Method, system, and program for controlling IoT devices using a messenger bot

Abstract

To provide techniques of controlling an IoT (Internet of Things) device.SOLUTION: A method of controlling an IoT device using a messenger bot includes: adding, to a messenger, a chatroom with a bot for interaction between an IoT server and a user of the messenger; and controlling the IoT device by transmitting a control signal of the IoT device to the IoT server according to a control input that is input from the user to the chatroom.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The following description relates to a technique for controlling IoT (Internet of Things) devices. [Background technology]

[0002] IoT refers to connecting all things that can communicate with each other through a network. All objects that can be recognized by the system are classified as things or objects, and this includes things or people that are equipped with short-range and long-range communication functions and can generate and use data, such as sensors.

[0003] IoT can be seen as infrastructure for realizing a ubiquitous space, which begins with embedding computing devices with specific functions into the environment and objects, making the environment and objects themselves intelligent.

[0004] IoT services are a technology that will bring us a safer and more convenient life. As a result, various mobile communication companies and device manufacturers are focusing on developing devices and services that support IoT, which is considered the next generation of mobile services.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for systematically providing IoT services to various things. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0008667 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Provided is an IoT control method executed by a computer system, the computer system including at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory, the IoT control method including a step of the at least one processor adding a chat room with a bot to a messenger installed on the computer system for linking a user of the messenger with an IoT server, and a step of the at least one processor controlling the IoT device by sending a control signal for the IoT device to the IoT server in accordance with a control input entered by the user in the chat room.

[0008] According to one aspect, the adding step may include adding a chat room with the bot to a chat room list on the messenger in response to a user input to add an official account of the IoT server.

[0009] According to another aspect, the adding step may include providing a user interface for receiving user information from the user, and adding a chat room with the bot after confirming whether the user is a registered user on the IoT server using the user information received from the user.

[0010] According to another aspect, the adding step may include a step of transmitting user information registered on the messenger to the IoT server so that the IoT server can newly register the user information or match the user information with existing user information registered on the IoT server.

[0011] According to another aspect, the adding step may include a step of registering at least one IoT device found by device search using short-range communication as a device to be controlled in a chat room with the bot.

[0012] According to another aspect, the adding step may include a step of associating and recording the identification information of the IoT device or a unique identifier matching the identification information of the IoT device with the user as information about the IoT device to be controlled through a chat room with the bot.

[0013] According to another aspect, the adding step may include adding a friend user selected by the messenger user from a friend list on the messenger to a chat room with the bot.

[0014] According to another aspect, the added friend user may be granted authority to control the IoT device for a predetermined period of time from the time they are added to a chat room with the bot.

[0015] According to another aspect, the controlling step may include a step of associating the control signal, including information about the IoT device identified based on the control input and a control command, with the user and transmitting the control signal to the IoT server.

[0016] According to another aspect, the controlling step may include providing a list of IoT devices that can be controlled through a chat room with the bot and a menu list for controlling functions of the IoT devices included in the IoT device list, receiving the control input from the user using the IoT device list and the menu list, and identifying the IoT device to be controlled and a control command based on the control input.

[0017] According to another aspect, the controlling step may include identifying the IoT device and the control command by analyzing a sentence entered by the user as a conversation message in a chat room with the bot.

[0018] According to yet another aspect, the IoT control method may further include a step in which the at least one processor records the control content of the IoT device by recording at least one message sent and received in a chat room with the bot.

[0019] A program for causing a computer system to execute the IoT control method is provided. A recording medium on which the program is recorded is provided.

[0020] Provided is a computer system including at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory, wherein the at least one processor adds a chat room with a bot to a messenger installed on the computer system for linking a user of the messenger with an IoT server, an IoT registration unit that registers at least one IoT device that can be controlled by the IoT server, and an IoT control unit that controls the IoT device by sending a control signal of the IoT device to the IoT server in accordance with a control input entered by the user in the chat room. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network environment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of an electronic device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 illustrates example components that may be included in a processor of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example method that can be performed by an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for adding a bot to a messenger for linking with an IoT server in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for registering an IoT device that can be controlled by a bot in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for controlling an IoT device by a bot in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a chat room screen with a bot in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a chat room screen with a bot in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a chat room screen with a bot in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a technology for controlling IoT devices using a messenger bot.

