Information processing system and information processing method

Abstract

To allow the stability of communication performed between a plurality of devices to be confirmed.SOLUTION: An information processing system according to an example of the present application includes a transmitting unit, a collecting unit, and a notifying unit. The transmitting unit transmits a command for causing a test signal to be transmitted to an originating device that is selected as a transmission origin of the test signal from among a plurality of devices detected within a wireless communication range. The collecting unit collects information indicating the reception number of times the test signal is received by the plurality of devices. The notifying unit identifies a corresponding device whose reception number of times does not satisfy a predetermined condition with respect to the transmission number of times from among the plurality of devices based on information indicating the transmission number of times the test signal is transmitted from the originating device and the information indicating the reception number of times, and notifies a user of a terminal device of the identified corresponding device in an identifiable state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when arranging a plurality of devices such as sensors and lighting devices in a space, setting operations for the devices to be set have been performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above prior art, for the purpose of ensuring the stability of communication performed between a plurality of devices, it is required to confirm the stability of communication.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes an information processing system and an information processing method capable of confirming the stability of communication performed between a plurality of devices.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing system according to an example of an embodiment includes a terminal device and a plurality of devices that can communicate by wireless communication, and includes a transmission unit, a collection unit, and a notification unit. The transmission unit transmits a command for causing a starting device selected as a transmission starting point of a test signal to transmit the test signal to the starting device selected from among the plurality of devices detected within the wireless communication range. The collection unit collects information indicating the number of reception times of the test signal received by the plurality of devices. The notification unit identifies a corresponding device among the plurality of devices that does not satisfy a predetermined condition of the number of reception times with respect to the number of transmission times based on the information indicating the number of transmission times of the test signal transmitted from the starting device and the information indicating the number of reception times, and notifies the user of the terminal device in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An information processing system SYS according to the embodiment described below is an information processing system including a terminal device 100 and a plurality of devices that can communicate by wireless communication, and includes a transmission unit 151, a collection unit 152, and a notification unit 153. The transmission unit 151 transmits a command for transmitting a test signal to a starting device selected as a transmission starting point of the test signal from among a plurality of devices detected within the wireless communication range. The collection unit 152 collects information indicating the number of reception times when the test signal is received in the plurality of devices. The notification unit 153 identifies a corresponding device among the plurality of devices whose reception times do not satisfy a predetermined condition with respect to the transmission times based on the information indicating the transmission times when the test signal is transmitted from the starting device and the information indicating the reception times, and notifies the user of the terminal device 100 in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified.

[0009] Further, the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment further includes a setting reception unit 154 that receives, through a user interface provided to the user by a program of the terminal device 100, operation settings of a plurality of devices in response to a test signal.

[0010] Further, in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment, the setting reception unit 154 further receives, through an operation of the user on the graphic information for setting the starting device from among a plurality of graphic information displayed in association with the information indicating the device in the user interface provided to the user by the program, the setting of the starting device.

[0011] Further, in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment, the setting reception unit 154 receives, through the user interface, a setting of the number of transmissions for transmitting a test signal from the starting device from the user.

[0012] Also, in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment, the setting reception unit 154 receives, for each device, a setting of an operation state through a user operation on graphic information for setting whether to operate in a state where a transfer function for transferring a test signal to another device when the test signal is received is enabled, from among a plurality of pieces of graphic information displayed in association with information indicating the device.

[0013] Also, in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment, the setting reception unit 154 receives from the user a setting of the number of retransmissions for retransferring a test signal from a device in which an operation state in which the transfer function is enabled is set, to another device, through the user interface.

[0014] Also, in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment, the notification unit 153 notifies the user by changing a display mode of graphic information for setting an operation state indicating whether to operate in a state where the transfer function is enabled, from among a plurality of pieces of graphic information displayed on the user interface, in association with information indicating the corresponding device.

[0015] Also, in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment, when a corresponding device whose reception count does not satisfy a predetermined condition with respect to the transmission count is specified from among a plurality of devices, the notification unit 153 notifies the user of candidate devices for proposing enabling of the relay function based on the positional relationship between the specified corresponding device and other devices.

[0016] The information processing method according to the embodiment described below is an information processing method performed by an information processing system including a terminal device 100 and a plurality of devices that can communicate by wireless communication, and includes a transmission step, a collection step, and a notification step. The transmission step transmits a command for causing a starting device selected as a transmission origin of a test signal used for a test for evaluating the communication stability between devices to transmit the test signal to the starting device selected from among the plurality of devices detected within the wireless communication range. The collection step collects information indicating the number of reception times of the test signal received by the plurality of devices. The notification step identifies a corresponding device among the plurality of devices that does not satisfy a predetermined condition of the reception times with respect to the transmission times based on the information indicating the number of transmission times the test signal has been transmitted from the starting device and the information indicating the number of reception times, and notifies the user of the terminal device 100 in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified.

[0017] The present disclosure proposes an information processing system and an information processing method capable of reducing the work load associated with various settings in a system including a plurality of devices. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10, an information processing system and an information processing method according to an embodiment will be described.

[0018] [Embodiment] (Configuration example of information processing system) Hereinafter, an example of the configuration of the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment. The information processing system SYS shown in FIG. 1 includes a lighting device 10, a sensor 20, a scheduler 30, a switch 40, and a terminal device 100. Note that FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of the information processing system SYS, and is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. The information processing system SYS may include a plurality of lighting devices 10, a plurality of sensors 20, a plurality of schedulers 30, and a plurality of switches 40, or may include other devices other than those shown in FIG. 1.

