Connection handling, service management, and channel handling devices of home network management system

• US 20040240451A1
• Filed: 05/27/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Koo, Ja-In, Kim, Yong-Tae, Baek, Seung-Myun, Kang, Sung-Hwan, Choi, Hwan-Jong, Lee, Koon-Seok, Koo, Feel-Young
• Application Number:
  US10/854,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20040240451A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• 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 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home network management system, and more particularly to, connection handling, service management, and channel handling devices of a home network management system which can perform processing, conversion and transmission of data between a plurality of client devices and a plurality of home appliances. A channel handling device of the home network management system residing in a home master device connected to at least one home appliance through a first network and connected to at least one client device through a second network separated from the first network, and being controlled by a central processing means of the home master device, transmits/receives a first type of packet between a first device within the home master device and the home appliance.

Claims

1. A channel handling device of the home network management system residing in a home master device connected to at least one home appliance through a first network and connected to at least one client device through a second network separated from the first network, and being controlled by a central processing means of the home master device, the channel handling device transmitting/receiving a first type of packet between a first device within the home master device and the home appliance.

2. The channel handling device of claim 1, wherein the channel handling device transmits/receives the first type of packet through a message queue of the home master device, wherein the channel handling device transmits the first type of packet comprising a type corresponding to the first device to the message queue, and receives the first type of packet comprising a type corresponding to the channel handling device from the message queue.

3. The channel handling device of claim 1, further comprising one message queue which is a transmission path of the first type of packet, wherein the channel handling device transmits the first type of packet comprising a type corresponding to the first device to a message queue of the first device, and receives the first type of packet comprising a type corresponding to the channel handling device from the message queue of the channel handling device.

4. The channel handling device of claim 1, wherein the first device is a transmission handling device of the home network management system.

5. The channel handling device of claim 1, wherein the channel handling device is connected to the home appliance through at least one communication port.

6. The channel handling device of claim 5, wherein the channel handling device transmits the first type of packet received from the first device to the driver module corresponding to the communication port.

7. The channel handling device of claim 6, further comprising a power line communication interface handling means by an asynchronous serial communication standard for providing an interface with a power line communication as driver module.

8. The channel handling device of claim 6, further comprising an RS-232C interface handling means by an asynchronous serial communication standard for providing direct communication with the home appliance as driver module.

9. The channel handling device of claim 6, further comprising an RS-485 interface handling means by an asynchronous serial communication standard for providing an interface with an RS-485 adapter as driver module.

10. The channel handling device of claim 6, further comprising a wireless communication interface handling means by an asynchronous serial communication standard for providing an interface with a wireless modem as driver module.

11. The channel handling device of claim 6, further comprising a home automation interface handling means by an asynchronous serial communication standard for providing an interface with an adapter for controlling the home automation-related home appliances among the home appliance as driver module.

12. The channel handling device of claim 7, wherein the channel handling device transmits a first type of packet received from one interface handling means to another interface handling means.

13. The channel handling device of claim 1, wherein the channel handling device transmits the transmitted/received first type of packet to log file handling means of the home network management system.

14. The channel handling device of claim 1, wherein the first type is living network control protocol.

15. The channel handling device of claim 14, wherein the first type is living network control protocol a.

16. A service management device of the home network management system residing in a home master device connected to at least one home appliance through a first network and connected to at least one client device through a second network separated from the first network, and being controlled by a central processing means of the home master device, the service management device performing conversion between a first type of message from a first device and a second type of message from a second device, and transmitting the converted messages to the first device or the second device.

17. The service management device of claim 16, wherein the service management device transmits/receives the messages through a message queue of the home master device, wherein the service management device transmits the first type or the second type of message comprising a type corresponding to the first or the second device to the message queue, and receives the first type or the second type of message comprising a type corresponding to the service management device from the message queue.

18. The service management device of claim 16, further comprising one message queue which is a transmission path, wherein the service management device transmits the first type or the second of message comprising a type corresponding to the first or the second device to a message queue of the first or the second device respectively, and receives the message comprising a type corresponding to the service management device from the message queue of the service management device.

19. The service management device of claim 16, wherein the first device is a transmission handling device of the home network management device, and the second device is a connection handling device of the home network management device.

20. The service management device of claim 17, wherein the message transmitted to the message queue for communication between the service management device and the first device includes an auxiliary factor and the first type of message.

21. The service management device of claim 20, wherein the auxiliary factor includes an identification code of the home appliance, a service priority and a message type when the message includes a control command from the service management device to the first device.

22. The service management device of claim 21, wherein the auxiliary includes a identification code of the home appliance and a reception error code when the message includes a response from the service management device.

23. The service management device of claim 20, wherein the auxiliary factor includes an identification code of the home appliance, a message type, duplicate reception flag and a reception error code when the message includes a control command from the first device to the service management device.

24. The service management device of claim 21, wherein the auxiliary includes a identification code of the home appliance and a message type when the message includes a response from the service management device.

25. The service management device of claim 16, wherein the service management device ends one cycle for the first type of message and transmits the succeeding first type of message to the first device when the receivers of the plurality of first type of messages converted from the plurality of second type of messages are identical, or the service management device consecutively transmits the first type of messages to the first device when the receivers of the plurality of the first type of messages are different.

26. The service management device of claim 16, wherein the service management device processes the message internally when the receiver of the message is the service management device.