[0024] An embodiment including the matters specifically disclosed in this specification adds a bot to a messenger for interfacing with an IoT server, and the bot can control IoT devices under the IoT server, thereby achieving significant advantages in terms of usability, efficiency, convenience, cost savings, etc.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network environment in one embodiment of the present invention. The network environment in Fig. 1 shows an example including multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140, multiple servers 150 and 160, and a network 170. Fig. 1 is merely an example for explaining the invention, and the number of electronic devices and the number of servers are not limited to those shown in Fig. 1.

[0026] The electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 may be fixed or mobile terminals implemented by computer systems. Examples of the electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 include smartphones, mobile phones, navigation systems, personal computers (PCs), laptop PCs, digital broadcasting terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), tablets, game consoles, wearable devices, IoT devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, and augmented reality (AR) devices. While FIG. 1 illustrates a smartphone as an example of the electronic device 110, in embodiments of the present invention, the electronic device 110 may represent one of a variety of physical computer systems capable of communicating with other electronic devices 120, 130, and 140 and / or servers 150 and 160 via a network 170 using a substantially wireless or wired communication method.

[0027] The communication method is not limited, and may include not only communication methods using communication networks (such as a mobile communication network, a wired Internet, a wireless Internet, a broadcast network, and a satellite network) that can be included in network 170, but also short-range wireless communication between devices. For example, network 170 may include any one or more of a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a campus area network (CAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a broadband network (BBN), the Internet, and the like. Furthermore, network 170 may include any one or more of a network topology including, but not limited to, a bus network, a star network, a ring network, a mesh network, a star-bus network, a tree or hierarchical network, and the like.

[0028] Each of the servers 150 and 160 may be realized by one or more computer devices that communicate with the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 and provide instructions, code, files, content, services, etc. via the network 170. For example, the server 150 may be a system that provides a first service to the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected via the network 170, and the server 160 may be a system that provides a second service to the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected via the network 170. As a more specific example, the server 150 may provide a service (e.g., a messenger service) targeted by an application, which is a computer program installed and executed in the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140, as a first service to the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140. As another example, the server 160 may provide, as a second service, a service of distributing files for installing and executing the above-mentioned application to the multiple electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140.

[0029] 2 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of an electronic device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the internal configuration of electronic device 110 and the internal configuration of server 150 are described as examples of electronic devices. Furthermore, other electronic devices 120, 130, 140 and server 160 may also have the same or similar internal configuration as electronic device 110 or server 150 described above.

[0030] The electronic device 110 and the server 150 may include memories 211 and 221, processors 212 and 222, communication modules 213 and 223, and input / output interfaces 214 and 224. The memories 211 and 221 are non-transitory computer-readable recording media and may include persistent mass storage devices such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a disk drive, a solid state drive (SSD), and flash memory. The persistent mass storage devices such as ROM, SSD, flash memory, and disk drive may be included in the electronic device 110 and the server 150 as separate persistent storage devices distinct from the memories 211 and 221. The memories 211 and 221 may also store an operating system and at least one program code (e.g., code for a browser installed and executed on the electronic device 110 or an application installed on the electronic device 110 to provide a specific service). Such software components may be loaded from a computer-readable recording medium separate from the memories 211 and 221. Such another computer-readable recording medium may include a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy drive, a disk, a tape, a DVD / CD-ROM drive, a memory card, etc. In other embodiments, software components may be loaded into memory 211, 221 through communication modules 213, 223 that are not computer-readable recording media. For example, at least one program may be loaded into memory 211, 221 based on a computer program (for example, the above-mentioned application) to be installed by a file provided over network 170 by a developer or a file distribution system that distributes application installation files (for example, the above-mentioned server 160).

[0031] The processors 212, 222 may be configured to process computer program instructions by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations. The instructions may be provided to the processors 212, 222 by the memories 211, 221 or the communication modules 213, 223. For example, the processors 212, 222 may be configured to execute instructions received according to program code stored in a storage device such as the memories 211, 221.