[0019] The lighting device 10, sensor 20, scheduler 30, switch 40, and terminal device 100 shown in FIG. 1 are connected to the network N. The lighting device 10, sensor 20, scheduler 30, switch 40, and terminal device 100 can each communicate with other devices through the network N.

[0020] The network N shown in FIG. 1 may include a public line network such as the Internet, a telephone line network, a satellite communication network, or various LANs (Local Area Networks) including Ethernet (registered trademark), WANs (Wide Area Networks), etc. Further, the network N may include a dedicated line network such as an IP-VPN (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Network). Further, the network N may include a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0021] The lighting device 10 is a predetermined lighting device such as a base light, a ceiling light, a downlight, or a spotlight. Further, the lighting device 10 has a wireless communication function and communicates with other devices located within the wireless communication range through the network N shown in FIG. 1. Further, the lighting device 10 can perform wireless communication conforming to a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), for example.

[0022] Sensor 20 detects various information. Also, sensor 20 has a wireless communication function and communicates with other devices located within the wireless communication range through network N. For example, sensor 20 includes an imaging unit such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, and may function as a human presence sensor or an illuminance sensor. When sensor 20 functions as a human presence sensor, it detects whether a person exists in the detection range from the captured image, which is the image captured by the imaging unit, and transmits the detection result to terminal device 100 via network N. Also, when sensor 20 is an illuminance sensor, it detects whether a person exists in the detection range from the captured image, which is the image captured by the imaging unit, and transmits the detection result to terminal device 100 via network N.

[0023] Scheduler 30 controls other devices such as lighting device 10 and sensor 20. Scheduler 30 outputs a predetermined control signal for controlling other devices such as lighting device 10 and sensor 20 at the timing set by a user (for example, a system administrator, etc.). Also, scheduler 30 has a wireless communication function and may communicate with other devices located within the wireless communication range through network N.

[0024] Switch 40 is a device that outputs a predetermined control signal to lighting device 10 assigned in advance. Also, switch 40 has a wireless communication function and may communicate with other devices located within the wireless communication range through network N.

[0025] Each device such as lighting device 10, sensor 20, scheduler 30, and switch 40 operates in response to a command from terminal device 100. For example, each device may operate according to a preset operation setting for testing in order to perform a communication stability test for confirming the stability of communication between devices.

[0026] This communication stability test is performed by checking the reach of test packets (an example of "test signals") transmitted and received between devices. Specifically, among each device, the source device selected as the transmission origin of the test packet may transmit the test packet a predetermined number of times according to the start command of the communication stability test received from the terminal device 100. Also, each device may record the number of times the test packet is received from other devices. Further, among each device, for a device in which a transfer function (hereinafter referred to as the "relay function") that transfers the test packet to other devices when receiving the test packet from other devices is enabled, the received test packet may be transferred to other devices. Also, when each device receives a command requesting the return of the number of times the test packet is received from the terminal device 100, in response to the request from the terminal device 100, the device may acquire information indicating the number of times received recorded internally and transmit the information indicating the acquired number of times received to the terminal device 100.

[0027] The terminal device 100 is an information processing terminal having various functions such as a communication function, a display function, and a web browsing function, and executes various information processes according to the embodiment. Also, the terminal device 100 is equipped with a dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as the "dedicated app") that provides various functions for realizing various information processes according to the embodiment. For example, a user of the terminal device 100 (for example, the user U shown in FIG. 2) can execute a setting operation on other devices such as the lighting device 10 through the functions provided by the dedicated app. Note that the user of the terminal device 100 may be a system administrator of the information processing system SYS. The terminal device 100 can be realized by a smart device (for example, a smartphone or a tablet), a PDA, a desktop or laptop personal computer, etc.

[0028] (Overview of Processing by Information Processing System) Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, an outline of information processing executed in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining information processing (part 1) related to the communication stability test according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining information processing (part 2) related to the communication stability test according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining information processing (part 3) related to the communication stability test according to the embodiment. The terminal device 100 shown in FIG. 2 displays an operation screen described later according to the operation of a dedicated application by the user U. Further, the terminal device 100 shown in FIG. 2 executes various information processes according to the operation of the user U on the operation screen.

[0029] User U of the terminal device 100 constructs a test system for the communication stability test illustrated in FIG. 2 by performing operation settings for each device constituting the system. Specifically, user U selects device 1 as the starting device among devices 1 to 6 detected within the wireless communication range. Also, user U sets the number of transmission times for transmitting test packets from the starting device. Further, user U performs operation settings so that devices 1, 4, and 5 operate in a state where their relay functions are enabled (relay function: ON). After the operation settings are completed, the terminal device 100 transmits a start command for starting the communication stability test to the starting device, device 1, in accordance with the operation of user U (procedure P1-1). For example, the terminal device 100 establishes a wireless connection with device 2 and transmits a start command to device 2. The start command transmitted from the terminal device 100 includes destination information for designating the starting device, transmission count information indicating the number of transmission times of the test packet, standby time information indicating the standby time from when the start command is received until the test packet is transmitted, and the like. In the case shown in FIG. 2, device information unique to device 1, such as a device ID (see FIG. 8 for example), is inserted into the destination information. The device ID is identification information individually assigned to each of the devices. Note that the information inserted into the start command as the destination information may be information unique to each device that enables each device to determine whether it is designated as the starting device based on the destination information. For example, it may be an address individually assigned to each device for performing wireless communication with other devices.

