KR102648087B1 - Method and system for providing community service utilizing ad packet broadcasting - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for providing community services using short-distance broadcasting, and more specifically, to a method and system for providing community services based on technology for broadcasting ad packets.

Description

Method and system for providing community services based on ad packet broadcasting {METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING COMMUNITY SERVICE UTILIZING AD PACKET BROADCASTING}

The present invention relates to a method and system for providing community services using short-distance broadcasting, and more specifically, to a method and system for providing community services based on technology for broadcasting ad packets.

As networks developed in the 2000s, online community services using these networks, such as messengers, chatting services, and SNS services, have also been greatly developed. During this process, the development of networks has contributed, but improvements in the terminals used by users have also made a significant contribution. As such, the development of networks and terminals has contributed to the creation of various types of online community services. Meanwhile, despite the steady development of online community services as mentioned above, online community services still face limitations due to the fact that the origin of the service is purely online, and also through online There are restrictions on exchange, so in order to exchange, you must go through a procedure with a certain level of security (e.g., a procedure for sharing information that can identify each other such as ID and phone number between members), and an unspecified number of diverse people There have been problems and inconveniences in that there are still major barriers to communicating with people.

The present invention is the result of thinking about how to easily form a community of an unspecified number of people, taking into account the limitations of online community services as described above and the problems of forming offline communities, and specifically, offline meetings formed in the same space. A method of broadcasting packets to engage users through a local area network, more precisely, a Bluetooth network or a Bluetooth mesh network, and providing a community service that allows users to share information online according to the results, and It's about the system.

The present invention was developed with an eye on this problem, and not only can solve the technical problems discussed above, but also provide additional technical elements that cannot be easily invented by those skilled in the art. It has been done.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1240551 (announced on March 18, 2013)

The purpose of the present invention is to enable users who exist in close proximity to each other to establish an online community in a simple manner. In particular, at this time, an ad packet broadcast through a Bluetooth mesh network is used between an unspecified number of users who meet offline. The purpose is to enable each other to use the same community services.

In addition, the present invention disseminates information about community services through a Bluetooth network when broadcasting between users in a short distance, and uses a wide area network such as a mobile communication network or Wi-Fi when participating in an actual community, thereby creating an environment in which data transmission and reception are stable, that is, The purpose is to provide a high-quality community environment.

In addition, the present invention provides a differentiated service to the host device and nearby guest devices by inserting a direct field, that is, a value that can identify whether the ad packet was received from the host device, in the ad packet propagated between devices. The purpose is to make it possible.

Additionally, the purpose of the present invention is to enable the number of community participants to be adjusted by further inserting a counting value to control the range of participants in the ad packet.

In addition, the present invention prevents guest devices that have received ad packets from broadcasting for a predetermined time, or allows broadcasting to other devices only for a predetermined time, thereby wasting network resources when broadcasting ad packets. Alternatively, the purpose is to minimize power waste of transmitting and receiving devices.

Meanwhile, the technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

In order to solve the above problem, a method of allowing a device to execute a community service using short-distance broadcasting according to the present invention includes the steps of allowing the device to receive a first ad packet from a first external device; And a step of the device transmitting a community participation request to the service server with reference to the information included in the first ad packet, wherein the first ad packet includes a UUID for identifying the community service, the service server It may include a community identifier to identify the community created by and RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) information.

In addition, in the method, the first Ad packet includes a counting value (TTL) for controlling the range of devices to participate in the community, and a direct field for distinguishing whether the Ad packet has been received directly from the host device. It may be characterized by further including a (direct field).

According to the present invention, there is an effect of instantly establishing an online community among users who are in close proximity to each other and maintaining this community even after the meeting has ended.

In addition, according to the present invention, short-distance communication (Bluetooth mesh network), which shows an unstable communication state as usage increases, is used only to verify the existence of a short distance between users, and stable wide-area networks such as mobile communication networks and Wi-Fi are used for actual online communities. By using it for provision, it has the effect of allowing users to interact stably.

Additionally, according to the present invention, by broadcasting ad packets to encourage users to participate, the power consumption of terminals transmitting ad packets can be significantly reduced.

In addition, according to the present invention, by utilizing various values included in the ad packet, it is possible to distinguish the device closest to the host device, and by utilizing this information, additional additional services can be provided to devices located close to the host device. You can achieve certain effects.

Additionally, according to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the range of community participants or the broadcasting range by including the counting value in the ad packet.

