Device, system, method and program for providing service, and device, method and program for using service

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a service providing device and a service using device that provide various services using a plurality of protocols.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

There are various services that exist on the network, and in order to use those services, it is necessary to know the types of services and access methods. Well-known examples of services on the network include clock services and Internet gateway services.

【0003】

There are already several protocols (service discovery protocols) for knowing how to access these services and where they are located. Well-known protocols include Jini (TM), UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), Bluetooth (TM), a short-range wireless device, and Service Discovery Protocol (SDP). Existing. Jini is a protocol defined by Sun Microsystems (TM), UPnP is UPnP Forum (http://www.upnp.org/), SDP is Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) (http://www.bluetooth. It is a protocol standardized by com /).

【0004】

In these protocols, the entity that provides the service has a mechanism to notify the service information, and the entity that wants to use the service can use the desired service by acquiring the service information. There is.

【0005】

A device having a function of converting service information of services provided on these different networks and relaying them to another network has also been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

【0006】

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese Patent No. 3252841 [0007]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, the current situation is that these multiple service discovery protocols coexist, and a standard protocol has not yet been established. Also, there is currently no protocol compatible with all of these leading protocols. Therefore, a communication device that does not want to be restricted to a specific protocol needs to be provided with a plurality of protocols in advance.

【0008】

Also, when trying to use a service on a network using a specific communication device, the service discovery protocol used on that device is often already defined. For example, SDP, which is a unique service discovery protocol, is defined on Bluetooth, which is a short-range wireless communication device, and devices that communicate via Bluetooth must always have this protocol.

【0009】

Here comes the problem. If a device that provides a service uses multiple service discovery protocols, it will advertise service information to all of those protocols. A device having a plurality of protocols like this device acquires service information in each protocol, and as a result, recognizes the existence of a service individually in each protocol. In other words, even though there is only one service, it is mistakenly recognized as if there are multiple services.

【0010】

Explain when this is a problem. A projector is one of the devices often used in presentations, seminars, and seminars. A projector is usually connected to a personal computer with a cable and used to magnify the screen of the personal computer, but there is also a device called a wireless projector that connects wirelessly instead of connecting with a cable. As a communication interface in this case, a wireless projector equipped with both wireless LAN and Bluetooth is assumed. In order to project the screen from a personal computer to a wireless projector, it is necessary to discover and connect to the service provided by the projector.

【0011】

However, in a personal computer having both wireless LAN and Bluetooth functions, the service discovery protocol operates for each function, and the projector service is discovered for each function. Therefore, there is a problem that the two different services (= projectors) are recognized even though they are the same projector. When giving a presentation in a large venue, it is necessary to display multiple wireless projectors at the same time, but when the above situation occurs, even if you try to display on multiple projectors, it is actually displayed on only one projector. Occurs.

【0012】

Similarly, a similar situation can occur with network printers. A printer with two protocols is recognized as two printers when viewed from a computer with the same two protocols, and even if you intend to send a print job from the computer to each of the two printers, it is actually one. It causes a situation where you concentrate only on the printer of.

【0013】

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is a service providing device, a service using device, and a service providing that can correctly determine whether or not a plurality of services provided by a plurality of protocols are the same. The purpose is to provide a system, a service provision method, a service usage method, a service provision program, and a service usage program.

【0014】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a service to a service-using device, and in a service providing device capable of communicating with the service-using device using a plurality of protocols, at least one protocol of the plurality of protocols is used. Service information generation that generates service attribute information including the identification information of the service provided in common by those protocols and the attribute value corresponding to the identification information among one or more services provided by communication using The service utilization device includes means and service information transmitting means for transmitting the service information including the service attribute information in the service information provided by the service information providing procedure specified in each of the protocols.

【0015】

Further, in a service utilization device that receives a service from a service providing device capable of communicating using a plurality of protocols, the service providing device provides one or more services by communication using at least one of the plurality of protocols. Among the service attribute information acquisition means for acquiring the service attribute information including the service identification information provided in common by those protocols and the attribute value corresponding to the identification information, and the service attribute information acquisition means. If the identity determination means for determining whether or not the same service exists among the services indicated by the acquired service attribute information and the identity determination means determines that the same service exists, the same as the above. It is provided with a service selection means for selecting any one of the determined services.

【0016】

Further, in a service providing device capable of communicating with the service using device using a plurality of protocols, which provides a service to the service using device, one or more services provided by communication using at least one of the plurality of protocols. Among them, a service information generating means for generating service attribute information including a first identification information for identifying a service commonly provided by those protocols and an attribute value corresponding to the first identification information. The identification information transmitting means for transmitting the second identification information, which is required when providing the service in response to the request from the service utilization device, and the service utilization device are defined in the respective protocols. A service information transmitting means for transmitting the service information including the service attribute information in the service information provided in the service information providing procedure is provided.

