KR100406078B1 - Home network device, Home network control device, and System and Method for reconfiguration of Description File in Home Network - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose is to reconfigure the description file so that the description file provided by the UPnP device is composed of only the service desired by the user so that the user can easily use the service function.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a UPnP control device requesting and receiving a service description file from the UPnP device, presenting the service item of the received description file to the user, and including the description file only with the service item selected by the user. When the UPnP device is requested to reconfigure the description file, the UPnP device extracts the service item selected by the user according to the request, and reconfigures its description file into a description file including only the extracted service item.

Description

Home network device, home network control device, description file reconstruction system and method in home network {Home network device, Home network control device, and System and Method for reconfiguration of Description File in Home Network}

The present invention relates to a description of a home network device, a home network control device, and a home network system in which a description file provided from a home network device is reconfigured so that the user can easily use a service function by reconfiguring the description file so that the user can easily use the service function. The present invention relates to a file reconstruction system and a method thereof.

Recently, with the development of information technology, various home network devices such as mobile phones, digital TVs, PDAs, and game consoles are connected to one network, and as the network environment spreads into the home, the home network is in the spotlight.

The above-mentioned home network refers to an environment in which home network devices in a home are connected to a single network so that they can share each other's digital data and use broadband communication. The wired and wireless network equipment itself is connected, and the broad home network encompasses not only the equipment but also middleware and services for integration / control / operation between home network devices.

In particular, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) is emerging as a middleware prepared for integration / control / operation between home network devices. The UPnP expands the existing Plug and Play function to provide different functions. It is a common protocol designed to allow multiple home network device devices with specification specifications to interface with each other.

Such a UPnP home network is generally shown in FIG. 1, where UPnP devices (telephones, digital surveillance cameras) and UPnP control devices (herein, digital television receivers) are connected in a single topology. In some cases, a home gateway is connected to an Internet service provider (ISP) to provide various Internet services.

The operation of the UPnP home network will be described briefly with reference to FIG. 2 as follows.

First, each UPnP device and UPnP control device are assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

Then, using the assigned IP address, the UPnP device multicasts a URL indicating the location of the unique universal identifier data (UUID) data and its device information to the UPnP control device. Recognize the device and request to retrieve data stored at the location indicated by the URL.

In response to this request, the UPnP device transmits a description file containing its detailed information and service information to the UPnP control device, and through the transmitted description files, the UPnP control device provides a number of UPnP devices connected to it. It is possible to use a number of service functions, etc. The description file is basically provided in the Extensible Markup Language (xml) specification.

As such, if you look at the xml specification of the UPnP device that is currently being developed or released, all the services provided by the device are specified in the description file, and the UPnP control devices provide various descriptions of the UPnP devices through the description file. The service function can be used.

However, in order to secure competitiveness with the same product, the companies that developed these UPnP devices set all the unnecessary service functions that the user does not use well in the xml specification, which is the description file of the corresponding device. To check and use, there are so many things to look at and the operation is also cumbersome, which only adds inconvenience to the user.

In other words, although many service functions provided by UPnP devices are provided, the number of service functions actually used by users is limited to a few, and in this case, all service functions provided by UPnP devices are controlled by UPnP control. When presented to the device, the user may feel inconvenient to use the service function by going through the cumbersome procedure of confirming various services.

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above problems, the home network device and the home network control device for reconfiguring a description file representing the service information, etc. of the home network device into a description file consisting only of the service information desired by the user, the home network An object of the present invention is to provide a description file reconstruction system and a method thereof.

The description file reconfiguration system in the home network according to the present invention for achieving the above object comprises: a home network control device requesting to reconstruct the description file provided by the home network device into a description file composed only of a service item desired by the user; According to the request of the home network control device, the description file is composed of a home network device which reconstructs the description file into a description file consisting only of service items desired by the user.

In another method of reconstructing a description file in a home network according to the present invention, the home network control device requests and receives a service description file from the home network device, and presents a service item of the received description file to the user to present the description file. Requests the home network device to reconstruct it into a description file consisting of only the service items selected by the user, and then the home network device extracts the service item selected by the user according to this request, and converts its description file into the extracted service item only. Reconstruction with a description file made.

