JP6615628B2 - Control method, control device, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control method, a control device, and a program for controlling execution of a service for controlling a device connected to a home network.

  Conventionally, home controllers capable of executing a plurality of services for remotely controlling devices connected to a home network are known. However, the conventional home controller has a problem in that contradictory control (for example, power ON / OFF of the same device) is simultaneously performed on the same device by a plurality of services that control the devices connected to the home network. there were.

  To solve this problem, when installing a new service, the device control conditions set for the installed service and the device control conditions set for the newly installed service are analyzed, and a contradiction occurs. It is known that a service that may cause contradictory control to the same device is detected by detecting the control condition (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-248043 A

  However, further improvements are required to detect that multiple services perform contradictory controls on the same device.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a control method in a control device that executes two or more services that control a device connected to a network, the information identifying the executed service, and the device controlled by the service information, and based on the information about the contents of the control, and manage the status information of one or more of the devices, based on the status information of the same device, against the same device, the first of the first service by repeating the execution of the second control by executing a second service control of said first of said first control by the service detects that it is running more than a predetermined number of times, by the repetition, the if the first control of the first service is detected to be running a predetermined number of times or more, small and the first service of the second service And also to issue a termination request to terminate one.

  According to the present disclosure, it is possible to detect and eliminate repetitive control, which is a form of contradictory control for the same device, based on actual device control contents by a plurality of services.

1 is a diagram showing an overall image of a home network system in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a home controller in the first embodiment. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a home controller in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a state monitoring table. It is a figure which shows an example of an apparatus table. It is a figure which shows an example of a service table. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for registering information in a state monitoring table in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for deleting information from a state monitoring table in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for monitoring a change in the state of a device and notifying a service in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing flow which detects that loop control has generate | occur | produced. It is a figure which shows an example of a loop candidate table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for canceling loop control in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a notification screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a notification screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow for initializing a loop candidate table in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole image of the home network system in Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a home network system including a home controller according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a service management table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for registering information in a service management table in the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for canceling loop control in the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of a service management table.

(Knowledge that became the basis of the present invention)
Techniques for controlling devices connected to a home network using various services including services provided by third parties are being studied. However, while there is a need for users to use various services according to their preferences, the settings of the devices that the services control are changed by other means such as operation with a genuine remote control of the device itself or control by another service There is also a problem that it may be done. In preparation for this problem, each service monitors the status of the device to be controlled, and responds such as termination of the service or resetting of the device when an unintended state change occurs.

  Device status monitoring can be realized by the device notifying each service of a status change. The state change notification is a so-called event notification, and is realized using, for example, a callback function. When a plurality of services target the same device, each service that receives a notification of a change in the state of the device individually responds. At this time, if each service resets the device, so-called loop control (repetitive control) in which resetting of the device is repeated by a plurality of services may occur.

  For example, when the service A sets the air conditioner to the heating 25 ° C. operation, the service B resets the air conditioner to be turned off in response to the notification that the air conditioner has changed to the heating 25 ° C. operation state. Suppose. In this case, the service A receives the notification that the air conditioner has changed to the power OFF state, and sets the air conditioner to the heating 25 ° C. operation again. In this way, a loop control is generated in which the control for setting the air conditioner by the service A to the heating 25 ° C. operation and the control for turning off the air conditioner by the service B are repeated.

  In order to deal with such a problem, in Patent Document 1 described above, at the time of initial setting of each control program, the control conditions of the devices set in each control program are checked to determine whether or not contradictory operations occur. Is disclosed. If it is determined that the conflicting operation occurs, the user can set the priority of the control program and select the target control program to be executed based on the set priority. It is disclosed to avoid the occurrence in advance. Note that Patent Document 1 discloses that the control operation (device operation) may be directly monitored, and control may be performed so as to eliminate the contradiction only when an inconsistent operation occurs. A specific implementation method is not disclosed.

  That is, in the prior art, no consideration has been given to realizing the detection and elimination of contradictory control for the same device based on the actual content of control of the device by a plurality of services.

  An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique capable of detecting and resolving repetitive control, which is a form of contradictory control for the same device, based on the actual content of control of the device by a plurality of services.

A control method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a control method in a control device that executes two or more services that control devices connected to a network, and is information that identifies the executed services, controlled by the services information identifying the device, and based on the information about the contents of the control, and manage the status information of one or more of the devices, based on the status information of the same device, against the same device, the first service It is detected that the first control by the first service is executed a predetermined number of times or more by repeating the execution of the first control by the second service and the second control by the second service. Accordingly, the first of said first control by service when it is detected that is executed a predetermined number of times or more, the first service and the second Issues a termination request for terminating at least one of the-bis.

  According to this configuration, repeated control, which is a form of contradictory control for the same device, is generated by executing the first service and the second service based on the control contents of the device actually performed by executing the service. Can be detected.

  When the occurrence of the repetitive control is detected, at least one service is terminated by issuing a termination request for terminating at least one of the first service and the second service. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the simultaneous control of the same device by two services. As a result, the repetitive control can be eliminated.

  Moreover, it is good also as issuing the said completion | finish request | requirement with respect to the service started previously among the said 1st service and the said 2nd service.

  After the first service is started, when the user starts the second service as a service that the user wants to use more than the first service, the same device is repeatedly controlled by executing the control using the first service and the second service. Suppose that it occurred. According to this configuration, in such a case, by repeating the first service that was started in advance, the above-described repetitive control is performed without ending the recently started second service that the user wants to use. Can be eliminated.

  Moreover, it is good also as issuing the said completion | finish request | requirement with respect to the service started later among the said 1st service and the said 2nd service.

  Same as the execution of control by the first service and the second service when the user wants to continue using the first service after the second service is started after the first service is started. Suppose that repeated control occurs on the device. According to this configuration, in such a case, the second service started later is terminated without terminating the first service that the user wants to continue using, and the repeated control is canceled. can do.

  For this reason, the user does not repeatedly generate control such as reviewing the control content of the device by the second service activated later or reviewing the service activated in the future while continuing to use the first service as desired. Can be dealt with.

  In addition, the termination request may be issued to a service other than a preset service among the first service and the second service.

  According to this configuration, when it is not desired to end the first (second) service, the first (second) service can be set in advance as the preset service. As a result, even if the same device is repeatedly controlled due to the execution of the control by the first service and the second service, a termination request is issued for the first (second) service that is not desired to be terminated. You can avoid that.

  The control method may further issue notification information for notifying a user that the termination request has been issued due to the occurrence of the repetition.

  According to this configuration, it is possible for the user to easily confirm that the service has been terminated due to repeated control of the same device due to execution of control by the first service and the second service.

  Further, the notification information may further include information for identifying the service that has caused the repetition.

  According to this configuration, it is further possible to allow the user to easily confirm the service that caused the repeated control for the same device.

  Further, the notification information may further include a device in which the repetition occurs and a control content in the device.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to notify the user of the device that has been repeatedly controlled and the content of the control. This makes it easy for the user to review the contents of device control by the service that caused the repeated control.

  Further, the service management information in which the information identifying the activated service, the information identifying the user who activated the service, and the information identifying the terminal associated with the user is further managed, and the notification information May be transmitted to a terminal associated with the user who activated the service for which the termination request has been issued.

