WO2015118589A1

WO2015118589A1 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2015118589A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/005788
Authority: WO
Inventors: 典史吉川; 石田　兼一; 豪大石; 絵理二宮; 明寛石田
Original assignee: ソニー株式会社
Priority date: 2014-02-07
Filing date: 2014-11-18
Publication date: 2015-08-13

Abstract

This information processing device comprises a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit is capable of communicating with another instrument by a plurality of network connection techniques. The control unit controls the communication unit so as to receive, from the other instrument by employing at least one network connection technique among said plurality of network connection techniques, technique list information in which a plurality of network techniques usable by the other instrument are indicated in association with identification information of the other instrument for each of said plurality of network techniques.

Description

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with other devices, an information processing method and a program in the information processing apparatus.

In recent years, various network connection technologies have become widespread. For example, layer 2 of OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model such as Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Ethernet (registered trademark), PLC (Power Line Communications), Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field communication), ZigBee , IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), Layer 4 such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol), and higher level DLNA (Digital Living Network Network Alliance) ), Wi-Fi Miracast, and ECHONET.

There is also a connection technology that takes charge across multiple layers. In addition to connection technology that directly communicates between devices, there are those that are connected via a server on the Internet, and those that use functions of a telecommunications carrier network such as a telephone line.

機器 Devices connected by the above connection technologies are identified within the scope of each technology by the device ID defined in each technology. For example, in Wi-Fi and Ethernet (registered trademark), a device is identified by a MAC (Media Access Control) address, and in DLNA, a device is identified by a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) defined by UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). . For email, the email address is the ID. For HTTP (Hypertext （Transfer Protocol), the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the ID.

There are multiple network connection technologies that can achieve the same purpose. However, the user's purpose cannot be realized unless the same connection technology is supported between devices. Therefore, if the user does not have knowledge about which technology the device supports, the user cannot determine whether his / her purpose can be achieved by combining the devices, but this becomes difficult as the connection technology evolves and increases in recent years. It has become. Therefore, it is desired to provide a user experience that conceals individual connection technologies.

In Patent Document 1 below, when an imaging device having a plurality of device search protocols is connected to an information processing device that has never been connected, when a wireless connection is made and the device joins the network, the plurality of device search protocols that the device has It is described that the device search is performed using.

JP 2013-118534 A

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the communication partner device supports only one protocol, and the case where the communication partner device supports a plurality of protocols is not considered. Therefore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is confirmed that a device discovered by a certain connection technology is the same as a device discovered by another connection technology among devices capable of communicating using a plurality of connection technologies. Can not.

In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present technology is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of identifying a communication partner device as one device regardless of a difference in network connection technology, an information processing method in the information processing device, and To provide a program.

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit can communicate with other devices using a plurality of network connection technologies. The control unit uses at least one network connection technology among the plurality of network connection technologies, and uses a plurality of network technologies that can be used by the other devices from the other devices, and each of the plurality of network technologies. The communication unit is controlled so as to receive the technology list information that is associated with the identification information of the other device.

With this configuration, the information processing apparatus receives the technology list information and the identification information from other devices, and can identify the other devices as one device regardless of the difference in the network connection technology.

The control unit may control the communication unit so as to receive the technology list information from a plurality of other devices. Further, the control unit is configured to identify the other devices identified by different identification information for each of the plurality of network connection technologies as one device based on the received plurality of the technology list information. Device list information indicating other devices may be generated.

As a result, the information processing apparatus can use the device list information generated based on the technology list information to treat other devices having different identification information for each network connection technology as the same device and execute various processes. .

The information processing apparatus may further include a display unit. In this case, the control unit may generate a graphical user interface based on the device list information and control the display unit to display the graphical user interface.

This enables the information processing apparatus to realize a graphical user interface that does not make the user aware of a plurality of network technologies.

Based on the technology list information, the control unit selects one network connection technology from among a plurality of network connection technologies that can be used by the other devices in accordance with communication efficiency or preset user preference information. Then, the communication unit may be controlled to communicate with the other device.

