JP4686225B2 - Home Network and Universal Plug and Play Network Bridge Device and its Operation Method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a network bridge device and an operation method thereof, and more particularly to a bridge device and an operation method thereof that enable an ECHONET device and a UPnP control device to be linked by interconnecting an ECHONET network and a UPnP network.

With the reorganization and development of AI home appliances, handy electronic devices and network communications, it is now becoming a dream to control AI home appliances via networks with handy devices.
However, there are already dozens of types of home network communication standards that connect various types of AI home appliances throughout the world. Therefore, these home network communication standards have not been effectively unified. Therefore, many home network communication standards currently belong to the locality home network communication standard. Among them, relatively famous are the American SCP LonTalk communication standard, the Japanese ECHONET communication standard, and the European KNX communication standard. In order to control various AI home appliances through the network using handy devices, AI home appliances and handy devices on any network are linked to each other. There are already several different network communication protocol standards, of which the relatively famous are Microsoft's UPnP network communication protocol standard and Sun Microsystem's Jini network communication protocol standard.

  Therefore, if you want to link all AI home appliances in any home network through one network protocol standard, you must first unify the home network communication protocol with high regionality, and more importantly, This is how to unify the home network communication protocol and the network protocol standards of the above-mentioned handy devices.

  At present, the ECHONET communication protocol used in Japan will be the most popular local home network communication protocol standard. The main ones control home appliances by telephone lines, power lines, infrared rays or low-efficiency radio. If an AI home appliance is linked to a control terminal on the Internet, centralized control can be performed on the AI home appliance on the network through the control terminal. As for handheld device network protocol standards, Microsoft's UPnP network communication protocol standard currently has the most potential, and the main one belongs to the network structure that is disclosed and distributed over TCP / IP. Enough links can be established between devices.

Unfortunately, however, ECHONET and UPnP networks are currently incompatible, so there is no possibility of further development between handy devices and home appliances.
Therefore, it is necessary to build a good bridge structure between the ECHONET network and the UPnP network, how the ECHONET device is recognized by the UPnP network, how the UPnP control device is controlled, and how This is an important research theme, including whether to immediately feedback the UPnP control device and synchronize information when the ECHONET device is changed.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a home network (ECHONET) and universal plug and play network (UPnP) bridge device and its operation method.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the bridge device of the present invention is mainly composed of the following three layers, each including the following.
(1) ECHONET layer including ECHONET object collection unit and ECHONET / UPnP gateway unit.
(2) Bridge core layer including bridge database, UPnP description file creation unit, and UPnP event packet switch unit.
(3) UPnP layer including UPnP proxy server unit, UPnP event transfer unit, UPnP command transfer unit.

The main operation method is composed of three different operation flows as follows.
(1) Recognition method, first execute the ECHONET device connection detection process.
Collect and save ECHONET device description objects when an ECHONET device is newly connected. The description object is converted to correspond to the UPnP description file, and finally a substitute UPnP device corresponding to the ECHONET device is formed based on each description file so that the UPnP control device can recognize the substitute UPnP device.

  (2) Change method: First, receive an ECHONET device change event, and collect and store the change event. The change event is converted into a corresponding UPnP event packet, and the event packet is transferred to the corresponding UPnP control device so that the UPnP control device can be synchronized.

  (3) Control method: First, a control command of a UPnP control device is received, description objects are compared with the control command, a corresponding ECHONET device is found, and the control command is transferred to the corresponding ECHONET device. Control commands executed by ECHONET devices are controlled by UPnP control devices.

  The bridge device of the present invention realizes the mutual link between the ECHONET network and the UPnP network, makes the ECHONET device recognized by the UPnP network, and can be controlled by the UPnP control device, and immediately when the ECHONET device is changed It can be fed back to UPnP control devices to synchronize information.

  With regard to the features and performance of the present invention, the best implementation method will be described below with reference to the drawings. (In order to further deepen the understanding of the object, structure, features, and effects of the present invention, a detailed description will be given here together with examples.)

