EP1314141A1

EP1314141A1 - Device for automated control of an electrical equipment by a person

Info

Publication number: EP1314141A1
Application number: EP01963115A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Daniel Jourdain; Roland Airiau; Pascal Cerruti; Jean-Jacques Damlamian; Bruno Graff
Original assignee: France Telecom SA
Current assignee: Orange SA
Priority date: 2000-08-22
Filing date: 2001-08-21
Publication date: 2003-05-28
Also published as: US20040046640A1; WO2002017240A1; FR2829272A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a device comprising a common personal object and/or clothing item (1) worn by a person, containing data characterising said person and first communication means adapted to transmit a control signal including said characteristic data and second communication means provided in the electrical equipment adapted to retrieve the person's characteristic data and control said equipment in accordance with said characteristic data. The invention is applicable to automated control of an electrical equipment.

Description

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATED CONTROL OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT BY A PERSON

The present invention relates to a device for automated control of electrical equipment by a person.

The invention applies very generally to the field of data transfers and in particular man-machine interfaces. A more specific field of application of the invention relates to the automated control of electrical equipment causing the triggering of actions relating to the operation of said equipment, such as starting or stopping for example.

In the remainder of this thesis, electrical equipment will mean any electronic, computer, home automation, multimedia, telecommunications or other device.

Currently, most electrical equipment, of the domestic type for example, can be equipped with an external control actuated by any user (except protection by a code) or a time-related control. However, few of them are controlled by the physical presence of a characteristic data, such as an identifier, specific to a given person.

The known prior techniques have the disadvantage that the starting of an electrical equipment, even in standby situation, requires a voluntary action, then leaves all freedom to the user (except new coded action), then stops by a power cut, the assembly being generally independent of the user. In particular, the remote controls do not make it possible to recognize the user and then restrict by prior programming the use of the equipment to given periods and durations as well as on precise functions. Also, the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention is to propose an automated device for controlling a electrical equipment by a person, which would make it possible in particular to be able to individually control the programming of electrical equipment by the simple presence of the user within a perimeter and for a defined period. The solution to the technical problem posed consists, according to the present invention, in that said device comprises, on the one hand, a usual personal object and / or clothing worn by the person, containing data characteristic of said person and first means of communication capable of emitting a control signal including said characteristic data, and, on the other hand, second communication means arranged in the electrical equipment and capable of extracting the characteristic data of the person and of controlling said equipment in accordance with said characteristic data .

Thus, the automated control device according to the invention has the particular effect of diverting the usual use of a small personal object, such as watch, ring, bracelet, brooch, in order to be able to use it as a pre-programmed interface electrical equipment.

Two modes of implementing the device of the invention can be envisaged. According to a first mode, said equipment is controlled by the simple presence of the personal object within a defined perimeter, said control signal being emitted permanently. The order is in a way carried out without the knowledge of the person, without voluntary positive intervention.

According to a second mode, said control signal is emitted by an action on said personal object. The order is this time made by a voluntary intervention of the person. In this case, said personal object includes functions for controlling said second communication means including pressing a button, choosing an icon on a screen, and / or voice recognition. Advantageously, the invention provides that said first and / or second means of communication are produced by a wireless link. short distance of low power, in order to avoid problems of consumption and frequent change or recharging of batteries. Said wireless link is, in particular, a radio type link.

In addition, it should be emphasized that the device of the invention covers a large number of commands which can be automated since it is intended that said characteristic data relate to the use, the starting up, the unlocking of a key, the shutdown and / or restriction of use, sending messages, putting in a specific mode of operation of the equipment according to the person. Another particularly advantageous arrangement of the invention consists in that said control between the personal object and the electrical equipment is bidirectional.

This last characteristic allows the personal object to receive various information from the electrical equipment, such as an acknowledgment, updates (identifying in particular), renewal of keys, etc.

In addition, when, according to the invention, said electrical equipment consists of another personal object, possibly identical, people belonging to the same group, for example children, can exchange information with each other by simple action on their personal object , like a watch.

Finally, the invention advantageously proposes that the personal object also comprises a memory for storing personal information concerning the person carrying said object, said personal information being able to be read by and / or communicated to the electrical equipment. The personal object, such as a watch, is then considered to be a database to which the electrical equipment, a mobile phone or an electronic agenda for example, can access via said first and second means of communication, radio link in particular. This stored personal information can thus be read by others people, or communicated in the case of a two-way link, without the bearer of the personal object needing to activate it.

The description which follows with reference to the appended drawing, given by way of nonlimiting example, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an automated control device according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an automated control device for electrical equipment by a person, for example a child, determined by the wearing of a usual personal and / or clothing object 1 of this person, of the icon watch type, analog or needle, ring, bracelet, necklace, brooch, etc.

