrical device 10 responds to a request from the controller 20. For example, when the electric device 10 in the cooling operation is requested to output the state, the electric device 10 notifies the controller 20 that the operation mode is “cooling” as the current state.

  The state of the electric device 10 according to the present embodiment is indicated by a property value in the ECHONET Lite. For example, the property about the electric device 10 includes “operation mode”, and the value of the “operation mode” is “heating”, “cooling”, “dehumidification”, or “stopped”. The state of the electrical device 10 is set by a control command from the dedicated terminal 11 and the controller 20.

  The dedicated terminal 11 transmits a control command indicating the operation content input by the user to the electric device 10 by infrared communication, for example.

  The sensor 12 is, for example, a temperature sensor that detects the room temperature of a room in which the electrical device 10 is installed, a human sensor that detects the position of a person in the house H1, or a power sensor that detects power consumed by the electrical device 10. It is.

  The controller 20 is a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller that controls the electrical device 10. The controller 20 functions as a gateway server that relays communication in the device network NW1 and communication in the communication network NW2. The controller 20 includes a processor 21, a main storage unit 22, an auxiliary storage unit 23, an input unit 24, an output unit 25, and an interface unit 26. The main storage unit 22, auxiliary storage unit 23, input unit 24, output unit 25, and interface unit 26 are all connected to the processor 21 via an internal bus 27.

  The processor 21 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 21 executes various processes by executing the program P1 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23.

  The main storage unit 22 is composed of, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The main storage unit 22 loads the program P1 from the auxiliary storage unit 23. The main storage unit 22 is used as a work area for the processor 21.

  The auxiliary storage unit 23 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory. The auxiliary storage unit 23 stores various data used for the processing of the processor 21 in addition to the program P1. Then, the auxiliary storage unit 23 supplies data used by the processor 21 to the processor 21 in accordance with an instruction from the processor 21, and stores the data supplied from the processor 21.

  The input unit 24 includes an input key and a pointing device such as a mouse. The input unit 24 acquires information input by the administrator of the controller 20 and notifies the processor 21 of the information.

  The output unit 25 includes a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a speaker. The output unit 25 displays various graphics and characters to the administrator according to instructions from the processor 21 and reproduces an acoustic signal.

  The interface unit 26 includes a communication interface for communicating via the device network NW1 and the communication network NW2. The interface unit 26 notifies the processor 21 of information included in a frame received via the device network NW1 and the communication network NW2. The interface unit 26 generates a frame including information output from the processor 21 and transmits the frame to a predetermined destination.

  The controller 20 exhibits various functions by executing software processing using hardware resources such as the processor 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 20 generates, as its function, a monitoring unit 210 that monitors the state of the electric device 10, a receiving unit 220 that receives an operation signal for operating the electric device 10, and a control command. The generation unit 230, the schedule storage unit 240 that stores a control schedule for the electrical device 10, the schedule execution unit 250 that generates a control command based on the schedule, the buffer 260 that temporarily stores the control command, and the control command A transmission unit 270 that transmits to the device 10 is included.

  The monitoring unit 210 is mainly realized by the processor 21, the main storage unit 22, and the interface unit 26. The monitoring unit 210 periodically requests the electrical device 10 to output a status. Then, the monitoring unit 210 acquires and holds the state of the electric device 10 notified from the electric device 10. In addition, the monitoring unit 210 notifies the operation terminals 51 and 52 of the state of the electric device 10 in response to a request from the operation terminals 51 and 52.

  The receiving unit 220 is mainly realized by the interface unit 26. The receiving unit 220 receives operation signals from the operation terminals 51 and 52. The operation signal is a signal indicating the operation content input to the operation terminals 51 and 52 by the users U1 and U2. The reception unit 220 outputs the received operation signals to the generation unit 230 in the order of reception.

  The generation unit 230 is mainly realized by the processor 21. The generation unit 230 generates a control command for realizing the operation content indicated by the operation signal based on each operation signal output from the reception unit 220. For example, the generation unit 230 decodes the content of the operation signal described in the XML format, and generates a Set command for setting a state in the ECHONET Lite. Then, the generation unit 230 outputs the generated control command to the buffer 260.