In addition, according to the present invention, resource waste when broadcasting ad packets is minimized by preventing devices that have received ad packets from broadcasting for a predetermined time or enabling broadcasting to other devices only for a predetermined time. It works.

Meanwhile, the effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

Figure 1 systematically shows the basic environment in which the community service according to the present invention is provided.
Figure 2 shows a first embodiment according to the present invention.
Figure 3 exemplarily shows the structure of an ad packet.
Figure 4 is a diagram to explain the guest clustering function using RSSI included in an ad packet.
Figure 5 shows an environment in which community services are provided using beacon devices installed in random affiliated stores.
Figure 6 shows a second embodiment according to the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram to explain problems that may occur when one node receives ad packets from multiple nodes.
Figure 8 shows a third embodiment according to the present invention.
Figure 9 shows a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.
Figure 10 conceptually illustrates an embodiment in which mesh cooldown and mesh duration are applied simultaneously.
Figure 11 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of mesh cooldown.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a function of a host device delegating authority to broadcast a host ad packet to another device.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a function of a host device monitoring the usage status of guest devices.

Details regarding the purpose and technical configuration of the present invention and its operational effects will be more clearly understood by the following detailed description based on the drawings attached to the specification of the present invention. Embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The embodiments disclosed in this specification should not be construed or used as limiting the scope of the present invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the description, including embodiments, of this specification has various applications. Accordingly, any embodiments described in the detailed description of the present invention are illustrative to better explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the embodiments.

The functional blocks shown in the drawings and described below are only examples of possible implementations. Other functional blocks may be used in other implementations without departing from the spirit and scope of the detailed description. Additionally, although one or more functional blocks of the present invention are shown as individual blocks, one or more of the functional blocks of the present invention may be a combination of various hardware and software components that perform the same function.

In addition, the expression including certain components is an “open” expression and simply refers to the presence of the corresponding components, and should not be understood as excluding additional components.

Furthermore, when a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it should be understood that although it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, other components may exist in between. do.

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be looked at with reference to the drawings.

First, Figure 1 shows a brief system configuration to understand the basic concept of the community service according to the present invention. According to FIG. 1, the entire system may include a plurality of devices 100A, 100B, 301 to 310, and a service server 200 capable of providing community services to the devices.

The present invention allows users who exist in close proximity to each other offline to create an online community that can be used immediately on the spot using the device they carry, for example, a smartphone. In Figure 1, this is an offline area. It is shown as communities A and B, which include A, B, and devices existing in each of these offline areas.

One of the most important features of the present invention is to broadcast a packet (ad packet) that induces community participation to other devices existing in a short distance around an arbitrary device, and to cause the devices that receive it to connect to the service server 200. It is possible to access the community provided by through a wide area network (mobile communication network, Wi-Fi, etc.).

Meanwhile, Figure 1 shows an SNS server 700 operated by SNS operators connected to a wide area network. The service server 200 according to the present invention connects each user to the community through linkage with the SNS server. It can be implemented to enable participation or share data or information. In other words, through the service server according to the present invention, so-called non-members who have not previously signed up can use the service according to the present invention by using the login information of other SNS services, and furthermore, it is possible to use the service according to the present invention by using the login information of other SNS services. Files can be implemented so that they can also be shared with each community through the service server.

Figure 2 shows a system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which the host device 100 requests the initial service server 200 to establish a community and adds an ad to invite other users to participate in the established community. This shows the process of broadcasting a packet.

Before giving a full description, the devices and service servers mentioned in this detailed description may have the following hardware characteristics.

First, with regard to devices (here, the device includes the host device and guest devices around the host device), the devices mentioned in this detailed description refer to devices that the user owns or carries, including smartphones, It may include portable terminals such as PDAs and tablet PCs, as well as installed terminals such as home PCs. When looking at these devices from the perspective of devices, it is assumed that each device is equipped with a central processing unit (CPU) and memory. The central processing unit may also be called a controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, microcomputer, etc. Additionally, the central processing unit may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. When implemented using hardware, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a digital signal processor (DSP) is used. , DSPD (digital signal processing device), PLD (programmable logic device), FPGA (field programmable gate array), etc., if implemented using firmware or software, a module, procedure or function that performs the above functions or operations. The firmware or software may be configured to include. In addition, memory includes ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash memory, SRAM (Static RAM), It can be implemented with HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), etc.

For reference, this detailed description will be described assuming that the device is a smartphone or tablet PC to aid understanding of the invention. In this case, the device may include a display and a touch-sensitive surface, and may additionally be connected to one or more other means for physical user input, such as a physical keyboard, mouse and/or joystick. Additionally, the device may further include means for detecting and recording sound or voice. Meanwhile, various applications running on the device may optionally use at least one common means for physical user input, such as a touch-sensitive surface. One or more functions of the touch-sensitive surface, as well as corresponding information displayed on the terminal, may optionally be adjusted or changed from one application to the next and/or within individual applications. In this way, the device's common physical architecture (such as a touch-sensitive surface) can optionally support a variety of applications using user interfaces that are intuitive and clear to the user.

Meanwhile, the service server is a component that provides a program, that is, a set of instructions, for actually implementing the method according to the present invention, and further corresponds to a component that processes or stores various data received from a plurality of terminals. The form of the service server may be at least one server PC managed by a specific operator, or it may be a cloud server provided by another company, that is, a cloud server that the operator can sign up for and use. In particular, when the service server is implemented as a server PC, the service server may include a central processing unit and memory, and since this was mentioned in detail in the previous description of the terminal, the description will be omitted here.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a random user requests the service server to open a community using his or her device, and when a community is opened according to the request, information about the community is received from the service server. This shows the process of broadcasting to other devices. An easy example is a situation where a random user attends an offline meeting and wants to create an online community with people around him by running the application himself. When the random user clicks the application's chat room opening icon, the surrounding people It shows the process of allowing an unspecified number of people (in this case, the unspecified number of people would naturally be users of terminals within the range where short-distance communication can occur) to participate in the above chat room.

The first embodiment begins with the step of having the application installed in the device transmit a community creation request to the service server 200 (S102) in response to receiving input from the user (S101). do. For reference, the device that transmits the community creation request to the service server 200 will be referred to as the host device 100 in this detailed description to aid understanding of the invention. Meanwhile, the above-mentioned application may be installed with an installation file provided by the service server, or may be installed with an installation file distributed or sold by the service server to each user through another server such as an application market. In addition, receiving input from a user can be understood as a touch input or keyboard input entered by the user to run the application and establish a community, and the input method is not limited to the above. Additionally, the community establishment request transmitted to the service server may preferably be made through a mobile communication network or a wide area network such as Wi-Fi. In addition, the community creation request may include various information, such as basic information such as the time the community creation request was made, the location at the time of the community creation request, or application version information, and the information you wish to participate in. Additional information about items optionally set by the user, such as the number of guests, guest conditions, community title, and community maintenance time, may be further included.

Meanwhile, after receiving a community opening request from the device, the service server opens a random community according to the community opening request (S103), and this can actually be implemented as opening a single chat room.

Next, the application installed on the host device 100 may receive information about the established community, that is, community information, from the service server (S104). At this time, the community information includes an identifier for identifying the community service, An identifier to identify the created community or other various information about the above community (time when the community creation request was made, location at the time of the community creation request, number of guests to participate, guest conditions, community title, or community maintenance) time, etc.) may be included.

Next, the application installed on the host device 100 causes the host device 100 to generate an ad packet with reference to previously received community information (S105). An ad packet can be understood as a data packet generated to be propagated to the outside, and in this case, the structure of the ad packet can be structured to include information as shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to Figure 3, the ad packet may basically include a UUID, which is an identifier for identifying the community service, and a community identifier for identifying the established community, and also controls the number of guests to participate in the community. Counting value (TTL) to do this, a direct field to identify whether it is an ad packet sent directly from the host device 100, and a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) to indicate the signal sensitivity between the transmitting device and the receiving device. ) may further be included.

Specifically, with respect to the counting value, the counting value (TTL) is a value to limit the number of guests. When the counting value broadcast from the host device 100 is n, the devices that received it reduce the counting value by 1. It will be broadcasted again to other devices, and when the final counting value is 0, broadcasting can no longer be performed. Meanwhile, preferably, the counting value may have a maximum value of 63.

Regarding the direct field, in the present invention, serial broadcasting through a Bluetooth mesh network is possible using a counting value, and in some cases, any guest device, that is, any node among the host device 100. It may be necessary to check whether an ad packet has been received directly from . The direct field will be set to a true value in the ad packet sent by the host device 100, but guest devices that receive it may change the value of the direct field to false to enable broadcasting. In this case, only nodes that directly received the Ad packet from the host device 100 will have a true value in the direct field, so the host device 100 and the guest devices closest to it can be distinguished. In addition, in some cases, it is possible to estimate that the devices that received the Ad packet with the direct field being true are within a certain distance, for example, about 40 meters (this is a value that can be adjusted depending on the designer's intention), thereby making it possible to estimate that the devices in close proximity are It is possible to provide various additional services or provide additional information to the target audience.

Regarding RSSI, the Ad packet may include Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) information indicating the received Bluetooth sensitivity (how good the signal is), which determines the approximate distance between the host device 100 and the guest device. It can be estimated. Preferably, the distance estimation referring to the RSSI can be implemented to be effective only when the guest device directly receives the ad packet from the host device 100, that is, only when the direct field is true. Estimation of distance can be made based on data pre-mapped between RSSI and distance, for example, if RSSI is an a1 value, b1 meters, if the RSSI is a2 value, b2 meters... In this way, it can be estimated based on previously measured or known mapping data. Meanwhile, distinguishing the host device 100 and adjacent devices by inserting a direct field, RSSI, into an ad packet, and further estimating the distance between the host device 100 and adjacent devices are performed within the network for each node. Enables the provision of differentiated services.

For reference, the ad packet structure of FIG. 3 is [UUID; community identifier; counting value; direct field; RSSI], for example, [HWA_SVC; ROOM123; TTL=30; Direct=true; RSSI = -87dbm]. Also, for reference, the device that received the ad packet will be able to participate in the ROOM123 chat room provided by a community service called HWA_SVC, and will reduce the TTL value by 1 and broadcast to external devices again. Additionally, the device that received the above Ad packet received the Ad packet directly from the host device 100 and can be classified as being separated by a distance corresponding to a signal sensitivity of -87dbm.

Meanwhile, in the community service provision method and system according to the present invention, the so-called RSSI information-based clustering (hereinafter referred to as RSSI-based clustering) limits the range of devices capable of participating in the community to a very narrow area based on the RSSI information described above. )can do.

Figure 4 is a diagram to explain RSSI-based clustering. For example, we will look at a case where it is desired to cluster only users present in a conference room and have them participate in the community. In general, a conference room is separated from the outside space by a wall, and due to the presence of a wall, there is bound to be a difference in the (Bluetooth) signal sensitivity between devices inside the conference room and between devices inside the conference room and outside the conference room. When using this difference in signal sensitivity, a cluster of devices 301 to 304 adjacent to the host device 100 can be identified, and these devices can be clustered. This method is shown in (b) of FIG. 4. An example clustering implementation is shown. Referring to (b) of FIG. 4, if the RSSI values of guest devices that received an ad packet from the host device 100 are listed on the x-axis, the same result as in FIG. 4(b) can be obtained. In this case, the host device 100 Using the device 100 as a reference point, the devices 301 to 304 estimated to be closest are determined as those within the red dotted line, and then these devices can be clustered. There may be a variety of algorithms for determining devices estimated to be nearby, but the K-means algorithm can be preferably used. The K-means algorithm is an algorithm that groups given data into k clusters, and operates by minimizing the variance of the distance difference between each cluster. The service server according to the present invention can use the K-means algorithm to distinguish clusters that are close to the host device 100. At this time, the service server projects and uses the RSSI value so that the K-means algorithm can operate effectively. You can.

Meanwhile, in the community service providing method and system according to the present invention, the ad packet can be generated preferably by referring to the structure of the iBeacon packet. Apple's iOS provides a beacon function (iBeacon) at the OS level. In this case, a unique UUID can be assigned to the beacon service, and the UUID that can identify the service according to the present invention is included in the OS company's beacon service packet. If it can be loaded, this can also be used by the host device 100 to effectively spread a message to encourage community participation to surrounding terminals. More specifically, in this case, if the community service application according to the present invention is installed on the device that received the beacon signal containing the ad packet, it can be automatically executed in the background of the OS even if it is not in the running state. , the application running in the background may output a Local Notification on the device to induce the user to run the application and thereby induce the user to join the corresponding community by referring to the community identifier included in the ad packet. Meanwhile, the device that received the ad packet in the background may, in some cases, reduce the counting value (TTL) by 1 and then broadcast it again to another device, or in some cases, the counting value only when the application is executed. (TTL) can be reduced by 1 and then broadcast to other devices. For reference, in the case of iBeacon, of the 4 bytes of Major and Minor, 24 bits can be assigned to the community identifier (chat room ID), 6 bits can be assigned to the counting value, and 1 bit can be assigned to the direct field, as shown in (b) of Figure 3. Additionally, 1 bit can be used as an ad-hoc field to specify a temporary group.

On the other hand, when generating an ad packet with reference to the structure of the iBeacon packet mentioned above, an environment in which ad packet broadcasting using a beacon device 500 available on the market can be implemented can be implemented. That is, when the system according to the present invention uses the standard iBeacon packet structure, a commercially available beacon device 500 is installed in a random location and the beacon device 500 is used to identify a specific community service identifier and By continuously broadcasting ad packets containing a specific community identifier, users around the location can freely participate in the chat room.

For example, a business entity establishes a chat room (community) in advance at a key location (famous restaurant, store) in a major area for or through sales, and nearby consumers use the application around or at this location. By allowing the above chat room to be searched when running, consumers can accurately specify the location and participate in the chat room, and business operators can use it as a place for marketing or communication with consumers. there is. FIG. 5 exemplarily shows an environment in which a coffee shop operates a community using a beacon device 500 installed in the coffee shop as described above.

Figure 6 is for explaining a method of providing a community service according to the second embodiment of the present invention. If the first embodiment was related to broadcasting of ad packets of the host device 100, the second embodiment is related to broadcasting of ad packets. This relates to the received guest device re-broadcasting the ad packet to another device.

Referring to FIG. 6, the second embodiment may begin with an arbitrary guest device receiving a first ad packet from a first external device. (S201) If this step is explained from another perspective, it can also be understood as a step in which a community service application installed on an arbitrary guest device causes the guest device to receive the first ad packet. At this time, the first external device may be a host device or another guest device.

Meanwhile, the application may cause the guest device that received the first ad packet to make a community participation request (S202) to the service server by referring to the information included in the first ad packet, and then determine whether the service server approves it. Participation in the community established according to this can occur. The community participation request may include information included in the first ad packet, particularly a UUID for identifying the community service, and a community identifier for identifying the established community.

Additionally, the application may cause the guest device to generate a second Ad packet (S203) and broadcast the generated second Ad packet (S204). The second Ad packet generated in step S203 is created by changing some of the information included in the previous first Ad packet to the same value and some to different values. For example, the second Ad packet is the same as the first Ad packet. It may include the same community service identifier (UUID) and community identifier (chat room number) as the packet, and may include a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the counting value of the first ad packet and setting it as a new counting value. Additionally, in the second ad packet, the value of the direct field may also be changed from the conventional true value to a false value.

Meanwhile, assuming that the second embodiment of FIG. 6, that is, the process of the guest device generating and broadcasting an ad packet again, is understood, if the guest device repeats the second embodiment without any special restrictions, as in FIG. 7 The same problem may occur.

Referring to FIG. 7, any node A (or guest device A) can receive ad packets from both node B and node C, and must broadcast the ad packets received from each node back to other nodes. In this case, since Node A cannot broadcast ad packets to other nodes at the same time, there is a need to broadcast these ad packets sequentially. On the other hand, along with the above-mentioned problems, problems may also occur when using Node D as a reference. Since Node D can already receive Ad packets from Node B or Node C through other paths, there is no need to receive the same Ad packet from Node A. There is no need to receive packets, but rather, another problem can be pointed out in that Node A may use unnecessary resources and do unnecessary broadcasting to Node D.

In the community service provision method according to the present invention, in order to solve the problem shown in FIG. 7, the application installed in each device can be implemented to execute at least one of the so-called mesh_cooldown or mesh_duration functions.

Figure 8 is for explaining the mesh cooldown function. Referring to FIG. 8, after the step of receiving the first Ad packet from the outside (S801), a random guest device 302 generates a second Ad packet (S802) and sends it to another arbitrary external device 403. It will be broadcasted (S803), and after completing one ad packet generation and broadcasting, the guest device 302 can be controlled to rest for a preset time. Resting at this time can be understood as allowing the guest device to rest from broadcasting itself or from broadcasting a specific ad packet. The mesh cooldown can be set as a random number every time, for example, 20 to 30 seconds, and when using the mesh cooldown function in this way, from the perspective of node D in FIG. 7, while node A is resting, Since ad packets can be received, the efficiency of broadcasting and receiving ad packets within the entire system can be greatly increased. In addition, when using the mesh cooldown function, the resource utilization efficiency of the guest device 302 can be increased, and in particular, battery consumption can be significantly reduced.