  According to this configuration, for the user who has started the service for which the termination request is issued, the termination request is generated because the same device is repeatedly controlled by executing the control using the first service and the second service. You will be notified that it has been issued. For this reason, without affecting the services used by other users, the user who started the service for which the termination request has been issued can review the contents of device control by the service for which the termination request has been issued.

  Further, as the status information, information for identifying the executed service, information for identifying a device controlled by the service, information on the content of the control, and control information in which the number of times the control is executed are associated with each other The control information corresponding to a predetermined service may be deleted every time a predetermined time elapses.

  According to this configuration, control information corresponding to a predetermined service can be prevented from being managed as state information for a predetermined time or longer. As a result, it is possible to reduce the chance that it is detected that repeated control has occurred due to execution of control by the predetermined service based on the state information.

  Further, as the status information, information for identifying the executed service, information for identifying a device controlled by the service, information on the content of the control, and control information in which the number of times the control is executed are associated with each other And status monitoring information that associates information for identifying the device and information for identifying one or more of the services that are monitoring the status of the device, and based on the control information and the status monitoring information , It may be detected that the repetition has occurred more than the predetermined number of times.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to accurately identify a device that has been controlled repeatedly a predetermined number of times or more based on control information indicating the control content of the device by the executed service. Furthermore, based on the state monitoring information, it can be accurately determined whether or not the state of the identified device is still being monitored by the first service and the second service.

  Then, when it is determined that the status of the identified device based on the status monitoring information is still being monitored by the first service and the second service, the identification is performed by the first service and the second service. It is possible to accurately detect that the above-described repetitive control is currently occurring, assuming that the control of the device thus performed is currently repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times or more.

  In addition, the service is provided by a service providing apparatus connected to the control apparatus via a network, and instead of issuing a termination request for terminating the service provided from the service providing apparatus. The request for controlling the device by the service may be rejected.

  According to this configuration, the first network service and the second network service are based on the control contents of the devices actually performed by executing the service (hereinafter referred to as network service) provided from the service providing apparatus via the network. By executing this, it is possible to detect that repeated control, which is a form of contradictory control for the same device, has occurred.

  Further, according to this configuration, when the occurrence of the repetitive control is detected, instead of issuing a termination request for terminating at least one of the first network service and the second network service, The request for controlling the device by the at least one network service is rejected.

  Thereby, even if the user does not have the authority to end the at least one network service provided from the service providing apparatus, it is possible to eliminate the simultaneous control of the same device by the two network services. As a result, the repetitive control can be eliminated.

  The present disclosure also discloses a control device including a processing unit for executing a characteristic process included in the control method as well as a control method for executing the characteristic process as described above. Also disclosed is a computer program that causes a computer to execute characteristic processes included in such a control method. It goes without saying that such a computer program can be distributed via a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a communication network such as the Internet.

  Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present disclosure. Numerical values, shapes, components, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept are described as optional constituent elements. In all the embodiments, the contents can be combined.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall image of a home network system in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a home controller 100 (control device) is connected to an air conditioner 150a (device) and a lighting 150b (device) via a home network 120 (network). The home controller 100 is further connected to the application server 140 via the wide area network 130.

  The application server 140 stores programs for various services including services provided by third parties. The home controller 100 can execute the service by downloading the program from the application server 140 and executing the program.

  The device 150 connected to the home network 120 is not limited to the air conditioner 150a and the lighting 150b, but may be home appliances or equipment such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, a distribution board, or a solar panel. Further, as the home network 120, any network such as a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, and a specific power-saving wireless can be used, and a network configuration that enables mutual communication between the devices 150 by combining these may be used. . The wide area network 130 can be any network such as an optical fiber, a radio, or a public telephone line.

  A hardware configuration of the home controller 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the home controller 100 according to the first embodiment. The home controller 100 includes a central processing unit 101 configured by a CPU, a main storage unit 102 (management unit) configured by a RAM, a secondary storage unit 103 configured by a ROM, an HDD, and the like, a display unit 104, an input Unit 105, home network communication unit 106, and wide area network communication unit 107.

  The central processing unit 101 downloads a service program to the secondary storage unit 103 by executing a program stored in advance in the secondary storage unit 103, and also stores a service program stored in the secondary storage unit 103 Is loaded into the main storage unit 102.

  The main storage unit 102 is provided with a storage area for storing a device table T1, a service table T2, a state monitoring table 300, and a loop candidate table 900, which will be described later. That is, the main storage unit 102 manages the device table T1, the service table T2, the state monitoring table 300, and the loop candidate table 900.

  The display unit 104 is configured by an LCD, for example, and displays a result of processing performed by the central processing unit 101 executing a program. The display unit 104 may be configured with a display device such as a tablet terminal or a DTV connected via the home network 120. The input unit 105 includes, for example, a touch panel and hardware buttons, and receives an operation from the user.

  The home network communication unit 106 performs communication processing between the air conditioner 150a and the lighting 150b via the home network 120. The wide area network communication unit 107 performs communication processing with the application server 140 via the wide area network 130.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the home controller 100 according to the first embodiment. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 3 can be realized by causing the central processing unit 101 to execute a program for causing each block shown in FIG. 3 to function. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 3 may be realized by combining dedicated circuits that function as the blocks shown in FIG.

  The service control unit 210 operates as a service management unit 211 (end unit), a service execution unit 212, a competition determination unit 213 (detection unit), a state monitoring unit 214, a device control unit 215, and a display generation unit 216.

  When the service management unit 211 receives a service activation request from the input unit 105 by a user operation, the service management unit 211 loads the service program requested to be activated into the main storage unit 102 and then sends the service activation request to the service execution unit 212. Notice. Further, as will be described later, the service management unit 211 determines a target service to be terminated from among the services that cause the occurrence of the loop control identified by the competition determination unit 213, and then determines the service to be terminated. An end request is issued, and the end request is notified to the service execution unit 212.

  Upon receiving a service activation request from the service management unit 211, the service execution unit 212 performs service activation processing indicated by the activation request. The service activation process is a process that allows the central processing unit 101 to execute a program of the service stored in the main storage unit 102 so that the device 150 can be controlled by the service.

  When the service execution unit 212 receives a control request for the device 150 from the service after the service activation process, the service execution unit 212 outputs the control request to the device control unit 215. As a result, the service execution unit 212 causes the device control unit 215 to control the device 150 indicated by the control request, as will be described later. Hereinafter, it is described that a service is executed when the service execution unit 212 receives a control request for the device 150 from the service and causes the device control unit 215 to execute control of the device 150 indicated by the control request.

  Upon receiving a service termination request from the service management unit 211, the service execution unit 212 performs a service termination process indicated by the termination request. The service end process is a process for causing the central processing unit 101 to end the execution of the program of the service so that the service cannot be executed.

  In the first embodiment, the service execution unit 212 can execute the three services 200 shown in FIG. 3, which are a comfortable air conditioning service 200a, a home energy saving service 200b, and a comfortable dimming service 200c.

  The comfortable air conditioning service 200a is a service that automatically controls the air conditioner 150a according to a change in indoor temperature. The house energy saving service 200b is a service for automatically controlling the device 150 connected to the home network 120 so as to monitor the power consumption in the house and suppress the power consumption. The comfortable dimming service 200c is a service that automatically controls the lighting 150b according to a change in illuminance in the room. The services 200a to 200c are services for resetting the device 150 upon receiving a notification of a state change of the device 150 to be controlled. The services 200a to 200c can simultaneously control the device 150 to be controlled.