  The schedule storage unit 240 is mainly realized by the auxiliary storage unit 23. As shown in FIG. 3, the schedule storage unit 240 stores a table 241 in which the scheduled date and time for controlling the electrical device 10 and the content of the control executed on this date and time are associated with each other. The contents of the table 241 are specified by, for example, the administrator of the controller 20 and the users U1 and U2 who use the operation terminals 51 and 52.

  The schedule execution unit 250 is mainly realized by the processor 21. The schedule execution unit 250 reads the table 241 from the schedule storage unit 240. Then, the schedule execution unit 250 generates a control command for executing the contents of the control associated with the date and time stored in the table 241 and outputs the control command to the buffer 260.

  The buffer 260 is mainly realized by the main storage unit 22 or the auxiliary storage unit 23. The buffer 260 is a FIFO (First-In First-Out) type buffer that stores the control commands generated by the generation unit 230 and the schedule execution unit 250. The buffer 260 stores control commands generated based on the operation signals in the order in which the operation signals are received by the receiving unit 220. However, the control command generated by the schedule execution unit 250 is stored as generated based on the operation signal received at the date and time specified in the table 241.

  The transmission unit 270 is mainly realized by the interface unit 26. The transmission unit 270 reads the control commands stored in the buffer 260 and sequentially transmits them to the electrical device 10. However, when the transmission unit 270 transmits one control command, the transmission unit 270 waits until a response from the electric device 10 to the control command is received, and then transmits the next control command. That is, the transmission unit 270 sequentially transmits the control commands after a time required from transmission of one control command to reception of a response to the control command.

  The response from the electric device 10 to the control command is simply a signal indicating that the control command has reached the electric device 10 regardless of the progress of the operation according to the control command. The response according to the present embodiment indicates that the property value indicating the state set in the electric device 10 has been written in the storage device of the electric device 10 or has not been written. For example, the Set_Res response in ECHONET Lite It is.

  Returning to FIG. 1, each of the operation terminals 51 and 52 is a mobile terminal possessed by each of the users U <b> 1 and U <b> 2, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The operation terminals 51 and 52 generate operation signals based on the operation contents input by the users U1 and U2. The operation terminal 51 transmits an operation signal to the controller 20 via the communication network NW2, and the operation terminal 52 transmits an operation signal to the controller 20 via the wide area network NW3, the server 40, the router 30, and the communication network NW2. Send.

  Next, communication among the electric device 10, the dedicated terminal 11, the controller 20, and the operation terminals 51 and 52 will be described with reference to FIG. The sequence diagram of FIG. 4 shows an example in which the state of the electrical device 10 is set by the dedicated terminal 11 and the operation terminals 51 and 52.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the initial state of the electric device 10 is the state A (step S1). A control command for setting the state R1 is transmitted from the dedicated terminal 11 to the electrical device 10 at a certain timing (step S2). As a result, the state of the electrical device 10 changes from the state A to the state R1 (step S3).

  At another timing, a control command for setting the state R2 is transmitted from the dedicated terminal 11 (step S4). As a result, the state of the electrical device 10 changes from the state R1 to the state R2 (step S5).

  The controller 20 requests the electric device 10 to output a state periodically (steps S11 and S13). The electric device 10 notifies the controller 20 of the state by responding to each of the requests (steps S12 and S14). In the example shown in FIG. 4, the state A is notified in step S12, and the state R1 is notified in step S14.

  The operation terminal 51 starts a series of operations RC1 at a certain timing. A series of operations RC1 is started when the user U1 opens an operation screen. When the operation screen is opened, the operation terminal 51 acquires the current state of the electric device 10 and displays it on the operation screen. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the operation terminal 51 requests the controller 20 to notify the state of the electrical device 10 (step S21). By responding to this request, the controller 20 notifies the operation terminal 51 of the state A as the state of the electrical device 10 (step S22).

  Next, the operation terminal 51 transmits an operation signal for setting the state B as the state of the electrical device 10 to the controller 20 based on the input from the user U1 (step S23). Thereby, a control command for setting the state B is generated and stored in the buffer 260 (step S24).

  The operation terminal 52 starts a series of operations RC2 at a timing different from the series of operations RC1 performed by the operation terminal 51. Specifically, the operation terminal 52 requests the controller 20 to notify the state of the electrical device 10 after step S22 (step S31). By responding to this request, the controller 20 notifies the state R1 as the state of the electrical device 10 (step S32).

