Network control system for home appliances

• US 20040158333A1
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Baek, Seung-Myun, Kim, Dae-Woong, Koo, Ja-In, Kang, Sung-Hwan, Lim, Jeong-Hyun, Choi, Hwan-Jong, Ha, Sam-Chul, Lee, Koon-Seok
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5408 using protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5425 improving S/N by matching impedance, noise reduction, gain control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/028 for synchronisation between service call and response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 : by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• 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 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 : home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 : involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 : Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 : Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Disclosed is a network control system for home appliances that satisfies the characteristics of low-cost and high-efficiency with respect to currently used appliances adopting a low-performance microcomputer. The system is constructed to define a master/slave type communication structure with respect to the respective appliances; construct a network by connecting the appliances through the serial communication function; and enable the appliances to communicate with one another if a predetermined communication event is produced. According to the system, an optimized network for the home appliances can be implemented, and operation states of the respective appliances can be displayed through the co-operation among the appliances, thereby maximizing the user convenience.

Claims

1. A network control system for home appliances provided with a low-performance microcomputer having a serial communication function, the system being constructed to define a master/slave type communication structure with respect to the respective appliances;

determine a communication standard composed of an application layer, data link layer, and physical layer according to the communication structure;

construct a network by connecting the appliances through the serial communication function; and

enable the appliances to communicate with one another in the unit of a specified packet according to the communication structure and communication standard if a predetermined communication event is produced.

2. The network control system of claim 1, further comprising a network manager, connected on an external Internet, for controlling the home appliances connected on the network through a remote user interface or direct user interface.

3. The network control system of claim 2, wherein the network manager includes a personal computer.

4. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the communication structure is classified into a master, slave, combined master/slave, dedicated sender, and dedicated receiver, and is defined according to hardware characteristics of the corresponding home appliance.

5. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the communication structure is defined as a combined master/slave except that hardware characteristics of the corresponding home appliance do not satisfy either or sender and receiver conditions.

6. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a master in the communication structure starts communication with a corresponding slave if the predetermined communication event is produced, and ends the communication with the slave if a predetermined communication condition is realized.

7. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a slave in the communication structure is always in a standby state of reception, and can communicate if the communication is requested from a master.

8. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a combined master/slave in the communication structure serves as a master to lead communication with a corresponding slave if the predetermined communication event is produced, and serves as the slave to maintain the standby state of reception if the communication is terminated.

9. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a dedicated sender in the communication structure is defined as the appliance that can perform transmission only.

10. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a dedicated receiver in the communication structure is defined as the appliance that can perform reception only.

11. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the appliance that includes a master defined in the communication structure has only a function of communicating with a predetermined slave or according to a predetermined control code.

12. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a master of the communication structure has a communication standard comprising:

an application layer composed of regions of application software, message construction and division, and message combination;

a data link layer composed of regions of packet structure, confirmation of packet transmission, CSM/CD, packet check, address check, and packet data reception; and

a physical layer composed of an UART.

13. The network control system of claim 12, wherein the physical layer further comprises an adapter for a power-line communication.

14. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a slave of the communication structure has a communication standard comprising:

an application layer composed of regions of application software, message construction, message execution, message combination, and message redundancy check;

a data link layer composed of regions of packet construction, packet transmission, CSM/CD, packet check, address check, and packet data reception; and

a physical layer composed of an UART.

15. The network control system of claim 14, wherein the physical layer further comprises an adapter for a power-line communication.

16. The network control system of claim 1, wherein transmission and reception between the respective appliances are simultaneously performed.

17. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the communication event includes a user event, periodic event, status event, error event, and external event.

18. The network control system of claim 17, wherein the user event is produced through a user'"'"'s direct manipulation of a key of the corresponding appliance.

19. The network control system of claim 17, wherein the periodic event is automatically produced at predetermined intervals.

20. The network control system of claim 17, wherein the status event is produced according to a state change of the corresponding appliance.

21. The network control system of claim 20, wherein the state change includes changes of temperature, humidity, and operation status.

22. The network control system of claim 17, wherein the external event is produced when the communication is requested from an outside of the appliance to the corresponding appliance.

23. The network control system of claim 1, wherein when the communication event is produced, the corresponding appliance transmits its own state change information to all the appliances connected on the network.

24. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a master in the communication structure shares a memory for transmission and reception.

25. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a slave in the communication structure shares a memory for transmission and reception.

26. The network control system of claim 1, wherein a combined master/slave in the communication structure shares a memory for transmission and reception.

27. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the packet comprises:

a header region composed of a packet header field, and a field for adding a packet function later;

a body region composed of a message header field, a field for adding a message function later, and a message field; and

a trailer region.

28. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the packet has a size of 17˜

255 bytes.