[0032] The communication modules 213 and 223 may provide a function for the electronic device 110 and the server 150 to communicate with each other via the network 170, or may provide a function for the electronic device 110 and / or the server 150 to communicate with other electronic devices (for example, the electronic device 120) or other servers (for example, the server 160). For example, a request generated by the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 in accordance with program code recorded in a storage device such as the memory 211 may be transmitted to the server 150 via the network 170 under the control of the communication module 213. Conversely, a control signal, instruction, content, file, etc. provided under the control of the processor 222 of the server 150 may be received by the electronic device 110 via the communication module 213 of the electronic device 110 via the communication module 223 and the network 170. For example, control signals, instructions, content, files, etc. from the server 150 received through the communication module 213 may be transmitted to the processor 212 or memory 211, and the content, files, etc. may be recorded on a recording medium (the above-mentioned permanent recording device) that the electronic device 110 may further include.

[0033] The input / output interface 214 may be a means for interfacing with the input / output device 215. For example, the input device may include a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, etc., and the output device may include a display, a speaker, a haptic feedback device, etc. As another example, the input / output interface 214 may be a means for interfacing with a device that integrates input and output functions into one, such as a touchscreen. The input / output device 215 may be configured as a single device together with the electronic device 110. Furthermore, the input / output interface 224 of the server 150 may be a means for interfacing with an input or output device (not shown) that may be connected to or included in the server 150. As a more specific example, when the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 processes instructions of a computer program loaded in the memory 211, a service screen or content configured using data provided by the server 150 or the electronic device 120 may be displayed on a display via the input / output interface 214.

[0034] In other embodiments, the electronic device 110 and the server 150 may include more components than those shown in FIG. 2 . However, it is not necessary to explicitly illustrate most of the conventional components. For example, the electronic device 110 may be implemented to include at least some of the input / output devices 215 described above, and may further include other components such as a transceiver, a global positioning system (GPS) module, a camera, various sensors, a database, etc. As a more specific example, if the electronic device 110 is a smartphone, the electronic device 110 may further include various components that are typically included in smartphones, such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a camera module, various physical buttons, buttons using a touch panel, input / output ports, a vibrator for vibration, etc.

[0035] Specific embodiments of a method and system for controlling an IoT device will be described below.

[0036] IoT devices can refer to all smart devices and sensors that are the subject of IoT technology-based services, such as smart grid systems that manage energy including electricity, gas, and water and sewerage, home network systems that provide integrated management of home air conditioning and heating, and smart keys that can automatically unlock car door locks or start the engine without inserting the key.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating example components that may be included in a processor of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method that may be performed by an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] The electronic device 110 according to the present embodiment may include an IoT control system implemented by a computer. For example, the IoT control system may be implemented as an independently operating program, or may be implemented as an in-app program for a specific application so as to be operable within the specific application. In particular, the IoT control system adds a bot to a messenger installed in the electronic device 110 for interfacing with an IoT server (for example, the above-mentioned server 160), and provides a function of registering and controlling IoT devices under the IoT server using the bot.

[0039] The IoT control system implemented in the electronic device 110 may execute the IoT control method shown in FIG. 4 based on instructions provided by an application installed on the electronic device 110.

[0040] 4, the processor 212 of the electronic device 110 may include an IoT registration unit 310, an IoT control unit 320, and an IoT management unit 330, as shown in FIG. 3. Depending on the embodiment, the components of the processor 212 may be selectively included or excluded from the processor 212. Also, depending on the embodiment, the components of the processor 212 may be separated or combined to express the functions of the processor 212.

[0041] The processor 212 and the components of the processor 212 may control the electronic device 110 to execute steps 410 to 440 included in the IoT control method of Fig. 4. For example, the processor 212 and the components of the processor 212 may be implemented to execute instructions from the operating system code and at least one program code included in the memory 211.

[0042] Here, the components of the processor 212 may represent different functions of the processor 212 that are executed by the processor 212 according to instructions provided by a program code recorded in the electronic device 110 (for example, instructions provided by an application executed on the electronic device 110). For example, the IoT registration unit 310 may be used as a functional representation of the processor 212 that controls the electronic device 110 according to the above-mentioned instructions so that the electronic device 110 registers an IoT device.

