Communication system, terminal equipment, and device identification method

Abstract

When one or more identification pieces discovered during the device discovery process are presented as a list, it becomes easier to identify the identification piece corresponding to the target device. [Solution] The device search unit 211 of the upper terminal 2 searches for nearby lower terminals 1 capable of wireless communication and performs a device search process that presents the identification information of the discovered lower terminals 1 as a list. At that time, the list presentation unit 211c associates a specific lower terminal 1 with the identification information of that specific lower terminal 1 based on the operation information of the hardware that the specific lower terminal 1 has, and presents the list in a manner that allows the identification information of the target lower terminal 1 to be easily identified by distinguishing the identification information of the target lower terminal 1 from other identification information in the response data which contains operation information indicating that the hardware of the lower terminal 1 has been operated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system, a terminal device, and a device identification method, and is particularly suitable for use in a communication system configured to register and use identification information of a plurality of lower-level terminals wirelessly connected to a higher-level terminal.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, when using a device having a wireless communication function by connecting it to a network, it is necessary to register the identification information of the device in the communication system. When performing this registration, a wirelessly communicable device is searched by a device search process of a higher-level terminal included in the communication system, and the identification information of the discovered device is presented. When a plurality of wirelessly communicable devices are found by the search process, the identification information of the plurality of devices is presented as a list.

[0003] When a plurality of identification information is presented as a list, it is necessary to specify the identification information corresponding to the target device from the list and register it in the communication system. However, since the identification information presented in the list is composed of character strings having no specific meaning, it is difficult for the user to specify the identification information corresponding to the target device from within the list.

[0004] In addition, when it is detected by referring to the usage实绩DB that the search results of the printing device include a printing device whose identification information has been acquired via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark; the same shall apply hereinafter), when displaying a list of printing devices included in the search results, a technique has been known in which the printing device whose identification information has been acquired is displayed so as to be distinguishable from other printing devices included in the list (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] Furthermore, in the search for printing processing devices performed by a data processing device, if multiple printing processing devices are found on the LAN to which the data processing device participates, a technology is known that displays a list of the search results in order of the strength of the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) radio waves received from the printing processing devices (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-182292 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-116649 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, when multiple wireless communication-capable devices are found through the search process, it is possible to distinguish and recognize devices that have been used before from those that have not. Furthermore, according to the technology described in Patent Document 2, when multiple wireless communication-capable devices are found through the search process, it is possible to recognize devices in order of radio wave strength in the presented list. However, in either case, it is difficult to identify the identification information corresponding to the target device from among the multiple identification information presented as a list.

[0008] This invention was made to solve such problems, and aims to make it possible to easily identify the identification information corresponding to the target device when multiple wireless communication-capable devices are discovered through a device discovery process and multiple identification information is presented as a list. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention uses a collaborative process between a higher-level terminal and a lower-level terminal to associate a specific lower-level terminal with the identification information of that specific lower-level terminal, based on the operating information of the hardware that the specific lower-level terminal possesses, among one or more lower-level terminals discovered by the device discovery process of the higher-level terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention configured as described above, when one or more wirelessly wirelessly capable lower-level terminals are discovered through the device discovery process of the upper-level terminal and one or more identification pieces of information are presented as a list, the identification piece of a specific lower-level terminal is identified based on the operating information of the hardware provided by that specific lower-level terminal. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily identify the identification piece of the target lower-level terminal based on the operating information of the hardware. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the overall configuration of a service provision system applying the communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a lower-end terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a host terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of a lower-level terminal and a higher-level terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of how the list is displayed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the operation of the device discovery process of a communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of a lower-level terminal and a higher-level terminal according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of how the list is displayed according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9]This flowchart shows an example of the operation of the device discovery process of a communication system according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a service provision system to which the communication system according to the first embodiment is applied. The service provision system shown in Figure 1 is configured to include a plurality of lower-level terminals 1 having wireless communication means, a plurality of upper-level terminals 2 also having wireless communication means, and a management device 3 that gives operation instructions to the lower-level terminals 1 via the upper-level terminals 2. The management device 3 includes an MQTT broker 31 and a Web server 32. The communication system according to the first embodiment is composed of lower-level terminals 1 and upper-level terminals 2.

[0013] The wireless communication method is, for example, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). In this case, the lower-level terminal 1 operates as a BLE slave (peripheral), and the upper-level terminal 2 operates as a BLE master (central). Note that the wireless communication method is not limited to BLE; it may also be, for example, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or other wireless LAN. Wireless communication between multiple lower-level terminals 1 and multiple upper-level terminals 2 takes place between terminals within communication range.

[0014] The lower-level terminal 1 communicates wirelessly with the upper-level terminal 2, and its operation is controlled by the upper-level terminal 2. The lower-level terminal 1 also transmits its own information to the upper-level terminal 2. For example, the lower-level terminal 1 transmits its own identification information, information indicating the operation status of switches, buttons, etc. to the upper-level terminal 2. Note that these are just examples of the information that may be transmitted, and are not limited to these. For example, it may transmit the battery voltage detected by the voltage sensor, the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor, information identifying the image currently displayed on the display (such as the number of a fixed image being displayed (1-8) or a number indicating that an arbitrary image is being displayed (0)), its own model information, firmware version information, etc.

