Electronic device connected to plurality of IoT devices through server device, and operation method of electronic device

Abstract

This electronic device connected to a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices through a server device comprises a communication interface, a memory and a processor, wherein the processor executes a program or at least one instruction stored in the memory so that the electronic device can: transmit, to a server device, through the communication interface, a first selection signal obtained to select any one first IoT device from among the plurality of IoT devices; transmit, to the server device, through the communication interface, a first operation control signal obtained to control an operation of the first IoT device; obtain, from the server device, through the communication interface, first connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device; and use Bluetooth to transmit, to the first IoT device paired on the basis of the first connection information obtained through the communication interface, a second operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device.

Description

An electronic device connected to multiple IoT devices through a server device and a method of operation of the electronic device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method of operating the electronic device. Specifically, it relates to an electronic device connected to a plurality of IoT (Internet of Things) devices through a server device and a method of operating the electronic device.

[0002] Due to recent advancements in network technology, electronic devices such as home appliances are being utilized as IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

[0003] These devices communicate through servers, etc., and utilize technology that connects to a network to wirelessly exchange sensing information and control them remotely.

[0004] In particular, technology is being utilized to build IoT environments using the MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) protocol, a TCP / IP-based protocol over the Internet capable of exchanging lightweight data packets.

[0005] One embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device connected to a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices through a server device. The electronic device may include a communication interface. The electronic device may include a memory in which a program or at least one instruction is stored. The electronic device may include at least one processor including a processing circuit. By having at least one processor execute the program or at least one instruction stored in the memory individually or collectively, the electronic device may transmit a first selection signal obtained to select one of the plurality of IoT devices to a server device through the communication interface. The electronic device may transmit a first operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device to a server device through the communication interface. The electronic device may obtain first connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device from the server device through the communication interface. Based on the first connection information obtained through the communication interface, the electronic device may transmit a second operation signal obtained to control the operation of the paired first IoT device using Bluetooth.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of an electronic device connected to a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices through a server device may be provided. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a first selection signal obtained to a server device through a communication interface to select a first IoT device among the plurality of IoT devices. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a first operation control signal obtained to a server device through a communication interface to control the operation of the first IoT device. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of obtaining first connection information for pairing with the first IoT device from a server device through a communication interface. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a second operation signal obtained to control the operation of the paired first IoT device based on the first connection information obtained through the communication interface using Bluetooth.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable recording medium may be provided on which a program for performing at least one of the embodiments of the method of operating the disclosed electronic device is recorded on a computer.

[0008] The technical problems to be solved in this document are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0009] The present disclosure may be understood from the combination of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, where reference numerals denote structural elements.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure transmitting a second operation control signal using IR communication or Bluetooth depending on whether it is paired with a first IoT device.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation between an electronic device, a server device, and a first IoT device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic device unpairing a first IoT device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation between an electronic device, a server device, and a second IoT device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of obtaining a first selection signal and a first corresponding signal through a display device in which a first content and a second content are displayed, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 10 is a drawing for explaining first content and second content displayed on a display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of obtaining a second corresponding signal through a third content displayed through a display, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining third content displayed on a display according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation between an electronic device, a server device, and a third IoT device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] The terms used in this disclosure will be briefly explained, and an embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail.

[0024] Throughout this disclosure, unless specifically stated otherwise, "or" is inclusive and not exclusive. Accordingly, "A or B" may mean "A, B, or both" unless clearly indicated otherwise by the context.

[0025] In the present disclosure, the expression “at least one of a, b, or c” may refer to “a”, “b”, “c”, “a and b”, “a and c”, “b and c”, “a, b, and c all”, or variations thereof.

[0026] In describing the present disclosure, technical details that are well known in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs and are not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted. This is intended to convey the essence of the present disclosure more clearly without obscuring it by omitting unnecessary explanations.

[0027] The terms used in this disclosure have been selected to be as widely used as possible, taking into account the functions in the embodiments of this disclosure; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms have been arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the description section of the relevant embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the content throughout this disclosure.

[0028] In the accompanying drawings of this disclosure, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted. Additionally, the size of each component does not entirely reflect its actual size. Identical or corresponding components in each drawing are given the same reference numerals.

[0029] Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art as described in this specification.

[0030] Throughout this disclosure, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, terms such as "...part," "module," etc., as used in this disclosure refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented in hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0031] The expression “configured to” as used in this disclosure may be replaced, depending on the context, with, for example, “suitable for,” “having the capacity to,” “designed to,” “adapted to,” “made to,” or “capable of.” The term “configured to” may not necessarily mean only “specifically designed to” in hardware. Instead, in some situations, the expression “system configured to” may mean that the system is “capable of” together with other devices or components. For example, the phrase “a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C” may mean a dedicated processor for performing said operations (e.g., an embedded processor), or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) capable of performing said operations by executing one or more software programs stored in memory.

[0032] In addition, when a component is described in the present disclosure as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected to or directly connected to the other component, but unless otherwise specifically stated, it may also be connected or connected through another component in between.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, each block in each flowchart and combinations of flowcharts may be executed by one or more computer programs comprising computer-executable instructions. One or more computer programs may be loaded into a processor of a general-purpose computer, a computer for special purposes, or other programmable data processing equipment, and the instructions executed through the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment may generate means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s). One or more computer programs may be stored all in a single memory or may be divided and stored in a plurality of different memories.

[0034] Additionally, each block of the flowchart may represent a module, segment, or part of code containing one or more executable instructions for executing a specified logical function(s). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the functions mentioned in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially simultaneously or in reverse order according to function.

[0035] All functions or operations described in this document may be processed by a single processor or a combination of multiple processors.

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiment described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain an embodiment of the present disclosure in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the present disclosure are denoted by similar reference numerals.

[0037] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 1 illustrates an electronic device (100), a plurality of IoT (Internet of Things) devices (200) and a server device (300).

[0040] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the electronic device (100) and the plurality of IoT devices (200) may be connected to a server device (300). Each of the electronic device (100) and the plurality of IoT devices (200) may be wirelessly connected to the server device (300). The server device (300) may relay communication between the electronic device (100) and the plurality of IoT devices (200). Additionally, the server device (300) may relay communication between each of the plurality of IoT devices (200). The electronic device (100) and the plurality of IoT devices (200) may be connected to the internet through the server device (300).

[0041] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) and a plurality of IoT devices (200) may be connected to a cloud server through a server device (300). The server device (300) may be a router that relays communication between the electronic device (100) and the plurality of IoT devices (200) and the cloud server. The server device (300) may include an Access Point (AP). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the server device (300) may refer to a cloud server.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) can control the operation of a plurality of IoT devices (200) through a server device (300). Specifically, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can provide a selection signal to the server device (300) to select one of the plurality of IoT devices (200) whose operation is to be controlled. The selection signal provided by the electronic device (100) can be provided to one of the selected IoT devices (210) among the plurality of IoT devices (200) through the server device (300).

[0043] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) may provide a motion control signal to a server device (300) to control the operation of a selected IoT device (210). The motion control signal provided by the electronic device (100) may be provided to the selected IoT device (210) through the server device (300). The operation of the selected IoT device (210) may be controlled by the acquired motion control signal.

[0044] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may be a device that provides a function to select one of a plurality of IoT devices (200) and a function to control the operation of the selected IoT device. In FIG. 1, the electronic device (100) is shown in the form of a remote control. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The electronic device (100) may be implemented as an electronic device of various shapes, such as a mobile device, a smartphone, a laptop computer, a desktop, a tablet PC, digital signage, and a wearable device.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the function provided by the electronic device (100) may be performed by a physical button or switch, etc. included in the electronic device (100). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The electronic device (100) includes a display and may display on the display content for selecting one of a plurality of IoT devices (200) and content for controlling the operation of the selected IoT device. The function provided by the electronic device (100) may be performed through the content displayed on the display. An application for displaying the above-mentioned content may be executed on the electronic device (100).

[0046] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of IoT devices (200) may include a television, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a kimchi refrigerator, an air conditioner, an air purifier, a cleaning robot, a vacuum cleaner, a clothing care device, an oven, a microwave oven, an induction cooker, an audio output device, or a smart home hub device. The plurality of IoT devices (200) are wirelessly connected to a server device (300) and may provide information sensed from each of the plurality of IoT devices (200) or the status of the device to the server device (300). The operation of the plurality of IoT devices (200) may be controlled by an operation control signal obtained through the server device (300).

