JP4024205B2 - Adapter device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an adapter device that gives a home network function to a device by being attached to the device.

  In recent years, a so-called network home appliance system that controls home appliances via a home network has been proposed and standardized. Such a system controls a target device by connecting a controller such as a home server to a home network and transmitting a control command from the controller.

  Here, the communication between the controller and the device is performed using a communication protocol such as ECHONET, UPnP, or SCP. As the communication network, a power supply line that supplies power to each device, a wireless communication network, or the like is used. For example, by connecting the outlet of the device and the outlet of the controller to the power supply terminal, the device and the controller are connected via a power supply line or the like. Alternatively, each device is connected via wireless processing means arranged in each device and controller.

  Some of these devices have functions and configurations that are compatible with use as network home appliances in advance. However, in this case, when the device is not used as a network compatible device, the device cost is increased by the cost for the network compatible device.

Therefore, as another method (for example, see Patent Document 1), a method is proposed in which an adapter device is separately prepared and the adapter device is attached to the device, so that a function corresponding to the network is added to the device later. Has been. That is, software for receiving a command from the controller is installed in the adapter device, and the device can be controlled by the command from the controller by using the adapter device as a medium. According to this method, it is possible to appropriately adapt the device to the network as needed while suppressing an increase in the cost of the device body. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously suppress the sense of cost and improve convenience.
JP 2003-283503 A

  However, in this method, since a dedicated adapter device is usually prepared for each device, it is always necessary to purchase the adapter device in any usage form. However, some users may wish to use the device as a network compatible device, confirm its convenience, and then decide whether to use the network compatible device. If a dedicated adapter device is prepared separately as described above, the adapter device must be purchased even in such a case. In this case, if the user finally determines that the device does not have to be network compatible, the purchased adapter is wasted.

  Also, there are cases where it is desired to temporarily make the device compatible with the network, such as when going out or sleeping, and even in such a case, if the adapter device must be purchased separately, the convenience of the user is impaired. Purchasing an adapter for temporary use is not cost effective.

  Further, when a device is replaced, the adapter device of the old device is no longer usable. The user must purchase the adapter device separately along with the purchase of new equipment. Also in this aspect, the user feels inconvenience, waste of cost, and feeling of high price.

  In consideration of such points, it is desirable to make the adapter device a general-purpose type so that it can be used for various devices as appropriate. Thereby, it is possible to expand the aspect of using the device as network support while suppressing the feeling of being expensive, and to pursue user convenience. As a result, it is expected that the home network system can be promoted and developed.

Therefore, the present invention proposes a new and useful adapter device that can be used as appropriate for various devices. Another object of the present invention is to realize such an adapter device with a simple configuration while reducing costs.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention has the following features.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in an adapter device that attaches a network function to the device by being attached to the device, software for providing the device with a network function is stored, and data received from a controller is stored in the software To generate data for the device by processing according to the network communication processing means for generating data for the controller by processing the data received from the device according to the software, and communication between the mounting destination device Device communication means for controlling; controller communication means for controlling communication with the controller; device type information acquisition means for acquiring device type information from the attachment destination device via the device communication means; apparatus capable of executing the rewrite process of the mounting destination device software of type information And device type information holding means for holding the outside of the device type information, the operation mode setting means for setting an operation mode based on the acquired device type information, a process corresponding to the operation mode set by said operation mode setting means Mode processing means for executing, when the set operation mode is a normal mode, the mode processing means executes processing by the network communication processing means, and also generates data generated by execution of the processing, It is transmitted to the attachment destination device or the controller via the device communication means or the controller communication means, and when the set operation mode is the rewrite mode, the device type information holding means holds the attachment destination device. A request for transmission of the software corresponding to the device type information sent, and the network The software stored in the click communication processing means, characterized in that rewriting the software received from the mounting destination device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the adapter device according to the first aspect, the operation mode setting means is a device that allows the mounting destination device to execute the software rewriting process based on the acquired device type information. The operation mode is set to the rewrite mode when the determination result is a rewritable device, and the operation mode is set to the normal mode when the determination result is not a rewritable device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the adapter device according to the first or second aspect, when the set operation mode is a normal mode, the mode processing unit is configured to execute software stored in the network communication processing unit. It is determined whether or not it matches the device type information acquired from the mounting destination device, and when the software does not match the device type information, the processing by the network communication processing unit is stopped.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the adapter device according to the third aspect, further comprising notifying means for informing the outside of the suitability of software stored in the network communication processing means, wherein the mode processing means includes the network processing means. When the software stored in the communication processing unit does not match the device type information acquired from the attachment destination device, the fact is notified through the notification unit.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the adapter device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the mode processing means is configured such that when the set operation mode is a rewrite mode, the mounting destination device transmits the software. It is determined whether it is in a possible state, and when it is in a transmittable state, a transmission request for the software corresponding to the device type information held in the device type information holding unit is issued.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the adapter device according to the fifth aspect, the mode processing means is based on whether or not predetermined information is included in the device type information acquired from the attachment destination device. It is characterized by determining whether or not the attachment destination device is in a transmittable state.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the adapter device according to the fifth aspect, the mode processing means monitors data from a predetermined pin position among the connectors to be joined to the connector on the mounting destination device side. It is characterized by determining whether or not the attachment destination device is in a transmittable state.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the adapter device according to claim 5, further comprising a switch that can be switched from the outside, wherein the mode processing means monitors the on / off state of the switch, so It is characterized by determining whether or not is in a transmittable state.

