control device

Abstract

This technology provides a way to enable device registration in a control unit even if multicast communication fails. [Solution] The communication unit 110 multicasts a first message to search for a device 200 to be registered, and then receives a second message, which is a response to the first message, from the device 200 via unicast. It also broadcasts a third message with the same content as the first message, and then receives a fourth message, which is a response to the third message, from the device 200 via unicast. When the communication unit 110 receives at least one of the second message and the fourth message via unicast, the control unit 140 causes the communication unit 110 to acquire information for registering the device 200.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to control technology, and particularly to a control device for registering devices.

Background Art

[0002] In a home network, one of the communication standards for a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller to control devices such as air conditioners and lighting is ECHONET Lite (registered trademark). In this communication standard, in order to communicate between the HEMS controller (control device) and the devices, it is necessary to register the devices in the control device. In the procedure for registering a device in the control device, the control device searches for devices that are registration candidates using multicast communication (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] For example, IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) is used as a protocol for executing multicast group management. However, if there are differences in the implementation of the IGMP function in devices and routers, multicast packets will not be transferred. As a result, the control device cannot discover the devices, and the control device cannot register the devices.

[0005] This disclosure is made in light of these circumstances and aims to provide a technology that enables device registration in a control device even if multicast communication fails. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, a control device in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that can multicast a first message for searching for a device to be registered, and then receive a second message from the device as a unicast response to the first message, and can broadcast a third message having the same content as the first message, and then receive a fourth message from the device as a unicast response to the third message; and a control unit that, when the communication unit receives at least one of the second message and the fourth message as a unicast, causes the communication unit to acquire information for registering the device.

[0007] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, or any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between methods, apparatus, systems, computer programs, or recording media on which computer programs are recorded, are also valid forms of this disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, even if multicast communication fails, it is possible to register devices in the control unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram showing the IGMP processing procedure performed in the control system. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram showing the registration procedure between the control device and the device being compared in this embodiment. [Figure 4]Figure 1 is a sequence diagram showing the registration procedure between the control device and the equipment. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram showing the table update procedure between the control device and the equipment. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram showing another table update procedure between the control device and the equipment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Before specifically describing the embodiments of this disclosure, an overview of these embodiments will be provided. The embodiments relate to a control system for controlling the operation of lighting devices and air conditioners in facilities such as detached houses, condominiums, and apartments. The control system can also manage the power consumed in the facility. In the control system, devices such as lighting devices and air conditioners are connected to a control device via a network, and the control device controls the devices through communication between the control device and the devices. An example of a control system is a HEMS, and ECHONET Lite® is used for communication in the HEMS.

[0011] In a control system, once a device is registered with the control device, communication between the control device and the device becomes possible. Here, registration means (i) storing device information such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address inside the control device, or (ii) in addition to (i), setting and storing a name to be displayed on the control device. To register a device with the control device, the control device searches for the device using multicast communication. In multicast communication, signals are not sent to all devices, but to specific devices. The destination in multicast communication is managed by the router. However, due to a flaw (malfunction) in the implementation of IGMP in the router or the device, multicast communication may fail. In that case, the control device cannot find the device through searching, and therefore cannot register the device. As a result, communication between the control device and the device becomes impossible. To enable device registration in the control device even if multicast communication fails, the control device according to this embodiment searches for the device using multicast communication as well as broadcast communication.

[0012] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the control system 1000. The control system 1000 includes a control device 100, equipment 200, a router 300, and a network 400. The number of equipment 200 included in the control system 1000 is not limited to "1". The control system 1000 is installed within a facility. The facility is a building that is the target of control by the control system 1000, for example, a detached house. The facility is not limited to a detached house; it may be a dwelling unit in an apartment building, an office building, a commercial facility, etc. The control device 100, equipment 200, and router 300 are connected to the network 400, and the control device 100 and equipment 200 can communicate via the network 400 under the control of the router 300. The network 400 supports a standard protocol such as ECHONET Lite®.

[0013] The control device 100 functions, for example, as a HEMS controller and controls the operation of the equipment 200. The control device 100 may be a single device or a combination of multiple devices. The control device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a reception unit 120, a display unit 130, a control unit 140, and a storage unit 150. The communication unit 110 has ECHONET Lite® communication functionality and can communicate with the equipment 200. The control unit 140 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer having a processor and memory. The processor executes a program recorded in the storage unit 150, thereby enabling the computer system to realize various functions of the control unit 140.

