Network control method and apparatus for home appliance

• US 20020063633A1
• Filed: 08/15/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Joon Hyung
• Granted Patent: US 6,850,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1418 Removal detected by failure in electrical connection between the appliance and a control centre, home control panel or a power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling a home appliance network is disclosed, in which a home server is established at low cost so that an external user can easily control the operation of home appliances within home. The apparatus for controlling a home appliance network having at least one or more home appliances includes an external communication means for inputting a predetermined operation control command to control the operation of the home appliances by externally accessing a home page of a corresponding communication service provider through an Internet, a radio communication network for transmitting the operation control command input to the home page through the external communication means in a radio type, and an internal communication means located within home, for controlling the operation of the corresponding home appliance of the home appliance network to correspond to the operation control command transmitted in a radio type through the radio communication network.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a home appliance network having at least one or more home appliances comprising:

an external communication means for inputting a predetermined operation control command to control the operation of the home appliances by externally accessing a home page of a corresponding communication service provider through an Internet;

a radio communication network for transmitting the operation control command input to the home page through the external communication means in a radio type; and

an internal communication means located within home, for controlling the operation of the corresponding home appliance of the home appliance network to correspond to the operation control command transmitted in a radio type through the radio communication network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external communication means includes at least one of a first external communication equipment accessed to the home page through a cable communication network and a second external communication equipment accessed to the home page through a radio communication network or the cable communication network.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cable communication network includes a telephone communication network or an Internet private communication network.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the radio communication network is a portable radio communication network.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first external communication equipment includes at least one of a PC, a private terminal unit, and a server.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second external communication equipment is a portable personal communication terminal unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the internal communication means is a portable personal communication terminal unit.

8. In a method for controlling an apparatus for controlling a home appliance network having at least one or more home appliances, the apparatus comprising an external communication equipment for controlling the network directly or in accordance with an external control command, an external communication equipment for externally controlling the internal communication equipment through a predetermined communication network, a communication network for connecting the internal communication equipment with the external communication equipment, and a communication service provider for providing internet services, the method comprising the steps of:

searching data required for the operation and control of home appliances on an Internet provided by the communication service provider using the internal communication equipment and downloading the data;

outputting the downloaded data to a corresponding home appliance within home;

outputting an operation control signal of the home appliance by externally accessing the internal communication equipment through the communication network provided by the communication service provider using the external communication equipment; and

controlling at the internal communication equipment the corresponding home appliance in accordance with the operation control signal.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the operation state of the home appliance through the internal communication equipment; and

transmitting the operation state to the external communication equipment through the communication network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

detecting at the home appliance whether there is any error and outputting the detected result to the internal communication equipment; and

outputting at the internal communication equipment the detected result to the external communication equipment if the one accesses the other.