Method of operating a mobile control unit of a home-automation installation

• US 9,122,256 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somfy Activites SA (Somfy SA)
• Original Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Inventors: Payan, Pascal, Pellarin, Florent, Grehant, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US13/881,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/404.2, 455/411, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/41.2, 455/420, 455/414.1, 455/421, 455/422.1, 455/466, 455/556.1, 455/557, 709/218, 709223-224, 370/254, 370/216, 370/311, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833

Abstract

Method of operating a mobile control unit intended to form part of a home-automation installation comprising elements including items of equipment fixed in a building, the elements of the installation communicating over a home-automation network, each element being furnished with an identifier which is specific to it and with an authentication key, termed “common key”, identical for all the elements of the home-automation network and authenticating an element'"'"'s membership to the home-automation network, characterized in that it comprises:—a step of locating the mobile control unit with respect to a contour containing the elements of the home-automation installation, the mobile unit comprising a means of network linking to the home-automation network,—a step of automatic invalidation of the common key contained in the mobile control unit in the case where the mobile control unit is situated outside the contour.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile control unit intended to form part of a home-automation installation comprising elements including appliances fixed in a building, the elements of the installation communicating on a home-automation network, each element being provided with its own specific identifier and with a common key for all the elements of the home-automation network and authenticating each element'"'"'s membership of the home-automation network, the common key being an authentication key, wherein the method comprises:

a step of locating the mobile control unit with respect to a contour containing the elements of the home-automation installation, the mobile unit comprising a means for network linking to the home-automation network and the mobile unit including the common key,

a step of automatically invalidating the common key contained in the mobile control unit in the case where the mobile control unit is situated outside the contour.

2. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contour is defined by geolocation, the mobile control unit comprising a localization means (LOC) delivering a position information.

3. The operating method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the position information is defined by a spatial mesh able to differentiate the respective positions of two elements of the home-automation installation.

4. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contour is defined by an envelope of the limits of radio communication between the mobile control unit and each appliance.

5. The operating method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the method comprises a step of broadcasting a response request message by the mobile control unit and a step of transmitting a response message by each appliance that received the first message.

6. The operating method as claimed in claim 5, wherein one of the transmission steps is carried out at reduced power.

7. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the invalidation step comprises the erasure of the common key and/or a blocking of the use of the common key contained in the mobile control unit.

8. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the invalidation step comprises a change of the common key contained in all the elements, with the exception of the mobile control unit.

9. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the invalidation step is activated if the user of the mobile control unit has been identified as a particular user of a first type and/or is not activated if the user of the mobile control unit has been identified as a particular user of a second type.

10. The operating method as claimed in claim 9, wherein identification as a particular user results from at least one of the following events:

receipt of a particular command by the mobile control unit,

transmission of a particular command by the mobile control unit.

11. A means for linking to a home-automation network for a home-automation installation comprising elements including appliances fixed in a building, the elements of the installation communicating on the home-automation network, each element being provided with its own specific identifier and with a common key identical for all the elements of the home-automation network and authenticating an element'"'"'s membership of the home-automation network, the common key being an authentication key, the linking means comprising at least one common key memory including the common key and able to communicate on a home-automation network with the aid of messages authenticated by virtue of the common key, wherein the means comprises a means for automatically invalidating the common key, wherein the linking device is configured to be integrated with a mobile device to form a mobile control unit comprising a means for network linking to the home-automation network and the mobile unit including the common key.

12. The linking means as claimed in claim 11, wherein, when it is activated, the invalidating means inhibits the common key when no response signal is received in response to a network appliances interrogation message, transmitted by the linking means.

13. The linking means as claimed in claim 11 wherein the linking means comprises means for connecting to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes a mobile telephone.

16. The linking means as claimed in claim 12, wherein the linking means comprises means for connecting to a mobile telephone.

14. A mobile control unit comprising:

a linking means comprising memory including the common key and able to communicate on a home-automation network with the aid of messages authenticated by virtue of the common key, wherein the linking means comprises a means for automatically invalidating the common key, and non-transitory program memory for implementing, when executed by a processor, program instructions for an operating method comprising,

a step of locating the mobile control unit with respect to a contour containing the elements of the home-automation installation, the mobile unit comprising a means for network linking to the home-automation network and the mobile unit including the common key,

a step of automatically invalidating the common key contained in the mobile control unit in the case where the mobile control unit is situated outside the contour,

wherein the home-automation network is for a home-automation installation comprising elements including appliances fixed in a building, the elements of the installation communicating on the home-automation network, each element being provided with its own specific identifier and with the common key being identical for all the elements of the home-automation network and authenticating each element'"'"'s membership of the home-automation network, the common key being an authentication key.

15. An installation comprising:

a mobile control unit comprising a linking means comprising at least one common key memory including the common key and able to communicate on a home-automation network with the aid of messages authenticated by virtue of the common key, wherein the means comprises a means for automatically invalidating the common key, and non-transitory program memory for implementing, when executed by a processor, program instructions for an operating method comprising,

a step of locating the mobile control unit with respect to a contour containing the elements of the home-automation installation, the mobile unit comprising a means for network linking to the home-automation network and the mobile unit including the common key,

a step of automatically invalidating the common key contained in the mobile control unit in the case where the mobile control unit is situated outside the contour; and

a plurality of elements including appliances fixed in a building, the elements of the installation communicating on the home-automation network, each element being provided with its own specific identifier and with the common key being identical for all the elements of the home-automation network and authenticating each element'"'"'s membership of the home-automation network, the common key being an authentication key.