JP4970856B2 - Information transmission system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information transmission system for reading user identification information recorded on a recording medium, transmitting the identification information to a home server, and controlling various devices according to the identification information by the home server.

  Conventionally, an information transmission system is known in which user identification information recorded on a recording medium is read out by a ticket gate device in a station or a device such as a school or a hospital, and home electric appliances are controlled based on the identification information. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). This information transmission system is composed of a ticket gate device of a station and a device such as a school or a hospital (hereinafter abbreviated as a ticket gate device, etc.) arranged in various places, and a gate system that generates user behavior information by these ticket gate devices. A command execution system that receives the behavior information transmitted from the gate system and extracts and executes a command for the home appliance according to the behavior information, a home server provided in the home, and the home server Home appliances to be controlled. In the instruction execution system, user identification information, action conditions, instructions for home appliances, and the like are registered in advance by the user, and the system stores these.

  The operation of the information transmission system having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. First, the gate system reads identification information from a recording medium such as an IC card that can be used as a commuter pass, student notebook, or examination ticket when the ticket gate passes. At this time, the gate system measures the time when the identification information is read (S201). After measuring the time, the gate system generates action information including the identification information, the time information indicating the time, and the position information indicating the arrangement position of the own system, and transmits the action information to the command execution system (S202). The command execution system receives behavior information from the gate system (S203). The command execution system that has received the behavior information searches for a behavior condition that satisfies the behavior information, and extracts a command corresponding to this behavior condition from the commands stored in the own system (S204). After the instruction is extracted, the instruction execution system creates control information for moving the extracted instruction to execution (S205). This control information is transmitted from the command execution system to the home server at home via a network such as the Internet (S206). The home server at home receives the control information (S207), and controls various devices based on the received control information (S208).

  As described above, as a system for controlling a device with the passage of a user's ticket gate as a trigger, when a user who has a mobile phone equipped with an IC chip passes through the ticket gate, the IC chip may In response to this, an information providing system is known in which an application of a mobile phone is started and the mobile phone receives information from a host computer connected to the Internet network by this application (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  Unlike the above information transmission system constructed across different locations, it is constructed in the office, but as a system that controls various devices based on the identification information read from the recording medium, The card readers arranged at each of the plurality of gates in the area read the card owner's unique information from the IC card as the recording medium, and the system management server and the power control device read the installation information of the card reader and A card system that identifies the current location of the cardholder based on the unique information is known (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In this card system, the system management server and the power supply control device perform automatic control of resources existing in the management target area according to the location of the specified cardholder.

Moreover, it is constructed in one facility similarly to the above card system, and as shown in FIG. 5, a locking system 101 for recognizing the user's access to the facility and an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) possessed by the user. When the RFID reader 102 that recognizes the presence of the user based on the tag and the user entry / exit information from the locking system 101 are received, the presence of the user in the building is confirmed by the RFID reader 102, and based on the presence status of the user There is known an in-facility equipment automatic control system including a management equipment 104 that controls equipment 103 such as an air conditioner 103a and lighting 103b (see, for example, Patent Document 4).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-281056 JP-A-2005-242686 JP 2000-011045 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-320828

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the instruction execution system stores user identification information, action conditions, instructions for home appliances, and the like, it takes time to change the instructions and the like by the user. Furthermore, since control information of home appliances is sent to a home server at home via a network, there may be security problems such as leakage of personal information and wiretapping of the information. In addition, with the technique described in Patent Document 2, home appliances cannot be controlled as the automatic ticket gate enters and exits. In addition, with the technique described in Patent Document 3 or Patent Document 4, it is possible to control equipment in the office, but it is difficult to control the equipment remotely.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and is an information transmission system capable of remotely controlling home appliances. In particular, the control information of home appliances can be easily changed, and security can be improved. It is an object to provide an information transmission system capable of improving the performance.

In order to achieve the above object, the information transmission system of the present invention includes a commuter pass that stores identification information that can identify a user, a ticket gate that reads the identification information stored in the commuter pass, and a ticket reader that reads the identification information. An interface that mediates transmission of the issued identification information, a host computer that receives the identification information transmitted from the interface and selects a transmission destination of the registered information, and is selected as a transmission destination by the host computer A home server that receives the identification information transmitted from the computer and controls home appliances based on the information, wherein the host computer reads the identification information transmitting the position information of the ticket gate, and a time information indicating the time when the identification information is read out to the home server The home server includes a storage table for storing a control table in which the identification information, the location information, and the time information are associated with control information of home appliances, and is transmitted by the transmission unit of the host computer. Control information for reading out the home appliance control information associated with the received identification information, the location information and the time information with reference to the control table, and controlling the home appliance based on the control information. In the control table, a plurality of time zones are divided and set for each user as time information.

