Electronic apparatus, electronic apparatus information communication system, and electronic apparatus information acquisition method

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus information communication system for quickly and easily transmitting information acquired from an electronic apparatus by visible light communication to the outside.SOLUTION: The electronic apparatus information communication system 1 includes an in-vehicle communication device (electronic apparatus) 10, a smartphone 20, and a management terminal 30. The in-vehicle communication apparatus 10 outputs, by visible light communication, apparatus information that is information regarding the in-vehicle communication apparatus 10, and transmission destination information that is used as a transmission destination of the apparatus information. The smartphone 20 acquires the device information and the transmission destination information from the in-vehicle communication apparatus 10 by visible light communication, and transmits the device information to the transmission destination based on the transmission destination information. Management terminal 30 receives the device information transmitted by smartphone 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to an electronic device that outputs information using visible light communication. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a communication method (visible light communication) has been known in which predetermined information is output by modulating the LED lamp of an electronic device, the illumination of a lighting fixture, or the like at high speed. Patent Documents 1 to 5 disclose technologies related to visible light communication.

[0003] Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose electronic devices that output information primarily through visible light communication. Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device (PLC modem) equipped with a light-emitting display unit for visible light communication. For example, if the transmission speed deteriorates, this communication device outputs the cause of the deterioration through visible light communication. Patent Document 1 discloses not only visible light communication that flashes the light-emitting display unit, but also visible light communication that changes the lighting color of the light-emitting display unit.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a surveillance camera equipped with a red LED for visible light communication. The surveillance camera outputs, via visible light communication, the URL of a website containing information about the camera itself.

[0005] Patent Documents 3 to 5 disclose systems that acquire information via visible light communication and perform maintenance, etc. Patent Document 3 discloses a maintenance system that includes a lamp light-emitting unit (traffic light) and a maintenance device. The lamp light-emitting unit outputs the manufacturing date and serial number, etc. via visible light communication. The maintenance device acquires the visible light output by the lamp light-emitting unit, determines the lifespan of the lamp light-emitting unit, and displays the determination result. The maintenance device also transmits this determination result to an external counting sensor.

[0006] Patent Document 4 discloses an elevator operation and display device that outputs model numbers and other information via visible light communication, and a maintenance device that receives this visible light and displays the acquired information. Patent Document 5 discloses a system that includes an LED tunnel lighting fixture that outputs information such as a decrease in illuminance via visible light communication, and a receiver that receives this visible light.

[0007] Furthermore, Patent Document 6 discloses a system in which a call center analyzes the details of a fault based on information from a vehicle and transmits the results to the vehicle. In Patent Document 6, the information from the vehicle is transmitted from the vehicle to the call center by telephone or the like, rather than by visible light communication. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4849872 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-15637 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-107823 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-167004 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 4526095 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-109690 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Incidentally, Patent Document 3 merely discloses a configuration for transmitting information acquired by visible light communication to the outside, but does not describe how to transmit the information to the outside. Furthermore, other patent documents do not describe the act of transmitting information acquired by visible light communication to the outside.

[0010] For example, when transmitting information externally using an internet connection, destination information such as an email address or IP address is required. If the destination information is not pre-registered in the maintenance device, the user must obtain the destination information from the electronic device's manual or a website, and then input it into the maintenance device. As described above, conventional configurations are time-consuming for the user and can take a long time to transmit information obtained via visible light communication.

[0011] Furthermore, as shown in Patent Document 6, when a user reports a malfunction of a device over the telephone, it is difficult for the user to accurately convey the information required by the call center, especially if the user is not familiar with the configuration of the device. Therefore, it is conceivable that the malfunction cannot be dealt with appropriately.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device information communication system that quickly and easily transmits information acquired from an electronic device through visible light communication to an external device.

[0013] The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, the means for solving this problem and the effects thereof will be explained.

