Service setting device, home control system, service management method and program

Abstract

The network explorer (32) collects functional information indicating the functions of devices connected to a home network. The service manager (33) identifies, based on the functional information collected by the network explorer (32) and a service list linking services and functions required for the services, an available service that is available by combining the functions of the devices. A display (37) shows the service identified by the service manager (33).

Description

Technical FieldThe present disclosure relates to a service setting device, a home control system, a service management method, and a program.Prior ArtHome control systems are known that use Internet of Things (IoT) technology to control a plurality of devices disposed in a home in cooperation with each other, thereby improving comfort and convenience of an environment. In such home control systems, communication specifications such as framing formats and sequences of connections are standardized to allow devices to communicate with each other. However, in such home control systems, how a service can be achieved using the functions of the plurality of devices is not defined.A technique related to such home control systems is disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature 1. In the home control system of Patent Literature 1, control of devices is performed based on information obtained from the devices connected to a home network. Specifically, the home control system of Patent Document 1 includes a home access device through which home-mounted devices are remotely controlled, and this home access device regularly recognizes devices on the network and manages the latest device information.Citation ListPatent LiteraturePatent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2007-53530SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTechnical ProblemAlthough the above-mentioned home control system enables provision of a service combining the functions of the various devices, in reality, it is necessary for a person skilled in the art to understand the devices connected to the home network and the functions of these devices and then, based on the understanding, make a setting for communication between the devices, a setting with respect to the data to be collected, and a setting of necessary control logic on the devices. That is, a user is in a situation where he is insecure what types of services are available through the combination of the functions of the devices connected to the user's home network unless the user ask an employee to do a work.In addition, even after the user asked an employee to perform the work and the service combining the functions of the various devices becomes available, a new device may typically be added to the home network or an existing device may be replaced with a new one. Such cases are extremely inconvenient for users because they must ask an employee for an additional work.For the above reasons, a technique is needed to present to the user a service available by the combination of functions of devices connected to a home network and provide this service simply by an instruction of the user to activate the service.The present disclosure is to solve the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a service setting device, a home control system, a service management method, and a program that enable a user to present (or display) an available service.Solution of the ProblemIn order to achieve the above object, a service setting device according to the present disclosure includes: collecting means for collecting functional information indicating functions of devices connected to a home network; identification means for identifying an available service available by combining the functions of the devices based on the functional information collected by the collecting means and a list connecting services and functions required for the services; and display means for displaying the available service identified by the identification means.Advantageous Effects of the InventionAccording to the service setting device according to the present disclosure, the collecting means collects the functional information of the devices connected to the home network, the identifying means identifies, based on the functional information and the list, the available service available by the combination of the functions of the devices, and the display means displays the available service identified by the identifying means. As a result, available services can be presented to the user.Brief Description of the DrawingsFIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a home control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a service setting device according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example list of services; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of functional information according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a mode for generating an available service list according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a mode for generating an unavailable service list according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a mode for performing settings on target devices; FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a screen for messages; FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of collection processing; FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of generation processing of lists; FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing processing of settings; FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a service setting device according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure; FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of functional information according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure; FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a selection screen; FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining a mode for generating an available service list according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure; FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining a mode for generating an unavailable service list according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure; and FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining an example of modification processing.DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTSHereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, components that are the same or equivalent are denoted by the same reference numeral. Although a home control system for controlling a device within a house will be described below as an example, the present disclosure may also be applied to a home control system for controlling a device within a facility such as an office building and a factory, as described below. That is, embodiments for explanation will be described below, and the following description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, those skilled in the art can adopt an embodiment obtained by replacing some or all of the elements with equivalents to the elements, and such an embodiment is also included in the scope of the present disclosure.FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a home control system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. This home control system 1 is, for example, a system that controls various devices disposed in a home H, and includes an access point 10, a plurality of devices 20 that are the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5, and a service setting device 30. The access point 10, the plurality of devices 20, and the service setting device 30 are in communicative connection via a home network 90 (or home network). The home network 90 is a network that is, for example, a wired local area network (LAN) or a wireless LAN.The access point 10 is, for example, a wired or wireless communication device and constitutes the home network 90 that allows the devices 20 to communicate with each other.The devices 20 that are the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5 are various devices installed in the home H and capable of communicating via the home network 90. For example, the devices 20 communicate with each other through the application layer in the home network 90. the communication protocol may use "Matter", which is a standard for an intelligent home.An example case will be described below in which, of the devices 20, the device 20- 1 is a controller, the device 20- 2 is an air conditioner, the device 20- 3 is a blower, the device 20- 4 is a temperature sensor, and the device 20- 5 is a humidity sensor. The controller that is the device 20- 1 is, for example, a controller for a home energy management system (HEMS).The service setting device 30 is, for example, a smartphone or a laptop that is / is used by the user and presents services to the user that are possible by combining the functions of the devices 20. In addition, the service setting device 30 performs the necessary settings on the target devices 20 to enable the actual provision of a presented service. The service setting device 30 is not limited to a smartphone, a laptop computer, and the like, and may be another device including a user interface such as a television, a smart speaker, or a gateway.Next, the service setting device 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the service setting device 30 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.As illustrated in FIG. 2, the service setting device 30 includes a storage 31, a network searcher 32 that is an example of collection means, a service manager 33 that is an example of identification means, a service setter 34 that is an example of setting means, an application unit 35, a communication controller 36, a display 37 that is an example of display means, and an operation unit 38.The storage 31 is a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk, or the like, and stores a service list SL. The service list SL is information predefined about services possible by combining the functions of devices installable in a general household. FIG. 3 shows a specific example of the service list SL.As shown in FIG. 3, the service list SL determines and connects to each other (i) the service items which are the details of the service and (ii) functions of the devices necessary for the service items. That is, the service list SL is a table indicating, for each of the service items, the functions of the devices necessary to realize the service item with "◯", and the functions of the devices not necessary for the service item with "-". Based on this service list SL, for example, a device having the function of "controlling a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)" and a device having the function of "remote control" are derived as necessary for achieving the service task of "controlling an air conditioning with a remote control".Such storage of the service list SL in the storage 31 in advance is an example, and as another example, a service list SL managed with a server on the Internet may be referred to as appropriate.Referring again to FIG. 2, for example, the network searcher 32 searches the home network 90 via the communication controller 36 and collects functional information from the devices 20 connected to the home network 90. Although in one example the network searcher 32 performs a network search using DNS-based service discovery (DNS-SD) standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), other protocols may also be used to perform the network search.For example, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information from the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5 after connecting to each of the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5. Specifically, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information of the "remote control" from the device 20- 1 which is the controller and the functional information of the "HVAC controller" from the device 20- 2 which is an air conditioner. Similarly, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information of "air flow control" from the device 20- 3 which is the blower, the functional information of "temperature measurement" from the device 20- 4 which is the temperature sensor, and the functional information of "humidity measurement" from the device 20- 5 which is the humidity sensor.Specifically, the network searcher 32 collects functional information FI as illustrated in FIG. 4. That is, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information FI that connects the devices and functions. The network searcher 32 periodically collects the functional information FI from the devices 20 to adapt to a change in the functions due to an update of the devices 20. The network searcher 32 may collect the functional information FI from the device 20 at the time of removing the device 20 from the home network 90 or connecting a new device 20 to the home network 90. The collected functional information FI is then notified to the service manager 33.Referring again to FIG. 2, the service manager 33 creates various lists by comparing the functional information FI notified from the network searcher 32 with the service list SL stored in the memory 31. For example, the service manager 33 creates a list of available services indicating available services available by combining the functions of the devices 20 and a list of unavailable services indicating an unavailable service that is not available even by combining the functions of the devices 20.