[0030] When the machine 2 receives a start command from the terminal device 100, it transfers the start command to other devices (procedure P1-2). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the relay function of the machine 2 is in a state where it is not activated (relay function: OFF). However, since it is communicating directly with the terminal device 100, it transfers the start command to other devices. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 2, since the machines 3 and 6 are in a state where the relay function is not activated (relay function: OFF), they do not transfer the start command received from the machine 2 to other devices. Since the machines 1, 4, and 5 are in a state where the relay function is activated (relay function: ON), the machines 1, 4, and 5 transfer the start command received from the machine 2 to other devices. Also, the machines 2 to 6 refer to the destination information included in the start command and determine the destination of the start command. If the device information of their own device is not included in the destination information, the machines 2 to 6 determine that they are not the origin device and enter the mode of receiving test packets after receiving the start command. Also, when the machine 1 receives a start command from the terminal device 100, it refers to the destination information included in the start command and determines the destination of the start command. If the device information of its own device is included in the destination information, the machine 1 determines that it is the origin device and enters the mode of transmitting test packets after receiving the start command. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the machine 1 refers to the standby time information included in the start command, waits after receiving the start command until the standby time specified in the standby time information has elapsed, and starts transmitting test packets (procedure P2-1). For example, the machine 1 refers to the transmission count information included in the start command and transmits test packets (for example, broadcast or multicast) to other devices at a predetermined interval (for example, every 200 milliseconds) until the transmission count specified in the transmission count information is reached.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, each of devices 2 to 6 records the number of received test packets (procedure P2-2). Note that the test packet may include source information and transmission frequency information. The source information is information indicating the device that is the transmission origin of the test packet. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 3, it is information indicating device 1. The transmission frequency information is information indicating which transmission the corresponding test packet corresponds to, such as the first transmission, the second transmission, etc., when the number of transmission attempts of the test packet is set to 100 times in total. Among each device, devices 1, 4, and 5 in which the relay function is enabled transfer the received test packet to other devices (for example, broadcast or multicast).

[0032] After the communication stability test is completed, the terminal device 100 collects the number of received test packets from each device as a result of the test. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, the case where the terminal device 100 collects the number of receptions from device 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, when the terminal device 100 collects the number of received test packets from device 3, the terminal device 100 transmits a result collection signal destined for device 3 to device 2 (procedure P3-1). In this case, the terminal device 100 inserts destination information designating device information indicating device 3 as the destination and source information designating device information indicating the terminal device 100 as the source of the result collection signal into the result collection signal to be transmitted to device 2. When device 2 receives the result collection signal from the terminal device 100, it refers to the destination information inserted in the result collection signal and determines the destination of the signal. For example, if device 2 determines that the signal is not addressed to itself when its own device information is not included in the destination information, it transmits the result collection signal to other devices (broadcast) (procedure P3-2). In the example shown in FIG. 4, although the relay function of device 2 is not enabled (relay function: OFF), since it is communicating directly with the terminal device 100, it transfers the result collection signal to other devices. Devices 4 and 5 also perform destination determination of the received result collection signal and transfer the result collection signal to other devices if the signal is not addressed to themselves. When device 3 receives the result collection signal transmitted by device 2, it refers to the destination information inserted in the result collection signal and determines the destination of the signal. For example, if device 3 determines that the signal is addressed to itself when its own device information is included in the destination information. Then, device 3 acquires the number of received test packets recorded internally and transmits (broadcasts) the reception count information indicating the acquired reception count to the terminal device 100 designated by the source information inserted in the result collection signal as the destination (procedure P3-3). When device 2 receives the reception count information from device 3, it transmits the reception count information to the terminal device 100 which is the destination (procedure P3-4). When the terminal device 100 receives the reception count information of device 3 from device 2, it records it as the reception count of device 3. The terminal device 100 obtains the number of received test packets from each device by repeating the transmission of the result collection signal to each device in the same manner as device 3.Note that, as described above, when the terminal device 100 sequentially collects the reception counts from each device through a device (for example, device 2) that is directly communicating by specifying in order, as the destination, a target device (for example, device 3) for which the reception count of the test packet is to be acquired in the result collection signal, there is no particular limitation. For example, the terminal device 100 may collectively acquire the reception counts from all devices by specifying all devices (for example, devices 1 to 6) as the destination in the result collection signal. Further, for example, the terminal device 100 may directly communicate with each device individually to acquire the reception count from each device.

[0033] Further, the terminal device 100 identifies a corresponding device among the devices for which the reception count of the test packet does not satisfy a predetermined condition with respect to the transmission count from the starting device. Then, the terminal device 100 notifies the user U in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified. For example, the terminal device 100 notifies the user U of the information of the corresponding device through an operation screen displayed by a dedicated application.

[0034] (Example of an operation screen for communication stability test) Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, an example of an operation screen for a communication stability test according to the embodiment will be described. FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing a configuration example of an operation screen for a communication stability test according to the embodiment.

[0035] The display example EX-1 shown in FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation screen G-1 corresponding to the lighting device 10 among the operation screens (an example of a "user interface") displayed on the terminal device 100. The operation screen G-1 shown in FIG. 5 includes, for example, a unit display area A1-1, a registered device display area A1-2, a test information display area A1-3, a screen switching tab OB-1, and a test start button OB-2.

