Electronic device for providing internet of things-based service, and operating method thereof

Abstract

According to one embodiment, electronic devices (102, 104, 220) are provided. The electronic device comprises: a communication circuit (302); one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry; and a memory (306) for storing instructions. When executed individually or collectively by the one or more processors, the instructions cause the electronic device to: receive, through the communication circuit, a first signal including information related to the plurality of external electronic devices (102, 104, 220); identify an event for triggering the transmission of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices; determine the priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices on the basis of the event; and, on the basis of the priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices, transmit, through the communication circuit, a second signal including the information related to the electronic device and at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices. Additionally, other embodiments are possible.

Description

Electronic device providing Internet of Things-based service and its operating method

[0001] One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device that provides an Internet of Things (IoT)-based service and a method of operating the same.

[0002] The Internet is evolving from a human-centric network of connections where humans create and consume information to an Internet of Things (IoT) network where information is exchanged and processed among distributed components, such as objects. IoE (Internet of Everything) technology is one example of IoT technology combining big data processing technology with cloud server connectivity.

[0003] In order to implement IoT technology, technological elements such as sensing technology, wired / wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interface technology, and security technology are required, and recently, various technologies such as sensor networks for connecting objects, machine to machine communication (M2M), and machine type communication (MTC) are being studied.

[0004] In the IoT environment, intelligent Internet technology (IT) services can be provided that collect and analyze data generated from connected objects to create new value in human life. IoT technology can be applied to a variety of services, such as smart home services, smart building services, smart city services, smart car services, smart grid services, healthcare services, smart appliance services, and advanced medical services, through the convergence and integration of existing IT technologies with various industries.

[0005] Among the various services based on IoT technology, the representative service is the smart home service (e.g. Samsung TM SmartThings service). In a smart home service, an electronic device (e.g., a manager device (e.g., a smart phone)) that manages a smart home service checks whether an external electronic device (e.g., an IoT device (e.g., a smart home device)) such as a television, speaker, and / or refrigerator is in proximity to the electronic device, and if the external electronic device is in proximity to the electronic device, an IoT-based application (e.g., a smart home application (e.g., Samsung TM It provides a function to display or recommend functions associated with a remote controller or external electronic device used to control and / or manage external electronic devices through the SmartThings application. Additionally, in smart home services, users of electronic devices go through a separate and cumbersome manual invitation process, such as an email address-based invitation process, a contact-based invitation process, and / or a QR (quick response) code-based invitation process, to invite other users to enable them to use the smart home service.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (102; 104; 220) may include communication circuitry (302), one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry, and a memory (306) storing instructions.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to receive, via the communication circuit, a first signal comprising information relating to a plurality of external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to identify an event that triggers transmission of information related to the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to determine a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices based on the event.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to transmit, through the communication circuit, a second signal including at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device, based on a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (102; 104; 220) may include a communication circuit (302), one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry, and a memory (306) storing instructions.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to identify an event that triggers at least one external electronic device (101) to transmit first information for controlling at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to transmit, through the communication circuitry, a first signal including the first information and second information related to the electronic device based on the event.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (101) may include a communication circuit (190), one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry, a display (160), and a memory (130) for storing instructions.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to receive, through the communication circuit, a first signal from an external electronic device (102; 104; 220), the first signal including first information relating to the external electronic device, and third information that is at least a portion of second information relating to a plurality of other external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to output a screen related to the first information and the third information through the display based on reception of the first signal, or to perform a control operation on the external electronic device and the plurality of other external electronic devices based on the first information and the third information.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (101) may include a communication circuit (190), one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry, a display (160), and a memory (130) for storing instructions.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to receive, through the communication circuit, a first signal from at least one external electronic device (102; 104; 220), the first signal including first information related to the at least one external electronic device and second information used by the electronic device to control at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to output a screen related to the first information and the second information through the display based on reception of the first signal, or to perform a control operation on the at least one external electronic device and the at least one other external electronic device based on the first information and the second information.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (102; 104; 220), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one action.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include receiving a first signal including information related to a plurality of external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of identifying an event that triggers transmitting information related to the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of determining a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices based on the event.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include transmitting a second signal including at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device, based on a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (102; 104; 220), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one action.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of identifying an event that triggers at least one external electronic device (101) to transmit first information for controlling at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include transmitting, based on the event, a first signal including the first information and second information related to the electronic device.

[0030] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (101), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation.

[0032] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include receiving a first signal from an external electronic device (102; 104; 220) that includes first information related to the external electronic device and third information that is at least a portion of second information related to a plurality of other external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0033] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of outputting a screen related to the first information and the third information based on reception of the first signal, or an operation of performing a control operation on the external electronic device and the plurality of other external electronic devices based on the first information and the third information.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (101), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include receiving a first signal from at least one external electronic device (102; 104; 220), the first signal including first information related to the at least one external electronic device and second information used by the electronic device to control at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0037] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of outputting a screen related to the first information and the second information based on reception of the first signal, or an operation of performing a control operation for the at least one external electronic device and the at least one other external electronic device based on the first information and the second information.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device within a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process for providing IoT services in a wireless communication network according to one embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the internal structure of an external electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0041] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the internal structure of a server according to one embodiment.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for detecting the presence of an adjacent external electronic device in an IoT-based service.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method for notifying the presence of an adjacent external electronic device in an IoT-based service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0045] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0046] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 12A is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining a priority used to transmit an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 12b is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining a priority used to transmit an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0051] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating transmission of an advertising packet and an invitation code according to one embodiment.

[0052] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating transmission of an advertising packet, an associated advertising packet, and an invitation code according to one embodiment.

[0053] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0054] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0055] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0056] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0057] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0058] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0059] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0060] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0061] FIG. 23 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for notifying the presence of an adjacent external electronic device in an IoT-based service according to one embodiment.

[0062] Fig. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0063] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In addition, when describing an embodiment of the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of an embodiment of the present disclosure, such detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the terms described below are terms defined in consideration of the functions in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and these may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user or operator. Therefore, the definitions should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

[0064] It should be noted that the technical terms used in this specification are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. Alternatively, unless specifically defined otherwise herein, the technical terms used in this specification should be interpreted as having a meaning generally understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains, and should not be interpreted in an excessively broad or narrow sense. Alternatively, if a technical term used in this specification is an incorrect technical term that does not accurately express the spirit of the present disclosure, it should be replaced with a technical term that can be correctly understood by a person skilled in the art. Alternatively, general terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure should be interpreted as defined in the dictionary or according to the context, and should not be interpreted in an excessively narrow sense.

[0065] Alternatively, the singular expressions used herein include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "consist of" or "comprises" should not be construed to necessarily include all of the various components or various operations described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or some of the operations may not be included, or that additional components or operations may be included.

[0066] Alternatively, terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first," "second," etc., used herein may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first component could be referred to as a "second component," and similarly, a second component could also be referred to as a "first component."

[0067] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but there may also be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components intervening.

[0068] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing numbers, identical or similar components will be given the same reference numbers and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. Alternatively, when describing an embodiment of the present disclosure, if a detailed description of a related known technology is determined to obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Alternatively, it should be noted that the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the spirit of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the spirit of the present disclosure by the attached drawings. The spirit of the present disclosure should be construed to extend to all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes other than the attached drawings.

[0069] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described using an electronic device as an example, but the electronic device may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, mobile equipment (ME), user equipment (UE), user terminal (UT), subscriber station (SS), wireless device, handheld device, or access terminal (AT). Alternatively, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may be a device having a communication function, such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a wireless MODEM, or a laptop.

[0070] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to one embodiment.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 1, in a network environment (100), an electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with an electronic device (104) or a server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input module (150), an audio output module (155), a display module (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a connection terminal (178), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (176), the camera module (180), or the antenna module (197)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (160)).

[0072] The processor (120) may control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing, for example, software (e.g., a program (140)), and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculation, the processor (120) may store a command or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in a volatile memory (132), process the command or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in a non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or a secondary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together therewith. For example, if the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and a secondary processor (123), the secondary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a specified function. The secondary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as a part thereof.

[0073] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a part of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display module (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)) of the electronic device (101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)). In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. This learning can be performed, for example, in the electronic device (101) itself where artificial intelligence is performed, or can be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm can include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model can include multiple artificial neural network layers.The artificial neural network may be one of a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to, or alternatively to, a hardware structure, an artificial intelligence model may include a software structure.

[0074] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0075] The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0076] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input module (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0077] The audio output module (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output module (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0078] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. In one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

[0079] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150), output sound through the sound output module (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

[0080] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0081] The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) with an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (tablet and / or smartwatch). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0082] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0083] A haptic module (179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0084] The camera module (180) can capture still images and videos. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0085] The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0086] A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0087] The communication module (190) may also be referred to as a “communication circuit,” and thus, it should be noted that the communication module (190) and the communication circuit (190) may be used interchangeably as needed. The communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Any of these communication modules may communicate with an external electronic device (104) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) direct, or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips).The wireless communication module (192) can verify or authenticate an electronic device (101) within a communication network, such as a first network (198) or a second network (199), using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0088] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following the 4G network, such as NR access technology (new radio access technology). The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for URLLC realization.

[0089] The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

[0090] In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. In one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent a second side (e.g., a top side or a side side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high-frequency band.

[0091] At least some of the above components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

[0092] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102 or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service itself, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic device (101) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing, for example. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or a neural network. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included in the second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0093] Electronic devices according to embodiments disclosed herein may take various forms. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. Electronic devices according to embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0094] The embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to a specific embodiment, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiment. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the item, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0095] The term "module" used in one embodiment of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0096] An embodiment of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0097] According to one embodiment, the method according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between sellers and buyers as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or may be provided through an application store (e.g., Play Store). TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones), online distribution (e.g., downloading or uploading). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0098] According to one embodiment, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to one embodiment, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to one embodiment, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0099] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a process for providing IoT services in a wireless communication network (200) according to one embodiment.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 2, the wireless communication network (200) may be an IoT network (e.g., a smart home network).

[0101] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1) provides an IoT service (e.g., Samsung) that controls and / or manages external electronic devices (e.g., IoT devices) (e.g., electronic device (102) or electronic device (104) of FIG. 1) based on IoT technology. TM It can provide SmartThings service.

[0102] According to one embodiment, the hub (210) may be located in a set space (e.g., home and / or office).

[0103] According to one embodiment, the server (230) can register external electronic device(s) (220) that use IoT services and remotely control the registered external electronic device(s) (220). The server (230) can remotely control the external electronic device(s) (220) by linking with the electronic device (101).

[0104] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device(s) (220) may be a device that provides an IoT service by interworking with the electronic device (101), the hub (210), and / or the server (230). According to one embodiment, the external electronic device(s) (220) may be an IoT device (e.g., a home appliance such as a TV, a light, an air conditioner, a blind, an air purifier, a camera, an oven, and / or a speaker). According to one embodiment, the external electronic device(s) (220) may be located in a set space. In one embodiment, other external electronic devices (e.g., an application market server) may further exist in the wireless communication network (200).