[0043] In order to control IoT devices with the electronic device 110, a dedicated application corresponding to each IoT device must be installed on the electronic device 110. It can be said that installing an application for each IoT device in order to operate the IoT devices is extremely troublesome and inconvenient.

[0044] In contrast, the present invention provides a function that allows various IoT devices to be controlled by a single common application, such as a messenger installed on electronic device 110, rather than installing individual applications to control the IoT devices.

[0045] In step 410, the processor 212 may read necessary instructions from the memory 211, into which instructions related to the control of the electronic device 110 have been loaded. In this case, the read instructions may include instructions for controlling the processor 212 to execute steps 420 to 440, which will be described below.

[0046] In operation 420, the IoT registration unit 310 may add a bot for interfacing with the IoT server to the messenger installed in the electronic device 110 and register at least one IoT device that can be controlled by the IoT server via the bot. In this case, the IoT registration unit 310 may interfacing with the corresponding IoT server by adding an official account, which is a bot-type account of the IoT server, as a friend on the messenger. That is, the IoT registration unit 310 may add a chat room with the bot to a chat room list on the messenger in response to a user input to add the official account of the IoT server. Here, the official account of the IoT server is one of the accounts on the messenger associated with the IoT server and may include an account opened or operated at the request of an entity associated with the IoT server (e.g., an IoT service provider, a manufacturer of an IoT device, or a supplier of an IoT device). As an example, in the process of adding a user as a friend on Messenger using the official account of the IoT server, the IoT registration unit 310 may receive user information (e.g., information for user identification such as an ID) registered on the IoT server from the user of the electronic device 110, perform user authentication based on the received information, and then add a chat room with the bot. The IoT registration unit 310 may provide a user interface on Messenger for receiving user information from the user of the electronic device 110, and may add a chat room with the bot after confirming whether the user is registered on the IoT server using the user information entered by the user. As another example, the IoT registration unit 310 may share user information registered on Messenger with the IoT server for the user of the electronic device 110, and add a chat room with the bot after newly registering the user on the IoT server or matching the user information with existing user information registered on the IoT server.In other words, the IoT registration unit 310 may transmit the user information registered on the messenger to the IoT server so that the IoT server can newly register the user information entered by the user of the electronic device 110 or match it with existing user information registered on the IoT server.

[0047] Furthermore, when a chat room (or bot) with a bot for linking with an IoT server is added to a messenger installed in the electronic device 110, the IoT registration unit 310 may selectively register IoT devices to be controlled by the bot. Since bots are provided for each manufacturer or supplier of IoT devices, when a bot is added to a messenger, the IoT device used by the user of the electronic device 110 must be registered as a target device to be controlled by the chat room with the bot added to the messenger. As an example, the IoT registration unit 310 may receive a list of IoT devices used by the user and registered on the IoT server from the IoT server, and register at least one IoT device included in the IoT device list as a target device. As another example, the IoT registration unit 310 may search for IoT devices near the electronic device 110 by device search using short-range communication (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) and register at least one of the searched IoT devices as a target device. The IoT registration unit 310 records information about the IoT device that is to be controlled through a chat room with the bot added to the messenger in association with the bot on the messenger. At this time, instead of general information about the IoT device, the IoT registration unit 310 records the identification information of the IoT device or a unique identifier matched to the identification information of the IoT device in association with the user of the electronic device 110. This allows the messenger to maintain only the minimum information required to identify the device on the IoT server as information required for control using the bot.

