JP2018055201A - Administration device and administration system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow an apparatus in a prescribed network to appropriately communicate with an external network.SOLUTION: An administration device includes an acquisition unit and a determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires communication information transmitted to a prescribed network. The determination unit determines whether to transmit the communication information to a transmission destination on the basis of information on the type of the communication information acquired by the acquisition unit and information on transmission destination of the information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a management apparatus and a management system.

  In recent years, management devices for various electronic devices such as home appliances and sensors installed in the home (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “devices”) are managed to enable various services such as remote operation and remote monitoring. Management systems are known. For example, for communication between a management device (controller) and other devices in HEMS (Home Energy Management System), a management system that performs communication according to the Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Utility Network) standard using the 920 MHz band as a communication medium Is being introduced.

JP 2014-93666 A

  However, in the technology as described above, it may be difficult to appropriately communicate with an external network in a device in a predetermined network. For example, when the communication speed in another network is higher than the communication speed in the predetermined network, it may be difficult to appropriately communicate information transmitted from outside the predetermined network to devices in the predetermined network.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a management device and a management system that enable appropriate communication with an external network in a device in a predetermined network.

  The management apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an acquisition unit and a determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires communication information communicated to a predetermined network. The determination unit determines whether to transmit the communication information to the transmission destination based on the information regarding the type of communication information acquired by the acquisition unit and the information regarding the transmission destination of the information.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, appropriate communication with the external network in the apparatus in a predetermined network is enabled.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating management processing in the management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the group information storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the schedule information storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of management processing in the management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of another management process in the management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating management processing in the management system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the setting information storage unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of management processing in the management system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the management system. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an outline of functions of the management apparatus. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating IP address linking in the management apparatus.

  The management devices 100 and 100A according to the first and second embodiments described below include an acquisition unit 131 that acquires communication information communicated to a predetermined network, and information and information related to the type of communication information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 Determination units 132 and 132A for determining whether to transmit the communication information to the transmission destination based on the information on the transmission destination.

  Further, in the management devices 100 and 100A according to the first and second embodiments described below, the determination units 132 and 132A are configured to process only the device terminals 50 that can be processed among the device terminals 50 included in the group set as the transmission destination. Decides to send communication information to

  In addition, in the management device 100A according to the second embodiment described below, the determination unit 132A sets the transmission mode to the outside of the information acquired from the device terminal 50 included in the group when a predetermined event occurs in the group. decide.

  Further, in the management devices 100 and 100A according to the first and second embodiments described below, the determination units 132 and 132A transmit the communication information to the transmission destination regardless of the state of the transmission destination when a predetermined condition is satisfied. decide.

  Further, in the management devices 100 and 100A according to the first and second embodiments described below, the determination units 132 and 132A each include information related to the type of communication information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 and an appliance ( Whether to transmit the communication information to the electrical appliance is determined based on information on the lighting device LT, the air conditioner EC, the energy measurement unit EU, the water heater WH, the storage battery BT, and the like in FIG.

  Further, the management systems 1 and 1A according to the first and second embodiments described below include a device terminal 50 and management devices 100 and 100A.

[Embodiment 1]
First, a management system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating management processing in the management system according to the first embodiment. For example, the management system 1 may be an energy management system such as HEMS.

  The management system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a management device 100 (device A), a device terminal 50-1 (device B), and a device terminal 50-2 (device C). Note that the device terminal 50-1, the device terminal 50-2, and the like are described as “device terminal 50” when they are described without distinction. In the example shown in FIG. 1, for simplicity of explanation, two device terminals 50, 50-1 and 50-2 are illustrated, but the management system 1 includes three or more device terminals. 50 may be included. For example, the management apparatus 100 is communicably connected to the device terminal 50 via a predetermined network. The management system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 may include a plurality of management apparatuses 100.

