Remote control system for home appliances and method thereof

• US 6,987,462 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Chae Kyu, Moon, Kyeong Deok, Bae, Yu Seok, Oh, Bong Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM V
• Application Number:
  US10/271,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20030076240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/825.22, 340/825.49, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/10.5, 340/10.51, 340/10.52, 704/275, 704/270, 348/734, 348/906
• US Class Current: 340/12.5
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23051 Remote control, enter program remote, detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23386 Voice, vocal command or message
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23462 No local entry panel, only central remote programmer for all appliances
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25186 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25187 Transmission of signals, medium, ultrasonic, radio
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25192 Infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25196 Radio link, transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

Disclosed are system and method of remotely controlling the home appliance by employing the voice/character recognition technique. The appliance detects a connection relationship between the appliance and the mobile terminal and dynamically transmits the control code and a module for transmission. If the appliance control command is inputted through the voice control command input screen or the handwriting control command input screen, after the inputted command is interpreted through the voice/character recognition technique and is transformed to the control code of the appliance to be sent to the home appliance, the control code is sent to the home appliance to remotely control it. The function thereof may be extended to the environment capable of implementing the bi-directional communication with the appliance by receiving the control code from the appliance, while overcoming the limitation of the conventional terminal having a fixed function. In addition, since it is easy to add or delete the control function, a plurality of appliances can be effectively controlled by use of one terminal.

Claims

1. A method of remotely controlling a plurality of home appliances using one mobile terminal, the method comprising:

setting a network connection between the appliance and the terminal, when the terminal approaches within a certain distance from the appliance;

receiving information related to the appliance and a plurality of predefined control codes if the network connection is set between the appliance and the terminal;

inputting voice or character control command in the terminal to control the appliance;

interpreting the inputted voice or character control command through a recognition process;

transforming the command to a corresponding control code with the received predefined control codes supplied by the appliance;

comparing a transformed control code with the received predefined control codes supplied by the appliance;

transmitting the corresponding control code to the appliance in case of the controllable control code of the appliance through a radio protocol;

processing the control code by the appliance, generating the control result of the corresponding function of the appliance and transmitting it to the terminal; and

receiving the control results by the terminal and showing it.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is at least any one of a PDA, an HPC, a Cellular Phone, a PCS, and a wireless remote controller.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio protocol is at least any one of infrared rays communication, Bluetooth, and radio frequency.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of setting the network connection between the appliance and the terminal comprises steps of detecting whether the terminal approaches the appliance;

and if the terminal approaches within a certain distance from the appliance, receiving an information related to the appliance transmitted from the corresponding appliance, and after storing the received information, setting the network connection between the appliance and the terminal.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the information related to the appliance comprises at least any one of a manufacturing company, a model number, manufacturing data, a kind of appliance, an address of manufacturing company, and a telephone number of manufacturing company.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, after wirelessly transmitting the control code to the appliance, receiving control result information from the corresponding appliance and display the information to identify the control result by the user.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the appliance control result information is displayed on a screen or is outputted as a voice.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control code received from the appliance is stored in a memory, and simultaneously, is displayed to allow the user to identify the control code.

9. A method of controlling an appliance, comprising:

checking the interrupt of the mobile terminal occurs or not by the appliance;

detecting whether the mobile terminal approaches within a certain distance for a period by polling to check the approach of the terminal if no interrupt occurs;

setting a network connection between the appliance and the terminal by transmitting information related to the appliance from the appliance to the terminal through a radio protocol;

transmitting a plurality of predefined control codes to the terminal through a radio protocol;

inputting voice or character control command in the terminal to control the appliance;

interpreting the inputted voice or character control command through recognition process;

transforming the control command to a control code to control the appliance;

comparing the transformed control code with the received predefined control codes;

transmitting the control code to the appliance in case of the controllable control code of the appliance;

controlling a function of the appliance if corresponding control code exists;

generating the control result controlled by the appliance and transmitting the information to the terminal; and

receiving the control result by the terminal and showing it.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of setting the network connection between the appliance and the terminal comprises a step of switching to a receiving mode from the terminal.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the information related to the appliance comprises at least any one of a manufacturing company, a model number, manufacturing data, a kind of appliance, an address of manufacturing company, and a telephone number of manufacturing company.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of after controlling the function of the appliance, transmitting control result information to the terminal through a radio protocol.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the radio protocol is at least any one of infrared rays communication, Bluetooth, and radio frequency.

14. An apparatus of controlling a home appliance by use of a control code supplied from a mobile terminal, the apparatus comprising:

transmitting/receiving means for transmitting, from the appliance, detailed information related to the appliance to the terminal through a radio protocol, and receiving a plurality of control codes from the appliance transmitted to the terminal;

detecting means for detecting approach of the mobile terminal within a certain distance for a certain period through polling;

network connection setting means for setting a network connection between the terminal and the appliance, if the terminal approaches to the appliance within a certain distance;

input means for inputting control commands using voice or character and for transforming it to the corresponding control code for controlling the appliance;

appliance controlling means for comparing the control codes received through the transmitting/receiving means with an inputted control code and in case of the controllable control code of the appliance, transmitting it to the appliance controlling a corresponding function of the appliance; and

response processing means for generating the control result controlled by the appliance controlling means, and transmitting the information to the terminal through, the transmitting/receiving means.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising memory means for storing the information related to the appliance and the control code.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the radio protocol uses at least any one of infrared rays communication, Bluetooth, and radio frequency.

17. A computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of controlling an appliance, comprising:

checking the interrupt of the mobile terminal occurs or not by the appliance;

detecting whether the mobile terminal approaches within a certain distance for a certain period by polling to check the approach of the terminal if no interrupt occurs;

setting a network connection between the appliance and the terminal by transmitting information related to the appliance to the terminal through a radio protocol;

transmitting a plurality of pre-defined control codes to the terminal through a radio protocol;

inputting voice or character control command in the terminal to control the appliance;

interpreting the inputted voice or character control command through the recognition process;

transforming the control command to a corresponding control code to control the appliance;

comparing the transformed control code to the appliance in case of the controllable control code of the appliance;

controlling a function of the appliance if corresponding control code exists;

generating result information controlled by the appliance and transmitting the information to the terminal; and

receiving the control result information by the terminal and showing it.