Device registration method, device registration system, and device registration program

Abstract

To provide an apparatus registration method capable of preventing an unexpected radio communication apparatus from being registered in a communication terminal by performing operation using the communication terminal, an apparatus registration system and an apparatus registration program.SOLUTION: An apparatus registration method for an inventory management system 10 includes a first transmission step, a read step, a second transmission step, a comparison step and a registration step. In the first transmission step, information of an inventory management machine 11 is transmitted from the inventory management machine 11 to a cloud server 40. In the read step, a QR code 80 is read by a communication terminal 60. In the second transmission step, information of the inventory management machine 11 from the QR code 80 is transmitted from the communication terminal 60 to the cloud server 40. In the comparison step, the information of the inventory management machine 11 in the first transmission step is compared with the information of the inventory management machine 11 in the second transmission step. In the registration step, the inventory management machine 11 is registered in the communication terminal 60 in accordance with a result of the comparison step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device registration method, a device registration system, and a device registration program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a network system including an electric device and a communication terminal. In the network system of Patent Document 1, pairing between the electric device (wireless communication device) and the communication terminal is performed using a communication method compliant with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy; "Bluetooth" is a registered trademark. The registered trademark will be omitted below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-167448 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a network system such as that shown in Patent Document 1, pairing between a wireless communication device and a communication terminal is performed by "long pressing" a specific button on the wireless communication device, which requires the wireless communication device to be equipped with a pairing button or LED (Light Emitting Diode). Furthermore, since pairing is performed by long pressing of a button, the operation is cumbersome. Furthermore, if a similar wireless communication device is simultaneously placed in registration mode, there is a possibility that the wrong wireless communication device will be registered with the communication terminal. Furthermore, since the communication terminal needs to perform one-to-one communication to unilaterally receive information from the wireless communication device, there is a problem in that the software on the communication terminal side becomes complicated.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device registration method, a device registration system, and a device registration program that can prevent unintended wireless communication devices from being registered in a communication terminal by performing an operation on the communication terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a device registration method in a device registration system including a server device, a wireless communication device, and a communication terminal, comprising a first transmission step, a reading step, a second transmission step, a comparison step, and a registration step. In the first transmission step, information about the wireless communication device is transmitted from the wireless communication device to the server device. In the reading step, an identifier associated with the wireless communication device, which includes information about the wireless communication device, is read by the communication terminal. In the second transmission step, the information about the wireless communication device read from the identifier in the reading step is transmitted from the communication terminal to the server device. In the comparison step, the information about the wireless communication device transmitted in the first transmission step is compared with the information about the wireless communication device transmitted in the second transmission step. In the registration step, the wireless communication device is registered in the communication terminal according to the comparison result of the comparison step. The wireless communication device is communicably connected to the server device and transmits the acquired information to the server device. The communication terminal is communicably connected to the server device.

[0007] Also, in the present invention, the device registration system includes a server device, a wireless communication device, and a communication terminal. The wireless communication device is communicatively connected to the server device and transmits acquired information to the server device. The wireless communication device is associated with an identifier containing information about the wireless communication device. The communication terminal is communicatively connected to the server device. The communication terminal includes a reading unit that reads the identifier. The server device includes a comparison unit and a registration unit, and the comparison unit compares the wireless communication device information transmitted from the wireless communication device with the wireless communication device information read from the identifier by the reading unit and transmitted from the communication terminal. The registration unit registers the wireless communication device in the communication terminal according to the comparison result by the comparison unit.

[0008] Furthermore, in the present invention, a device registration program is executed by a communication terminal in a device registration system including a server device, a wireless communication device, and a communication terminal. The device registration program causes the communication terminal to execute a reading step, a transmitting step, and a registration result receiving step. In the reading step, an identifier that includes information about the wireless communication device and is associated with the wireless communication device is read. In the transmitting step, the information about the wireless communication device read from the identifier in the reading step is transmitted to the server device. In the registration result receiving step, a result of registration of the wireless communication device is received based on a comparison result obtained by the server device comparing the wireless communication device information transmitted from the wireless communication device with the wireless communication device information transmitted from the communication terminal in the transmitting step. The wireless communication device is communicably connected to the server device and transmits the obtained information to the server device. The communication terminal is communicably connected to the server device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a communication terminal from registering an unintended wireless communication device, and also to prevent a wireless communication device from being registered in a communication terminal using a duplicated or tampered identifier. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an inventory management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an inventory management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front side of an inventory management coaster for an inventory management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the back side of an inventory management coaster of an inventory management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an inventory control tray including an egg holder of an inventory control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an inventory management tray including a hexagonal holder of an embodiment of an inventory management system. [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view showing the rear side of a tray that constitutes an inventory management tray of an inventory management system according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of device registration in a communication terminal of the inventory management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a screen displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal when registering a device in the inventory management system according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of device registration in a cloud server of an inventory management system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, a device registration system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] First, an inventory management system 10, which is an example of a device registration system according to an embodiment of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the inventory management system 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the inventory management system 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the front surface 14a of the inventory management coaster 12 of the inventory management system 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the back surface 14c of the inventory management coaster 12 of the inventory management system 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the inventory management tray 13 including the egg holder 17A of the inventory management system 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the inventory management tray 13 including the hexagon holder 17B of the inventory management system 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the back surface 16c of the tray 16 constituting the inventory management tray 13 of the inventory management system 10 according to an embodiment.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the inventory management system 10 includes a refrigerator 20 (an example of an "electrical appliance"), a cloud server 40 (an example of a "server device"), a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 50 (an example of a "gateway device"), and a communication terminal 60.

[0014] Refrigerator 20 is connected to cloud server 40 so as to be able to communicate with it. More specifically, refrigerator 20 and cloud server 40 are connected to be able to communicate with it via wireless LAN router 50. Communication terminal 60 is connected to cloud server 40 so as to be able to communicate with it.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 20 includes a main body control unit 21, a main body storage unit 22, and a wireless communication unit 23.

[0016] The main body control unit 21 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-processing Unit), or the like, and executes various information processes in the refrigerator 20 according to programs stored in the main body storage unit 22.

[0017] The main body storage unit 22 is a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and stores programs executed by the main body control unit 21, data generated by the main body control unit 21 executing the programs, and the like.

[0018] Wireless communication unit 23 is an interface or the like, and communicates with cloud server 40 via wireless LAN router 50. Wireless communication unit 23 may be built into the main body of refrigerator 20, or may be provided in a communication adapter externally attached to the main body of refrigerator 20.

[0019] An inventory control device 11 (an example of a "wireless communication device") for managing the inventory of materials 95 stored in the storehouse is installed in refrigerator 20. That is, refrigerator 20 is responsible for and executes the function of determining whether materials 95 are received or sent out and the function of managing the inventory.

[0020] 1 and 2 , inventory management device 11 is communicatively connected to cloud server 40 and transmits acquired information to cloud server 40. More specifically, inventory management device 11 is communicatively connected to refrigerator 20 and transmits acquired information (information regarding the inventory of materials 95 stored in refrigerator 20) to refrigerator 20, thereby transmitting the acquired information to cloud server 40. Inventory management device 11 includes inventory management coaster 12 and inventory management tray 13.

[0021] The inventory management coaster 12 detects the weight of the ingredient 95. The inventory management system 10 detects the presence or absence of the ingredient 95 and the remaining amount of the ingredient 95 based on the detection signal from the inventory management coaster 12. The inventory management coaster 12 detects the weight of the ingredient 95, such as milk or yogurt. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the inventory management coaster 12 includes a coaster 14, a coaster control unit 15A, a coaster memory unit 15B, a coaster Bluetooth communication unit 15C, a weight sensor 15D, a proximity sensor 15E, a coaster power supply unit 15F, etc.

[0022] Coaster 14 holds material 95 to be detected so that it can be placed on its surface 14a. Coaster 14 is formed in a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above. Coaster 14 has a detection window 14b for proximity sensor 15E on its surface 14a. A battery cover 14d is provided on the back surface 14c of coaster 14. By removing battery cover 14d, a coaster power supply unit 15F, such as a dry cell battery or a rechargeable secondary battery, can be installed inside coaster 14.

[0023] Additionally, a QR code 80 ("QR code" is a registered trademark; hereinafter, the registered trademark will be omitted) (an example of an "identifier") is displayed on the back surface 14c of the coaster 14. The QR code 80 contains information about the inventory management coaster 12 and is attached to the inventory management coaster 12. Specifically, the QR code 80 contains information such as the type of inventory management coaster 12 (product type), a device ID (identification) such as a Bluetooth address for identifying the inventory management coaster 12, and the serial number of the inventory management coaster 12. The information contained in the QR code 80 is encrypted.

[0024] The coaster control unit 15A is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-processing Unit), or the like, and executes various information processes in the inventory management coaster 12 according to the programs stored in the coaster storage unit 15B.

[0025] The coaster storage unit 15B is a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and stores programs executed by the coaster control unit 15A, data generated by the execution of the programs by the coaster control unit 15A, and the like.

[0026] The coaster Bluetooth communication unit 15C is an interface or the like, and is a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) radio that communicates with the wireless communication unit 23 of the refrigerator 20 using Bluetooth. The coaster Bluetooth communication unit 15C has a function of communicating, for example, by broadcasting. The coaster Bluetooth communication unit 15C emits a beacon signal. The coaster Bluetooth communication unit 15C may be built into the coaster 14, or may be provided in a communication adapter externally attached to the coaster 14. The coaster Bluetooth communication unit 15C is configured to be able to transmit predetermined information to the wireless communication unit 23 of the refrigerator 20, and transmits the information continuously or intermittently. Note that the communication interface is not limited to Bluetooth, and known wireless communication interfaces such as WiFi or wired communication interfaces can also be used.

[0027] Coaster power supply unit 15F supplies power to each component of inventory management coaster 12. Examples of coaster power supply unit 15F include dry batteries and rechargeable secondary batteries. Coaster power supply unit 15F is different from the power supply unit of refrigerator 20. In other words, inventory management coaster 12 and refrigerator 20 have separate power sources and are not connected to each other by wire.

[0028] When ingredients 95 are placed on coaster 14, weight sensor 15D detects the weight of placed ingredients 95. Weight sensor 15D is provided inside coaster 14.

[0029] Proximity sensor 15E projects light toward material 95 and detects the presence or absence of material 95 or the surface condition of material 95 based on the amount of reflection. Proximity sensor 15E is provided inside coaster 14. Note that the sensor attached to tray 16 is not limited to proximity sensor 15E, and may be, for example, a distance sensor.

[0030] The inventory management tray 13 detects the presence or absence of ingredients 95. Based on the detection signal from the inventory management tray 13, the inventory management system 10 detects the number of ingredients 95 (inventory quantity) and the number of days since the ingredients 95 began to be stored. The inventory management tray 13 detects the presence or absence of ingredients 95, such as eggs and drinking water. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6, the inventory management tray 13 includes a tray 16, a holder 17, a tray control unit 18A, a tray memory unit 18B, a tray Bluetooth communication unit 18C, a proximity sensor 18D, a tray power supply unit 18E, and the like. The main components of the tray control unit 18A, the tray memory unit 18B, the tray Bluetooth communication unit 18C, and the proximity sensor 18D are similar to those of the coaster control unit 15A, the coaster memory unit 15B, the coaster Bluetooth communication unit 15C, and the proximity sensor 15E, and therefore will not be described here.

[0031] Tray power supply unit 18E supplies power to each component of inventory management tray 13. Examples of tray power supply unit 18E include dry batteries and rechargeable secondary batteries. Tray power supply unit 18E is different from the power supply unit of refrigerator 20. In other words, inventory management tray 13 and refrigerator 20 have separate power supplies and are not connected to each other by wire.

[0032] The tray 16 is a flat member on which the material 95 to be detected can be placed. A plurality of proximity sensors 18D that detect the presence or absence of the material 95 are attached inside the tray 16. A surface 16a of the tray 16 is provided with a plurality of detection windows 16b corresponding to the plurality of proximity sensors 18D.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 7, a battery cover 16d is provided on the back surface 16c of the tray 16. By removing the battery cover 16d, a tray power supply unit 18E, such as a dry cell battery or a rechargeable secondary battery, can be installed inside the tray 16. In addition, a QR code 80 is displayed on the back surface 16c of the tray 16. The QR code 80 contains information about the inventory control tray 13 and is attached to the inventory control tray 13. Specifically, the QR code 80 contains information such as the type of inventory control tray 13 (product type), a device ID (Identification) such as a Bluetooth address for identifying the inventory control tray 13, and the serial number of the inventory control tray 13. The information contained in the QR code 80 is encrypted.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1, 5 and 6, holder 17 holds material 95 to be detected. Holder 17 is configured to be attachable to tray 16. Holder 17 is configured with members of different shapes that can be replaced depending on material 95 to be detected. More specifically, holder 17 includes egg holder 17A, hexagon holder 17B, and free holder 17C.

[0035] Egg holder 17A is a holder used when the ingredient 95 to be detected is an egg. Hexagonal holder 17B is a holder used when the storage location of the ingredient 95 to be detected is divided into six sections. Free holder 17C is a holder used when the storage location of the ingredient 95 to be detected is not particularly divided. Inventory management tray 13 detects the presence or absence of ingredient 95 by combining tray 16 with holders 17 (egg holder 17A, hexagonal holder 17B, free holder 17C) of different shapes depending on the ingredient 95 to be detected.

[0036] In the inventory management system 10, the type and arrangement of ingredients 95 displayed on the communication terminal 60 are changed depending on the type of holder 17 (egg holder 17A, hexagon holder 17B, free holder 17C) set on the tray 16. The type of holder 17 set on the tray 16 may be determined automatically. Specifically, the type of holder 17 is determined based on the detection status of multiple proximity sensors 18D attached to the tray 16.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, cloud server 40 appropriately provides refrigerator 20 with information necessary for refrigerator 20 to execute the function of determining whether material 95 is received or sent and the function of managing inventory. Cloud server 40 also collects information about refrigerator 20 (such as information about the inventory of material 95) as needed and distributes the collected information to communication terminal 60 of user 90 of refrigerator 20. Cloud server 40 individually registers and manages refrigerators 20 and communication terminal 60 for each user 90 of refrigerator 20. Therefore, when receiving data, cloud server 40 can identify which refrigerator 20 or communication terminal 60 sent the data. Furthermore, when sending data, cloud server 40 can specify which refrigerator 20 or communication terminal 60 the data is addressed to.

[0038] The cloud server 40 includes a server control unit 41, a server storage unit 42, a server communication unit 43, etc. The main configurations of the server control unit 41, the server storage unit 42, and the server communication unit 43 are similar to those of the coaster control unit 15A and the coaster storage unit 15B, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0039] Server communication unit 43 is connected to the network and transmits and receives data between refrigerator 20 and communication terminal 60. Specifically, server communication unit 43 transmits and receives data between wireless LAN router 50 and communication unit 46 of communication terminal 60.