[0014] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device having the following configuration. That is, the electronic device includes a storage unit, a light-emitting unit, and a light-emitting control unit. The storage unit stores device information, which is information about the electronic device itself, and destination information used as a destination of the device information. The light-emitting unit emits visible light. The light-emitting control unit controls the light-emitting unit to output the device information and the destination information stored in the storage unit via visible light communication.

[0015] This allows not only device information but also destination information to be output via visible light communication, making it possible to quickly and easily transmit device information to the outside. In addition, since the electronic device itself outputs device information, accurate information can be transmitted to the outside.

[0016] In the electronic device, the device information preferably includes a unique number of the device itself and information about the state of the device itself.

[0017] This allows the electronic device and its status to be accurately transmitted to the outside, so that even if a problem occurs in the electronic device, appropriate measures can be taken quickly.

[0018] In the electronic device, it is preferable that the light emission control unit changes the color of the light emission in addition to turning on or off the light emission unit when performing visible light communication.

[0019] This allows the amount of communication per unit time to be increased by transmitting information using the lighting color in addition to the blinking of the light-emitting unit. Also, by changing the lighting color only while visible light communication is taking place, it is possible to notify the user that visible light communication is taking place.

[0020] It is preferable that the electronic device is installed in a vehicle and exchanges information by wireless communication based on the device's own unique number or the unique number of an inserted card.

[0021] Since this type of electronic device generally does not have a display, device information or destination information must be communicated to the user using voice, which is not accurate or fast. In this regard, by using visible light communication, this information can be communicated to the user simply and reliably.

[0022] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the following electronic device information communication system. That is, this electronic device information communication system includes the electronic device described above, a mobile terminal, and a management terminal. The mobile terminal acquires the device information and the destination information from the electronic device via visible light communication, and transmits the device information to a destination based on the destination information. The management terminal receives the device information transmitted by the mobile terminal.

[0023] This allows the mobile terminal to obtain not only device information but also destination information through visible light communication, thereby enabling the device information to be transmitted to the management terminal easily and quickly.

[0024] In the electronic device information communication system, it is preferable that the management terminal displays the device information received from the mobile terminal or information created based on the device information.

[0025] This allows the status of one or more electronic devices to be grasped at a glance, making it possible to deal with any malfunctions appropriately.

[0026] The electronic device information communication system preferably has the following configuration: the mobile terminal transmits the device information and its address information to the management terminal, and the management terminal transmits information created based on the device information to the mobile terminal based on the address information.

[0027] As a result, the management terminal sends a reply based on accurate device information output by the electronic device, allowing the user to obtain information that accurately matches the current state of the electronic device.

[0028] The electronic device information communication system preferably has the following configuration: the mobile terminal transmits the device information and location information of the electronic device or the mobile terminal to the management terminal, and the management terminal transmits the device information received from the mobile terminal or information created based on the device information to a terminal selected based on the device information and the location information.

[0029] This allows the management terminal to handle the malfunction of the electronic device by using another terminal (or a serviceman near the terminal) selected based on the user's location and the state of the electronic device.

[0030] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the following electronic device information acquisition method. That is, this electronic device information acquisition method includes a visible light communication step, an information transmitting step, and an information receiving step. In the visible light communication step, a light-emitting unit of the electronic device is controlled to transmit device information, which is information about the electronic device, and destination information used as a destination of the device information, via visible light communication. In the information transmitting step, the device information and the destination information are acquired from the electronic device via visible light communication, and the device information is transmitted to a destination based on the destination information. In the information receiving step, the device information transmitted by the mobile terminal is received.