  Next, the operation terminal 52 transmits an operation signal for setting the state C as the state of the electrical device 10 to the controller 20 based on the input from the user U2 (step S33). Thereby, a control command for setting the state C is generated and stored in the buffer 260 (step S34).

  Thereafter, the schedule is executed at the time specified in the table 241 (step S40). Specifically, a control command for setting the state of the electrical device 10 to the state T is generated and stored in the buffer 260.

  Next, the controller 20 transmits the control command first stored in the buffer 260 to the electrical device 10. Specifically, a control command for setting state C is transmitted (step S51). Thereafter, the electric device 10 responds to the control command (step S52). And the electric equipment 10 changes the state to the state C according to a control command (step S53).

  Next, after confirming that the response of step S <b> 52 has been received, the controller 20 transmits the control command stored in the buffer 260 to the electrical device 10. Specifically, a control command for setting state B is transmitted (step S54). Thereafter, the electric device 10 responds to the control command (step S55). And the electric equipment 10 changes the state to the state B (step S56).

  Next, after confirming that the response of step S55 has been received, the controller 20 transmits the control command stored in the buffer 260 to the electrical device 10. Specifically, a control command for setting the state T is transmitted (step S57). Thereafter, the electric device 10 responds to the control command (step S58). And the electric equipment 10 changes the state to the state T (step S59).

  As described above, the transmission unit 270 according to the present embodiment transmits the next control command after receiving a response from the electrical device 10 to one control command. As a result, when the electrical device 10 rewrites the data stored in the internal storage device according to the control command, the electrical device 10 responds to the controller 20 that the data has been rewritten normally, and then Receive control commands. In addition, when the electrical device 10 does not rewrite data according to the control command (when the control command is not accepted), the electrical device 10 responds to the controller 20 that the processing related to the control command has been normally completed, and then The control command is received.

  When the electrical device 10 receives the next control command before responding to the control command, another rewriting process may be executed before the data rewriting process is normally completed. In this case, a plurality of control commands may conflict. In particular, the operation of the device operation system 100 may fail as a result of a control command for performing a conflicting operation being input to the electric device 10.

  However, the controller 20 according to the present embodiment sequentially transmits a plurality of control commands with a time required for the rewriting process of the electric device 10. For this reason, the data rewriting process in the electrical apparatus 10 is normally terminated normally. As a result, control command contention can be avoided. As a result, it is possible to avoid contention for operations from a plurality of terminals.

  Further, the transmission of the control command by the controller 20 and the reception of the response to the control command are executed on a very short time scale as compared with the operations by the users U1 and U2. For this reason, there is almost no delay caused by the controller 20 storing the control command in the buffer 260 in the sense of the users U1 and U2. Therefore, the comfort of the users U1 and U2 is not impaired.

  Further, the controller 20 transmits the control commands generated based on the operation signals in the order in which the operation signals are received. Thereby, the order of the operation details transmitted from the operation terminals 51 and 52 to the electric device 10 does not change in the controller 20. For this reason, the device operation system 100 can smoothly transmit the operation content.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. In addition, about the structure which is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1, or equivalent, while using an equivalent code | symbol, the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  The device operation system 100 according to the present embodiment relates to the first embodiment in that the operation of the electric device 10 from another terminal is restricted while the electric device 10 is operated from one terminal. Is different.

  FIG. 5 shows a functional configuration of the controller 20 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the controller 20 includes a generation unit 230 having an exclusion module 231, a notification unit 280, and an information acquisition unit 290.

  When the electric device 10 is operated from one terminal, the exclusion module 231 excludes the operation signal received from the other terminal by the receiving unit 220 from the operation signal for generating the control command. Hereinafter, a period in which the electric device 10 is operated from one terminal and an operation from another terminal is restricted is referred to as a time limit.

  In addition, when an operation signal is received from a terminal other than the terminal operating the electrical device 10 during the time limit, the exclusion module 231 notifies the notification unit 280 of the terminal that transmitted the operation signal.

  The notification unit 280 notifies the terminal notified from the exclusion module 231 that the operation has been stopped. Further, when the time limit expires, the notification unit 280 notifies the terminal notified from the exclusion module 231 that the restriction has been released.

  The information acquisition unit 290 acquires completion information indicating that the operation has been completed from the terminal operating the electric device 10 and notifies the exclusive module 231 of acquisition of the completion information.

