JP3974161B2 - Communication method and electronic device for data synchronization processing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication method and electronic device for performing data synchronization processing between a plurality of devices,
More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved communication method and electronic device that can perform data synchronization processing suitable for a wired or wireless network whose device configuration dynamically changes.

In general, data sharing using replicated data is performed between electronic devices such as personal computers (PCs) and portable information devices so that the same data can be used at home as well as outside the office. Yes. Data synchronization is known as a technique for maintaining the consistency of a plurality of shared data. For example, when it is desired to share personal data such as an address book or schedule between a personal computer (PC) and a portable information device, a copy of the data is created on each device.

Data synchronization is a method of maintaining data consistency by exchanging change data between the devices when such data is changed.

Intelli Sy is a typical computer program for data synchronization.
nc (Intelli Sync User's Guide Rev 3.1 Puma TEC
HNOLOGY 1999) is known. This realizes data synchronization between PCs or between a PC and a portable information device. This program is for one P
Set data synchronization between C and one portable information device, or between two PCs and one portable information device, or between one PC and multiple portable information devices. However, in this case, in actual data synchronization, any one of the constituent devices serves as a server, and synchronization is performed between the device serving as the server and another device.
Intelli Sync (Intelli Sync User's Guide Rev 3.1 Puma TECHNOLOGY 1999)

However, in this method, the device that plays the role of server must always participate in the data synchronization process during data synchronization, so if you have replicated data for three or more devices, There is a restriction that data synchronization cannot be performed between the other two devices. For this reason, for example, when a PC connected to a network in the office is used as a server and the duplicated data is provided to two portable information devices, the update in one portable information device when away from home. Even if it is desired to use the later replicated data in another portable information device, the data synchronization processing cannot be performed only with those portable information devices.

In addition, the conventional data synchronization method basically assumes a one-to-one connection using a cable, a one-to-one connection to a server using a modem, or a one-to-one connection to a server using an infrared ray. It is said. This is to make it possible to uniquely identify the communication partner for data synchronization.

However, when data synchronization is performed in a bus-type wired network or a wireless network with no directivity, unlike the case of one-to-one connection, some method is used to select a data synchronization partner from among devices on the network. Must be uniquely identified. In particular, in the case of a wired or wireless network in which the device configuration changes dynamically, the network address of each device is not fixed, and the network address is often dynamically assigned when the network is connected. For this reason, the network address of the communication partner cannot be used as static identification information for specifying the communication partner for data synchronization. Therefore, there is a demand for a new technique for uniquely identifying a data synchronization partner even in a wired or wireless network whose device configuration changes dynamically.

In addition, although it is not assumed in a one-to-one connection, in a bus-type wired network or a non-directional wireless network, a device other than a device subject to data synchronization, for example, a malicious third party May also be in the same network. For this reason,
It is also necessary to ensure data confidentiality and to prevent data leakage due to impersonation at the same time. In particular, in a wireless network, there is a high possibility that the device can be easily put into the network simply by placing the device within a wireless reachable range. Therefore, a countermeasure for concealment is important. Moreover, even if there is no malicious intent, there is a risk that data of devices other than the synchronization target existing within the wireless reach range is erroneously changed by wireless data synchronization processing between devices.

On the other hand, in these networks, not all data synchronization partners are always available at the time of data synchronization. For devices that are out of communication range, such as when the device is not turned on or where the radio does not reach Data synchronization is not possible.

In addition, as settings to be performed prior to data synchronization, communication settings for the data synchronization partner, settings regarding the type of synchronization data, and settings for the resolution method at the time of data conflict are usually required. This is done by the user directly operating the input device of the PC or portable information device and inputting data through the setting screen displayed on the display device of the PC or portable information device. This means that the setting device requires at least a display device and an input device that are about the same as portable information devices. Therefore, in the conventional method, for example, a device such as a wristwatch sets data synchronization in a device having only a limited input device and display device due to device size restrictions and other device-specific restrictions. Will be very difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and can be set for data synchronization even for devices having only a limited input device and display device, and the device configuration dynamically changes. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication method and an electronic device capable of safely performing communication for data synchronization between arbitrary devices even in such a wired or wireless network.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides a master device designated as a master by a user in a communication method for performing data synchronization processing related to arbitrary data between a plurality of devices using a wireless or wired network. Are used when the slave device designated as the slave of the master by the user indicates a certificate indicating that the slave device belongs to the group performing the data synchronization processing, and the slave device performs the data synchronization processing. Device registration step for registering the slave device as a member of the group performing the data synchronization process, and a state in which the slave device can communicate with the slave device wirelessly or by wire One slave device and another slave device between one or more other slave devices And whether the data synchronization processing belongs to the group that performs the data synchronization processing, and the data synchronization processing according to the priority is performed wirelessly or between slave devices determined to belong to the group A data synchronization step performed by wired communication; and a priority exchange step of exchanging priorities between slave devices belonging to the group performing the data synchronization processing.

In this communication method, apart from the data synchronization step that actually performs data synchronization processing,
A device registration step is provided to identify the device that performs data synchronization. In this device registration step, a certificate and priority are sent from the device designated as the master to the device designated as the slave. The slave device can be registered as a member of a group that performs data synchronization processing. By giving each member a certificate and priority, data can be easily synchronized only between slave devices, even if there is no master, as long as they are devices registered in the same data synchronization processing group. it can.

In this case, whether the slaves belong to the group is confirmed by exchanging certificates between slave devices in a state where they can communicate wirelessly or by wire,
Even if there is no master, data synchronization between slave devices can be performed reliably and safely. When a conflict occurs in the data synchronization process between slaves, the conflict can be resolved by the priority assigned to each slave in the device registration step. Therefore,
Each slave only needs to hold the certificate and priority assigned to it, and it is not necessary to set any information regarding the communication partner for data synchronization. Therefore, a device having only limited input devices and display devices can be used as a synchronization target device. Furthermore, it is a case where it is used in an environment where it is difficult to have information for statically specifying a communication partner for data synchronization, such as a wired or wireless network whose device configuration changes dynamically. However, it is possible to reliably identify the device that is the partner of the data synchronization.

The data synchronization step can be performed not only between slaves but also between one master and one or more arbitrary slave devices having a certificate indicating that they belong to the same group performing data synchronization processing. .

