Expandable home automation system
First Claim
1. A system for automatically controlling a plurality of remotely controllable subsystems within a house, said system also being useful for automatically performing a plurality of commands input to the system by a user, said system comprising:
- a programmed data processor;
at least one data interface means connected to said programmed data processor by means of a data bus, said at least one data interface means being connected to said plurality of remotely controllable subsystems for providing bidirectional direct communication between the subsystems and said programmed data processor;
visual communication interface means comprised of a high resolution video monitor and associated touchscreen interface, through which the system communicates information received from said subsystems and also accepts commands from said user, said commands being communicated to said system merely by the user touching said touchscreen interface means; and
audio communication interface means comprised of a voice recognition and speech system, through which the system and user communicate with each other, said voice recognition and speech system functioning together with said visual communication interface to provide cues to said user as to available commands, feedback of whether the current command has been accepted by the system and the results of performing said current command.
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Abstract
A system for and a method of providing an expandable home automation controller is disclosed which supports multiple numbers and multiple different types of data communications with both appliances and subsystems within the home as well as systems external to the home. The system is based upon a central processor, such as a microprocessor-based computer, and is connected by means of a data bus to control the various products and subsystems within a home or commercial building, such as lighting systems, security systems, various sensors, multiple external terminals, as well as to allow for the input of commands by a variety of means such as touchscreens, voice recognition systems, telephones, custom switches or any device capable of providing an input to a computer system. The system functions can be readily controlled by the user utilizing a high resolution graphics display and associated touchscreen interface.
1940 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for automatically controlling a plurality of remotely controllable subsystems within a house, said system also being useful for automatically performing a plurality of commands input to the system by a user, said system comprising:
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a programmed data processor; at least one data interface means connected to said programmed data processor by means of a data bus, said at least one data interface means being connected to said plurality of remotely controllable subsystems for providing bidirectional direct communication between the subsystems and said programmed data processor; visual communication interface means comprised of a high resolution video monitor and associated touchscreen interface, through which the system communicates information received from said subsystems and also accepts commands from said user, said commands being communicated to said system merely by the user touching said touchscreen interface means; and audio communication interface means comprised of a voice recognition and speech system, through which the system and user communicate with each other, said voice recognition and speech system functioning together with said visual communication interface to provide cues to said user as to available commands, feedback of whether the current command has been accepted by the system and the results of performing said current command. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for automatically controlling a plurality of remotely controllable subsystems within a house, said system also being useful for automatically performing a plurality of commands input to the system by a user, said system comprising:
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a programmed data processor; a plurality of data interface means connected to said programmed data processor by means of a data bus, said plurality of data interface means being connected to said plurality of remotely controllable subsystems for providing bidirectional direct communication between the subsystems and said programmed data processor; visual communication interface means comprised of a high resolution video monitor and associated touchscreen interface, through which the system communicates information received from said subsystems and also accepts commands from said user, said commands being communicated to said system merely by the user touching said touchscreen interface means; and a plurality of additional communication interface means, including at least two of a keypad, serial data keypad, a voice recognition system, hand-held remote control, computer keyboard and telephone, said at least two additional communication interface means being simultaneously connected with each other and said visual communication interface means to said programmed data processor such that said user may communicate commands to said system using any of said connected communication interfaces. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification