Control system and control method

Abstract

To provide a control system more excellent in convenience, and provide a control method.SOLUTION: A position information acquisition part acquires position information on a terminal device. A device control part controls an operation state of a predetermined device installed in an object space on the basis of a position relation between a position indicated by the position information and a predetermined object space. When the position indicated by the position information enters into an inner part of a predetermined target range from the object space, the operation state of the device is changed from a predetermined first state to a predetermined second state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system and a control method, for example, a control system for controlling the operating state of equipment installed in a given space. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been proposed to connect various devices installed in a predetermined space such as a residence using a network and control the operating state from a remote location. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an information terminal (home controller) that displays a display screen representing each room included in a building on a display and displays device icons representing one or more target devices in each room displayed on the display screen on the display. When the information terminal detects the selection of a first device icon representing a first target device among the target devices, the information terminal displays a room screen representing a room corresponding to the first target device corresponding to the selected first device icon on the display. The displayed room screen includes a first operation screen for operating the first target device corresponding to the selected first device icon and a second operation screen for a second target device corresponding to a second device icon other than the selected first device icon and arranged in the room displayed on the room screen. The information terminal outputs a first control command for controlling the first target device to the network based on the operation of the first operation screen. The information terminal outputs a second control command for controlling the second target device to the network based on the operation of the second operation screen.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a home control system equipped with the above-mentioned home controller, and a server equipped with a home information management unit that manages home information for each house or for each user account. The home information includes room information and a device list. The home information management unit transmits the home information to the home controller in response to a request from the home controller. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2014 / 128800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The target space in which the target device is installed may be shared by multiple users, not just one person. For some of the multiple users, remote operation may be restricted to ensure safety. For example, there is a strong need to restrict remote operation of cooking equipment and bathing facilities for elderly people and children. On the other hand, daily or habitual manual operations such as turning off the lights when going out and stopping the air conditioner may be forgotten, or the operation may feel cumbersome. For this reason, if the usage authority is set uniformly for each user, it may actually be less convenient.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a control system and a control method that are more convenient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present invention is a control system including a control device and a terminal device, the control device including: a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the terminal device; a device control unit that controls an operation state of a predetermined device installed in a target space based on a positional relationship between a position indicated by the position information and a predetermined target space; a storage unit that stores user registration information indicating a target device to be controlled in association with each registered terminal device that is a terminal device of a user; and an information providing unit that uses the user registration information to determine a user of the terminal device related to the position information, and provides the registered terminal device with user position information indicating a position indicated by the position information as the position of the determined user. The registration terminal device displays a screen including a presence indication including a symbol for each user located within the target space based on the user location information, and screen components that associate the symbols of each user with the target space and display symbols indicating information about each user and are selectable in response to operation, and when any of the screen components is selected in response to operation, a user location information screen is constructed and displayed by superimposing on a map a figure indicating the position of the user corresponding to the symbol displayed in the selected screen component and a figure indicating the position of the target space, and the equipment control unit is a control system that changes the operating state of the equipment from a predetermined first state to a predetermined second state when the position indicated by the location information enters within a predetermined target range from the target space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of user registration information according to the embodiment; [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a setting process of a target device during movement. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation control process according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of user registration information according to the embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a target range. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing yet another example of user registration information according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the target range. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a home screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a setting screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another display example of the setting screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user location information screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (System Overview) An overview of a control system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The control system 1 includes a control device 10, devices 20, and terminal devices 30. In the example shown in Fig. 1, there are n devices 20 (n is a predetermined integer equal to or greater than 1) and m terminal devices 30 (m is a predetermined integer equal to or greater than 1) for one control device 10. When n is 2 or greater, the individual devices 20 may be distinguished from one another using sub-numbers such as 20-1. Similarly, when m is 2 or greater, the individual terminal devices 30 may be distinguished from one another using sub-numbers such as 30-1.

[0011] The control device 10, the devices 20, and the terminal device 30 are connected to each other via a network NW so that various data can be transmitted and received wirelessly or by wire. The n devices 20 are installed in a predetermined space. In this embodiment, the space in which the devices 20 are installed may be referred to as a "target space." The devices 20 may be referred to as "target devices." The control device 10 may be installed in the target space or in another space.