[0040] Server control unit 41 includes comparison unit 44 and registration unit 45. Comparison unit 44 compares the information about inventory control unit 11 transmitted from inventory control unit 11 via refrigerator 20 with the information about inventory control unit 11 read from QR code 80 by reading unit 66 of communication terminal 60. Registration unit 45 registers inventory control unit 11 in communication terminal 60 according to the comparison result by comparison unit 44.

[0041] Server storage unit 42 stores information about refrigerator 20 and information about wireless LAN router 50. That is, information about refrigerator 20 and information about wireless LAN router 50 are pre-registered in cloud server 40. Here, information about refrigerator 20 includes the model and serial number of refrigerator 20, etc. Information about wireless LAN router 50 includes the model and serial number of wireless LAN router 50, etc.

[0042] Wireless LAN router 50 is connected to inventory management device 11 and cloud server 40 so that they can communicate with each other. Wireless LAN router 50 converts the communication method (protocol) between the communication method supported by cloud server 40 and the communication method supported by refrigerator 20. Wireless LAN router 50 receives data from refrigerator 20 and transmits the received data to cloud server 40. On the other hand, wireless LAN router 50 receives data from cloud server 40 and transmits the received data to refrigerator 20.

[0043] The communication terminal 60 is a terminal capable of communicating with the cloud server 40, such as a smartphone, tablet, or wearable device. The communication terminal 60 may be configured to be able to communicate with the refrigerator 20 as well as the cloud server 40. The communication terminal 60 is identified by an ID associated with the user 90. That is, the user 90 has previously acquired an individual ID. Each communication terminal 60 is previously associated with one ID. The communication terminal 60 stores application software for receiving and displaying information from the refrigerator 20. The communication terminal 60 includes a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, a communication unit 63, a display unit 64, an operation unit 65, a reading unit 66, etc. The main components of the control unit 61 and the storage unit 62 are similar to those of the main unit control unit 21 and main unit storage unit 22 of the refrigerator 20, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0044] The communication unit 63 is an interface or the like, and communicates with the cloud server 40. The display unit 64 displays various information. The operation unit 65 is a touch panel or the like, and accepts various operations from a user 90 of the refrigerator 20. The reading unit 66 is a QR code reader, a camera, or the like, and reads the QR code 80.

[0045] Next, a method for registering the inventory management device 11 in the communication terminal 60 of the inventory management system 10 will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of device registration in the communication terminal 60 of the inventory management system 10 in an embodiment. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a screen displayed on the display unit 64 of the communication terminal 60 when registering a device in the inventory management system 10 in an embodiment. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of device registration in the cloud server 40 of the inventory management system 10 in an embodiment.

[0046] In inventory management system 10, when inventory management device 11 is initially set up, inventory management device 111 is registered in communication terminal 60. By registering inventory management device 11 in communication terminal 60, inventory management of materials 95 in refrigerators 20 linked to inventory management device 11 can be performed on communication terminal 60.

[0047] As shown in Figure 8, when registering inventory management device 11 in communication terminal 60, user 90 launches a device registration program in communication terminal 60. When the device registration program is launched, communication terminal 60 issues an instruction to select a connected device to connect to inventory management device 11 (S1). In other words, communication terminal 60 issues an instruction to select an access point in inventory management device 11. By issuing such an instruction, communication terminal 60 can select from which connected device information about inventory management device 11 is to be received.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in a first screen 70 in FIG. 9 , an icon 71 for the refrigerator 20 and an icon 72 for the wireless LAN router 50 are displayed on the display unit 64 of the communication terminal 60. Here, the connection device to be connected to the inventory management device 11 is the refrigerator 20 (wireless communication unit 23) or the wireless LAN router 50. The refrigerator 20 and the wireless LAN router 50 are registered in advance in the cloud server 40 as connection devices for the inventory management device 11. That is, information about the refrigerator 20 and the wireless LAN router 50 is registered in advance in the cloud server 40. Therefore, when the communication terminal 60 issues an instruction to select a connection device, the refrigerator 20 and the wireless LAN router 50, which are the connection devices, are displayed on the display unit 64 of the communication terminal 60. That is, the inventory management device 11 can be connected only to the connection devices (refrigerator 20 and wireless LAN router 50) specified in advance, and information about the inventory management device 11 can be sent to the cloud server 40 via a specific route (refrigerator 20 and wireless LAN router 50). This reduces the communication load on the cloud server 40. The user 90 selects either the icon 71 or 72 displayed on the display unit 64 of the communication terminal 60. The following describes a case where the user 90 selects the refrigerator 20 as the connected device.

[0049] When user 90 selects refrigerator 20 as the connected device, communication terminal 60 activates reading unit 66 (S2). Then, communication terminal 60 issues an instruction to read QR code 80 displayed on inventory management machine 11 (S3). Specifically, communication terminal 60 displays on display unit 64 an instruction screen to read QR code 80, such as the second screen 73 shown in FIG. 9. User 90 reads QR code 80 displayed on inventory management machine 11 with reading unit 66 of communication terminal 60. The following describes the case where QR code 80 on inventory management coaster 12 is read.

