Network control system for home appliances

• US 7,853,662 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2001
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Baek, Seung-Myun, Ha, Sam-Chul, Lee, Koon-Seok, Kim, Dae-Woong, Koo, Ja-In, Kang, Sung-Hwan, Lim, Jeong-Hyun, Choi, Hwan-Jong
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz; Asad M
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUQ, FARZANA B
• Application Number:
  US10/478,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,449 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5408 using protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5425 improving S/N by matching impedance, noise reduction, gain control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• 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 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 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• 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 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/028 for synchronisation between service call and response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 : by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 : for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 : home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 : involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 : Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Disclosed is a network control system for home appliances that satisfies the characteristics of low-cost and high-efficiency with respect to currently used appliances adopting a low-performance microcomputer. The system is constructed to define a master/slave type communication structure with respect to the respective appliances; construct a network by connecting the appliances through the serial communication function; and enable the appliances to communicate with one another if a predetermined communication event is produced. According to the system, an optimized network for the home appliances can be implemented, and operation states of the respective appliances can be displayed through the co-operation among the appliances, thereby maximizing the user convenience.

Claims

1. A network control system for home appliances provided with a low performance microcomputer of 8 bits or less having a serial communication function, the system comprising:

a master and slave type communication structure, wherein at least one appliance in the group of appliances includes either at least one of a master device or a slave device;

each master or slave device having a communication standard consisting of an application layer, data link layer, and physical layer;

a network that connects the appliances through the serial communication function, wherein the appliances communicate with one another in the unit of a specified packet according to the communication structure and communication standard if a predetermined communication event is produced, wherein the communication standard of the at least one master device includes;

an application layer having regions of application software, message construction and division, and message combination;

a data link layer having regions of packet structure, confirmation of packet transmission, CSMA/CD, packet check, address check, and packet data reception; and

a physical layer having a UART,

wherein, the each master device or slave device on the network is recognized as an address which is divided into a physical address which includes at least a product code field and is fixed unchangeable, and a logical address field which is changeable through a communication, and

wherein the logical address is used for classifying the master device or slave device of the same kind or as a group address.

2. The network control system of claim 1, wherein at least one master device in the communication structure starts communication with a corresponding slave device if the predetermined communication event is produced, and ends the communication with the slave device if a predetermined communication condition is realized.

3. The network control system of claim 1,

wherein a slave device in the communication structure is always in a standby state of reception, and is configured to communicate if the communication is requested from the at least one of the mater device.

4. The network control system of claim 1, wherein at least one apparatus includes a combined master/slave in the communication structure that serves as a master device to lead communication with a corresponding slave device if the predetermined communication event is produced, and serves as the slave to maintain the standby state of reception if the communication is terminated.

5. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the physical layer further comprises an adapter for a power-line communication.

6. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one slave device of the communication structure has a communication standard comprising:

an application layer having regions of application software, message construction, message execution, message combination, and message redundancy check;

a data link layer having regions of packet construction, packet transmission, CSMA/CD, packet check, address check, and packet data reception; and

a physical layer having an UART.

7. The network control system of claim 6, wherein the physical layer further comprises an adapter for a power-line communication.

8. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the communication event includes a user event, periodic event, status event, error event, and external event.

9. The network control system of claim 1, wherein if an error is detected from the packet transmitted from the at least one master device, the at least one slave device transmits a response packet including an error code to the corresponding master.

10. The network control system of claim 9, wherein the error code includes a packet error, receiver error, bad command, illegal arguments, illegal access, and trouble code.

11. A home network system comprising:

a master device;

a slave device;

an adapter; and

a transmission medium connecting the master device, the slave device and the adapter,

wherein the master device transmits a request to the slave device and monitors the state of the slave device,

wherein the slave device transmits a response for the request to the master device and transmits a notification to the home network system,

wherein the adapter connects the master device or the slave device to the transmission medium;

wherein the master device and the slave device communicate with each other, by a packet, through an application layer, a data link layer, and a physical layer, according to a predetermined communication protocol,

the communication between the master device and the slave device initiated by a predetermined communication event,

the communication event indicating a change of a state of the master device or the slave device,

wherein the adapter communicates with the master device or the slave device by a serial communicating method using a UART (universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter) frame structure,

wherein the application layer of the master device has a function for application software, message construction, message division and message combination,

wherein the data link layer of master device has a function for packet structure, confirmation of packet transmission, collision management, packet check and packet data reception,

wherein the physical layer of the master device has a UART,

wherein the master device and the slave device have an address which comprises a physical address and a logical address,

wherein the physical address includes a product code field and is fixed and unchangeable,

wherein the logical address is changeable through a communication and is used for distinguishing the master device from a same kind of the master devices, distinguishing the slave device from a same kind of the slave devices or classifying the master device and/or the slave device into a group.

12. The home network system of claim 11, wherein the communication event includes a user event, periodic event, status event, error event, and external event.

13. The home network system of claim 11, wherein if an error is detected from the packet transmitted from the master device, the slave device transmits a response packet including an error code to the master device.

14. The home network system of claim 13, wherein the error code includes a packet error, receiver error, bad command, illegal arguments, illegal access, and trouble code.