Electronic device, registration processing method, and program

Abstract

To register an electronic device at an appropriate timing.SOLUTION: In a device registration processing method between a smartphone 10 (first electronic device) and a pet terminal 30 (second electronic device), each of which includes a wireless communication unit, a control unit of the smartphone 10 performs terminal search processing (first processing) to search for the pet terminal 30 (step S4), and when the search in the terminal search processing is successful, performs second processing to instruct a user to change the posture of the pet terminal 30 (step S8), and performs registration processing with the pet terminal 30 whose posture change has been detected (step S18).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a registration processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various data have been transmitted and received wirelessly between electronic devices equipped with wireless communication functions such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). For this reason, a pairing technique is known in which electronic devices that wish to communicate with each other register a communication partner (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2015-517246 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the registration process may not be performed properly depending on the timing of the device's processing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and has as its object to register electronic devices at an appropriate timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an electronic device having a wireless communication unit, which includes a first process for searching for other electronic devices via the wireless communication unit, a second process for instructing a user to change the posture of the other electronic device if the search in the first process is successful, and a control unit for performing a registration process with the other electronic device whose posture change has been detected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, electronic devices can be registered at an appropriate time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a smartphone and a pet terminal that constitute the wireless communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a pet terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the overall registration process executed on the smartphone and the pet terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a terminal search process. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a special action analysis process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a registration process. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a device search screen displayed on a display unit of a smartphone. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of a special operation explanation screen displayed on a display unit of a smartphone. [Figure 9] 10 is an example of a registration confirmation screen displayed on a display unit of a smartphone. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the registration process refers to a process in which at least one device registers another device for data communication between electronic devices. Note that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0010] In recent years, expectations have been growing for pet-type robots (pet terminals) that resemble living creatures such as animals. To manage the pet terminal, it is conceivable to use a user terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user (owner). Even when data communication is performed between the user terminal and the pet terminal via wireless communication such as Bluetooth, a registration process must be performed in advance.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system 100 includes a smartphone 10 as a first electronic device and a pet terminal 30 as a second electronic device. The pet terminal 30 is a robot that can express the appearance and movements of a living creature. The pet terminal 30 is equipped with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and has learning functions such as expanding the variety of its movements and improving its ability to communicate with a user. Both the smartphone 10 and the pet terminal 30 have a short-range wireless communication function and are capable of mutual communication via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication. Although FIG. 1 illustrates one smartphone 10 and one pet terminal 30, the number of smartphones 10 and pet terminals 30 is not limited to this.

[0012] The smartphone 10 includes a control unit 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage unit 14, a BLE communication unit 15, an operation unit 16, a display unit 17, a built-in clock 18, a speaker 19, a microphone 20, a codec 21, and an RF communication unit 22.

[0013] The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 11 performs overall control of the overall operation of the smartphone 10 and various arithmetic processing. Specifically, the control unit 11 reads various processing programs stored in the ROM 12 or the storage unit 14, loads them into the RAM 13, and performs various processing in cooperation with the programs. The control unit 11 may perform processing using a single CPU, or multiple CPUs may operate in parallel or independently depending on the application. The ROM 12 is a read-only semiconductor memory that stores various programs and various data executed by the control unit 11. The RAM 13 provides the control unit 11 with working memory space and stores temporary working data.

[0014] The storage unit 14 is configured with a nonvolatile memory or the like and stores information in a readable and writable manner. The storage unit 14 stores, for example, various application programs executed by the smartphone 10 and data related to various functions. Specifically, the storage unit 14 stores a pet management application program. A function realized by cooperation between the control unit 11 and the pet management application program is called a "pet management app." The pet management app is used when a user checks the current emotion and operation history of the pet terminal 30, for example. The storage unit 14 also stores the pet terminal ID of the pet terminal 30 registered in the pet management app and key information (authentication key) generated for the pet terminal 30, in association with each other. The pet terminal ID is identification information unique to each pet terminal 30 (identification information for uniquely identifying the pet terminal 30). The key information is information for identifying a communication partner in BLE communication. The key information includes identification information for identifying the smartphone 10, a key for encrypting data, and the like. A pair of the pet terminal ID and the key information is registration information stored on the smartphone 10.

