A method and system for controlling Internet of Things (IoT) devices and a positioning base station

Abstract

This invention provides a method and system for controlling IoT devices, as well as a positioning base station, relating to the field of IoT device control technology. The method includes: an operator sending a control command to a positioning base station, selecting a target IoT device from a pool of IoT devices; the positioning base station, upon receiving the control command, distributing the control command to the target device based on the location relationship between the target device and the positioning base station; and the target device, upon receiving the control command, performing a corresponding action according to the control command. In this invention, by sending control commands to the positioning base station from the operator, and then having the positioning base station distribute control commands to nearby IoT devices, the communication link for IoT device control is shortened, the control methods for different types of IoT devices are unified, and the user experience of IoT devices is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of indoor Internet of Things (IoT) device control technology in parking lots, specifically to an IoT device control method and system and a positioning base station. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in indoor environments, taking underground parking lots as an example, these parking lots contain IoT devices such as parking locks, parking space detection cameras, and parking guidance equipment. The control of these IoT devices is often a self-contained system, requiring independent network cables, switches, gateways, and other equipment. When users need to control these IoT devices, they must access different control platforms independently. Furthermore, the transmission of control commands from the user's control platform to the IoT device requires traversing the public network, resulting in long communication links and slow feedback. This is especially true in areas with weak public network signals, where the communication time for controlling IoT devices is even longer, and communication may even be interrupted due to excessive time, requiring the re-sending of control commands. This severely impacts the user experience of IoT devices.

[0003] Based on the aforementioned technical problems, the applicant has proposed the technical solution of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an IoT device control method and system, as well as a positioning base station. By sending control commands for controlling IoT devices to the positioning base station, and then having the positioning base station send control commands to nearby IoT devices, the communication link for controlling IoT devices is shortened, the control methods for different types of IoT devices are unified, and the user experience of IoT devices is improved.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an Internet of Things (IoT) device control method, comprising:

[0006] The operator selects an IoT device from a plurality of IoT devices as the target device and sends control commands for controlling the target device to the positioning base station.

[0007] When the positioning base station receives the control command, it sends the control command to the target device according to the positional relationship between the target device and the positioning base station.

[0008] When the target device receives the control command, it performs the corresponding action according to the control command.

[0009] This invention also provides an Internet of Things (IoT) device control system, including an operator terminal, multiple positioning base stations, and multiple IoT devices, wherein each positioning base station is wirelessly connected to the IoT devices within its communication range;

[0010] The operator selects an IoT device from a plurality of IoT devices as the target device and sends control commands for controlling the target device to the positioning base station.

[0011] When the positioning base station receives the control command, it sends the control command to the target device according to the positional relationship between the target device and the positioning base station.

[0012] When the target device receives the control command, it performs the corresponding action according to the control command.

[0013] This invention also provides a positioning base station for executing the above-described IoT device control method.

[0014] In one embodiment, sending the control command for controlling the target device to the positioning base station includes:

[0015] The operator sends a control request containing information about the target device to the server.

[0016] After receiving the control request, the server generates a control command for controlling the target device and sends the control command to the positioning base station.

[0017] In one embodiment, sending the control command for controlling the target device to the positioning base station includes:

[0018] The operating terminal generates control commands for controlling the target device and broadcasts the control commands within the wireless communication range.

[0019] In one embodiment, sending the control command for controlling the target device to the positioning base station includes:

[0020] The operating terminal sends a control request containing information about the target device to the positioning base station;

[0021] When the positioning base station receives the control request, it sends the control request to the server.

[0022] After receiving the control request, the server generates a control command for controlling the target device and sends the control command to the positioning base station.

[0023] In one embodiment, when the positioning base station receives the control command, it sends the control command to the target device according to the positional relationship between the target device and the positioning base station, including:

[0024] When the positioning base station receives the control command, it determines whether the target device is wirelessly connected to the positioning base station.

[0025] If the target device is wirelessly connected to the positioning base station, the control command will be sent to the target device;

[0026] If the target device is not wirelessly connected to the positioning base station, the control command is sent to the target device through another positioning base station that is networked with the positioning base station and wirelessly connected to the target device.

[0027] In one embodiment, after the operator selects an IoT device from a plurality of IoT devices as the target device, the method further includes:

[0028] The operating terminal marks the target device as a predetermined state, and the target device marked as a predetermined state will no longer be selected by other operating terminals.