[0048] When a bot for linking with the IoT server is added to the messenger installed on the electronic device 110, the IoT registration unit 310 may generate a chat room in which the account of the user of the electronic device 110 and the official account of the IoT server are matched. Furthermore, the IoT registration unit 310 may provide a friend addition function in the chat room with the bot, and may add a friend user selected by the user of the electronic device 110 from a friend list on the messenger (i.e., a list of other users with whom the user can send and receive messages on the messenger) to the chat room with the bot. In this case, the IoT registration unit 310 may designate the user of the electronic device 110 as a host user in the chat room with the bot, and designate the added friend user as a guest user. A friend user added to the chat room with the bot may be granted authority to control the IoT device for a predetermined period from the time of addition to the chat room with the bot. A guest user may be added to a chat room with a bot that includes the host user, or a new chat room may be generated in which the guest user's account is matched with the official account of the IoT server. Not only the host user, but also the guest user may be granted the authority to control IoT devices through a chat room with a bot. In the case of a guest user designated by a host user, the guest user will automatically lose control of the IoT device when the guest user leaves the chat room with the bot after a predetermined period of time has elapsed or when the host user issues an individual command. The period for which the guest user is granted control of the IoT device may be set by default, or may be set directly by the host user when adding the guest user.

[0049] In step 430, the IoT control unit 320 may control the IoT device using the bot by transmitting a control signal for the IoT device identified based on the control input entered by the user of the electronic device 110 in the chat room with the bot to the IoT server. The IoT control unit 320 may associate the control signal with the user of the electronic device 110 and transmit the control signal, including information and a control command for the IoT device identified based on the control input entered in the chat room with the bot, to the IoT server. In other words, the IoT control unit 320 may transmit the control signal for the specific IoT device to the IoT server via a communication session established between the user's account on the messenger and the official account of the IoT server. The user of the electronic device 110 may identify the IoT device they wish to control in the chat room with the bot and may specify a control command for the IoT device. The chat room with the bot may include a list of IoT devices controllable by the bot and an interface, such as a menu list, for controlling functions of the IoT devices included in the IoT device list. In other words, the IoT control unit 320 may receive a control input from the user of the electronic device 110 using an IoT device list and a menu list provided in the chat room with the bot, and may identify the IoT device and control command to be controlled based on the received control input. As another example, the IoT control unit 320 may identify the IoT device and control command to be controlled by analyzing the content of a conversation entered by the user in the chat room with the bot. In other words, the IoT control unit 320 may identify the IoT device and control command to be controlled from the sentence entered as a conversation message in the chat room by using syntax analysis based on natural language processing or AI (artificial intelligence)-based conversation analysis technology. In this case, the IoT control unit 320 may transmit to the IoT server a control signal including identification information of the IoT device identified by the user of the electronic device 110 in the chat room with the bot or a unique identifier matching the identification information of the IoT device, and a control command for some functions of the IoT device.As a result, when the IoT server receives a control signal from the electronic device 110 via the messenger server, it can identify the IoT device based on the identification information or unique identifier contained in the control signal, and control each IoT device by transmitting the control command contained in the control signal to the identified IoT device.

[0050] In step 440, the IoT management unit 330 may record and manage the control content of the IoT device by the bot in the form of a conversation message in a chat room including the bot. The IoT management unit 330 may record the control content of the IoT device by recording at least one message transmitted and received in the chat room with the bot. That is, the IoT management unit 330 may record the control content of the IoT device by the bot in the memory 221 as a conversation message in the chat room including the bot, and may manage the control content by deleting, modifying, or associating the recorded message with another user. The IoT management unit 330 may record and display the IoT device and control command identified as a control signal for the IoT device in the chat room with the bot as a conversation message in the chat room. Thus, the user may check the control history of the IoT device from the conversation message displayed in the chat room with the bot. In this case, the control history of the IoT device may be recorded by distinguishing chat rooms based on chat room identification information (e.g., a chat room ID). The IoT management unit 330 may also classify IoT devices by their identification information or classifiers, and record and manage the control history of the IoT devices in chat rooms with the bot for each IoT device, which may be used as data for maintaining and repairing the IoT devices. The control history of the IoT devices may also be recorded and managed by the IoT server as data for maintaining and repairing the IoT devices.

[0051] Furthermore, the chat room with the bot may provide an interface for controlling the IoT device, as well as an interface for consulting about the IoT device, such as an after-sales service (AS). For example, when a consultation about an IoT device identified in the chat room with the bot is entered, the IoT management unit 330 may provide a chat environment with a counselor in a communication session established between the user's account and the official account of the IoT server. Therefore, by using the chat room with the bot, it becomes possible to control and consult about the IoT device in the same space.

