COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20130247117A1
• Filed: 11/25/2011
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazunori, Yamaguchi, Kohei, Iida, Shigehiro, Sakakibara, Mizuho, Ohnishi, Toshiaki, Yamaoka, Masaru, Oshima, Mitsuaki, Matsumoto, Michihiro, Mukai, Tsutomu, Matsushita, Yosuke, Ohtsubo, Shohji, Nakae, Hironori, Ohira, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,047,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A mobile device includes a position sensing unit, a remote control information obtainment unit, and a storage unit. Position information obtained by the position sensing unit is stored in the storage unit in association with remote control information. The mobile device further includes a directional space obtainment unit and an apparatus specification unit. The mobile device recognizes a direction pointed by a user using the mobile device, and enables operation of a terminal apparatus existing in the pointing direction.

Claims

1. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

a position sensing unit configured to obtain position information of the wireless communication terminal;

an apparatus information obtainment unit configured to obtain, from a control target apparatus which is an apparatus to be controlled by the wireless communication terminal, apparatus information for identifying the control target apparatus, by near field communication (NFC);

a request generation unit configured to generate a request for operation information of the control target apparatus based on the apparatus information;

an external communication unit configured to transmit the request to the control target apparatus or a server that holds the operation information, and receive the operation information;

a storage unit configured to store the received operation information in association with the position information obtained when performing the NFC with the control target apparatus;

an operation information transmission unit configured to transmit the operation information to the control target apparatus;

a direction sensing unit configured to sense direction information of a direction to which the wireless communication terminal is pointed;

a directional space obtainment unit configured to calculate a directional space of the wireless communication terminal, based on the position information obtained by the position sensing unit and the direction information obtained by the direction sensing unit; and

a selection unit configured to select operation information of an apparatus present in the directional space, from position information of at least one control target apparatus assigned to operation information in the storage unit.

10. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, comprising:

an application execution environment unit configured to execute an application that is addible or deletable;

an NFC unit configured to perform the NFC;

the apparatus information obtainment unit configured to obtain the apparatus information for identifying the apparatus, the apparatus information including an application identifier for identifying an application corresponding to the apparatus;

the external communication unit configured to receive the operation information;

the position sensing unit configured to obtain the position information of the wireless communication terminal; and

the storage unit configured to store the received operation information in association with the position information,

wherein the wireless communication terminal sequentially;

holds the apparatus information obtained from the apparatus in the wireless communication terminal, when performing the NFC with the apparatus;

searches the apparatus information for the application identifier;

activates the application corresponding to the apparatus in the application execution environment unit, based on the application identifier; and

notifies the held apparatus information to the application corresponding to the apparatus, after activating the application corresponding to the apparatus.

11. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 10,

wherein, in the activation, the wireless communication terminal:

obtains, via the external communication unit, the operation information including the application corresponding to the apparatus that corresponds to the application identifier, in the case where the application indicated by the application identifier is not present in the wireless communication terminal; and

activates the obtained application corresponding to the apparatus, in the application execution environment unit.

12. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the apparatus information obtainment unit is configured to obtain the apparatus information for identifying the apparatus including an NFC unit configured to perform the NFC,

the wireless communication terminal further comprises:

an apparatus imaging unit configured to capture an image of the apparatus;

an apparatus image identification unit configured to analyze the image of the apparatus captured by the apparatus imaging unit, and identify a shape of the apparatus;

an apparatus search unit configured to search for a model number of the apparatus, using the identified shape of the apparatus; and

an apparatus NFC unit presentation unit configured to calculate a position of the NFC unit of the apparatus based on the model number, and present the calculated position.

2. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

a position sensing unit configured to obtain position information of the wireless communication terminal;

an apparatus information obtainment unit configured to obtain, from a control target apparatus which is an apparatus to be controlled by the wireless communication terminal, apparatus information for identifying the control target apparatus, by near field communication (NFC);

a request generation unit configured to generate a request for operation information of the control target apparatus based on the apparatus information;

an external communication unit configured to transmit the request to the control target apparatus or a server that holds the operation information, and receive the operation information;

a storage unit configured to store the received operation information in association with the position information obtained when performing the NFC with the control target apparatus;

an operation information transmission unit configured to transmit the operation information to the control target apparatus;

a peripheral apparatus position information obtainment unit configured to, in the case where position information of the control target apparatus is not stored beforehand, obtain the position information of the control target apparatus by communicating with the control target apparatus by the NFC or wireless communication; and

a behavior management unit configured to measure a distance between the wireless communication terminal and the control target apparatus, from the position information of the wireless communication terminal and the position information of the control target apparatus,

wherein the behavior management unit is configured to define an apparatus operation using at least one predetermined threshold according to the distance, for the control target apparatus, and

the operation information transmission unit is configured to transmit control information for executing the defined apparatus operation when the measured distance reaches the threshold.

3. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, comprising:

a video distribution request unit configured to request a video server to distribute video;

a video display unit configured to obtain, from the external communication unit, the video requested to be distributed, and display the video on a screen;

a reproduction delay time measurement unit configured to measure a reproduction delay time from the request to distribute the video to the display of the video on the screen, and store the reproduction delay time;

a reproduction time synchronization unit configured to receive a distributer reproduction delay time and reproduction time information from the control target apparatus when the control target apparatus distributes the video according to the video distribution request from the wireless communication terminal, and add a difference between the reproduction delay time and the received distributer reproduction delay time to the reproduction time information to specify a reproduction start time in distributed data, the distributer reproduction delay time being a reproduction delay time in a state where the video is currently reproduced by the control target apparatus directly or via another display device, and the reproduction time information being time information of the video currently reproduced; and

a reproduction delay time management unit configured to store the reproduction delay time in association with at least one piece of information out of a type, a model, a communication method, and network traffic information of the video server and resource information of the apparatus.

4. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

an apparatus information obtainment unit configured to obtain, from an apparatus installed at a predetermined position, apparatus information for identifying the apparatus from among a plurality of apparatuses, by near field communication (NFC) between the apparatus and the wireless communication terminal;

a position information obtainment unit configured to obtain position information indicating a position of the wireless communication terminal at a time of the NFC between the apparatus and the wireless communication terminal; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit transmission information to a predetermined server in the case where the NFC is performed, the transmission information including the apparatus information obtained by the NFC and the obtained position information.

5. A wireless communication terminal that estimates coordinates indicating a position of the moved wireless communication terminal to detect the position, the wireless communication terminal comprising:

a geomagnetic sensor;

a coordinate estimation unit configured to estimate current position coordinates indicating a current position of the wireless communication terminal;

a geomagnetic noise detection unit configured to detect whether or not an abnormality occurs in geomagnetic detection by the geomagnetic sensor and, during the occurrence of the abnormality, generate a geomagnetic noise pattern which is a pattern representing a time-series change of a magnetic field strength detected by the geomagnetic sensor;

a geomagnetic noise pattern management unit configured to search one or more patterns stored in a recording medium for a corrected reference noise pattern, store the estimated current position coordinates to be processed and the geomagnetic noise pattern in the recording medium in association with each other in the case where the corrected reference noise pattern is not found as a result of the search, and instruct correcting of the estimated current position coordinates in the case where the corrected reference noise pattern is found as a result of the search, the corrected reference noise pattern being a pattern that is associated with coordinates near the current position coordinates estimated by the coordinate estimation unit when the abnormality occurs and is similar to the geomagnetic noise pattern; and

a coordinate correction unit configured to correct the estimated current position coordinates to the coordinates stored in the recording medium in association with the corrected reference noise pattern, according to the correction instruction by the geomagnetic noise pattern management unit.

6. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

a terminal position estimation unit configured to estimate current position coordinates indicating a current position of the wireless communication terminal, using an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, or a geomagnetic sensor;

a user position estimation unit configured to position a user at lower coordinates in a display orientation of a screen with respect to a position of the wireless communication terminal, from the position of the wireless communication terminal and the display orientation of the screen; and

a display orientation determination unit configured to change the display orientation of the screen so that the position of the user always corresponds to a bottom side of the screen with reference to the position of the user and the position of the wireless communication terminal, in the case where the wireless communication terminal is horizontally rotated without a change in position.

