JP6573565B2 - Device control apparatus, consideration calculation method, and device control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a device control apparatus, a value calculation method, and a device control system for controlling a device from a communication terminal.

  Conventionally, a method of controlling an electronic device from a communication terminal such as a smartphone via a network is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a system that can control an electronic device using the application program by downloading an application program for controlling the electronic device to a portable terminal.

JP2015-056779A

  Conventionally, in order to control an electronic device, application software dedicated to the electronic device to be controlled must be installed in the communication terminal. For example, when the user wants to control the lighting device manufactured by company A from outside the house, the user uses the communication terminal installed with application software for the lighting device manufactured by company A provided by company A. Had to control the lighting equipment made.

  As described above, when it is necessary to install application software dedicated to an electronic device to be controlled on a communication terminal, when the user purchases a new electronic device to be controlled, new application software dedicated to the electronic device is installed. I had to reinstall it. Therefore, common application software for controlling multiple types of electronic devices is installed in the communication terminal, and information for controlling the electronic devices output by the communication terminal that has executed the common application software is stored for each type of electronic device. It is conceivable to provide a service for converting to different information.

  In order to provide such a service, it is necessary to build a system that converts various control information output by the common application software into dedicated control information for controlling each electronic device. There is a need to. In general, the charge for services related to data communication is often a charge determined according to the amount of data to be transmitted. However, when the fee is determined in this way, the fee varies depending on the length of the control information, and there is a problem that the fee system does not match the added value provided.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to be able to determine an appropriate fee when it is possible to control various devices using a single application software. .

  In the first aspect of the present invention, a device control apparatus connected to a communication terminal and a plurality of devices via a network, the number of controllable devices that can be controlled by the communication terminal among the plurality of devices, A storage unit that stores the identification information of the communication terminal in association with the identification information for identifying a control target device selected from the controllable devices from the communication terminal, and controls a device corresponding to the identification information; The first control information is acquired in an acquisition unit that acquires first control information for performing, a device specifying unit that specifies the control target device based on the specifying information, and the control target device specified by the device specifying unit. The storage unit stores a generation unit that generates second control information different from the first control information for executing the control content to be shown. And consideration output unit for outputting consideration of an amount corresponding to the number of serial controllable device, provides a device controller having a.

  The acquisition unit further acquires, for example, a registration request that requests registration of the controllable device, and the consideration output unit outputs the consideration in response to the acquisition unit acquiring the registration request. .

  The storage unit further stores a type of the controllable device and a device-specific consideration associated with the controllable device type, and the consideration output unit associates the identification information of the user of the communication terminal with the identification information. The consideration may be determined by adding the device-specific considerations of the controllable devices stored in the storage unit.

  The price output unit may output a predetermined basic price as the price until the number of the controllable devices associated with the identification information of the communication terminal reaches a predetermined upper limit number.

  The price output unit adds the basic price determined based on the number of controllable devices and the added price determined based on the number of times the communication terminal has controlled the device to be controlled, Consideration may be determined.

  The consideration output unit may determine the addition consideration based on the number of times the acquisition unit has acquired the first control information. Further, the consideration output unit may determine the addition consideration based on the number of times the generation unit generates the second control information.

  Further, the consideration output unit may output the consideration in association with application software executed by the communication terminal to control the device to be controlled. The price output unit may output the price in association with a user of the communication terminal.

  The apparatus may further include a transmission unit that transmits the second control information to a device server that controls the device to be controlled, and the consideration output unit may output the consideration in association with the device server.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for calculating a consideration for a service in which a computer controls a device selected from a plurality of devices by a communication terminal, wherein the communication terminal can control the communication terminal. A step of acquiring first control information for controlling a device corresponding to the specific information, including specific information for specifying the control target device selected from the possible devices; and the control target based on the specific information A step of identifying a device, a step of generating second control information different from the first control information for causing the identified control target device to execute the control content indicated by the first control information, and the communication terminal And a step of outputting a consideration corresponding to the number of the corresponding controllable devices.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device control system comprising a communication terminal, and a device control apparatus connected to the communication terminal and a plurality of devices via a network, wherein the communication terminal includes the plurality of communication terminals. First control information for controlling a device of a predetermined type among the devices is transmitted to the device control apparatus, and the device control apparatus includes a controllable device that can be controlled by the communication terminal among the plurality of devices. An acquisition unit that acquires first control information for controlling a device of a predetermined type including specific information for specifying the selected control target device, and specifies the control target device based on the specific information The device specifying unit and the control target device specified by the device specifying unit are caused to execute the control content indicated by the first control information. A generation unit that generates second control information different from the first control information, and a price output unit that outputs a price corresponding to the number of controllable devices that can be controlled by the communication terminal Provide a control system.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that an appropriate fee can be determined when various devices can be controlled using a single application software.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the device control system of 1st Embodiment. It is an example of the screen of a communication terminal. It is a figure which shows the structure of a device control apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of user information DB which the user memory | storage part has memorize | stored. It is a figure for demonstrating control information. It is a figure which shows the flow of data at the time of controlling a device with a communication terminal. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure at the time of newly registering the device used as the object controlled using a communication terminal. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence at the time of a device control apparatus controlling a device. It is a figure which shows the example of user information DB in the modification 1. It is a figure which shows the example of the 1st control information transmitted from a communication terminal in the modification 1. It is a figure for demonstrating the device control system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the device control system of 3rd Embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
[Outline of device control system S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a device control system S according to the first embodiment. The device control system S includes a device control apparatus 1, a communication terminal 2 (2a, 2b), a device 3 (3a, 3b, 3c), and a router 4. The device control apparatus 1, the communication terminal 2, and the router 4 are connected to the network N via a wired communication line or a wireless communication line.

