FR2815220A1 - Control and remote management of installations, uses local automation console communicating with server and allows user access via server to manage domestic automation - Google Patents

Abstract

The system has sites (Si) controlled by actuators (Ai). Each site has a console (C) to receive signals (S) from sensors and generate commands (Cn) to the actuators. A modem (M) connected to the Internet (N) delivers information in real-time to the server, which makes the information available to the user.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a remote control system and management of facilities belonging to a site, particularly applicable to home automation.

 There are many forms of local remote control systems or remote controls of installations between remote sites and connected by a telephone network. To be reliable these facilities require complicated coding means and because of the use of the telephone network, their operation is expensive. Access to control of facilities is also limited since there is no way to access a known remote management system, access being only at specific locations.

 Moreover, even if some orders can be transmitted from any phone, it is difficult and very expensive to equip the installation to receive feedback, giving the status of the installation and its response. to the signals she has received.

 In general, simple remote control installations used in home automation (such as for controlling a heating system, lighting start-up, etc.) are functions that can not be switched on or off. currently controlled by information sent back.

 The present invention aims to develop a remote management system and home automation that is simple operation, inexpensive implementation and allows to control the system and especially to access the system status information to from any interface such as a computer.

 For this purpose, the invention relates to a system characterized in that A. in the site, a set of actuators implementing the installations (on / off / other functions) and sensors seizing the states of the site, those of the installa or local environmental parameters, these actuators being equipped with microprogrammed software which ensures the reception and the decoding of the orders received from the

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 console as well as the coding and transmission of information to the console, B. a console installed in the site, * with a management program of the actuators and sensors of the site * receiving the signals provided by the sensors and generating the orders to control the actuators, * a modem connected by a network (PSTN network, GSM, LS, ADSL) likely to establish a link with the Internet to * transmit status information of the installations and / or the environment of the site by cyclical or exceptional transmission, not delayed, depending on the nature of the information to be transmitted, * to receive orders from the user C. a server * receiving and recording information (messages and / or signals of status of the site) transmitted by the console, * accessible at the request of a user who wants to obtain information from his site, access to the site being subject to authorization * transmitting information / orders to the console of the site. site.

 Such a system applied in particular but not exclusively to home automation ensures all the functions of control, control and monitoring of a sophisticated home automation system, starting or stopping electrical appliances or those ordered from a electrical appliances such as indoor / outdoor lighting, heating, opening / closing shutters or blinds, a surveillance camera, a watering system or receiving status information about the site or its environment such as information provided by intrusion sensors, fire, temperature, humidity, brightness.

 As the status information of the site or sites are cyclically transmitted to the server, this transmission is compacted and over the Internet, that is to say in conditions of speed and cost very

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 interesting. The user can request access to his site to know the status information stored in the server or to send orders to the site. The information transmitted from the site is classified as normal information, transmitted cyclically at the rate chosen by the user and information requiring exceptional transmission if it is urgent information transmitted in real time such as a detection intrusion, fire or water leakage.

 The remote control and management system can be particularly useful for managing a fleet of vending machines. Several distributors grouped together on the same site exchange information concerning the state of filling / depletion of the bins or, more generally, the products presented in the distributors to facilitate and optimize the replenishment of the distributors.

 In a particularly interesting way, the site is composed of vending machines, one of which is the master distributor and the others, the slave distributors, the console being associated with the master distributor.

 According to another characteristic, the sensors associated with the vending machines are detectors of the filling state. These sensors can also be operating or failure detectors to monitor for example the proper operation of the refrigeration system equipping a food dispenser requiring conservation at a predetermined temperature. These sensors can also be associated with the distributor protection to detect or prevent acts of vandalism.

 In general, the system according to the invention allows remote management, accurate vending machines to control and optimize the replenishment phases.

 The control and management system can also be applied very favorably to the management and control of aggregate parking meter installations.

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 of neighboring parking meters managed by a main parking meter in communication with the other parking meters of the unit by transmission of orders and information by carrier current, with frequency modulation.

 According to another advantageous characteristic, the link between the site console and the actuators is via a wired connection, an infrared link or a power line using the existing network; this last solution is the most practical for most applications because it uses the electrical network of the site and any necessary connection of the actuators.

 The carrier-current link transmits the frequency-modulation preference signals to be particularly protected in a disturbed environment.

 The actuators controlled by the console are simple actuators starting or stopping a device or an installation, the actuator can also be a temperature controller connected to a heater (boiler, electric heater) receiving a set of temperature of the console.

 It can also be an infrared module transmitting an infrared signal to a device with an infrared remote control.

 The present invention will be described in more detail below with the aid of an exemplary control system and remote management installation of one or more sites.

 Thus: - Figure 1 shows schematically a system according to the invention, - Figure 2 shows the application of the system according to the invention to the management of a site equipped with automatic dispensers.

 According to FIG. 1, the remote control and management system is intended to control, monitor or manage the operation of one or more Si sites. Only one of the sites will be described. This Si site is equipped with a microprocessor C console, connected by an M modem and the wireless network.

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 PSTN switched telephone to the Internet network N. The site corresponds, for example, to a building or an apartment for remote management and monitoring of the operation of various devices or installations, such as heating, lighting and presence simulation. , Security. For this, the site is equipped with various facilities that can be started by the control of a member such as a switch or switch, relay or motor encompassed in the general expression actuator. These actuators Ai, As + 1, Ai + 2, generally electrical, are connected to the electrical network R of the site. The network is also connected to the C console.

