Communication control method, communication control system, and program

Abstract

To control communication with a working device in a manner providing high convenience to a user.SOLUTION: A communication control method includes: determining a network name of a network for wirelessly communicating with an objective working device on the basis of objective authentication information corresponding to an objective working device being an object of control among pieces of authentication information corresponding to respective working devices being workable in a farm field; establishing wireless communication with the objective working device by using the determined network name; and outputting the objective authentication information to the objective working device by using the established wireless communication with the objective working device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication control method, a communication control system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] As agriculture becomes increasingly information-based, technologies are being developed to control communication between terminal devices and work devices according to user needs.

[0003] In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for connecting multiple mobile terminals to data collection devices mounted on multiple work machines. With the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, each time a communication terminal enters the communication area of a network provided by a data collection device mounted on a certain piece of agricultural machinery, the communication terminal and the data collection device establish a communication connection. To achieve this, the mobile terminal stores the SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers) of the multiple data collection devices to be connected, based on a user input made in advance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6013253 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is thought that user convenience can be improved by controlling multiple implements performing work in a field with a single terminal device. In such a system, it may be desirable to ensure communication between a specific implement desired by the user from among multiple connectable implements and a specific terminal device, for example, when controlling a specific implement depending on the type of work to be performed that day or the field in which the work will be performed.

[0006] In conventional communication control systems, in order for a user to control a desired maintenance device among multiple maintenance devices, the user may need to perform an operation to connect to a network provided by the desired maintenance device, resulting in a problem of cumbersome operations. When the technology of Patent Document 1 is used in such a system, a connection is automatically established when a terminal device is present within the communication area of a network provided by a connectable maintenance device. Therefore, when multiple maintenance devices and a terminal device are capable of communicating with each other, a connection may be established with a maintenance device that the user does not want, which could reduce convenience for the user.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to control communication with a work apparatus in a manner that is highly convenient for a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The following describes the means for solving the problems using the numbers and symbols used in the description of the invention. These numbers and symbols are added in parentheses for reference purposes to show an example of the correspondence between the claims and the description of the invention. Therefore, the claims should not be interpreted as being limited by the parenthetical descriptions.

[0009] The communication control method according to the embodiment includes determining a network name of a network (NT, NT1, NT2) for wireless communication with a target work device based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device to be controlled out of multiple pieces of authentication information (D1a, D1a_1 to D1a_3) corresponding respectively to multiple work devices (30, 30-1, 30-2) that can work in the field, establishing wireless communication with the target work device using the determined network name, and outputting the target authentication information to the target work device using the established wireless communication with the target work device.

[0010] The communication control system (1) according to the embodiment includes a determination unit (130) that determines the network name of a network (NT, NT1, NT2) for wireless communication with a target work device to be controlled based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device among a plurality of pieces of authentication information (D1a, D1a_1 to D1a_3) corresponding respectively to a plurality of work devices (30, 30-1, 30-2) that can work in a field, a communication establishment unit (140) that establishes wireless communication with the target work device using the network name determined by the determination unit (130), and an authentication output unit (150) that outputs the target authentication information to the target work device using the wireless communication with the target work device established by the communication establishment unit (140).

[0011] The programs (P1, P3) according to the embodiments cause the computers (14, 34) to determine the network name of the network (NT, NT1, NT2) for wireless communication with the target work device based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device to be controlled, out of the authentication information (D1a, D1a_1 to D1a_3) corresponding to each of a plurality of work devices (30, 30-1, 30-2) that can work in the field; establish wireless communication with the target work device using the determined network name; and output the target authentication information to the target work device using the established wireless communication with the target work device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above embodiment, communication with the maintenance device can be controlled in a manner that is highly convenient for the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a working device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4]1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a communication control system according to an embodiment; [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of authentication information according to an embodiment. [Figure 6A] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a communication control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 6B] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a communication control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process performed by a communication control system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] (First embodiment) A communication control system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication control system 1 includes one or more terminal devices 10 and a plurality of maintenance devices (for example, maintenance devices 30-1 and 30-2). When the plurality of maintenance devices are not distinguished from one another, they may be simply referred to as maintenance devices 30. Furthermore, of the plurality of maintenance devices 30, the maintenance device 30 that is the target of control may be particularly referred to as the target maintenance device 30a. Each of the plurality of maintenance devices 30 can receive a positioning signal transmitted by a positioning satellite GP.

