Notification system

Abstract

To provide a notification system that reduces the processing load on devices that perform notification and the load on a communication network used for notification.SOLUTION: A notification system 10 includes: a receiving unit 11 that receives information from a transmission source device (IoT device 20); a determination unit 12 that determines, based on the information received by the receiving unit 11, whether or not notification pertaining to the information should be made to a notification destination device; a memory unit 13 that stores information indicating that it has been determined by the determination unit 12 that notification should be made to a notification destination device 30; and a notification unit 14 that notifies the notification destination device at a preset upper limit number per preset time based on the information stored by the memory unit 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification system that performs notifications to a destination device based on information received from a source device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it has been proposed to receive information obtained by a sensor from an IoT (Internet of Things) device equipped with a sensor, and determine whether to perform a notification related to the received information based on the received information, and then perform the notification (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This makes it possible to grasp abnormalities of a monitoring target and the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, if information is transmitted from a large number of IoT devices at the same timing and notifications are performed at the same timing, the processing load on the device that performs the notifications and the load on the communication network used for the notifications will increase. For example, this may cause congestion in the communication network.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a notification system capable of reducing the processing load on a device that performs notifications and the load on a communication network used for the notifications.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the notification system according to the present invention comprises: a receiving unit that receives information from a transmitting device; a determination unit that determines whether or not to send a notification to a notification destination device based on the information received by the receiving unit; a storage unit that stores information indicating that the determination unit has determined that a notification should be sent to the notification destination device; and a notification unit that sends notifications to the notification destination device at predetermined intervals and up to a predetermined upper limit based on the information stored in the storage unit.

[0007] In the notification system according to the present invention, notifications are sent at predetermined intervals up to a predetermined limit. Therefore, the notification system according to the present invention can reduce the processing load on the notification device and the load on the communication network used for notifications. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the processing load on the notification device and the load on the communication network used for notification can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows examples of information used in notifications by the notification system. [Figure 3] This figure shows examples of information used in notifications by the notification system. [Figure 4] This figure shows examples of information that will be notified by the notification system. [Figure 5] This is a sequence diagram showing the processing performed by the notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure shows the hardware configuration of a notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the notification system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] Figure 1 shows the notification system 10 according to this embodiment. The notification system 10 is a system (device) that receives information from the IoT device 20, which is the source device, and notifies the notification destination device 30 based on the received information. Specifically, the notification system 10 is used as follows: The IoT device 20 acquires information related to some monitoring target using its own sensors and transmits it to the notification system 10. Based on the information transmitted from the IoT device 20, the notification system 10 determines whether or not to notify the notification destination device 30 regarding the information. For example, if the information indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the monitoring target, the notification system 10 notifies the notification destination device 30 of this fact as an alert. The user of the notification destination device 30 can recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the monitoring target by checking the notification from the notification system 10 to the notification destination device 30. However, notifications by the notification system 10 may be made in any case according to pre-set criteria other than when an abnormality has occurred in the monitoring target.

[0012] The notification system 10 may be included in a communication network, such as a mobile communication network. In that case, the transmission of information from the IoT device 20 to the notification system 10, and the notification from the notification system 10 to the notification destination device 30, may be performed by the mobile communication function of the mobile communication network. The notification system 10 may also be provided by a communication carrier that provides the communication network. The notification system 10 is implemented by a computer such as a server device with communication functions. The notification system 10 may also be implemented by multiple computers, i.e., a computer system. The notification system 10 may be implemented using some of the functions of a mobile communication network.

[0013] The IoT device 20 is a device that acquires information to be sent to the notification system 10 and transmits it to the notification system 10. For example, the IoT device 20 is equipped with a sensor that acquires information related to the monitored object. The IoT device 20 has communication functions such as mobile communication functions and transmits the information acquired by the sensor to the notification system 10 via the communication functions. For example, the transmission of information from the IoT device 20 to the notification system may be performed using LwM2M (Open Mobile Alliance Lightweight Machine to Machine). That is, the IoT device 20 is an LwM2M device, and the notification system 10 may include an LwM2M server. The IoT device 20 can be a conventional IoT device having the above functions. Typically, there are many objects to be monitored by the IoT device 20, and many IoT devices 20 are provided for each object to be monitored.