  The services 200a to 200c are examples of services that can be executed by the service execution unit 212. The services that can be executed by the service execution unit 212 are not limited to these services 200a to 200c, but are provided from third parties. There may be various services. Also, the number of services that can be executed simultaneously by the service execution unit 212 is not limited to three. Hereinafter, the services 200a to 200c that can be executed by the service execution unit 212 are collectively referred to as the service 200.

  The contention determination unit 213 performs processing for detecting that loop control (repetitive control) has occurred based on information (state information) registered in a state monitoring table 300 and a loop candidate table 900 described later. The occurrence of loop control means that execution of control (first control) by a certain service 200 (first service) and execution of another service 200 (second service) for the same device 150 This indicates that the execution of other control (second control) and the repetition of the control is performed a predetermined number of times or more.

  When the competition determination unit 213 detects that the loop control has occurred, the competition determination unit 213 performs a process of specifying the service 200 that causes the occurrence of the loop control. Details of the processing performed by the competition determination unit 213 will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The state monitoring unit 214 monitors the state of the device 150, detects the state change of the device 150, and performs processing for notifying the service 200 of the detected state change. Details of the processing performed by the state monitoring unit 214 will be described later with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  The device control unit 215 interprets the control request for the device 150 received from the service 200 and sends a control command for causing the device 150 to perform the control indicated by the control request using a device control protocol such as ECHONET Lite. Generate. That is, the control command indicates the control content to be performed by the device 150. The device control unit 215 transmits the generated control command to the device 150 via the home network communication unit 106. Thereby, the device 150 performs control according to the control content indicated by the control command received from the device control unit 215.

  The display generation unit 216 generates a message (notification information) for notifying the user that a service termination request has been issued by the service management unit 211 when the occurrence of loop control is detected by the conflict determination unit 213. Then, a notification screen including the generated message is generated. Details of the message and the notification screen will be described later with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

  Next, the state monitoring table 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the state monitoring table 300. The state monitoring table 300 manages state monitoring information in which a device ID that identifies the device 150 connected to the home network 120 and a service ID that identifies the service 200 that monitors the state of the device 150 are associated with each other. It is a table.

  Hereinafter, device IDs managed in the state monitoring table 300 will be described. In a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM provided in the device 150, a device name and a device ID are stored as information for identifying the device 150 when the device 150 is manufactured or shipped. The device ID is information that uniquely identifies the device 150, such as a MAC address. Then, when the operation of the device 150 is started, the device name and device ID stored in the nonvolatile memory are loaded into a memory such as a RAM provided in the device 150.

  The device ID is not limited to the MAC address, and may be information that can uniquely identify the device 150 connected to the home network 120. For example, the device ID is a device-specific value defined by a device communication protocol for performing remote control on the home network 120 (for example, an identification number or a manufacturing number defined as a property value of the device 150 in the ECHONET Lite standard). It may be.

  Alternatively, when the home controller 100 recognizes that the device 150 is connected to the home network 120, a device name indicating the type of the recognized device 150 can be generated, and the recognized device 150 can be uniquely identified. Information (for example, date and time when the device 150 is recognized) may be generated as a device ID, and the generated device name and device ID may be transmitted to the device 150. In accordance with this, the device name and device ID received by the device 150 may be stored in a memory such as a RAM provided in the device 150.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device table T1. The device table T1 is a table for managing the device name and device ID of the device 150 connected to the home network 120. When the home controller 100 recognizes that the device 150 is connected to the home network 120, the home controller 100 acquires the device name and device ID from the device 150 and registers them in the device table T1. If the home controller 100 cannot acquire the device name and device ID from the device 150, the home controller 100 generates the device name and device ID as described above, and stores the generated device name and device ID in the device table T1. While registering, it transmits to the device 150.

  For example, in the device table T1 shown in FIG. 5, “air conditioner” is registered as the device name of the air conditioner 150a, and “aircon_0a12ab4cb611” is registered as the device ID of the air conditioner 150a. It is assumed that the device name and device ID in the following description are the device name and device ID shown in FIG.

  Next, the service ID managed in the state monitoring table 300 will be described. In the program of the service 200, a service name and a service ID generated by a provider or developer of the service 200 are incorporated as information for identifying the service 200 when the program is developed. The service ID is information that can uniquely identify the service 200.

  If the service ID is not incorporated in the program of the service 200, information that can uniquely identify the service 200 when the home controller 100 starts the service 200 (for example, the date and time when the service 200 is started) ) May be generated as the service ID of the service 200.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the service table T2. The service table T2 is a table for managing the service name and service ID of the service 200 executed by the home controller 100. When the home controller 100 starts the service 200, the home controller 100 registers the service name and service ID incorporated in the program of the service 200 in the service table T2. When the service ID is not incorporated in the program of the service 200, the home controller 100 generates a service ID as described above, and registers the generated service ID in the service table T2.

  For example, in the service table T2 shown in FIG. 6, “Comfort Air Conditioning Service” is registered as the service name of the Comfort Air Conditioning Service 200a, and “A” is registered as the service ID. The service name and service ID in the following description are assumed to be the service name and service ID shown in FIG.

  Next, a registration flow of information in the state monitoring table 300 by the state monitoring unit 214 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for registering information in the state monitoring table 300 according to the first embodiment. When the service execution unit 212 starts the service 200, the service 200 calls a device state monitoring API provided by the service control unit 210. The device state monitoring API is a so-called callback function, and receives from the service 200 the device ID of the device 150 to be monitored by the service 200 that has called the API, and the service ID of the service 200. The service control unit 210 is notified of the received device ID and service ID.

  When receiving the notification of the device ID and the service ID by the device state monitoring API (step 400), the state monitoring unit 214 searches whether or not the notified device ID is registered in the state monitoring table 300 (step 401). ).

  When the notified device ID is already registered in the state monitoring table 300 (step 402: YES), the state monitoring unit 214 uses the service ID notified in step 400 as the service ID corresponding to the registered device ID. Add (step 404). When the notified device ID is not registered in the state monitoring table 300 (step 402: NO), the state monitoring unit 214 registers the notified device ID in the state monitoring table 300 (step 403), and the registered device ID. The service ID notified in step 400 is added as the service ID corresponding to (step 404).

  In this manner, the state monitoring unit 214 stores state monitoring information in which a device ID for identifying the device 150 and a service ID for identifying one or more services 200 that are monitoring the state of the device 150 are associated with each other. Register with 300.

  For example, in the status monitoring table 300 illustrated in FIG. 4, status monitoring information in which the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” is associated with the two service IDs “A” and “B” is registered. This is because step 403 is performed when the activation process of the service 200 identified by the service ID “A” is executed to control the device 150 with the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”, and then the same device ID is set. The result of step 404 when the activation process of the service 200 identified by the service ID “B” for executing the control of the device 150 is performed is shown.

