IoT communication system and IoT communication method

Abstract

To provide a safe IoT communication system in which a procedure for a manager to manage the system and a procedure for a user to use the system are simple.SOLUTION: Provided is an IoT communication system in which a user terminal which is operated by a user, an IoT terminal which is used at a work site, and a manager terminal which is operated by a manager managing the IoT terminal communicate with one another over a communication network. The system includes the IoT terminal that transmits a device registration notification for associating the IoT terminal and the manager, and a device managing unit that receives the device registration notification, associates the IoT terminal and the manager, and generates published address-related information for uniquely identifying an address where information distributed by the IoT terminal is published. The user terminal acquires the published address-related information generated by the device managing unit. The published address-related information is changed by an operation performed on the IoT terminal and / or an operation performed on the manager terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an IoT communication system and an IoT communication method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for an application delivery controller that receives a service request from a client device, determines routing parameters based on the service request, authenticates access by the client device based on the requested service, etc., and routes to the client device. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-147487 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when using the conventional method as described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that the procedure for making a service request on the operator's side is complicated.

[0005] An object of one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an IoT communication system that is secure and has simple procedures for an administrator to manage it and for a user to use it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An IoT communication system in which a user terminal operated by a user, an IoT terminal used on-site, and an administrator terminal operated by an administrator who manages the IoT terminals communicate with each other via a communication network, the system comprising: an IoT terminal that transmits a device registration notification for associating the IoT terminal with the administrator; and a device manager that receives the device registration notification, associates the IoT terminal with the administrator, and generates public address associated information that uniquely identifies an address at which information distributed from the IoT terminal is made public; When the device manager receives the device registration notification from the IoT terminal during a first timeout period that is started by receiving device address related information that uniquely identifies the IoT terminal in the communication network from the administrator terminal, or when the device manager receives the device address related information from the administrator terminal during a second timeout period that is started by receiving the device registration notification from the IoT terminal, a process of associating the IoT terminal with the administrator is executed; An IoT communication system is provided in which a user terminal acquires public address related information generated by a device manager, and the public address related information is changed by at least one of an operation on the IoT terminal and an operation on an administrator terminal.

[0007] An IoT communication method in which a user terminal operated by a user, an IoT terminal used on-site, and an administrator terminal operated by an administrator who manages the IoT terminals communicate over a communication network, the method comprising: a first step of transmitting a device registration notification for associating the IoT terminal with the administrator; and a second step of receiving the device registration notification, associating the IoT terminal with the administrator, and generating public address related information that uniquely identifies an address at which information distributed from the IoT terminal is made public, the second step being performed when the device registration notification is received from the IoT terminal during a first timeout period that is initiated by receiving, from the administrator terminal, device address related information that uniquely identifies the IoT terminal in the communication network, or The second step However, when the device address related information is received from the administrator terminal during a second timeout period that is started by receiving the device registration notification from the IoT terminal, a process of associating the IoT terminal with the administrator is executed, and the user terminal acquires the generated public address related information, and the public address related information is changed by at least one of an operation on the IoT terminal and an operation on the administrator terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to realize a secure IoT communication system in which the procedures for an administrator to manage the system and the procedures for a user to use the system are simple. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an IoT communication system according to this embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the IoT communication function according to this embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation screen that is a screen presented to an administrator by the IoT communication system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing information stored in an auxiliary storage device provided in a user manager included in the IoT communication system according to this embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the user management processing according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the device management processing according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the information distribution process according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Present embodiment) First, an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system including an IoT communication device 1 and an IoT terminal 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the IoT communication system according to the present embodiment.

[0012] The IoT communication system according to this embodiment is a system in which a user terminal 4 operated by a user, an IoT terminal 3 used on-site, and an administrator terminal 2 operated by an administrator who manages the IoT terminal 3 communicate via a communication network.

[0013] The IoT communication device 1 includes a user manager 10 and a device manager 20. The user manager 10 includes a user management unit 15 that receives information input from an administrator. The IoT terminal 3 transmits a device registration notification for associating the IoT terminal 3 with the administrator.

[0014] The device manager 20 has a device management unit 25 that receives a device registration notification, associates the administrator with the IoT terminal 3, manages information relating to the correspondence between the administrator and the IoT terminal 3, and generates public address related information that uniquely identifies the address to which information delivered from the IoT terminal 3 is made public.