[0015] The BLE communication unit 15 (wireless communication unit) communicates data with other electronic devices such as the pet terminal 30 using the BLE communication method via an antenna for transmitting and receiving BLE communication. The operation unit 16 has various buttons and the like that accept input operations by the user, and outputs an operation signal based on the user's operation to the control unit 11. The operation unit 16 also includes a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 17, detects the position of a touch operation by the user's finger or the like, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to that position to the control unit 11. The display unit 17 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays a screen in accordance with a display control signal from the control unit 11. The display unit 17 displays an operation screen, processing results executed on the smartphone 10, and the like.

[0016] Built-in clock 18 is a counter that counts and holds the current time. The current time data of this built-in clock 18 is corrected as needed during communication with a mobile base station via RF communication unit 22. Speaker 19 converts an electrical signal into an audio signal based on a signal from codec 21 and outputs the audio. Microphone 20 detects sound waves, converts them into an electrical signal, and outputs it to codec 21. Codec 21 decodes the encoded and compressed digital audio signal and sends it to speaker 19 as an analog signal, and also encodes the audio signal output from microphone 20 and outputs it to control unit 11 or RF communication unit 22. RF communication unit 22 uses an antenna for RF transmission and reception to transmit and receive packet data such as telephone voice data and email to and from a mobile base station.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the pet terminal 30 is covered with an exterior having parts 40 resembling eyes and fluffy fur 41. Hereinafter, the direction connecting the part of the pet terminal 30 corresponding to the head and the part corresponding to the tail (head-to-tail direction) is defined as the X-axis direction (head side is +X). When the pet terminal 30 is placed face down on a flat surface (floor surface, etc.), the direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and parallel to the flat surface is defined as the Y-axis direction (left side when looking in the +X direction is +Y). Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, i.e., the direction connecting the part of the pet terminal 30 corresponding to the back and the part corresponding to the belly (dorsal-ventral direction), is defined as the Z-axis direction (dorsal side is +Z).

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the pet terminal 30 includes a control unit 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a storage unit 34, a BLE communication unit 35, a sensor unit 36, a drive unit 37, an output unit 38, and an operation unit 39. The control unit 31 includes a CPU. The control unit 31 performs overall control of the overall operation of the pet terminal 30 and various calculation processes. Specifically, the control unit 31 reads various processing programs stored in the ROM 32, loads them into the RAM 33, and performs various processes in cooperation with the programs. The control unit 31 may perform processing using a single CPU, or may be configured to have multiple CPUs operating in parallel or independently depending on the application.

[0019] The ROM 32 is a read-only semiconductor memory that stores various programs and data executed by the control unit 31. For example, the ROM 32 stores programs and setting data for the pet terminal 30 to perform actions similar to those of a simulated pet. The setting data includes emotion data, a growth table, an action table, and the like. The emotion data is data for causing the pet terminal 30 to have simulated emotions. The emotion data is expressed as a numerical value indicating joy, happiness, sadness, irritation, etc. The emotion data also defines how each value of the emotion data changes in response to external stimuli detected by the sensor unit 36. The growth table associates the type of action (gesture) performed by the pet terminal 30 in response to an external stimuli detected by the sensor unit 36 ​​as an action trigger with the probability that each action will be selected according to a growth value. The growth value indicates the simulated growth level of the pet terminal 30. The action table records specific action content for each action type. The RAM 33 provides a working memory space for the control unit 31 and stores temporary working data.

[0020] The storage unit 34 is configured with a non-volatile memory or the like, and stores information in a readable and writable manner. For example, the storage unit 34 stores the pet terminal ID of the pet terminal 30 itself. The storage unit 34 also stores key information corresponding to the smartphone 10 registered as a communication partner. The key information is registration information saved on the pet terminal 30 side. The storage unit 34 also stores a sensor history, an operation history, an emotion history, and the like. The sensor history is data that associates a detection value (external stimulus) detected by the sensor unit 36 ​​with the date and time of the detection. The operation history is data that associates each operation of the pet terminal 30 with the date and time when the operation was performed. The emotion history is data that associates an emotion generated in the pet terminal 30 with the date and time when the emotion occurred.