[0014] One of the various functions is to control the operation of the device 200, and the control device 100 displays an operation screen on the display unit 130 for receiving operations on the device 200. The reception unit 120 is a user interface that can receive operations from the user, for example, a button. Alternatively, the reception unit 120 may be a touch panel integrated with the display unit 130. The reception unit 120 receives user instructions for the operation screen displayed on the display unit 130. The reception unit 120 outputs the received instructions to the control unit 140. Based on the instructions received by the reception unit 120, the control unit 140 generates control commands to instruct the operation of the device 200. The communication unit 110 transmits the control commands to the device 200.

[0015] The device 200 is, for example, a lighting device or an air conditioner. The device 200 includes a communication unit 210, a control unit 240, and a storage unit 250. The communication unit 210 has ECHONET Lite® communication functionality and communicates with the communication unit 110. The communication unit 210 receives control commands from the communication unit 110. The control unit 240 performs actions according to the control commands. For example, the control unit 240 turns the operation of the device 200 on or off.

[0016] The communication unit 110 of the control device 100 may be connected to a smart meter (not shown) and receive power information indicating the power consumed in the facility. The control unit 140 generates a control command based on the power information received by the communication unit 110. For example, when the power exceeds a threshold value, the control unit 140 generates a control command to increase the set temperature during cooling in the air conditioner. The communication unit 110 transmits the control command to the device 200. When the device 200 receives the control command from the control device 100, it executes an operation according to the control command, for example, an operation to increase the set temperature during cooling.

[0017] The main body of the device, system, or method in the present disclosure includes a computer. By this computer executing a program, the functions of the main body of the device, system, or method in the present disclosure are realized. The computer mainly includes a processor that operates according to the program as a hardware configuration. The type of the processor is not limited as long as it can realize functions by executing the program. The processor is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or LSI (Large Scale Integration). The plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip or provided on a plurality of chips. The plurality of chips may be integrated into one device or provided in a plurality of devices. The program is recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a ROM, optical disk, or hard disk drive that can be read by the computer. The program may be stored in the recording medium in advance or supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet or the like.

[0018] In order to execute communication in the control system 1000 as shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the registration process of the device 200 in the control device 100 is performed in advance. Since multicast communication is used for the registration process, the IGMP, which is a protocol for performing multicast group management, will be described first here.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of IGMP executed in the control system 1000. When a device 200 that wishes to participate in a multicast group is activated (S10), the communication unit 210 of the device 200 transmits a Membership Report (Join message) to the router 300 (S12). When the router 300 receives the Membership Report from the device 200, it updates the management table to include the device 200 in the multicast group. The management table includes a plurality of entries in pairs of a multicast address and an interface. The interfaces include the control device 100 and the device 200.

[0020] To maintain the group, the router 300 periodically sends a Membership Query to the control device 100 and the device 200 (S14, S16). When the communication unit 210 of the device 200 receives the Membership Query from the router 300, it transmits a Membership Report to the router 300 (S18). When the communication unit 110 of the control device 100 receives the Membership Query from the router 300, it transmits a Membership Report to the router 300 (S20). The router 300 deletes the interface without a reply to the Membership Report from the management table.

[0021] Due to implementation deficiencies (malfunctions) of the device 200 or the router 300, multicast communication may not be possible. For example, if IGMP is not implemented in the device 200, the communication unit 210 of the device 200 does not transmit a Membership Report. Also, if the IGMP versions in the device 200 and the router 300 are different and there are compatibility issues, the device 200 cannot respond to the Membership Query. In these situations, the management table is not accurately generated.

[0022] To explain the impact of such multicast communication failures on device registration, the device registration process using the comparative control device 500 and device 600 is described here with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing the registration procedure between the comparative control device 500 and device 600. For clarity of explanation, the router 300 located between the control device 500 and device 600 is omitted here. The control device 500 and device 600 correspond to, for example, control device 100 and device 200. The control device 500 accepts a registration start operation from the installer (S100). The control device 500 multicasts a discovery request (S102). The discovery request is a message for searching for devices that are candidates for registration. The discovery request corresponds to the "Local Node Instance List S Request" of ECHONET Lite®. When device 600 receives the discovery request, it unicasts a response to the discovery request to the control device 500 (S104). The response includes information about the source device 600, such as its IP address and information indicating the type of device 600. The information indicating the type of device 600, for example, indicates the class to which device 600 belongs.