  Next, a flow of deleting information from the state monitoring table 300 by the state monitoring unit 214 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for deleting information from the state monitoring table 300 in the first embodiment. When the service execution unit 212 finishes the service 200 (step 600), the state monitoring unit 214 monitors the state of the service 200 (hereinafter referred to as the end service 200) on which the end process was performed. The device ID is searched (step 601). Specifically, in step 601, the state monitoring unit 214 searches the state monitoring table 300 for a device ID associated with the service ID of the end service 200.

  Next, the state monitoring unit 214 determines whether or not the service 200 whose monitoring target is the state of the device 150 identified by the device ID searched in step 601 is only the end service (step 602). . Specifically, in step 602, the state monitoring unit 214 determines whether or not the service ID associated with the device ID searched in step 601 in the state monitoring table 300 is only the service ID of the end service 200. judge.

  If the service ID searched in step 601 is only the service ID of the end service 200 (step 602: YES), the state monitoring unit 214 associates the device ID and the service ID of the end service 200 with each other. Are deleted from the state monitoring table 300 (step 603). When the service ID searched in step 601 is not only the service ID of the end service 200 (step 602: NO), the state monitoring unit 214 determines only the service ID of the end service 200 from the service ID associated with the device ID. Is deleted (step 604).

  For example, assume that state monitoring information is registered in the state monitoring table 300 as shown in FIG. That is, it is assumed that the two services identified by the service ID “A” and the service ID “B” are being monitored for the state of the device 150 identified by the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”. Further, it is assumed that the two services identified by the service ID “B” and the service ID “C” are being monitored for the state of the device 150 identified by the device ID “light — 0b2c998a5c7a”.

  Here, it is assumed that the termination process of the service 200 identified by the service ID “A” is performed. In this case, in step 601, the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” corresponding to the service ID “A” is searched. In step 602, it is determined that the service ID “A, B” associated with the device ID is not only the service ID “A” of the end service 200. As a result, step 604 is performed, and the state monitoring information in which the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” and the service ID “B” are associated is registered in the state monitoring table 300.

  Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately grasp from the state monitoring information that the state of the device 150 identified by the device ID “aircon_0a12ab4cb611” is currently monitored only by the service 200 identified by the service ID “B”. become.

  Thereafter, it is assumed that the termination process of the house energy saving service 200b identified by the service ID “B” is performed. In this case, in step 601, two device IDs “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” and “light — 0b2c998a5c7a” corresponding to the service ID “B” are searched. As described above, when a plurality of device IDs are searched in step 601, the processing from step 602 onward is performed for each of the searched device IDs.

  In step 602 performed for the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”, since the service ID associated with the device ID is only “B”, step 603 is performed. As a result, the state monitoring information in which the device ID and the service ID “B” of the end service are associated is deleted from the state monitoring table 300. As a result, the state monitoring table 300 no longer includes state monitoring information including the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately grasp from the state monitoring table 300 that there is no service 200 that currently monitors the state of the device 150 identified by the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”.

  On the other hand, in step 602 performed for the device ID “light — 0b2c998a5c7a”, since the service ID associated with the device ID is “C, B”, the service ID associated with the device ID is the service ID of the end service. It is determined that not only “B”. As a result, step 604 is performed, and the state monitoring information in which the device ID “light — 0b2c998a5c7a” and the service ID “C” are associated is registered in the state monitoring table 300. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately grasp from the state monitoring information that the state of the device 150 identified by the device ID “light — 0b2c998a5c7a” is currently being monitored only by the service 200 identified by the service ID “C”. become.

  Next, the notification flow of the state change of the device 150 by the state monitoring unit 214 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow for monitoring the status change of the device 150 and notifying the service 200 in the first embodiment. When the device 150 connected to the home network 120 is reset by the operation of the genuine remote controller of the device 150 or the execution of the service 200, the state of the device 150 has changed. Is notified to the service control unit 210.

  The state monitoring unit 214 waits for reception until a state change notification is received from any of the devices 150 connected to the home network 120 (step 500: NO).

  The state monitoring unit 214 receives a notification of a state change from the device 150 (step 500: YES), and detects that the state of the device 150 has changed. In this case, the state monitoring unit 214 refers to the state monitoring table 300 and searches for a service ID associated with the device ID of the device 150. As a result, the state monitoring unit 214 searches for the service ID of the service 200 to be notified of the state change of the device 150 (step 501).

  When the service ID of the notification target service 200 exists in the state monitoring table 300 (step 502: YES), the state monitoring unit 214 determines the state of the device 150 with respect to the notification target service 200 identified by the service ID. The change is notified (step 503). Thereafter, the state monitoring unit 214 returns to step 500 and waits for reception until a new state change notification is received from any device 150. If the service ID of the service 200 to be notified does not exist in the state monitoring table 300 (step 502: NO), the state monitoring unit 214 returns to step 500 and notifies any of the devices 150 of a new state change. It will be in the state of waiting for reception until it receives.

  As described above, instead of notifying the change of the state mainly by the device 150, the state monitoring unit 214 notifies the device 150 identified by the device ID registered in the state monitoring table 300. Further, it may be inquired whether or not the state has changed periodically. In accordance with this, when the device 150 receives the inquiry, when the device 150 is reset after receiving the previous inquiry, it may be returned that the state has changed.

  Next, the flow of processing performed by the competition determination unit 213 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for detecting the occurrence of loop control. It is assumed that the service execution unit 212 receives a control request for the device 150 from the active service 200 and executes the service 200 (step 801: YES). In this case, the competition determination unit 213 determines whether or not control information corresponding to the control request is registered in the loop candidate table 900 (step 802).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the loop candidate table 900. The loop candidate table 900 includes a service ID 901 for identifying the service 200 executed by making the control request, a device ID 902 of the device 150 controlled by the service 200, a control command 903 indicating the control content of the device 150, and It is a table for managing control information in which the number of times that the control has been executed (hereinafter, the number of repetitions) 904 is associated.

  If the control information corresponding to the control request received in step 801 has already been registered in the loop candidate table 900 (step 802: YES), the conflict determination unit 213 increments the number of repetitions 904 of the registered control information by one. (Step 803). Thereby, the competition determination unit 213 updates the registered control information.

  For example, the service execution unit 212 has received four control requests in the past from the comfortable air conditioning service 200a with the service ID “A” to control the air conditioner 150a with the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” to be heated to 25 ° C. To do. That is, control information corresponding to the control request (service ID 901 “A”, device ID 902 “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”, control command 903 “heating 25 ° C.”, repetition count 904 “4”) has been registered in the loop candidate table 900. And In this case, it is assumed that the service execution unit 212 receives the same control request again in step 801.

  In this case, since the control information corresponding to the control request received in step 801 has already been registered in the loop candidate table 900 (step 802: YES), step 803 is performed. That is, the control information corresponding to the control request registered in the loop candidate table 900 by the conflict determination unit 213 is changed to new control information (service ID 901 “A”, device ID 902 “aircon_0a12ab4cb611”, Control command 903 “heating 25 ° C.”, repetition count 904 “5”).

  On the other hand, when the control information corresponding to the control request received in step 801 is not registered (step 802: NO), the contention determination unit 213 stores control information (service ID 901) corresponding to the control request in the loop candidate table 900. , Device ID 902, command 903, repetition count 904) are registered (step 804). Note that the competition determination unit 213 sets the repetition count 904 of the control information registered in step 804 to 1.