29. The network control system of claim 27, wherein the packet header field comprises:

a home code (HC) composed of 8 bit for classifying a home where the network is constructed;

a receiver address (RA) composed of 16 bits for indicating the receiver'"'"'

a sender address (SA) composed of 16 bits for indicating the sender;

a packet length (PL) composed of 8 bits for indicating the length of the packet;

an access priority (AP) composed of 3 bits for indicating a priority of transmission;

a packet header length (PHL) composed of 5 bits for indicating the length of the packet header;

a protocol version (PV) composed of 8 bits for indicating the version of the protocol;

a packet type (PT) composed of 4 bits for indicating the type of the packet;

a retransmission counter (RC) composed of 2 bits for indicating the number of retransmission; and

a packet number (PN) composed of 2 bits for indicating the transmission of a new packet.

30. The network control system of claim 29, wherein the home code uses hexadic values in the range of 0x03˜

0xFE.

31. The network control system of claim 29, wherein the receiver address is always located in front of the sender address.

32. The network control system of claim 29, wherein the receiver address comprises a network code of 2 bits, product code of 6 bits, and a code of 8 bit for classifying products of the same kind.

33. The network control system of claim 29, wherein the access priority is determined to be ‘

0’

in case of a retransmission due to a data collision or an emergent state, ‘

1’

in case of a mass transmission of data through a message division, ‘

2’

in case of a normal communication, and ‘

3’

in case of reporting a network connection state.

34. The network control system of claim 29, wherein the protocol version is composed of a 4-bit version and 4-bit subversion, and takes a value in the range of 0˜

15 in the order of updating.

35. The network control system of claim 29, wherein the packet type indicates a packet requested by the master in case of a hexadic value of ‘

0’

, successful response packet in case of ‘

4’

, failed response packet in case of ‘

5’

, known packet in case of ‘

8’

, arrayed packet in case of ‘

9’

, and last packet of arrayed data in case of ‘

10’

, respectively.

36. The network control system of claim 29, wherein the packet number increases by 1 when a new packet is transmitted, and is maintained when the same packet is transmitted.

37. The network control system of claim 1, wherein if the packet is a response packet from a slave, a 8-bit ACK/NAK is added to a message field of a body region of the packet.

38. The network control system of claim 27, wherein the message header field comprises a message length (ML) of 8 bits, message header length (MHL) of 8 bits, and a port number (PO) of 8 bits.

39. The network control system of claim 27, wherein the message field comprises a command code (CC) of 8 bits, and arguments (ARG) the bit number of which is varied.

40. The network control system of claim 27, wherein the trailer region comprises an error check (CRC) of 16 bits, and ETX of 8 bits for indicating an end of the packet.

41. The network control system of claim 32, wherein the network code assigns ‘

1’

in case of multimedia appliances, ‘

2’

in case of PC-related appliances, ‘

0’

in case of appliances except for the multimedia appliances and PC-related appliances, ‘

3˜

6’

as a reserved code, and ‘

7’

for selecting whether to use a group addressing.

42. The network control system of claim 32, wherein the code for classifying products of the same kind is used as a group addressing code according to the network code value.

43. The network control system of claim 42, wherein the group addressing code is divided into a group address according to a kind of products, and a group address according to an installed place of products.

44. The network control system of claim 42, wherein the group addressing code can be changed through a network manager as needed by a user.

45. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the master/slave type communication structure performs the communication according to one among a one-request/one-response communication cycle whereby a master transmits one packet to a slave, and in response to this, the slave transmits one packet to the master to terminate the communication;

a one-request/multi-response communication cycle whereby a master transmits one packet to a plurality of slaves, the respective slaves transmit one packet to the master in response to this, the master waits for the response continuously, and if a predetermined maximum waiting time elapses, the master terminates the communication; and

a one request communication cycle whereby a master transmits one request with respect to a slave or a plurality of slaves, and then terminates the communication without waiting for the response.

46. The network control system of claim 45, wherein a predetermined delay time is given among the respective communication cycles.

47. The network control system of claim 46, wherein the delay time is determined so that another master except for the master that is performing the communication attempts to perform the communication.

48. The network control system of claim 1, wherein if the communication event is produced, the corresponding appliance transmits at least one predetermined operation command to at least one object appliance.

49. The network control system of claim 48, wherein the operation command and the object appliance is determined by the user.

50. The network control system of claim 1, wherein if an error is detected from the packet transmitted from a master in the master/slave type communication structure, a slave transmits a response packet including an error code to the corresponding master.

51. The network control system of claim 50, wherein the error code includes a packet error, receiver error, bad command, illegal arguments, illegal access, and trouble code.

52. The network control system of claim 51, wherein the packet error is produced in case of a CRC error of the received packet, 1-byte receiving time over, and response waiting time over.

53. The network control system of claim 51, wherein the receiver error is produced in case of a lack of memory, rejection of communication, refusal of remote control, non-match of protocol version, and non-match of message ports.

54. The network control system of claim 51, wherein the bad command is produced in case that a command code that cannot be performed and factor values that cannot be performed are included.

55. The network control system of claim 51, wherein the illegal arguments are produced in case of a factor number that is different from a defined number, and range over.

56. The network control system of claim 51, wherein the illegal access is produced when a prohibited operation command is detected.