US 12,219,086 B2
Communication module, communication system, and communication method
Tomohisa Kohiyama, Tokyo (JP); Takayoshi Fujioka, Tokyo (JP); and Naoya Tobisawa, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/784,716
Filed by Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Dec. 13, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/049066
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 13, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/117251, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0021036 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. H04M 15/00 (2024.01); H04L 41/0823 (2022.01); H04L 67/00 (2022.01); H04M 17/00 (2024.01); H04W 4/24 (2024.01)
CPC H04M 15/58 (2013.01) [H04L 41/0823 (2013.01); H04L 67/34 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A communication module comprising:
a plurality of communication interfaces that support a plurality of different types of communication interface standards;
a memory in which a plurality of programs including an OS (Operating System) are stored; and
a processor coupled to the plurality of communication interfaces and the memory and configured to execute the plurality of programs,
wherein the plurality of programs include a first app to be executed on the OS and one or a plurality of second apps to be executed on the OS,
each of one or more second apps among the one or the plurality of second apps is an app that performs communication in accordance with one or more types of communication protocol on one or more communication interface standards and is an app that is arbitrarily installable and arbitrarily uninstallable, and
the first app is an app as middleware between the OS and the one or the plurality of second apps.
 
10. A communication system comprising:
a communication module having a plurality of communication interfaces that support a plurality of different types of communication interface standards; and
a server,
wherein the communication module includes an OS (Operating System), a first app to be executed on the OS, and one or a plurality of second apps to be executed on the OS,
each of one or more second apps among the one or the plurality of second apps is an app that performs communication in accordance with one or more types of communication protocol on one or more communication interface standards and is an app that is arbitrarily installable and arbitrarily uninstallable,
the first app is an app as middleware between the OS and the one or the plurality of second apps,
a first type of a second app receives data by way of a communication interface that supports communication interface standards based on which communication is performed in accordance with communication protocol that supports the first type of the second app, from equipment coupled to the communication interface, and
the first type of the second app itself or a second type of a second app that is a different second app transmits data to the server by way of a communication interface that supports communication interface standards based on which communication is performed in accordance with communication protocol that supports the second type of the second app.
 
20. A communication method comprising:
installing a second app which supports communication interface standards to be used in communication, which is to be executed on an OS (Operating System) and which is arbitrarily uninstallable, in a communication module including a plurality of communication interfaces that support a plurality of different types of communication interface standards, the OS and a first app to be executed on the OS; and
the second app performing communication in accordance with communication protocol on communication interface standards that support the second app at a communication timing set for the second app by way of a first app that is an app as middleware between the OS and the second app.