[0012] The control device 10 controls the operation states of n devices 20. The control device 10 acquires location information indicating the respective locations of m terminal devices 30, and provides user location information indicating the acquired location information as the user's location to the terminal device 30. The control device 10 controls the operation state of a specific device 20 installed in the target space based on the positional relationship between the location indicated by the user location information and the target space. When the location indicated by the acquired location information enters the inside of a specific target range from the outside, the control device 10 changes the operation state of the specific device from a specific first state to a specific second state. When the location indicated by the acquired location information leaves the inside of a specific target range from the inside, the control device 10 may change the operation state of the specific device 20 from the second state to the first state.

[0013] The control device 10 may be configured as a dedicated control device, for example, a home controller. The control device 10 may be configured as a device (gateway device) having another function as its main function. A general-purpose computer may execute processes indicated by various commands written in a predetermined program to realize the function of the control device 10. The predetermined devices to be controlled in operation state may be some, not all, of the devices installed in the target space. In that case, the predetermined devices or a combination thereof may be set independently between the terminal device 30 or users that are the source of location information.

[0014] The device 20 is a device whose operating state is to be controlled. The device 20 is mainly a device that is fixedly installed in a target space. The device 20 includes devices that are expected to operate on the way home or while the user is at home, and devices that do not need to operate immediately before going out or when the user is away. Examples of the device 20 include air conditioners, floor heaters, water heaters, ventilation fans, light switches, and the like. The target space is, for example, a space that is the main living base of a household consisting of two or more users, such as a single house or a dwelling unit in an apartment building.

[0015] The terminal device 30 determines its own position and transmits position information indicating the determined position to the control device 10. The terminal device 30 may be, for example, a position detector such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker. The control device 10 may aggregate the position information received from each terminal device 30 and transmit the aggregated position information to each terminal device 30 equipped with a display unit 370 as user position information indicating the position of each user of the terminal device 30. The display unit of the terminal device 30 may display a user position information screen that visibly displays the user position information received from the control device 10.

[0016] The terminal device 30 may further receive an operation from a user, generate operation control information for instructing the operation of the control device 10 in response to the received operation, and output the generated operation control information to the control device 10. The terminal device 30 may be an information terminal device dedicated to an individual user. More specifically, the terminal device 30 may be any of a multi-function mobile phone (including a so-called smartphone), a tablet terminal device, a personal computer, and the like. The terminal device 30 outputs user identification information indicating the user of the device to the control device 10 together with the operation control information or separately from the operation control device. The terminal device 30 may be located within the target space or outside the target space.

[0017] (Control device) Next, an example of the functional configuration of the control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. The control device 10 includes a control unit 120, a communication unit 130, and a storage unit 140.

[0018] The control unit 120 controls the functions of the control device 10. The control unit 120 includes a location information acquisition unit 122, a device control unit 124, and an information provision unit 126. The control unit 120 may be configured as dedicated hardware, or may be configured as a computer including a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor may read a program stored in advance in the storage unit 140 at startup, and perform processing instructed by instructions written in the read program to realize the function of the control unit 120. In this embodiment, performing processing instructed by instructions written in the program may be referred to as "executing a program" or "running a program."

[0019] The location information acquisition unit 122 receives location information indicating the location from the terminal device 30 of a user registered in advance. The location information acquisition unit 122 stores the received location information in the storage unit 140 for each user corresponding to the terminal device 30 that transmitted the location information. The location information acquisition unit 122 updates the user's location information related to newly acquired location information among the location information stored in the storage unit 140 to the newly acquired location information. The latest location information for each user is stored in the storage unit 140.

[0020] The device control unit 124 controls the operation state of the target device according to the operation control information received from the terminal device 30. The device control unit 124 identifies the target device and its operation state indicated by the operation control information, and generates control information indicating the identified operation state. The operation state indicated by the operation control information is, for example, power on (Power ON), power off (Power OFF), intensity, duration, locked, unlocked, or any combination of these. The device control unit 124 transmits the generated control information to the device 20, which is the identified target device. The control unit 220 (described later) of the device 20 operates its own operation unit 250 (described later) according to the operation state received from the device control unit 124.

[0021] The devices to be controlled may be set independently for each user. The device control unit 124 refers to the user registration information previously stored in the storage unit 140 and determines the user indicated by the user identification information received from the terminal device 30. The user registration information includes user identification information and target device information for each user in advance, and these are set in association with each other (described later). In this embodiment, a registered user may be referred to as a "registered user". The device control unit 124 determines the target device indicated by the target device information corresponding to the user identification information. The device control unit 124 permits control of the determined target device and does not permit control of other target devices (user authority determination).