[0105] According to one embodiment, the server (230) can receive data from external electronic device(s) (220). According to one embodiment, the server (230) can communicate with the electronic device (101), the hub (210), and / or the external electronic device(s) (220) via the Internet. The server (230) can communicate with other external electronic devices registered in other servers (not shown) by linking with other servers that provide IoT services. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, an IoT device directly connected to the server (230) will be referred to as a “direct connected device,” an IoT device connected to the server (230) via the hub (210) will be referred to as a “hub connected device,” and an IoT device connected to the server (230) via another server will be referred to as a “cloud connected device.”

[0106] According to one embodiment, the hub (210) can communicate with external electronic device(s) (220) based on any one of various communication methods. The various communication methods can include Zigbee and / or Z-Wave. According to one embodiment, the hub (210) can communicate with external electronic device(s) (220) via a local area network (LAN).

[0107] According to one embodiment, external electronic device(s) (220) may be located in various spaces (e.g., a living room, a family room, a kitchen, an entrance, a laundry storage, and a first to Nth office, a kitchen, and an entrance of an office space) within a wireless communication network (200) and may communicate with the electronic device (101) via a server (230).

[0108] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device(s) (220) may include various types of electronic devices that operate based on IoT services. In one embodiment, the external electronic device(s) (220) may include sensors or switches for detecting the surrounding environment. The external electronic device(s) (220) may operate based on user input or may operate automatically when a set condition is satisfied.

[0109] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can receive data from external electronic device(s) (220) and display a screen corresponding to the received data. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can control external electronic device(s) (220) located in various spaces within a wireless communication network (200) using an IoT-based application (e.g., Samsung TM When the SmartThings application is executed, it can output a user interface (UI) related to the IoT-based application being executed.

[0110] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the internal structure of an external electronic device (220) according to one embodiment.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 3, an external electronic device (220) (e.g., electronic device (102) or electronic device (104) of FIG. 1) may be a device that implements an IoT-based service in a wireless communication network (e.g., an IoT network). For example, the IoT-based network may be a smart home network, and the IoT-based service may be a SmartThings service.

[0112] An external electronic device (220) (e.g., an IoT device) may include antennas (301), communication circuitry (302), a processor (304), memory (306), an interface (308), and / or a display (310).

[0113] The external electronic device (220) may be a device that supports long term evolution (LTE), Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), UWB, and / or GPS. The external electronic device (220) may include an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2), a hub (e.g., the hub (210) of FIG. 2), and / or a server (e.g., the server (108) of FIG. 1, and / or the server (230) of FIG. 2)) and a communication circuit (302) (e.g., the communication module (190) of FIG. 1) that transmits and receives signals using one or more antennas (301). In one embodiment, one or more antennas (301) may be implemented as part of the antenna module (198) of FIG. 1.

[0114] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (302) may include a plurality of communication circuits, and the plurality of communication circuits may include communication circuits based on LTE, BLE, UWB, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and / or Wi-Fi. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (220) may not include separate communication circuits based on each of LTE, BLE, UWB, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and / or Wi-Fi, but may include communication circuits based on at least two of LTE, BLE, UWB, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and / or Wi-Fi, or all of LTE, BLE, UWB, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and / or Wi-Fi. According to one embodiment, a communication circuit based on at least two of the LTE method, the BLE method, the UWB method, the Zigbee method, the Z-Wave method, and / or the Wi-Fi method, or all of the LTE method, the BLE method, the UWB method, the Zigbee method, the Z-Wave method, and / or the Wi-Fi method may be the communication circuit (302).

[0115] The external electronic device (220) may include an interface (308) (e.g., interface (177) of FIG. 1) that provides a wired and / or wireless interface for communicating with components outside the network. In one embodiment, at least a portion of one or more antennas (301), communication circuitry (302), or interface (308) may be implemented as at least a portion of the communication module (190) and antenna module (198) of FIG. 1.

[0116] The external electronic device (220) may include a processor (304) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1) that may be implemented as one or more single-core processors or one or more multi-core processors, and a memory (306) that stores instructions for the operation of the external electronic device (220).

[0117] According to one embodiment, the memory (306) may store a UI related to an application (e.g., a SmartThings application) for executing an IoT-based service, and images, user information, documents, databases, or related data for providing the UI. According to one embodiment, when the application for executing an IoT-based service is executed under the control of the processor (304), the display (310) may display a UI related to the executed application.

[0118] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the internal structure of a server (230) according to one embodiment.

[0119] Referring to FIG. 4, a server (230) (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2) may be a device that implements an IoT-based service (e.g., smartthings service) in a wireless communication network (e.g., IoT network). For example, the IoT network may be a smart home network. The server (230) may include a communication circuit (402), a processor (404), a memory (406), an interface (408), and / or a display (410). The communication circuit (402), the processor (404), the memory (406), the interface (408), and / or the display (410) may be implemented similarly or substantially identically to the communication circuit (302), the processor (304), the memory (306), the interface (308), and / or the display (310) described in FIG. 3, respectively, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0120] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for detecting the presence of an adjacent external electronic device in an IoT-based service.

[0121] Referring to Figure 5, a smart home service (e.g., Samsung) is a service based on IoT technology. TM In the SmartThings service, an electronic device (101) managing a smart home service (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. 3) (e.g., a manager device (e.g., a smart phone)) checks whether an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102) or electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) (e.g., an IoT device (e.g., a smart home device)) such as a television (TV), a speaker, and / or a refrigerator) is in proximity to the electronic device (101), and if the external electronic device is in proximity to the electronic device (101), an IoT-based application (e.g., a smart home application (e.g., Samsung)) is connected to the electronic device (101). TM It provides a remote controller used to control and / or manage external electronic devices through the SmartThings application) or a function that displays or recommends functions associated with external electronic devices.

[0122] The electronic device (101) can determine whether an external electronic device is in proximity to the electronic device (101) based on a short-range communication method supported by the external electronic device (e.g., Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), WiFi, ultra wide band (UWB), Zigbee, and / or Z-Wave), and therefore, the method by which the electronic device (101) determines that an external electronic device is in proximity to the electronic device (101) may have limitations depending on the short-range communication method supported by the external electronic device.

[0123] For example, in FIG. 5, a set space where a smart home service is provided may include various spaces, and the various spaces may include a first space (500), a second space (510), a third space (520), and / or a fourth space (530). In FIG. 5, a plurality of external electronic devices may exist in the set space, and it is assumed that among the plurality of external electronic devices, N (e.g., 13) external electronic devices support a short-range communication method, which will be described as follows.

[0124] In the first space (500), an electronic device (101), a first external electronic device (501), a second external electronic device (502), a third external electronic device (503), and / or a fourth external electronic device (504) may be present. The first external electronic device (501) may be a light supporting the Zigbee method, the second external electronic device (502) may be an air conditioner (AC) supporting the Wi-Fi method, the third external electronic device (503) may be a TV supporting the BLE method, and the fourth external electronic device (504) may be a robotic vacuum cleaner (RVC) supporting the Wi-Fi method.

[0125] A fifth external electronic device (511) and / or a sixth external electronic device (512) may be present in the second space (510). The fifth external electronic device (511) may be a light supporting the Zigbee method, and the sixth external electronic device (512) may be an AC supporting the Wi-Fi method.

[0126] The third space (520) may include a seventh external electronic device (521), an eighth external electronic device (522), and / or a ninth external electronic device (523). The seventh external electronic device (521) may be a light supporting the Zigbee method, the eighth external electronic device (522) may be an RVC supporting the Wi-Fi method, and the ninth external electronic device (523) may be a wireless charger supporting the BLE method.

[0127] The fourth space (530) may include a tenth external electronic device (531), an eleventh external electronic device (532), a twelfth external electronic device (533), and / or a thirteenth external electronic device (534). The tenth external electronic device (531) may be a purifier supporting a Wi-Fi method, the eleventh external electronic device (532) may be a hub supporting a BLE method, the twelfth external electronic device (533) may be a tracker supporting a BLE method, and the thirteenth external electronic device (534) may be a light supporting a Zigbee method.

[0128] In FIG. 5, the electronic device (101) can determine whether only N external electronic devices (e.g., 13) that support short-range communication among external electronic devices existing in a setting space where a smart home service is provided are in proximity to the electronic device (101), and therefore, the method of detecting external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device (101) may have limitations depending on whether the external electronic devices support short-range communication. In this way, the electronic device (101) can determine whether only external electronic devices that support short-range communication among external electronic devices existing in a setting space where a smart home service is provided are in proximity to the electronic device (101).

[0129] In contrast, the electronic device (101) can detect external electronic devices that are close to the electronic device (101) among external electronic devices existing in a setting space where a smart home service is provided based on a network scanning method of the Internet Protocol (IP) method. However, if the external electronic devices do not support the Wi-Fi method or if the external electronic devices are external electronic devices owned by a user other than the user of the electronic device (101), it may be difficult to detect the external electronic devices that are close to the electronic device (101). Additionally, there may be an issue that the cost of performing network scanning by the electronic device (101) to detect external electronic devices that are close to the electronic device (101) may increase the power consumption of the electronic device (101).

[0130] In contrast, if any external electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device capable of performing an advertising process via BLE or WiFi, such as a tag) is mapped to a specific external electronic device among the external electronic devices present in the setting space where the smart home service is provided, and the specific external electronic device acts as an anchor for the specific external electronic device, the electronic device (101) may be able to determine whether the specific external electronic device approaches the electronic device (101) through the anchor. However, in this case, since the electronic device (101) can only indirectly determine whether the specific external electronic device approaches the electronic device (101), accurate proximity detection may be difficult. In addition, since indirect proximity detection makes it difficult to accurately determine the status of the specific external electronic device, a series of procedures may be required, such as the electronic device (101) determining that the specific external electronic device is in proximity to the electronic device (101) through the anchor checking information of the specific external electronic device mapped to the anchor and checking the status of the specific external electronic device based on the confirmed information. This sequence of steps can only be useful if it is completed based on a query procedure via a server (not shown in Fig. 5), and thus can lead to inefficiencies in the proximity detection method.

[0131] Meanwhile, in smart home services, a user of an electronic device (101) goes through a separate, cumbersome manual procedure, such as an invitation procedure based on an email address, an invitation procedure based on a contact number, and / or an invitation procedure based on a QR (quick response) code, to invite other users to enable them to use the smart home service.

[0132] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (102; 104; 220) may include communication circuitry (302), one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry, and a memory (306) storing instructions.

[0133] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to receive, via the communication circuit, a first signal comprising information relating to a plurality of external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0134] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to identify an event that triggers transmission of information related to the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0135] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to determine a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices based on the event.

[0136] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to transmit, through the communication circuit, a second signal including at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device, based on a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0137] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the event may include at least one of an event of receiving a third signal requesting transmission of information related to the plurality of external electronic devices from another external electronic device (101; 108; 230) through the communication circuit, or an event of switching to an operation mode that transmits at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device.

[0138] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to determine, based on a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices, at least one external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices to include relevant information in the second signal.

