JP7465712B2 - Communication systems, information terminals and IoT devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication system including an IoT device, an external server, and an information terminal that are capable of communicating via a network, an information terminal, and an IoT device.

Today, water heaters equipped with functions such as a bath are connected to external servers via the Internet, and by utilizing the so-called IoT (Internet of Things), they can link with information terminals such as smartphones, improving user convenience. The information terminals can be used to remotely control the water heater from outside the home, and to view information such as usage status and usage history.

JP 2018-191100 A

When viewing the usage status of a water heater on an information terminal, it is preferable for the latest information to be reflected on the information terminal without delay. However, frequent communication with an external server increases the amount of data communication and the processing load.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a communication system, information terminal, and IoT device that can reduce the load while providing a good user experience.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a communication system according to the present invention includes an external server, an IoT device that communicates with the external server via a network and transmits a device status value indicating a device status to the external server, and an information terminal that synchronously communicates with the external server via the network and has application software that displays the device status based on the device status value transmitted from the external server, and that transmits a startup notification to the external server when the application software is running, and when the application software is running, the external server, upon receiving the device status value, determines a previous status based on the presence or absence of the startup notification. If it is determined that the device is started up, a state value change notification is sent to the information terminal notifying that the device state value has changed, and if the information terminal receives the state value change notification, it requests the device state value from the external server , and if the external server receives the startup notification, it further sends the startup notification to the IoT device, and the IoT device determines whether or not the device is started up based on the presence or absence of the startup notification, and if it is determined that the device is started up, it sends an active notification to the external server notifying the external server that the device is started up, and if the external server receives the active notification, it determines that the device is started up .

Moreover, an information terminal according to the present invention is an information terminal having an external server which communicates with an IoT device via a network, and application software which communicates synchronously with the IoT device via the network, receives a device status value indicating the device status of the IoT device via the external server, and displays the device status based on the device status value, wherein the application software transmits a startup notification to the external server indicating that the IoT device is started up every first time that is shorter than a second time for determining that the IoT device is not started up , and when the application software is started up, upon receiving a status value change notification from the external server notifying that the device status value has changed, the application software requests the device status value from the external server.

Furthermore, the IoT device according to the present invention is an IoT device that transmits a device status value indicating the device status to an information terminal via an external server that communicates with the information terminal via a network, and causes application software of the information terminal that performs synchronous communication with the external server via the network to display the device status based on the device status value, and receives a startup notification indicating that the application software is running that is sent by the information terminal to the external server via the external server when the application software is running, determines whether the application software is running based on the presence or absence of the startup notification, and when it is determined that the application software is running, transmits a device status value that is different from the device status value that would be transmitted if the application software was not running.

The communication system, information terminal, and IoT device of the present invention can reduce the load and improve the user experience.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a communication system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the bath hot water supply system. FIG. 4 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an external server. FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information terminal. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a startup notification transmission process executed by an information terminal. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing executed between the bath hot water supply system, the external server, and an information terminal while the bath hot water supply system and the external server are set to an active state. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing executed between the bath hot water supply system, the external server, and the information terminal when the bath hot water supply system and the external server are set to a normal state. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a hot water supply system side application state control process executed by the bath hot water supply system. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an external server side application state control process executed by the external server. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an apparatus status value transmission process executed by the bath hot water supply system. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a state value change notification transmission process executed by an external server. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a device status value request transmission process executed by an information terminal. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a screen on which the app displays a list of the status of the bath hot water supply system based on the device status values. An explanatory diagram of a screen on which the app displays information about bathing based on device status values.

One embodiment of the communication system, information terminal, and IoT device related to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

In the communication system according to the present invention, for example, an information and communication network such as the Internet can be used as the network. For example, IoT devices can be residential equipment such as a bath hot water supply system, an air conditioning system, and a floor heating system installed in the home. For example, an external server can be a cloud computing system installed outside the home and connected to the network. For example, information terminals can be smartphones, tablets, personal computers, etc. that can be used both inside and outside the home, and devices that can be connected to the network wirelessly or via a wire can be used.

Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a communication system according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the bath hot water supply system 10.

Figure 3 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the external server 30.

Figure 4 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information terminal 40.