[0022] The user identification information may be existing information or uniquely set identification information (e.g., user ID (Identifier)) as long as it can identify an individual user or the terminal device 30. As the existing information, an email address, a telephone number, a MAC (Media Access Control) address, etc. may be used.

[0023] The device control unit 124 monitors the position information stored in the storage unit 140, and for a user whose position information has changed, determines whether the position indicated by the position information has entered a predetermined target range (first target range) from outside the predetermined target space into the inside of the predetermined target range. The first target range may be equal to the target space, or may be an area including the target space and larger than the target space. When determining that the user has entered the target space, the device control unit 124 changes the operating state of a predetermined device installed in the target space from a predetermined first state to a predetermined second state. The device control unit 124 determines the predetermined device as a target device, and when the operating state of the device is the first state, generates control information indicating the second state as the operating state after the change. The device control unit 124 transmits the generated control device to the target device.

[0024] The device control unit 124 may determine whether or not the position indicated by the location information of the user whose location information has changed has left a predetermined target space from inside a predetermined second target range to the outside of the target space. The second target range may be, for example, equal to the target space, or may be an area including the target space and larger than the target space. The second target range may be equal to or different from the first target range. When determining that the user has left the target space, the device control unit 124 changes the operating state of a predetermined device installed in the target space from the second state to the first state. The device control unit 124 determines that the predetermined device is a target device, and when the operating state of the device is the second state, generates control information indicating the first state as the operating state after the change. The device control unit 124 transmits the generated control information to the target device.

[0025] In the following description, the equipment that changes its operating state when entering the first target range and the equipment that changes its operating state when leaving the second target range may be referred to as the "approach target equipment" and the "leave target equipment", respectively. The approach target equipment and the leave target equipment may be collectively referred to as the "movement target equipment". When the approach target equipment and the leave target equipment are the same, they may be referred to as the "movement target equipment" without distinction between them.

[0026] The target device during movement may be set independently for each user in advance, or may be set uniformly regardless of the user. The target device during entry and the target device during departure may be the same or different. Information on the target device during movement may be set as included in the target device information. The first state and the second state, which are the operating states before and after the change, may be set in advance for each device 20, each user, or each combination of the device 20 and the user.

[0027] The first target range and the second target range may also be set in advance for each device 20, each user, or each pair of the device 20 and the user. For each user or device, the necessity of changing the operating state at the time of entry and / or the changing of the operating state at the time of leaving may be set. As the setting information for each user, for example, the target device at the time of entry, the target device at the time of leaving, the necessity of changing the operating state at the time of entry, the necessity of changing the operating state at the time of leaving, the first target range, the second target range, the operating state before and after the change, and the like may be set in the user registration information (described later). The device control unit 124 can specify the setting information corresponding to the user who entered the first target range or the user who left outside the second target range by referring to the user registration information.

[0028] The device control unit 124 may receive operation status information indicating the operation status of each device 20 from each device 20, and transmit the received operation status information to the terminal device 30 via the information providing unit 126. The control unit 320 of the terminal device 30 may generate an operation status screen indicating the operation status information for each device 20 received from the device control unit 124, and display the generated operation status screen on the display unit 370. The control unit 320 of the terminal device 30 may display an operation screen for controlling the operation status of a specific device 20, which the user is permitted to control, on the display unit 370. In this case, the device control unit 124 may control the operation status of the target device according to the operation control information received from the terminal device 30, without sequentially performing user authentication.

[0029] The information providing unit 126 provides various information to the terminal device 30 having the display unit 370. Examples of the information to be provided include location information for each user (user location information) and operation status information. For example, when the information providing unit 126 receives a location information request from the control unit 320 of the terminal device 30, the information providing unit 126 reads out the location information for each user at that time from the storage unit 140. The information providing unit 126 transmits the read location information to the terminal device 30 that is the sender of the location information request. The control unit 320 of the terminal device 30 transmits the location information request to the control device 10, for example, after the start-up process of a specific application is completed, when display of location information is requested in response to an operation, etc.