Thus, the information processing apparatus can execute various processes by selecting an appropriate network technology according to the context without requiring the user to know knowledge about a plurality of network connection technologies. The communication efficiency is, for example, whether the playback rate of content transmitted by the communication is fixed or variable, whether the rate is higher than the possible bandwidth of each network connection technology, or whether each network connection technology requires a large bandwidth Whether or not the reception buffer of the transmission destination device is underflowing is determined based on various situations. The user preference information is information about whether the user attaches importance to image quality / sound quality or response to the content, for example.

When the control unit searches for the other device using the plurality of network connection technologies, and the identification information of the discovered other device is not included in the identification information in the received technology list information In addition, the communication unit may be controlled to receive the technology list information from another device identified by the identification information.

As a result, the information processing apparatus identifies another device that has not been discovered by a certain network connection technology by using another network connection technology and receives technology list information from the other device. can do.

The control unit, based on the technology list information and the device list information, using one network connection technology among the plurality of network connection technologies, to at least one device among the plurality of other devices, You may control the said communication part so that the data for confirming the network connection state of the said apparatus may be transmitted regularly.

As a result, the information processing apparatus can check the network connection status of other devices using any one of the network connection technologies, thereby eliminating the waste of performing duplicated confirmation processing due to a plurality of network connections. it can.

When the connection to the other device is established using any one of the plurality of network connection technologies, the control unit uses the other network connection technology to configure the other device. The communication unit may be controlled so as to establish a connection with.

As a result, when the information processing apparatus is connected to another device by any one of the network connection technologies, the information processing apparatus automatically establishes a connection with the other device by using the other network connection technology, so that the network connection technology is provided to the user. The trouble of performing the initial connection setting operation for each can be eliminated.

The technology list information may include flag information indicating whether the identification information is dynamic or static. In this case, the control unit may determine whether the identification information of any of the other devices in the received technology list information is dynamic based on the flag information. Furthermore, when the control unit determines that the identification information is dynamic, the control unit receives the technology list information from another device identified by the identification information every time the device list information is generated, and The device list information may be generated based on the dynamic identification information in the technology list information received again.

As a result, when the identification information of another device is dynamic, the information processing apparatus receives the technology list information from the other device and grasps the latest identification information every time the device list information is generated. The other device can always be identified.

An information processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present technology is as follows:
Using at least one network connection technology among a plurality of available network connection technologies, a plurality of network technologies that can be used by the other devices from other devices, and the other network technologies in each of the plurality of network technologies. Receiving technology list information in association with device identification information; and
Identifying another device identified by different identification information for each of the plurality of network connection technologies as one device based on the received technology list information.

A program according to another embodiment of the present technology is provided in an information processing device.
Using at least one network connection technology among a plurality of available network connection technologies, a plurality of network technologies that can be used by the other devices from other devices, and the other network technologies in each of the plurality of network technologies. Receiving technology list information in association with device identification information;
Based on the received technology list information, a step of identifying another device identified by different identification information for each of the plurality of network connection technologies as one device is executed.

As described above, according to the present technology, a communication partner device can be identified as one device regardless of differences in network connection technology. However, this effect does not limit the present technology.

It is a figure showing the composition of the system concerning one embodiment of this art. It is the block diagram which showed the hardware constitutions of the communication terminal in the said system. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the device list production | generation process by the said communication terminal. It is the figure which showed the example of the technology list information transmitted from the other apparatus in the said system. It is the figure which showed the example of the device list UI which the said communication terminal produced | generated based on the technology list information. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of selection processing of the network connection technique according to the user preference by the said communication terminal. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of selection processing of the network connection technique according to the communication efficiency by the said communication terminal.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings.

[System Overview]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a system according to an embodiment of the present technology.

As shown in the figure, the system includes a communication terminal 100 and other devices such as a TV (television) 200 (200A, 200B).

The communication terminal 100 is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, or the like. The communication terminal 100 and the TV 200A exist in the room A in the home, for example, and the TV 200B exists in another room B in the same home.

The communication terminal 100 and other devices (TV 200) each support a plurality of network connection technologies.

Examples of network connection technologies include Wi-Fi (infrastructure mode and Wi-Fi direct), Ethernet (registered trademark), PLC, Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, ZigBee OSI model layer 2, IPv4, Layer 3 such as IPv6, Layer 4 such as TCP and UDP, and DLNA, Wi-Fi Miracast, ECHONET, etc. are included in higher layers, but are not limited to these.

Of course, in addition to the communication terminal 100 and the TV 200, there may be devices that support the plurality of network connection technologies in the home. In addition, in a network connection technology that requires another communication device such as an access point such as Wi-Fi Infrastructure, the other communication device is also present.

The communication terminal 100 can play back the content such as the image and the sound that the communication terminal 100 has by, for example, the nearby TV 200A using any one of the network connection technologies described above.

As the reproduction method, for example, mirroring that causes the TV 200A to reproduce the screen of the communication terminal 100 together with the UI (User Interface) or streaming that causes the TV 200A to reproduce the content selected by the communication terminal 100 from the UI is assumed.

Also, examples of the reproduction operation include a touch operation that allows the user to touch the communication terminal 100 to the NFC reader of the TV 200A, and a Throw that allows the user to select the TV 200A from a device list displayed on the communication terminal 100.

[Hardware configuration of communication terminal]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the communication terminal 100. As shown in the figure, a communication terminal 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input / output interface 15, and a bus 14 for connecting them together. Is provided.

The CPU 11 appropriately accesses the RAM 13 or the like as necessary, and comprehensively controls each block of the communication terminal 100 while performing various arithmetic processes.

The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory in which firmware such as an OS, a program, and various parameters to be executed by the CPU 11 is fixedly stored.

The RAM 13 is used as a work area of the CPU 11 and temporarily holds the OS, various applications being executed, and various data being processed.

A display unit 16, an operation receiving unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19 and the like are connected to the input / output interface 15.

The display unit 16 is a display device using, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OELD (Organic ElectroLuminescence Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like.

The operation reception unit 17 is an input device such as a touch panel or a button, and is integrated with the display unit 16.

The storage unit 18 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory (SSD; Solid State Drive) or other solid-state memory. In addition to the OS, various contents, applications, and the like, the storage unit 18 stores various software and data necessary for the device list generation processing, network connection technology selection processing, and the like in the present embodiment.

The communication unit 19 is a module for connecting and communicating with other devices such as the TV 200 using the various network connection technologies.

Although not shown, the basic hardware configuration of the TV 200 is the same as the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 100.

[System Operation]
Next, the operation of the system configured as described above will be described. In the following description, the CPU 11 of the communication terminal 100 will be described as the main operating subject, but this operation is also performed in cooperation with a program executed under the control of the CPU 11.

(Real device list generation process)
First, an actual device list generation process in the communication terminal 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of device list generation processing by the communication terminal 100.

Here, the actual device list refers to a device list in which each device is duplicated and identified by a device ID for each of a plurality of network connection technologies. Refers to the device list identified as.

As shown in the figure, the CPU 11 first searches for nearby devices using one of a plurality of network connection technologies supported (available) by the communication terminal 100 (step 31).

When a device is found by the search (Yes in step 32), the CPU 11 executes the following processing for one of the discovered devices (for example, the TV 200A).

First, the CPU 11 stores the device ID of the discovered device in the network connection technology used for the search in the “technology list information” of any real device on the already created real device list (no data at first). It is determined whether it is included (step 33). Details of the technology list information will be described later.

If it is determined that the device ID is included in the technology list information of any real device (Yes), the CPU 11 recognizes the discovered device as a real device on the real device list (step 34). ).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the device ID is not included in the technology list information of any actual device (No), the CPU 11 uses the network connection technology from the discovered device to list the technology list information. Is acquired (step 35).

Then, the CPU 11 adds the discovered device and the technology list information acquired from it as a new entry in the actual device list (step 36).

Subsequently, the CPU 11 determines whether there is another device discovered by the search using the network connection technology (step 37).

If it is determined that there are other discovered devices (Yes), the CPU 11 executes the processing from step 33 on the other discovered devices.

When determining that there is no other discovered device (No), the CPU 11 determines whether there is another network connection technology supported by the communication terminal 100 (step 38). Using the other network connection technology, the processes after step 31 are repeated.

The CPU 11 repeatedly executes the above processing for all of the plurality of network connection technologies supported by the communication terminal 100.

(Technology list information)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a document as technology list information transmitted from another device (for example, TV 200) discovered by the search.

As shown in the figure, the technology list information is described by, for example, XML (Extensible Markup Language), and lists methods for reproducing the content of the communication terminal 100 on other devices such as the TV 200.

Specifically, elements representing network connection technologies supported by the device that generates the technology list information are listed as child elements of the root element.

Then, the device ID of the device in the network connection technology is described as a child element of the element representing the network connection technology.

Further, as another child element of the root element, useful attached information is listed in a device list UI (User Interface) described later. The attached information includes, for example, the name of the device, a URL for obtaining an icon indicating the device, a device category used instead of the icon, and the like.

In the example in the figure, the other devices above support Wi-Fi Miracast, DLNA using Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA using Wi-Fi Infrastructure, and Bluetooth (registered trademark) A2DP as network connection technologies. It is expressed that each device ID can be found by each device ID written on the XML tag corresponding to each technology.

Here, depending on the implementation, the device ID of a certain network connection technology is not fixed, but may take a dynamic value that changes with each power-on, for example. Such a dynamic device ID is stored for a long time. Therefore, it is inappropriate to use the actual device list for determination.

Therefore, each device describes a flag indicating that in the technology list information so that the device ID is dynamic. A device (such as the communication terminal 100) that has acquired the technology list information from another device uses a dynamic device ID only for creating an actual device list at the time of acquisition. When the device re-creates the actual device list at a later date, the device acquires the latest ID value by acquiring the technology list information again only from the device having the dynamic ID value.

An example of a method for the above-mentioned other device to share the document of the technology list information with a device such as the communication terminal 100 in each network technology is as follows.

-IP base-
In network technologies that can use IP, such as Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, and ZigBee IP, a common method is used as follows, for example.
-HTTP is used.
-The port and URL for accessing the technology list information document are defined as rules (for example, the port part of the URL is defined as /network-docs.xml for port 80).
・ When each device receives an HTTP GET Request to the above URL, it always returns a response body including the technology list information document.

-Cases other than IP base-
In network technologies other than IP, a method is determined for each technology. For example, in the case of Bluetooth (registered trademark), the following method is used.
-Bluetooth (registered trademark) RFcomm socket is used.
・ Service record, SPP Class, and SPP Command to access the technology list information document are defined as rules (for example, service record is defined as 0x12345678-90AB-CDEF-1234-567890ABCDEF, SPP Class is 0x00 in response, request Is defined as 0x40 and SPP Command is defined as 0x01).
・ When each device is specified with the above service record, SPP Class, and SPP Command and accessed via Rfcomm socket, always write a technology list information document in the SPP Payload with the SPP Class and SPP Command specified above, and send a Response. return.

Hereinafter, an example of using the actual device list generated based on the technology list information will be described.

(Device list UI)
One example of using the actual device list is a device list UI. The device list UI is used for various purposes such as selecting a device to be used by the user, monitoring the status of all devices, and limiting devices that can be connected in advance.

The communication terminal 100 can hide the individual network connection technology from the user by using the real device list for displaying the device list UI. For this purpose, the technology list information may be attached with additional information that is useful when the user makes a judgment on the device through the UI, such as the name and icon of the device.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a device list UI based on the actual device list generated from the technology list information acquired by the communication terminal 100 from each device. The device list UI is displayed on the display unit 16 of the communication terminal 100.

As shown in the figure, the device list UI functions as a part of the music library. As a device for playing back each music track (track 4 is selected in the figure) shown on the left side of the figure, a UI (button) indicating a plurality of devices (for example, TVs) is selectable on the right side of the figure. Has been.

The communication terminal 100 can communicate with each device on the device list UI by using the plurality of network connection technologies and reproduce the content, but information on the network connection technology is hidden on the device list UI. Has been.

Therefore, the communication terminal 100 can easily execute processing using the network technology without making the user aware of the plurality of network connection technologies.

(Automatic selection of network connection technology)
Another example of using the actual device list is automatic selection of network connection technology. If there is a network connection technology having the same purpose but different characteristics, the communication terminal 100 can automatically select a connection technology more suitable for the context by hiding the network connection technology from the user. . Hereinafter, the implementation example will be described.

As a first implementation example, the communication terminal 100 may conceal the network connection technology used for remote reproduction from the user when the content in the communication terminal 100 is remotely reproduced by another device.

In this case, the communication terminal 100 allows the user to select in advance whether to place importance on the reproduction image quality / sound quality of the content or on the response of the control instruction (whether it is reflected immediately after the operation).

When the user places importance on image quality / sound quality, the communication terminal 100 selects DLNA, for example, if both DLNA and Wi-Fi Miracast technologies are available. This is because in the case of DLNA, the original data of the content is transferred and played back, so that the image quality tends not to be impaired.

On the other hand, if the user places importance on responsiveness in the above case, the communication terminal 100 selects Wi-Fi Miracast. This is because Wi-Fi Miracast has less buffering during data transfer and tends to obtain a response with good response.

However, if the image quality / sound quality of the content itself is not high in the first place, the difference in image quality does not appear to be perceptible to the user by Wi-Fi Miracast or DLNA. , Always communicate with Wi-FicastMiracast.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of a network connection technology selection process according to the user's preference.

As shown in the figure, the CPU 11 of the communication terminal 100 transmits content to a device that supports both DLNA and Wi-Fi Miracast technologies (remote playback) from a user without being connected to any network. ) An instruction is accepted (step 61). This instruction is executed when, for example, one device is selected by the user on the device list UI as described above.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the image quality of the content is below a predetermined threshold (step 62).

If it is determined that the image quality of the content is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (Yes), the CPU 11 requests the content transmission destination device to connect by Wi-Fi Miracast (step 63) and connects (step 63). Step 64).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the image quality of the content exceeds a predetermined threshold (No), the CPU 11 determines whether or not a setting for giving priority to the response over the image quality / sound quality of the content is set to ON in advance by the user. (Step 65).

If it is determined that the above setting is set to ON (Yes), the CPU 11 requests the content transmission destination device to connect via Wi-Fi Miracast (step 63), and connects via Wi-Fi Miracast. (Step 64).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the above setting is set to OFF (No) (that is, when the setting for emphasizing the response is set to ON), the CPU 11 performs DLNA on the content transmission destination device. A connection is requested (step 66) and a connection is made by DLNA (step 67).

The communication terminal 100 can also select a network connection technology according to conditions other than the user's preference for image quality / sound quality or response. For example, a network connection technique may be selected according to communication efficiency. Hereinafter, the implementation example will be described.

For example, it is assumed that there is a pair of devices (for example, communication terminal 100 and TV 200) that support Wi-Fi Infrastructure connection and Direct connection.

Also, assume that both devices are connected via Wi-Fi Infrastructure, and that communication that knows the required bandwidth in advance is performed, such as video streaming.

In this case, the communication terminal 100 determines whether to use the Wi-Fi Infrastructure mode or after switching to the Wi-Fi Direct connection according to the bandwidth required for streaming the video, and connects to other devices. can do.

In the Wi-Fi Infrastructure, both the upstream communication from the communication terminal 100 as the source device to the Access Point, and the downstream communication from the Access Point to other devices such as the TV 200 as the sink device are necessary. In Wi-Fi Direct, only the direct communication band from the source device to the sink device is required.

However, considering the delay in switching to Wi-Fi Direct, in the case of communication that requires only the bandwidth possible even with Wi-Fi Infrastructure, it is better to communicate with the infrastructure as it is Will be better.

Also, if you don't know the bandwidth in advance, first start communication with Wi-Fi Infrastructure, and if the sink buffer underflows (indicating the possibility of insufficient communication bandwidth) An implementation of switching to Wi-Fi Direct is also possible.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of network connection technology selection processing according to the communication efficiency.

As shown in the figure, the CPU 11 of the communication terminal 100 is connected to the Wi-Fi Infrastructure (step 71), and the above streaming that supports both Wi-Fi Infrastructure and Wi-Fi Direct from the user. A communication instruction to a previous device (TV 200 or the like) is received (step 72). The instruction is also executed on the device list UI.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the communication instruction is a communication instruction at a fixed rate (step 73). Whether or not the rate is fixed depends on the encoding method of the content to be streamed.

If it is determined that the communication instruction is based on a fixed rate (Yes), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the fixed rate is higher than the possible bandwidth of the Wi-Fi Infrastructure (step 74).

If the CPU 11 determines that the fixed rate is higher than the available bandwidth of the Wi-Fi Infrastructure (Yes), the CPU 11 requests the streaming destination device to switch from Wi-Fi Infrastructure to Wi-Fi Direct and connect ( Step 75), the connection is established by Wi-Fi Direct (step 76).

If it is determined in step 73 that the communication instruction is a communication instruction at a variable rate (No), that is, if communication is possible even if the Wi-Fi Infrastructure is maintained due to a variable rate, the CPU 11 determines that the Wi-Fi Infrastructure The connection to the streaming destination device is maintained (step 77), and the streaming destination device is connected by Wi-Fi Infrastructure (step 78).

Thereafter, when the CPU 11 detects that the receiving buffer of the streaming destination device is underflowing (step 79), the CPU 11 requests the streaming destination device to switch from Wi-Fi Infrastructure to Wi-Fi Direct. (Step 75), and connection is established by Wi-Fi Direct (Step 76). The switching process based on the underflow of the reception buffer may be executed by the communication terminal 100 monitoring the state of the reception buffer of the streaming destination device, or may be executed based on a request from the streaming destination device. Also good.

As another implementation example, assume that there is a pair of devices that support both Wi-Fi and Ethernet (registered trademark). The communication terminal 100 can also select to always use Ethernet (registered trademark) if it is found from the technology list information that both technologies can be used with the communication partner device.

In addition, if you want to use a large bandwidth, such as transferring large files, the communication terminal 100 can increase the bandwidth by communicating using Wi-Fi simultaneously in addition to Ethernet (registered trademark). It is. That is, when a plurality of network connection technologies can be used simultaneously, the communication terminal 100 can make maximum use of them.

In addition to the reception buffer status of the streaming target device, the communication terminal 100 switches the network connection technology according to the status of the communication partner device, such as the CPU load and the power supply status (OFF, hibernation, sleep), for example. It doesn't matter.

(Initial connection settings)
As another example of the process using the actual device list, it is conceivable to perform initial setting of each network connection technique simply or automatically.

-Some network connection technologies require initial settings that require user operations to prevent unintended connections. When one connection technology is conducted between devices that support multiple network connection technologies, it is in accordance with the user's intention to conduct other connection technologies between the devices. There are many cases.

Therefore, when there is a non-conducting connection technology between the devices found as the actual device list (that is, the device is conductive in at least one network connection technology), the communication terminal 100 is accompanied by a user operation. Without a single check operation, the initial setting of the non-conductive connection technology can be completed.

At this time, the communication terminal 100 can communicate information necessary for the initial setting with the device of the connection partner through the already-connected connection technology. As a result, the user does not need to perform initial setting of a plurality of network connection technologies between the same device pairs individually by the number of the connection technologies. Hereinafter, the implementation example will be described.

Here, the device (referred to as communication terminal 100) that has acquired the technology list information and generated the actual device list according to the present embodiment is the device discovered as a real device (referred to as TV 200) via Ethernet (registered trademark). Shows an example of performing initial settings for Wi-Fi Direct.

The communication terminal 100 executes WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), which is the initial setting of Wi-Fi Direct, without any user operation.

That is, when the communication terminal 100 acquires technology list information from the discovered TV 200 and grasps that the TV 200 supports the same Wi-Fi Direct as the communication terminal 100, the communication terminal 100 executes the following processing.

The communication terminal 100 transmits a message requesting automatic execution of WPS to the TV 200 through connection via Ethernet (registered trademark). At this time, the communication terminal 100 tells the TV 200 the MAC address of the communication terminal 100 (opposite the time when the actual device list is created), thereby identifying the partner device that each device will register from now on Wi-Fi. To prevent accidental initialization with the wrong device.

Specifically, for example, the TV 200 implements a Web server, and the communication terminal 100 performs HTTP HTTP POST with respect to a predetermined URL (for example, / config-wifi-registration / at port 80) of the TV 200, for example. This is done by sending the request body including the MAC address.

After that, the TV 200A starts WPS over Wi-Fi. The original WPS sequence requires a user operation such as pressing the WPS button on each device in order to confirm whether the connected device is as intended by the user. However, in this method, both the communication terminal 100 and the TV 200 automatically advance the sequence by assuming that a user operation has been performed, and complete WPS.