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the service manager 33 identifies the service items in the service list SL that are possible by the functions included in the functional information FI, and creates a list of available services ASL. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the service manager 33 identifies the service item in the service list SL that is unavailable by the functions included in the functional information FI, and creates an unavailable service list USL. This list of unavailable services (engl. Unavailable Service List, USL) contains information about a missing device, i.e., a device having a function that is missing to implement the unavailable service. That is, the service manager 33 selects the missing device, which is a new device having the function missing to realize the unavailable service, and creates the unavailable service list USL including the information on the missing device.Although FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a case where only services for controlling air conditioners are involved for convenience of explanation, the service manager 33 is caused to create the available service list ASL and the unavailable service list USL that are targeted for other services such as lighting control. In addition, based on the available service list ASL and the unavailable service list USL described above, the service manager 33 generates an indication for messages described below. The display 37 described below displays the generated display for messages.Referring again to FIG. 2, when the below-described notification screen is displayed on the display 37 and the user instructs the operation unit 38 to activate the service, the service setter 34 performs settings including setting of control logic necessary on the target devices 20. That is, in order to achieve the service that the user instructs activation of, for example, in addition to a data model and a communication protocol standardized by Matterr, a service setting that is a setting of data items to be collected from the target devices 20, a collection cycle in which data is collected, and the like, and a setting of control logic for control to be performed from the target devices 20 based on the collected data are necessary. Thus, the service setter 34 gives the target devices 20 instructions for setting up connections, and performs the service setting and the setting of the control logic on the target devices 20.In one example, information for performing service setting and a program for setting control logic are directly provided from the service setter 34, i.e., from the service setting device 30, to the target devices 20. Instead of sending the information directly from the service setting device 30 to the target devices 20, the service setter 34 may instruct the target devices 20 to download the information from a server on the Internet.Referring to FIG. 7, a mode for executing the service setting and the setting of the control logic with the service setter 34 on the target devices 20 will be described. FIG. 7 shows an example of the manner in which the service setting and the setting of the control logic are performed on the target devices 20 in a case where an instruction is issued to activate the control task of "automatic control of the air conditioner based on temperature and humidity".As illustrated in FIG. 7, the service setter 34 instructs the required connections to be made via the device 20- 1 which is the controller, the device 20- 2 which is the air conditioner, the device 20- 4 which is the temperature sensor, and the device 20- 5 which is the humidity sensor. That is, in order to provide the control task of "automatic control of the air conditioner based on temperature and humidity", it is necessary to make three connections, namely, a connection between the device 20- 1 and the device 20- 2, a connection between the device 20- 1 and the device 20- 4, and a connection between the device 20- 1 and the device 20- 5. Thus, the service setter 34 instructs the device 20-1 to establish connections with the device 20-2, the device 20-4, and the device 20-5.Then, the service setter 34 sets, on the target devices 20, the data items to be collected and the cycle in which the data is collected. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the service setter 34 performs, on the device 20- 2 that is the air conditioner, setting for collecting information from the device 20- 4 that is the temperature sensor and the device 20- 5 that is the humidity sensor, for example, information on the inside temperature and the inside humidity at intervals of one minute. In addition, the service setter 34 sets the control logic on the target devices 20. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the service setter 34 sets, on the device 20- 2 that is the air conditioner, control logic for performing an on-off switching operation of an air conditioner operation, a change in temperature setting, and the like, based on the collected temperature information and humidity information. The control logic may be set by activating a function pre-installed in the devices 20, or by installing a control program in the target devices 20 from the service setting device 30 or a server on the Internet.Referring again to FIG. 2, the application unit 35 generates data of communication between the devices 20, for example, according to a defined protocol.The communication controller 36 is, for example, a communication unit, and transmits and receives a packet for communication.The display 37 is a display unit such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence display (EL), and displays various screens for notification to the user. For example, the display 37 displays a notification screen AT, as illustrated in FIG. 8, generated by the service manager 33 based on the available service list ASL and the unavailable service list USL described above. This notification screen AT contains a list of available services and a list of unavailable services. The list of available services includes buttons for instructing activation. The unavailable service list contains information about a missing device.Referring back to FIG. 2, the operation unit 38 is, for example, a touch panel and receives an operation from the user on the screen displayed on the display 37. For example, when the display 37 displays the notification screen AT as illustrated in FIG. 8, in response to the user touching the activation instruction button, activation of a service corresponding to this button is accepted.Next, an operation of the service setting device 30 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 9-11. FIG. 9 is a flowchart describing an example of collection processing according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a flowchart describing an example of list generation processing according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a flowchart describing an example of the processing of setting according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.First, the collection processing will be described below with reference to FIG. 9. This collection processing is repeatedly executed at regular intervals by the network searcher 32, for example.First, the network searcher 32 searches for the devices 20 in the home network 90 (step S 101). For example, the network searcher 32 performs a network search using DNS-SD standardized by the IETF. The network searcher 32 may perform network search using another protocol type.The network searcher 32 connects to the device 20 (step S 102). The network searcher 32 connects to one of the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5 at any time when step S 102 is repeated to connect to the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5 in order.The network searcher 32 collects the functional information from the device 20 (step S 103). That is, the network searcher 32 collects, from the device 20 to which connection has been made in step S 102 above, the functional information which is information on the function of this device 20. Step S 103 is an example of a collection step.The network searcher 32 determines whether the functional information is collected from all the devices 20 (step S 104).When it is determined that the collection of the functional information from all the devices 20 is not completed (NO in step S 104), the network searcher 32 returns the processing to the above step S 102.Conversely, the network searcher 32 ends the processing of collection when determining that the functional information is collected from all the devices 20 (YES in step S 104).By the above-described acquisition processing, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information FI, for example, as illustrated in the above-mentioned FIG. 4.Next, the generation processing of the list will be described with reference to FIG. 10. The creation processing of the list is executed by the service manager 33 after the above-mentioned acquisition processing of FIG. 9 is completed.First, the service manager 33 obtains the service list SL (step S 201). For example, the service manager 33 obtains the service list SL stored in the storage 31. The service manager 33 may obtain the service list SL managed by a server on the Internet from the server.The service manager 33 receives the functional information of each of the devices 20 (step S 202). For example, the service manager 33 receives the functional information FI as illustrated in the above-mentioned FIG. 4 transmitted from the network searcher 32.The service manager 33 generates the list of available services (step S 203). For example, as shown in the above-mentioned FIG. 5, the service manager 33 identifies the service items in the service list SL that are possible by the functions included in the functional information FI, and creates the available service list ASL.The service manager 33 generates the unavailable service list including the missing device (step S 204). For example, as illustrated in the above-mentioned FIG. 6, the service manager 33 identifies the service item in the service list SL that is unavailable by the functions included in the functional information FI, and generates the unavailable service list USL. This Impossible Service List USL includes the missing device, which is a device having a missing function to realize the unavailable service. That is, the service manager 33 selects the missing device, which is a new device having the missing function to realize the unavailable service, and creates the unusable service list USL including the missing device. Step S 204 is an example of an identification step.The service manager 33 generates the screen for messages and causes this screen for messages to be displayed on the display 37 (step S 205). For example, the service manager 33 causes the display 37 to display the notification screen AT of FIG. 8 generated based on the available service list ASL and the unavailable service list USL. Step S 205 is an example of a display step.Next, the processing of setting will be described with reference to FIG. 11. This setting processing is executed by the service setter 34 when the message AT is displayed on the display 37 as shown in FIG. 8 in response to the issuance of an instruction by the user to activate a service of the services.First, the service setter 34 outputs an instruction for setting up connections (step S 301). That is, in order to realize the service that the user instructs activation of, the service setter 34 instructs the target devices 20 to establish connections. For example, when an instruction to activate the service item "Automatic control of the air conditioner based on temperature and humidity" is issued as illustrated in the above-mentioned FIG. 7, the service setter 34 instructs the device 20- 1 which is the controller to make connections with the device 20- 2 which is the air conditioner, the device 20- 4 