Home appliance remote control method and wireless network card

• US 8,538,409 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Bai, Chunsheng
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/515,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20120276891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 455/420, 340/12.22, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/7.56
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• 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: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for remotely controlling household appliances comprising: storing corresponding relation between household appliance identification information, operation action instructing information and control signal encoding format in a wireless network card integrated with a remote control circuit; a terminal sending a remote control command to a specified wireless network card, the remote control command carrying at least identification information of a controlled household appliance and operation action instructing information; and after receiving the remote control command, the wireless network card analyzing the remote control command and sending a control signal in a corresponding encoding format to the controlled household appliance using the remote control circuit according to the carried identification information of the controlled household appliance, the operation action instructing information and the locally stored corresponding relation. The present invention further provides a wireless network card.

Claims

1. A method for remotely controlling household appliances comprising:

integrating a remote control circuit in a wireless network card, and storing corresponding relation between household appliance identification information, operation action instructing information and control signal encoding format in the wireless network card;

a terminal sending a remote control command to a specified wireless network card, the remote control command carrying at least identification information of a controlled household appliance and operation action instructing information; and

after receiving the remote control command, the wireless network card analyzing the remote control command and sending a control signal in a corresponding encoding format to the controlled household appliance using the remote control circuit according to the carried identification information of the controlled household appliance, the operation action instructing information and the locally stored corresponding relation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the wireless network card is configured with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card;

and

in the step of the terminal sending the remote control command to the specified wireless network card, the terminal sends the remote control command to the specified wireless network card through a short message under control of a user.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

a format of the short message is:

command header+household appliance identification information+operation action instructing information, the command header being used for indicating that the short message is a remote control command; and

in the step of the wireless network card analyzing the remote control command and sending the control signal in the corresponding encoding format to the controlled household appliance using the remote control circuit, after analyzing the received short message, and only after determining that the short message is composed of three portions and carries the specific command header, the wireless network card sends the control signal in the corresponding encoding format to the controlled household appliance according to the identification information of the controlled household appliance and the operation action instructing information and the locally stored corresponding relation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the wireless network card is configured with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card;

and

the step of the terminal sending the remote control command to the specified wireless network card comprises;

the terminal remotely accessing to a host machine served by the wireless network card, and sending the remote control command to the wireless network card using corresponding software running on the host machine by sending a short message to the wireless network card.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:

a format of the short message is;

command header+household appliance identification information+operation action instructing information, the command header being used for indicating that the short message is a remote control command; and

in the step of the wireless network card analyzing the remote control command and sending the control signal in the corresponding encoding format to the controlled household appliance using the remote control circuit, after analyzing the received short message, and only after determining that the short message is composed of three portions and carries the specific command header, the wireless network card sends the control signal in the corresponding encoding format to the controlled household appliance according to the identification information of the controlled household appliance and the operation action instructing information and the locally stored corresponding relation.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein

storing the corresponding relation between the household appliance identification information, operation action instructing information and control signal encoding format in the wireless network card means that corresponding relation between the household appliance identification information, the operation action instructing information and key information is stored in the wireless network card, and corresponding relation between the key information and the control signal encoding format is stored in the remote control circuit;

and

the step of the wireless network card sending the control signal in the corresponding encoding format to the controlled household appliance using the remote control circuit comprises;

the wireless network card finding corresponding key information according to the household appliance identification information and the operation action instructing information carried in the remote control command and then sending the key information to the remote control circuit; and

the remote control circuit finding the corresponding control signal encoding format according to the received key information, and modulating and encoding the control signal in the encoding format to send to the controlled household appliance.

7. A wireless network card comprising a storage module, a receiving module, an analyzing module, a search module and a remote control circuit;

wherein

the storage module is configured to store corresponding relation between household appliance identification information, operation action instructing information and key information;

the receiving module is configured to receive a remote control command sent by a terminal, and send the remote control command to the analyzing module, the remote control command carrying at least identification information of a controlled household appliance and operation action instructing information;

the analyzing module is configured to analyze the received remote control command, and send the identification information of the controlled household appliance and the operation action instructing information carried in the analyzed remote control command to the search module;

the search module is configured to search in the storage module according to the received identification information of the controlled household appliance and the operation action instructing information, and send the searched corresponding key information to the remote control circuit; and

the remote control circuit is configured to store the corresponding relation between the key information and the control signal decoding format, and after receiving the key information, search the corresponding control signal encoding format, and modulate and encode the control signal in the encoding format to send to the controlled household appliance.

8. The wireless network card according to claim 7, wherein

the wireless network card is configured with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card;

and

the receiving module is configured to receive the remote control command sent by the terminal, i.e., receive the remote control command sent by the terminal through a short message.

9. The wireless network card according to claim 8, wherein

the format of the short message is:

command header+household appliance identification information+operation action instructing information, the command header being used for indicating that the short message is a remote control command; and

the analyzing module is configured to analyze the received remote control command by analyzing the received short message and sending the identification information of the controlled household appliance and the operation action instructing information carried in the remote control command to the search module only after determining that the short message is composed of three portions and carries the specific command header, and to send information carried in the analyzed remote control command to the search module.

10. The wireless network card according to claim 7, wherein

the wireless network card is configured with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, and further comprises a sending module;

the sending module is configured to send the remote control command to the receiving module through a short message; and

the receiving module is configured to receive the remote control command sent by the terminal, i.e., receive the remote control command sent by the sending module through the short message.

11. The wireless network card according to claim 10, wherein:

the format of the short message is;

command header+household appliance identification information+operation action instructing information, the command header being used for indicating that the short message is a remote control command; and

the analyzing module is configured to analyze the received remote control command by analyzing the received short message and sending the identification information of the controlled household appliance and the operation action instructing information carried in the remote control command to the search module only after determining that the short message is composed of three portions and carries the specific command header, and to send information carried in the analyzed remote control command to the search module.