[0023] The control device 500 receives a response. Based on the IP address included in the response, the control device 500 recognizes the presence of device 600 and recognizes the type (class) of device 600. Subsequently, the control device 500 unicasts a device information request to device 600 to request device-specific information (S106). The device-specific information of device 600 is, for example, the node profile class. Upon receiving the device information request, device 600 unicasts device information, which is device-specific information of device 600, to the control device 500 (S108).

[0024] The control device 500 receives device information. Based on the type of device 600, the control device 500 unicasts a type information request to device 600 to request information specific to the type of device 600 (S110). The information specific to the type of device 600 is, for example, information included in the class of device 600. When device 600 receives the type information request, it unicasts the type information, which is information specific to the type of device 600, to the control device 500 (S112).

[0025] The control device 500 displays information on registrable devices, indicating devices 600 corresponding to the contents of the device information and type information (S114). If multiple devices 600 are connected to the control device 500, multiple devices 600 are included in the information on registrable devices. The installer selects the device 600 to be registered while looking at the information on registrable devices, and the control device 500 accepts the selection operation (S116). The control device 500 stores the registration information of the device 600 selected by the selection operation in the correspondence table. This is equivalent to registering the device 600. The control device 500 accepts the installer's registration completion operation (S118).

[0026] If multicast communication is not possible, the discovery request sent via multicast from the control unit 500 will not be received by the device 600. As a result, the device 600 cannot be registered with the control unit 500. Furthermore, after the control unit 500 is restarted, the device 600 will go offline, and the control unit 500 will no longer be able to operate the device 600.

[0027] Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing the registration procedure between the control device 100 and the device 200. Here again, for clarity of explanation, the router 300 located between the control device 100 and the device 200 is omitted. The reception unit 120 of the control device 100 receives the registration start operation from the installer (S200). The control unit 140 outputs a search request to the communication unit 110. The communication unit 110 multicasts the search request (first message) (S202).

[0028] When the communication unit 210 of device 200 receives a search request, the control unit 240 causes the communication unit 210 to unicast a response (second message) to the search request to the control device 100 (S204). The response includes information about the source device 200, such as its IP address and information indicating the type of device 200. The information indicating the type of device 200 indicates, for example, the class to which device 200 belongs.

[0029] The communication unit 110 broadcasts a search request (third message) after a predetermined time has elapsed since multicasting the first search request (first message), for example, after 2 to 3 seconds (S206). The first and third search requests have the same content. When the communication unit 210 of device 200 receives the search request, the control unit 240 has the communication unit 210 unicast a response (fourth message) to the search request to the control device 100 (S208). The second and fourth responses have the same content. If device 200 responds to both the multicast-transmitted search request (first message) and the broadcast-transmitted search request (third message), the control device 100 receives two responses: the second response and the fourth response. By staggering the multicast and broadcast transmissions by a predetermined time, a concentration of response reception is avoided.

[0030] Here, the timing of multicast transmission of the search request (first message) and broadcast transmission of the search request (third message) are staggered. However, multicast transmission of the search request (first message) and broadcast transmission of the search request (third message) may be executed in parallel. Also, the search request (first message) and the response (second message) contain a common transaction ID (hereinafter referred to as "first transaction ID"). The search request (third message) and the response (fourth message) contain a common transaction ID (hereinafter referred to as "second transaction ID"). The first transaction ID and the second transaction ID are different.

[0031] The communication unit 110 of the control device 100 receives the response. When the communication unit 110 receives the response (second message) and the response (fourth message), the control unit 140 recognizes, based on the first transaction ID and the second transaction ID, that the response (second message) and the response (fourth message) are identical, that is, they are responses to the same device 200. Based on the IP address included in the response, the control unit 140 recognizes the existence of the device 200 and recognizes the type (class) of the device 200.

[0032] Following this, the communication unit 110 unicasts a device information request (fifth message) to the device 200 to request device information specific to the device 200 (S210). The device information specific to the device 200 is, for example, the node profile class. When the communication unit 210 of the device 200 receives the device information request, it unicasts the device information (sixth message), which is device information specific to the device 200, to the control device 100 (S212).

[0033] The communication unit 110 of the control device 100 receives device information. Based on the type of device 200, the communication unit 110 unicasts a type information request (7th message) to device 200 to request information specific to the type of device 200 (S214). The information specific to the type of device 200 is, for example, information included in the class of device 200. When the communication unit 210 of device 200 receives the type information request, it unicasts type information (8th message), which is information specific to the type of device 200, to the control device 100 (S216).