[0036] The unit display area A1-1 displays a list of information that is preset by the user U as a predetermined unit when managing a plurality of devices in the system, and indicates a plurality of units that are registration destinations of the plurality of devices. In the unit display area A1-1, image information F-1 imitating a folder corresponding to the unit is displayed. The user U can arbitrarily set the name of the unit. The unit that is the registration destination of a device such as the lighting device 10 is not limited to one. Also, only devices of the same type, such as the lighting device 10 and the sensor 20, may be registered in the unit. Further, the number of devices registered in the unit may be displayed in the unit.

[0037] The registered device display area A1-2 displays information indicating a list of registered devices that are devices registered in the unit. In the registered device display area A1-2, information on registered devices corresponding to the unit selected by the user U in the unit display area A1-1 is displayed. For each registered device, the registered device display area A1-2 displays graphic information Fg-1, graphic information Fg-2, and graphic information Fg-3 in association with the device name. Note that the device ID (see, for example, FIG. 8 described later), which is identification information individually assigned to each of the devices, may be displayed as the device name, or an address individually assigned to each device for performing wireless communication with other devices may be displayed.

[0038] The graphic information Fg-1 is an icon that functions as a button for blinking a light emitting unit (for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) etc.) mounted on the lighting device 10 or the sensor 20 which is a registered device.

[0039] The graphic information Fg-2 is an icon that functions as a button for setting an operation state indicating whether to operate in a state where the relay function is enabled. The user U can set the relay function by performing a simple operation on the graphic information Fg-2. Specifically, when the user U operates the graphic information Fg-2 associated with, for example, device name 2 to switch the relay function of the device corresponding to device name 2 from "OFF" to "ON", a control signal for turning on the relay function and including device information indicating the device corresponding to device name 2 as the destination is transmitted from the terminal device 100 to the device corresponding to device name 2. The device corresponding to device name 2 sets its own relay function to "ON" according to the control signal received from the terminal device 100. Also, for example, the display mode of the graphic information Fg-2 may be changed according to whether the relay function is enabled. In FIG. 5, when the relay function is enabled, an example is shown in which only the graphic is displayed in white with the graphic constituting the graphic information Fg-2 surrounded by a rectangle (see, for example, the locations of "device name 4" and "device name 5").

[0040] Note that the terminal device 100 may accept from the user U a setting of the number of retransmissions for retransmitting a test packet to another device from a device in which the operation state of operating in a state where the relay function is enabled is set based on the function provided by a dedicated application. For example, when the terminal device 100 detects an operation of the user U on the graphic information Fg-2 for setting an operation state indicating whether to operate in a state where the relay function is enabled, the terminal device 100 may display a sub-window or the like for setting the number of retransmissions for retransmitting a test packet from the device in which the relay function is enabled, and may accept the setting of the number of retransmissions through the sub-window.

[0041] The graphic information Fg-3 is an icon that functions as a button for setting the starting device. The user U can set (select) the starting device by performing a simple operation on the graphic information Fg-3. Specifically, when the user U operates the graphic information Fg-3 associated with, for example, device name 1, and sets the device corresponding to device name 1 as the starting device, a control signal that is a signal for designating the starting device and in which the device corresponding to device name 1 is designated as the destination is transmitted from the terminal device 100 to the device corresponding to device name 1. The device corresponding to device name 1 internally stores information indicating that itself is the starting device according to the control signal received from the terminal device 100. Also, for example, the display mode of the graphic information Fg-3 may be changed according to whether it is selected as the starting device or not. In FIG. 5, an example is shown in which when it is selected as the starting device, only the graphic is displayed in white with the graphic constituting the graphic information Fg-3 surrounded by a rectangle (see, for example, the part of "device name 1").

[0042] Note that the terminal device 100 may accept from the user U the setting of the number of transmission times for transmitting test packets from the starting device based on the functions provided by the dedicated application. For example, when the terminal device 100 detects an operation of the user U on the graphic information Fg-3 for setting the starting device, it may display a sub-window or the like for setting the number of transmission times for transmitting test packets from the starting device, and accept the setting of the number of transmission times through the sub-window.

[0043] The test information display area A1-3 displays information indicating the final date and time when the communication stability test was performed.

[0044] The screen switching tab OB-1 functions as a tab for accepting an operation to switch the operation screen to be displayed on the terminal device 100 to the operation screen corresponding to each device. In FIG. 5, an example is shown in which the tab for displaying the screen corresponding to lighting is selected.

[0045] The test start button OB-2 is an icon that functions as a button for transmitting a start command to disclose a communication stability test.

[0046] The display example EX-2 shown in FIG. 6 shows an example of the operation screen G-2 corresponding to the scheduler 30 among the operation screens displayed on the terminal device 100. Further, the display example EX-2 shown in FIG. 6 shows an example of a notification method for notifying the user U of the test results of the communication stability test. The operation screen G-2 shown in FIG. 6 includes, for example, a unit display area A2-1, a registered device display area A2-2, a test information display area A2-3, a screen switching tab OB-1, and a test start button OB-2.

[0047] The unit display area A2-1 is configured to display the same information as the unit display area A1-1 shown in FIG. 5, and displays a list of information indicating a plurality of units that are registration destinations of a plurality of devices.

[0048] The registered device display area A2-2 is configured to display the same information as the registered device display area A1-2 shown in FIG. 5, and displays information on the registered devices corresponding to the unit selected by the user U in the unit display area A2-1.

[0049] The test information display area A2-3 is configured to display the same information as the test information display area A1-3 shown in FIG. 5.

[0050] For example, in the communication stability test, if the corresponding device exists in the scheduler 30, the information of the corresponding device is reflected on the operation screen G-2. Thereby, the information of the corresponding device is notified to the user U.