The designation of the master and slave does not need to be performed for each device, and any device can be designated as the master or slave of the data synchronization processing group for each data to be subjected to data synchronization. One device may function as a slave of the synchronization processing group for some data, and another data may function as a master for the synchronization processing group, or one device can support two different data The two synchronization processing groups may function as slaves.

In this way, when the master and slave are individually specified for each data to be synchronized,
The device registration step is also executed between the device designated as the master of the data synchronization processing group of the data to be subjected to data synchronization processing for each data and the device designated as the slave of the master. For this reason, also regarding the transmission of certificates and priorities, the transmission source master and the transmission destination slave are set for each data, and the certificate and the priority are set for each data.

In addition to the device registration step and data synchronization step described above, a master authority takeover step is provided, so that only the master function is transferred to another device while maintaining the current function and configuration of the data synchronization processing group. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to operate such as using a newly purchased device as a master or temporarily using a slave device as a master for the purpose of using the device as a master when going out.

Moreover, it is preferable to further provide a priority exchange step for exchanging the priorities between slave devices. Thereby, the priority registered in the device registration step can be changed later, and the data synchronization processing between slave devices can be realized more flexibly.

The master authority takeover step and the priority exchange step are also set in that mode in addition to the two devices set in the mode for executing the master authority takeover step or the priority exchange step in consideration of safety. This is preferably performed after confirming that no other device exists.

In order to easily change the members of the synchronization processing group and the like, it is preferable to further provide a device registration release step for releasing the master device or the slave device from the registration of the group performing the data synchronization processing. The slave device's device deregistration step may be performed by that slave device alone, but the master device's device deregistration step is linked to the master device's device deregistration step so that it can communicate with the master device. It is desirable that the device registration cancellation step of a certain slave device is also executed together. This makes it possible to deregister a plurality of devices including the master with a single operation.

According to the present invention, even in a wired or wireless network in which settings for data synchronization are possible even for devices having only limited input devices and display devices, and the device configuration dynamically changes. Communication for data synchronization can be safely performed between arbitrary devices. In addition, when setting information is exchanged between devices, only two specific devices can be set at the same time, ensuring that there are two setting devices, and then exchanging information for safe setting. It can be performed.

Hereinafter, a communication method for data synchronization processing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Data synchronization network)
Data synchronization means that when a part of the information is updated independently and asynchronously for a plurality of pieces of duplicated information, the plurality of duplicated information is the same. It is processing. For example, it is assumed that a set of information (data set) possessed by a device A is copied to a device B. At this time, the process of keeping the A data set and the B data set the same is the synchronization process. When a part of the data fields of the data set having A is changed after the time when the previous synchronization process was performed, the corresponding data field of B is updated at the next synchronization process.

If the same data field of A and B is changed after the previous synchronization process, in order to make this data field the same, which data field value should be given priority during the data synchronization process Must be selected. A state in which changes have been made in a plurality of devices since the previous synchronization processing with respect to data in the same data field is called data conflict.

In the present embodiment, data synchronization processing between information devices is performed via a wireless or wired network. Here, among information devices that can perform data communication using wireless or wired,
A network composed of devices that want to perform data synchronization is called a data synchronization network. That is, a data synchronization processing group composed of devices that should perform data synchronization processing is a data synchronization network. In this case, the unit of the configuration of the data synchronization network does not necessarily have to be for each device, and the data synchronization network can be configured for each data set that can perform data synchronization. That is, each information device can be a component of the data synchronization network by the number of data sets that can be managed therein.

The information device may be a device used for a limited purpose such as a wristwatch, or may be a device having a plurality of functions such as a personal computer. Further, these information devices are not limited by their sizes, forms or functions of input / output devices and display devices. A data synchronization network is composed of a plurality of information devices, and devices constituting a certain data synchronization network are called members of the data synchronization network.

Data synchronization networks are a constant concept. Each time data synchronization processing is performed, the data synchronization network is not configured, but data synchronization processing is performed on members of the data synchronization network configured in advance.

(Communication via data synchronization network)
A communication method in the data synchronization network includes a device registration step and a data synchronization step. This is shown in FIG.

The device registration step is a step performed when a member is added to the data synchronization network. In this device registration step, a certificate and priority are sent from the device designated as the master by the user to the device that the user wants to newly register as a slave.
The certificate indicates that the device that received the certificate belongs to the same data synchronization processing group (data synchronization network) as the master. The priority is used when a device that receives the data performs data synchronization processing, and is used to resolve data conflict.

The data synchronization step is a step in which any of a plurality of members constituting the data synchronization network performs data synchronization processing.

In FIG. 1, M is a master of a data synchronization network. The master M is the center of the data synchronization network. Only one master M exists in one data synchronization network and has the authority to add members to the data synchronization network. S1 to S4 are slaves of the data synchronization network. One or more slaves exist in one data synchronization network, and become a member of the data synchronization network by performing a data synchronization member registration process described later with the master M of the data synchronization network.

The designation of the master and the slave is not necessarily performed in units of devices, and for each data set to be subject to data synchronization, any device can be designated as a master or slave of the data synchronization network corresponding to the data set. One device can function as a slave of the data synchronization network for some data, and other data can function as a master for the data synchronization network, or one device can support two different data The two data synchronization networks may function as slaves.

(Device registration step)
The device registration step is executed by a one-to-one communication between a device serving as a master of the data synchronization network and a device serving as a slave newly participating in the data synchronization network. At the stage when the first slave S1 is registered in the master M, the number of members of the data synchronization network becomes 2, and thereafter the master M and the slave S2 to be newly registered
By similarly performing the device registration step with each of S4, the members of the data synchronization network increase. The device registration step is not performed every time data is synchronized,
Once device registration is performed, the registered device continues to be a member of the data synchronization network unless it is explicitly canceled thereafter.

(Data synchronization step)
In the data synchronization step, data between member devices belonging to the data synchronization network is synchronized. Here, all members may perform data synchronization processing at once, or any member may perform data synchronization processing with an arbitrary number of members. The device configuration at the time of data synchronization processing may include the master M, or data synchronization processing can be performed even when only slaves are included. Two synchronization processes each constituted by different members can be independently performed at arbitrary points in time, and the two synchronization processes may be simultaneously performed in different places.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the members constituting the data synchronization network are only the master M and the slave S1, the data synchronization step is performed between these two devices, that is, the master M and the slave S1. However, in the state where the slave S2 is newly registered as a member, the data synchronization step is performed not only between the master M and the slave S1, but also between the master M and the slave S2, and between the slave S1 and the slave. Between S2
Alternatively, it can be executed between all members composed of the master M and the slaves S1, S2.

