JP6768322B2 - Communication equipment, communication methods, communication programs and communication systems - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to communication devices, communication methods, communication programs and communication systems.

In recent years, there is known a communication system that enables various services such as remote control and remote monitoring by communicating devices such as home appliances and sensors installed in a house with a server via the Internet. Here, the communication function with the server requires security processing as compared with the communication function only in the house, and its installation is more costly.

For this reason, as a conventional communication system, there is a configuration in which a device called a gateway is equipped with a communication function with a server via the Internet, and communication between a device in a house and a server is realized by mediating the gateway. In this configuration, it is sufficient to give each device in the house a communication function in the house with the gateway.

On the other hand, advances in technology have made it possible to realize a communication function with a server via the Internet at a lower cost. Therefore, in recent years, an IoT (Internet of Things) technology has been proposed in which all devices are equipped with a communication function with a server to realize various services with a simpler configuration without using a gateway. For example, a device has been proposed in which a device in a house is equipped with a communication function for communicating with a server via the Internet and can be remotely controlled according to the communication with the server. In IoT technology, all devices communicate with the server, so when installing each device, the user manually inputs the setting information for communicating with the server via the Internet to set each device. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-147838

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a communication device, a communication method, a communication program, and a communication system for automatically setting setting information used when communicating with a server via the Internet.

The communication device according to the embodiment includes a communication unit, a search unit, a setting acquisition unit, and a storage unit. The communication unit communicates with the server via the Internet and communicates with other devices in the house. The search unit searches for other devices in the home by in-home communication. The setting acquisition unit uses in-home communication to send a setting acquisition request requesting setting information set for other devices in the house searched by the search unit, and the device searched by the search unit sends a server via the Internet. Acquires the setting information used when communicating with. The storage unit stores the setting information acquired by the setting acquisition unit.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of setting acquisition processing by the device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of setting provision processing by the device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of response determination processing by the device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a gateway according to a modified example of the first embodiment.

The device 20 according to the embodiment described below includes a communication unit 21, a search unit 231 and a setting acquisition unit 232, and a storage unit 24. The communication unit 21 communicates with the server 3 via the Internet 4 and communicates with other devices in the house. The search unit 231 searches for other devices in the home by in-home communication. The setting acquisition unit 232 uses in-home communication to transmit a setting acquisition request requesting setting information set in the other device 30 in the house from the device searched by the search unit 231, and the other device 30 in the house sends a setting acquisition request. , Acquires setting information used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4. The storage unit 24 stores the setting information acquired by the setting acquisition unit 232.

In addition, the setting information according to the embodiment described below includes proxy information, identification information of the server to be communicated with, registration information regarding users and services, or a security policy indicating operating conditions.

Further, the device 20 according to the embodiment described below includes an input unit 22 that receives input of operation information to the device 20. The search unit 231 starts searching for other devices in the house when the input unit 22 receives the operation information.

In addition, a plurality of types of settings according to the embodiment described below are defined in advance. The search unit 231 or the setting acquisition unit 232 transmits identification information indicating the type of setting corresponding to the device 20 to other devices in the house.

In addition, the device 30 according to the embodiment described below includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 34, a search response unit 331, and a setting providing unit 332. The communication unit 31 communicates with the server 3 via the Internet 4 and communicates with other devices in the house. The storage unit 34 stores the setting information used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4. The search response unit 331 responds to a search request requesting setting information by home communication from another device. The setting providing unit 332 responds to a setting acquisition request by home communication from another device and provides setting information.

Further, the device 30 according to the embodiment described below includes an input unit 32 that receives input of operation information to the device 30. When the input unit 32 receives the operation information, the search response unit 331 and the setting providing unit 332 receive the operation information from another device from the time when the input unit 32 receives the predetermined operation information until a certain time elapses. Respond to search request or setting acquisition request by home communication.