[0030] The information providing unit 126 may read out the location information of each user at that time from the storage unit 140 at predetermined time intervals (for example, 1 to 15 minutes), and transmit the read out location information to each of the pre-registered terminal devices 30. The information providing unit 126 may monitor the presence or absence of a change in the location information of each user in the storage unit 140, read out the location information of the device 20 that detects the change, and transmit the read out location information to each of the pre-registered terminal devices 30.

[0031] For example, when the information providing unit 126 receives an operation state information request from the control unit 320 of the terminal device 30, the information providing unit 126 may transmit the operation state information input to the terminal device 30 that is the sender of the operation state information request. The control unit 320 of the terminal device 30 transmits the operation state information request to the control device 10 when, for example, after the start-up process of a specific application is completed, or when a display of operation state information is requested in response to an operation.

[0032] The information providing unit 126 may aggregate the operation status information for each device at that time every predetermined time (for example, every 1 to 15 minutes) and transmit the aggregated operation status information to each of the pre-registered terminal devices 30. Every time operation status information is input from the device control unit 124, the information providing unit 126 may transmit the input operation status information to each of the pre-registered terminal devices 30.

[0033] (device) Next, an example of the functional configuration of the device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described. The device 20 includes a control unit 220, a communication unit 230, a storage unit 240, an operation unit 250, and a detection unit 260.

[0034] The control unit 220 controls the functions of the device 20. The control unit 220 may be configured to include dedicated hardware like the control unit 120 of the control device 10, or may be configured as a computer including a general-purpose processor. The control unit 220 controls the operation of the operation unit 250 according to control information received from the control device 10 or control information input from an operation input unit (not shown) of the control unit 220. The operation input unit may be configured to include a member that accepts an operation, such as a button, a lever, or a knob, or may be configured to include a receiver that receives control information from a remote control device. The control unit 220 may transmit operation status information indicating the operation status of the operation unit 250 to the control device 10.

[0035] The communication unit 230 connects to other devices via the network NW so as to be able to transmit and receive various data. For example, the communication unit 230 connects to the control device 10 using a LAN. The communication unit 230 does not necessarily have to connect to the terminal device 30 via a public wireless communication network or the Internet. However, the communication unit 230 may have a function as a device detection unit that detects the terminal device 30 with which it is able to communicate using a wireless LAN or a wireless PAN (Personal Area Network).

[0036] The storage unit 240 stores various data used by the control unit 220 and various data acquired by the control unit 220.

[0037] The operation unit 250 executes an operation for exerting the function of the device 20 according to the control information input from the control unit 220. For example, if the device 20 is an air conditioner, the operation unit 250 includes a blower, a heat exchanger, and a compressor. If the device 20 is a light switch, the operation unit 250 includes a movable mechanism for a terminal.

[0038] The detection unit 260 detects the environmental state required for the operation unit 250 to operate, and outputs environmental information indicating the detected environmental state to the operation unit 250. When the device 20 is an air conditioner, the detection unit 260 is configured to include a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. Depending on the function of the device 20, the detection unit 260 may be omitted.

[0039] (Terminal Device) An example of the functional configuration of the terminal device 30 according to this embodiment will be described below. The terminal device 30 shown in FIG.

[0040] The control unit 320 controls the functions of the terminal device 30. The control unit 320 may be configured to include dedicated hardware like the control unit 120 of the control device 10, or may be configured as a computer including a general-purpose processor. The processor may execute a predetermined application program (hereinafter, referred to as an "app") to provide the functions of the control unit 320. The control unit 320 exerts various functions according to operation information input from the operation unit 380. For example, the control unit 320 generates operation control information indicating the operation state of the target device based on the operation information, and transmits the information to the control device 10.

[0041] The communication unit 330 is connected to other devices via the network NW so as to be able to transmit and receive various data. For example, the communication unit 330 can connect to the control device 10 using any communication path such as a public wireless communication network, the Internet, or a LAN. The communication unit 330 can connect to the device 20 using a wireless LAN or a wireless PAN.

[0042] The storage unit 340 stores various data used by the control unit 320 and various data acquired by the control unit 320.

[0043] The display unit 370 displays display information input from the control unit 320. The display unit 370 visually displays various images, text, symbols, figures, etc. The display unit 370 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display.

[0044] The operation unit 380 receives an operation, generates operation information according to the received operation, and outputs the generated operation information to the control unit 320. The control unit 320 operates according to the instructions indicated in the operation information. In the following description, operating according to the instructions indicated in the operation information may be referred to as "in response to an operation," "according to an operation," etc.

