Program, terminal device control method, and terminal device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a program, a terminal device control method, and a terminal device communication system with which it is possible to reduce time and effort required for communication connection between a plurality of wireless communication devices and a wireless router.　A program according to the present disclosure causes the processor of a terminal device to: acquire a list indicating identification information that relates to each of a plurality of wireless communication devices connected to a plurality of air conditioning devices, and that is for identifying the wireless communication device; receive input of connection information for connecting to the wireless router; and transmit, for each of the identification information indicated in the list, a communication connection indication including the received connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to the identification information.

Description

PROGRAM, TERMINAL DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, AND TERMINAL DEVICE

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a program, a control method for a terminal device, and a terminal device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for connecting a communication adapter to an air conditioner and remotely controlling the air conditioner.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-085599

[0004] The present disclosure provides a program, a terminal device control method, and a terminal device that can reduce the effort required for establishing communication connections between multiple wireless communication devices and a wireless router.

[0005] The program in the present disclosure causes a processor of a terminal device to obtain a list indicating identification information that identifies each of multiple wireless communication devices connected to multiple air conditioning devices, accept input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and, for each of the identification information indicated in the list, send a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to the identification information.

[0006] In addition, the control method for a terminal device disclosed herein obtains, for each of a plurality of wireless communication devices connected to a plurality of air conditioning devices, a list showing identification information that identifies the wireless communication device, accepts input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and, for each of the identification information shown in the list, sends a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to the identification information.

[0007] In addition, the terminal device of the present disclosure is equipped with a control unit that, for each of a plurality of wireless communication devices connected to a plurality of air conditioning devices, obtains a list showing identification information that identifies the wireless communication device, accepts input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and, for each of the identification information shown in the list, sends a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to the identification information.

[0008] The program, terminal device control method, and terminal device disclosed herein can transmit a communication connection instruction including connection information to each wireless communication device using a list indicating the identification information of each wireless communication device, eliminating the need to configure each wireless communication device one by one to communicate with the wireless router, thereby reducing the effort required to connect multiple wireless communication devices to the wireless router.

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication system in embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device and a wireless communication device in embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for inputting location information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a list created by a creation unit in embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen for notifying location information of a wireless communication device that has failed in communication connection. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a wireless router and a server device in embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of a terminal device in embodiment 1.

[0010] (Knowledge, etc., that Forms the Basis of the Present Disclosure) At the time the inventors conceived the present disclosure, there was a technology, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, in which a wireless communication device is connected to an air conditioning device and the air conditioning device is remotely controlled. Known techniques for connecting a wireless communication device to a wireless router include, for example, Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). However, when multiple wireless communication devices are installed, they may be scattered throughout a facility, such as an office building. The inventors discovered a problem in this case: connecting each wireless communication device to the wireless router requires configuring each device one by one in order, which is time-consuming. The present disclosure provides a program, a terminal device control method, and a terminal device communication system that can reduce the time required to connect multiple wireless communication devices to a wireless router.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) [1-1. Configuration] [1-1-1. Configuration of communication system] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication system 1000. The communication system 1000 is a system in which an air conditioning system 1 and a server device 2 communicate via a network NW. The network NW includes the Internet, a telephone network, and other communication networks. The server device 2 is an example of a "server."

[0013] The communication system 1000 includes an air conditioning system 1. The air conditioning system 1 is a system that conditions the air conditioning space within the facility H. In this embodiment, the communication system 1000 includes one air conditioning system 1, but the communication system 1000 may include multiple air conditioning systems 1.

[0014] The air conditioning system 1 includes an air conditioning apparatus 3. The air conditioning apparatus 3 includes an indoor unit 4 and an outdoor unit 5. The indoor unit 4 and the outdoor unit 5 are connected by refrigerant piping and control wiring, thereby forming a refrigeration cycle in the air conditioning apparatus 3. Note that, although FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which the air conditioning apparatus 3 includes one indoor unit 4 and one outdoor unit 5, the number of indoor units 4 and the number of outdoor units 5 included in the air conditioning apparatus 3 are not limited to one each. There may be one outdoor unit 5 and multiple indoor units 4, or there may be multiple outdoor units 5 and multiple indoor units 4. Furthermore, although the indoor unit 4 in this embodiment is illustrated as a four-way ceiling cassette type indoor unit, the indoor unit 4 may be of other types, such as a two-way ceiling cassette type, a ceiling-suspended type, or a wall-mounted type.

[0015] The air conditioning system 1 includes a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as "remote control") 6. The remote control 6 is installed on a wall or other surface of the space to be air-conditioned by the indoor unit 4. The remote control 6 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons for starting and stopping operation, operating menus, and operating cursor keys. The remote control 6 is also provided with a display configured with a liquid crystal display or LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), an LED light for displaying the operating status of the indoor unit 4, and the like. The remote control 6 is connected to the indoor unit 4 by a remote control wiring RL, and receives power from and communicates with the indoor unit 4 via the remote control wiring RL.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the air conditioning system 1 is equipped with one indoor unit 4, and therefore the air conditioning system 1 is equipped with one remote control 6, but if the air conditioning system 1 is equipped with multiple indoor units 4, the number of remote controls 6 is not limited to the number corresponding to the number of indoor units 4. In other words, the number of remote controls 6 equipped in an air conditioning system 1 having multiple indoor units 4 may be one or more.