 Actuators equipped with microprogrammed software receive CM commands from the C console: these controls are of the on / off type. The connection between the output S of the console C and the input of the actuators Ai can be done by a power-line signal transmission interface, the console having an emitter E output and the actuators Ri receivers.

 The site Si is also equipped with sensors Ci connected to the network R via R'i interfaces for transmitting state signals S to the console C. These status signals are representative of the operation of the installations controlled by the actuators such as an intensity detector detecting the operation of an engine or more generally of an electrical apparatus, a flame detector of a boiler burner, a temperature or pressure detector, a humidity detector. These detectors provide signals both of the status of the facilities monitored and possibly controlled by the actuators in the site If information about the site environment (outdoor temperature, pressure, humidity, brightness).

 The sensors Ci may also be presence or opening sensors forming part of a surveillance and protection installation of a room.

 Depending on their nature, the state signals S transmitted by the sensors Ci to the console C are normal signals or exceptional signals. Normal signals are

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 grouped in console C and they are sent as periodic messages while exceptional signals are emitted immediately.

 The system also includes a SERV server receiving and recording the information messages transmitted by the Si sites. The SERV server stores this information and makes it available to an authorized user such as the user of the site equipped with the facilities to be controlled. or monitor. The user uses a means of access to the Internet network N such as the usual means of access: a PC, PDA palm pilot type or a WAP phone; he accesses his Si site through the SERV server. This access is authorized by the user's recognition using a code.

 The user can then obtain the information transmitted to the server. It can also receive exceptional messages in real time. Conversely, the user can send commands to the console to control or modify the operation of the actuators or the frequency and nature of the information sent back by the console.

 The actuators Ai can operate automatically, directly receiving the CM commands from the console C which generates them from sensor information Ci. The operation of the actuators Ai can also be controlled or forced from commands transmitted by the controller. 'user.

 Figure 2 shows the application of the remote control and management system according to the invention to a vending machine installation. This figure shows by way of example one of the sites Si equipped with automatic distributors DAO, DA1, DA2. These vending machines are for example distributors of food products or more generally of consumption.

 One of the DAO distributors is the master distributor and the other distributors DA1, DA2 are slave distributors.

 As already indicated, the site Si is equipped with a console C. This console C associated with the master distributor

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 DAO is connected by the electrical network R of the Si site and via unrepresented transmitters, to the receivers R1, R2 associated respectively with the slave distributors DA1, DA2.

 In fact, sensor receivers work for the exchange of information and orders with the console and can not only receive information and orders but also transmit feedback.

 The DAO distributor is equipped with sensors detecting the filling status of boxes, boxes or more generally dispensing positions (that is to say products to be dispensed) as well as sensors associated with the control panel of the DAO distributor to transmit this information to the C console integrated in this master DAO distributor.

 The sensors and actuators associated with the slave distributors DA1, DA2 transmit the information via the receivers R1, R2 and the network R to the console C.

 The console C transmits this information via telephone lines of the PSTN switched network or by radio (GSM) and the Internet or intranet network, to the SERV server accessed by the PC manager PC1 of the system or a PC2 laptop.

 These different means of access are shown for illustrative purposes only.

 The management system according to the invention makes it possible to control the filling state of the automatic dispensers DAO, DA1, DA2, to know the operating parameters (temperature, humidity) or to detect attempts of burglary or vandalism to control a machine. immediate intervention, for example the total blocking of the distributor by a particular actuator, the issuance of alarm signals or the call of a speaker.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 10) System for remote control and management of facilities belonging to a site, characterized in that it comprises A. in the site (Si), - a set of actuators (Ai) implementing the instru- installations (on / off / other functions) and sensors (Ci) entering the site conditions, those of the installations or local parameters of the environment, - a console (C), * with an actuator management program (Ai ) and sensors (Ci) of the site * receiving the signals (S) supplied by the sensors (Ci) and generating the commands (CM) to control the actuators (Ai), - a modem (M) connected by a network (network PSTN, GSM, LS, ADSL) likely to establish a link with the Internet (N) to * transmit information of the state of the installations and / or the environment of the site by a cyclical or exceptional emission, not deferred, depending on the nature of the information to be transmitted, * receive commands from the user B. a server (SER V), * receiving and recording information (messages and / or status signals from the site) transmitted by the console, * accessible at the request of a user who wants to obtain information from his site, access to site being subject to authorization * transmitting information / orders to the site console. 20) system for remote control and management of facilities belonging to a site according to claim 1, characterized in that <Desc / Clms Page number 9> the actuators (Ai) and the sensors (Ci) are connected to the console (C) by transmission means (E, Ri, R'i) with a carrier current. 30) remote control system and remote management of facilities belonging to a site according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission means (E, Ri, R'i) carrier current use frequency modulation signals. 40) remote control system and management of facilities belonging to a site according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuators (Ai) are outputs of all-or-nothing type or analog. 50) system for remote control and remote management of facilities belonging to a site according to claim 1, applied to the management of vending machines, characterized in that the site is composed of vending machines, one of which is the master distributor and the others, the slave distributors, the console being associated with the master distributor.  60) System for remote control and management of facilities belonging to a site according to claim 5, characterized in that the sensors (Ci) associated with the automatic dispensers (DA) detect the filling status of each automatic dispenser and transmit the information at the site console.