[0014] The notification recipient device 30 is a device that receives notifications from the notification system 10. The notification recipient device 30 is used by a user who is to receive notifications from the notification system 10. The notification recipient device 30 has communication functions such as mobile communication functions, and receives notifications from the notification system 10 through these communication functions. The notification recipient device 30 has a function to output notifications from the notification system 10 in a way that is recognizable to the user of the notification recipient device 30, for example, a function to output the notification, such as displaying or outputting an audio. The notification recipient device 30 may be, for example, a conventional smartphone or mobile communication terminal having the above functions. Alternatively, the notification recipient device 30 may be a PC (personal computer).

[0015] The IoT device 20 monitors, for example, the amount of water and commercial electricity used in each household. The IoT device 20 is installed in each household to monitor these. The user of the notification device 30 is the person who monitors these, for example, the waterworks manager for water usage, or the power company manager for commercial electricity usage.

[0016] The IoT device 20 may be provided for each type of information to be transmitted (for example, for each of the above-mentioned water usage and commercial power usage). Further, the notification destination device 30 may be for each type of information transmitted from the IoT device 20. For example, an alert regarding water usage is made to the notification destination device 30 of the user who monitors the water usage, and an alert regarding commercial power usage is made to the notification destination device 30 of the user who monitors the commercial power usage. By this alert, the user of the notification destination device 30 can grasp the household where an abnormality has occurred in the usage amount. As will be described later, the notification destination device 30 is preset for each IoT device 20 that transmits information, for each type of information transmitted from the IoT device 20, or for each combination thereof.

[0017] Note that the monitoring target by the IoT device 20 is not limited to the above, and any thing may be used as long as it can be notified by the notification system 10. For example, the information acquired by the IoT device 20 may be a physical quantity such as the room temperature of the monitored room. Further, the transmission source device that transmits information to the notification system 10 may be a device other than the IoT device 20. Further, the transmission source device may acquire the information to be transmitted to the notification system 10 by means other than a sensor.

[0018] Next, the functions of the notification system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the notification system 10 includes a receiving unit 11, a determination unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a notification unit 14.

[0019] The receiving unit 11 is a functional unit that receives information from the IoT device 20 which is the transmission source device. The receiving unit 11 may receive information including a numerical value from the transmission source device.

[0020] The IoT device 20 acquires information by means of sensors it has at preset timings for each IoT device 20 (e.g., periodically every day, every few hours, every few minutes), and transmits the acquired information to the notification system 10. The information acquired by the sensors of the IoT device 20 and transmitted from the IoT device 20 includes numerical values such as the amount of water used or the amount of commercial power used. However, the information may be information that does not include numerical values as long as it can be notified by the notification system 10. The IoT device 20 transmits to the notification system 10 by associating the information acquired by the sensors with a device ID, which is information (identifier) for specifying itself preset in advance, and information indicating the type of the acquired information.

[0021] In addition to the information acquired by the sensors, the IoT device 20 may transmit information related to the IoT device 20 itself. For example, the IoT device 20 transmits information indicating its remaining battery level. The information related to the IoT device 20 itself may be a resource value of the IoT device 20 other than the remaining battery level, or otherwise. The IoT device 20 also transmits this information by associating it with a device ID and information indicating the type of the information. The remaining battery level of the IoT device 20 can also be notified by the notification system 10 in the same manner as the amount of water used or the amount of commercial power used. The notification based on the remaining battery level of the IoT device 20 is for the management of the IoT device 20, such as preventing the battery of the IoT device 20 from running out. When the IoT device 20 transmits a plurality of types of information, it may transmit the information at different timings for each type, or may transmit the information together.

[0022] The receiving unit 11 receives the information transmitted from the IoT device 20. The receiving unit 11 outputs the received information to the determination unit 12.

[0023] The determination unit 12 is a functional unit that determines whether or not to send a notification to the notification destination device 30 based on the information received by the receiving unit 11. The determination unit 12 may also determine whether or not to send a notification to the notification destination device 30 based on whether or not the numerical value included in the information received by the receiving unit 11 falls within a preset range.

[0024] The determination unit 12 performs a determination, for example, as follows: The determination unit 12 determines whether the status of the monitored object (for example, water usage, commercial power usage, and the battery of the IoT device 20) should trigger an alert (notification) to the notification destination device 30. For example, the determination unit 12 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the monitored object.

[0025] The determination unit 12 stores in advance determination criteria for each type of information received from the IoT device 20. For example, the determination unit 12 stores a range of numerical values ​​(for example, the amount of water used, the amount of commercial electricity used, and the remaining battery level of the IoT device 20) indicated by the information received from the IoT device 20 for each type of information. The determination unit 12 stores, for example, a threshold (alert threshold) as a range. Note that the determination criteria may be something other than a range of numerical values. The criteria stored in the determination unit 12 may, for example, be entered in advance into the notification system 10 by the user of the notification destination device 30. This input may be made using, for example, a UI (user interface) such as a web screen provided by the notification system 10. This allows the user of the notification destination device 30 to arbitrarily set how the information received from the IoT device 20 should be to trigger an alert.

[0026] The determination unit 12 receives information from the IoT device 20 via the receiving unit 11. Based on pre-stored determination criteria, the determination unit 12 determines whether or not to send a notification to the notification destination device 30 based on the numerical value indicated by the input information. For example, if the numerical value indicated by the input information is not within a pre-stored range (for example, if the numerical value exceeds a threshold), the determination unit 12 determines to send an alert to the notification destination device 30, and if the numerical value is within that range (for example, if the numerical value is below the threshold), it determines not to send an alert to the notification destination device 30.

[0027] The determination unit 12 outputs information to the storage unit 13 that it has determined should be alerted to the notification destination device 30. The determination unit 12 makes a determination each time it receives information from the receiving unit 11 and outputs the information to the storage unit 13.

[0028] The storage unit 13 is a functional unit that stores information indicating that the determination unit 12 has determined that a notification should be sent to the notification destination device 30. The storage unit 13 receives information from the determination unit 12 indicating that an alert should be sent to the notification destination device 30, and stores it as alert information in, for example, the alert DB table shown in Figure 2(a) of the database provided by the notification system 10.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2(a), the alert information stored in the alert DB table is information associated with the device ID, information type, and determination time. The device ID and information type (for example, the types of water usage, commercial power usage, and battery level of IoT device 20 mentioned above) are included in the information received from IoT device 20 and determined by the determination unit 12 to be an alert to the notification destination device 30. The determination time is the time when the determination unit 12 made a determination on the information received from IoT device 20. The determination time can be obtained by the determination unit 12 and notified together with the output of the information to the storage unit 13. In addition, although not shown in the alert DB table in Figure 2(a), the alert information may also be associated with and stored numerical values ​​included in the information (for example, the water usage, commercial power usage, and battery level of IoT device 20 mentioned above).

[0030] The notification unit 14 is a functional unit that, based on the information stored by the storage unit 13, sends notifications to the notification destination devices 30 at predetermined intervals up to a predetermined maximum number of times. The notification unit 14 may also send notifications to the notification destination devices 30 up to a maximum number of times determined by the determination unit 12 to be a notification to the notification destination devices 30. The notification destination devices 30 to which notifications are sent are predetermined for each IoT device 20 which is a transmission destination device, and the notification unit 14 may also send notifications to the notification destination devices 30 up to a maximum number of times the total number of notification destination devices 30 to which notifications are sent.

