Communication system, terminal apparatus, and terminal registration method

Abstract

The present invention provides a mechanism by which a plurality of upper-level terminals do not redundantly register identification information about the same device in a communication system. The plurality of upper-level terminals 2 store, as shared information, the identification information about a lower-level terminal 1 registered in a management apparatus 3, and among the pieces of identification information acquired from one or more lower-level terminals 1 by device search processing in the management apparatus 3, register, in the management apparatus 3, the pieces of identification information about the lower-level terminals 1 other than the lower-level terminal 1 indicated by the shared information. Thus, among the pieces of identification information about the one or more lower-level terminals 1 found by the device search processing, the upper-level terminal 2 makes it possible to recognize the pieces of identification information registered in the management apparatus 3 and register only the other pieces of identification information in the management apparatus 3.

Description

COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, TERMINAL DEVICE, AND TERMINAL REGISTRATION METHOD

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system, a terminal device, and a terminal registration method, and is particularly suitable for use in a communication system configured to register and use the identification information of multiple lower terminals wirelessly connected to a higher terminal.

[0002] Generally, when a device connected to a network via wireless communication means is used in a communication system, the device's identification information must be registered in the communication system. When this registration is performed, a device search process in a higher-level terminal included in the communication system searches for devices capable of wireless communication and presents the identification information of the discovered devices. When multiple identification information is presented as a list, the identification information corresponding to the desired device is identified from the list and registered in the communication system.

[0003] Here, if there is only one upper terminal that communicates wirelessly with multiple devices, that single upper terminal can simply perform device search processing and register the identification information of each device in the communication system. On the other hand, there are cases where multiple upper terminals that communicate wirelessly with multiple devices are used, for example, to cover a wide communication area or for load balancing.

[0004] When multiple upper terminals are used, each of the upper terminals performs a device search process to find devices with which it can communicate. For example, a device that exists within a communication range of two upper terminals is discovered by the two upper terminals. In this case, if the identification information of the devices that the two upper terminals have found is registered in the communication system, there will be duplication of the registered identification information. Therefore, it is necessary to register the identification information of devices so that duplication does not occur.

[0005] There is known an information processing system in which an electronic device communicates with other electronic devices via Bluetooth (registered trademark; the same applies below), determines whether or not to operate as a representative device based on information from the other electronic devices, and if it determines that the electronic device will operate as a representative device, transmits detection information detected by sensors in the other electronic devices to a server from the representative device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Also known is a data distribution device that searches for mobile devices that hold the requested file within a predetermined range of a mobile device that has made a file download request, and transmits setting information (e.g., Bluetooth master setting information) that enables the mobile device that made the download request to receive the file, thereby enabling the mobile device to receive the necessary file from mobile devices located in the vicinity (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0007] JP 2023-144393 A JP 2005-316610 A

[0008] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 aims to prevent a load imbalance from occurring on a specific electronic device among multiple electronic devices communicating with a server. The technology described in Patent Document 2 aims to reduce the load on the data distribution device and reduce traffic on the network. Neither of the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 or 2 can solve the problem of multiple upper-level terminals repeatedly registering the identification information of devices they have found in the communication system.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a mechanism in a communication system in which there are multiple upper terminals that perform wireless communication with multiple devices, which prevents the multiple upper terminals from registering the identification information of the same device in the communication system in duplicate.

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a communication system comprising a plurality of lower terminals each having a wireless communication means, a plurality of upper terminals each having a wireless communication means, and a management device that registers and manages identification information of the lower terminals, and in which wireless communication is performed between the lower terminals and the upper terminal within a communication range, the plurality of upper terminals search for lower terminals within the communication range, acquire identification information of the discovered lower terminals from the lower terminals, and register identification information of specific terminals from the acquired identification information in the management device. The upper terminal shares the identification information registered in the management device among the plurality of upper terminals, and registers the identification information of terminals other than the lower terminals indicated by the shared identification information acquired in the device search process as specific terminals, and registers that identification information in the management device.

[0011] According to the present invention configured as described above, multiple upper terminals can recognize identification information already registered in the management device by using the identification information of the lower terminals that they share with each other. Then, when registering identification information acquired from the lower terminals in the device search process in the management device, it is possible to register identification information other than the registered identification information that the multiple upper terminals recognize in the management device. This makes it possible to prevent multiple upper terminals from registering the identification information of the same lower terminal in the management device in duplicate.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a service providing system to which a communication system according to the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of identification information registration according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a higher-level terminal and a management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in an account information storage unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a registration terminal storage unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a connection status storage unit. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a communication system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the effect of a communication system according to the present embodiment.

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a service providing system to which a communication system according to this embodiment is applied. The communication system of this embodiment is configured to include a plurality of lower terminals 1 each having wireless communication means, a plurality of upper terminals 2 each also having wireless communication means, and a management device 3 that registers and manages identification information of the lower terminals 1. The management device 3 includes an MQTT broker 31 and a web server 32. The upper terminal 2 corresponds to a terminal device in the claims.

[0014] The wireless communication means is, for example, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). In this case, the lower terminal 1 operates as a BLE client (peripheral), and the upper terminal 2 operates as a BLE master (central). Note that the wireless communication means is not limited to BLE, and may be, for example, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or other wireless LANs. Wireless communication between multiple lower terminals 1 and multiple upper terminals 2 is performed between terminals within a communication range.

[0015] The lower terminal 1 communicates wirelessly with the upper terminal 2, and its operation is controlled by the upper terminal 2. The lower terminal 1 also transmits its own information to the upper terminal 2. For example, the lower terminal 1 transmits its own identification information to the upper terminal 2. Note that the information to be transmitted is not limited to this. For example, the lower terminal 1 may transmit information indicating the operation status of switches, buttons, etc., battery voltage detected by a voltage sensor, ambient temperature detected by a temperature sensor, information identifying the image being displayed on the display (such as the fixed image number (1 to 8) currently being displayed or the number (0) indicating that an arbitrary image is being displayed), its own model information, firmware version information, etc.

[0016] The upper terminal 2 performs wireless communication with the lower terminal 1, and also performs communication with the management device 3 using HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) via a communication network such as the Internet and / or a mobile phone network. Here, MQTT communication is performed between the upper terminal 2 and an MQTT broker 31, and HTTP communication is performed between the upper terminal 2 and a web server 32. The upper terminal 2 controls the lower terminal 1 in accordance with operation instructions received from the management device 3. The upper terminal 2 also registers identification information acquired from the lower terminal 1 in the management device 3, and notifies the management device 3 of at least a part of the information acquired from the lower terminal 1 as status information.

[0017] The MQTT broker 31 of the management device 3 operates as a base station server between the upper terminal 2 and the web server 32, and realizes real-time push communication from the web server 32 to the upper terminal 2 and from the upper terminal 2 to the web server 32. Transmission of operation instructions from the management device 3 to the upper terminal 2 and transmission of status information from the upper terminal 2 to the management device 3 are performed by MQTT communication using the MQTT broker 31.

[0018] MQTT is a communication protocol that exchanges lightweight information between the web server 32 and the upper terminal 2 via the MQTT broker 31. The web server 32 constantly maintains a connection with the MQTT broker 31 in order to send and receive any information in real time. The upper terminal 2 also constantly maintains a connection with the MQTT broker 31 in order to send and receive any information in real time. In other words, the web server 32 and the upper terminal 2 are constantly connected to the MQTT broker 31 as clients in order to achieve low-latency information transmission and reception. This makes it possible to push any information from the web server 32 to the upper terminal 2 via the MQTT broker 31 at the required timing, and to push any information from the upper terminal 2 to the web server 32 via the MQTT broker 31 at the required timing.

[0019] When the Web server 32 of the management device 3 receives an HTTP request from the upper terminal 2, it responds by HTTP with information corresponding to the request to the upper terminal 2. For example, when performing initial setup (kitting) to register identification information of the lower terminal 1 in the management device 3, the upper terminal 2 uses HTTP communication with the Web server 32 to register the identification information acquired from the lower terminal 1 in the management device 3. Note that this registration of identification information may also be performed by MQTT communication.

[0020] The service providing system shown in FIG. 1 constitutes a mobile smartphone ordering system as one use case of applying the communication system of this embodiment, and includes a customer terminal 101, a store management device 102, and a store service server 103. The customer terminal 101 is, for example, a smartphone. Multiple subordinate terminals 1 are placed on multiple tables installed in a restaurant, for example. A two-dimensional code is displayed on the display of the subordinate terminal 1. When the customer terminal 101 reads the two-dimensional code, it becomes possible to access the order screen of a web page provided by the store service server 103 and place an order.

[0021] The web server 32 provides the store service server 103 with a web API for controlling the lower terminals 1, and the store service server 103 can use this web API to control the lower terminals 1. For example, it is possible for the store service server 103 to issue an operational instruction to a target lower terminal 1. In this case, the operational instruction sent from the store service server 103 to the web server 32 is transferred by MQTT communication via the MQTT broker 31 to one of the higher-level terminals 2, and then wirelessly transmitted from the higher-level terminal 2 to the target lower terminal 1 to control its operation. At this time, the management device 3 sends the operational instruction to one of the multiple higher-level terminals 2 that is within the communication range of the target lower terminal 1.

[0022] As an example of an operational instruction, the store service server 103 can transmit any information input from a store management device 102 installed in a restaurant to the management device 3, and then transfer the information from the management device 3 to the lower terminal 1 via the upper terminal 2, thereby displaying the any information on the display of the lower terminal 1. The any information can be, for example, information indicating the order status, information indicating the cooking status, information about recommended menu items, information about advertisements, etc. This information can also be displayed as an arbitrary image.

[0023] As another example of an operation instruction, the store service server 103 can transmit a standard image input from a store management device 102 installed in a restaurant to the management device 3, and then transfer the standard image from the management device 3 to the lower terminal 1 via the upper terminal 2, thereby storing the standard image in the non-volatile memory of the lower terminal 1. This standard image is used as an image to be displayed on the display when a standard operation is performed on the lower terminal 1. Standard operations on the lower terminal 1 include, for example, inserting batteries, operating switches or buttons, etc., but are not limited to these.

[0024] In addition to the Web API, the Web server 32 also provides a mechanism for event notification using Webhook. For example, when a change in a specific status of a lower terminal 1 is detected based on status information sent from the upper terminal 2 to the management device 3, the Web server 32 can use the Webhook function to call the Web API of the store service server 103 and notify the store service server 103 of the status change. This allows the store service server 103 to notify the detection of a status change without having to periodically execute (polling) the Web API of the Web server 32 until the status change of the specific lower terminal 1 is obtained.