【0017】

Further, in a service utilization device that receives a service from a service providing device capable of communicating using a plurality of protocols, the service providing device provides one or more by communication using at least one of the plurality of protocols. Service attribute information for acquiring service attribute information including a first identification information for identifying a service commonly provided by those protocols and an attribute value corresponding to the first identification information among services. It was transmitted from the acquisition means, the identification information transmission requesting means for requesting the service providing device to transmit the second identification information required when receiving the service from the service providing device, and the service providing device. When the identity determination means for determining whether or not the same service exists among the services that can be provided identified by the second identification information and the identity determination means for determining that the same service exists. Is provided with a service selection means for selecting any one of the services determined to be the same.

【0018】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the service providing device, the service using device, the service providing system, the service providing method, the service using method, the service providing program, and the service using program according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

【0019】

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a service providing system including a service providing device and a service using device according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the service providing system includes a service providing device 1 that provides various services, and a plurality of service using devices 2A, 2B, and 2C that receive various services from the service providing device 1. In the following, the service utilization devices 2A, 2B, and 2C may be collectively referred to as the service utilization device 2.

【0020】

Here, the service is various functions of the service providing device 1 that can be used by the service using device 2. For example, when the service providing device 1 is a printer, the function of printing characters and images on paper is a service. When the service providing device 1 is a projector, the service is a function of projecting a moving image or a still image on the screen. Although one service providing device 1 may provide a plurality of types of services, in the present embodiment, a case where one service providing device 1 provides one service will be described.

【0021】

The service providing device 1 and the service using device 2A in FIG. 1 communicate with each other via Bluetooth. The service providing device 1 and the service using device 2B can communicate with each other via Bluetooth and the Internet via wireless LAN or the like. In addition, the service providing device 1 and the service using device 2C shall communicate with the Internet via a wireless LAN or the like.

【0022】

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the service providing device 1. The service providing device 1 of FIG. 2 has a plurality of communication units 3 for communicating with the service using device 2 using each of a plurality of protocols, a service information generating unit 4, and a service unit 5 for storing various services. And have. The service information generation unit 4 generates service attribute information including an identifier of each service provided by each of the plurality of protocols and an attribute value corresponding to the identifier.

【0023】

In this embodiment, two protocols, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) and SDP (Service Discovery Protocol), are used. The communication unit 3 includes an SDP communication unit 6 and a Bluetooth communication unit 7 corresponding to SDP, and a UPnP communication unit 8 and a TCP / IP communication unit 9 corresponding to UPnP.

【0024】

The SDP communication unit 6 advertises the service information provided by the SDP, including the service attribute information of the SDP generated by the service information generation unit 4. The Bluetooth communication unit 7 performs wireless communication with the service use device 2 in accordance with the Bluetooth standard.

【0025】

The UPnP communication unit 8 advertises the service information provided by UPnP including the UPnP service attribute information generated by the service information generation unit 4. The TCP / IP communication unit 9 communicates with the service utilization device 2 via a wireless LAN and the Internet.

【0026】

The service information generation unit 4 assigns a unique service identifier to various services provided by the service providing device 1, and notifies the SDP communication unit 6 and the UPnP communication unit 8 of the service attribute information including the assigned service identifier. In this embodiment, a UUID (Universal Unique Identifier) is used as the service identifier. A UUID is a universally unique identifier that is guaranteed to be unique at any time and place. The UUID format is defined by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO / IEC 11578: 1996, "Information technology --Open Systems Interconnection --Remote Procedure Call (RPC)".

【0027】

The SDP communication unit 6 acquires the service attribute information that can be provided by the SDP from the service information generation unit 4, and generates the service information according to the format of the service record defined in the SDP. Upon receiving the service search request from the service utilization device 2, the SDP communication unit 6 searches for the service record corresponding to the request and returns a handler for the matching service record. A service record is a set of service attribute information, and the service attribute information is a parameter for expressing the nature of each service. When the service attribute request from the service utilization device 2 is received, the SDP communication unit 6 returns the value of the service attribute information corresponding to the request.

【0028】

Here, the service attribute information that can be provided by SDP includes a ServiceID for individually identifying a specific instance of a service, a ProtocolDescriptorList indicating a protocol stack that can be used to use the service, and an individual or organization that provides the service. There are ProviderName, which indicates a text string containing the name of the service, ServiceName, which indicates a text string containing the name of the service, and ServiceDescription, which indicates a text string that describes the service.