  The management apparatus 100 may be a home gateway that is a network device that connects a public network and a home network. Note that a device (device) that performs management processing such as the management device 100 and a device (device) that performs network control such as a home gateway may be separate. Further, the device terminal 50 may be various electrical appliances such as a lighting device, a television, an air conditioner, and a storage battery included in the HEMS. Further, in the example of FIG. 1, the device terminal 50-1 (device B) and the device terminal 50-2 (device C) are included in the same group GP1.

  Here, an example of a configuration when the management apparatus 100 is a home gateway will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the management system.

  In the example shown in FIG. 11, the home gateway HG as the management apparatus 100 can communicate with each device terminal 50 in the management system 1 via a predetermined network (network NT1). In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, the device terminal 50 includes a lighting device LT, an air conditioner EC, an energy measurement unit EU, a water heater WH, a storage battery BT, and the like. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the management apparatus 100 and each device terminal 50 are connected in a 1: n connection, and wireless communication in the 920 MHz band is performed. For example, such a network NT1 may be a network conforming to a standard such as Wi-SUN HAN (Home Area Network). Hereinafter, such a network NT1 may be a low-speed network. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the home gateway HG is a termination point of the network NT1. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the home gateway HG can communicate with the external network NT2 using other communication media. For example, in the case of a network based on a conventional Wi-SUN HAN, a standard that does not perform multicast or broadcast communication may be used. In addition, in the case of a network based on a conventional Wi-SUN HAN that is terminated at the home gateway HG as in the example shown in FIG. 11, each device terminal 50 has a specification incapable of direct communication with the outside. Good.

  A management device 100 such as a home gateway HG illustrated in FIG. 11 has a function of performing multicast or packet forwarding. This point will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an outline of functions of the management apparatus. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating association of IP (Internet Protocol) addresses in the management apparatus.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, the home gateway HG includes a packet transmission unit PS10 and a packet reception unit PR10 that communicate with other networks (for example, the network NT2 in FIG. 11). Further, the home gateway HG includes a low-speed side packet transmission unit PS20 and a low-speed side packet reception unit PR20 that communicate with a network in the management system 1 (for example, the network NT1 in FIG. 11). Note that these units related to transmission / reception are conceptual, and the home gateway HG (management device 100) in FIG. 12 includes the communication unit 110 and the control unit 130 (for example, the acquisition unit 131 and the transmission unit) illustrated in FIG. 133).

  As shown in FIG. 12, the home gateway HG includes a packet scheduler SC10, a packet transmission list PL10, a low-speed packet transmission list PL20, a device IP address acquisition unit PA10, and the like. Note that these units related to transmission and reception are conceptual, and the home gateway HG (management device 100) in FIG. 12 is realized by the control unit 130 (for example, the determination unit 132) and the storage unit 120 shown in FIG. May be. For example, the packet scheduler SC10 stores the types of packets to be multicast or packet forwarded. For example, the low-speed packet transmission list PL20 is a list that is referred to in order to confirm a transmission destination when a packet is transmitted to a low-speed network (for example, the network NT1 in FIG. 11) by the packet scheduler SC10.

  For example, when performing multicast setting, the home gateway HG sets a packet to be transmitted to the packet scheduler SC10, and sets transmission destination information in the low-speed packet transmission list PL20.

  Further, for example, when performing a multicast operation, the home gateway HG receives data (communication information) in the low-speed packet receiving unit PR20. Then, for example, the home gateway HG confirms (determines) whether the packet is a target packet with reference to the packet scheduler SC10. For example, the home gateway HG determines the transmission destination with reference to the low-speed packet transmission list PL20 if the packet is a target packet. Then, for example, the home gateway HG sends a transmission packet to the low-speed packet transmission unit PS20.

  For example, the home gateway HG changes the IP address when performing packet forwarding from the low-speed network to another network. In the following, a packet communicated in another network (for example, the network NT2 in FIG. 11) is a packet corresponding to IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), and the network in the management system 1 (for example, the network in FIG. 11). Assume that a packet communicated in NT1) is a packet corresponding to IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6).