[0015] The public address related information is changed by at least one of an operation on the IoT terminal 3 and an operation on the administrator terminal 2. The user terminal 4 acquires the public address related information generated by the device manager 20. For example, the user terminal 4 acquires the public address related information by receiving it from the administrator terminal 2 via email.

[0016] The public address related information is, for example, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), and the public address is calculated from the public address related information. The public address related information is a random numeric value of 128 bits or more, a random hexadecimal string of 32 digits or more, or a random string of 16 characters or more.

[0017] Public address-related information is exchanged via HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), for example with TLS (Transport Layer Security) 1.2 and a connection encryption suite of ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256.

[0018] For example, the information distributed from the IoT terminal 3 includes at least one video and one still image, and is distributed based on a format or standard such as HLS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Live Streaming), MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over Hypertext Transfer Protocol), RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol), or WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications).

[0019] The user manager 10 and the device manager 20 each include a central processing unit 11, 21, a main storage device 12, 22, and an auxiliary storage device 13, 23, and are, for example, a server, etc. The administrator terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone.

[0020] The IoT terminal 3 is an imaging device capable of capturing a wide range of images at once, such as a 360-degree camera, and is a terminal installed at a site away from the location of the user or manager. Here, the IoT terminal 3 in this embodiment refers to a device that does not have a display unit such as a display and an input unit such as a keyboard, and has a first button such as a shutter button in addition to a power button for turning the power on and off. For example, the IoT terminal 3 may be a smartphone.

[0021] The central processing units 11 and 21 are, for example, CPUs (Central Processing Units) and execute processes by calling up programs stored in the main storage devices 12 and 22. The main storage devices 12 and 22 are, for example, RAMs (Random Access Memory) and store programs such as a user management unit 15, a device management unit 25, and a two-dimensional code generation unit 16 described below.

[0022] The auxiliary storage devices 13 and 23 are, for example, solid state drives (SSDs) or hard disk drives (HDDs), and store tables, etc. For example, the auxiliary storage device 23 includes a device list table TB1, a device details table TB2, a user list table TB3, and a user details table TB4, which will be described later.

[0023] The user management unit 15 begins processing when it receives from the administrator terminal 2 a user ID that uniquely identifies the administrator, a password that verifies that the administrator is the administrator, and device address related information that uniquely identifies the IoT terminal 3 in the communication network.

[0024] The device address is acquired from the device address related information by, for example, DNS-SD (Domain Name System Service Discovery). The device address is, for example, the MAC address of the IoT terminal 3 or a character string that uniquely identifies the IoT terminal 3.

[0025] For example, the device manager 20 starts processing when it receives the device address related information from the administrator terminal 2, and when the device manager 20 receives the device address related information from the administrator terminal 2, a first timeout period starts.

[0026] Furthermore, for example, the device manager 20 starts processing by receiving a device registration notification from the IoT terminal 3, and when the device manager 20 receives the device registration notification from the IoT terminal 3, the second timeout period starts.

[0027] For example, a process of associating the IoT terminal 3 with the administrator may be executed when the device manager 20 receives a device registration notification from the IoT terminal 3 during a first timeout period, or when the device manager 20 receives device address related information from the administrator terminal 2 during a second timeout period.

[0028] The IoT terminal 3 transmits a connection destination inquiry notification to inquire about a session ID assigned to each communication. The IoT terminal 3 receives a session ID from the device manager 20 when the IoT terminal 3 is associated with an administrator in the device manager 20.

[0029] The IoT terminal 3 is identified by the device manager 20 by a signature created based on signature information, which is information including type information, which is information on the type of the IoT terminal 3 stored in the IoT terminal 3, and unique information, which is information unique to the IoT terminal 3. The signature is included in, for example, a connection destination query notification.

[0030] For example, the signature is a hash value calculated from the signature information by a hash function. When calculating the hash function, date and time information or a random character string that is a random variable-length character string may be used as signature information. For example, the type information is a model name, and the unique information is a serial number.

[0031] It is also possible that both the device manager 20 and the IoT terminal 3 hold a common key, the IoT terminal 3 generates a signature using the common key, and the device manager 20 verifies the signature using the common key.

[0032] Information is exchanged between the administrator terminal 2 and the user manager 10 using a public key system. For example, in exchanging information between the administrator terminal 2 and the user manager 10, the administrator terminal 2 uses a JWT signed with a private key obtained from an authentication server (not shown). In exchanging information between the administrator terminal 2 and the user manager 10, the user manager 10 verifies the signature with a public key obtained from the authentication server.

