Network device and network device control method

• US 7,912,928 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kuwabara, Tadashi, Kudo, Yoshimichi, Oeda, Shigeto, Tanaka, Mayuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Mesfin; Yemane
• Application Number:
  US12/126,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20080225883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide network devices and a network device control method which enable control network devices connected to an IP network, AV devices connected over 1394IF through gateway devices from the IP network, and home devices connected to ECHONET to be controlled without distinction among them. To achieve this object, a network device to serve as a controller comprises a controller application that detects a service of a target network device, using a message complying with an information exchange protocol common to the network, collects information such as an access method for the service, a function name, and parameters, and controls the network device upon request, and an information exchange protocol processing part that exchanges messages according to a protocol common to the network devices. The network device targeted for control comprises service that provides information for the controlling network device to perform control to the controller, and the information exchange protocol processing part.

Claims

1. A network device that has a communication interface for connecting to a first network and a second communication interface for connecting to a second network, and has a network device control function for managing and controlling a target device connected to the second network, the network device comprising:

a target service part comprising;

a device information provision service part to provide a device information; and

a device control service part to manage and control the target device,

wherein the device information provision service part cooperates with the network device control function to;

obtain at least one of the device information of a device name, function name, control kind and parameter information for controlling from the target device;

convert the obtained device information into a third data format which is represented by an XML data structure and not dependent on a data format used in both of a device connected to the first network and a device connected to the second network and generate device list information of the third data format;

generate access point information for device control with which a network controller can access the access point using a protocol to the first network; and

extract, from the generated device list information, the device information of the device connected to the second network according to a demand from the network controller, the device information being at least one of a device name, function name, control kind, and the access point information, and provide the extracted information,

wherein the device control service part includes a device control part configured to;

convert a control function transmitted to the network controller into a command format which the target device can interpret;

transmit the command to an object target device for operation in accordance with the access point information; and

convert a response from the target device into a data format common in the first network and returns to the network controller; and

an information exchange protocol processing part which generates and transmits messages in a message format common to the first network, interprets received messages generated in the message format common to the first network, and passes the messages to the target service part,

wherein the target service part, by using a network device control function, detects at least one change in the number of target devices connected to the second network, generates the device information for at least one target device newly connected to the second network, and generates a device control part corresponding to each target device newly connected to the second network.

2. The network device according to claim 1, exchanging messages between the network devices to invoke functions provided by the network devices and obtain information owned by the network devices.

3. The network device according to claim 1, wherein information of messages exchanged between the network devices is described in XML (Extensible Markup Language) format.

4. The network device according to claim 1, wherein SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is used for a communication protocol for information of messages exchanged between the network devices.

5. The network device according to claim 1, wherein functions and arguments of messages exchanged between the network devices are described using WSDL (Web Service Description Language).

6. The network device according to claim 1, wherein inquiry message transmission and response by multicast messages of UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are used to search for a network device capable of exchanging messages according to a message format common to the first network.

7. The network device according to claim 1, wherein function information owned by network devices connected to the second network, and control information constituted of information for controlling the network devices connected to the second network and control function invocation information are invoked by URL (Uniform Resource Locator) hierarchically formed by a name, function, and the like of the network devices connected to the second network with the IP address of the network device as a root.

8. The network device according to claim 1, wherein function information owned by network devices connected to the second network, and control information constituted of information for controlling the network devices connected to the second network and control function invocation information are invoked using IP addresses virtually assigned to the network devices connected to the second network by the network device.