[0025] In order to make multiple lower terminals 1 usable in the service providing system described above, the identification information of the lower terminals 1 is registered in the management device 3. When performing this registration, the upper terminal 2 searches for lower terminals 1 that are capable of wireless communication by performing a device search process, and registers the identification information of the discovered lower terminal 1 in the management device 3. The communication system of this embodiment provides a mechanism that prevents multiple upper terminals 2 from registering the identification information of the same lower terminal 1 in the management device 3 in duplicate. The concept of this mechanism will be explained below using FIG. 2.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows two upper terminals 2 -1 , 2 -2 Six subordinate terminals 1 -1 ~1 -6 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating an example of an operation when registering the above-mentioned information in the management device 3. FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate the flow of the operation.

[0027] FIG. 2(a) shows the first upper terminal 2 -1 Four subordinate terminals 1 -1 ~1 -4 2A shows a state in which the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 After registering an account in the management device 3, the first higher-level terminal 2 performs a device search process. -1 and four subordinate terminals 1 within the communication range. -1 ~1 -4 was discovered, and the four discovered lower-level terminals 1 -1 ~1 -4 The identification information of the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 are registered in the management device 3.

[0028] FIG. 2B shows the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 is the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 The management device 3 is configured to register the same account as the first upper terminal 2 in FIG. -1 Four subordinate terminals registered from -1 ~1 -4 The identification information of the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 This provides the four lower terminals 1 -1 ~1 -4 The identification information of two upper terminals 2-1 , 2 -2 Shared in.

[0029] FIG. 2(c) shows the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 The remaining two subordinate terminals 1 -5 ~1 -6 2(c) shows the state in which the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 As a result of performing the device search process, the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 and four subordinate terminals 1 within the communication range. -3 ~1 -6 Here, the second upper terminal 2 -2 The four subordinate terminals discovered -3 ~1 -6 Among these, the third and fourth lower terminals 1 -3 ~1 -4 It is possible to recognize from the shared information that the identification information of the second higher-level terminal 2 has already been registered in the management device 3. -2 The fifth and sixth lower terminals 1 recognized as unregistered -5 ~1 -6 Only the identification information of the user is registered in the management device 3.

[0030] Second higher-level terminal 2 -2 The fifth and sixth lower terminals 1 -5 ~1 -6 When the identification information of the two newly registered subordinate terminals 1 is registered in the management device 3, the management device 3 -5 ~1 -6 The identification information of the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 This provides six lower-level terminals 1 -1 ~1 -6 The identification information of two upper terminals 2 -1 , 2 -2 Shared in.

[0031] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the upper terminal 2 and the management device 3 of this embodiment. In addition to the functional configuration related to the registration operation of the lower terminal 1 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 also includes a functional configuration related to operations after registration.

[0032] 3, the upper terminal 2 of this embodiment includes, as functional components, an account registration unit 201, a device search unit 202, a terminal registration unit 203, an identification information sharing unit 204, a status notification unit 205, an instruction acquisition unit 206, and an instruction transmission unit 207. The upper terminal 2 of this embodiment also includes, as a storage medium, a shared information storage unit 211.

[0033] The functional blocks 201 to 207 execute the processes described below through cooperation between hardware and software. For example, the processes of the functional blocks 201 to 207 are executed by the operation of a program stored in a storage medium such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory under the control of a processor of a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. In addition to the microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or the like may be included.

[0034] 3, the management device 3 of this embodiment includes, as functional components, an account management unit 301, a registered terminal management unit 302, a registered identification information providing unit 303, a connection status management unit 304, and an operation instruction unit 305. The management device 3 of this embodiment also includes, as storage media, an account information storage unit 311, a registered terminal storage unit 312, and a connection status storage unit 313.

[0035] The functional blocks 301 to 305 execute the processes described below through cooperation between hardware and software. For example, the processes of the functional blocks 301 to 305 are executed by the operation of a program stored in a storage medium such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory under the control of a processor of a microcomputer configured with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. In addition to the microcomputer, a DSP, etc. may also be included.

[0036] The account registration unit 201 of the higher-level terminal 2 performs processing related to account registration of the higher-level terminal 2. Specifically, the account registration unit 201 transmits account information (e.g., email address and password) to the management device 3 to request account registration. The account information is information used when the higher-level terminal 2 logs in to the communication system, and also has the role of defining the unit for sharing identification information of the lower-level terminals 1 (hereinafter referred to as lower-level terminal ID). For example, common account information is registered in the management device 3 for multiple higher-level terminals 2 used in one store.

[0037] The account management unit 301 of the management device 3 generates identification information of the higher-level terminal 2 (hereinafter referred to as higher-level terminal ID) in accordance with a registration request transmitted from the account registration unit 201 of the higher-level terminal 2, and stores the higher-level terminal ID in the account information storage unit 311 in association with the account information transmitted from the higher-level terminal 2. When registration requests for the same account information are made by multiple higher-level terminals 2, the account management unit 301 associates multiple higher-level terminal IDs with one piece of account information and stores them in the account information storage unit 311.

[0038] 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the account information storage unit 311. In the example shown in FIG. 2(c), the two upper terminals 2 -1 , 2 -2 The upper terminal IDs "U001" and "U002" are stored in association with one common account information.