(Automatic execution of periodic processing)
Another example of processing using the real device list is automatic execution of processing for all or some of the devices on the network.

For example, there is a process of monitoring the status of all devices on the network at regular intervals. At this time, the communication terminal 100 can eliminate the waste of redundant monitoring from a plurality of network technologies for one real device by using the real device list as the device list to be monitored. .

The above-described monitoring is executed, for example, when the communication terminal 100 periodically transmits a command such as a polling message to another device using a predetermined connection technology among a plurality of network connection technologies.

[Effect of the embodiment]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the communication terminal 100 uses at least one of the plurality of network connection technologies from another device (such as the TV 200) that can use the plurality of network connection technologies. By acquiring the technology list information, the difference in the network connection technology can be absorbed, and another device can be identified as one device by the actual device list.

Thus, the communication terminal 100 can provide a UI that does not make the user aware of the network connection technology. Further, the communication terminal 100 can execute real device-based broadcast / multicast by eliminating the redundant access to one device using a plurality of network connection technologies.

Also, the communication terminal 100 can automatically select an appropriate connection technology according to the content list without requiring the user to know the network connection technology, and can cause the user to use it unconsciously.

Furthermore, the communication terminal 100 can collectively perform initial setting of a plurality of network connection technologies between devices by a simple user operation or automatically.

[Modification]
The present technology is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present technology.

In the above-described embodiment, Wi-Fi Miracast, Wi-Fi Infrastructure, Wi-Fi Direct, or Ethernet (registered trademark) is exemplified as a network connection technology for remote content playback processing. However, the network connection technology is not limited to these.

For example, network connection technologies used to remotely copy data to other devices include DLNA upload, Samba, WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), dropbox storage, etc. Use of the service is considered.

Also, network connection technologies used for printing by other devices include LPR (Line PRinter Daemon protocol), DLNA Printing, IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), and the like. .

Also, network connection technologies used to send messages to other devices include SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), social services such as Twitter, MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), and the like.

In the above-described embodiment, communication processing with other devices such as the TV 200 existing in the vicinity of the communication terminal 100 in the home is shown. However, the communication target device may be a device that does not exist in the vicinity. For example, the device to be communicated may be a server on the Internet, or may communicate with a remote device via the server.

The usage of the technology list information acquired in the above embodiment is not limited to the above. For example, the communication terminal 100 can use the technology list information to improve the efficiency of discovery processing for other devices.

That is, when executing the discovery process, the communication terminal 100 preferentially selects the network connection technology that would be able to find the most devices at that time from the technology list information and uses it for the discovery process. Can do.

For example, the communication terminal 100 may use the connection technology having the longest signal reach among the plurality of network connection technologies for the discovery process.

Further, when the communication terminal 100 executes the discovery process using a plurality of network connection technologies, the network connection technologies of the same layer in the OSI model may be executed collectively.

In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which one device (communication terminal 100) receives technology list information transmitted from the other device (TV 200 or the like). However, the technology list information is not unidirectional, but both May be exchanged between devices.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the communication terminal 100 obtains the technology list information and generates / utilizes the actual device list has been described. It can be any information processing device such as a PC, AV device, game device, server, storage device or the like.