【0029】

Figure 3 shows the format of the service record defined in SDP. As shown, a service record consists of a plurality of service attribute information.

【0030】

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the format of the service attribute information generated by the service information generation unit 4. As shown in the figure, the service attribute information includes the attribute ID of the service and the attribute value corresponding to the attribute ID.

【0031】

The UPnP communication unit in the service utilization device 2 receives the service information multicast from the UPnP communication unit 8 in the service providing device 1. As a result, the service utilization device 2 can grasp the type of service provided by the service providing device 1.

【0032】

Further, the service utilization device 2 can search the service information and grasp the existence of the service. In this case, the UPnP communication unit in the service use device 2 multicasts the search request, and the UPnP communication unit 8 in the service providing device 1 holding the corresponding service transmits the service information to the service use device 2 by unicast. To do.

【0033】

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the service utilization device 2A. The service use device 2 in FIG. 5 receives a service from the service providing device 1 via Bluetooth, and includes an application unit 11 that executes an application using the service, an SDP communication unit 12, and a Bluetooth communication unit 13. Have. The application unit 11 prints an electronic document using, for example, a printer existing on the network, that is, so-called document editing.

【0034】

The SDP communication unit 12 and the Bluetooth communication unit 13 in FIG. 5 perform the same operations as the SDP communication unit 6 and the Bluetooth communication unit 7 in FIG. 2, respectively.

【0035】

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the service utilization device 2B. The service utilization device 2 of FIG. 6 has both Bluetooth and Internet communication functions, and has a UPnP communication unit 24, a TCP / IP communication unit 25, and a service selection unit 26 in addition to the configuration of FIG. The UPnP communication unit 24 and the TCP / IP communication unit 25 have the same functions as the UPnP communication unit 8 and the TCP / IP communication unit 9 in FIG.

【0036】

The service selection unit 26 checks whether or not the same service is included in the services detected by each of the SDP communication unit 22 and the UPnP communication unit 24. Here, the service ID is acquired from the SDP communication unit 22, the UUID of the service is acquired from the UPnP communication unit 24, and the above check is performed.

【0037】

When the same service is detected in both the SDP communication unit 22 and the UPnP communication unit 24, it is determined whether the service is used via the SDP communication unit 22 or the UPnP communication unit 24. When making a decision, take into consideration the various properties of each communication unit 3 (for example, communication bandwidth, delay, delay fluctuation, reliability of data distribution, security strength, etc.) and the balance of the load on the communication interface. To determine the communication unit to be used.

【0038】

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the service utilization device 2C. The application unit 31, UPnP communication unit 32 and TCP / IP communication unit 33 in the service utilization device 2C of FIG. 7 are the application unit 21, UPnP communication unit 24 and TCP / IP communication unit 25 in the service utilization device 2B of FIG. Has the same function as.

【0039】

Next, the communication procedure between the service providing device 1 and the service using device 2 in FIG. 1 will be described. First, the procedure for discovering a service using Bluetooth will be described. The service utilization device 2 detects the surrounding Bluetooth device by the inquiry, and discovers the service by SDP for the detected Bluetooth device according to the procedure of FIG.

【0040】

The service utilization devices 2A and 2B send an SDP_ServiceSearchRequest including a service search pattern for searching what kind of service the service providing device 1 has to the service providing device 1 (step S1).

【0041】

Upon receiving the SDP_ServiceSearchRequest, the service providing device 1 generates an SDP_ServiceSearchResponse including the handle of the service record that matches the service search pattern from the services of its own device, and sends back the SDP_ServiceSearchResponse (step S2).

【0042】

A service search pattern is a list of UUIDs used to find a matching service record, and if each UUID in the service search pattern is included in one of the service record's attribute values, the service search pattern is a service record. Is interpreted as matching.

【0043】

By the above steps S1 and S2, the service utilization devices 2A and 2B can obtain the service record handle of the desired service.

【0044】

Next, in order to obtain the value of the service attribute of the desired service, the service utilization devices 2A and 2B transmit the SDP_ServiceAttributeRequest to the service providing device 1 (step S3). The SDP_ServiceAttributeRequest contains a service record handle for the desired service and a list of attribute IDs to look up in the service record.

【0045】

Upon receiving the SDP_ServiceAttributeRequest, the service provider 1 sends back an SDP_ServiceAttributeResponse containing a list of service attributes (both attribute ID and attribute value) contained in the requested service record (step S4). The service utilization device 2A and the service utilization device 2B that have received the SDP_ServiceAttributeResponse can obtain each attribute value of the desired service.