[0139] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to transmit, through the communication circuit, at least a portion of the information related to the at least one external electronic device and the second signal including the information related to the electronic device.

[0140] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to determine a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices based on a set condition.

[0141] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting condition may include at least one of a first condition based on locations where the plurality of external electronic devices are located, a second condition based on time zones in which the plurality of external electronic devices are used, a third condition based on device categories of the plurality of external electronic devices, or a fourth condition based on user input for the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0142] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices may include device types of the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0143] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (102; 104; 220) may include a communication circuit (302), one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry, and a memory (306) storing instructions.

[0144] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to identify an event that triggers at least one external electronic device (101) to transmit first information for controlling at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0145] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to transmit, through the communication circuitry, a first signal including the first information and second information related to the electronic device based on the event.

[0146] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the event may include at least one of an event of receiving a second signal requesting transmission of the first information from a server (108; 230) through the communication circuit, or an event of switching to an operation mode for transmitting the first information and the second information.

[0147] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first information may include at least one of third information indicating that the at least one external electronic device is capable of controlling the at least one other external electronic device, or fourth information indicating whether approval is required to control the at least one other external electronic device.

[0148] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, based on the fourth information indicating that the approval is not required, the first information may further include fifth information relating to authentication for the at least one other external electronic device.

[0149] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first information may include at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL) of a website associated with an application that controls the at least one external electronic device and the at least one other external electronic device, or information related to authentication for the at least one other external electronic device.

[0150] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (101) may include a communication circuit (190), one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry, a display (160), and a memory (130) for storing instructions.

[0151] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to receive, through the communication circuit, a first signal from an external electronic device (102; 104; 220), the first signal including first information relating to the external electronic device, and third information that is at least a portion of second information relating to a plurality of other external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0152] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to output a screen related to the first information and the third information through the display based on reception of the first signal, or to perform a control operation on the external electronic device and the plurality of other external electronic devices based on the first information and the third information.

[0153] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first signal may be received when an event triggering transmission of the third information by the external electronic device is identified.

[0154] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the event may include at least one of an event in which the external electronic device receives a second signal requesting the electronic device or server (108; 230) to transmit information related to the plurality of other external electronic devices, or an event in which the external electronic device switches to an operation mode in which the third information and the first information are transmitted.

[0155] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, based on a set condition, a priority for each of the plurality of other external electronic devices is determined, and based on the priority, at least one other external electronic device among the plurality of other external electronic devices, the relevant information of which is to be included in the first signal, is determined.

[0156] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting condition may include at least one of a first condition based on locations where the plurality of other external electronic devices are located, a second condition based on time zones in which the plurality of other external electronic devices are used, a third condition based on device categories of the plurality of other external electronic devices, or a fourth condition based on user input for the plurality of other external electronic devices.

[0157] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (101) may include a communication circuit (190), one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry, a display (160), and a memory (130) for storing instructions.

[0158] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to receive, through the communication circuit, a first signal from at least one external electronic device (102; 104; 220), the first signal including first information related to the at least one external electronic device and second information used by the electronic device to control at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0159] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to output a screen related to the first information and the second information through the display based on reception of the first signal, or to perform a control operation on the at least one external electronic device and the at least one other external electronic device based on the first information and the second information.

[0160] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first signal may be received when an event is identified that triggers transmission of the second information by the at least one external electronic device.

[0161] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the event may include at least one of an event in which the at least one external electronic device receives a second signal requesting the server (108; 230) to transmit the second information, or an event in which the at least one external electronic device switches to an operation mode in which the first information and the second information are transmitted.

[0162] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second information may include at least one of third information indicating that the electronic device is capable of controlling the at least one other external electronic device, or fourth information indicating whether approval is required to control the at least one other external electronic device.

[0163] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second information may include at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL) of a website associated with an application through which the electronic device controls the at least one other external electronic device, or information related to authentication for the at least one other external electronic device.

[0164] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second information may further include information relating to authentication for the at least one other external electronic device, if the fourth information indicates that no authorization is required.

[0165] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method for notifying the presence of an adjacent external electronic device in an IoT-based service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0166] Referring to Figure 6, a smart home service (e.g., Samsung) is a service based on IoT technology. TM The set space in which the SmartThings service is provided may include various spaces, and the various spaces may include a first space (500), a second space (510), a third space (520), and / or a fourth space (530). In FIG. 6, it is assumed that a plurality of external electronic devices may exist in the set space, and that N (e.g., 13) external electronic devices among the plurality of external electronic devices support a short-range communication method. The first space (500), the second space (510), the third space (520), and / or the fourth space (530) may be implemented similarly or substantially identically to the first space (500), the second space (510), the third space (520), and / or the fourth space (530) described in FIG. 5, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein. The N external electronic devices may include a first external electronic device (501) (e.g., the first external electronic device (501) of FIG. 5) to an eleventh external electronic device (532) (e.g., the eleventh external electronic device (532) of FIG. 5), and the first external electronic device (501) to the eleventh external electronic device (532) may be implemented similarly or substantially identically to the first external electronic device (501) to the eleventh external electronic device (532) described in FIG. 5, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

[0167] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a smart home service (e.g., Samsung) is a service based on IoT technology. TM When a setting space in which a SmartThings service is provided includes at least one space, an electronic device and an operating method thereof may be provided in which a specific external electronic device among external electronic devices existing in each of the at least one space is selected as a representative external electronic device, and the representative external electronic device transmits information related to the representative external electronic device as well as information related to the remaining external electronic devices. In one embodiment, the remaining external electronic devices related to the representative external electronic device among the external electronic devices existing in the same space are referred to as "associated external electronic devices."

[0168] In FIG. 6, a first space (500) may include an electronic device (101) (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, or FIG. 5), a first external electronic device (501), a second external electronic device (502), a third external electronic device (503), and / or a fourth external electronic device (504). The third external electronic device (503) may act as a representative external electronic device for the remaining external electronic devices present in the first space (500) (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)).

[0169] The second space (510) may have a fifth external electronic device (511) and / or a sixth external electronic device (512). The second space (510) may not have a representative external electronic device.

[0170] The third space (520) may include a seventh external electronic device (521), an eighth external electronic device (522), and / or a ninth external electronic device (523). The ninth external electronic device (523) may act as a representative external electronic device for the remaining external electronic devices present in the third space (520) (e.g., the seventh external electronic device (521) and / or the eighth external electronic device (522)).

[0171] The fourth space (530) may include a tenth external electronic device (531), an eleventh external electronic device (532), a twelfth external electronic device (533), and / or a thirteenth external electronic device (534). The eleventh external electronic device (532) may act as a representative external electronic device for the remaining external electronic devices present in the fourth space (530) (e.g., the tenth external electronic device (531), the twelfth external electronic device (533), and / or the thirteenth external electronic device (534)).

[0172] In one embodiment, a criterion for selecting a representative external electronic device among external electronic devices related to a smart home service may be set based on various methods, and for example, the representative external electronic device may be selected based on a user input. In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may transmit information related to the representative external electronic device itself and information related to at least one external electronic device (e.g., at least one associated external electronic device) related to the representative external electronic device. In one embodiment, the at least one associated external electronic device may include at least one external electronic device existing in the same space as the representative external electronic device.

[0173] The representative external electronic device can receive information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from each of the at least one associated external electronic device. The representative external electronic device, which has received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from each of the at least one associated external electronic device, can transmit (e.g., broadcast) a packet including information related to the representative external electronic device and the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device.

[0174] Alternatively, the representative external electronic device may receive information relating to each of at least one associated external electronic device from a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4). The representative external electronic device, having received the information relating to each of at least one associated external electronic device from the server, may transmit (e.g., broadcast) a packet including the information relating to the representative external electronic device and the received information relating to each of the at least one associated external electronic device.

[0175] In one embodiment, information related to the associated external electronic device may include priority information, time information, device information, and / or invitation information.

[0176] In one embodiment, when a representative external electronic device receives information related to at least one associated external electronic device, the representative external electronic device may adjust the frequency (or cycle) of transmitting a packet including information related to at least one associated external electronic device based on the information related to the representative external electronic device and the priority of each of the at least one associated external electronic device. For convenience of explanation, a packet including information related to an associated external electronic device transmitted from the representative external electronic device will be referred to as an "associated advertising packet." A packet including information related to a representative external electronic device may be an advertising packet.

[0177] In one embodiment, the invitation information may include at least one of an invitation code, approval packet information (invitation type), an invitation link, an invitation URL (uniform resource locator), and / or device authentication information used to control the associated external electronic device.

[0178] In one embodiment, information related to the associated external electronic device may include status information of the associated external electronic device.

[0179] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0180] Referring to FIG. 7, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) may periodically transmit an advertising packet based on a set cycle. The advertising packet may include information related to the external electronic device. For example, when the external electronic device is not operating as a representative external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), the external electronic device may periodically transmit (e.g., broadcast) an advertising packet (711, 713, 715). The set cycle at which the advertising packet (711, 713, 715) is transmitted may be variable as needed.

[0181] In contrast, when the external electronic device operates as a representative external electronic device, the representative external electronic device may receive information related to at least one associated external electronic device from each of the at least one associated external electronic device, and transmit (e.g., broadcast) the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device. The representative external electronic device may receive information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4). The representative external electronic device, which has received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from the server, may transmit (e.g., broadcast) a packet including information related to the representative external electronic device and the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device.

[0182] Information related to each of at least one associated external electronic device may be transmitted via an associated advertising packet. In one embodiment, immediately after transmitting an advertising packet (750) based on a set cycle, a representative external electronic device may transmit an associated advertising packet (751, 753, 755) including information related to each of at least one associated external electronic device. In FIG. 7, it is assumed that the representative external electronic device is a third external electronic device (e.g., the third external electronic device (503) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6) located in a first space (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6), and that at least one associated external electronic device includes the remaining external electronic devices present in the first space (500) located in the first space (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)). Accordingly, the associated advertising packet (751) may include information related to a first external electronic device, the associated advertising packet (753) may include information related to a second external electronic device, and the associated advertising packet (755) may include information related to a fourth external electronic device.

[0183] In one embodiment, the format of the associated advertising packet is described with reference to the associated advertising packet (751) as follows.

[0184] The associated advertising packet (751) may include a length field (761), an AD type field (762), a flag value field (763), a length field (764), an AD type field (765), and / or a manufacturer specific data field (766). Each of the flag value field (763) and the manufacturer specific data field (766) may be an advertising data (AD) data field.

[0185] In one embodiment, the length field (761) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include length information of the flag value field (763), which is an AD data field. The AD type field (762) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include type information of data included in the flag value field (763). The flag value field (763) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include information indicating an advertising mode. In one embodiment, the advertising mode may include a single advertising mode and a multi-advertising mode. The single advertising mode may indicate a mode for advertising information related to one device (e.g., an electronic device or an external electronic device). The multi-advertising mode may indicate a mode for advertising information related to a plurality of devices (e.g., a representative external electronic device and at least one associated external electronic device).