[0050] When the user 90 starts reading the QR code 80 of the inventory management coaster 12 using the reading unit 66 of the communication terminal 60, the communication terminal 60 recognizes the QR code 80 of the inventory management coaster 12 (S4). That is, a reading step is performed in which the communication terminal 60 reads the QR code 80 that contains information about the inventory management coaster 12 and is attached to the inventory management coaster 12. If the communication terminal 60 cannot recognize the QR code 80 of the inventory management coaster 12 (S4-No), the communication terminal 60 displays a message on the display unit 64 indicating that the QR code 80 cannot be recognized, as shown in the third screen 74 of FIG. 9 (S5).

[0051] On the other hand, if the communications terminal 60 recognizes the QR code 80 of the inventory management coaster 12 (S4-Yes), it issues an instruction to turn on the power of the inventory management coaster 12 (inventory management machine 11) (S6). Specifically, the communications terminal 60 displays on the display unit 64 an instruction to insert dry batteries, rechargeable secondary batteries, or the like into the inventory management coaster 12, as shown in the fourth screen 75 of FIG. 9. Furthermore, the communications terminal 60 transmits the information about the inventory management coaster 12 contained in the QR code 80 to the cloud server 40 (S7). That is, a step (second transmission step) is performed in which the information about the inventory management coaster 12 read from the QR code 80 in the reading step is transmitted from the communications terminal 60 to the cloud server 40.

[0052] When the user 90 opens the battery cover 14d of the coaster 14 of the inventory management coaster 12 and inserts a dry cell battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or the like, the inventory management coaster 12 transmits information about the inventory management coaster 12 to the refrigerator 20. That is, the inventory management coaster 12 transmits information about the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40 when the power is turned on. This allows the inventory management coaster 12 to transmit information about the inventory management coaster 12, such as information indicating that startup has begun, to the cloud server 40, which is normally transmitted only when the power is turned on. The refrigerator 20 transmits the information about the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40 via the wireless LAN router 50. That is, a step of transmitting information about the inventory management coaster 12 from the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40 via the refrigerator 20 is performed, that is, a step of transmitting information about the inventory management coaster 12 from the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40 (first transmission step).

[0053] 10 , the cloud server 40 receives information about the inventory management coaster 12 included in the QR code 80 from the communication terminal 60 via transmission from the communication terminal 60. On the other hand, the cloud server 40 receives information about the inventory management coaster 12 from the inventory management coaster 12 via transmission from the refrigerator 20.

[0054] When the cloud server 40 receives information about the inventory management coaster 12 from the communication terminal 60 and the inventory management coaster 12 (refrigerator 20) (S21, S22), it compares the information about the inventory management coaster 12 transmitted from the communication terminal 60 with the information about the inventory management coaster 12 transmitted from the inventory management coaster 12 (refrigerator 20) and determines whether the information about the inventory management coaster 12 transmitted from both sources matches (S23). That is, a comparison step is performed in which the information about the inventory management coaster 12 transmitted in the first transmission step is compared with the information about the inventory management coaster 12 transmitted in the second transmission step. More specifically, a comparison step is performed in which the information about the inventory management coaster 12 transmitted from the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40 when the inventory management coaster 12 is turned on is compared with the information about the inventory management coaster 12 transmitted in the second transmission step. If cloud server 40 determines that the information on inventory management coaster 12 transmitted from both parties matches (S23—Yes), it transmits to communication terminal 60 an instruction that the inventory management coaster 12 can be registered (S24). If cloud server 40 determines that the information on inventory management coaster 12 transmitted from both parties does not match (S23—No), it transmits to communication terminal 60 an instruction that the inventory management coaster 12 cannot be registered (S25). In this way, cloud server 40 performs a registration step to register inventory management coaster 12 in communication terminal 60 based on the comparison result of the comparison step. That is, cloud server 40 registers inventory management coaster 12 in communication terminal 60 when the information on inventory management coaster 12 transmitted from inventory management coaster 12 via refrigerator 20 matches the information on inventory management coaster 12 read by reading unit 66 of communication terminal 60. In other words, in the inventory management system 10, the inventory management coaster 12 is registered in the communication terminal 60 when the information on the inventory management coaster 12 sent to the cloud server 40 matches the information on the inventory management coaster 12 physically read from the QR code 80 displayed on the inventory management coaster 12.

[0055] By registering inventory control coasters 12 to communications terminal 60 in this manner, inventory control coasters 12 linked to refrigerator 20 can be securely registered to communications terminal 60. In other words, because inventory control coasters 12 unilaterally send information to refrigerator 20, cloud server 40 can securely register inventory control coasters 12 to communications terminal 60 by acquiring and comparing information about inventory control coasters 12 obtained via communications terminal 60, thereby preventing unintended registration of inventory control coasters 12 to communications terminal 60. Furthermore, inventory control coasters 12 that can actually send and receive information to refrigerator 20 (that is, that are located within a range where communication with refrigerator 20 is possible) can be reliably registered to communications terminal 60. Furthermore, because registration is performed based on information about inventory control coasters 12 read from QR codes 80 displayed on inventory control coasters 12 that have sent information to cloud server 40, it is possible to prevent inventory control coasters 12 from being registered to communications terminal 60 using duplicated or altered QR codes 80.