The communication system 1 includes a bath hot water supply system 10 capable of communicating via a network 2, an external server 30, and an information terminal 40. In the communication system 1, the bath hot water supply system 10 connects to the network 2 and cooperates with the information terminal 40 by using the so-called IoT (Internet of Things).

The bath hot water supply system 10 is used in the home 5. The bath hot water supply system 10 communicates with the external server 30 via the network 2, and mainly transmits device status values indicating the device status. The information terminal 40 is used in the home 5 and outside the home 6 (away from the home). The information terminal 40 performs synchronous communication (described below) with the external server 30 via the network 2. The information terminal 40 has application software (hereinafter simply referred to as "app") that displays the device status based on the device status values. The information terminal 40 uses the app to instruct the operation of the bath hot water supply system 10 and to instruct changes to settings, and to view device information (device status values) such as the usage status and usage history of the bath hot water supply system 10.

In the following description, "inside the house 5" includes the inside of the house and the outside of the house within the house grounds (such as around the exterior walls of the house). "Outside the house 6" is a location other than inside the house 5.

The bath hot water supply system 10 mainly comprises a hot water supply unit 11, a hot water supply circuit and a bath circulation circuit (not shown), and a remote control 15.

The hot water supply unit 11 has a hot water storage tank and a heat pump. The hot water supply unit 11 supplies hot water to the bathroom (bath, bathtub) and the kitchen via the hot water supply circuit and the bath circulation circuit, and heats hot water supplied from the bathtub via the bath circulation circuit. As shown in FIG. 2, the hot water supply unit 11 has a hot water supply unit control unit 12, a hot water supply unit storage unit 13, and a hot water supply unit communication unit 14. The hot water supply unit control unit 12 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and electrically controls the hot water supply unit 11 according to a program pre-stored in the hot water supply unit storage unit 13. The hot water supply unit storage unit 13 has a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various programs and data necessary for controlling the hot water supply unit control unit 12. The hot water supply unit communication unit 14 is connected to the remote control communication unit 20 and enables two-way communication between the hot water supply unit 11 and the remote control 15.

The hot water supply circuit and bath circulation circuit are connected to the bathtub, shower, faucet, and kitchen faucet in the bathroom, and supply hot water from the hot water storage tank to the bathroom and kitchen, and circulate hot water in the bathtub between the bathtub and the hot water storage tank. The hot water supply circuit, bath circulation circuit, and hot water supply unit 11 have sensors such as a temperature sensor, a flow sensor, and a water level sensor. Information obtained from these sensors is mainly supplied to the hot water supply unit control unit 12, and information required for the display on the remote control 15 and information required by the external server 30 are supplied to the remote control control unit 16.

The remote control 15 is placed in the bathroom or kitchen, and receives various instructions from the user and displays information. As shown in FIG. 2, the remote control 15 has a remote control control unit 16, a remote control storage unit 17, a remote control input unit 18, a remote control display unit 19, and a remote control communication unit 20.

The remote control control unit 16 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the remote control 15 according to a program pre-stored in the remote control storage unit 17. For example, the remote control control unit 16 performs control and executes instructions based on user instructions received via the remote control input unit 18 or the information terminal 40. Specifically, the remote control control unit 16 executes hot water operation, automatic bath operation, bath reheating operation, etc. based on the instructed hot water temperature setting, bath temperature setting, set hot water volume, etc. The hot water supply unit control unit 12, which receives instructions from the remote control control unit 16, controls the operation of various valves, etc. based on information obtained from sensors.

The remote control control unit 16 also executes the hot water system side application status control process (Figure 8) and the device status value transmission process (Figure 10). The details of these processes will be described later.

In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the following description will be given using an example in which the remote control unit 16 comprehensively controls each part of the bath hot water supply system 10, including the hot water supply unit 11.

The remote control storage unit 17 has a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various programs and data necessary for controlling the remote control unit 16. The remote control input unit 18 is, for example, buttons that accept instructions from the user. The remote control display unit 19 is, for example, a display that displays information to the user. The remote control communication unit 20 connects the remote control 15 to other devices via a wired or wireless connection so that they can communicate with each other. Specifically, the remote control communication unit 20 connects the remote control 15 to the hot water supply unit 11 by connecting to the hot water supply unit communication unit 14 as described above. The remote control communication unit 20 also connects the remote control 15 to the network 2 via the router 3, and transmits and receives required information to and from other devices via the network 2.