[0186] In one embodiment, the length field (764) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include length information of a manufacturer-specific data field (766), which is an AD data field. The AD type field (765) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include type information of data included in the manufacturer-specific data field (766).

[0187] In one embodiment, the manufacturer specific data field (766) may be implemented with, for example, up to 26 bytes and may include manufacturer specific data for the first external electronic device. The manufacturer specific data field (766) may include a company ID field (771), a version field (772), a service ID field (773), and / or a service specific data field (774).

[0188] In one embodiment, the company ID field (771) may be implemented as, for example, 2 bytes and may include vendor information for the first external electronic device.

[0189] In one embodiment, the version field (772) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include version information.

[0190] In one embodiment, the service ID field (773) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include service identification information.

[0191] In one embodiment, the service specific data field (774) may be implemented with, for example, a maximum of 22 bytes and may include service specific data for the first external electronic device. The service specific data field (774) may include a version field (781), an associated service ID field (782), a packet number field (783), a proximity type field (784), a proximity information field (785), a device type field (786), a device icon field (787), a device status field (788), a device authentication information field (789), a connection type field (790), a connection status field (791), an address type field (792), and / or an address field (793).

[0192] In one embodiment, the version field (781) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include version information.

[0193] In one embodiment, the associated service ID field (782) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include the ID of the associated service.

[0194] In one embodiment, the packet number field (783) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include the number of the packet.

[0195] In one embodiment, the proximity type field (784) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include the proximity type.

[0196] In one embodiment, the proximity information field (785) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include proximity information.

[0197] In one embodiment, the device type field (786) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include the device type.

[0198] In one embodiment, the device icon field (787) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include information related to the device icon.

[0199] In one embodiment, the device status field (788) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include information related to the device status.

[0200] In one embodiment, the device authentication information field (789) may be implemented as, for example, 3 bytes and may include device authentication information.

[0201] In one embodiment, the connection type field (790) may be implemented as, for example, 2 bytes and may include a connection type.

[0202] In one embodiment, the connection status field (791) may be implemented as, for example, 2 bytes and may include a connection type.

[0203] In one embodiment, the address type field (792) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include an address type.

[0204] In one embodiment, the address field (793) may be implemented as, for example, 6 bytes and may include an address.

[0205] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0206] Referring to FIG. 8, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) may periodically transmit an advertising packet based on a set cycle. The advertising packet may include information related to the external electronic device. For example, when the external electronic device is not operating as a representative external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), the external electronic device may periodically transmit (e.g., broadcast) an advertising packet (711, 713, 715). The set cycle at which the advertising packet (711, 713, 715) is transmitted may be variable as needed.

[0207] In contrast, when the external electronic device operates as a representative external electronic device, the representative external electronic device may receive information related to at least one associated external electronic device from each of the at least one associated external electronic device, and transmit (e.g., broadcast) the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device. The representative external electronic device may receive information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4). The representative external electronic device, which has received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from the server, may transmit (e.g., broadcast) a packet including information related to the representative external electronic device and the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device.

[0208] Information related to each of the received at least one associated external electronic device may be transmitted via an associated advertising packet. In one embodiment, immediately after transmitting the advertising packet (711) based on a set cycle, the representative external electronic device may transmit an associated advertising packet (810, 820, 830) including information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device. In FIG. 7, it is assumed that the representative external electronic device is a third external electronic device (e.g., the third external electronic device (503) of FIG. 5 or 6) located in a first space (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or 6), and that the at least one associated external electronic device includes the remaining external electronic devices present in the first space (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)) located in the first space. Accordingly, the associated advertising packet (810) may include information related to a first external electronic device, the associated advertising packet (820) may include information related to a second external electronic device, and the associated advertising packet (830) may include information related to a fourth external electronic device.

[0209] In one embodiment, the format of the associated advertising packet is described with reference to the associated advertising packet (810) as follows.

[0210] The associated advertising packet (810) may include a length field (821), an AD type field (822), a flag value field (823), a length field (824), an AD type field (825), and / or a manufacturer specific data field (826). Each of the flag value field (823) and the manufacturer specific data field (826) may be an AD data field. The length field (821), the AD type field (8222), the flag value field (823), the length field (824), and / or the AD type field (825) may be implemented similarly or substantially identically to the length field (761), the AD type field (762), the flag value field (763), the length field (764), and / or the AD type field (765) described in FIG. 7, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

[0211] In one embodiment, the manufacturer-specific data field (826) may be implemented with, for example, up to 12 bytes and may include manufacturer-specific data for the first external electronic device. The manufacturer-specific data field (826) described in FIG. 8 may include simplified manufacturer-specific data compared to the manufacturer-specific data included in the manufacturer-specific data field (766) described in FIG. 7, and thus may increase transmission and reception efficiency compared to the manufacturer-specific data field (766).

[0212] The manufacturer specific data field (826) may include a company ID field (831), a version field (832), a service ID field (833), and / or a service specific data field (834).

[0213] In one embodiment, the company ID field (831) may be implemented as, for example, 2 bytes and may include vendor information for the first external electronic device.

[0214] In one embodiment, the version field (832) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include version information.

[0215] In one embodiment, the service ID field (833) may be implemented as, for example, 1 byte and may include service identification information.

[0216] In one embodiment, the service specific data field (834) may be implemented with, for example, a maximum of 8 bytes and may include service specific data for the first external electronic device. The service specific data field (834) may include a version field (841), an associated service ID field (842), a packet number field (843), a proximity type field (844), a proximity information field (845), a device type field (846), a device icon field (847), and / or a device status field (848). The version field (841), the associated service ID field (842), the packet number field (843), the proximity type field (844), the proximity information field (845), the device type field (846), the device icon field (847), and / or the device status field (848) may be implemented similarly or substantially identically to the version field (781), the associated service ID field (782), the packet number field (783), the proximity type field (784), the proximity information field (785), the device type field (786), the device icon field (787), and / or the device status field (788) described in FIG. 7, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0217] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0218] Referring to FIG. 9, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) may periodically transmit an advertising packet based on a set cycle. The advertising packet may include information related to the external electronic device. For example, when the external electronic device is not operating as a representative external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), the external electronic device may periodically transmit (e.g., broadcast) an advertising packet (711, 713, 715). The set cycle at which the advertising packet (711, 713, 715) is transmitted may be variable as needed.

[0219] In contrast, when the external electronic device operates as a representative external electronic device, the representative external electronic device may receive information related to at least one associated external electronic device from each of the at least one associated external electronic device, and transmit (e.g., broadcast) the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device. The representative external electronic device may receive information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4). The representative external electronic device, which has received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from the server, may transmit (e.g., broadcast) a packet including information related to the representative external electronic device and the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device.

[0220] Information related to each of the received at least one associated external electronic device may be transmitted via an associated advertising packet. In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may transmit an advertising packet (750) based on a set cycle, and then transmit an associated advertising packet (751, 753, 755) including information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device. In FIG. 9, it is assumed that the representative external electronic device is a third external electronic device (e.g., the third external electronic device (503) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6) located in a first space (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6), and that the at least one associated external electronic device includes the remaining external electronic devices present in the first space (500) located in the first space (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)). Accordingly, the associated advertising packet (751) may include information related to a first external electronic device, the associated advertising packet (753) may include information related to a second external electronic device, and the associated advertising packet (755) may include information related to a fourth external electronic device.

[0221] In one embodiment, the format of the associated advertising packet is described with reference to the associated advertising packet (751) as follows.

[0222] The associated advertising packet (751) may include a length field (761), an AD type field (762), a flag value field (763), a length field (764), an AD type field (765), and / or a manufacturer-specific data field (766). The length field (761), the AD type field (762), the flag value field (763), the length field (764), the AD type field (765), and / or the manufacturer-specific data field (766) may be implemented similarly or substantially identically to the length field (761), the AD type field (762), the flag value field (763), the length field (764), the AD type field (765), and / or the manufacturer-specific data field (766) described in FIG. 7, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein. However, while the associated advertising packet (751) of FIG. 7 is transmitted immediately after the advertising packet (750) is transmitted, the associated advertising packet (751) of FIG. 9 may be transmitted after the advertising packet (750) is transmitted based on a set cycle. In FIG. 9, the advertising packet and the associated advertising packet may be transmitted sequentially based on a set cycle used by the third external electronic device, which is a representative external electronic device, to transmit the advertising packet. In this case, the surrounding external electronic devices may operate similarly to the case where advertising packets are individually transmitted from each of the first external electronic device, the second external electronic device, the third external electronic device, and the fourth external electronic device.

[0223] In one embodiment, when a representative external electronic device transmits advertising packets and associated advertising packets based on a set cycle for transmitting advertising packets of the representative external electronic device, the representative external electronic device may consider priorities for the associated advertising packets.

[0224] In one embodiment, when there are multiple associated external electronic devices for the representative external electronic device, the representative external electronic device can determine a priority for each of the multiple associated external electronic devices, and transmit associated advertising packets of the multiple associated external electronic devices based on the determined priorities. For example, assume that a third external electronic device is the representative external electronic device, and there are multiple associated external electronic devices including a first external electronic device, a second external electronic device, and a fourth external electronic device, and the priority of the first external electronic device is higher than the priority of the second external electronic device, and the priority of the second external electronic device is higher than the priority of the fourth external electronic device. As an example, based on a set cycle, an advertising packet of the third external electronic device may be transmitted, followed by a corresponding associated advertising packet corresponding to the first external electronic device, followed by a corresponding associated advertising packet corresponding to the second external electronic device, and followed by a corresponding associated advertising packet corresponding to the fourth external electronic device. Based on this order, advertising packets and associated advertising packets can be transmitted periodically.

[0225] In the above, the case where the advertising packet of the third external electronic device is transmitted based on the set cycle, and then the associated advertising packet corresponding to the first external electronic device is transmitted, the associated advertising packet corresponding to the second external electronic device is transmitted, and then the associated advertising packet corresponding to the fourth external electronic device is transmitted has been described, but the advertising packet of the third external electronic device may be transmitted based on the set cycle, and then the associated advertising packets corresponding to some of the first external electronic device, the second external electronic device, and the fourth external electronic device may be transmitted based on the priority.

[0226] In one embodiment, the priority used to transmit the associated advertising packet may be determined based on the following parameters:

[0227] (1) Priority set by user

[0228] (2) Priority determined by the server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4)

[0229] The server can determine the priority of the external electronic device based on the device category of the external electronic device.

[0230] (3) Priority based on the number of times control actions are performed by the user.

[0231] The priority of an external electronic device may be determined based on the number of times a user has exercised control over the external electronic device.

[0232] (4) Priority based on the environment of the IoT network (e.g. smart home network) where smart home services are provided.

[0233] For example, if the outside temperature or the indoor temperature is higher than the set temperature, the priority for AC may be increased, and an example of this is shown in FIG. 10.

[0234] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0235] Referring to FIG. 10, it is assumed that a representative external electronic device is a third external electronic device (e.g., the third external electronic device (503) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6) located in a first space (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6), and that at least one associated external electronic device includes the remaining external electronic devices present in the first space (500) located in the first space (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)).