  In this case, for example, the home gateway HG stores information in which the IPv4 IP address and the IPv6 IP address are associated with each other as in the device IP address acquisition unit PA10 illustrated in FIG. The example illustrated in FIG. 13 illustrates a case where the IPv6 address of the low-speed network corresponding to the IP address “IPv4-AD1” on the other network side is “IPv6-AD1”. In the example of FIG. 13, the IP address of IPv4 is “IPv4-AD1” or the like, or the IP address of IPv6 is “IPv6-AD1” or the like, and the IP address is abstractly shown. It is assumed that a specific IP address corresponds to “131.206...”.

  For example, the home gateway HG acquires in advance the IP address of each device terminal 50 connected to the low-speed network. For example, the home gateway HG acquires (sets) the IP address of each device terminal 50 directly from each device terminal 50 or uses DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), etc. It is stored in the IP address acquisition unit PA10. The device IP address acquisition unit PA10 may have a function of collecting the IP addresses of the device terminals 50. Thus, the IP address of the other network is listed (stored) for packet forwarding in the device IP address acquisition unit PA10.

  Further, for example, the home gateway HG may check whether each device terminal 50 connected periodically can respond in order not to send unnecessary packets to the low-speed network. For example, when a certain device terminal 50 does not respond, the home gateway HG may delete the IPv6 address of the low-speed network corresponding to the device terminal 50. The example shown in FIG. 13 shows a case where the IPv6 address of the low-speed network corresponding to IPv4-AD2 is deleted.

  Further, for example, the home gateway HG (management device 100) does not need to perform multicast because 920 MHz is relatively low speed. For example, the home gateway HG (management device 100) may perform multicast when a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, the home gateway HG (management apparatus 100) may perform multicasting when grouping is complete or when it is an important command. Further, for example, the home gateway HG (management device 100) may not forward (packet) even if it is a destination designation packet if a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, even if the home gateway HG (management apparatus 100) is a destination-designated packet, the bridge destination does not actually have a device with a destination MAC (Media Access Control) or there is a device, but a designated EOJ (ECHONET object) Or EPC (ECHONET property) does not have to be forwarded (packet). Details of these points will be described later.

  For example, the management apparatus 100 is a controller (information processing apparatus) that determines or instructs connection of the device terminal 50. The management apparatus 100 may be included in a device that is a grouping target in the management system 1. Note that the management device 100 may be limited to the management function, and the grouping may be formed only by the group of device terminals 50 excluding the management device 100. Further, it is assumed that the management apparatus 100 can communicate with the server 200 that is the external server A. Further, for example, the device terminal 50 is a target device that is authenticated and connected by the management apparatus 100 and is a device to be grouped. Further, the device terminal 50 may be various electrical appliances such as a lighting device, a television, an air conditioner, and a storage battery included in the HEMS.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a predetermined protocol (hereinafter also referred to as “protocol A”) is used for communication between the management apparatus 100 and the device terminal 50. For example, in the communication based on the protocol A including the transmission medium and the upper communication protocol, the management apparatus 100 can determine whether or not the device terminal 50 can be connected. For example, when the connection between the management apparatus 100 and the device terminal 50 is permitted in communication using the protocol A, the management apparatus 100 uses predetermined identification information (ID), a password, or authentication information such as an electronic certificate. The device terminal 50 is authenticated. The protocol A is a protocol that can establish a safe communication path between the management apparatus 100 and the device terminal 50. Further, for example, the protocol A is also used as a communication path for distributing a group key on a secure communication path constructed by the above-described procedure.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a predetermined protocol (hereinafter also referred to as “protocol B”) is used for communication between the management apparatus 100 and the device terminal 50. For example, the protocol B is a protocol that allows the management apparatus 100 to acquire the attribute information of the device terminal 50. For example, the protocol B may be a protocol that conforms to the ECHONET Lite standard.

  For example, in communication using protocol B, commands and data can be transmitted using secure encrypted communication on a one-to-one two-party group formed between the management apparatus 100 and the device terminal 50 after successful authentication using protocol A. It is assumed that transmission / reception is performed.