[0051] Specifically, in the unit display area A2-1, the display mode of the graphic information Fg-2 included in the unit in which the corresponding device is registered is changed. Also, in the registered device display area A2-2, the display mode of the graphic information Fg-2 displayed in association with the device name of the corresponding device is changed. For example, when the device corresponding to device name 1 is the corresponding device, an example is shown in which the graphic constituting the graphic information Fg-2 associated with device name 1 is displayed in white only with the graphic surrounded by a rectangle (see, for example, the location of "device name 1"). At this time, the display mode of the graphic information Fg-2 may be changed by any method that can distinguish it from the case when the relay function is enabled, such as applying a color scheme or background pattern different from the display color when the relay function is enabled.

[0052] In addition, the test information display area A2-3 displays, as error counts, the number of the corresponding devices in addition to the information indicating the final date and time when the communication stability test was performed.

[0053] Also, when the corresponding device is specified in the communication stability test, that is, when the arrival rate of the test packet is not 100% in the test system (see, for example, FIGS. 2 to 4), the terminal device 100 may execute a process of proposing candidate devices for enabling the relay function to the user U so that the arrival rate of the test packet becomes 100%. For example, based on the positional relationship between the corresponding device and other devices (or the configuration of the test system), the terminal device 100 identifies the devices located around the corresponding device, and blinks the graphic information Fg-1 associated with the identified device name, or displays message information indicating the candidate devices on the operation screen G-2, thereby proposing candidate devices for enabling the relay function to the user U.

[0054] In this way, in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment, the terminal device 100 propagates test packets between devices and notifies the user U of the corresponding device that may interfere with the communication stability based on the arrival rate. In this manner, the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment can confirm the communication stability among a plurality of devices.

[0055] (Configuration example of terminal device 100) Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 7, an example of the functional configuration of the terminal device 100 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the terminal device 100 according to the embodiment. The terminal device 100 according to the embodiment includes a communication unit 110, a display unit 130, an operation unit 120, a storage unit 140, and a control unit 150.

[0056] The communication unit 110 transmits and receives information to and from other devices. The communication unit 110 can be realized, for example, by a predetermined communication circuit or a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 110 can support any communication method. The communication methods supported by the communication unit 110 may include communication methods based on mobile data communication standards such as 4G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and 5G, and communication methods based on wireless communication methods such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), and infrared communication.

[0057] The display unit 130 displays images of various operation screens (see, for example, FIGS. 5 and 6) provided to the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, the user U shown in FIG. 2) through a dedicated application. The operation screen displayed on the display unit 130 accepts predetermined operations on a plurality of devices controlled by wireless communication. The display unit 130 can be realized by including a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence). The display unit 130 may be realized by a touch screen display.

[0058] The operation unit 120 inputs various types of information through operations. For example, the operation unit 120 can be implemented by an input device such as a transmissive touch panel provided on the display unit 130. When the operation unit 120 is implemented by a touch panel, it detects a touch operation on the display unit 130 and outputs operation information indicating the detected operation content to the control unit 150. For example, the operation unit 120 detects an operation of the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, the user U shown in FIG. 2) on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 130, and outputs operation information indicating the detected operation content of the user to the control unit 150. Note that the operation unit 120 may have physical buttons or the like.

[0059] The storage unit 140 stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 140 can store programs and data for realizing various controls executed by the control unit 150. The storage unit 140 can be realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. Further, when the storage unit 140 is realized by a flash memory, it may be mounted by a detachable portable recording medium such as an SD card.

[0060] The storage unit 140 may store a dedicated application having a function of executing the information processing according to the embodiment. Further, the storage unit 140 may store various programs and data according to the purpose. As shown in FIG. 7, the storage unit 140 includes a setting information storage unit 141 and a test result storage unit 142.

[0061] (Setting Information Storage Unit 141) The setting information storage unit 141 stores setting information related to the setting of the communication stability test executed in the information processing system SYS. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 141 according to the embodiment.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 8, the setting information storage unit 141 has a plurality of items such as an item of "device ID", an item of "device type", an item of "unit information", an item of "group information", an item of "address", an item of "starting point setting", an item of "transmission count", an item of "relay function", an item of "retransmission count", and the like. These items included in the setting information are associated with each other.

[0063] In the item of "device ID", identification information individually assigned to each device is stored in order to identify each device included in the information processing system SYS. In the item of "device type", information indicating the type of each device included in the information processing system SYS is stored.

[0064] In the item of "unit information", information regarding the unit to which each device is registered is stored. The information regarding the unit stored in the item of "unit information" includes a unit ID which is identification information individually assigned to each unit in order to identify the unit, and a unit name which is name information arbitrarily set by the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, the user U shown in FIG. 2) for each unit as the name of the unit. Note that a unit is the smallest unit management group on the system that functions as a registration destination for a plurality of devices when managing a plurality of devices on the system, and is a management group narrower than the group described later which is the registration destination of the unit.

[0065] In the item of "group information", information regarding the group that further groups the units to which each device is registered is stored. The information regarding the group stored in the item of "group information" includes a group ID which is identification information individually assigned to each group in order to identify the group, and a group name which is name information arbitrarily set by the user for each group as the name of the group. Note that a group is a management group on the system that functions as a registration destination for a plurality of units, and is a management group wider than the unit.

[0066] In the "address" item, information indicating an address (for example, a MAC (Media Access Control) address) individually assigned to each device for wireless communication with each device is stored.