[0047] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100), a plurality of IoT devices (200), and a server device (300) may each include a communication interface. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interfaces included in the electronic device (100), the plurality of IoT devices (200), and the server device (300) may perform data communication with each other using at least one of a data communication method including Wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wi-Fi Aware.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100), a plurality of IoT devices (200), and a server device (300) may communicate with each other according to the MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) protocol. In this case, the electronic device (100) may be a publisher, the server device (300) may be a broker, and the plurality of IoT devices (200) may be subscribers. The electronic device (100) may publish a message containing a specific topic to the server device (300). The server device (300) may transmit the message to at least one IoT device among the plurality of IoT devices (200) that has subscribed to the specific topic. Here, the "topic" is used to distinguish messages and may be hierarchically configured using a slash ( / ).

[0049] However, since the MQTT protocol is a TCP / IP-based protocol over the internet, if the network connection is unstable or the broker is overloaded, a delay may occur in the process of delivering a message issued by the issuer to the subscriber. Accordingly, when selecting one of a plurality of IoT devices (200) using an electronic device (100) and controlling the operation of the selected IoT device (210), the operation of the IoT device (210) may be delayed contrary to the user's intention, causing the user to feel inconvenience.

[0050] Accordingly, in the present disclosure, when an electronic device (100) controls the operation of a selected IoT device (210) among a plurality of IoT devices (200), the operation of the selected IoT device (210) can be controlled using Bluetooth or IR communication, rather than by controlling it via the MQTT protocol method through a server device (300).

[0051] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, communication interfaces included in each of the electronic device (100), a plurality of IoT devices (200), and a server device (300) can perform data communication with each other using at least one of data communication methods including Bluetooth, Zigbee, IR (Infrared Ray) communication, and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

[0052] Specifically, in the present disclosure, by transmitting a selection signal for selecting one of a plurality of IoT devices (200) and an operation control signal for controlling the operation of the selected IoT device (210) to a server device (300), the server device (300) may provide connection information for Bluetooth pairing between the selected IoT device (210) and the electronic device (100) to the electronic device (100). At this time, the connection information for Bluetooth pairing may include a Bluetooth address and device name information, and may be provided to the electronic device (100).

[0053] Additionally, the server device (300) may provide connection information for IR communication with the selected IoT device (210) to the electronic device (100). At this time, the connection information for IR communication may include IR protocol and IR Key information for IR communication of the selected IoT device (210).

[0054] At this time, the connection information for Bluetooth pairing and the connection information for IR communication provided by the server device (300) to the electronic device (100) may have been transmitted in advance to the server device (300) by the selected IoT device (210) during the process of registering with the server device (300) to be connected to the internet through the server device (300). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the connection information for Bluetooth pairing and the connection information for IR communication may have been obtained by the server device (300) requesting the selected IoT device (210) to provide to the electronic device (100).

[0055] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) may be paired with a selected IoT device (210) based on connection information for Bluetooth pairing obtained. The electronic device (100) may transmit an operation control signal to the paired IoT device (210) to control the operation of the IoT device using Bluetooth (410).

[0056] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can transmit an operation control signal to control the operation of an IoT device through an IR sensor included in the electronic device (100) based on connection information for acquired IR communication.

[0057] Accordingly, a comfortable usage environment without delay can be provided to a user who wishes to control the operation of one of the multiple IoT devices (200) through the electronic device (100).

[0058] The effects obtainable from the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood from the present disclosure by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0059] Hereinafter, the specific configuration of the electronic device (100) and the method of operation of the electronic device (100) will be described in FIGS. 2 to 13.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 2, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) may include a display (110), an IR sensor (120), a memory (130), at least one processor (140), a user interface (150), and a communication interface (160).

[0062] However, not all components illustrated in FIG. 2 are essential components. The electronic device (100) may be implemented by more components than those illustrated in FIG. 2, or by fewer components. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may not include a display (110).

[0063] A display (110), an IR sensor (120), a memory (130), at least one processor (140), a user interface (150), and a communication interface (160) included in an electronic device (100) can each be electrically connected to one another.

[0064] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the display (110) may include any one of a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic light emitting diode display, or an inorganic light emitting diode display. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the display (110) may include other types of displays capable of displaying at least one of content for selecting any one of the plurality of IoT devices (200) described in FIG. 1 or content for controlling the operation of the selected IoT device.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) controls a display (110) to display the said content, so that the electronic device (100) can provide the content to a user of the electronic device (100).

[0066] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the IR sensor (120) may include a light source that irradiates infrared rays (IR). The IR sensor (120) may irradiate by varying the frequency, wavelength, and pulse width of the irradiating light. At least one processor (140) may control the IR sensor (120) to provide a signal to the outside using IR communication. At least one processor (140) may control the IR sensor (120) to provide an operation control signal to control the operation of a selected IoT device (210) based on connection information for acquired IR communication.

[0067] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (130) may store instructions, data structures, and program code that can be read by at least one processor (140). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (130) may be one or more. Operations performed by the electronic device (100) may be implemented by at least one processor (140) executing the instructions or code of a program stored in the memory (130).

[0068] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (130) may include at least one of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory, etc.), RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), Mask ROM, Flash ROM, etc.), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD).

[0069] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (130) may not exist separately and may be configured to be included in at least one processor (140).

[0070] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, instructions or program code for performing functions or operations of an electronic device (100) may be stored in the memory (130). The instructions, algorithms, data structures, program code, and application programs stored in the memory (130) may be implemented in a programming or scripting language such as, for example, C, C++, Java, Python, assembler, etc.

[0071] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, various types of modules that can be used to perform the operation of the electronic device (100) may be stored in the memory (130).

[0072] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a device selection module (131) and an operation control module (132) may be stored in the memory (130). However, not all modules shown in FIG. 2 are required. More modules than those shown in FIG. 2 may be stored in the memory (130), or fewer modules may be stored.

[0073] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a 'module' included in the memory (130) may mean a unit that processes a function or operation performed by at least one processor (140). The 'module' included in the memory (130) may be implemented as software such as instructions, algorithms, data structures, or program code.

[0074] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the device selection module (131) may be composed of instructions or program code regarding an operation or function of obtaining a selection signal for selecting one of the plurality of IoT devices (200). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may obtain a selection input for selecting one of the plurality of IoT devices (210) from a user using the electronic device (100) through a user interface (150) to be described later.

[0075] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of a device selection module (131), the electronic device (100) can obtain a selection signal for selecting one of a plurality of IoT devices (200) generated based on the acquired selection input, such as an IoT device (210).

[0076] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation control module (132) may be composed of instructions or program code regarding an operation or function that obtains an operation control signal that controls the operation of any one IoT device (210) selected by a selection signal. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may obtain an operation input that obtains an operation control signal that controls the operation of any one IoT device (210) selected by a user using the electronic device (100) through a user interface (150) to be described later.

[0077] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of the operation control module (132), the electronic device (100) can obtain an operation control signal that controls the operation of any one selected IoT device (210), generated based on the acquired operation input.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation control signal may be generated to be included in a packet provided using Bluetooth. Additionally, the operation control signal may be generated to be included in a pulse signal provided using IR communication.

[0079] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) may be configured to control a series of processes to operate an electronic device (100) according to the embodiments described below, and may be composed of one or more processors.

[0080] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) may be composed of at least one of a Central Processing Unit, a microprocessor, a Graphic Processing Unit, an Application Processor (AP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or a Communication Processor (CP), but is not limited thereto.

[0081] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) may be composed of a circuit such as a System on Chip (SoC) or an Integrated Circuit (IC). At least one processor (140) may include a processing circuit.

[0082] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) can execute various types of modules stored in memory (130). At least one processor (140) can execute at least one instruction constituting the various types of modules stored in memory (130) individually or collectively. By executing a program or at least one instruction stored in memory (130), at least one processor (140) can process data according to a predefined operation rule.

[0083] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) may include a plurality of processors. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one module among a plurality of modules in memory (130) may be executed by any one of the plurality of processors. The remaining modules among the plurality of modules stored in memory (130) may be executed by another processor among the plurality of processors.

[0084] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the user interface (150) may include a physical button (e.g., power button, volume button, menu button, channel change button, etc.) or a switch. Additionally, the user interface (150) may include a touch interface. The touch interface may include a touch panel or a touch display including electrodes.

[0085] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) may obtain input provided by a user through a user interface (150). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) may obtain input from a user according to a user action of pressing, touching, or dragging the user interface using a finger or the like.

[0086] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the user interface (150) may include an electronic pen, a smart pen, a stylus pen, or a touch pen, etc. The user interface (150) may also include a sensing interface capable of sensing input using an electronic pen, etc. together with an electronic pen, etc.