The router 3 is placed inside the house 5 (within a range where it can communicate with the remote control 15) and connects the bath hot water supply system 10 and the information terminal 40 connected to the router 3 to the network 2. The router 3 functions as an access point for wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication.

The external server 30 is realized, for example, by using so-called cloud computing, and is connected to the bath hot water supply system 10 and the information terminal 40 via the network 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the external server 30 has a server control unit 31, a server storage unit 32, and a server communication unit 33. The server control unit 31 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the external server 30 according to a program pre-stored in the server storage unit 32. The server storage unit 32 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various programs and data necessary for the control of the server control unit 31. In particular, the server storage unit 32 appropriately stores device status values including the usage status and usage history of the bath hot water supply system 10 transmitted from the bath hot water supply system 10.

The server control unit 31 executes the external server side application state control process (Figure 9) and the state value change notification sending process (Figure 11). The details of these processes will be described later.

The server communication unit 33 connects the external server 30 to the network 2, and transmits and receives required information to and from the bath hot water supply system 10 and the information terminal 40 via the network 2.

The information terminal 40 is a device that can be used anywhere by the user, including inside the home 5 and outside the home 6. As shown in FIG. 4, the information terminal 40 has a terminal control unit 41, a terminal storage unit 42, a terminal input unit 43, a terminal display unit 44, a terminal communication unit 45, and a mobile communication unit 46.

The terminal control unit 41 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the information terminal 40 according to a program previously stored in the terminal storage unit 42. The terminal storage unit 42 has a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various programs and data necessary for the control of the terminal control unit 41. The terminal input unit 43 is, for example, a touch panel or buttons that accept instructions from a user. The terminal display unit 44 is, for example, a display that displays information to a user. The terminal control unit 41 also executes an app based on the program stored in the terminal storage unit 42. The app is started by a user instruction accepted via the terminal input unit 43. The app is terminated by a user instruction accepted via the terminal input unit 43. The app can be forcibly terminated by the OS (Operating System) of the information terminal 40 or another app (so-called task killer). Note that when an app is running, it includes a case where the app is running in the foreground where it can be displayed on the display and receive input, and a case where the app is running in the background using a multitasking function.

The terminal control unit 41 also executes a startup notification transmission process (FIG. 5) and a device status value request transmission process (FIG. 12). These processes will be described in detail later.

The terminal communication unit 45 connects the external server 30 and the information terminal 40 in a wired or wireless manner so that they can communicate with each other. Specifically, the terminal communication unit 45 connects the information terminal 40 to the network 2 via a router, and transmits and receives required information to and from the external server 30 via the network 2. The routers to which the terminal communication unit 45 is connected include the router 3 located within the home 5 and any router installed outside the home 6. The mobile communication unit 46 connects the information terminal 40 to a base station via the mobile communication network 4.

Here, the information terminal 40 communicates with the external server 30 by synchronous communication as described above. Synchronous communication is a communication method in which communication is performed by coordinating the timing of data transmission on the sending side with the timing of data reception on the receiving side. In synchronous communication, after a data communication request is issued, no other processing is performed and the response is waited for. For example, HTTP(S) (Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure)) can be used for synchronous communication.

The communication method between the external server 30 and the bath hot water system 10 is not particularly limited, and communication is performed using either synchronous communication or asynchronous communication. Asynchronous communication is a communication method in which communication is performed without matching the timing of data transmission on the sending side with the timing of data reception on the receiving side. With asynchronous communication, other processing can be performed while waiting for a response, and if a response is received while performing other processing, the receiving process is executed. For example, MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) can be used for asynchronous communication.

In the app of the information terminal 40, it is preferable that the display based on the device status value is updated without delay every time the device status value changes. However, if the information terminal 40 communicates with the external server 30 frequently, the amount of data communication and the processing load on the external server 30 and the information terminal 40 will increase.