[0031] This allows the mobile terminal to obtain not only device information but also destination information through visible light communication, thereby enabling the device information to be transmitted to the management terminal easily and quickly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram of devices constituting an electronic device information communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the contents stored in a storage unit of the in-vehicle communication device. [Figure 3] This is a flow diagram for when the management center automatically responds to a malfunction. [Figure 4] This is a flow diagram for when the management center assigns the handling of a problem to another service center. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the display screen of a smartphone when acquiring information from an in-vehicle communication device via visible light communication. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the display screen of a smartphone when transmitting information acquired from an in-vehicle communication device and when receiving a determination result. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] The electronic device information communication system 1 of this embodiment is composed of an in-vehicle communication device (electronic device) 10, a smartphone (mobile terminal) 20, a management terminal 30, and a service terminal 40. The electronic device information communication system 1 is configured to read information relating to a malfunction that has occurred in the in-vehicle communication device 10 using the smartphone 20 and transmit the information to the management terminal 30. Each device will be described in detail below.

[0035] The in-vehicle communication device 10 is attached to an automobile and can be used with the ETC system by inserting an ETC card. As shown in Fig. 1, the in-vehicle communication device 10 includes an LED lamp (light-emitting unit) 11, operation keys 12, a speaker 13, a card insertion unit 14, a communication control unit 15, a memory unit 16, and a light-emitting control unit 17.

[0036] The LED lamp 11 is arranged on the front of the in-vehicle communication device 10 and is a lamp that uses an LED as a light source. The LED lamp 11 can change the emitted color, but may emit only one color. The operation keys 12 are keys arranged on the front of the in-vehicle communication device 10. A user can operate the operation keys 12 to cause the in-vehicle communication device 10 to start visible light communication. The speaker 13 outputs the status of the in-vehicle communication device 10 or any errors that have occurred by voice. Since the in-vehicle communication device 10 does not have a display, information is conveyed to the user by voice.

[0037] The card insertion section 14 is a section for inserting an ETC card. The ETC card is an IC card incorporating an integrated circuit, and communication identification information for identifying the toll payer, etc. is stored in advance. The communication control section 15 reads the communication identification information from the ETC card inserted into the card insertion section 14, and can communicate with roadside equipment, etc. in the ETC lane based on this communication identification information. Note that the in-vehicle communication device 10 may also be used for purposes other than toll payment. For example, it is used in a system that communicates with roadside equipment installed at the entrance to a parking lot and allows only vehicles equipped with in-vehicle communication devices 10 with pre-registered communication identification information to pass through.

[0038] The storage unit 16 stores various information related to the in-vehicle communication device 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 16 stores device information, status information, and destination information. The device information is information related to the in-vehicle communication device 10 itself, and is information that is stored in advance at the time of product shipment. Examples of device information include the manufacturer, product model number, serial number (a unique number assigned by the manufacturer that has a different value for each product), in-vehicle device management number (a unique number that has a different value for each in-vehicle communication device), and the URL of a website that lists product information. In addition to the above, retailer information may also be added.

[0039] The status information is information relating to the status of the in-vehicle communication device 10. Examples of the status information include the period of use (the time from setup or purchase to the present) and self-diagnosis information (results of self-diagnosis, error codes, etc.). Note that the date and time of setup or purchase may be stored instead of the period of use.

[0040] The destination information is information used as a destination of information acquired from the in-vehicle communication device 10. Examples of the destination information include a telephone number and an email address of a management center, etc. Alternatively, the IP address of the management terminal 30 may be used instead of an email address.

[0041] The light-emission control unit 17 can change whether or not the LED lamp 11 is lit and the color of the light. When performing visible light communication, the light-emission control unit 17 first converts the content stored in the memory unit 16 into a signal for visible light communication. Next, the light-emission control unit 17 controls the LED lamp 11 based on the converted signal, thereby outputting the information stored in the memory unit 16 via visible light communication.

[0042] Next, a description will be given of the smartphone 20. The smartphone 20 includes a display unit 21, a position detection unit 22, a camera 23, a calculation unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

[0043] The display unit 21 is a display that can display various types of information. The display unit 21 is a touch panel display, and instructions can be given to the smartphone 20 by touching the display unit 21. The position detection unit 22 detects the position of the smartphone 20 using a GPS or the like.