[0015] The upper terminal 2 performs wireless communication with the lower terminal 1 and communicates with the management device 3 via a communication network such as the Internet and / or a mobile phone network using HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport). Here, MQTT communication is performed between the upper terminal 2 and the MQTT broker 31, and HTTP communication is performed between the upper terminal 2 and the Web server 32. The upper terminal 2 controls the lower terminal 1 according to the operation instructions received from the management device 3. In addition, the upper terminal 2 registers the identification information obtained from the lower terminal 1 in the management device 3 and notifies the management device 3 of at least a part of the information obtained from the lower terminal 1 as status information.

[0016] The MQTT broker 31 of the management device 3 operates as a base station server between the upper terminal 2 and the Web server 32 to realize real-time push communication from the Web server 32 to the upper terminal 2 and from the upper terminal 2 to the Web server 32. The transmission of operation instructions from the management device 3 to the upper terminal 2 and the transmission of status information from the upper terminal 2 to the management device 3 are performed by MQTT communication using the MQTT broker 31.

[0017] MQTT is a communication protocol for exchanging lightweight information between the Web server 32 and the upper terminal 2 via the MQTT broker 31. The Web server 32 always maintains a connection with the MQTT broker 31 to transmit and receive arbitrary information in real time. The upper terminal 2 also always maintains a connection with the MQTT broker 31 to transmit and receive arbitrary information in real time. That is, the Web server 32 and the upper terminal 2 always connect to the MQTT broker 31 as clients to realize low-latency transmission and reception of information. Thereby, it is possible to perform push communication of arbitrary information to the upper terminal 2 from the Web server 32 via the MQTT broker 31 at the necessary timing, and to perform push communication of arbitrary information to the Web server 32 from the upper terminal 2 via the MQTT broker 31 at the necessary timing.

[0018] When the Web server 32 of the management device 3 receives an HTTP request from the upper terminal 2, it responds to the upper terminal 2 with the information corresponding to the request by HTTP. For example, when performing initial setting (kitting) to register the identification information of the lower terminal 1 in the management device 3, the upper terminal 2 uses the HTTP communication with the Web server 32 to register the identification information acquired from the lower terminal 1 in the management device 3. Note that the registration of this identification information may be performed by MQTT communication.

[0019] The service providing system shown in FIG. 1 constitutes a mobile smartphone ordering system as one use case to which the communication system of the present embodiment is applied, and includes a customer terminal 101, a store management device 102, and a store service server 103. The customer terminal 101 is configured by, for example, a smartphone. The plurality of lower terminals 1 are respectively placed on a plurality of tables installed in a store of a restaurant. A two-dimensional code is displayed on the display of the lower terminal 1. When the customer terminal 101 reads the two-dimensional code, it is possible to access the order screen of the web page provided by the store service server 103 and place an order.

[0020] The Web server 32 provides a Web API for controlling the lower terminal 1 to the store service server 103, and the store service server 103 can control the lower terminal 1 by using this Web API. For example, it is possible to give an operation instruction to the target lower terminal 1 from the store service server 103. In this case, the operation instruction transmitted from the store service server 103 to the Web server 32 is transferred to any upper terminal 2 by MQTT communication via the MQTT broker 31, and further wirelessly transmitted from the upper terminal 2 to the target lower terminal 1 to control the operation. At this time, the management device 3 transmits an operation instruction to the upper terminal 2 within the communication range with the target lower terminal 1 among the plurality of upper terminals 2.

[0021] As an example of an operation instruction, the store service server 103 can transmit arbitrary information input from the store management device 102 installed in the restaurant to the management device 3, and then forward it from the management device 3 to the lower terminal 1 via the upper terminal 2, thereby displaying the arbitrary information on the display of the lower terminal 1. The arbitrary information may include, for example, information indicating the order status, information indicating the cooking status, information on recommended menu items, and information related to advertising. This information may also be displayed as arbitrary images.

[0022] Furthermore, as an alternative example of an operation instruction, the store service server 103 can transmit a standardized image input from the store management device 102 installed in the restaurant to the management device 3, and then transfer it from the management device 3 to the lower terminal 1 via the upper terminal 2, thereby storing the standardized image in the non-volatile memory of the lower terminal 1. This standardized image is used as an image to be displayed on the display when a standardized operation is performed in the lower terminal 1. Standardized operations in the lower terminal 1 include, for example, inserting batteries or operating switches and buttons, but are not limited to these.

[0023] In addition to the Web API, the Web server 32 also provides an event notification mechanism via Webhooks. For example, when the Web server 32 detects a change in a specific status of a subordinate terminal 1 based on status information sent from the upper terminal 2 to the management device 3, it can use the Webhook function to call the Web API of the store service server 103 to notify it of the status change. This allows the store service server 103 to notify it of the status change without having to periodically execute (poll) the Web API of the Web server 32 until it obtains the status change of the specific subordinate terminal 1.

[0024] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the lower-level terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the lower-level terminal 1 of this embodiment has a hardware configuration comprising a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, an audio output unit 15, a communication unit 16, and a battery 17.

[0025] The battery 17 is a battery that can be attached to or removed from the lower terminal 1, and may be either a primary or secondary battery. In this embodiment, the lower terminal 1 operates using the battery 17 as a power source. That is, when the battery 17 is attached to the lower terminal 1, power is supplied and the lower terminal 1 becomes operational. On the other hand, when the battery 17 is removed from the lower terminal 1, power is not supplied and the lower terminal 1 becomes inoperable.