  For example, it is assumed that the service execution unit 212 has not received a control request for the device 150 from the comfortable dimming service 200c with the service ID “C”. That is, it is assumed that no control information including the service ID “C” is registered in the loop candidate table 900. In this case, in step 801, the service execution unit 212 receives a control request for performing control to turn on (turn on) the illumination 150b of the device ID “light — 0b2c998a5c7a” from the comfortable dimming service 200c of the service ID “C”. Suppose.

  In this case, since the control information corresponding to the control request received in step 801 is not registered in the loop candidate table 900 (step 802: NO), step 804 is performed. In other words, the conflict determination unit 213 adds control information (service ID 901 “C”, device ID 902 “light — 0b2c998a5c7a”, control command 903 “ON”, number of repetitions 904 “1”) to the loop candidate table 900. be registered.

  The competition determination unit 213 determines whether or not the number of repetitions 904 included in the control information has reached a predetermined threshold (predetermined number) after registration or update of the control information. When the number of repetitions 904 has reached the threshold (step 805: YES), the conflict determination unit 213 includes a device ID 902 that is the same as the device ID 902 of the control information and is a service different from the service ID 901 of the control information. It is determined whether or not control information including ID 901 (hereinafter, determination target control information) exists in the loop candidate table 900 (step 806). Thereby, the competition determination unit 213 determines whether or not there are two or more services 200 that have previously controlled the same device 150 identified by the same device ID 902.

  For example, it is assumed that control information is registered in the loop candidate table 900 as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the threshold is 5 times. In step 801, the service 200 identified by the service ID “A” is executed. In step 805, the contention determination unit 213 sets the number of repetitions 904 “5” included in the control information corresponding to the service ID “A”. Suppose that it is determined that the number of times has been reached five times.

  In this case, the conflict determination unit 213 includes, in step 806, the same device ID 902 as the device ID 902 “aircon_0a12ab4cb611” of the control information based on the two control information shown in the first and second rows of FIG. In addition, it is determined that there is control information to be determined that includes a service ID 901 “B” different from the service ID 901 “A” of the control information (step 806; YES). As a result, the competition determination unit 213 determines that the service 200 that has previously controlled the device 150 identified by the device ID 902 “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” is identified by the service ID “A” executed in Step 801. 200 and the service 200 identified by the service ID “B” are determined to exist.

  If the control information to be determined does not exist in the loop candidate table 900 (step 806: NO), the competition determining unit 213 determines that the same device 150 has not been controlled by two or more services 200. In step 809, it is determined that the loop control has not occurred by the service 200 executed in step 801 corresponding to the control information in which the number of repetitions 904 has reached the threshold (step 809).

  On the other hand, it is assumed that control information to be determined exists in the loop candidate table 900 (step 806: YES). In this case, the competition determination unit 213 refers to the state monitoring table 300, and the service 200 identified (identified) by the service ID 901 of the control information determined in step 805 that the repetition count 904 has reached the threshold (hereinafter, step The service 200 identified in step 805) and the service 200 identified (identified) by the service ID 901 of the control information to be determined (hereinafter, the service 200 identified in step 806) are identified by the same device ID 902. It is determined whether the status of the identified device 150 (hereinafter, the same device 150) is being monitored (step 807). Thereby, the contention determination unit 213 may control the same device 150 at the same time by both the service 200 specified in step 805 and the service 200 specified in step 806. Determine whether or not.

  Specifically, in step 807, the contention determination unit 213 refers to the state monitoring table 300, and the state monitoring information including the service ID of the service 200 identified in step 805 includes the same device ID 902, and If the same device ID 902 is also included in the status monitoring information including the service ID of the service 200 identified in step 806, it is determined that both services 200 are monitoring the status of the same device 150 ( Step 807; YES).

  On the other hand, at least one of the state monitoring information including the service ID of the service 200 specified in step 805 and the state monitoring information including the service ID of the service 200 specified in step 806 does not include the same device ID 902. In such a case, the competition determination unit 213 determines that at least one of the two services 200 is not monitoring the state of the same device 150 (step 807; NO).

  For example, assume that state monitoring information is registered in the state monitoring table 300 as shown in FIG. As in the specific example described above for step 806, the same device ID 902 is “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”, the service ID of the service 200 specified in step 805 is “A”, and the service 200 of the service 200 specified in step 806 Assume that the ID is “B”.

  In this case, the state monitoring table 300 includes the same device ID 902 “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” in the state monitoring information (first line in FIG. 4) including the service ID “A” of the service 200 identified in step 805, Further, the same device ID 902 “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” is also included in the state monitoring information (first line in FIG. 4) including the service ID “B” of the service 200 identified in step 806. For this reason, the competition determination unit 213 determines that both services 200 are monitoring the state of the same device 150.

  Assume that the competition determination unit 213 determines that at least one of the two services 200 is not monitoring the state of the same device 150 (step 807: NO). In this case, it is unlikely that the same device 150 is simultaneously controlled by both services 200. Therefore, in this case, the contention determination unit 213 determines that no loop control has occurred due to the control performed in step 801 corresponding to the control information in which the number of repetitions 904 has reached the threshold value in step 805 (step 809). ).

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the competition determination unit 213 determines that both services 200 are monitoring the state of the same device 150 (step 807: YES). In this case, it is highly likely that the same device 150 is simultaneously controlled by both services 200. Accordingly, in this case, the contention determination unit 213 executes the control (first control) of the same device 150 by the service 200 (first service) specified in Step 805 and the service 200 (first control) specified in Step 806. It is detected that the loop control in which the repetition of the control (second control) of the same device 150 by the second service) is performed more than the number of times indicated by the threshold value is detected. Then, the contention determination unit 213 identifies both services 200 identified in Steps 805 and 806 as the services 200 that cause the occurrence of loop control (Step 808).

  For example, in step 801, the service execution unit 212 receives a control request for controlling the air conditioner 150a with the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611” to perform heating at 25 ° C. from the comfortable air conditioning service 200a with the service ID “A”. . Assume that the control information shown in FIG. 11 is registered in the loop candidate table 900 and the state monitoring information shown in FIG. 4 is registered in the state monitoring table 300 immediately before executing step 805. Further, it is assumed that the threshold used in step 805 is 5 times.

  In this case, in step 805, since the number of repetitions of the control information (control information including service ID 901 “A”) corresponding to the control request received in step 801 is “5”, the contention determination unit 213 has reached the threshold value. Is determined. In this case, in step 806, the conflict determination unit 213 includes a device ID 902 that is the same as the device ID 902 “aircon_0a12ab4cb611” of the control information, and is different from the service ID 901 “A” of the control information. Is determined to exist in the loop candidate table 900.

  In step 807, the contention determination unit 213 refers to the state monitoring table 300, and monitors the state of the same device 150 in which both services 200 identified in step 805 and step 806 are identified by the device ID “aircon — 0a12ab4cb611”. It is determined that

  In this case, in step 808, the contention determination unit 213 performs loop control in which the execution of the control by the service 200 specified in step 805 and the execution of the control by the service 200 specified in step 806 are repeated five or more times. Detect that Then, the contention determination unit 213 identifies both services 200 identified in Steps 805 and 806 as the services 200 that cause the occurrence of loop control.