  A predetermined protocol (hereinafter also referred to as “protocol C”) may be used for communication between the management apparatus 100 and a user terminal (not shown). The user terminal is an operation terminal of the management apparatus 100, and performs various settings and controls on the management apparatus 100 using the protocol C. The protocol C can use various transmission media such as an infrared remote controller and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) (Wireless Fidelity).

[Processing by management system]
From here, the management process by the management system 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 is demonstrated using FIG. In the example of FIG. 1, the management apparatus 100 acquires communication information from the server 200 outside the network in the management system 1 (for example, the network NT1 in FIG. 11) to the device terminal 50 in the management system 1. Explained as an example. In the following, the network in the management system 1 may be referred to as a low speed network, and the network outside the management system 1 (for example, the network NT2 in FIG. 11) may be referred to as a high speed network.

  First, the management apparatus 100 that is the device A acquires communication information from the server 200 that is the external server A (step S1). For example, the management apparatus 100 acquires the packet A as communication information from the server 200. The packets A to D and the like (see FIGS. 4 and 9) indicate packet types, and the contents of each piece of communication information may be different. For example, the packet A may be a packet type that is not multicast. For example, the packet B may be a type of packet to be multicast. Further, for example, the packet C may be a type of packet to be forwarded.

  Then, the management apparatus 100 determines a transmission destination of communication information that is the type of the packet A acquired from the server 200 (step S2). For example, the management apparatus 100 determines the transmission destination of the communication information that is the type of the packet A based on the information stored in the schedule information storage unit 122 (see FIG. 4). In the example of FIG. 1, the management apparatus 100 has one device as the transmission destination of communication information that is the type of packet A stored in the schedule information storage unit 122 (see FIG. 4), and the device is the device C. Based on the information indicating this, the transmission destination is determined.

  For example, like the above-described home gateway HG, the management apparatus 100 may change the IP address of the packet A based on the IP address association information shown in the device IP address acquisition unit PA10 in FIG. . For example, the management apparatus 100 may store the IP address association information shown in the device IP address acquisition unit PA10 in FIG. 13 in the storage unit 120 (see FIG. 2). The management apparatus 100 transmits the packet A, which is communication information acquired from the server 200, to the device terminal 50-2 by any process as long as the packet A can be transmitted to the device terminal 50-2, which is the device C. May be. Then, the management apparatus 100 transmits the packet A with the IP address portion changed to the device terminal 50-2 (Step S3).

  In this way, the management apparatus 100 transmits the packet A acquired from the server 200 only to the device terminal 50-2 without transmitting it to the entire group GP1 including the device terminal 50-2 that is the device C. Thereby, since the management apparatus 100 can suppress the communication amount in the network in the management system 1 whose communication speed is low, enabling appropriate communication with the external network in the device in the predetermined network. Can do.

[Configuration example of management device]
Next, the configuration of the management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management apparatus according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the management apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130. Note that the management device 100 has an input unit (for example, a keyboard and a mouse) that receives various operations from the administrator of the management device 100, and a display unit (for example, a user interface (UI) screen) that displays various types of information. A liquid crystal display or the like).

  The communication unit 110 is realized by a NIC (Network Interface Card), for example. The communication unit 110 is connected to a predetermined network (not shown) by wire or wirelessly. And the communication part 110 transmits / receives information between the other management apparatuses 100, a user terminal, etc. via the predetermined network which is not shown in figure. For example, the communication unit 110 communicates with another management apparatus 100 using the protocol A or the protocol B. Further, for example, the communication unit 110 communicates with the user terminal using the protocol C.

  The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the storage unit 120 according to the first embodiment includes a group information storage unit 121 and a schedule information storage unit 122.

  The group information storage unit 121 stores group information. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the group information storage unit according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the group information storage unit 121 includes items such as “group ID”, “group”, and “device information” as group information. “Device information” includes items such as “# 1” and “# 2”. The “device information” includes items corresponding to the device to which the device belongs, such as “# 3” and “# 4”.