  Subsequently, main processing executed by the controller 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. This main process starts when the controller 20 is turned on. Each process shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is basically executed by the processor 21, but will be described below using the components of the functions shown in FIG. 5 as appropriate.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the processor 21 determines whether or not an operation signal is received by the receiving unit 220 (step S <b> 61). When it is determined that the operation signal has not been received (step S61; No), the processor 21 repeats the determination of step S61.

  When it determines with the operation signal having been received (step S61; Yes), the production | generation part 230 determines whether operation is restrict | limited (step S62). Specifically, based on the information stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23, the exclusion module 231 determines whether or not the operation from the terminal that transmitted the operation signal is restricted by the operation from another terminal.

  When it is determined that the operation is restricted (step S62; Yes), the notification unit 280 notifies that the operation is stopped (step S63). Specifically, the notification unit 280 notifies the terminal that has transmitted the operation signal that the operation based on the operation signal determined to have been received in step S61 is stopped. Thereby, the user can recognize that the operation input to the terminal by himself / herself is stopped by the operation from another terminal. Thereafter, the processor 21 repeats the processing after step S61.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation is not restricted (step S62; No), the exclusion module 231 starts transmission processing for transmitting a control command based on the operation signal determined to be received in step S61. (Step S64). This transmission process is executed in parallel with the main process. Thereafter, the processor 21 repeats the processing after step S61.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the transmission process, the exclusion module 231 restricts operations by other terminals (step S71). Specifically, the exclusion module 231 writes information indicating that the terminal operating the electrical device 10 and the time limit is being reached in the auxiliary storage unit 23. As a result, the time limit starts.

  Next, the generation unit 230 generates a control command based on the operation signal determined to be received in step S61 (see FIG. 6) (step S72). Thereafter, the transmission unit 270 transmits a control command to the electrical device 10 (step S73).

  Next, the exclusion module 231 determines whether or not the operation has been completed (step S74). Specifically, the exclusion module 231 determines whether completion information acquisition has been notified from the information acquisition unit 290. If it is determined that the operation has been completed (step S74; Yes), the exclusion module 231 proceeds to step S76.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation has not been completed (step S74; No), the exclusion module 231 determines whether or not a certain upper limit time has elapsed since the operation was limited in step S71 (step S71). S75).

  This upper limit time means an upper limit value of the time limit. For example, the upper limit time is set in advance based on the maximum time required for an operation from one terminal. For example, the time taken to feed back the operation result to the terminal, the time to try feedback again when this feedback communication fails (retransmission processing time), and the maximum value of the delay time of each processing are added Is set as the upper limit time. The upper limit time is, for example, 10 seconds.

  When it is determined that the upper limit time has not elapsed (step S75; No), the exclusion module 231 repeats the processing after step S74. As a result, the time limit is continued until the earlier of the time when the operation is completed or the time when the upper limit time has elapsed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the upper limit time has elapsed (step S75; Yes), the exclusion module 231 releases the restriction (step S76). Specifically, the exclusive module 231 writes information indicating that the time limit is not reached in the auxiliary storage unit 23. Thereby, the time limit ends.

  Next, the exclusion module 231 determines whether or not there has been an operation canceled during the time limit (step S77). That is, the exclusion module 231 determines whether or not there is an operation signal from a terminal that is not operating the electric device 10 among the operation signals received by the receiving unit 220 during the time limit. When it is determined that there is no canceled operation (step S77; No), the processor 21 ends the transmission process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there has been a canceled operation (step S77; Yes), the notification unit 280 notifies the restriction release (step S78). Specifically, the notification unit 280 notifies the terminal whose operation is restricted that the restriction is released. Thereby, in addition to the notification in step S63 (see FIG. 6), the terminal whose operation is restricted is notified that the operation is possible.

  Thereafter, the processor 21 ends the transmission process.

  In addition, the controller 20 is performing the monitoring process for acquiring and monitoring the state of the electric equipment 10 regularly in parallel with the main process and transmission process which are shown by FIG. Furthermore, the controller 20 executes a scheduled execution process for executing a schedule at a predetermined time in parallel with the main process, the transmission process, and the monitoring process. Thereby, the content of the control stored in the schedule storage unit 240 is executed at the designated time regardless of whether there is an operation from another terminal.

