Device information providing system and device information providing method

• US 9,679,032 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Uenoyama, Toru, Hisano, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hershley, Mark E
• Application Number:
  US14/437,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20160299902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 707722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A device information providing system has a search request receiving unit that receives, as a search request for searching for a device, a search request including an output requirement for specifying a desired output result, a processing module DB in which information concerning a processing module that receives, as inputs, outputs from one or a plurality of other devices and combines the inputs to generate a new output is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement for specifying an input of a processing module and an output requirement for specifying an output of the processing module, and a device DB in which information concerning the device is registered with respect to a plurality of the devices together with at least an output requirement for specifying an output of the device.

Claims

1. A device information providing system comprising:

hardware comprising;

a search request receiving unit that receives, as a search request for searching for a device, a search request including an output requirement for specifying a desired output result;

a processing module database (DB) in which information concerning a processing module that receives, as inputs, outputs from one or a plurality of other devices and combines the inputs to generate a new output is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement for specifying an input of a processing module and an output requirement for specifying an output of the processing module;

a device database (DB) in which information concerning the device is registered with respect to a plurality of the devices together with at least an output requirement for specifying an output of the device;

a processing module extracting unit that compares the output requirement included in the search request and output requirements of the processing modules, thereby extracting, from the processing module DB, a processing module capable of acquiring the desired output result designated by the search request;

a virtual device generating unit that compares an input requirement of the extracted processing module and output requirements of the devices, thereby extracting, from the device DB, one or a plurality of devices having an output usable as an input to the extracted processing module and generates a virtual device composed of a combination of the extracted one or plurality of devices and the extracted processing module; and

a device information providing unit that provides a user with, as a search result, information concerning the virtual device generated by the virtual device generating unit.

2. The device information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device extracting unit that compares the output requirement included in the search request and the output requirements of the devices, thereby extracting, from the device DB, a device capable of acquiring the desired output result designated in the search request,

wherein the device information providing unit provides the user with, as a search result, information concerning the device extracted by the device extracting unit.

3. The device information providing system according to claim 2, wherein extraction processing for extracting a device by the device extracting unit is performed more preferentially than extraction processing for extracting the processing module by the processing module extracting unit and generation processing for generating a virtual device by the virtual device generating unit.

4. The device information providing system according to claim 3, wherein, only when an extraction result of the device by the device extracting unit does not meet a predetermined condition, the extraction processing for extracting a processing module by the processing module extracting unit and the generation processing for generating a virtual device by the virtual device generating unit are performed.

5. The device information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the device DB includes a real device database (DB) in which information concerning physically present real devices is registered and a virtual device database (DB) in which information concerning virtual devices is registered.

6. The device information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the virtual device generating unit extracts, out of the real devices registered in the real device DB and the virtual devices registered in the virtual device DB, a device having an output usable as an input to the extracted processing module.

7. The device information providing system according to claim 5, wherein, when a new virtual device is generated by the virtual device generating unit, information concerning the new virtual device is automatically registered in the virtual device DB.

8. A device information providing system comprising:

hardware comprising;

a search request receiving unit that receives, as a search request for searching for a sensor, a search request including a data requirement for specifying desired sensing data;

a processing module database (DB) in which information concerning a processing module that processes one or a plurality of sensing data and generates new sensing data is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement, which is a data requirement of sensing data used as an input, and an output requirement, which is a data requirement of new sensing data to be generated;

a sensor database (DB) in which information concerning the sensor is registered with respect to a plurality of the sensors together with at least an output requirement, which is a data requirement of sensing data to be output;

a processing module extracting unit that compares the data requirement included in the search request and output requirements of the processing modules, thereby extracting, from the processing module DB, a processing module capable of generating the desired sensing data designated by the search request;

a virtual sensor generating unit that compares an input requirement of the extracted processing module and output requirements of the sensors, thereby extracting, from the sensor DB, one or a plurality of sensors capable of acquiring sensing data to be used as an input to the extracted processing module and generates a virtual sensor composed of a combination of the extracted one or plurality of sensors and the extracted processing module; and

a sensor information providing unit that provides a user with, as a search result, information concerning the virtual sensor generated by the virtual sensor generating unit.