[0026] The control unit 11 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with, for example, a CPU, RAM, and ROM. The control unit 11 operates according to the operating system and programs stored in the memory unit 12 and controls the lower-level terminal 1 using various data stored in the memory unit 12. This control of the lower-level terminal 1 includes control related to BLE advertising and response communication to scan commands from the upper-level terminal 2. In addition to the microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) may also be provided. Advertising is the operation in which the lower-level terminal 1 broadcasts information as a BLE slave, and corresponds to the broadcast described in the claims. Scanning is the operation in which the upper-level terminal 2, as a BLE master, explicitly searches for BLE slaves in the vicinity.

[0027] The storage unit 12 is composed of a computer-readable storage medium. For example, the storage unit 12 includes storage media such as ROM, RAM, and semiconductor memory. It may also include a hard disk. The storage unit 12 stores various programs executed by the control unit 11. The storage unit 12 also stores various data, including data used in the processing of the control unit 11 and data generated during the processing.

[0028] The input unit 13 is composed of, for example, an operation input device such as a switch or a button, and supplies data corresponding to the user's operation input to the control unit 11. This embodiment can be applied regardless of the type of lower-level terminal 1, and the input unit 13 may be equipped with a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel in addition to or instead of switches or buttons.

[0029] The display unit 14 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an electronic paper display in which the displayed information does not disappear even when the power is turned off, and displays information according to instructions input from the control unit 11. The electronic paper method may be any of the following: electrophoretic method, electronic powder fluid method, electrowetting method, cholesteric liquid crystal method, etc. The display unit 14 may also be equipped with LEDs in place of or in addition to the above-mentioned display.

[0030] The audio output unit 15 is configured, for example, as a speaker (buzzer) and outputs audio according to instructions input from the control unit 11. Note that the lower-level terminal 1 may not be configured to include the audio output unit 15.

[0031] The communication unit 16 is composed of a communication module that exchanges data with the upper-level terminal 2 using BLE wireless communication means, and communicates with the upper-level terminal 2 according to instructions input from the control unit 11. For example, the communication unit 16 performs communication related to BLE passive scan and active scan. In the case of a passive scan, the communication unit 16 periodically advertises at predetermined time intervals and broadcasts the identification information of the lower-level terminal 1. In the case of an active scan, the communication unit 16 receives a scan command transmitted from the upper-level terminal 2 and responds to it by notifying the upper-level terminal 2, the source of the command, of the identification information of the lower-level terminal 1 and other additional information. Details of the additional information will be described later.

[0032] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the host terminal 2 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the host terminal 2 of this embodiment has a hardware configuration comprising a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an input unit 23, a display unit 24, an audio output unit 25, a communication unit 26, and a battery 27.

[0033] The battery 27 is a battery that can be attached to or removed from the host terminal 2, and may be either a primary or secondary battery. In this embodiment, the host terminal 2 operates using the battery 27 as a power source. That is, when the battery 27 is attached to the host terminal 2, power is supplied and the host terminal 2 becomes operational. On the other hand, when the battery 27 is removed from the host terminal 2, power is not supplied and the host terminal 2 becomes inoperable.

[0034] The control unit 21 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, RAM, and ROM. The control unit 21 operates according to the operating system and programs stored in the memory unit 22, and controls the higher-level terminal 2 using various data stored in the memory unit 22. This control of the higher-level terminal 2 includes control related to device discovery processing using BLE advertising and scanning. In addition to the microcomputer, a DSP or the like may also be included.

[0035] The storage unit 22 is composed of a computer-readable storage medium. For example, the storage unit 22 includes storage media such as ROM, RAM, and semiconductor memory. It may also include a hard disk. The storage unit 22 stores various programs executed by the control unit 21. The storage unit 22 also stores various data, including data used in the processing of the control unit 21 and data generated during the processing.

[0036] The input unit 23 is configured, for example, with a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and supplies data to the control unit 21 in accordance with the user's input. The display unit 24 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display, and displays information according to instructions input from the control unit 21. The audio output unit 25 is configured, for example, with a speaker, and outputs audio according to instructions input from the control unit 21. Note that the host terminal 2 may be configured without an audio output unit 25.

[0037] The communication unit 26 is composed of a communication module that exchanges data with the lower-level terminal 1 using BLE wireless communication means, and communicates with the lower-level terminal 1 according to instructions input from the control unit 21. For example, the communication unit 26 performs communication related to BLE passive scan and active scan. In the case of a passive scan, the communication unit 26 receives information that is periodically transmitted at predetermined time intervals by advertisement from the lower-level terminal 1. In the case of an active scan, the communication unit 26 sends a scan command to the lower-level terminal 1 and receives response information from the lower-level terminal 1.

[0038] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the lower-level terminal 1 and upper-level terminal 2 according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 also illustrates some of the functional blocks related to the subject of this embodiment, along with some of the hardware configuration.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4(a), the lower-level terminal 1 according to the first embodiment includes a communication control unit 111 and an operation information setting unit 112 as its functional configuration. The processing of the communication control unit 111 and the operation information setting unit 112 is executed by the operation of a program stored in the storage unit 12 under the control of the control unit 11 shown in Figure 2.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(b), the upper-level terminal 2 according to the first embodiment includes a device discovery unit 211 as part of its functional configuration. The device discovery unit 211 specifically includes a surrounding device recognition unit 211a, a correspondence relationship identification unit 211b, and a list presentation unit 211c. The processing of the device discovery unit 211 is executed by the operation of a program stored in the storage unit 22 under the control of the control unit 21 shown in Figure 3.