[0039] The device searching unit 202 of the upper terminal 2 searches for lower terminals 1 that are within the communication range of the upper terminal 2, and acquires the lower terminal ID of the discovered lower terminal 1 from the lower terminal 1. Here, the device searching unit 202 receives the lower terminal ID that is periodically transmitted at predetermined time intervals by the lower terminal 1 advertising BLE. Advertising is an operation in which the lower terminal 1 broadcasts information as a BLE child device (peripheral).

[0040] Furthermore, the device searching unit 202 transmits a scan command to the lower terminal 1 that has received the lower terminal ID through advertising, and receives response information from the lower terminal 1 in response to this command. Scanning is an operation in which the upper terminal 2, acting as a BLE parent device (central), explicitly searches for BLE child devices present in the vicinity. The response information includes the lower terminal ID and any additional information. Examples of the additional information include information indicating the operation status of the switches and buttons of the lower terminal 1 described above, the battery voltage detected by the voltage sensor, the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor, information identifying the image being displayed on the display, model information of the lower terminal 1, firmware version information, etc. Note that these are examples of additional information and are not limited to these.

[0041] The terminal registration unit 203 registers the lower terminal ID of a specific terminal, out of the one or more lower terminal IDs acquired by the device searching unit 202, in the management device 3. Here, the terminal registration unit 203 regards a terminal other than the lower terminal 1 indicated by the shared information stored in the shared information storage unit 211 as the specific terminal, and transmits the lower terminal ID of the specific terminal to the management device 3 to request registration.

[0042] As will be described later, the shared information storage unit 211 stores the lower terminal ID of a lower terminal 1 that has already been registered in the management device 3 as shared information for multiple higher terminals 2 that belong to the same account. In other words, a specific terminal other than the lower terminal 1 indicated by the shared information in the shared information storage unit 211 means a lower terminal 1 whose lower terminal ID is not registered in the management device 3. In other words, the terminal registration unit 203 transmits only the lower terminal ID that is not registered in the management device 3, out of the one or more lower terminal IDs acquired by the device searching unit 202, to the management device 3, requesting registration. Furthermore, the terminal registration unit 203 adds the lower terminal ID that has made the registration request to the shared information storage unit 211 and stores it.

[0043] In addition, the terminal registration unit 203 may display a list of lower terminal IDs that have not been registered in the management device 3, out of one or more lower terminal IDs acquired by the device search unit 202, on the display of the upper terminal 2, and send only the lower terminal ID specified by the user from the list to the management device 3 to request registration, and also add and store it in the shared information storage unit 211.

[0044] The registered terminal management unit 302 of the management device 3 associates the lower terminal ID transmitted by the terminal registration unit 203 of the upper terminal 2 with the account information of the transmitting upper terminal 2 and stores the associated lower terminal ID as registered terminal information in the registered terminal storage unit 312. The lower terminal ID stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312 serves as information indicating the lower terminal 1 registered in the management device 3.

[0045] 5 is a diagram showing an example of registered terminal information stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the six lower-level terminals 1 -1 ~1 -6 The lower terminal IDs "D001" to "D006" are stored in association with one common account information. At the stage shown in FIG. 2(a), the four lower terminal IDs "D001" to "D004" are stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312. Thereafter, at the stage shown in FIG. 2(c), the remaining two lower terminal IDs "D005" to "D006" are added and stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312.

[0046] The registered identification information providing unit 303 of the management device 3 provides the lower terminal ID stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312 as shared information to multiple higher terminals 2 that have registered the same account information. That is, when a lower terminal ID is added and stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312, the registered identification information providing unit 303 refers to the account information storage unit 311 based on the account information linked to that lower terminal ID, and confirms the higher terminal IDs of the multiple higher terminals 2 associated with that account information. Then, the registered identification information providing unit 303 provides the added lower terminal ID as shared information to the higher terminals 2 of the confirmed higher terminal ID (excluding the higher terminal 2 that made the registration request for the lower terminal ID).

[0047] The identification information sharing unit 204 of the upper terminal 2 acquires the lower terminal IDs registered in the management device 3 from the management device 3 as shared information among multiple upper terminals 2, and stores them in the shared information storage unit 211. That is, the identification information sharing unit 204 adds and stores the lower terminal IDs transmitted from the registered identification information providing unit 303 in the shared information storage unit 211. As a result, the shared information stored in the shared information storage unit 211 is synchronized with the registered terminal information stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312.

[0048] Here, an example has been described in which the terminal registration unit 203 in the upper terminal 2 that has made a request to register a lower terminal ID stores the lower terminal ID in the shared information storage unit 211, and the identification information sharing unit 204 in another upper terminal 2 that belongs to the same account stores the lower terminal ID provided by the management device 3 in the shared information storage unit 211, thereby sharing an additional lower terminal ID among a plurality of upper terminals 2, but the present invention is not limited to this processing. For example, instead of storing the lower terminal ID in the shared information storage unit 211, the terminal registration unit 203 in the upper terminal 2 that has made a request to register a lower terminal ID may provide all lower terminal IDs registered in the registered terminal storage unit 312 to all upper terminals 2 that belong to the same account, and the identification information sharing unit 204 may update the stored contents of the shared information storage unit 211 with the plurality of lower terminal IDs provided from the registered identification information providing unit 303.