  “Group ID” indicates information for identifying a group. “Group” indicates the name of the group. “# 1” and “# 2” in “device information” indicate devices belonging to the group.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the group identified by the group ID “GP1” is “group A”. In addition, “device B” and “device C” belong to group A. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the group identified by the group ID “GP2” is “group X”. In addition, “device A” and “device B” belong to group X.

  The schedule information storage unit 122 stores information related to various schedules such as a packet type and a transmission destination thereof. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the schedule information storage unit according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the schedule information storage unit 122 includes items such as “schedule ID”, “communication information”, and “transmission destination” as schedule information. “Destination” has items such as “# 1” and “# 2”. The “transmission destination” has a number of items corresponding to the transmission destination, such as “# 3” and “# 4”. For example, the schedule information storage unit 122 stores information corresponding to information stored in the packet scheduler SC10, the packet transmission list PL10, the low-speed packet transmission list PL20, the device IP address acquisition unit PA10, and the like illustrated in FIG. May be.

  “Schedule ID” indicates information for identifying a schedule. “Communication information” indicates the content of information to be communicated. “# 1” and “# 2” in “Destination” indicate a device or group that is a destination.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication information corresponding to the schedule ID “SC1” is “packet A”. In addition, the transmission destination of the communication information “packet A” is the device C. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication information corresponding to the schedule ID “SC2” is “packet B”. In addition, the transmission destination of the communication information “packet B” indicates group A or group B. The schedule information storage unit 122 may store information indicating that the communication information “packet B” is a multicast type packet (communication information).

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the control unit 130 has an internal memory for storing a program that defines various processing procedures and the necessary data, and executes various processes using these programs. The closely related components include an acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132, and a transmission unit 133.

  The acquisition unit 131 acquires various types of information. The acquisition unit 131 acquires various types of information from an external information processing apparatus. In addition, the acquisition unit 131 acquires various types of information from the storage unit 120. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires communication information communicated to a predetermined network. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires the packet A that is communication information from the server 200.

  The determination unit 132 executes various processes. For example, the determination unit 132 determines whether to transmit the communication information to the transmission destination based on the information regarding the type of communication information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 and the information regarding the transmission destination of the information. For example, the determination unit 132 determines to transmit the communication information only to the processable device terminals among the device terminals included in the group set as the transmission destination. For example, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the determination unit 132 determines to transmit the communication information to the transmission destination regardless of the state of the transmission destination.

  The transmission unit 133 transmits various information. The transmission unit 133 transmits various types of information to an external information processing apparatus. For example, the transmission unit 133 transmits various types of information to various external devices such as the device terminal 50 and the server 200 in accordance with the determination by the determination unit 132. For example, the transmission unit 133 may transmit a predetermined key to the device terminal 50 so that secure encrypted communication with another management apparatus 100 is possible.

  Here, the flow of processing in the management apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of management processing in the management system according to the first embodiment.

  First, the management apparatus 100 acquires the schedule information corresponding to communication information, when communication information is acquired (step S101: Yes) (step S102). For example, the management apparatus 100 acquires schedule information corresponding to the communication information from the schedule information storage unit 122 (see FIG. 4). Thereafter, the management apparatus 100 transmits the communication information to the transmission destination based on the schedule information (Step S103). Moreover, the management apparatus 100 repeats the process of step S101, when communication information is not acquired (step S101: No).

  Here, the flow of processing in the management apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of another management process in the management system according to the first embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a case where communication information is transmitted to the target device terminal 50 regardless of the state of the transmission destination when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

  First, the management apparatus 100 acquires the schedule information corresponding to communication information, when communication information is acquired (step S201: Yes) (step S202). For example, the management apparatus 100 acquires schedule information corresponding to the communication information from the schedule information storage unit 122 (see FIG. 4). Moreover, the management apparatus 100 repeats the process of step S201, when communication information is not acquired (step S201: No).