  The network N includes the Internet, a mobile phone network, a Wi-Fi line, and the like. In FIG. 1, two communication terminals 2 are shown and three devices 3 are shown, but the device control apparatus 1 transmits and receives data to and from more communication terminals 2 and devices 3. be able to.

  The device control apparatus 1 is, for example, a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage medium. The device control apparatus 1 can communicate with the communication terminal 2 and the device 3 via the network N.

  The communication terminal 2 is a portable terminal having a wireless communication function, for example. The communication terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a fablet, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), or a desktop PC. The communication terminal 2 transmits the first control information for controlling the device 3 to the device control apparatus 1 by executing the application software. In FIG. 1, the communication terminal 2 a is outside the home of the user where the device 3 is installed, and the communication terminal 2 b is inside the home where the device 3 is installed. The communication terminal 2 can communicate with the device control apparatus 1 via the network N regardless of the location.

  The device 3 is a device having a communication function, and is, for example, an electric device installed at the home of the user of the communication terminal 2. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the device 3 a is a lighting fixture (hereinafter referred to as a light), the device 3 b is an air conditioner, and the device 3 c is a video recorder, but the device 3 can be any device that can receive data from the device controller 1. Is included. The router 4 is connected to the network N, and transfers data received from the device control apparatus 1 to any one of the device 3a, the device 3b, and the device 3c.

  When the device control apparatus 1 receives the first control information for controlling the device 3 transmitted from the communication terminal 2 that has executed the application software, the plurality of devices 3 are based on the contents of the received first control information. Then, the device 3 to be controlled is selected, and second control information for controlling the selected device 3 is generated. The first control information is information generated by application software created based on a general-purpose API (Application Programming Interface) that does not depend on the device 3. The second control information is information described in accordance with an API that is a device-dedicated format for controlling the specific device 3. The second control information is, for example, information in a different format for each manufacturer and model name of the device 3.

  The application software is general-purpose software for controlling a specific type of device 3 (for example, light), and includes first control information for controlling the same type of device 3 regardless of manufacturer or model name. It can be transmitted to the device control apparatus 1. Since the first control information output from the communication terminal 2 that has executed the application software has a format different from that of the second control information, the communication terminal 2 cannot directly control the device 3. However, in the device control system S, the device control apparatus 1 generates the second control information based on the first control information, and sends the second control information to the target device 3 controlled by the user of the communication terminal 2. Send. Therefore, the user can control various devices 3 using the communication terminal 2 in which general-purpose application software is installed.

  FIG. 2 is an example of a screen of the communication terminal 2. Various communication software for controlling various types of devices 3 is installed in the communication terminal 2. In the example shown in FIG. 2A, an air conditioner app for controlling an air conditioner, a light app for controlling a light, a recorder app for controlling a video recorder, a camera app for controlling a surveillance camera, and a refrigerator A refrigerator application for controlling the washing machine and a washing machine application for controlling the washing machine are installed, and icons corresponding to the applications are displayed.

  For example, when the user wants to control any of the devices 3 installed at home, the user activates application software corresponding to the device 3 to be controlled to control the desired device 3 at a place away from the home. be able to. FIG. 2A shows an example in which application software is installed for each type of device 3, but as shown in FIG. The device 3 may be controlled from the communication terminal 2 by displaying a list and selecting the device 3 to be controlled by the user. In this case, when the communication terminal 2 executes one application software, for example, first control information for lights and first control information for air conditioners are output.

  Note that an integrated application that can display a list of devices 3 that can be controlled by the user may be installed in the communication terminal 2. When the user activates the integrated application and performs a predetermined operation, a screen as illustrated in FIG. 2 for activating application software for controlling each device may be displayed.

  Here, on the device list screen displayed on the communication terminal 2, the user newly registers the device 3, sets each device 3 to be operable, sets the device 3 to be inoperable, and performs registration. And can be deleted. The device control apparatus 1 calculates and outputs a price for a service provided by the device control apparatus 1 in accordance with the number of devices 3 set in an operable state. Details of the calculation method of the consideration will be described later.

[Configuration of Device Controller 1]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the device control apparatus 1. The device control apparatus 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

  The communication unit 11 includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) controller. The communication unit 11 transmits and receives data between the communication terminal 2 and the device 3 via the network N.

  The storage unit 12 includes a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk. The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 stores data used when the control unit 13 operates and data generated by the control unit 13.

  The storage unit 12 includes a user storage unit 121, an API storage unit 122, and a device storage unit 123 as areas for storing data used by the control unit 13. The user storage unit 121 stores identification information (hereinafter referred to as a device ID) of the device 3 registered in advance as a target to be controlled by the user in association with identification information (hereinafter referred to as a user ID) of the user of the communication terminal 2. ing. Further, the API storage unit 122 stores information used by the control unit 13 to generate the second control information based on the content of the first control information transmitted from the communication terminal 2. The information used for generating the second control information is, for example, an API defined for each manufacturer or device model name.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information database (hereinafter referred to as user information DB) stored in the user storage unit 121. In the user information DB, the user ID is associated with the type, device ID, manufacturer name, and address of the device 3 that can be controlled by the user.