For example, when the external server 30 and the information terminal 40 establish a connection through asynchronous communication using MQTT, the external server 30 can unilaterally transmit the device status value to the information terminal 40 at the timing when the external server 30 receives the device status value from the bath hot water supply system 10. However, due to its specifications, MQTT requires a larger amount of communication traffic than HTTP(S) when establishing an initial connection between the information terminal 40 and the external server 30. In addition, if the information terminal 40 is moving, this initial connection is required every time a base station or the like is switched, which may result in an enormous amount of communication traffic.

In addition, the external server 30 and the information terminal 40 are constantly connected, which increases the load on the external server 30. Furthermore, while the app is running, the information terminal 40 can notify the external server 30 that it is running. For this reason, it is conceivable that the external server 30 would send a device status value to the information terminal 40 only when the app is running. However, if the app is forcibly terminated by the OS of the information terminal 40, for example, the app cannot notify the external server 30 that the app has been terminated, and the external server 30 cannot know when to disconnect the MQTT connection, which could result in the device status value continuing to be sent.

On the other hand, it is also possible for the external server 30 and the information terminal 40 to establish a connection through synchronous communication using HTTP(S), reducing the load on the external server 30 while the application is responsible for requesting device status values from the external server 30. However, while HTTP(S) has a smaller amount of communication traffic at the initial connection compared to MQTT, updating the display without delay requires increasing the frequency of requests from the information terminal 40 to the external server 30, which increases the amount of communication between the information terminal 40 and the external server 30. As a result, there is a risk that the battery consumption and communication processing load of the information terminal 40 will increase.

In contrast, in the communication system 1 of this embodiment, the bath hot water supply system 10 monitors the running state of the app, and the app can request the device status value when the device status value changes. The process for achieving this is described in detail below.

First, we will explain the series of processes that the bath hot water supply system 10 performs to set the startup state of the app based on the startup state of the app on the information terminal 40.

Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining the startup notification transmission process executed by the information terminal 40.

Figure 6 is a sequence diagram that explains the processing executed between the bath hot water supply system 10, the external server 30, and the information terminal 40 when the bath hot water supply system 10 and the external server 30 are set to the active state.

Figure 7 is a sequence diagram that explains the processing executed between the bath hot water supply system 10, the external server 30, and the information terminal 40 when the bath hot water supply system 10 and the external server 30 are set to the normal state.

The startup notification sending process is executed on the app under the control of the terminal control unit 41, and is executed repeatedly until the app is terminated.

In step S1, the terminal control unit 41 determines whether or not an instruction to start the app has been received. The instruction to start the app is received from the user via the terminal input unit 43. If the terminal control unit 41 determines that the instruction has not been received (NO in step S1), it waits until the instruction is received. On the other hand, if the terminal control unit 41 determines that the instruction has been received (YES in step S1), it starts the app (step S101 in FIG. 6). In step S2, the terminal control unit 41 transmits a start-up notification to the external server 30 indicating that the app is being started (step S104 in FIG. 6). In step S3, the terminal control unit 41 determines whether or not a predetermined notification time (first time) has elapsed. The notification time is a period for transmitting a start-up notification to the external server 30 while the app is running, and is, for example, 5 minutes.

When the terminal control unit 41 determines that the notification time has not yet elapsed (NO in step S3), it waits until the notification time has elapsed. On the other hand, when the terminal control unit 41 determines that the notification time has elapsed (YES in step S3), it returns to step S2 and transmits a startup notification (step S104 in FIG. 6). That is, the terminal control unit 41 transmits the first startup notification when the app is started, and thereafter transmits a startup notification to the external server 30 every 5 minutes since the previous transmission (startup notification transmission step S104 is repeated). In addition, when the external server 30 receives a startup notification (every time a startup notification is received), it further transmits a startup notification to the bath hot water system 10 (step S105 in FIG. 6 is repeated).

Next, we will explain the process related to state control that is set based on the state of the app and is executed by the bath hot water supply system 10 upon receiving the startup notification.

Figure 8 is a flowchart explaining the hot water system side application state control process executed by the bath hot water system 10.

This application state control process is executed continuously when the bath hot water supply system 10 is in operation, and the normal state (step S123 in FIG. 7) is set when the process starts.