[0017] The air conditioning system 1 includes a wireless communication device 7. The wireless communication device 7 is a device that establishes a wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Network) within the facility H and wirelessly communicates with devices connected to the wireless local area network. The wireless communication device 7 is connected to the indoor unit 4 via a remote control wiring RL and operates by receiving power from the indoor unit 4 via the remote control wiring RL. The wireless communication device 7 also communicates with the indoor unit 4 via the remote control wiring RL. Note that the wireless communication device 7 is not a device that is connected to or built into the indoor unit 4 at the time of shipping the indoor unit 4, but rather a device that is retrofitted to the indoor unit 4 after the indoor unit 4 is installed in the facility H. When the wireless communication device 7 is retrofitted to the indoor unit 4, the breaker for the facility H is turned off and no power is supplied to the wireless communication device 7. However, the wireless communication device 7 is not limited to being retrofitted to the indoor unit 4. The wireless communication device 7 may be installed at the same time that the air conditioning apparatus 3 including the indoor unit 4 is installed in the facility H. The wireless communication device 7 may be configured to be pre-connected to the indoor unit 4 at the time of shipment or may be built-in.

[0018] When the wireless communication device 7 has established a communication connection with the wireless router 8 and the wireless router 8 is connected to the wireless local network, the wireless communication device 7 communicates with the server device 2 via the wireless router 8. The wireless router 8 is an interface device that connects the wireless communication device 7 to the network NW, and is installed in the facility H. The wireless communication device 7 collects information requested by the server device 2 from each component of the air conditioning system 1 as the upload target. The wireless communication device 7 then transmits the collected information to the server device 2.

[0019] Returning to the explanation of the communication system 1000, the communication system 1000 includes a server device 2. The server device 2 is a device that processes information using the wireless communication device 7 as a client. The server device 2 is connected to a network NW and communicates with the wireless communication device 7. Note that in each drawing, the server device 2 is represented by a single block, but this does not necessarily mean that the server device 2 is composed of a single device.

[0020] The communication system 1000 includes a terminal device 9. The terminal device 9 is a PC (Personal Computer) such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. An application program related to the communication system 1000 is installed on the terminal device 9, and the terminal device 9 communicates with the wireless router 8 and the wireless communication device 7 using the functions of this application program. In the following description, this application program is referred to as a "terminal APP" and is appropriately represented as a "terminal APP 921" with the reference numeral "921" attached. The terminal APP 921 is an example of a "program."

[0021] 2 is a diagram showing the configurations of the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 in embodiment 1. The terminal device 9 is connected to a terminal control device 90, and an imaging device 91, a first communication device 92, a second communication device 93, and a touch panel 94 that are provided in the terminal device 9. The terminal control device 90 is an example of a "control unit."

[0022] The terminal control device 90 includes a terminal processor 900 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a terminal memory 920, and an interface circuit to which other devices and sensors are connected. The terminal processor 900 is an example of a "processor."

[0023] The terminal memory 920 is a memory that stores programs and data. The terminal memory 920 stores the terminal APP 921 and other data to be processed by the terminal processor 900. The terminal memory 920 has a non-volatile storage area. The terminal memory 920 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for the terminal processor 900. The terminal memory 920 is composed of, for example, ROM and RAM. The terminal device 9 is, for example, a general-purpose mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, but may also be a dedicated terminal for the communication system 1000.

[0024] The image capturing device 91 is a so-called camera equipped with an image sensor and a lens. The image capturing device 91 functions as a reading unit that reads device identification information 712 (described later) from a code such as a two-dimensional code or a one-dimensional code. The device identification information 712 is an example of "identification information."

[0025] The first communication device 92 is a communication device having a transmitter and a receiver, and performs short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and communicates with the third communication device 72 of each wireless communication device 7 under the control of the terminal processor 900.

[0026] The second communication device 93 is a communication device having a transmitter and a receiver, performs short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and communicates with the router communication device 81 of the wireless router 8 under the control of the terminal processor 900.

[0027] The touch panel 94 is a notification means for displaying a screen.

[0028] The terminal processor 900 functions as a first communication control unit 901, a second communication control unit 902, a display control unit 903, an acquisition unit 904, a location reception unit 905, a creation unit 906, a setting unit 907, a reception unit 908, a communication connection unit 909, and a notification unit 910 by reading and executing the terminal APP 921 stored in the terminal memory 920.

[0029] The first communication control unit 901 communicates with the wireless communication device 7 via the first communication device 92. The first communication control unit 901 is an example of a "transmitting unit."

[0030] The second communication control unit 902 communicates with a device connected to the wireless local network, that is, the wireless router 8, via the second communication device 93.

[0031] The display control unit 903 uses the touch panel 94 to generate and display various screens.

[0032] The acquiring unit 904 acquires the device identification information 712 from the code photographed by the photographing device 91. Specifically, the acquiring unit 904 acquires the device identification information 712 by having the photographing device 91 photograph the code attached to the wireless communication device 7. In this embodiment, as the code attached to the wireless communication device 7, a sticker on which a QR (registered trademark) code from which the device identification information 712 can be read is printed is affixed to the corresponding wireless communication device 7.

[0033] The device identification information 712 includes the serial number of each indoor unit 4. However, the information is not limited to this and may be any unique information that can uniquely identify the wireless communication device 7 connected to each indoor unit 4. The device identification information 712 also includes a MAC address (Media Access Control), which is a unique physical address. The device identification information 712 may also include other information, such as an encryption method or a product name.