[0049] The status notification unit 205 notifies the management device 3 of the lower terminal ID and additional information of one or more lower terminals 1 discovered by the device searching unit 202 as status information together with its own upper terminal ID. Here, every time the status notification unit 205 receives a lower terminal ID that is periodically transmitted at predetermined time intervals by advertising from the lower terminal 1, it notifies the management device 3 of the received one or more lower terminal IDs together with the additional information as status information.

[0050] If any of the one or more received lower terminal IDs is not registered in the management device 3, the processing of the terminal registration unit 203 and the processing of the status notification unit 205 are executed. On the other hand, if all of the one or more received lower terminal IDs are already registered in the management device 3, the processing of the terminal registration unit 203 is not executed, and only the processing of the status notification unit 205 is executed.

[0051] It is not essential that the processing of the terminal registration unit 203 be performed when the received lower terminal IDs include one that is not registered in the management device 3, but it may be performed as needed. For example, if a lower terminal 1 that is not related to the store happens to be present in the vicinity, the processing of the terminal registration unit 203 may not be performed even if the lower terminal ID of that lower terminal 1 is not registered in the management device 3.

[0052] The connection status management unit 304 of the management device 3 associates one or more lower terminal IDs notified by the status notification unit 205 of the upper terminal 2 with the upper terminal ID of the source upper terminal 2 and stores them as connection status information in the connection status storage unit 313. The one or more lower terminal IDs stored in association with the upper terminal ID in the connection status storage unit 313 serve as information indicating the lower terminals 1 that are within the communication range of the upper terminal 2. This connection status information is updated every time the status notification unit 205 notifies a lower terminal ID.

[0053] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of connection status information stored in the connection status storage unit 313. In the example shown in FIG. 2C, the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 The first higher-level terminal 2 -1 The four lower terminals 1 discovered by the device search process are associated with the upper terminal ID "U001" of -1 ~1 -4 The lower terminal IDs "D001" to "D004" of the second upper terminal 2 are stored. -2 The second higher-level terminal 2 -2The four lower terminals 1 discovered by the device search process are associated with the upper terminal ID "U002" of -3 ~1 -6 The lower terminal IDs "D003" to "D006" are stored.

[0054] The operation instruction unit 305 recognizes the upper terminal 2 that is within the communication range of the target lower terminal 1 to which the operation instruction is to be given, based on the connection status information stored in the connection status storage unit 313, and gives the operation instruction to the target lower terminal 1 via the recognized upper terminal 2. This operation instruction is transmitted from the store service server 103 to the management device 3, for example, and the target lower terminal 1 is identified by the store service server 103. There may be one target lower terminal 1, or there may be multiple target lower terminals 1. It is also possible for the management device 3 itself to identify the target lower terminal 1 and issue the operation instruction.

[0055] The instruction acquisition unit 206 of the upper terminal 2 acquires the operation instruction transmitted from the operation instruction unit 305 of the management device 3. The instruction transmission unit 207 wirelessly transmits the operation instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 206 to the target lower terminal 1. The transmission of the operation instruction from the upper terminal 2 to the lower terminal 1 is performed by BLE GATT communication. GATT communication is communication performed by establishing a 1:1 connection between a BLE central and peripheral. The instruction transmission unit 207 establishes a 1:1 connection with the upper terminal 2 and transmits the operation instruction to the target lower terminal 1. This controls the operation of the target lower terminal 1.

[0056] In the example shown in FIG. 2(c), the target subordinate terminal 1 to be controlled is the first subordinate terminal 1. -1 In this case, the operation instruction unit 305 selects the target lower terminal 1 based on the connection status information stored in the connection status storage unit 313. -1 The upper terminal 2 within the communication range is the first upper terminal 2 -1 The first higher-level terminal 2 -1 via the target lower terminal 1 -1 gives operation instructions to

[0057] In addition, the target subordinate terminal 1 for controlling the operation is the sixth subordinate terminal 1 -6In this case, the operation instruction unit 305 selects the target lower terminal 1 based on the connection status information stored in the connection status storage unit 313. -6 The upper terminal 2 within the communication range is the second upper terminal 2 -2 The second higher-level terminal 2 -2 via the target lower terminal 1 -6 gives operation instructions to

[0058] In addition, the target subordinate terminal 1 for controlling the operation is the fourth subordinate terminal 1 -4 In this case, the operation instruction unit 305 selects the target lower terminal 1 based on the connection status information stored in the connection status storage unit 313. -4 The upper terminal 2 within the communication range is the first upper terminal 2 -1 and the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 In this case, the operation instruction unit 305 recognizes that the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 or the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 and then, via the selected upper terminal 2, the target lower terminal 1 -4 gives operation instructions to

[0059] At this time, the operation instruction unit 305, for example, -1 or the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 Alternatively, the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 or the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 Alternatively, the first higher-level terminal 2 may select one of the above in order. -1 or the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 It is also possible to select one of the above in accordance with a predetermined criterion. When selecting in accordance with a predetermined criterion, it is possible to use, for example, status information transmitted from the upper terminal 2 to the management device 3. The status information transmitted here includes, for example, the lower terminal ID and BLE signal strength information (RSSI value) received from the lower terminal 1 by advertising.