The user ID is identification information unique to the user, and is associated with, for example, contract information with a communication company that provides a communication line used by the user communication terminal 2.
The device type is information indicating the type of function that the device 3 has, and is used to specify the type of light, air conditioner, recorder, surveillance camera, clock, or the like. Application software installed in the communication terminal 2 for controlling the device 3 is created for each device type.

The device ID is identification information assigned to the device 3 that can be controlled by the user, and includes, for example, a product type name. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when the user has a plurality of devices 3 of the same model name, such as a light of company C owned by the user with the user ID 0001, information in which a serial number is added to the model name Is the device ID.
The manufacturer name is a manufacturer name of each device 3, and the device 3 is specified by a combination of the device ID and the manufacturer name.

  The address is information indicating a destination to which the second control information is transmitted to the device 3, and is information unique to the device 3, such as a global IP address or a MAC address. When a global IP address is assigned to the router 4 and the device control apparatus 1 stores the address of the router 4 in association with the user, the address included in the first control information is a local IP address. Good.

In the user information DB, the number of controllable devices that can be controlled by the communication terminal 2 among the plurality of devices 3 is associated with the identification information of the communication terminal 2.
Further, the user storage unit 121 stores an operation flag for each of the plurality of devices 3 stored in association with the user ID. The operation flag is information indicating whether or not each device 3 registered in the user storage unit 121 is controllable from the communication terminal 2, and is in an operable state (operation possible) and an operation stop state (operation disabled). There are two statuses. Among the plurality of devices 3, the device 3 whose operation flag is in an operable state is charged for a service using the device control apparatus 1, and the device 3 whose operation flag is in an operation stopped state is charged. Not applicable.

  In the user information DB, a consideration is recorded for each device 3. For example, the consideration is initialized every predetermined period (for example, one month), and the unit price of the device 3 is added on the day when the operation flag is set to the operable state. When the price varies depending on the number of times the device 3 is controlled, the price is further updated according to the number of times the device 3 is controlled.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device information database (hereinafter referred to as device information DB) stored in the device storage unit 123. The device storage unit 123 stores a unit price by using the device control apparatus 1 in association with the device ID. The unit price is determined on a daily basis, for example. The unit price varies depending on the type of the device 3, and is determined based on, for example, the price of the device 3 itself or the type of function of the device 3.

  Returning to FIG. 3, details of the control unit 13 will be described. The control unit 13 is a CPU, for example. The control unit 13 functions as an acquisition unit 131, a device identification unit 132, an information generation unit 133, a transmission unit 134, and a price output unit 135 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12.

  The acquisition unit 131 receives registration of the device 3 from the communication terminal 2 of the user who can receive the service. When acquiring the registration request for the device 3 from the communication terminal 2, the acquisition unit 131 stores the device 3 to be registered in association with the user ID of the user of the communication terminal that has transmitted the registration request in the user storage unit 121. In addition, the acquisition unit 131 acquires setting information for setting the device 3 to a controllable state or an operation stop state that cannot be controlled. The acquisition unit 131 updates the operation flag in the user storage unit 121 in response to the acquisition of the setting information.

  Further, the acquisition unit 131 acquires first control information for controlling the device 3 registered in advance in the device control apparatus 1. The first control information is information for controlling the type of device 3 that can be controlled by the user using application software installed in the communication terminal 2.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the control information. FIG. 5A shows the contents included in the first control information transmitted from the communication terminal 2 to the device control apparatus 1. FIG. 5B shows the contents included in the second control information transmitted from the device control apparatus 1 to the device 3.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data flow when the device 3 is controlled by the communication terminal 2. The communication terminal 2a transmits first control information including control contents such as “lighting”, “lighting off”, “absence mode setting”, “timer setting” and the like described in a format according to the API for light control. Upon receiving the first control information, the device control apparatus 1 generates second control information described using an API for controlling the device 3a, and transmits the second control information to the device 3a via the network N and the router 4.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the first control information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 includes an application ID, device identification information, and control content information. The application ID is information indicating the type of the first control information, and is used to specify the type of device to be controlled. The application ID is information for specifying, for example, whether the application software used by the user is for air conditioner control or light control.

The device specifying information is information including a device ID included in the user information DB illustrated in FIG.
The control content information is information indicating how to control the device 3 specified by the device ID. For example, in the first control information in which the user ID is “0001”, the application ID is “air conditioner application”, and the device ID is “AA0001” in FIG. 4, the control content of setting the temperature of the air conditioner to 25 ° C. is shown. Yes. The control content information has a format determined for each device type, regardless of the model name of the device 3. Therefore, the application software developer can develop application software using a common API without being aware of the model name of the device 3.

Returning to FIG. 3, the device identification unit 132 to the value output unit 135 will be described.
The device specifying unit 132 specifies a control target device based on the first control information. The device specifying unit 132 refers to the user information DB of the user corresponding to the user ID included in the first control information, and has a device 3 having a device ID corresponding to the device specifying information included in the first control information. Are identified as control target devices. The device identification unit 132 notifies the information generation unit 133 of the type name of the identified device 3 and notifies the transmission unit 134 of the address of the identified device 3.