According to the present invention , the identification information read by the ticket gate is transmitted to the home server via the interface and the host computer, so that the home appliance can be remotely controlled based on the identification information. In addition, since home appliance control information corresponding to the identification information, position information, and time information is stored by the home server that controls the home appliance, the control information can be easily changed, and the control information is transferred to the network. Therefore, there is no need to send / receive data to / from other devices, so that the risk of leakage of personal information or eavesdropping is reduced, and security can be improved.

Hereinafter, an information transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the information transmission system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the information transmission system 1 includes a commuter pass (not shown) that stores ID information (identification information) that can identify a user, a ticket gate 2 that reads ID information from the commuter pass, The host computer 3 that receives the ID information transmitted from the machine 2 and selects a transmission destination for transmitting various information in addition to the ID information, and the various information including the ID information transmitted from the host computer 3 are transmitted to the Internet 4. And a home server 5 that receives the data via the home server 5. The ticket gate 2 is provided in the station premises, and the host computer 3 is provided in the station premises or peripheral facilities. On the other hand, the home server 5 is provided in a building such as the home 80, and based on the received various information, the lighting device 6a, the security sensor 6b, the air conditioner 6c, and the cable television broadcast tuner provided in the same building. The operation of home appliances such as the home terminal 6d is controlled. Hereinafter, the lighting fixture 6a, the security sensor 6b, the air conditioner 6c, and the home terminal 6d are collectively referred to as a home appliance 6.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the ticket gate 2, the host computer 3, and the home server 5. Ticket gate 2, the commutation ticket 7 ID information of the user is recorded as the reading unit 2 1 reads the ID information, a timer 22 for measuring a time read the ID information, read by the reading section 21 A control unit 23 that designates a transmission destination of ID information and an interface 24 that mediates transmission of ID information based on a command from the control unit 23 are provided. The commuter pass 7 includes a magnetic commuter pass and an IC commuter pass composed of an IC card including an IC chip. The commuter pass 7 does not need to be a multi-function / high-functionality provided with, for example, a credit function, and may be anything that can simply identify the user's attribute.

  The reading unit 21 includes a magnetic head for reading the user ID information from the magnetic commuter pass and a wireless reading circuit having a wireless communication function for reading the ID information from the IC commuter pass without contact. The reading unit 21 reads the user ID information from the commuter pass 7 which is a magnetic commuter pass or an IC commuter pass by a magnetic head and a wireless reading circuit, and sends the read ID information to the control unit 23.

  The control unit 23 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as a microcomputer) that constitutes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The microcomputer of the control unit 23 receives the ID information sent from the reading unit 21 and measures the time when the ID information is received by the timer 22. The time when the control unit 23 receives the ID information in this way is regarded as the time when the reading unit 21 reads the ID information from the commuter pass 7.

  Further, the microcomputer of the control unit 23 adds the device information of the own device 2 assigned to identify each ticket gate 2 to the ID information read from the commuter pass 7. In addition, the microcomputer transmits the user ID information, the time information indicating the time when the ID information is read, and the device information of the own device 2 to the host computer 3. A signal including these pieces of information and a transmission instruction for these pieces of information to a designated transmission destination is transmitted. Note that the control unit 23 may instruct the interface 24 to transmit information indicating whether the ticket gate 2 is provided at the station entrance or the station exit, in addition to the various information. This information is, for example, a determination material for determining whether a user has exited from a station nearest to home 80.

  The interface 24 is configured by a communication circuit for performing wireless communication or wired communication of data with the host computer 3. In the case of wired communication, the interface 24 and the host computer 3 are electrically connected by a LAN (Local Area Network) cable, a power line, or another communication line. The interface 24 receives the ID information, time information and device information of the own device 2 sent from the control unit 23 and a transmission instruction for these information. The interface 24 having received the transmission instruction from the control unit 23 sends the user computer ID information, the time information indicating the read time of the ID information, and the device information of the own device 2 to the host computer 3 designated as the transmission destination in the instruction. Send.