  The invention according to claim 9 changes the operation mode to the normal mode when it is determined in the adapter device according to any one of claims 5 to 8 that the attachment destination device is not in a state where the software can be transmitted. It is characterized by that.

  In addition, in the above, the “transmission enabled state” means that a function (application) necessary for rewriting the software is activated in the mounting destination device in addition to the state where the mounting destination device is waiting for transmission of software. This includes a state or a state in which the function is not activated but the function is provided and software can be rewritten when the function is started.

The features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments. However, the following embodiment is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the meaning of the term of the present invention or each constituent element is not limited to that described in the following embodiment. Absent.

  According to the present invention, after the adapter device is attached to a device to be network-compatible, the software corresponding to the device to be network-compatible can be obtained by a simple operation such as mounting the adapter device to a software rewriting device such as a PC. It can be mounted on an adapter device. Then, by attaching this adapter device again to a device that is to be network-compatible, a network-compatible function can be given to the device. Thus, according to the present invention, the adapter device can be adapted to the device as appropriate according to the needs of the user. As a result, it is possible to further expand network-compatible expandability while pursuing user convenience.

  Further, when the installed software is not compatible with the mounting destination device as in the invention of claim 4, the user's convenience can be further improved by notifying the user of that fact. it can.

  Further, as in the fifth to eighth aspects of the invention, if it is determined whether or not to perform confirmation processing for the attachment destination device depending on whether the attachment destination device is in a software transmission standby state, The processing at the time of rewriting the wear can be made efficient, and a smooth rewriting operation can be realized.

In addition, the effects of the present invention will be further clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a home network system according to the embodiment.

  In the figure, a controller (PC: personal computer) 100 has a transmission / reception function corresponding to a communication protocol such as ECHONET, UPnP, SCP, etc., and is supplied with an air conditioner or a DVD device via a feeder line or a wireless communication network (home network). Etc. (devices 1, 2, and 3). Here, each device can be attached to an adapter device (hereinafter referred to as an “adapter”), and only operates when the software for the device is installed in the attached adapter. .

  In the initial state, the software is not installed in the adapter, or software that can support only a specific device on a network is installed in advance. If software is not installed, or if software for another device is installed, even if the adapter is mounted as it is, the function corresponding to the network cannot be given to the device. When providing a network-compatible function, the user downloads the software for the device to the adapter via, for example, a PC (controller 100 or the like). In addition, when an adapter in which software for a certain device is downloaded is attached to another device, the adapter is stopped. In this case, the user needs to rewrite software already installed in the adapter with software for the device via the PC.

  The software installed in the adapter receives data from the controller 100 to generate data for the device, and converts the data received from the device (response to the status notification or inquiry) into data that the controller 100 can interpret. Software for conversion. For example, for an air conditioner, commands such as temperature adjustment, operation mode (cooling, heating, etc.), power ON / OFF, etc. are received from the controller 100 and converted into control data. Software for converting data relating to the operation state into data for the controller.

Further, the software includes device type information (manufacturer name, product number, device group, etc.) for identifying which device the device itself is for. As will be described later, the device type information is referred to when the installed software is used for the device when the adapter is mounted on the device and used.

