Communication terminal, communication system, display method, and program

Abstract

To provide a communication terminal capable of presenting an icon including a plurality of pieces of information.SOLUTION: A communication terminal 20 includes an acquisition unit 221 that acquires first information indicating first communication parameters related to the communication status with a device 30 in communication and second information indicating second communication parameters of a different type from the first communication parameters, and a control unit 223 that displays an icon 50 indicating the communication status on the basis of the first information and controls the display mode of the icon 50 on the basis of the second information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication terminal, a communication system, a display method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been disclosed for providing lighting equipment and the like that can increase communication paths when wirelessly communicating with the lighting equipment and select an appropriate communication path as needed (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-126436 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional icons have the problem that information other than the strength of the radio wave intensity cannot be read from the icon.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a communication terminal, a communication system, a display method, and a program that are capable of presenting an icon containing multiple pieces of information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A communication terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating first communication parameters related to a communication status with a communicating device and second information indicating second communication parameters of a different type from the first communication parameters, and a control unit that displays an icon indicating the communication status based on the first information and controls the display mode of the icon based on the second information.

[0007] In addition, a communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an apparatus, a communication terminal that communicates with the apparatus, an acquisition unit that acquires first information and second information that indicate the communication status of communication between the apparatus and the communication terminal, and a control unit that displays an icon based on the first information and controls the display mode of the icon based on the second information.

[0008] Furthermore, a display method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a display method executed by a communication terminal, and includes an acquisition step of acquiring first information indicating first communication parameters related to a communication status with a communicating device and second information indicating second communication parameters of a different type from the first communication parameters, and a control step of displaying an icon indicating the communication status based on the first information and controlling the display mode of the icon based on the second information.

[0009] The present disclosure can be realized not only as the display method, but also as a program for causing a computer to execute the display method, and further as a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to such a communication terminal, communication system, display method and program, an icon containing a plurality of pieces of information can be presented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram of a network of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of a communication terminal according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display during operation of a communication terminal according to an embodiment; [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an icon display mode in a communication terminal according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of a communication terminal, a communication system, a display method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in the independent claims will be described as optional components constituting a preferred embodiment.

[0013] It should be noted that the drawings are schematic diagrams and are not necessarily strict illustrations. In addition, in the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0014] (Embodiment) [composition] First, the configuration of a communication system according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. The communication system 10 includes a communication terminal 20 and a plurality of devices 30.

[0015] In the communication system 10, each of the multiple devices 30 (i.e., device 30 and devices 30a to 30d; hereinafter, multiple devices 30 refers to device 30 and devices 30a to 30d) has a wireless communication function, and the multiple devices 30 form a wireless mesh network 40 (hereinafter also simply referred to as mesh network 40). The wireless mesh network 40 is an example of a wireless communication network.

[0016] 2 is a schematic diagram of a network of a communication system 10 according to an embodiment. Each circle in FIG. 2 corresponds to one device 30 (in other words, a communication node). In the mesh network 40, when information is transmitted from one communication node (also referred to as a first communication node) to another communication node (also referred to as a second communication node), the information is transmitted, for example, by a routing method, but may also be transmitted by other methods such as a flooding method.

[0017] For example, when the device 30 is a lighting device, the information transmitted through the mesh network 40 is control information for controlling the on / off or dimming of the device 30. Also, for example, when the device 30 is an environmental sensor, the information transmitted is measurement values ​​(sensing information) of the environmental sensor.

[0018] First, the communication terminal 20 will be described. The communication terminal 20 is an information terminal used by a user to control the multiple devices 30 that make up the mesh network 40. The communication terminal 20 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The communication terminal 20 may also be a dedicated remote controller used in the communication system 10. Specifically, the communication terminal 20 includes a wireless communication unit 21, an information processing unit 22, a storage unit 23, a display unit 24, and an operation reception unit 25.

[0019] The wireless communication unit 21 is a wireless communication circuit that enables the communication terminal 20 to perform wireless communication (more specifically, radio wave communication) with each of the multiple devices 30. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 21 performs wireless communication in accordance with a communication standard such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) mesh.