[0236] In Figure 10, it is assumed that the priority for transmitting related advertising packets is determined based on the environment (e.g., indoor temperature) of the IoT network (e.g., smart home network) where the smart home service is provided. If the priority is determined based on indoor temperature, among the external electronic devices related to the smart home service, the priority of an external electronic device (e.g., an AC) that operates based on indoor temperature may be set higher than that of other external electronic devices.

[0237] When the indoor temperature is higher than the set temperature (e.g., 28 degrees), an advertising packet (1011) of a third external electronic device may be transmitted based on a set cycle, and then associated advertising packets (1013, 1015, 1017) corresponding to a second external electronic device, which is an AC, may be transmitted, an advertising packet (1019) of the third external electronic device may be transmitted, an associated advertising packet (1021) corresponding to a fourth external electronic device may be transmitted, and an associated advertising packet (1023) corresponding to the first external electronic device may be transmitted.

[0238] As another example, lighting may be given higher priority if the time zone is after the set time zone, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0239] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation of transmitting an advertising packet and an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0240] Referring to FIG. 11, it is assumed that a representative external electronic device is a third external electronic device (e.g., the third external electronic device (503) of FIG. 5 or 6) located in a first space (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or 6), and that at least one associated external electronic device includes the remaining external electronic devices present in the first space (500) located in the first space (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)).

[0241] In Figure 11, it is assumed that the priority for transmitting related advertising packets is determined based on the environment (e.g., time zone) of the IoT network (e.g., smart home network) where the smart home service is provided. If the priority is determined based on time zone, external electronic devices (e.g., lighting) that operate based on time zone among external electronic devices related to the smart home service may be given a higher priority than other external electronic devices.

[0242] When the time zone is a set time zone (e.g., night time zone) (e.g., 8 PM - 6 AM), an advertising packet (1111) of a third external electronic device may be transmitted based on the set cycle, and then an associated advertising packet (1113) corresponding to a second external electronic device, which is an AC, may be transmitted, associated advertising packets (1115, 1117) corresponding to a first external electronic device, which is a light, may be transmitted, an advertising packet (1119) of a third external electronic device may be transmitted, and associated advertising packets (1121, 1123) corresponding to a first external electronic device, which is a light, may be transmitted. In FIG. 10, it is described that an advertising packet (1019) of a third external electronic device is transmitted, an associated advertising packet (1021) corresponding to a fourth external electronic device which is an RVC is transmitted, and an associated advertising packet (1023) corresponding to a first external electronic device which is a light is transmitted. However, as in FIG. 11, when the fourth external electronic device is temporarily (or permanently) not present in the first space, an associated advertising packet (1121) corresponding to a first external electronic device which has a higher priority may be transmitted instead of an associated advertising packet corresponding to the fourth external electronic device.

[0243] FIG. 12A is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining a priority used to transmit an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0244] FIG. 12b is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining a priority used to transmit an associated advertising packet according to one embodiment.

[0245] Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B , a representative external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1 , the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2 , or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3 ) (e.g., the processor (304) of FIG. 3 ) may identify an event that triggers determining priorities for associated external electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1 , the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2 , or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3 )) at operation 1211 . In one embodiment, an event that triggers determining priorities for associated external electronic devices may include at least one of an event in which a signal is received from an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) or a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or 4) requesting transmission of information related to associated external electronic devices, and / or an event in which an operating mode of a representative associated external electronic device switches to a multi-advertising mode. In FIGS. 12A and 12B , it is assumed that a representative external electronic device is a third external electronic device (e.g., the third external electronic device (503) of FIG. 5 or 6) located in a first space (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or 6 ), and at least one associated external electronic device includes the remaining external electronic devices (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)) present in the first space (500) located in the first space. The first external electronic device (501) may be a lighting device supporting the Zigbee method, the second external electronic device (502) may be an AC device supporting the Wi-Fi method, the third external electronic device (503) may be a TV supporting the BLE method, and the fourth external electronic device (504) may be an RVC supporting the Wi-Fi method.

[0246] An electronic device that has identified an event that triggers determining priorities for associated external electronic devices may, in operation 1213, determine whether a priority set by an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) exists. In one embodiment, the electronic device may be a device that manages a smart home service.

[0247] If there is a priority set by the electronic device (operation 1213 - Yes), the representative external electronic device can determine priorities for associated external electronic devices based on the priority set by the electronic device in operation 1215. The external electronic device that has determined priorities for associated external electronic devices can determine priorities for the advertising packet and associated advertising packets based on the determined priorities for the associated external electronic devices in operation 1217.

[0248] If there is no priority set by the electronic device (Operation 1213 - No), the representative external electronic device can determine priorities for associated external electronic devices based on the environment of the IoT network (e.g., smart home network) where the smart home service is provided. In Operation 1219, the electronic device can check whether the current time is after a first set time zone (e.g., sunset time zone) (e.g., 5 PM - 7 PM). If the current time is after the first set time zone (Operation 1219 - Yes), in Operation 1221, the representative external electronic device can check whether the current time is included in a second set time zone (e.g., night time zone) (e.g., 7 PM - 5 AM). If the current time is included in the second set time zone (Operation 1221 - Yes), in Operation 1223, the representative external electronic device can increase the priority of the first external electronic device (501), which is a light, by a set value (e.g., 1).

[0249] If the current time is not within the second set time zone (action 1221-No), then in action 1225 the representative external electronic device may raise the priority of the representative external electronic device itself, which is the TV, by a set value (e.g., 1).

[0250] If the current time is a time before the first set time (action 1219 - No), then in action 1227, the representative external electronic device can check whether the current temperature is equal to or greater than the set temperature (e.g., 28 degrees). If the current temperature is equal to or greater than the set temperature (action 1227 - Yes), then in action 1229, the representative external electronic device can increase the priority of the second external electronic device (502), which is AC, by a set value (e.g., 1).

[0251] If the current temperature is less than the set temperature (Action 1227 - No), then in operation 1231, the representative external electronic device can check whether the current time is included in a third set time zone (e.g., a time zone excluding the first set time zone and the second set time zone). If the current time is included in the third set time zone (Action 1231 - Yes), then in operation 1233, the representative external electronic device can increase the priority of the fourth external electronic device, which is an RVC, by a set value (e.g., 1).

[0252] If the current time is not included in the third set time zone (operation 1231 - No), in operation 1235, the representative external electronic device can check whether cumulative usage information related to the number of times a control operation has been performed by an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2)) is stored for the associated external electronic devices. If cumulative usage information related to the number of times a control operation has been performed by a user is stored for the associated external electronic devices (operation 1235 - Yes), in operation 1237, the representative external electronic device can increase the priority of the associated external electronic devices by a set value (e.g., 1) based on the cumulative usage information (e.g., based on the number of times a control operation has been performed by the electronic device).

[0253] For the associated external electronic devices, if no cumulative usage information is stored (operation 1235-No), in operation 1239, the representative external electronic device may determine priorities for the associated external electronic devices based on the set priorities and proceed to operation 1217.

[0254] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating transmission of an advertising packet and an invitation code according to one embodiment.

[0255] Referring to FIG. 13, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) may periodically transmit an advertising packet based on a set cycle. The advertising packet may only include information related to the external electronic device. For example, when the external electronic device is not operating as a representative external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), the external electronic device may periodically transmit (e.g., broadcast) an advertising packet (1311). The set cycle at which the advertising packet (1311) is transmitted may be variable as needed.

[0256] Immediately after transmitting the advertising packet (1311), the external electronic device may include a permission field (1313), a device token field (1315), an invitation code field (1317), and / or an invitation web page field (1319). The permission field (1313), the device token field (1315), the invitation code field (1317), and / or the invitation web page field (1319) are described as follows.

[0257] In one embodiment, the invitation code field (1317) may include an invitation code (or invitation information) indicating that control is possible by a user other than the user of the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) managing the smart home service (e.g., the manager device (e.g., a smart phone)), for example, another user who wishes to use the smart home service. In one embodiment, the invitation code may be updated as needed, and the validity of the invitation code may be checked. In one embodiment, the invitation code field (1317) may include a list including information about other external electronic devices capable of controlling the external electronic device, in addition to the invitation code. In this way, when the invitation code field (1317) includes a list, even if another external electronic device has received the invitation code field (1317), if the list does not include information about the other external electronic device itself, it may not unnecessarily attempt to control the external electronic device. In one embodiment, the list may include at least one of the following:

[0258] (1) At least one device token;

[0259] (2) At least one hashed email address;

[0260] (3) At least one hashed phone number;

[0261] (4) At least one hashed device identification address;

[0262] (5) At least one hashed device identifier;

[0263] In one embodiment, the authorization field (1313) may include information indicating whether authorization is required to control the external electronic device. In one embodiment, when the information indicating whether authorization is required to control the external electronic device is set to a first value (e.g., allow by owner), this may indicate that approval is required from the owner of the external electronic device when another user wishes to control the external electronic device. In one embodiment, when the information indicating whether authorization is required to control the external electronic device is set to a second value (e.g., control only), this may indicate that approval is not required from the owner of the external electronic device (e.g., the user of the electronic device) when another user wishes to control the external electronic device. In one embodiment, when the information indicating whether authorization is required to control the external electronic device is set to the second value, another user may add and control the external electronic device as his or her own external electronic device without approval from the owner of the external electronic device. In one embodiment, information indicating whether approval is required to control an external electronic device is provided through the approval field (1313), thereby omitting the manual invitation procedure between the electronic device of another user and the electronic device of the user, and thus enabling the other user to use the external electronic device without a separate invitation procedure, which in turn increases the convenience of the smart home service.

[0264] In one embodiment, the device token field (1315) may include a device token, which is authentication information used to control an external electronic device. When information indicating whether approval is required to control an external electronic device included in the approval field (1313) is set to a second value, another user's electronic device may control the external electronic device through a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2) based on the device token included in the device token field (1315) without a separate invitation procedure.

[0265] In one embodiment, the invitation web page field (1319) may be an application that can control an external electronic device (e.g., a smart home application (e.g., Samsung TMThe invitation link associated with the application capable of controlling an external electronic device may include a uniform resource locator (URL) of a website associated with the application capable of controlling the external electronic device. FIG. 13 illustrates a case where the URL of a website associated with an application capable of controlling an external electronic device is implemented as, for example, "https: / loungewebs.samsungiots.com / ?code=010101", "scapp: / loungewebs / ?code=010101", and "https: / www.smarthings.com / loungewebs / ?code=010101". FIG. 13 illustrates an example where the invitation web page field (1319) is implemented as an invitation link, but may be implemented as custom data in various formats as well as an invitation link. Another external electronic device that has received the invitation web page field (1319) may, through the UI, check with the user of the other external electronic device (e.g., another user) whether to go to the invitation link, and if the user input requesting to go to the invitation link is confirmed, the device may go to the invitation link to enable the other user to control the external electronic device using the smart home service.

[0266] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating transmission of an advertising packet, an associated advertising packet, and an invitation code according to one embodiment.