[0031] The notification unit 14 makes notifications as follows, for example. The notification unit 14 processes the following notifications at predetermined intervals. The predetermined interval is, for example, 3 minutes. The notification unit 14 retrieves a predetermined maximum number of alert information from the alert DB table stored by the storage unit 13, starting with the oldest ones based on their judgment time, as alert information to be notified. This retrieval of alert information is called alert information harvesting. For example, if the alert information shown in Figure 2(a) is stored by the storage unit 13 and the upper limit is 5, the notification unit 14 retrieves the 5 oldest alert information shown in Figure 2(b) based on their judgment time.

[0032] The notification unit 14 stores in advance the association between the IoT device 20 and the notification destination device 30 that will issue an alert. The notification unit 14 may issue alerts to multiple notification destination devices 30 for information from a single IoT device 20. In other words, multiple notification destination devices 30 may be associated with a single IoT device 20.

[0033] For example, the notification unit 14 stores the device ID of the IoT device 20 shown in Figure 3(a) and the telephone number of the notification destination device 30 as the corresponding information. The notification destination for each IoT device 20 stored in the notification unit 14 may be pre-entered into the notification system 10 by the user of the notification destination device 30. This input may be performed using a UI such as a web screen provided by the notification system 10. This allows the user of the notification destination device 30 to arbitrarily set the notification destination for each IoT device 20.

[0034] The notification unit 14 associates the retrieved alert information (for example, the information shown in Figure 2(b)) with the telephone number associated with the device ID contained in the alert information. Figure 3(b) shows the alert information with the telephone number associated. For each combination of associated alert information and telephone number, the notification unit 14 issues an alert to that telephone number.

[0035] The notification unit 14 issues an alert to the notification recipient device 30 by sending the alert information to the telephone number associated with the alert information. The alert information is sent, for example, by SMS (Short Message Service). An example of an SMS message, which is the alert information to be sent, is shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the alert information to be sent includes, for example, the recipient's telephone number, the time of determination, the device ID of the IoT device 20, and the type of information. The alert information to be sent may also include numerical values ​​included in the information sent from the IoT device 20 (for example, the water usage amount, commercial power usage amount, and the battery level of the IoT device 20). Note that the information sent as an alert to the notification recipient device 30 does not necessarily have to be as described above; it can be any information that is notified based on the information received from the IoT device 20.

[0036] Furthermore, considering the processing load (server load) of the notification system 10 and the load on the communication network used to send alert information, when sending multiple alert information, the notification unit 14 may set an upper limit on the number of transmissions per instance and send them at regular intervals (for example, 1 to several seconds). Similarly, when sending multiple alert information to the same telephone number, the notification unit 14 may send them at regular intervals (for example, 1 to several seconds).

[0037] Alert information may be sent by a method other than SMS. For example, if the notification recipient device 30 is a PC that does not have mobile communication capabilities and cannot send or receive information via SMS, the alert information may be sent by any method that allows the notification recipient device 30 to receive the alert information.

[0038] The notification recipient device 30, which is the destination for the alert information, receives the alert information and outputs it in a way that is recognizable to the user, for example, by display or audio output. By checking the outputted alert information, the user can understand that an abnormality has occurred in the monitored object.

[0039] The notification unit 14 deletes the alert information notified to the notification destination device 30 from the alert DB table. The deletion of alert information from the alert DB table may also be performed when the above-mentioned alert information pruning is carried out.

[0040] In the example above, in the processing of each notification at regular intervals, a limit was set on the number of alert information stored in the storage unit 13 before sending notifications. That is, notifications were sent up to a limit on the number of times the determination unit 12 determined that a notification should be sent to the notification destination device 30. However, the limit may also be, in addition to or instead of the above, a limit on the total number of notification destination devices 30 to which notifications are sent.