which is the temperature sensor, and the device 20- 5 which is the humidity sensor.The service setter 34 sets the data items to be collected and the cycle in which the data is collected (step S 302). For example, when an instruction to activate the service item "automatic control of the air conditioner based on temperature and humidity" is issued, the service setter 34 performs, on the device 20- 2 that is the air conditioner, settings for collecting information on the inside temperature and humidity from the device 20- 4 that is the sensor for temperature and the device 20- 5 that is the sensor for humidity at intervals of one minute, as illustrated in FIG. 7.The S service setter 34 sets the control logic (step S303). For example, when the instruction to activate the service item "air conditioner automatic control based on temperature and humidity" is issued, the service setter 34 executes, on the device 20- 2 which is the air conditioner, control logic to perform, based on the collected temperature and humidity information, an on / off operation of an air conditioner operation, a change in temperature setting, and the like, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The control logic may be set by activating a function pre-installed in the device 20, or by installing a control program from the service setting device 30 or a server on the Internet.The above-described acquisition processing and generation processing make it possible to present to the user the available services available by combining the functions of the devices 20 connected to the home network 90. Moreover, presenting the missing device, which is a device missing for realizing the unavailable service, enables the user to buy the missing device. Moreover, according to the above-described processing of setting, since the required settings are simply performed by an instruction of the user to activate the service, the service that the user instructs activation can be provided to the user without ordering a skilled worker.As a result, available services can be presented to the user.Embodiment 2Although in the above Embodiment 1, a case where there is no doubling of functions in the functional information collected by the devices 20 in the home network 90 and each of the devices 20 has only one function is described, in real cases there may be a doubling of functions, that is, a plurality of devices 20 may have the same function or a single device 20 may have a plurality of functions. In these cases, it is assumed that it is difficult to provide instructions for establishing a connection to the devices 20 and make settings on the devices 20. Therefore, a service setting device 30 according to Embodiment 2 capable of handling, for the devices 20 in the home network 90, the case where the devices 20 include devices having the same function and the case where the devices 20 include a device 20 having multiple functions will be described below.FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the service setting device 30 according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.As illustrated in FIG. 12, the service setting device 30 includes a device manager 39, the storage 31, the network searcher 32 which is an example of collection means, the service manager 33 which is an example of identification means, the service setter 34 which is an example of setting means, the application unit 35, the communication controller 36, the display 37 which is an example of display means, and the operation unit 38. that the service setting device 30 illustrated in FIG. 12 has a configuration obtained by adding the device manager 39 to the configuration of the service setting device 30 of FIG. 2 above. The device manager 39, the network searcher 32, the service manager 33, the service setter 34, and the application unit 35 are reached by, for example, a CPU using a RAM as a work memory to execute a program stored in a ROM accordingly.The device manager 39 manages the devices 20 in the home network 90 and gives an instruction to the service manager 33 to the devices 20 with which connections are to be made.For example, the device manager 39 refers to the functional information collected by the network searcher 32 and determines whether same functions exist and whether a device 20 having multiple functions exists. When it is determined that same functions exist or when it is determined that the multi-function device 20 exists, a selection window described below is generated and displayed on the display 37.Next, a case where the apparatus 20- 2 that is the air conditioner has a function of "HVAC control" and a function of "temperature measurement" will be described.For example, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information from the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5 after connecting to each of the devices 20- 1 to 20- 5. Specifically, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information of the "remote control" from the device 20- 1 which is the controller, and the functional information of the "HVAC controller" and the functional information of the "temperature measurement" from the device 20- 2 which is the air conditioner. Similarly, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information of "air flow control" from the device 20- 3 which is the blower, the functional information of "temperature measurement" from the device 20- 4 which is the temperature sensor, and the functional information of "humidity measurement" from the device 20- 5 which is the humidity sensor.Specifically, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information FI 2 as illustrated in FIG. 13. That is, the network searcher 32 collects the functional information FI 2 connecting the devices and functions. The functional information FI 2 indicates that only the air conditioner has two functions, "HVAC control" and "temperature measurement". The network searcher 32 periodically collects the functional information FI 2 from the devices 20 to adapt to a change in the functions due to an update of the devices 20. The network searcher 32 may collect the functional information FI 2 from the devices 20 at the time when a device 20 is removed from the home network 90 or a new device 20 is connected to the home network 90. The collected functional information FI 2 is then notified to the device manager 39.Referring again to FIG. 12, the device