  The information generation unit 133 specifies the format of the first control information based on the application ID included in the first control information, thereby causing the control target device to execute the control content included in the first control information. Second control information is generated. For example, the information generation unit 133 generates the second control information based on the API for the control target device stored in the storage unit 12. Specifically, the information generation unit 133 inserts the control content included in the first control information into the API corresponding to the model name of the device 3 specified by the device specifying unit 132, thereby obtaining the second control information. Generate. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the information generation unit 133 can convert the first control information into second control information in a format that is different for each manufacturer and model name of the device 3.

  Referring to the second control information for LB0002 in FIG. 5B, “brightness = 5” in the second control information, although the control content is “lighting” in the first control information. It is said that. Some lights do not correspond to an API for controlling “lighting” and “lighting off”, and may be controlled only by second control information created by an API that is controlled by designating brightness. In such a case, the information generation unit 133 generates the second control information by describing the control content included in the first control information in the format of the dedicated API of the device 3. In this way, the application software developer can develop application software without being aware of a different dedicated API for each device 3, and the user can create a device 3 of a different model name using a single application software. Can be controlled.

  The transmission unit 134 transmits second control information for causing the control content indicated by the first control information to be executed with respect to the address of the control target device notified from the device specifying unit 132.

  The consideration output unit 135 outputs an amount of compensation corresponding to the number of controllable devices stored in the user storage unit 121. The consideration output unit 135 outputs, for example, information obtained by compiling considerations to a printer, a computer, or the like via the communication unit 11. The consideration is, for example, an amount charged or returned to a provider providing application software installed in the communication terminal 2, an amount charged or returned to the user of the communication terminal 2, and charged to the provider providing the device 3 Or it is a value which shows the amount of money to reduce.

  As a service model for charging or reducing the price, for example, the following service model is conceivable. A company that develops application software (hereinafter referred to as an application development company) earns revenue by selling the developed application software to users. Therefore, the consideration output unit 135 charges the consideration to an application development company that can earn revenue by selling application software that uses the device control system S. The consideration output unit 135 charges the application development company an amount based on the consideration. The consideration output unit 135 may return a part of the consideration to the company that provides the device 3.

  The consideration output unit 135 outputs a compensation in response to the acquisition unit 131 acquiring a registration request for a new device 3. Specifically, the consideration output unit 135 stores the device ID of the device 3 for which the acquisition unit 131 has acquired the registration request in the user storage unit 121 in association with the user ID of the user of the communication terminal 2. The price is updated by adding the unit price per device 3 to the latest price.

  In addition, the consideration output unit 135 receives the setting information for changing the controllability of the already registered device 3 or the request for deleting the registration in response to the acquisition unit 131. To change. When the consideration output unit 135 outputs the consideration in units of one month, the consideration output unit 135 multiplies the unit 3 unit price by the number of days registered in an operable state for one month for each of the devices 3. By doing so, the consideration for one month of the device 3 is calculated. Then, the consideration corresponding to the user ID is calculated by adding the consideration for one month of the device 3 registered in association with the user ID.

  The consideration output unit 135 may determine such a consideration calculation rule for each application software executed by the communication terminal 2 that has transmitted the first control information to control the device 3 to be controlled. By doing this, it is possible to calculate the compensation according to the revenue model of the application development company, such as whether the application development company charges a fixed amount to the user or whether the user charges an amount according to the amount used. This makes it easier for an application development company to develop application software that uses the device control system S.

  The consideration output unit 135 may calculate the compensation based on the unit price determined for each type of the device 3 to be controlled that is controlled based on the second control information. For example, the consideration output unit 135 includes a first type device 3 that is always activated like a monitoring camera, a second type device 3 that is activated and used at a certain timing, and a user operation on the communication terminal 2. It is conceivable that the compensation is calculated based on a different unit price in each of the third type devices 3 that perform one operation each time.

  In the case of the first type device 3, since the device 3 operates for a long time when the transmission unit 134 transmits one second control information, the utility value of the device 3 is high. On the other hand, in the case of the third type device 3, each time the user performs an operation using the communication terminal 2, the transmission unit 134 obtains one second control information and based on one second control information. The operation content executed by the device 3 is less than that of the first-type device 3 that is always activated. Therefore, the value of the third type device 3 is considered to be lower than the value of the first type device 3.

  Therefore, for example, the consideration output unit 135 calculates the consideration by weighting the unit price when the first type device 3 is controlled larger than the unit price when the second type and the third type device 3 are controlled. . The consideration output unit 135 calculates the consideration by weighting the unit price when the third type device 3 is controlled smaller than the unit price when the first type and second type device 3 are controlled.

  For example, the consideration output unit 135 outputs a predetermined basic consideration as consideration until the number of controllable devices associated with the identification information of the communication terminal 2 reaches a predetermined upper limit number. In this case, when the number of controllable devices exceeds the upper limit number, the consideration output unit 135 calculates the added consideration calculated by multiplying the number of controllable devices exceeding the upper limit number by the unit price of each controllable device. The consideration obtained by adding the basic consideration is output. The consideration output unit 135 may output only the consideration obtained by multiplying the unit price by the number of controllable devices without using the basic consideration.