  By configuring the process by the contention determination unit 213 as described above, the device 150 that has been repeatedly controlled more than a threshold based on the control information indicating the control content of the device 150 by the executed service 200 is accurately detected. Can be identified. Furthermore, based on the state monitoring information, it can be accurately determined whether or not the state of the identified device 150 is still being monitored by two or more services.

  If it is determined that the status of the identified device 150 is still being monitored by two or more services 200 based on the status monitoring information, control of the identified device 150 by the two or more services 200 is performed. It is possible to detect with high accuracy that the loop control is currently occurring, assuming that the control is repeatedly performed for the current threshold value or more.

  Next, processing performed when the occurrence of loop control is detected by the competition determination unit 213 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for canceling loop control in the first embodiment.

  When the service 200 that causes the occurrence of the loop control is identified by the contention determination unit 213 according to the flow shown in FIG. 10 (step 1000), the service management unit 211 determines the contention among the specified services 200. The service 200 identified by the unit 213 in step 805 is determined as the service 200 to be terminated (hereinafter referred to as the termination service 200). Then, the service management unit 211 issues an end request for the determined end service 200 and notifies the service execution unit 212 of the end request (step 1001). Upon receiving the notification of the termination request, the service execution unit 212 executes termination processing of the termination service 200 indicated by the termination request (Step 1002).

  When the termination process of the termination service 200 is executed by the service execution unit 212, as described above, the status monitoring unit 214 is registered in the status monitoring table 300 according to the processing flow shown in FIG. The status monitoring information including the service ID of 200 is deleted (step 603), or the service ID of the end service 200 is deleted from the status monitoring information (step 604).

  Thereafter, the display generation unit 216 refers to the service table T2 (FIG. 6) and terminates the termination service 200 when the occurrence of loop control is detected (a termination request for the termination service 200 is issued). ) A message (notification information) for notifying the user is generated (issued). Then, the display generation unit 216 generates a notification screen W1 including the generated message M1 as shown in FIG. 13, and displays the generated notification screen W1 on the display unit 104 (step 1003). Thereby, the display generation unit 216 notifies the user that the termination service 200 has been terminated when the occurrence of loop control is detected.

  Note that the notification screen W1 shown in FIG. 13 is an example, and the screen configuration is appropriately changed within a range in which the effect of notifying the user that the termination service 200 is terminated by performing loop control. May be. For example, the notification screen W1 may be configured by a dialog screen or a pop-up screen including the message M1, and the notification screen W1 may be displayed on the display unit 104 so as to overlap the already displayed screen.

  Further, in step 1001 (FIG. 12), before the service management unit 211 notifies the service execution unit 212 of a termination request for the termination service 200, the termination service 200 registered in the loop candidate table 900 (FIG. 11). Control information corresponding to may be saved in the main storage unit 102.

  Then, in step 1003 (FIG. 12), the display generation unit 216 controls the control information corresponding to the termination service 200 saved in the main storage unit 102, the device table T1 (FIG. 5), and the service table T2 (FIG. 6). Referring to the loop candidate table 900 (FIG. 11), the message M1 further includes the service name of the service 200 that causes the occurrence of the loop control specified by the contention determination unit 213, and the specified service 200. A message including the controlled device name of the device 150 in which loop control is generated and the control command used to control the device 150 may be generated. Then, instead of the notification screen W1 shown in FIG. 13, the display generation unit 216 generates a notification screen W2 including the generated message as shown in FIG. 14, and displays the generated notification screen W2 on the display unit 104. You may make it display.

  Also, in step 1003 after the change, the message generated by the display generation unit 216 should not include the device name of the device 150 in which loop control has occurred and the control command used to control the device 150. It may be. In accordance with this, the loop cause control column may not be provided on the notification screen W2 shown in FIG.

  With this configuration, it is possible to show the user a clue to review the device control by the termination service 200 so that loop control does not occur. As a result, the user can easily review the control of the device by the service.

  In step 1001, the service management unit 211 may determine the service 200 identified by the conflict determination unit 213 in step 806 as the end service 200, or all of the conflict determination unit 213 identified in steps 805 and 806. The service 200 may be determined as the end service 200.

  In step 1001, the service management unit 211 may determine the end service 200 based on the order in which the services 200 are activated.

  For example, assuming that the recently activated service 200 is the service 200 that the user wants to use most, the service management unit 211 is activated first among the services 200 identified by the conflict determination unit 213 in step 1001. The service 200 may be preferentially determined as the end service 200. In this case, the loop control can be canceled without terminating the recently activated service 200 that the user wants to use.

  Alternatively, assuming that the user wants to continue using the currently activated service, in step 1001, the service management unit 211 is activated later among the services 200 identified by the conflict determination unit 213. The service 200 may be preferentially determined as the end service 200. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the loop control without terminating the service 200 that the user desires to continue using. For this reason, the user generates loop control such as reviewing the control content of the device by the service 200 activated later or reviewing the service activated in the future while continuing to use the currently activated service 200 as desired. You can take measures to prevent it from happening.

  In step 1001, the service management unit 211 may allow the user to set the priority order of the service 200 determined as the end service 200 by operating the input unit 105, for example. In this case, by setting the priority of the service 200 that is not desired to be terminated in advance, even when loop control occurs, the user can issue a termination request to the service 200 that is not desired to be terminated. Can be avoided.

  Further, the loop candidate table 900 may be periodically initialized. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow for initializing the loop candidate table 900 in the first embodiment. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the competition determination unit 213 initializes the loop candidate table 900 and registers it in the loop candidate table 900 every time a preset fixed time has elapsed (step 1100: YES). All the control information that has been deleted is deleted (step 1101). The predetermined time may be a fixed value determined in advance, or may be changed to an arbitrary value by the user by operating the input unit 105, for example.

  In step 1101, instead of initializing the loop candidate table 900, control information corresponding to a predetermined service 200 (hereinafter, the deletion target service 200), that is, a service for identifying the deletion target service 200. Only the control information including the ID 901 may be deleted.

  For example, a service 200 that turns on the power of the air conditioner 150a every morning at 6:00 and a service 200 that turns off the power of the air conditioner 150a every night at 2pm, such as a service 200 that does not end for a long time after startup The service 200 that does not perform control 150 is considered not to cause the occurrence of loop control.

  Accordingly, by setting the service 200 that is not considered to cause such loop control as the deletion target service 200 in advance, control information corresponding to the deletion target service 200 is constant in the loop candidate table 900. It is possible to avoid remaining for more than an hour. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the number of repetitions 904 included in the control information corresponding to the deletion target service 200 from being equal to or greater than the threshold value. As a result, it is possible to reduce the opportunity to specify the deletion target service 200 as the service 200 specified in step 805 and the service specified in step 806, that is, the opportunity to specify the service 200 that causes the occurrence of loop control. .

  Further, the determination as to whether or not the number of repetitions 904 shown in step 805 in FIG. The number of repetitions 904 included in all control information registered in 900 may be performed. In accordance with this, when the number of repetitions 904 included in a predetermined number or more of control information reaches a threshold value, the process may proceed to step 806.