  2 and 3 show configuration examples of the adapter 200 and the device 300. FIG. Note that the adapter 200 and the device 300 can be realized in hardware by a CPU, memory, or other LSI of an arbitrary computer. In terms of software, it is realized by a program having a recording control function loaded in a memory. 2 and 3 show functional blocks of the adapter 200 and the device 300 that are realized by hardware and software. However, it goes without saying that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms such as hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

  Referring to FIG. 2, adapter 200 includes display unit 201, main processing unit 202, device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203, device information holding unit 204, rewrite processing unit 205, and network communication processing unit. 206, a communication control unit 207, a serial I / F (interface) 208, and an I / F connector 209.

  Note that software (hereinafter referred to as “object”) for providing a network-compatible function is installed in the network communication processing unit 206. Such an object generates data (control data) for a corresponding device from a table and a program (table program) for receiving data from the controller 100 and data (command) received from the controller 100, and receives data from the corresponding device. It consists of a program (conversion program) that generates data for the controller 100 from the data (response to status notification / inquiry).

  Here, the table stores data types of data that can be accepted, data indicating the state of the device, and the like. The table program can accept only data (commands) of the data type described in the table. Further, the conversion program can execute the above-described data generation process only for data of the data type described in the table.

  That is, when data (command) is received from the controller 100, first, it is determined whether the data type (command type) of the data (command) is described in the table, and if it is described, it is included in the data. Data indicating the control contents being acquired is acquired. From this data, data for controlling the corresponding device is generated and transmitted to the device side. On the other hand, when data (response to status notification / inquiry) is received from the device side, this data is converted into data of a corresponding data type by the conversion program. Then, data for interpretation on the controller 100 side, such as a data type, is added to the data and transmitted to the controller 100 side.

  When data is transmitted to the device side or when data is received from the device side, the data indicating the device state in the table is rewritten corresponding to the contents of the transmission / reception.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the function of each part will be described.

  The display unit 201 includes, for example, a light emitting element, and when the object mounted on the network communication processing unit 206 is not for the device, the display unit 201 displays that fact by lighting the light emitting element. Such display may be performed by outputting a notification sound in addition to lighting of the light emitting element.

  The main processing unit 202 controls each unit according to the control program. The contents of the control processing in the main processing unit 202 will be clarified sequentially in the following description of each functional unit.

  The device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 detects the device type of the device 300 with reference to “device group” in the device type information (manufacturer name, product number, device group, etc.) received from the device 300 side. Then, the operation mode of the adapter 200 is determined according to the detected device type. Specifically, if the “device group” is a PC, it is determined as an object rewrite mode, and if it is other than a PC, it is determined as a normal mode.

  The determination result is transmitted to the main processing unit 202. When the received determination result is the normal mode, the main processing unit 202 performs a network-compatible operation by the network communication processing unit 206. That is, a command from the controller 100 is processed by an object mounted on the network communication processing unit 206, and corresponding control data is generated and transmitted to the device 300 side. Also, the data (response to status notification / inquiry) received from the device 300 side is processed by the object, and data that can be interpreted by the controller 100 is generated and transmitted to the controller 100.

  Note that when the determination result received from the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 is the rewrite mode, the rewrite processing by the rewrite processing unit 205 is executed. Details of the rewriting process will be described later.

  Further, the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 compares the device type information received from the device 300 side with the device type information of the object mounted on the network communication processing unit 206, and determines whether or not they match. Is determined. Then, the determination result is transmitted to the main processing unit 202, and if the two do not match, the device type information received from the device 300 side is held in the device information holding unit 204.

  The main processing unit 202 stops the normal mode operation by the network communication processing unit 206 when the received determination result is “non-matching”. That is, even if the operation mode determination result received from the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 is “normal mode”, if the received match / non-match determination result is “non-match”, the normal Stop operation by mode. At this time, the main processing unit 202 issues a light-emitting element lighting command to the display unit 201. Thereby, the display which shows object nonconformity is provided with respect to a user.

  The rewrite processing unit 205 performs processing for rewriting an object mounted on the network communication processing unit 206. Details of the processing will be described later.

  The network communication processing unit 206 processes the command received from the controller 100 via the communication control unit 207 according to the object, and generates control data corresponding to the device 300. Then, the generated control data is transmitted to the device 300 side via the serial I / F 208.

