Self-onboarding system for electronic device and method for self-onboarding of electronic device onto cloud network

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a cloud network for storing preliminary information for performing onboarding; a communication establishment assistance device for storing communication establishment information for establishing communication with the cloud network; and an electronic device including a communication unit for establishing communication with the cloud network and the communication establishment assistance device, and a processor electrically connected to the communication unit, wherein the electronic device establishes communication with the cloud network on the basis of communication establishment information received from the communication establishment assistance device, the cloud network generates onboarding information in response to obtaining user account information, and the electronic device receives an onboarding initiation command and the onboarding information from the cloud network through the communication and can perform onboarding onto the cloud network on the basis of the onboarding information.

Description

Self-onboarding system for electronic devices and how electronic devices can onboard themselves to cloud networks.

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device self-onboarding system and a method for an electronic device to self-onboard to a cloud network.

[0002] Cloud computing technology provides computing resources located elsewhere to users via a network, offering computing services such as servers, storage, software, and analytics. Cloud computing is being utilized to process data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT). User data and content collected from IoT devices are stored on cloud servers, and data processing can provide cloud services to users.

[0003] Using IoT devices in an IoT environment requires an onboarding process to register them on a cloud server. Onboarding an IoT device may require authentication information for authenticating the IoT device, a uniform resource locator (URL) for accessing the cloud server, and / or device information such as the IoT device's device type, profile, or location.

[0004] Onboarding IoT devices to cloud servers involves manual steps performed by the user. For example, registering an IoT device to a user's account requires a pre-defined process (e.g., logging in) to transmit user account information to the IoT device, which then uses the account information to onboard to the cloud server. This process requires the user to complete the onboarding process for each IoT device, which can be inconvenient and potentially lead to users canceling connections midway through the process.

[0005] The purpose of the present disclosure is to increase convenience and improve user experience by allowing the electronic device to onboard to a cloud network on its own without intervention from a relay device or a user, thereby enabling the electronic device to onboard to a cloud network on its own.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a self-onboarding system for an electronic device includes: a cloud network storing prior information for performing onboarding; a communication connection auxiliary device storing communication connection information for performing a communication connection with the cloud network; and an electronic device including a communication unit for performing communication connection with the cloud network and the communication connection auxiliary device, and a processor electrically connected to the communication unit; wherein the electronic device performs a communication connection with the cloud network based on the communication connection information received from the communication connection auxiliary device, and the cloud network generates onboarding information in response to obtaining user account information, and the electronic device receives an onboarding initiation command and the onboarding information from the cloud network through the communication, and performs onboarding to the cloud network based on the onboarding information.

[0007] In a method for onboarding an electronic device to a cloud network according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the cloud network may include storing in advance prior information necessary for the electronic device to perform onboarding, the electronic device may obtain communication connection information for a communication connection with the cloud network through communication with a communication connection auxiliary device, and perform a communication connection with the cloud network, the cloud network may generate onboarding information based on the obtained user account information, and the electronic device may obtain an onboarding initiation command and the onboarding information through the communication, and perform onboarding to the cloud network based on the onboarding information.

[0008] The electronic device (400) can obtain all information for onboarding from the cloud network (130), so that the user can perform onboarding on his / her own without having to manually perform the onboarding process through a user device (140), etc.

[0009] In addition, since information about multiple electronic devices (400) is packaged and the above-described onboarding procedure is performed, multiple electronic devices (400) located in a single location can be onboarded to a user account in bulk without having to perform the onboarding procedure individually for each of the multiple electronic devices (400).

[0010] The technical problems to be achieved in the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates multiple devices within an IoT environment according to one embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an IoT server of an IoT system according to one embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of each device of an IoT system according to one embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device in an IoT environment according to one embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5 is a control block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an onboarding method for an IoT device according to one embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence in which an electronic device, according to one embodiment, registers pre-information with a cloud server to perform self-onboarding.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device performs a communication connection with a cloud network (130) according to one embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device performs a communication connection with a cloud network according to another embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating two methods for a cloud network to obtain user account information according to one embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another method for a cloud network to obtain user account information according to one embodiment.

[0022] It should be understood that the various embodiments and terms used in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but rather to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments.

[0023] In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

[0024] The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0025] 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" may include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0026] The term “and / or” includes any combination of a plurality of related described elements or any one of a plurality of related described elements.

[0027] Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish one component from another and do not qualify the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0028] When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component (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.

[0029] The terms “include” or “have” are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in this document, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0030] When a component is said to be “connected,” “coupled,” “supported,” or “in contact with” another component, this includes not only cases where the components are directly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact, but also cases where the components are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact through a third component.

[0031] When we say that a component is "on" another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component, but also cases where there is another component between the two components.

[0032] Meanwhile, the terms “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down”, etc. used in the description below are expressions related to direction, and are defined based on the drawing, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates multiple devices within an IoT environment according to one embodiment.

[0034] An Internet of Things (IoT) system (100) according to one embodiment may include at least one leaf device (110), at least one hub device (120) (or edge device), a cloud network (130), and / or a user device (140).

[0035] For example, the leaf device (110), the hub device (120), and / or the user device (140) may be located in close proximity and connected to the same home network (i.e., the same AP (access point)), and the cloud network (130) may be located remotely but connected to the leaf device (110), the hub device (120), or the user device (140) via the Internet. In the present disclosure, the leaf device (110) and the hub device (120) of the IoT system (100) may also be referred to as IoT devices.

[0036] According to various embodiments, each device of the IoT system can be used to provide a cloud computing service. For example, if information regarding the temperature inside a house is acquired from a temperature sensor (115c), the information acquired by the temperature sensor (115c) is provided to a cloud network (130). The cloud network (130) can then verify the event of the sensor (115c) and the mapped operation, and transmit a command to the air conditioner (113) to turn it on.

[0037] According to various embodiments, edge computing services may be provided using each device of an IoT system. The edge computing service may include a technology for transmitting data acquired from a leaf device to a hub device located adjacent to the leaf device and on the same home network, and providing a series of data processing and other services on the hub device. In the present disclosure, a device that acquires data through a sensor (e.g., a camera (111), a refrigerator (112), a smart light bulb (115a), a motion sensor (115b), and / or a digital thermometer (115c)) is defined as a leaf device (110), but the leaf device (110) may also be referred to by other names, such as a client device, an end device, a sensor device, an IoT device, or a slave device of an edge computing service. In addition, although defined as a hub device in various embodiments of the present document, the hub device may also be defined by other names, such as an edge device, an edge server, a server device, a master device, or a service device of an edge computing service.

