Open service gateway initiative-based home gateway apparatus and device registration method thereof

• US 8,055,802 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Park, Sang-do, Choi, Moon-jeong
• Primary Examiner(s): DIVECHA, KAMAL B
• Application Number:
  US11/313,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20060159110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 709/249, 709/250, 709/217, 709/227, 370/401, 370/395.54
• US Class Current: 709/249
• 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 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

An OSGi-based home gateway apparatus and a device register method includes a device detecting unit which detects at least one legacy device which does not load a controllable middleware from a plurality of home devices connected to the home network; an outside network interface which receives drive information of the detected legacy device through the outside network; a bundle creating unit which creates a legacy bundle by combining the input drive information and a predetermined network protocol which can be used in the home network; and a device registering unit which registers the created legacy bundle to the OSGi framework.

Claims

1. An Open Service Gateway Initiative (OSGi)-based home gateway apparatus which performs a matching process of a home network and an outside network, the apparatus comprising:

a storing device which stores information of at least one legacy device;

a device detecting unit which detects the legacy device, which does not load a controllable middleware and does not have any controllable middleware, from a plurality of different types of home devices connected to the home network, wherein the plurality of different types of home devices are based on a plurality of different network protocols and wherein the controllable middleware enables a remote controller located on the outside network to control the legacy device;

an outside network interface which receives drive information of the detected legacy device through the outside network;

a device interface unit which provides an interface with the detected legacy device and receives device information of the detected legacy device;

a bundle creating unit which creates a legacy bundle by combining the received drive information and a predetermined network protocol which can be used in the home network;

a device registering unit which registers the created legacy bundle in an OSGi framework; and

a controlling unit which discriminates whether meta data and drive information of the detected legacy device are stored in the storing device, and, if not, controls the outside network interface to request the meta data and the drive information to a service providing server located on the outside network,

wherein the device detecting unit discriminates a type of the detected legacy device by using the meta data of the detected legacy device and provides the discriminated type of the legacy device to the bundle creating unit, the bundle creating unit determines the predetermined network protocol based on the discriminated type of the detected legacy device and creates the legacy bundle using the drive information received from the service providing server and the determined network protocol, and the registered legacy bundle enables a remote controller to control the legacy device through the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus,

wherein the drive information comprises a driver of the detected legacy device and wherein the network protocol is one of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), a Jini and Home Audio Video interoperability (HAVi).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device detecting unit detects the legacy device by using a predetermined discovery protocol.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the discovery protocol is one of a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device information comprises at least one of a manufacturing company, a model name and a serial number.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storing unit further stores a network protocol which is set up as a default among a plurality of network protocols.

6. A device registration method of an OSGi-based home gateway apparatus which performs a matching process of a home network and an outside network, the method comprising:

detecting, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, at least one legacy device which does not load a controllable middleware and does not have any controllable middleware, from a plurality of different types of home devices connected to the home network, wherein the plurality of different types of home devices are based on a plurality of different network protocols and wherein the controllable middleware enables a remote controller located on the outside network to control the legacy device;

receiving, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, device information from the detected legacy device;

discriminating, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, whether meta data and drive information of the detected legacy device are pre-stored and if not, requesting the meta data to a service providing server located on the outside network;

when the requested meta data is received, checking, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, a device type of the detected legacy device based on the received meta data;

determining, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, a network protocol which can be used in the home network based on the checked device type;

requesting, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, drive information corresponding to the checked device type to the service providing server;

receiving, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, the drive information of the detected legacy device through the outside network;

creating, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, a legacy bundle by combining the received drive information and the determined network protocol; and

registering, by the OSGi-based home gateway apparatus, the created legacy bundle to an OSGi framework, wherein the registered legacy bundle enables a remote controller to control the legacy device through the OSGI-based home gateway apparatus,

wherein the drive information comprises a driver of the detected legacy device and wherein the network protocol is one of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), a Jini and Home Audio Video interoperability (HAVi).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein in the device detection, the legacy device is detected by using a predetermined discovery protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the discovery protocol is one of a DHCP and an ARP.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the device information comprises at least one of a manufacturing company, a model name and a serial number.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the bundle creation comprises:

identifying the network protocol used in the home network;

selecting the identified network protocol from a plurality of network protocols; and

creating the legacy bundle by combining the received drive information and the selected network protocol.