  The communication control unit 207 performs communication control for the home network according to a communication protocol such as ECHONET, UPnP, and SCP. The serial I / F 208 controls data exchange via the I / F connector 209. The I / F connector 209 includes a connection terminal that joins the connector on the device 300 side when the adapter 200 is mounted in a slot or the like on the device 300 side. When the adapter 200 and the device 300 are connected by a cable, the I / F connector 209 is connected to the connector terminal of the cable.

  Next, the configuration of the device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated, the device 300 includes a controlled unit 301, an input unit 302, a main processing unit 303, a device type response processing unit 304, a device information holding unit 305, a serial I / F 306, and an I / F connector. 307.

  The controlled unit 301 is configured by a circuit, a mechanism, or the like that executes a main function of the device, and executes a function according to control from the main processing unit 303. The input unit 302 includes input means such as an input panel and a remote control receiving unit, and transmits control data corresponding to an input command from the user to the main processing unit 303. The main processing unit 303 controls the controlled unit 301 according to control data received from the input unit 302 or the serial I / F 306 and controls each unit according to a program.

  When the device type response processing unit 304 receives a transmission request for device type information from the adapter 200 via the serial I / F, the device type response processing unit 304 reads out the device type information held in the device information holding unit 305, and sends this to the adapter 200. To the side. The device information holding unit 305 holds device type information (manufacturer name, product number, device group, etc.) of the device. Here, the “device group” is information for identifying a device category of the device, such as an air conditioner or a PC.

  The serial I / F 306 controls data exchange via the I / F connector 307. The I / F connector 307 includes a connection terminal that is joined to the connector on the adapter 200 side when the adapter 200 is mounted in a slot or the like on the device 300 side. When the adapter 200 and the device 300 are connected by a cable, the I / F connector 209 is connected to the connector terminal of the cable.

  Next, the processing operation of the adapter 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the adapter 200 is attached to the device 300 and the adapter 200 is activated, the main processing unit 202 transmits a device type information transmission request to the device 300 via the serial I / F 208 (S101). On the other hand, when the device type information is returned from the device 300, the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 next refers to the “device group” as described above and the device of the mounting destination device 300. The type is determined (S102). Here, if the mounting destination device 300 is other than the PC (S102: NO), the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 determines the operation mode as the normal mode and transmits this to the main processing unit 202.

  Next, the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 determines whether the object is mounted on the network communication processing unit 206 (S103). If the object is not mounted (S103: NO), the main processing unit 202 notifies that effect. And the device type information received from the attachment destination device 300 is held in the device information holding unit 204 (S108). In response to the notification, the main processing unit 202 issues a display command to the display unit 201 and stops the processing by the network communication processing unit 206.

  On the other hand, if the object is mounted on the network communication processing unit 206 (S103: YES), the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 receives the device type information received from the attachment destination device 300, the device type information of the object, and the like. Are compared (S104), and it is determined whether or not they match (S105). The determination result is transmitted to the main processing unit 202.

  When the determination result is “non-matching” (S105: NO), the process proceeds to S108 and the above-described processing is performed. That is, the device type information received from the attachment destination device 300 is held in the device information holding unit 204 (S108), a display command is issued to the display unit 201, and the processing by the network communication processing unit 206 is stopped.

  On the other hand, when the determination result is “match” (S105: YES), the main processing unit 202 executes the processing operation in the normal mode (S106). That is, based on an object mounted on the network communication processing unit 206, a command from the controller 100 is processed, and control data is generated and output. Also, the data (response to status notification / inquiry) received from the device 300 is processed by the object, and data that can be interpreted by the controller 100 is generated and output.

  The processing operation in the normal mode is maintained until an end process is performed such as turning off the power supply to the adapter 200 (S107). If a start process (resumption of energization, etc.) is performed again after the end process, the process returns to S101 and the subsequent processes are executed.

  Next, an object rewriting operation will be described.

  When the mounting destination device 300 is a PC (S102), the rewrite processing unit 205 transmits an inquiry as to whether or not a rewrite request exists to the device 300 side (S111). In response to this, when a rewrite request is returned from the device (PC) 300 (S112: YES), the rewrite processing unit 205 holds the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 in the device information holding unit 204. Issue a request to send the device type information. In response to this, the device type / operation mode detection processing unit 203 reads the device type information from the device information holding unit 204 and transmits it to the device (PC) 300 via the serial I / F 208 (S113).