[0041] In the functional configuration of the lower-level terminal 1 shown in Figure 4(a), the communication control unit 111 controls the advertising and response communication to scan commands from the upper-level terminal 2 as described above. The communication control unit 111 controls the advertising to broadcast the identification information of the lower-level terminal 1 periodically at predetermined time intervals. The communication control unit 111 also controls the communication unit 16 to send response data back to the upper-level terminal 2 when it receives a scan command from the upper-level terminal 2.

[0042] The operation information setting unit 112 determines whether or not the input unit 13 is being operated when the communication unit 16 receives a scan command from the upper terminal 2, and sets the operation information of the input unit 13 (corresponding to hardware operation information) in the response data. In the first embodiment, the operation information is operation status information (status information) that indicates the operating state of the input unit 13, and is set as follows, for example. 0: Button not pressed (returns to 0 after a certain period of time has elapsed since the last press) 1: Press once 2: Press twice 3: Press 3 times 81: Press and hold for 1 second 85: Press and hold for 5 seconds The operating status information can be simplified, for example, by displaying "0" when the button is not pressed and "1" when the button is pressed.

[0043] The operation of the input unit 13 can be, for example, a button press, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be a switch toggle operation. Alternatively, it may be a press of a specific key on a keyboard, a mouse click or cursor movement operation, a touch operation on a touch panel, etc.

[0044] In the functional configuration of the upper-level terminal 2 shown in Figure 4(b), the device search unit 211 searches for nearby lower-level terminals 1 that can communicate wirelessly using BLE wireless communication means, and performs the process of obtaining and presenting the identification information of the discovered lower-level terminals 1 from the lower-level terminals 1.

[0045] The surrounding device recognition unit 211a recognizes the identification information of surrounding lower-level terminals 1 that are capable of wireless communication with the upper-level terminal 2, based on advertisements from lower-level terminals 1. That is, multiple lower-level terminals 1 periodically advertise and transmit their own identification information to the surroundings. The surrounding device recognition unit 211a recognizes the identification information of one or more lower-level terminals 1 that are capable of wireless communication by receiving identification information transmitted from one or more lower-level terminals 1 within the communication range.

[0046] The correspondence identification unit 211b associates a specific subordinate terminal 1 (one or more subordinate terminals discovered through the device discovery process) among the one or more subordinate terminals recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a with the identification information of that specific subordinate terminal 1, based on the operation information of the input hardware (input unit 13) provided by that specific subordinate terminal 1. In this embodiment, the specific subordinate terminal 1 is one or more subordinate terminals 1 that can communicate wirelessly with the upper terminal 2, and whose input unit 13 has been operated by the user. In this embodiment, the operation information is status information indicating the operating state of the input unit 13 (operational state information indicating that the input unit 13 has been operated if the value is anything other than "0").

[0047] Specifically, the correspondence relationship identification unit 211b sends a scan command to one or more subordinate terminals 1 recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a, and identifies the identification information contained in the response data that includes operational status information (operational status information with a value other than "0") indicating that the input unit 13 has been activated, from among the one or more response data sent from the one or more subordinate terminals 1 in response to the scan command, as the identification information corresponding to a specific subordinate terminal 1. This identifies the correspondence relationship between a specific subordinate terminal 1 operated by the user on the input unit 13 and the identification information of that specific subordinate terminal 1. Identifying the correspondence relationship here means identifying the identification information corresponding to a specific subordinate terminal 1 operated by the user on the input unit 13.

[0048] The list presentation unit 211c presents the identification information of one or more subordinate terminals 1 recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a as a list on the display unit 24. At this time, the list presentation unit 211c presents the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1 identified by the correspondence relationship identification unit 211b (identification information included in response data that includes operating state information other than a value of "0") in a manner that can be distinguished from other identification information (identification information included in response data that includes operating state information with a value of "0").

[0049] Figure 5 shows an example of a list displayed on the display unit 24 by the list presentation unit 211c. In Figure 5, the identification information of four subordinate terminals 1, which are surrounding subordinate terminals 1 capable of wireless communication with the upper terminal 2, is recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a, and the list presentation unit 211c presents the four identification pieces as a list. Also in Figure 5, the second identification piece from the top in the list is identified by the correspondence relationship identification unit 211b as corresponding to a specific subordinate terminal 1, and the list presentation unit 211c adds a predetermined mark 51 to the second identification piece from the top and displays it.

[0050] If only one identification piece of information for a subordinate terminal 1 is recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a, the list presentation unit 211c presents that single identification piece of information as a list. At this time, if that single identification piece of information corresponds to a specific subordinate terminal 1 identified by the correspondence relationship identification unit 211b, a predetermined mark 51 is added to that identification piece of information and displayed. On the other hand, if one of the identification pieces of information in the list does not correspond to a specific subordinate terminal 1, the predetermined mark 51 is not added to that identification piece of information and displayed.

[0051] Figure 5 shows an example where the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1 can be distinguished by the display of the associated mark 51, but this is not the only example. For example, the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1 may be highlighted. Alternatively, the display field for the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1 may be highlighted.

[0052] When a user wants to identify the identification information of a target subordinate terminal 1 (for example, when identifying the identification information of a subordinate terminal 1 and registering it with the management device 3), the user can operate the input unit 13 of the target subordinate terminal 1 while the device discovery process is running on the upper terminal 2, and the identification information of the target subordinate terminal 1 can be recognized by the display of the mark 51 in the list.

[0053] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (processing procedure for device identification method) of the device discovery process of the communication system according to the first embodiment configured as described above. Here, it shows the flow of the cooperation process exchanged between one lower-level terminal 1 and one upper-level terminal 2.