[0052] Therefore, even if there is no separate application for controlling IoT devices, the present invention adds a bot for interfacing with an IoT server to a messenger, and allows various IoT devices under the IoT server to be controlled using the bot.

[0053] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for adding a bot to a messenger for linking with an IoT server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 5, a user may call up an official account addition screen in the messenger installed on the electronic device 110 (S51), and then enter account information of the IoT server to be added in the official account addition screen (S52).

[0055] The electronic device 110 may add the bot of the IoT server corresponding to the account information entered on the official account addition screen to the messenger (S53).

[0056] The electronic device 110 may be linked to the corresponding IoT server (IoT_Server) via the bot added to the messenger (S54).

[0057] In this case, the electronic device 110 may add a bot for interfacing with the IoT server after receiving user information registered on the IoT server from the user and authenticating the user. Alternatively, the electronic device 110 may add a bot for interfacing with the IoT server associated with the user by sharing user information registered on the messenger with the IoT server and registering the bot on the IoT server, or by matching the bot with existing user information registered on the IoT server.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for registering an IoT device controlled by a bot in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] When a bot for linking with an IoT server is added to the messenger, the electronic device 110 may register a target device to be controlled by the bot.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 6, the electronic device 110 may search for peripheral devices using short-range communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) (S61).

[0061] The electronic device 110 may transmit a registration signal for at least one IoT device found by the device search to the IoT server via the bot added to the messenger (S62). At this time, the registration signal may include information for identifying the user of the electronic device 110 and identification information of the IoT device.

[0062] Based on the registration signal from the electronic device 110, the IoT server may register the corresponding IoT device in a list of IoT devices used by the user of the electronic device 110, and when the device registration is complete, may transmit a registration completion signal to the electronic device 110 (S63).

[0063] Therefore, the electronic device 110 can perform a device search using short-range communication and register an IoT device that is to be controlled by a bot added to the messenger.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for controlling an IoT device by a bot in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 7, a user may specify an IoT device that the user wishes to control through a chat room with a bot in a messenger on the electronic device 110, and may specify a control command for the IoT device (S71).

[0066] The electronic device 110 may send to the IoT server a control signal including identification information of the IoT device identified by the user in a chat room with the bot or a unique identifier matched to the identification information of the IoT device, and a control command for some functions of the IoT device (S72).

[0067] When the IoT server receives a control signal from the electronic device 110 via the bot, it may identify the IoT device to be controlled based on the identification information or unique identifier contained in the control signal, and control the IoT device by transmitting the control command contained in the control signal to the identified IoT device (S73).

[0068] The electronic device 110 may provide an interface for identifying an IoT device and a control command to be controlled in a chat room with a bot. As shown in FIG. 8, a chat room 800 with a bot may provide a list 810 of IoT devices controllable by the bot and a menu list 820 for controlling functions of the IoT devices included in the IoT device list. The menu list 820 may provide a menu configured with at least one depth depending on the IoT device. In other words, a user may identify an IoT device and a control command to be controlled by using the IoT device list 810 and the menu list 820 provided in the chat room 800 with a bot.

[0069] When an IoT device and a control command are identified in chat room 800 with the bot, electronic device 110 transmits a control signal including information about the IoT device and the control command by the bot to the IoT server. At this time, as shown in Fig. 9, the IoT device and the control command identified as the control signal for the IoT device may be displayed as a conversation message 930 in the chat room. In other words, electronic device 110 may record and manage the control details of the IoT device by the bot as conversation message 930 in chat room 800, so that the user may check the control history of the IoT device from conversation message 930 displayed in chat room 800 with the bot whenever necessary.

[0070] In order to identify an IoT device and a control command, the electronic device 110 can use the IoT device list 810 and menu list 820 provided in the chat room 800 with the bot. Alternatively, the electronic device 110 can analyze a sentence entered by the user to identify the IoT device and the control command to be controlled. As shown in Fig. 10, the user may freely enter a sentence 1010 in a colloquial style or the like, indicating an intention to control an IoT device, into the chat room 1000 with the bot. In this case, the electronic device 110 may grasp and identify the IoT device 1001 and the control command 1002 to be controlled by the sentence 1010 based on a syntactic analysis of the input sentence 1010.