[0020] The information processing unit 22 performs information processing in response to a user operation received by the communication terminal 20 via the operation receiving unit 25. The information processing unit 22 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor or a dedicated circuit. The functions of the information processing unit 22 are realized by hardware such as a microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 22 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 23. Specifically, the information processing unit 22 includes an acquisition unit 221, a determination unit 222, and a control unit 223.

[0021] The acquisition unit 221 acquires communication parameters related to wireless communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30.

[0022] The determination unit 222 determines whether the communication parameters acquired by the acquisition unit 221 are within a predetermined range. That is, the determination unit 222 determines the status of wireless communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30.

[0023] Based on the determination result of the determination unit 222, the control unit 223 executes information processing for displaying on the display unit 24 an icon indicating the status of wireless communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30.

[0024] The storage unit 23 is a storage device that stores information necessary for information processing, such as a computer program executed by the information processing unit 22. The storage unit 23 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory. The computer programs stored in the storage unit 23 include a dedicated application program (also referred to as a dedicated app) for operating the communication terminal 20 as a control terminal.

[0025] The display unit 24 displays various images and is realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel.

[0026] The operation reception unit 25 receives operations from the user and is realized by, for example, a touch panel.

[0027] Next, the device 30 will be described. The device 30 has a wireless communication function, and a plurality of devices 30 form a mesh network. The device 30 is, for example, a lighting device such as a base light that is installed on the ceiling of an indoor space and illuminates the indoor space. The type of lighting device is not particularly limited, and may be a ceiling light, a downlight, a spotlight, or the like. Specifically, the device 30 includes a wireless communication unit 31, an information processing unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a function realization unit 34.

[0028] The wireless communication unit 31 is a wireless communication circuit that enables the device 30 to perform wireless communication (more specifically, radio wave communication) with other devices 30 and the communication terminal 20. After the device 30 joins the mesh network 40, the wireless communication unit 31 performs communication through the mesh network 40. Before the device 30 joins the mesh network, the wireless communication unit 31 periodically transmits a beacon signal (sometimes referred to as an advertisement signal, etc.) and performs wireless communication individually with the communication terminal 20 that receives the beacon signal. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 31 performs wireless communication in accordance with a communication standard such as BLE or Bluetooth (registered trademark) mesh.

[0029] The information processing unit 32 executes information processing and the like for the operation of the device 30. The information processing unit 32 controls the function realization unit 34 to operate the device 30. The information processing unit 32 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor or a dedicated circuit. The functions of the information processing unit 32 are realized by hardware such as a microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 32 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 33.

[0030] The storage unit 33 is a storage device that stores various types of information necessary for the operation of the device 30. The storage unit 33 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory or the like.

[0031] The function realization unit 34 is a device for realizing the functions of the device 30 when the device 30 operates. The function realization unit 34 is controlled by the information processing unit 32. For example, if the device 30 is a lighting device, the function realization unit 34 is a light source. The light source irradiates white light into an indoor space so that the lighting device 30 can illuminate the indoor space. The light source is realized by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element, but may also be realized by other light-emitting elements such as a semiconductor laser, an organic EL, or an inorganic EL.

[0032] Like device 30, devices 30a to 30d have the functional configuration of wireless communication units 31a to 31d, information processing units 32a to 32d, storage units 33a to 33d, and function realization units 34a to 34d, and together with device 30, configure a mesh network 40. A user uses communication terminal 20 to control devices 30a to 30d via device 30, which is in wireless communication with communication terminal 20, and mesh network 40.

[0033] [Operation] As described above, in the communication system 10, the plurality of devices 30 configure a mesh network as shown in Fig. 2. Wireless communication (hereinafter also simply referred to as communication) between the plurality of devices 30 is performed in accordance with, for example, a first communication protocol for the mesh network. The first communication protocol is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) mesh.

[0034] On the other hand, the communication terminal 20 does not belong to a mesh network and cannot communicate with multiple devices 30 using the first communication protocol. However, the communication terminal 20 has a communication function that uses a second communication protocol for one-to-one communication. The second communication protocol is a communication protocol different from the first communication protocol, such as BLE. Note that the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are communication protocols that use, for example, the same frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz band).