[0267] Referring to FIG. 14, when an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) operates as a representative external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), the representative external electronic device may receive information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device from each of the at least one associated external electronic device, and transmit (e.g., broadcast) the received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device. The received information related to each of the at least one associated external electronic device may be transmitted via an associated advertising packet. In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may transmit an associated advertising packet (1413, 1415, 1417) including information related to each of at least one associated external electronic device immediately after transmitting an advertising packet (1411) based on a set cycle. In FIG. 14, it is assumed that the representative external electronic device is a third external electronic device (e.g., the third external electronic device (503) of FIG. 5 or 6) located in a first space (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or 6), and that the at least one associated external electronic device includes the remaining external electronic devices present in the first space (500) located in the first space (e.g., the first external electronic device (501), the second external electronic device (502), and / or the fourth external electronic device (504)). Accordingly, the associated advertising packet (1413) may include information related to a first external electronic device, the associated advertising packet (1415) may include information related to a second external electronic device, and the associated advertising packet (1417) may include information related to a fourth external electronic device.

[0268] The representative external electronic device may include an approval field (1419), a device token field (1421), an invitation code field (1423), and / or an invitation web page field (1425) immediately after transmitting the associated advertising packet (1417). The approval field (1419), the device token field (1421), the invitation code field (1423), and / or the invitation web page field (1425) may be implemented similarly or substantially identically to the approval field (1313), the device token field (1315), the invitation code field (1317), and / or the invitation web page field (1319) described in FIG. 13, respectively, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

[0269] In Fig. 14, the URL of a website associated with an application capable of controlling a representative external electronic device included in an invitation web page field (1425) is illustrated as being implemented as, for example, "https: / loungewebs.samsungiots.com / ?code=010101", "scapp: / loungewebs / ?code=010101", "https: / www.smarthings.com / loungewebs / ?code=010101". The other external electronic device that has received the invitation web page field (1425) can check through the UI whether a user of the other external electronic device (e.g., another user) wants to move to the corresponding invitation link, and if it confirms a user input requesting to move to the corresponding invitation link, it can move to the corresponding invitation link so that the other user can control the representative external electronic device using a smart home service.

[0270] For example, when verifying a user input requesting to go to that invitation link from another user, the other external electronic device may display screens (1450, 1460, 1470) for controlling the representative external electronic device using the smart home service through the UI.

[0271] In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device can update status information for not only itself but also each of its associated external electronic devices. In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device can receive status information for not only itself but also each of its associated external electronic devices from a server (e.g., server 108 of FIG. 1 or server 230 of FIG. 2). The representative external electronic device, which has received status information for not only itself but also each of its associated external electronic devices from the server, can include status information for itself in an advertising packet in real time or periodically and status information for each of its associated external electronic devices in an associated advertising packet. In this way, by updating status information for itself and its associated external electronic devices in real time or periodically, other external electronic devices that have received the advertising packet and the associated advertising packets can accurately check the updated status information and display the updated status information on a UI for controlling the representative external electronic device and the associated external electronic devices.

[0272] In one embodiment, the manner in which associated external electronic devices are selected is described as follows.

[0273] In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may select associated external electronic devices based on user input. For example, the representative external electronic device may recognize a user input selecting associated external electronic devices to which the representative external electronic device wishes to transmit associated advertising packets (e.g., to which the representative external electronic device wishes to transmit relevant information). The user input for selecting associated external electronic devices may be described as follows.

[0274] (1) The user input may include a product category of an external electronic device that the user wishes to select as an associated external electronic device. The types of external electronic devices may include, for example, AC products and lighting products. When the user input includes a product category of an external electronic device that the user wishes to select as an associated external electronic device, the representative external electronic device may select external electronic devices corresponding to the corresponding product category existing in the space associated with the representative external electronic device as associated external electronic devices.

[0275] (2) The user input may include information related to the external electronic device that the user wishes to select as the associated external electronic device. If the user input includes information related to the external electronic device that the user wishes to select as the associated external electronic device, the representative external electronic device may select the external electronic device corresponding to the information as the associated external electronic device.

[0276] In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may be selected based on user input. In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may be selected based on user input from an electronic device managing a smart home service (e.g., a manager device (e.g., a smartphone)).

[0277] In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may determine a time to transmit the associated advertising packet based on a user input. For example, the user input may include information setting a start date for starting to transmit the associated advertising packet to January 1, 2024, and an end date for stopping transmitting the associated advertising packet to December 3, 2024. For example, the user input may set a start time for starting to transmit the associated advertising packet to 08:00, and an end time for stopping transmitting the associated advertising packet to 20:00.

[0278] In one embodiment, the external electronic device may set invitation permissions for the external electronic device based on a user input. If the user input includes information indicating that the invitation to the external electronic device is not to be approved, the external electronic device may not approve the invitation to the external electronic device. If the user input includes information indicating that the invitation to the external electronic device is to be approved, the external electronic device may approve the invitation to the external electronic device. The information indicating that the invitation to the external electronic device is to be approved may include information indicating whether approval from the owner of the external electronic device is required. If the information indicating whether approval from the owner of the external electronic device is required indicates that approval from the owner of the external electronic device is not required, other external electronic devices may control the external electronic device without a separate invitation procedure.

[0279] In one embodiment, invitations to external electronic devices present in a specific space among various spaces included in a set space corresponding to a smart home service may be approved based on user input.

[0280] In one embodiment, invitations to external electronic devices existing in a set space corresponding to a smart home service may be approved based on user input. In this case, other external electronic devices whose invitations to external electronic devices existing in a set space corresponding to the smart home service have been approved may control the external electronic devices existing in the set space without a separate invitation procedure.

[0281] In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may transmit configuration information to the server, wherein the configuration information is as follows.

[0282] (1) User information of representative external electronic devices

[0283] (2) Device information of representative external electronic devices

[0284] (3) Device information of related external electronic devices

[0285] (4) Product categories for related external electronic devices

[0286] (5) Information about the time of transmitting the associated advertising packet.

[0287] For example, information about the time of transmitting the associated advertising packet may include a date to start transmitting the associated advertising packet, a date to stop transmitting the associated advertising packet, a time to start transmitting the associated advertising packet, and / or a time to stop transmitting the associated advertising packet.

[0288] (6) Invitation approval information

[0289] In one embodiment, a server that receives configuration information from a representative external electronic device can identify additionally necessary data based on the received configuration information and transmit the identified additional data to the representative external electronic device. In one embodiment, the server can finally determine associated external devices for the representative external electronic device based on the owner and environment of the representative external electronic device and the associated external electronic devices, and can transmit information about the finally determined external electronic devices to the representative external electronic device.

[0290] In one embodiment, information about the finally determined external electronic devices may include device type, device icon, and priority for the associated external electronic devices.

[0291] In one embodiment, the information about the finally determined external electronic devices may include additional data defined by the manufacturer / user of the associated external electronic devices.

[0292] In one embodiment, the server may transmit information about a transmission type for transmitting an associated advertising packet to the representative external electronic device. In one embodiment, the transmission type for transmitting an associated advertising packet may include a first transmission type, a second transmission type, and / or a third transmission type. The first transmission type may be a type that transmits the advertising packet of the associated external electronic device as an associated advertising packet immediately after transmitting the advertising packet of the representative external electronic device, as described in FIG. 7, for example. The second transmission type may be a type that transmits a packet including only some fields among the fields included in the advertising packet of the associated external electronic device as an associated advertising packet immediately after transmitting the advertising packet of the representative external electronic device, as described in FIG. 8, for example. The third transmission type may be, for example, a type that transmits an advertising packet of a representative external electronic device as described in FIG. 9, waits for a period of time (interval) corresponding to a set cycle, and then transmits the advertising packet of the associated external electronic device as an associated advertising packet.

[0293] In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may be selected based on user input from an electronic device that manages the smart home service (e.g., a manager device (e.g., a smart phone)).

[0294] In one embodiment, the representative external electronic device may be selected from among external electronic devices existing in a space corresponding to the smart home service as follows.

[0295] (1) If there is one external electronic device capable of performing a transmission function among the external electronic devices existing in a space corresponding to a smart home service, the external electronic device may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0296] (2) When there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in a space corresponding to a smart home service, an external electronic device corresponding to a product category selected by user input of an electronic device managing the smart home service (e.g., an administrator device (e.g., a smart phone)) may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0297] (3) When there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in a space corresponding to a smart home service, an external electronic device existing in a space selected by user input among various spaces corresponding to a smart home service may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0298] (4) If there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in a space corresponding to a smart home service, but none of the external electronic devices exists in a space selected by user input among various spaces corresponding to the smart home service, an external electronic device existing in a space associated with the selected space may be selected as a representative external electronic device. In one embodiment, the association between spaces may be set in advance. For example, if there are a total of four spaces, namely, the first space to the fourth space, as described in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first space may be set to have an association with the second space, and the third space may be set to have an association with the fourth space.

[0299] If there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in a space corresponding to a smart home service, but none of the external electronic devices exists in a space selected by user input and a space associated with the selected space among various spaces corresponding to the smart home service, an external electronic device existing in another space may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0300] (5) If there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in a space corresponding to a smart home service and the multiple external electronic devices are distributed in multiple spaces, the external electronic device existing in the space with the maximum number of external electronic devices included may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0301] In one embodiment, the server may transmit configuration information to a representative external electronic device and transmit a related advertising packet based on the configuration information received from the server. In this case, the configuration information transmitted from the server is as follows.

[0302] (1) User information of representative external electronic devices

[0303] (2) Device information of representative external electronic devices

[0304] (3) Device information of related external electronic devices

[0305] (4) Product categories for related external electronic devices

[0306] (5) Status information for associated external electronic devices

[0307] (6) On / off information of related external electronic devices

[0308] (7) Status information according to device type of related external electronic devices

[0309] (8) Information about the time at which the associated advertising packet is transmitted.

[0310] For example, information about the time of transmitting the associated advertising packet may include a date to start transmitting the associated advertising packet, a date to stop transmitting the associated advertising packet, a time to start transmitting the associated advertising packet, and / or a time to stop transmitting the associated advertising packet.

[0311] (9) Invitation approval information

[0312] The invitation approval information may include at least one of an invitation code, approval packet information (invitation type), invitation link, invitation URL (uniform resource locator), and / or device authentication information used to control the associated external electronic device.

[0313] The representative external electronic device can receive configuration information from the server, generate associated advertising packets based on the configuration information, and transmit the associated advertising packets based on any one of the first transmission type, the second transmission type, and / or the third transmission type.

[0314] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may perform a scanning operation to receive advertising packets and associated advertising packets transmitted from external electronic devices including a representative external electronic device, and may identify external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device based on the received advertising packets and associated advertising packets. The electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device through a UI, and may identify a user input for controlling the devices in proximity to the electronic device through the provided screen.

[0315] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0316] Referring to FIG. 15, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) may perform a scan operation to receive advertising packets and associated advertising packets transmitted from external electronic devices (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) including a representative external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and may identify external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device based on the received advertising packets and associated advertising packets. The electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device through a UI. The screen (1500) may represent a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device at a specific point in time, and the screen (1510) may represent a detailed control card-type screen provided when the screen (1500) is touched. In FIG. 15, the screen (1500) may represent a simple card-type screen when the external electronic device in proximity to the electronic device is a TV, and the screen (1510) may include icons for controlling the TV.