[0029] In one embodiment, the target device receives the control command and performs corresponding actions according to the control command, including:

[0030] The target device receives and parses the control command to obtain the target state of the target device indicated by the control command;

[0031] The target device switches to the target state.

[0032] In one embodiment, the IoT device includes any one or any combination of the following: a parking lock, a parking guidance device, and a parking space detection device. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a detailed flowchart of the IoT device control method according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The detailed flowchart of step 102. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide a clearer understanding of the purpose, features, and advantages of the present invention. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative of the essential spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.

[0036] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth for the purpose of illustrating various disclosed embodiments in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various disclosed embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known apparatuses, structures, and techniques associated with this application may not have been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

[0037] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the word “comprising” and its variations, such as “including” and “having”, shall be understood to have an open, inclusive meaning, that is, to be interpreted as “including, but not limited to”.

[0038] Throughout this specification, references to "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the appearance of "in an embodiment" or "an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be combined in any manner in one or more embodiments.

[0039] The singular forms “a” and “the” used in this specification and the appended claims include plural references unless otherwise expressly stated herein. It should be noted that the term “or” is generally used to include the meaning of “or / and” unless otherwise expressly stated herein.

[0040] In the following description, in order to clearly demonstrate the structure and working method of the present invention, a number of directional terms will be used. However, terms such as "front", "back", "left", "right", "outside", "inside", "outward", "inward", "up", and "down" should be understood as convenient terms and not as limiting terms.

[0041] The first embodiment of this invention relates to an Internet of Things (IoT) device control method, applied to an IoT control system. The IoT control system includes an operator terminal, multiple positioning base stations, and multiple IoT devices. The operator terminal and the multiple positioning base stations can be connected via a wireless communication network (e.g., 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi) or via Bluetooth. Each positioning base station connects to the IoT devices within its coverage area via Bluetooth. That is, for a positioning base station with IoT devices within its communication range, a communication connection has been pre-established with the IoT devices within its communication range. For example, the positioning base station has already completed Bluetooth pairing with each IoT device within its communication range. Therefore, the positioning base station can directly communicate with all the IoT devices within its communication range to directly control them. Furthermore, the multiple positioning base stations are connected via a network, enabling data sharing among them.

[0042] Among them, the positioning base station is, for example, an AOA positioning base station, which can be deployed on the ceiling indoors. The positioning coverage area of ​​all positioning base stations can cover the entire indoor scene, and the positioning coverage areas between adjacent positioning base stations can overlap.

[0043] The operating terminal can be an onboard unit of a vehicle that can move indoors or a portable electronic device (mobile phone, tablet, etc.) located inside the vehicle and moving with the vehicle.

[0044] IoT devices include, but are not limited to, parking locks, parking guidance devices, and parking space detection devices. The number of each type of IoT device in an IoT control system can be one or more.

[0045] like Figure 1 The diagram shown is a detailed flowchart of the IoT device control method in this embodiment.

[0046] Step 101: The operator sends a control command to the positioning base station, selecting the IoT device selected from multiple IoT devices as the target device.

[0047] Specifically, the display on the control panel can show all IoT devices and their status, allowing users to select the IoT devices they want to control. Taking parking locks as an example, the display on the control panel can show all parking locks in the parking lot and their status (e.g., green indicates that the parking space where the lock is located is available, and red indicates that the parking space where the lock is located is unavailable).

[0048] The operator can obtain the current IoT devices in the parking lot and their status from the backend server. Specifically, multiple IoT devices in the parking lot are registered on the backend server, which records relevant information for each IoT device, such as identity ID and geographical location. If the IoT devices have network connectivity, the backend server can read their status information in real time. If the IoT devices do not have network connectivity, the backend server can obtain their status information from each positioning base station. Alternatively, the operator can obtain the IoT device status information from each positioning base station. Specifically, the positioning base stations are networked and share the status information of all IoT devices, broadcasting this information in real time. For example, if the operator has no network access and cannot access the backend server, it can obtain the IoT device status information from the positioning base stations.

[0049] The operating terminal is within the coverage area of ​​a positioning base station in the parking lot. It accesses the backend server to retrieve and display a list of IoT devices. When it receives an IoT device selected by the user on the operating terminal, it designates that IoT device as the target device and determines the control action the user needs to perform to control the target device. Thus, the operating terminal can obtain the target device, the control action, and the user's identity information (which could be the user's registered identity information or the operating terminal's identity information). In one example, after an IoT device is selected as the target device by the user on the operating terminal, the positioning base station or the backend server marks the IoT device (i.e., the target device) in a predetermined state. IoT devices marked in a predetermined state cannot be selected by other operating terminals. For example, after being marked in a predetermined state, the IoT device will not appear in the IoT device list displayed by other operating terminals, or the IoT device will be set to an unselectable state when displayed.