Figure 9 is for explaining the mesh duration function. Referring to FIG. 9, after receiving the first and third Ad packets from the outside (S901, S902), any guest device 302 receives a second Ad packet (corresponding to the first Ad packet). ) and a fourth Ad packet (corresponding to the third Ad packet) are generated (S903, S904), and the generated second Ad packet and fourth Ad packet are broadcasted in order (S905, S906). At this time, the broadcasting time of the second and fourth Ad packets may be arbitrarily determined, for example, may be determined as a random number from 5 to 10 seconds each time each Ad packet is broadcast. In a specific embodiment, the second Ad packet in FIG. 9 may be implemented to be broadcast for 6 seconds, and the fourth Ad packet may be broadcast for 8 seconds. In this way, when mesh duration is used, node D in Figure 7 can receive ad packets from multiple paths, thereby increasing ad packet broadcasting and receiving efficiency within the entire system, and the node broadcasting at the same time From a user's perspective, it is also possible to achieve the effect of being able to use resources more efficiently.

For reference, although the mesh cooldown function and the mesh duration function are explained separately in FIGS. 8 and 9, the above two functions may be implemented to be executed simultaneously. For example, based on FIG. 9, after a random guest device 302 broadcasts the second ad packet for 6 seconds, the guest device 302 may rest for 20 seconds, and then the fourth ad packet may be broadcast for 6 seconds. It can be implemented to broadcast an ad packet for 8 seconds and then rest for 25 seconds. Figure 10 conceptually illustrates an embodiment in which the mesh cooldown function and the mesh duration function are applied simultaneously. Node A first broadcasts a new Ad packet corresponding to the Ad packet received from Node B for 6 seconds and then broadcasts the Ad packet for 20 seconds. An example implemented to rest for 25 seconds after broadcasting a new Ad packet corresponding to an Ad packet received from Node C for 8 seconds is conceptually shown. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 10, an application installed in a guest device may cause the guest device to repeatedly execute the mesh cooldown and mesh duration functions.

Meanwhile, with regard to the mesh cooldown function, the mesh cooldown function implemented according to the present invention may be implemented so that the resting time is adjusted by a specific variable to increase the effect. Figure 11 is a diagram to explain this. Figure 11 (a) shows an environment in which a large number of nodes (guest devices) exist in a small space, and (b) shows an environment in which a small number of nodes exist in a space. It shows. In general, the longer the mesh cooldown time, the less the load required for broadcasting, so resources such as battery can be reduced accordingly. At the same time, the longer the mesh cooldown time, the longer the connection time within the mesh network, that is, the broadcasting time. As a result, the connection time between guest devices within the mesh network will be reduced accordingly, which may have the adverse effect of reducing the stability of the mesh network. Therefore, in order to utilize the mesh cooldown function, how to control the time may be an important issue. The present invention solves the above problem by increasing the mesh cooldown time in proportion to the number of ad packets containing the same community identifier received, that is, in proportion to the number of ad packets received to invite to the same chat room. presents. For example, in an environment such as (a) in Figure 11, Node A can receive Ad packets derived from Node B from various paths. In this case, Node A does not bother to use resources to receive Ad packets derived from Node B. Since there is no need to continuously broadcast, the mesh cooldown time can be increased. In other words, Node A can receive an ad packet multiple times to participate in the same chat room, but there is no need to broadcast the same ad packet multiple times to participate in the same chat room, thereby increasing the resting time. On the other hand, in an environment such as (b) in Figure 11, that is, an environment in which nodes are arranged linearly and long, Node A receives Ad packets from Node B through only a single path, and if Node A does not broadcast them, the corresponding mesh The network's connectivity and stability deteriorate. In this case, the stability of the mesh network can be increased by having Node A reduce the mesh cooldown time.

FIG. 12 is for explaining a function of a host device delegating authority as a host device, or authority to broadcast an ad packet as a host device, to another device.

In the previous description of FIG. 2, it was explained that the host device can broadcast Ad packets to arbitrary guest device(s). In particular, for Ad packets directly broadcast from the host device, the Direct field has a true value. At the same time, it was explained that the distance between the host device and the guest device can be estimated using the RSSI value with the guest device that received the ad packet.

The function shown in FIG. 12 relates to delegating authority as a host device, or authority to broadcast ad packets as a host device.

(a) of FIG. 12 shows that in an environment where a specific first host device 101 can broadcast ad packets to multiple guest devices, the first host device 101 acts as a host device to any guest device. It shows an embodiment that delegates authority to function, that is, to broadcast ad packets as a host device. At this time, the guest device that has been delegated authority from the first host device may be defined as the second host device 102 for convenience, and when the second host device 102 is delegated in this way, the first host device 101 Even if broadcasting is no longer possible due to the power being turned off due to lack of battery power or application deactivation, the second host device 102 can be allowed to continue broadcasting ad packets as a host. Meanwhile, the first host device is controlled by an application installed therein, and allows the user to delegate authority by manipulating the application (such as by touching a button to delegate authority to a registered acquaintance on the application). Alternatively, you can automatically delegate authority to other guest devices when certain conditions are met (e.g., when the battery level is less than 5%). In addition, the second host device that has delegated authority once again confirms receipt of the above authority delegation to verify that the first host device and the second host device are in the same space (a space connectable by a Bluetooth mesh network). Additional steps may be included.