The electrical equipment likely to be controlled by said person are, in general, constituted by electronic, computer, home automation, multimedia, telecommunications, or other devices. A number of examples of electrical devices of this type have been indicated in FIG. 1 according to the environment of a child taken as the person intended to exercise on these devices control actions via said personal object 1. In the “children” environment, the personal object 1 is represented by a watch worn by a child. We note in Figure 1 that the electrical equipment controlled by the object 1 is not only an object of a different nature but can be another personal object, here an identical object, namely a watch worn by another child of the same family, the same school, etc.

In this context, but without this being limiting, it can be provided very generally that the command from one personal object to another is bidirectional. Thus it becomes possible for children to exchange information in the form of links for example, by a simple action on their respective watch or by their simple presence in the same perimeter. In the “home” environment, there are toys 13 powered by batteries (dolls, bears, etc.), household or computer equipment, such as a personal computer 11, a personal assistant, or even a television 12. In the 'parent' environment, said electrical equipment can be a cell phone 22 or a watch 21 equipped with means of communication allowing parents in a remote situation to stay in touch with their children.

In the "outside" environment, the children are in contact with safety equipment such as location terminals 23.

Whatever the environment envisioned, said personal object 1 is equipped with first means of communication, such as a low power short distance wireless radio link of the Bluetooth type for example. These means are capable of transmitting a permanent or non-permanent control signal present in the application layers of the radio link used: Bluetooth or others. This control signal includes characteristic data of the person which can be an identifier of the object, therefore of the wearer, the access and the conditions of access to the service offered by the electrical equipment. If necessary, the certification of the wearer can be carried out by biometric sensor with signature or voice recognition, fingerprints, ocular iris, or other morphological characteristic with memory / comparison function in the personal object 1 or the receiver of the equipment.

Said characteristic data also concerns actions to be carried out on electrical equipment, such as the use, starting, unlocking of a key, stopping and / or restriction of use, emission of messages (welcome message or acknowledgment of receipt towards object 1, siren of alert or radio signal triggering in return an alarm in object 1, setting in a specific mode of operation according to the person ( choice of channel, application or software, portal or website). Regardless of the applications envisaged, two general modes of operation of the device according to the invention are provided, namely, either the equipment is controlled without the knowledge of the person by the simple presence of the personal object within a defined perimeter, said command signal being emitted permanently, or the command signal is emitted by a voluntary action on said personal object. In the latter case, said personal object includes functions for controlling said second means of communication including pressing a button, choosing an icon on a screen, and / or voice recognition. In addition, object 1 can also include a memory for storing personal information concerning the person carrying said object. In this case, the storage memory is assimilated to a database, the content of which can be downloaded into the electrical equipment, via the link between the first and second means of communication, when said electrical equipment is activated by the control signal. . This is how personal information of a watch, including the storage memory, can be read by and / or transmitted to electrical equipment constituted by a mobile telephone or an electronic agenda for example. Finally, in order to allow parents, for example, to control the use by their children of the electrical equipment concerned, it is intended that said characteristic data include limited and / or exclusive access to the person carrying the object 1.

For its part, the electrical equipment under consideration is provided with second means of communication, compatible for example with the low power short distance radio link of the personal object 1 carried by the person. These second means are capable of extracting from the control signal received the characteristic data of the person and of controlling said equipment in accordance with these characteristic data. In particular, the equipment recognizes the identifier within a given perimeter (a few meters to several tens of meters for example) and, if certain programmable constraints are respected (time, duration, distance, etc.), triggers a series of actions as defined above and whose programming has also been memorized. A directional antenna can possibly integrate the constraint of the azimuth. Said second means of communication of the electrical equipment includes a receiver which can be internal (standard) or external (optional), support programming commands (with access by code), receive data from the outside by tele- programming or be preset as standard, and whether or not to use a display system for its parameters to facilitate programming.

Two applications of the device according to the invention will now be described in detail with regard to the “home” environment in FIG. 1.

A first application relates to the automated control of a computer 11 and its software from the usual personal object 1. In the known prior art, significant data exchanges are provided by Bluetooth type link, or the like, between personal computer and its peripherals. However, automatic recognition of a user, system configuration, limited and / or exclusive access to software and shutdown of the computer when the user leaves does not exist. Computers are generally turned on or off by a key, their configuration and software access programmed according to a code and standby is timed. Automatic, compulsory or limited access (secure access) for a specific user is not implemented.