  Next, communication among the electric device 10, the dedicated terminal 11, the controller 20, and the operation terminals 51 and 52 will be described with reference to FIG. The sequence diagram of FIG. 8 shows an example in which the operation by the operation terminal 51 is stopped. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the process equivalent to the process shown by FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the series of operations RC <b> 1 by the operation terminal 51 starts earlier than the series of operations RC <b> 2 by the operation terminal 52. However, the operation terminal 52 transmits the operation signal earlier than the operation terminal 51. Specifically, step S33 is executed earlier than step S23. For this reason, the controller 20 starts restriction following step S33 (step S101).

  During the time limit started in step S101, an operation signal from the operation terminal 51 is received by the controller 20 (step S23). Therefore, the controller 20 notifies the operation terminal 51 that the operation has been stopped (step S102).

  In the present embodiment, the operation terminal 52 requests the controller 20 to notify the state of the electrical device 10 after transmitting the operation signal in the series of operations RC2 (step S103). In the example shown in FIG. 8, a response indicating that the control command for setting the state C has been normally received is made in step S52. Therefore, the controller 20 responds to the request in step S103 by notifying the state C as the state of the electrical device 10 (step S104).

  Next, the operation terminal 52 displays the state of the electrical device 10 to the user U2, and notifies the controller 20 of the completion of the operation when the user U2 determines that the operation has been completed (step S20). S105). Note that the operation terminal 52 may determine that the state of the electrical device 10 is equal to the state set in step S33 without waiting for the determination of the user U2, and notify the completion of the operation.

  Next, since the completion of the operation has been notified, the controller 20 releases the restriction (step S106). Then, the controller 20 notifies the operation terminal 51 that has transmitted the operation signal during the time limit that the restriction has been released (step S107). The operation terminal 51 that has received this notification displays a screen for performing the operation again for the user U1 (step S108).

  On the screen for performing the operation again, for example, information for comparing the contents of the limited operation and the state of the electric device 10 set in the time limit is presented. In addition, on this screen, a button or the like for selecting whether to execute the restricted operation again or to stop the operation on the electric device 10 may be displayed. Thereby, the user U1 can try the operation again immediately after the end of the time limit.

  As described above, the controller 20 according to the present embodiment generates and transmits a control signal from an operation signal, except for an operation signal received during a time limit from a terminal that is not operating the electrical device 10. . Therefore, the electric device 10 does not accept remote operation from two or more locations via the communication network NW2. Thereby, the competition of a plurality of operations can be avoided. In particular, it is possible to prevent the operation of the device operation system 100 from failing as a result of the conflicting operations being performed simultaneously.

  In addition, the controller 20 can avoid an operation unintended by the user. For example, if an operation from another terminal is started before an operation from one terminal is completed, the state of the electric device 10 is intended only by a user who uses one of the terminals, and the other user Is not considered to be what was intended. However, the controller 20 according to the present embodiment restricts operations performed by other terminals when the electrical apparatus 10 is operated from one terminal, so that the state of the electrical apparatus 10 is not intended by the user. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the state of the electric equipment 10 was displayed with respect to the user, and the user judged completion of operation. Thereby, the user can confirm the content of erroneous operation, when it has performed incorrect operation. In addition, the operation can be corrected before the operation is completed.

  In the present embodiment, a certain upper limit is set for the time limit. Thereby, for example, even when the user neglects to confirm the completion of the operation, the time limit ends, and another user can operate the electric device 10.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the contents of the control whose time is specified in advance are executed at the specified time without being restricted by the exclusive module 231. Thereby, the scheduled control content can be reliably executed at the designated time.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Subsequently, the third embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the above-described second embodiment. In addition, about the structure same or equivalent to the said Embodiment 2, while using an equivalent code | symbol, the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  The device operation system 100 according to the present embodiment is different from that according to the second embodiment in that operation completion is defined by the operation of the electric device 10.

  FIG. 9 shows a functional configuration of the controller 20 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the information acquisition unit 290 acquires operation information indicating that the electric device 10 has started an operation according to the control command from the sensor 12. For example, when the electric device 10 is an air conditioner and the sensor 12 is a temperature sensor, the start of the operation according to the control command for starting the cooling operation means a decrease in the detected room temperature. Then, the information acquisition unit 290 notifies the exclusive module 231 that the operation information has been acquired.