  The host computer 3 is a control device that performs various controls of the ticket gate 2, and this control device indicates the user ID information transmitted from the interface 24 of the ticket gate 2 and the time when the ID information was read out. A receiving unit 31 that receives the time information shown and the device information of the ticket gate 2 from which the ID information has been read, and a memory 32 that stores the device information and the position information of the ticket gate 2 in association with each other. Further, the host computer 3 obtains the position information of the ticket gate 2 from which the ID information has been read out from the memory 32, and based on the instruction from the control section 33, the host computer 3 receives the ID information, time information and position information as home information. A transmission unit 34 that transmits to the server 5.

  The receiving unit 31 includes a communication circuit for performing wireless communication or wired communication of data with the ticket checker 2. The receiving unit 31 receives the user ID information, the time information, and the device information of the ticket gate 2 transmitted from the interface 24 of the ticket gate 2 through the communication circuit, and sends a signal including these information to the control unit 33. To send.

  The memory 32 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM). An operation program for the host computer 3 is stored in the ROM, and data at the time of data processing is temporarily stored in the RAM. In the EEPROM, device information of the ticket gate 2 and position information indicating the installation location of the device 2 are registered in association with each other. Further, the ID information of the user of the information transmission system 1 and the transmission destination information indicating the transmission destination of the ID information are registered in the EEPROM in association with each other. This transmission destination information is, for example, an IP address assigned to the home server 5. The registration and association of the information is performed in advance by a user or an administrator of the information transmission system 1 operating an operation unit including a keyboard (not shown).

  The control unit 33 includes a microcomputer that constitutes a CPU. The microcomputer loads an operation program stored in the memory 32 and operates according to the operation program. Further, the control unit 33 receives the user ID information, the time information indicating the reading time of the ID information, and the identification information of the ticket gate 2 sent from the receiving unit 31. The control unit 33 that has received these pieces of information refers to the memory 32 in accordance with the operation program, and based on the signal from the reception unit 31, from among a plurality of pieces of transmission destination information respectively associated with the plurality of pieces of ID information, The destination information associated with the ID information read out by the ticket checker 2 is selected, and the information is acquired. Similarly, the control unit 33 refers to the memory 32 and acquires the position information of the machine 2 associated with the device information of the ticket gate machine 2 from which the ID information is read. After acquiring these pieces of information, the control unit 33 designates a transmission destination of the various information based on the transmission destination information, and sends an instruction signal instructing transmission of the various information to the home server 5 designated as the transmission destination. It outputs to the transmission part 34 (transmission means).

  The transmission unit 34 is composed of a communication circuit for performing data communication with the home server 5 and the Internet 4. By this communication circuit, according to an instruction signal from the control unit 33, user ID information, a ticket gate The time information indicating the time when the ID information is read by the machine 2 and the position information of the ticket gate 2 from which the ID information is read are transmitted to the home server 5 (transmission means). These pieces of information are transmitted via the Internet 4 by a predetermined electric signal including the information or by e-mail. Thus, the control unit 33 and the transmission unit 34 of the host computer 3 have a function of distributing and transmitting ID information to the home server 5 to be delivered.

  The home server 5 stores ID information that can identify the user, time information that indicates the reading time of the ID information, and control information that indicates the control content of the home appliance 6 associated with the position information of the ticket gate 2 that reads the ID information. A memory 51 (storage means) that controls the control information stored in the memory 51, and an operation unit 52 that is operated by a user to change the control information. Furthermore, the home server 5 receives the control information of the home appliance 6 corresponding to the reception unit 53 that receives the ID information, the time information, and the position information transmitted from the host computer 3 and the reception unit 53 receives. It has the control part 54 (control means) read from the memory 51, and the transmission part 55 which transmits a control signal to the various household appliances 6 based on the instruction | indication from this control part 54. FIG. The home server having the above configuration is, for example, a personal computer installed in a user's home.

  The memory 51 is composed of ROM, RAM, and EEPROM. The ROM stores an operation program for the home server 5, and data at the time of data processing is temporarily stored in the RAM. The EEPROM stores a control table in which the ID information, time information, position information of the ticket gate 2 and control information of the home appliance 6 are associated with each other. In this control table, for example, a plurality of IDs assigned to individual residents living at home 80 are registered as ID information, and a plurality of time zones are divided for each individual resident as time information. As the position information, information indicating the station frequently used for commuting or attending school or the position of the nearest station is registered. The control information includes various control contents such as lighting / extinguishing of the lighting fixture 6a, setting / canceling of the security mode of the security sensor 6b, power ON / OFF of the air conditioner 6c, and locking / unlocking of a key (not shown). Is set. Further, as this control information, information indicating whether or not to execute the above various control contents immediately after receiving a signal from the host computer 3, and a standby time when the control is not immediately performed after receiving the signal. The information shown is registered according to the control content. This standby time is set in order to control the various home electric appliances 6 at an optimal timing.