[0038] In the present disclosure, devices within an IoT system (100) are classified and described as leaf devices (110), hub devices (120), and user devices (140) according to their functions or operations. However, the same device (e.g., a smartphone or TV) may operate as any one of the leaf devices (110), hub devices (120), and user devices (140) depending on the case. That is, the names and / or definitions of the devices described in various embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the functions and / or operations of the corresponding devices.

[0039] According to various embodiments, the leaf device (110) may collect various information using a sensor as an end point of the IoT system (100) and transmit the collected information to the hub device (120) or the cloud network (130). In addition, the leaf device (110) may perform various operations according to commands transmitted from the hub device (120), the cloud network (130), and / or the user device (140). Referring to FIG. 1, the leaf device (110) may include at least one of a camera (111), a refrigerator (112), an air conditioner (113), a washing machine (114), a smart light bulb (115a), a motion sensor (115b), or a smart thermometer (115c).

[0040] According to various embodiments, at least some of the leaf devices (110) (e.g., a camera (111), a refrigerator (112), an air conditioner (113), a washing machine (114)) can access a cloud network (130) via the Internet, and devices among the leaf devices (110) that do not support Internet Protocol (IP) (e.g., a light bulb (115a), a motion sensor (115b), or a smart thermometer (115c)) can transmit information acquired to a relay device (124) via non-IP-based communication (e.g., Bluetooth, Zigbee) that they support, and the relay device (116) can transmit information acquired by each leaf device (115a, 115b, 115c) to the cloud network (130) via the Internet.

[0041] According to various embodiments, information acquired from the leaf device (110) may be processed by a cloud computing service or an edge computing service. For example, image information acquired from a camera (111), which is a leaf device, may be transmitted to a cloud network, and an on / off control command may be transmitted from the cloud network to a light bulb (115a), and / or the image information may be provided to a user device (140) in real time. Alternatively, information acquired from the camera (111) may be transmitted to a hub device (120), and an on / off control command or image information may be transmitted from the hub device (120) to a light bulb (123a).

[0042] According to various embodiments, the cloud network (130) may be located on a network and include various server devices (e.g., an IoT management server, an IoT hub server) that support cloud computing services in the IoT system (100). The cloud network (130) may perform computing processing on acquired information received from a leaf device (110) and transmit commands for controlling the leaf device (110).

[0043] According to various embodiments, the cloud network (130) may perform a function of operating and managing a specific device within a home network so that it can operate as a hub device (120). For example, the cloud network (130) may include an IoT server (e.g., an IoT management server or an IoT hub server), and the IoT server may perform edge computing services such as registration, connection, or management of the hub device (120) and leaf devices (110), and provide modules (e.g., device modules and / or service modules) required for the edge computing services to the hub device (120).

[0044] According to various embodiments, the hub device (120) may directly process data received from the leaf device (110) or transmit it to a cloud network (130) (e.g., an IoT server). The hub device (120) may be a device including hardware and / or software resources required for edge computing services, such as a TV (112) or a tablet PC (111). The hub device (120) may be connected to the cloud network (130) via the Internet, and may communicate with the leaf device (110) via direct communication, a mesh network, or an access point.

[0045] According to various embodiments, there may be multiple hub devices (120) within a home network, and a leaf device (110) may be connected to any one of the multiple hub devices (120) to transmit information. For example, when a specific leaf device (110) is connected, the hub device (120) may download and execute a module (e.g., a device module and / or a service module) required for an edge computing service from a cloud network (130).

[0046] According to various embodiments, the hub device (120) may perform a device-specific function (e.g., a video output function of a TV) and may perform edge computing services through hardware and / or software resources at least partially simultaneously with the performance of the device-specific function or during idle time when the device is not performing the device-specific function.

[0047] According to various embodiments, the hub device (120) may store rule information including information for event automation processing. For example, the rule information may be a rule that maps an action command that instructs another leaf device to perform an action in response to a trigger event occurring in a specific leaf device. The hub device (120) may receive rule information from the cloud network (130) and build a database in the memory of the hub device (120).

[0048] According to various embodiments, the user device (140) may provide various user interfaces related to edge computing services through applications. For example, the user device (140) may receive data acquired from the leaf device (110) (e.g., camera image streaming) or user input, such as connection of the hub device (120) and / or the leaf device (110), or server registration, and transmit the data to the cloud network (130). In addition, the result data (e.g., IoT device authentication completion) processed by the hub device (120) or the cloud network (130) may be displayed on the display.

[0049] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an IoT server of an IoT system according to one embodiment.

[0050] According to various embodiments, the IoT hub server (131a) supports a cloud computing platform and can provide data necessary for a leaf device (110) and a hub device (120) within a cloud environment to be connected to each other. The IoT hub server (131a) can include an IoT hub (132) and a module registry (133).

[0051] According to one embodiment, an IoT hub (132) maintains a connection with a hub device (120), provides modules stored in a module registry (133) to the hub device (120), and can maintain information about modules installed in multiple hub devices (120).

[0052] According to one embodiment, the module registry (133) can store information about modules (e.g., device module (123) and service module (124) of FIG. 3) required to perform edge computing services.

[0053] According to various embodiments, the IoT managing server (131b) (e.g., SmartThingsTM server) is a server that provides various services for determining, connecting, and / or operating edge computing services, and may include a provision manager (134), a module manager (135), and an edge-leaf manager (136).

[0054] According to one embodiment, the provision manager (134) may perform a function of intermediating so that the IoT device can be connected to the IoT server (131). For example, when the IoT device is initially registered with the IoT management server (131b), the provision manager (134) may transmit a connection string to the IoT device that enables the IoT device to be connected to the IoT hub server (131a).

[0055] That is, the provision manager (134) is responsible for authentication and authorization of IoT devices when new IoT devices are added, and can interact with the IoT system to grant necessary permissions.

[0056] The provisioning manager (134) may include an onboarding server (134a) that performs registration and initial setup of the IoT device in the IoT system.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the module manager (135) can manage information about various modules required for edge computing services and devices supporting each service. In addition,

[0058] A module required to perform an edge computing service may include a device module (123) that enables the hub device (120) to transmit data received from the leaf device (110) to an external server (e.g., IoT hub server (131a)).

[0059] Additionally, a module required to perform an edge computing service may include a service module (124) that includes programs that the hub device (120) executes to implement a service based on data received from the leaf device (110).