[0021] The BLE communication unit 35 (wireless communication unit) communicates data with other electronic devices, such as the smartphone 10, using the BLE communication standard via an antenna for transmitting and receiving BLE communication. The sensor unit 36 ​​includes an acceleration sensor 361, a gyro sensor 362, a touch sensor 363, a microphone 364, and the like. The sensor unit 36 ​​outputs detection values ​​obtained by the various sensors to the control unit 31 as external stimulus data indicating an external stimulus to the pet terminal 30. The acceleration sensor 361 detects acceleration in three axes, namely, the head-to-tail direction (X-axis direction), the left-to-right direction (Y-axis direction), and the dorsal-ventral direction (Z-axis direction), of the pet terminal 30. The gyro sensor 362 detects angular velocity associated with the rotation of the pet terminal 30. For example, the gyro sensor 362 detects angular velocity about the head-to-tail direction (X-axis direction), the left-to-right direction (Y-axis direction), and the dorsal-ventral direction (Z-axis direction) of the pet terminal 30. The control unit 31 detects the posture and movement of the pet terminal 30 based on the detection values ​​of at least one of the acceleration sensor 361 and the gyro sensor 362. The touch sensor 363 detects that an object has come into contact with the pet terminal 30. The touch sensor 363 is configured by, for example, a pressure sensor or a capacitance sensor. The control unit 31 detects that the user has stroked the pet terminal 30 based on the detection value of the touch sensor 363. The microphone 364 detects sounds around the pet terminal 30. The control unit 31 detects vocalizations, clapping, etc. by the user based on the detection value of the microphone 364. The sensor unit 36 ​​may also include an illuminance sensor that detects ambient illuminance and a temperature sensor that detects ambient temperature.

[0022] The drive unit 37 includes a motor or the like for moving each part of the pet terminal 30. The drive unit 37 expresses movements such as the pet terminal 30 lifting its head or rolling over. If the pet terminal 30 includes parts corresponding to legs, the drive unit 37 expresses movements according to the parts included in the pet terminal 30, such as bending and straightening the legs or walking. The output unit 38 includes a speaker and outputs sounds such as barking. The output unit 38 may also include a display such as an LCD or a light-emitting unit such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The operation unit 39 includes a power button, operation buttons, etc., and outputs an operation signal to the control unit 31 based on a user's operation.

[0023] Next, an overview of the present invention will be described. Only one smartphone 10 can be registered in the pet terminal 30 as a communication partner. When a specific communication partner is registered in the pet terminal 30, the user who owns the registered smartphone 10 becomes a pseudo-owner and can execute some processing on the pet terminal 30 via the smartphone 10. On the other hand, multiple pet terminals 30 can be registered in the smartphone 10 as communication partners. The smartphone 10 can be connected to multiple pet terminals 30 simultaneously via the BLE communication unit 15.

[0024] The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 (first electronic device, electronic device) performs a terminal search process (first process) to search for the pet terminal 30 (second electronic device, other electronic device) via the BLE communication unit 15. If the search in the terminal search process is successful, the control unit 11 performs a second process to instruct the user to change the posture of the pet terminal 30. The control unit 11 performs a registration process with the pet terminal 30 whose posture change has been detected.

[0025] When the terminal search process is being executed, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display information indicating that the terminal search process is being executed. Here, "when the terminal search process is being executed" may be when the terminal search process starts, or while the terminal search process is being executed. Furthermore, the "information indicating that the terminal search process is being executed" may include information indicating that the terminal search process is about to start. After the terminal search process is completed, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display an image instructing the user to change the posture of the pet terminal 30 in the second process.

[0026] The control unit 11 determines whether a change in posture of the pet terminal 30 has been detected (special action analysis process). The change in posture is realized when the user places the pet terminal 30 in a predetermined posture position after the terminal search process. For example, the control unit 11 detects the change in posture of the pet terminal 30 based on the output result of the acceleration sensor 361 or the gyro sensor 362 provided in the pet terminal 30.

[0027] When the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 detects a change in the posture of the pet terminal 30, the control unit 11 causes the pet terminal 30 to register the smartphone 10 as a communication partner. Here, the control unit 11 generates key information (authentication key) for identifying the smartphone 10 and transmits the key information to the pet terminal 30.