[0050] Sending control commands for controlling the target device to the positioning base station can be achieved through the following implementation methods.

[0051] In Method 1, after obtaining the target device, control actions, and user identity information, the operator can directly generate a control command for controlling the target device based on this information. This control command contains the target device's identity information, control instructions, and user identity information, and is sent to the positioning base station corresponding to the operator (i.e., the operator is located within the coverage area of ​​the positioning base station).

[0052] It should be noted that parking lot managers can also send control commands to the positioning base station through the operating terminal. For example, the parking lot manager selects the IoT device to be controlled on the display of the operating terminal. Taking the server deployed in the parking lot as an example, and the IoT device as a parking lock, if the parking lot manager needs to lock a certain parking lock, the operating terminal communicates with the positioning base station via Bluetooth. After the operating terminal generates a control command to control the locking of the parking lock, it sends the control command to the positioning base station corresponding to the parking lock in the coverage area. The positioning base station then issues a locking command to the parking lock.

[0053] Method 2: The operating terminal sends a control request containing information about the target device to the positioning base station. When the positioning base station receives the control request, it sends the control request to the server. After receiving the control request, the server generates a control command for controlling the target device and sends the control command to the positioning base station.

[0054] Specifically, after acquiring the target device, control actions, and user identity information, the operator packages this information together and sends it to the corresponding positioning base station. The positioning base station then transmits this information to the server (i.e., the aforementioned backend server) via a wireless communication network or Bluetooth gateway. The server then generates a control command for controlling the target device based on this information. This control command includes the target device's identity information, control instructions, and user identity information, and is sent to the positioning base station corresponding to the target device (i.e., the target device is within the coverage area of ​​the positioning base station). Therefore, when wireless communication between the operator and the server is obstructed in a parking lot, the control command can be transmitted via the communication link between the positioning base station and the server. The server can verify the user's identity information, allowing only authorized users to control the IoT device.

[0055] Method 3: The operator and the server are connected wirelessly. After selecting an IoT device from multiple IoT devices as the target device, the operator sends a control request including information about the target device to the server. After receiving the control request, the server generates a control command for controlling the target device and sends the control command to the positioning base station.

[0056] Specifically, after acquiring the target device, control actions, and user identity information, the operator packages this information together and sends it to the server. The server then generates a control command for controlling the target device based on this information. This control command contains the target device's identity information, control instructions, and user identity information, and sends the control command to the positioning base station corresponding to the target device (i.e., the target device is located within the coverage area of ​​the positioning base station).

[0057] Specifically, in this implementation, taking a floor lock as an example, the IoT device has a wireless communication connection between the operating terminal and the positioning base station. The user selects a floor lock as the target device on the operating terminal, generates a control command to control the floor lock to open or close, and broadcasts the control command within the wireless communication range. The positioning base station then receives the control command. Similarly, the control command includes information such as the floor lock's device ID, device location, and control action.

[0058] Step 102: When the positioning base station receives the control command, it sends the control command to the target device according to the positional relationship between the target device and the positioning base station.

[0059] Specifically, after receiving a control command, if the target device is within the coverage area of ​​the positioning base station, the positioning base station will directly send the control command to the target device; if the target device is outside the coverage area of ​​the positioning base station, the positioning base station will transmit the control command to the positioning base station corresponding to the target device through a network of multiple positioning base stations (i.e., the target device is located within the coverage area of ​​the positioning base station).

[0060] In addition, if the control command received by the positioning base station comes from the operator, that is, the user's identity information has not been legally verified, the positioning base station can verify the user's identity information and only allow legitimate users to control IoT devices.

[0061] In one example, such as Figure 2 As shown, step 102 includes the following sub-steps:

[0062] Sub-step 1021: When the positioning base station receives the control command, it determines whether the target device is wirelessly connected to the positioning base station. If so, it proceeds to sub-step 1022.

[0063] Specifically, after receiving a control command, the positioning base station extracts the device ID of the target device included in the control command and searches within its wireless communication range to determine whether a wireless communication connection exists between the target device and the positioning base station. If the target device is found within the positioning base station's wireless communication range, it means the target device is within the positioning base station's wireless communication range, and wireless communication between the positioning base station and the target device is possible. If the target device cannot be found within the positioning base station's wireless communication range, it means the target device is outside the positioning base station's wireless communication range, and wireless communication between the positioning base station and the target device is not possible.