manager 39 refers to the functional information FI 2 collected by the network searcher 32, and determines whether similar functions exist and whether the device 20 has multiple functions. If the function information FI 2 is as illustrated in FIG. 13, the device manager 39 determines that the multi-function device 20 exists, and thus generates a selection screen SE as illustrated in FIG. 14 and causes the selection screen SE to be displayed on the display 37. This selection screen SE allows the user to select one of the functions "HVAC control" and "temperature measurement" that the air conditioner has. When one of the functions is selected by the user while the selection screen SE is displayed on the display 37, the device manager 39 notifies the service manager 33 of the functional information FI 2 changed according to this selection.A case where the user selects the function "HVAC control" on the selection screen SE will be described below.Referring again to FIG. 12, the service manager 33 creates a list of the available services ALS 2 and the list of the unavailable services USL by comparing the function information FI 2 notified from the device manager 39, i.e., the function information FI 2 modified according to the selection, with the service list SL stored in the memory 31.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the service manager 33 identifies the service items in the service list SL that are possible by the functions included in the modified functional information FI 2, and creates the available service list ASL 2. This available service list ASL2 contains information about related devices which are devices corresponding to services. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the service manager 33 identifies the service item in the service list SL that is unavailable by the functions included in the modified function information FI 2, and creates the unavailable service list USL.Although a case where only one service for controlling an air conditioner is driven is illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 for convenience of explanation, the service manager 33 is caused to create the available service list ASL 2 and the unavailable service list USL that target other services such as a lighting control service. In addition, based on the available service list ASL2 and the unavailable service list USL as described above, the service manager 33 generates the notification screen AT as shown in the above-mentioned FIG. 8. The display 37 displays the generated screen for messages AT.Similarly to Embodiment 1, when the display 37 displays the notification screen, in response to the issuance of an instruction by the user to activate a service, the service setter 34 performs settings including setting of required control logic on the target devices 20.Next, an operation of the service setting device 30 according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a flowchart describing an example of modification processing according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.First, the device manager 39 obtains the functional information from the network searcher 32 (step S 401). For example, the device manager 39 obtains the functional information FI 2 as illustrated in FIG. 13 collected by the network searcher 32.The device manager 39 determines whether the device 20 having multiple functions exists (step S 402). For example, the device manager 39 refers to the functional information FI 2 of FIG. 13 and determines whether the device 20 having multiple functions exists.When it is determined that none of the devices 20 has multiple functions (NO in step S 402), the device manager 39 proceeds the processing to step S 404 described below.Conversely, the device manager 39 prompts the user to select one of the functions (step S 403) when it is determined that the device 20 has multiple functions (YES in step S 402). For example, the device manager 39 generates the selection screen SE as illustrated in the above-mentioned FIG. 14, and causes the selection screen SE to be displayed on the display 37 to allow the user to select one of the functions.The device manager 39 determines whether similar functions exist (step S 404). That is, the device manager 39 refers to the functional information FI 2 of FIG. 13 and determines whether duplication of functions exists.Upon determining that same functions do not exist (NO in step S 404), the device manager 39 advances the processing to step S 406 described below.Conversely, if it is determined that similar functions exist (YES in step S 404), the device manager 39 requests the user to select a device 20 for use in the service (step S 405). That is, the device manager 39 generates a selection screen that lists the devices 20 having the same function to allow selection of a device 20 of the listed devices 20, and causes the selection screen to be displayed on the display 37 to allow the user to select one of the devices 20.The device manager 39 modifies the functional information in accordance with the selection by the user (step S 406). For example, if the function "HVAC control" is selected when the display 37 displays the selection screen SE of FIG. 14, the device manager 39 changes the functional information FI 2 such that the unselected function "temperature measurement" becomes invalid, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16.The device manager 39 notifies the modified functional information FI 2 to the service manager 33 (step S 407).By the above-described modification processing, the functional information FI 2 that has been subjected to modification is notified to the service manager 33 even if same functions exist or if a single device 20 has multiple functions. Thus, the device manager 33 can create the list of available services ASL2 as shown in the above-mentioned Fig. 15 and also the list of unavailable services USL as shown in the above-mentioned Fig. 16. This configuration enables, similarly to Embodiment 1, the user to present the available services available through the combination of the functions of the devices 20 connected to the home network 90. In addition, the user may be prompted to buy the missing device by presenting the missing device required to provide the unavailable service. Moreover, the service that instructs activation of the user can be provided without adding a skilled worker, similarly to Embodiment 