  The device (PC) extracts an object corresponding to the received device type information from, for example, a database stored in advance, and transmits this to the adapter 200. Such a database can be constructed on a device (PC) by, for example, a method of accessing and acquiring a corresponding site via the Internet, a method of installing data held on a medium such as a CD-ROM, or the like. .

  When the download of an object is started from the device (PC) 300 (S114), the rewrite processing unit 205 deletes the already mounted object and performs a process of mounting the received object on the network communication processing unit 206 ( S115). When the mounting of all objects is completed (S116), the rewriting process is terminated.

  After the rewriting, when the adapter 200 is attached to the device 300, the processing after S101 is executed. At this time, if the object mounted on the adapter 200 corresponds to the device type of the device 300, the normal mode is executed by the processing of S102 to S106. As a result, the device 300 functions as a network compatible device.

  In S112, when the rewrite request is not returned within a certain time, or when there is a response that cannot be rewritten, the processing may be interrupted. Alternatively, it may be determined that the mounting destination device (PC) does not have a rewriting function, and the mode is automatically shifted to the normal mode. That is, the setting destination device (PC) is regarded as a normal network compatible device, and the setting mode is shifted from the rewrite mode to the normal mode. Or you may make it inquire with respect to a mounting destination apparatus (PC) whether it transfers to normal mode.

According to the present embodiment, an object corresponding to the device can be mounted on the adapter by a simple operation of mounting the adapter on a device to be network-compatible and then mounting the adapter on the PC. Then, by attaching this adapter to the device again, a network-compatible function can be given to the device. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the adapter can be adapted to the device as appropriate according to the needs of the user. Therefore, it is possible to further expand the expandability corresponding to the network while pursuing the convenience of the user.

  In the first embodiment, in S111 and S112 of FIG. 4, the device (PC) 300 is checked for the presence / absence of a rewrite request. However, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to move to the acquisition process (S113).

  For example, in response to the inquiry about the device type in S101, a special device code determined in advance is returned to cause the adapter 200 to detect whether the device (PC) 300 is in an object rewritable state. That is, if a special device code is included in the response to S101, the processing of S111 and S112 in FIG. 4 is omitted and the processing from S113 onward is immediately executed, and the special device code must be included. For example, similarly to the process of FIG. 4 described above, the process after S113 is executed after the rewrite request presence / absence confirmation process at S111 and S112 is performed. As a result, unnecessary inquiry and response processing can be omitted, and smoother rewriting processing can be performed.

  If it is possible to uniquely detect that the object cannot be rewritten by a special device code, the confirmation processing for the presence / absence of the rewriting request in S111 and S112 is omitted, and the processing is interrupted immediately or the above-described normal processing is performed. It is preferable to perform the process of shifting to the mode.

  Alternatively, instead of using a special device code as described above, a dedicated pin is set in the I / F connector 209, and the device (PC) 300 is in a state where the object can be rewritten depending on the presence / absence of data for the dedicated pin. It is also possible to detect whether or not. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, data from the dedicated pin is provided to the rewrite processing unit 205, thereby determining whether the device (PC) 300 side is in an object rewritable state. In this case, data indicating whether the device is in a rewritable state is supplied from the device (PC) 200 to the dedicated pin.

  Even in this case, if it is possible to unambiguously detect that the object cannot be rewritten by the data supplied to the dedicated pin, the rewrite request presence / absence confirmation processing in S111 and S112 is omitted, and immediately It is preferable that the process is interrupted or the process for shifting to the normal mode is performed.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, a mechanical switch 210 is arranged on the adapter 200, and it is determined whether or not the device (PC) 300 is in an object rewritable state depending on whether or not the user has turned on the switch. It can also be. In this case, when the device (PC) 300 is in an object rewritable state, the user turns on the mechanical switch 210 and attaches the adapter 200 to the device (PC) 300. Alternatively, a protrusion may be provided in a slot or the like in which the adapter 200 is mounted, and the mechanical switch 210 may be automatically turned on by mounting the adapter 200 in the slot. In this case, only the device (PC) 300 in the rewritable state is provided with a protrusion on the adapter mounting portion.