  In addition, the consideration output unit 135 adds the basic consideration determined based on the number of controllable devices and the added consideration determined based on the number of times the communication terminal 2 has controlled the control target device. May be determined. In this case, for example, the consideration output unit 135 exceeds the predetermined number of times, the number of times the acquisition unit 131 has acquired the first control information, and the information generation unit 133 has generated the second control information based on the first control information. The additional consideration is determined based on at least one of the number of times, the number of times the transmission unit 134 has transmitted the second control information, and the number of times the acquisition unit 131 has acquired the response from the device 3 that has received the second control information.

  In this way, the consideration output unit 135 determines the basic consideration based on the number of controllable devices 3 owned by the user, and determines the addition consideration based on the number of times the controllable device is controlled, thereby controlling the device. The service provider using the apparatus 1 can charge the fee even when the device 3 is registered and is not controlled, and is added when the frequency of controlling the registered device 3 is high. You can request compensation. Therefore, when the control frequency of the device 3 is increased and the load of the device control apparatus 1 is increased, it is easy to make an investment in equipment for adding the device control apparatus 1.

  The consideration output unit 135 outputs the consideration in association with application software executed for the communication terminal 2 to control the device 3 to be controlled, for example. By doing in this way, the provider who provides a service using the device control apparatus 1 can charge the application development company for the price calculated in association with the application software.

  In the above description, the model in which the price output from the price output unit 135 is charged to the application development company has been described. However, the user using the communication terminal 2 may be charged for the price. In order to do so, the consideration output unit 135 may output the consideration in association with the user of the communication terminal 2. In this case, the consideration output unit 135 transmits information indicating the calculated consideration to the server that manages the communication line usage fee by the communication terminal 2, and the server adds the communication fee and the fee for the consideration. The amount charged may be determined.

[Procedure for registering controlled devices]
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a procedure when the user newly registers a device 3 to be controlled using the communication terminal 2. FIG. 7A shows a login screen for using the device control service. The user can newly add a control target device or change the setting contents by inputting a user ID set in advance.

  FIG. 7B shows a screen after login. It is displayed that the user has already registered the air conditioner. The user can display a screen for registering a new control target device by touching the “additional registration” icon.

  FIG. 7C is a screen for registering a new control target device. When the user touches an icon corresponding to the type of the device 3 to be registered among the icons displayed on this screen, the communication terminal 2 searches for the device 3 to be registered. Specifically, the communication terminal 2 searches for a device 3 that can communicate using a wireless communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). When the device 3 of the type selected by the user is found, the communication terminal 2 displays a screen for registering the device 3. At this time, the communication terminal 2 stores the model name information, manufacturer name, and MAC address acquired from each device 3 in the memory.

  FIG. 7D is a screen for registering the device 3 found by the search. The user can register the device 3 by inputting a name (for example, an installation location such as “living room”, “entrance”, etc.) to the device 3 to be registered and then touching the registration button. The communication terminal 2 generates a device ID including the model name information acquired from the device 3, and stores the device ID in an internal memory in association with the name input by the user. Further, the communication terminal 2 transmits the user ID, device ID, manufacturer name, and MAC address of the user who uses the communication terminal 2 to the device control apparatus 1. In this way, the user can register the control target device in the device control apparatus 1.

[Operation Sequence for Controlling Device 3]
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation sequence when the device control apparatus 1 controls the device 3. First, when the user activates application software for controlling the control target device in the communication terminal 2 (S11), the communication terminal 2 acquires the control content input by the user (S12). The communication terminal 2 generates first control information including the acquired control content, and transmits the first control information to the device control apparatus 1 via the network N (S13).

  When the device control apparatus 1 receives the first control information, the device specifying unit 132 specifies the device 3 to be controlled based on the received first control information (S14). Subsequently, the information generation unit 133 generates second control information corresponding to the device 3 to be controlled, and the transmission unit 134 transmits the second control information to the device 3 to be controlled (S15). The consideration output unit 135 calculates the added consideration by adding the unit price of the consideration for the transmission of the second control information in response to the transmission unit 134 transmitting the second control information, and the user storage unit It is stored in 121 (S16).

  Upon receiving the second control information, the device 3 performs an operation according to the control content included in the second control information (S17). When the device 3 executes the operation, the device 3 transmits first state information indicating the state of the device 3 itself to the device control apparatus 1 (S18). When the device 3 is a light and the control content is “lighting”, the device 3 transmits first state information indicating that the lighting is completed. When the device 3 is an air conditioner and the control content is “set temperature to 25 ° C.”, the device 3 periodically receives the second control information and reaches the temperature indicated by the control content. The room temperature is measured, and first state information indicating the measured room temperature is transmitted to the device control apparatus 1. Here, the first state information is information created in a different format for each device 3.

In the device control apparatus 1, when the acquisition unit 131 acquires the first state information, the information generation unit 133 can recognize the application software of the communication terminal 2 and the second state information in a format common to the same type of device 3 The first state information is converted into (S19). The transmission unit 134 transmits the second state information generated by conversion by the information generation unit 133 to the communication terminal 2 via the network N (S20). When receiving the second state information, the communication terminal 2 displays the state of the device 3 indicated by the second state information on the screen (S21). In response to the transmission unit 134 transmitting the second state information to the communication terminal 2, the consideration output unit 135 adds the unit price of the consideration for converting the state information to the latest consideration calculated in step S16. Thus, the added consideration is updated (S22).
With the above procedure, the user can control the desired device 3 or check the state of the device 3 by operating the communication terminal 2.