1 described above, because the required setting is simply performed by an instruction of the user to activate the service.As a result, available services can be presented to the user.Other embodiments Although Embodiment 2 describes a case where the selection screen SE is displayed on the display 37 as illustrated in FIG. 14 and the user is prompted to make a selection on the device 20, this selection on the device 20 can be automatically performed with the device manager 39. For example, in view of power saving, the device manager 39 may select a device 20 that enables lower power consumption.Although the above Embodiments 1 and 2 describe an example of using the home control system 1 to control the devices 20 installed in the house H, the present disclosure may also be applied to a home control system to control a device within a facility such as an office building and a factory.In the above embodiments, the program executable by the service setting device 30 may be distributed by storage in a computer readable recording medium such as a read only memory on CD (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a magneto-optical (MO) disc, a universal serial bus (USB) memory, or a memory card. In addition, installation of such a program in a special purpose computer or a general purpose computer may result in the computer functioning as the service setting device 30 according to Embodiments 1 and 2 described above.The above program may be stored in a disk device included in a server in a communication network such as the Internet, and may be superimposed on a carrier wave to be downloaded to a computer, for example. The above-described processing may also be executed by the program that is activated and executed while being transmitted through a communication network. The above-described processing may also be executed by entirely or partially executing the program on a server while a computer sends and receives information related to the processing through a communication network.For example, when the above-described functions are partially realized by an operating system (OS) and an application program or in cooperation with the OS and the application program, the program other than the OS may be stored on the above-mentioned writing medium for distribution or downloaded to the computer.The foregoing describes some embodiments for illustrative purposes. Although specific embodiments have been presented in the foregoing discussion, those skilled in the art will recognize that form and details may be changed without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. This detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.Industrial applicabilityThe present disclosure is suitably usable in a service setting device, a home control system, a service management method, and a program that enable a user to present an available service.List of reference characters1 Home control system 10 Access point 20 (20-1 to 20-5) Device 30 Service setting device 31 Memory 32 Network searcher 33 Service manager 34 Service setter 35 Application unit 36 Communication controller 37 Display 38 Operation unit 39 Device manager 90 Home networkReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedJP 2007-53530

[0004]

Claims

A service setting apparatus comprising: collecting means for collecting functional information indicating functions of apparatuses connected to a home network; identification means for identifying, based on the functional information collected by the collecting means and a list connecting services and functions necessary for the services, an available service available by combining the functions of the apparatuses; and display means for displaying the available service identified by the identification means.The service setting device according to claim 1, wherein the identification means identifies an unavailable service which is unavailable even by combining the functions of the devices connected to the home network, and selects a missing device in which a function is missing to achieve the identified unavailable service, and the display means displays the missing device selected by the identification means.The service setting device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: setting means for performing settings on target devices among the devices connected to the home network including setting control logic necessary to achieve the available service identified by the identification means.The service setting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setting means causes a connection to be made between the target devices among the devices connected to the home network to enable cooperation of the plurality of target devices, thereby providing the available service.A home control system in which devices and a service setting device are connected to a home network, the service setting device comprising: collecting means for collecting functional information indicating functions of the devices; identification means for identifying an available service available by combining the functions of the devices based on the functional information collected by the collecting means and a list connecting services and functions necessary for the services; and display means for displaying the available service identified by the identification means.A service management method comprising: a acquiring step of acquiring functional information indicating functions of devices connected to a home network; an identifying step of identifying, based on the functional information acquired in the acquiring step and a list connecting services and functions necessary for the services, an available service available by combining the functions of the devices; and a displaying step of causing the available service identified in the identifying step to be displayed on a display.A program for causing a computer to function as: collecting means for collecting functional information indicating functions of devices connected to a home network; identification means for identifying an available service available by combining the functions of the devices based on the functional information collected by the collecting means and a list connecting services and functions required for the services; and display means for displaying the available service identified by the identification means.

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