Apparatus and method for transmitting control commands in home network system

• US 20070200658A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Sung-Chul
• Application Number:
  US11/649,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200658A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/3.700
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• 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 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A control command transmission apparatus for controlling devices in a home network system environment is disclosed. A control command transmission apparatus includes a key input unit for inputting a user'"'"'s operation signal to control corresponding electronic devices connected to the home network system; a sensor for detecting the user'"'"'s motion applied to the control command transmission apparatus to control the electronic devices; a location identification unit for identifying the location of the control command transmission apparatus of the home network system; a command generator for generating a command corresponding to the motion detected by the sensor; and an interface for communicating with a home server to which the electronic devices are connected, and for transmitting the command generated by the command generator to the home server. Accordingly, the present invention provides convenient use of electronic devices connected to a home network system.

Claims

1. A control command transmission apparatus of a home network system comprising:

a key input unit for inputting a user'"'"'s operation signal to control electronic devices connected to the home network system;

a sensor for detecting the user'"'"'s motion to control the electronic devices;

a location identification unit for identifying the location of the control command transmission apparatus;

a command generator for generating a command corresponding to the motion detected by the sensor; and

an interface for communicating with a home server to which the electronic devices are connected, and for transmitting the command generated by the command generator to the home server.

2. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control unit for transmitting location information identified by the location identification unit and motion information corresponding to the user'"'"'s motion generated by the sensor to the home server, receiving information on an electronic device by which a control command is to be executed corresponding to the location and motion information, and providing the interface with the information on the electronic device by which the control command is to be executed.

3. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a location management database for storing location information corresponding to the electronic devices;

an electronic device identification unit for identifying an electronic device by which a control command is to be executed by using the motion information detected by the sensor and the location information identified by the location identification unit; and

a control unit for providing the interface with information on the electronic device identified by the electronic device identification unit.

4. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the key input unit includes a motion identification key for identifying the user'"'"'s motion.

5. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes at least one of an acceleration sensor for detecting the motion and a geomagnetic sensor for detecting the direction of the motion.

6. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 5, wherein the acceleration sensor includes a 3-axis acceleration sensor for detecting at least one of the direction and the motion in a 3-dimensional space.

7. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 3, wherein the location management database stores absolute location information of the electronic device.

8. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location management database stores a floor plan of a building that includes the home network system and location information of electronic devices on the floor plan.

9. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 3, wherein the location identification unit:

detects signals from a plurality of sensors located in a building that includes the home network system, and

identifies the location of the control command transmission apparatus of the home network system according to the result of the detection.

10. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location identification unit includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and receives an identification result from a reader located in a building which includes the home network system, and identifies the location of the control command transmission apparatus of the home network system.

11. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location identification unit includes a radio wave generator, and detects the location of the control command transmission apparatus of the home network system by using radio waves continuously generated by the radio wave generator.

12. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 3, wherein the electronic device identification unit identifies the direction of the motion based on the location information identified by the location identification unit, and detects the corresponding information on the electronic device from the location management database after estimating the location information of corresponding to the motion.

13. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 3, wherein the command generator generates a command for transmitting internally stored data to an electronic device identified by the electronic device identification unit when the motion is directed towards the electronic device.

14. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 3, wherein the command generator generates a command for retrieving data from an electronic device identified by the electronic device identification unit when the motion is directed away from the electronic device.

15. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing control commands corresponding to the motion detected by the sensor, where in the command generator detects control commands from the memory corresponding to the motion.

16. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface utilizes a communication method including at least one of ZigBee, Bluetooth, wireless local area network (WLAN), and infrared communication (IrDA) communication methods.

17. The control command transmission apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying various commands and content stored in the control command transmission apparatus of the home network system, and the status of the motion of the control command transmission apparatus.

18. A method of transmitting a control command in a home network system, comprising the steps of:

selecting data through a control command transmission apparatus;

determining whether the control command transmission apparatus is in a motion identification mode;

determining the location of the control command transmission apparatus;

identifying a motion applied to the control command transmission apparatus;

identifying an electronic device by which a control command is to be executed according to the result of the motion determining;

generating the control command according to the result of the motion identification; and

transmitting the control command.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of determining whether the control command transmission apparatus is in a motion identification mode, an operation of a motion identification key installed in the control command transmission apparatus is detected.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of identifying the location of the control command transmission apparatus, values of a plurality of sensors located in a building which includes the home network system are detected, and the location of the control command transmission apparatus is identified according to the result of the value determination.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of identifying the location of the control command transmission apparatus, a result of identifying a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag included with the control command transmission apparatus is transmitted from an RFID reader included in the building installed with the home network system, and the location of the control command transmission apparatus is identified accordingly.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of identifying the location of the control command transmission apparatus, the location of the control command transmission apparatus is identified by radio waves continuously generated by a radio wave generator installed in the control command transmission apparatus.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of identifying a motion applied to the control command transmission apparatus, the direction and type of the motion are detected.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of identifying the electronic device, the direction of the motion is identified based on the location information of the control command transmission apparatus identified in the location identification step and the corresponding information on the electronic device is detected from a location management database after estimating the location information of the motion.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of generating the control command, a command for transmitting internally stored data to an electronic device identified by the electronic device identification unit is generated when the motion is directed towards the electronic device.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of transmitting the control command utilizes a communication method including at least one of a ZigBee, Bluetooth, wireless local area network (WLAN), and infrared communication (IrDA) communication methods.