Mobile communication device, communication method, integrated circuit, and program

• US 9,020,432 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2010
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• 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: Matsushita, Yosuke, Yamaoka, Masaru, Ohtsubo, Shohji, Mukai, Tsutomu, Nakae, Hironori, Oshima, Mitsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US13/203,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20110312278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• 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 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A mobile communication device (98b) includes: an appliance information obtainment unit (98n) that obtains appliance information (98n1) by proximity wireless communication (98c1) with an appliance (98a) installed in a home (99), the appliance information specifying the appliance (98a); a position information obtainment unit (98j) that obtains position information (98j1) of the mobile communication device when the proximity wireless communication (98c1) is performed; and a transmission unit (98o) that transmits transmission information (98o1) to a server (98c) in the case where the proximity wireless communication (98c1) is performed, the transmission information including the appliance information (98n1) and the position information (98j1).

Claims

1. A mobile communication device comprising:

an appliance information obtainment unit configured to obtain, from an appliance installed at a predetermined position, appliance information by proximity wireless communication between the installed appliance and said mobile communication device, the appliance information specifying the appliance from among a plurality of appliances;

a position information obtainment unit configured to obtain position information indicating a position of said mobile communication device, the position being at a time when the proximity wireless communication is performed between the installed appliance and said mobile communication device;

an identification information storage unit configured to store identification information that includes at least one of device unique information of said mobile communication device and subscriber information of said mobile communication device; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit registration information to a server, the registration information being information for registering (i) the appliance information obtained by the proximity wireless communication, (ii) the position information indicating the position of said mobile communication device, and (iii) the identification information, in a database in the server in association with each other.

2. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, further comprising

a detection unit configured to detect that the proximity wireless communication is performed between the installed appliance and said mobile communication device, the proximity wireless communication being performed in the case where the appliance is installed,

wherein said transmission unit is configured to transmit the registration information to the server in the case where said detection unit detects that the proximity wireless communication is performed, the registration information being required to be transmitted to the server in the case where the appliance is installed at the predetermined position,

the transmitted registration information includes the appliance information specifying the installed appliance from among the plurality of appliances,

said appliance information obtainment unit is configured to obtain the appliance information from the appliance by the proximity wireless communication,

the transmitted registration information includes position information indicating the position at which the appliance is installed, and

said position information obtainment unit is configured to obtain, as the position information indicating the position of the appliance, the position information indicating the position of said mobile communication device when the proximity wireless communication is performed between the installed appliance and said mobile communication device.

3. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the obtained position information specifies a movement of said mobile communication device from a base point to the position at which the appliance is installed, to indicate a first position in the case where the specified movement is a first movement to the first position, and a second position in the case where the specified movement is a second movement to the second position, and

the server to which the registration information is transmitted performs control so that wireless communication in a first mode is performed between a predetermined wireless communication device and the installed appliance in the case where the movement specified by the position information in the registration information is the first movement, and wireless communication in a second mode is performed between the predetermined wireless communication device and the installed appliance in the case where the specified movement is the second movement.

4. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein said position information obtainment unit includes an acceleration sensor that detects an acceleration when said mobile communication device moves to the position at which the appliance is installed, and

the obtained position information specifies the movement according to the detected acceleration, to indicate the position of said mobile communication device after the specified movement, as the position at which the appliance is installed.

5. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined position at which the appliance is installed is inside a home, and

the proximity wireless communication is communication according to Near Field Communication (NFC) performed when, in the case where the appliance is installed in the home, a user of said mobile communication device in the home in which the appliance is installed performs an operation of touching said mobile communication device to the installed appliance.

6. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined position at which the appliance is installed is inside a home,

said mobile communication device stores an ID of the home, the ID being information specifying the home of a user of said mobile communication device, and

said transmission unit is configured to transmit, to the server, the registration information that associates the position information with the ID of the home, to cause the server to store, in association with the ID that is included in the transmitted registration information as the ID of the home in which the appliance is installed, information included in the registration information other than the ID.

7. The mobile communication device according to claim 6,

wherein said position information obtainment unit is configured to obtain the ID from a second server as the position information, the second server being provided in the home in which the appliance is installed and storing the ID of the home.