[0317] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0318] Referring to FIG. 16, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) may perform a scan operation to receive advertising packets and associated advertising packets transmitted from external electronic devices (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) including a representative external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and may identify external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device based on the received advertising packets and associated advertising packets. The electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device through a UI. The screen (1600) may represent a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a first time point, and the screen (1610) may represent a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a second time point after the first time point. In FIG. 16, the screens (1600) and (1610) represent simple card-type screens when the external electronic devices close to the electronic device are a TV, an AC, and a speaker, and in the screen (1600), icons are displayed in the order of an icon for controlling a TV, an icon for controlling an AC, and an icon for controlling a speaker, but in the screen (1610), icons may be displayed in the order of an icon for controlling a speaker, an icon for controlling a TV, and an icon for controlling an AC.

[0319] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0320] Referring to FIG. 17, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) may perform a scan operation to receive advertising packets and associated advertising packets transmitted from external electronic devices (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) including a representative external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and may identify external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device based on the received advertising packets and associated advertising packets. The electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device through a UI. The screen (1700) may represent a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a first time point, and the screen (1710) may represent a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a second time point after the first time point. In FIG. 17, the screens (1700) and (1710) represent simple card-type screens when the external electronic devices close to the electronic device are a TV, a speaker, and an AC, and in the screen (1700), icons are displayed in the order of an icon for controlling a TV, an icon for controlling a speaker, and an icon for controlling an AC, but in the screen (1710), icons may be displayed in the order of an icon for controlling a speaker, an icon for controlling a TV, and an icon for controlling an AC.

[0321] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0322] Referring to FIG. 18, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) may perform a scan operation to receive advertising packets and associated advertising packets transmitted from external electronic devices (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) including a representative external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and may identify external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device based on the received advertising packets and associated advertising packets. The electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device through a UI. The screen (1800) may represent a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a first time point, and the screen (1810) may represent a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a second time point after the first time point. In FIG. 18, the screens (1800) and (1810) represent simple card-type screens when the external electronic devices close to the electronic device are a TV, a speaker, and an AC, and in the screen (1800), icons are displayed in the order of an icon for controlling a TV, an icon for controlling a speaker, and an icon for controlling an AC, but in the screen (1810), icons may be displayed in the order of an icon for controlling a speaker, an icon for controlling a TV, and an icon for controlling an AC.

[0323] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0324] Referring to FIG. 19, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) may perform a scan operation to receive advertising packets and associated advertising packets transmitted from external electronic devices (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3) including a representative external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and may identify external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device based on the received advertising packets and associated advertising packets. The electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic devices proximate to the electronic device through a UI. The screen (1900) may represent a screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a first time point, and the screen (1910) may represent a screen for controlling external electronic devices close to the electronic device at a second time point after the first time point. In FIG. 19, the screen (1900) may represent a screen when the electronic device is controlling a TV, lighting, an air purifier, an RVC, an AC, a camera, and a smart plug, and the screen (1910) may represent a screen when the external electronic device close to the electronic device is a new TV. The screen (1910) may represent a screen when the electronic device is controlling a TV, lighting, an air purifier, and an RVC, and a new TV is close to the electronic device.

[0325] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0326] Referring to FIG. 20, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) may perform a scanning operation to receive an advertising packet transmitted from an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102) or an electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, an external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or an external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and at least one of an approval field (e.g., an approval field (1313) of FIG. 13), a device token field (e.g., a device token field (1315) of FIG. 13), an invitation code field (e.g., an invitation code field (1317) of FIG. 13), or an invitation web page field (e.g., an invitation web page field (1319) of FIG. 13), and may identify external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device based on the received advertising packet and at least one of the approval field, the device token field, the invitation code field, or the invitation web page field.

[0327] An electronic device may provide a screen for controlling an external electronic device in proximity to the electronic device through a UI. The electronic device may determine whether approval is required to control the external electronic device based on an approval field, and if information indicating whether approval is required to control the external electronic device is set to a first value (e.g., allow by owner), the electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic device through the UI. The screen (2000) may display a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device at a specific point in time, and since the information indicating whether approval is required to control the external electronic device is set to a first value, the screen may be provided in a transparent form.

[0328] An electronic device may inquire of an external electronic device via a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or 4) whether the electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device. In one embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a message via the server inquiring whether the external electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device. If the external electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device by the electronic device, the electronic device may confirm via the server that the external electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device by the electronic device, and in this case, may display a screen (2010) in the form of a detailed control card. Since the electronic device confirms that the external electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device by the electronic device, the screen (2010) may be provided in a general form (e.g., an opaque form) rather than a transparent form like screen (2000). In FIG. 20, the screen (2000) represents a simple card-type screen in the case where the external electronic device close to the electronic device is a TV, and the screen (2010) may include icons for controlling the TV.

[0329] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0330] Referring to FIG. 21, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or 2) may perform a scanning operation to receive an advertising packet transmitted from an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and at least one of an approval field (e.g., the approval field (1313) of FIG. 13), a device token field (e.g., the device token field (1315) of FIG. 13), an invitation code field (e.g., the invitation code field (1317) of FIG. 13), or an invitation web page field (e.g., the invitation web page field (1319) of FIG. 13), and may identify external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device based on the received advertising packet and at least one of the approval field, the device token field, the invitation code field, or the invitation web page field.

[0331] An electronic device may provide a screen for controlling an external electronic device in proximity to the electronic device via a UI. The electronic device may determine whether authorization is required to control the external electronic device based on an authorization field, and if information indicating whether authorization is required to control the external electronic device is set to a first value (e.g., allow by owner), the electronic device may provide a screen for controlling the external electronic device via the UI. The screen (2100) may display a simple card-type screen for controlling external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device at a specific point in time, and may be provided in a transparent form because the information indicating whether authorization is required to control the external electronic device is set to a first value.

[0332] An electronic device may inquire of an external electronic device via a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or 4) whether the electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device. In one embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a message via the server inquiring whether the electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device. If the external electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device by the electronic device, the electronic device may confirm through the server that the external electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device by the electronic device, and in this case, may display a screen (2110) in the form of a detailed control card. Since the electronic device has confirmed that the external electronic device approves of controlling the external electronic device by the electronic device, the screen (2110) may be provided in a general form (e.g., an opaque form) rather than a transparent form like the screen (2100). In FIG. 21, the screens (2100) and (2110) may display simple card-type screens when the external electronic device close to the electronic device is a TV, a speaker, or an AC. Screen (2100) may be a screen before the external electronic device approves that the external electronic device is controlled by the electronic device, and screen (2110) may be a screen after the external electronic device approves that the external electronic device is controlled by the electronic device.

[0333] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a screen for controlling nearby external electronic devices according to one embodiment.

[0334] Referring to FIG. 22, an electronic device (101) (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2) may perform a scanning operation to receive an advertising packet transmitted from an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 3), and at least one of an approval field (e.g., the approval field (1313) of FIG. 13), a device token field (e.g., the device token field (1315) of FIG. 13), an invitation code field (e.g., the invitation code field (1317) of FIG. 13), or an invitation web page field (e.g., the invitation web page field (1319) of FIG. 13), and may identify external electronic devices in proximity to the electronic device based on the received advertising packet and at least one of the approval field, the device token field, the invitation code field, or the invitation web page field. In FIG. 22, it is assumed that an electronic device (101) and four external electronic devices (e.g., a first external electronic device (501), a second external electronic device (502), a third external electronic device (503), and / or a fourth external electronic device (504)) exist in a first space (500) (e.g., the first space (500) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6), and the third external electronic device (503) operates as a representative external electronic device.

[0335] The electronic device (101) may provide a screen for controlling an external electronic device in proximity to the electronic device (101) through a UI. The electronic device may provide a screen (2200) that outputs an invitation link (e.g., URL) for controlling the external electronic device based on an invitation web page field. The electronic device may accept an invitation to a smart home service through the invitation link based on a user input, in which case a screen (2210) for controlling the external electronic device may be provided through the UI. In one embodiment, the electronic device may accept the invitation after verifying the security of the invitation link included in the invitation web page field. In one embodiment, the electronic device may verify the security of the invitation link through a server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1 or server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4) or through a smart home service.

[0336] In contrast, the external electronic device may transmit at least one of the approval field, the device token field, the invitation code field, or the invitation web page field only when devices that need to be invited are detected. For example, the external electronic device may transmit at least one of the approval field, the device token field, the invitation code field, or the invitation web page field immediately after transmitting the advertising packet only when it is determined that it is necessary to invite the electronic device (101) while transmitting the advertising packet based on a set cycle. In this case, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the approval field, the device token field, the invitation code field, and the invitation web page field are unnecessarily transmitted even when there is no device to be invited.

[0337] In one embodiment, the external electronic device may generate an invitation packet including at least one of an authorization field, a device token field, an invitation code field, or an invitation web page field. In one embodiment, the invitation packet may further include a summary field indicating summary information about the smart home network to be invited. In one embodiment, the summary field may include brief information about external electronic devices existing in the smart home network to be invited (e.g., information about the number of external electronic devices existing in the smart home network to be invited, and device types). In this case, the electronic device receiving the invitation packet may check how many external electronic devices exist in the smart home network to be invited, and which device types of external electronic devices are controllable, and thus, the electronic device may obtain information about the smart home network to be invited before accepting an invitation to a smart home service through the invitation link.

[0338] In one embodiment, the simplified information about external electronic devices present in the smart home network to be invited, included in the summary field, may further include information related to the permissions granted to the external electronic devices present in the smart home network to be invited. In this case, the electronic device receiving the invitation packet can not only determine how many external electronic devices exist in the smart home network to be invited and which types of external electronic devices can be controlled, but also determine information related to the permissions granted to the external electronic devices present in the smart home network to be invited, and thus the electronic device can obtain information about the smart home network to be invited before accepting the invitation to the smart home service through the invitation link. The simplified information can ultimately help the electronic device determine whether to accept the invitation request based on the invitation packet, and the electronic device may not need to perform the invitation request unnecessarily based on the simplified information.

[0339] In one embodiment, when the electronic device receives an invitation packet including an invitation code identical to a preset invitation code from an external electronic device, the electronic device may automatically accept the invitation to the smart home network, or may automatically send a message requesting an invitation to the smart home network to the external electronic device, thereby indicating acceptance of the invitation to the smart home network.

[0340] FIG. 23 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for notifying the presence of an adjacent external electronic device in an IoT-based service according to one embodiment.

[0341] Referring to FIG. 23, an electronic device (101) (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2) provides a smart home service (e.g., Samsung) which is a service based on IoT technology to a server (230) (e.g., the server (108) of FIG. 1 or the server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4) in operation 2311.TM A first signal requesting the application of a multi-advertising mode for a smart home service (e.g., a smart phone) may be transmitted. The electronic device (101) may be a manager device (e.g., a smart phone) that manages a smart home service.