  Thereafter, the management apparatus 100 determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied (step S203). For example, the management device 100 determines whether the content of the communication information is important. For example, when the predetermined condition is satisfied (step S203: Yes), the management apparatus 100 transmits communication information to the transmission destination based on the schedule information (step S204). For example, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the management apparatus 100 transmits communication information to the transmission destination regardless of the state of the transmission destination. For example, when the predetermined condition is not satisfied (step S203: No), the management apparatus 100 transmits the communication information to a receivable transmission destination among the transmission destinations based on the schedule information (step S204). For example, the management apparatus 100 transmits the communication information only to the processable (receivable) apparatus terminals among the apparatus terminals included in the group set as the transmission destination.

[Embodiment 2]
The management device 100A may transmit information collected from the device terminal 50 to an external device outside the management system 1A. This point will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating management processing in the management system according to the second embodiment. In addition, about the structure similar to Embodiment 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

[Processing by management system]
From here, the management processing by the management system 1A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the example of FIG. 7, a case will be described as an example where the management apparatus 100A determines a mode for transmitting information collected from the device terminal 50 in the management system 1A to the server 200. In the following description, the network in the management system 1A may be referred to as a low speed network, and the network outside the management system 1A (for example, the network NT2 in FIG. 11) may be referred to as a high speed network.

  First, the management apparatus 100A that is the device A acquires log information from the device terminal 50-1 that is the device B (step S21). For example, the management apparatus 100A acquires log information that is the type of the packet C from the device terminal 50-1 included in the group GP1. For example, the device terminal 50-1 included in the group GP1 transmits log information regarding an event that has occurred in the group GP1 to the management device 100A. For example, when the group GP1 is a group related to the watch function, the device terminal 50-1 transmits log information related to an event related to the watch target generated in the group GP1 to the management apparatus 100A.

  Then, the management apparatus 100A determines the transmission mode of log information that is the type of the packet C acquired from the device terminal 50-1 (Step S22). For example, the management apparatus 100A sets the transmission mode of log information, which is the type of the packet C acquired from the device terminal 50 included in the group GP1, based on the information stored in the setting information storage unit 123 (see FIG. 9). decide. In the example of FIG. 7, the management apparatus 100A includes information indicating that the transmission destination of the packet C stored in the setting information storage unit 123 (see FIG. 9) is the external server A, and that the transmission timing is after acquisition. Based on this, the transmission mode is determined. Then, the management apparatus 100A transmits the packet C to the server 200 that is the external server A immediately after acquiring the packet C based on the determined transmission mode (step S23). For example, the management apparatus 100A may change the IP address of the packet C based on the IP address association information shown in the device IP address acquisition unit PA10 in FIG. 13, for example, like the above-described home gateway HG. .

  As described above, the management apparatus 100A transmits information to the outside of the management system 1A based on the transmission mode associated with the information, thereby suppressing the communication amount in the network in the management system 1A having a low communication speed. Therefore, it is possible to enable appropriate communication with an external network in a device in a predetermined network. In the above example, the management apparatus 100A may determine a transmission mode according to each group. For example, the management device 100A may determine that the log information acquired from the group including the device terminal 50 having a watching function or the like is transmitted to the external server A immediately after acquisition. Accordingly, the management device 100A can transmit information to the outside of the management system 1A at an appropriate timing based on the transmission mode associated with each group.

[Configuration example of management device]
Next, the configuration of the management apparatus 100A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management apparatus according to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the management apparatus 100A includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120A, and a control unit 130A. Note that the management device 100A includes an input unit (for example, a keyboard and a mouse) that receives various operations from the administrator of the management device 100A, and a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal display) that displays various types of information as a UI screen. You may have.

  The storage unit 120A is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the storage unit 120 </ b> A according to the second embodiment includes a group information storage unit 121, a schedule information storage unit 122, and a setting information storage unit 123.