In this application, the usual small personal or clothing object 1 is used as an interface with pre-programming of the computer 11 to turn it on or off, and access such or such application or website for a defined period or at a given time, with possible restriction of the use and reception of a return signal and / or the emission of an operating signal. Technically, it involves controlling the programming of the computer 11 by the simple presence of the object within a defined perimeter and possibly during a defined period, the bidirectional link between the object 1 and the computer 11 being carried out by a means of short distance communication such as low power radio waves (Bluetooth for example). Object 1 carried by the person transmits a permanent identification control signal. This signal identifies the object, therefore the carrier, and access to the service. The computer 11 is equipped with a similar link which recognizes the identifier (within a perimeter of a few meters for example) and, if certain programmable constraints are respected (duration, distance, etc.), triggers a series of actions including the programming has also been memorized (deactivation of the keyboard, activation of specific peripherals, etc.).

The receiving equipment of the computer 11 can be internal or external, the programming (with access by code) being made by the system or by a complement to the system configuring the accesses and possibly triggering the self-executed opening of a program. resident.

A second application relates to the automated control of multimedia or home automation equipment from a usual personal object. The example chosen below relates to a television set 12, but it could equally well relate to an audio or video chain, a game console, household electrical appliances, etc.

Switching on a television, even in standby, requires action on at least one remote control key (or of the television itself) and then leaves the user free to choose his program. Currently known remote controls do not recognize the user and then restrict by prior programming the use of the TV at certain times, for durations and on specific channels. The access “filtering” aspect is therefore completely unknown.

The usual personal or clothing object 1 is used as a pre-programmed interface of a device such as a television for example to put it in works on such or such chain during a defined period or until a given hour.

As before, it involves controlling the programming of the television set 12 or more generally of the apparatus by the simple presence of the object 1 within a defined perimeter and possibly during a defined period, the bidirectional link between the object 1 and the television set 12 being produced by a short distance means of communication such as low power radio waves (Bluetooth or others).

Again, the object 1 (ring, watch, bracelet, brooch) emits a permanent identifying control signal. This signal identifies the object itself and the right of access to the service. The television set 12 is equipped with a similar link which recognizes the identifier (within a perimeter of ten meters) and, if certain programmable constraints are respected (timetables, duration, distance ...), triggers a series of actions whose programming has also been memorized. The coding of the level of the transmission can allow for dropouts. The communication means of the television set 12 can be internal or external, support programming commands or receive data from the outside (remote programming), and use or not a teletext type system to display its parameters or facilitate programming.

An application in the “parent” environment will now be described in detail. This application relates to electrical equipment constituted by a communication terminal 22.

To deliver a message to a person via a communication terminal, there are several solutions at present: the mobile phone, the messenger (“pager”) which sends short SMS messages (Short Message System), GSM watches. Some of these devices are heavy (around a hundred grams) or too weak in autonomy (less than an hour for watches) and difficult to use by young children. In addition, it does not seem that there is filtering according to the person, nor of use adapted to each user except introduction of a blocking / unblocking code.

In this application, the object 1 sends a control signal causing the automatic start, stop or restriction of the use of the terminal 22. The object 1, a watch for example, comprising for its part the user interface is controlled by a press of a button, the choice of an icon on a screen or voice recognition, the terminal becomes only a telecommunications terminal by analogy to a modem.

The usual small personal or clothing object 1 is therefore used as a pre-programmed interface of a communication terminal 22, proximity relay, to send (or receive) a specific programmed message to a distant person.

Technically, this involves deporting the user interface function of the long distance communication function linked to a specialized terminal 22 of the mobile phone type (GSM, GPRS or UMTS), the bidirectional link between the object 1 and the terminal 22 being carried out by a means of short distance communication such as low power radio waves (for example

Bluetooth).

In the environment of the object 1 carried by the person, about several tens of meters, is a terminal 22 of GSM type (or

GPRS, UMTS ...) simplified, in the sense that it may not have a keyboard, screen, microphone, or earpiece, which provides the long distance link with scheduled distant people, recipients of a message sent through the terminal. By an action on the object (pressure, sound, etc.), a transmission of the possibly preprogrammed message is carried out with one or more of said programmed persons: short SMS message, recorded message, music or icon, animated or not, or skeleton.

Another application relating to the “parents” environment involves a watch 23 which can be considered as electrical equipment controlled by the personal object 1 or even as a personal object controlling the electrical equipment constituted by the object 1. In accordance at bidirectional nature of the order, parents' watch 23 can remotely interrogate watch 1 worn by a child, so that they can, for example, be aware of the information contained in watch 1, such as the lunch menu taken by the child at school or any other information relating to the child and his activities.

