Apparatus for restoring network information for home network system and method thereof

• US 20040208117A1
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Yong Su
• Granted Patent: US 7,499,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437

Abstract

An apparatus for restoring network information for a home network system and a method thereof are disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one slave having means for communicating with an external appliances; a master having means for communicating with the slave, checking a state of the slave, storing state information of the slave, and providing the state information to the slave when the slave is reset; and a home network unit connecting the communication means of the master and the slave to form a network of the master and the slave.

Claims

1. An apparatus for restoring network information for a home network system, comprising:

at least one slave having means for communicating with an external appliances;

a master having means for communicating with the slave, checking a state of the slave, storing state information of the slave, and providing the state information to the slave when the slave is reset; and

a home network unit connecting the communication means of the master and the slave to form a network of the master and the slave.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the master comprises:

a memory storing the state information irrespective of a power failure;

a CPU periodically checking the state of the slave, storing the checked state information in the memory, reading out the state information from the memory and transmitting the state information to the slave when the slave is reset; and

the means for enabling the CPU and the slave to communicate with each other through the home network unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the state information of the slave is at least one of control information, monitoring information, and operation-state information of the slave.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the home network unit includes power-line communication modems for enabling the communication means of the master and the slave to communicate with each other through power lines.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication means of the slave is an RS-232C type communication module, and the communication means of the master includes a universal asynchronous transmitter/receiver and an RS-232C type communication module.

6. A method of restoring network information for a home network system, comprising the steps of:

periodically checking a state of at least one slave connected by a network;

storing state information of the slave;

checking whether the slave is reset; and

transmitting the state information of the slave when the slave is reset.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the state information of the slave is at least one of control information, monitoring information, and operation-state information of the slave.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the master and the slaves are connected together by a network using power-lines.