[0060] According to one embodiment, the edge-leaf manager (136) can manage the connection status of hub devices (120) and leaf devices (110) existing in multiple home networks. For example, when a hub device (120) and a leaf device (110) registered in the IoT managing server (131b) are connected or disconnected from each other, the edge-leaf manager (136) can transmit connection or disconnection information from the hub device (120) and / or the leaf device (110) to the IoT managing server (131b). At this time, the IoT managing server (131b) can store information in real time about which hub device (120) and leaf device (110) are connected and / or which service is being performed.

[0061] According to various embodiments, a leaf device (110) may be connected to a specific edge device (e.g., a hub device (121) of FIG. 1) to perform an edge computing service, and then, upon a handover event, the leaf device (110) may disconnect from the edge device and connect to another edge device (e.g., a TV (122) of FIG. 1) to perform an edge computing service. The handover event may include a connection being switched from one device or system to another. At this time, the IoT managing server (131b) may update connection information between the hub device (120) and the leaf device (110) to which the connection is switched in response to the handover event.

[0062] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of each device of an IoT system according to one embodiment.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 3, an IoT system (or cloud computing system, edge computing system) (100) may include a leaf device (110), a hub device (120), an IoT server (131), and / or a user device (140). The IoT server (131) may include an IoT hub server (131a) and an IoT managing server (131b).

[0064] As described above with reference to FIG. 1, various IoT devices may exist on a home network, and FIG. 3 will describe an example of one leaf device (110) (e.g., a refrigerator (112) of FIG. 1) and one hub device (120) (e.g., a user terminal (140) of FIG. 1).

[0065] According to one embodiment, the hub device (120) may be a device having device-specific functions, such as a TV, tablet PC, or laptop PC, and including hardware and / or software components (e.g., an edge runtime and / or a basic module) for edge computing services. Edge computing services may be performed through hardware and / or software resources at least partially concurrently with the performance of the device-specific functions or during idle time when the device is not performing the device-specific functions.

[0066] An edge runtime (122) and a basic module for edge computing may be installed in the hub device (120) through a process or software upgrade of the hub device (120). For example, the edge runtime (122) may include a daemon program for interfacing with an IoT server, and the basic module may be configured as a container as a program required for communication with the IoT server. For example, the basic module may be a container installed in the edge runtime (122) environment.

[0067] According to various embodiments, the hub device (120) may receive and install at least one module for performing edge computing services from the IoT hub server (131a) in response to being connected to a specific leaf device (110).

[0068] At least one module may be determined based on the type of connected leaf device (110) and / or the type of service to be performed. For example, the at least one module may include a device module (123) corresponding to the connected leaf device (110) and / or a service module (124) corresponding to the type of service to be performed.

[0069] When the hub device (120) is connected to a plurality of leaf devices (110), a device module (123) corresponding to each leaf device (110) (e.g., a first device module (123a), a second device module (123b), etc.) may be installed.

[0070] The hub device (120) executes an edge runtime (122) during the provisioning process to connect to the IoT hub server (131a), and at least one module may be additionally installed and executed depending on the type of leaf device (110). The hub device (120) may activate or deactivate the edge mode according to a command received from the IoT hub server (131a) or the IoT managing server (131b). When the edge mode is deactivated, the hub device (120) may only perform its own functions (e.g., the video output function of a TV), and the device module (123) and the service module (124) may not be executed.

[0071] According to various embodiments, the leaf device (110) may transmit information acquired using a sensor to a connected hub device (120) or cloud network (130) (e.g., an IoT managing server (131b) and / or an IoT hub server (131a)). For example, in the case of a refrigerator (112) operating as a leaf device (110), it may be connected to a hub device (120) and transmit information regarding the temperature inside the chamber of the refrigerator (112) to the hub device (120).

[0072] According to various embodiments, the user device (140) may be a device including a display capable of displaying a user interface (UI). The user device (140) may install and / or execute an application for edge computing services, and receive content and / or notifications generated in the leaf device (110) through the application. In other words, when the hub device (120) and the leaf device (110) are connected, content or notifications generated in the leaf device (110) may be transmitted to the user device (140) through the hub device (120).

[0073] According to various embodiments, the functions of the IoT hub server (131a) or the IoT managing server (131b) may be performed by a single server device (e.g., the IoT server (131) of FIG. 3). Alternatively, the functions may be performed by three or more server devices. For example, each component of the IoT hub server (131a) and the IoT managing server (131b) of FIG. 2 may be distributed and deployed by three or more server devices existing on a network, or some operations performed by each component may also be distributed and performed by multiple server devices.

[0074] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device in an IoT environment according to one embodiment.

[0075] As described above, in the IoT system (100), the same device can operate as an IoT device (e.g., a leaf device (110) or a hub device (120) of FIG. 1) and as a user device (e.g., a user device (140) of FIG. 1). Hereinafter, the configuration and / or function of an electronic device (301) that can operate as an IoT device and / or a user device will be described in detail through FIG. 3.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 4, in a network environment (300), an electronic device (301) may communicate with an electronic device (302) via a first network (398) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of an electronic device (304) or a server (308) via a second network (399) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may also communicate with the electronic device (304) via the server (308).

[0077] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may include a processor (320), a memory (330), an input module (350), an audio output module (355), a display module (360), an audio module (370), a sensor module (376), an interface (377), a connection terminal (378), a haptic module (379), a camera module (380), a power management module (388), a battery (389), a communication module (390), a subscriber identification module (396), and / or an antenna module (397).

[0078] In the electronic device (301), at least one of the aforementioned components (e.g., the connection terminal (378)) may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. In addition, in the electronic device (301), some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (376), the camera module (380), or the antenna module (397)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (360)).

[0079] The processor (320) may execute software (e.g., a program (340)) to control at least one other component of an electronic device (301) connected to the processor (320) and perform various data processing or calculations. At this time, the components of the electronic device (301) connected to the processor (320) may include hardware or software components.

[0080] According to one embodiment, as at least part of data processing or calculation, the processor (320) may store commands or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (376) or a communication module (390)) in volatile memory (332), process the commands or data stored in volatile memory (332), and store resulting data in non-volatile memory (334). In this case, the data received from the other component may include information acquired by the sensor module (376).

[0081] According to one embodiment, the processor (320) may include a main processor (321) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (323) (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 with the main processor (321). For example, when the electronic device (301) includes the main processor (321) and the auxiliary processor (323), the auxiliary processor (323) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (321) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (323) may be implemented separately from the main processor (321) or as a part thereof.

