CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140032004A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Eun-hee, YU, Seung-dong, CHANG, Woo-yong, EOM, Ju-il, HWANG, Chang-hwan
• Granted Patent: US 9,146,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities 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 12/282 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 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A control device which controls the power of a plurality of apparatuses in a home network, and a method thereof are provided. The control device includes an input unit which receives a power off command, and a control unit which concurrently turns off apparatuses which are currently turned on among the plurality of apparatuses in response to the power off command received by the input unit. Therefore, it is possible for a user to concurrently turn off currently running apparatuses so user convenience can increase.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive power state information of each of a plurality of apparatuses in a home network, to transmit the received power state information to an external device, and to receive a power off command from the external device; and

a controller configured to, in response to the power off command received from the external apparatus, control the communication unit to transmit a command to concurrently turn off only apparatuses which are currently turned on, among the plurality of apparatuses.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the power state information of each of the plurality of apparatuses comprises identification information and power code information associated with each of the plurality of apparatuses.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein a single power control code is used to control power of the plurality of apparatuses, and the controller is configured to control the communication unit to transmit the power control code to only the apparatuses which are currently turned on, among the plurality of apparatuses, to control all the apparatuses which are currently turned on to be turned off.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to confirm that at least one apparatus is currently turned on, if at least one response is received from the at least one apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses within a predetermined period of time after queries are transmitted to the plurality of apparatuses.

5. A method of controlling a plurality of apparatuses in a home network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a device, power state information of each of a plurality of apparatuses in a home network;

transmitting, from the device, the received power state information to an external device;

receiving, by the device, a power off command from the external device; and

transmitting, from the device, a command to concurrently turn off only apparatuses which are currently turned on, among the plurality of apparatuses, in response to receiving the power off command.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the power state information of each of the plurality of apparatuses comprises identification information and power code information associated with each of the plurality of apparatuses.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a single power control code is used to control power of the plurality of apparatuses, and

wherein the method further comprises transmitting, from the device, the power control code to only the apparatuses which are determined to be currently turned on, among the plurality of apparatuses, to control all the apparatuses which are currently turned on to be turned off.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving the power state information comprises, if at least one response is received from the at least one apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses within a predetermined period of time after queries are transmitted to the plurality of apparatuses, confirming that the at least one apparatus is currently turned on.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program which causes a device to execute a method of controlling a plurality of apparatuses in a home network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a device, power state information of each of a plurality of apparatuses in a home network;

transmitting, from the device, the received power state information to an external device;

receiving, by the device, a power off command from the external device; and

transmitting, from the device, a command to concurrently turn off only apparatuses which are currently turned on, among the plurality of apparatuses, in response to receiving the power off command.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 9, wherein the power state information of each of the plurality of apparatuses comprises identification information and power code information associated with each of the plurality of apparatuses.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 9, wherein a single power control code is used to control power of the plurality of apparatuses, and

wherein the method further comprises transmitting, from the device, the power control code to only the apparatuses which are determined to be currently turned on, among the plurality of apparatuses, to control all the apparatuses which are currently turned on to be turned off.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 9, wherein the receiving power state information comprises, if at least one response is received from the at least one apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses within a predetermined period of time after queries are transmitted to the plurality of apparatuses, confirming that the at least one apparatus is currently turned on.

13. A system comprising:

a device configured to be communicably connected to a plurality of apparatuses; and

a control device configured to control the plurality of apparatuses via the device,

wherein the device is further configured to receive power state information of each of the plurality of apparatuses in a home network, to transmit the received power state information to the control device, to receive a power off command from the external device, and in response to the power off command received from the external apparatus, to transmit a command to concurrently turn off only apparatuses which are currently turned on among the plurality of apparatuses,

wherein the control device is further configured to receive the power state information from the device, determine which apparatuses among the plurality of apparatuses are currently turned on based on the power state information, and transmit the power off command to the device in response to a single user input being received.