[0034] The control unit 140 displays information on registrable devices on the display unit 130, indicating devices 200 corresponding to the content of the registration information (S218). If multiple devices 200 are connected to the control device 100, multiple devices 200 are included in the information on registrable devices. The installer selects the device 200 to be registered while looking at the information on registrable devices, and the reception unit 120 accepts the selection operation (S220). The control unit 140 stores the information of the device 200 selected by the selection operation as a correspondence table in the storage unit 150. The correspondence table stores a combination of the device information of the device 200, the type information of the device 200, and the IP address of the device 200. This is equivalent to registering the device 200. The reception unit 120 accepts the registration completion operation from the installer (S222).

[0035] Multicast communication is required by the ECHONET Lite® specification and must be performed. Even if the multicast communication of the discovery request (first message) fails, the control unit 100 will also perform broadcast communication of the discovery request (third message) in order to obtain a response. Broadcast communication is not managed by the router 300 and is sent to the entire network 400.

[0036] If a search request is sent using both multicast and broadcast communication, the subsequent responses, device information requests, etc., will also be doubled, thus doubling the traffic. In this embodiment, when the control unit 140 receives a response (second message) and a response (fourth message) via unicast, it causes the subsequent device information requests, etc., to be sent only once.

[0037] Up to this point, we have described the case in which processing begins with the transmission of a signal (search request) from the control device 100. Below, we will describe the case in which processing begins with the transmission of a signal from the device 200. The device 200 is registered with the control device 100, but the control device 100 is not registered with the device 200. In other words, the device 200 does not store the IP address of the control device 100. Therefore, if a change in the state of the device 200 occurs, such as a change in the IP address or a change in the temperature setting, the device 200 multicasts a signal to the control device 100 to notify the control device 100 of the change in state. If a multicast communication failure occurs, this signal will not be received by the control device 100, and the control device 100 will not be able to recognize the change in the state of the device 200. To address this, the following processing is performed in this embodiment.

[0038] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing the table update procedure between the control device 100 and the device 200. The device 200 is already registered with the control device 100. The communication unit 210 and control unit 240 of the device 200 detect a change in the IP address (S250). This change occurs after the device 200 acquires an IP address when it starts up, or after the device acquires an IP address when it goes from link down to link up, or when the IP address switches. The control unit 240 outputs a status change notification (first message) to the communication unit 210 to inform it of the existence of information in the device 200, for example, a change in status. The communication unit 210 multicasts the status change notification (first message) (S252). The communication unit 210 also broadcasts a status change notification (second message) with the same content as the status change notification (first message) (S254). The status change notification (first message) includes a transaction ID (hereinafter referred to as "first transaction ID"), and the status change notification (second message) includes a transaction ID (hereinafter referred to as "second transaction ID"). The first transaction ID and the second transaction ID are different. Multicast transmission of the status change notification (first message) and broadcast transmission of the status change notification (second message) may be performed in parallel.

[0039] The communication unit 110 of the control device 100 receives at least one of the multicast-transmitted state change notification (first message) and the broadcast-transmitted state change notification (second message). When the communication unit 110 receives both the state change notification (first message) and the state change notification (second message), the control unit 140 determines, based on the first transaction ID and the second transaction ID, that the state change notification (first message) and the state change notification (second message) are identical in content.

[0040] Following this, the communication unit 110 unicasts an identification number request (third message) to the device 200 to request the identification number of the device 200 (S256). Upon receiving the identification number request, the communication unit 210 of the device 200 unicasts the identification number of the device 200 (fourth message) to the control device 100 (S258). The communication unit 110 of the control device 100 receives the identification number from the device 200. The control unit 140 updates the correspondence table with the combination of the identification number and IP address of the device 200 (S260). This correspondence table is stored in the storage unit 150.

[0041] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing another table update procedure between the control device 100 and the device 200. The control unit 240 of the device 200 detects a change in the operating state of the device 200 (S300). This occurs when the device 200, being an air conditioner, changes from stopped to heating operation. The control unit 240 outputs a state change notification (first message) to the communication unit 210 to inform it of the presence of information in the device 200, such as a change in state. The communication unit 210 multicasts the state change notification (first message) (S302). The communication unit 210 also broadcasts a state change notification (second message) with the same content as the state change notification (first message) (S304). The state change notification (first message) includes a first transaction ID, and the state change notification (second message) includes a second transaction ID.