[0067] In the "starting point setting" item, information regarding the setting of the starting device that serves as the transmission starting point of test packets used in the communication stability test for communication between devices is stored. For example, in FIG. 6, an example is shown in which a setting value of "ON" is stored in the "starting point setting" item in association with the device ID of the device selected as the starting device.

[0068] In the "number of transmissions" item, information indicating the number of times to transmit test packets from the starting device selected as the transmission starting point of the test packets is stored. For example, in FIG. 8, an example is shown in which a setting value of "100" indicating the number of transmissions is stored in the "number of transmissions" item. Note that the setting value stored in the "number of transmissions" item may be information for setting the number of transmissions for each of a plurality of test packets. For example, the setting value stored in the "number of transmissions" item may be for setting the number of transmissions for each of a total of 100 packets such as test packet TP001, test packet TP002, ···, test packet TP100. For example, when "3" is set in the "number of transmissions" item, in the communication stability test, each of test packet TP001, test packet TP002, ···, test packet TP100 is transmitted 3 times from the starting device. Also, in this case, even if the receiving device receives test packet TP001 multiple times, the number of receptions may be counted as 1 time. For example, even if device 5 receives test packet TP001 3 times, the number of receptions is counted as 1 time. Also, in this case, although a total of 300 test packets are transmitted from the starting device, if the receiving device receives 100% (300 times), the number of receptions may be determined as 100 times.

[0069] In the item of "Relay function", information indicating the setting content of the operation state showing whether to operate in a state where the transfer function for transferring the test packet to other devices is enabled when the test packet is received is stored. In FIG. 8, for a device in which the relay function is enabled, the setting value of "ON" is stored in the item of "Relay function", and for a device in which the relay function is not enabled, an example in which the setting value of "OFF" is stored in the item of "Relay function" is shown.

[0070] In the item of "Number of retransmissions", information indicating the setting content of the number of retransmissions for retransferring the test packet from the device in which the transfer function is enabled to other devices is stored. In FIG. 8, an example in which the setting value of "3" indicating the number of retransmissions is stored in the item of "Number of retransmissions" is shown. By setting the number of retransmissions, even when other devices cannot receive the test packet for only an instant, the signal can be more easily received by repeatedly retransmitting, and an improvement in the test accuracy can be expected compared to retransmitting only once. Note that in the communication stability test, the setting of the number of retransmissions is not always necessary, and if the packet reachability can be investigated, the retransfer of the received test packet may not be performed. Also, each device does not perform retransmission when it receives a signal that it has received once. For example, when device 4 receives a test packet once, it retransmits the test packet three times, but thereafter, even if it receives the same test packet from other devices, device 4 does not perform retransmission.

[0071] The setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 141 is used by a control unit 150 described later when transmitting a start command for starting the communication stability test.

[0072] (Test result storage unit 142) The test result storage unit 142 stores information indicating the test results of the communication stability test executed in the information processing system SYS. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an overview of the test results stored by the test result storage unit 142 according to the embodiment.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 9, the test result storage unit 142 has a plurality of items such as the item of "device ID" and "number of receptions", and these items are associated with each other.

[0074] In the item of "device ID", identification information individually assigned to each device is stored in order to identify the device that is the transmission source of the test result.

[0075] In the item of "number of receptions", information indicating the number of receptions of test packets acquired from each device as test results is stored.

[0076] The test results stored in the test result storage unit 142 are used by a control unit 150 described later in order to evaluate the reachability of test packets.

[0077] The control unit 150 is, for example, a control circuit that controls each part of the terminal device 100, has an internal memory for storing a program that defines various processing procedures and the required data, and executes various processes by these. The control unit 150 can be realized by a microcomputer or the like. The microcomputer is equipped with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM.

[0078] The ROM stores a program for controlling each part of the terminal device 100 and an application (for example, a dedicated application) for executing various processes. By a processor such as a CPU executing the program and the application stored in the ROM, control of the terminal device 100 by the microcomputer and various functions are realized.

[0079] The RAM is used as a memory area necessary for executing operations by a processor such as a CPU. Note that the control unit 150 may read a program or the like stored in the storage unit 140 and execute the read program to realize the control and various functions of the terminal device 100. Further, the control unit 150 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a SoC (System-on-a-chip).

[0080] As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 150 includes a transmission unit 151, a collection unit 152, and a notification unit 153. The control unit 150 realizes or executes the functions and operations of information processing described below by these respective units. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 150 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, and may be any other configuration as long as it performs the information processing described later, and may have a different configuration according to the expansion or change of functions.

[0081] (Transmission Unit 151) The transmission unit 151 transmits a start command for causing a start device, which is selected as a transmission start point of a test packet used for a communication stability test for evaluating the communication stability between devices, to transmit a test packet to the start device selected from among a plurality of devices detected within the wireless communication range. For example, the transmission unit 151 may establish a wireless connection with the start device in advance and transmit a start command to the start device. Further, the transmission unit 151 may broadcast a start command storing the device ID of the start device as the destination.

[0082] Further, before starting the communication stability test, the transmission unit 151 refers to the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 141, identifies a device that is operating with the relay function enabled according to the operation setting, establishes a wireless connection with the identified device in advance, and may perform the relay function setting for the target device.

[0083] Further, the transmission unit 151 may perform a scan of the wireless communication range, and identify, as a plurality of devices detected within the wireless communication range, devices among the devices detected within the wireless communication range whose received radio wave intensity transmitted from the devices exceeds a threshold value.