[0045] The position determination unit 390 determines the spatial position of the device itself, and transmits position information indicating the determined position to the control device 10 using the communication unit 330. The position determination unit 390 is configured to include, for example, a GPS module. The GPS module receives, as a received signal, a predetermined measurement signal sent from each of four or more GPS satellites orbiting the Earth, and calculates the arrival time difference of the received signal from each GPS satellite for each pair of two GPS satellites. The GPS module can estimate the distance to each GPS satellite from the arrival time difference calculated for each pair of GPS satellites, and calculate the position of the device itself using the estimated distance.

[0046] The position determination unit 390 may receive, as a received signal, a predetermined reference signal transmitted by each of three or more wireless base station devices by the communication unit 330, and obtain a phase difference with a known reference signal. The position determination unit 390 extracts identification information of the wireless base station device multiplexed in the received signal, and identifies the position of the wireless base station device indicated by the extracted identification information by referring to a pre-set wireless base station list. The position determination unit 390 may calculate the position of the device itself based on the positions of the individual wireless base station devices and the distance estimated from the phase difference. The position of the device itself is represented, for example, by a pair of latitude and longitude (hereinafter referred to as "latitude and longitude").

[0047] (User Rights) Next, an example of authority management for each registered user will be described. In this embodiment, the authority for each user or information indicating the authority may be referred to as a user account. There are two types of user authority: a main account user and a family account user. The main account user is the primary user of the control device 10. The main account user can control all devices 20 whose operating status can be controlled by the control device 10. The main account user can set, change, and delete a family account. The family account refers to the authority of a family account user. The main account user can set devices that are allowed to be controlled independently for each family account user. The main account user can also view the operating status of all devices 20 whose operating status can be controlled.

[0048] The family account user can control devices that are permitted by the authority set by the main account user, but cannot control other devices. Some family account users may not be permitted to control any devices and may only be permitted to view the operating status of device 20.

[0049] User registration information including information on the controllable devices 20 and user-specific target device information for each user is stored in advance in the storage unit 140 of the control device 10. The user-specific target device information includes information on target devices that each user is permitted to control and information on target devices during movement.

[0050] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the user registration information includes a user name, user identification information, and target device information for each user. The user name is the name of each individual user. The user name is not limited to a full name, and may be only a first name, an abbreviation, a pseudonym, a nickname, etc. The user identification information indicates the identification information of the terminal device 30 of each individual user. In the example shown in FIG. 2, an email address is used as the user identification information. The email address is mainly used to provide information to the user and control the target devices. The target device information, whether or not control is possible for each device 1 to device n, and the target device when moving are indicated. In FIG. 2, a circle mark and an x ​​mark indicate permission and denial, respectively, for each device. The devices indicated with a circle mark indicate permitted devices that are permitted to be controlled. Among them, a user with the user name "abc01" (hereinafter referred to as user "abc01") is a main account user, and the other users are family account users.

[0051] The target devices during movement can be set independently for each user, but some of them may be common between users. For example, device 3 is common between users "abc01" and "cde0m". The target devices during movement do not necessarily have to be set for all users. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the target devices during movement are not set for the user with the user name "bcd02". However, instead of the target devices during movement exemplified in FIG. 2, target devices during entry and target devices during departure may be set separately.

[0052] The terminal device 30 of the main account user can set the target device during movement by executing the process illustrated in FIG.

[0053] (Step S102) The control unit 320 of the terminal device 30 of the main account user causes the display unit 370 to display a home screen (see FIG. 9). The home screen displays devices whose operating states can be controlled by the control device 10 (hereinafter referred to as "controllable devices") and a setting icon for each room that is part of the target space. The setting icon is a button for instructing user settings when pressed, and is represented by a gear pattern at the bottom right corner of the screen.

[0054] (Step S104) When the control unit 320 detects the pressing of the setting icon by an operation, it causes the display unit 370 to display a setting screen (see FIG. 10). The setting screen has buttons (user selection buttons) showing the user names of the individual users and buttons (room selection buttons) showing the names of the rooms in which the devices that can be set are installed. The user selection buttons and room selection buttons are buttons for pressing to select the user and room that are the target of the settings, respectively. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the user 2 and the living room are selected. In the living room, the lighting (light switch), air conditioner (air conditioner), and video (broadcast recorder) are exemplified as devices that can be set as target devices when moved. The buttons showing the names of the individual devices are buttons for pressing to select the devices that are the target of the settings. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the air conditioner is selected.