  The device control apparatus 1 aggregates and outputs the consideration at a predetermined timing (for example, every month). Specifically, the consideration output unit 135 refers to the information on the compensation in the user storage unit 121 at a predetermined timing, and totals the compensation within a predetermined period. The consideration output unit 135 outputs a consideration in association with the type of application software that controlled the device 3 and the user.

[Modification 1]
Although the example in which the device ID is used as the device specifying information included in the first control information has been described with reference to FIG. 5, the present invention is not limited to this. In the user information DB, for each device type owned by the user, a serial number indicating which device 3 among the same type of devices 3 owned by the user is associated with the type name of the device 3 If specified, the device identification information in the first control information may be a serial number. The serial number is associated with information indicating the installation location of the device 3 such as “living room” and “entrance” shown in FIG. 7D, and is registered in the order registered in the device control apparatus 1. It is an assigned number.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the user information DB in the first modification. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of first control information transmitted from the communication terminal 2 in the first modification. In the user information DB shown in FIG. 9, the device ID indicates the device type name. When the user owns a plurality of devices 3 having the same type name, the device ID has the same content. Based on the application ID included in the first control information and the serial number as the device specifying information, the device specifying unit 132 sends the second control information to which device 3 among the devices 3 having the same model name. You can identify what needs to be sent. When the device identification information includes information unique to the device 3 such as a MAC address, the first control information may not include the user ID.

[Modification 2]
In the above description, the case where one communication terminal 2 controls the device 3 has been described. However, a plurality of communication terminals 2 may control the device 3. For example, in the device control system S, if the communication terminal 2b is a family communication terminal 2 for which a communication fee is added to the communication fee of the communication terminal 2a, the device 3 registered in the communication terminal 2a is registered. May be controlled using the communication terminal 2b.

  In this way, the storage unit 12 stores a plurality of user IDs of a plurality of users in association with each other so that the plurality of communication terminals 2 can control the device 3. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires a plurality of user IDs that are subject to payment by adding up communication charges from a server managed by a communication company, and stores the acquired plurality of user IDs in the storage unit 12. .

  When the first control information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 includes the first user ID, the device specifying unit 132 corresponds to the second user ID stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the first user ID. It is confirmed whether the user information DB is stored in the storage unit 12. When the user information DB corresponding to the second user ID is stored in the storage unit 12, the device specifying unit 132 specifies the device ID associated with the second user ID in the user information DB, thereby controlling Identify the device.

  As described above, when the device 3 can be controlled from the plurality of communication terminals 2, the consideration output unit 135 may charge a user registered as a representative among the plurality of users. That is, the consideration output unit 135 may charge the user corresponding to the second user ID for the cost of the first control information transmitted from the communication terminal 2 corresponding to the first user ID. By doing in this way, the user of the first user ID who pays the communication fee can pay the device control service usage fee together with the communication fee, so that other users pay the service usage fee individually. It does not take.

[Effects of the device control system S of the first embodiment]
As described above, in the device control system S, when the user operates using application software that is installed in the communication terminal 2 and can control a plurality of devices having the same type type name, First control information in a format common to each device type is transmitted to the device control apparatus 1. The device control apparatus 1 generates second control information using a device-dedicated API based on the received first control information, and transmits the second control information to the device 3 specified in the first control information. . The value output unit 135 outputs a value corresponding to the number of devices 3 registered by the user and stored in the user storage unit 121 in association with the user ID.

  Even if the amount of data communication between the communication terminal 2 and the device control apparatus 1 due to the transmission of the first control information is small by the consideration output unit 135 determining the consideration in this way, the service is performed using the device control apparatus 1. The business operator who provides can obtain appropriate compensation.

  Further, the consideration output unit 135 outputs the compensation in response to the acquisition unit 131 receiving a registration request for the device 3 from the communication terminal 2. At this time, the consideration output unit 135 can determine the compensation depending on whether it is registered in a state where the device 3 can be controlled or in a state where use is stopped. In this way, when the user needs to control the device 3 after registering it, the user is charged for the device 3 that is less likely to be controlled by changing the setting. Therefore, it becomes easier for the user to use a service using the device control apparatus 1.

  In addition, the consideration output unit 135 can determine the compensation according to the type of the controllable device registered. By doing in this way, the consideration output unit 135 can determine the consideration according to the magnitude of the added value obtained by the user by the service using the device control apparatus 1, and thus the user can easily use the service.

  The consideration output unit 135 uses a fixed amount as consideration until the number of registered controllable devices reaches a predetermined upper limit number. By doing in this way, until the number of controllable devices reaches the upper limit number, the price does not increase by registering a new device 3, so that the user can easily register the device 3.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the device control system S of the second embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the device 3 is controlled via a server of another service provider such as the server 5a and the server 5b. The server 5a and the server 5b are, for example, device servers for the manufacturer of the device 3 to provide a service for controlling the device 3 of the company, and transmit a control signal based on the second control information to the control target device. In this case, when receiving the first control information from the communication terminal 2, the information generation unit 133 performs the second control for causing the server 5 to control the control target device based on the control content included in the first control information. Generate information. And the transmission part 134 transmits the 2nd control information which the information generation part 133 produced | generated to the server 5 as a device server.

