Wireless terminal-interoperable home network system and method controlling the same

• US 7,301,456 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Han, Sun Mi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US10/917,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20050184865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/539.25, 340/565, 340/567, 340/531, 340/506, 340/286.02, 340/286.06, 348/143, 348/152, 348/153, 348/154, 348/155, 348/211.99, 348/211.3, 348/211.8, 348/211.11
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a wireless terminal-interoperable home network system and a method for controlling the same. A home server is linked with a security device and camera installed in a building to, when the security device senses entrance/exit of an outsider into/from the building, acquire an internal image of the building from the camera and send the acquired image to a wireless terminal of a user to enable the user to monitor the internal situation of the building in real time. The user can access the home server over a wireless communication network from a remote place outside of the building without separate access to the Internet to receive the internal image of the building and check the internal situation of the building on the basis of the received internal image, resulting in an increase in convenience of use.

Claims

1. A wireless terminal-interoperable network system, comprising:

a security device installed at a building that generates an alarm signal upon sensing one of an entrance into and an exit from the building by a person;

a camera that captures an internal image of the building; and

a server connected with said security device, at least one home appliance and said camera via an internal network of the building, the server controlling operations of said security device, said at least one home appliance and said camera in response to a control message transmitted from a wireless terminal connected to a wireless communication network, said server transmitting the image captured by said camera and the alarm signal generated by said security device to said wireless terminal over said wireless communication network,

wherein said server comprises;

a wireless communication module that performs wireless communication with said wireless terminal over the wireless communication network;

a controller that generates a control command to control the operation of at least one of said security device, said at least one home appliance and said camera in response to the control message from said wireless terminal, and that transmits an alarm signal from said security device and the image captured by said camera to said wireless terminal through said wireless communication module, and

a memory that stores product information of said at least one home appliance and the image captured by said camera.

2. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless terminal comprises:

a wireless communication module connected to the wireless communication network that transmits and receives data over the wireless communication network;

an input unit that receives input to control operations of at least one of said security device, said at least one home appliance and said camera;

a display that displays the image captured by said camera; and

a microcomputer that generates the control message based on the input received by said input unit, receives the image data from said server through said wireless communication module, and performs a data conversion process on the received image data so that it can be displayed on said display.

3. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 1, wherein said security device comprises:

a sensor that senses the one of the entrance into and the exit from the building;

a microcomputer that generates the alarm signal when said sensor senses one of the entrance and the exit; and

a communication module that transmits the alarm signal from said microcomputer to said server, receives a control command from said server, and transfers the received control command to said microcomputer.

4. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 3, wherein said sensor is an infrared sensor that checks a positional variation of an indoor heat source using infrared rays to sense movement of a person.

5. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a driver coupled with said camera that controls the camera to perform one of a pan function and a zoom function in response to a control command from said server.

6. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 5, wherein said camera comprises:

a memory that stores the captured image; and

a communication module that transmits the captured image stored in said memory to said server and receives a control command to control the operation of said camera from said server.

7. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 1, wherein said controller comprises:

a control command generator that generates the control command to control the operation of at least one of said security device, said at least one home appliance and said camera in response to the control message from said wireless terminal; and

a transmission control module that performs a data conversion process on the alarm signal from said one of said security device and the image captured by said camera so that it can be transmitted to said wireless terminal.

8. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 1, wherein said server further comprises:

a network module that at least one of transmits data to and receives data from at least one of said security device, said at least one home appliance and said camera over the internal network.

9. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 8, wherein said network module comprises:

a wireless modem that transmits and receives data using radio frequency (RF) communication.

10. The wireless terminal-interoperable network system according to claim 8, wherein said network module comprises:

a power line modem that transmits and receives data using power line communication.