In addition, a plurality of types of settings according to the embodiment described below are defined in advance. The search response unit 331 and the setting providing unit 332 include identification information indicating the type of setting in the search request or setting acquisition request by home communication from another device, and the type indicated by the identification information is the device 30. Responds to a search request or a setting acquisition request when the type of setting corresponding to is matched.

Further, the search response unit 331 according to the embodiment described below communicates with the server 3 using the setting information stored in the storage unit 34, and when the communication with the server 3 can be confirmed, another It responds to a search request or setting acquisition request by home communication from the device.

Further, the communication method according to the embodiment described below is a communication method executed by the device 20 and the device 30, and includes a search step, a search response step, a setting acquisition step, a setting providing step, and a storage step. including. The device 20 includes a communication unit 21 and a storage unit 24 that communicate with the server 3 via the Internet 4 and communicate with other devices in the house. A communication unit 31 in which the device 30 communicates with the server 3 via the Internet 4 and communicates with other devices in the house, and a storage unit 34 for storing setting information used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4. Equipped. In the search step, the device 20 searches for the device 30 in the home by in-home communication. In the search response step, the device 30 responds to a search request from the device 20 by home communication. In the setting acquisition step, the device 20 transmits a setting acquisition request to the device 30 searched in the search step using home communication, and acquires the setting information from the device 30. In the setting providing step, the device 30 responds to a setting acquisition request requesting the set setting information by home communication from the device 20 and provides the setting information. In the storage step, the device 20 stores the setting information acquired in the setting acquisition step in the storage unit 24.

Further, the communication program according to the embodiment described below causes the computer to execute the search procedure, the setting acquisition procedure, the holding procedure, the search response procedure, and the setting providing procedure. The search procedure searches for other devices in the home by in-home communication. The setting acquisition procedure uses in-home communication to send a setting acquisition request that requests the setting information set for the device searched in the search procedure, and the searched device communicates with the server via the Internet. Acquire the setting information to be used. The holding procedure holds the setting information acquired by the setting acquisition procedure. The search response procedure responds to a search request by home communication from another device. The setting providing procedure responds to the setting acquisition request and provides the setting information when there is a setting acquisition request by home communication from another device.

Further, the communication system 1 according to the embodiment described below includes a device 20 and a device 30. The device 20 is searched by a communication unit 21 that communicates with the server 3 via the Internet 4 and communicates with other devices in the house, a search unit 231 that searches for other devices in the house by in-house communication, and a search unit 231. The setting acquisition unit 232 that acquires the setting information used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4 from the device using the home communication, and the storage unit 24 that stores the setting information acquired by the setting acquisition unit 232. Equipped. The device 30 has a communication unit 31 that communicates with the server 3 via the Internet 4 and communicates with the device 20 in the house, and a storage unit 34 that stores setting information 341 used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4. , A search response unit 331 that responds to a search request by in-home communication from the device 20, and a setting providing unit 332 that responds to a setting acquisition request by in-home communication from the device 20 and provides setting information. To do.

Hereinafter, the control system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

(First Embodiment)
First, the control system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[Control system configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. The communication system 1 includes a home network system 2 and a server 3. The home network system 2 and the server 3 are communicably connected via the Internet 4. The number of the home network system 2 and the server 3 shown in FIG. 1 is only an example, and can be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the communication system 1.

The home network system 2 is constructed in a predetermined building such as in a house or a store, and includes a router 10 and devices 20 and 30. The router 10 and the devices 20 and 30 can communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly. In the home network system 2, a home LAN (Local Area Network) is formed. The numbers of devices 20 and 30 shown in FIG. 1 are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the home network system 2.

The router 10 relays the communication between the server 3 and the devices 20 and 30. The information addressed to the devices 20 and 30 transmitted from the server 3 is transmitted to the destination devices 20 and 30. Further, the information addressed to the server 3 transmitted from the devices 20 and 30 is transmitted to the server 3. For example, the router 10 is a general home broadband router.