  The storage unit 12 of this embodiment stores the API of the server 5 of each service provider in association with the service provider that controls the device 3. For example, the information generation unit 133 generates the second control information based on the API of the server 5 stored in the storage unit 12. Specifically, the information generation unit 133 converts the control content included in the first control information into second control information having a format different from that of the first control information. The second control information includes the user ID and device identification information included in the first control information.

  A user ID is shared in advance between a company that provides a service using the device control system S and a company that provides a service using the server 5a or the server 5b. The server 5a or the server 5b can control the device 3 according to the operation on the communication terminal 2 based on the user ID, device identification information, and the like included in the second control information.

  In the present embodiment, the consideration output unit 135 may output the compensation in association with the device server. For example, the consideration output unit 135 returns a predetermined ratio of the consideration calculated by the various consideration calculation rules described in the first embodiment for each device server in order to return it to the company that provides the device server. Determine the amount. The value output unit 135 may return the value corresponding to the number of controllable devices 3 to each device server.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when there are a plurality of servers 5 that provide a service for controlling the device 3, the user storage unit 121 of the device control apparatus 1 uses the service using the server 5a or the server 5b. Service information indicating which service is being used among stored services is stored. The information generation unit 133 refers to the use service information and generates second control information corresponding to an API corresponding to the service used by the user.

  When a user ID is not shared between a company that provides a service using the device control system S, a company that provides a service using the server 5a, and a company that provides a service using the server 5b The device control apparatus 1 may convert the user ID. In this case, the storage unit 12 is provided with a user DB (not shown) that stores the user ID of the device control system S in association with the user ID of the service using the server 5a and the server 5b. The information generation unit 133 may refer to the user DB using the use service information and convert the user ID.

  When the server 5a and the server 5b (hereinafter referred to as the server 5) receive the second control information from the device control apparatus 1 connected via the network, the contents include an operation instruction to the device 3 to be controlled. Then, information (signal) indicating an operation instruction to the device 3 is transmitted to the device 3. On the other hand, when the received second control information includes a request for data acquired by the device 3, the server 5 stores the operation data and collected data of the device 3 acquired in advance from the device 3 in the device control apparatus 1. Send to. Note that if the server 5 has not previously acquired the operation data or collected data of the device 3 and stored in the device 3, the server 5 receives the second control information from the device 3. A request for operation data, collected data, etc. may be made, and the acquired data may be transmitted from the server 5 to the device control apparatus 1.

[Effects of the device control system S of the second embodiment]
As described above, the device control apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment generates the second control information corresponding to the API of the other server 5 that controls the device 3. In this way, even when the user has already been provided with a service for controlling the device 3 via the server 5, the device 3 can be used using any application software installed in the communication terminal 2. Can be controlled.

  In addition, the consideration output unit 135 outputs the consideration in association with the device server, so that the business operator that provides the service using the device control apparatus 1 may share a part of the profit to the business operator that provides the device server. Can be reduced. By doing so, the provider providing the device server is motivated to disclose the API of the device server, which leads to an increase in the number of devices 3 that can be controlled using the device control apparatus 1.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the device control system S of the third embodiment. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the device to be controlled is not an electric device in the user's home but a server 6 that distributes information from a company or the like.

  The server 6a is a server used in a service that provides restaurant information posted by the user. The server 6b is a server used in a service that provides price information of various products posted by the user. The user can upload information to be transmitted to another person to the server 6 using application software installed in the communication terminal 2.

  The servers 6a and 6b have different types of interfaces as interfaces for receiving information. Therefore, in order to upload information to the servers 6a and 6b, it is necessary to process the information into a format suitable for each server and transmit it. However, it is inconvenient if the user needs to use dedicated application software for each of the server 6a and the server 6b when providing information to each service site.

  Therefore, in the device control apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, application software for uploading information to the server 6 for various information providing services is installed in the communication terminal 2. In the application software, an icon corresponding to a service for which information is to be provided is displayed. When the user inputs information after touching the icon corresponding to the service for which information is to be provided, the communication terminal 2 First control information including the input information and information specifying the service selected by the user is transmitted to the device control apparatus 1.

  In the device control apparatus 1, the device specifying unit 132 specifies the server 6 to which the content included in the first control information is transmitted based on the first control information. For example, the device specifying unit 132 specifies the server 6 based on information for specifying a service included in the first control information. The device specifying unit 132 may specify the server 6 that is the target of content transmission based on a keyword included in the content created by the user. Then, the information generation unit 133 generates second control information in a format corresponding to the identified server 6, and the transmission unit 134 transmits the generated second control information to the server 6.

  The price output unit 135 in the present embodiment may determine the charge amount based on the number of times the user has accessed the server 6 using the communication terminal 2 or the amount of data transmitted / received to / from the server 6. In this case, the consideration output unit 135 may calculate a part of the determined charging amount as an amount to be paid to a company or the like that operates the server 6.

[Effects of the device control system S of the third embodiment]
Based on the first control information, the device control system S in the present embodiment identifies the server 6 to which the content included in the first control information is transmitted, and sends the second control information in a format corresponding to the server 6 to the server 6 to send. By doing so, a company or the like that operates the server 6 does not need to make the interface for accessing the server 6 widely available to the public, and only needs to make it open to the operator of the device control apparatus 1. As a result, the company that operates the server 6 does not have to take time to publish the interface.

