Home appliance networking system and method for controlling the same

• US 6,633,781 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2002
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sang Kyun, Kim, Chang Ho, Oh, Ki Tae, Lee, Yeon Kyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Paladini, Albert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Douglas S.
• Application Number:
  US10/211,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20030181992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 700/19, 700/20, 700/83, 709/202, 709/223, 709/226, 709/231, 709/313
• US Class Current: 700/19
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23219 Different tasks in different memory, called as function of priority of tasks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23237 Program execution by message passing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

A home appliance networking system and a method for controlling the same. The home appliance networking system includes a plurality of passive home appliances controlled according to control commands sent over an internal network constructed for a home networking system, and a plurality of active home appliances for transmitting the control commands for the passive home appliances to the internal network. The plurality of active home appliances transmit different control commands each assigned a unique number to a specific one of the plurality of passive home appliances. The specific passive home appliance is controlled according to only a latest one of the input control commands.

Claims

1. A home appliance networking system comprising:

at least one passive home appliance that identifies a number assigned to a control command received over an internal network of a home networking system, said passive home appliance being controlled according to the received control command on the basis of the identified number and then sending notification information to said internal network to notify said internal network that said passive home appliance has been controlled according to said control command; and

at least one active home appliance that increases a number to be assigned to a control command to be transmitted to said passive home appliance in response to said notification information sent from said passive home appliance, assigns the increased number to said control command to be transmitted to said passive home appliance and transmits the resulting control command to said passive home appliance.

2. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said passive home appliance comprises:

a number identification unit that identifies a number assigned to a current control command currently sent over said internal network;

a number memory that stores a largest one of numbers assigned to a plurality of control commands previously sent over said internal network; and

a controller that controls said passive home appliance in response to said current control command if said number identified by said number identification unit is larger than the number stored in said number memory, and then stores said number assigned to said current control command in said number memory.

3. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said controller of said passive home appliance further transmits an acknowledgement signal to an active home appliance associated with said current control command after controlling said passive home appliance in response to said current control command.

4. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said controller of said passive home appliance further sends notification information to said internal network to notify that said passive home appliance has been controlled according to said current control command.

5. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said active home appliance includes:

a number memory that stores a number to be assigned to a control command input by a user; and

a controller that increases said number stored in said number memory upon receiving said notification information sent from said passive home appliance, and then assigns the increased number to the input control command and transmits the resulting control command to said passive home appliance.

6. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said controller of said active home appliance transmits a number request command to said passive home appliance to request sending of a number stored in a number memory of said passive home appliance.

7. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said controller of said passive home appliance sends said number stored in said number memory of said passive home appliance to said active home appliance in response to said number request command.

8. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said passive home appliance further comprises a control command memory for storing a control command sent over said internal network.

9. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said controller of said passive home appliance further determines whether said current control command is the same as a control command stored in said control command memory, and then transmits an acknowledgement signal to an active home appliance associated with said current control command if said current control command is the same as the control command stored in said control command memory.

10. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said number identification unit identifies a number by analyzing a header of a data packet of each of said control commands.

11. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said header contains any one of numbers 1 to 254.

12. A method for controlling a home appliance networking system, comprising:

assigning, by an active home appliance, a number to a home appliance control command to be sent to an internal network of a home networking system;

sending, by said active home appliance, said control command assigned said number to said internal network;

controlling a passive home appliance according to the sent control command to identify said number assigned to the sent control command;

determining, by said passive home appliance, based upon said identified number, whether said passive home appliance will be controlled according to said sent control command;

controlling said passive home appliance according to said sent control command if it is determined that said passive home appliance will be controlled according to said sent control command;

sending, by said passive home appliance, notification information to said internal network to notify said internal network that said passive home appliance has been controlled according to said sent control command; and

increasing, by said active home appliance, said number assigned to said control command upon receiving said notification information.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the determination comprises:

identifying, by said passive home appliance, said number assigned to said sent control command;

comparing, by said passive home appliance, said identified number with an existing control command number stored therein; and

determining, by said passive home appliance, that said passive home appliance will be controlled according to said sent control command, if said identified number is larger than said existing control command number.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said determination further comprises:

storing, by said passive home appliance, said identified number if said identified number is larger than said existing control command number; and

comparing, by said passive home appliance, a number assigned to a control command sent after said identified number is stored, with the stored number.

15. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by said passive home appliance, whether said sent control command is the same as a previous control command before performing the determination; and

not controlling said passive home appliance according to said sent control command if it is determined that said sent control command is the same as said previous control command.