[0056] In addition, since the information on the inventory management coaster 12 sent from the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40 when the inventory management coaster 12 is turned on is compared with the information on the inventory management coaster 12 sent in the second transmission step, the inventory management coaster 12 can be reliably registered in the communication terminal 60 by utilizing the information on the inventory management coaster 12 that is sent only when the inventory management coaster 12 is turned on.

[0057] Meanwhile, when the communications terminal 60 transmits information about the inventory management coaster 12 contained in the QR code 80 to the cloud server 40 (S7), it determines whether the inventory management coaster 12 whose QR code 80 was read can be registered based on instructions transmitted from the cloud server 40 (S8). Specifically, as shown in a fifth screen 76 of FIG. 9 , the communications terminal 60 is connected to the cloud server 40 and receives instruction information from the cloud server 40. When the communications terminal 60 receives an instruction from the cloud server 40 indicating that the inventory management coaster 12 can be registered (S24) and determines that the inventory management coaster 12 whose QR code 80 was read can be registered (S8-Yes), it displays a message indicating that the inventory management coaster 12 can be registered (S9). Specifically, the communications terminal 60 displays information about the inventory management coasters 12 that can be registered, as shown in a sixth screen 77 of FIG. 9 .

[0058] On the other hand, if the communications terminal 60 receives an instruction from the cloud server 40 indicating that the inventory management coaster 12 cannot be registered (S25) and determines that the inventory management coaster 12 whose QR code 80 was read cannot be registered (S8-No), it displays a message indicating that the inventory management coaster 12 cannot be registered (S10). Specifically, as shown in the seventh screen 78 of FIG. 9, the communications terminal 60 displays a message indicating that a registerable inventory management coaster 12 cannot be identified, along with the reason for the inability to identify the coaster. In this way, the device registration program in the communications terminal 60 performs a registration step of registering the inventory management coaster 12 based on the comparison result obtained by the cloud server 40 between the inventory management coaster 12 information transmitted from the inventory management coaster 12 and the inventory management coaster 12 information transmitted from the communications terminal 60 in the transmission step.

[0059] Next, a case where the user 90 selects the wireless LAN router 50 as the device to be connected will be described. As shown in Figure 8, when the user 90 selects the wireless LAN router 50 as the device to be connected, the communication terminal 60 activates the reading unit 66 (S2). Then, the communication terminal 60 issues an instruction to read the QR code 80 displayed on the inventory management machine 11 (S3).

[0060] When the user 90 starts reading the QR code 80 of the inventory management coaster 12 using the reading unit 66 of the communication terminal 60, the communication terminal 60 recognizes the QR code 80 of the inventory management coaster 12 (S4). If the communication terminal 60 recognizes the QR code 80 of the inventory management coaster 12 (S4-Yes), it issues an instruction to turn on the power of the inventory management coaster 12 (S6).

[0061] When the user 90 opens the battery cover 14d of the coaster 14 of the inventory management coaster 12 and inserts a dry cell battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or the like, the inventory management coaster 12 transmits information about the inventory management coaster 12 to the wireless LAN router 50. Furthermore, the wireless LAN router 50 transmits the information about the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40. That is, a step is performed in which the information about the inventory management coaster 12 is transmitted from the inventory management coaster 12 to the cloud server 40 via the wireless LAN router 50.

[0062] 10, the cloud server 40 receives information about the inventory management coaster 12 included in the QR code 80 from the communication terminal 60 (S21). Meanwhile, the cloud server 40 receives information about the inventory management coaster 12 from the inventory management coaster 12 via transmission from the wireless LAN router 50 (S22).

[0063] When the cloud server 40 receives information about the inventory management coaster 12 from the communication terminal 60 and the inventory management coaster 12 (S21, S22), it compares the information about the inventory management coaster 12 sent from the communication terminal 60 with the information about the inventory management coaster 12 sent from the inventory management coaster 12 and determines whether the information about the inventory management coaster 12 sent from both parties matches (S23). If the cloud server 40 determines that the information about the inventory management coaster 12 sent from both parties matches (S23-Yes), it sends an instruction to the communication terminal 60 that the inventory management coaster 12 can be registered (S24).

[0064] By registering the inventory management coaster 12 to the communication terminal 60 in this manner, the inventory management coaster 12 linked to the wireless LAN router 50 can be safely registered to the communication terminal 60. Furthermore, the inventory management coaster 12 that can actually send and receive data to and from the wireless LAN router 50 (that is, that is located within a range where it can send and receive data to and from the wireless LAN router 50) can be reliably registered to the communication terminal 60.