[0054] First, the lower-level terminal 1 transmits its identification information by advertisement (step S1). In reality, the lower-level terminal 1 performs this transmission process periodically at predetermined time intervals, but here we illustrate one such transmission process. The identification information transmitted from one lower-level terminal 1 is received by one or more higher-level terminals 2 that are within communication range.

[0055] The surrounding device recognition unit 211a of the upper terminal 2 recognizes the identification information of the lower terminal 1 that is capable of wireless communication with the upper terminal 2 by receiving the identification information transmitted from the lower terminal 1 (step S2). Figure 6 illustrates the state in which identification information has been received from one lower terminal 1, but in reality, the upper terminal 2 receives identification information from one or more lower terminals 1 that are within the communication range of the upper terminal 2.

[0056] The correspondence identification unit 211b of the upper terminal 2 sends a scan command to one or more lower terminals 1 recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a (step S3). Upon receiving this scan command, the operation information setting unit 112 of the lower terminal 1 determines whether or not the operation of the input unit 13 has been performed (step S4).

[0057] If it is determined that the input unit 13 is being operated, the operation information setting unit 112 sets a value other than "0" as the operation status information for the input unit 13 in the response data (step S5). On the other hand, if it is determined that the input unit 13 is not being operated, the process in step S5 is skipped (the operation status information is set to "0"). After step S4 or step S5, the communication control unit 111 controls the system to send the response data back to the upper-level terminal 2 (step S6). Figure 6 illustrates the state in which a response data has been sent from one lower-level terminal 1, but in reality, response data is sent from one or more lower-level terminals 1 that have received a scan command from the upper-level terminal 2.

[0058] The correspondence identification unit 211b of the upper-level terminal 2 identifies the identification information of a specific lower-level terminal 1 from among the identification information of one or more lower-level terminals 1 recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a in step S2 (step S7). That is, the correspondence identification unit 211b identifies response data from one or more lower-level terminals 1 that contains operating status information other than a value of "0", and identifies the identification information contained in said response data as the identification information of a specific lower-level terminal 1.

[0059] The list presentation unit 211c of the upper-level terminal 2 presents the identification information of one or more lower-level terminals 1 recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a as a list on the display unit 24 (step S8). At this time, the list presentation unit 211c displays the list on the display unit 24 in a manner that distinguishes the identification information of a specific lower-level terminal 1 from other identification information. This completes the process shown in the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0060] As explained in detail above, in the first embodiment, when the upper terminal 2 presents a list of identification information of one or more lower terminals 1 discovered by the device discovery process, it presents the identification information included in the response data that contains operational status information indicating that the input unit 13 has been activated, among the one or more response data transmitted from one or more lower terminals 1 in response to the scan command, in a manner that can distinguish it from the identification information included in the response data that does not contain operational status information indicating that the input unit 13 has been activated.

[0061] According to the first embodiment configured in this way, when one or more wirelessly wirelessly capable lower-level terminals 1 are discovered through the device discovery process and one or more identification pieces of information are presented as a list, the identification piece of a specific lower-level terminal 1 whose input unit 13 was operated on during the execution of the device discovery process is displayed in the list in a manner that can be distinguished from other identification pieces of information. Therefore, by operating the input unit 13 of the target lower-level terminal 1, it becomes possible to easily identify the identification piece of the target lower-level terminal 1 on the list based on the operating status information of the input unit 13.

[0062] (Second embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the communication system and service provision system according to the second embodiment is the same as in Figure 1. However, a lower-level terminal 1' is provided instead of lower-level terminal 1, and a higher-level terminal 2' is provided instead of higher-level terminal 2.

[0063] The hardware configurations of the lower-level terminal 1' and the upper-level terminal 2' according to the second embodiment are the same as those in Figures 2 and 3, respectively. However, in the first embodiment, the lower-level terminal 1 was described as having an optional audio output unit 15, and it was not required to have one. In the second embodiment, however, at least one of the display unit 14 and the audio output unit 15 is a mandatory configuration for the lower-level terminal 1'. Also, in the first embodiment, the lower-level terminal 1 was required to have an input unit 13. In the second embodiment, the input unit 13 in the lower-level terminal 1' is an optional configuration, and it is not required to have one.

[0064] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the lower-level terminal 1' and upper-level terminal 2' according to the second embodiment. Figure 7 also illustrates some of the functional blocks related to the subject of this embodiment, along with some of the hardware configuration.

[0065] As shown in Figure 7(a), the lower-level terminal 1' according to the second embodiment includes a communication control unit 111' and an operation control unit 113 as its functional configuration. The processing of the communication control unit 111' and the operation control unit 113 is executed by the operation of a program stored in the storage unit 12, controlled by the control unit 11 of the lower-level terminal 1', which is configured in the same way as in Figure 2.

[0066] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(b), the host terminal 2' according to the second embodiment includes, as a functional configuration, a device search unit 211', a correspondence relationship identification unit 212, and an operation instruction transmission unit 213. The device search unit 211' specifically includes a surrounding device recognition unit 211a and a list presentation unit 211c'. The processing of the device search unit 211', the correspondence relationship identification unit 212, and the operation instruction transmission unit 213 is executed by the operation of a program stored in the storage unit 22, controlled by the control unit 21 of the host terminal 2', which is configured in the same way as in Figure 3.

