Service framework for home network

• US 20060190571A1
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sang-ho, Kim, Kyle, Park, In-ho
• Application Number:
  US11/326,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190571A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625

Abstract

Disclosed is a structure of a service framework of a home network, capable of integrating and simultaneously controlling a plurality of middlewares by controlling service profiles with different structures, thereby controlling middlewares and all home devices and thereby building a virtual service execution environment.

Claims

1. A service framework of a home network for integrating and controlling a plurality of middlewares including a plurality of controlled devices, comprising:

a service profile registry that stores a service profile of the controlled devices;

a first interface that converts a message of a middleware basis into a common message of a framework basis; and

a second interface that converts a payload part of the middleware basis into a service profile and stores the service profile into the service profile registry by analyzing the message transmitted from the first interface, wherein the controlled devices are controlled by the service profile of the framework.

2. The service framework of a home network according to claim 1, further comprising:

an application operated by a service client of the framework and including a user interface device that sets access and gathers information about the plurality of middlewares including the plurality of controlled devices, so that the services of the controlled devices can be requested through the framework.

3. The service framework of a home network according to claim 2, wherein data communication between each element of the framework and the application uses an independent standard interface which is an Open Application Programming Interface.

4. The service framework of a home network according to claim 1, wherein the framework further comprises a service administrator which receives the service profile from the second interface, registers the service profile to the service profile registry and processes functions such as creation, correction, deletion and search of the service profile, so that the controlled devices can be controlled by the service profile of the service administrator.

5. The service framework of a home network according to claim 4, further comprising:

a device administrator for setting virtual devices which are controlled by the service profile of the framework; and

a virtual device list that stores information about the virtual devices;

wherein the virtual device list is generated and controlled by the device administrator, thereby enabling the device administrator to read the service profile of the virtual devices from the service profile registry and to drive the framework by executing the services.

6. The service framework of a home network according to claim 4, wherein the service administrator monitors home situations on a real-time basis through an environment sensor, accumulates various environment data, analyzes and diagnoses the data on a real-time basis, derives service information for driving the controlled devices, and registers a service profile based on the service information into the service profile registry.

7. The service framework of a home network according to claim 5, wherein the service administrator further comprises a service profile manager which is configured to manage a service profile of the virtual device and performs functions of creation, correction, deletion and search of the service profile, so that the second interface receives the service profile, wherein the service profile manager registers the service profile into the service profile registry, reads the service profile of the corresponding virtual device from the service profile registry and transmits the service profile responding to a request of the device administrator.

8. The service framework of a home network according to claim 6, wherein if a service for the corresponding service profile is requested by the service administrator, the second interface converts a payload data part of the service profile basis into a data of the middleware basis and the first interface receives the converted data, and further converts the converted data into a message of the middleware basis so that the controlled devices are controlled by the middleware.

9. A method for controlling a home network including a framework for integrating and controlling a plurality of middlewares including a plurality of controlled devices and an application having a user interface device operated by a service client of the framework, comprising:

a middleware message conversion operation that converts a message of a middleware basis of the controlled devices into a common message of the framework basis;

a middleware payload conversion operation that converts a payload part of the middleware basis into a service profile by analyzing the message from the middleware message conversion step;

a storage operation that stores the service profile; and

a control operation that controls the controlled devices by the service profile of the framework.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein data communication between each elements of the framework and each application uses an independent standard interface which is an Open Application Programming Interface.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising an operation of monitoring home situations on a real-time basis through an environment sensor, accumulating various environment data, analyzing and diagnosing the data on a real-time basis, deriving service information for driving the controlled devices, and registering a service profile based on the service information into a service profile registry.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the control operation includes:

setting a virtual device for each of the controlled devices which are controlled by respective service profiles in the framework;

selecting one of the respective service profiles for the virtual device; and

controlling the controlled devices according to the selected service profile.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step for controlling the controlled devices comprises:

a service profile payload conversion operation that converts a payload data part of a service profile basis of the controlled devices into a service profile of the middleware basis;

a service profile message conversion operation that converts a message of a service profile basis of the controlled devices into a message of the middleware basis; and

a control operation that controls the controlled devices with the middlewares.