  Even in this case, if it is possible to uniquely detect that the object cannot be rewritten by turning ON / OFF the mechanical switch 210, the confirmation process for checking whether or not there is a rewrite request in S111 and S112 is omitted, and immediately It is preferable that the process is interrupted or the process for shifting to the normal mode is performed.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various other modifications are possible.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, an object is generated from a table and a program (table program) for receiving data from the controller 100 and data (control data) for a corresponding device from data (command) received from the controller 100, In addition, a program (conversion program) that generates data for the controller 100 from data received from a compatible device (response to status notification / inquiry) is configured, and the entire object is rewritten according to the device. Of these, if the conversion program is general-purpose for all devices, only the table and the table program may be rewritten according to the device. Further, if the table program is general-purpose, only the table may be rewritten.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention can be variously modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

The figure which shows the structure of the home network system which concerns on embodiment The figure which shows the structure of the adapter 200 which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows the apparatus 300 which concerns on Example 1. FIG. Flowchart showing the processing operation of the adapter according to the first embodiment. Flowchart showing processing operation of adapter according to embodiment 2 The figure which shows the structure of the adapter 200 which concerns on Example 2. FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the adapter 200 which concerns on Example 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

100 Controller 200 Adapter 201 Display Unit 202 Main Processing Unit 203 Device Type / Operation Mode Detection Processing Unit 204 Device Information Holding Unit 205 Rewrite Processing Unit 206 Network Communication Processing Unit 208 Serial I / F
209 I / F connector 210 Mechanical switch

Claims (9)

In an adapter device that gives a network function to the device by attaching it to the device,
Stores software for adding network functions to the device, processes data received from the controller according to the software, generates data for the device, and processes data received from the device according to the software Network communication processing means for generating data for the controller;
Device communication means for controlling communication with the mounting device;
Controller communication means for controlling communication with the controller;
Device type information acquisition means for acquiring device type information from the attachment destination device via the device communication means;
And device type information holding means mounted destination device in the obtained apparatus type information holding device type information other than viable equipment rewriting processing software,
An operation mode setting means for setting an operation mode based on the acquired device type information;
Mode processing means for executing processing according to the operation mode set by the operation mode setting means,
The mode processing means includes
When the set operation mode is the normal mode, the processing by the network communication processing unit is executed, and the data generated by the execution of the processing is transferred to the attachment destination via the device communication unit or the controller communication unit. To the device or the controller,
When the set operation mode is the rewrite mode, the network communication processing unit issues a transmission request for the software corresponding to the device type information held in the device type information holding unit to the mounting destination device. Rewrite the software stored in the software received from the mounting device,
An adapter device characterized by that. In claim 1,
The operation mode setting means determines, based on the acquired device type information, whether the mounting destination device is a device capable of executing the software rewriting process, and when the determination result is a rewritable device Set the operation mode to rewrite mode, and if the device is not rewritable, set the operation mode to normal mode.
An adapter device characterized by that. In claim 1 or 2,
The mode processing means determines whether the software stored in the network communication processing means matches the device type information acquired from the mounting destination device when the set operation mode is a normal mode, When the software does not match the device type information, stop the processing by the network communication processing means,
An adapter device characterized by that. In claim 3,
Further comprising notification means for notifying the outside of the suitability of the software stored in the network communication processing means,
The mode processing means, when the software stored in the network communication processing means does not match the device type information acquired from the mounting destination device, to notify that via the notification means,
An adapter device characterized by that. In any of claims 1 to 4,
The mode processing means, when the set operation mode is a rewrite mode, determines whether the mounting destination device is in a state in which the software can be transmitted,
When in a transmittable state, issue a transmission request for the software corresponding to the device type information held in the device type information holding means,
An adapter device characterized by that. In claim 5,
The mode processing means determines whether or not the attachment destination device is in a transmittable state based on whether or not predetermined information is included in the device type information acquired from the attachment destination device.
An adapter device characterized by that. In claim 5,
The mode processing means determines whether or not the mounting destination device is in a transmittable state by monitoring data from a predetermined pin position among connectors to be joined to the connector on the mounting destination device side.
An adapter device characterized by that. In claim 5,
A switch that can be switched from the outside
The mode processing means determines whether or not the attachment destination device is in a transmittable state by monitoring an on / off state of the switch.
An adapter device characterized by that. In any of claims 5 to 8,
When it is determined that the installation destination device is not in a state where the software can be transmitted, the operation mode is changed to a normal mode.
An adapter device characterized by that.

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