Device adapter for automation system

• US 6,535,110 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Xu, Jun, Arora, Anish K., Russell, Wilf G., Wang, Yi-Min
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/641,557
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 340/310.01, 340/506, 340/502, 340/505, 340/533, 340/3.1, 340/3.5, 340/286.02
• US Class Current: 340/12.32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

A device adapter for an automation system is disclosed. The device adapter includes at least a transmitter, a receiver, and a logic mechanism. The transmitter announces joining and leaving of the non-intelligent power line device to the automation system. The receiver receives commands from the automation system, and acts as a controller to control electricity to the non-intelligent power line device, depending on the commands received from the system. The logic mechanism determines when to instruct the transmitter to announce joining and leaving. The device adapter can also include a sensor. The sensor determines the on/off status of the power line device.

Claims

1. An interface for connecting a device to a power line network to enable an automation system to control and monitor the device, the interface comprising:

a transmitter to announce joining and leaving of the device to the automation system;

a receiver to receive commands from the automation system and to act as a controller to control the device depending on the commands received from the automation system; and

a logic mechanism to determine when to instruct the transmitter to announce joining and leaving of the device to the automation system, where the logic mechanism makes the determination without prompting from an external source.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein the interface resides within the device.

3. The interface of claim 1, wherein the interface is an adapter separate from the device.

4. The interface of claim 1, wherein the interface resides within a jack into which the device plugs.

5. The interface of claim 1, wherein the network is a power line network.

6. The interface of claim 1, wherein the network is an Ethernet network.

7. The interface of claim 1, wherein the network is a phone line network.

8. The interface of claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless network.

9. The interface of claim 8, wherein the wireless network is one of a radio frequency (RF) network and an infrared (IR) network.

10. The interface of claim 1, wherein the logic mechanism instructs the transmitter to announce joining of the device when an on/off status of the receiver is in the on state and an on/off status of the line device is in the on state.

11. The interface of claim 1, wherein the logic mechanism instructs the transmitter to announce leaving of the device when an on/off status of the receiver is in the on state and an on/off status of the device is in the off state.

12. A device adapter for connecting a non-intelligent power line device to a power line to enable an automation system to control and monitor the device, the device adapter comprising:

a transmitter to announce joining and leaving of the non-intelligent power line device to the automation system;

a receiver to receive commands from the automation system and to act as a controller to control electricity to the non-intelligent power line device depending on the commands received from the automation system; and

,

a logic mechanism to determine when to instruct the transmitter to announce joining and leaving of the non-intelligent power line device to the automation system, where the logic mechanism makes the determination without prompting from an external source.

13. The device adapter of claim 12, wherein the transmitter and receiver are integrated into a single transceiver.

14. The device adapter of claim 12, further comprising a sensor to determine an on/off status of the non-intelligent power line device, the receiver also having an on/off status, the on/off status of each of the non-intelligent power line device and the receiver having an on state and an off state.

15. The device adapter of claim 14, wherein the logic mechanism instructs the transmitter to announce joining of the non-intelligent power line device when the on/off status of the receiver is in the on state and the on/off status of the non-intelligent power line device is in the on state.

16. The device adapter of claim 14, wherein the logic mechanism instructs the transmitter to announce leaving of the non-intelligent power line device when the on/off status of the receiver is in the on state and the on/off status of the non-intelligent power line device is in the off state.

17. The device adapter of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a current sensor.

18. The device adapter of claim 12, further comprising at least one control to indicate an address indicating a physical location of the electrical outlet.

19. The device adapter of claim 12, further comprising a control to indicate a device type of the non-intelligent power line device.

20. The device adapter of claim 12, further comprising a control to indicate a device object class of the non-intelligent power line device.

21. An automation system for a plurality of devices and sensors, including one or more non-intelligent power line devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of system devices over which a software architecture for controlling and monitoring the plurality of devices and sensors is implemented;

a plurality of user access points for a user to access the software architecture to control and monitor the plurality of devices and sensors; and

,

a device adapter for each non-intelligent power line device to indicate at least a physical location and a device type of the device without prompting from an external source, and enable the device to be controlled and monitored through the software architecture.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of system devices includes a gateway device for connection to the Internet.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a power bridge to enable the plurality of devices and sensors that connect to a power line to be controlled and monitored through the software architecture.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising an infrared bridge to enable the plurality of devices and sensors that communicate through infrared signals to be controlled and monitored through the software architecture.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising a radio frequency bridge to enable the plurality of devices and sensors that communicate through radio frequency signals to be controlled and monitored through the software architecture.

26. In a system for remotely controlling power consuming devices distributed in a building, the system including a power line network connecting adapters to a source of control signals for controlling the operational state of the power consuming devices connected to the network by the adapters, a method comprising the steps of (1) connecting one of the adapters between a power outlet and one of the power consuming devices to form a connection to a power source, (2) assigning an identity to the connection, and (3) broadcasting the identity onto the power line network in response to a flow of power through the device.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the identity includes information describing a physical location of the device in the building.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the identity includes information describing an operating condition of the device.

29. An interface for connecting a device to a network to enable an automation system to control and monitor the device, the interface comprising:

a transmitter that provides information to the automation system describing a physical location of the device;

a receiver that receives commands from the automation system and controls the device in response to the commands; and

a logic mechanism that causes the transmitter to broadcast the information describing the physical location of the device without prompting from an external source.

30. The interface of claim 29 wherein the information includes information describing an operating condition of the device.

31. In a system for remotely controlling power consuming devices distributed in a building, the system including a network connecting adapters to a source of control signals for controlling the operational state of the power consuming devices connected to the network by the adapters, a method comprising the steps of (1) connecting one of the adapters between a power outlet and one of the power consuming devices to form a connection to a power source, (2) broadcasting information in response to a flow of power through the device, and (3) determining from the information a physical location of the device in the building.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the network is a power-distribution network.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the step of broadcasting includes broadcasting over the network.

34. The system of claim 31 wherein the step of broadcasting includes broadcasting over a wireless network separate from the network.