Communication system provided with control apparatus between local network and external network

• US 20020018478A1
• Filed: 06/12/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Hideo, Yanagi, Yasuhiro, Senoo, Junji, Kawahara, Yuzo, Takeyama, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,975,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A communication system includes a local terminal apparatus connected with a local network, a remote terminal apparatus connected with an external network, and a control apparatus interposed between the local network and the external network. The local terminal apparatus includes a reply section for returning an answer signal including a status information of a processing executing section via the local network in response to a request signal received via the local network. The control apparatus includes a gateway section for receiving the request signal transmitted from the remote terminal apparatus via the external network, and thereafter, transmitting the received request signal to the local terminal apparatus via the local network, and for receiving an answer signal corresponding to the request signal from the local terminal apparatus via the local network, and thereafter, transmitting the received answer signal to the remote terminal apparatus via the external network.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a local terminal apparatus connected with a local network provided in a predetermined facility;

a remote terminal apparatus connected with an external network; and

a control apparatus interposed between the local network and the external network,

wherein the local terminal apparatus comprises;

processing executing means for executing a predetermined processing; and

reply means for returning an answer signal including a status information of said processing executing means via the local network in response to a request signal received via the local network;

wherein said remote terminal apparatus comprises;

input means for inputting a predetermined operation;

transceiver means for transmitting the request signal including control information corresponding to an operation inputted by said input means via the external network, and receiving an answer signal corresponding to the request signal via the local network; and

information output means for outputting the status information included in the answer signal received by said transceiver means, and

wherein said control apparatus comprises;

gateway means for receiving the request signal transmitted from said remote terminal apparatus via the external network, and thereafter, transmitting the received request signal to the local terminal apparatus via the local network, and for receiving an answer signal corresponding to the request signal from the local terminal apparatus via the local network, and thereafter, transmitting the received answer signal to the remote terminal apparatus via the external network.

2. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the local terminal apparatus comprises an electric power load apparatus,

wherein said processing executing means controls said electric power load apparatus so as to selectively change over a load control status thereof, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including status information of the load control status selectively changed over by said processing executing means in response to the request signal.

3. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said local terminal apparatus comprises a supervised apparatus,

wherein said processing executing means executes processing for supervising said supervised apparatus, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including status information of said supervised apparatus supervised by said processing executing means.

4. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the external network is Internet.

5. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said remote terminal apparatus is provided in a management center.

6. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses and a plurality of said remote terminal apparatuses,

wherein said control apparatus comprises storage means for storing a. transmission destination table including a transmission destination indicative of which one of said plurality of remote terminal apparatuses the answer signal should be transmitted to, for each of said local terminal apparatus, and

wherein said gateway means transmits the received answer signal to the remote terminal apparatus determined by referring to the transmission destination table stored in said storage means, via the external network.

7. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses and a plurality of said remote terminal apparatuses,

wherein said control apparatus comprises storage means for storing a transmission destination table including a transmission destination indicative of which one of said plurality of remote terminal apparatuses the answer signal should be transmitted to, for each of said local terminal apparatus and for each status information of the received answer signal, and

wherein said gateway means transmits the received answer signal to the remote terminal apparatus determined by referring to the transmission destination table stored in said storage means, via the external network.

8. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses and a plurality of said remote terminal apparatuses,

wherein each of said local terminal apparatuses comprises storage means for storing a transmission destination table including a transmission destination indicative of which one of said plurality of remote terminal apparatuses the answer signal should be transmitted to, and

wherein said reply means transmits the answer signal to be transmitted to the remote terminal apparatus determined by referring to the transmission destination table stored in said storage means, via the local network, said control apparatus and the external network.

9. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses and a plurality of said remote terminal apparatuses,

wherein each of said local terminal apparatuses comprises storage means for storing a transmission destination table including a transmission destination indicative of which one of said plurality of remote terminal apparatuses the answer signal should be transmitted to, in accordance to the status information of the answer signal, and

wherein said reply means transmits the answer signal to be transmitted to the remote terminal apparatus determined by referring to the transmission destination table stored in said storage means, via the local network, said control apparatus and the external network.

10. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses and a plurality of said remote terminal apparatuses,

wherein each of said remote terminal apparatuses comprises storage means for storing a transmission destination table including a transmission destination indicative of which one of said plurality of remote terminal apparatuses the answer signal corresponding to the request signal should be transmitted to,

wherein said transceiver means transmits via the external network the request signal further including a transmission destination information of the answer signal corresponding to the request signal, the transmission destination information being indicated by the transmission destination table stored in said storage means, and

wherein said reply means transmits the answer signal to be transmitted to the remote terminal apparatus indicated by the transmission destination information included in the request signal, via the local network, said control apparatus and the external network.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses and a plurality of said remote terminal apparatuses,

wherein each of said remote terminal apparatuses comprises storage means for storing a transmission destination table including a transmission destination indicative of which one of said plurality of remote terminal apparatuses the answer signal corresponding to the request signal should be transmitted to, in accordance to the status information of the answer signal,

wherein the transceiver means transmits via the external network the request signal further including a transmission destination information of the answer signal corresponding to the request signal, the transmission destination information being indicated by the transmission destination table stored in said storage means, and

wherein said reply means transmits the answer signal to be transmitted to the remote terminal apparatus, which is indicated by the transmission destination information included in the request signal and which corresponds to status information of the answer signal, via the local network, said control apparatus and the external network.

12. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said local terminal apparatus comprises an electric power consuming apparatus for consuming a commercial electric power,

wherein said processing executing means measures an electric power consumption of said electric power consuming apparatus, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including information of the measured electric power consumption in response to the request signal.

13. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said processing executing means supervises a disaster status of said facility, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including information of the supervised disaster status in response to the request signal.

14. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said local terminal apparatus comprises a lighting equipment,

wherein said processing executing means executes processing for selectively changing over an operating status of said lighting equipment, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including information of the operating status of said lighting equipment selectively changed over by said processing executing means, in response to the request signal.

15. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said processing executing means measures measurement vales of meteorological observation, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including information of the measurement values measured by said processing executing means, in response to the request signal.

16. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said processing executing means detects multi-media information including image and voice signals, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including the multi-media information detected by said processing executing means, in response to the request signal.

17. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said processing executing means detects human body information, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including the human body information detected by said processing executing means, in response to the request signal.

18. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said local terminal apparatus comprises a home delivery service box,

wherein said processing executing means detects a status of the home delivery service box, and

wherein said reply means returns the answer signal including the status of said home delivery service box detected by said processing executing means in response to the request signal.

19. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses,

wherein a part of the plurality of the local terminal apparatuses is provided in a personal space of said facility, and the other part thereof is provided in a common area space of said facility.

20. The communication system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said facility includes at least one of an office, a store and an apartment house, and

wherein said control apparatus is one of a supervisory control panel and a lobby entryphone integrated with a controller.