  The time limit according to the present embodiment ends at the earlier of the time when the acquisition of the operation information is notified from the information acquisition unit 290 or the time when the upper limit time has elapsed since the start of the time limit.

  As described above, the time limit according to the present embodiment ends when the operation information is acquired. Thereby, the operation from the terminal that is not operating the electric device 10 can be restricted until the operation of the electric device 10 is reliably started by the operation from one terminal.

  The operation information may be information indicating that the electric device 10 has finished the operation according to the control command. For example, the end of the operation according to the control command for starting the cooling operation means that the detected room temperature has reached the temperature set by the control command. Further, when the electric device 10 includes the sensor 12, the information acquisition unit 290 may acquire operation information from the electric device 10.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
Next, the fourth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the above-described second embodiment. In addition, about the structure same or equivalent to the said Embodiment 2, while using an equivalent code | symbol, the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  The device operation system 100 according to the present embodiment is different from that according to the second embodiment in that the operation by the user is limited only when the user cannot visually recognize the electric device 10.

  FIG. 10 shows main processing according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, when the determination in step S62 is negative, the processor 21 determines whether or not the terminal that has transmitted the operation signal is in a position where the electric device 10 is visible (step S110). . For example, the processor 21 detects an address in the communication network NW2 as information indicating that the terminal is in a position where the electric device 10 can be visually recognized as a transmission source address included in the operation signal. Thereby, it is detected whether or not the user using the terminal can visually recognize the electric device 10.

  If it is determined that the position is not visible (step S110; No), the exclusion module 231 starts transmission processing (step S64). On the other hand, when it determines with it being in the position which can be visually recognized (step S110; Yes), the production | generation part 230 produces | generates a control command (step S111). Next, the transmission unit 270 transmits a control command (step S112). And the processor 21 repeats the process after step S61.

  As described above, when the terminal that has transmitted the operation signal is at a position where the electric device 10 can be viewed, the operation from this terminal does not limit the operation from other terminals. Thereby, the operation performed through the communication network NW2 from the terminal in the vicinity of the electric device 10 is executed in the same manner as the operation by the dedicated terminal 11 according to the second embodiment.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
Next, the fifth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the above-described second embodiment. In addition, about the structure same or equivalent to the said Embodiment 2, while using an equivalent code | symbol, the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  Device operation system 100 according to the present embodiment is different from that according to Embodiment 2 in that the operation is limited based on whether or not the terminal has a key for operating electric device 10. This key is data (access right) indicating that an operation on the electric device 10 is permitted, and is distributed by the server 40, for example.

  FIG. 11 shows main processing according to the present embodiment. In the main process, when the determination in step S61 is affirmed, the processor 21 determines whether the terminal that has transmitted the operation signal has a key based on the operation signal (step S113). In other words, the processor 21 determines whether or not the operation signal determined to be received in step S61 is transmitted from a terminal having a key. For example, when the key is a common key in the common key encryption and the operation signal is encrypted, the processor 21 can decrypt the operation signal using the key stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23. Determine if you can.

  When it is determined that the terminal does not have a key (step S113; No), the processor 21 moves the process to step S63. On the other hand, when it determines with a terminal having a key (step S113; Yes), the production | generation part 230 produces | generates a control command based on an operation signal (step S114). Thereafter, the transmission unit 270 transmits a control command (step S115). And the processor 21 repeats the process after step S61.

  As described above, the controller 20 according to the present embodiment restricts operations using the keys. Thereby, when distributing a key, the terminal which can operate the electric equipment 10 can be arbitrarily selected now.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited by the said embodiment.

  For example, the time limit according to the second embodiment ends at the earlier of the time when the operation is completed or the time when the upper limit time has elapsed since the start of the time limit, but is not limited thereto. For example, instead of the time when the operation is completed, the time limit may be defined using a time when a certain delay time has elapsed since the operation was completed.

  When the time limit is set using the time at which a certain delay time has elapsed, the delay time T1 from the execution of step S105 shown in FIG. 8 to the execution of step S106 is somewhat long. Become. In this case, for example, when the user U2 erroneously determines the completion of the operation, the operation can be corrected. Further, it is considered that the time required for correcting the operation depends on the model and function of the electric device 10. For this reason, it is preferable that the delay time be set in advance for the electrical device 10.