[0082] The auxiliary processor (323) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display module (360), a sensor module (376), or a communication module (390)) of the electronic device (301), for example, on behalf of the main processor (321) while the main processor (321) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (321) while the main processor (321) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. The auxiliary processor (323) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (380) or a communication module (390)).

[0083] According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (323) (e.g., a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing artificial intelligence models. The artificial intelligence models may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device (301) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or may be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (308)). The learning algorithm may 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 may include a plurality of 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.

[0084] The memory (330) can store various data acquired or used by at least one component (e.g., the processor (320) or the sensor module (376)) of the electronic device (301). For example, the data can include input data or output data for software (e.g., the program (340)) and commands related thereto. The memory (330) can include a volatile memory (332) or a non-volatile memory (334).

[0085] The program (340) may be stored as software in the memory (330) and may include, for example, an operating system (342), middleware (344), or an application (346).

[0086] The input module (350) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (301) (e.g., a processor (320)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (301). The input module (350) 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).

[0087] The audio output module (355) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (301). The audio output module (355) 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. In one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0088] The display module (360) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (301). The display module (360) can include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. In addition, the display module (360) can 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.

[0089] The audio module (370) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. The audio module (370) can acquire sound through the input module (350), or output sound through an audio output module (355), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (302)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (301).

[0090] The sensor module (376) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (301) 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 (376) 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.

[0091] The interface (377) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (301) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (302)). In one embodiment, the interface (377) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0092] The connection terminal (378) may include a connector through which the electronic device (301) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (302)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (378) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0093] The haptic module (379) 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. In one embodiment, the haptic module (379) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0094] The camera module (380) can capture still images and videos. According to one embodiment, the camera module (380) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0095] The power management module (388) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (301). According to one embodiment, the power management module (388) can be implemented, for example, as at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0096] A battery (389) may power at least one component of the electronic device (301). In one embodiment, the battery (389) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0097] The communication module (390) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (301) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (302), electronic device (304), or server (308)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (390) may operate independently from the processor (320) (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 (390) may include a wireless communication module (392) (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 (394) (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 (304) via a first network (398) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (399) (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 (392) may use subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (396) to verify or authenticate the electronic device (301) within a communication network such as the first network (398) or the second network (399).

[0098] The wireless communication module (392) 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 (392) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (392) may 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 (392) may support various requirements specified in the electronic device (301), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (304)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (399)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (392) may 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.

[0099] The antenna module (397) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module (397) may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (397) 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 (398) or the second network (399), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by the communication module (390). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (390) and an external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. In 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 (397).

[0100] According to various embodiments, the antenna module (397) may form a mmWave antenna module. According to 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.

[0101] 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)).

[0102] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (301) and an external electronic device (304) via a server (308) connected to a second network (399). Each of the external electronic devices (302 or 304) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (301). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (301) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (302, 304, or 308). For example, when the electronic device (301) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (301) 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 (301). The electronic device (301) 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 (301) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing, for example. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (304) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (308) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or a neural network. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (304) or the server (308) may be included in the second network (399).The electronic device (301) 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.

[0103] Electronic devices according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document 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 the embodiments of this document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0104] Figure 5 is a control block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 5, the electronic device (400) may include a communication module (410), a user interface (420), a sensor (430), a processor (440), and a memory (450). The electronic device (400) may further include at least some of the configurations and / or functions of the electronic device (301) of FIG. 3, and may implement various embodiments of the present document even if some of the illustrated configurations are omitted or replaced. According to various embodiments, the electronic device (400) may be implemented as any one device in an IoT system (e.g., the IoT system (100) of FIG. 1). For example, the electronic device (400) may be any one of a hub device (120) or a leaf device (110) of the IoT system.

[0106] The electronic device (400) may be a device, such as a smart phone or tablet PC, that includes a sensor module (430) including various sensors (e.g., a camera, a light sensor, or a microphone) and has at least one processor and / or memory resource. In this case, the electronic device (400) may install and execute an application that supports IoT services to provide IoT services.

[0107] The communication unit (410) supports wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular communication) and can transmit and receive data with other electronic devices or cloud networks within the IoT system. The communication unit (410) may include the communication module (39) and / or antenna module (397) of FIG. 4.

[0108] The communication unit (410) may communicate with other devices through an AP (access point), or may communicate directly with other devices using D2D (e.g., Bluetooth) or P2P (e.g., Wi-Fi Direct or Wi-Fi Aware) communication.

[0109] The user interface (420) can provide information necessary for providing IoT services to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (400) in the form of visual information or voice information.

[0110] The user interface (420) may include a display module (360), an input module (350), an audio output module (355), an audio module (370), and / or a sensor module (376) of FIG. 4.

[0111] According to one embodiment, the user interface (420) may include a touch screen including a touch sensing circuit (or touch sensor) (not shown), a pressure sensor capable of measuring the intensity of a touch, and / or a touch panel (e.g., a digitizer) capable of detecting a magnetic field-type stylus pen.

[0112] At this time, the touch screen may include, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible display, or an expandable display.

[0113] According to one embodiment, the user interface (420) may provide guidance regarding the authentication operation of the electronic device (400) through various visual information.

[0114] Specifically, the user interface (420) may include a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a key (e.g., a button) for receiving commands or data to be used for an authentication operation of the electronic device (400) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (400). In addition, the user interface (420) may include a speaker to provide various information and / or guidance for guiding the authentication operation through voice information.

[0115] According to one embodiment, the user interface (420) may include at least one input interface (420a) and at least one output interface (420b).

[0116] At least one input interface (70a) may include, for example, a tact switch, a push switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a micro switch, a touch switch, a touch pad, a touch screen, a jog dial, and / or a microphone.

[0117] In the present disclosure, 'button' may be replaced with a UI element (User Interface Element), a tact switch, a push switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a micro switch, a touch switch, a touch pad, a touch screen, a jog dial, and / or a microphone.

[0118] At least one output interface (70b) can transmit various information related to the authentication operation to the user by generating sensory information.

[0119] For example, at least one output interface (70b) may output a description of an operation for device authentication. Additionally, at least one output interface (70b) may include a visual indicator of an operation for device authentication.

[0120] At this time, the visual indicator may include at least one of an illustration, a graphic guide, or a visual reference.