[0035] When communication terminal 20 performs one-to-one communication with device 30 using the second communication protocol, communication system 10 can present an icon containing multiple pieces of information related to the communication to the user using communication terminal 20. The operation of communication terminal 20 will be described below. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of communication terminal 20 according to the embodiment.

[0036] The communication terminal 20 is performing wireless communication with one of the devices 30 that constitute the mesh network 40.

[0037] First, the acquisition unit 221 acquires first information (S11 in FIG. 3). The first information is information indicating a first communication parameter related to the communication status of communication between the communication terminal 20 and the communicating device 30. The first communication parameter is, for example, a parameter indicating radio wave intensity.

[0038] When the acquisition unit 221 acquires the first information, the control unit 223 displays an icon on the display unit 24 based on the acquired first information (S12 in FIG. 3). The icon takes a finite number of different shapes depending on the first information, that is, the value of the first communication parameter. For example, the icon takes three different shapes: a circle, a shape combining a circle and one arc, and a shape combining a circle and two arcs; when the value of the first communication parameter is relatively small, the icon is displayed as a circle, when the value is medium, the icon is displayed as a circle and one arc, and when the value is relatively large, the icon is displayed as a circle and two arcs.

[0039] Next, the operation receiving unit 25 receives an operation instruction from the user (S13 in FIG. 3). The operation instruction is an instruction to cause the device 30 to perform a predetermined operation. For example, if the device 30 is a lighting device, the instruction is an instruction to control the lighting of the device 30. The operation instruction is received, for example, when the user taps one of a plurality of operation instruction candidates displayed on the display unit 24. The operation instruction may be an instruction to cause another device (e.g., device 30a) constituting the mesh network 40 other than the device 30 wirelessly communicating with the communication terminal 20 to perform a predetermined operation.

[0040] The information processing unit 22 transmits the user's operation instruction received by the operation receiving unit 25 to the device 30 (S14 in FIG. 3). Specifically, the information processing unit 22 transmits the operation instruction to the device 30 via the wireless communication units 21 and 31.

[0041] Next, the determination unit 222 determines whether the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 has been successful (S15 in FIG. 3). Successful communication means that the device 30 has received the operation instruction transmitted by the communication terminal 20. For example, the device 30 transmits operation instruction acquisition completion information indicating that the operation instruction has been acquired from the communication terminal 20 to the communication terminal 20 via the wireless communication unit 31 and the wireless communication unit 21. At this time, if the acquisition unit 221 has acquired the operation instruction acquisition completion information, the determination unit 222 determines that the communication has been successful, and if the acquisition unit 221 has not acquired the operation instruction acquisition completion information even after a predetermined period has elapsed since the transmission of the operation instruction, the determination unit 222 determines that the communication has failed.

[0042] The operation instruction acquisition completion information is information indicating that the device 30, which communicates wirelessly with the communication terminal 20, has acquired an operation instruction, regardless of whether the device 30 has performed the operation in accordance with the operation instruction. Note that the determination method is merely an example and is not particularly limited here.

[0043] If the determination unit 222 determines that the communication has failed (No in S15 of FIG. 3), the acquisition unit 221 acquires the second information (S16 of FIG. 3). The second information is information indicating a second communication parameter, which is a type of communication parameter other than the first communication parameter, among communication parameters related to the communication status of the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the communicating device 30. The second communication parameter is, for example, a parameter indicating a communication speed. Furthermore, the second communication parameter may be a parameter indicating the degree of congestion of the communication frequency band in which the communication is being performed. The content of the second communication parameter is not limited as long as it is related to the communication status.

[0044] When the acquisition unit 221 acquires the second information, the control unit 223 controls the display mode of the icon displayed on the display unit 24 based on the acquired second information (S17 in FIG. 3).