[0071] The chat room 800, 1000 with the bot may also include an add friend menu 850, 1050 for adding a friend selected by the user of the electronic device 110. The user of the electronic device 110 may use the add friend menu 850, 1050 in the chat room 800, 1000 with the bot to add a friend selected from a friend list on Messenger to the corresponding chat room 800, 1000. In this case, the user of the electronic device 110 may be designated as a host user, and the added friend may be designated as a guest user. Not only the host user but also the guest user is granted the authority to control IoT devices through the chat room 800, 1000 with the bot. In the case of a guest user, upon the passage of a certain period of time or upon receiving an exit command from the host user, the guest user exits the chat room 800, 1000 with the bot and automatically loses the authority to control the IoT devices.

[0072] Furthermore, the chat rooms 800, 1000 with the bot may include consultation menus 860, 1060 for consultations regarding IoT devices. When a user of the electronic device 110 requests consultation regarding an IoT device using the consultation menus 860, 1060 in the chat rooms 800, 1000 with the bot, a chat function with a counselor may be provided using a communication session established between the user's account and the official account of the IoT server.

[0073] Although the above description has been given of the electronic device 110 executing the IoT control method based on commands provided by an application installed in the electronic device 110, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, a messenger server (for example, the above-mentioned server 150) or an IoT server (for example, the above-mentioned server 160) may directly execute at least some of the steps of the above-mentioned IoT control method in conjunction with an application installed in the electronic device 110. Furthermore, in the above description, the messenger server and the IoT server are described as independent, separate server systems, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, the messenger server may be implemented in a form combined with the IoT server, or the messenger server may include at least some of the functions of the IoT server.

[0074] Specifically, in order for the server 150 to execute all or part of the IoT control method shown in Fig. 4, the processor 222 of the server 150 may include an IoT registration unit, an IoT control unit, and an IoT management unit. Depending on the embodiment, the IoT registration unit, the IoT control unit, and the IoT management unit may be selectively included or excluded from the processor 222. Also, depending on the embodiment, the components of the processor 222 may be separated or combined to express the functions of the processor 222.

[0075] Such processor 222 and components of processor 222 may control server 150 to perform steps 420 to 440 of Figure 4. For example, processor 222 and components of processor 222 may be implemented to execute instructions from operating system code and at least one program code contained in memory 221.

[0076] The IoT registration unit, IoT control unit, and IoT management unit included in the processor 222 of the server 150 perform steps 420 to 440 of FIG. 4 in the same or corresponding manner as the IoT registration unit 310, IoT control unit 320, and IoT management unit 330 described with reference to FIG. 3, and therefore, detailed description of the components of the processor 222 will be omitted.

[0077] As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to control various IoT devices under the IoT server by linking with an IoT server via a bot added to a messenger without the need for a separate application, and the control details of the IoT device by the IoT bot can be recorded and managed in the form of conversation messages in a messenger chat room. Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to invite friends to a chat room with an IoT bot and provide the friends with the authority to control the IoT device. Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control history of the IoT device in the chat room with the IoT bot can be used as data for maintaining and repairing the IoT device, and the chat room with the IoT bot can be used not only as an interface for controlling the IoT device but also as an interface for inquiries and consultations regarding the IoT device.

[0078] The above-described devices may be implemented using hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware and software components. For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments may be implemented using one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers, such as a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or various devices capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the OS. The processing device may also access, record, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of the software. For ease of understanding, a single processing device may be described. However, those skilled in the art will understand that a processing device may include multiple processing elements and / or multiple types of processing elements. For example, a processing device may include multiple processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are also possible.