[0033] Furthermore, information is exchanged between the device manager 20 and the IoT terminal 3 using JWT (JSON Web Token) whose encryption method is HS512 (HMAC using SHA-512).

[0034] At least one of the device manager 20, the user terminal 4, and the IoT terminal 3 displays the number of user terminals, which is the number of user terminals 4 using the session ID, on at least one of the user terminal 4 and the administrator terminal 2.

[0035] When the number of user terminals exceeds a predetermined value, at least one of the following processes is performed: issuing a warning on at least one of the user terminal 4 and the administrator terminal 2, stopping the transmission of the session ID to the user terminal 4, and disconnecting communication.

[0036] At least one of the device manager 20 and the IoT terminal 3 may further include a two-dimensional code generator 26 that generates a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) based on the public address related information.

[0037] In this case, a two-dimensional code may be presented to at least one of the IoT terminal 3 and the administrator terminal 2. For example, a sticker on which a two-dimensional code is printed may be affixed to the IoT terminal 3. For example, both the device registration notification and the connection destination inquiry notification include device address related information, and the difference between the device registration notification and the connection destination inquiry notification is, for example, the difference in the identification number of the notification.

[0038] Next, with reference to Fig. 2, the exchange of information between the administrator terminal 2, the user manager 10, the device manager 20, and the IoT terminal 3 will be described. Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram for explaining the IoT communication function according to this embodiment.

[0039] When the user ID, password, and device address related information are transmitted from the administrator terminal 2 to the user management unit 15 of the user manager 10 (S1), an IoT communication process for realizing an IoT communication function is started.

[0040] When device address related information is received from the administrator terminal 2 via the user manager 10 (S2), the device manager 25 of the device manager 20 starts processing. When the first button is pressed, for example, the IoT terminal 3 starts processing and transmits a connection destination inquiry notification to the device manager 25 of the device manager 20 (S3). Note that the IoT terminal 3 may start processing when the power is turned on.

[0041] When receiving a connection destination inquiry notification, the device management unit 25 of the device manager 20 checks whether the IoT terminal 3 is associated with the manager based on the received notification, and does nothing if the IoT terminal 3 is not associated with the manager.

[0042] If the IoT terminal 3 does not receive a session ID within a predetermined time (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the response period) after sending the connection destination query notification, the IoT terminal 3 sends a device registration notification to the device management unit 25 of the device manager 20 (S4).

[0043] When receiving a device registration notification from the IoT terminal 3, the device management unit 25 of the device manager 20 transmits the public address related information to the user management unit 15 of the user manager 10 (S5). When receiving the public address related information, the user management unit 15 of the user manager 10 transmits the public address related information to the administrator terminal 2 (S6).

[0044] After a predetermined time has elapsed since the device registration notification was sent, the IoT terminal 3 sends a connection destination query notification to the device management unit 25 of the device manager 20 (S7). Upon receiving the connection destination query notification, the device management unit 25 of the device manager 20 checks whether the IoT terminal 3 is associated with the administrator based on the received notification, and if associated, sends a session ID to the IoT terminal 3 (S8). If a session ID is received within a predetermined time since the sending of the connection destination query notification, the IoT terminal 3 ends the processing. Note that the device manager 20 may start processing by receiving the connection destination query notification.

[0045] Next, an example of a user interface in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation screen 30 that is a screen presented to an administrator by the IoT communication system according to this embodiment. More specifically, the presentation screen is presented by the user management unit 15 of the user manager 10 in the IoT communication system.

[0046] The presentation screen 30 includes a device registration button 31 , a device deletion button 32 , a URL change button 33 , a logout button 34 , a QR code (registered trademark) generation button 35 , a disconnection button 36 , and an end button 37 .

[0047] The presentation screen 30 also includes a device list section 38 that displays IoT terminals 3 registered in the IoT communication system, and a URL section 39 that displays public address related information in which information about an IoT terminal 3 selected in the device list section 38 is displayed.

[0048] Furthermore, the presentation screen 30 may include a two-dimensional code display field 40 in which a two-dimensional code generated based on the public address related information of the IoT terminal 3 selected in the device list field 38 is displayed.

[0049] The device registration button 31 is a button for registering a new IoT terminal 3 in the IoT communication system. When the device registration button 31 is pressed and the IoT terminal 3 is normally added to the IoT communication system as a device, the new IoT terminal 3 is added to the device list field 38.

