Apparatus and method for remotely controlling household appliances

• US 20050162273A1
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Sang Chul, Han, Gyeong Hae, Jeon, Duck Goo
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.140
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

An apparatus and method for remotely controlling household appliances connected to a home network. A power line and a network processor is installed in each household appliance, enabling a household appliance user to remotely control the appliances from a place outside of as well as inside a home. Information about all conditions of the household appliances can be displayed on a screen displayable household appliance so that the user can recognize the operations of the appliances even during spare moments. A low-price built-in server is installed in each household appliance to assign the corresponding appliance a unique IP address simply over the Internet to be controlled according to an external user control command. A home server is connected to each of the household appliances such that the corresponding appliance receives a control command, sent in transit by a user from a mobile terminal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for remotely controlling at least one household appliance, comprising:

a built-in Web server installed in said household appliance for assigning an Internet protocol (IP) address to said household appliance and extracting control information associated with the assigned IP address from a control signal sent through an external communication network; and

a household appliance control unit for controlling the entire operation of said household appliance according to the control information extracted by said built-in Web server.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said built-in Web server includes:

a communication interface for interfacing said household appliance to said external communication network;

a communication controller for receiving said control signal through said communication interface and extracting said control information from the received control signal; and

a communication memory for storing a program for processing said control information extracted by said communication controller and transferring the processed control information to said household appliance.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said communication interface includes a transformer for performing a signal transformation operation such that said control information is extracted from said control signal sent through said external communication network.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said communication interface includes an address memory for storing MAC address information for identification of said household appliance and said IP address assigned to said appliance through said built-in Web server on the basis of the MAC address information.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a service provider for assigning said IP address to said household appliance on the basis of said MAC address information of said appliance stored in said addresses memory.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said service provider is adapted to prestore MAC addresses of household appliances to which IP addresses are to be assigned, and assign IP addresses to said household appliances only when they have the prestored MAC addresses.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a display processor for displaying information about the entire operation of said household appliance, controlled by said household appliance control unit according to said control information extracted by said built-in Web server.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said household appliance control unit is adapted to generate the information about the entire operation of said household appliance controlled according to said control command and transfer the generated information to an external user via an communication interface and external communication network.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said display processor includes:

a key input unit for inputting a key command signal according to a user'"'"'s key operation;

a display panel for displaying the information about the entire operation of said household appliance controlled according to said key command signal inputted by said key input unit and said control information extracted by said Web server; and

a microcomputer for processing the operation information of said household appliance and displaying the processed information on said display panel.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said household appliance control unit includes:

a relay for operating said household appliance; and

a switch for turning on or off said relay according to said control information from said built-in Web server.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said household appliance control unit includes:

a triac for operating said household appliance; and

a switch for turning on or off said triac according to said control information from said built-in Web server.

12. A method for remotely controlling at least one household appliance, comprising the steps of:

a) allowing a user to call an IP address of said household appliance over an Internet network to control said appliance;

b) running a program for control of said household appliance in a personal computer of said user;

c) allowing said user to enter a control command for said household appliance according to said program run at said step b);

d) controlling said household appliance in response to said control command entered at said step c); and

e) transmitting information about the entire operation of said household appliance controlled at said step d) to said user so that he or she can recognize it.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said step d) includes the step of, if said user enters no control command for said household appliance at said step c), transmitting information about a current state of said household appliance to said user so that he or she can recognize it.

14. A method for remotely controlling at least one household appliance, comprising the steps of:

a) constructing a service provider for storing a MAC address, assigned to said household appliance upon being manufactured and sold, and assigning an IP address to said appliance on the basis of the stored MAC address;

b) allowing said service provider constructed at said step a) to, when said household appliance is connected to an external communication network, sense a MAC address of said appliance and determine whether said appliance requests an IP address assignment;

c) allowing said service provider to compare said MAC address sensed at said step b) with said MAC address stored at said step a) if it is determined at said step b) that said appliance requests the IP address assignment; and

d) allowing said service provider to assign an IP address to said household appliance if said sensed MAC address is determined to be the same as said stored MAC address from the result compared at said step c), and to return to said step b) if said sensed MAC address is determined not to be the same as said stored MAC address.

15. An apparatus for remotely controlling at least one household appliance, comprising:

a household appliance microcomputer for controlling the operations of various components in said household appliance, checking operating states of said components and generating fault/repair information in accordance with the checked results;

a network processor for communicating with said household appliance microcomputer and calling a repair service over an Internet network upon receiving said fault/repair information from said microcomputer; and

a communication controller connected between said household appliance microcomputer and said network processor for performing a communication processing function and signal coupling function therebetween.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, further comprising a service center responsive to an automatic service call from said network processor for receiving records of a fault of said household appliance and repairing the fault.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein said network processor includes:

a network interface for interfacing said household appliance to said Internet network; and

a network controller for communicating with said household appliance microcomputer via said communication controller, generating a predetermined service call upon receiving said fault/repair information from said microcomputer, and transmitting and receiving a variety of information over said Internet network.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein said communication controller includes:

a pair of communication processors connected respectively to said network processor and household appliance microcomputer for performing said communication processing function therebetween; and

a power processor connected between said communication processors for performing a power ON/OFF function to prevent a mismatch between a power line and a signal line.

19. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein said household appliance microcomputer is adapted to check the operation of said household appliance and generate information about the use of said appliance as a result of the checking, and said network processor is adapted to transmit and receive a variety of control information, containing the use information generated by said microcomputer, over said Internet network.

20. The apparatus as set forth in claim 19, further comprising:

a communication terminal for calling said household appliance to transmit remote control information from a user to said appliance; and

a communication service provider for accommodating said user as a subscriber of said communication terminal and transmitting said remote control information from said user to said household appliance.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein said communication service provider and said communication terminal are interconnected via a wired cable.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein said communication service provider and said communication terminal are interconnected in a wireless manner.

23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 22, wherein said household appliance includes:

a radio antenna for transmitting and receiving radio communication data to/from said communication service provider; and

a radio transmitter/receiver module for processing said radio communication data transmitted and received between said radio antenna and said network processor.

24. The apparatus as set forth in claim 22, wherein said household appliance includes:

a radio antenna for transmitting and receiving radio communication data to/from said communication service provider; and

a home server acting as a relay between said Internet network and a home network for connecting said radio communication data, transmitted and received through said radio antenna, to said home network; and

a transmitter/receiver module connected to said household appliance via network transfer media for transferring information between said home server and said appliance.

25. The apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein said network transfer media of said transmitter/receiver module include a power line and an Internet dedicated line, said Internet dedicated line being an asymmetric digital subscriber line.