[0084] (Collection unit 152) The collection unit 152 collects, as test results, information indicating the number of times a test packet has been received in a plurality of devices through a communication stability test. For example, when the collection unit 152 obtains, through the communication unit 110, a notification indicating that the transmission of the test packet from the origin device has been completed, the collection unit 152 transmits a command requesting the transmission of the test packet to each device. Then, the collection unit 152 obtains, through the communication unit 110, information indicating the number of times the test packet transmitted from each device has been received, and associates the obtained information indicating the number of times of reception with the device ID of the corresponding device and stores it in the test result storage unit 142.

[0085] (Notification unit 153) Based on information indicating the number of times a test packet has been transmitted from the origin device and information indicating the number of times the test packet has been received in a plurality of devices, the notification unit 153 identifies a corresponding device among the plurality of devices that does not satisfy a predetermined condition for the number of times of reception with respect to the number of times of transmission, and notifies the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, the user U shown in FIG. 2) in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified. Note that, for example, it is preferable that the notification unit 153 sets a perfect match between the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception, such as 100 times of reception for 100 times of transmission of the test packet, as a predetermined condition, but it is not particularly limited to this example. For example, the notification unit 153 may determine that a predetermined condition is satisfied when the number of times of reception is 99 times for 100 times of transmission, or may determine that a predetermined condition is satisfied when the number of times of reception is 90 times or more, and any condition other than a perfect match may be adopted.

[0086] For example, the notification unit 153 changes the display mode of graphic information (e.g., graphic information Fg-2 shown in FIG. 6) for setting the operation state indicating whether to operate in a state where the relay function is enabled or not, from among the graphic information displayed on the user interface (e.g., operation screen G-2 shown in FIG. 6) provided to the user of the terminal device 100 (e.g., user U shown in FIG. 2) by a dedicated application, in association with the information indicating the corresponding device, to notify the user of the terminal device 100. Note that, in addition to the graphic information, the notification unit 153 may notify by, for example, changing the frame corresponding to device name 1 shown in FIG. 6, that is, the frame surrounding the device name 1 and the graphic information, or by blinking or changing the color within this frame.

[0087] Further, when a corresponding device whose reception count does not meet a predetermined condition with respect to the transmission count is identified from among a plurality of devices as a result of the communication stability test, the notification unit 153 may notify the user of the terminal device 100 (e.g., user U shown in FIG. 2) of candidate devices for proposing activation of the relay function based on the positional relationship between the identified corresponding device and other devices. For example, the notification unit 153 may identify the devices located around the corresponding device, and propose candidate devices for activating the relay function to the user of the terminal device 100 by blinking the graphic information Fg-1 associated with the identified device name or by displaying message information indicating the candidate devices on the operation screen G-2.

[0088] (Setting reception unit 154) The setting reception unit 154 receives, from the user of the terminal device 100, operation settings of a plurality of devices related to the communication stability test, through the user interface provided to the user of the terminal device 100 (e.g., user U shown in FIG. 2) by a dedicated application which is a dedicated application program installed in the terminal device 100.

[0089] For example, the setting reception unit 154 may receive the setting of the number of transmissions for transmitting test packets from the starting device through the user interface from the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, user U shown in FIG. 2). The dedicated application installed in the terminal device 100 provides the user interface (for example, the operation screen G-1 shown in FIG. 5, etc.) to the user of the terminal device 100. Among the plurality of graphic information displayed in association with the information indicating the device, through the operation of the user of the terminal device 100 on the graphic information (for example, the graphic information Fg-3 shown in FIG. 5, etc.) for setting the starting device, the setting of the starting device may be received.

[0090] Also, for example, the setting reception unit 154 may receive the setting of the number of transmissions for transmitting test packets from the starting device through the user interface from the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, user U shown in FIG. 2).

[0091] Also, for example, among the plurality of graphic information displayed on the user interface, the setting reception unit 154 may receive the setting of the operation state for each device through the operation of the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, user U shown in FIG. 2) on the graphic information (for example, the graphic information Fg-2 shown in FIG. 5, etc.) for setting whether to operate in a state where the relay function for transferring test packets to other devices when a test packet is received is enabled.

[0092] Also, for example, the setting reception unit 154 may receive the setting of the number of retransmissions for causing the device in which the operation state of operating in a state where the relay function is enabled is set to re-transmit the test packet to other devices from the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, user U shown in FIG. 2).

[0093] (Processing by Terminal Device 100) The processing flow by the terminal device 100 according to the embodiment will be described below. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure by the terminal device 100 according to the embodiment. Note that the processing procedure shown in FIG. 10 is executed by the control unit 150 included in the terminal device 100.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 10, the transmission unit 151 transmits a start command for causing a start device, which is selected as a transmission origin of test packets used for a communication stability test for evaluating the communication stability between devices, to transmit test packets to a start device selected from among a plurality of devices detected within the wireless communication range (step S101).

[0095] Also, the collection unit 152 collects, as test results, information indicating the number of times test packets are received in a plurality of devices by the communication stability test (step S102).

[0096] Also, the notification unit 153 identifies a corresponding device whose number of received test packets does not satisfy a predetermined condition with respect to the number of transmitted packets (step S103).

[0097] Also, the notification unit 153 notifies the user of the terminal device 100 in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified (step S104), and ends the processing procedure shown in FIG. 10.

