COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR HOUSEHOLD ELECTRIC APPLIANCES AND MONITORING SYSTEM USING SAID DEVICE
First Claim
1. A communication device configured for the connection of one or more electrical appliances (HA1, HA2, HA3, UI), particularly household electric appliances, to a remote service centre (RMC), particularly a centre offering remote assistance and preventive maintenance services for said one or more electrical appliances (HAL HA2, HA3, UI), the communication device (HG) comprising:
- at least one control unit (AMC),first electric connection means (PLG), for the connection of the device (HG) to an alternating voltage electric mains network (Vac),second electric connection means (SK) for providing the alternating voltage of said network (Vac) to a power supply line or cable belonging to a first electric appliance (HA1),first communication means (CSA;
CSA1) operatively connected to the control unit (AMC) and prearranged for receiving information (D) possibly generated by said first electric appliance (HA1) and transmitted by means of said power supply line, the first communication means (CSA;
CSA1) comprising;
measuring means (PM1;
PM), connected between the first and the second connection means (PLG, SK) and prearranged for measuring at least one quantity EJ representative of the electric energy absorbed from said electric mains network (Vac) during a generic mains period TJ by said first electric appliance (HA1),comparison means (CMP;
MC) for comparing the value of said quantity EJ with at least one reference value (ER;
EH and EL),generator means (CMP;
MC) for generating a digital signal (D) whose logic state (DJ) during a considered period (TJ) of the mains voltage is a function of the result of the comparison performed by the comparison means (CMP;
MC) between the value of the quantity EJ-1 measured during the period TJ-1 of the mains voltage, i.e. the value of the quantity measured at the end of the mains period immediately preceding the considered period, with said at least one reference value (ER;
EH and EL),second communication means (ZB) operatively connected to the control unit (AMC) and prearranged for establishing a connection with a local area network (HN1),third communication means (GGM;
WB) operatively connected to the control unit (AMC) and prearranged for establishing a connection with a further communication network (Internet;
RTR, Internet), different from said local network (HN1) and adapted for communication with the remote service centre (RMC),the control unit (AMC) being prearranged foracquiring, by means of the first communication means (CSA;
CSA1), first information possibly generated by said first electric appliance (HA1) and transmitted by means of said power supply line or cable and/or second information regarding electric energy consumptions associated to the operation of said first electric appliance (HA1),acquiring, by means of the second communication means (ZB), third information possibly available on said local network (HN1), and transmitting to said remote centre (RMC), by means of the third communication means (GGM;
WB), at least one of the first, second and third information.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communication device, for connecting one or more electrical appliances to a remote service centre, comprises a control unit (AMC), means (PLG) for connecting the device (HG) to an alternating voltage electric mains network (Vac) and means (SK) for supplying the alternating mains voltage (Vac) to a power supply line of an electric appliance. The device (HG) further comprises first communication means (CSA), prearranged for receiving information possibly generated by the electric appliance and transmitted through the power supply line thereof, second communication means (ZB), prearranged for establishing a connection with a local area network (HN1) and third communication means (GGM), prearranged for establishing a connection with a further communication network, different from the local network (HN1), to which the remote service centre is connected. The control unit (AMC) is prearranged for acquiring by means of the first communication means (CSA), first information possibly generated by the electric appliance and transmitted through the power supply line thereof and/or second information regarding electric energy consumptions associated to the operation of is the electric appliance, acquiring, by means of the second communication means (ZB), third information possibly available on the local network (HN1), and transmitting to the remote centre (RMC), by means of the third communication means (GGM), at least one of the first, second and third information.
195 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A communication device configured for the connection of one or more electrical appliances (HA1, HA2, HA3, UI), particularly household electric appliances, to a remote service centre (RMC), particularly a centre offering remote assistance and preventive maintenance services for said one or more electrical appliances (HAL HA2, HA3, UI), the communication device (HG) comprising:
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at least one control unit (AMC), first electric connection means (PLG), for the connection of the device (HG) to an alternating voltage electric mains network (Vac), second electric connection means (SK) for providing the alternating voltage of said network (Vac) to a power supply line or cable belonging to a first electric appliance (HA1), first communication means (CSA;
CSA1) operatively connected to the control unit (AMC) and prearranged for receiving information (D) possibly generated by said first electric appliance (HA1) and transmitted by means of said power supply line, the first communication means (CSA;
CSA1) comprising;measuring means (PM1;
PM), connected between the first and the second connection means (PLG, SK) and prearranged for measuring at least one quantity EJ representative of the electric energy absorbed from said electric mains network (Vac) during a generic mains period TJ by said first electric appliance (HA1),comparison means (CMP;
MC) for comparing the value of said quantity EJ with at least one reference value (ER;
EH and EL),generator means (CMP;
MC) for generating a digital signal (D) whose logic state (DJ) during a considered period (TJ) of the mains voltage is a function of the result of the comparison performed by the comparison means (CMP;
MC) between the value of the quantity EJ-1 measured during the period TJ-1 of the mains voltage, i.e. the value of the quantity measured at the end of the mains period immediately preceding the considered period, with said at least one reference value (ER;
EH and EL),second communication means (ZB) operatively connected to the control unit (AMC) and prearranged for establishing a connection with a local area network (HN1), third communication means (GGM;
WB) operatively connected to the control unit (AMC) and prearranged for establishing a connection with a further communication network (Internet;
RTR, Internet), different from said local network (HN1) and adapted for communication with the remote service centre (RMC),the control unit (AMC) being prearranged for acquiring, by means of the first communication means (CSA;
CSA1), first information possibly generated by said first electric appliance (HA1) and transmitted by means of said power supply line or cable and/or second information regarding electric energy consumptions associated to the operation of said first electric appliance (HA1),acquiring, by means of the second communication means (ZB), third information possibly available on said local network (HN1), and transmitting to said remote centre (RMC), by means of the third communication means (GGM;
WB), at least one of the first, second and third information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An integrated circuit for measuring electrical quantities, of the type designed to be connected in series between a power supply line of an electric appliance (HAL HA2, HA3;
- UI) and a power supply socket associated to an alternating voltage electric mains network (Vac), the circuit (CSA) comprising measuring means (PM1), for measuring at least one quantity EJ representative of the electric energy absorbed from said electric network (Vac) during a generic mains period TJ by said electric appliance (HAL HA2, HA3, UI), characterised in that the circuit (CSA) further integrates;
hardware comparison means (CMP), for comparing the value of said quantity EJ with at least one reference value (ER;
EH and EL),hardware generator means (CMP), for generating a digital signal (D) whose logic state (DJ) during a considered period (TJ) of the mains voltage is a function of the result of the comparison performed by the comparison means (CMP) between the value of the quantity EJ-1 measured during the period TJ-1 of the mains voltage, i.e. the value of the quantity measured at the end of the mains period immediately preceding the considered mains period, with said at least one reference value (ER;
EH, EL). - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
- UI) and a power supply socket associated to an alternating voltage electric mains network (Vac), the circuit (CSA) comprising measuring means (PM1), for measuring at least one quantity EJ representative of the electric energy absorbed from said electric network (Vac) during a generic mains period TJ by said electric appliance (HAL HA2, HA3, UI), characterised in that the circuit (CSA) further integrates;
Specification