7. A wireless communication terminal that estimates a current position of a wireless terminal, the wireless communication terminal comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect acceleration information and direction information of the wireless terminal;

a distance estimation unit configured to estimate, using a receiving strength of a signal received from each of a plurality of base stations, distance information indicating a distance from the base station;

a position estimation unit configured to estimate provisional position information indicating a provisional position of the wireless terminal, using base station information indicating a position of the base station and the distance information;

a placement information detection unit configured to determine placement information indicating at which part of a user the wireless terminal is placed, using the acceleration information;

a movement direction detection unit configured to detect a movement direction of the wireless terminal, using the acceleration information and the direction information; and

a correction unit configured to specify a positional relationship of the base station, the user, and the wireless terminal using the base station information, the provisional position information, the placement information, and the movement direction, and correct the distance information according to the positional relationship,

wherein the position estimation unit is further configured to estimate current position information indicating the current position of the wireless terminal, using the base station information and the corrected distance information.

8. A wireless communication terminal that estimates a current position of a wireless terminal, the wireless communication terminal comprising:

a setting unit configured to estimate a current position of the wireless communication terminal by detecting a movement amount and a movement direction using an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, or a geomagnetic sensor, and set the estimated current position as provisional position information of the wireless terminal;

a storage unit configured to store map information indicating a spatial structure in a neighborhood where radio propagation is affected;

an estimation unit configured to estimate distance information indicating a distance from each wireless station, using a receiving strength of a signal received from the wireless station;

a calculation unit configured to calculate a possible area of the wireless terminal, using the map information and the distance information; and

a correction unit configured to correct the provisional position information to within the possible area, in the case where the provisional position information is outside the possible area,

wherein the map information indicates a structure of an obstacle which attenuates a wireless signal, and

the calculation unit is configured to, in the case where the obstacle is present between two points indicated by the distance information in the map information, correct the distance information according to the obstacle and calculate the possible area again.

9. A wireless communication terminal that estimates a position of the wireless communication terminal, the wireless communication terminal comprising:

a position estimation unit configured to estimate current position coordinates indicating a current position of the wireless communication terminal;

a pointing direction detection unit configured to detect a pointing direction which is a direction pointed to by a user using the wireless communication terminal;

a target detection unit configured to detect a pointing target which is a target object pointed to by the user, based on the pointing direction detected by the pointing direction detection unit;

a concentration calculation unit configured to specify an area in which the pointing target is not present and in which a position pointed to in the pointing direction detected by the pointing direction detection unit is concentrated within a predetermined time period immediately before the pointing target is detected by the target detection unit, and calculate a concentration direction which is a direction to the specified area; and

a position correction unit configured to correct the current position coordinates using the calculated concentration direction.

13. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

a position information obtainment unit configured to estimate terminal position information which is position information of the wireless communication terminal, using an internal sensor;

a peripheral apparatus information storage unit configured to store, as unique information corresponding to a peripheral apparatus registered beforehand, at least an apparatus ID, position information, and an identifier of the peripheral apparatus, the identifier indicating whether or not the peripheral apparatus supports optical communication for modulating information as a light emitting pattern and transmitting the modulated information;

an imaging device that obtains light generated by the peripheral apparatus modulating the information as the light emitting pattern;

an optical communication information obtainment unit configured to decode the information from the light emitting pattern of the light obtained by the imaging device;

a server cooperative communication unit configured to notify the apparatus ID obtained by the optical communication information obtainment unit and state information which is information indicating a state of the apparatus to a server via a network, and obtain user presentation information from the server, the user presentation information being at least one of screen information, sound information, an application, a script, a URL, and link information to another server that correspond to the state information; and

a peripheral apparatus limiting unit configured to select a peripheral apparatus capable of the optical communication based on a current position of the wireless communication terminal, from the terminal position information and the peripheral apparatus information,

wherein the optical communication information obtainment unit is configured to complement the information received by the optical communication, using information corresponding to the selected peripheral apparatus.

14. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 13,

wherein the wireless communication terminal compares the information of the selected peripheral apparatus and the information already received by the optical communication, and complement the information before obtaining all information transmitted by the optical communication.