[0034] The location receiving unit 905 receives input of location information via a screen displayed by the display control unit 903 for inputting location information for each wireless communication device 7. The location information is information indicating the location where the wireless communication device 7 is installed. The location information is the name of the location where the wireless communication device 7 is installed.

[0035] The location names can be changed as appropriate as long as the user can recognize the location of each wireless communication device 7. The location names are, for example, the names of the rooms if each location has a name, such as a large conference room, a small conference room, a reception room, etc. Furthermore, the location names are, for example, the indoor unit numbers if the numbers of each indoor unit 4 correspond to the names of each location.

[0036] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen G1 for inputting location information. The screen G1 displays, for each piece of acquired device identification information 712, serial number information J1 and MAC address information J2 included in the acquired device identification information 712. The screen G1 displays, as the serial number information J1, a character string indicating a serial number. The screen G1 displays, as the MAC address information J2, a character string indicating a MAC address.

[0037] Screen G1 displays the entered location input information J3 for each piece of acquired device identification information 712. Fig. 3 illustrates screen G1 in which the character strings "office" and "conference room A" have already been entered as location input information J3 for two pieces of device identification information 712. Screen G1 displays a location input field C1 for entering location information if no information has been entered.

[0038] The screen G1 displays a completion button C2 that functions as a trigger for creating a list by the creation unit 906. The completion button C2 is a software button that has the character string "Reading Completed."

[0039] The Complete button C2 cannot be pressed or does not respond even if pressed until location information is entered for the acquired device identification information 712. In other words, the Complete button C2 is not enabled if there is unentered location information. This prevents the user from forgetting to enter location information in the location input field C1.

[0040] Screen G1 further displays a read button C3 for starting code reading by the photographing device 91. The read button C3 is a software button having the character string "Read next code." When the read button C3 is pressed, the photographing device 91 transitions to a screen for reading the code.

[0041] The creation unit 906 creates a list by grouping the device identification information 712 and the location information in response to a predetermined trigger, and acquires the list. The predetermined trigger is, for example, pressing a software button that is displayed on the touch panel 94 and instructs the start of list creation. In this embodiment, pressing the complete button C2 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the predetermined trigger.

[0042] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a list Li created by the creation unit 906. The list Li shows device identification information 712 and location information LOC. The device identification information 712 in the list Li is arranged in order from top to bottom, namely, first, second, and third. The device identification information 712 includes the serial number of each indoor unit 4 and the MAC address of each wireless communication device 7. The input location information LOC is linked to each device identification information 712 and shown in the list Li. The created list Li is stored in the terminal memory 920 as data to be processed by the terminal processor 900.

[0043] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2, when the creation unit 906 creates a list, the setting unit 907 sets the list and one setting account, and stores the setting account in association with the list in the management data 212 of the server device 2 described later.

[0044] The reception unit 908 receives input of connection information 812 for establishing a communication connection with the wireless router 8. Specifically, the reception unit 908 receives input of the connection information 812 input via the touch panel 94 on a screen for performing router settings that is generated and displayed by the display control unit 903. The connection information 812 is the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​and password of the wireless router 8.

[0045] The communication connection unit 909 performs the communication connection operation described below in response to a predetermined trigger, such as pressing a software button displayed on the touch panel 94 to instruct the start of the communication connection operation.

[0046] The communication connection unit 909 establishes a communication connection between each wireless communication device 7 and the router communication device 81 by communicating with the wireless communication device 7 using the first communication control unit 901 based on the list created by the creation unit 906 and the input connection information 812.

[0047] Specifically, the communication connection unit 909 causes the first communication control unit 901 to establish a communication connection with each wireless communication device 7 corresponding to each piece of device identification information 712 shown in the list in turn, to transmit a communication connection instruction including the connection information 812, and after the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 is established, to disconnect the communication connection with the wireless communication device 7. The communication connection instruction is a signal that instructs the communication connection with the wireless router 8 using the connection information 812.

[0048] The communication connection unit 909 repeats the establishment and disconnection of communication connections with the wireless communication devices 7 by the first communication control unit 901 until communication connections are established with all of the wireless communication devices 7 corresponding to the device identification information 712 shown in the list.

[0049] If the first communication control unit 901 is unable to establish a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7, if a connection failure signal described later is received from the wireless communication device 7, or if a server connection failure signal described later is received from the wireless communication device 7, the notification unit 910 notifies the corresponding wireless communication device 7, i.e., the device identification information 712 and location information of the wireless communication device 7 with which the communication connection has failed.

[0050] A case in which the first communication control unit 901 cannot establish a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 refers to a case in which the first communication control unit 901 does not establish a communication connection within a predetermined period in the above-described communication connection operation. An example of a case in which the first communication control unit 901 cannot establish a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 is when the first communication control unit 901 of the terminal device 9 and the third communication control unit 701 of the wireless communication device 7 communicate via short-range wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark) and the distance between the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 is large and a communication connection cannot be established.

[0051] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen G2 that notifies the user of location information LOC of a wireless communication device 7 that has failed to establish a communication connection. The notification screen G2 displays serial number information J1 and MAC address information J2 based on a list, location information LOC, failure information J4, and success information J5. The notification screen G2 displays the serial number information J1, MAC address information J2, and location information LOC in this order from left to right, with the failure information J4 or success information J5 displayed to the left of the serial number information J1.