An application of the device of the invention in the "external" environment will now be described in detail. This application relates to the location of a usual personal object by a communication terminal or several terminals 23 arranged in a network. In this application, a command / identification signal is emitted by the object 1, causing its automatic re-emission by a single terminal having a directional antenna or a received power measurement or a network allowing a triangulation, with feedback. possible acknowledgment of receipt signal. The usual small personal or clothing object 1 is used as a signal transmitter allowing precise location in the open context of a park, or closed to a lounge, or various frequented places having a mesh network of terminals 23 of reception. The bidirectional link between the object 1 and the terminals 23 of the network is carried out by a means of communication such as low power radio waves (Bluetooth).

We can also envisage an exceptional use of the signal emission, in localization by a receiver (helicopter-borne for example) allowing a strong amplification of the signal, in the context of a little frequented area (forest, hills ...). Technically, in the environment of the object 1 carried by the person

(every x tens of meters) there are receiving terminals 23 which relay the identifying signal, either by GSM, or by a physical mesh network (cables, electrical network in particular) to a central which stores the initial signal of the object 1 and that of the terminal (s) 23. On request, the matching of several pieces of information and the location of object 1 can be carried out and returned to the requester. Out of a context of many radio transmissions, the localization is done by a directional antenna and an amplifier possibly of high power in the receiver.

Claims

1. Device for the automated control of electrical equipment by a person, characterized in that said device comprises, on the one hand, an ordinary personal and / or clothing object (1) worn by the person, containing data characteristic of said person and first communication means capable of transmitting a control signal including said characteristic data, and, secondly, second communication means arranged in the electrical equipment and able to extract the characteristic data of the person and to control said equipment in accordance with said characteristic data.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said electrical equipment is constituted by an electronic device, computer, home automation, multimedia, telecommunications.

3. Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said control between the personal object (1) and the electrical equipment is bidirectional.

4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said equipment is controlled by the simple presence of the personal object (1) within a defined perimeter, said control signal being emitted permanently.

5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said control signal is emitted by an action on said personal object (1).

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that said personal object (1) includes functions for controlling said second communication means comprising pressing a button, choosing an icon on a screen, and / or recognizing voice.

7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said personal object (1) is an icon watch, analog or needle, a ring, a bracelet, a necklace, a brooch.

8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the said characteristic data relate, separately or in combination, to the use, the starting, the unlocking of a key, the stopping and / or a restriction of use, the emission of messages, the setting in a specific mode of operation according to the person.

9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said first and / or second means of communication are produced by a short distance wireless link of low power.

10. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the second communication means are capable of transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the first communication means.

11. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said characteristic data include limited and / or exclusive access to the person.

12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that said limited and / or exclusive accesses to the person are validated or certified by a biometric recognition.

13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that said biometric recognition consists of a signature or a voice recognition, a fingerprint or ocular, with memory / comparison function in the personal object (1) or in the means of communication electrical equipment.

14. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that said electrical equipment is constituted by another personal object.

15. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the personal object (1) further comprises a memory for storing personal information concerning the person carrying said object (1), said personal information being suitable for being read by and / or communicated to electrical equipment.

16. Application of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that said electrical equipment is constituted by a terminal (22) of fixed or mobile communication.

17. Application according to claim 16, characterized in that said communication terminal comprises mobile telephone functions.

18. Application of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that said electrical equipment consists of a computer (11).

19. Application of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that said electrical equipment consists of an audio-visual device (12).

20. Application according to claim 19, characterized in that said characteristic data include the period of switching on of the device and / or the limited access to certain channels, stations, applications or functions.

21. Application of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 15 to the location of the personal object.

22. Object for an automated device for controlling electrical equipment by a person, characterized in that said object (1) is a usual personal and / or clothing object worn by the person, containing data characteristic of said person and of first communication means capable of transmitting a control signal including said characteristic data.

23. Object according to claim 22, characterized in that it consists of a watch (1) with icons, analog or hands, a ring, a bracelet, a necklace, a brooch.

24. Object according to one of claims 22 or 23, characterized in that said characteristic data relate, separately or in combination, to the use, starting, unlocking of a key, stopping and / or restriction of use, sending messages, putting in a specific mode of operation depending on the person.

25 Object according to any one of claims 22 to 24, characterized in that the personal object (1) further comprises a memory for storing personal information concerning the person carrying said object (1).

26. Electrical equipment intended to be controlled by a person carrying an object (1) according to any one of claims 22 to 25, characterized in that it comprises second means of communication capable of extracting the characteristic data of the person and to order said equipment in accordance with said characteristic data.

27. Electrical equipment according to claim 26, characterized in that it is constituted by an electronic, computer, home automation, multimedia, telecommunications device.

28. Electrical equipment according to one of claims 26 or 27, characterized in that the second communication means are capable of transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the first communication means.