  Further, in the device control system S, the consideration output unit 135 can calculate a charge amount for the user and return a part of the charge amount to a company or the like that operates the server 6. By doing in this way, an operator such as a communication carrier that operates the device control device 1 instead of a company that operates the server 6 is billed in a unified manner for the user to use the server 6. Therefore, it is possible to save labor for the user and the company operating the server 6.

  The present invention has been described based on some embodiments. New embodiments resulting from any combination of these are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment produced by the combination has the effect of the original embodiment.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. In particular, the specific embodiments of the distribution / integration of the devices are not limited to those illustrated above, and all or a part thereof may be added in arbitrary units according to various additions or according to functional loads. It can be configured functionally or physically distributed and integrated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device control apparatus 2 Communication terminal 3 Device 4 Router 5 Server 6 Server 11 Communication part 12 Storage part 13 Control part 121 User storage part 122 API storage part 131 Acquisition part 132 Device specification part 133 Information generation part 134 Transmission part 135 Consideration output part S device control system

Claims (12)

A device control apparatus connected to a communication terminal and a plurality of devices via a network,
A storage unit that stores the controllable device identification information that can be controlled by the communication terminal among the plurality of devices, and the number of the controllable devices in association with the communication terminal identification information;
First control for controlling a device corresponding to the specific information, including specific information generated by the communication terminal executing application software and specifying a control target device selected from the controllable devices An acquisition unit for acquiring information;
A device specifying unit for specifying the control target device corresponding to the specific information from the controllable device based on the acquired specific information and the controllable device identification information stored in the storage unit ;
Wherein for device-specific part to execute the control content indicated by the first control information to the controlled device identified, Ri said first control information and the format is different, using the API for controlling the controlled device A generating unit that generates the second control information described based on the first control information ;
A price output unit that outputs a price corresponding to the number of controllable devices stored in the storage unit;
A device control apparatus. The acquisition unit further acquires a registration request for requesting registration of the controllable device,
The consideration output unit outputs the consideration in response to the acquisition unit acquiring the registration request.
The device control apparatus according to claim 1. The storage unit further stores a type of the controllable device and a device-specific consideration associated with the type of the controllable device;
The consideration output unit determines the consideration by adding the device-specific considerations of the controllable device stored in the storage unit in association with identification information of the user of the communication terminal.
The device control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The price output unit outputs a predetermined basic price as the price until the number of the controllable devices associated with the identification information of the communication terminal reaches a predetermined upper limit number.
The device control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The price output unit adds the basic price determined based on the number of controllable devices and the added price determined based on the number of times the communication terminal has controlled the device to be controlled, Determine the consideration,
The device control apparatus of any one of Claim 1 to 4. The consideration output unit determines the addition consideration based on the number of times the acquisition unit acquires the first control information.
The device control apparatus according to claim 5. The consideration output unit determines the addition consideration based on the number of times the generation unit generates the second control information.
The device control apparatus according to claim 5. The price output unit outputs the price in association with application software executed by the communication terminal to control the device to be controlled.
The device control apparatus according to claim 1. The consideration output unit outputs the consideration in association with a user of the communication terminal;
The device control apparatus according to claim 1. A transmission unit that transmits the second control information to a device server that controls the device to be controlled;
The consideration output unit outputs the consideration in association with the device server;
The device control apparatus according to claim 1. A method in which a computer calculates a service price for controlling a device selected from a plurality of devices by a communication terminal,
From the communication terminal, the communication terminal includes specific information that is generated when the communication terminal executes application software and that is selected from controllable devices that can be controlled by the communication terminal, and corresponds to the specific information Obtaining first control information for controlling a device to perform;
Based on the acquired specific information and the controllable device identification information stored in a storage unit that stores the controllable device identification information in association with the communication terminal identification information, the specific information corresponding to the specific information Identifying a control target device from the controllable device ;
For executing a control content indicated by the first control information to the controlled device which identified, the first Ri control information and format differ, described using an API for controlling the controlled device Generating two control information based on the first control information ;
Outputting a consideration of an amount corresponding to the number of controllable devices stored in the storage unit in association with the identification information of the communication terminal;
Compensation calculation method having A device control system comprising: a communication terminal; and a device control apparatus connected to the communication terminal and a plurality of devices via a network,
The communication terminal transmits first control information for controlling a device of a predetermined type among the plurality of devices generated by executing application software, to the device control apparatus,
The device controller is
A storage unit that stores the controllable device identification information that can be controlled by the communication terminal among the plurality of devices, and the number of the controllable devices in association with the communication terminal identification information;
An acquisition unit that acquires containing specifying information for specifying a control target device selected from said controllable devices, the first control information for controlling the device of a predetermined type from the communication terminal,
A device specifying unit for specifying the control target device corresponding to the specific information from the controllable device based on the acquired specific information and the controllable device identification information stored in the storage unit ;
Wherein for device-specific part to execute the control content indicated by the first control information to the controlled device identified, Ri said first control information and the format is different, using the API for controlling the controlled device A generating unit that generates the second control information described based on the first control information ;
A price output unit that outputs a price corresponding to the number of controllable devices stored in the storage unit ;
A device control system.

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