9. A device information providing method executed via a computer comprising:

a processing module database (DB) in which information concerning a processing module that receives, as inputs, outputs from one or a plurality of other devices and combines the inputs to generate a new output is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement for specifying an input of a processing module and an output requirement for specifying an output of the processing module; and

a device database (DB) in which information concerning the device is registered with respect to a plurality of the devices together with at least an output requirement for specifying an output of the device,

the method comprising;

receiving, as a search request for searching for a device, a search request including an output requirement for specifying a desired output result;

comparing the output requirement included in the search request and output requirements of the processing modules, thereby extracting, from the processing module DB, a processing module capable of acquiring the desired output result designated by the search request;

comparing an input requirement of the extracted processing module and output requirements of the devices, thereby extracting, from the device DB, one or a plurality of devices having an output usable as an input to the extracted processing module and generating a virtual device composed of a combination of the extracted one or plurality of devices and the extracted processing module; and

providing a user with, as a search result, information concerning the generated virtual device.

10. A device information providing method executed via a computer comprising:

a processing module database (DB) in which information concerning a processing module that analyzes and processes one or a plurality of sensing data and generates new sensing data is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement, which is a data requirement of sensing data used as an input, and an output requirement, which is a data requirement of new sensing data to be generated; and

a sensor database (DB) in which information concerning the sensor is registered with respect to a plurality of the sensors together with at least an output requirement, which is a data requirement of sensing data to be output,

the method comprising;

receiving, as a search request for searching for a sensor, a search request including a data requirement for specifying desired sensing data;

comparing the data requirement included in the search request and output requirements of the processing modules, thereby extracting, from the processing module DB, a processing module capable of generating the desired sensing data designated by the search request;

comparing an input requirement of the extracted processing module and output requirements of the sensors, thereby extracting, from the sensor DB, one or a plurality of sensors capable of acquiring sensing data to be used as an input to the extracted processing module and generating a virtual sensor composed of a combination of the extracted one or plurality of sensors and the extracted processing module; and

providing a user with, as a search result, information concerning the generated virtual sensor.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a program for causing a computer to comprise:

a processing module database (DB) in which information concerning a processing module that receives, as inputs, outputs from one or a plurality of other devices and combines the inputs to generate a new output is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement for specifying an input of a processing module and an output requirement for specifying an output of the processing module; and

a device database (DB) in which information concerning the device is registered with respect to a plurality of the devices together with at least an output requirement for specifying an output of the device,

wherein the program causes the computer to perform;

receiving, as a search request for searching for a device, a search request including an output requirement for specifying a desired output result;

comparing the output requirement included in the search request and output requirements of the processing modules, thereby extracting, from the processing module DB, a processing module capable of acquiring the desired output result designated by the search request;

comparing an input requirement of the extracted processing module and output requirements of the devices, thereby extracting, from the device DB, one or a plurality of devices having an output usable as an input to the extracted processing module and generating a virtual device composed of a combination of the extracted one or plurality of devices and the extracted processing module; and

providing a user with, as a search result, information concerning the generated virtual device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a program for causing a computer to comprise:

a processing module database (DB) in which information concerning a processing module that analyzes and processes one or a plurality of sensing data and generates new sensing data is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement, which is a data requirement of sensing data used as an input, and an output requirement, which is a data requirement of new sensing data to be generated; and

a sensor database (DB) in which information concerning the sensor is registered with respect to a plurality of the sensors together with at least an output requirement, which is a data requirement of sensing data to be output,

wherein the program causes the computer to perform;

receiving, as a search request for searching for a sensor, a search request including a data requirement for specifying desired sensing data;

comparing the data requirement included in the search request and output requirements of the processing modules, thereby extracting, from the processing module DB, a processing module capable of generating the desired sensing data designated by the search request;

comparing an input requirement of the extracted processing module and output requirements of the sensors, thereby extracting, from the sensor DB, one or a plurality of sensors capable of acquiring sensing data to be used as an input to the extracted processing module and generating a virtual sensor composed of a combination of the extracted one or plurality of sensors and the extracted processing module; and

providing a user with, as a search result, information concerning the generated virtual sensor.