[0015] In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 and the multiple maintenance devices 30 are connected via a wireless network provided by each of the maintenance devices 30. For example, the terminal device 10 and the maintenance device 30-1 are communicably connected via a network NT1 provided by the maintenance device 30-1, and the terminal device 10 and the maintenance device 30-2 are communicably connected via a network NT2 provided by the maintenance device 30-2. When the networks provided by the multiple maintenance devices 30 are not to be distinguished from one another, they may simply be referred to as networks NT. An example of the network NT is a wireless local area network (LAN).

[0016] As will be described later, the work devices 30 may perform work in a field based on control information output by a terminal device 10 connected via a network NT. The terminal device 10 stores, for each of the multiple work devices 30, authentication information (e.g., an activation key) for authenticating control of the work device 30 by the terminal device 10. The communication control system 1 authenticates control of the work device 30 by the terminal device 10 based on the activation key corresponding to the target work device 30a. The work device 30 may be, for example, a tractor with an autonomous driving function based on control information output by the terminal device 10. Note that when authenticating control by the terminal device 10, the communication control system 1 may perform authentication on a function-by-function basis, such as allowing use of only some of the multiple functions of the work device 30.

[0017] In order to output the activation key and control information from the terminal device 10 to the target maintenance device 30a, the communication control system 1 needs to communicatively connect the terminal device 10 and the target maintenance device 30a (e.g., maintenance device 30-1). For this connection, if a common wireless communication protocol such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used, the user may need to use the terminal device 10 to select, from among multiple networks NT, a network NT (e.g., network NT1) provided by the target maintenance device 30 as the network to connect to. For this reason, when actually operating the terminal device 10, the user may need to know the network name of the network NT provided by the maintenance device 30 that the user wants to control and connect to it, in addition to launching an application for control.

[0018] In the communication control system 1 of this embodiment, a network name that can be uniquely determined from authentication information that enables control of each maintenance device 30 is set as the network name of the network NT provided by each maintenance device 30. When a maintenance device 30-1 to be controlled is selected, the communication control system 1 determines the network name of the network NT1 to be connected to based on the authentication information corresponding to the maintenance device 30-1 to be controlled, and automatically establishes a connection between the terminal device 10 and the maintenance device 30-1 via the network NT1. Therefore, the communication control system 1 can control communication between the terminal device 10 and the maintenance device 30-1 via the network NT1 in a manner that is highly convenient for the user.

[0019] The following describes the configuration of the communication control system 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 10 included in the communication control system 1 includes an input / output device 12, a computing device 14, a communication device 16, and a storage device 18. The terminal device 10 is, for example, a tablet terminal or a notebook computer carried by a user of the operation device 30.

[0020] Information for the arithmetic device 14 to execute processing described below is input to the input / output device 12. The input / output device 12 also outputs the results of processing executed by the arithmetic device 14. The input / output device 12 includes various input devices and output devices, such as a microphone, a display, a speaker, and a touch panel.

[0021] The communication device 16 is communicatively connected to the network NT and communicates with devices external to the terminal device 10 (for example, maintenance devices 30) via the network NT. The communication device 16 transfers information acquired from a plurality of maintenance devices 30 to the calculation device 14. The communication device 16 also transfers information generated by the calculation device 14 to the maintenance devices 30. The communication device 16 may include a communication interface capable of communicating with external devices via a wireless communication system such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

[0022] The storage device 18 stores a program P1 and other data including various data and instructions for the communication control system 1 of this embodiment to execute at least some of the processes described below. The storage device 18 is used as a non-transitory tangible storage medium for storing the data and instructions. The program P1 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M1. The storage medium M1 may be a portable physical medium such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a universal serial bus (USB) memory. Alternatively, the storage medium M1 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P1. In this case, the program P1 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server. In this embodiment, the program P1 includes a control application that implements functions and a user interface for the terminal device 10 to control the operating device 30.

[0023] The arithmetic device 14 reads and executes a program P1 including instructions and data for executing at least a part of the processing described below from the storage device 18. The arithmetic device 14 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU).