The devices 20 and 30 are devices installed in the house. The devices 20 and 30 are, for example, electric appliances such as lighting, an air conditioner, and a motion sensor. The devices 20 and 30 have a function of communicating with the server 3 via the router 10 in the house and the Internet 4. The devices 20 and 30 have a function of communicating with each other via the home LAN under the router 10. For communication between the devices 20 and 30 and the server 3, for example, a protocol such as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is used. For mutual communication between the devices 20 and 30, for example, an in-home communication protocol such as ECHONET, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), or Bonjour is used.

The server 3 manages various information related to the devices 20 and 30. Then, the server 3 performs services such as remote control and remote monitoring by communicating with the devices 20 and 30.

Here, when the above-mentioned devices 20 and 30 communicate with the server 3 via the Internet 4, more settings such as proxy settings and authentication settings are required as compared with home communication. Since the content of this setting differs depending on the network environment and the service to be enjoyed, it is not set in advance before the device is shipped, but is set when the devices 20 and 30 are installed in the house. In the first embodiment, the devices 20 and 30 automatically set the setting information used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4 by acquiring the setting information from another device for which this setting has already been completed. ..

Therefore, in order to clarify the difference in roles, the device 20 and the device 30 will be described as devices having different functions. The device 20 and the device 30 may have the same function, and the function to be used may change depending on the role. Further, in the following description, it is assumed that the device 30 has already been installed in the house, is set to communicate with the server 3, and is enjoying services such as remote control by the server 3. .. It is assumed that the device 20 is newly installed in the house there.

[Configuration of device 20]
First, the configuration of the device 20 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the device 20 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 23, a storage unit 24, an input unit 22, and an output unit 25.

The communication unit 21 is a communication interface for communicating with other devices. Specifically, the communication unit 21 communicates with the server 3 via the router 10 in the house and the Internet 4. In addition, the communication unit 21 communicates with other devices 30 in the house via the home LAN under the router 10.

The input unit 22 receives input of operation information to the device 20. Specifically, the input unit 22 is composed of a push button provided on the device 20, a function corresponding to the push button, an input device such as a touch panel, a remote control of the device 20, and the like, and receives input of information from the outside. Input to the control unit 23 (described later). The input unit 22 receives input of operation information to the device 20 by a push button, a function corresponding to the push button, a remote controller, or an operation of a Web screen displayed on the display of the terminal device to which the device 20 is connected. ..

The control unit 23 is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Further, in the control unit 23, for example, a program stored in a storage device inside the device 20 is executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like using a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a work area. It is realized by. The control unit 23 has a search unit 231 and a setting acquisition unit 232.

The search unit 231 searches for other devices (for example, device 30) in the home by the home network communication of the home network system 2. Specifically, the search unit 231 broadcasts or multicasts a communication packet of a device search request into the house, and waits for a response for a certain period of time. If there is no response from any device for a certain period of time, the search unit 231 assumes that the device for which the setting used for communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4 has been set cannot be found, and the device that has been set from the output unit 25. Outputs that was not found. Further, the search unit 231 starts searching for other devices in the house when the input unit 22 receives the operation information.

The setting acquisition unit 232 uses in-home communication to transmit a setting acquisition request requesting setting information set in another device (for example, device 30) in the house searched by the search unit 231, and the Internet from this device. Acquires the setting information used when communicating with the server 3 via 4. For example, in-home communication protocols such as ECHONET, UPnP, and Bonjour all have provisions for procedures for searching other devices and acquiring information from other devices. Therefore, the device 20 performs a search and information acquisition using these procedures. Then, the setting acquisition unit 232 records the acquired setting information as the setting information 241 in the storage unit 24 and holds it.

When a plurality of types are defined in advance in the settings, the search unit 231 or the setting acquisition unit 232 provides identification information indicating the type of settings corresponding to the device 20 to other devices in the house (for example, the device 30). ). As a result, the device 20 acquires the setting information of the type corresponding to the device 20.