(Configuration of each member)
Next, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, information and a functional configuration set in each of the master and slave devices will be described.

The setting information held by each device includes identification data, certification data, priority data, and counter values.

The identification data is data for uniquely identifying a member in a certain data synchronization network, and is used as a key for generating certification data. This identification data is generated in each device when a certain device is registered as a slave of the data synchronization network, or when a certain device is operated as a master by a master declaration described later.

The certification data corresponds to the certificate described above, and is used to prove that it belongs to a certain data synchronization network.

For example, it is assumed that at the time of data synchronization, authentication as to whether or not the devices belong to the same data synchronization network and encryption of the synchronized data after authentication are performed by a public key cryptosystem. At this time, the identification data and the certification data are used as follows in the authentication and encryption mechanism.

First, each of the master and slave generates a secret key and a public key. A pair of these secret key and public key becomes identification data of each device. When transmitting identification data to another device, only the public key that is part of the identification data is transmitted. When registering the data synchronization network, when the slave passes the public key as its identification data to the master, the master returns the slave's public key encrypted with its own private key as a certificate, and then the master's public key. Pass the key to the slave. As a result, the slave has its own private key and public key, and a certificate and master public key that the master has certified. Here, the certificate and the master public key are combined into certificate data.

In actual authentication and encryption, when the authenticating device receives the other party's certificate, it decrypts it with the master's public key that it owns. They belong to the same data synchronization network. Thereafter, if the other party's public key is extracted from the decrypted data, and the synchronization data is encrypted and transmitted with the other party's public key, the data can be exchanged safely.

Note that the certification data may be any data that can reliably prove that it belongs to the data synchronization network, and is not limited to the above-described method, and may be generated by various other well-known methods.

As described above, the priority data is used at the time of data synchronization conflict resolution, and is data for determining an order relationship (that is, priority) for conflict resolution.

The value of the counter is data used to count the number of slaves registered so far by the master and to determine the priority for that slave when the next slave is registered.
The priority of the master is the highest value “1”. Each time the slave is registered, the counter value is incremented, and priority levels “2”, “3”,... Are given to the slaves in the order of registration. The counter is used only by the master.

When configuring a data synchronization network for each data set, proof data, identification data,
Priority data and counter values are prepared and managed for each data set. That is, in a device having a plurality of data sets, proof data, identification data, priority data, and counter values are not managed one-dimensionally, but two-dimensionally, that is, for each data set as shown in FIG. Managed. FIG. 2 shows an example in which three data synchronization networks corresponding to three types of data sets of “address book”, “time”, and “mail” are configured. In this case, in a device having these three types of data sets, the master /
Information indicating which of the slaves is to be operated is managed in association with each data set. The counter value is valid only for the data set of the data synchronization network operating as the master. Further, since the above-described device registration step is performed for each data synchronization network, the certification data, identification data, priority data, and counter values are independent for each data set. The secret key and public key that make up the identification data are generated at each device registration step by using, for example, random numbers, etc., but the value of the identification data is until it leaves the data synchronization group that became a member at the device registration step. Continue to be retained.

As described above, in the case of managing the data synchronization network setting information for each data set, data synchronization member registration, data synchronization processing, master declaration, data synchronization member release, master takeover, priority exchange described later are performed. When each function is performed, a step for causing the user to select a target data set from the data set in the row direction of FIG. 2 is executed before the function is called.

FIG. 3 shows the functional configuration of each device. The configuration of this device is an example of a device configuration that can be a master device or a slave device.

As shown in FIG. 3, each device includes a communication unit 11, a communication control unit 12, a device input / output unit 13, a device input / output control unit 14, an authentication unit 15, a data synchronization network setting management unit 16, data A synchronization processing unit 17 and a synchronization data storage unit 18 are provided.

The communication unit 11 is a part that performs communication with other devices via a wireless or wired network, and transmits data to other devices and receives data from other devices. As the wireless network, for example, a non-directional network using radio waves such as Bluetooth (registered trademark, the same applies hereinafter) can be used. As a wired network, a bus type LAN such as Ethernet (registered trademark, the same applies hereinafter) can be used. For both wireless and wired, the network device configuration need not be statically determined, and can be applied to a network in which the device configuration changes dynamically.

The communication control unit 12 controls transmission / reception of data by the communication unit 11.
A function for judging the data and request received in step 1, a function for sending and receiving processing requests and responses to / from the device input / output control unit 14, a function for requesting transmission / reception of data to the communication unit 11, an authentication unit 15, and data synchronization network setting It has a function to exchange requests and responses with the management unit 16 and the data synchronization processing unit 17.

  The device input / output unit 13 is an input device and a display device of its own device.

The device input / output control unit 14 is a part that controls transmission / reception of data and requests to / from the device input / output unit 13, a function for determining data and requests received by the device input / output unit 13, and processing to the communication control unit 12. Request function, processing request receiving function from the communication control unit 12, management function for processing such as data writing, reading, and deletion to the synchronous data storage unit 18, and request and response to the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 It consists of functions.

In response to the authentication request from the communication control unit 12, the authentication unit 15 compares the proof data received from another device with the proof data of the own device possessed by the proof data management unit 161 through the data synchronization network setting management unit 16. To determine whether other devices belong to the data synchronization network to which they belong, that is, whether both devices belong to the same group that performs data synchronization processing.

The data synchronization network setting management unit 16 is a part that manages overall settings of the data synchronization network, and includes a certification data management unit 161 and a priority management unit 162. The data synchronization network setting management unit 16 includes a certification data management unit 161 and a priority management unit 1.
62 is used to manage its own setting state. The communication control unit 12, the authentication unit 15, the device input / output control unit 14, the data synchronization processing unit 17, the priority management unit 162, and the certification data management unit 16
Data exchange and processing request exchange with 1 are performed.

The certification data management unit 161 has an area for storing certification data certified by the master of its own device, and an area for storing identification data that is the source of certification data. The certification data and identification for creating the certification data Manage data.

This includes a function for generating, deleting, and setting identification data and proof data as a source of proof data in response to a request from the data synchronization network setting management unit 16.

The priority management unit 162 has an area for storing the priority data of its own device, an area for storing a counter value to be changed when the priority is issued in the master, and a counter device. It comprises a function for processing requests for generation, setting, deletion, and delivery of priority data from the unit 16, and a function for resetting and incrementing the counter device.