In step S11, the remote control control unit 16 determines whether or not a startup notification has been received from the external server 30. If the remote control control unit 16 determines that a startup notification has not been received (NO in step S11), it waits until the startup notification is received. On the other hand, if the remote control control unit 16 determines that a startup notification has been received (YES in step S11), in step S12, it transitions (sets) the state of the app held by the remote control control unit 16 to an active state (step S106 in FIG. 6). That is, the remote control control unit 16 determines whether or not the app is running based on the presence or absence of a startup notification.

Here, there are two states for an app: "active state" and "normal state", and the remote control unit 16 holds (sets) one of these states. The active state indicates a state in which the app is running. The normal state indicates a state in which the app is not running.

In step S13, the remote control control unit 16 sends an active notification to the external server 30 to notify the external server 30 that the app is in an active state (step S107 in FIG. 6). In step S14, the remote control control unit 16 determines whether a waiting time (second time) has elapsed since receiving the startup notification (YES in step S11). The waiting time is longer than the notification time, e.g., 6 minutes, and is a time that allows for reliable determination that startup notifications have stopped being sent from the information terminal 40 (external server 30).

When the remote control control unit 16 determines that the standby time has not elapsed (NO in step S14), it determines in step S15 whether or not it has received a startup notification. When the remote control control unit 16 determines that it has not received a startup notification (NO in step S15), it returns to the standby time elapsed determination step S14 and repeats the process. On the other hand, when the remote control control unit 16 determines that it has received a startup notification (YES in step S15, step S105 in FIG. 6), it maintains the active state setting in step S16 (step S106 in FIG. 6). The remote control control unit 16 then returns to the active notification sending step S13 and repeats the subsequent processes. That is, every time the remote control control unit 16 receives a startup notification, it maintains the active state setting and sends an active notification to the external server 30 (step S107 in FIG. 6 is repeated).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the waiting time has elapsed without receiving a startup notification from the external server 30 (YES in step S14), then in step S17, it is determined that the app is not running (step S121 in FIG. 7), and the state of the app is transitioned (set) to the normal state (step S123 in FIG. 7). After that, the process returns to step S11 for determining whether or not the startup notification has been received, and the remote control control unit 16 repeats the subsequent processes.

Next, we will explain the process related to state control that is set based on the state of the app, which is executed by the external server 30 that receives the active notification.

Figure 9 is a flowchart explaining the external server side application state control process executed by the external server 30.

This application state control process is executed continuously when the external server 30 is running, and the normal state (step S122 in FIG. 7) is set when the process starts.

In step S21, the server control unit 31 determines whether or not an active notification has been received from the bath hot water supply system 10. If the server control unit 31 determines that an active notification has not been received (NO in step S21), it waits until it receives an active notification. On the other hand, if the server control unit 31 determines that an active notification has been received (YES in step S21, step S107 in FIG. 6), in step S22, it transitions (sets) the state of the app set by the server control unit 31 to an active state (step S108 in FIG. 6).

In step S23, the server control unit 31 determines whether the standby time has elapsed. The standby time is the same as the elapsed time used by the bath hot water supply system 10 in the standby time elapsed determination step S14. If the server control unit 31 determines that the standby time has not elapsed (NO in step S23), it determines in step S24 whether an active notification has been received from the bath hot water supply system 10. If the server control unit 31 determines that an active notification has not been received (NO in step S24), it returns to the standby time elapsed determination step S23 and repeats the process.

On the other hand, if the server control unit 31 determines that an active notification has been received (YES in step S24), it maintains the active state setting in step S25 (step S108 in FIG. 6). The server control unit 31 then returns to step S23 for determining whether the waiting time has elapsed, and repeats the subsequent processes. In other words, the server control unit 31 maintains the active state setting every time it receives an active notification.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S23 that the waiting time has elapsed without receiving an active notification from the bath hot water supply system 10 (YES in step S23), the state of the app is transitioned (set) to the normal state in step S26 (step S122 in FIG. 7). After that, the process returns to step S21 for determining whether to receive an active notification, and the server control unit 31 repeats the subsequent processes.