[0121] The electronic device (400) may include at least one sensor (450). For example, the electronic device (400) may include a sensor (450) such as a camera, a light sensor, a motion sensor, or a microphone. The electronic device (400) may transmit sensor information acquired through the sensor (450) to a cloud network or another electronic device, thereby providing an IoT system that controls other devices on a local network based on a cloud (or edge).

[0122] The memory (450) may include volatile memory and non-volatile memory, and may temporarily or permanently store various data used in at least one component (e.g., processor (440)) of the electronic device (400). The memory (450) may store various instructions that may be performed by the processor (440). Such instructions may include various control commands including arithmetic and logical operations, data movement, or input / output that may be recognized by the processor (440).

[0123] The processor (440) is a configuration capable of performing calculations or data processing related to control and / or communication of each component of the electronic device (400), and may be operatively, functionally and / or electrically connected to each component of the electronic device (400), such as the communication unit (110), the user interface (420), the sensor (430) and / or the memory (450).

[0124] According to various embodiments, there will be no limitation to the computational and data processing functions that the processor (440) can implement within the electronic device (400). However, various embodiments for self-onboarding, which registers the electronic device (400) in real time to the cloud network without a separate registration process in advance, will be described below. The operations of the processor (440), which will be described later, can be performed by executing instructions stored in the memory (450).

[0125] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an onboarding method for an IoT device according to one embodiment.

[0126] In the past, a manufacturer registered device information and authentication information in a cloud network (130), and an electronic device (400) was connected to a user device (e.g., a user device (140) of FIG. 1) via Bluetooth or soft AP mode, and onboarding to the cloud network (130) was performed through the user device (140) (i.e., through a manual process by an actual user). At this time, there was a problem that the user had to perform the onboarding process individually for a large number of electronic devices (400), which could cause inconvenience.

[0127] In response to this, in order for multiple electronic devices (400) to perform self-onboarding in batches, according to one embodiment, a manufacturer of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (400) of FIG. 5) may register in advance in a cloud network (130) advance information for the electronic device (400) to perform onboarding (601).

[0128] In one embodiment, the dictionary information may include Wi-Fi AP information, information about the electronic device, and location information about the electronic device. The process of packaging the Wi-Fi AP information, information about the electronic device, and location information about the electronic device and registering the dictionary information in the cloud network (130) is described in detail below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0129] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (400) can perform a communication connection with a cloud network (130) (602).

[0130] An electronic device (400) may require communication connection information to connect and authenticate with a cloud network (130). In this case, the communication connection information may include credentials, and the credential information may include Wi-Fi provisioning information and / or cloud provisioning information.

[0131] For example, Wi-Fi provisioning information may include the SSID and password of the access point to be connected stored on the user device, and cloud provisioning information may include the broker URL to be connected and authentication information (e.g., an authentication token) obtained by the user device from the cloud network.

[0132] At this time, a method for the electronic device (400) to obtain communication connection information for communication connection with the cloud network (130) will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the cloud network (130) may obtain the user's account information and couple it with prior information to generate onboarding information (603).

[0134] Onboarding information coupled with the user's account information and dictionary information is stored in a cloud server (130) and transmitted to the electronic device (400), thereby enabling onboarding of the electronic device (400) to the user account.

[0135] According to various embodiments, the user's account information may be obtained by the user entering the account information through a user device (140) or the like, or from another server that has previously entered user account information. This will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0136] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (400) may obtain an onboarding procedure initiation command and / or onboarding information via connected communication from a cloud server (140) (604).

[0137] At this time, the onboarding information may include pre-registered information by the manufacturer and user account information. That is, the onboarding information may include AP information, information about multiple electronic devices (400), location information about the multiple electronic devices (400), and information about the user account to which the multiple electronic devices (400) will be onboarded.

[0138] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (400) can perform an onboarding process to the cloud network (130) based on the acquired onboarding information (605).

[0139] That is, since the electronic device (400) can obtain all information for onboarding from the cloud network (130), the user can perform onboarding on its own without having to manually perform the onboarding process through a user device (140), etc.

[0140] In addition, since information about multiple electronic devices (400) is packaged and the above-described onboarding procedure is performed, multiple electronic devices (400) located in a single location can be onboarded to a user account in bulk without having to perform the onboarding procedure individually for each of the multiple electronic devices (400).

[0141] Hereinafter, a method for registering pre-information for performing self-onboarding to a cloud network (130) (i.e., step 601 of FIG. 6) will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0142] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the order in which an electronic device (400) according to one embodiment registers pre-information with a cloud server (130) to perform self-onboarding.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the cloud server (130) can generate an identifier corresponding to the location where the electronic device (400) is located, i.e., each generation (701).

[0144] For example, there may be multiple electronic devices (400) installed as built-in devices in each household before moving in, and in this case, the cloud server (130) may generate an identifier corresponding to each household. Each household may be distinguished by its building / unit number.

[0145] After generating an identifier for each generation, the cloud server (130) can package preset AP information corresponding to each generation and electronic device information about the electronic device (400) for each generation to correspond to the generated identifier (702).

[0146] Apartment construction companies can install network infrastructure within their buildings during the construction phase. For example, each unit can be equipped with an Internet port capable of connecting to this infrastructure. Furthermore, various electronic devices can be built into each unit before occupancy, allowing for the acquisition of preset AP information and information on the electronic devices (400) installed in each unit even before residents move in.

[0147] At this time, the AP information may include at least one of the network SSID, security settings (e.g., WPA2, WPA3, etc.) and authentication method (e.g., WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise, etc.), password or authentication information required to connect to the Wi-Fi network, or IP address.

[0148] Additionally, the electronic device information may include at least one of the type and model information of the electronic device (400), security settings, communication protocol (e.g., MQTT, HTTP, etc.), or data format and specification.

[0149] There may be multiple electronic devices (400) installed in each generation. Accordingly, electronic device information for each electronic device (400) may be packaged into a location identifier.

[0150] In other words, in order for an electronic device (400) according to one embodiment to perform self-onboarding, the pre-information may include AP information preset to correspond to each generation identifier and packaging data in which electronic device information for at least one electronic device (400) is packaged.

[0151] According to one embodiment, the cloud network (130) can store the generated packaging data (703).

[0152] At this time, since the electronic device (400) does not know the user account information, it cannot perform onboarding to the user account. However, it can establish a communication connection with the cloud network (130) even without knowing the user account information. In other words, even when the actual occupants have not been determined, the electronic devices (400) installed in each household can establish a communication connection with the cloud network (130).