[0044] The camera 23 acquires images and videos. The camera 23 is used to acquire information output by the in-vehicle communication device 10 via visible light communication. The calculation unit 24 is hardware configured with a CPU and the like. The calculation unit 24 can demodulate information acquired via visible light communication by executing application software provided by the manufacturer of the in-vehicle communication device 10 or the like. The communication unit 25 can perform voice calls or data communication using a mobile phone line.

[0045] The management terminal 30 is installed in a management center (call center) or the like of the in-vehicle communication device 10. The management terminal 30 includes a communication unit 31, a display unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a control unit .

[0046] The communication unit 31 communicates with the smartphone 20, the service terminal 40, etc. via an Internet line. The display unit 32 displays information about the in-vehicle communication device 10 acquired from the smartphone 20. The storage unit 33 stores the information about the in-vehicle communication device 10 acquired from the smartphone 20 and a processing method for dealing with a malfunction of the in-vehicle communication device 10. The control unit 34 deals with the malfunction based on the information about the in-vehicle communication device 10 acquired from the smartphone 20 (details will be described later).

[0047] The service terminal 40 is installed at a service base where maintenance of the in-vehicle communication device 10 is performed. There are multiple service bases. The management terminal 30 registers the locations of the service bases and the maintenance work that can be performed at the service bases.

[0048] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, a flow when a user acquires information from the in-vehicle communication device 10 and outputs it to the management terminal 30 using the smartphone 20 will be described.

[0049] When the in-vehicle communication device 10 detects that a user has instructed to perform visible light communication (S101 in FIG. 3), it converts the information stored in the storage unit 16 into a signal for visible light communication (S102). Note that the process of S102 can be omitted by converting the stored contents of the storage unit 16 into a signal for visible light communication and storing it in advance. In particular, it is preferable to convert the device information into a signal for visible light communication and store it, since it does not change over time.

[0050] Next, the in-vehicle communication device 10 controls the lighting and color of the LED lamp 11 based on the converted signal, thereby outputting the contents stored in the storage unit 16 by visible light communication (S103). Here, the device information, status information, and destination information stored in the storage unit 16 are output by visible light communication.

[0051] Since it is difficult to select necessary information by operating the in-vehicle communication device 10 that does not have a display, this embodiment employs a configuration in which a large amount of information is output all at once. Note that since the information stored in the storage unit 16 is all text data and therefore the amount of information is small, the communication time is sufficiently short even if all the information is output via visible light communication. Of course, a configuration in which the content to be transmitted via visible light communication is selected based on a user instruction or setting content may also be used.

[0052] In addition, in S103, various methods for performing visible light communication while changing the illumination color are conceivable. For example, by outputting information using not only whether or not the light is on but also changes in the illumination color, the amount of information that can be output per unit time can be increased. Furthermore, by changing the illumination color at the start and end of visible light communication, it is possible to omit signals indicating the start and end of visible light communication or to notify the user of the start and end of communication. Furthermore, by changing the illumination color when visible light communication is being performed and when it is normal, it is possible to confirm to the user that visible light communication is being performed.

[0053] The user uses the camera 23 of the smartphone 20 to read the information output by the in-vehicle communication device 10 through visible light communication (S104). Specifically, the user starts application software provided by the manufacturer of the in-vehicle communication device 10, and reads the LED lamp 11 as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b). Note that the user may also use ordinary video capture software on the smartphone 20 to capture a video of the blinking of the LED lamp 11, and have the video read into the application software.

[0054] When the smartphone 20 has finished reading the information, it asks the user how to handle the acquired information, as shown in Fig. 5(c). Fig. 5(c) displays three options: "Display acquired information," "Display relevant manual," and "Send acquired information by email."

[0055] When "Display acquired information" is selected, the content acquired by visible light communication, i.e., the stored content of the storage unit 16, is displayed on the display unit 21 of the smartphone 20. This allows the user to check the vehicle-mounted device management number and the telephone number of the management center.

