Server and control method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023045302-A1
Application number	US-202217969211-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 19, 2022
Priority date	May 27, 2020
Publication date	Feb 9, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A server and a control method are provided. The server includes a communication interface for performing communication with a plurality of electronic devices and a plurality of sensing devices, and at least one processor configured to identify a sensing device corresponding to a user's location from among the plurality of sensing devices based on information received from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices through the communication interface, and control the communication interface to transmit a signal for controlling a target electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices to the target electronic device based on sensing data received from the identified sensing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A server comprising:
a communication interface configured to perform communication with a plurality of electronic devices and a plurality of sensing devices; and at least one processor configured to:
identify a sensing device corresponding to a location of a user among the plurality of sensing devices based on information received from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices through the communication interface, and
control the communication interface to transmit a signal for controlling a target electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices to the target electronic device based on sensing data received from the identified sensing device.

2 . The server of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of sensing devices generates the sensing data by sensing a surrounding environment of each sensing device, and the at least one processor is further configured to:
control the communication interface to receive the sensing data generated by sensing the surrounding environment by the identified sensing device from the identified sensing device, and transmit the signal for controlling a surrounding environment of the target electronic device to the target electronic device based on the received sensing data.

3 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
identify the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user among the plurality of sensing devices as a sensing device closest to the user based on the information received from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices.

4 . The server of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory for storing information on locations of regions in which the plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices are located at a specific place, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
identify one of the plurality of electronic devices based on the information received from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices through the communication interface, and
identify a sensing device located in a same region as that of the identified electronic device among the plurality of sensing devices as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user based on the location information.

5 . The server of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
identify the sensing device located in the same region as that of an electronic device that transmits its state information among the plurality of sensing devices as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user in case that the state information of the electronic device is received from the electronic device controlled based on a user command among the plurality of electronic devices through the communication interface.

6 . The server of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
identify the sensing device located in the same region as that of an electronic device that transmits information on a user voice among the plurality of sensing devices as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user in case that the information on the user voice is received from the electronic device that receives the user voice among the plurality of electronic devices through the communication interface.

7 . The server of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
identify a device having the greatest intensity of a communication signal based on received information on intensity of the communication signal, and identify a sensing device corresponding to the identified device among the plurality of sensing devices as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user, in case that the information on the intensities of communication signals between the plurality of electronic devices, the plurality of sensing devices and a user terminal device is received through the communication interface.

8 . The server of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
identify the sensing device located in the same region as that of an identified electronic device among the plurality of sensing devices as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user based on the location information in case that one of the plurality of electronic devices is identified as the device having the greatest intensity of the communication signal, and identify an identified sensing device as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user in case that one of the plurality of sensing devices is identified as the device having the greatest intensity of the communication signal.

9 . The server of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
identify the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user among the plurality of sensing devices based on information on intensities of communication signals received from the plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices, and state information of an electronic device or information on a user voice, received from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices, through the communication interface.

10 . The server of claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
calculate a score by applying a predetermined weight to each value corresponding to the information on the intensity of the communication signal, the state information of the electronic device or the information on the user voice, to each of the plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices, identify a device having a highest score among the plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices, identify the sensing device located in the same region as that of an identified electronic device among the plurality of sensing devices as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user based on the location information in case that one of the plurality of electronic devices is identified as the device having the highest score, and identify an identified sensing device as the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user in case that one of the plurality of sensing devices is identified as the device having the highest score.

11 . A control method for a server, the method comprising:
identifying a sensing device corresponding to a location of a user among the plurality of sensing devices based on information received from at least one of a plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of sensing devices; and transmitting a signal for controlling a target electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices to the target electronic device based on sensing data received from the identified sensing device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of sensing devices generates the sensing data by sensing a surrounding environment of each sensing device, and the transmitting includes:
receiving the sensing data generated by sensing the surrounding environment by the identified sensing device from the identified sensing device; and transmitting the signal for controlling a surrounding environment of the target electronic device to the target electronic device based on the received sensing data.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein in the identifying of the sensing device, the sensing device corresponding to the location of the user among the plurality of sensing devices is identified as a sensing device closest to the user based on the informat

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Mooserk
• Cho Ara
• Choi Sukwon

Classifications

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• H04L12/2827 Primary

  Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality · CPC title

• H04L12/282 Primary

  based on user interaction within the home (receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204) · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title