[Other]
The present technology can be configured as follows.
(1)
A communication unit capable of communicating with other devices by a plurality of network connection technologies;
A plurality of network technologies that can be used by the other devices from the other devices by using at least one network connection technology among the plurality of network connection technologies, and the other devices in each of the plurality of network technologies. An information processing apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control the communication unit so as to receive technology list information associated with the identification information.
(2)
The information processing apparatus according to (1) above,
The controller is
Controlling the communication unit to receive the technology list information from a plurality of other devices,
Based on the received plurality of technology list information, the plurality of other devices are identified so that another device identified by different identification information for each of the plurality of network connection technologies is identified as one device. An information processing apparatus that generates device list information.
(3)
The information processing apparatus according to (2) above,
A display unit;
The information processing apparatus, wherein the control unit generates a graphical user interface based on the device list information and controls the display unit to display the graphical user interface.
(4)
The information processing apparatus according to (1) above,
The control unit selects one network connection technology from among a plurality of network connection technologies that can be used by the other device according to communication efficiency or preset user preference information based on the technology list information. And controlling the communication unit to communicate with the other device.
(5)
The information processing apparatus according to (1) above,
The control unit searches for the other device using the plurality of network connection technologies, and the identification information of the discovered other device is not included in the identification information in the received technology list information In addition, the information processing apparatus controls the communication unit to receive the technology list information from another device identified by the identification information.
(6)
The information processing apparatus according to (2) above,
The control unit, based on the technology list information and the device list information, using one network connection technology among the plurality of network connection technologies, to at least one device among the plurality of other devices, An information processing apparatus that periodically controls the communication unit to transmit data for confirming a network connection state of the device.
(7)
The information processing apparatus according to (2) above,
When the connection to the other device is established using any one of the plurality of network connection technologies, the control unit uses the other network connection technology to perform the other device. An information processing apparatus that controls the communication unit so as to establish a connection.
(8)
The information processing apparatus according to (2) above,
The technology list information includes flag information indicating whether the identification information is dynamic or static,
The controller is
Based on the flag information, determine whether the identification information of any of the other devices in the received technology list information is dynamic,
When it is determined that the identification information is dynamic, the technology list information is received from another device identified by the identification information every time the device list information is generated, and the technology received again An information processing apparatus that generates the device list information based on the dynamic identification information in the list information.

11 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Display part 17 ... Operation reception part 18 ... Memory | storage part 19 ... Communication part 100 ... Communication terminal 200 (200A, 200B) ... TV

Claims

A communication unit capable of communicating with other devices by a plurality of network connection technologies;
A plurality of network technologies that can be used by the other devices from the other devices by using at least one network connection technology among the plurality of network connection technologies, and the other devices in each of the plurality of network technologies. An information processing apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control the communication unit so as to receive technology list information associated with the identification information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The controller is
Controlling the communication unit to receive the technology list information from a plurality of other devices,
Based on the received plurality of technology list information, the plurality of other devices are identified so that another device identified by different identification information for each of the plurality of network connection technologies is identified as one device. An information processing apparatus that generates device list information.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
A display unit;
The information processing apparatus, wherein the control unit generates a graphical user interface based on the device list information and controls the display unit to display the graphical user interface.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The control unit selects one network connection technology from among a plurality of network connection technologies that can be used by the other device according to communication efficiency or preset user preference information based on the technology list information. And controlling the communication unit to communicate with the other device.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The control unit searches for the other device using the plurality of network connection technologies, and the identification information of the discovered other device is not included in the identification information in the received technology list information In addition, the information processing apparatus controls the communication unit to receive the technology list information from another device identified by the identification information.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The control unit, based on the technology list information and the device list information, using one network connection technology among the plurality of network connection technologies, to at least one device among the plurality of other devices, An information processing apparatus that periodically controls the communication unit to transmit data for confirming a network connection state of the device.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
When the connection to the other device is established using any one of the plurality of network connection technologies, the control unit uses the other network connection technology to perform the other device. An information processing apparatus that controls the communication unit so as to establish a connection.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The technology list information includes flag information indicating whether the identification information is dynamic or static,
The controller is
Based on the flag information, determine whether the identification information of any of the other devices in the received technology list information is dynamic,
When it is determined that the identification information is dynamic, the technology list information is received from another device identified by the identification information every time the device list information is generated, and the technology received again An information processing apparatus that generates the device list information based on the dynamic identification information in the list information.
Using at least one network connection technology among a plurality of available network connection technologies, a plurality of network technologies that can be used by the other device from another device, and the other network technology in each of the plurality of network technologies Receive technology list information in association with device identification information,
An information processing method for identifying, as one device, another device identified by identification information that differs for each of the plurality of network connection technologies based on the received technology list information.
In the information processing device,
Using at least one network connection technology among a plurality of available network connection technologies, a plurality of network technologies that can be used by the other device from another device, and the other network technology in each of the plurality of network technologies Receiving technology list information in association with device identification information;
A program that executes, based on the received technology list information, identifying another device identified by different identification information for each of the plurality of network connection technologies as one device.