[0087] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (140) can acquire input according to a user's action of selecting a specific area of ​​the display (110) using an electronic pen or the like, or drawing a specific shape.

[0088] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface (160) can perform data communication with an external server or an external electronic device under the control of at least one processor (140). The communication interface (160) can perform data communication with a server device (300) using at least one of Wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, or Wi-Fi Aware under the control of at least one processor (140). The communication interface (160) can perform data communication with a plurality of IoT devices (200) using at least one of Bluetooth, Zigbee, Infrared Ray (IR) communication, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) under the control of at least one processor (140).

[0089] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface (160) can transmit a selection signal and an operation control signal to a server device (300) under the control of at least one processor (140).

[0090] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface (160) can perform pairing with a selected IoT device (210) based on connection information for Bluetooth pairing obtained from a server device (300) under the control of at least one processor (140). The communication interface (160) can transmit an operation control signal to the paired IoT device (210) using Bluetooth.

[0091] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface (160) can transmit an operation control signal to a selected IoT device (210) using an IR sensor (120) based on connection information for IR communication obtained from a server device (300) under the control of at least one processor (140).

[0092] FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0093] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include a step (S100) of transmitting a first selection signal obtained to select one of a plurality of IoT devices (200) to a server device (300) through a communication interface (160).

[0094] In step S100, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can transmit a first selection signal to a server device (300) through a communication interface (160). At this time, the first selection signal may be obtained based on a selection input that selects one of the first IoT device (210) among the plurality of IoT devices (200) of a user using the electronic device (100), which is obtained through a user interface (150), and a device selection module (131).

[0095] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S100 may include the operation of the electronic device (100) acquiring a first selection signal and the operation of the electronic device (100) transmitting the acquired first selection signal to a server device (300). Although FIG. 3 is illustrated as if the two operations are performed in one step, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of the electronic device (100) acquiring a first selection signal and the operation of the electronic device (100) transmitting the acquired first selection signal to a server device (300) may, of course, be performed in separate steps.

[0096] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S200) of transmitting a first operation control signal obtained to control the operation of a first IoT device (210) to a server device (300) through a communication interface (160).

[0097] In step S200, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can transmit a first operation control signal to a server device (300) through a communication interface (160). At this time, the first operation control signal may be obtained based on an operation input that controls the operation of a first IoT device (210) of a user using the electronic device (100), obtained through a user interface (150), and an operation control module (132).

[0098] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S200 may include the operation of the electronic device (100) acquiring a first operation control signal and the operation of the electronic device (100) transmitting the acquired first operation control signal to a server device (300). Although FIG. 3 is illustrated as if the two operations are performed in one step, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of the electronic device (100) acquiring a first operation control signal and the operation of the electronic device (100) transmitting the acquired first operation control signal to a server device (300) may, of course, be performed in separate steps.

[0099] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S300) of obtaining first connection information for Bluetooth pairing with a first IoT device (210) from a server device (300) through a communication interface (160).

[0100] In step S300, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can obtain first connection information for Bluetooth pairing transmitted by the server device (300) through the communication interface (160). At this time, the "first connection information" may include connection information including the Bluetooth address of the first IoT device (210) and the name information of the device, provided by the first IoT device (210) to the server device (300).

[0101] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S400) of transmitting a second operation control signal obtained to control the operation of a first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth based on first connection information obtained through a communication interface (160).

[0102] In step S400, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can transmit a second operation control signal via Bluetooth to a first IoT device (210) paired based on first connection information through a communication interface (160). At this time, the "second operation control signal" may be a signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device (210) after the first operation control signal.

[0103] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, prior to step S400, the step of the electronic device (100) acquiring a second operation control signal may be further included. The electronic device (100) may acquire the second operation control signal based on an operation input that controls the operation of a first IoT device (210) of a user using the electronic device (100), which is acquired through a user interface (150), and an operation control module (132).

[0104] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first selection signal and the first operation control signal may be provided to the first IoT device (210) through the server device (300) prior to step S400. The first selection signal and the first operation control signal are each transmitted to the server device (300) via the MQTT protocol in steps S100 and S200, respectively, and the server device (300) may provide the first selection signal and the first operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) via the MQTT protocol.

[0105] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a second operation control signal may be provided to the first IoT device (210) via Bluetooth after step S400. After the electronic device (100) is paired with the first IoT device (210), the electronic device (100) may directly provide an operation control signal to control the operation of the first IoT device (210) via Bluetooth. At this time, the second operation control signal may refer to an operation control signal obtained after the electronic device (100) is paired with the first IoT device (210).

[0106] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S300 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as being performed after step S100 and step S200, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Step S300 may be performed simultaneously with step S100 or step S200. The server device (300) may obtain a first selection signal from the electronic device (100) or obtain a first operation control signal and simultaneously provide first connection information to the electronic device (100).

[0107] However, if the first connection information is not stored in advance in the server device (300), the server device (300) may request the first connection information from the first IoT device (210) upon obtaining the first selection signal or the first operation control signal, and provide the first connection information obtained in response to the request to the electronic device (100).

[0108] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and if the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are paired while the first operation control signal is being provided, the electronic device (100) may provide the first operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth without going through the server device (300). In this case, the first operation control signal and the second operation control signal may refer to the same signal.

[0109] Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the first selection signal and the first operation control signal are described as being provided to the first IoT device (210) via the server device (300) using the MQTT protocol, and the operation control signal provided via Bluetooth after the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are paired is referred to as the second operation control signal.

[0110] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S400 may include an operation in which an electronic device (100) is paired with a first IoT device (210) based on first connection information and an operation in which the electronic device (100) transmits a second operation control signal to the paired first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth. Although FIG. 3 is illustrated as if the two operations are performed in one step, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation in which an electronic device (100) is paired with a first IoT device (210) based on first connection information and the operation in which an electronic device (100) transmits a second operation control signal to the paired first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth may, of course, be performed in separate steps.

[0111] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to steps identical to those described in FIG. 3, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0112] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include a step (S310) of obtaining second connection information for IR communication with a first IoT device (210) from a server device (300) through a communication interface (160).

[0113] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S310 is illustrated in FIG. 4 as being performed after step S200. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and step S310 may be performed simultaneously with step S100 or step S200. Additionally, step S310 may be performed simultaneously with step S300. The server device (300) may obtain a first selection signal from the electronic device (100) or obtain a first operation control signal and simultaneously provide second connection information to the electronic device (100). The server device (300) may also provide the first connection information and the second connection information to the electronic device (100) together.

[0114] However, if the second connection information is not stored in advance in the server device (300), the server device (300) may request the second connection information from the first IoT device (210) upon obtaining the first selection signal or the first operation control signal, and provide the second connection information obtained in response to the request to the electronic device (100).

[0115] In step S310, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can obtain second connection information for IR communication transmitted by the server device (300) through the communication interface (160). At this time, the "second connection information" may include a unique device identification code or command code, timing information, etc. for IR communication of the first IoT device (210) provided by the first IoT device (210) to the server device (300).

[0116] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include the step (S410) of transmitting a second operation control signal to a first IoT device (210) using IR communication based on second connection information obtained through an IR sensor (120).

[0117] In step S400, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication based on second connection information through the IR sensor (120). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when transmitting the second operation control signal using IR communication, the electronic device (100) may convert the second operation control signal through the communication interface (160) and then transmit it to the first IoT device (210) through the IR sensor (120).

[0118] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a second operation control signal may be provided to the first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth after step S400. After the electronic device (100) acquires the second connection information, the electronic device (100) may directly provide an operation control signal to control the operation of the first IoT device (210) using IR communication. At this time, the second operation control signal may refer to an operation control signal acquired after the electronic device (100) acquires the second connection information.

[0119] Additionally, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and if second connection information is provided to the electronic device (100) while the first operation control signal is being provided, the electronic device (100) may provide the first operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication without going through the server device (300). In this case, the first operation control signal and the second operation control signal may refer to the same signal.

[0120] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure transmitting a second operation control signal using IR communication or Bluetooth depending on whether it is paired with a first IoT device. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to steps identical to those described in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0121] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include a step (S320) of obtaining first connection information and second connection information from a server device (300) through a communication interface (160). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S320 may be such that the operation in step S300 and the operation in step S310 are performed in a single step. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5 is illustrated as step S320 being performed after step S200. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and step S320 may be performed simultaneously with step S100 or step S200.

[0122] In step S320, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can obtain first connection information and second connection information through the communication interface (160).

[0123] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include a step (S330) of identifying whether the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are Bluetooth paired.

