METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MULTIPLE DEVICES CONNECTED VIA NETWORK

• US 20160364275A1
• Filed: 06/02/2016
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• 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: MIYAZAKI, RYOTA, NAKAMURA, TOMONORI, SUGIMOTO, HIROKO
• Granted Patent: US 10,445,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A method causing a processor to execute operations includes managing a plurality of first settings, one of the plurality of first setting being to control a first device in case that an operation status of a second device which is interconnected to the first device via a network has changed, receiving a second setting, the second setting being to control a third device in case that an operation status of a fourth device which is interconnected to the third device via the network has changed, determining whether conflicting operations are to be performed on a device when the plurality of first settings and the second setting are executed, extracting a setting from the first settings and the second setting, which is a cause of the conflicting operations in case that, in the determining, the conflicting operations are determined and transmitting a notification to divide a time during which the setting extracted in the extracting is executed.

Claims

1. A method causing a processor to execute operations, comprising:

managing a plurality of first settings, one of the plurality of first setting being to control a first device in case that an operation status of a second device which is interconnected to the first device via a network has changed;

receiving a second setting, the second setting being to control a third device in case that an operation status of a fourth device which is interconnected to the third device via the network has changed;

determining whether conflicting operations are to be performed on a device when the plurality of first settings and the second setting are executed;

extracting a setting from the first settings and the second setting, which is a cause of the conflicting operations in case that, in the determining, the conflicting operations are determined; and

transmitting a notification to divide a time during which the setting extracted in the extracting is executed.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the second setting is set on a terminal, including a display, and

wherein the notification comprises an indication displayed on the display and indicating an occurrence of the conflicting operations.

3. The method according to claim 2,

wherein the notification comprises information concerning the device that is under the conflicting operations.

4. The method according to claim 2,

wherein the notification comprises a message to receive an input to determine whether the setting is to be modified to avoid the conflicting operations.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising causing the processor to display on the display a plurality of time candidates included in the time to divide the time in case that the input is received.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising causing the processor to display on the display a slide bar to divide the time in case that the input is received.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein in the determining, executing a simulation that traces the plurality of first settings and the second setting.

8. A method causing a processor to execute operations, comprising:

managing a plurality of first settings, one of the plurality of first setting being to control a first device in case that an operation status of a second device which is interconnected to the first device via a network has changed;

receiving a second setting, the second setting being to control a third device in case that an operation status of a fourth device which is interconnected to the third device via the network has changed;

determining whether conflicting operations are to be performed on a device when the plurality of first settings and the second setting are executed;

extracting a setting from the first settings and the second setting, which is a cause of the conflicting operations in case that, in the determining, the conflicting operations are determined in the determining; and

adding an operation status of a predetermined device to control condition of the setting.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

managing log information related to a log of operation statuses of a plurality of devices;

extracting a third setting that is one of the first settings changing in coordination with the second setting as condition of control of the setting, and,

determining, based on the log information, a correlative device having a higher frequency of occurrence (i) that a control operation to set a first operation status is performed within a predetermined period prior to or subsequent to a start of a control operation of the third setting, and (ii) that a control operation to set a second operation status different from the first operation status is performed within a predetermined period prior to or subsequent to an end of the control operation of the third setting; and

adding information that the correlative device is in the second operation status to the condition of control of the third setting.

10. A control apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having a program stored thereon, the program causing the processor to execute operations including;

managing a plurality of first settings, one of the plurality of first setting being to control a first device in case that an operation status of a second device which is interconnected to the first device via a network has changed;

receiving a second setting, the second setting being to control a third device in case that an operation status of a fourth device which is interconnected to the third device via the network has changed;

determining whether conflicting operations are to be performed on a device when the plurality of first settings and the second setting are executed;

extracting a setting from the first settings and the second setting, which is a cause of the conflicting operations in case that, in the determining, the conflicting operations are determined in the determining; and

transmitting a notification to divide a time during which the setting extracted in the extracting is executed.

11. A non-transitory recording medium having a program stored thereon, the program causing a processor to execute operations comprising:

managing a plurality of first settings, one of the plurality of first setting being to control a first device in case that an operation status of a second device which is interconnected to the first device via a network has changed;

receiving a second setting, the second setting being to control a third device in case that an operation status of a fourth device which is interconnected to the third device via the network has changed;

determining whether conflicting operations are to be performed on a device when the plurality of first settings and the second setting are executed;

extracting a setting from the first settings and the second setting, which is a cause of the conflicting operations in case that, in the determining, the conflicting operations are determined in the determining; and

transmitting a notification to divide a time during which the setting extracted in the extracting is executed.