[0067] In the functional configuration of the lower-level terminal 1' shown in Figure 7(a), the communication control unit 111' controls BLE advertising and GATT communication. GATT communication is a type of communication performed when a BLE central and peripheral establish a one-to-one connection. The communication control unit 111' controls the lower-level terminal 1' to periodically broadcast its identification information at predetermined time intervals through advertising. The communication control unit 111' also receives hardware operation information from the upper-level terminal 2' via one-to-one GATT communication. In the second embodiment, the hardware operation information differs from that in the first embodiment; it is information that instructs the operation of the output hardware (hereinafter referred to as operation instruction information). Details of this will be described later.

[0068] The operation control unit 113 controls the operation of the output hardware based on the operation instruction information received by the communication control unit 111' from the upper-level terminal 2'. The output hardware is at least one of the display unit 14, an LED, or the speaker (buzzer) of the audio output unit 15. For example, the operation control unit 113 may cause predetermined information to be displayed on the display. Alternatively, the operation control unit 113 may cause the LED to blink or light up. Alternatively, the operation control unit 113 may sound the buzzer.

[0069] In the functional configuration of the upper-level terminal 2' shown in Figure 7(b), the device search unit 211' searches for nearby lower-level terminals 1' that can communicate wirelessly using BLE wireless communication means, and performs the process of obtaining and presenting the identification information of the discovered lower-level terminals 1' from the lower-level terminals 1'.

[0070] The surrounding device recognition unit 211a recognizes the identification information of one or more lower-level terminals 1' that can communicate wirelessly with the upper-level terminal 2' based on advertisements from the lower-level terminals 1'. The list presentation unit 211c' presents the identification information of one or more lower-level terminals 1' recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a as a list on the display unit 24. Figure 8 shows an example of the display of the list presented on the display unit 24 by the list presentation unit 211c'. As shown in Figure 8, in the second embodiment, the identification information corresponding to a specific lower-level terminal 1' is not marked with a mark 51 and displayed.

[0071] The correspondence identification unit 212 associates a specific subordinate terminal 1' among one or more subordinate terminals 1' recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a with the identification information of that specific subordinate terminal 1', based on the operation information of the output hardware (at least one of the display unit 14 and the audio output unit 15) provided by that specific subordinate terminal 1'. In this embodiment, the specific subordinate terminal is one or more subordinate terminals 1' that are within communication range of the upper terminal 2', and which the user has designated on a list as the target for operating the output hardware. In this embodiment, the operation information is operation instruction information that instructs the operation of the output hardware.

[0072] Specifically, the correspondence identification unit 212 identifies the identification information specified by the user operating the input unit 23 in the list presented by the list presentation unit 211c'. This identifies the correspondence between the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1' specified by the user operating the input unit 23 from among the identification information of one or more subordinate terminals 1' recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a, and the specific subordinate terminal 1' that is instructed to operate by the operation instruction information. Identifying the correspondence here means identifying the specific subordinate terminal 1' that will operate the output hardware by specifying the identification information in the list.

[0073] In response to an operation in which an identification piece is selected from the list presented by the list presentation unit 211c', the operation instruction transmission unit 213 transmits operation instruction information via BLE GATT communication to a specific subordinate terminal 1' (a subordinate terminal 1' identified by the correspondence relationship identification unit 212) corresponding to the selected identification piece, instructing the output hardware to operate. Specifically, the operation instruction transmission unit 213 transmits at least one of the following to the specific subordinate terminal 1': operation instruction information to display predetermined information on the display, operation instruction information to blink or light up an LED, and operation instruction information to sound a buzzer.

[0074] When a user wants to identify the identification information of a target lower-level terminal 1', the upper-level terminal 2' can specify any identification information from the list presented as a result of the device discovery process. The specified information will then be displayed on the screen of the corresponding lower-level terminal 1', an LED will blink or light up, or a buzzer will sound. If the lower-level terminal 1' whose output hardware was activated is not the target lower-level terminal 1', specifying different identification information on the list will activate the output hardware of another lower-level terminal 1'. By repeating this process, it becomes possible to recognize the identification information of the target lower-level terminal 1'.

[0075] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (processing procedure for device identification method) of the device discovery process of the communication system according to the second embodiment configured as described above. Here, it shows the flow of the cooperation process exchanged between one lower-level terminal 1' and one upper-level terminal 2'. The lower-level terminal 1' described in Figure 9 is assumed to be a specific lower-level terminal 1' designated by the user as the target of the operation instruction for the output hardware.

[0076] First, the lower-level terminal 1' transmits its identification information by advertisement (step S11). In reality, the lower-level terminal 1' performs this transmission process periodically at predetermined time intervals, but here we illustrate one such transmission process. The identification information transmitted from one lower-level terminal 1' is received by one or more higher-level terminals 2' that are within communication range.

[0077] The surrounding device recognition unit 211a of the upper terminal 2' recognizes the identification information of the lower terminal 1' that can communicate wirelessly with the upper terminal 2' by receiving the identification information transmitted from the lower terminal 1' (step S12). Figure 9 illustrates the state in which identification information has been received from one lower terminal 1', but in reality, the upper terminal 2' receives identification information from one or more lower terminals 1' that are within communication range of the upper terminal 2'.

[0078] The list presentation unit 211c' of the upper terminal 2' presents the identification information of one or more lower terminals 1' recognized by the surrounding device recognition unit 211a' as a list on the display unit 24 (step S13). The correspondence relationship identification unit 212 identifies the identification information specified by the user operating the input unit 23 in the list presented by the list presentation unit 211c' as the identification information of a specific lower terminal 1' to be used to activate the output hardware (step S14).