[0342] The server (230), which has received a first signal requesting to apply a multi-advertising mode to a smart home service from an electronic device (101), may select an external electronic device to operate as a representative external electronic device in the multi-advertising mode in operation 2313. The server (230) may select a representative external electronic device from among external electronic devices existing in at least one of a set space in which a smart home service is provided or various spaces included in the set space (e.g., the first space (500), the second space (510), the third space (520), and / or the fourth space (530) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6) as follows.

[0343] (1) If there is one external electronic device capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in at least one of the set space or various spaces, the external electronic device may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0344] (2) When there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in at least one of the set space or various spaces, an external electronic device corresponding to a product category selected by a user input of an electronic device (101) managing a smart home service may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0345] (3) When there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in at least one of the set space or various spaces, an external electronic device existing in a space selected by user input among the set space or various spaces may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0346] (4) If there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in at least one of the set space or various spaces, but the external electronic device is not present in a space selected by user input among the set space or various spaces, an external electronic device existing in a space associated with the selected space may be selected as a representative external electronic device. In one embodiment, the association between spaces may be preset. For example, if there are a total of four spaces, the first space to the fourth space, as described in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first space may be set to have an association with the second space, and the third space may be set to have an association with the fourth space.

[0347] If there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in at least one of the set space or various spaces, but the external electronic devices do not exist in a space selected by user input among the set space or various spaces and a space associated with the selected space, an external electronic device existing in another space may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0348] (5) When there are multiple external electronic devices capable of performing a transmission function among external electronic devices existing in at least one of the set space or various spaces, and the multiple external electronic devices are distributed across multiple spaces, an external electronic device existing in a space with the maximum number of included external electronic devices may be selected as a representative external electronic device.

[0349] The server (230) that selects an external electronic device to operate as a representative external electronic device in the multi-advertising mode can, in operation 2315, transmit a second signal requesting the external electronic device (220) (e.g., the electronic device (102) or electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (230) of FIG. 3) to operate as a representative external electronic device for the smart home service.

[0350] In operation 2317, the external electronic device (220) that receives a second signal requesting to operate as a representative external electronic device for a smart home service from the server (230) while transmitting an advertising packet based on a set cycle may switch its operation mode from a single advertising mode to a multi-advertising mode in operation 2319. The external electronic device (220) that has switched to the multi-advertising mode may receive, in operation 2321, a third signal from the server (230) that includes information related to associated external electronic devices to be transmitted in the multi-advertising mode.

[0351] The external electronic device (220), which receives the third signal including information related to associated external electronic devices from the server (230), may transmit (e.g., broadcast) an advertising packet of the external electronic device (220) and associated advertising packets for the associated external electronic devices based on any one of the first transmission type, the second transmission type, and / or the third transmission type, in operation 2323. Although FIG. 23 illustrates an example in which the external electronic device (220) receives information related to associated external electronic devices from the server (230) and transmits associated advertising packets for the associated external electronic devices based on the received information related to the associated external electronic devices, the external electronic device (220) may also receive information related to associated external electronic devices from associated external electronic devices and transmit associated advertising packets for the associated external electronic devices based on the received information related to the associated external electronic devices.

[0352] Fig. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0353] Referring to FIG. 24, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (230) of FIG. 3) (e.g., the processor (304) of FIG. 3) may, in operation 2411, receive a first signal including information related to a plurality of external electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device (102) or the electronic device (104) of FIG. 1, the external electronic device(s) (220) of FIG. 2, or the external electronic device (230) of FIG. 3)) via a communication circuit. In one embodiment, the electronic device may receive information related to the plurality of external electronic devices from a server (e.g., the server (108) of FIG. 1 or the server (230) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4)) or from the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0354] An electronic device that has received information related to multiple external electronic devices can, in operation 2413, identify an event that triggers transmission of information related to multiple external electronic devices.

[0355] An electronic device that has identified an event that triggers transmission of information related to multiple external electronic devices can determine, in operation 2415, a priority of each of the multiple external electronic devices based on the event.

[0356] The electronic device that has determined the priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices can, in operation 2417, transmit (e.g., broadcast) a second signal including at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device, based on the priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0357] In one embodiment, the electronic device may determine at least one external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices, based on the priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices, to include information related to the second signal, and transmit a second signal including at least a portion of the information related to the at least one external electronic device and information related to the electronic device. In one embodiment, the set condition may include at least one of a first condition based on locations where the plurality of external electronic devices are located, a second condition based on time zones when the plurality of external electronic devices are used, a third condition based on device categories of the plurality of external electronic devices, or a fourth condition based on a user input to the plurality of external electronic devices. In one embodiment, the event may include at least one of an event of receiving a third signal requesting transmission of information related to the plurality of external electronic devices from another external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 ) or a server, or an event of switching to an operation mode that transmits at least a portion of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device.

[0358] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0359] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (102; 104; 220), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one action.

[0360] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include receiving a first signal including information related to a plurality of external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0361] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of identifying an event that triggers transmitting information related to the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0362] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of determining a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices based on the event.

[0363] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include transmitting a second signal including at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device, based on a priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices.

[0364] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0365] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (304) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (102; 104; 220), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one action.

[0366] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of identifying an event that triggers at least one external electronic device (101) to transmit first information for controlling at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0367] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include transmitting, based on the event, a first signal including the first information and second information related to the electronic device.

[0368] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0369] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (101), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation.

[0370] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include receiving a first signal from an external electronic device (102; 104; 220) that includes first information related to the external electronic device and third information that is at least a portion of second information related to a plurality of other external electronic devices (102; 104; 220).

[0371] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of outputting a screen related to the first information and the third information based on reception of the first signal, or an operation of performing a control operation on the external electronic device and the plurality of other external electronic devices based on the first information and the third information.

[0372] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may be provided.

[0373] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one instruction, when executed by one or more processors (120) including processing circuitry of an electronic device (101), may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation.

[0374] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include receiving a first signal from at least one external electronic device (102; 104; 220), the first signal including first information related to the at least one external electronic device and second information used by the electronic device to control at least one other external electronic device (102; 104; 220).

[0375] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one operation may include an operation of outputting a screen related to the first information and the second information based on reception of the first signal, or an operation of performing a control operation for the at least one external electronic device and the at least one other external electronic device based on the first information and the second information.

Claims

1. In an electronic device (102; 104; 220), Communication circuit (302); One or more processors (304) including processing circuitry; and A memory (306) for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: Through the above communication circuit, a first signal including information related to a plurality of external electronic devices (102; 104; 220) is received, Identify an event that triggers transmission of information related to the above multiple external electronic devices, Based on the above event, the priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices is determined, and An electronic device that causes a second signal including at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device to be transmitted through the communication circuit based on the priorities of each of the plurality of external electronic devices.

2. In paragraph 1, The above event: An event of receiving a third signal requesting transmission of information related to the plurality of external electronic devices from another external electronic device (101; 108; 230) through the above communication circuit, or An electronic device comprising at least one event for switching to an operating mode that transmits at least some of the information related to the plurality of external electronic devices and information related to the electronic device.

3. In paragraph 1 or 2, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: Based on the priority of each of the plurality of external electronic devices, determining at least one external electronic device among the plurality of external electronic devices that includes information related to the second signal, and An electronic device causing said electronic device to transmit, through said communication circuit, at least a portion of information related to said at least one external electronic device and said second signal including information related to said electronic device.

4. In paragraph 3, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: Causing each of the plurality of external electronic devices to determine a priority based on the set conditions, The above setting conditions are: A first condition based on the locations where the above multiple external electronic devices are located, A second condition based on the time periods during which the above multiple external electronic devices are used, A third condition based on the device categories of the above multiple external electronic devices, or An electronic device comprising at least one of a fourth condition based on user input to said plurality of external electronic devices.

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, An electronic device, wherein at least some of the information related to said plurality of external electronic devices includes device types of said plurality of external electronic devices.

6. In the electronic device (101), Communication circuit (190); One or more processors (120) comprising processing circuitry; display (160); and A memory (130) for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: Through the above communication circuit, a first signal including first information related to the external electronic device (102; 104; 220) and third information which is at least a part of second information related to a plurality of other external electronic devices (102; 104; 220) is received from the external electronic device, and An electronic device that, based on reception of the first signal, outputs a screen related to the first information and the third information through the display, or causes a control operation for the external electronic device and a plurality of other external electronic devices to be performed based on the first information and the third information.

7. In paragraph 6, The first signal above is: An electronic device that receives said information when an event triggering transmission of said third information by said external electronic device is identified.

8. In paragraph 7, The above event: An event in which the external electronic device receives a second signal requesting that the electronic device or server (108; 230) transmit information related to the plurality of other external electronic devices, or The electronic device including at least one of the events that causes the external electronic device to switch to an operation mode for transmitting the third information and the first information.

9. In any one of paragraphs 6 to 8, Based on the set conditions, a priority is determined for each of the plurality of different external electronic devices, and An electronic device, wherein at least one other external electronic device among the plurality of other external electronic devices is determined based on the above priorities, the relevant information of which is to be included in the first signal.

10. In paragraph 9, The above setting conditions are: A first condition based on the locations where the above multiple different external electronic devices are located, A second condition based on the time periods during which the above multiple external electronic devices are used; a third condition based on the device categories of the above multiple other external electronic devices, or An electronic device comprising at least one of a fourth condition based on user input to said plurality of other external electronic devices.

11. In a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction, The at least one instruction, when executed individually or collectively by one or more processors (120) comprising processing circuitry of the electronic device (101), causes the electronic device to perform at least one operation, At least one of the above actions: An operation of receiving a first signal from an external electronic device (102; 104; 220), the first signal including first information related to the external electronic device, and third information which is at least a part of second information related to a plurality of other external electronic devices (102; 104; 220); and The storage medium including an operation for outputting a screen related to the first information and the third information based on reception of the first signal, or for performing a control operation for the external electronic device and the plurality of other external electronic devices based on the first information and the third information.

12. In paragraph 11, The first signal above is: The storage medium received when an event triggering transmission of the third information by the external electronic device is identified.

13. In paragraph 12, The above event: An event in which the external electronic device receives a second signal requesting that the electronic device or server (108; 230) transmit information related to the plurality of other external electronic devices, or The storage medium including at least one of the events that causes the external electronic device to switch to an operation mode for transmitting the third information and the first information.

14. In any one of paragraphs 11 to 13, Based on the set conditions, a priority is determined for each of the plurality of different external electronic devices, and The storage medium, wherein at least one other external electronic device among the plurality of other external electronic devices is determined based on the above priorities, the relevant information of which is to be included in the first signal.

15. In paragraph 14, The above setting conditions are: A first condition based on the locations where the above multiple different external electronic devices are located, A second condition based on the time periods during which the above multiple external electronic devices are used; a third condition based on the device categories of the above multiple other external electronic devices, or The storage medium comprising at least one of a fourth condition based on user input to said plurality of other external electronic devices.

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