The data synchronization processing unit 17 is a part that performs a synchronization process on a data set (synchronization data) to be synchronized. The data synchronization processing unit 17 reads, writes, and deletes the synchronization data storage unit 18, and the priority of the device itself. A function that resolves data conflicts taking into account the priority of other synchronous devices,
It has a function of processing a request from the communication control unit 12 and transferring data.

The synchronous data storage unit 18 is a part for storing synchronous data, and has an area for storing data.

This device configuration is an example of a device configuration that can be a master device or a slave device, but there may be a device (member) that can only be a slave, and only a master. There may be a device (member). In that case, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which functions and configurations necessary only for the slave and functions and configurations necessary only for the master are omitted. For example, the proof data generation function, the counter device, and its control function need only be provided in a device operable as a master, and are not required in a device functioning only as a slave.

  From here, management and operation of the data synchronization network will be described.

First, with reference to FIG. 4, all functions of each device in the data synchronization network will be described.

The devices that can form a data synchronization network have a total of six functions,
There are functions that are processed without performing communication with other devices, functions that require one-to-one communication between one device and another device, and functions that involve one-to-many communication. . The “master declaration” function is a stand-alone function that is processed without performing communication with other devices, and the “data synchronization member registration”, “master takeover”, and “priority exchange” functions are one-to-one. It is a function processed with communication. The “data synchronization process” function is a process that is performed between two or more devices. The “data synchronization member release” function is a stand-alone process in the slave and one or more in the master in some cases. This function is processed with communication with the slave. Details of each function will be described below.

(1) "Register data synchronization member"
When a new member is added to the data synchronization network, a “data synchronization member registration” process is performed. This process is for realizing the above-described device registration step, and is performed by performing data communication between the master of the data synchronization network and a member to be newly added as a slave. The master and the member to be registered are in a condition that both are turned on and can communicate with each other via a wireless or wired network. The user calls the “register data synchronization member” function for the master and the member to be registered. Subsequently, the master and each member to be registered are put into a data synchronization registration mode. In order to enter the data synchronization registration mode, for example, when the user keeps pressing the registration button in each of the master and the new member, and there are only two devices in the data synchronization registration mode within the effective communication range. Security authentication at the time of registration is performed using both user interaction and exclusive control for other devices, such as permitting only registration.

Whether there are only two devices in the data synchronization registration mode can be detected, for example, by examining a response to the broadcast from the master.

The effective communication range means a wireless reachable range in the wireless network, but a wired network means a limited network area such as a subnet where the broadcast is effective. In other words, there is no other device set to the data synchronous registration mode other than the two devices, the device to be registered as a member and the master, within a range where there is a risk of interception of communication by a third party. Then, the data synchronization member registration process is started.

Here, the details of the function for registering the data synchronization member will be described. First, FIG. 5 shows a master-slave communication process performed in association with a data synchronization member registration process.

First, both the master and the slave send data synchronization member registration requests to the other party, and then the master notifies the slave that it is the master. When the slave receives the notification, it transmits identification data to the master, and the master transmits the proof data generated using this and the priority data to the slave, and the communication process is completed.

Next, the processing steps in each device will be examined in detail. The master processing steps when the master device registers the slave device as a member of the data synchronization network are shown in FIG. 6 and will be described in conjunction with FIG.

First, when the user calls the “register data synchronization member” function to the device input / output control unit 14 (step S11), the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 determines the current data synchronization network setting. (Step S12). If the own device is set as a master by the function of the master declaration described later, the user is prompted to execute a registration process, and if it is set as a slave, the process ends. If nothing is set, an operation as a new registered member described later is performed.

Upon receiving a registration processing execution request from the user at the device input / output unit (step S13)
Then, the communication unit 11 broadcasts a data synchronization member registration request (step S1).
4) The communication unit 11 waits for a registration request from a new member. If there is no registration request for a certain time, the process ends with a timeout. When a registration request from a new member is received (step S15), it is determined whether there are only two registered devices, the own device and the new member (
Step S16). That is, if the data synchronization member registration request is transmitted to the other device and the data synchronization member registration request is transmitted to only one other device, the registered device is the own device and the new member. It is determined that it is only.

At this time, if the registered devices are not only the own device and two new members (NO in step S16), the process is terminated, and if there are only two devices (Y in step S16).
ES), the communication unit 11 notifies the new member that he is the master (step S17). Thereafter, when the identification data that is the basis of the certification data from the new member is received from the communication unit 11 (step S18), the certification data and the priority data to be passed to the new member based on this data are sent to the data synchronization network setting management unit. 16 (Step S19,
S20) Further, the value of the counter for counting the number of registered devices is incremented by 1 (step S).
21).

Finally, the generated certification data and priority data are transmitted from the communication unit 11 to the new member (steps S22 and S23). For the priority data, the counter value is directly used here, but different values can be generated each time it is issued, and the order relationship can be defined so that superiority or inferiority can be uniquely determined between the generated values. If so, the priority may be determined by any method.

Next, FIG. 7 shows the processing steps of a new member when a device (member) who wants to newly join the data synchronization network is registered as a member of the data synchronization network in the master device, and will be described with reference to FIG. .

First, when the device input / output unit 13 receives a “data synchronization member registration” request from the user, the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 determines the current data synchronization network setting as in the case of FIG. . When the own device is set as a master, the above-described master performs “data synchronization member registration”. If the device is already set as a slave, the process ends. If the data synchronization network has not been set, the user is prompted to perform registration processing. When the user makes a registration process execution request to the device input / output unit 13 (step S31), the communication unit 11 transmits a registration request (step S32), and the communication unit 11 sends a response from the master. I wait. If there is no response from the master, it will end with a timeout. When a response is received (step S33)
Then, it is determined whether there are only two registered devices: the own device and the master (step S34).
If there are only two, after confirming that the other party is the master by waiting for a master notification from the other party (step S35), the identification data that is the source of the proof data is managed in the data synchronization network setting management. Generated in the part 16 and sent to the master (
Steps S36 and S37).

After that, the communication unit waits for proof data and priority data from the master, and when these are received, the proof data and priority data are set through the data synchronization network setting management unit.
The registration process is completed (steps S38 and S39).

When registering data synchronization members, a master that issues certification data and priority,
It is necessary to have the same type of data set with a new member to be registered, and when it is attempted to register different types of data sets, it is necessary to prevent registration. This collation step is performed at the time of “data synchronization member registration request transmission” in FIG. 6 and at the time of “data synchronization member registration request transmission” in FIG. This can be done by assigning an identifier such as 03 for the schedule, transmitting this identifier between the master and the new member, and determining whether or not they are the same identifier.