[0050] The device deletion button 32 is a button for deleting an IoT terminal 3 registered in the IoT communication system from the IoT communication system. When the device deletion button 32 is pressed and the IoT terminal 3 is deleted successfully, the IoT terminal 3 is deleted from the device list field 38.

[0051] The URL change button 33 is a button for changing the public address related information that displays information of the IoT terminal 3 selected in the device list field 38. When the URL change button is pressed and the public address related information is changed successfully, the public address related information displayed in the URL field 39 is changed.

[0052] The logout button 34 is a button for logging out from IoT communication processing. It is used when processing is to be performed as a different user. When the logout button 34 is pressed and the administrator successfully logs out from the IoT communication system, a login screen is displayed on the presentation screen 30.

[0053] The QR code (registered trademark) generation button 35 is a button for generating a two-dimensional code based on the public address related information of the IoT terminal 3 selected in the device list field 38. When the QR code (registered trademark) generation button 35 is pressed and a two-dimensional code is normally generated, the two-dimensional code generated based on the public address related information of the IoT terminal 3 selected in the device list field 38 is displayed. The disconnect button 36 is a button for disconnecting communication. When the disconnect button 36 is pressed, communication between the IoT terminal 3 and the user terminal 4 is disconnected.

[0054] The end button 37 is a button for ending the IoT communication process. When the end button 37 is pressed and the IoT communication process ends normally, for example, the presentation screen 30 is closed by the IoT communication process, and the IoT communication process ends.

[0055] Next, the information handled by the device management unit 25 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing information stored in the auxiliary storage device 23 included in the device manager 20 of the IoT communication system according to this embodiment.

[0056] The device list table TB1 is a table for storing a device list. For example, a device list refers to a table listing device names, which are the names of IoT terminals 3 that are devices registered in the IoT communication system. The names of IoT terminals 3 are expressed in alphanumeric characters, for example, "27N8D1475rwbXn7XntR1."

[0057] The device details table TB2 is a table that stores parameters of each IoT terminal 3. The parameters of the IoT terminal 3 are, for example, "deviceIsValid", "firmwareVersion", "gps", "gyro", "isBonding", "manufacturer", "model", "owner", "Received_timestamp", "serialNumber", "sessionid", "startBonding_timestamp", "updateAt", "uptime", and "url".

[0058] "deviceIsValid" is a parameter that indicates whether the IoT terminal 3 is operating and the device is valid, and when the value is "true", the device is valid, and when the value is "false", the device is invalid. "firmwareVersion" is a parameter that indicates the firmware version of the IoT terminal 3, and the value is expressed as a number such as "1.00.00".

[0059] "gps" is a parameter that indicates whether the GPS (Global Positioning System) function of the IoT terminal 3 is enabled or not. A value of "true" indicates that the GPS function is enabled, and a value of "false" indicates that the GPS function is disabled.

[0060] "Gyro" is a parameter indicating whether or not the gyroscope function of the IoT terminal 3 is enabled, and when the value is "true", it indicates that the gyroscope function is enabled, and when the value is "false", it indicates that the gyroscope function is disabled. Here, for example, the gyroscope function is a function of acquiring at least one of the angle, angular velocity, and angular acceleration of the IoT terminal 3.

[0061] "isBonding" is a parameter that indicates whether or not the bonding function provided in the IoT terminal 3 is enabled, and indicates that it is a bonding function when its value is "true", and indicates that the bonding function is disabled when its value is "false". Here, for example, the bonding function refers to a function that bundles multiple network interfaces to provide redundancy or improve throughput.

[0062] "manufacturer" is a parameter that indicates the manufacturer of the IoT terminal 3 and its value is a character string, "model" is a parameter that indicates the model name and its value is a character string, and "owner" is a parameter that indicates the owner of the IoT terminal 3 and its value is expressed in alphanumeric characters.

[0063] In "owner", for example, a user name which is the name of an administrator is stored, and only one parameter of "owner" is held for one IoT terminal 3. Therefore, one IoT terminal 3 can be operated by one user.

[0064] "Received_timestamp" is a parameter indicating the time when the IoT terminal 3 received the connection destination search notification, and its value is information of the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. "serialNumber" is a parameter indicating the serial number held by the IoT terminal 3, and its value is expressed as a number.