[0024] In this embodiment, the work device 30 is a vehicle that performs work in a farm field. As shown in Fig. 3, the work device 30 includes an input / output device 32, a calculation device 34, a communication device 36, a storage device 38, and a positioning device 39 as on-board computer devices of the work device 30. The work device 30 further includes an operating device 31.

[0025] The operating device 31 includes various machines that the working device 30 uses to perform agricultural work. The operating device 31 may include, for example, a prime mover that generates power, or a device that performs agricultural work using the power generated by the prime mover. A specific example of the operating device 31 may include a power source (e.g., an engine or motor) for the working device 30. The operating device 31 may transmit power generated by the power source to the agricultural machine provided on the working device 30 so that the agricultural machine performs agricultural work. The operating device 31 may operate based on control signals supplied from the computing device 34 or the input / output device 32.

[0026] Information used by the arithmetic unit 34 to execute processing, which will be described later, is input to the input / output device 32. The input / output device 32 also outputs the results of processing executed by the arithmetic unit 34. The input / output device 32 includes various input devices and output devices, such as a display, a speaker, and a touch panel. The input / output device 32 may be omitted.

[0027] The communication device 36 provides the network NT and communicates with external devices (e.g., the terminal device 10) connected to the network NT. The communication device 36 transfers information acquired from external devices to the calculation device 34. The communication device 36 also transfers information generated by the calculation device 34 to external devices. The communication device 36 may include devices that provide the network NT and enable communication between the calculation device 34 and external devices, such as a wireless LAN router device or access point device, or a wireless LAN transceiver.

[0028] The storage device 38 stores a program P3 including various data and instructions for the communication control system 1 of this embodiment to execute the processes described below. The storage device 38 is used as a non-transitory storage medium for storing these data and instructions. The program P3 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M3. The storage medium M3 may be a portable physical medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB memory. Alternatively, the storage medium M3 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P3. In this case, the program P3 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server. The storage device 38 may also store information related to the machine nameplate of the working device 30 (e.g., the chassis number).

[0029] The positioning device 39 continuously measures the position of the operating device 30. The positioning device 39 is, for example, a receiver for the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and receives positioning signals from positioning satellites GP to measure the position and time of the operating device 30. Alternatively, the positioning device 39 may measure the position of the operating device 30 by self-position estimation using a quantum compass.

[0030] The arithmetic device 34 communicates with the terminal device 10, and reads and executes from the storage device 38 a program P3 that includes instructions and data for performing agricultural work based on control information output by the terminal device 10. For example, the arithmetic device 34 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and the like.

[0031] 2 and 3, the terminal device 10 and the operation device 30 of the communication control system 1 realize the functional units shown in Fig. 4. As an example, the arithmetic unit 14 of the terminal device 10 executes a program P1 including a control application to realize the functions of an information acquisition unit 110, a target selection unit 120, a decision unit 130, a communication establishment unit 140, an authentication output unit 150, a control output unit 160, and an information storage unit 170.

[0032] Furthermore, the arithmetic unit 34 of the maintenance device 30 reads and executes the program P3 to realize the functional units of the maintenance device 30 (for example, the communication unit 310, authentication unit 320, and operation unit 330 shown in FIG. 4) described below.

[0033] The functions of each functional unit will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. The information storage unit 170 of the terminal device 10 stores authentication information D1 and work information D2.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, the authentication information D1 stores information indicating a plurality of work devices 30 ("work device ID" in the example of FIG. 5) and activation keys for authenticating control of the work devices 30 by the terminal device 10, in association with each other. The activation key stores, for example, information indicating the model of the work device 30 ("model"), information indicating the chassis number of the work device 30 ("chassis number"), and information indicating which of one or more functions of the work device 30 can be activated with the activation key ("target function"). Note that the authentication information for a specific work device 30 corresponding to each row of the authentication information D1 may be referred to as activation key D1a_1, activation key D1a_2, activation key D1a_3, .... Furthermore, when the activation keys of the work devices 30 are not to be distinguished from one another, they may simply be referred to as activation key D1a.