[0052] The notification unit 910 notifies the user by causing the display control unit 903 to display failure information J4 indicating a wireless communication device 7 that has failed to establish a communication connection, and the notification unit 910 notifies the user by causing the display control unit 903 to display success information J5 indicating a wireless communication device 7 that has established a communication connection.

[0053] The failure information J4 is a string of characters "x" juxtaposed to a string of characters indicating the device identification information 712 and location information of the wireless communication device 7 for which the communication connection failed. The success information J5 is a string of characters "OK" juxtaposed to a string of characters indicating the device identification information 712 and location information of the wireless communication device 7 for which the communication connection failed. For example, if the failure information J4 is displayed for all wireless communication devices 7 shown in the list, the user may recognize that there is a high possibility that there was an error in the connection information 812.

[0054] The failure information J4 in this embodiment does not distinguish between failures to establish communication between the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7, between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8, and between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2, but is not limited to this. The failure information J4 may be a different character string or a corresponding error code for each of the three cases: when the first communication control unit 901 cannot establish a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7, when a connection failure signal (described later) is received from the wireless communication device 7, or when a server connection failure signal (described later) is received from the wireless communication device 7.

[0055] Furthermore, the notification unit 910 notifies that the establishment of the communication connection has been completed when the notification unit 910 has established the communication connection with all of the wireless communication devices 7 shown in the list and has received a registration signal from the server device 2. Specifically, although not shown in the figure, the notification unit 910 causes the display control unit 903 to display a screen notifying that the establishment of the communication connection has been completed.

[0056] 2 shows one wireless communication device 7 among the wireless communication devices 7 included in the communication system 1000. The wireless communication device 7 includes a control device 70, an interface 71, a third communication device 72, and a fourth communication device 73 included in the wireless communication device 7. The control device 70 includes a processor 700 such as a CPU or an MPU, a memory 710, and an interface circuit to which other devices and sensors are connected.

[0057] The memory 710 is a memory that stores programs and data. The memory 710 stores a program 711, device identification information 712, and data to be processed by the processor 700. The memory 710 has a non-volatile storage area. The memory 710 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for the processor 700. The memory 710 is constituted by, for example, a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM).

[0058] The interface 71 includes an interface circuit that communicates and receives power via the remote control wiring RL, and a power supply circuit that supplies power supplied from the indoor unit 4 to each part of the wireless communication device 7. The interface communicates with the indoor unit 4 and supplies power to each part of the wireless communication device 7 under the control of the control device 70.

[0059] The third communication device 72 is a communication device having a transmitter and a receiver, and performs short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and communicates with the first communication device 92 of the terminal device 9 under the control of the processor 700.

[0060] The fourth communication device 73 is a communication device having a transmitter and a receiver, performs short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and communicates with the router communication device 81 of the wireless router 8 under the control of the processor 700.

[0061] The processor 700 functions as a third communication control unit 701, a fourth communication control unit 702, and a control unit 703 by reading and executing a program 711 from the memory 710.

[0062] The third communication control unit 701 communicates with the terminal device 9 via the third communication device 72. When the wireless communication device 7 receives power supply, the third communication control unit 701 waits so that it can establish a communication connection with the terminal device 9.

[0063] The fourth communication control unit 702 communicates with a device connected to the wireless local network, that is, the wireless router 8, via the fourth communication device 73.

[0064] The control unit 703 communicates with the indoor unit 4 via the interface 71 .

[0065] The control unit 703 compares the device identification information 712 sent by the first communication control unit 901 from the terminal device 9 with the device identification information 712 of the wireless communication device 7, and if they match, authenticates them to establish a wireless communication connection.

[0066] When the control unit 703 receives a communication connection instruction including the connection information 812 from the terminal device 9 via the third communication control unit 701, it causes the fourth communication control unit 702 to transmit an authentication instruction including the connection information 812 to the wireless router 8. The authentication instruction is a signal that instructs communication connection with the wireless router 8 by verifying and authenticating the connection information 812.

[0067] After transmitting the authentication instruction, if the control unit 703 establishes a communication connection with the wireless router 8 via the fourth communication control unit 702, the control unit 703 transmits a connection success signal via the third communication control unit 701. If the control unit 703 cannot establish a communication connection with the wireless router 8 via the fourth communication control unit 702 within a predetermined period of time, the control unit 703 transmits a connection failure signal to the terminal device 9 via the third communication control unit 701. This corresponds to a case where the establishment of a communication connection between the wireless router 8 and the wireless communication device 7 has failed. Such a case may occur, for example, when there is an error in the connection information 812 or when the wireless router 8 and the wireless communication device 7 are far apart.

[0068] After establishing a communication connection with the wireless router 8 by the fourth communication control unit 702, the control unit 703, when establishing a communication connection with the server device 2, transmits a server connection success signal to the terminal device 9 by the third communication control unit 701. If the control unit 703 cannot establish a communication connection with the server device 2 within a predetermined period after establishing a communication connection with the wireless router 8 by the fourth communication control unit 702, the control unit 703 transmits a server connection failure signal to the terminal device 9 by the third communication control unit 701. In such cases, the server device 2 may be stopped or an abnormality may have occurred in the communication path between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2.

[0069] 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the wireless router 8 and the server device 2. The wireless router 8 includes a router control device 80 and a router communication device 81. Specifically, the wireless router 8 is a wireless LAN router or the like.

[0070] The router control device 80 includes a router processor 800 such as a CPU or MPU, a router memory 810, and an interface circuit to which other devices and sensors are connected.