[0079] Software may include computer programs, codes, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, which may configure a processing device to operate as desired or may independently or collectively instruct the processing device. The software and / or data may be embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, computer storage medium, or device to be interpreted by the processing device or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. The software may be distributed and stored and executed in a distributed manner on computer systems connected by a network. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0080] Methods according to embodiments may be implemented in the form of program instructions executable by various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. Here, the medium may continuously record a computer-executable program or temporarily record it for execution or download. Furthermore, the medium may be various recording or storage means in the form of a single piece of hardware or multiple pieces of hardware combined together. It is not limited to media directly connected to a computer system, but may also be distributed over a network. Examples of media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; ROMs, RAMs, flash memories, etc., configured to record program instructions. Other examples of media include recording media or storage media managed by application stores that distribute applications, or by sites, servers, etc. that provide or distribute various software.

[0081] Although the embodiments have been described above based on limited examples and drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in an order different from that described, and / or the described system, structure, device, circuit, or other element may be coupled or combined in a manner different from that described, or may be substituted or replaced by other elements or equivalents, and still achieve suitable results.

[0082] Therefore, different embodiments that are equivalent to the claims are within the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 212: Processor 310: IoT Registration Department 320: IoT control section 330: IoT Management Department

Claims

1. An IoT control method executed by a computer system, comprising: the computer system includes at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in a memory; The IoT control method includes: Adding, by the at least one processor, to a messenger installed on the computer system, a chat room with a bot for linking a user of the messenger with an IoT server; and and controlling the IoT device by transmitting, by the at least one processor, a control signal for the IoT device to the IoT server according to a control input input by the user through the chat room. Including, The adding step includes: According to a user's input for adding an official account, which is a bot-type account that can be linked with the IoT server, a bot corresponding to the official account is added as a friend on the messenger, thereby adding a chat room with the bot to a chat room list on the messenger, and the user's account on the messenger is matched with an account on the IoT server. IoT control method.

2. The controlling step includes: The computer system interacts with the IoT server through the bot added to the messenger, and transmits the control signal to the IoT server through a communication session established between the user's account on the messenger and an account of the IoT server. The IoT control method according to claim 1 .

3. The step of adding a chat room with the bot to a chat room list on the messenger includes: Providing a user interface for receiving user information from the user, and confirming whether the user is a user registered on the IoT server using the user information received from the user, and then adding a chat room with the bot. The IoT control method according to claim 1 .

4. The step of adding a chat room with the bot to a chat room list on the messenger includes: The IoT control method of claim 3, further comprising a step of transmitting user information registered on the messenger to the IoT server so that the IoT server can newly register the user information or match the user information with existing user information registered on the IoT server.

5. The step of adding a chat room with the bot to a chat room list on the messenger includes: and storing, as information about the IoT device to be controlled through the chat room with the bot, identification information of the IoT device or a unique identifier that matches the identification information of the IoT device in association with the user. The IoT control method according to claim 1 , comprising:

6. The controlling step includes: transmitting the control signal, which includes information and a control command regarding the IoT device identified according to the control input, to the IoT server in association with the user; The IoT control method according to claim 1 .

7. The controlling step includes: providing a list of IoT devices that can be controlled through a chat room with the bot and a menu list for controlling functions of the IoT devices for each IoT device included in the list of IoT devices; receiving the control input from the user using the IoT device list and the menu list; and identifying the IoT device to be controlled according to the control input and the control command; The IoT control method according to claim 6, comprising:

8. The controlling step includes: Analyzing a sentence input as a chat message from the user through a chat room with the bot to identify the IoT device to be controlled and the control command. The IoT control method according to claim 6, comprising:

9. The IoT control method includes: and recording control details regarding the IoT device by storing at least one message transmitted and received through a chat room with the bot by the at least one processor. The IoT control method of claim 1 , further comprising:

10. A computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for causing the computer system to execute the IoT control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. In a computer system, at least one processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions contained in the memory; Including, The at least one processor Adding a chat room with a bot for linking a user of the messenger with an IoT server to the messenger installed in the computer system; Controlling the IoT device by transmitting a control signal for the IoT device to the IoT server according to a control input input by the user through the chat room; The at least one processor According to a user input for adding an official account that is a bot-type account that can be linked with the IoT server, a bot corresponding to the official account is added as a friend on the messenger, thereby adding a chat room with the bot to a chat room list on the messenger; A computer system characterized in that the user's account on the messenger is matched with an account on the IoT server.

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