Once it is guaranteed that the master and slave belonging to a certain data synchronization network have the same kind of data set, when using other functions such as data synchronization processing, whether or not they belong to the same data synchronization network Since authentication is performed, a situation in which different types of data sets are mixed cannot occur. Even if it is a device with multiple data sets, each data set in the device forms a completely separate and independent data synchronization network, so the processing is confused with a different data set. There is nothing.

(2) Data synchronization processing Next, data synchronization processing will be described.

When certification data and priority data are given to each member of the data synchronization network by the data synchronization member registration processing, the actual data synchronization processing can be performed between any members using at least these two pieces of information. it can.

At the time of synchronization processing, first, it is authenticated whether or not they are members belonging to the same data synchronization network, and then data synchronization is performed. Data that does not conflict with each other is merged between members, and when conflicts occur with respect to some data, the data of the member with the highest priority among the conflicting members is used as the data for conflict resolution. The

Now, as shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that there is a data synchronization network composed of five members A, B, C, D, and E, with A serving as a master.

When data synchronization processing is performed with all the members together, first pass each other's certification data to the other party, receive certification data from the other party, and authenticate whether each other is a member of the same data synchronization network . At this time, for example, there is a method in which all members exchange authentication data with all other parties and each member authenticates using the received certification data. In other words, among the members A to E, the exchange of certification data and authentication may be performed for the combination of two different members.

Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the certification data may be exchanged only between the member with the highest priority (A here) and the other members. That is, A and B, A and C, A and D,
This is a method in which a member such as A and E performs authentication by acting as a server. After each of the members A to E is authenticated as a member of the same data synchronization network, the actual data synchronization process is performed in such a manner that the member with the highest priority (A in this case) Exchange synchronous data of a certain data field, judge conflicts, resolve conflicts by priority,
Data can be updated and processed sequentially to the synchronized data of the next data field.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, A, C, and E have not been changed since the previous synchronization process, and some data possessed by members of B and D are both present during the data synchronization process. Occurs when it has been updated. At this time, this data (conflict
A means for resolving the data contention is to employ B data having the highest priority among B and D. This is because, among the five members, the member with the highest priority is A, but only B and D have changed data. Where
Whether or not the data has been changed, conflict resolution during synchronization processing may be performed with the data of member A having the highest priority.

Next, consider the case where only the data synchronization network members A, B, and C are synchronized. For example, this situation can be caused by the fact that D and E are not powered on,
A situation where only B and C are taken out can be considered. It is the same as the above until authentication and data synchronization, and it is assumed that some data of B and C competes (the data of the same data field of B and C has been updated since the previous synchronization). At this time, the conflict is resolved by the data of the member having a higher priority among B and C, and as a result, the data of A, B and C are in a synchronized state. Considering the case where only the remaining D and E are synchronized in another location, as in the case of A, B and C, when a conflict occurs, priority is given to D and E. Conflict is resolved with high-frequency data, and D and E are in a data synchronization state.

As described above, data synchronization processing is performed not only between one master and one or more arbitrary slave devices having a certificate indicating that they belong to the same group performing data synchronization processing, but also between slaves. Can also be done between. Even in this case, by exchanging certification data between devices that can communicate wirelessly or by wire, it is confirmed that they belong to the same data synchronization group. Without having this information, it is possible to perform data synchronization safely only with proof data.

For example, (a) a device that is set in the data synchronization processing mode broadcasts a data synchronization processing request to another device that exists within a communicable range;
(B) Exchanging certificates between these devices to mutually authenticate whether the devices belong to the same data synchronization network,
(C) If the devices belong to the same data synchronization network, the data synchronization processing for the corresponding data set can be performed according to the procedure of executing each priority.

In this case, unlike the data synchronization member registration process described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is no limitation of only two units, ie, the master and the new registration target member. Data synchronization processing can be performed between two or more arbitrary devices belonging to the network. All devices that you want to synchronize may be set to data synchronization processing mode by the user, or only one device is set to data synchronization processing mode, and another device that has received a data synchronization processing request from that device requests it It is possible to automatically shift to the data synchronization processing mode according to the above.

In actual data synchronization processing, the user may designate a data set to be subjected to data synchronization processing from among data sets in which the data synchronization network is set, or all the data synchronization networks set It is also possible to determine whether or not each data set belongs to the same data synchronization network, and to execute the synchronization processing for the data sets confirmed to belong to the same data synchronization network at a time. . Since the authentication data exists for each data set in which the data synchronization network is set, for example, by exchanging all the authentication data, it is possible to check the data synchronization network to which the partner device and the own device belong together. Of course, the data synchronization network to be authenticated may be specified by sending identifiers prepared for each data set.

(3) Master Declaration Next, the function of “master declaration” for setting the own device as the master of the data synchronization network will be described.

When constructing a new data synchronization network, it is necessary to determine a member to be a master. The function of “master declaration” is what realizes this. The “master declaration” can be set so that only a member having a data set that does not belong to any data synchronization network becomes a master of the data synchronization network that he / she will create. At this time, the setting is performed stand-alone and communication with other members is not performed.

In the existing data synchronization network, a member that does not belong to the data synchronization network or a member that was a slave is “released the data synchronization member”, and a “master” is added to the data synchronization network to add a master later. You cannot make a "declaration".
In that case, a completely new new data synchronization network is defined in which the member who made the “master declaration” is the master. The “master declaration” is only used when creating a new data synchronization network at any time.

FIG. 11 shows the processing steps of “master declaration” in which a new member is made a master of a new data synchronization network by “master declaration”.

First, when the user performs a function call operation of “master declaration” on a certain data set through the device input / output unit 13 (step S41), the current data synchronization network setting in the own device is set to data synchronization for the data set. The network setting management unit 16 determines (step S42). If it is already a master or set as a slave, the process ends. If the data synchronization network is not defined, identification data of the data synchronization network is first generated by the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 (step S43), and proof data for the own device is generated based on this. (Step S44).

Further, the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 resets the priority counter and sets the initial value of the counter as priority data in the priority data (step S45).
, S46), the counter is updated, and the process is terminated.

(4) Release Data Synchronization Member When releasing a registered member from the Data Synchronization Network, “Release Data Synchronization Member”
I do. Since this operation has different roles for the master and the slave, the case of the slave and the case of the master will be described.