[0028] The smartphone 10 is a communication terminal that transmits predetermined instructions to the pet terminal 30. Here, the "predetermined instructions" may include instructions for the pet terminal 30 to perform physical actions such as lifting its head, rolling over, or walking, as well as instructions for changing facial expressions, emotions, etc. The "predetermined instructions" may also include instructions for retrieving various data from the pet terminal 30. The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 transmits predetermined instructions to the pet terminal 30 via the BLE communication unit 15 in response to a user's operation on the operation unit 16. The pet terminal 30 is a robot terminal that operates in response to predetermined instructions from the smartphone 10. When the control unit 31 of the pet terminal 30 receives a predetermined instruction from the smartphone 10 via the BLE communication unit 35, it causes each unit of the pet terminal 30 to perform various operations in response to the instruction.

[0029] Next, the operation of the wireless communication system 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. In BLE communication, the smartphone 10 is a central device, and the pet terminal 30 is a peripheral device. As shown in Fig. 3, in the overall registration process, when the user operates the operation unit 39 of the pet terminal 30 to instruct transition to registration mode, the control unit 31 starts advertising (step S1). Specifically, the control unit 31 transmits an advertising signal via the BLE communication unit 35 at predetermined time intervals, and enters a state of waiting for connection.

[0030] When the user operates the operation unit 16 of the smartphone 10 to instruct the pet management app to start registering the pet terminal 30 (step S2), the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display a device search screen 171 shown in FIG. 7 (step S3). The device search screen 171 displays that a search for the pet terminal 30 is in progress. The device search screen 171 is displayed on the display unit 17 until the device search process (step S4) is completed, for example. The user recognizes from the device search screen 171 that the pet terminal 30 is in the search phase.

[0031] Next, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 executes a terminal search process (step S4). The terminal search process is a process of performing a scan via BLE communication to search for the pet terminal 30. As shown in FIG. 4, in the terminal search process, the control unit 11 sets the BLE communication unit 15 to a receiving state, starts scanning, and starts measuring a timer based on the built-in clock 18 (step A1). The control unit 11 uses the BLE communication unit 15 to search for a pet terminal 30 (peripheral device) waiting for connection.

[0032] The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 repeatedly executes the process of step A2 during scanning. During scanning, the control unit 11 executes the process of step A3 when it detects the pet terminal 30 via the BLE communication unit 15. In step A3, first, the control unit 11 connects to the detected pet terminal 30 via the BLE communication unit 15 (step A4) and starts communication with the pet terminal 30 (step A5).

[0033] Next, control unit 11 of smartphone 10 reads the pet terminal ID from connected pet terminal 30 via BLE communication unit 15 (step A6). Specifically, control unit 11 transmits a request to connect to pet terminal 30 to obtain the pet terminal ID of pet terminal 30 itself via BLE communication unit 15. When control unit 31 of pet terminal 30 receives the request to obtain the pet terminal ID via BLE communication unit 35, it reads the pet terminal ID from storage unit 34. Control unit 31 transmits the read pet terminal ID to smartphone 10 via BLE communication unit 35.

[0034] Here, control unit 11 of smartphone 10 determines whether the pet terminal ID acquired from connected pet terminal 30 is a pet terminal ID that has been registered in the pet management app. Control unit 11 determines whether the pet terminal ID of connected pet terminal 30 is stored in storage unit 14 as registration information (pet terminal ID and key information) related to pet terminal 30 that is managed in the pet management app. If the pet terminal ID acquired from connected pet terminal 30 is a pet terminal ID that has been registered in the pet management app (step A7), control unit 11 interrupts the processing of step A3 (step A8).

[0035] If the pet terminal ID read in step A6 is not a pet terminal ID registered in the pet management app, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 acquires the registration status of the communication partner from the connected pet terminal 30 via the BLE communication unit 15 (step A9). Specifically, the control unit 11 transmits a request to acquire the registration status to the connected pet terminal 30 via the BLE communication unit 15. When the control unit 31 of the pet terminal 30 receives the request to acquire the registration status via the BLE communication unit 35, it determines whether the communication partner is registered. Specifically, the control unit 31 determines whether key information is stored in the storage unit 34. If key information is stored in the storage unit 34, the control unit 31 determines that the communication partner is registered, and if key information is not stored in the storage unit 34, it determines that the communication partner is not registered. The control unit 31 transmits the registration status (whether the communication partner is registered) to the smartphone 10 via the BLE communication unit 35. The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 associates the registration status (unregistered / registered) acquired from the connected pet terminal 30 with the pet terminal ID, and stores the association in the connected terminal list in the RAM 13 (step A10). The association (pair) between the pet terminal ID (excluding those registered in the pet management app) of the detected pet terminal 30 and the registration status is added to the connected terminal list.