[0124] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, preparation time may be required for the electronic device (100) to Bluetooth pair with the first IoT device (210) based on first connection information. Since the electronic device (100) requests a connection to the first IoT device (210) and the process of exchanging security authentication and encryption keys, etc. between the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) is performed, the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) may be paired after a short preparation time.

[0125] On the other hand, since IR communication does not require a separate pairing process, the electronic device (100) can transmit an operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication based on the second connection information without any preparation time.

[0126] Therefore, even if the first connection information is obtained in step S320, the electronic device (100) may not be immediately paired with the first IoT device (210). In step S330, the electronic device (100) can identify whether the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) have Bluetooth paired based on the first connection information obtained through the communication interface (160).

[0127] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as it is determined in step S330 that the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are not paired, the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include the step (S410) of transmitting a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication through the IR sensor (120).

[0128] In step S410, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication through the IR sensor (120).

[0129] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as it is determined in step S330 that the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are paired, the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include the step (S400) of transmitting a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth through a communication interface (160).

[0130] In step S400, by having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of memory (130), the electronic device (100) can transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) via Bluetooth through the communication interface (160).

[0131] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after step S410, the electronic device (100) may perform the operation of step S330 again. After the electronic device (100) transmits a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication through the IR sensor (120), the electronic device (100) may perform an operation to determine whether it is paired with the first IoT device (210) again, and if it is determined in the operation that the electronic device (100) is paired with the first IoT device (210), the electronic device (100) may perform the operation of step S400.

[0132] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, since preparation time is required for the electronic device (100) to be paired with the first IoT device (210) based on the first connection information, determining in step S330 that the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are not paired may mean that the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are not paired. Determining in step S330 that the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are paired may mean that the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are paired after they are paired.

[0133] Accordingly, the electronic device (100) transmits a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication through the IR sensor (120) before being paired with the first IoT device (210), and after being paired with the first IoT device (210), transmits the second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth through the communication interface (160).

[0134] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, depending on whether the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) are paired, the second operation control signal is directly transmitted to the first IoT device (210) by the method of step S400 or step S410, so that the electronic device (100) can provide a comfortable environment without delay in controlling the operation of the first IoT device (210) to the user after step S320.

[0135] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after the electronic device (100) obtains first connection information and second connection information from the server device (300), it can directly transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using IR communication, thereby providing a comfortable environment without delay for the user to control the operation of the first IoT device (210).

[0136] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after the electronic device (100) is paired with the first IoT device (210), it can directly transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) via Bluetooth through the communication interface (160), thereby providing the user with a comfortable environment without delay in controlling the operation of the first IoT device (210). Additionally, even if an obstacle is located between the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210), or if the electronic device (100) is not facing the first IoT device (210), it can provide the user with a comfortable environment without delay in controlling the operation of the first IoT device (210).

[0137] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation between an electronic device, a server device, and a first IoT device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to steps identical to those described in FIG. 3, 4, and 5, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0138] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 6, only the first IoT device (210) among the plurality of IoT devices (200) is shown in FIGS. 6 for convenience of explanation.

[0139] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100), a first IoT device (210), and a server device (300) can be connected to each other via the Internet according to the MQTT protocol (S10).

[0140] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first IoT device (210) may provide first connection information and second connection information to the server device (300) (S30). When the first IoT device (210) is registered with the server device (300), it may provide the first connection information and second connection information to the server device (300). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and as either a first selection signal or a first operation control signal is provided to the server device (300), the server device (300) may request the first IoT device (210) to provide the first connection information and second connection information, and the first IoT device (210) may provide the first connection information and second connection information to the server device (300).

[0141] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can acquire a first selection signal according to the selection input of a user using the electronic device (100) (S50).

[0142] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) can transmit a first selection signal to a server device (300) via the Internet (S100). Although not shown in FIG. 6, the server device (300) can provide the first selection signal to a first IoT device (210) corresponding to the first selection signal among a plurality of IoT devices (200). Additionally, the server device (300) may provide signals subsequently provided by the electronic device (100) to the first IoT device (210) according to the first selection signal.

[0143] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first operation control signal according to the operation input of a user using the electronic device (100) (S150).

[0144] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can transmit a first operation control signal to a server device (300) via the Internet (S200).

[0145] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server device (300) may transmit the acquired first operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) (S210). While transmitting the first operation control signal to the first IoT device (210), the server device (300) may provide first connection information and second connection information to the electronic device (100) (S320). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server device (300) may transmit the first connection information and second connection information to the electronic device (100) simultaneously with transmitting the first operation control signal. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is understood that the first connection information and second connection information may be provided before transmitting the first operation control signal or after transmitting the first operation control signal.

[0146] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may obtain a second operation control signal (S350). At this time, the second operation control signal may be a signal obtained by user input after the electronic device (100) has received the first connection information and the second connection information. The operation of the first IoT device (210) controlled by the second operation control signal may be different from the operation of the first IoT device (210) controlled by the first operation control signal.

[0147] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can transmit a second operation control signal to a first IoT device (210) using IR communication through an IR sensor (120) based on second connection information (S410).

[0148] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can perform Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device (210) based on the acquired first connection information. After the electronic device (100) has Bluetooth paired with the first IoT device (210), it can transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth through the communication interface (160) (S400).

[0149] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) may obtain a selection input for selecting an IoT device other than the first IoT device (210) among a plurality of IoT devices (200). As the selection input for selecting an IoT device other than the first IoT device is obtained, the electronic device (100) may unpair with the first IoT device (210) (S500).

[0150] Additionally, the electronic device (100) may unpair the first IoT device (210) if no other operation control signal is acquired within a preset reference time from the time when the second operation control signal is acquired (S500). At this time, the "reference time" may be a preset time for the user of the electronic device (100) to determine that they will no longer control the operation of the first IoT device (210) through the electronic device (100).

[0151] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (100) may perform pairing with the first IoT device (210) according to the acquired first connection information even without acquiring the second operation control signal. At this time, the electronic device (100) may unpair the first IoT device (210) if no other operation control signal is acquired within a preset reference time from the time the first operation control signal is acquired.

[0152] Hereinafter, the operation of unpairing the electronic device (100) from the first IoT device (210) will be described later in FIG. 7.

[0153] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) and a first IoT device (210) that is unpaired from the electronic device (100) can be connected to the Internet through a server device (300) (S600).

[0154] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic device unpairing a first IoT device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to steps identical to those described in FIG. 3, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0155] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2, FIGS. 3 and FIGS. 7, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device (100) may include a step (S420) of obtaining a second selection signal for selecting one of a second IoT device that is different from a first IoT device (210) among a plurality of IoT devices (200).

[0156] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S420 may be performed after step S400.

[0157] In step S420, the electronic device (100) may obtain a selection input that selects a second IoT device, which is different from the first IoT device (210), among a plurality of IoT devices (200) of a user using the electronic device (100), which is obtained through a user interface (150). By having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of the device selection module (131), the electronic device (100) may obtain a second selection signal based on the selection input that selects the second IoT device.

[0158] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include the step (S500) of unpairing the first IoT device (210) as a second selection signal is acquired.

[0159] In step S500, at least one processor (140) executes instructions or program code in memory (130), thereby allowing the electronic device (100) to unpair with the first IoT device (210). After the electronic device (100) unpairs with the first IoT device (210), the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) can be connected to the Internet through a server device (300).

[0160] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as a second selection signal is acquired, the electronic device (100) can identify that a user using the electronic device (100) intends to control the operation of a second IoT device rather than a first IoT device (210). Accordingly, the electronic device (100) can unpair Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device (210) and prepare to perform Bluetooth pairing with the second IoT device.

[0161] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operating an electronic device (100) may include a step (S430) of identifying whether a second operation control signal is acquired within a preset reference time from the time when a first operation control signal is acquired.

[0162] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after the electronic device (100) transmits a second operation control signal to the server device (300) in step S200, the electronic device (100) may be Bluetooth paired with the first IoT device (210) based on the acquired first connection information. However, if the second operation control signal for controlling the operation of the first IoT device (210) paired with the electronic device (100) is not provided within a reference time thereafter, the electronic device (100) may determine that the user does not further control the operation of the first IoT device (210).

[0163] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as it is identified that a second operation control signal is not acquired within a reference time from the time when a first operation control signal is acquired in step S430, the operation method of the electronic device (100) may perform step S500.

[0164] The electronic device (100) can unpair with the first IoT device (210) as it is identified that the second operation control signal was not acquired within a reference time from the time the first operation control signal was acquired.

[0165] Through this, the electronic device (100) can prevent power from being consumed to maintain Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device (210).

