Home appliance networking system and method for controlling the same

• US 7,032,018 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• 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): Eng, David Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/211,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/202, 709/226, 709/231, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]

Abstract

A home appliance networking system and a method for controlling the same. The home appliance networking system comprises a plurality of passive home appliances for transmitting and receiving data to/from an internal network of a home networking system. The passive home appliances are controlled according to control commands received over the internal network. The home appliance networking system further comprises a plurality of active home appliances that transmit the control commands for the passive home appliances to the internal network, and a network manager that manages the internal network and controls data transmission and reception of the plurality of passive home appliances and the plurality of active home appliances.

Claims

1. A home appliance networking system comprising:

a network management device that controls transmission and reception of data over an internal network of a home networking system;

at least one active home appliance that transmits and receives data to/from said internal network, and sends a home appliance control command over said internal network; and

at least one passive home appliance that transmits and receives data to/from said internal network, said passive home appliance being controlled according to said control command sent from said active home appliance;

said active home appliance and said network management device storing information regarding said passive home appliance,

wherein said active home appliance comprises a product controller that controls an entire operation of said active home appliance to perform original functions of said active home appliance, a communication unit that enables said active home appliance to transmit and receive data to/from said internal network, and a memory that receives and stores an address assigned by said network management device.

2. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said network management device assigns an address to a new active home appliance when the new active home appliance is connected to said internal network.

3. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said new active home appliance transmits and receives data to/from said internal network on the basis of said address assigned by said network management device.

4. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said network management device sends said information regarding said passive home appliance connected to said internal network to said new active home appliance after assigning said address thereto.

5. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said network management device assigns an address to a new passive home appliance, when the new passive home appliance is connected to said internal network.

6. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said network management device recognizes information regarding said new passive home appliance after assigning said address thereto, and sends the recognized information to said active home appliance.

7. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said network management device sends to said active home appliance information indicating that said new passive home appliance has been connected to said internal network.

8. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said active home appliance transmits and receives data directly to/from said new passive home appliance to recognize information regarding said new passive home appliance.

9. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said passive home appliance sends information regarding a change in state of said passive home appliance to said internal network.

10. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said active home appliance updates said information regarding said passive home appliance with said information regarding a change in state sent from said passive home appliance.

11. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said network management device and active home appliance includes a storage device that stores said information regarding said passive home appliance connected to said internal network.

12. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a hub connected to said network management device; and

a gateway connected to both said hub and an external network of said home appliance networking system.

13. The home appliance networking system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said network management device is implemented in one of said active home appliance and said passive home appliance.

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

connecting a new active home appliance to an internal network of a home networking system, the new active home appliance sending a home appliance control command to the internal network;

setting and assigning an address to the new active home appliance by a network management device, and managing transmission and reception of data over the internal network by the network management device;

sending, by the network management device, information regarding a plurality of passive home appliances connected to the internal network to the new active home appliance;

storing said information regarding the plurality of passive home appliances in the new active home appliance;

controlling an entire operation of said new active home appliance to perform original functions of said new active home appliance with a product controller of said new active home appliance;

transmitting and receiving data to/from said internal network from/to a communication unit of said new active home appliance; and

storing an address assigned by said network management device in a memory of said new active home appliance.

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

connecting a new passive home appliance to an internal network of a home networking system, the new passive home appliance being controlled according to a control command sent over the internal network;

setting and assigning an address to the new passive home appliance by a network management device, and managing transmission and reception of data over the internal network by the network management device;

sending, by the network management device, information indicating that the new passive home appliance has been connected, to at least one active home appliance capable of inputting the control command;

the active home appliance recognizing and storing information regarding the new passive home appliance;

controlling an entire operation of said new active home appliance to perform original functions of said new active home appliance with a product controller of said new active

transmitting and receiving data to/from said internal network from/to a communication unit of said new active home appliance; and

storing an address assigned by said network management device in a memory of said new active home appliance.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, recognizing and storing information sending the information regarding the new passive home appliance to the active home appliance by the network management device.

17. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein recognizing and storing information includes transmitting and receiving, by the active home appliance, data directly to/from the new passive home appliance to recognize the information regarding the new passive home appliance.

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

sending, by at least one passive home appliance, information regarding a change in state of the at least one passive home appliance to an internal network of a home networking system, the passive home appliance being controlled according to a control command sent over the internal network;

updating, by at least one active home appliance, state information of the passive home appliance with the information sent, the active home appliance inputting the control command over the internal network;

controlling an entire operation of said new active home appliance to perform original functions of said new active home appliance with a product controller of said new active home appliance;

transmitting and receiving data to/from said internal network from/to a communication unit of said new active home appliance; and

storing an address assigned by said network management device in a memory of said new active home appliance.