[0036] Here, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 determines whether or not the number of pet terminals 30 connected to the smartphone 10 has reached three or more. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the number of sets of data stored in the connected terminal list has reached three or more. If the number of pet terminals 30 connected to the smartphone 10 has reached three or more (step A11), the control unit 11 interrupts the processing of step A2 (step A12).

[0037] During scanning (step A2), if a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) has elapsed since the timer started counting in step A1, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 interrupts the process of step A2 (step A13). After exiting the process of step A2 in step A12 or step A13, the control unit 11 stops scanning by the BLE communication unit 15 (step A14). This completes the terminal search process.

[0038] Returning to FIG. 3, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 determines whether or not there is a connected pet terminal 30 (a pet terminal 30 found by the search) as a result of the terminal search process. If there is no connected pet terminal 30 (step S5), the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display a screen indicating that the pet terminal 30 could not be detected (step S6). The screen indicating that the pet terminal 30 could not be detected as a candidate for registration around the smartphone 10 is displayed. The control unit 11 suspends the entire registration process (step S7).

[0039] After the terminal search process (step S4), if there is a connected pet terminal 30, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 causes the display unit 17 to display a special action explanation screen 172 shown in FIG. 8 (step S8). The special action explanation screen 172 displays information that a special action is being detected and an explanation of the procedure for performing the special action. The special action explanation screen 172 is displayed on the display unit 17, for example, until the special action analysis process (step S9) is completed. The special action explanation screen 172 allows the user to understand the procedure for the special action and recognize that the special action detection phase is in progress.

[0040] Next, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 executes a special action analysis process (step S9). The special action analysis process is a process for analyzing whether or not the pet terminal 30 has performed a special action. The control unit 11 analyzes whether or not the user has moved the pet terminal 30 so that the pet terminal 30 assumes a predetermined posture. Here, the "predetermined posture" of the pet terminal 30 is preferably a posture that does not naturally assume that pose unless the user consciously moves the pet terminal 30. For example, a "special action" refers to a movement in which the pet terminal 30 changes from a posture (horizontal state) in which the head-to-tail direction (X-axis direction) and left-to-right direction (Y-axis direction) are included in a horizontal plane to a posture (vertical state) in which the head of the pet terminal 30 (+X direction shown in FIG. 2) is positioned vertically upward. The horizontal plane and vertical direction can be identified from the direction of gravitational acceleration obtained from the output results of the acceleration sensor 361 or the gyro sensor 362. An operation corresponding to a special action is an operation performed by the user to determine a communication partner from among the pet terminals 30 that are candidate communication partners of the smartphone 10.

[0041] 5, in the special action analysis process (step S9), the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 starts measuring a timer based on the built-in clock 18 (step B1). Then, the control unit 11 executes an individual analysis process for each connected pet terminal 30 (step B2). The control unit 11 targets each pet terminal 30 corresponding to each pet terminal ID included in the connected terminal list in the RAM 13 as a processing target for the individual analysis process.

[0042] In the individual analysis process, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 repeatedly executes the process of step B3. The control unit 11 acquires sensor information from the pet terminal 30 to be processed via the BLE communication unit 15 (step B4). Specifically, the control unit 11 transmits a request to acquire sensor information to the pet terminal 30 to be processed via the BLE communication unit 15. When the control unit 31 of the pet terminal 30 receives the request to acquire sensor information via the BLE communication unit 35, it transmits the output value of the sensor unit 36 ​​to the smartphone 10. The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 analyzes whether the pet terminal 30 is in a horizontal state based on the sensor information acquired from the pet terminal 30 (output results of the acceleration sensor 361 and the gyro sensor 362). When the control unit 11 detects that the pet terminal 30 is in a horizontal state (step B5), it interrupts the process of step B3 (step B6).

[0043] After the horizontal state of the pet terminal 30 is detected, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 repeatedly executes the process of step B7. The control unit 11 acquires sensor information from the pet terminal 30 to be processed via the BLE communication unit 15 (step B8). The method of acquiring the sensor information is the same as the process of step B4. The control unit 11 analyzes whether the pet terminal 30 is in a vertical state (head-lifted posture) based on the sensor information (output results of the acceleration sensor 361 and the gyro sensor 362) acquired from the pet terminal 30. When the control unit 11 detects that the pet terminal 30 is in a vertical state (step B9), it interrupts the process of step B7 (step B10). Setting the pet terminal 30 to a horizontal state once and then to a vertical state (head-lifted posture) corresponds to a "special action."