[0166] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as it is identified that a second operation control signal is acquired within a reference time from the time when a first operation control signal is acquired in step S430, the operation method of the electronic device (100) can maintain pairing with the first IoT device (210) without unpairing it.

[0167] As the electronic device (100) identifies that a second operation control signal has been acquired within a reference time from the time when the first operation control signal is acquired, it can provide a second operation control signal to a first IoT device (210) paired via Bluetooth through a communication interface (160).

[0168] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation between an electronic device, a server device, and a second IoT device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to configurations and steps identical to those described in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0169] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2, FIGS. 3 and FIGS. 7, for convenience of explanation, only the second IoT device (220) among the plurality of IoT devices (200) is shown in FIGS. 7.

[0170] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100), a second IoT device (220), and a server device (300) can be connected to each other via the Internet according to the MQTT protocol (S10).

[0171] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second IoT device (220) may provide third connection information to the server device (300) (S31). When the second IoT device (220) is registered with the server device (300), it may provide third connection information to the server device (300). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and as either a second selection signal or a third operation control signal is provided to the server device (300), the server device (300) may request the second IoT device (220) to provide third connection information, and the second IoT device (220) may provide third connection information to the server device (300).

[0172] At this time, the "third connection information" may include connection information including the Bluetooth address of the second IoT device (220) and the name information of the device, which the second IoT device (220) provided to the server device (300).

[0173] FIG. 9 illustrates only that a second IoT device (220) provides third connection information to a server device (300), and an electronic device (100) transmits a fourth operation control signal via Bluetooth to the paired second IoT device (220) based on the third connection information obtained from the server device (300), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It is obvious that the second IoT device (220) provides connection information for IR communication to the server device (300), and the electronic device (100) can transmit a fourth operation control signal via IR communication based on the connection information for IR communication obtained from the server device (300).

[0174] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can acquire a second selection signal (S420). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can unpair with the first IoT device (210) (S500).

[0175] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of acquiring a second selection signal may be performed after pairing between the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) is performed. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the acquisition of the second selection signal may be performed after the acquisition of the first selection signal.

[0176] At this time, if the electronic device (100) is not Bluetooth paired with the first IoT device (210), the operation of unpairing the electronic device (100) with the first IoT device (210) may not be performed.

[0177] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can transmit a second selection signal to the server device (300) via the Internet (S700).

[0178] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may acquire a third operation control signal according to the operation input of a user using the electronic device (100) (S700). At this time, the third operation control signal may be acquired based on an operation control module (132) and an operation input that controls the operation of a second IoT device (220) of a user using the electronic device (100), which is acquired through a user interface (150).

[0179] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can transmit a second operation control signal to a server device (300) via the Internet (S720).

[0180] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server device (300) can transmit the acquired second operation control signal to the second IoT device (220) (S730). While transmitting the second operation control signal to the second IoT device (220), the server device (300) can provide third connection information to the electronic device (100) (S740).

[0181] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may obtain a fourth operation control signal (S750). At this time, the fourth operation control signal may be a signal obtained by user input after the electronic device (100) has received third connection information. The operation of the second IoT device (220) controlled by the fourth operation control signal may be different from the operation of the second IoT device (220) controlled by the third operation control signal.

[0182] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can perform Bluetooth pairing with the second IoT device (220) based on the acquired third connection information. After the electronic device (100) has Bluetooth paired with the second IoT device (220), it can transmit a fourth operation control signal to the second IoT device (220) using Bluetooth through the communication interface (160) (S400).

[0183] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and when the electronic device (100) obtains fourth connection information for IR communication with the second IoT device (220) from the server device (300), the electronic device (100) may transmit a fourth operation control signal to the second IoT device (220) using IR communication through the IR sensor (120) based on the fourth connection information. After the electronic device (100) is paired with the second IoT device (220) via Bluetooth based on the third connection information, it may provide the fourth operation control signal to the second IoT device (220) using Bluetooth.

[0184] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may obtain a selection input for selecting an IoT device other than the second IoT device (220) among a plurality of IoT devices (200). As the selection input for selecting an IoT device other than the second IoT device is obtained, the electronic device (100) may unpair the second IoT device (220) (S780).

[0185] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) and a second IoT device (220) that is unpaired from the electronic device (100) can be connected to the Internet through a server device (300) (S790).

[0186] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of obtaining a first selection signal and a first corresponding signal through a display device in which a first content and a second content are displayed, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the first content and the second content displayed on the display device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0187] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2, FIGS. 9 and FIGS. 10, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of IoT devices (200) may include a display device (1000). The display device (1000) may be a device including a display (1010) for displaying content. The display device (1000) may include electronic devices of various shapes, such as a television, a mobile device, a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet PC, and digital signage.

[0188] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device (1000) may display a first content (1020) on a display (1010) that allows selecting any one of a plurality of IoT devices (200), and provide it to a user using an electronic device (100). The user using the electronic device (100) may view the first content (1020) provided through the display device (1000) while using the electronic device (100).

[0189] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user can select one of a plurality of IoT devices (200) through a first content (1020). FIG. 10 illustrates that the first content (1020) includes an interface such as an icon corresponding to each of the plurality of IoT devices (200), a selection window for selecting the device, and a subtitle to assist in the selection, such as "<Select the IoT device to control the operation>". However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first content (1020) may display the name of the device corresponding to each of the plurality of IoT devices (200), or may include a space in which the plurality of IoT devices (200) are arranged and a plan view showing the plurality of IoT devices (200) located within the space.

[0190] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S52) of obtaining a first selection signal from the display device (1000) obtained by selecting a first IoT device (210) among a first content (1020) that can select any one IoT device displayed through a display device (1000) included in a plurality of IoT devices (200).

[0191] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S52 may include step (S51) in which a first IoT device (210) is selected from a first content (1020) that can select any one IoT device displayed through a display device (1000) included in a plurality of IoT devices (200), thereby the display device (1000) acquires a first selection signal.

[0192] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the display device (1000) may include a user interface, such as a touch panel, a touch display, a switch or a button, etc. The user may select a first IoT device (210) among the first content (1020) through the user interface included in the display (1000). The display device (1000) may obtain a first selection signal generated based on the input of the user selecting the first IoT device (210) through the first content. The display device (1000) may provide the first selection signal to an electronic device (100) through a communication interface included in the display device (1000).

[0193] At this time, the display device (1000) provides a first selection signal to the server device (300) through a communication interface, and the server device (300) may provide a first selection signal to the electronic device (100).

[0194] The present disclosure is not limited thereto. A user of the electronic device (100) may provide user input for selecting a first IoT device (210) among the first content (1020) using the user interface (150) of the electronic device (100), and the electronic device (100) may provide user input to a display device (1000) through a communication interface (160). The display device (1000) may obtain a first selection signal based on the obtained user input.

[0195] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may include the step (S202) of obtaining from the display device (1000) a first corresponding signal including corresponding information of the operation of the user interface (150) and the first IoT device (210), which is obtained through a second content (1030) capable of establishing a corresponding relationship between the operation of the user interface (150) included in the electronic device (100) and the operation of the selected first IoT device (210) displayed through the display device (1000).

[0196] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S202 may include a step (S201) of obtaining a first corresponding signal including corresponding information of the operation of the user interface (150) of the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) through the second content (1030) displayed through the display device (1000).

[0197] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device (1000) may display a second content (1030) on a display (1010) that can establish a corresponding relationship between the operation of a user interface (150) included in an electronic device (100) and a selected first IoT device (210), and provide this to a user using the electronic device (100). A user using the electronic device (100) may view the second content (1030) provided through the display device (1000) while using the electronic device (100). The second content (1030) may be content displayed after the first IoT device (210) among a plurality of IoT devices (200) is selected through the first content (1020).

[0198] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user can establish a correspondence between each operation of the first IoT device (210) and the user interface (150) of the electronic device (100) through the second content (1030). Referring to FIG. 10, the second content (1030) may include a control interface (1031) that includes at least one input menu included in the user interface (150) of the electronic device (100). Additionally, the second content (1030) may include an operation menu interface (1040) that includes at least one sub-operation controllable in the first IoT device (210). The second content (1030) may include a correspondence between each of the at least one input menu included in the control interface (1031) and at least one sub-operation included in the corresponding operation menu interface (1040).

[0199] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 10 is illustrated as having a user interface (150) that is a remote control, and a first IoT device (210) that is a television, and an operation menu interface (1040) that can be controlled on the television, such as "power," "option," "preferred channel," "change channel," and "change volume." However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and depending on the type of user interface (150), the shape of the control interface (1031) included in the second content (1030) may vary. Additionally, depending on the type of the first IoT device (210), at least one sub-operation included in the operation menu interface (1040) may vary.