【0046】

As one of the service attributes, a ServiceID that individually and generically identifies the instance of the service represented by the service record is defined. The service providing device 1 in the present embodiment sets the service identifier (UUID) obtained from the service information generation unit 4 in the own device as the service ID. As a result, the service of the service providing device 1 can be uniquely identified by the other service using device 2.

【0047】

Next, the processing procedure when the service is discovered using UPnP will be described based on the sequence diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the service providing device 1 performs multicast transmission (advertising) of the service information of its own device when connected to the network (Internet) through the TCP / IP communication unit 9 (step S11).

【0048】

The service providing device 1 in the present embodiment sets a service identifier (UUID) obtained from the service information generation unit 4 as a UUID (included in the service information) of the service to be transmitted. As a result, the service utilization devices 2B and 2C that have received the service information can uniquely identify the service possessed by the service providing device 1.

【0049】

On the other hand, UPnP defines means for detecting services other than advertisements. If the service utilization devices 2B and 2C want to know the services currently available, multicast transmission of the service search request is performed as shown in FIG. 10 (step S12). In the service search request, you can specify the device you want to search, the type of service, and so on.

【0050】

Upon receiving the service search request, the service providing device 1 sends back the service information if it matches the search target (step S13). The service information includes a service identifier (UUID) obtained from the service information generation unit 4 in the service providing device 1. Therefore, the service utilization devices 2B and 2C can uniquely identify the service possessed by the service providing device 1.

【0051】

In this way, the service providing device 1 uses the service identifier obtained from the service information generation unit 4 by the SDP communication unit 6 as the service ID value, and the UPnP communication unit 8 also uses the service information generation unit 4 as the service UUID value. Use the same service identifier as above obtained from. The service selection unit 26 of the service utilization device 2B can recognize that the services found in each of the SDP communication unit 6 and the UPnP communication unit 3 are the same.

【0052】

Further, the service selection unit 26 of the service utilization device 2B determines which communication interface to use when it is found that the services are the same. The service selection unit 26 of the service utilization device 2B performs the processing shown in FIG. First, it is determined whether or not the service-using application has the features of the service required by comparing it with the service information of each of the SDP communication unit 6 and the UPnP communication unit 3 (step S21). If it turns out that only one of them has it, select that communication interface.

【0053】

If it turns out that both are provided, compare the bandwidth of the communication path of the communication interface (step S22), and if the Internet is larger, whether there is a processing wait request in the service processing queue of UPnP communication unit 8. (Step S23), and if there is no waiting request, select the Internet (step S24).

【0054】

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that the bandwidth is larger for Bluetooth, or if it is determined in step S23 that there is a processing wait request, whether the Bluetooth device is communicating (whether Piconet exists). (Step S25), select the Internet if communication is in progress, and select Bluetooth if not in communication (step S26).

【0055】

As described above, in the first embodiment, when the service information is transmitted from the service providing device 1 to the service using device 2, the service attribute information for identifying the service that can be provided is also transmitted, so that each protocol is used. The service utilization device 2 can correctly determine whether or not the plurality of services provided in the above are the same. Therefore, problems such as receiving the same service more than once will not occur.

【0056】

As a specific example, the present embodiment is a case where the service providing device 1 is a wireless projector capable of communicating by both wireless LAN and Bluetooth, and the service using device 2 transmits data to be projected to a plurality of projectors to give a presentation. According to this, there is no risk of erroneously recognizing one projector as a plurality of projectors.

【0057】

(Second Embodiment) In the service providing device 1 of the second embodiment, it is assumed that the service ID in SDP and the service UUID in UPnP cannot take the same value. In this case, the service utilization device 2 cannot determine the identity of the service only by obtaining the service ID in SDP and the service UUID in UPnP.

【0058】

Therefore, the second embodiment is characterized in that the service identifier is transmitted from the service providing device 1 to the service using device 2 in order to determine the identity of the service.

【0059】

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a second embodiment of the service providing device 1 according to the present invention. In addition to the configuration of FIG. 2, the service providing device 1 of FIG. 12 has service identifier transmitting units 10a and 10b for transmitting a service identifier to the service using device 2. When the service information of the service possessed by the service providing device 1 is acquired by the SDP communication unit 6 or the UPnP communication unit 8, the service identifier transmitting units 10a and 10b generate the service generated by the service information generating unit 4 of the service providing device 1. In order to obtain the identifier, a service identifier request packet is sent to the service providing device 1 to acquire the service identifier. The service identifier acquisition unit communicates with the service identifier transmission units 10a and 10b in the service providing device 1.

【0060】

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a second embodiment of the service utilization device 2B according to the present invention. In addition to the configuration of FIG. 6, the service utilization device 2B of FIG. 13 has service identifier acquisition units 27a and 27b for acquiring the service identifier transmitted from the service providing device 1.