  The operation unit 52 includes a keyboard, for example, and sends an operation signal to the control unit 54 based on a key pressing operation by the user. By operating the operation unit 52, the user can delete, add, and change the contents of the control table stored in the memory 51, for example.

  The receiving unit 53 includes a communication circuit for performing data communication with the host computer 3 via the Internet 4. The receiving unit 53 uses this communication circuit to transmit the user ID information transmitted from the transmission unit 34 of the host computer 3, the time information when the ID information is read, and the position information indicating the position of the ticket gate 2. A predetermined electric signal or e-mail including the above information is received, and a signal including these pieces of information is sent to the control unit 54.

  The control unit 54 includes a microcomputer that constitutes a CPU. The microcomputer loads an operation program stored in the memory 51 and operates according to the operation program. Further, the microcomputer writes data into the memory 51 or erases data stored in the memory 51 based on an operation signal from the operation unit 52. By writing or erasing this data, the contents of the control table are deleted, added or changed. Further, the microcomputer reads the contents of the control table with reference to the control table stored in the memory 51 based on the signal sent from the receiving unit 53, and the user ID information included in the signal, The time information indicating the time when the ID information is read and the control information of the home appliance 6 associated with the position information of the ticket gate 2 that has read the ID information are selected. This control information includes information about the home electric appliance 6 to be controlled and the operation content of the electric home appliance 6. Since the control unit 54 controls the home appliance 6 based on the selected control information, an instruction signal for instructing the control is transmitted from the control unit 54 to the transmission unit 55.

  As described above, the memory 51 of the home server 5 stores the control table indicating the control contents of the home appliance 6, and the control unit 54 controls the home appliance 6 based on this control table. 80, the control information can be easily changed, and since it is not necessary to transmit / receive the control information to / from other devices via a network such as the Internet, there is a risk of leakage of personal information or wiretapping. Can be improved and security can be improved.

  Transmitter 55 is configured by a communication circuit for performing data communication with home appliance 6, and this data communication is performed via a power line or a LAN cable wired in home 80. Based on the instruction signal from the control unit 54, the transmission unit 55 transmits a control signal instructing the operation content to the home electric appliance 6 to be controlled.

  FIG. 3 shows the control operation of the home appliance 6 by the information transmission system 1 in time series. First, it is assumed that the user passes the ticket gate of the nearest station from the home 80 on the way home from the office or school, for example. At this time, the reading unit 21 of the ticket gate 2 installed at the ticket gate reads the user ID information from the user commuter pass 7. Further, the control unit 23 of the ticket gate 2 measures the ID information read time by the timer 22 and acquires time information indicating the time. Further, the control unit 23 adds device information assigned to the own device 2 in order to identify each ticket gate 2 to the ID information and time information (S101). Based on the signal from the control unit 23, the interface 24 of the ticket gate 2 transmits the ID information, time information, and device information to the host computer 3 designated as the transmission destination by the control unit 23 (S102). Thus, the passage of the user's ticket gate is a trigger for the control operation of the home appliance 6.

  The receiving unit 31 of the host computer 3 receives the ID information, time information, and device information transmitted from the ticket gate 2 (S103). Based on the device information received by the receiving unit 31, the control unit 33 refers to the memory 32 and acquires position information indicating the position of the transmission source that transmitted the device information (S104). Further, the control unit 33 refers to the memory 32 based on the ID information received by the receiving unit 31, and selects a transmission destination of the ID information (S105). Based on the instruction signal from the control unit 33, the transmission unit 34 transmits the ID information, time information, and position information to the home server 5 that is the selected transmission destination (S106). Transmission of these information is performed via the Internet 4.

  The receiving unit 53 of the home server 5 receives the ID information, time information, and position information transmitted from the host computer 3 (S107). The control unit 54 refers to the control table stored in the memory 51, and selects control information associated with these pieces of information (S108). Furthermore, the control part 54 controls the household appliances 6 based on the selected control information (S109).

  As described above, since the identification information read by the reading unit 21 of the ticket gate 2 is transmitted to the home server 5 via the interface 24 and the host computer 3, remote control of home appliances based on the identification information Is possible. Moreover, since the control information indicating the control content of the home appliance 6 is not transmitted outside the home 80, the occurrence of eavesdropping or the like of personal information can be prevented.