The present invention provides a bridge device 100 that couples ECHONET 10 and UPnP 20, and various operation methods of the bridge device 100.
In particular, the ECHONET device 11 and the UPnP control device 22 are linked so that the ECHONET device is recognized on the UPnP network and can be controlled by the UPnP control device 22. Further, when the ECHONET device 11 is changed, the information can be immediately fed back to the UPnP device to update the information synchronously.

The operational structure of all bridge devices 100 is shown in FIG. Details are as follows.
(1) The ECHONET layer 110 includes an ECHONET object collection unit 111 and an ECHONET / UPnP switch interface unit 112.
Among them, the ECHONET object collection unit 111 mainly executes the ECHONET device 11 connection detection program (executes periodically), searches for the newly connected ECHONET device 11 on ECHONET 10, and describes the description objects in the ECHONET device 11 after detection. Start collecting. The so-called description object refers to a binary (binary) format device object or service object. This device object (Device Object) and service object (Service Object) are based on "ECHONET". For example, if a refrigerator or air conditioner is "Device Object", this Device Object (Device Object) has "ServiceObject" The service object provides the temperature, operation method, and the like.

Further, when a change occurs in a certain ECHONET device 11 (usually a change in device attribute), this ECHONET object collection unit 111 collects a change event created by the ECHONET device 11. When a control command issued by the ECHONET / UPnP gateway unit 112 is received, the control command is transferred to the corresponding ECHONET device 11.
For the ECHONET / UPnP gateway unit 112, the description object and change event data transferred by the ECHONET object collection unit 111 are converted and stored in the bridge database 121 for a while.
When receiving the control command of the bridge database 121, the control command is converted and transferred to the ECHONET object collection unit 111.

(2) The bridge core layer 120 includes a bridge database 121, a UPnP description file creation unit 122, and a UPnP event packet switch unit 123.
Among them, the bridge database 121 stores the above described description object and change event for a while, and can make any description object and change event correspond to only one ECHONET device 11.
When the UPnP control device 22 issues a control command, the bridge database 121 receives the control command from the UPnP command transfer unit 133, so that the control command finds the target of the corresponding ECHONET device 11 to be executed. The description objects are compared based on the contents of the control command.

On the other hand, the UPnP description file generating unit 122 reads the description object stored in the bridge database 121 and converts it into a description file suitable for use in UPnP20. Normally, this type of description file is in the markup language (XML) format, so it is possible to create a property file corresponding to the device object and a server property file corresponding to the server object.
The UPnP event packet switch unit 123 converts the change event created by the ECHONET device 11 stored in the bridge database 121 into an event packet suitable for use of UPnP20.

(3) The UPnP layer 130 includes a UPnP proxy server unit 131, a UPnP event transfer unit 132, and a UPnP command transfer unit 133.
Among them, the UPnP proxy server unit 131 generates the substitute UPnP device 21 corresponding to the ECHONET device 11 on the UPnP 20 based on the description object created by the UPnP description file creation unit 122. The so-called proxy UPnP device 21 is a simulation device on the UPnP 20 and is used for recognition of the UPnP control device 22.
After the generation of the proxy UPnP device 21, this UPnP proxy server unit 131 sends information related to the proxy UPnP device 21 to the UPnP 20 by the periodic transmission method, and the UPnP control device 22 that is newly connected to the UPnP 20 is always the proxy UPnP device. Be able to grasp 21 states. If the UPnP control device 22 needs to store / acquire the description object of the proxy UPnP device 21, it can be stored / acquired through the UPnP proxy server unit 131. (Generally, the save / retrieve interface that conforms to the HTTP standard in UPnP proxy server unit 131 saves and retrieves the description object file.)

Further, the UPnP event transfer unit 132 sends the event packet converted by the UPnP event packet switch unit 123 to the corresponding UPnP control device 22, and performs information synchronization on the ECHONET device 11. Generally speaking, when the UPnP control device 22 acquires such an event packet, it must first acquire it through a periodic acquisition (subscribe) method. Therefore, when there is an event packet that needs to be transferred, the UPnP event transfer unit 132 determines to which UPnP control device 22 the event packet is transferred according to the status of periodic acquisition.