  Alternatively, in step 806, the conflict determination unit 213 includes the same device ID 902 as the device ID 902 included in the control information corresponding to the service 200 specified in step 805, and is different from the service ID 901 included in the control information. It is also possible to determine whether or not control information that includes the service ID 901 and the number of repetitions 904 is equal to or greater than the threshold value exists in the loop candidate table 900. In this way, by limiting the control information to be determined in step 806, it can be determined more accurately that the loop control is being performed.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the loop control detection method for the same device 150 by the plurality of services 200 executed on the home controller 100 and the loop control cancellation method have been described. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, when a plurality of services are also executed on a device other than the home controller 100 such as a cloud server 1201 connected to the wide area network 130 or an external terminal 1202 such as a smartphone / tablet. A method for detecting the occurrence of loop control for the same device 150 and a method for eliminating the loop control will be described.

  Note that the services executed in the cloud server 1201 and the external terminal 1202 shown in FIG. 16 are examples, and any service that controls the device 150 connected to the home network 120 via the home controller 100 can be used. It may be a service executed by a device connected to the home network 120. Hereinafter, in the description of the second embodiment, only parts different from the first embodiment will be described unless otherwise specified.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a home network system including the home controller 100 according to the second embodiment. Since the hardware configuration of home controller 100 is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the comfortable air conditioning service 1200a is executed on the cloud server 1201, and the house energy saving service 1200b is executed on the external terminal 1202 such as a smartphone / tablet. The comfortable light control service 200c is executed on the home controller 100 as in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the services 1200a and 1200b executed by devices other than the home controller 100 via the wide area network 130 are collectively referred to as services 1200.

  The service control unit 1210 includes a command communication unit 1217 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. The command communication unit 1217 transmits and receives control commands and the like to and from external devices connected to the wide area network 130. That is, when the state monitoring unit 214 notifies a change in the state of the device 150 to be monitored by the service 1200, when the service management unit 211 notifies a start request and an end request of the service 1200, and when the service 1200 All communications with external devices connected to the wide area network 130 are performed via the command communication unit 1217, such as when a control request is notified.

  The functional configuration of the home controller 100 illustrated in FIG. 17 can be realized by causing the central processing unit 101 to execute a program for causing each block illustrated in FIG. 17 to function. The functional configuration of the home controller 100 shown in FIG. 17 may be realized by combining dedicated circuits that function as the blocks shown in FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the service management table 1400a. The service management table 1400a is a table for managing service management information in which service IDs of the services 200 and 1200 are associated with addresses of apparatuses that can execute the services 200 and 1200. The service management table 1400a is stored in the main storage unit 102.

  A registration flow of a service ID and an address in the service management table 1400a by the command communication unit 1217 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow for registering information in the service management table 1400a in the second embodiment.

  When the service 1200 is activated in the external device, the activated service 1200 notifies the service control unit 1210 of activation of the service 1200. The activation notification of the service 1200 is performed when the service 1200 activated in the external device calls the activation notification API provided by the service control unit 1210 via the wide area network 130. In the same manner, in the second embodiment, when the service 200 is started by the service execution unit 212, the service 200 calls the start notification API and starts the service 200 to the service control unit 1210. Notice.

  The activation notification API includes the service ID of the service 200, 1200 that called the API, and the address of the device from which the service 200, 1200 is activated and the service 200, 1200 can be executed (hereinafter, service 200, 1200). Are executed from the services 200 and 1200. Then, the service control unit 210 is notified of the received service ID and the execution destination addresses of the services 200 and 1200.

  When the command communication unit 1217 receives the notification of the service ID of the service 200 and 1200 and the address of the execution destination of the service 200 and 1200 (hereinafter referred to as activation notification of the service 200 and 1200) by the activation notification API (step 1500), It is searched whether or not the notified service ID is registered in the service management table 1400a (step 1501).

  When the notified service ID is already registered in the service management table 1400a (step 1502: YES), the command communication unit 1217 uses the service 200, 1200 notified in step 1500 as an address corresponding to the registered service ID. The execution destination address is registered (step 1504).

  When the notified service ID is not registered in the service management table 1400a (step 1502: NO), the command communication unit 1217 registers the notified service ID in the service management table 1400a (step 1503), and the registered service ID. As the address corresponding to, the execution destination addresses of the services 200 and 1200 notified in step 1500 are registered (step 1504).

  The device ID and service ID registration and deletion flows in the state monitoring table 300 according to the second embodiment are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 except that the service 1200 is started and ended via the command communication unit 1217. Since this is the same as the flow, the description is omitted. Further, the flow for detecting the loop control in the second embodiment is the same as the flow shown in FIG.

  Note that the information notified by the activation notification API may include the device ID of the device 150 that the service 200, 1200 monitors the status of. In accordance with this, the command communication unit 1217 may notify the status monitoring unit 214 of the service ID notified by the activation notification API and the device ID to be monitored. Then, based on the flow shown in FIG. 7, the state monitoring unit 214 uses the device ID and service ID notified from the command communication unit 1217 in the same manner as the device ID and service ID notified by the device state monitoring API in step 400. May be registered in the state monitoring table 300.

  In this case, after the service 1200 activated in the external device notifies the activation of the service 1200 using the activation notification API, the device status monitoring API is further transmitted via the wide area network 130 in step 400 shown in FIG. Calling and notifying the device ID of the target device 150 to be monitored by the service 1200 and the service ID of the service 1200 can be omitted. Thereby, the frequency | count of communication with an external device can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, the processing after the loop control is detected in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for canceling loop control in the second embodiment.

  When the services 200 and 1200 that cause the occurrence of the loop control are identified by the contention determination unit 213 according to the flow illustrated in FIG. 10 (step 1600), the service management unit 211 performs the identification in the same manner as in step 1001. The service 200, 1200 to be terminated is determined from the services 200, 1200 (hereinafter, the termination service 200, 1200). Then, the service management unit 211 issues a termination request for the determined termination services 200 and 1200, and notifies the command communication unit 1217 of the termination request (step 1601).

  When the command communication unit 1217 receives a notification of the termination request for the termination services 200 and 1200 from the service management unit 211, the command communication unit 1217 refers to the service management table 1400a and acquires an address corresponding to the service ID of the termination services 200 and 1200. The command communication unit 1217 transmits a termination request for the termination services 200 and 1200 to the acquired address (step 1602).

  As a result, when a termination request for the termination service 1200 is transmitted to the external device in step 1602, the external device that has received the termination request performs termination processing for the termination service 1200. On the other hand, when a termination request for the termination service 200 is transmitted to the home controller 100 in step 1602, as described above, the same processing as in step 1002 shown in FIG. 12 is performed.

  Thereafter, the display generation unit 216 generates a message to be included in the notification screen W1 illustrated in FIG. 13 or the notification screen W2 illustrated in FIG. 14 in the same manner as Step 1003 illustrated in FIG. 12, and the notification screen W1 including the generated message. Alternatively, the notification screen W2 is displayed on the display unit 104 (step 1603).

  In step 1602, even if the command communication unit 1217 transmits a termination request for the termination service 1200 to the external device, the external device is not authorized to execute termination processing for the termination service 200, or There is a possibility that the termination process of the termination service 1200 is not performed due to a communication failure and the termination request of the termination service 1200 not being received by the external device.