[0044] After the vertical state of the pet terminal 30 is detected, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 stores the pet terminal ID of the pet terminal 30 in which the special action has been detected in the special action detection list in the RAM 13 (step B11). The control unit 11 stops the individual analysis process for all pet terminals 30 (corresponding to the pet terminal IDs included in the connected terminal list) connected to the smartphone 10 (step B12). The control unit 11 disconnects communication via the BLE communication unit 15 with the pet terminal 30 in which the special action has not been detected (step B13).

[0045] In the special action analysis process (step S9), when a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds) has elapsed since the timer started measuring in step B1 (step B14), the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 stops the individual analysis process for all pet terminals 30 connected to the smartphone 10 (step B15). The control unit 11 disconnects communication with all pet terminals 30 connected to the smartphone 10 via the BLE communication unit 15 (step B16). After step B13 or step B16, the special action analysis process ends.

[0046] Returning to FIG. 3, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 determines whether or not there is a pet terminal 30 in which a special action has been detected as a result of the special action analysis process. If there is no pet terminal 30 in which a special action has been detected (step S10), the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display a screen indicating that the special action has not been detected (step S11). The screen indicating that the special action has not been detected displays that no special action has been detected in any of the pet terminals 30. The control unit 11 suspends the entire registration process (step S12).

[0047] After the special action analysis process (step S9), if there is a pet terminal 30 in which a special action has been detected, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 determines whether or not the pet terminal 30 is a registered terminal (a terminal in which the communication partner is registered). Specifically, the control unit 11 refers to the connected terminal list in the RAM 13 and determines whether or not the "registration status" associated with the "pet terminal ID" of the pet terminal 30 in which the special action has been detected is "registered." The "pet terminal ID" of the pet terminal 30 in which the special action has been detected may be acquired from the special action detection list. If the pet terminal 30 in which the special action has been detected is a registered terminal (step S13), the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display a registration confirmation screen 173 shown in FIG. 9 (step S14). The registration confirmation screen 173 notifies the user that another smartphone (registration information) has already been registered to the pet terminal 30 in which the special action has been detected, and is a screen for confirming whether or not to rewrite the key information (registration information) stored in the storage unit 34 of the pet terminal 30. The registration confirmation screen 173 includes an "Execute" button 173A and a "Cancel" button 173B. The "Execute" button 173A is a button for instructing the pet terminal 30 to rewrite the key information (register the smartphone 10 of the user currently operating). The "Cancel" button 173B is a button for instructing the pet terminal 30 to cancel the registration of the smartphone 10 of the user currently operating.

[0048] Next, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 determines whether or not a cancel operation has been performed by the user on the operation unit 16 of the smartphone 10. If a cancel operation has been performed by the user (step S15), the control unit 11 disconnects communication via the BLE communication unit 15 with the pet terminal 30 from which the special action has been detected (step S16). The control unit 11 then suspends the entire registration process (step S17).

[0049] If a pet terminal 30 is found in which a special action has been detected and a cancel operation has not been performed, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 performs registration processing on that pet terminal 30 as a registration target (step S18). As shown in FIG. 6, in the registration processing, the control unit 11 determines whether the pet terminal 30 to be registered is a registered terminal. Specifically, the control unit 11 references the connected terminal list in the RAM 13 and determines whether the "registration status" associated with the "pet terminal ID" of the pet terminal 30 to be registered is "registered." If the pet terminal 30 to be registered is a registered terminal (step C1), the control unit 11 forcibly causes the pet terminal 30 to delete the registration of the communication partner (key information) (step C2). Specifically, the control unit 11 instructs the pet terminal 30 to be registered to delete the currently registered communication partner (key information) via the BLE communication unit 15. When the control unit 31 of the pet terminal 30 receives the instruction to delete the communication partner via the BLE communication unit 35, it deletes the key information stored in the storage unit 34.