[0065] "sessionid" is a parameter indicating the session ID, and its value is expressed in alphanumeric characters. "startBonding_timestamp" is a parameter indicating the time when the bonding function became effective, and its value is information in the form of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

[0066] "updateAt" is a parameter that indicates the time when the firmware version was updated, and its value is the date, hour, minute, and second information. "uptime" is a parameter that indicates the time since the device was enabled, and its value is expressed as a number of seconds, for example. "url" is a parameter that indicates information related to the public address, and its value is expressed as alphanumeric characters.

[0067] The user list table TB3 is a table that stores a user list. For example, a user list refers to a table that lists user names, which are the names of users registered in the IoT communication system. User names are expressed in alphanumeric characters, such as "0gRX83GzNigGHNjG80uWh2DPkzy1".

[0068] The user details table TB4 is a table for storing parameters of each user. The parameters of a user may be, for example, "CreatedAt", "devices", and "updateAt".

[0069] "CreatedAt" is a parameter that indicates the date and time when the user information, which is user information, was created, and its value is the date and time and hour, minute, and second information. "devices" is a parameter that indicates the devices associated with the user, and its value is alphanumeric. Multiple devices may be associated with one user.

[0070] "updateAt" is a parameter indicating the date and time when the user information was updated, and the value is the date and time. Note that the user information here is, for example, information input from the administrator terminal 2, and includes the user name, device name, and password.

[0071] Next, the user management process performed by the user management unit 15 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the user management process according to this embodiment.

[0072] The user management unit 15 starts the user management process when it receives the user ID, password, and device address related information from the administrator terminal 2. First, the user management unit 15 checks whether the user ID is registered in the user list table TB3 (S21). Here, the user ID is, for example, a user name. For example, the IoT communication process starts when the user management process starts.

[0073] If the determination in step S1 is negative (S21: NO), the user management unit 15 acquires user information (S22) and executes step S1 again. If the determination in step S2 is positive (S21: YES), the user management unit 15 acquires a device list (S23).

[0074] Next, the user management unit 15 performs processing according to the processing content selected by the administrator received from the administrator terminal 2 (S24). When the administrator selects a device deletion process by pressing the device deletion button 32 while selecting a certain IoT terminal 3 in the device list field 38, the user management unit 15 deletes the selected IoT terminal 3 from the device list field 38 (S25) and executes step S24 again.

[0075] When the selected IoT terminal 3 is deleted from the device list field 38, the contents of the device details table TB2 associated with the selected IoT terminal 3 from the device list field 38 are deleted.

[0076] When the administrator selects an IoT terminal 3 in the device list column 38 and presses the URL change button 33 to select the URL change process, the user management unit 15 changes the public address related information of the IoT terminal 3 selected from the device list column 38 (S26) and executes step S24 again.

[0077] When the public address related information of an IoT terminal 3 selected from the device list column 38 is changed, the value of "url" in the device details table TB2 associated with the IoT terminal 3 selected from the device list column 38 is changed, and the public address related information displayed in the URL column 39 is changed.

[0078] When the administrator presses the logout button 34 to select the logout process, the user management unit 15 discards the acquired user information, logs out the user (S27), and executes step S21 again.

[0079] If the administrator presses the end button 37 to select the end process, the user management unit 15 discards the acquired user information and closes the presentation screen 30 (S28), and the user management process ends. If the administrator presses the device registration button 31 to select the device registration process, the user management unit 15 determines whether or not the device address related information has been acquired (S29).

[0080] When device address related information is acquired by input from the administrator (S29: YES), the user management unit 15 judges whether public address related information such as a URL is acquired (S30). When public address related information is acquired from the device management unit 25 or the like (S30: YES), the user management unit 15 transmits the public address related information to the administrator terminal 2 (S31) and executes step S23 again.

[0081] If the timeout period for obtaining the device address related information (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the timeout period for the user management process) has elapsed and the device address related information could not be obtained (S29: NO), the user management unit 15 sends a device address related information obtainment timeout notice to the administrator terminal 2 (S32) and executes step S23 again. The timeout period for the user management process starts when it is confirmed that the device registration process has been selected.

[0082] If the timeout period for obtaining public address related information (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the timeout period for user management processing) has elapsed and the public address related information cannot be obtained (S30: NO), the user management unit 15 sends a public address related information timeout notification to the administrator terminal 2 (S33) and executes step S23 again.