[0035] The work information D2 includes information indicating the content of work to be performed in the field using the target work device 30a. For example, the work information D2 may include information indicating the route that the target work device 30a should travel in the field. The work information D2 may also include control signals that should be output to the operating device 31 of the target work device 30a at each point in the field. The work information D2 may also include information regarding work routes that multiple work devices 30 have previously performed in the field. Alternatively, the work information D2 may include information regarding the work widths of the multiple work devices 30.

[0036] As will be described later, the information acquisition unit 110 of the terminal device 10 in FIG. 4 acquires information for each functional unit of the terminal device 10 (e.g., the information acquisition unit 110, the target selection unit 120, the determination unit 130, the communication establishment unit 140, the authentication output unit 150, and the control output unit 160) to perform the processes described later. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires information (e.g., authentication information D1, etc.) stored in advance from the information storage unit 170. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire information indicating a user input received using the input / output device 12. The information acquisition unit 110 supplies the acquired information to each functional unit, such as the target selection unit 120, the determination unit 130, the communication establishment unit 140, the authentication output unit 150, and the control output unit 160.

[0037] As will be described later, the target selection unit 120 selects a target maintenance apparatus 30a (for example, maintenance apparatus 30-1) to be controlled in the current process from among the multiple maintenance apparatuses 30 registered in the authentication information D1.

[0038] The determination unit 130 determines the network name (also referred to as the target network name) of the network NT (also referred to as the target network) provided by the target operation device 30a selected by the target selection unit 120, as will be described later.

[0039] As will be described later, the communication establishment unit 140 uses the network name determined by the determination unit 130 to establish wireless communication between the target task device 30a and the terminal device 10 via the target network provided by the target task device 30a.

[0040] As will be described later, the authentication output unit 150 outputs an activation key D1a corresponding to the target maintenance device 30a in order to enable control over the functions of the target maintenance device 30a.

[0041] As will be described later, the control output unit 160 generates control information to control the target task apparatus 30a. The control output unit 160 also outputs the generated control information to the target task apparatus 30a using wireless communication via the network NT established by the communication establishment unit 140. The control output unit 160 may include specific logic or algorithms used when generating the control information for the task apparatus 30.

[0042] The communication unit 310 of the maintenance device 30 provides a network NT to which one or more terminal devices 10 can wirelessly connect. The communication unit 310 cooperates with the communication establishment unit 140 of the terminal device 10 to establish communication between the maintenance device 30 and the terminal device 10. If authentication is successful, the communication unit 310 executes communication between the maintenance device 30 and the terminal device 10. In this embodiment, the communication unit 310 provides the network NT in stealth mode and therefore does not output a beacon including a network name.

[0043] The authentication unit 320 enables the terminal device 10 to control one or more functions of the maintenance device 30 based on the activation key D1a output by the authentication output unit 150 of the terminal device 10.

[0044] The operation unit 330 executes an operation using the operating device 31 based on the control information received by the communication unit 310 for the function authenticated by the authentication unit 320 .

[0045] (Operation of communication control system 1) The communication control system 1 executes the processes shown in Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B using the above-described functional configuration. For example, when a user starts a control program included in the program P1 stored in the storage device 18 of the terminal device 10, the communication control system 1 starts the processes shown in Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B.

[0046] First, in step S1002, the information acquisition unit 110 of the terminal device 10 acquires the authentication information D1 from the information storage unit 170.

[0047] Next, in step S1004, the target selection unit 120 selects a target maintenance apparatus 30a to be controlled in the current process from the multiple maintenance apparatuses 30. For example, the target selection unit 120 selects the target maintenance apparatus 30a based on a user operation specifying the maintenance apparatus 30 to be controlled from among the multiple maintenance apparatuses 30. As an example, the target selection unit 120 uses the input / output device 12 to display the multiple maintenance apparatuses 30 included in the authentication information D1 acquired in step S1002. Then, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating the target maintenance apparatus 30a by accepting a user input, using the touch panel of the input / output device 12, specifying the maintenance apparatus 30 that the user wants to control from among the multiple displayed maintenance apparatuses 30. The target selection unit 120 then selects the maintenance apparatus 30 indicated by the accepted user input as the target maintenance apparatus 30a.

