Networking method and apparatus

• US 20040047298A1
• Filed: 05/21/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yook, Hyun-gyoo, Yi, Kyoung-hoon, Lee, Min-seok, Lee, Seong-joon
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use

Abstract

A networking method and apparatus for managing information between a master device and a slave device is provided. In the network, a master device and at least one slave device are connected to each other via an RS-232 port. Through the operation of the network, the master device can obtain the identifiers (IDs) of the slave devices, and connections among the slave devices can be ascertained. Accordingly, a majority of digital home appliances establish a network using a communication medium, such as RS-232 provided to a fundamental external interface. The present invention enables digital home appliances connected on the network to exchange information.

Claims

1. A master device connected to slave devices via a predetermined network, the master device comprising:

a message production unit configured to produce a message for commanding the slave devices to transmit ID information, a message for commanding the slave devices to output a predetermined signal via their output terminals, and a message for commanding the slave devices to transmit information relating to whether their input terminals have received the signal;

a transmission unit configured to transmit the messages produced by the message production unit to the slave devices;

a reception unit configured to receive responses to the transmitted messages from the slave devices, wherein each response includes ID information about a respective one of the slave devices; and

a slave ID management unit configured to analyze the responses received from the slave devices to determine whether there is duplicate ID information among the ID information regarding the slave devices.

2. The master device of claim 1, further comprising a connection state analysis unit for generating information relating to a connection between a slave device that outputs the signal and a slave device that inputs the signal.

3. The master device of claim 1, wherein each of the transmission unit and the reception unit includes an RS-232 port.

4. A slave device connected to a master device via a predetermined network, the slave device comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive a predetermined command from the master device and to transmit the received command to a next slave device;

a transmission unit for transmitting a response to the received command directly to the master device or for transmitting the response to the master device via the next slave device;

a message production unit configured to produce information concerning the response to the received command and to transmit the response to the master device; and

a dynamic ID management unit configured to generate an arbitrary number to produce an ID and for providing the ID to the message production unit if the received command represents ID information transmission.

5. The slave device of claim 4, further comprising an input/output unit for outputting a predetermined signal if the received command represents that the signal is output via an output terminal, or for receiving an external signal.

6. The slave device of claim 4, wherein the reception unit includes a first reception terminal connected to the master device and a second reception terminal connected to the next slave device, wherein the first and second reception terminals are connected to each other so that a signal received from the master device is transmitted to the next slave device via the second reception terminal.

7. The slave device of claim 4, wherein the transmission unit includes a first transmission terminal connected to at least one of the master device and a previous slave device and a second transmission terminal connected to the next slave device, wherein the first and second transmission terminals are connected to each other so that a signal received from the next slave device is transmitted to the master device or to the previous slave device via the first reception terminal.

8. The slave device of claim 4, wherein each of the transmission unit and the reception unit includes an RS-232 port.

9. A network device comprising:

a master device including;

a message production unit for producing a message commanding slave devices to transmit ID information, a message commanding the slave devices to output a predetermined signal via their output terminals, and a message commanding the slave devices to transmit information relating to whether their input terminals have received the signal;

a transmission unit for transmitting the produced messages to the slave devices;

a reception unit for receiving responses to the transmitted messages from the slave devices, said responses including ID information about the slave devices; and

a slave ID management unit for analyzing the responses received from the slave devices to determine whether there is duplicate ID information among information received from the slave devices; and

a slave device including;

a reception unit for receiving a predetermined command from the master device and for transmitting the received response to a next slave device;

a transmission unit for transmitting a response to the received command directly to the master device or for transmitting the response to the master device via the next slave device;

a message production unit for producing information on the response to the received command, wherein the response is transmitted to the master device; and

a dynamic ID management unit for generating an arbitrary number to produce an ID and for providing the ID to the message production unit if the received command represents ID information transmission.

10. A method in which a master device connected to slave devices manages information on respective IDs of the slave devices, the method comprising:

(a) commanding the connected slave devices to transmit their respective IDs;

(b) receiving the respective IDs of the slave devices in response to the command;

(c) determining whether there are duplicate IDs among the respective IDs received from the slave devices; and

(d) deciding on the received IDs as the respective IDs of the slave devices, if it is determined that there are no duplicate IDs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein if it is determined in step (c) that there are duplicate IDs, steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed again by the slave devices having duplicate IDs.

12. A method in which slave devices connected to a master device dynamically generate LDs, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a command from the master device to transmit an ID to the master device;

(b) generating an arbitrary number and setting the arbitrary number to be the ID; and

(c) transmitting the ID to the master device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

(d) receiving a command to transmit a new ID from the master device; and

(e) performing steps (b) and (c) again.

14. A method in which a master device connected to slave devices manages information relating to a connection between slave devices, the method comprising:

(a) reading from the slave devices plug type information regarding whether each of the slave devices includes an input terminal or an output terminal;

(b) selecting a slave device with an output terminal from the slave devices based on the plug type information;

(c) commanding the selected slave device to output a predetermined signal via the output terminal of the selected slave device;

(d) successively reading, from all of the slave devices that have input terminals, information relating to whether the slave devices have received the predetermined signal and producing information relating to the states of connections among the selected slave device and the slave devices with input terminals based on the information relating to the signal reception; and

(e) performing steps (b) through (d) with respect to the slave devices with output terminals, wherein in repeating step (b), a previously selected slave device with an output terminal is not reselected, and producing information relating to connections among all of the slave devices that have output terminals and all of the slave devices that have input terminals.

15. A computer program product for managing information between a master and slave devices comprising:

software instructions for enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations, and

a computer readable medium bearing the software instructions;

the predetermined operations including;

commanding the slave devices connected to the master device to transmit their respective IDs to the master device;

receiving the respective IDs of the slave devices in response to the command;

determining whether there are duplicate IDs among the respective IDs received from the slave devices; and

deciding on the received IDs as the respective IDs of the slave devices, if it is determined that there are no duplicate IDs.

16. A computer program product for managing information from a slave device comprising:

software instructions for enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations, and

a computer readable medium bearing the software instructions;

the predetermined operations including;

commanding the slave device to transmit an ID to a master device;

generating an arbitrary number and setting the arbitrary number to be the ID of the slave device; and

transmitting to the master device at least one number from the generated arbitrary numbers or set of arbitrary numbers as the ID of the slave device.

17. A computer program product for managing network information comprising:

software instructions for enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations, and

a computer readable medium bearing the software instructions;

the predetermined operations including;

(a) reading from slave devices plug type information regarding whether each of the slave devices includes an input terminal or an output terminal;

(b) selecting a slave device with an output terminal from the slave devices based on the plug type information;

(c) commanding the selected slave device to output a predetermined signal via the output terminal of the selected slave device;

(d) successively reading, from all of the slave devices that have input terminals, information relating to whether the slave devices have received the predetermined signal and producing information relating to the states of connections among the selected slave device and the slave devices with input terminals based on the information relating to the signal reception; and

(e) performing steps (b) through (d) with respect to the slave devices with output terminals, wherein in repeating step (b), a previously selected slave device with an output terminal is not reselected, and producing information relating to connections among all of the slave devices that have output terminals and all of the slave devices that have input terminals.