[0079] The operation instruction transmission unit 213 establishes a one-to-one connection via BLE GATT communication with the subordinate terminal 1' corresponding to the identification information identified by the correspondence relationship identification unit 212, and transmits operation instruction information to instruct the operation of the output hardware (step S15). Upon receiving this operation instruction information, the operation control unit 113 controls the operation of the output hardware based on the received operation instruction information (step S16). This completes the process shown in the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0080] As explained in detail above, in the second embodiment, after presenting a list of identification information for one or more subordinate terminals 1' discovered by the device discovery process, when an operation is performed to specify any of the identification information from the list, operation instruction information is sent to the subordinate terminal 1' corresponding to the specified identification information, instructing the output hardware to operate, and the subordinate terminal 1' operates the output hardware in accordance with this operation instruction information.

[0081] According to the second embodiment configured in this way, when one or more wirelessly wirelessly capable lower-level terminals 1' are discovered through the device discovery process and one or more identification pieces of information are presented as a list, the output hardware of the lower-level terminal 1' corresponding to the specified identification piece of information will be activated by performing an operation to specify any identification piece of information on the list. Therefore, by performing the operation to specify identification piece of information on the list until it is confirmed that the output hardware of the target lower-level terminal 1' is activated, it becomes possible to easily identify the identification piece of the target lower-level terminal 1' based on the operation instruction information of the output hardware.

[0082] (Various variations) In the first embodiment described above, an example was given in which the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1 that operated the input unit 13 is displayed in the list shown on the display unit 24 of the upper-level terminal 2 in a manner that can be distinguished from other identification information, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1 may be notified by vibration or sound playback from the upper-level terminal 2.

[0083] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, if the identification information of a specific subordinate terminal 1,1' whose association with its identification information has already been completed is discovered again through the device discovery process, the identification information may not be displayed in the list on the upper terminal 2,2'. Alternatively, information indicating that the association has already been completed may be displayed along with the list.

[0084] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example was given in which GATT communication is initiated with a lower-level terminal 1' corresponding to an identification information specified by the user from one or more identification information displayed in the list. However, GATT communication may also be initiated with a lower-level terminal 1' whose BLE signal strength (RSSI value) is above a threshold (i.e., a lower-level terminal 1' whose distance from the upper-level terminal 2' is below a certain value). In this case, GATT communication may be initiated when the RSSI value remains above the threshold for a certain period of time or longer.

[0085] In the first and second embodiments described above, a function may be provided to change the time interval of advertisements performed by the lower-level terminals 1,1'. As a first example, the time interval may be changed by the lower-level terminals 1,1' on their own. As a second example, the time interval may be changed by a command from the upper-level terminals 2,2'. The first and second examples will be described in detail below.

[0086] <Example 1> For example, the lower-level terminal 1,1' has a function to detect the battery voltage. When the detected battery voltage falls below a threshold, the advertising time interval is made longer than the previously specified value. This suppresses the depletion of the battery 17 and extends the operating time. Subsequently, when the battery 17 is replaced and the detected battery voltage rises above the threshold, the advertising time interval is returned to its original specified value.

[0087] As another example, the lower-end terminal 1,1' has a function to detect the ambient temperature of the lower-end terminal 1,1'. When the detected ambient temperature is below a threshold, the advertising time interval is made longer than the default value because the battery 17 may not be able to perform at its full potential. Subsequently, when the detected ambient temperature exceeds the threshold, the advertising time interval is returned to the original default value.

[0088] <Example 2> For example, the management device 3 analyzes the time periods when the lower-level terminals 1 and 1' are frequently controlled based on their system usage history and statistics. During these time periods, the higher-level terminals 2 and 2' issue commands to the lower-level terminals 1 and 1' to shorten the advertisement time interval to a value shorter than the default, enabling responsive communication. During other time periods, the advertisement time interval is lengthened (to the default value) to reduce battery consumption 17.

[0089] As another example, the lower terminal 1,1' has a function to detect the battery voltage and notify the upper terminal 2,2'. When the battery voltage notified by the lower terminal 1,1' falls below a threshold, the upper terminal 2,2' issues a command to the lower terminal 1,1' to lengthen the advertising time interval beyond the previously specified value. Subsequently, when the battery 17 is replaced and the battery voltage notified by the lower terminal 1,1' rises above the threshold, the upper terminal 2,2' issues a command to the lower terminal 1,1' to return the advertising time interval to its original specified value.

[0090] Furthermore, the upper terminals 2 and 2' may be configured to issue operation control commands (control commands other than those that change the advertisement time interval; for example, a control command that displays information on the display unit 14 of the lower terminal 1 and 1') to the lower terminals 1 and 1' only when the battery voltage notified by the lower terminals 1 and 1' is greater than a threshold. Alternatively, the lower terminals 1 and 1' may be configured to reject operation control commands supplied by the upper terminals 2 and 2' when the battery voltage detected by the lower terminals 1 and 1' is below a threshold.

[0091] As yet another example, the lower terminal 1,1' has a function to detect its ambient temperature and notify the upper terminal 2,2'. When the ambient temperature notified by the lower terminal 1,1' is below a threshold, the upper terminal 2,2' issues a command to the lower terminal 1,1' to make the advertisement time interval longer than the default value. Subsequently, when the ambient temperature notified by the lower terminal 1,1' exceeds the threshold, the upper terminal 2,2' issues a command to the lower terminal 1,1' to return the advertisement time interval to its original default value.