[0200] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the correspondence between each of the at least one input menu included in the control interface (1031) of the second content (1030) and at least one sub-action included in the corresponding action menu interface (1040) may be changed. The arrangement order of at least one sub-action included in the action menu interface (1040) may be changed. When the sub-action corresponding to the topmost input menu in the control interface (1031) is set to "Power," the "Power" may be changed to other actions such as "Option" or "Mute" using the arrows on either side of "Power." The same applies to other sub-actions included in the action menu interface (1040).

[0201] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user can set at least one input menu included in the control interface (1031) of the second content (1020) and a corresponding sub-operation through a user interface included in the display (1000). The display device (1000) can obtain a first corresponding signal including corresponding information of the operation of the selected first IoT device (210) and the user interface (150) included in the electronic device (100) through the second content (1020). The display device (1000) can provide the first corresponding signal to the electronic device (100) through a communication interface included in the display device (1000).

[0202] At this time, the display device (1000) provides a first corresponding signal to the server device (300) through a communication interface, and the server device (300) may provide a first corresponding signal to the electronic device (100).

[0203] The present disclosure is not limited thereto. A user of the electronic device (100) may provide a user input that sets at least one input menu (1031) included in the control interface (1031) of the second content (1020) and a corresponding sub-operation using the user interface (150) of the electronic device (100), and the electronic device (100) may provide the user input to the display device (1000) through the communication interface (160). The display device (1000) may acquire a first corresponding signal based on the acquired user input.

[0204] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S220) of obtaining a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal based on a user input obtained through a user interface (150) and a first corresponding signal.

[0205] At this time, it goes without saying that the first operation control signal and the second operation control signal may be obtained at different stages. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of obtaining the second operation control signal may be performed after the operation in which the first operation control signal is obtained.

[0206] In step S220, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal including information on the operation control of a first IoT device (210) corresponding to the provided user input, based on the user input and the first corresponding signal provided by the user of the electronic device (100) through the user interface (150).

[0207] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation to obtain a second corresponding signal through third content displayed through a display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a drawing illustrating third content displayed on a display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to steps identical to those described in FIG. 3, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0208] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2, FIGS. 11 and FIGS. 12, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device (100) may include a step (S203) of displaying a third content (1220) including a corresponding relationship between the operation of a user interface (150) included in the electronic device (100) and a first IoT device (2120) through a display (110) included in the electronic device (100). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S203 may be performed after step S100. That is, step S203 may be performed after selecting a first IoT device (210) among a plurality of IoT devices (200) through the electronic device (100).

[0209] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include the step of displaying content on a display (110) that allows selecting any one of a plurality of IoT devices (200), such as the first content shown in FIG. 10, and obtaining a first selection signal based on an input in which a user selects the first IoT device (210) using the first content.

[0210] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 12 shows that the electronic device (1200) is in the shape of a smartphone. In addition, the user interface (160) is a touch panel, and the electronic device (100) can obtain user input through a user action of touching, selecting, or dragging a third content (1220) displayed on a display (1210).

[0211] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third content (1220) may include an operation menu interface (1222) that includes at least one sub-operation that can be controlled by the first IoT device (210) and a control interface (1223) that can control the operation of the first IoT device (210).

[0212] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 12 illustrates that the first IoT device (210) is an air conditioner (1221), and the operation menu interface (1222) includes "power," "mode," "air volume control," "air direction control," and "optimization mode." However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the operation menu interface (1222) may further include other sub-operations that can be performed on the first IoT device (210).

[0213] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control interface (1223) may include various icons that a user can select, such as a “circle,” “up and down arrow,” and “left and right arrow.” However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the control interface (1223) may include icons having various shapes, or selection windows, input windows, etc.

[0214] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S204) of obtaining a second corresponding signal including corresponding information of operation of a first IoT device (210) and a user interface (150) set through a third content (1220).

[0215] In step S203, the electronic device (1200) can display a third content (1220) on the display (1210).

[0216] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the correspondence between each of the at least one input menu included in the control interface (1223) in the third content (1220) and at least one sub-action included in the corresponding action menu interface (1222) may be changed. The arrangement order of at least one sub-action included in the action menu interface (1222) may be changed. When the sub-action corresponding to the input menu at the top of the control interface (1223) is set to "Power," the "Power" may be changed to other actions such as "Mode" or "Optimization Mode" using the arrows on either side of "Power." The same applies to other sub-actions included in the action menu interface (1222).

[0217] In step S204, the user can set at least one input menu included in the control interface (1223) of the third content (1220) and a corresponding sub-operation through the user interface (150) of the electronic device (1200). The electronic device (1200) can obtain a second corresponding signal including corresponding information of the operation of the selected first IoT device (210) and the user interface (150) included in the electronic device (1200) through the third content (1220).

[0218] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include the step of obtaining a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal based on user input obtained through a user interface (150) and a second corresponding signal (S230).

[0219] At this time, it goes without saying that the first operation control signal and the second operation control signal may be obtained at different stages. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of obtaining the second operation control signal may be performed after the operation in which the first operation control signal is obtained.

[0220] In step S230, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal including information on the operation control of a first IoT device (210) corresponding to the provided user input, based on the user input and the second corresponding signal provided by the user of the electronic device (100) through the user interface (150).

[0221] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S300 may be performed after step S230.

[0222] In FIGS. 9 to 11, an embodiment is described in which a corresponding signal is obtained in which a corresponding relationship is established between the user interface (150) of an electronic device (100) and the operation of a first IoT device (210), and an operation control signal is obtained based on the obtained corresponding signal and user input. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and information regarding a pre-established corresponding relationship between the user interface (150) corresponding to each of the plurality of IoT devices (200) and the operation of each IoT device may be stored in the electronic device (100) or the server device (300). The electronic device (100) may obtain an operation control signal according to user input even without obtaining a corresponding signal in which a separate corresponding relationship is established.

[0223] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation between an electronic device, a server device, and a third IoT device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to steps identical to those described in FIG. 6, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0224] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2 and FIG. 13, FIG. 13 shows only the third IoT device (230) among the plurality of IoT devices (200) for convenience of explanation.

[0225] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100), the third IoT device (230), and the server device (300) can be connected to each other via the Internet according to the MQTT protocol (S10).

[0226] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third IoT device (230) may provide fourth connection information to the server device (300) (S32). When the third IoT device (230) is registered with the server device (300), it may provide fourth connection information to the server device (300). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and as either a third selection signal or a fifth operation control signal is provided to the server device (300), the server device (300) may request the provision of fourth connection information from the third IoT device (230), and the third IoT device (230) may provide fourth connection information to the server device (300).

[0227] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S800) of obtaining a third selection signal for selecting one of a third IoT device (230) included in a preset device list that is different from the first IoT device (210) among a plurality of IoT devices (200).

[0228] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the "device list" may be a list of devices that are controlled by the electronic device (100) for a short period of time or are controlled to perform simple operations, and which are pre-configured to transmit operation control signals using IR communication rather than Bluetooth. The device list may be a list of devices that are judged to have a low frequency of operation control by the user or low sensitivity to the user's usage environment.

[0229] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, air conditioners, speakers, air purifiers, etc., may be included in the device list as no additional operations are controlled after operations such as turning the power on or off, temperature control, volume control, or degree of cleanliness control of the device have been controlled. However, in the case of televisions, etc., it is determined that various additional operations such as volume change, channel change, mode change, cloud usage, and game mode can be controlled even after the power of the device has been turned on or off, so they may not be included in the device list.

[0230] In step S800, the electronic device (100) may obtain a selection input for selecting one of the third IoT device (230) among the multiple IoT devices (200) of the user utilizing the electronic device (100), which is obtained through the user interface (150). By having at least one processor (140) execute instructions or program code of the device selection module (131), the electronic device (100) may obtain a third selection signal based on the selection input for selecting the third IoT device (230).

[0231] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step S800 may be performed after step S400. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and step S800 may be performed after the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) have Bluetooth paired.

[0232] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can maintain Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device (210) even after acquiring a third selection signal (S810). Since the electronic device (100) identifies that the third selection signal includes information for selecting the third IoT device (230) included in a preset device list, it does not need to perform Bluetooth pairing with the third IoT device (230), so it can maintain the state of Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device (210).

[0233] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (100) may transmit a third selection signal to a server device (300) via the Internet (S820). Although not shown in FIG. 13, the server device (300) may provide the third selection signal to a third IoT device (230) corresponding to the third selection signal among a plurality of IoT devices (200). Additionally, the server device (300) may provide signals subsequently provided by the electronic device (100) to the third IoT device (230) in accordance with the third selection signal.