The storage unit 24 is realized by a semiconductor memory element such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory (Flash Memory). The storage unit 24 stores the setting information 241. The setting information 241 is information indicating the contents of the setting used when the setting acquisition unit 232 communicates with the server 3 via the Internet 4 acquired from another device (for example, the device 30) in the house.

Specifically, the setting information 241 includes proxy information, identification information of a communication destination server, registration information regarding users and services, or a security policy indicating operating conditions. For example, the proxy information indicates information such as a proxy server. The identification information of the communication destination server is the URL of the communication destination server 3. The registration information is information indicating the validity of the owner user and the service of the device 20. The security policy states, for example, that remote monitoring from outside the home is permitted, but remote control from outside the home is not permitted. The device 20 realizes communication with the server 3 via the Internet 4 by making settings based on the contents shown in the setting information 241.

The output unit 25 is realized by a liquid crystal display, an LED, or the like. The output unit 25 outputs information regarding settings for communicating with the server 3 under the control of the control unit 23. The output unit 25 is set to be used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4 under the control of the control unit 23. If another device for which the setting has been set is not found, the other device for which the setting has been set is performed. Notify the user by outputting that it was not found. Specifically, the output unit 25 displays on the screen that the set device has not been found. Alternatively, the output unit 25 lights (for example, blinks) the LED by a lighting method according to the case where the set device is not found.

Next, the configuration of the device 30 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the device 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 33, a storage unit 34, an input unit 32, and an output unit 35.

The communication unit 31 is a communication interface for communicating with other devices, like the communication unit 21.

The input unit 32 receives input of operation information to the device 30. Similar to the input unit 22, the input unit 32 is a push button provided on the device 30, a function corresponding to the push button, an input device such as a touch panel, a remote control of the device 30, or a display of a terminal device to which the device 30 is connected. It is composed of the displayed Web screen and the like.

The control unit 33 is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. Further, the control unit 33 is realized by, for example, a CPU, an MPU, or the like executing a program stored in a storage device inside the device 30 with the RAM as a work area. The control unit 33 includes a search response unit 331 and a setting providing unit 332.

The search response unit 331 responds to a search request by home communication from another device (for example, device 20). Specifically, the search response unit 331 responds to the device 20 when the device 30 receives the communication packet of the device search request transmitted from the device 20. The search response unit 331 responds when there are a plurality of types of settings used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4, and when the device 30 is set to the type required by the device 20. The search response unit 331 is set as to when the response is permitted.

Specifically, the contents of the response permission setting for the search response unit 331 will be described. As an example of the response permission setting, there is a setting in which a response is always permitted if the setting information has been set when the communication packet of the device search request is received. As an example of response permission setting, when there is a request within a certain period of time from access to the user operation of the push button of the input unit 32 or the function corresponding to the operation of the push button, such as WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup). There is a setting that only allows responses. Further, as an example of the response permission setting, if the communication with the server 3 can be actually confirmed using the setting information set in the device 30, that is, if it is determined that the setting is correct, the response is permitted. There is a setting to be done.

The setting providing unit 332 responds to a setting acquisition request by home communication from another device, and provides setting information used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4. For example, in-home communication protocols such as ECHONET, UPnP, and Bonjour all have provisions for procedures for responding to search requests and information acquisition requests from other devices. Therefore, the device 30 uses these procedures to execute a response to a search request and a response to an information acquisition request. Further, the setting information provided by the setting providing unit 332 is included in the setting information 341 stored in the storage unit 34 (described later). Further, when the input unit 32 receives the operation information, the search response unit 331 and the setting providing unit 332 receive the operation information from other devices until a certain time elapses from the time when the input unit 32 receives the operation information. Respond to search request or setting acquisition request by home communication.