[0153] The electronic device (400) can receive information for communication connection with a cloud network (130) (hereinafter referred to as “communication connection information”) through a communication connection auxiliary device, and perform a communication connection with the cloud network (130) based on the communication connection information.

[0154] According to one embodiment, the communication connection auxiliary device includes a device other than the electronic device (400) that is to perform onboarding, which stores communication connection information, or a device capable of obtaining communication connection information from a cloud network (130). For example, it may include an administrator device (AD) that manages IoT devices, or a tunnel device (TD), which is another electronic device (400) that has already performed a communication connection with the cloud network (130).

[0155] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 below, a method for an electronic device (400) to perform a communication connection with a cloud network (130) according to various embodiments will be described.

[0156] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device (400) performs a communication connection with a cloud network (130), according to one embodiment.

[0157] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (400) can obtain communication connection information for communication connection through an administrator device (AD) and perform a communication connection with a cloud network (130).

[0158] The administrator device (AD) can perform a communication connection with the electronic device (400) (801).

[0159] At this time, the administrator device (AD) may have information for performing a communication connection with the electronic device (400) by default, including electronic device information (e.g., unique identifier, manufacturer and model information, etc.), communication protocol and communication standard information (e.g., information on protocols such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, etc.), or electronic device authentication information. Accordingly, the administrator device (AD) can smoothly communicate with the electronic device (400) to monitor and control its status.

[0160] The administrator device (AD) can transmit communication connection information for communication connection with the cloud network (130) to the electronic device (400) connected to the communication (802).

[0161] The communication connection information may include at least one of information about a communication protocol and communication standard (e.g., HTTP, MQTT, CoAP) used for communication between the electronic device (400) and the cloud network (130), security authentication information (e.g., SSL certificate, token, API key), network authentication information, or update information.

[0162] Accordingly, the electronic device (400) can obtain communication connection information for communication connection with the cloud network (130) (803).

[0163] The electronic device (400) can request a communication connection to the cloud network (130) based on the acquired communication connection information (804).

[0164] The cloud network (130) that has received a request for a communication connection can check the communication connection information transmitted by the electronic device (400) to the cloud network (130) and complete the communication connection with the electronic device (400) (805).

[0165] At this time, the connected communication may be one of Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, low-power Bluetooth communication, and / or Zigbee communication.

[0166] That is, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (400) can obtain communication connection information with the cloud network (130) from the administrator device (AD) through a D2D (Device-to-Device) method.

[0167] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device (400) performs a communication connection with a cloud network (130) according to another embodiment.

[0168] According to another embodiment, the electronic device (400) can obtain communication connection information for communication connection through a tunnel device (TD) and perform a communication connection with a cloud network (130).

[0169] At this time, the tunnel device (TD) may be one of the electronic devices (400) (e.g., leaf device (110), hub device (120), or user device (140)) that has already established a communication connection with the cloud network (130).

[0170] According to another embodiment, the electronic device (400) can activate a communication connection readiness state (901).

[0171] For example, the electronic device (400) can initiate BLE advertising.

[0172] At this time, the electronic device (400) can activate the communication connection readiness state based on a user's input or request. Additionally, the electronic device (400) can activate the communication connection readiness state based on a preset trigger (e.g., power being applied) even without a user's input or request.

[0173] The electronic device (400) can periodically send broadcast packets through BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Advertising when the communication connection readiness state is activated.

[0174] The broadcast packet may include a unique identifier (UUID) of the electronic device (400), service information, data, etc. In addition, the broadcast packet may include information regarding a service or profile of the electronic device (400), for example, whether an audio output service is provided or whether a heart rate measurement service is provided.

[0175] Additionally, the broadcast packet may include whether the tunnel device (TD) supports a communication connection information provision service for communication connection with the cloud network (130).

[0176] Additionally, the electronic device (400) may activate a communication connection readiness state, which may include activating a Soft Access Point (SoftAP). Activating a Soft Access Point (SoftAP) may include the electronic device (400) acting as a Wi-Fi access point on its own, without a separate device functioning as a router or access point. In other words, the electronic device (400) may create a Wi-Fi network on its own, and other electronic devices (e.g., a tunnel device (TD)) may be able to connect to the network.

[0177] In another embodiment, the tunnel device (TD) can identify an electronic device (400) in which a communication standby state is activated through scanning (902).

[0178] When an electronic device (400) is identified, the tunnel device (TD) requests a communication connection based on identification information or preset password information of the electronic device (400) (903), and the electronic device (400) that receives the communication connection request can receive and connect communication based on the received identification information or preset password information (904).

[0179] At this time, the connected communication may be one of Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, low-power Bluetooth communication, and / or Zigbee communication.

[0180] According to another embodiment, the tunnel device (TD) may request information for a communication connection to the cloud network (130) through communication with the already formed cloud network (130) (905).

[0181] The cloud network (130) can transmit communication connection information to the tunnel device (TD) via connected communication (906). The tunnel device (TD) can temporarily or permanently store the communication connection information received from the cloud network (130).

[0182] The tunnel device (TD) can transmit the acquired communication connection information to the electronic device (400) via communication connected to the electronic device (400) (907). At this time, the transmitted communication connection information may include at least one of the information stored by the tunnel device (TD) when the tunnel device (TD) and the cloud network (130) were initially connected to each other or the information acquired in steps 905 and 906.

[0183] Accordingly, the electronic device (400) can obtain communication connection information for communication connection with the cloud network (130) (908). The electronic device (400) can temporarily / permanently store the obtained communication connection information.

[0184] According to another embodiment, the electronic device (400) may request a communication connection to the cloud network (130) based on the acquired communication connection information (909), and the cloud network (130) that receives the communication connection request may receive and connect the communication based on the communication connection information (910).

[0185] To onboard an electronic device (400) to a user account, user account information is required. That is, for the electronic device (400) to perform self-onboarding, it must acquire not only dictionary information but also user account information coupled with the dictionary information. Accordingly, the cloud network (130) storing the dictionary information needs to acquire the user account information and generate and store all information (hereinafter referred to as "onboarding information") for performing onboarding, including the dictionary information and the user account information, as a single unit of information.

[0186] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, a method for a cloud network (130) to obtain user account information (i.e., 603 of FIG. 6) according to various embodiments will be described.

[0187] At this time, the user account information may include at least one of a user's unique identifier (e.g., user name or account ID), a security code, access rights, or an encryption key.

