Network system, portable terminal device, and method for specifying device

• US 9,826,360 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Hibara, Naoyuki, Koizumi, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandiford, Devan
• Application Number:
  US14/903,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20160219406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• 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 reception electric field intensity or a transmission delay time in wireless communication between each of multiple apparatuses connected to one and the same network and a portable terminal device is measured. Degrees of nearness, where a degree of nearness indicates a nearness between each of the multiple apparatuses and the portable terminal device in a numerical value are calculated based on a measurement result. One apparatus is selected from among the multiple apparatuses as a candidate target apparatus based on the degrees of nearness calculated. The candidate target apparatus selected is requested to execute a predetermined. A decision on whether or not to approve the candidate target apparatus selected is received from the user, and the candidate target apparatus is identified as a work-target apparatus intended by the user when the user has approved.

Claims

1. A network system, comprising:

a plurality of processors, the plurality of processors are configured to;

acquire, by an acquirer, a reception electric field intensity or a transmission delay time in wireless communication between each of multiple apparatuses connected to a network and a portable terminal device;

calculate, by a nearness degree calculator, degrees of nearness, wherein a degree of nearness indicates a nearness between each of the multiple apparatuses and the portable terminal device in a numerical value based on an acquisition result by the acquirer;

by an operation requestor;

responsive to the degrees of nearness calculated by the nearness degree calculator, display, on a display, a list based on the degrees of nearness calculated by the nearness degree calculator; and

then

receive selection of any one field of fields on the list which is displayed on the display so as to receive designation of a candidate target apparatus from a user; and

then

responsive to receiving the designation of the candidate target apparatus from the user, request the candidate target apparatus designated by the user to execute a predetermined operation;

by an apparatus identifier;

after the operation requestor requests the candidate target apparatus to execute the predetermined operation, receive a decision on whether or not to approve the candidate target apparatus from the user, and

responsive to receipt of the decision from the user approving the candidate target apparatus, identify the candidate target apparatus as a work-target apparatus intended by the user; and

measure, by a distance measurer, a distance to an object,

wherein the processor is configured to present to the user information regarding the distance measured by the distance measurer before requesting each of the multiple apparatuses to wirelessly transmit response data.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the fields of the list are arranged in a descending order of the degrees of nearness.

3. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined operation that is executed by the candidate target apparatus visually confirms the candidate target apparatus.

4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of processors are further configured to

responsive to receipt of the decision from the user approving the candidate target apparatus:

display, by an apparatus controller, on the display, an operation screen for the work-target apparatus identified by the user and to control the work-target apparatus based on contents of an operation conducted by the user via the operation screen.

5. A portable terminal device, comprising:

at least one processor, the at least one processor is configured to;

acquire, by a reception electric field intensity acquirer, a reception electric field intensity in wireless communication for each of multiple apparatuses connected to a network;

calculate, by a nearness degree calculator, degrees of nearness, wherein a degree of nearness indicates a nearness to each of the multiple apparatuses in a numerical value based on the reception electric field intensity acquired by the reception electric field intensity acquirer;

by an operation requestor;

responsive to the degrees of nearness calculated by the nearness degree calculator, display, on a display, a list based on the degrees of nearness calculated by the nearness degree calculator; and

then

receive selection of any one field of fields on the list which is displayed on the display so as to receive designation of a candidate target apparatus from a user; and

then

responsive to receiving the designation of the candidate target apparatus from the user, request the candidate target apparatus designated by the user to execute a predetermined operation;

by an apparatus identifier;

after the operation requestor requests the candidate target apparatus to execute the predetermined operation, receive a decision on whether or not to approve the candidate target apparatus from the user, and

responsive to receipt of the decision from the user approving the candidate target apparatus, identify the candidate target apparatus as a work-target apparatus intended by the user,

request, by a transmission requestor, each of the multiple apparatuses to wirelessly transmit response data; and

measure, by a distance measurer, a distance to an object,

wherein the transmission requestor presents to the user information regarding the distance measured by the distance measurer before requesting each of the multiple apparatuses to wirelessly transmit the response data.

6. The portable terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

by the reception electric field intensity acquirer,

request, by a measurement requestor, each of the multiple apparatuses to measure the reception electric field intensity;

and

collect, by a collector, multiple measurement results, wherein a measurement result is collected from each of the multiple apparatuses.

7. The portable terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

request, by the measurement requestor, each of the multiple apparatuses to measure the reception electric field intensity multiple times intermittently, and

calculate, by the nearness degree calculator, the degree of nearness based on the multiple measurement results of the reception electric field intensity at each of the multiple apparatuses.

8. The portable terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

present, by the measurement requestor, to the user, information regarding a recommended measuring point before requesting each of the multiple apparatuses to measure the reception electric field intensity.

9. The portable terminal device according to claim 7,

wherein the measurement requestor presents to the user information regarding the distance measured by the distance measurer before requesting each of the multiple apparatuses to measure the reception electric field intensity.

10. The portable terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

request, by the transmission requestor, each of the multiple apparatuses to wirelessly transmit the response data multiple times intermittently, and

calculate, by the nearness degree calculator, the degree of nearness based on the multiple measurement results of the reception electric field intensity for each of the multiple apparatuses by the reception electric field intensity measurer.

11. The portable terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

present, by the transmission requestor, to the user, information regarding a recommended measuring point before requesting each of the multiple apparatuses to wirelessly transmit the response data.

12. The portable terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the fields of the list are arranged in a descending order of the degrees of nearness.

13. The portable terminal device according to claim 5, wherein

the predetermined operation that is executed by the candidate target apparatus visually confirms the candidate target apparatus.

14. The portable terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

responsive to receipt of the decision from the user approving the candidate target apparatus:

display, by an apparatus controller, on the display, an operation screen for the work-target apparatus identified by the user and to control the work-target apparatus based on contents of an operation conducted by the user via the operation screen.

15. A target apparatus identification method, comprising:

measuring a reception electric field intensity or a transmission delay time in wireless communication between each of multiple apparatuses connected to a network and a portable terminal device;

calculating degrees of nearness, wherein a degree of nearness indicates a nearness between each of the multiple apparatuses and the portable terminal device in a numerical value based on a result of the measurement;

responsive to the degrees of nearness which are calculated, displaying, on a display, a list based on the calculated degrees of nearness; and

then

receiving selection of any one field of fields on the list which is displayed on the display so as to receive designation of a candidate target apparatus from a user; and

then

responsive to receiving the designation of the candidate target apparatus from the user, requesting the candidate target apparatus designated by the user to execute a predetermined operation;

after the candidate target apparatus is requested to execute the predetermined operation, receiving a decision on whether or not to approve the candidate target apparatus from the user, and

responsive to receipt of the decision from the user approving the candidate target apparatus, identifying the candidate target apparatus as a work-target apparatus intended by the user; and

measuring, by a distance measurer, a distance to an object, and

presenting to the user information regarding the distance measured by the distance measurer before requesting each of the multiple apparatuses to wirelessly transmit response data.

16. The target apparatus identification method according to claim 15, wherein the fields of the list are arranged in a descending order of the degrees of nearness.

17. The target apparatus identification method according to claim 15, wherein

the predetermined operation that is executed by the candidate target apparatus visually confirms the candidate target apparatus.

18. The target apparatus identification method according to claim 15, further comprising

responsive to receipt of the decision from the user approving the candidate target apparatus, displaying, on the display, an operation screen for the work-target apparatus identified by the user and to control the work-target apparatus based on contents of an operation conducted by the user via the operation screen.