[0056] If "Display relevant manual" is selected, the manual is downloaded based on the URL in the device information. Then, the smartphone 20 identifies the problem based on the self-diagnosis information and displays a page appropriate for dealing with the problem. This reduces the user's effort.

[0057] When "Send acquired information by email" is selected, as shown in FIG. 6(a), an email is created addressed to the management terminal 30, with the contents stored in the storage unit 16 and the location information detected by the location detection unit 22 written in the body of the email. Then, when the user instructs "send," this email is sent to the management terminal 30 (S105). In this embodiment, the sender address of this email (the email address of the smartphone 20) corresponds to the address information.

[0058] The management terminal 30 receives the stored contents of the storage unit 16 and the location information from the smartphone 20 by email (S106). Note that instead of email, the information may be sent by SMS (Short Message Service) using a telephone number, or by packet communication using the IP address of the management terminal 30. The management terminal 30 displays the information acquired in this manner on the display unit 32 (S107). Note that when SMS is used, the telephone number of the smartphone 20 corresponds to the address information, and when packet communication is used, the IP address of the sender (smartphone 20) corresponds to the address information.

[0059] Next, the management terminal 30 analyzes the acquired information and considers how to deal with the malfunction (S108). Specifically, the management terminal 30 identifies the in-vehicle communication device 10 by the model number and serial number, and further identifies the malfunction based on the self-diagnosis information. Then, the management terminal 30 reads out how to deal with the malfunction based on the information stored in the memory unit 33.

[0060] First, a case where the management terminal 30 determines that the problem can be dealt with by sending an email reply (S109) will be described. In this case, the management terminal 30 sends an email to the email address of the smartphone 20, with the method for dealing with the problem read from the storage unit 33 written in the body of the email (S110).

[0061] The smartphone 20 receives this email (S111) and displays it on the display unit 21 (S112). For example, if a problem has occurred in which the ETC card cannot be detected, the management terminal 30 sends the email shown in FIG. 6(b) to the smartphone 20.

[0062] Next, a case where the management terminal 30 considers how to deal with the malfunction and determines that it cannot deal with the malfunction on its own device will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Note that S201 to S208 in Fig. 6 are the same processes as S101 to S108 in Fig. 5, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0063] If the management terminal 30 determines that it cannot handle the malfunction by itself (S209), it selects a service center suitable for handling the malfunction (S210). The selection in S210 is made based on the location information and the details of the malfunction received from the smartphone 20. The management terminal 30 transmits the device information and status information of the in-vehicle communication device 10 and the address information of the smartphone 20 to the service terminal 40 of the selected service center (S211). The management terminal 30 may also notify the smartphone 20 that the information has been sent to the service terminal 40.

[0064] The service terminal 40 receives this information (S212). At the service base where the service terminal 40 is installed, a service technician is selected to deal with the received malfunction. The selected service technician contacts the smartphone 20 using the received address information (S213). The user responds to this contact (S214) and deals with the malfunction of the in-vehicle communication device 10 by performing repairs according to the service technician's instructions or by bringing the in-vehicle communication device 10 to the service base.

[0065] As described above, the electronic device information communication system 1 of this embodiment includes an in-vehicle communication device 10, a smartphone 20, and a management terminal 30. The in-vehicle communication device 10 outputs device information, which is information about the in-vehicle communication device itself, and destination information used as a destination of the device information, via visible light communication. The smartphone 20 acquires the device information and destination information from the in-vehicle communication device 10 via visible light communication, and transmits the device information to the destination based on the destination information. The management terminal 30 receives the device information transmitted by the smartphone 20.

[0066] This allows the smartphone 20 to acquire not only device information but also destination information through visible light communication. Therefore, the device information can be easily and quickly transmitted to the management terminal 30. Furthermore, since the in-vehicle communication device 10 itself outputs the device information, accurate information can be transmitted to the management terminal 30.

[0067] The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the above configuration can be modified, for example, as follows.