[0092] Commands from the upper-level terminals 2,2' to the lower-level terminals 1,1' may be issued by the upper-level terminals 2,2', or commands issued by the management device 3 or store service server 103, which is connected to the upper-level terminals 2,2' via the Internet, may be forwarded by the upper-level terminals 2,2' to the lower-level terminals 1,1'.

[0093] Furthermore, the service provision system shown in Figure 1 is just one example of how the communication system according to this embodiment can be applied, and the examples of application are not limited to this.

[0094] Furthermore, the above embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention may be implemented, and the technical scope of the invention should not be interpreted as being limited by them. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various ways without departing from its gist or its main features. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 1,1' Lower-level terminal (terminal device) 2,2' Upper-level terminal (terminal device) 11 Control Unit 12 Storage section 13 Input section 14 Display section 15 Audio output section 16. Communications Section (Wireless Communication Methods) 17 Batteries 21 Control Unit 22 Memory section 23 Input section 24 Display 25 Audio output section 26. Communications Section (Wireless Communication Methods) 27 Batteries 111,111' Communication Control Unit 112 Operation Information Setting Unit 113 Operation Control Unit 211,211' Device Search Unit 211a Surrounding device recognition unit 211b Correspondence Identification Section 211c, 211c' List presentation section 212 Correspondence-Specific Department 213 Operation instruction transmission unit

Claims

1. A lower-level terminal having wireless communication means, The system comprises a host terminal having the above-mentioned wireless communication means, The above-mentioned upper-level terminal searches for nearby lower-level terminals that can communicate wirelessly using the above-mentioned wireless communication means, and performs a device discovery process that obtains and presents the identification information of the discovered lower-level terminals from the lower-level terminals. The above-mentioned upper-level terminal and the above-mentioned lower-level terminal associate a specific lower-level terminal from among the one or more lower-level terminals discovered by the above-mentioned device discovery process with the identification information of that specific lower-level terminal, based on the operating information of the hardware provided by that specific lower-level terminal. A communication system characterized by the following features.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the above-upper terminal presents a list of identification information of one or more lower-level terminals discovered by the above-upper device discovery process, it presents, as identification information corresponding to a specific lower-level terminal, the identification information contained in the response data that includes the operation information indicating that the hardware has been activated, from the identification information contained in the response data that does not include the operation information indicating that the hardware has been activated, among the one or more response data transmitted from the one or more lower-level terminals in response to the scan command, in a manner that can be distinguished from the identification information contained in the response data that does not include the operation information indicating that the hardware has been activated.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that the above-mentioned higher-level terminal presents a list of identification information of one or more lower-level terminals discovered by the above-mentioned device discovery process, and then, in response to an operation to specify any of the identification information from the above-mentioned list, instructs the above-mentioned specific lower-level terminal corresponding to the specified identification information to operate the above-mentioned hardware.

4. A terminal device used as a higher-level terminal in the communication system described in claim 2, The device search unit searches for nearby lower-level terminals capable of wireless communication using the above-mentioned wireless communication means, obtains identification information of one or more discovered lower-level terminals from the lower-level terminals, and presents it as a list. When the device discovery unit presents the identification information of one or more subordinate terminals as the list, it presents the identification information included in response data that contains operational status information indicating that the hardware has been activated, which is operational status information indicating the operating state of the hardware, in a manner that can be distinguished from the identification information included in response data that does not contain operational status information indicating that the hardware has been activated. A terminal device characterized by the following features.

5. A terminal device used as a higher-level terminal in the communication system described in claim 3, A device search unit searches for nearby lower-level terminals capable of wireless communication using the above-mentioned wireless communication means, obtains identification information of one or more found lower-level terminals from the lower-level terminals, and presents it as a list. The system includes an operation instruction transmission unit that, in response to an operation in which an identification piece is selected from the list presented by the device discovery unit, transmits operation instruction information, which is operation information instructing the hardware to operate, to a specific subordinate terminal corresponding to the selected identification piece. A terminal device characterized by the following features.

6. A terminal device used as a lower-level terminal in the communication system described in claim 2, A communication control unit that periodically broadcasts its own identification information at predetermined time intervals and returns response data to scan commands transmitted from a higher-level terminal, The system includes an operation information setting unit that, when returning the response data in response to the scan command transmitted from the above-mentioned higher-level terminal, determines whether or not the hardware is operating and sets operation status information, which is operation information indicating the operating status of the hardware, into the response data. A terminal device characterized by the following features.

7. A terminal device used as a lower-level terminal in the communication system described in claim 3, A communication control unit that periodically broadcasts its own identification information at predetermined time intervals, The system includes an operation control unit that controls the operation of the hardware based on operation instruction information transmitted from the upper-level terminal after the execution of the above broadcast. A terminal device characterized by the following features.

8. A communication system comprising a lower-level terminal having wireless communication means and a higher-level terminal having the same wireless communication means, a method for identifying the identification information of a specific lower-level terminal from among the identification information of one or more lower-level terminals discovered by the device discovery process of the higher-level terminal, The above-mentioned upper-level terminal performs a device discovery process that searches for nearby lower-level terminals that can communicate wirelessly using the above-mentioned wireless communication means, and obtains and presents identification information of the discovered lower-level terminals from the lower-level terminals. Through the above-mentioned coordination process between the upper-level terminal and the lower-level terminal, a specific lower-level terminal among the one or more lower-level terminals discovered by the above-mentioned device discovery process is associated with the identification information of that specific lower-level terminal based on the operating information of the hardware that the specific lower-level terminal possesses. A device identification method characterized by the following:

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