[0083] In step S24, if the administrator presses the QR code (registered trademark) generation button 35 to select the two-dimensional code generation process, the user management unit 15 transmits an instruction to the two-dimensional code generation unit 16 to generate a two-dimensional code.

[0084] Upon receiving the instruction to generate a two-dimensional code, two-dimensional code generation unit 16 generates a two-dimensional code and transmits a two-dimensional code generation completion notification to user management unit 15. Upon receiving the two-dimensional code generation completion notification, user management unit 15 executes step S24 again.

[0085] Next, the device management process performed by the device management unit 25 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the device management process according to this embodiment.

[0086] When the device management unit 25 receives the device address related information from the user management unit 15, the device management unit 25 starts the device management process. First, the device management unit 25 determines whether or not the timeout period of the device management process (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the first timeout period) has elapsed (S41). Note that the first timeout period starts when the device management process starts.

[0087] If the timeout period for the device management process has elapsed (S41: YES), the device management process ends. If the timeout period for the device management process has not elapsed (S41: NO), the device management unit 25 determines whether the IoT terminal that can be confirmed based on the notification received from the IoT terminal 3 has been registered (S42).

[0088] If the IoT terminal that can be confirmed based on the notification received from the IoT terminal 3 has already been registered (S42: NO), the device management unit 25 generates a session ID and transmits it to the IoT terminal 3 (S43), and the device management process ends.

[0089] If the IoT terminal that can be confirmed based on the notification received from the IoT terminal 3 has not been registered (S42: NO), the device management unit 25 generates public address related information and transmits the public address related information to the user manager 10 (S44), and the device management process ends.

[0090] Next, the information distribution process performed by the IoT terminal 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the information distribution process according to this embodiment. When the first button is pressed, the IoT terminal 3 starts the information distribution process.

[0091] When the information distribution process is started, the IoT terminal 3 transmits a connection destination query notification to the device management unit 25 (S61). Next, the IoT terminal 3 determines whether or not a session ID has been received from the device management unit 25 within a response period after transmitting the connection destination query notification (S62).

[0092] If the session ID has not been received (S62: NO), the IoT terminal 3 transmits a device registration notification to the device management unit 25 (S63). If the session ID has been received (S62: YES), the IoT terminal 3 starts distributing information at the site where the IoT terminal 3 is installed (S64), and the information distribution process ends.

[0093] As described above, in this embodiment, a series of processes are performed in which the IoT terminal 3 transmits a connection destination inquiry notification and a device registration notification, and the device manager 20 associates the IoT terminal 3 with the administrator and generates public address related information. Therefore, in this embodiment, the procedures for the administrator to manage registration and the like and for the user to use the system are simplified.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the public address related information is changed by at least one of an operation on the IoT terminal 3 and an operation on the administrator terminal 2. Therefore, this embodiment can provide a secure IoT communication system.

[0095] In addition, in this embodiment, the IoT terminal 3 uses a signature when performing communication, so that communication protected by the signature can be established without input from the IoT terminal 3. Furthermore, the user management unit 15 collectively manages information relating to the association between the administrator and the IoT terminal 3.

[0096] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to manage information relating to the association between the administrator and the IoT terminal 3 on the administrator terminal 2 and the IoT terminal 3, simplifying the procedures for the administrator to manage registration and the procedures for the user to use the system.

[0097] In this embodiment, the two-dimensional code generating unit 16 generates a QR code (registered trademark) based on a URL, for example. Therefore, in this embodiment, a user or a person operating an IoT terminal 3 can access a URL by simply reading the QR code (registered trademark) with a camera or the like, without having to type in a URL, simplifying the procedures for the administrator to manage registration and the like and for the user to use the device.

[0098] In this embodiment, the device manager 20 may first receive either the device address related information transmitted from the user manager 10 or the device registration notification transmitted from the IoT terminal 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, the procedure for the administrator to manage registration and the procedure for the user to use are simplified.

[0099] Furthermore, since there is the first timeout period and the second timeout period, a time limit is imposed, and in this embodiment, it is highly possible to eliminate a threat to security, such as spoofing, in which a person other than the owner of the IoT terminal 3 obtains information about the status of the IoT terminal 3. Therefore, this embodiment can provide a secure IoT communication system. For example, the first timeout period, the second timeout period, and the timeout period for the user management process are set to predetermined values.

