Home automation system and method for controlling the same

• US 9,124,442 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: McCormack, James Joseph Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, ANTHONY T
• Application Number:
  US13/380,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20120165990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 700/275, 370/329, 718/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

The invention relates to a home automation system and a method for controlling the same. In order to stably control a continuing concerted adjustment action of a continuously variable parameter by means of few and low-sized commands in order to avoid overloading of a low-data rate network while providing means for fast and unobtrusive correction of failures due to missed commands, it is provided a method for controlling a wireless home automation system, the home automation system being arranged as a network comprising at least one controller and a plurality of devices, wherein the method comprises the steps of sending a start command from the controller to a group of devices comprising an action type and a transaction ID and sending a stop command from the controller to the devices comprising the transaction ID and a controller counter.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a wireless home automation system comprising at least one controller and at least one device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the controller, a start command;

initiating, in response to the start command, a controller counter count at said controller;

sending the start command from the controller to the device, the start command comprising the controller counter count; and

receiving, at the controller, a stop command;

sending the stop command from the controller to the device;

sending a stop acknowledgement from each device to the controller, the stop acknowledgement comprising a device counter count; and

checking, by the controller, whether a stop acknowledgement from all devices has been received and/or whether all received device counter counts correspond to the controller counter count.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the home automation system comprises two or more devices.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the start command further comprises an action type, a transaction ID, and/or an action rate or a step number n with a transition time t.

4. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the controller, one or more intermediate commands;

incrementing, for each received intermediate command, the controller counter count; and

sending said one or more intermediate commands to the device, each of the one or more intermediate commands comprising the controller counter count.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the one or more intermediate commands further comprise the transaction ID, the action type, and/or the action rate or the step number n with the transition time t.

6. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending from the controller, if the stop acknowledgement from a device is missing or if a device counter is different from the controller counter, a stop correction command comprising the stop command to the missing or erroneous device.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the erroneous device sends a stop correction command acknowledgement to the controller.

8. Method according to 1, wherein the stop acknowledgements from the devices are sent with a device-specific delay time.

9. Method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

correcting a device counter count of a device, and a corresponding device status, if the device counter count is not in agreement with the controller counter count.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the home automation system comprises a lighting system, and further wherein the start command comprises a light dimming action.

11. A home automation system, comprising:

at least one device;

at least one controller, the controller comprising a wireless transceiver configured or wireless communication with the devices, and further comprising a controller counter configured to initiate a controller counter count in response to a start command received from a user, wherein the controller is further configured to send to the at least one device the received start command and a stop command, wherein the start command and the stop command comprise the controller counter count, and wherein the controller is further configured to check a stop command acknowledgment received from the at least one device in response to the stop command.

12. Home automation system according to claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to send a stop correction command to any of the at least one device where a device counter count differs from the sent controller counter count.

13. Home automation system according to claim 11, wherein the home automation system comprises a lighting control system with at least one light source and/or at least one light shield, and wherein the start command comprises modification of one or more light properties.

14. Home automation system according to claim 11, wherein the home automation system comprises a sound control system with at least one loud speaker and wherein the start command comprises a sound regulation action.