[0041] When using this upper limit, the notification unit 14 only needs to generate alert information associated with telephone numbers (for example, the information shown in Figure 3(b)) starting from the oldest alert information with the earliest determination time, so that the number of such alerts is less than or equal to the upper limit.

[0042] Note that the interval for processing notifications does not have to be 3 minutes; it may be several minutes, several hours, or even a day. Shortening the above interval improves the real-time nature of notifications. However, if the number of alert information (number of records) retrieved from the alert DB table in a single harvesting process is large, processing of the retrieved alert information may not keep up by the next cycle. Lengthening the above interval reduces the processing load (server load) of the notification system 10 and improves system stability. However, real-time nature will decrease. Also, the timing of processing notifications does not necessarily have to be at fixed time intervals; it can be at pre-set time intervals.

[0043] In the above configuration, the notification unit 14 always sends notifications at predetermined intervals. However, considering the processing load of the notification system 10 and the load of the communication network, the notification unit 14 may only send notifications at fixed intervals when necessary, and otherwise send notifications whenever alert information is generated. In this case, the notification unit 14 may determine whether to send notifications at predetermined intervals or whenever it receives information from the IoT device 20, which is the source device, based on the number of pieces of information stored by the storage unit 13. Alternatively, the notification unit 14 may determine whether to send notifications at predetermined intervals or whenever it receives information from the IoT device 20, which is the source device, based on the time-series change in the number of pieces of information stored by the storage unit 13.

[0044] Specifically, the notification unit 14 makes the following determination. The notification unit 14 makes the above determination at pre-set intervals (which may be the same timing as the notification processing described above). At the time of the determination, the notification unit 14 counts the number of alert information records stored by the storage unit 13 during a pre-set fixed period of time (for example, the time interval at which the determination is made). If the number of counted alert information records exceeds a pre-set fixed number, the notification unit 14 sends a notification at the pre-set intervals as described above. On the other hand, if the number of counted alert information records is below a fixed number, the notification unit 14 sends a notification each time it receives information from the IoT device 20, that is, each time alert information is stored by the storage unit 13. In this case, the notification unit 14 monitors the storage of alert information by the storage unit 13, and when alert information is stored by the storage unit 13, it sends a notification about that alert information in the same manner as described above.

[0045] Furthermore, the notification unit 14 may make the above determination based on the number of alert information in a time series, rather than the number of alert information stored by the storage unit 13 in a single period. For example, the notification unit 14 may calculate the rate of increase of alert information from the number of alert information stored by the storage unit 13 over multiple periods, and if the calculated rate of increase exceeds a preset threshold, it may make a notification at regular intervals, and if the calculated rate of increase is below the threshold, it may make a notification each time it receives information from the IoT device 20. The above describes the functions of the notification system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0046] Next, the processing performed by the notification system 10 according to this embodiment (the operation method performed by the notification system 10) will be explained using the sequence diagram in Figure 5. In this processing, the IoT device 20 acquires information to be sent to the notification system 10 (for example, by acquiring information from sensors provided by the IoT device 20) and sends it to the notification system 10 (S01, S04, S07). The transmission of information to the notification system 10 by the IoT device 20 is performed at the timing of each IoT device 20.

[0047] In the notification system 10, the receiving unit 11 receives information transmitted from the IoT device 20 (S01, S04, S07). Subsequently, the determination unit 12 determines, based on the information received from the IoT device 20, whether or not to send a notification to the notification destination device 30 (S02, S05, S08). If the determination unit 12 determines that a notification should be sent to the notification destination device 30, the storage unit 13 stores alert information to that effect (S03, S06, S09). The notification determination by the determination unit 12 (S02, S05, S08) and the storage of alert information by the storage unit 13 according to the determination (S03, S06, S09) are performed each time information is received by the receiving unit 11.