[0045] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen display during operation of communication terminal 20 according to an embodiment. As shown in (a) of Fig. 4, an icon 50 is displayed on display unit 24 of communication terminal 20. Icon 50 is displayed based on first information. As shown in (b) of Fig. 4, the display mode of icon 50 displayed on display unit 24 is controlled.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display mode of an icon in communication terminal 20 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, there are nine types of icon display modes, icon 511 to icon 533. The nine types of display modes are distinguishably presented by combining three types of shapes based on the first information and three types of colors based on the second information. For example, icon 511 is an icon presented when the value of both the first communication parameter and the value of the second communication parameter are relatively large. For example, icon 533 is an icon presented when the value of both the first communication parameter and the value of the second communication parameter are relatively small. Comparing icons 511, 521, and 531, the values ​​of the first communication parameters are approximately the same, and the values ​​of the second communication parameters decrease in this order. Comparing icons 511, 512, and 513, the values ​​of the second communication parameters are approximately the same, and the values ​​of the first communication parameters decrease in this order.

[0047] In this embodiment, the first information is presented to the user by a change in the shape of the icon, and the second information is presented to the user by a change in the color of the icon, but the display manner of the icon is not limited to this. For example, the first information may be presented by a change in the blinking speed of the icon, or by a change in the size of the icon. Furthermore, the change in the color of the icon may be a change in the shade of the color. Furthermore, the second information may be presented by a combination of these.

[0048] Here, there are three types of shapes based on the first information and three types of colors based on the second information, but the types of shapes and colors may be two or four or more.

[0049] Furthermore, by combining another display mode based on third information, which is information indicating a third communication parameter, which is a type of communication parameter other than the first communication parameter and the second communication parameter, three types of information may be presented to the user using a single icon.

[0050] When the determining unit 222 determines that the communication has been successful (Yes in S15 of FIG. 3), the communication terminal 20 ends the operation of monitoring the communication status of the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30.

[0051] It is not necessary to determine whether the communication has been successful in step S15 in Fig. 3. In other words, regardless of whether the communication has been successful, the second information may be acquired at the timing when the communication is executed, and the display mode of the icon may be controlled based on the second information.

[0052] Furthermore, without relying on the above-described operation, when the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 are connected by wireless communication, the second information may be acquired and the display mode of the icon may be controlled based on the second information.

[0053] According to the above-described operation, communication terminal 20 presents an icon including multiple pieces of information related to communication. Therefore, the user can check multiple communication parameters related to communication between communication terminal 20 and device 30 by checking one icon 50.

[0054] [Effects, etc.] The technology obtained from the present disclosure will be exemplified and described together with the effects obtained from the technology.

[0055] Technique 1 is a communication terminal 20 including: an acquisition unit 221 that acquires first information indicating first communication parameters related to a communication status with a communicating device 30 and second information indicating second communication parameters of a different type from the first communication parameters; and a control unit 223 that displays an icon 50 indicating the communication status based on the first information and controls the display mode of the icon 50 based on the second information.

[0056] According to such a communication terminal 20, the user can check a plurality of communication parameters relating to the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 by checking one icon 50.

[0057] Technique 2 is the communication terminal 20 of technique 1, in which the display mode includes at least one of color, size, and blinking state.

[0058] According to such a communication terminal 20, the user can check a plurality of communication parameters related to the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 by checking the color, size, blinking state, etc. of the icon 50.

[0059] Technique 3 is the communication terminal 20 of Technique 1 or 2, in which the first communication parameter is a parameter indicating the radio wave strength of communication with the device 30.

[0060] According to such a communication terminal 20, the user can check the radio wave strength of the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 by checking the icon 50.

[0061] Technique 4 is a communication terminal 20 according to any one of techniques 1 to 3, in which the second communication parameter is a parameter indicating the communication speed of communication with the device 30.

[0062] According to such a communication terminal 20, the user can check the communication speed of the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 by checking the icon 50.

[0063] Technique 5 is the communication terminal 20 of any one of techniques 1 to 4, further comprising a display unit 24 that displays an icon.

[0064] According to such a communication terminal 20, the user can check a plurality of communication parameters relating to the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 by checking the icon 50 displayed on the display unit 24.

[0065] Technique 6 is the communication terminal 20 according to any one of techniques 1 to 5, in which the control unit 223 executes control when communication with the device 30 is being executed.

[0066] According to such a communication terminal 20, when communication is performed between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30, the user can check a plurality of communication parameters related to the communication by checking one icon 50.

