Method and apparatus for a low data-rate network to be represented on and controllable by high data-rate home audio/video interoperability (HAVi) network

• US 6,199,136 B1
• Filed: 09/02/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Shteyn, Yevgeniy Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHUSTER, KATHARINA W
• Application Number:
  US09/146,020
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 710/10, 710/8, 710/100, 710/104, 710/72, 710/12, 710/9, 710/105, 710/129, 709/229, 709/220, 709/230, 709/209, 709/238, 709/321, 709/331, 709/328, 709/301, 709/305, 370/395, 370/260, 370/266, 370/420, 370/261, 370/263, 370/402, 370/278, 370/282, 359/118, 364/132, 364/140.03, 340/825.22, 340/825, 340/54
• US Class Current: 710/305
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• 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 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A PC-based home automation system uses a low data-rate transport layer and COM-based software components for control of devices in a home automation network. The home automation system is merged with a messaging-based HAVi-network that uses IEEE 1394 as a high data-rate transport layer. The HAVi-network controls audio/video equipment in a home entertainment system. The home automation services and devices are registered as a HAVi-compliant elements with the HAVi network'"'"'s FAV or IAV device. The home automation resources (devices and services) have both COM OLE Automation Interfaces and HAVI-compliant interfaces to permit control of the home automation system from the HAVi-network.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a high data-rate first control network to control a device in a low data-rate second network, wherein the first network comprises a Home Audio/Video interoperability (HAVi) network, and wherein the second network has a controller for control of the device through an application interacting with a software object representative of the device, the method comprising:

connecting the controller to the HAVi network using a HAVi-compliant transport layer;

providing a HAVi-compliant Self Describing Device (SDD) representative of a controllable functionality of the device in the low data-rate network; and

enabling registering the HAVi SDD on the HAVi network.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising enabling registering the second network as a Base Audio/Video (BAV) device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a directory for exposing the software object to the application, the method comprising:

enabling the directory to expose a HAVi-compliant interface to the first network for enabling the HAVi-network to query the directory; and

enabling registering the second network as an Intermediate Audio/Video (IAV) device on the HAVi network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the directory exposes a Component Object Model (COM) Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Automation Interface to the application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a software service exposing a native interface to the application, the method comprising:

enabling the software service to expose a HAVi-compliant interface to the first network; and

enabling registering the second network as a Full Audio/Video (FAV) device on the HAVi network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the native interface comprises an Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Automation Interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a Personal Computer (PC).

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the controller comprises a Personal Computer (PC).

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the controller comprises a Personal Computer (PC).

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the controller comprises a Personal Computer (PC).

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the controller comprises a Personal Computer (PC).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a Personal Computer (PC) with a Windows-based operating system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the software object has an Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Automation Interface to the application.

14. A method of enabling a first network to interact with a second network, wherein:

the first network comprises;

a high data-rate transport layer;

a first device having a first abstract representation for a first controllable functionality of the first device;

a second device having a second abstract representation for a second controllable functionality of the second device;

a first controller for control of the first and second devices through interaction with the first and second abstract representations that are registered with the controller with first and second identifiers, respectively; and

a messaging system for allocating the first and second identifiers for enabling the first device to send a message to the second device by invoking a messaging system Application Programming Interface (API) while using the second identifier;

the second network comprises;

a low data-rate transport layer;

a second controller with an operating system; and

a sub-system controllable through a software application on the second controller;

the method comprising;

enabling registering a resource of the second controller as a third device with the first controller using a third abstract representation for a third controllable functionality of the third device for enabling the first device to control the subsystem via the messaging system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first network comprises a Home Audio/Video interoperability (HAVi) network and wherein the second controller has a Windows-based operating system with a COM-based software service and a Component Object Model (COM) based Application Programming Interface (API) for enabling an application to control the sub-system.

16. A controller device for control of a home automation network using a low data-rate transport protocol, the controller device comprising:

a port for an IEEE 1394 high data-rate transport protocol;

a Windows-based operating system; and

a software component that comprises both an Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Automation Interface and a Home Audio/Video interoperability (HAVi) compliant interface,

wherein the controller device receives control signals via the HAVi-compliant interface and controls the home automation network via the OLE Automation Interface, in response to the control signals.