SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING EXTERNAL APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH DEVICE

• US 20140070925A1
• Filed: 09/10/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KO, Jae-woo, PARK, Se-jun, SHIN, Hang-sik
• Granted Patent: US 9,842,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/12.5
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles

Abstract

A method of controlling an external apparatus connected with a device includes: providing user input information used to determine a user'"'"'s intention; identifying an external apparatus controllable by a device; providing apparatus information of the identified external apparatus; receiving control information about the external apparatus, which is generated based on the based on the user'"'"'s intention and the apparatus information; and transmitting a control command to the external apparatus which is generated based on the received control information.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an external apparatus, the method comprising:

providing, to a server, user input information used to determine a user'"'"'s intention;

identifying an external apparatus controllable by a device;

providing apparatus information of the identified external apparatus, to the server;

receiving, from the server, control information about the external apparatus, which is generated, by the server, based on the user input information and the apparatus information; and

transmitting a control command to the external apparatus which is generated based on the received control information,

wherein the control information is generated based on the user'"'"'s intention.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a control condition for controlling the external apparatus is determined by the server based on the user'"'"'s intention, and

wherein the control information is generated by the server based on the control condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control information comprises information for checking whether the control condition is satisfied and information for controlling operation of at least one of the device and the external apparatus when the control condition is satisfied.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining condition information related to the control condition,

wherein the transmitting the control command comprises transmitting the control command to the external apparatus when it is determined that the control condition is satisfied based on the obtained condition information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the obtaining the condition information comprises obtaining the condition information from the external apparatus.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the condition information comprises information about at least one of a location of the device, an environmental condition around the device, and traffic at a preset location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control information comprises a plurality of control commands for controlling operation of at least one of a device and the external apparatus, and

the plurality of control commands are executed by at least one of the device and the external apparatus in a predetermined order.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input information comprises at least one of a text input by the user, a voice of the user, and a gesture of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus information comprises at least one of an identification value of the external apparatus, a type of the external apparatus, and a command used to control the external apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of external apparatuses controllable by the device; and

selecting the external apparatus related to the user'"'"'s intention from the plurality of external apparatuses,

wherein the control command is a command for operating the selected external apparatus.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing apparatus information of another external apparatus, to the server,

wherein the control information comprising a control command about the another external apparatus is generated by the server.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to execute the method of claim 1.

12. A method of providing control information for controlling an external apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving user input information from a device;

receiving apparatus information of the external apparatus controllable by the device;

determining a user'"'"'s intention based on the user input information;

generating control information for the external apparatus based on the determined user'"'"'s intention and the apparatus information; and

providing the control information to the device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a control condition for controlling the external apparatus, based on the user'"'"'s intention,

wherein the generating the control information comprises generating the control information based on the control condition.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control information comprises information for checking whether the control condition is satisfied and information for controlling operation of at least one of the device and the external apparatus when the control condition is satisfied.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein condition information related to the control condition is obtained based on the control information, and

the control command is transmitted to the external apparatus when it is determined that the control condition is satisfied, based on the obtained condition information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the condition information is obtained by the device by using the external apparatus.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the condition information comprises information about at least one of a location of the device, an environmental condition around the device, and traffic at a preset location.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the control information comprises a plurality of control commands for controlling operation of at least one of the device and the external apparatus, and

the plurality of control commands are executed by at least one of the device and the external apparatus in a predetermined order.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the user input information comprises at least one of a text input by the user, a voice of the user, and a gesture of the user.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the apparatus information comprises at least one of an identification value of the external apparatus, a type of the external apparatus, and a command used to control the external apparatus.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving apparatus information comprises receiving apparatus information of a plurality of external apparatuses controllable by the device,

the external apparatus is selected from the plurality of external apparatuses based on the user'"'"'s intention, and

the control information is information for operating the selected external apparatus.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the apparatus information comprises receiving apparatus information of another external apparatus, and

the generating the control information comprises generating the control information comprising a control command about the another external apparatus.

23. A device comprising:

a memory configured to store a program; and

a processor configured to control an external apparatus by executing the program,

wherein the program comprises commands which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

identify the external apparatus controllable by the device;

provide apparatus information of the external apparatus, to a server;

receive, from the server, control information about the external apparatus, which is generated based on user input information and the apparatus information; and

transmit a control command to the external apparatus based on the received control information,

wherein the user input information is used when the server determines a user'"'"'s intention, and the control information is generated, by the server, based on the user'"'"'s intention.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein a control condition for controlling the external apparatus is determined based on the user'"'"'s intention, and

the control information is generated based on the control condition.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the control information comprises information for checking whether the control condition is satisfied and information for controlling operation of at least one of the device and the external apparatus when the control condition is satisfied.

26. The device of claim 23, wherein the control information comprises a plurality of control commands for controlling operation of at least one of the device and the external apparatus, and

the plurality of control commands are executed by at least one of the device and the external apparatus in a predetermined order.

28. A method comprising:

determining a user'"'"'s intention;

selecting an external apparatus configurable to be controlled to fulfill the user'"'"'s intention;

generating a control command to control the selected external apparatus, based on the user'"'"'s intention; and

transmitting the control command to the external apparatus to fulfill the user'"'"'s intention.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

generating a control condition to be satisfied to fulfill the user'"'"'s intention;

determining whether the control condition is satisfied; and

controlling the external apparatus to perform an action when the control condition is satisfied.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the determining the user'"'"'s intention comprises obtaining a user action command via at least one of a text input by a user, a voice of the user, and a gesture of the user.