[0065] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the communication terminal 60 from registering an unintended inventory control device 11. For example, when there are multiple inventory control devices 11 within the same area that can communicate with the cloud server 40 (for example, when there is a first inventory control device 11 and a second inventory control device 11), it is possible to register only the inventory control device 11 (for example, the first inventory control device 11) whose QR code 80 the communication terminal 60 reads in the communication terminal 60, thereby preventing the communication terminal 60 from registering an unintended inventory control device 11 (for example, the second inventory control device 11).

[0066] Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the inventory control device 11 from being registered in the communication terminal 60 using a QR code 80 that has been copied or tampered with.

[0067] Furthermore, since inventory control device 11 can be registered in communication terminal 60 by reading QR code 80 of inventory control device 11 with communication terminal 60, there is no need to provide a pairing button or LED on inventory control device 11. Also, operation is easy because there is no need to press and hold a button to perform pairing.

[0068] Furthermore, cloud server 40 registers inventory control device 11 in communication terminal 60 by comparing the information about inventory control device 11 sent from inventory control device 11 (refrigerator 20, wireless LAN router 50) with the information about inventory control device 11 sent from communication terminal 60. Therefore, even in a situation where inventory control device 11 unilaterally sends information (beacons) to refrigerator 20 and wireless LAN router 50 (a situation where inventory control device 11 does not send information (beacons) to communication terminal 60), cloud server 40 can register inventory control device 11 in communication terminal 60 in a situation where it manages all of inventory control device 11, refrigerator 20, wireless LAN router 50, and communication terminal 60.

[0069] In the embodiment of the present invention, inventory control device 11 is registered in communication terminal 60 simply when the information about inventory control device 11 transmitted from inventory control device 11 (refrigerator 20, wireless LAN router 50) to cloud server 40 and the information about inventory control device 11 transmitted from communication terminal 60 to cloud server 40 match in the comparison step, but control may be exercised so that inventory control device 11 is registered in communication terminal 60 only when the information about inventory control device 11 transmitted from both sources matches within a predetermined time in the comparison step. In other words, a step of registering inventory control device 11 in communication terminal 60 (registration step) may be performed when the information about inventory control device 11 transmitted in the first transmission step and the information about inventory control device 11 transmitted in the second transmission step match within a predetermined time in the comparison step. Specifically, if the cloud server 40 receives information (beacon) of the inventory management machine 11 from the inventory management machine 11 that matches the information of the inventory management machine 11 (information of the inventory management machine 11 read from the QR code 80) sent from the communication terminal 60 to the cloud server 40 within a predetermined time after the communication terminal 60 recognizes the QR code 80 of the inventory management machine 11 (S4-Yes in Figure 8), the inventory management machine 11 may be registered in the communication terminal 60.

[0070] By registering inventory control device 11 to communication terminal 60 using this device registration method, it is possible to easily determine whether inventory control device 11 is within a predetermined range where it can communicate with refrigerator 20 or wireless LAN router 50 (for example, within the same house as where refrigerator 20 or wireless LAN router 50 is installed). For example, if inventory control device 11 is in a different house from where refrigerator 20 or wireless LAN router 50 is installed (if inventory control device 11 is located far from refrigerator 20 or wireless LAN router 50), it takes time (longer than the predetermined time) from when communication terminal 60 recognizes QR code 80 of inventory control device 11 until cloud server 40 receives information (beacon) from inventory control device 11. In such a case, it is impossible to register inventory control device 11 to communication terminal 60, making it easy to determine that inventory control device 11 is not within the predetermined range where it can communicate with refrigerator 20 or wireless LAN router 50.

[0071] In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the identifier is a QR code 80, but this is not limited to this and an identifier such as a barcode may also be used. Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the QR code 80, which is the identifier, is displayed on the inventory management machine 11 (inventory management coaster 12, inventory management tray 13) itself, but this is not limited to this and, as long as the QR code 80 contains information about the inventory management machine 11 and is associated with the inventory management machine 11, the QR code 80 may be displayed, for example, on a box for storing the inventory management machine 11 or on the instruction manual for the inventory management machine 11.

[0072] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the electrical appliance is a refrigerator 20, but this is not limited to this, and the electrical appliance may be, for example, a microwave oven, an air conditioner, etc., as long as it can be connected to the inventory management machine 11 (inventory management coaster 12, inventory management tray 13) and the cloud server 40 so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0073] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, inventory control machine 11 (inventory control coaster 12, inventory control tray 13) communicates with cloud server 40 via refrigerator 20 or wireless LAN router 50, but inventory control machine 11 may communicate directly with cloud server 40. Also, refrigerator 20 communicates with cloud server 40 via wireless LAN router 50, but refrigerator 20 may communicate directly with cloud server 40.