[0042] The communication unit 110 of the control device 100 receives at least one of the multicast-transmitted state change notification (first message) and the broadcast-transmitted state change notification (second message). When the communication unit 110 receives both the state change notification (first message) and the state change notification (second message), the control unit 140 determines, based on the first transaction ID and the second transaction ID, that the state change notification (first message) and the state change notification (second message) are identical in content.

[0043] According to this embodiment, since the search request is transmitted via multicast and broadcast, even if multicast communication fails, the device can be registered in the control device 100. Furthermore, since the timing of multicast transmission and broadcast transmission of the search request are staggered, traffic congestion can be suppressed. In addition, since multicast transmission and broadcast transmission of the search request are executed in parallel, the extension of waiting time can be suppressed. Furthermore, since different transaction IDs are included in the search request transmitted via multicast and the search request transmitted via broadcast, the two can be distinguished. In addition, since the unicast transmission of the signal following the search request is not duplicated, an increase in traffic can be suppressed.

[0044] Since status change notifications from device 200 are sent via multicast and broadcast, the control device 100 can be notified of the status change even if multicast communication fails. Furthermore, since the multicast-sent status change notification and the broadcast-sent status change notification include different transaction IDs, the two can be distinguished.

[0045] An outline of one aspect of the present disclosure is as follows: A control device (100) in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication unit (110) which can multicast a first message for searching for a device (200) to be registered, and then receive a second message, which is a response to the first message, from the device (200) via unicast, and can broadcast a third message, which has the same content as the first message, and then receive a fourth message, which is a response to the third message, from the device (200) via unicast, and a control unit (140) which, when the communication unit (110) receives at least one of the second message and the fourth message via unicast, causes the communication unit (110) to acquire information for registering the device (200).

[0046] The communications unit (110) staggers the timing of multicast transmission of the first message and broadcast transmission of the third message.

[0047] The communications unit (110) broadcasts the third message after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first message was transmitted by multicast.

[0048] The communications unit (110) may perform multicast transmission of the first message and broadcast transmission of the third message in parallel.

[0049] The first and second messages include the first transaction ID, and the third and second messages include the second transaction ID. The control unit (140) may determine that the second message and the fourth message are identical based on the first and second transaction IDs.

[0050] The second and fourth messages, which the communication unit (110) can unicast, include information indicating the type of device (200), and the information that the control unit (140) has the communication unit (110) acquire for registering the device (200) includes unique information of the device (200) and information specific to the type of device (200). The communication unit (110) may unicast a fifth message to the device (200) to request the unique information of the device (200), and then unicast receive a sixth message containing the unique information of the device (200) from the device (200). The communication unit (110) may unicast a seventh message to the device (200) to request information specific to the type of device (200), and then unicast receive an eighth message containing information specific to the type of device (200) from the device (200).

[0051] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a device (200). This device (200) is a device (200) registered with a control device (100) and comprises a communication unit (210) that multicast transmits a first message to indicate the presence of information in the device (200) and broadcast transmits a second message having the same content as the first message, and a control unit (240) that, when the control device (100) receives at least one of the first message multicast transmitted from the communication unit (210) and the second message broadcast transmitted from the communication unit (210), causes the communication unit (210) to provide the control device (100) with information in the device (200).

[0052] The first message includes the first transaction ID, and the second message includes the second transaction ID. The control device (100) may determine that the first message and the second message are identical based on the first transaction ID and the second transaction ID.

[0053] The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. These examples are illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible for each component or combination of processing steps, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0054] In this embodiment, the control device 100 or device 200 performs a multicast transmission followed by a broadcast transmission. However, this is not limited to this configuration; for example, the control device 100 or device 200 may perform a broadcast transmission followed by a multicast transmission. This modified configuration offers greater flexibility in configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 100 Control unit, 110 Communication unit, 120 Reception unit, 130 Display unit, 140 Control unit, 150 Storage unit, 200 Equipment, 210 Communication unit, 240 Control unit, 250 Storage unit, 300 Router, 400 Network, 500 Control unit, 600 Equipment, 1000 Control system.

Claims

[Claim 1] A communication unit that can multicast a first message to search for a device to be registered, and then receive a second message, which is a response to the first message, from the device via unicast, and can broadcast a third message, which has the same content as the first message, and then receive a fourth message, which is a response to the third message, from the device via unicast, When the communication unit receives at least one of the second message and the fourth message via unicast, a control unit causes the communication unit to acquire information for registering the device. A control device equipped with the following features.

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