[0050] Next, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 generates key information (authentication key). Then, the control unit 11 transmits the key information to the pet terminal 30 to be registered via the BLE communication unit 15, and instructs the pet terminal 30 to register the smartphone 10 as a communication partner (step C3). When the control unit 31 of the pet terminal 30 receives the key information and the registration instruction via the BLE communication unit 35, it stores the received key information in the storage unit 34. In other words, the control unit 31 registers the smartphone 10 that generated the key information as a communication partner.

[0051] When the registration of the key information in the pet terminal 30 is successful, the control unit 31 of the pet terminal 30 transmits information indicating that the registration was successful and identification information (pet terminal ID) of the pet terminal 30 to the smartphone 10 via the BLE communication unit 35. The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 recognizes that the registration of the key information in the pet terminal 30 was successful by receiving the information indicating that the registration was successful and the pet terminal ID via the BLE communication unit 15. On the other hand, when the registration of the key information in the pet terminal 30 fails, the control unit 31 of the pet terminal 30 transmits information indicating that the registration was unsuccessful to the smartphone 10 via the BLE communication unit 35. The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 recognizes that the registration of the key information in the pet terminal 30 was unsuccessful by receiving the information indicating that the registration was unsuccessful via the BLE communication unit 15.

[0052] If the registration of the key information in the pet terminal 30 is successful (step C4), the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 saves the registration information in the storage unit 14 (step C5). The registration information includes the pet terminal ID of the pet terminal 30 with which communication is being made, and the key information used for communication with the pet terminal 30. Here, if the storage of the pet terminal ID or the key information in the storage unit 14 fails (step C6), the control unit 11 causes the pet terminal 30 to delete the registration of the smartphone 10 itself performed in step C3 (step C7). This completes the registration process.

[0053] 3, after the registration process (step S18), the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 determines whether or not mutual registration with the pet terminal 30 has been successful (step S19). The mutual registration includes registration of key information in the pet terminal 30 and registration of the pet terminal ID and key information in the smartphone 10.

[0054] When the mutual registration between the smartphone 10 and the pet terminal 30 is successful (step S19; registration successful), the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 displays a registration success screen on the display unit 17 (step S20). After the registration success screen is displayed, the smartphone 10 can issue predetermined instructions to the pet terminal 30 via the BLE communication unit 15.

[0055] If the mutual registration between the smartphone 10 and the pet terminal 30 fails (step S19; registration failed), the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 disconnects the communication via the BLE communication unit 15 with the pet terminal 30 in which the special action was detected (step S21). Then, the control unit 11 displays a registration failure screen on the display unit 17 (step S22). After step S20 or step S22, the entire registration process ends.

[0056] If registration between the smartphone 10 and the pet terminal 30 is completed, the next time communication is performed, data communication can be performed with the registered communication partner using the already registered key information.

[0057] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 (first electronic device, electronic device) performs a second process instructing the user to change the posture of the pet terminal 30 (second electronic device, other electronic device) when the search in the terminal search process (first process) is successful. Then, the control unit 11 performs a registration process with the pet terminal 30 for which a change in posture has been detected. When the pet terminal 30 is detected, the control unit 11 instructs the user to perform an operation on the pet terminal 30, thereby preventing an error from occurring when the user performs an operation corresponding to a special action while searching for the pet terminal 30. Furthermore, the control unit 11 can correctly detect a special action by prompting the user to perform an operation to change the posture of the pet terminal 30. In this way, the control unit 11 can perform the registration process through appropriate steps and register the pet terminal 30 (electronic device) at an appropriate timing.

[0058] Furthermore, when the terminal search process is being executed, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display information indicating that the terminal search process is being executed. After the terminal search process is completed, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 17 to display an image (special action explanation screen 172) instructing the user to change the posture of the pet terminal 30. The control unit 11 can distinguishably display the process being executed in the search phase of the pet terminal 30 and the detection phase of a special action in the pet terminal 30. The control unit 11 can prevent an operation for confirming a communication partner from being erroneously performed while searching for a candidate communication partner.

[0059] Furthermore, the change in the posture of the pet terminal 30 is realized when the user places the pet terminal 30 in a predetermined posture position after the terminal search process. The control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 can identify the pet terminal 30 that is to be the communication partner of the smartphone 10 in response to a manual operation on the pet terminal 30 by the user.

[0060] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 detects a change in the posture of the pet terminal 30 based on the output result of the acceleration sensor 361 or the gyro sensor 362 provided in the pet terminal 30. This allows the control unit 11 to easily detect a change in posture.