[0055] (Step S106) The control unit 320 sets whether or not to set the selected device as a target device for movement by operation. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the target device for entry and the target device for departure can be set independently, and the operation state after each change can also be set. Turning the air conditioner ON when returning home indicates that the air conditioner is the target device for entry, and the operation state is changed from a powered-off state to a powered-on state. Turning the air conditioner OFF when going out indicates that the air conditioner is the target device for departure, and the operation state is changed from a powered-on state to a powered-off state. Then, the process in FIG. 3 ends. The control unit 320 can repeat the processes of steps S104 and S106 to set a target device for movement for each device for each user.

[0056] In this way, the target devices for moving that are suited to the actual living conditions of each user are set. For example, when a child returns home, the entrance light, the light in the child's room, and the light in the corridor leading from the entrance to the child's room can be turned on. When an office worker returns home, it is possible to turn on the entrance light, the light in the living room, and the air conditioner. When a housewife goes out, it is possible to turn off the kitchen light and the cooking appliances.

[0057] (Motion control processing) An example of the operation control process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0058] (Step S122) The position determination unit 390 of the terminal device 30 determines the position of the terminal device 30 and transmits position information indicating the determined position to the control device 10. When the position information acquisition unit 122 of the control device 10 receives the position information from the terminal device 30, it updates the existing position information related to the terminal device 30 to the received position information and stores the updated position information in the storage unit 140.

[0059] (Step S124) The device control unit 124 of the control device 10 monitors the stored position information and determines the user whose position information has been updated.

[0060] (Step S126) The device control unit 124 refers to the user registration information stored in the storage unit 140 and determines a target device for the determined user during movement.

[0061] (Step S128) The device control unit 124 determines whether the determined user's position has entered a predetermined target range. If it is determined that the user has entered (step S128 YES), the device control unit 124 proceeds to processing in step S130. If it is determined that the user has not entered (step S128 NO), the device control unit 124 proceeds to processing in step S132.

[0062] (Step S130) The device control unit 124 changes the operation state of the determined moving-time target device from the first state to the second state. The device control unit 124 transmits a control signal indicating the second state as the operation state to the moving-time target device. The control unit 220 of the moving-time target device changes the operation state to the second state in accordance with the control signal received from the device control unit 124. Then, the process returns to step S122.

[0063] (Step S132) The device control unit 124 determines whether the determined user's position has left the predetermined target range. If it is determined that the user has left (step S132 YES), the device control unit 124 proceeds to the process of step S134. If it is determined that the user has not left (step S132 NO), the device control unit 124 returns to the process of step S122.

[0064] (Step S134) The device control unit 124 changes the operation state of the determined moving-time target device from the second state to the first state. The device control unit 124 transmits a control signal indicating the first state as the operation state to the moving-time target device. The control unit 220 of the moving-time target device changes the operation state to the first state in accordance with the control signal received from the device control unit 124. Then, the process returns to step S122.

[0065] (Example of setting target range) Next, an example of setting the target range will be described. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the target range is common to the devices, but it may be set independently for each device as shown in Fig. 5. For devices 1, 2, and n, the target ranges are r1, r t , and r n In the example shown in Figure 6, r1 and r n Each of r1 and r2 indicates a radius r from a reference point (e.g., the entrance) of the target space, and indicates an area larger than the target space, which is the residence. n is typically about 20m to 200m, and r1 is n On the other hand, r t denotes the target space, i.e., the target range r tFor devices in which a target range is set, the operating state is changed in response to entering or leaving the target space. Such a target range setting is suitable for devices (e.g., light switches) whose changed operating state can immediately meet the user's needs. For devices in which a target space larger than the target space is set, the operating state is changed before entering or after leaving the target space. Such a target range setting is suitable for devices (e.g., air conditioners, water heaters) whose changed operating state requires a certain period of time before it can meet the user's needs. The larger the radius r of the target range, the longer the period. The period is roughly equivalent to the quotient obtained by dividing the radius r by the user's walking speed (typically, 0.8 m / s to 1.5 m / s).