[0071] The router memory 810 is a memory that stores programs and data. The router memory 810 stores a router program 811, connection information 812, and other data to be processed by the terminal processor 900. The router memory 810 has a non-volatile storage area. The router memory 810 may also have a volatile storage area that constitutes a work area for the router memory 810. The terminal memory 920 is composed of, for example, a ROM or a RAM. As described above, the connection information 812 is an SSID and a password.

[0072] The router communication device 81 is a communication device having a transmitter and a receiver, and performs short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and communicates with the server device 2, terminal device 9, and wireless communication device 7 under the control of the router processor 800.

[0073] The router processor 800 functions as a router communication control unit 801 and a router control unit 802 by reading and executing a router program 811 stored in a router memory 810 .

[0074] The router communication control unit 801 communicates with the server device 2 , the terminal device 9 , and the wireless communication device 7 via the router communication device 81 .

[0075] When the router control unit 802 receives an authentication instruction from the wireless communication device 7, it compares the connection information 812 included in the authentication instruction with the connection information 812 of the wireless router 8, and if they match, authenticates the wireless router 8 to establish a communication connection. This establishes a communication connection between the wireless router 8 and the wireless communication device 7. Each time a communication connection with a wireless communication device 7 is established, the router control unit 802 transmits to the server device 2 a signal indicating that a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 has been established, the signal including the device identification information 712 of the wireless communication device 7.

[0076] [1-1-5. Server Device] The server device 2 includes a server control device 20 and a server communication device 21.

[0077] The server control device 20 is a control device that controls each part of the server device 2. The server control device 20 includes a server processor 200, which is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a server memory 210, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors, and controls each part of the server device 2. The server memory 210 is an example of a "memory."

[0078] The server memory 210 is a memory that stores programs and data. The server memory 210 stores a server program 211, management data 212, and data to be processed by the server processor 200. The server memory 210 has a non-volatile storage area. The server memory 210 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for the server processor 200. The server memory 210 is constituted by, for example, a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM).

[0079] The management data 212 includes a list of device identification information 712 linked to each setting account.

[0080] The server communication device 21 includes communication hardware such as a communication circuit, and communicates with the wireless router 8 under the control of the server control device 20 .

[0081] The server processor 200 functions as a server communication control unit 201 and a management unit 202 by reading and executing a server program 211 from a server memory 210 .

[0082] The server communication control unit 201 communicates with the wireless router 8 via the server communication device 21 .

[0083] The management unit 202 generates management data 212, stores the management data 212 in the server memory 210, and changes the management data 212. Furthermore, when the management unit 202 establishes communication connections with the wireless communication devices 7 corresponding to all of the device identification information 712 described in the list linked to one setting account and registers the device identification information 712 in the management data 212, the server communication control unit 201 transmits a registration signal indicating that registration has been completed to the terminal device 9 via the wireless router 8.

[0084] [1-2. Operation] Next, a description will be given of the operation of each unit of the communication system 1000. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal device 9. The flowchart illustrates an example of a control method executed by a terminal APP 921 of a terminal control device 90, which is a computer included in the terminal device 9.

[0085] The acquisition unit 904 acquires the device identification information 712 (step S1). The user reads the code of the wireless communication device 7 with the photographing device 91 included in the terminal device 9, thereby obtaining the device identification information 712.

[0086] Next, the location receiving unit 905 receives input of location information (step S2).

[0087] Next, the creation unit 906 determines whether there is a trigger to start creating the list (step S3). If there is no trigger to start creating the list (step S3: NO), the process proceeds to step S1. In this way, the user repeatedly reads the codes of multiple wireless communication devices 7 and then inputs location information.

[0088] If a trigger to start creating a list has been detected (step S3: YES), the creation unit 906 creates a list based on the device identification information 712 acquired in step S1 and the location information accepted in step S2, and acquires the list (step S4). Next, the acceptance unit 908 accepts input of connection information 812 (step S5). At least the operations of steps S1 to S5 are performed with the breaker of facility H turned off and the wireless communication device 7 not receiving power.

[0089] Next, the communication connection unit 909 determines whether or not there is a trigger to start the communication connection operation (step S8). If there is no trigger to start the communication connection operation (step S8: NO), the determination in step S8 is performed again.

[0090] If there is a trigger to start the communication connection operation (step S8: YES), the communication connection unit 909 establishes a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 corresponding to the Nth device identification information 712 shown in the list (step S9). Note that, in the operation shown in FIG. 6 , when step S9 is executed for the first time, N=1 is set, and a communication connection is established with the first wireless communication device 7 in the list. In this embodiment, the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 establish a communication connection using short-range wireless communication via Bluetooth. In this manner, the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 establish a communication connection using a communication standard different from the Wi-Fi standard implemented by the terminal device 9 and the wireless router 8. Furthermore, before step S9, the user turns on the breaker of facility H, so that the wireless communication device 7 receives power and the third communication control unit 701 is in standby mode so that the wireless communication device 7 can be connected to the terminal device 9. Because the third communication control unit 701 is in standby mode, the user can establish a communication connection between the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 without needing a PIN (Personal Identification Number) code for each wireless communication device 7. Alternatively, the PIN code of each wireless communication device 7 may be stored in advance in the terminal APP 922 of the terminal device 9 .

[0091] Next, the communication connection unit 909 determines whether or not the establishment of the communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 in step S9 has failed (step S10). The wireless communication device 7 in step S9 is the wireless communication device 7 corresponding to the Nth device identification information 712 shown in the list.