[0061] Furthermore, the smartphone 10 can transmit predetermined instructions to the pet terminal 30. The pet terminal 30 can perform various operations in response to instructions received from the smartphone 10.

[0062] The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. The detailed configuration and operation of each device constituting the system can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0063] For example, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 may not continue to display the device search screen 171 displayed on the display unit 17 in step S3 until the device search process (step S4) is completed. In this case, the user may perform an operation corresponding to the special action after the special action explanation screen 172 is displayed on the display unit 17 in step S8. In other words, the user may recognize the transition to the special action detection phase by the display of the special action explanation screen 172. Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 may not continue to display the special action explanation screen 172 displayed on the display unit 17 in step S8 until the special action analysis process (step S9) is completed.

[0064] In the above embodiment, an operation corresponding to a special action is described as an example of first setting the pet terminal 30 to a horizontal position and then setting it to a vertical position (head raised), but the operation corresponding to a special action is not limited to this example.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the case has been described in which the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 detects a special action (change in posture) in the pet terminal 30 based on sensor information acquired from the pet terminal 30. Alternatively, the control unit 31 on the pet terminal 30 side may detect a special action in the pet terminal 30 based on the output result of the sensor unit 36, and transmit the detection result to the smartphone 10.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 analyzes whether or not a special action has been performed on the pet terminal 30 based on the output results of the acceleration sensor 361 and the gyro sensor 362 acquired from the pet terminal 30. Alternatively, the control unit 11 of the smartphone 10 may detect a special action on the pet terminal 30 based on the output results of another sensor. For example, the control unit 11 may identify the pet terminal 30 to be registered by detecting that the user has hit the pet terminal 30 a predetermined number of times in succession based on the output result of the touch sensor 363. Furthermore, the control unit 11 may identify the pet terminal 30 to be registered by detecting a voice, such as a user calling out to the pet terminal 30, based on the output result of the microphone 364.

[0067] Furthermore, in the terminal search process (FIG. 4), the number of pet terminals 30 connected to the smartphone 10 is limited to three (step A11), but the upper limit of the number of pet terminals 30 that can be connected to the smartphone 10 may be other than three. Furthermore, it is not necessary to limit the number of pet terminals 30 that can be connected to the smartphone 10.

[0068] Furthermore, the computer-readable medium storing the program for executing each process is not limited to the above examples. Furthermore, a carrier wave may be used as a medium for providing program data via a communication line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10...Smartphone (electronic device, first electronic device), 11...Control unit, 15...BLE communication unit (wireless communication unit), 30...Pet ​​terminal (other electronic device, second electronic device), 35...BLE communication unit (wireless communication unit)

Claims

1. An electronic device having a wireless communication unit, An electronic device comprising: a first process for searching for other electronic devices via the wireless communication unit; a second process for instructing a user to change the posture of the other electronic device if the search in the first process is successful; and a control unit for performing a registration process with the other electronic device whose posture change has been detected.

2. The electronic device described in claim 1, wherein the control unit displays information indicating that the first process is being executed when executing a first process to search for the other electronic device, and displays an image instructing the user to change the posture of the other electronic device in the second process after the first process is completed.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the change in the orientation is realized by a user placing the other electronic device in a predetermined orientation position after the first process.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit detects the change in the attitude of the other electronic device based on an output result of an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor provided in the other electronic device.

5. A device registration processing method between a first electronic device and a second electronic device, each of which has a wireless communication unit, comprising: a first step in which a control unit of the first electronic device performs a first process of searching for the second electronic device via the wireless communication unit of the first electronic device; a second step of performing a second process by the control unit to instruct a user to change the orientation of the second electronic device when the search in the first process is successful; a third step in which the control unit performs a registration process with the second electronic device in which the change in posture has been detected; A registration process method including:

6. the first electronic device is a communication terminal that transmits a predetermined instruction to the second electronic device, 6. The registration processing method according to claim 5, wherein the second electronic device is a robot terminal that operates in response to the predetermined instruction received from the first electronic device.

7. A computer that controls an electronic device having a wireless communication unit, A program for functioning as a control unit that performs a first process of searching for other electronic devices via the wireless communication unit, a second process of instructing the user to change the posture of the other electronic device if the search in the first process is successful, and a registration process with the other electronic device whose posture change has been detected.

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