8. The mobile communication device according to claim 6,

wherein said transmission unit is configured to transmit the registration information, to cause a predetermined image generation device to generate an image which shows an internal structure of the home and in which a display item representing the appliance specified by the obtained appliance information in the transmitted registration information is superimposed at the position at which the appliance is installed.

9. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined position at which the appliance is installed is inside a home, and

said position information obtainment unit is configured to obtain the position information stored in a storage unit in said mobile communication device, the position information specifying said mobile communication device from among a plurality of devices to specify, as a position of the home in which the appliance is installed, a position of the home of a user of said specified mobile communication device.

10. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein said transmission unit is configured to:

transmit the registration information to the server, to cause the server to store the transmitted registration information; and

when the appliance has been moved from the predetermined position, cause the server to output the position information included in the registration information in the case where the appliance information specifying the moved appliance is the same as the appliance information that is included in the registration information stored in the server and specifies the installed appliance.

11. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the obtained appliance information is a product serial number of the appliance, the product serial number specifying the installed appliance from among the plurality of appliances.

12. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein said appliance information obtainment unit is configured to obtain at least one of type information and function information from the installed appliance by the proximity wireless communication, the type information indicating a type of the appliance, and the function information indicating a function of the appliance, and

the transmitted registration information includes the obtained at least one of type information and function information.

13. The mobile communication device according to claim 1,

wherein said position information obtainment unit includes:

an absolute position information obtainment unit configured to obtain absolute position information of said mobile communication device; and

a relative position information detection unit configured to detect a relative position based on a movement of said mobile communication device,

the appliance information includes absolute position information of the appliance, and

said relative position information detection unit is configured to initialize the relative position, based on the absolute position information of the appliance.

14. The mobile communication device according to claim 13,

wherein the appliance information further includes accuracy identification information of the absolute position information of the appliance, and

said relative position information detection unit is configured to determine whether or not to initialize the relative position, based on the accuracy identification information.

15. An integrated circuit comprising:

an appliance information obtainment unit configured to obtain, from an appliance installed at a predetermined position, appliance information by proximity wireless communication between the installed appliance and a mobile communication device including said integrated circuit, the appliance information specifying the appliance from among a plurality of appliances;

a position information obtainment unit configured to obtain position information indicating a position of the mobile communication device, the position being at a time when the proximity wireless communication is performed between the installed appliance and the mobile communication device;

an identification information storage unit configured to store identification information that includes at least one of device unique information of the mobile communication device and subscriber information of the mobile communication device; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit registration information to a server, the registration information being information for registering (i) the appliance information obtained by the proximity wireless communication, (ii) the position information indicating the position of the mobile communication device, and (iii) the identification information, in a database in the server in association with each other.

16. A communication method comprising:

obtaining, from an appliance installed at a predetermined position, appliance information by proximity wireless communication between the installed appliance and a mobile communication device executing said communication method, the appliance information specifying the appliance from among a plurality of appliances;

obtaining position information indicating a position of the mobile communication device, the position being at a time when the proximity wireless communication is performed between the installed appliance and the mobile communication device;

storing identification information that includes at least one of device unique information of the mobile communication device and subscriber information of the mobile communication device; and

transmitting registration information to a server, the registration information being information for registering (i) the appliance information obtained by the proximity wireless communication, (ii) the position information indicating the position of the mobile communication device, and (iii) the identification information, in a database in the server in association with each other.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for causing a computer to execute:

obtaining, from an appliance installed at a predetermined position, appliance information by proximity wireless communication between the installed appliance and a mobile communication device including the computer that executes said computer program, the appliance information specifying the appliance from among a plurality of appliances;

obtaining position information indicating a position of the mobile communication device, the position being at a time when the proximity wireless communication is performed between the installed appliance and the mobile communication device;

storing identification information that includes at least one of device unique information of the mobile communication device and subscriber information of the mobile communication device; and

transmitting registration information to a server, the registration information being information for registering (i) the appliance information obtained by the proximity wireless communication, (ii) the position information indicating the position of the mobile communication device, and (iii) the identification information, in a database in the server in association with each other.