27. The service management device of claim 26, further comprising a master handling means performing a master function on the home appliances and/or client devices.

28. The service management device of claim 27, wherein the master handling means includes an initialization handling means for performing an initialization operation for communication when the home master device is initially executed.

29. The service management device of claim 27, wherein the master handling means includes a network configuration handling means for performing functions of discovering a new home appliance, and allocating and deleting an address.

30. The service management device of claim 29, wherein the network configuration handling means transmits a request message about information on the new home appliance.

31. The service management device of claim 27, wherein the master handling means includes a state monitoring handling means for monitoring the home appliance by periodically receiving state data having an operation state from the home appliance.

32. The service management device of claim 31, wherein the state monitoring handling means transmits the state data to the client device.

33. The service management device of claim 31, wherein the state monitoring handling means non-periodically receives the state data from the corresponding home appliance and monitors the home appliance.

34. The service management device of claim 27, wherein the master handling means includes a scheduling handling means for processing a reservation message from the second device.

35. The service management device of claim 27, wherein the master handling means includes a home code handling means for receiving a message relating to home code setting from the second device, and setting a home code in a modem of the home appliance in a predetermined order.

36. The service management device of claim 27, wherein the master handling means includes a download handling means for receiving a message for downloading data from the second device to the home appliance, and uploading the data to the home appliance.

37. The service management device of claim 26, further comprising a slave handling means receiving a message from another home master device for performing a slave function.

38. The service management device of claim 26, further comprising the message handling means processing the received first type of message.

39. The service management device of claim 38, wherein the message handling means includes a means for blocking the converted first type of message from the second device according to the home appliance to be controlled and a control command.

40. The service management device of claim 38, wherein the message handling means includes a means for blocking the first type of message from the first device according to the home appliance and the executed control command.

41. The service management device of claim 16, further comprising a device handling means receiving the message having the control command for the home appliance, generating and transmitting the second type of message, converting the first type of message from the home appliance into the second type of message and transmitting the converted message.

42. The service management device of claim 41, wherein the device handling means includes an individual device library for converting messages for the home appliances registered in the home master device.

43. The service management device of claim 42, wherein the device handling means includes a common library for converting messages for the home appliances which are not registered in the home master device.

44. The service management device of claim 43, wherein the device handling means processes a message by using the common library when the message included in the second type of message has a group address.

45. The service management device of claim 43, wherein the device handling means includes a slave library for converting the first type of message in the case of the command for the whole home appliances.

46. The service management device of claim 16, wherein the first and second type are living network control protocols.

47. The service management device of claim 46, wherein the first type is living network control protocol a.

48. The service management device of claim 46, wherein the second type is living network control protocol b.

49. A connection handling device of the home network management system residing in a home master device connected to at least one home appliance through a first network and connected to at least one client device through a second network separated from the first network, and being controlled by a central processing means of the home master device, the connection handling device performing conversion between a first type of extension message from the client device and the first type of message from the first device of the home master device.

50. The connection handling device of claim 49, wherein the connection handling device transmits/receives the messages through a message queue of the home master device, wherein the connection handling device transmits the first type of message comprising a type corresponding to the first device to the message queue, and receives the type of message comprising a type corresponding to the connection handling device from the message queue.

51. The connection handling device of claim 49, further comprising one message queue which is a transmission path of the first type of message, wherein the connection handling device transmits the first type of message comprising a type corresponding to the first device to a message queue of the first device, and receives the first type of packet comprising a type corresponding to the connection handling device from the message queue of the connection handling device.

52. The connection handling device of claim 49, wherein the connection handling device provides an identification code to the received first type of extension message.

53. The connection handling device of claim 50, wherein the connection handling device stores the message including the identification code and the first type of message.

54. The connection handling device of claim 50, wherein the first device is a service management device of the home network management system.

55. The connection handling device of claim 49, wherein the first type of extension message includes an identification code of the client device, message code and the first type of message.

56. The connection handling device of claim 55, wherein the connection handling device reads the first type of message from the first type of the extension message and transmits them to the first device.

57. The connection handling device of claim 49, further comprising an encoding/decoding handling means for encoding and decoding the first type of extension message during the communication with the client device.

58. The connection handling device of claim 49, further comprising a login handling means for automatically logging in the client device by using the login information stored in a storage means of the home master device, whenever the home master device is operated.

59. The connection handling device of claim 58, wherein the login handling means transmits dummy data to the client device periodically.

60. The connection handling device of claim 49, further comprising a file download handling means for downloading a file from the client device, and storing the file in a storage means of the home master device, when receiving a file download message from the client device.

61. The connection handling device of claim 60, wherein the file download handling means transmits the download result to the first device.

62. The connection handling device of claim 49, further comprising a version handling means for downloading information of the home network management system from the client device, and storing the information in the storage means of the home master device, when receiving a new version of information of the home network management system from the client device.

63. The connection handling device of claim 49, further comprising at least one TCP port for communication with the client device.

64. The connection handling device of claim 63, wherein the TCP port is a port for communication with the remote control server among the client devices.

65. The connection handling device of claim 63, further comprising a port for communication with the other client devices.

66. The connection handling device of claim 49, wherein the connection handling device stores the received first type of extension message in a log file handling module of the home master device.

67. The connection handling device of claim 49, wherein the first type is living network control protocol.

68. The connection handling device of claim 67, wherein the first type is living network control protocol b.