  The UPnP command transfer unit 133 is used when the UPnP control device 22 needs to control a specific substitute UPnP device 21 on the UPnP 20 (that is, similar to the specific ECHONET device 11 in ECHONET 10). Sends a control command through the UPnP command transfer unit 133, and the bridge database 121 compares and searches the processing program of the corresponding ECHONET device 11, and controls it through the ECHONET / UPnP gateway unit 112 and the ECHONET object collection unit 111. Transfer the command to the corresponding ECHONET device 11, and execute the corresponding program based on the control command.

2, 3 and 4 are flowcharts when the bridge device 100 of the present invention performs recognition, change and control, respectively. the detail is right below.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing how the ECHONET device 11 of the ECHONET 10 newly connected to the UPnP control device 22 on the UPnP 20 is recognized.

First, the connection detection program for the ECHONET device 11 is executed (step 200). When the connection of the new ECHONET device 11 is detected (step 210), the description objects possessed by the ECHONET device 11 are voluntarily collected and stored (step 220). If there is no ECHONET device 11 newly connected executes (step 210), subsequently step 200. After saving the description object, the description object is converted into a corresponding UPnP description file (step 230). Finally, the proxy UPnP device 21 corresponding to the ECHONET device 11 is generated again based on each description file (step 240), so that the UPnP control device 22 can recognize the proxy UPnP device 21.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing how the UPnP control device 22 can grasp and synchronize data when the attribute of the ECHONET device 11 is changed. First, a change event issued by the ECHONET device 11 is received (step 300), and thereafter, the change event is collected and stored in the same manner (step 310). Subsequently, the change event is converted into an event packet that can be transmitted on the corresponding UPnP 20 (step 320). Finally, the event packet is transmitted to the corresponding UPnP control device 22 (step 330), so that the UPnP control device 22 can synchronize with the information of the ECHONET device 11 that was previously grasped.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing how the UPnP control device 22 in the UPnP 20 controls the ECHONET device 11 of the ECHONET 10 through a control command. First, the control command generated from the UPnP control device 22 is received (step 400), the already stored description object is compared using the control command, and the corresponding ECHONET device 11 that actually needs to execute the control command is searched. (Step 410). When the UPnP control device 22 detects the ECHONET device 11 that needs to be controlled, it sends a control command to the corresponding ECHONET device 11 (step 420), and finally the ECHONET device 11 executes the control command (step 430). The purpose of causing the device 11 to be controlled by the UPnP control device 22 is achieved.

  Although the proper implementation method of the present invention is as described above, the present invention is not limitedly used, and any savvy engineer is within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Allow. That is, the patent protection scope of the present invention is based on the scope of the patent application attached to this manual.

It is a sketch of the operation structure of the bridge device of the present invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the recognition method of the bridge device of this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the change method of the bridge device of this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the control method of the bridge device of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 ECHONET
11 ECHONET devices
20 UPnP
21 Proxy UPnP devices
22 UPnP control device
100 bridge devices
110 ECHONET layer
111 ECHONET Object Collection Unit
112 ECHONET / UPnP gateway unit
120 Bridge core layer
121 Bridge database
122 UPnP description file creation unit
123 UPnP event packet switch unit
130 UPnP layer
131 UPnP proxy server unit
132 UPnP event forwarding unit
133 UPnP command transfer unit

Claims (10)

