METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING DEVICE AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING THE METHOD

• US 20120078959A1
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHO, Hyung-rae, Oh, Hyun-joo
• Application Number:
  US13/238,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078959A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• 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 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• 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

Abstract

A device control method and apparatus and computer readable medium storing the method, the method including selecting at least one device based on at least one outdoor environment information; and generating control information regarding the selected at least one device based on the at least one outdoor environment information.

Claims

1. A device control method, the method comprising:

selecting at least one device based on at least one outdoor environment information; and

generating control information regarding the selected at least one device based on the at least one outdoor environment information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting guide information based on the control information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the guide information based on the control information to a user device of the selected at least one device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user device is selected based on at least one of usage history information of the selected at least one device, location information of the selected at least one device, and attribute information of the selected at least one device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

controlling the selected at least one device by using information received based on the guide information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting indoor environment information,

wherein generating control information includes generating control information based on the outdoor environment information and the indoor environment information.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

collecting user information,

wherein generating control information includes generating the control information based on the outdoor environment information, the indoor environment information, and the user information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein collecting user information comprises:

searching for at least one of an external database of a device control apparatus for controlling the selected at least one device and an internal database of the device control apparatus.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the user information comprises:

information indicating whether at least one user exists in a region for controlling the at least one device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting user information,

wherein generating control information includes generating the control information based on the outdoor environment information and the user information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein collecting user information comprises:

searching for at least one of an external database of the device control apparatus for controlling the selected at least one device and an internal database of the device control apparatus.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user information comprises:

information indicating whether at least one user exists in a region for controlling the at least one device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if a device control apparatus for controlling the selected at least one device has left a region for controlling the at least one device, transferring a control right of the device control apparatus to a device included in the at least one device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring the control right is performed based on information regarding previously set candidate devices.

15. A device control method, the method comprising:

selecting at least one device based on at least one user information; and

generating control information regarding the selected at least one device based on the at least one user information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein selecting at least one device includes searching for at least one of an external database of a device control apparatus for controlling the selected at least one device and an internal database of the device control apparatus to obtain the at least one user information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the user information comprises:

information indicating whether at least one user exists in a region for controlling the at least one device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

outputting guide information based on the control information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting the guide information based on the control information to a user device of the selected at least one device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user device is selected based on at least one of usage history information of the selected at least one device, location information of the selected at least one device, and attribute information of the selected at least one device.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing a device control method, the method comprising:

selecting at least one device based on at least one outdoor environment information; and

generating control information regarding the selected at least one device based on the at least one outdoor environment information.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing a device control method, the method comprising

collecting user information;

and

generating control information based on outdoor environment information and the user information.

23. A device control apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a first network interface unit for interfacing with an external network;

a second network interface unit for interfacing with a local area network; and

a processor for selecting at least one device accessible through the second network interface unit based on at least one outdoor environment information received through the first network interface unit, and generating control information regarding the selected at least one device based on the at least one outdoor environment information.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

an output unit for outputting guide information,

wherein the processor outputs guide information based on the control information to the output unit.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the processor transmits the guide information based on the control information to a user device of the selected at least one device through the second network interface unit.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processor selects the user device based on at least one of usage history information of the selected at least one device, location information of the selected at least one device, and attribute information of the selected at least one device.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the processor outputs a control signal regarding the selected at least one device through the second network interface unit by using information received based on the guide information.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

an indoor environment information collection unit for collecting indoor environment information,

wherein the processor generates the control information based on the outdoor environment information and the indoor environment information.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the processor collects user information, and generates the control information based on the outdoor environment information, the indoor environment information, and the user information.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

a storage unit for storing at least one user information,

wherein the processor searches for at least one of an external database accessible through the first network interface unit and an internal database stored in the storage unit to collect the at least one user information.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the user information comprises:

information indicating whether at least one user exists in a region for controlling the at least one device.

32. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

a storage unit for storing at least one user information,

wherein the processor searches for at least one of an external database accessible through the first network interface unit and an internal database stored in the storage unit to collect the at least one user information.

33. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein, if the device control apparatus for controlling the selected at least one device has left a region for controlling the at least one device, the processor transfers a control right of the device control apparatus to a device included in the at least one device.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:

a storage unit for storing information regarding candidate devices capable of transferring the control right,

wherein the processor transfers the control right based on information regarding the candidate devices stored in the storage unit.

35. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the local area network is a home-based network.

36. A device control apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a first network interface unit for interfacing with an external network;

a second network interface unit for interfacing with a local area network;

a processor for selecting at least one device based on user information obtained by searching for at least one of an external database and an internal database accessible through the second network interface unit and generating control information regarding the selected at least one device based on the user information; and

a storage unit for storing a database based on the user information,

wherein the database stored in the storage unit corresponds to the internal database.