First, when a slave is released from a member of the data synchronization network, for example, when a slave participating in a data synchronization network is excluded from the members of the synchronization network, or when the slave is discarded. Use this function. “Release of data synchronization member” is a stand-alone operation and does not require communication with the master or other devices. This also does not affect the existing data synchronization network. Only the priority data held by the released slave is not reused in “registration of data synchronization member”, so it becomes a missing number, but this does not break the consistency of the data synchronization network.

Here, the processing steps for performing “release of data synchronization member” in the slave are shown in FIG.
It is shown in 2.

First, when a request for “cancel data synchronization member” for a certain data set is made by the user to the device input / output unit 13 (step S51), the current data synchronization network setting state in the own device is stored as data for that data set. Synchronous network setting management unit 1
6 (step S52). When the device is a slave, the corresponding priority data, certification data, and identification data in the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 are deleted (steps S53, S54, S55).

When releasing the master from a member of the data synchronization network, if there is a member that can currently communicate with the master among the slaves of the data synchronization network when the “release of the data synchronization member” is performed, this slave will also receive data. Remove from a member of the sync network. This is because the situation where the master is released from the member of the data synchronization network without taking over the master to another member is usually the case where the setting of the data synchronization network itself is desired to be released. Also, only the slaves that can communicate are released from the data synchronization network at the same time because the master cannot grasp the members of the data synchronization network, and the slave is replaced, discarded, broken, stolen, or simply at another location. This is because a situation in which all members of the data synchronization network are aligned is not necessarily assumed. In this case, the slaves that were not present remain participating in the previous data synchronization network, but the slaves that were not present can continue to perform data synchronization. However, in this case, since there is no master, it is not possible to newly register data synchronization members and increase the number of data synchronization network members.

FIG. 13 shows processing steps in the case of performing “release of data synchronization member” in the master. When the user issues a “cancel data synchronization member” request for a certain data set to the device input / output unit 13, as described with reference to FIG. The current setting state of the data synchronization network is determined. If the device itself is a master, it searches for a currently communicable slave (step S61). This may be determined by, for example, a response from the slave to data transmitted by broadcast. Then, for the slaves that are currently in communication range, the master certification data and "Release Data Sync Member"
A request is transmitted (steps S62 and S63).

Upon receiving this request, the slave performs authentication using the master certification data, and then cancels its own setting in the same manner as the “release of data synchronization member” in the slave.

Thereafter, the master erases the priority data, certification data, identification data, and counter value of the device itself, resets the counter, and ends the process (steps S64 to S67).

(5) Master takeover The “master takeover” function is a process in which, in an existing data synchronization network, the data synchronization network is maintained as it is, and only the right to be a master is transferred from the current master to another member. For example, if you want to make a newly purchased device the master of an existing data synchronization network, discard the device that was the master, or if you want to replace the device that is the master, the desktop PC that cannot be moved is the master. It is used when you want to move the master to another device without changing the function and configuration of the data synchronization network, such as when you want to temporarily register “data synchronization member” when you are away from home. This exchanges the authority of the slave and the master in the existing data synchronization network, but it is delegated to the member that is not a member of the data synchronization network by automating it in combination with the “registration of data synchronization member”. May be performed.

In this process, first, the “master takeover” function is called by the master and each slave device that takes over the master. Then, the setting information held by the master is transferred to the slave and the setting information held by the slave is transferred to the master by the same method as “registering data synchronization member”. Since the information of one master and one slave is exchanged as they are and each member does not have information about other devices, it does not affect other data synchronization network members. Similar to “registration”, the process can be performed safely and easily.

Now, the details of the “master takeover” function will be described. First, a master-slave communication process performed in accordance with the “master takeover” process will be described with reference to FIG.

First, both the master and the slave send a master takeover request to the other party, and upon receiving the request, both send certification data for device authentication. After the authentication process, the master transmits identification data, priority data, and a counter value to the slave, and the slave transmits priority data and identification data, and the communication process is completed.

Next, the processing steps in each device will be examined in detail. FIG. 15 shows processing steps on the master side of the “master takeover” function, which will be described in conjunction with FIG.

First, when the device input / output unit 13 receives a “master takeover” request from the user (step S71), the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 determines the current data synchronization network setting in the device itself (step S72). . In the case of being a master, the device input / output unit 13 waits for a request for processing execution from the user. When the device input / output unit 13 receives a processing execution request (step S73), the communication unit 11 broadcasts a master takeover processing request (step S74). Then, the communication unit 11 waits for a takeover processing request from the counterpart device, and when a request from the counterpart device arrives (step S75).
The communication unit 11 and the communication control unit 12 determine that the device currently in the process execution state is the own device and only the counterpart device (step S76).

If there are only two units (YES in step S76), certification data is transmitted from the communication unit 11 to the counterpart device. Note that the order of sending the certification data and determining the number of devices in the process execution state may be reversed. Then, when the certification data from the partner device is received by the communication unit 11 (step S78), the partner device is authenticated by the authentication unit 15 and the data synchronization network setting management unit 16, and the partner device has the same data synchronization as the master. It is confirmed that the device exists in the network (step S79). If the authentication is unsuccessful, the process ends (NO in step S79). If the authentication is successful (YES in step S79), the data synchronization network setting management unit 16, the communication control unit 12, and the communication unit 11 perform communication with the slave. The identification data, priority data, and counter value of the device itself are transmitted (steps S80 and S8).
1, S82). Thereafter, priority data and identification data from the slave are received by the communication unit 11 (steps S83 and S84), and the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 prioritizes the priority data, certification data, and identification data received from the slave. The data is set as degree data, proof data, and identification data (step S85), the counter is reset, and the process ends (step S86).

Note that the timing of transmitting the priority data, counter value, certification data, and identification data held by the device itself and the timing of receiving the priority data, certification data, and identification data from the slave may be in any order.

The operation on the slave side is almost the same as the operation on the master side, but this processing step is shown in FIG.

First, when the device input / output unit 13 receives a “master takeover” request from the user, the data synchronization network setting management unit determines the current data synchronization network setting in the own device, as described with reference to FIG. If no setting has been made, the process ends. If it is a master, the operation of the master is performed. If it is determined that it is a slave,
The device input / output unit 13 waits for a master handover processing execution request from the user. When the device input / output unit 13 receives the request (step S91), the communication unit 11 broadcasts a master takeover request (step S92). . Then, after waiting for a takeover request from the master and receiving the takeover request (step S92), the communication unit 11 and the communication control unit 12 determine the number of devices that are currently in the “master takeover” execution state (step S92).
94) If there is only one device in the process execution state in addition to the own device (step S).
94 YES), the process proceeds to the following process.