[0074] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the configuration of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0075] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a communication terminal from registering an unintended wireless communication device, and therefore the present invention has great industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10 Inventory management system (equipment registration system) 11 Inventory control machine (wireless communication device) 12 Inventory Management Coaster (Wireless Communication Device) 13 Inventory management tray (wireless communication equipment) 40 Cloud Server (Server Equipment) 60 Communication terminal 80 QR Code (Identifier)

Claims

1. A server device; a wireless communication device that is communicably connected to the server device and transmits acquired information to the server device; a communication terminal communicably connected to the server device; A device registration method in a device registration system including: a first transmission step of transmitting information of the wireless communication device from the wireless communication device to the server device when the wireless communication device is powered on; a reading step of reading, by the communication terminal, an identifier associated with the wireless communication device, the identifier including information about the wireless communication device; a second transmission step of transmitting the information about the wireless communication device read from the identifier in the reading step from the communication terminal to the server device; a comparison step of comparing the information of the wireless communication device transmitted in the first transmission step with the information of the wireless communication device transmitted in the second transmission step; a registration step of registering the wireless communication device in the communication terminal if the comparison result of the comparison step matches within a predetermined time from the reading step.

2. the device registration system includes an electrical device communicably connected to the wireless communication device and the server device, The device registration method according to claim 1 , wherein the first transmission step includes transmitting information about the wireless communication device from the wireless communication device to the server device via the electrical device.

3. The device registration method according to claim 2 , wherein information about the electrical device is registered in advance in the server device.

4. the device registration system includes a gateway device communicably connected to the wireless communication device and the server device, 4. The device registration method according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission step includes transmitting information about the wireless communication device from the wireless communication device to the server device via the gateway device.

5. The device registration method according to claim 4 , wherein information about the gateway device is registered in advance in the server device.

6. A server device; a wireless communication device that is communicably connected to the server device and transmits acquired information to the server device; a communication terminal communicably connected to the server device; A device registration system including: The wireless communication device is provided with an identifier including information about the wireless communication device; the communication terminal includes a reading unit that reads the identifier, The server device a comparison unit that compares information about the wireless communication device transmitted from the wireless communication device when the wireless communication device is powered on with information about the wireless communication device that is read from the identifier by the reading unit and transmitted from the communication terminal; a registration unit that registers the wireless communication device in the communication terminal if the comparison result by the comparison unit matches within a predetermined time after the reading unit reads the identifier.

7. A server device; a wireless communication device that is communicably connected to the server device and transmits acquired information to the server device; a communication terminal communicably connected to the server device; A device registration method in a device registration system including: a first transmission step of transmitting information of the wireless communication device from the wireless communication device to the server device; a reading step of reading, by the communication terminal, an identifier associated with the wireless communication device, the identifier including information about the wireless communication device; a second transmission step of transmitting the information about the wireless communication device read from the identifier in the reading step from the communication terminal to the server device; a comparison step of comparing the information of the wireless communication device transmitted in the first transmission step with the information of the wireless communication device transmitted in the second transmission step; a registration step of registering the wireless communication device in the communication terminal according to a comparison result of the comparison step, The device registration method, wherein the wireless communication device is an inventory management machine that transmits information about an inventory of ingredients stored in a refrigerator to the refrigerator.

8. A server device; a wireless communication device that is communicably connected to the server device and transmits acquired information to the server device; a communication terminal communicably connected to the server device; A device registration system including: The wireless communication device is provided with an identifier including information about the wireless communication device; the communication terminal includes a reading unit that reads the identifier, The server device a comparison unit that compares the information of the wireless communication device transmitted from the wireless communication device with the information of the wireless communication device read from the identifier by the reading unit and transmitted from the communication terminal; a registration unit that registers the wireless communication device in the communication terminal according to a comparison result by the comparison unit, An equipment registration system, wherein the wireless communication equipment is an inventory management machine that transmits information about the inventory of ingredients stored in the refrigerator to the refrigerator.

9. A server device; a wireless communication device that is communicably connected to the server device and transmits acquired information to the server device; a communication terminal communicably connected to the server device; In a device registration system including: a reading step of reading an identifier associated with the wireless communication device, the identifier including information about the wireless communication device; a transmitting step of transmitting the information about the wireless communication device read from the identifier in the reading step to the server device; a registration result receiving step of receiving a result of registration of the wireless communication device according to a comparison result obtained by the server device comparing the information of the wireless communication device transmitted from the wireless communication device with the information of the wireless communication device transmitted from the communication terminal in the transmitting step; causing the communication terminal to execute the The wireless communication device is an inventory management machine that transmits information about an inventory of ingredients stored in a refrigerator to the refrigerator.

10. A server device; a wireless communication device that is communicably connected to the server device and transmits acquired information to the server device; a communication terminal communicably connected to the server device; In a device registration system including: a reading step of reading an identifier associated with the wireless communication device, the identifier including information about the wireless communication device; a transmitting step of transmitting the information about the wireless communication device read from the identifier in the reading step to the server device; issuing an instruction to power on the wireless communication device; a registration result receiving step of receiving a result that the wireless communication device has been registered when the server device compares the information of the wireless communication device transmitted from the wireless communication device when the power of the wireless communication device is turned on with the information of the wireless communication device transmitted from the communication terminal in the transmitting step and the comparison result matches within a predetermined time from the reading step; a device registration program that causes the communication terminal to execute the above steps;

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