  Further, the operation terminal 52 may communicate with the controller 20 via the server 40, or may directly communicate with the controller 20 without via the server 40.

  In addition, even when the controller 20 receives an operation signal for operating a plurality of devices, the controller 20 performs the same processing as the processing according to the above-described embodiment for each device, thereby competing for operations. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, in the said Embodiment 4, the processor 21 detected the transmission source address in the communication network NW2 as information which shows that the user using a terminal is in the position which can visually recognize the electric equipment 10, but to this, Is not limited. For example, it may be detected that the user is in a position where the user can visually recognize the electric device 10 using data transmitted from the electric device 10 by infrared communication and added to the operation signal. Further, information included in an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag arranged in the vicinity of the electric device 10 may be detected from the operation signal. Moreover, you may detect that the user who uses a terminal image | photographed with the built-in camera (sensor 12) of the electric equipment 10. FIG.

  Moreover, in the said Embodiment 4, although step S110 was performed after step S62, you may replace this order (refer FIG. 10). That is, step S62 may be performed when the determination of step S110 is denied, and step S64 may be performed when the determination of step S62 is denied. In this way, an operation from a terminal in the vicinity of the electric device 10 is not restricted by an operation from another terminal, and thus is performed in the same manner as an operation by the dedicated terminal 11 according to the second embodiment. The

  Further, the determination of the presence / absence of a key according to the fifth embodiment (see FIG. 11) may be executed instead of the determination in step S110 (see FIG. 10) in the fourth embodiment.

  The functions of the controller 20 according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by dedicated hardware or by a normal computer system.

  For example, the program P1 stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23 is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and distributed. By installing the program P1 in the computer, a device that executes the above-described processing can be configured.

  Further, the program P1 may be stored in a disk device or the like included in a predetermined server device on a network such as the Internet, and may be downloaded to a computer, for example, superimposed on a carrier wave.

  The above-described processing can also be achieved by starting and executing the program P1 while transferring it over the network.

  Furthermore, the above-described processing can also be achieved by executing all or part of the program P1 on the server device and executing the program P1 while the computer transmits and receives information regarding the processing via the network.

  Note that when the above functions are realized by sharing an OS (Operating System) or when the functions are realized by cooperation between the OS and an application, only the part other than the OS may be stored in a medium and distributed. Alternatively, it may be downloaded to a computer.

  The means for realizing the function of the controller 20 is not limited to software, and a part or all of the means may be realized by dedicated hardware (circuit or the like).

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Device operation system, 10 Electric equipment, 11 Dedicated terminal, 12 Sensor, 20 Controller, 21 Processor, 22 Main memory part, 23 Auxiliary memory part, 24 Input part, 25 Output part, 26 Interface part, 27 Internal bus, 210 Monitoring Unit, 220 receiving unit, 230 generation unit, 231 exclusive module, 240 schedule storage unit, 241 table, 250 schedule execution unit, 260 buffer, 270 transmission unit, 280 notification unit, 290 information acquisition unit, 30 router, 40 server, 51 52, operation terminal, H1 housing, NW1 equipment network, NW2 communication network, NW3 wide area network, P1 program, RC1, RC2 series of operations, U1, U2 users.

Claims (13)

