Method for establishing a wireless communication connection between an automation component and a mobile operating terminal

• US 8,531,274 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Kiesel, Bruno, Scharnagl, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adnan, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US12/598,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,322 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 106, 340/572.1, 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices

Abstract

A method for establishing a wireless communication connection between an automation component and a mobile operating terminal is provided. The automation component reads out a first request from a tag, wherein the operating terminal has stored the first request on the tag using a read/write device, the operating terminal requesting information from the automation component by the first request via wireless communication connections provided by the automation component. The automation component stores the information via the wireless communication connection on the tag and then reads out a second request from the tag, wherein the operating terminal has stored the second request on the tag, the establishment of a first communication connection being requested in the second request. Further, a first communication module of the automation component intended for the first communication connection is activated, the operating terminal then establishing the first communication connection to the automation component.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a wireless communication connection between an automation component and a mobile operating terminal, the method being performed by the automation component, comprising:

reading out a first request from a tag by the automation component, the operating terminal having stored the first request on the tag using a read/write device, the operating terminal requesting by the first request information from the automation component about wireless communication connections provided by the automation component;

storing information about the wireless communication connections on the tag by the automation component;

reading out a second request from the tag by the automation component, the operating terminal having stored the second request on the tag, a first communication connection being requested in the second request in order to establish the wireless communication connection; and

activating a first communication module of the automation component based upon the second request, the first communication module being provided to supply the first communication connection.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication module is deactivated following termination or disconnection of the first communication connection.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after receiving the second request, connection information relating to the first communication connection is stored on the tag, wherein the operating terminal acknowledges reading out of the connection information and wherein the first communication connection is established by the operating terminal based upon the connection information using the activated first communication module.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein connection information about the first communication connection is included in the information about the wireless communication connections.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

initializing the tag before receipt of the first request, wherein the automation component initializes the tag again following reading out of the second request or following acknowledgement of reading out of the connection information by the operating terminal, or wherein the tag is initialized after successful deactivation of the first communication module.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein by the first request the read/write device writes a predefined value in the tag, the predefined value signaling to the automation component that the operating terminal wants to receive information about communication connections of the automation component that can be provided.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a set of communication connections are provided by the automation component,

wherein the information about wireless communication connections, which the automation component stores in the tag for the operating terminal, relates to all communication connections from the set of communication connections or

wherein the information about wireless communication connections, which the automation component stores in the tag for the operating terminal, relates to a selection of communication connections from the set of communication connections.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the automation component selects communication connections by using predefined parameters, an application program or the type of operating terminal.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein receipt of the first request and/or storage of information on the tag and/or receipt of the second request and/or activation of the first communication module and/or deactivation of the first communication module are displayed by one or more optical signals by the automation component.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the optical signals are produced by an LED.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when registering the first request, the automation component scans a sensor, wherein the steps following registration of the first request are only carried out by the automation component when the sensor detects a signal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor or a pressure sensor.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication connections include the first communication connection and a second communication connection, wherein the first communication connection is provided via the first communication module, wherein the second communication connection is provided via a second communication module, and wherein the second communication module is only activated to provide the second communication connection.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication connections are WLAN (IEEE 802.11), WIMAX (IEEE 802.16), ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4) and/or Bluetooth connections (IEEE 802.15.1) or the like, wherein the tag is an RFID tag or an NFC tag.

15. A method for establishing a wireless communication connection between an automation component and a mobile operating terminal, the method being performed by the operating terminal, comprising:

sending a first request to a tag using a read/write device;

reading out the tag using the read/write device, the operating terminal receiving information about wireless communication connections, wherein the communication connections are provided by the automation component, the information having been stored on the tag by the automation component based upon the first request;

selecting a first wireless communication connection from the wireless communication connections;

sending a second request to the tag using the read/write device, the selection of the first communication connection being displayed to the automation component with the second request; and

establishing the first wireless communication connection to a first communication module of the automation component, the first communication module having been activated by the automation component based upon the second request.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein, before establishing the first communication connection, the tag is read out using the read/write device, wherein the operating terminal receives connection information about the first communication connection, wherein the connection information from the automation component has been stored on the tag based upon the second request.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the information about the wireless communication connections is displayed to an operating terminal user, wherein the user selects the first communication connection.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the operating terminal automatically selects the first communication connection

when the automation component only provides information about the first communication connection or

when it is only possible for the operating terminal to establish the first communication connection.

19. An automation component, comprising:

a tag;

a first communication module;

means for reading out a first request from the tag by the automation component, wherein an operating terminal has stored the first request on the tag using a read/write device, wherein, by the first request, the operating terminal requests information from the automation component about wireless communication connections which can be provided by the automation components;

means for storing the information about the wireless communication connections on the tag by the automation component;

means for reading out a second request from the tag by the automation component, wherein the operating terminal has stored the second request on the tag, wherein a first communication connection is requested in the second request to establish the wireless communication connection, wherein the first communication connection is provided by the first communication module; and

means for activating and deactivating the first communication module.

20. The automation component as claimed in claim 19, further comprising:

means for storing connection information relating to the first communication connection on the tag;

means for registering acknowledgement of reading out of the connection information by the operating terminal;

means for initializing the tag;

means for selecting the communication connections from a set of communication connections, the communication connections of the set of communication connections being provided by the automation component via the corresponding communication modules, wherein the communication connections include at least the first communication connection and a second communication connection, the first communication connection being provided via the first communication module and the second communication connection being provided via a second communication module, wherein the second communication module is only activated to provide the second communication connection;

means for producing one or more optical signals for signaling receipt of the first request and/or storage of information on the tag and/or receipt of the second request and/or activation of the first communication module and/or deactivation of the first communication module; and

a sensor, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor or a pressure sensor.