Next, the process of transmitting the device status value to the external server 30, which is executed by the bath hot water supply system 10, will be described. The bath hot water supply system 10 transmits the device status value indicating the device status of the bath hot water supply system 10 to the external server 30 every time the device status value changes. The device status value is information indicating various states of the bath hot water supply system 10, such as the operating status of the automatic bath operation, the reservation status of the automatic bath operation, the remaining amount of hot water storage, the amount of hot water used per specified time, and set temperature information such as the hot water supply set temperature and the bath set temperature. The device status value is also information indicating whether or not a user is in the bathroom, whether or not someone is bathing in the bathtub, and the elapsed time.

The bath hot water supply system 10 transmits a different device status value when in the active state (Figure 6) than when in the normal state (Figure 7). Specifically, the bath hot water supply system 10 transmits different device information included in the device status value; for example, in the normal state, the system transmits at least the amount of hot water used per predetermined time and the remaining amount of hot water stored, and in the active state, the system transmits the device status value including, in addition to the amount of hot water used and the amount of hot water stored, display control information that indicates the information to be displayed in the app depending on at least the device status.

Figure 10 is a flowchart explaining the device status value transmission process executed by the bath hot water supply system 10.

This device status value transmission process is executed whether the bath hot water supply system 10 is set to the active state (step S103 in FIG. 6) or the normal state (step S123 in FIG. 7).

In step S31, the remote control control unit 16 determines whether the device status value has changed. The presence or absence of a change in the device status value is determined based on, for example, whether there has been a change in the state of the water filling, whether there has been a change in the state of the hot water storage tank, or whether there has been a change in whether the bathtub is being bathed. If the remote control control unit 16 determines that the device status value has not changed (NO in step S31), it waits until it changes.

On the other hand, when the remote control unit 16 determines that the device status value has changed (YES in step S31, step S109 in FIG. 6, step S124 in FIG. 7), it determines in step S32 whether the active state is set. When the remote control unit 16 determines that the active state is set (YES in step S32, steps S103 and S106 in FIG. 6), it transmits the device status value for the active state (active device status value) to the external server 30 in step S33 (step S110 in FIG. 6). On the other hand, when the remote control unit 16 determines that the active state is not set, that is, that the normal state is set (NO in step S32, S123 in FIG. 7), it transmits the device status value for the normal state (normal device status value) to the external server 30 in step S34 (step S125 in FIG. 7). After that, the process returns to the state value change determination step S31, and the remote control unit 16 repeats the following process.

Next, we will explain the process executed by the external server 30 that received the device status value to notify the information terminal 40 that the device status value has changed.

Figure 11 is a flowchart explaining the state value change notification sending process executed by the external server 30.

This state value change notification sending process is executed whether the external server 30 is set to the active state (steps S102 and S108 in FIG. 6) or the normal state (step S122 in FIG. 7).

In step S41, the server control unit 31 determines whether or not an equipment status value has been received from the bath hot water supply system 10. If the server control unit 31 determines that an equipment status value has not been received (NO in step S41), it waits until the equipment status value is received. On the other hand, if the server control unit 31 determines that an equipment status value has been received (YES in step S41), in step S42, it stores the received equipment status value in the server storage unit 32 (step S111 in FIG. 6, step S126 in FIG. 7).

In step S43, the server control unit 31 determines whether the active state is set. If the server control unit 31 determines that the active state is set (YES in step S43, steps S102 and S108 in FIG. 6), in step S44, the server control unit 31 transmits a state value change notification to the information terminal 40 (step S112 in FIG. 6). That is, the server control unit 31 transmits a state value change notification when the app is running. The state value change notification is information for notifying the information terminal 40 that the device state value of the bath hot water supply system 10 has changed (that a new device state value has been received from the bath hot water supply system 10), and does not include the device state value itself.

In step S45, the server control unit 31 judges whether or not a request for the device status value has been received from the information terminal 40. If the server control unit 31 judges that a request for the device status value has not been received (NO in step S45), it waits until a request for the device status value is received. On the other hand, if the server control unit 31 judges that a request for the device status value has been received (YES in step S45, step S113 in FIG. 6), it transmits the device status value to the information terminal 40 in step S46 (step S114 in FIG. 6). If the server control unit 31 judges that the active state is not set in step S43, that is, that the normal state is set (NO in step S43, step S122 in FIG. 7), or after step S46, it returns to the device status value reception judgment step S41 and repeats the subsequent processes.

