Apparatus and method for controlling home appliances using zigbee wireless communication

• US 7,957,697 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Wan-Ki, Han, In-Tark, Han, Jin-Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jama; Isaak R
• Application Number:
  US11/952,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20080137572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/41.2, 370/255
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for controlling home appliances using zigbee wireless communication. The apparatus, includes: a memory for storing a control profile and an operation program, and operating the stored operation program; a display means for supporting interface with a user; a display input/output control means for controlling input/output of the display means; a first wireless network interface for transmitting/receiving wireless data to/from home appliances based on zigbee wireless communication; and a control means for forming Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) with the home appliances based on the first wireless network interface, displaying a list of controllable home appliances based on device product information transferred from the home appliances through the WPAN, reading a control profile in the memory upon home appliances control request of the user, and transferring the control profile through the first wireless network interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a plurality of home appliances using zigbee wireless communication, comprising:

a memory for storing a control profile and an operation program, and operating the stored operation program;

a display means for supporting interface with a user;

a display input/output control means for controlling input/output of the display means;

a first wireless network interface for transmitting/receiving wireless data to/from home appliances based on zigbee wireless communication; and

a control means for forming at least two or more Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) with the at least one of the respective home appliances based on the first wireless network interface, displaying a list of controllable home appliances for the respective WPAN formed based on device product information transferred from the home appliances through the WPAN, reading a control profile in the memory upon home appliances control request of the user, a control signal transform means for transferring the product information of the home appliances to the control means through the formed WPAN, receiving the control profile on the product information of the home appliances, transforming a wireless network control message transferred from the first wireless network into an infrared ray remote control signal based on the control profile, and controlling the home appliances, wherein each of the formed WPAN is based on the user being at a unique location, wherein the list of the controllable home devices for each of the respective formed WPANs have the respective home appliances which are exclusive of any of the other respective home appliance on the list of the controllable home devices in any of the other formed WPANs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second wireless network interface for receiving a new control profile on new home appliances from a server through broadband wireless communication.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control signal transform means includes:

a device recognizing unit for recognizing the product information of the home appliances;

a third wireless network interface for performing zigbee wireless communication with the first wireless network interface;

a processor for controlling procedures of transferring the recognized device product information to the first wireless network interface through the third wireless network interface, receiving a profile through the third wireless network interface, and transforming the transferred wireless network control message into an infrared ray remote control signal based on the control profile; and

an infrared ray signal transferring unit for transforming the wireless network control message into an infrared ray remote control signal by control of the processor, and transferring the infrared ray remote control signal to the home appliance.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the device recognizing unit recognizes the product information of the home appliances according to combination of dual inline package (DIP) switches by the user.

5. A method for controlling a plurality of home appliances based on a wireless network based integrated remote control having a zigbee wireless communication function, comprising the steps of:

forming at least two or more Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) by transferring a WPAN'"'"'s message format to home appliances based on zigbee wireless communication;

receiving device product information through the formed WPAN and transferring a control profile corresponding to the transferred device product information to each home appliance;

displaying a list of controllable home appliances for the respective WPAN formed to a user, creating a wireless network control message upon receiving a device control request of the user, and transferring the wireless network control message to the home appliances; and

transforming the transferred wireless network control message into an infrared ray remote control signal on the basis of transferred control profile in the home appliances,

wherein each of the formed WPAN is based on the user being at a unique location,

wherein the list of the controllable home devices for each of the respective formed WPANs have the respective home appliances which are exclusive of any of the other respective home appliance on the list of the controllable home devices in any of the other formed WPANs.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

receiving a control profile on home appliances, which is a new control object, from a server through broadband wireless communication when a control profile corresponding to the transferred device product information does not exist.