[0092] If the establishment of a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 in step S9 has not failed (step S10: YES), the communication connection unit 909 sends a communication connection instruction including connection information 812 to the wireless communication device 7 in step S9 (step S11).

[0093] Next, the communication connection unit 909 determines whether the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 in step S9 has been established (step S12). Specifically, when the communication connection unit 909 receives a connection success signal from the wireless communication device 7 in step S9, it determines that the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 in step S9 has been established, and when the communication connection unit 909 receives a connection failure signal, it determines that the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 in step S9 has not been established.

[0094] If the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 in step S9 is established (step S12: YES), the communication connection unit 909 determines whether the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 in step S9 is established (step S13). Specifically, when the communication connection unit 909 receives a server connection success signal from the wireless communication device 7, it determines that the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 in step S9 is established, and when the communication connection unit 909 receives a server connection failure signal, it determines that the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 in step S9 is not established.

[0095] If a communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 is established in step S9 (step S13: YES), the notification unit 910 determines to display success information J5 together with failure information J4 on the notification screen G2 (see Figure 5) (step S14).

[0096] Furthermore, if the establishment of a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 in step S9 fails (step S10: NO), if the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 in step S9 is not established (step S12: NO), or if the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 in step S9 is not established (step S13: NO), the notification unit 910 decides to display failure information J4 on the notification screen G2 (see Figure 5) (step S15).

[0097] After step S14 or step S15 is completed, the communication connection unit 909 determines whether or not an attempt has been made to establish a communication connection with the wireless communication devices 7 corresponding to all of the device identification information 712 shown in the list (step S16).

[0098] If an attempt has not been made to establish a communication connection with any wireless communication device 7 corresponding to all of the device identification information 712 shown in the list (step S16: NO), the communication connection unit 909 disconnects the communication connection with the Nth wireless communication device 7 in step S9, changes the communication connection to the N+1th wireless communication device 7, which is one greater than N (step S17), and proceeds to step S9. In this way, the communication connection unit 909 transmits communication connection instructions to the wireless communication devices 7 corresponding to the first, second, and then third device identification information 712 shown in the list, in that order.

[0099] If the communication connection unit 909 attempts to establish a communication connection with the wireless communication device 7 corresponding to all of the device identification information 712 shown in the list (step S16: YES), the notification unit 910 determines whether it has decided to display failure information J4 (step S18).

[0100] If it has not been determined that the failure information J4 should be displayed (step S18: NO), the notification unit 910 determines that the establishment of communication connections for all wireless communication devices 7 shown in the list has been completed, and notifies the user that the establishment of communication connections has been completed (step S19). Completion of the establishment of communication connections means that the communication connections for all wireless communication devices 7 shown in the list have been established, and that a registration signal has been received from the server device 2. Note that the notification unit 910 may display a notification screen G2 without the failure information J5 in step S19.

[0101] If it is determined that the failure information J4 is to be displayed (step S18: YES), the notification unit 910 displays a notification screen G2 to notify the user of the location information of the corresponding wireless communication device 7 (step S20).

[0102] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the terminal APP 921 of the present embodiment is a program that causes the terminal processor 900 of the terminal device 9 to acquire a list Li indicating device identification information 712 for identifying the wireless communication devices 7 for each of the multiple wireless communication devices 7 connected to the multiple air conditioning devices 3, accept input of connection information 812 for connecting to the wireless router 8, and transmit a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information 812 to the wireless communication device 7 corresponding to the device identification information 712 for each of the device identification information 712 indicated in the list Li. This allows the communication connection instruction including the connection information 812 to be transmitted to each wireless communication device 7 using the list Li indicating the device identification information 712 of each wireless communication device 7. This eliminates the need to configure the wireless communication devices 7 one by one in order to establish a communication connection with the wireless router 8. This reduces the effort required for establishing a communication connection between the multiple wireless communication devices 7 and the wireless router 8.

[0103] Furthermore, the terminal APP 921 causes the terminal processor 900 to acquire device identification information 712 from the code attached to the wireless communication device 7, and creates a list Li based on the acquired device identification information 712. As a result, since the code is attached to the wireless communication device 7, it is possible to establish a communication connection with the wireless router 8 as the target. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent devices other than the target from being erroneously included in the list Li.

[0104] Furthermore, the terminal APP 921 causes the terminal processor 900 to accept input of location information LOC indicating the installation location of the wireless communication device 7 for each wireless communication device 7, and to create a list Li by linking the accepted location information LOC to the device identification information 712 for each piece of device identification information 712. This allows information identifiable by the user to be added to the list Li in addition to the device identification information 712.

[0105] Furthermore, when a communication connection between the terminal device 9 and any of the wireless communication devices 7 fails, or when a communication connection between the wireless router 8 and the wireless communication device 7 fails, the terminal APP 921 causes the terminal processor 900 to notify the location information LOC of the wireless communication device 7 with which the communication connection has failed. This allows the user to easily identify the installation location of the wireless communication device 7 with which the communication connection has failed, using the user-identifiable location information LOC. Therefore, the user can easily move to the installation location of the wireless communication device 7 with which the communication connection has failed, and can easily redo the communication connection settings for the wireless communication device 7 with which the communication connection has failed.