Next, we will explain the processing executed by the information terminal 40 that has received the device status change notification, such as requesting a device status value from the external server 30.

Figure 12 is a flowchart explaining the device status value request transmission process executed by the information terminal 40.

This device status value request sending process is executed by the app when the app is running.

In step S51, the terminal control unit 41 determines whether or not a state value change notification has been received from the external server 30. The terminal control unit 41 receives the state value change notification in the background (without the user being aware of it). The terminal control unit 41 may receive the state value change notification via an app or via the OS. If the terminal control unit 41 determines that a state value change notification has not been received (NO in step S51), it waits until it is received.

When the terminal control unit 41 determines that a status value change notification has been received (YES in step S51, step S112 in FIG. 6), in step S52 it transmits a request for the device status value to the external server 30 (step S113 in FIG. 6). In step S53, the terminal control unit 41 determines whether or not a device status value has been received from the external server 30. When the terminal control unit 41 determines that a device status value has not been received (NO in step S53), it waits until it is received.

On the other hand, if the terminal control unit 41 determines that the device status value has been received (YES in step S53, step S114 in FIG. 6), in step S54, it updates the device status displayed on the terminal display unit 44 using the device status value (step S115 in FIG. 6).

Here, FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a screen on which the app displays a list of the equipment status of the bath hot water supply system 10 based on the equipment status value. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a screen on which the app displays the equipment status related to bathing based on the equipment status value.

When the operating state of the device changes, for example, due to the start of automatic bath operation, the terminal control unit 41 controls the terminal display unit 44 to update the "Automatic Bath" item from "OFF" to "ON" as shown in FIG. 13. When the bath time in the bathtub changes as part of the device state, the terminal control unit 41 controls the terminal display unit 44 to update the elapsed time in the "Bath Time" item (for example, from 4 minutes to 5 minutes) as shown in FIG. 14. As described above, the terminal control unit 41 controls the terminal display unit 44 based on the display control information included in the device state value. After that, the process returns to step S51 for determining whether or not the state value change notification has been received, and the terminal control unit 41 repeats the subsequent processes.

Such a communication system 1 can reduce the load while improving the user experience. That is, when the information terminal 40 communicates with the external server 30 using synchronous communication (HTTP(S)) instead of asynchronous communication (MQTT) to reduce the amount of communication, in order to increase the frequency of updating the display of the device status, the information terminal 40 must increase the frequency of requests for device status values to the external server 30. Furthermore, the information terminal 40 will make requests regardless of whether the device status value has changed, which may result in unnecessary communication processing.

In contrast, the communication system 1 in this embodiment requests the device status value when a status value change notification is received from the external server 30, so that the device status value can be acquired and displayed without delay when the device status value changes without increasing the frequency of communication. As a result, the communication system 1 can improve the usability and operability of the app for the user, and can also reduce the amount of communication and battery consumption of the information terminal 40.

In addition, the external server 30 transmits state value change notifications to the information terminal 40 only while the app is running, which reduces the processing load on the external server 30 without unnecessarily allocating resources.

Furthermore, the bath hot water supply system 10 determines whether the app is running based on the presence or absence of a start notification sent from the information terminal 40 and received via the external server 30. This allows the bath hot water supply system 10 to conveniently know that the app has ended, even in a situation where, for example, the information terminal 40 itself cannot notify the external server 30 and the bath hot water supply system 10 that it has ended the app. Furthermore, the communication system 1 determines the state of the app in the bath hot water supply system 10 rather than the external server 30, performs state control consisting of an active state and a normal state, and notifies the external server 30 of the result. Therefore, by determining the start-up state of the app not in the external server 30 but in the bath hot water supply system 10, which is always running, the processing load of the external server 30 can be reduced.

Although several 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 novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

For example, the bath hot water supply system 10 has been described as determining whether an app is running, and if so, sending an active notification to the external server 30. However, the external server 30 itself may determine whether an app is running. For example, the external server 30 may directly determine whether an app is running using a startup notification sent from the information terminal 40.