1 is a diagram illustrating a general UPnP home network system,

2 is a diagram illustrating a general description file configuration method,

3 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a description file reconstruction system of the present invention;

4 is a diagram illustrating in detail a description file reconstruction system of the present invention;

5 is a diagram illustrating an example of reconstructing a description file.

6 and 7 illustrate a method of reconstructing a description file according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, an embodiment of a service description file reconstruction system in a home network according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In particular, an embodiment of the present invention will be described using a home network as UPnP.

As shown in FIG. 3, the UPnP control device requesting to reconstruct the description file provided by the UPnP device into a description file including only service items desired by the user, and the description file according to the request of the UPnP control device. Consists of UPnP devices that are reconfigured into a description file consisting of only the desired service items.

As shown in FIG. 3, an embodiment of the service description file reconstruction system of the present invention configured as described above is " UPnP control device " being " user computer " and " UPnP device controlled by the " UPnP control device " "Will be described as a digital television.

First, a user computer and a digital television receiver are each assigned an IP address from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. The DHCP server may be mounted inside the user computer or may be mounted in a separate modem or device.

When the digital television receiver is assigned its own IP address from a DHCP server, it uses its IP address to multicast its advertisement message to the user's computer.

The advertisement message includes an IP address assigned to the user to inform the user of his / her network location and a unique universal identifier (UUID), which is a device identification identifier, to inform the user computer of the UPNP control device that the user is an image medium, that is, a digital television receiver. The UUID is, for example, an identifier for identifying whether the UPnP control device is a refrigerator or an air conditioner.

Meanwhile, when the user computer, which is a UPnP control device, recognizes the existence of a UPnP device, that is, a digital television receiver, through the advertisement message, various description file files of the digital television receiver are requested.

The description file largely stores 1) device description information related to the device and 2) UPnP service description information related to the service of the device.

1) Device description information includes;

Device Type-> Device Type,

Model name / URL / Number-> device model name / device model site location and model number.

Serial number-> device serial number.

Manufacturer name / URL-> device manufacturer name / information that indicates the location of the site where the device manufacturer can be reached.

2) Service description information includes;

Service Type-> Service type, eg control type, picture type

State Variable-> Service type and name of device, for example, channel adjustment or volume adjustment

Action List-> A list that defines the actual operation of the device, such as channel up / down or volume up / down.

The description information is transmitted to the user computer by a digital television receiver, which is a UPnP device, at the request of the user computer, which is the UPnP control device. Actually, the location where the description file described above is stored by the digital television receiver is SCPD (Service Control). Protocol Definition) URL and the user's computer requests to load the description file of the digital television receiver via this URL, and the digital television receiver transmits the description file according to the request.

On the other hand, the user computer parses the description file received from the digital television receiver, extracts the service description file, and then browses the service items such as service type, state variable name, and action name.

The user then selects the desired items from among the browsed service items and requests the digital television to reconstruct the description file provided from the digital television into a description file composed only of the service items selected by the user.

In response to the request, the digital television receiver reconfigures the service description file to include only the service items selected by the user, and then transmits the reconstructed service description file at the request of the user so that the user can identify various services. This eliminates the need.

Next, an internal configuration of the UPnP control device and the UPnP device constituting another service description file reconfiguration system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the UPnP control device includes an interface unit 40 for receiving a service description file from the UPnP device, and a GUI unit 41 for presenting service items included in the received service description file. And a description request module 42 for requesting the UPnP device to reconfigure the presented service item into a service item selected by the user, the interface unit 40, the GUI unit 41, and the description request module 42. And a memory 43 for storing the description file reconstructed and transmitted according to the request, and a microcomputer 44 for respectively controlling the interface unit, the GUI unit, the description request module, and the memory.

The UPnP device includes an interface unit 45 for monitoring whether there is request information for reconstructing a service description file from the UPnP control device, and a description parser unit 46 for parsing the request information if there is and extracting a service item selected by the user. And a description configuration module 47 for reconstructing the service description file to be made up of only extracted service items, a memory 48 for storing the reconstructed description file, the interface unit 45 and the description parser unit 46. And a microcomputer 49 for controlling the description configuration module 47 and the memory 48, respectively.

In the service description file reconfiguration operation of the UPnP control device and the UPnP device, the UPnP control device first requests a description file, and thus the UPnP device transmits its description file.