[0098] [Others] In the above-described embodiment, the terminal device 100 included in the information processing system SYS may identify candidate devices for enabling the relay function by using a learned model that has learned the relationship between the configuration of the test system (such as the positional relationship of each device and the presence or absence of obstacles) for which the communication stability test is performed and the result of the communication stability test (the number of received test packets at each device) through machine learning. For example, when the reach of the test packet is 100%, that is, when the number of received packets at each device matches the number of transmitted packets, the positional relationship between the starting device and the device for which the relay function is enabled (hereinafter referred to as the "relay device") is set as a positive example, and the positional relationship between the starting device and the relay device when the reach of the test packet is less than 100% is set as a negative example. Using the learning data, a model may be learned to infer a device suitable as a relay device in the test system so that the reach of the test packet approaches 100%. In this case, the notification unit 153 uses the learned model obtained as a result of this learning, inputs the configuration of the test system to be inferred into the learned model, and based on the inference result obtained from the learned model, notifies the user of the terminal device 100 (for example, the user U shown in FIG. 2) of candidates for the relay device.

[0099] Also, when learning a model for inferring a device suitable as a relay device in the test system, the terminal device 100 may include, as learning data, the content of the operation settings of the communication stability test (such as the number of transmitted test packets from the starting device). Thereby, the notification unit 153 can notify candidates for the relay device in consideration of, for example, the number of transmitted test packets.

[0100] Also, a dedicated application for realizing the information processing executed by the terminal device 100 according to the above-described embodiment may be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic tape, or a flexible disk. At this time, for example, the terminal device 100 installs the dedicated application read from the recording medium and executes the above-described information processing.

[0101] Alternatively, the dedicated application may be stored in a disk device provided in a server device or a cloud system on a network such as the Internet, and may be downloadable to the terminal device 100. Further, the functions realized by the above-described dedicated application may be realized by the cooperation of an OS (Operating System) and application software. In this case, the portion other than the OS may be stored in a medium and distributed, or the portion other than the OS may be stored in a server device or a cloud system and made downloadable to the terminal device 100.

[0102] In addition, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being automatically performed can be manually performed, or all or part of the processes described as being manually performed can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the processing procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each figure is not limited to the illustrated information.

[0103] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope. In addition, these embodiments can be appropriately combined within a range that does not cause contradictions in the processing content.

[0104] In addition, the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and there may be other effects.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0105] SYS Information Processing System 10 Lighting Equipment 20 Sensor 30 Scheduler 40 Switch 100 Terminal device 110 Communication unit 120 Display unit 130 Operation unit 140 Memory unit 141 Setting information memory unit 142 Test result memory unit 150 Control unit 151 Transmission unit 152 Collection unit 153 Notification unit 154 Setting reception unit

Claims

1. An information processing system including a terminal device capable of communicating by wireless communication and a plurality of devices, a transmission unit that transmits a command for causing a starting device selected as a transmission origin of a test signal from among the plurality of devices detected within a wireless communication range to transmit the test signal; a collection unit that collects information indicating the number of reception times when the test signal is received in the plurality of devices; a notification unit that identifies a corresponding device among the plurality of devices whose number of reception times does not satisfy a predetermined condition with respect to the number of transmission times based on information indicating the number of transmission times when the test signal is transmitted from the starting device and information indicating the number of reception times, and notifies the user of the terminal device in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified; An information processing system characterized by comprising:

2. a setting reception unit that receives, through a user interface provided to the user by a program of the terminal device, an operation setting of the plurality of devices corresponding to the test signal from the user; The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The setting reception unit, through an operation of the user on graphic information for setting the starting device from among a plurality of graphic information displayed in association with information indicating the device in the user interface provided to the user by the program, receives the setting of the starting device The information processing system according to claim 2, characterized by:

4. The setting reception unit, receives from the user, through the user interface, a setting of the number of transmission times for transmitting the test signal from the starting device The information processing system according to claim 2, characterized by:

5. The setting reception unit, through an operation of the user on graphic information for setting an operation state indicating whether to operate in a state where a transfer function for transferring the test signal to other devices when the test signal is received is enabled from among a plurality of graphic information displayed in association with information indicating the device, receives the setting of the operation state for each device The information processing system according to claim 2, characterized by:

6. The setting reception unit, Accepting from the user a setting of the number of retransmissions for retransmitting the test signal from the device in an operating state where the transfer function is enabled through the user interface to another device The information processing system according to claim 5, characterized in that

7. The notification unit By changing the display mode of the graphic information for setting the operating state indicating whether to operate in a state where the transfer function is enabled from among the plurality of graphic information displayed on the user interface in association with the information indicating the corresponding device, notify the user The information processing system according to claim 5, characterized in that

8. The notification unit When a corresponding device whose reception count does not meet a predetermined condition with respect to the transmission count is identified from among the plurality of devices, based on the positional relationship between the identified corresponding device and other devices, notify the user of candidate devices for proposing enabling the relay function The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that

9. An information processing method performed by an information processing system including a terminal device capable of communicating by wireless communication and a plurality of devices, comprising: A transmission step of transmitting a command for transmitting the test signal to a starting device selected as a transmission starting point of the test signal from among the plurality of devices detected within the wireless communication range; A collection step of collecting information indicating the number of receptions of the test signal in the plurality of devices; Based on the information indicating the number of transmissions of the test signal transmitted from the starting device and the information indicating the number of receptions, identifying a corresponding device among the plurality of devices whose reception count does not meet a predetermined condition with respect to the transmission count, and notifying the user of the terminal device in a state where the identified corresponding device can be identified; An information processing method characterized by including

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