[0106] Furthermore, the control method of the terminal device 9 acquires a list Li indicating identification information 712 that identifies the wireless communication device 7 for each of the multiple wireless communication devices 7 connected to the multiple air conditioning devices 3, accepts input of connection information 812 for connecting to the wireless router 8, and, for each piece of device identification information 712 indicated in the list Li, transmits a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information 812 to the wireless communication device 7 corresponding to the device identification information 712. This achieves the same effects as the terminal APP 921 described above.

[0107] The terminal device 9 also includes a terminal control device 90 that acquires a list Li indicating device identification information 712 that identifies the wireless communication device 7 for each of the multiple wireless communication devices 7 connected to the multiple air conditioning devices 3, accepts input of connection information 812 for connecting to the wireless router 8, and transmits a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information 812 to the wireless communication device 7 corresponding to the device identification information 712 for each piece of device identification information 712 indicated in the list Li. This achieves the same effects as the terminal APP 921 described above.

[0108] (Other Embodiments) As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. It is also possible to combine the components described in the first embodiment to create new embodiments. Therefore, other embodiments will be described below as examples.

[0109] In the above-described embodiment, the creation unit 906 creates the list by causing the terminal processor 900 of one terminal device 9 to function via the terminal APP 921. In another embodiment, the communication system 1000 may include multiple terminal devices 9, and the creation unit 906 of one terminal device 9 may acquire the list created by the other terminal device 9 from the server device 2. This configuration is particularly suitable when the installation location of the wireless communication device 7 is difficult to access for anyone other than the installer. In one example of the operation in this configuration, the installer uses one terminal device 9 to perform steps S1 to S5 shown in FIG. 7 in advance. Then, the user of the air conditioning device 3 uses the other terminal device 9 to perform steps S8 to S20 shown in FIG. 7. Examples of difficult-to-access locations include the back side of the ceiling or a corner pocket of a four-way ceiling cassette type indoor unit 4. In another embodiment, the creation unit 906 may acquire a list stored in advance in the server device 2.

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, the third communication device 72 of the wireless communication device 7 performs short-range wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark) and communicates with the first communication device 92 of the terminal device 9 under the control of the processor 700. In another embodiment, the third communication device 72 may function as a Wi-Fi access point. In this case, the wireless communication device 7 communicates with the second communication device 93 of the terminal device 9. As described above, in another embodiment, the wireless communication device 7 and the terminal device 9 establish a communication connection in a so-called AP (Access Point) mode. In this case, it is assumed that information such as an SSID and a password required to connect to the third communication device 72, which is a Wi-Fi access point, is predetermined and stored in the terminal APP 921.

[0111] In the above-described embodiment, the wireless communication device 7 is configured to acquire the connection information 812 from the terminal device 9 using a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth. In another embodiment, a detachable camera is connected to the wireless communication device 7 via a wired cable. Furthermore, the wireless communication device 7 acquires the connection information 812 by reading a code including the connection information 812 with the camera. The code including the connection information 812 is displayed on the touch panel 94 of the terminal device 9, for example.

[0112] In the above-described embodiment, a dedicated application program to be installed is exemplified as a program for realizing each functional unit of the terminal processor 900, but the program may also be a browser or the like.

[0113] The terminal processor 900, the processor 700, the server processor 200, and the router processor 800 may be configured by a single processor or by multiple processors. These processors may be hardware programmed to realize the corresponding functional units. That is, these processors may be configured by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0114] The configurations of the terminal device 9, wireless communication device 7, wireless router 8, and server device 2 shown in Figures 2 and 6 are merely examples, and the specific implementation form is not particularly limited. In other words, it is not necessarily necessary to implement hardware corresponding to each unit individually, and it is also possible to configure the functions of each unit to be realized by a single processor executing a program. Furthermore, some of the functions realized by software in the above-mentioned embodiments may be realized by hardware, or some of the functions realized by hardware may be realized by software.

[0115] The step units of the operation shown in Figure 7 are divided according to the main processing content to make the operation easier to understand, and the operation is not limited by the way the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The operation may be divided into more step units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, one step unit may be divided so that it includes more processing. Furthermore, the order of the steps may be changed as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0116] 7 , in step S15, if the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 in step S9 fails (step S10: NO), if the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 in step S9 is not established (step S12: NO), or if the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 in step S9 is not established, the notification unit 910 determines to display failure information J4 on the notification screen G2 shown in FIG. 5 Furthermore, in step S14, if the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 in step S9 is established (step S13: YES), the notification unit 910 determines to display success information J5 together with failure information J4 on the notification screen G2. Furthermore, if it is not determined that the failure information J4 should be displayed (step S18: NO), the notification unit 910 determines that the establishment of communication connections for all wireless communication devices 7 shown in the list has been completed and notifies the user that the communication connections have been established (step S19). If it is determined that the failure information J4 should be displayed (step S18: YES), the notification unit 910 displays a notification screen G2 to notify the user of the location information of the corresponding wireless communication device 7 (step S20). In another embodiment, the notification unit 910 may display the failure information J4 immediately after determining that the failure information J4 should be displayed on the notification screen G2, and may display the success information J5 immediately after determining that the success information J5 should be displayed. In this case, rather than displaying the serial number, MAC address, and location information of all wireless communication devices 7 shown in the list as in the notification screen G2, the notification unit 910 may display the serial number, MAC address, and location information of the individual corresponding wireless communication device 7 for which it was determined that the failure information J4 or success information J5 should be displayed. According to this configuration, the worker can check the status of the communication connection of each wireless communication device 7 one by one, making it easy to check the progress in establishing the communication connection of each wireless communication device 7.