Then, the interface unit 40 of the UPnP control device receives the transmitted description file and parses it under the control of the microcomputer 44 to extract the service description file.

The extracted service description file is browsed to the user through the GUI unit 41 under the control of the microcomputer 44. The service description file to be browsed is, for example, as shown in FIG. Control "," Picture ", Action Variable Name is" Channel "," Volume "," lightness ", and" Action name "is" Channel up / down "," volume up / down "," lightness up / down " There are many variations of the form.

Meanwhile, when service items of the service description file are browsed through the GUI unit 41, the user selects a desired service item among the browsed service items through a key input unit (not shown). The service item selected by the user is shown as an example. The service type is "Control", the State Varible Name is "Channel" and "Volume", and the Action name is "Channel up / down" and "volume up / down. One embodiment is shown.

When the user selects the browsed service items in this way, the description request module 42 requests to reconstruct the service description file into a service description file composed only of the service items selected by the user under the control of the microcomputer 44. Send a message to the UPnP device.

Then, the interface unit 45 of the UPnP device receives the request message and outputs the request message to the description parser unit 46, and the description parser unit 46 parses the request message under the control of the microcomputer 49 to the user. Extracts the selected service items and outputs them to the description configuration module 47.

The description configuration module 47 reconstructs the service description file under the control of the microcomputer 49 into a service description file consisting of outputted service items, and stores the service description file in the memory 48. The UPnP control device stores the service description file. Upon request, the service description file reconstructed with the service items selected by the user is transmitted to the UPnP control device.

Next, another service description reconfiguration method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

6 is a diagram illustrating a service description reconfiguration process performed in a UPnP control device, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a service description reconfiguration process performed in a UPnP device.

First, a process performed in the UPnP control device will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

The UPnP control device first recognizes the corresponding UPnP device, and then requests a service description file from the recognized UPnP device (S60).

Then, the service description file is received from the corresponding UPnP device (S61), the service items of the service description file are presented to the user (S62), and the user selects the desired item among the presented service items (S62). S63).

Then, the UPnP control device requests the UPnP device so that the service description file consists only of the service item selected by the user (S64), and the UPnP device periodically monitors whether there is such a request (S70). If (S71), the request message is parsed to extract the service items selected by the user (S72).

Then, the service description file is reconfigured (S73) and stored in the service description file so that the service description file is composed only of the extracted service items, and the SCPD URL is modified to the location where the reconfigured service description file is stored, and the service description file request of the UPnP control device is requested. The SCPD URL is transmitted to allow the UPnP control device to know the location where the reconstructed service description file is stored (S74).

As described in detail above, the home network device, the home network control device, and the description file reconstruction system and method in the home network according to the present invention may include the description file so that the description file provided by the home network device includes only a service desired by the user. It is effective in reconfiguring so that the user can easily use the service function.

Although the invention has been described in detail only with respect to the specific examples described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible within the spirit of the invention, and such modifications and variations belong to the appended claims.

Claims (5)

A home network control device requesting to reconstruct the description file provided by the home network device into a description file consisting only of service items desired by the user; And a description file reconstruction system in a home network comprising a home network device for reconstructing a description file according to a request of the home network control device into a description file including only service items desired by a user. An interface unit for receiving a service description file from a home network device; A GUI unit for presenting a service item included in the received description file; A description request module for requesting the home network device to reconfigure the presented service item to a service item selected by a user; And a microcomputer for respectively controlling the interface unit, the GUI unit, and the description request module. An API processing unit for monitoring whether there is a request message to reconstruct the description file from the home network control device; A description parser for parsing the request message and extracting a service item selected by a user; A description processing module for reconstructing the description file to be made up of only the extracted service items; And a microcomputer for controlling the API processing unit, the description parser unit, and the description processing module. Requesting, by the home network control device, the device for a service description file; Receiving the requested service description file; Presenting a service item of the received description file to a user; Selecting a service item desired by a user from among the presented service items; Requesting a description file reconstructed with the service item selected by the user to a corresponding home network device. Monitoring, by the home network device, whether there is a request for reconfiguration of the description file from the control device; Extracting a service item selected by a user according to a reconfiguration request of the description file; And reconstructing a description file including the extracted service items.