[0100] Furthermore, the public address related information is set to a certain amount of information or more, such as a random numeric value of 128 bits or more, a random hexadecimal character string of 32 digits or more, or a random character string of 16 characters or more. In this manner, in this embodiment, by setting the public address related information to a certain amount of information or more, it is possible to reduce the possibility that an unexpected visitor will access the URL.

[0101] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an IoT communication system in which the procedures for the administrator to manage the system and the procedures for the user to use the system are simple and safe.

[0102] In this embodiment, the user management unit 15, the two-dimensional code generation unit 16, and the device management unit 25 are programs, but they may be logic circuits. Also, the user management unit 15, the two-dimensional code generation unit 16, the device management unit 25, the device list table TB1, the device details table TB2, the user list table TB3, and the user details table TB4 may not be implemented in one device, but may be distributed and implemented in multiple devices connected by a network, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1...IoT communication device, 2...administrator terminal, 3...IoT terminal, 4...user terminal, 10...user manager, 11, 21...central processing unit, 12, 22...main memory device, 13, 23...auxiliary memory device, 15...user management unit, 16...2D code generation unit, 20...device manager, 25...device management unit.

Claims

1. An IoT communication system in which a user terminal operated by a user, an IoT terminal used at a site, and an administrator terminal operated by an administrator who manages the IoT terminals communicate with each other via a communication network, the IoT terminal transmitting a device registration notification for associating the IoT terminal with the administrator; A device manager that receives the device registration notification, associates the IoT terminal with the administrator, and generates public address related information that uniquely identifies an address at which information distributed from the IoT terminal is published; The device manager includes: When the device registration notification is received from the IoT terminal during a first timeout period that is initiated by receiving device address related information that uniquely identifies the IoT terminal in the communication network from the administrator terminal, or When the device manager receives the device address related information from the administrator terminal during a second timeout period that is initiated by receiving the device registration notification from the IoT terminal, A process of associating the IoT terminal with the administrator is executed, The user terminal acquires the public address related information generated by the device manager, The public address related information is changed by at least one of an operation on the IoT terminal and an operation on the administrator terminal. IoT communication system.

2. The IoT terminal transmits a connection destination inquiry notification for inquiring about a session ID assigned to each communication; The IoT terminal receives the session ID from the device manager when the IoT terminal is associated with the administrator in the device manager; The IoT terminal is identified by the device manager by a signature created based on signature information, which is information including type information that is information on the type of the IoT terminal stored in the IoT terminal and unique information that is unique information of the IoT terminal; The signature is included in the connection destination inquiry notification, The IoT terminal transmits the public address related information to the device manager and receives the session ID from the device manager. The IoT communication system according to claim 1 .

3. At least one of the device manager, the user terminal, and the IoT terminal displays the number of user terminals, which is the number of the user terminals using the session ID assigned for each communication, on at least one of the user terminal and the administrator terminal; When the number of the user terminals exceeds a predetermined value, at least one of a process of issuing a warning in at least one of the user terminals and the administrator terminal, a process of stopping transmission of the session ID to the user terminal, and a process of disconnecting the communication is performed. The IoT communication system according to claim 1 .

4. At least one of the device manager and the IoT terminal further includes a two-dimensional code generating unit that generates a two-dimensional code based on the public address related information that is changed by at least one of an operation on the IoT terminal and an operation on the administrator terminal; A two-dimensional code is presented to at least one of the IoT terminal and the administrator terminal; The IoT communication system according to claim 1 .

5. The IoT communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the distributed information includes at least one of a video and a still image.

6. An IoT communication method in which a user terminal operated by a user, an IoT terminal used at a site, and an administrator terminal operated by an administrator who manages the IoT terminals communicate with each other via a communication network, A first step of sending a device registration notification for associating the IoT terminal with the administrator; A second step of receiving the device registration notification, associating the IoT terminal with the administrator, and generating public address related information that uniquely identifies an address at which information distributed from the IoT terminal is published; The second step includes: When the device registration notification is received from the IoT terminal during a first timeout period that is initiated by receiving device address related information that uniquely identifies the IoT terminal in the communication network from the administrator terminal, or When the second step receives the device address related information from the administrator terminal during a second timeout period that is started by receiving the device registration notification from the IoT terminal, A process of associating the IoT terminal with the administrator is executed, The user terminal acquires the generated public address related information, The public address related information is changed by at least one of an operation on the IoT terminal and an operation on the administrator terminal. IoT communication method.

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