[0117] Furthermore, in another embodiment, the notification unit 910 may determine to display different failure information J4 for each of three cases: when the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 fails (step S10: NO); when the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 is not established in step S9 (step S12: NO); and when the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 is not established in step S9. When the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 fails, it is likely that the distance between the terminal device 9 and the wireless communication device 7 is too far. When the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 is not established, it is likely that the distance between the wireless communication device 7 and the wireless router 8 is too far, or that the input connection information 812 contains an error. When the communication connection between the wireless communication device 7 and the server device 2 is not established, it is likely that the server device 2 has stopped, or that an abnormality has occurred somewhere in the communication path. In this way, by displaying different failure information J4 depending on the type of communication connection failure, the operator can infer the cause of the communication connection failure.

[0118] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0119] (Additional Notes) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0120] (Technology 1) A program that causes a processor of a terminal device to acquire, for each of multiple wireless communication devices connected to multiple air conditioning devices, a list indicating identification information that identifies the wireless communication device, accept input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and, for each of the identification information indicated in the list, send a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to the identification information. This allows a communication connection instruction including the connection information to be sent to each wireless communication device using the list indicating the identification information of each wireless communication device, eliminating the need to configure each wireless communication device one by one to communicate with the wireless router. This reduces the effort required for communication connection between multiple wireless communication devices and the wireless router.

[0121] (Technology 2) The program according to Technology 1 causes the processor to acquire the identification information from a code attached to the wireless communication device, and creates the list based on the acquired identification information. With this, since the code is attached to the wireless communication device, it is possible to establish a communication connection with the wireless router, targeting the wireless communication device that is to be connected to the wireless router.

[0122] (Technology 3) The program according to Technology 1 or 2, which causes the processor to accept, for each of the wireless communication devices, input of location information indicating an installation location of the wireless communication device, and to create the list by linking the accepted location information to the identification information for each of the identification information. This allows information identifiable by a user to be added to the list in addition to the identification information.

[0123] (Technology 4) The program according to Technology 3, which causes the processor to notify the location information of the wireless communication device with which the communication connection has failed when a communication connection between the terminal device and any of the wireless communication devices fails, or when a communication connection between the wireless router and the wireless communication device fails. This allows the user to easily identify the installation location of the wireless communication device with which the communication connection has failed using user-identifiable location information. Therefore, the user can easily move to the installation location of the wireless communication device with which the communication connection has failed, and can easily reconfigure the communication connection of the wireless communication device with which the communication connection has failed.

[0124] (Technology 5) A method for controlling a terminal device, which obtains a list showing identification information for identifying a wireless communication device for each of a plurality of wireless communication devices connected to a plurality of air conditioning devices, accepts input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and transmits a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to each of the identification information shown in the list. This method achieves the same functions and effects as Technology 1.

[0125] (Technology 6) A terminal device including a control unit that acquires, for each of a plurality of wireless communication devices connected to a plurality of air conditioning devices, a list indicating identification information that identifies the wireless communication device, accepts input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and transmits a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to each of the identification information indicated in the list. This achieves the same functions and effects as Technology 1.

[0126] As described above, the program, the terminal device control method, and the terminal device according to the present invention can be used to establish communication connections between a plurality of wireless communication devices and a wireless router.

[0127] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air conditioning system 2 Server device 3 Air conditioning device 4 Indoor unit 5 Outdoor unit 6 Remote control 7 Wireless communication device 8 Wireless router 9 Terminal device 72 Third communication device 73 Fourth communication device 90 Terminal control device 91 Imaging device 92 First communication device 93 Second communication device 94 Touch panel 210 Server memory (memory) 212 Management data 700 Processor 701 Third communication control unit 702 Fourth communication control unit 703 Control unit 712 Device identification information (identification information) 812 Connection information 900 Terminal processor (processor) 901 First communication control unit (transmission unit) 902 Second communication control unit 904 Acquisition unit 905 Location reception unit 906 Creation unit 907 Setting unit 908 Reception unit 909 Communication connection unit 910 Notification unit 920 Terminal memory 921 Terminal APP (program) 1000 Communication system H Facility LOC Location information Li List NW Network

Claims

1. A program that causes a processor of a terminal device to obtain a list indicating identification information that identifies each of multiple wireless communication devices connected to multiple air conditioning devices, accept input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and send a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to the identification information for each of the identification information indicated in the list.

2. The program according to claim 1, which causes the processor to obtain the identification information from a code attached to the wireless communication device, and to create the list based on the obtained identification information.

3. The program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor receives, for each wireless communication device, input of location information indicating the installation location of the wireless communication device, and creates, for each identification information, the list by linking the received location information to the identification information.

4. The program according to claim 3, which causes the processor to notify the location information of the wireless communication device with which a communication connection has failed when a communication connection between the terminal device and any of the wireless communication devices fails, or when a communication connection between the wireless router and the wireless communication device fails.

5. A method for controlling a terminal device, comprising: obtaining a list indicating identification information for identifying a plurality of wireless communication devices connected to a plurality of air conditioning devices; accepting input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router; and transmitting a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to each of the identification information indicated in the list.

6. A terminal device comprising a control unit that acquires a list indicating identification information for identifying each of a plurality of wireless communication devices connected to a plurality of air conditioning devices, accepts input of connection information for connecting to a wireless router, and transmits a communication connection instruction including the accepted connection information to the wireless communication device corresponding to each of the identification information indicated in the list.

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