COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, RELAY APPARATUS, CONTROL APPARATUS, SERVER APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20150280934A1
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: FUJIWARA, Akira, NAKAMURA, Masaya
• Granted Patent: US 9,780,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002

Abstract

A HEMS controller repeatedly transmits a predetermined signal to a control-target appliance at a set time interval in order to detect a change in a status of the control-target appliance. If the status changes, the HEMS controller notifies a smartphone of the changed status via a server apparatus. In a state where the time interval is set to a first time interval, when receiving a control instruction for controlling an operation of the control-target appliance from the smartphone via the server apparatus, the HEMS controller transmits the control instruction to the control-target appliance. In response to the transmission of the control instruction to the control-target appliance, the HEMS controller changes the time interval to a second time interval shorter than the first time interval.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a terminal apparatus, a relay apparatus, and a control-target appliance,

when said relay apparatus receives, from said terminal apparatus, a control instruction for controlling an operation of said control-target appliance, said relay apparatus setting a transmission interval of repeatedly transmitting, in order to detect a change in a status of said control-target appliance, a signal to said control-target appliance to be shorter than a preset time interval,

based on said change in the status having been detected, said relay apparatus providing said terminal apparatus with notification of said status having been changed.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said relay apparatus includes a server apparatus and a control apparatus communicatively connected to said server apparatus,

said control apparatus includes

a first communication unit configured to repeatedly transmit said signal to said control-target appliance at said time interval and transmit said control instruction to said control-target appliance when said first communication unit receives said control instruction from said terminal apparatus via said server apparatus, and

a second communication unit configured to provide, based on said change in the status having been detected, said terminal apparatus with the notification of said status having been changed, said notification being provided via said server apparatus, and

a setting unit configured to set said time interval,

when said first communication unit receives said control instruction from said terminal apparatus via said server apparatus while said time interval is set at a first time interval by said setting unit, said setting unit sets said time interval at a second time interval shorter than said first time interval.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

said communication system includes a first appliance and a second appliance each as said control-target appliance, and

said second time interval differs between a case where said control instruction is for said first appliance and a case where said control instruction is for said second appliance.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein

said setting unit sets said second time interval to differ between a case where a type of said control instruction for said first appliance is a first type and a case where said type of said control instruction for said first appliance is a second type.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein

said server apparatus stores data including identification information for said control-target appliance, said type of said control instruction, and said second time interval that are associated with one another, and

based on said first type of said control instruction for said first appliance having been received from said terminal apparatus, said server apparatus makes reference to said data to provide said control apparatus with notification of said second time interval associated with the identification information for said first appliance and said first type.

6. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein based on said signal having been transmitted once at said second time interval, said setting unit sets said time interval at a third time interval shorter than said second time interval.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein

said control apparatus further includes a detecting unit configured to detect the number of transmissions of said signal until said change in the status is detected after said control instruction is transmitted to said control-target appliance,

said server apparatus stores said second time interval,

said server apparatus changes the stored second time interval using the detected number of transmissions such that the required number of transmissions of said signal to detect said change in the status again becomes less than the detected number of transmissions,

said server apparatus provides said control apparatus with notification of said second time interval having been changed,

based on said control instruction having been transmitted to said control-target appliance again, said setting unit sets said time interval at said second time interval having been changed, and

based on said signal having been transmitted once at said second time interval having been changed, said setting unit sets said time interval at said third time interval.

8. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein

said communication system includes a first appliance and a second appliance each as said control-target appliance, and

said second time interval differs between a case where said control instruction is for said first appliance and a case where said control instruction is for said second appliance.

9. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein said setting unit sets said second time interval to differ between a case where a type of said control instruction for said first appliance is a first type and a case where said type of said control instruction for said first appliance is a second type.

10. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein based on said control instruction having been transmitted to said control-target appliance, said setting unit sets said time interval at said second time interval.

11. A relay apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal apparatus and a control-target appliance,

when said relay apparatus receives, from said terminal apparatus, a control instruction for controlling an operation of said control-target appliance, said relay apparatus setting a transmission interval of repeatedly transmitting, in order to detect a change in a status of said control-target appliance, a signal to said control-target appliance to be shorter than a preset time interval,

based on said change in the status having been detected, said relay apparatus providing said terminal apparatus with notification of said status having been changed.

12. A control apparatus capable of communicating with a server apparatus and a control-target appliance, comprising:

a first communication unit configured to repeatedly transmit a signal for detecting a change in a status of said control-target appliance to said control-target appliance at a set time interval and transmit a control instruction for controlling an operation of said control-target appliance to said control-target appliance when said first communication unit receives said control instruction from a terminal apparatus via said server apparatus; and

a second communication unit configured to provide, based on said change in the status having been detected, said terminal apparatus with notification of said status having been changed, said notification being provided via said server apparatus, and

a setting unit configured to set said time interval,

when said first communication unit receives said control instruction from said terminal apparatus via said server apparatus while said time interval is set at a first time interval by said setting unit, said setting unit setting said time interval at a second time interval shorter than said first time interval.

13. A server apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal apparatus and a control apparatus for controlling a control-target appliance, comprising:

a storage unit configured to store data including identification information for said control-target appliance and a time interval that are associated with each other, said time interval defining a transmission interval of a signal used by said control apparatus in order to detect a change in a status of said control-target appliance; and

a communication unit configured to, based on a control instruction for said control-target appliance having been received from said terminal apparatus, make reference to said data to provide said control apparatus with notification of said time interval associated with the identification information for said control-target appliance.

14. A control method for a relay apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal apparatus and a control-target appliance, the control method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from said terminal apparatus, a control instruction for controlling an operation of said control-target appliance; and

when said control instruction is received, setting a transmission interval of repeatedly transmitting, in order to detect a change in a status of said control-target appliance, a signal to said control-target appliance to be shorter than a preset time interval.

15. A control method for a control apparatus capable of communicating with a server apparatus and a control-target appliance, the control method comprising the steps of:

repeatedly transmitting a signal for detecting a change in a status in said control-target appliance to said control-target appliance at a set time interval and transmitting a control instruction for controlling an operation of said control-target appliance to said control-target appliance when said control instruction is received from a terminal apparatus via said server apparatus;

providing, based on said change in the status having been detected, said terminal apparatus with the notification of said status having been changed, said notification being provided via said server apparatus; and

when said control apparatus receives said control instruction from said terminal apparatus via said server apparatus while said time interval is set at a first time interval, setting said time interval at a second time interval shorter than said first time interval.

16. An information processing method for a server apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal apparatus and a control apparatus for controlling a control-target appliance, said server apparatus storing data including identification information for said control-target appliance and a time interval that are associated with each other, said time interval defining a transmission interval of a signal used by said control apparatus in order to detect a change in a status of said control-target appliance,

the information processing method comprising the steps of:

receiving a control instruction for said control-target appliance from said terminal apparatus; and

based on said control instruction having been received, making reference to said data to provide said control apparatus with notification of said time interval associated with the identification information for said control-target appliance.