  Therefore, in step 1602, the command communication unit 1217 rejects the control request for the device 150 transmitted from the end service 1200, instead of the command communication unit 1217 transmitting the end request for the end service 1200 to the external device. The end service 1200 may be returned to the effect that the control request is rejected. Thereby, the user who uses the termination service 1200 may be notified that the control of the device 150 by the termination service 1200 is denied.

  This configuration can be realized as follows. What is necessary is just to change the structure of the service management table 1400a to a structure like the service management table 1400b shown in FIG. That is, in the service management table 1400a, in addition to the service IDs of the activated services 200 and 1200 and the addresses of devices that can execute the services 200 and 1200, at least the services 200 and 1200 can be terminated. What is necessary is just to manage the service management information which matched the flag (service termination authority in FIG. 21) which shows whether it has termination authority.

  The flag may be added to information notified by the activation notification API so as to be notified from the services 200 and 1200. Then, in step 1504 shown in FIG. 19, when the execution destination addresses of the services 200 and 1200 notified by the activation notification API in step 1500 are registered, the flag that is further notified by the activation notification API. May be registered in association with the service ID of the service 200, 1200.

  In step 1602, when the command communication unit 1217 receives a notification of the termination request for the termination service 200 or 1200 from the service management unit 211, the command management unit 1217 stores the termination service 200 or 1200 in the modified service management table 1400 a. When the flag corresponding to the service ID indicates that no termination authority is given, the control request from the termination service 1200 may be rejected. Then, what is necessary is to return to the end service 1200 that the control request is rejected.

  In step 1602, the command communication unit 1217 rejects the control request for the device 150 from the service 1200 even when the request for termination of the service 1200 cannot be normally transmitted to the external device due to the occurrence of a communication failure or the like. You may make it do.

  With such a configuration, even when loop control occurs due to execution of control by the service 1200 that the home controller 100 does not have authority to end, the loop control can be canceled.

  In addition to the service management table 1400a, as in the service management table 1400b shown in FIG. 21, in addition to the service IDs of the activated services 200 and 1200 and the addresses of devices that can execute the services 200 and 1200, at least The service management information in which the user ID for identifying the user who started the services 200 and 1200 is associated with the address of the terminal associated with the user may be changed.

  The user ID may be further added to the information notified by the activation notification API so as to be notified from the services 200 and 1200. The address of the terminal associated with the user may be stored in the secondary storage unit 103 in advance in association with the user ID of the user. In step 1504 shown in FIG. 19, when registering the execution destination addresses of the services 200 and 1200 notified by the activation notification API in step 1500, the user ID that is further notified by the activation notification API. And the address of the terminal stored in the secondary storage unit 103 in association with the user ID may be registered in association with the service ID of the service 200, 1200.

  Accordingly, in addition to the processing in step 1603, the command communication unit 1217 associates with the service ID of the end service 200, 1200 indicated by the end request received in step 1602 in the service management table 1400a having the changed configuration. You may make it acquire the address of the terminal which has it. Then, the command communication unit 1217 may notify the message generated by the display generation unit 216 in step 1603 to the acquired address.

  By configuring in this way, the content of the control of the device 150 by the termination service 200, 1200 can be given to the user who started the termination service 200, 1200 without affecting the services 200, 1200 used by other users. It can be reviewed.

  The present disclosure is useful for a device connected to a home network, a home controller that remotely controls the device, and a service executed via the home controller.

100 Home controller (control device)
101 Central processing unit 102 Main storage unit (management unit)
103 secondary storage unit 104 display unit 105 input unit 106 home network communication unit 107 wide area network communication unit 120 home network 130 wide area network 140 application server 150 device 150a air conditioner (device)
150b Lighting (equipment)
200 service 200a Comfortable air conditioning service (service)
200b Household energy saving service (service)
200c Comfortable dimming service (service)
210, 1210 Service control unit 211 Service management unit (end unit)
212 Service execution unit 213 Competition determination unit (detection unit)
214 Status monitoring unit 215 Device control unit 216 Display generation unit 1200 Service 1200a Comfortable air conditioning service 1200b Home energy saving service 1201 Cloud server 1202 External terminal 1217 Command communication unit

Claims (13)

A control method in a control device that executes two or more services for controlling devices connected to a network,
Based on information for identifying the executed service, information for identifying a device controlled by the service, and information on the content of the control, manage status information of one or more devices,
Based on the status information of the same device, against the same instrument, by the execution of the first control of the first service and the repetition of the execution of the second control by the second service, the first Detecting that the first control by the service is executed a predetermined number of times or more;
For ending at least one of the first service and the second service when it is detected by the repetition that the first control by the first service is executed a predetermined number of times or more. Issue a termination request,
Control method. Of the first service and the second service, issue the termination request to the service activated first,
The control method according to claim 1. Of the first service and the second service, issue the termination request to a service activated later.
The control method according to claim 1. Issuing the termination request to a service other than a preset service among the first service and the second service;
The control method according to claim 1. The control method further includes:
Issuing notification information for notifying the user that the termination request has been issued due to the occurrence of the repetition;
The control method according to claim 1. The notification information further includes information for identifying the service that caused the occurrence of the repetition.
The control method according to claim 5. The notification information further includes a device in which the repetition occurs and a control content in the device.
The control method according to claim 6. Further managing service management information associating information for identifying the activated service, information for identifying a user who has activated the service, and information for identifying a terminal associated with the user;
The notification information is transmitted to a terminal associated with the user who started the service for which the termination request has been issued.
The control method according to claim 5. As the status information, information for identifying the executed service, information for identifying a device controlled by the service, information on the content of the control, and control information that associates the number of times the control has been executed are managed. And
Deleting the control information corresponding to a predetermined service each time a predetermined time elapses;
The control method according to claim 1. As the status information, information for identifying the executed service, information for identifying a device controlled by the service, information on the content of the control, and control information in which the number of times the control is executed are associated with each other, Managing the information for identifying the device and the status monitoring information associated with the information for identifying one or more of the services that are monitoring the status of the device;
Based on the control information and the state monitoring information, detecting that the repetition has occurred more than the predetermined number of times,
The control method according to claim 1 or 9. The service is provided by a service providing device connected to the control device via a network,
Instead of issuing a termination request for terminating the service provided from the service providing apparatus, a request for controlling the device by the service is rejected.
The control method according to claim 1. A control device that executes two or more services for controlling devices connected to a network,
A management unit that manages status information of one or more devices based on information identifying the executed service, information identifying a device controlled by the service, and information on the content of the control;
Based on the status information of the same device, against the same instrument, by the execution of the first control of the first service and the repetition of the execution of the second control by the second service, the first A detection unit for detecting that the first control by the service is executed a predetermined number of times or more;
For ending at least one of the first service and the second service when it is detected by the repetition that the first control by the first service is executed a predetermined number of times or more. An end part for issuing an end request;
A control device comprising: A program for causing a computer to function as a control device that executes two or more services for controlling devices connected to a network,
In the computer,
Based on information for identifying the executed service, information for identifying a device controlled by the service, and information on the content of the control, the status information of one or more of the devices is managed,
Based on the status information of the same device, against the same instrument, by the execution of the first control of the first service and the repetition of the execution of the second control by the second service, the first Detecting that the first control by the service is executed a predetermined number of times or more;
For ending at least one of the first service and the second service when it is detected by the repetition that the first control by the first service is executed a predetermined number of times or more. Issue a termination request,
program.

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