A control device that controls the electrical device by transmitting a control command to the electrical device via a device network to which the electrical device installed in a house is connected,
Receiving means for receiving an operation signal for operating the electric device from a plurality of terminals via a communication network;
Monitoring means for periodically requesting the output of the state from the electrical device and acquiring the state output from the electrical device;
The operation signal received by the receiving unit is excluded from the operation signal received from the other terminal by the receiving unit until a predetermined time has elapsed since the receiving unit received the operation signal from the one terminal. Generating means for generating a control command based on;
Transmitting means for transmitting one control command generated by the generating means to the electrical device;
A control device comprising: notification means for notifying the other terminal of information for causing the other terminal to display that the electric device cannot be operated. A control device that controls the electrical device by transmitting a control command to the electrical device via a device network to which the electrical device installed in a house is connected,
Receiving means for receiving an operation signal for operating the electric device from a plurality of terminals via a communication network;
Monitoring means for periodically requesting the output of the state from the electrical device and acquiring the state output from the electrical device;
Excludes operation signals received from other terminals by the receiving means from the time when the operation signal from one terminal is received by the receiving means to the time when the operation of the electrical device by the operation signal from the one terminal is completed. Generating means for generating a control command based on the operation signal received by the receiving means;
Transmitting means for transmitting one control command generated by the generating means to the electrical device;
A control device comprising: notification means for notifying the other terminal of information for causing the other terminal to display that the electric device cannot be operated.   The information acquisition means which acquires the operation information which shows that the operation | movement of the said electric equipment according to the control command was started or completed from the detection means which detects the operation | movement of the said electric equipment or the said electric equipment. Control device.   4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit notifies the acquired state of the electric device to at least one of the plurality of terminals. 5.   The generation unit generates the control command except for an operation signal received from the other terminal when a user using the other terminal is not in a position where the electric device is visible. Item 5. The control device according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a determination unit that determines whether the terminal that has transmitted the operation signal is permitted to perform an operation on the electric device. Storage means for storing the scheduled time for controlling the electrical device and the contents of the control executed at the scheduled time in association with each other;
Schedule execution means for generating a control command at the scheduled time based on the content of the control associated with the scheduled time;
With
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits a control command generated by the schedule execution unit to the electrical device.   The transmission means assumes that the control command generated by the schedule execution means is generated based on the operation signal received by the reception means at the scheduled time, and in the order in which the operation signals are received by the reception means. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the control command generated based on an operation signal by the generation unit and the schedule execution unit is transmitted. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
A device operation system comprising: a plurality of terminals that transmit an operation signal for operating the electric device to the control device. A control method for controlling the electrical device by transmitting a control command to the electrical device via a device network to which the electrical device installed in a house is connected,
A receiving step of receiving an operation signal for operating the electrical device from a plurality of terminals via a communication network;
A monitoring step for periodically requesting the output of the state from the electric device and acquiring the state output from the electric device;
The operation signal received in the reception step is excluded except for the operation signal received from another terminal in the reception step until a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation signal from the one terminal was received in the reception step. A generating step for generating a control instruction based on;
A transmission step of transmitting the one control command generated in the generation step to the electrical device;
A notification step of notifying the other terminal of information for causing the other terminal to display that the electric device cannot be operated. A control method for controlling the electrical device by transmitting a control command to the electrical device via a device network to which the electrical device installed in a house is connected,
A receiving step of receiving an operation signal for operating the electrical device from a plurality of terminals via a communication network;
A monitoring step for periodically requesting the output of the state from the electric device and acquiring the state output from the electric device;
Excludes operation signals received from other terminals in the reception step from the reception of the operation signal from one terminal in the reception step to the completion of the operation of the electrical device by the operation signal from the one terminal. Generating a control command based on the operation signal received in the receiving step;
A transmission step of transmitting the one control command generated in the generation step to the electrical device;
A notification step of notifying the other terminal of information for causing the other terminal to display that the electric device cannot be operated. A computer that controls the electrical device by transmitting a control command to the electrical device via a device network to which the electrical device installed in a house is connected.
Receiving means for receiving an operation signal for operating the electrical device from a plurality of terminals via a communication network;
Monitoring means for periodically requesting the output of the state from the electrical device and acquiring the state output from the electrical device;
The operation signal received by the receiving unit is excluded from the operation signal received from the other terminal by the receiving unit until a predetermined time has elapsed since the receiving unit received the operation signal from the one terminal. Generating means for generating a control command based on,
Transmitting means for transmitting one control command generated by the generating means to the electrical device;
A program for functioning as notification means for notifying the other terminal of information for causing the other terminal to display that the electric device cannot be operated. A computer that controls the electrical device by transmitting a control command to the electrical device via a device network to which the electrical device installed in a house is connected.
Receiving means for receiving an operation signal for operating the electrical device from a plurality of terminals via a communication network;
Monitoring means for periodically requesting the output of the state from the electrical device and acquiring the state output from the electrical device;
Excludes operation signals received from other terminals by the receiving means from the time when the operation signal from one terminal is received by the receiving means to the time when the operation of the electrical device by the operation signal from the one terminal is completed. Generating means for generating a control command based on the operation signal received by the receiving means;
Transmitting means for transmitting one control command generated by the generating means to the electrical device;
A program for functioning as notification means for notifying the other terminal of information for causing the other terminal to display that the electric device cannot be operated.

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