For reference, the process of delegating authority may be performed in the form of the first host device being controlled by an installed application and transmitting a series of data to the second host device, and the transmitted data may include data packets for delegating host authority. An identifier that can identify the host device, basic information about the first host device, etc. may be included. Meanwhile, the delegated second host device generates and broadcasts an ad packet, but at this time, the ad packet has the same identifier (community service identifier, community identifier) and true value as the ad packet broadcast by the first host device. The branch may include a direct field, and the counting value may be set to the same value as the ad packet of the first host device or to a different value depending on the case.

In Figure 12 (b), unlike before, the authority as a host device or the authority to broadcast ad packets as a host device to other devices in different spaces (spaces that are so far apart that connection by a Bluetooth mesh network is impossible) This shows an embodiment of delegating.

The method of delegating authority is substantially the same as the embodiment described in (a), except that the second host device 102 is so far away that connection by a Bluetooth mesh network is difficult (therefore, the broadcasting of the first host device It is also not a guest device receiving), but the difference is that data transmission for authority delegation can be done through a wide area network such as a mobile communication network or Wi-Fi. When performing host device authority delegation as shown in (b) of FIG. 12, there is an effect of allowing broadcasting to be performed from a new location to new surrounding nodes, and users who are not in the same space can create the same community (chat room) ), so it is possible to implement a linked service that enables regional expansion of chat rooms with specific topics.

Figure 12 (c) shows the application embodiment of (b) above, in which a first host device has an address book DB (this address book DB is stored in the first host device or in a cloud server). , or it may be stored in a service server linked to the application for using this community service), which is implemented to delegate authority to the other party regardless of the region or space in which the other party wishes to delegate authority. It is characterized by In this process, the other party receiving authority delegation may be automatically invited to the community (chat room) in which the first host device participates.

In the application embodiment according to (c) of FIG. 12, for example, when the user of the first host device 101 selects a plurality of parties to whom he/she wishes to delegate authority from among the address book database containing his/her acquaintances on the application, the selected All parties participate in a specific chat room (the chat room to which the first host device user belongs), and each device 102 to 105 that has been delegated authority as a host device is defined as a host device and is determined based on the point where each device is located. Ad packets can now be broadcast. The application example shown in (c) of FIG. 12 has the effect of allowing acquaintances existing in various regions to participate in a chat room (community) opened with a specific topic (theme), and also allows the location of each acquaintance Another effect is expected in that it will be possible to form a large-scale chat room by recruiting random participants. Furthermore, the application embodiment as shown in (c) of Figure 12 has the potential to activate online transactions between participants when settlement (online settlement) between participants is also possible, and in some cases, participants existing in the same space Even offline transactions can be combined between them.

Figure 13 is to explain another embodiment of the community service providing method according to the present invention, and is to explain that the host device is implemented to monitor the usage status of multiple guest devices.

In the previous explanation, the host device invited participants to the community by broadcasting an ad packet with specific information, and the host device delegated authority to other devices. In addition, the host device: It may be implemented so that the usage status of guest devices that have received ad packets by broadcasting can be monitored, and furthermore, in some cases, each guest device can be directly controlled.

Figure 13 shows an environment in a university classroom where the instructor's smartphone is connected as the host device 100 and the students' smartphones are connected as the guest devices 301 to 304. For example, the instructor uses his or her smartphone application. The chat room (community) for lectures was improved using , and it can be understood that students in the classroom are participating through broadcasting. At this time, the host device's application can display additional interfaces that the user (instructor) of the host device can use, which includes a chat window where the instructor can chat with students, as well as whether guest devices can participate in the chat room. Attendance, tardiness, early departure, etc. can be displayed, and a menu can be displayed to check class participation based on the answers students give through the chat window. In addition, on the application of the host device, information about the lecture is provided by referring to whether students have confirmed receipt of the instructor's question, the time it takes to confirm receipt, and whether the instructor's question has been answered and the time it takes to answer. A menu may be displayed to help you evaluate class attitude and class concentration. In addition, the host device is implemented to regularly check the connection status between the host device and guest devices, or the resource usage status of guest devices, so that students can engage in activities other than the lecture application (SNS, web surfing, gaming, etc.) You can check whether video playback, etc.) is enabled. Furthermore, the community service application installed on each guest device receives control commands from the host device to control each guest device, thereby monitoring the usage status of guest devices directly on the host device and eliminating unnecessary applications. It can even enable control such as termination. Additionally, the host device's application can display spatial, temporal, and social relationships in the classroom based on monitoring information, and can also be implemented to generate and analyze historical data based on accumulated monitoring information.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the monitoring function of Figure 13 is not only used in places where offline meetings are held, such as classrooms, but can also be used in non-face-to-face online meetings.