[0064] Sub-step 1022: If the target device is not wirelessly connected to the positioning base station, the control command is sent to the target device through another positioning base station that is networked with the positioning base station and wirelessly connected to the target device.

[0065] Specifically, the various positioning base stations within the parking lot are connected via a network. When the target device cannot wirelessly communicate with a positioning base station, the positioning base station sends the control command to another positioning base station wirelessly connected to the target device through the network. The target device is within the wireless communication range of this other positioning base station. As the operator's position gradually approaches the other positioning base station, the other positioning base station can receive the wireless signal broadcast by the operator, indicating that the operator is near the other positioning base station. At this time, the control command is sent to the target device. Taking a parking lock as an example, the control command is to open the parking lock so that the user can park the vehicle in the parking space. The control command to open the parking lock is only sent to the parking lock when the vehicle gradually moves near it, thus preventing the parking lock from being occupied by other vehicles after it is opened.

[0066] Step 103: When the target device receives the control command, it performs the corresponding action according to the control command.

[0067] Specifically, the target device receives and parses the control command to obtain its target state. Taking a parking lock as an example, the control command might be to open the lock so that the user can park their vehicle in the parking space. After obtaining the target state, the target device will switch to that state if certain conditions are met. Again, using opening a parking lock as an example, the opening conditions are that the user has permission to open the lock, and the lock will only open when the user's vehicle approaches it, thus preventing other vehicles from occupying the parking space.

[0068] For example, the operating terminal is the vehicle's onboard unit, and the target device is the parking lock. The onboard unit's display can show all the parking locks in the parking lot and their status (e.g., green indicates that the parking space where the parking lock is located is available, and red indicates that the parking space where the parking lock is located is unavailable). The status of the parking locks and their status can be obtained by the onboard unit through a wireless communication network or read from the IoT device information broadcast by the positioning base station. Specifically, the positioning base stations are networked and share the status information of all IoT devices, and broadcast the information of all IoT devices in real time.

[0069] After receiving a user-selected available lock, the vehicle unit records the selected lock as the target lock and broadcasts an instruction containing the target lock's identity information. If the positioning base station that receives the instruction has already established a Bluetooth connection with the target lock, it directly sends a control command to the target lock to open the lock.

[0070] If the positioning base station that receives the instruction information has not established a Bluetooth connection with the target lock, it will send the instruction information to the positioning base station that has established a Bluetooth connection with the target lock through the networking between positioning base stations. The positioning base station will then send the control command for opening the lock to the target lock.

[0071] Or perhaps,

[0072] Upon receiving the instruction information, the positioning base station sends the instruction information to the server via a wireless communication network or Bluetooth gateway. After receiving the instruction information, the server obtains the identity information of the target lock and generates a control command to open the lock. The server then sends the control command to the positioning base station that has established a Bluetooth connection with the target lock via a wireless communication network or Bluetooth gateway. The positioning base station then sends the control command to open the lock to the target lock.

[0073] In addition, the above-mentioned instruction information may also include the identity information of the vehicle unit, so that the positioning base station or server can verify the identity information of the vehicle unit and determine whether the vehicle unit has the authority to control the ground lock switch.

[0074] It should be noted that the real-time location of the operating terminal is determined by a positioning base station. Taking the vehicle's onboard unit as an example, as the vehicle moves indoors, it periodically broadcasts wireless signals. When the positioning base station receives these signals, it obtains the angle information of the positioning base station relative to the vehicle and broadcasts this angle information. The vehicle can then receive this angle information and use it to unlock and determine its current location, thus achieving vehicle positioning.

[0075] This embodiment shortens the communication link for controlling IoT devices and eliminates the need for prior Bluetooth pairing of IoT devices. When control of an IoT device is required, control commands are directly sent to the corresponding IoT device via a positioning base station. For example, when a user needs to unlock a parking space lock in a parking lot, the user only needs to select the target lock on the vehicle unit, and the control command for the lock is sent to the target lock via the positioning base station.