  Below, an example of the control content of the household appliances 6 is demonstrated. For example, when the user passes the ticket gate of the nearest station from home 80 at the scheduled return time, the home server 5 uses the human sensor attached to the lighting device 6a based on the information from the ticket gate 2. It is determined whether or not there is a person in the home 80 (not shown). If there is no person in the home 80, the lighting fixture 6a is immediately turned on, and the air conditioner 6c is turned on. Further, after the standby time set in consideration of the required time from the station to the house 80 has elapsed, the security mode of the security sensor 6b is canceled. For this reason, the user can go home to a comfortable home 80 where the lighting fixture 6a is lit and the air conditioner 6c is operating. Furthermore, since the security sensor 6b is in the security mode until just before returning home, the security can be improved. On the other hand, when there is a person in the home 80, the home server 5 notifies the user of the return home by sending an e-mail to the own server 5 or displaying characters on the TV screen using the home terminal 6d. At the same time, the power of the air conditioner 6c provided in the user's room on the way home is turned on. Therefore, the person at home 80 can know the user's return home.

  Further, when the user passes the ticket gate of the nearest station from the home 80 at the scheduled work time instead of the scheduled time to go home, the home server 5 uses the information from the ticket gate 2 to check the lighting fixture 6a. Turn off the light, set the security mode of the security sensor 6b, turn off the power of the air conditioner 6c, lock the key, and the like.

  Next, a modification of the above configuration of the information transmission system 1 will be described. Although not shown, the information transmission system according to this modification reads ID information instead of a ticket gate as a device that reads user ID information as compared with the configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. Use a functioning lighting column. The illumination column includes a reading unit that reads ID information of a passing user from a recording medium such as a commuter pass, and a timer for measuring the time when the ID information is read. The illumination column is a control unit that transmits time information indicating the time measured by the timer, ID information read by the reading unit, and position information indicating the position of the own column to the host computer through an interface. Have The reading unit is attached to each of the two lighting columns, and the control unit determines whether the user is away from or close to the home based on the order in which the reading unit reads the ID information. May be sent to the home server via the host computer. With this configuration, the home server can grasp whether the user is on the way to work or on the way home. For this reason, the home server can prevent malfunction caused by erroneous determination of whether or not the user is approaching the home, and more accurate control of the home appliance according to the situation of the user is possible. .

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment as described above, and various modifications can be made according to the purpose of use. For example, the recording medium is not limited to the commuter pass 7, but may be an IC card or a mobile phone. The reading unit that reads the user ID information from the recording medium is not limited to the ticket gate 2 and may be provided in a cash register or a utility pole. Further, the transmission destination information stored in the memory 32 of the host computer 3 is not limited to the IP address assigned to the home server 5, but may be a mail address.

The block diagram of the information transmission system which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of a ticket gate, a host computer, and a home server which comprise the said information transmission system. The flowchart which shows the household appliance control operation in the said information transmission system. The block diagram of the conventional information transmission system. The block diagram of the conventional automatic control system of the equipment in a facility.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information transmission system 2 Ticket gate 21 reading part 22 Timer 23 Control part 24 Interface 3 Host computer 31 Reception part 32 Memory 33 Control part 34 Transmission part (transmission means)
5 Home server 51 Memory (storage means)
52 Operation Unit 53 Reception Unit 54 Control Unit (Control Unit)
55 Transmitter 6 Home appliance 7 commuter pass

Claims (1)

A commuter pass that stores identification information that can identify a user, a ticket gate that reads the identification information stored in the commuter pass, an interface that mediates transmission of the identification information read by the ticket gate, and the interface Receiving the identification information transmitted from the host computer, selecting a transmission destination of the information registered in advance, and receiving the identification information selected as the transmission destination by the host computer and transmitted from the computer, A home server that controls home appliances based on information, and an information transmission system comprising:
The host computer comprises transmission means for transmitting the position information of the ticket gate from which the identification information has been read and time information indicating the time at which the identification information was read to the home server;
The home server is
Storage means for storing a control table in which the identification information, the position information, and the time information are associated with control information of a home appliance;
The control information of the home appliance associated with the identification information, the position information and the time information transmitted and received by the transmission means of the host computer is read with reference to the control table, and the home appliance is selected based on the control information. Control means for controlling,
In the control table, as the time information, a plurality of time zones are divided and set for each user.

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