【0061】

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure between the service identifier transmission units 10a and 10b in the service providing device 1 and the service identifier acquisition units 27a and 27b in the service utilization device 2, and FIG. 15 shows the format of the service identifier request packet. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the format of the service identifier response packet.

【0062】

When the SDP communication unit 6 or the UPnP communication unit 3 acquires the service information, the service identifier acquisition units 27a and 27b of the service use device 2B contact the corresponding service providing device 1 in order to obtain the service identifier corresponding to the service. Then, the service identifier request packet is transmitted (step S31).

【0063】

As shown in FIG. 15, the service identifier request packet includes a packet type that distinguishes between a service identifier request and a service identifier response, a service discovery protocol type that indicates the type of service discovery protocol, and a service ID or service UUID of the corresponding service. Consists of the length of and the ServiceID or service UUID of the corresponding service.

【0064】

The packet type is 1 byte of information that distinguishes between a service identifier request and a service identifier response. The service discovery protocol type is 1-byte information that distinguishes SDP, UPnP, Jini, Salutation, JetSend, and Rendezvous. The length of the ServiceID or Service UUID is 1-byte information that represents the number of bytes of the ServiceID or Service UUID. The ServiceID or service UUID is arbitrary byte information representing the ServiceID or service UUID of the service for which the service identifier is to be obtained.

【0065】

The service identifier transmission units 10a and 10b of the service providing device 1 that received the service identifier request packet acquire the service identifier corresponding to the service ID or service UUID stored in the packet from the service information generation unit 4, and FIG. The service identifier shown is stored in the response packet and sent back to the requesting service utilization device 2B (step S32).

【0066】

As shown in FIG. 16, the service identifier response packet includes a packet type indicating whether the service identifier request or response, a service discovery protocol type indicating the type of the service discovery protocol, and the length of the Service ID or service UUID of the corresponding service. , Service ID or service UUID of the corresponding service, and service identifier of the corresponding service.

【0067】

The packet type is 1 byte of information that distinguishes between a service identifier request and a service identifier response. The service discovery protocol type is 1-byte information that distinguishes SDP, UPnP, Jini, Salutation, JetSend, and Rendezvous. The length of the ServiceID or Service UUID is 1-byte information that represents the number of bytes of the ServiceID or Service UUID. The ServiceID or service UUID is arbitrary byte information representing the ServiceID or service UUID of the service for which the service identifier is to be obtained. The service identifier is 16 bytes of information representing the service identifier of the corresponding service.

【0068】

The processing procedure of FIG. 14 is executed independently for each of the service acquired by SDP and the service acquired by UPnP. By the processing procedure of FIG. 14, the service identifier corresponding to the service acquired by each of the SDP communication unit 6 and the UPnP communication unit 8 can be obtained, and the identity of the service can be determined.

【0069】

As described above, in the second embodiment, when it is not possible to determine whether or not the plurality of services obtained by SDP and UPnP are the same by the service ID of SDP and the service UUID of UPnP, the service is used from the service providing device 1. Since the service identifier is transmitted to the device 2, the service utilization device 2 can correctly determine whether or not the services are the same based on this service identifier.

【0070】

[Effect of the invention]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, when the service information is transmitted from the service providing device to the service using device, the service attribute information including the service identification information and the attribute value is also transmitted. From this service attribute information, the service utilization device can correctly determine whether or not the services provided by each protocol are the same. Therefore, there is no risk of receiving the same service more than once or erroneously recognizing one service as multiple services.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a service providing system including a service providing device and a service using device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the service providing device 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the format of service records defined in SDP.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a format of service attribute information generated by the service information generation unit 4.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the service utilization device 2A.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the service utilization device 2B.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the service utilization device 2C.

FIG. 8 is a service discovery sequence diagram in SDP.

FIG. 9 is a service advertisement sequence diagram in UPnP.

FIG. 10 is a service search sequence diagram in UPnP.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the service utilization device 2B.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a second embodiment of a service providing device.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a second embodiment of the service utilization device 2B.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram for acquiring a service identifier.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a data structure of a service identifier request packet.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a data structure of a service identifier response packet.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Service provider 2,2A, 2B, 2C Service utilization device 3 Communication unit 4 Service information generation unit 5 Service unit 6 SDP communication unit 8,24,32 UPnP communication unit 9,25,33 TCP / IP communication unit 10a, 10b Service Identifier transmission section 11 Application section 12,22 SDP communication section 13,23 Bluetooth communication section 21,31 Application section 22 SDP communication section 27a, 27b Service identifier acquisition section