[0188] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating two methods for a cloud network (130) to obtain user account information according to one embodiment.

[0189] Referring to FIG. 10, the cloud network (130) can obtain user account information (P1) by having the user directly enter a user account through a user device (140) or the like. Specifically, the user can perform user authentication on the cloud server (130) using an app or web application via the user device (140) and enter user account information.

[0190] Additionally, referring to FIG. 10, the cloud network (130) may also receive user account information (P2b) from an external server (131) where the user has already entered user account information (P2a). In this case, the external server (131) that already stores the user account information is a separate server distinct from the cloud network (130), which is the entity performing the onboarding process. For example, it may be a server operated by the construction company of the apartment complex being occupied.

[0191] The cloud server (130) that has acquired user account information according to the two methods described above can generate and store onboarding information by coupling the user account information to dictionary information that packages AP information and electronic device information that are preset to correspond to each generation identifier as described above in FIG. 7.

[0192] The generated onboarding information can be transmitted to the electronic device (400) through communication connected between the cloud server (130) and the electronic device (400), and the electronic device (400) can perform onboarding to the cloud network (130) based on the received onboarding information even without manual intervention of the user.

[0193] At this time, electronic device information for multiple electronic devices (400) can be packaged and stored in a single generational identifier, and onboarding for multiple electronic devices (400) can be performed in batches. Accordingly, users do not need to perform onboarding procedures individually for multiple electronic devices (400), thereby increasing user convenience.

[0194] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another method for a cloud network (130) to obtain user account information according to one embodiment.

[0195] Referring to FIG. 11, a user can perform an onboarding process through a user device (140) for one of a plurality of electronic devices (400) located in one generation (hereinafter, a smart refrigerator (112) will be described as an example) (P3a, P3b).

[0196] During the onboarding process, the user device (140) can transmit user account information input by the user and electronic device information about the smart refrigerator (112) performing the onboarding process to the cloud network (130).

[0197] According to various embodiments, a smart refrigerator (112) that has received user account information and electronic device information through interaction with a user device (140) may transmit user account information to a cloud network (130) through connected communication.

[0198] The cloud network (130) can search for pre-information including packaging data to which the smart refrigerator (112) belongs based on the received electronic device information.

[0199] The cloud network (130) can generate onboarding information by coupling the received user account information with the dictionary information based on finding the dictionary information including the packaging data to which the smart refrigerator (112) belongs. Accordingly, an onboarding initiation command and onboarding information can be transmitted to other electronic devices (400) (e.g., an air conditioner (113), a washing machine (114), etc.) other than the smart refrigerator (112) included in the onboarding information.

[0200] Another electronic device (400) that has received an onboarding initiation command and onboarding information from the cloud network (130) can perform its own onboarding process based on the onboarding information even without a manual process by the user.

[0201] According to the above-described method, the onboarding process of the electronic device (400) can be performed without user intervention, thereby improving the user experience by reconsidering the user's convenience.

[0202] A self-onboarding system of an electronic device (400) according to one embodiment comprises: a cloud network (130) storing preliminary information for performing onboarding; a communication connection auxiliary device storing communication connection information for performing a communication connection with the cloud network (130); And an electronic device (400) including a communication unit (410) for connecting communication with the cloud network (130) and the communication connection auxiliary device, and a processor (440) electrically connected to the communication unit (410); wherein the electronic device (400) performs a communication connection with the cloud network (130) based on communication connection information received from the communication connection auxiliary device, and the cloud network (130) generates onboarding information in response to obtaining user account information, and the electronic device (400) receives an onboarding initiation command and the onboarding information from the cloud network (130) through the communication, and performs onboarding to the cloud network (130) based on the onboarding information.

[0203] The above-mentioned dictionary information may include location information of the electronic device (400), electronic device information of each electronic device, and preset Wi-Fi AP information.

[0204] The above electronic device information may include at least one of the type and model information, security settings, communication protocol, or data format and specification of each electronic device (400).

[0205] The above cloud network (130) can generate an identifier for each generation based on the location information of the electronic device (400).

[0206] The above cloud network (130) can package and store preset Wi-Fi AP information and electronic device information corresponding to each generation so that they correspond to the generated identifier.

[0207] The above communication connection auxiliary device includes an administrator device (AD) for managing the electronic device (400), and the administrator device (AD) can store electronic device (400) information including a unique identifier, manufacturer, model information, etc. for each electronic device (400), communication protocol and communication standard information, or authentication information by default.

[0208] The above communication connection auxiliary device is a tunnel device (TD) that has already performed a communication connection with the cloud network (130), and the tunnel device (TD) stores communication connection information for performing a communication connection with the cloud network (130) or can request the communication connection information from the cloud network (130).

[0209] The above communication connection information may include at least one of information on a communication protocol and communication standard used for communication between the electronic device (400) and the cloud network (130), security authentication information, network authentication information, or update information.

[0210] The communication connected between the above cloud network (130) and the electronic device (400) may be one of Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, low-power Bluetooth communication, and / or Zigbee communication.

[0211] The cloud network (130) can obtain user account information from a user device (140) or an external server (131) and couple the user account information with the dictionary information to generate the onboarding information.

[0212] The cloud network (130) performs an onboarding process between the electronic device (400) and another electronic device (400) through the user device (140), and in performing the onboarding process, searches for dictionary information including electronic device information of the other electronic device (400) based on the acquired electronic device information and user account information of the other electronic device (400), and couples the searched dictionary information and the user account information to generate the onboarding information.

[0213] In a method for onboarding an electronic device (400) to a cloud network (130) according to one embodiment, the cloud network (130) stores in advance the advance information required for the electronic device (400) to perform onboarding,

[0214] The electronic device (400) may obtain communication connection information for communication connection with the cloud network (130) through communication with a communication connection auxiliary device, perform communication connection with the cloud network (130), and the cloud network (130) may generate onboarding information based on the user account information obtained, and the electronic device (400) may obtain an onboarding initiation command and the onboarding information through the communication, and perform onboarding to the cloud network (130) based on the onboarding information.

[0215] The above-mentioned dictionary information may include location information of the electronic device (400), electronic device information of each electronic device (400), and preset Wi-Fi AP information.

[0216] The above electronic device information may include at least one of the type and model information, security settings, communication protocol, or data format and specification of each electronic device (400).

[0217] Pre-storing the advance information required for the electronic device (400) to perform onboarding may further include generating an identifier for each generation based on location information where the electronic device (400) is located.