[0048] Next, at the timing of notification processing, which is at pre-set intervals, the notification unit 14 retrieves a pre-set upper limit of alert information from the alert information stored in the storage unit 13 as alert information to be notified (S10). In other words, periodic pruning of alert information is performed. Subsequently, the notification unit 14 sends the pruned alert information to the pre-set notification destination device 30 (S11). The notification unit 14 also deletes the pruned alert information from the alert DB table (S12). The above is the processing performed by the notification system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0049] To monitor a large number of targets, a large number of IoT devices 20 are required. Furthermore, information transmission from the IoT devices 20 tends to be concentrated at specific times. Therefore, attempting to send notifications based on information from the IoT devices 20 every time information is received could place an excessive load on the server equipment constituting the notification system 10, depending on its transaction speed (tps / sec). It could also place an excessive load on the communication network used for notifications.

[0050] According to this embodiment, notifications (alerts) based on information transmitted from IoT devices 20 are sent at predetermined intervals up to a predetermined limit. Therefore, even if a large number of IoT devices 20 send information requiring notification to the notification system 10 at the same time, it is possible to prevent the processing load of the notification system 10 and the load of the communication network used for notification from becoming excessive at the same time. For example, the amount of processing related to notifications in the notification system 10 can be set so as not to exceed the upper limit of the TPS of the server devices constituting the notification system 10. In this way, according to this embodiment, the processing load of the notification system 10 that performs notifications and the load of the communication network used for notification can be reduced.

[0051] Furthermore, as in the embodiments described above, the notification unit 14 may determine, based on the number of alert information stored by the storage unit 13, whether to send a notification at pre-set intervals or each time it receives information from the IoT device 20. In addition, the notification unit 14 may make the above determination based on the time-series change in the number of alert information stored by the storage unit 13. With these configurations, notifications can be sent at pre-set intervals and up to a pre-set limit only when necessary. Otherwise, prompt notifications can be sent each time. However, the notification unit 14 does not need to make the above determination and may uniformly send notifications at pre-set intervals and up to a pre-set limit.

[0052] Furthermore, as in the embodiment described above, the notification unit 14 may send notifications to the notification destination device 30 up to a maximum number of times determined by the determination unit 12 to be a notification to the notification destination device 30. In addition, the notification destination device 30 to be notified is predetermined for each IoT device 20, and the notification unit 14 may send notifications to the notification destination device 30 up to a maximum number of times the total number of notification destination devices 30 to be notified is limited. With these configurations, notifications can be sent to the notification destination device 30 up to an appropriate maximum number. However, the maximum number does not necessarily have to be as described above and may be different.

[0053] Furthermore, as in the embodiment described above, the receiving unit 11 may receive information including numerical values ​​from the IoT device 20, and the determination unit 12 may determine whether or not to send a notification to the notification destination device 30 based on whether or not the numerical values ​​included in the information received by the receiving unit 11 fall within a predetermined range. This configuration allows for appropriate and reliable notification based on information. However, the determination by the determination unit 12 does not necessarily have to be made in the manner described above, and may be made based on any arbitrary criteria. Also, the information received from the IoT device 20 may not include numerical values.

[0054] The block diagrams used in the description of the above embodiments show functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired or wireless connections). A functional block may also be realized by combining the above one device or the above multiple devices with software.

[0055] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, judgment, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0056] For example, the notification system 10 in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs information processing according to the present disclosure. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the notification system 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The notification system 10 described above may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, bus 1007, etc. The hardware configuration of the IoT device 20 and the notification destination device 30 may also include those described herein.

[0057] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the notification system 10 may include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or it may be configured to omit some of the devices.

[0058] Each function in the notification system 10 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, which causes the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0059] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running the operating system. The processor 1001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, etc. For example, each function in the notification system 10 described above may be implemented by the processor 1001.

[0060] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiment. For example, each function in the notification system 10 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001. Although the above processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from the network via a telecommunications line.

[0061] Memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. Memory 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for carrying out information processing according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0062] The storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. The storage medium provided by the notification system 10 may be, for example, a database, server, or other suitable medium including at least one of the memory 1002 and the storage 1003.