[0066] In the examples shown in Figures 2 and 5, the first target range at the time of approach and the second target range at the time of departure are the same, but this is not limited to the above. As illustrated in Figure 7, the first target range and the second target range may be set independently for each device. The first target ranges of device 1 and device 2 are r1 and r2, respectively. t whereas the second target ranges for device 1 and device 2 are set as q1 and q t q1 indicates the radius from the reference point of the target space and takes a value different from r1. q t denotes the target space (see Figure 8).

[0067] In the example shown in Fig. 7, the target devices at entry and exit are set independently for each user. For user "abc01", the target devices at entry and exit are set to devices 3, 4, 3, and 6, respectively. For user "cde0m", the target devices at entry and exit are set to devices 2 and 2, respectively. For user "bcd02", neither the target devices at entry nor the target devices at exit are set.

[0068] Therefore, the period from the change of the operating state to the entry into the target space and the period from the departure from the target space to the change of the operating state can be set independently. More specifically, even if the device changes the operating state before entering the target space, the operating state can be changed immediately upon departure from the target space. Or, even if the device changes the operating state immediately upon entering the target space, the operating state can be changed after departure from the target space.

[0069] In the examples shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 7, the description of the operation state after the change in response to entering or leaving the target range is omitted, but this is not limited to the above. The user registration information may include information on the operation state after the change in association with the target device at the time of moving, or with the target device at the time of entering and the target device at the time of leaving. When the target device at the time of entering and the target device at the time of leaving are the same, the change in the operation state at the time of entering and the change in the operation state at the time of leaving may be contradictory or independent. The contradictory change in the operation state refers to a change from a first state to a second state at the time of entering and a change from a second state to a first state at the time of leaving.

[0070] In the examples shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the size of the target range is quantitatively expressed using the radius r, but this is not limited to the above. Instead of the radius r, the size may be expressed using a number of predetermined stages. Each stage only needs to be associated with either an index that quantitatively indicates the size of the target range, such as the radius r, or a target space. The number of stages may be expressed in a way that is easily understood by the user, such as large, medium, and small, on the setting screen.

[0071] (User location information) An example of a user location information screen displayed by the display unit 370 of the terminal device 30 will be described. The user location information screen illustrated in Fig. 12 shows the locations of users (at-home users) who are in the target space and other registered users (away users). The control unit 320 of the terminal device 30 may, for example, display a symbol representing a user on the home screen when the symbol is instructed in response to an operation.

[0072] In FIG. 12, symbols such as ○, ☆, △, and □ are icons indicating individual users. Instead of these symbols, information that can visually identify individual users, such as a facial photo, portrait, or user name of each user, may be displayed. On the user location information screen, the display "○☆ 2 people at home" (at home display) indicates that users ○ and ☆ are located within the target space. The control unit 320 can determine whether or not each user is located in the target space based on whether or not the location of the individual user indicated by the user location information is included within a preset area of ​​the target space.

[0073] Tabs with symbols indicating individual users are arranged in the row next to the presence display. Each tab is a screen component for selecting a user according to an operation. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the user's position indicated by △ is displayed on a map including the position of the target space. When displaying the position of the selected user, the control unit 320 extracts a rectangular partial area including the selected user's position and the target space from a pre-stored map. The control unit 320 determines the size of the partial area to be scaled to a screen area that is pre-set for the display unit 370, and forms a user position information screen by superimposing figures indicating the target space and the user's position. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the target space and the user's position are represented by figures of a house and a landmark, respectively. This allows a user who comes into contact with the user position information screen to intuitively grasp the relative positional relationship with the target space. A user who comes into contact with the user position information screen can grasp devices whose operating state may be changed due to the selected user's approach to the target space, or devices whose operating state has been changed due to the selected user's departure from the target space.

[0074] As described above, the control device 10 according to the embodiment includes a position information acquisition unit 122 that acquires position information of the terminal device 30 (e.g., a multi-function mobile phone, a position detector), and a device control unit 124 that controls the operation state of a predetermined device 20 installed in a target space based on the positional relationship between the position indicated by the acquired position information and a predetermined target space (e.g., a residence). When the position indicated by the position information enters a predetermined target range from the target space, the device control unit 124 changes the operation state of the predetermined device 20 from a predetermined first state to a predetermined second state (e.g., turns on the light). According to this configuration, the operation state of the predetermined device 20 is changed without any special operation in response to the user's approach to the target space. Therefore, the convenience of using the predetermined device installed in the target space is improved.