[0048] Next, in step S1006, the determination unit 130 determines the target network name of the target network provided by the target operation device 30a selected in step S1004. For example, the determination unit 130 extracts the activation key D1a corresponding to the target operation device 30a from the authentication information D1 acquired in step S1002. Then, the determination unit 130 generates a character string corresponding to the target network name from the activation key D1a, as shown in FIG.

[0049] In the example of FIG. 7, the activation key D1a corresponding to the target work device 30a includes a character string ("XXX") corresponding to the "model" of the target work device 30a, a character string ("YYYYYYYYY") indicating the "body number," and a character string ("ZZZZZ") indicating the function to be authenticated, as shown in the activation key D1a of FIG. 5. The determination unit 130 extracts the character string indicating the body number of the target work device 30a from these characters and determines the character string with a setting-defined prefix ("AAA") added to the beginning of the character string as the character string N corresponding to the target network name. Note that in the example of FIG. 7, the character string N is the SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the target network.

[0050] Next, in step S1008, the communication establishment unit 140 outputs a connection request to the target operation device 30a using the target network name determined in step S1006. For example, the communication establishment unit 140 wirelessly outputs a probe request signal including the target network name to the periphery of the terminal device 10 using the communication device 16 of the terminal device 10.

[0051] Next, in step S1010, the communication unit 310 of the target operation device 30a outputs a connection response in response to the connection request output in step S1008. For example, the communication unit 310 outputs a probe response signal corresponding to the probe request signal to the terminal device 10. Through the processing of steps S1008 and S1010, wireless communication via the target network may be established between the terminal device 10 and the target operation device 30a.

[0052] Next, in step S1012, the authentication output unit 150 outputs the activation key D1a using the wireless communication established in the processing of steps S1008 to S1010. For example, the authentication output unit 150 outputs the activation key D1a corresponding to the target operation device 30a to the target operation device 30a via the target network.

[0053] Next, in step S1014, the authentication unit 320 of the target work apparatus 30a authenticates control by the terminal device 10. For example, the authentication unit 320 may authenticate the functions of the terminal device 10 based on the information included in the activation key D1a output in step S1012 and information related to the machine nameplate of the target work apparatus 30a stored in the storage device 38. For example, if the information corresponding to the machine number included in the activation key D1a matches the machine number of the target work apparatus indicated by the information related to the machine nameplate, the authentication unit 320 may enable control by the terminal device 10 of the functions indicated by the activation key D1a. In particular, if the activation key D1a includes information about the autonomous driving function of the target work apparatus 30a as the function to be authenticated, the authentication unit 320 authenticates control of the autonomous driving function of the target work apparatus 30a by the terminal device 10.

[0054] In step S1014, if the information corresponding to the machine number included in the activation key D1a does not match the machine number of the terminal device 10 indicated by the information on the machine nameplate, the authentication unit 320 does not enable control by the terminal device 10. In this case, the communication unit 310 may disconnect the connection between the terminal device 10 and the maintenance device 30 via the network NT. For example, the communication unit 310 may disconnect the connection from the terminal device 10 to the network NT and remove the terminal device 10 from the network NT.

[0055] 6B, the control output unit 160 of the terminal device 10 outputs control information. For example, the control output unit 160 may output, via the target network, to the target task device 30a using the communication device 16, control information indicating that the target task device 30a will automatically move along a route determined based on a user input or task information D2.

[0056] The control output unit 160 may output control information indicating parameters during operation of the working unit 330 of the working device 30. As an example, if the agricultural machine provided on the working device 30 is a rotary, this parameter may be a control parameter indicating the depth to which the soil is to be dug. Alternatively, if the agricultural machine is a spraying device, the control parameter may be information indicating the amount of pesticide to be sprayed per hour.

[0057] Next, in step S1018, the working unit 330 of the target work device 30a performs work based on the control information output in step S1016. For example, the working unit 330 controls the operating device 31 based on the control information to move the target work device 30a along the path indicated by the control information. Furthermore, if the control information includes control parameters related to the agricultural machine, the working unit 330 operates the agricultural machine based on the control parameters.