Here, if the device 30 stores a plurality of types of setting information, the setting providing unit 332 provides the device 20 with a list of setting types to be stored after the response by the search response unit 331. May be good. The types here are, for example, "service A settings" and "service B settings", and the URLs and registration information of the communication destination servers are different from each other. Specifically, a case where the manufacturing company X operates the service A and the manufacturing company Y operates the service B will be described as an example. Then, a case where there is a device 20 made by the manufacturing company X, a device 20 made by the manufacturing company Y, and a device 30 made by the manufacturing company Z corresponding to both services A and B and which can be arbitrarily switched and used will be described. In this case, the setting providing unit 332 provides the "setting for service A" in response to the request from the device 20 manufactured by the manufacturing company X. On the other hand, the setting providing unit 332 provides the "setting for service B" in response to the request from the device 20 manufactured by the manufacturing company Y.

When the input unit 32 receives the operation information, the search response unit 331 and the setting providing unit 332 receive the operation information from other devices until a certain time elapses from the time when the input unit 32 receives the operation information. It may respond to a search request or a setting acquisition request by home communication. In addition, the search response unit 331 includes identification information indicating the type of setting in the search request or setting acquisition request by home communication from another device, and the type indicated by the identification information is set corresponding to the device 30. When it matches the type of, it responds to the search request or the setting acquisition request.

The storage unit 34 is realized by a semiconductor memory element such as an HDD or a flash memory. The storage unit 34 stores the setting information 341. The setting information 341 is arbitrary setting information input by the user by operating the input unit 32. The setting information 341 is the same as the setting information 241 shown in FIG. 2, and includes proxy information, URL information of the communication destination server 3, registration information, and a security policy.

The output unit 35 is realized by a liquid crystal display, an LED, or the like. The output unit 35 outputs information regarding settings for communicating with the server 3 under the control of the control unit 33. The output unit 35 outputs, for example, a Web screen to the liquid crystal display.

[Setting acquisition process]
Next, the flow of the setting acquisition process by the device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of setting acquisition processing by the device 20 according to the first embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the device 20 starts the setting used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4 (step S1). The start condition may be when the device 20 is started in an unset state, or when the user operation of the push button mounted on the device 20 or a function corresponding to the operation of the push button such as WPS is accessed. ..

Subsequently, the device 20 performs a device search process for searching for another device (for example, the device 30) in the house for which the setting used when the search unit 231 communicates with the server 3 via the Internet 4 has already been set (for example, the device 30). Step S2).

Subsequently, the search unit 231 determines whether or not the set device has been found (step S3). In this case, the search unit 231 determines that the set device has not been found if there is no response from any device for a certain period of time. Then, when the search unit 231 determines that the set device has not been found (step S3: No), the output unit 25 notifies the user to that effect by displaying the screen or blinking the LED (step S4). ..

On the other hand, when the search unit 231 determines that the set device has been found (step S3: Yes), the setting acquisition unit 232 uses the setting information when communicating with the server 3 from the found device via the Internet 4. (Step S5). Then, the setting acquisition unit 232 records and holds the acquired setting information as the setting information 241 in the storage unit 24 (step S6). After that, the device 20 executes communication with the server 3 via the Internet 4 by using the setting information 241 stored in the storage unit 24 (step S7).

[Setting provision processing]
Next, the flow of the setting providing process by the device 30 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of setting provision processing by the device 30 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the device 30 receives the device search request from the device 20 (step S11), the search response unit 331 performs a response determination process for the device search request (step S12). The search response unit 331 of the device 30 determines whether or not the determination of the response determination process is a response (step S13). When the search response unit 331 determines that it does not respond in the response determination process (step S13: No), the search response unit 331 ends the setting providing process.

On the other hand, when the search response unit 331 determines to respond in the response determination process (step S13: Yes), the search response unit 331 responds to the device 20 (step S14). Subsequently, the setting providing unit 332 transmits to the device 20 the setting information of the type of the setting information 341 requested by the setting acquisition request in response to the setting acquisition request by the device 20 (step S15). In this case, when the setting providing unit 332 stores the setting information of a plurality of types, the setting providing unit 332 may provide the device 20 with a list of the setting types to be stored, or according to the type requested by the device 20. Only configuration information may be provided. After the end of step S15, the device 30 ends the setting providing process.