[0063] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transceiver / receiver device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc.

[0064] The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touch panel).

[0065] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device.

[0066] Furthermore, the notification system 10 may include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be implemented by such hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0067] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of the following systems: LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other appropriate systems, as well as next-generation systems extended based thereon. Furthermore, multiple systems may be applied in combination (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).

[0068] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be reordered, provided they are consistent with each other. For example, the methods described herein present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to that specific order.

[0069] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to other devices.

[0070] The determination may be made by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), by a boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0071] Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0072] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way.

[0073] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0074] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0075] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0076] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or corresponding other information.

[0077] As used in this disclosure, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiry (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), and ascertaining. “Determining” may also include, for example, receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0078] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variation thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be reinterpreted as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0079] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0080] Any reference to elements using the designations “first,” “second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0081] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.

[0082] In this disclosure, if articles are added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0083] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0084] The notification system described in this disclosure has the following configuration. [1] A receiving unit that receives information from the transmitting device, A determination unit determines whether or not to send a notification related to the information received by the receiving unit to the notification destination device, A storage unit that stores information indicating that the determination unit has determined that a notification should be sent to the notification destination device, A notification unit that, based on the information stored in the aforementioned storage unit, sends notifications to a destination device at predetermined intervals up to a predetermined maximum number of times, A notification system equipped with the following features. [2] The notification system described in [1], wherein the notification unit determines, based on the number of pieces of information stored by the storage unit, whether to make a notification at predetermined intervals or each time it receives information from the transmitting device. [3] The notification unit determines, based on the time-series change in the number of pieces of information stored by the storage unit, whether to make a notification at predetermined intervals or each time it receives information from the transmitting device, as described in [2]. [4] The notification unit provides notifications to the notification destination device up to the maximum number of times determined by the determination unit to be a notification to the notification destination device. [1] to [3] [5] The notification destination device to which the notification is sent is pre-configured for each destination device, The notification unit is a notification system described in any of [1] to [4] that notifies a number of notification destination devices up to the upper limit of the total number of notification destination devices. [6] The receiving unit receives information including numerical values ​​from the transmitting device. The notification system described in any of [1] to [5], wherein the determination unit determines whether or not to send a notification to the notification destination device regarding the information, based on whether or not the numerical value contained in the information received by the receiving unit falls within a predetermined range. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10...Notification system, 11...Receiver, 12...Determination unit, 13...Storage unit, 14...Notification unit, 20...IoT device, 30...Notification destination device, 1001...Processor, 1002...Memory, 1003...Storage, 1004...Communication device, 1005...Input device, 1006...Output device, 1007...Bus.

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives information from the transmitting device, A determination unit determines whether or not to send a notification related to the information received by the receiving unit to the notification destination device, A storage unit that stores information indicating that the determination unit has determined that a notification should be sent to the notification destination device, A notification unit that, based on the information stored in the aforementioned storage unit, sends notifications to a destination device at predetermined intervals up to a predetermined maximum number of times, A notification system equipped with the following features.

2. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit determines, based on the number of pieces of information stored by the storage unit, whether to make a notification at predetermined intervals or each time it receives information from the transmitting device.

3. The notification system according to claim 2, wherein the notification unit determines, based on the time-series change in the number of pieces of information stored by the storage unit, whether to make a notification at predetermined intervals or each time it receives information from the transmitting device.

4. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the notification destination device up to the upper limit of the number of times that the determination unit has determined should be notified to the notification destination device.

5. The notification destination devices to which the aforementioned notification is sent are pre-configured for each sending device. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies a number of notification destination devices up to the upper limit of the total number of notification destination devices.

6. The receiving unit receives information including numerical values ​​from the transmitting device. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not to send a notification to the notification destination device regarding the information received by the receiving unit, based on whether or not the numerical value contained in the information falls within a predetermined range.

Images