[0060] In this case, the connection status management unit 304 of the management device 3 associates the upper terminal ID with the lower terminal ID and stores the signal strength information of the lower terminal 1 that is within the communication range of the upper terminal 2 in the connection status storage unit 313. When the operation instruction unit 305 recognizes that there are multiple upper terminals 2 that are within the communication range of the target lower terminal 1, it identifies one of the upper terminals 2 based on the signal strength information and gives an operation instruction to the target lower terminal 1 via the identified upper terminal 2.

[0061] For example, the operation instruction unit 305 identifies the upper terminal 2 with the strongest signal strength based on the signal strength information. Alternatively, the operation instruction unit 305 may identify the upper terminal 2 with a signal strength equal to or greater than a threshold. If there are multiple upper terminals 2 with signal strength equal to or greater than a threshold, the operation instruction unit 305 identifies one of the upper terminals 2 from among them. By selecting the upper terminal 2 based on the signal strength information in this way, it is possible to issue an operation instruction to the target lower terminal 1 via the upper terminal 2 that can perform stable wireless communication with the lower terminal 1. If there are multiple upper terminals 2 with signal strength equal to or greater than a threshold, one of the upper terminals 2 may be selected randomly or sequentially. In this way, it is possible to avoid concentration of communication load on the same upper terminal 2 and thereby achieve efficient communication.

[0062] In addition, the positions of some of the lower terminals 1 may be moved so that there is no large difference in the number of lower terminals 1 detected as being within the communication range for each of the plurality of upper terminals 2. For example, -1 The number m of the lower terminals 1 within the communication range and the number m of the second upper terminals 2 -2 and the number n (assuming m>n) of subordinate terminals 1 within the communication range is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the first superior terminal 2 -1 Some of the m lower terminals 1 within the communication range are designated as, for example, a second upper terminal 2 -2By moving each of the lower terminals 1 to a position where communication is possible only between the upper terminals 2 and the lower terminals 1, the difference in the number of lower terminals 1 detected for each of the multiple upper terminals 2 is made to be less than a threshold value. The lower terminal 1 to be moved at this time may be any of the m lower terminals 1, but the lower terminal 1 to be moved may be specified in order from the terminal with the strongest signal strength.

[0063] Alternatively, the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 Among the m lower terminals 1 within the communication range, the first upper terminal 2 -1 The lower terminal 1 is located in a position where it can communicate only with the second upper terminal 2. -2 In this case, the lower terminal 1 to be moved may be specified in order of the signal strength.

[0064] In addition, among the multiple lower terminals 1 detected as being within the communication range of each of the multiple upper terminals 2, the difference in the number of lower terminals 1 whose signal strength is equal to or greater than a threshold may be less than a threshold.

[0065] As another example, the operation instruction unit 305 may select one of the upper terminals 2 from the perspective of load distribution and issue an operation instruction to it. For example, the status notification unit 205 transmits load information of the upper terminal 2 to the management device 3 as status information. As an example of the load information, the number of lower terminals 1 executing BLE GATT communication may be used. Alternatively, information indicating resource usage status such as CPU usage rate and memory usage rate of the upper terminal 2 may be used.

[0066] For example, the operation instruction unit 305 identifies the upper terminal 2 with the lowest load based on the load information of the upper terminal 2. Alternatively, the operation instruction unit 305 may identify the upper terminal 2 with a value indicating the load that is equal to or less than a threshold. If there are multiple upper terminals 2 with loads that are equal to or less than the threshold, the operation instruction unit 305 identifies one of the upper terminals 2. For example, one of the upper terminals 2 is selected at random or in order.

[0067] 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to this embodiment configured as described above. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing (including processing of a terminal registration method) executed in relation to device search of the lower terminal 1. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to operation instructions from the management device 3 to a target lower terminal 1.

[0068] 7, first, the lower terminal 1 transmits its lower terminal ID and BLE signal strength information (RSSI value) by advertising BLE (step S1). The lower terminal 1 actually performs this transmission process periodically at predetermined time intervals, but here, one transmission process is shown. The lower terminal ID and signal strength information transmitted from one lower terminal 1 are received by one or more upper terminals 2 within the communication range.

[0069] The device searching unit 202 of the upper terminal 2 receives the lower terminal ID and signal strength information transmitted from the lower terminal 1, and thereby recognizes the lower terminal ID of the lower terminal 1 that is capable of wireless communication with the upper terminal 2 (step S2). While Fig. 7 illustrates a state in which the lower terminal ID and signal strength information are received from one lower terminal 1, in reality, advertising is performed by a plurality of lower terminals 1, and the upper terminal 2 receives the lower terminal ID and signal strength information from one or more lower terminals 1 that are within communication range with the upper terminal 2.

[0070] The terminal registration unit 203 of the upper terminal 2 refers to the shared information stored in the shared information storage unit 211 and determines whether or not there is a lower terminal ID that has not been registered in the management device 3 among the one or more lower terminal IDs acquired from the lower terminal 1 by the device searching unit 202 (step S3). If the terminal registration unit 203 determines that there is an unregistered lower terminal ID, it transmits the lower terminal ID to the management device 3 to request registration (step S4). As described above, this registration request may be made as needed.