In addition, an example has been described in which the bath hot water system 10 changes the device status value depending on the application startup state (active state and normal state), but for example, the device status value may be transmitted in real time when the active state is set, and at a fixed transmission interval when the normal state is set to reduce communication traffic.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Communication system 2 Network 3 Router 4 Mobile communication network 5 Inside the home 6 Outside the home 10 Bath hot water supply system 11 Hot water supply unit 12 Hot water supply unit control unit 13 Hot water supply unit memory unit 14 Hot water supply unit communication unit 15 Remote control 16 Remote control control unit 17 Remote control memory unit 18 Remote control input unit 19 Remote control display unit 20 Remote control communication unit 30 External server 31 Server control unit 32 Server memory unit 33 Server communication unit 40 Information terminal 41 Terminal control unit 42 Terminal memory unit 43 Terminal input unit 44 Terminal display unit 45 Terminal communication unit 46 Mobile communication unit

Claims (8)

An external server;
An IoT device that communicates with the external server via a network and transmits a device status value indicating a device status to the external server;
an information terminal having application software which synchronously communicates with the external server via the network and displays the device status based on the device status value transmitted from the external server, and which transmits, when the application software is running, a startup notification to the external server indicating that the application software is running;
when the external server receives the device status value and determines that the device is running based on the presence or absence of the startup notification, the external server transmits a status value change notification to the information terminal notifying that the device status value has changed;
When the information terminal receives the status value change notification, the information terminal requests the device status value from the external server;
When the external server receives the start-up notification, the external server further transmits the start-up notification to the IoT device;
The IoT device determines whether or not the device is in the startup state based on the presence or absence of the startup notification, and when determining that the device is in the startup state, transmits an active notification to the external server notifying the external server that the device is in the startup state;
The external server determines that the communication system is running when the external server receives the active notification. the information terminal transmits the startup notification to the external server every first time while the information terminal is running;
The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the IoT device determines that the device is not in the activated state if the activation notification is not received for a second time period that is longer than the first time period. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the external server determines that the device is not running if the active notification is not received for the second period of time. An external server;
An IoT device that communicates with the external server via a network and transmits a device status value indicating a device status to the external server;
an information terminal having application software which synchronously communicates with the external server via the network and displays the device status based on the device status value transmitted from the external server, and which transmits, when the application software is running, a startup notification to the external server indicating that the application software is running;
when the external server receives the device status value and determines that the device is running based on the presence or absence of the startup notification, the external server transmits a status value change notification to the information terminal notifying that the device status value has changed;
When the information terminal receives the status value change notification, the information terminal requests the device status value from the external server;
When the external server receives the start-up notification, the external server further transmits the start-up notification to the IoT device;
A communication system in which the IoT device determines whether or not it is started up based on the presence or absence of the start-up notification, and if it determines that it is started up, transmits a device status value that is different from the device status value that it would transmit if the device was not started up. An information terminal having an external server that communicates with an IoT device via a network, and application software that synchronously communicates with the IoT device via the network, receives a device status value indicating a device status of the IoT device via the external server, and displays the device status based on the device status value,
the application software transmits to the external server a startup notification indicating that the IoT device is running every first time period that is shorter than a second time period for determining that the IoT device is not running ;
When a status value change notification notifying that the device status value has changed is received from the external server while the application software is running, the information terminal requests the device status value from the external server. An IoT device that transmits a device status value indicating a device status to an information terminal via an external server that communicates with the information terminal via a network, and displays the device status based on the device status value in application software of the information terminal that synchronously communicates with the external server via the network,
receiving, via the external server, a startup notification indicating that the application software is running, the startup notification being transmitted by the information terminal to the external server when the application software is running;
The IoT device determines whether or not the device is booted based on the presence or absence of the startup notification, and if it is determined that the device is booted, transmits a device status value that is different from the device status value that is transmitted when the device is not booted. The startup notification is received every first time while the device is running;
The IoT device according to claim 6 , wherein the IoT device is determined to be in the activated state when the activation notification is received, and is determined to not be in the activated state when the activation notification is not received for a second period of time that is longer than the first period of time. The IoT device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, when it is determined that the device is running, an active notification is sent to the external server to notify the external server that the device is running.

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