[Response judgment processing]
Next, the response determination process shown in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of response determination processing by the device 30 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the search response unit 331 determines whether or not the type setting requested by the device 20 is set (step S21). In other words, when the search response unit 331 includes the identification information indicating the setting type in the search request by the home communication from another device, the type indicated by the identification information is the type of the setting corresponding to the device 30. Judge whether or not it matches.

When the search response unit 331 determines that the type requested by the device 20 has not been set (step S21: No), it determines that it does not respond to the device 20 (step S22). If there are a plurality of types of settings used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4, and the device 30 is not set to the type required by the device 20, the device 30 is the device 20. This is because the setting information cannot be provided to.

On the other hand, when the search response unit 331 determines that the type setting requested by the device 20 has been made (step S21: Yes), the search response unit 331 determines which of the following is the response permission setting (step S23). In the example of FIG. 6, as the response permission setting, the setting to always allow the response, the setting to allow the response if there is a request within a certain period of time, or the setting to allow the response if the communication with the server 3 is actually confirmed. It is assumed that there is a setting.

When the search response unit 331 determines that the response is always permitted (step S23: "always"), the search response unit 331 determines that it responds to the device 20 (step S24), and realizes a quick response.

Further, when the search response unit 331 determines that the response is permitted if there is a request within a certain time (step S23: “within a certain time”), whether or not there is a request from the device 20 within a certain time. (Step S25). For example, the search response unit 331 responds only when a request is made within a certain period of time after the user operation of the push button of the input unit 32 mounted on the device 30 or the function corresponding to the operation of the push button is accessed. .. When the search response unit 331 determines that there is a request from the device 20 within a certain time (step S25: Yes), it determines that it responds to the device 20 (step S24). On the other hand, when the search response unit 331 determines that there is no request from the device 20 within a certain period of time (step S25: No), it determines that it does not respond to the device 20 (step S22). In this case, as with WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), it is possible to set or provide setting information only for the device for which the push button is pressed.

Further, when the search response unit 331 determines that the response is permitted if the communication with the server 3 is actually confirmed (step S23: “communication confirmation”), the search response unit 331 can actually confirm the communication with the server 3. It is determined whether or not the server is used (step S26). When the search response unit 331 determines that the communication with the server 3 is actually confirmed (step S26: Yes), it determines that it responds to the device 20 (step S24). On the other hand, when the search response unit 331 determines that the communication with the server 3 cannot be actually confirmed (step S26: No), it determines that it does not respond to the device 20 (step S22). After confirming that the device 30 can communicate correctly with the server 3, the device 30 provides the device 20 with the setting information used when communicating with the server 3. Therefore, the device 20 also establishes communication with the server 3. Can be done accurately.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
As described above, in the first embodiment, when the device 30 which has already been set to be used for communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4 is in the same house, the device 20 is the set device. The setting information is acquired from 30 by home communication, and the setting is made to itself. Therefore, in the first embodiment, even when a new device is additionally purchased, the device can automatically set the setting used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4. As a result, in the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user for the setting process for communicating with the server 3.

In the first embodiment, the device 20 and the device 30 have been described as devices having different functions, but of course, the device 20 and the device 30 may have the same function. Specifically, the control unit 23 of the device 20 and the control unit 33 of the device 30 may include a search unit 231, a setting acquisition unit 232, a search response unit 331, and a setting providing unit 332.

(Modification example)
In the first embodiment described above, the device 20 has been described as an example of acquiring setting information from another device 30 that has already been set, but of course, the device 20 is not limited to this. For example, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the communication system 1A according to the modified example of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication system 1A includes a home network system 2A including a broadband router 10A, devices 20, 30 and a gateway 40.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the gateway 40 according to the modified example of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, it has a communication unit 41, a control unit 42, and a storage unit 43. The communication unit 41 is a communication interface that communicates with the server 3 via the home broadband router 10A and the Internet 4, and communicates with the devices 20 and 30 via the home LAN. Similar to the control units 23 and 33, the control unit 42 is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA, a CPU, an MPU, or the like, and includes a search response unit 331 and a setting providing unit 332. The storage unit 43 is realized by a semiconductor memory element such as an HDD or a flash memory, and stores the setting information 341 of the device 30.