[0071] The registration terminal management unit 302 of the management device 3 that received the registration request associates the lower terminal ID transmitted by the terminal registration unit 203 with the account information of the transmitting upper terminal 2 and stores the associated lower terminal ID in the registration terminal storage unit 312 as registration terminal information (step S5). Subsequently, the registration identification information providing unit 303 provides the lower terminal ID stored in the registration terminal storage unit 312 as shared information to multiple upper terminals 2 that have registered the same account information (step S6). The identification information sharing unit 204 of the upper terminal 2 stores the lower terminal ID transmitted from the registration identification information providing unit 303 in the shared information storage unit 211 as shared information among the multiple upper terminals 2 (step S7).

[0072] Next, the status notification unit 205 of the upper terminal 2 notifies the management device 3 of the lower terminal ID and signal strength information transmitted from the lower terminal 1 in step S1 together with its own upper terminal ID as status information (step S8). Although Fig. 7 shows a state in which status information is transmitted from one upper terminal 2, in reality, status information is transmitted from each of a plurality of upper terminals 2, and this information is received by the connection status management unit 304 of the management device 3.

[0073] The connection status management unit 304 of the management device 3 associates the lower terminal ID of the lower terminal 1 notified as status information (the lower terminal ID of the lower terminal 1 within the communication range with the upper terminal 2) with the upper terminal ID and stores the signal strength information as connection status information in the connection status storage unit 313 (step S9). This ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0074] In step S3 above, if the terminal registration unit 203 determines that there is no lower terminal ID that has not been registered in the management device 3 among the one or more lower terminal IDs acquired from the lower terminal 1 by the device searching unit 202, steps S4 to S7 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S8. In other words, the kitting process for registering the lower terminal ID in the management device 3 is not performed, and only the process for notifying the management device 3 of the status information of the lower terminal 1 is performed, and the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0075] 8, the operation instruction unit 305 of the management device 3 determines whether or not an operation instruction for a target lower terminal 1 has been received from the store service server 103 (step S21). Upon receiving the operation instruction, the operation instruction unit 305 recognizes a higher-level terminal 2 that is within the communication range of the target lower terminal 1 based on the connection status information stored in the connection status storage unit 313 (step S22). Then, it determines whether or not there are multiple higher-level terminals 2 within the communication range (step S23).

[0076] If it is determined that there are multiple upper terminals 2 within the communication range of the target lower terminal 1, the operation instruction unit 305 identifies one of the upper terminals 2 based on the signal strength information stored in the connection status storage unit 313 (step S24), and transmits an operation instruction for the target lower terminal 1 to the identified upper terminal 2 (step S25). On the other hand, if it is determined that there is only one upper terminal 2 within the communication range of the target lower terminal 1, the operation instruction unit 305 transmits an operation instruction for the target lower terminal 1 to the one upper terminal 2 (step S25).

[0077] The instruction acquisition unit 206 of the higher-level terminal 2 specified by the operation instruction unit 305 acquires the operation instruction transmitted from the operation instruction unit 305 of the management device 3 (step S26). Next, the instruction transmission unit 207 wirelessly transmits the operation instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 206 to the target lower-level terminal 1 (step S27). This completes the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. The operation of the target lower-level terminal 1 is controlled in accordance with the operation instruction transmitted from the higher-level terminal 2.

[0078] As explained in detail above, in this embodiment, the multiple upper terminals 2 store the lower terminal IDs of the lower terminals 1 registered in the management device 3 as shared information in the shared information storage unit 211, and among the lower terminal IDs acquired by the device search unit 202 from one or more lower terminals 1 through the device search process, terminals other than the lower terminal 1 indicated by the shared lower terminal ID are registered in the management device 3 as specific terminals.

[0079] According to this embodiment configured as described above, the plurality of upper terminals 2 can recognize lower terminal IDs that have already been registered in the management device 3 by the lower terminal IDs of the lower terminals 1 that they share with each other. Then, when registering lower terminal IDs acquired from one or more lower terminals 1 in the device search process in the management device 3, it becomes possible to register lower terminal IDs other than the registered lower terminal IDs that the plurality of upper terminals 2 recognizes in the management device 3. This makes it possible to prevent the plurality of upper terminals 2 from registering the same lower terminal ID of the same lower terminal 1 in the management device 3 in duplicate.

[0080] That is, as shown in FIG. 2(c), the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 are the four subordinate terminals 1 discovered in the device discovery process. -3 ~1 -6 Among the lower terminal IDs of the lower terminals 1, 2 are not registered in the management device 3. -5 ~1 -6 Only the lower terminal ID of the registered lower terminal 1 needs to be registered in the management device 3. -3 ~1 -4 The lower terminal ID of the second upper terminal 2 -2 This can avoid duplicate registrations.

[0081] Also, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the first higher-level terminal 2 -1 and the second higher-level terminal 2 -2 The third higher-level terminal 2 is connected to the same account. -3 When the six subordinate terminals 1 are additionally registered, the six subordinate terminals 1 are stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312 of the management device 3. -1 ~1 -6 The lower terminal ID of the third upper terminal 2 -3 The information is provided to the third higher-level terminal 2, and is stored in the shared information storage unit 211 and shared. -3 In this case, it is not necessary to perform the kitting process of registering the lower terminal ID discovered in the device search process in the management device 3. Also, as shown in FIG. -2 Even if the location of the second upper terminal 2 changes and the lower terminal ID discovered in the device search process changes, -2 is the newly discovered lower-level terminal 1 -2It is not necessary to register the lower terminal IDs in the management device 3. In this way, according to this embodiment, the labor required for the kitting process of registering the lower terminal IDs in the management device 3 can be reduced.