[0067] Technique 7 is the communication terminal 20 according to any one of techniques 1 to 6, in which the control unit 223 executes control when communication with the device 30 fails.

[0068] According to such a communication terminal 20, when communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 fails, the user can check multiple communication parameters related to the communication by checking one icon 50.

[0069] Technique 8 is communication terminal 20 of any one of techniques 1 to 7, in which device 30 is a lighting-related device.

[0070] According to such a communication terminal 20, the user can check a plurality of communication parameters relating to communication between the communication terminal 20 and lighting-related devices by checking one icon 50.

[0071] Technique 9 is communication terminal 20 of technique 8, in which the lighting-related device is any one of a plurality of lighting-related devices that communicate with each other.

[0072] With such a communication terminal 20, a user can check multiple communication parameters related to communication between the communication terminal 20 and any one of the lighting-related devices that make up the mesh network 40 by checking one icon 50.

[0073] Technique 10 is a communication system 10 including a device 30, a communication terminal 20 that communicates with the device 30, an acquisition unit 221 that acquires first information and second information that indicate the communication status of communication between the device 30 and the communication terminal 20, and a control unit 223 that displays an icon 50 based on the first information and controls the display mode of the icon 50 based on the second information.

[0074] According to such a communication system 10, the user can check a plurality of communication parameters related to the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 by checking one icon 50.

[0075] Technique 11 is a display method executed by a communication terminal 20, and includes an acquisition step of acquiring first information indicating first communication parameters related to the communication status with a communicating device 30 and second information indicating second communication parameters of a different type from the first communication parameters, and a control step of displaying an icon 50 indicating the communication status based on the first information and controlling the display mode of the icon 50 based on the second information.

[0076] This display method can assist the user in checking multiple communication parameters related to communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 by checking one icon 50 using the communication terminal 20.

[0077] Technique 12 is a program for executing the display method of technique 11.

[0078] Such a program can assist a user in using the communication terminal 20 to check a number of communication parameters relating to the communication between the communication terminal 20 and the device 30 .

[0079] (Other embodiments) The communication terminal, communication system, display method, and program according to the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. As long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention, various modifications that a person skilled in the art can conceive of to the embodiments, and other forms constructed by combining some of the components of the embodiments, are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the communication system is realized by a plurality of devices. As such, the "system" in this specification may be composed of a plurality of devices or a single device. When the system is composed of a plurality of devices, the components (especially functional components) of the system may be distributed among the devices in any manner.

[0081] Furthermore, the method of communication between the devices in the above-described embodiment is not particularly limited. Furthermore, a relay device (such as a broadband router, not shown) may be involved in the communication between the devices.

[0082] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0083] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0084] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10. Communication Systems 20. Communication terminals 221 Acquisition Department 223 Control Unit 24 Display 30, 30a~30d equipment 40 Mesh Network 50, 511, 512, 513, 521, 522, 523, 531, 532, 533 icons

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating first communication parameters related to a communication status with a communicating device and second information indicating second communication parameters of a type different from the first communication parameters; a control unit that displays an icon indicating a communication status based on the first information and controls a display mode of the icon based on the second information, Communications terminal.

2. The display mode includes at least one of color, size, and blinking state. The communication terminal according to claim 1 .

3. the first communication parameter is a parameter indicating radio wave strength of communication with the device; 3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the second communication parameter is a parameter indicating a communication speed of communication with the device; 3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

5. Further, a display unit for displaying the icon is provided.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The control unit executes the control when communication with the device is being executed.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The control unit executes the control when communication with the device fails.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The device is a lighting-related device.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The lighting-related devices form a mesh network. The communication terminal according to claim 8.

10. Equipment and a communication terminal that communicates with the device; an acquisition unit that acquires first information and second information indicating a communication status of communication between the device and the communication terminal; a control unit that displays an icon based on the first information and controls a display mode of the icon based on the second information, Communication system.

11. A display method executed by a communication terminal, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring first information indicating first communication parameters relating to a communication status with a communicating device and second information indicating second communication parameters of a type different from the first communication parameters; a control step of displaying an icon indicating a communication status based on the first information and controlling a display mode of the icon based on the second information, Display method.

12. A program for executing the display method according to claim 11.

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