[0058] As described above, when a target operation device 30a is selected, the communication control system 1 of this embodiment can automatically establish a wireless connection with the target operation device 30a. Therefore, the target operation device 30a can be controlled without a separate user operation for connecting the terminal device 10 to the network NT provided by the target operation device 30a. Therefore, the communication control system 1 can control communication with the target operation device 30a in a manner that is highly convenient for the user.

[0059] (Variation) The configurations described in the embodiments are merely examples, and the configurations can be changed as long as the functions are not impaired.

[0060] For example, the communication control system 1 may select the target operation device 30a based on information other than user input. As an example, when schedule information indicating which operation device 30 should perform work on which day is available, the communication control system 1 may select the target operation device 30a based on this schedule information. In this case, in step S1002 of FIG. 6A, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the schedule information. Then, in step S1004, the target selection unit 120 may select the operation device 30 that should be used for work today in the schedule information as the target operation device 30a.

[0061] The communication control system 1 may also determine the target network name using a method different from that of the above-described embodiment. For example, if network information regarding the network names of networks NT provided by multiple maintenance devices 30 is available, the communication control system 1 may determine the target network name using this network information. In this case, the information storage unit 170 of the terminal device 10 may store network information that associates and stores identifiers of maintenance devices 30 that the terminal device 10 may control with the network names of the networks NT provided by each maintenance device 30. Then, in step S1006 of FIG. 6A, the determination unit 130 may determine the target network name by extracting the network name corresponding to the target maintenance device 30a from the network information. Alternatively, the determination unit 130 may generate the target network name from the activation key D1a using any method different from the method shown in FIG. 7. For example, the determination unit 130 may generate the target network name by calculating, using a predetermined conversion formula, character strings indicating the "model" and "body number" in the activation key D1a corresponding to the target maintenance device 30a. In this case, the network name of the network NT provided by each maintenance device 30 is set to a character string obtained by encrypting the maintenance device 30 and the vehicle identification number using the same conversion formula.

[0062] Furthermore, the maintenance device 30 of the communication control system 1 may provide the network NT in non-stealth mode. In this case, while the maintenance device 30 is running, the communication unit 310 wirelessly outputs a beacon including a network name using the communication device 36. Then, in step S1008 of FIG. 6A, the communication establishment unit 140 of the terminal device 10 may perform processing to connect to the network NT corresponding to the target network name among the beacons that the communication device 16 can receive. Even in this case, the communication control system 1 allows the user to omit a connection operation when connecting to one or more networks NT.

[0063] The above-described embodiments and modifications are merely examples, and the configurations described in each embodiment and modification may be arbitrarily modified and / or combined as long as the functions are not impaired. Furthermore, some of the functions described in the embodiments and modifications may be omitted as long as the required functions can be realized.

[0064] (Addendum) The communication control method, communication control system, and program described in each embodiment can be described as follows.

[0065] A communication control method according to a first aspect includes: determining a network name of a network for wireless communication with a target work device to be controlled based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device among a plurality of pieces of authentication information corresponding to a plurality of work devices that can work in the field; Establishing wireless communication with the target operation device using the determined network name; outputting the target authentication information to the target work device using the established wireless communication with the target work device; Includes.

[0066] A communication control method according to a second aspect is the communication control method according to the first aspect, selecting the target work device from among the plurality of work devices; acquiring target authentication information corresponding to the selected target work device; Further includes:

[0067] A communication control method according to a third aspect is the communication control method according to the second aspect, the plurality of maintenance devices includes a first maintenance device having a first communication device capable of providing wireless communication to which a first network name is set; the authentication information includes first authentication information corresponding to the first maintenance apparatus; If the selected target work device is the first work device, determining the network name includes generating the network name based on the first authentication information.

[0068] A communication control method according to a fourth aspect is the communication control method according to the third aspect, outputting the target authentication information is executed by a terminal device; the first communication device does not transmit a beacon signal including the first network name; Establishing the wireless communication with the target work apparatus, transmitting a probe request from the terminal device to the first maintenance device based on the calculated first network name; receiving a probe response output by the first maintenance device in response to the transmitted probe request; establishing wireless communication provided by the first communication device based on the received probe response; Includes:

[0069] A communication control method according to a fifth aspect is a communication control method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, The method further includes outputting control information for controlling one or more functions of the target task apparatus using the established wireless communication with the target task apparatus.