  First, certification data is exchanged with the master (steps S95 and S96).

Then, the authentication unit 15 and the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 authenticate the other party (step S97). After authentication, if the communication partner is not the master of the data synchronization network to which the user belongs, the process ends (NO in step S97).
In step S97, the priority data, counter value, and identification data held by the master are received from the communication unit 11 (steps S99, S100, and S101). Then, after transmitting the priority data and identification data of the device itself from the communication unit 11 (step S10)
1, S102), the received master identification data, proof data, priority data, and counter value are set as own data in the data synchronization setting management unit 16 (steps S103, S102).
104), the process ends.

Note that in the case of a device having a plurality of data sets that function as a master of the data synchronization network, the master takeover processing may be performed only for setting information related to a specific data set designated by the user. Of course, if the takeover destination slave device also has a plurality of data sets, it is possible to allow the slave device to take over the master authority for all data sets of the master device at a time.

(6) Priority exchange The “priority exchange” function exchanges the priorities of two slaves with each other. If a conflict occurs during data synchronization, it is resolved with the higher priority slave data. In addition, since priority is given in the order of registration from the master, there is a case where data of a slave registered later is given priority over data of a slave registered earlier. The priority may be selected at the time of registering the data synchronization member, but since a display interface for selecting the priority is required for the master or slave, numbers are assigned here in the order of registration. For security reasons, even during “Priority Exchange”
As in the case of “registration of data synchronization member” and “master takeover”, processing is performed only when there are two setting devices.

First, communication processing steps in the case where priority is exchanged between slaves will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the slaves whose priority is to be exchanged together send a priority exchange request to the other party, and upon receiving the request, both sides send certification data. After it is confirmed that the slave devices belong to the same data synchronization group, both exchange the priority data and the communication process ends.

Next, the processing steps of “priority exchange” in each slave device whose priority is exchanged are shown in FIG.
It is shown in FIG.

First, when the device input / output unit 13 receives a “priority exchange” request from the user (step S
101) The data synchronization network setting management unit 16 determines the current data synchronization network setting in the device itself. If no setting has been made or if it is the master, the process ends. If it is a slave, the apparatus input / output unit 13 waits for a process execution request from the user. When the device input / output unit 13 receives the processing execution request (step S103), the communication unit 11 broadcasts a “priority exchange” processing request, and “priority exchange” processing from the party whose priority is exchanged. Wait for a request. Then, upon receiving a “priority exchange” processing request from the partner (step S105), the communication control unit 12 determines the number of devices currently in the “priority exchange” execution state based on data from the communication unit 11 (step S105). S106) When there is only one device in the execution state of “priority exchange” in addition to the own device (step S10)
6), the certification data is transmitted and received by the data synchronization network setting management unit 16, the communication control unit 12, and the communication unit 11 (steps S107 and S108). If there are three or more devices in the execution state within the communicable range (NO in step S106), the process is terminated.

After transmitting / receiving the proof data, the authentication unit 15 and the data synchronization network setting management unit 16 perform authentication based on the authentication data received by the communication unit 11 (step S109). If the partner device is proved to be a member of the same data synchronization network (YES in step S109)
, Transmission of own priority data and reception of the other party's priority data (steps S110 and S1)
11) The data synchronization network setting management unit 16 finishes rewriting the respective priorities with the received priorities (step S112).

In the case of a device having a plurality of data sets that function as slaves of the data synchronization network, the processing shown in FIG.

(7) Device setting method It is necessary to ensure the safety of data communication performed in accordance with the settings in the processes of “data synchronization member registration”, “priority exchange”, and “master takeover”.

Therefore, before exchanging the actual setting data, both the two devices to be set up are shifted to the processing execution request state, and only two devices in the processing execution request state are within the communicable range. It is decided whether to continue the setting depending on whether it exists. This series of processing will be described in a little more detail.

First, accompanying this process, each device has a setting mode and an execution mode. The setting mode has a role of specifying calling functions such as “data synchronization member registration”, “priority change”, and “master takeover”. The execution mode has a role of starting actual processing of the function called in the setting mode and performing data communication with the setting partner if necessary. Here, this execution mode is a processing execution request state.

When “registering data synchronization member”, “priority change”, and “master takeover” are desired, the user first sets two devices (device 1 and device 2) to be set to the setting mode as shown in FIG. And migrate. Then, each device determines what the called function is and checks whether the function is an effective function in the current setting of the own device. For example, if you want to perform "Data Sync Member Registration", the called function is "Data Sync Member Registration" and nothing is set whether you are a master or a slave Find out. If the called function is a valid function, it is possible to shift to the execution mode, but the transition to the execution mode also requires user intervention.

The user simultaneously sets two devices to the execution mode for the same function (strictly, an error Δ of about 1 second)
t is allowed). In the stage before communication with the other party is established in the execution mode, each device waits for data indicating that it is in the execution mode from another device, and at the same time, sends data indicating that it is in the execution mode to the transmission line. . For this data transmission, for example, data broadcast transmission may be repeated at regular time intervals. When each device receives data indicating that it is the execution mode of the other party, after confirming that there is no other device in this mode and that device 1 and device 2 are trying to communicate with each other, setting information Start communication. When communicating the setting information, for example, encryption such as the public key cryptosystem described above can be used to perform encryption so that the setting information does not leak to other devices. If there are other devices in the execution mode, no communication regarding the setting information is performed, and the process is interrupted and terminated.

Up to this point, the configuration method of the data synchronization network and the functions of each device have been described. Next, let us look at a specific implementation example of the devices constituting the data synchronization network.

FIG. 20 is an example in which the mechanism for the communication method is applied to a wristwatch, and FIG. 21 is an example in which the mechanism is applied to a portable information device.

In the wristwatch of FIG. 20, the parts related to data synchronization are two buttons and four display parts. As for the buttons, the upper left button used for requesting execution of each function for setting the data synchronization network and instructing the start of the data synchronization processing, and the lower left for selecting each function for setting the data synchronization network There is a button. As for the display section, a mode display section for displaying each function for setting the data synchronization network, a display section for displaying a letter “M” or “S” indicating master / slave, and numerical values of priority data are displayed. There is a display unit for indicating whether or not a data synchronization network is currently set. Now, in order to explain the usage, the execution procedures of two typical functions of “data synchronization member registration” and “data synchronization processing” will be considered.