[0075] When the position indicated by the acquired position information leaves the target space outside a predetermined second target range, the device control unit 124 changes the operation state of the device 20 from the second state to the first state. According to this configuration, the operation state of the predetermined device 20 is changed without any particular operation in response to the user's departure from the target space. Therefore, it is possible to avoid forgetting or becoming complicated in the operation required at the end of use in the target space.

[0076] The control device 10 may include a storage unit 140 that stores user registration information indicating target devices (e.g., target devices during movement, target devices during approach, and target devices during departure) to be controlled for each registered terminal device, which is the terminal device 30 of the user, in association with each other. The device control unit 124 determines the target device corresponding to the terminal device 30 of the user based on the user registration information. With this configuration, target devices to be controlled are determined independently for each user. Therefore, control is performed according to the actual usage of the user, rather than when target devices are set uniformly.

[0077] The control device 10 may include an information providing unit 126 that uses the user registration information to determine the user of the terminal device 30 related to the acquired location information, and provides the registered terminal device with user location information indicating the location indicated by the acquired location information as the location of the determined user. With this configuration, each user who uses the registered terminal device can grasp the location of each registered user. Each user can grasp or predict a change in the operating state of the target device according to a change in the positional relationship between the user's location and the target space.

[0078] The information providing unit 126 may provide the registration terminal device with operation status information indicating the operation status of the devices 20 installed in the target space. With this configuration, each user who uses the registration terminal device can grasp the operation status of each device 20 whose operation status can be controlled by the control device 10.

[0079] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes, etc. are possible within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1...control system, 10...control device, 20...device, 30...terminal device, 120...control unit, 122...location information acquisition unit, 124...device control unit, 126...information provision unit, 130...communication unit, 140...storage unit, 220...control unit, 230...communication unit, 240...storage unit, 250...operation unit, 260...detection unit, 320...control unit, 330...communication unit, 340...storage unit, 370...display unit, 380...operation unit, 390...position determination unit

Claims

1. A control system including a control device and a terminal device, The control device includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the terminal device; an equipment control unit that controls an operation state of a predetermined equipment installed in a predetermined target space based on a positional relationship between the position indicated by the position information and the predetermined target space; a storage unit that stores user registration information indicating a target device to be controlled in association with each registered terminal device, which is a terminal device of a user; an information providing unit that uses the user registration information to determine a user of a terminal device related to the location information, and provides the registration terminal device with user location information indicating a location indicated by the location information as the location of the determined user; the registration terminal device displays a screen including a presence indication including a symbol for each user located within the target space based on the user position information, and a screen component that associates the symbols of each user with the target space and displays a symbol indicating information of each user and is selectable in response to an operation; When any of the screen parts is selected in response to an operation, a figure showing the position of the user related to the symbol displayed on the selected screen part and a figure showing the position of the target space are superimposed on a map. A user position information screen is configured and displayed, and the device control unit changes an operation state of the device from a predetermined first state to a predetermined second state when a position indicated by the position information enters a predetermined target range from the target space. Control system.

2. The device control unit includes: When the position indicated by the position information leaves the target space outside a predetermined second target range, the operation state of the device is changed from the second state to the first state. The control system of claim 1 .

3. The information providing unit provides the registration terminal device with operation status information indicating an operation status of a device installed in the target space. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The device is provided A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A control method in a control system including a control device and a terminal device, The control device includes: a location information acquisition step of acquiring location information of the terminal device; an equipment control process for controlling an operating state of a predetermined equipment installed in the target space based on a positional relationship between the position indicated by the position information and the target space; an information providing step of determining a user of a terminal device related to the location information by using user registration information indicating a target device to be controlled in association with each registered terminal device, which is a terminal device of a user, and providing user location information indicating a location indicated by the location information as a location of the determined user to the registered terminal device; The registration terminal device displaying a screen including a presence indication including a symbol for each user located in the target space based on the user position information, and a screen component that associates the symbols of each user with the target space and displays symbols indicating information of each user and is selectable in response to an operation; when any one of the screen components is selected in response to an operation, a step of superimposing a figure showing the user's position related to the symbol displayed on the selected screen component and a figure showing the position of the target space on a map to configure and display a user position information screen; The device control step includes changing an operating state of the device from a predetermined first state to a predetermined second state when the position indicated by the position information enters a predetermined target range from the target space. Control methods.

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