In addition, this function is expected to be the starting point of a new type of living environment that will be called O&O (Online&Offline) in the future. In other words, it can be understood as the starting point of a new paradigm that combines online community technology with the offline living environment. will be. In particular, when living environments such as social distancing become routine due to the risk of spreading infectious diseases, there may be limitations in replacing all existing offline living environments with online. The method of providing community services according to the present invention, especially Figure 13 If the same type of community service provision method is used, it is expected that a new living environment that incorporates an online living environment while maintaining an offline living environment can be established. As mentioned earlier, as long as offline institutions such as universities exist, there are many limitations until offline classroom education is completely replaced by online education, and eventually it will return to offline classroom education. At this time, there is a need for interaction between instructors and students. Rather than talking and discussing face-to-face, an online chat room service such as the community service according to the present invention can be applied, and in particular, the community service according to the present invention can be used as a means to replace or assist the method of face-to-face communication. . In other words, students will take classes face-to-face, but will remain connected to their smartphones in the classroom and ask questions or discuss online. Attendance, class participation status, class concentration status, etc. will be automatically connected through communication between devices. It is monitored/controlled based on status, conversation reception confirmation, reaction time to questions, etc., and later evaluation can be made based on historical data generated based on monitoring information.

On the other hand, the community service according to the present invention can be used in epidemiological investigations for quarantine by recording the contact history between users when they are crowded in one space in a situation where infectious diseases are seriously spread. . For example, in a situation where 300 users gather to watch a class or worship service, when a specific person is confirmed to be infected with an infectious disease, it is possible to check which people were close to or closer to the specific person. In addition, when using the community service according to the present invention in a situation where an infectious disease is seriously spread, all information including the history of sending and receiving Ad packets between devices, the sensitivity of the signal at the time of sending and receiving Ad packets, or information monitoring the usage situation in the community. Social distancing can be effectively achieved by allowing offline gatherings under the condition of providing social distancing. Through this, social distancing can be implemented not in the form of unconditional exclusion of contact, but in the form of conditionally allowing offline gatherings.

Meanwhile, a real-time audio streaming function may be further included among the community services according to the present invention. The real-time audio streaming function can be understood as a function that can transmit the user's voice to an unspecified number of people around the device, and can actually be implemented in a way like a walkie-talkie. Specifically, the user's voice can be transmitted to other devices around the device by pressing the audio transmission button, and if a guest device also wants to have a voice conversation, it can receive the voice from the user by pressing the audio reception button. In particular, this function is unique in that voice calls are possible even without each other's phone number information. In particular, in situations where social distancing due to infectious diseases is required, you can easily use the real-time audio streaming function when you are at a certain distance or wearing a mask. Use it to enable communication. In addition, even if you talk on the phone in a low voice while wearing wireless earphones and a mask, you can communicate smoothly with the other person and have the advantage of being able to share even small sounds with people around you.

We have looked at the method of providing community services using short-distance broadcasting and the system for this. Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and application examples described above, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Of course, it is possible, but these modified implementations should not be understood separately from the technical idea or outlook of the present invention.

100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 host devices
200 service servers
301~310 Guest devices
401, 402, 403 external devices
700 SNS servers

Claims (1)

In a method where a host device capable of executing a community service delegates authority as a host device to a specific guest device,
transmitting, by the host device, a community creation request to a service server;
The host device receiving community information from the service server;
generating, by the host device, an AD packet with reference to the community information;
the host device broadcasting the ad packet; and
Delegating, by the host device, authority to broadcast an ad packet to a specific guest device as a host device;
Including,
The step of delegating authority includes transmitting, by the host device, a set of data to the specific guest device, wherein the set of data includes an identifier that can identify the data as data for delegating host authority, and to the host device. Contains basic information about
The ad packet includes a UUID for identifying the community service and a community identifier for identifying the community established by the service server.
A method by which a host device capable of running a community service delegates authority to the host device to a specific guest device.