  The setting information storage unit 123 stores setting information. For example, the setting information storage unit 123 stores schedule information related to communication from inside the management system 1A to outside the management system 1A. For example, the setting information storage unit 123 stores information on various schedules such as the type of packet and its transmission destination. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the setting information storage unit according to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the setting information storage unit 123 includes items such as “setting ID”, “transmission mode”, “log information”, and “transmission destination” as setting information. “Destination” has items such as “# 1” and “# 2”. The “transmission destination” has a number of items corresponding to the transmission destination, such as “# 3” and “# 4”. For example, the setting information storage unit 123 stores information corresponding to information stored in the packet scheduler SC10, the packet transmission list PL10, the low-speed packet transmission list PL20, the device IP address acquisition unit PA10, and the like illustrated in FIG. May be.

  “Setting ID” indicates information for identifying a setting. “Transmission mode” indicates the transmission mode of the collected information. “Log information” indicates the contents of the collected information. “# 1” and “# 2” in “Destination” indicate a device or group that is a destination.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the transmission mode corresponding to the setting ID “ST1” is “after acquisition”. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the log information corresponding to the setting ID “ST1” is “packet C”. In addition, the transmission destination of the communication information “packet C” is the external server A. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the transmission mode corresponding to the setting ID “ST2” is “every hour”. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the communication information identified by the setting ID “ST2” is “packet D”. In addition, the transmission destination of the communication information “packet D” indicates the external server X or the external server Y. The setting information storage unit 123 may store information indicating that the log information “packet D” is multicast information. The transmission mode corresponding to the setting ID “ST1” may be stored in association with each group. The setting ID “ST1” may be associated with the group GP1 and may store that the transmission mode of the information acquired from the device terminal 50 included in the group GP1 is “after acquisition”.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 8, the control unit 130A has a program defining various processing procedures and an internal memory for storing required data, and executes various processes using these programs. The closely related components include an acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132A, and a transmission unit 133. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires the packet C that is log information from the device terminal 50. For example, the transmission unit 133 transmits log information to the server 200 at a predetermined timing according to the determination by the determination unit 132A.

  The determination unit 132A executes various processes in the same manner as the determination unit 132. For example, when a predetermined event occurs in the group, the determination unit 132A determines a transmission mode of information acquired from the device terminal 50 included in the group to the outside. For example, when the determination unit 132A acquires log information indicating the occurrence of a predetermined event from the device terminal 50 included in the group GP1, the determination unit 132A acquires the information acquired from the device terminal 50 included in the group GP1 immediately after acquisition. It decides to transmit to A.

  Here, the flow of processing in the management apparatus 100A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of management processing in the management system according to the second embodiment.

  First, when the log information is acquired (Step S301: Yes), the management device 100A acquires setting information corresponding to the log information (Step S302). For example, the management apparatus 100A acquires setting information corresponding to the log information from the setting information storage unit 123 (see FIG. 9). Thereafter, the management apparatus 100A transmits the log information to the transmission destination in a transmission mode based on the setting information (step S303). If the management apparatus 100A has not acquired log information (step S301: No), the management apparatus 100A repeats the process of step S301.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof as well as included in the scope and gist of the invention. In addition, these embodiments and their modifications can be combined as appropriate within a range that does not contradict the processing contents.

1 Management System 100 Management Device (Equipment A)
110 communication unit 120 storage unit 121 group information storage unit 122 schedule information storage unit 130 control unit 131 acquisition unit 132 determination unit 133 transmission unit 50-1 (50) device terminal (device B)
50-2 (50) Device terminal (device C)

Claims (6)

An acquisition unit for acquiring communication information communicated to a predetermined network;
A determination unit that determines whether to transmit the communication information to the transmission destination based on information on the type of communication information acquired by the acquisition unit and information on a transmission destination of the information;
A management apparatus comprising: The management device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines to transmit the communication information only to a processable device terminal among device terminals included in the group set as the transmission destination. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a transmission mode of information acquired from device terminals included in the group to the outside when a predetermined event occurs in the group. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination unit determines to transmit the communication information to the transmission destination regardless of a state of the transmission destination when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The information on the type of communication information acquired by the acquisition unit and the information on the electrical appliance that is the transmission destination of the information are determined to determine whether to transmit the communication information to the electrical appliance. The management device according to item 1. With equipment terminals;
A management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A management system comprising:

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