[0070] A communication control method according to a sixth aspect is the communication control method according to the fifth aspect, The method further includes causing the target work device to perform work in the field based on the output control signal.

[0071] A communication control method according to a seventh aspect is the communication control method according to the fifth or sixth aspect, The one or more functions of the target work device include an automatic travel function that enables the work device to travel independently within a farm field.

[0072] A communication control system according to an eighth aspect includes: a determination unit that determines a network name of a network for wireless communication with a target work device that is to be controlled based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device among a plurality of pieces of authentication information corresponding to a plurality of work devices that can work in the field; a communication establishment unit that establishes wireless communication with the target work apparatus using the network name determined by the determination unit; outputting the target authentication information to the target work device using the wireless communication with the target work device established by the communication establishment unit; Equipped with.

[0073] A program according to a ninth aspect includes: On the computer, determining a network name of a network for wireless communication with a target work device to be controlled based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device among a plurality of pieces of authentication information corresponding to a plurality of work devices that can work in the field; Establishing wireless communication with the target operation device using the determined network name; outputting the target authentication information to the target work device using the established wireless communication with the target work device; Execute the following. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1. Communication Control System 10 Terminal Equipment 12 Input / Output Devices 14 Arithmetic unit 16. Communications equipment 18 Storage device 110 Information Acquisition Department 120 Target Selection Section 130 Decision Section 140 Communication establishment unit 150 Authentication Output Section 160 Control output section 170 Information storage section D1 Credentials D1_a Activation Key D1a_1~D1a_3 Activation Key D2 Work Information 30, 30-1, 30-2 Work equipment 30a Target work equipment 31 Operating equipment 32 Input / Output Devices 34 Arithmetic unit 36 Communication equipment 38 Storage device 39 Positioning Device 310 Communications Department 320 Authentication Department 330 Working Unit NT, NT1, NT2 Network M1, M3 storage medium P1 and P3 Programs GP positioning satellite N string

Claims

1. determining a network name of a network for wireless communication with a target work device to be controlled based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device among a plurality of pieces of authentication information corresponding to a plurality of work devices that can work in the field; Establishing wireless communication with the target operation device using the determined network name; outputting the target authentication information to the target work device using the established wireless communication with the target work device; Including, Communication control method.

2. selecting the target work device from among the plurality of work devices; acquiring target authentication information corresponding to the selected target work device; Further comprising: The communication control method according to claim 1 .

3. the plurality of maintenance devices includes a first maintenance device having a first communication device capable of providing wireless communication to which a first network name is set; the authentication information includes first authentication information corresponding to the first maintenance apparatus; When the selected target work device is the first work device, determining the network name includes generating the network name based on the first authentication information. The communication control method according to claim 2 .

4. outputting the target authentication information is executed by a terminal device; the first communication device does not transmit a beacon signal including the first network name; Establishing the wireless communication with the target work apparatus, transmitting a probe request from the terminal device to the first maintenance device based on the calculated first network name; receiving a probe response output by the first maintenance apparatus in response to the transmitted probe request; establishing wireless communication provided by the first communication device based on the received probe response; Including, The communication control method according to claim 3.

5. and outputting control information for controlling one or more functions of the target task device using the established wireless communication with the target task device. The communication control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The method further includes causing the target work device to perform work in the field based on the output control signal. The communication control method according to claim 5.

7. One or more functions of the target work device include an automatic traveling function for autonomously traveling within a field, The communication control method according to claim 6.

8. a determination unit that determines a network name of a network for wireless communication with a target work device that is to be controlled, based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device among authentication information corresponding to each of a plurality of work devices that can work in the field; a communication establishment unit that establishes wireless communication with the target work apparatus using the network name determined by the determination unit; outputting the target authentication information to the target work device using the wireless communication with the target work device established by the communication establishment unit; Equipped with Communications control system.

9. On the computer, determining a network name of a network for wireless communication with a target work device to be controlled based on target authentication information corresponding to the target work device among a plurality of pieces of authentication information corresponding to a plurality of work devices that can work in the field; Establishing wireless communication with the target operation device using the determined network name; outputting the target authentication information to the target work device using the established wireless communication with the target work device; A program to execute.

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