The ECHONET device is linked to the UPnP control device, and in particular, the ECHONET device is recognized by the UPnP control device, and when it is changed, it is immediately fed back and synchronized with the UPnP control device. In plug and play network (UPnP) bridge devices,
A UPnP command transfer unit that receives control commands issued by UPnP control devices;
Execute the ECHONET device connection detection program to detect newly connected ECHONET devices on ECHONET. If one is detected, collect one or more description objects of the ECHONET device. If the ECHONET device is changed, the change that occurred ECHONET object collection unit that collects events and receives the control commands and transfers the control commands to the corresponding ECHONET device,
A bridge database that stores each description object and change event of an ECHONET device , compares each description object based on the control command, and searches for the corresponding ECHONET device;
The ECHONET / UPnP gateway unit that forwards and stores each description object and change event collected by the ECHONET object collection unit to the bridge database, receives control commands corresponding to ECHONET devices, and forwards them to the ECHONET object collection unit When,
A UPnP description file creation unit for converting each description object of the ECHONET device into a description file corresponding to UPnP;
Based on each description file, a UPnP proxy server unit that generates a surrogate UPnP device corresponding to an ECHONET device on UPnP;
A UPnP event packet switch unit that converts ECHONET device change events into UPnP-compliant event packets;
A UPnP event transfer unit that transfers the event packet to a corresponding UPnP control device,
The UPnP proxy server unit sends the information of the proxy UPnP device to UPnP by periodic transmission after the generation of the proxy UPnP device, and makes the UPnP control device connected to UPnP know the status of the proxy UPnP device,
The UPnP event transfer unit determines which UPnP control device to transfer the event packet to the UPnP control device according to the status of periodic acquisition in the UPnP control device, and sends the event packet to the UPnP control device. , A home network (ECHONET) and Universal Plug and Play network (UPnP) bridge device that synchronizes information about ECHONET devices.   2. The bridge device for home network (ECHONET) and universal plug and play network (UPnP) according to claim 1, wherein the description object is a device object in binary format (binary) format. .   2. The bridge device for home network (ECHONET) and universal plug and play network (UPnP) according to claim 1, wherein the description object is a binary (binary) format service object. .   The bridge device of the home network (ECHONET) and the universal plug and play network (UPnP) according to claim 1, wherein the description file is a device property file in a markup language (XML) format.   The bridge device of the home network (ECHONET) and the universal plug and play network (UPnP) according to claim 1, wherein the description file is a server property file in a markup language (XML) format. In the operation method of home network (ECHONET) and universal plug and play network (UPnP) bridge devices that allow ECHONET devices to cross-link with UPnP devices, especially ECHONET devices can be recognized by UPnP control devices.
A step of executing an ECHONET device connection detection program;
When you discover a new connection for an ECHONET device, collect and save one or more description objects for the ECHONET device;
Converting the description object into a description file corresponding to UPnP;
Generating a proxy UPnP device corresponding to the ECHONET device based on each description file;
Proxy UPnP device information transmission step for transmitting information of proxy UPnP devices to UPnP through a periodic transmission method;
A step of receiving an ECHONET device change event;
Collecting and storing the change event;
Converting the change event into an event packet corresponding to UPnP;
An event packet transfer step of transferring the event packet to a corresponding UPnP control device;
Receiving a control command of the UPnP control device;
Comparing one or more description objects with the control command and detecting a corresponding ECHONET device;
Transferring the control command to a corresponding ECHONET device,
The event packet transfer step, determining whether the proxy by the situation of the periodic acquisition of the UPnP control device to grasp the status of the proxy UPnP devices periodically send to definitive the UPnP device information transmitting step, and transfers the event packet in which the UPnP control device And a method of operating a bridge device between a home network (ECHONET) and a universal plug and play network (UPnP) that sends event packets to the UPnP control device .   7. The bridge device operation of the home network (ECHONET) and universal plug and play network (UPnP) according to claim 6, wherein the description object is a device object in binary format (binary) format. Method.   7. The bridge device operation of the home network (ECHONET) and the universal plug and play network (UPnP) according to claim 6, wherein the description object is a service object in binary (binary) format. Method.   7. The bridge device operation method for home network (ECHONET) and universal plug and play network (UPnP) according to claim 6, wherein the description file is a device property file in a markup language (XML) format.   7. The home network (ECHONET) and universal plug and play network (UPnP) bridge device operation method according to claim 6, wherein the description file is a server property file in a markup language (XML) format.