[0076] A second embodiment of the present invention relates to an Internet of Things (IoT) device control system, including an operator terminal, multiple positioning base stations, and multiple IoT devices. Each positioning base station is wirelessly connected to one of the IoT devices within its communication range. The operator terminal selects a target IoT device from the multiple IoT devices and sends a control command for controlling the target device to the positioning base station. When receiving the control command, the positioning base station, based on the positional relationship between the target device and the positioning base station, issues the control command to the target device. When the target device receives the control command, it performs a corresponding action according to the control command.

[0077] Since the first embodiment corresponds to this embodiment, this embodiment can be implemented in conjunction with the first embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the first embodiment remain valid in this embodiment, and the technical effects achievable in the first embodiment can also be achieved in this embodiment. To reduce repetition, they will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied to the first embodiment.

[0078] The third embodiment of the present invention relates to a positioning base station for executing the Internet of Things device control method in the first embodiment.

[0079] Since the first embodiment corresponds to this embodiment, this embodiment can be implemented in conjunction with the first embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the first embodiment remain valid in this embodiment, and the technical effects achievable in the first embodiment can also be achieved in this embodiment. To reduce repetition, they will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied to the first embodiment.

[0080] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but it should be understood that, if necessary, aspects of the embodiments can be modified to utilize aspects, features, and concepts from various patents, applications, and publications to provide other embodiments.

[0081] In light of the detailed description above, these and other changes can be made to the embodiments. Generally, the terminology used in the claims should not be considered limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and claims, but should be understood to include all possible embodiments together with the full scope of equivalents enjoyed by these claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an Internet of Things (IoT) device, characterized in that, This method is applied to indoor scenarios where multiple positioning base stations are deployed. Each positioning base station has IoT devices within its communication range. The positioning base stations are networked together and share the status information of all the IoT devices. When there is no network on the operating end, the status information of the IoT device is obtained from the positioning base station, and the selected IoT device from multiple IoT devices is used as the target device. The control command used to control the target device is directly sent to the positioning base station. When the positioning base station receives the control command, it sends the control command to the target device according to the location relationship between the target device and the positioning base station. If the target device is wirelessly connected to the positioning base station, the control command is sent to the target device; if the target device is not wirelessly connected to the positioning base station, the control command is sent to the target device through another positioning base station that is networked with the positioning base station and wirelessly connected to the target device. When the target device receives the control command, it performs the corresponding action according to the control command.

2. The IoT device control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of directly sending control commands for controlling the target device to the positioning base station includes: The operating terminal generates control commands for controlling the target device and broadcasts the control commands within the wireless communication range.

3. The IoT device control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of directly sending control commands for controlling the target device to the positioning base station includes: The operating terminal sends a control request containing information about the target device to the positioning base station; When the positioning base station receives the control request, it sends the control request to the server. After receiving the control request, the server generates a control command for controlling the target device and sends the control command to the positioning base station.

4. The IoT device control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of sending the control command to the target device via another positioning base station networked with the positioning base station and wirelessly connected to the target device includes: The positioning base station sends the control command to another positioning base station that is wirelessly connected to the target device through the network. When the other positioning base station receives the wireless signal broadcast by the operating terminal, it sends the control command to the target device.

5. The IoT device control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the operator selects an IoT device from a plurality of IoT devices as the target device, the method further includes: The operating terminal marks the target device as a predetermined state, and the target device marked as a predetermined state will no longer be selected by other operating terminals.

6. The IoT device control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target device receives the control command and performs corresponding actions according to the control command, including: The target device receives and parses the control command to obtain the target state of the target device indicated by the control command; The target device switches to the target state.

7. A control system for an Internet of Things (IoT) device, characterized in that, For indoor applications, the system includes an operator terminal, multiple positioning base stations, and multiple Internet of Things (IoT) devices, with each positioning base station wirelessly connected to the IoT devices within its communication range. When there is no network on the operating end, the status information of the IoT device is obtained from the positioning base station, and the selected IoT device from multiple IoT devices is used as the target device. The control command used to control the target device is directly sent to the positioning base station. When the positioning base station receives the control command, it sends the control command to the target device according to the positional relationship between the target device and the positioning base station. If the target device is wirelessly connected to the positioning base station, the control command is sent to the target device. If the target device is not wirelessly connected to the positioning base station, the control command is sent to the target device through another positioning base station that is networked with the positioning base station and wirelessly connected to the target device. When the target device receives the control command, it performs the corresponding action according to the control command.

8. The IoT device control system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The IoT devices include any one or any combination of the following: parking locks, parking guidance devices, and parking space detection devices.

9. A positioning base station, characterized in that, Used to perform the Internet of Things device control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images