First, “data synchronization member registration” is performed. First, the “data synchronization member registration” mode is called using the lower left button. At this time, the mode display section displays that the function “register data synchronization member” has been called. Then if this call is valid,
Continue pressing the upper left button to execute a request for “register data synchronization member”. In this example, if this watch has a master registered as a member, the same procedure is performed on the master device, and both devices execute the above-mentioned “data synchronization member If the “registration” process is successful, the registration process is completed. In the case of “data synchronization processing”, the function for starting the synchronization processing is executed by first pressing the upper left button, and it is within the range where communication with the wristwatch is possible and the synchronization processing can be executed. If there are one or more devices belonging to the data synchronization network, the data synchronization process is actually started. The start of data synchronization processing may be executed by calling one of the devices belonging to the data synchronization network in this way, or actually performing data synchronization processing at that time. All the devices may be executed by calling the function for starting data synchronization processing at the same time.

Since the data set of a wristwatch is usually only time data (clock data), a device that is subject to data synchronization processing with a wristwatch is a device that exists within a range that can communicate with the wristwatch. The device belongs to the data synchronization network for time data (clock data).

FIG. 21 shows a screen example of data synchronization setting of the portable information device. This is an example of a data synchronization setting screen related to clock data. This screen has a “setting menu” for calling up each function provided in the upper left, a setting status display for displaying the current setting status, and a data synchronization processing start execution button provided in the lower right It consists of. If you want to perform data synchronization with a device that currently exists within the range that can communicate with this portable information device and can perform synchronization processing, and that belongs to the same data synchronization network, press the synchronization button at the bottom right. The function of data synchronization processing is called. In addition, by selecting “Register data synchronization member” from the setting menu, a data synchronization member registration screen is displayed. By continuing to press the execution button provided on this screen, the same as the example of the wristwatch described above. The data synchronization member registration function can be executed.

As described above, according to the communication method of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to have setting information regarding the communication partner of data synchronization, and basically, data synchronization can be performed safely and reliably only with a certificate (certification data) and priority. Processing can be performed. In addition, a synchronization process for a data set belonging to the same data synchronization group is automatically executed with another device existing within a communicable range simply by instructing the start of the synchronization process. Even in a device that has a limited user interface and is difficult to set for a communication partner, data synchronization can be easily performed in a network environment in which the device configuration is dynamically converted. Also,
Even if there is no master, data synchronization processing can be performed between arbitrary slaves, which is particularly suitable for application to devices that communicate wirelessly on the go.

Since the communication method of the present embodiment described above can be realized by a computer program, the computer program can be read by a CD-
It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the present embodiment in a normal electronic device simply by recording it in a recording medium such as a ROM and introducing it into a computer, or by recording it in a recording medium such as a ROM and incorporating it in an electronic device. It becomes.

The figure for demonstrating the apparatus registration step and data synchronization step which are used with the communication method which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the setting information of each apparatus used by the embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of each apparatus used by the embodiment. The figure which classified the function prepared for each apparatus used by the embodiment according to the communication form at the time of setting. The figure which shows the exchange of the data of the master and slave in the data synchronous member registration process of the embodiment. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a master in the data synchronization member registration process of the embodiment. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a slave in the data synchronization member registration processing of the embodiment; The figure which shows an example of the communication form at the time of the certification | authentication data delivery and synchronous process in the embodiment. The figure which shows the other example of the communication form at the time of certification | authentication data delivery in the same embodiment, and a synchronous process. The figure which shows the process example at the time of the data competition in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the master declaration process in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the slave in the data synchronous member cancellation | release process of the embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a master in the data synchronization member release process of the embodiment. The figure which shows exchange of the data of the master and slave in the master takeover process of the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the master in the master takeover process of the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the slave in the master takeover process of the embodiment. The figure which shows the exchange of the data between the apparatuses at the time of priority exchange in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the apparatus in the priority exchange process of the embodiment. The figure which shows the timing of the setting mode applied to the embodiment, and execution mode. The figure which shows an example of the interface of the wristwatch to which the communication method of the embodiment is applied. The figure which shows an example of the interface of the portable information terminal to which the communication method of the embodiment is applied.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Communication part 12 ... Communication control part 13 ... Equipment input / output part 14 ... Equipment input / output control part 15 ... Authentication part 16 ... Data synchronization network setting management part 17 ... Data synchronization processing part 18 ... Synchronization data storage part

Claims (3)

In a communication method for performing data synchronization processing on arbitrary data between a plurality of devices using a wireless or wired network,
A master device designated as a master by a user, a slave device designated by the user as a slave of the master, a certificate indicating that the slave device belongs to a group performing the data synchronization processing, and the slave device A device registration step of sending a priority to be used when performing the data synchronization processing, and registering the slave device as a member of a group performing the data synchronization processing;
The certain slave device and the other slave device perform the data synchronization processing between a certain slave device and another slave device that is in a state of being able to communicate with the certain slave device wirelessly or by wire. Data synchronization is performed by using the certificate to determine whether it belongs to a group to be performed, and performing the data synchronization processing according to the priority by wireless or wired communication between slave devices determined to belong to the group Steps,
A priority exchanging step of exchanging priorities between slave devices belonging to the group performing the data synchronization processing. In the priority exchange step, there is no other device set in the mode for executing the priority exchange step other than the two devices set in the mode for executing the priority exchange step. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the communication method is performed after confirmation. When designated as a master by a user, a certificate indicating that the slave belongs to a group that performs data synchronization processing to the device designated by the user as a slave of the own device, and the slave performs the data synchronization processing A means for issuing and transmitting a priority to be used when performing
When designated as a slave by a user, a certificate indicating that the own device belongs to the group performing the data synchronization processing, and a priority to be used when the own device performs the data synchronization processing, Means for receiving and storing from the device designated as the master of the device by
Determining whether one or more other slave devices that are communicable with the device by wireless or wired belong to a group that performs the data synchronization processing using a certificate of the slave device; Means for performing the data synchronization processing according to the priority by wireless or wired communication with a slave device determined to belong to a group;
A priority exchanging means for exchanging priorities between the own device and another slave device belonging to the group performing the data synchronization processing when designated by the user as the slave; Features electronic equipment.

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