Therefore, the gateway 40 includes the same search response unit 331 and setting providing unit 332 as the device 30, and stores the setting information 341 of the device 30. In this case, the device 20 can also acquire the setting information 341 from the gateway 40 instead of the device 30. According to this modification, even if the service is already received in the configuration via the gateway 40, the setting used when communicating with the server 3 via the Internet 4 is automatically set for the new IoT device. Therefore, it is easy to add a new IoT device.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention as well as the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1,1A communication system 3 server 10 router 10A broadband router 20,30 equipment 40 gateway 21,31,41 communication unit 22,32 input unit 23,33,42 control unit 24,34,43 storage unit 25,35 output unit 231 Search unit 232 Setting acquisition unit 241,341 Setting information 331 Search response unit 332 Setting provision unit

Claims (9)

With a communication unit that communicates with the server via the Internet and with other devices via the gateway ;
With a search unit that searches for the other device using communication by the communication unit;
Using the communication, a setting acquisition request set for the other device searched by the search unit and requesting setting information used when communicating with the server via the Internet is transmitted to the gateway, and the front from Kige Towei, a setting acquiring unit that acquires front Ki設constant information;
A communication device comprising. The communication unit communicates with the other device in the building and
The search unit searches for the other device in the building.
The communication device according to claim 1. A storage unit that stores the setting information acquired by the setting acquisition unit is further provided.
The communication device according to claim 1. The setting information includes proxy information, identification information of a communication destination server, registration information regarding users and services, or a security policy indicating operating conditions.
The communication device according to claim 1. It is equipped with an input unit that accepts input of operation information for the communication device.
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the search unit starts searching for the other device when the input unit receives operation information. A plurality of types of the setting information are defined in advance.
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the search unit or the setting acquisition unit transmits identification information indicating the type of the setting information corresponding to the communication device by using the communication. The first communication device includes a first communication unit that communicates with the server via the Internet and communicates with the second communication device via the gateway .
The second communication device, via the Internet to communicate with the server, comprising a second communication unit that communicates with the first communication device via the gateway,
With a search step in which the first communication device searches for the second communication device using communication by the first communication unit;
Before Kige Towei is, a search response step for responding to the search request from the first communication device;
The first communication device requests setting information used when communicating with the server via the Internet, which is set in the second communication device searched in the search step by using the communication. A setting acquisition step of transmitting a setting acquisition request to the gateway and acquiring the setting information from the gateway;
With the setting providing step in which the gateway responds to the setting acquisition request from the first communication device and provides the setting information;
Communication method including. A computer equipped with a communication unit that communicates with a server via the Internet and with other devices via a gateway .
With a search procedure for searching for the other device using communication by the communication unit ;
Using the communication, a setting acquisition request set for the other device searched by the search procedure and requesting setting information used when communicating with the server via the Internet is transmitted to the gateway . before Kige Towei, a setting acquisition procedure for acquiring a pre Ki設constant information;
A communication program for executing. A communication system including a communication device and a gateway.
The communication device is
The first communication unit that communicates with the server via the Internet and with other devices via the gateway ,
A search unit that searches for the other device using communication by the first communication unit , and
Using the communication, a setting acquisition request set for the other device searched by the search unit and requesting setting information used when communicating with the server via the Internet is transmitted to the gateway, and the front from Kige Towei, anda setting acquisition unit that acquires the setting information,
The gateway
Communicating with the server via the Internet, a second communication unit that communicates with the previous SL communications device,
A search response unit for responding to the search request from the previous SL communications device,
In response to the setting acquisition request from the previous SL communications device, a setting providing unit for providing the setting information,
A communication system comprising.

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