[0082] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the identification information sharing unit 204 acquires a lower terminal ID registered in the management device 3 from the management device 3 and stores the ID as shared information in the shared information storage unit 211. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the identification information sharing unit 204 may acquire a lower terminal ID registered in the management device 3 from another higher terminal 2 via BLE wireless communication and store the ID as shared information in the shared information storage unit 211.

[0083] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the registered terminal management unit 302 of the management device 3 may be configured to delete a lower terminal ID stored in the registered terminal storage unit 312 in response to a request from the upper terminal 2 or the store service server 103. When deleting a lower terminal ID in response to a request from the upper terminal 2, the deletion may be performed only when it has been confirmed by BLE advertising that the upper terminal 2 is actually present near the lower terminal 1 corresponding to the lower terminal ID to be deleted (when the lower terminal ID of the lower terminal 1 to be deleted is included in the lower terminal IDs notified to the management device 3 from the upper terminal 2 as status information). In this way, even if a lower terminal ID is deleted due to an erroneous operation, the same lower terminal ID can be immediately re-registered in the management device 3.

[0084] The service providing system shown in FIG. 1 is an example of application of the communication system according to this embodiment, and application examples are not limited to this.

[0085] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereby. In other words, the present invention can be carried out in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics thereof.

[0086] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Lower-level terminal 2 Upper-level terminal (terminal device) 3 Management device 201 Account registration unit 202 Device search unit 203 Terminal registration unit 204 Identification information sharing unit 205 Status notification unit 206 Instruction acquisition unit 207 Instruction transmission unit 211 Shared information storage unit 301 Account management unit 302 Registered terminal management unit 303 Registered identification information provision unit 304 Connection status management unit 305 Operation instruction unit 311 Account information storage unit 312 Registered terminal storage unit 313 Connection status storage unit

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a plurality of lower terminals each having wireless communication means, a plurality of upper terminals each having the wireless communication means, and a management device that registers and manages the identification information of the lower terminals, and which performs wireless communication between the lower terminals and the upper terminals within a communication range, wherein the plurality of upper terminals each have: a device searching unit that searches for the lower terminals within the communication range and acquires identification information of the discovered lower terminals from the lower terminals; a terminal registration unit that registers identification information of a specific terminal from the identification information acquired by the device searching unit in the management device; and an identification information sharing unit that acquires and stores the identification information registered in the management device as shared information among the plurality of upper terminals, and wherein the terminal registration unit registers the identification information of a terminal other than the lower terminal identified in the shared information in the management device, treating the terminal as the specific terminal.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said identification information sharing unit acquires said identification information registered in said management device from said management device and stores it as said shared information.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information sharing unit acquires the identification information registered in the management device from another higher-level terminal and stores it as the shared information.

4. The communication system described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the device search unit periodically executes a device search process to search for the lower terminals, the plurality of upper terminals further comprise a status notification unit that notifies the management device of identification information of the lower terminals discovered by the device search unit as status information, and the management device recognizes the upper terminals that are within communication range of the target lower terminal to which an operation instruction is to be given based on the status information, and gives the operation instruction to the target lower terminal via the recognized upper terminal.

5. The communication system described in claim 4, characterized in that the status information includes signal strength information acquired by the lower terminal when the upper terminal performs the device search process, and when the management device recognizes that there are multiple upper terminals within communication range of the target lower terminal, it identifies one of the upper terminals based on the signal strength information and gives the operation instruction to the target lower terminal via the identified upper terminal.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein said management device identifies the upper terminal with the strongest signal strength based on said signal strength information.

7. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the management device identifies one upper terminal from among upper terminals whose signal strength is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the signal strength information.

8. A terminal device having a function of performing wireless communication as a higher-level terminal with a lower-level terminal having wireless communication means, and transmitting identification information acquired from the lower-level terminal to a management device for registration, the terminal device comprising: a device searching unit that searches for lower-level terminals within a communication range and acquires identification information of the discovered lower-level terminals from the lower-level terminals; a terminal registration unit that registers identification information of a specific terminal from the identification information acquired by the device searching unit into the management device; and an identification information sharing unit that acquires and stores the identification information registered into the management device as shared information for multiple terminal devices, wherein the terminal registration unit registers the identification information of a terminal other than the lower-level terminal indicated in the shared information into the management device as the specific terminal.

9. A terminal registration method in which a higher-level terminal performs wireless communication with a lower-level terminal having wireless communication means, and the higher-level terminal registers identification information of the lower-level terminal in a management device, the method comprising: a first step in which a device search unit of the higher-level terminal searches for lower-level terminals within a communication range and acquires identification information of the discovered lower-level terminals from the lower-level terminals; a second step in which a terminal registration unit of the higher-level terminal registers identification information of a specific terminal from the identification information acquired by the device search unit in the management device; and a third step in which an identification information sharing unit of the higher-level terminal acquires and stores the identification information registered in the management device as shared information for multiple terminal devices, wherein in step 2 the terminal registration unit registers the identification information of a terminal other than the lower-level terminal indicated in the shared information in the management device, designating the specific terminal.

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