[0234] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can obtain a fifth operation control signal according to the operation input of a user using the electronic device (100) (S830). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) can transmit the fifth operation control signal to a server device (300) via the Internet (S830).

[0235] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server device (300) can transmit the acquired fifth operation control signal to the third IoT device (230) (S850). While transmitting the fifth operation control signal to the third IoT device (230), the server device (300) can provide fourth connection information to the electronic device (100) (S860).

[0236] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device (100) may include the step (S860) of maintaining pairing with a first IoT device (210) and obtaining fourth connection information for IR communication with a third IoT device (230) from a server device (300) through a communication interface (160). The electronic device (100) may obtain fourth connection information from a server device (300) through a communication interface (160) while maintaining pairing with the first IoT device (210) (S860).

[0237] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server device (300) may transmit a fifth operation control signal and simultaneously transmit a fourth connection information to the electronic device (100). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the server device (300) may provide the fourth connection information to the electronic device (100) before transmitting the fifth operation control signal, for example, after the third selection signal is acquired. In this case, the electronic device (100) may directly provide the fifth operation control signal to the third IoT device (230) via IR communication based on the fourth connection information.

[0238] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device (100) may obtain a sixth operation control signal (S870). At this time, the sixth operation control signal may be a signal obtained by user input after the electronic device (100) has received fourth connection information. The operation of the third IoT device (230) controlled by the sixth operation control signal may be different from the operation of the third IoT device (230) controlled by the fifth operation control signal.

[0239] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the electronic device (100) may include the step (S880) of controlling the operation of a third IoT device using IR communication. Specifically, in step S880, the electronic device (100) may transmit a sixth operation control signal to the third IoT device (230) using IR communication through an IR sensor (120) based on fourth connection information (S880).

[0240] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after a sixth operation control signal is provided to a third IoT device (230) using IR communication from an electronic device (100), the electronic device (100), the third IoT device (230), and the server device (300) can be connected to the Internet (S890).

[0241] At this time, the electronic device (100) and the first IoT device (210) may remain in a state of Bluetooth pairing. Accordingly, when a user using the electronic device (100) selects the first IoT device (210) again among the multiple IoT devices (200) and provides user input to control the operation of the first IoT device (210), the electronic device (100) may provide an operation control signal to the first IoT device (210) using Bluetooth through the communication interface (160).

[0242] Additionally, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and after the electronic device (100) provides a sixth operation control signal to the third IoT device (230), when a preset "reference change time" has elapsed, the electronic device (100) may be in a mode that controls the operation of the first IoT device (210) even if a separate selection signal for selecting the first IoT device (210) is not obtained. At this time, the electronic device (100) may identify the on / off state of the power of the first IoT device (210) and change to a mode that controls the operation of the first IoT device (210) when the power of the first IoT device (210) is in the on state.

[0243] Accordingly, the electronic device (100) of the present disclosure can provide an operation control signal via IR communication to the third IoT device (230) while maintaining pairing with the first IoT device (210), as an operation control signal is obtained to control the operation of the third IoT device (230) included in the device list, while in a state where it is determined that it is important to provide a usage environment without delay time to the user or where the operation is controlled by the user frequently via Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device (210).

[0244] After that, an operation control signal can be provided to the first IoT device (210) immediately without a delay time for separate Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device (210), thereby providing the user with a delay-free usage environment.

[0245] To solve the technical problem described above, one embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device connected to a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices through a server device. The electronic device may include a communication interface. The electronic device may include a memory in which a program or at least one instruction is stored. The electronic device may include at least one processor including a processing circuit. By having at least one processor execute the program or at least one instruction stored in the memory individually or collectively, the electronic device may transmit a first selection signal obtained to a server device through the communication interface to select a first IoT device among a plurality of IoT devices. The electronic device may transmit a first operation control signal obtained to a server device through the communication interface to control the operation of the first IoT device. The electronic device may obtain first connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device from the server device through the communication interface. Based on the first connection information obtained through the communication interface, the electronic device may transmit a second operation signal obtained to a paired first IoT device to control the operation of the first IoT device using Bluetooth.

[0246] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may include an IR (Infrared Ray) sensor. The electronic device may obtain second connection information for IR communication with a first IoT device from a server device through a communication interface. Based on the second connection information obtained through the IR sensor, the electronic device may transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device using IR communication.

[0247] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device using IR communication through an IR sensor before being paired with the first IoT device. After being paired with the first IoT device, the electronic device may transmit a second operation control signal to the first IoT device using Bluetooth through a communication interface.

[0248] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connection information may be information transmitted by the first IoT device to the server device. The first connection information may include the Bluetooth address of the first IoT device and the name of the device.

[0249] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device may acquire a second selection signal that selects a first IoT device and a second IoT device different from one of a plurality of IoT devices. Upon acquiring the second selection signal, the electronic device may unpair with the first IoT device.

[0250] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device may transmit a second selection signal to a server device through a communication interface. The electronic device may transmit a third operation control signal obtained to the server device through a communication interface to control the operation of a second IoT device. The electronic device may obtain third connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the second IoT device from the server device through a communication interface. The electronic device may transmit a fourth operation signal obtained through a communication interface using Bluetooth to control the operation of the paired second IoT device based on the obtained third connection information.

[0251] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may unpair with the first IoT device as the second operation control signal is not acquired within a preset reference time from the time the first operation control signal is acquired.

[0252] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may further include a user interface. A plurality of IoT devices may include a display device. A first content capable of selecting any one of the plurality of IoT devices may be displayed through the display device. A second content capable of establishing a correspondence relationship between the user interface included in the electronic device and the operation of any one selected IoT device may be displayed through the display device. The electronic device may obtain a first selection signal from the display device, which is obtained by selecting the first IoT device among the first content. The electronic device may obtain a first correspondence signal from the display device, which includes correspondence information between the user interface and the operation of the first IoT device, obtained through the second content. The electronic device may obtain a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal based on the user input obtained through the user interface and the first correspondence signal.

[0253] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may include a display. The electronic device may include a user interface. The electronic device may display third content through the display, which includes a correspondence relationship between the user interface and the operation of the first IoT device. The electronic device may obtain a second corresponding signal, which includes corresponding information between the user interface and the operation of the first IoT device set through the third content. The electronic device may obtain a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal based on the user input obtained through the user interface and the second corresponding signal.

[0254] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as a third selection signal is obtained that selects a third IoT device included in a preset device list, which is different from a first IoT device among a plurality of IoT devices, the electronic device maintains pairing with the first IoT device and can obtain fourth connection information for IR communication with the third IoT device from a server device through a communication interface. The electronic device can control the operation of the third IoT device using IR communication.

[0255] In order to solve the aforementioned technical problem, as an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of an electronic device connected to a plurality of IoT (Internet of Things) devices through a server device may be provided. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a first selection signal obtained to a server device through a communication interface to select a first IoT device among the plurality of IoT devices. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a first operation control signal obtained to a server device through a communication interface to control the operation of the first IoT device. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of obtaining first connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device from a server device through a communication interface. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting Bluetooth to the paired first IoT device based on the first connection information obtained through the communication interface using a second operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device.

[0256] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may include an infrared ray (IR) sensor. A method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of obtaining second connection information for IR communication with a first IoT device from a server device through a communication interface. A method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a second operation control signal to the first IoT device using IR communication based on the second connection information obtained through the IR sensor.

[0257] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device may include the step of transmitting a second operation control signal to the first IoT device using IR communication through an IR sensor before pairing with the first IoT device. After pairing with the first IoT device, the method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a second operation control signal to the first IoT device using Bluetooth through a communication interface.

[0258] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device may include the step of acquiring a second selection signal for selecting a second IoT device different from a first IoT device among a plurality of IoT devices. As the second selection signal is acquired, the method of operating the electronic device may include the step of unpairing the pairing with the first IoT device.

[0259] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may include the step of transmitting a second selection signal to a server device through a communication interface. The electronic device may include the step of transmitting a third operation control signal obtained to the server device through a communication interface to control the operation of a second IoT device. The electronic device may include the step of obtaining third connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the second IoT device from the server device through a communication interface. The electronic device may include the step of transmitting a fourth operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the paired second IoT device using Bluetooth based on the third connection information obtained through the communication interface.

[0260] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device may include the step of unpairing a first IoT device when a second operation control signal is not acquired within a preset reference time from the time when a first operation control signal is acquired.