[0068] The in-vehicle communication device 10 may be configured to perform the processes from S102 onward and output information by visible light communication not only when an instruction is received from the user but also when a malfunction is detected through self-diagnosis.

[0069] Although the above description has been given using an in-vehicle communication device 10 as an example of an electronic device, the present invention can also be applied to other electronic devices mounted on a moving object, such as marine electronic devices and car navigation devices. When applied to marine electronic devices, in addition to the information described above, information on the track, AIS, waypoints, water depth, water temperature, echo, engine, etc. is transmitted. When applied to car navigation devices, in addition to the information described above, information on vehicle inspection, route, mileage, fuel consumption, etc. is transmitted. The present invention can also be applied to devices other than electronic devices mounted on a moving object. Note that, due to the characteristics of the present invention, it can be more effective when applied to electronic devices that do not have a display or electronic devices with a damaged display.

[0070] The location information may be detected by the in-vehicle communication device 10 and output by visible light communication instead of the smartphone 20. When the present invention is applied to an electronic device whose position does not change, the location information may be stored in advance.

[0071] As the mobile terminal, a mobile phone, a tablet PC, a dedicated terminal, etc. can be used in addition to the smartphone 20. Furthermore, the mobile terminal only needs to be able to detect light emission from the light-emitting unit, and does not need to have a function for capturing video.

[0072] The management terminal 30 that has acquired the device information and the like may perform any process. For example, the content notified from the smartphone 20 may be stored in a database and used for software improvements and the like.

[0073] The electronic device information communication system 1 can be applied not only to dealing with malfunctions of electronic devices but also to a system that periodically acquires and manages the status of electronic devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Electronic equipment and information communication systems 10 In-vehicle communication equipment (electronic equipment) 11 LED lamp (light-emitting part) 16 Memory section 17 Light Emission Control Unit 20 Smartphones (mobile devices) 23 Camera 30 Management terminal

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores device information, which is information about the device itself, and destination information used as a destination of the device information; a light-emitting unit that emits visible light; a light-emitting control unit that controls the light-emitting unit to output the device information and the destination information stored in the storage unit by visible light communication; An electronic device comprising:

2. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The electronic device is characterized in that the device information includes a unique number of the device itself and information regarding the state of the device itself.

3. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The electronic device is characterized in that the light emission control unit changes the color of the light emission in addition to whether the light emission unit is lit when performing visible light communication.

4. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, An electronic device that is installed in a vehicle and transmits and receives information via wireless communication based on its own unique number or the unique number of an inserted card.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1; a mobile terminal that acquires the device information and the destination information from the electronic device through visible light communication and transmits the device information to a destination based on the destination information; a management terminal that receives the device information transmitted by the mobile terminal; An electronic device information communication system comprising:

6. 6. The electronic device information communication system according to claim 5, The electronic device information communication system is characterized in that the management terminal displays device information received from the mobile terminal or information created based on the device information.

7. 6. The electronic device information communication system according to claim 5, The mobile terminal transmits the address information of the mobile terminal together with the device information to the management terminal, The electronic device information communication system is characterized in that the management terminal transmits information created based on the device information to the mobile terminal based on the address information.

8. 6. The electronic device information communication system according to claim 5, The mobile terminal transmits the device information together with location information of the electronic device or the mobile terminal to the management terminal; An electronic device information communication system characterized in that the management terminal transmits device information received from the mobile terminal or information created based on the device information to a terminal selected based on the device information and the location information.

9. a visible light communication step of controlling a light emitting unit of an electronic device to transmit, by visible light communication, device information relating to the electronic device and destination information used as a destination of the device information; an information transmitting step of acquiring the device information and the destination information from the electronic device by visible light communication using a mobile terminal, and transmitting the device information to a destination based on the destination information; an information receiving step of receiving the device information transmitted by the mobile terminal; 10. A method for acquiring information about an electronic device, comprising:

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