[0218] Pre-storing the advance information required for the above electronic device (400) to perform onboarding may further include packaging and storing the preset Wi-Fi AP information corresponding to each generation and the electronic device information so as to correspond to the generated identifier.

[0219] The above communication connection auxiliary device includes an administrator device (AD) that stores electronic device (400) information, communication protocol and communication standard information or authentication information, including a unique identifier, manufacturer, model information, etc. for each electronic device (400) to manage the electronic device (400) by default, and obtaining communication connection information for communication connection with the cloud network (130) through communication with the communication connection auxiliary device may include the electronic device (400) obtaining the communication connection information through a communication connection with the administrator device (AD).

[0220] The above communication connection auxiliary device may already perform a communication connection with the cloud network (130) and store communication connection information for performing a communication connection with the cloud network (130), or may include a tunnel device (TD) that can request the communication connection information from the cloud network (130), and obtaining communication connection information for a communication connection with the cloud network (130) through communication with the communication connection auxiliary device may include the electronic device (400) obtaining the communication connection information through a communication connection with the tunnel device (TD).

[0221] The cloud network (130) obtaining the user account information and generating the onboarding information may include obtaining the user account information from a user device (140) or an external server (131) and coupling the user account information with the dictionary information to generate the onboarding information.

[0222] The cloud network (130) obtaining the user account information and generating the onboarding information may include the cloud server obtaining electronic device (400) information and the user account information of another electronic device (400) that has performed an onboarding process with the cloud network (130) through the user device, searching for dictionary information including electronic device (400) information of the other electronic device (400), and coupling the searched dictionary information and the user account information to generate the onboarding information.

[0223] The technical problems to be achieved in the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0224] The disclosed embodiments have been described with reference to the attached drawings as described above. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be implemented in forms other than the disclosed embodiments without altering the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and should not be construed as limiting.

[0225] Meanwhile, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in the form of a recording medium storing computer-executable instructions. The instructions may be stored in the form of program code, and when executed by a processor, may generate program modules to perform the operations of the disclosed embodiments. The recording medium may be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium.

[0226] Computer-readable storage media include all types of storage media that store instructions that can be deciphered by a computer. Examples include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic tape, magnetic disks, flash memory, and optical data storage devices.

[0227] Additionally, a computer-readable recording medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the term "non-transitory storage medium" simply means a tangible device that does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves). This term does not distinguish between cases where data is permanently stored in the storage medium and cases where data is temporarily stored. For example, a "non-transitory storage medium" may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

[0228] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable recording medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable app) may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated on a machine-readable recording medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

Claims

1. A cloud network that stores preliminary information for performing onboarding; A communication connection auxiliary device that stores communication connection information for performing a communication connection with the above cloud network; and An electronic device including a communication unit for connecting communication with the cloud network and the communication connection auxiliary device and a processor electrically connected to the communication unit; The electronic device performs a communication connection with the cloud network based on the communication connection information received from the communication connection auxiliary device, The above cloud network generates onboarding information in response to obtaining user account information, The electronic device is a self-onboarding system that receives an onboarding initiation command and the onboarding information from the cloud network through the communication, and performs onboarding to the cloud network based on the onboarding information.

2. In paragraph 1, The above prior information is, An electronic device self-onboarding system including location information of the electronic device, electronic device information of each electronic device, and preset Wi-Fi AP information.

3. In paragraph 2, The above electronic device information is, An electronic device self-onboarding system comprising at least one of the type and model information, security settings, communication protocols, or data formats and specifications of each of the above electronic devices.

4. In paragraph 2, The above cloud network, An electronic device self-onboarding system that generates a generation-specific identifier based on location information of the electronic device.

5. In paragraph 4, The above cloud network, An electronic device self-onboarding system that packages and stores preset Wi-Fi AP information corresponding to each generation and electronic device information so that they correspond to the generated identifier.

6. In paragraph 1, The above communication connection auxiliary device is, Including an Administrator Device for managing the above electronic device, The above administrator device, An electronic device self-onboarding system that stores electronic device information, including unique identifiers, manufacturer, model information, communication protocol and communication standard information, or authentication information for each of the electronic devices by default.

7. In paragraph 1, The above communication connection auxiliary device is, As a tunnel device that has already performed communication connection with the above cloud network, The above tunnel device, A self-onboarding system for an electronic device that stores communication connection information for performing a communication connection with the cloud network or requests the communication connection information from the cloud network.

8. In paragraph 1, The above communication connection information is, An electronic device self-onboarding system comprising at least one of information about a communication protocol and communication standard used for communication between the electronic device and the cloud network, security authentication information, network authentication information, or update information.

9. In paragraph 1, The communication connected between the above cloud network and the above electronic device is, Self-Onboarding system for electronic devices that utilize one of Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, low-power Bluetooth communication, and / or Zigbee communication.

10. In paragraph 1, The above cloud network, An electronic device self-onboarding system that obtains user account information from a user device or another server and couples the user account information with the dictionary information to generate the onboarding information.

11. In paragraph 1, The above cloud network, Performing an onboarding process with the electronic device and other electronic devices through the user device; In performing the above onboarding process, based on the electronic device information and user account information of the other electronic device obtained, pre-information including the electronic device information of the other electronic device is searched, An electronic device self-onboarding system that generates the onboarding information by coupling the above-mentioned searched dictionary information and the above-mentioned user account information.

12. A method for onboarding an electronic device to a cloud network on its own, The above cloud network stores in advance the prior information required for the electronic device to perform onboarding, The electronic device obtains communication connection information for communication connection with the cloud network through communication with a communication connection auxiliary device, and performs communication connection with the cloud network. The above cloud network generates onboarding information based on the user account information obtained, A method for onboarding an electronic device to a cloud network on its own, comprising: obtaining an onboarding initiation command and the onboarding information through the communication, and performing onboarding to the cloud network based on the onboarding information.

13. In paragraph 12, The above prior information is, A method for onboarding an electronic device to a cloud network on its own, the method comprising: location information of the electronic device; electronic device information of each of the electronic devices; and preset Wi-Fi AP information.

14. In paragraph 13, The above electronic device information is, A method for onboarding an electronic device to a cloud network on its own, the electronic device including at least one of type and model information, security settings, communication protocols or data formats and specifications of each of the electronic devices.

15. In paragraph 12, The above electronic device stores in advance the information required to perform onboarding. A method of onboarding an electronic device to a cloud network, further comprising generating a generation-specific identifier based on location information of the electronic device.

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