[0261] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device may include the step of obtaining a first selection signal from a display device, which is obtained by selecting a first IoT device among first content that can select any one IoT device displayed through a display device included in a plurality of IoT devices. A method of operating an electronic device may include the step of obtaining a first corresponding signal from a display device, which includes corresponding information between a user interface and the operation of a first IoT device, obtained through second content that can establish a corresponding relationship between a user interface included in the electronic device displayed through the display device and the operation of the selected first IoT device. A method of operating an electronic device may include the step of obtaining a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal based on a user input obtained through a user interface and a first corresponding signal.

[0262] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device may include the step of displaying third content, which includes a correspondence relationship between a user interface included in the electronic device and an operation of a first IoT device, through a display included in the electronic device. A method of operating an electronic device may include the step of obtaining a second corresponding signal, which includes correspondence information between a user interface and an operation of a first IoT device set through the third content. A method of operating an electronic device may include the step of obtaining a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal based on a user input obtained through the user interface and the second corresponding signal.

[0263] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of an electronic device may include the step of obtaining a third selection signal for selecting a third IoT device that is different from a first IoT device among a plurality of IoT devices and is included in a preset device list. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of maintaining pairing with the first IoT device and obtaining fourth connection information for IR communication with the third IoT device from a server device through a communication interface. The method of operation of the electronic device may include the step of controlling the operation of the third IoT device using IR communication.

[0264] In order to solve the aforementioned technical problem, a computer-readable recording medium may be provided on which a program for performing at least one method of an embodiment of the method of operating an electronic device disclosed in the present disclosure is recorded on a computer.

[0265] A program executed by an electronic device described in this disclosure may be implemented by hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. The program may be executed by any system capable of executing computer-readable instructions.

[0266] Software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, and may configure a processing unit to operate as desired or command the processing unit independently or collectively.

[0267] Software can be implemented as a computer program containing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random-access memory), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical reading media (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs)). Computer-readable recording media can be distributed across networked computer systems, allowing computer-readable code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The recording medium is readable by a computer, stored in memory, and can be executed by a processor.

[0268] Computer-readable storage media may be provided in the form of non-transitory storage media. Here, 'non-transitory storage media' simply means that it is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily. For example, 'non-transitory storage media' may include a buffer in which data is stored temporarily.

[0269] In addition, the program according to the embodiments disclosed herein may be provided by being included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product.

[0270] A computer program product may include a software program and a computer-readable storage medium on which the software program is stored. For example, a computer program product may include a product in the form of a software program (e.g., a downloadable application) that is distributed electronically through a manufacturer of an electronic device or an electronic market (e.g., Samsung Galaxy Store). For electronic distribution, at least a portion of the software program may be stored on a storage medium or temporarily created. In this case, the storage medium may be a server of the manufacturer of the electronic device, a server of the electronic market, or a storage medium of a relay server that temporarily stores the software program.

[0271] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to limited examples and drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations from the description above. For example, appropriate results can be achieved even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than described, and / or components such as the described computer system or module are combined or assembled in a form different from described, or replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device (100) connected to a plurality of IoT (Internet of Things) devices (200) through a server device (300), Communication interface (160); Memory (130) where a program or at least one instruction is stored; and It includes at least one processor (140) including a processing circuit, and By having the above at least one processor (140) execute the above program or the above at least one instruction stored in the memory (130) individually or collectively, the electronic device (100) A first selection signal obtained to select one of the plurality of IoT devices (200) is transmitted to the server device (300) through the communication interface (160), and A first operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device is transmitted to the server device (300) through the communication interface (160), and Through the communication interface (160), first connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device is obtained from the server device (300), and An electronic device (100) that transmits a second operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device using Bluetooth based on the first connection information obtained through the communication interface (160).

2. In Paragraph 1, The above electronic device (100) is, It further includes an IR (Infrared Ray) sensor (120), The above electronic device (100) is, Through the communication interface (160), second connection information for IR communication with the first IoT device is obtained from the server device (300), and An electronic device (100) that transmits the second operation control signal to the first IoT device using the IR communication based on the second connection information obtained through the IR sensor (120).

3. In Paragraph 2, The above electronic device (100) is, Before pairing with the first IoT device, the second operation control signal is transmitted to the first IoT device using the IR communication through the IR sensor (120), and After being paired with the first IoT device, the electronic device (100) transmits the second operation control signal to the first IoT device using the Bluetooth through the communication interface (160).

4. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, The first connection information is information transmitted by the first IoT device to the server device (300), and is an electronic device (100) including the Bluetooth address of the first IoT device and the name of the device.

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 4, The above electronic device (100) is, A second selection signal is obtained for selecting a second IoT device different from the first IoT device among the plurality of IoT devices above, and An electronic device (100) that unpairs the pairing with the first IoT device as the second selection signal is acquired.

6. In Paragraph 5, The above electronic device (100) is, The second selection signal is transmitted to the server device (300) through the communication interface (160), and A third operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the second IoT device is transmitted to the server device (300) through the communication interface (160), and Through the communication interface (160), third connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the second IoT device is obtained from the server device (300), and An electronic device (100) that transmits a fourth operation control signal obtained via Bluetooth to control the operation of the second IoT device paired based on the third connection information obtained via the communication interface (160).

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 6, The above electronic device (100) is, An electronic device (100) that unpairs the pairing with the first IoT device when the second operation control signal is not acquired within a preset reference time from the time the first operation control signal is acquired.

8. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 7, The above electronic device (100) further includes a user interface (150), and The above plurality of IoT devices include a display device, and A first content that allows selecting any one of the plurality of IoT devices is displayed through the display device, and A second content capable of establishing a corresponding relationship between the operation of the user interface (150) included in the electronic device (100) and any one of the selected IoT devices is displayed through the display device, and The above electronic device (100) is, A first selection signal obtained by selecting the first IoT device among the first content is obtained from the display device, and A first corresponding signal including corresponding information of the operation of the user interface (150) and the first IoT device, obtained through the second content above, is obtained from the display device, and An electronic device (100) that obtains the first operation control signal and the second operation control signal based on user input obtained through the user interface (150) and the first corresponding signal.

9. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 8, The above electronic device (100) is, Display (110); and It further includes a user interface (150), The above electronic device (100) is, A third content including a corresponding relationship between the user interface (150) and the operation of the first IoT device is displayed through the display (110), and A second corresponding signal including corresponding information of the operation of the first IoT device and the user interface (150) set through the third content is obtained, and An electronic device (100) that acquires the first operation control signal and the second operation control signal based on user input acquired through the user interface (150) and the second corresponding signal.

10. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 9, The above electronic device (100) is, As a third selection signal is obtained for selecting one of the third IoT devices among the plurality of IoT devices that is different from the first IoT device and is included in a preset device list, Pairing with the above-mentioned first IoT device is maintained, and Through the communication interface (160), fourth connection information for IR communication with the third IoT device is obtained from the server device (300), and An electronic device (100) that controls the operation of a third IoT device using the above IR communication.

11. A method of operation of an electronic device (100) connected to a plurality of IoT (Internet of Things) devices through a server device, A step (S100) of transmitting a first selection signal obtained to select one of the plurality of IoT devices to the server device through a communication interface (S100); A step (S200) of transmitting a first operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device to the server device through the communication interface; A step (S300) of obtaining first connection information for Bluetooth pairing with the first IoT device from the server device through the communication interface; and A method of operation of an electronic device comprising the step (S400) of transmitting a second operation control signal obtained to control the operation of the first IoT device using Bluetooth based on the first connection information obtained through the communication interface.

12. In Paragraph 11, The above electronic device (100) is, It further includes an IR (Infrared Ray) sensor, The method of operation of the above electronic device is, A step of obtaining second connection information for IR communication with the first IoT device from the server device through the communication interface; and A method of operation of an electronic device (100) further comprising the step of transmitting the second operation control signal to the first IoT device using the IR communication based on the second connection information obtained through the IR sensor.

13. In any one of Paragraph 12, The method of operation (100) of the above electronic device is, A step of transmitting the second operation control signal to the first IoT device using the IR communication through the IR sensor before pairing with the first IoT device; and A method of operation of an electronic device (100) further comprising the step of transmitting the second operation control signal to the first IoT device using the Bluetooth through the communication interface after pairing with the first IoT device.

14. In any one of paragraphs 11 through 13, The method of operation (100) of the above electronic device is, A step of obtaining a second selection signal for selecting a second IoT device different from the first IoT device among the plurality of IoT devices; and A method of operation of an electronic device (100) further comprising the step of unpairing the pairing with the first IoT device as the second selection signal is obtained.

15. A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon for performing the method of operation described in any one of claims 11 through 14 on a computer.

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