JP2005167312A - Communication system of household electric appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent deterioration in the communication performance when a removable communication apparatus is mounted onto a household electric appliance without the need for revising the arrangement of the household electric appliance. <P>SOLUTION: The communication apparatus 5 is removably connected to a connector 3 provided on a front face of a household electric appliance main body 1. The communication apparatus 5 includes: a communication interface section 8 and a radio communication section 9 contained in a package 7; a connector 10 corresponding to the connector 3; and a communication harness part 11 for connecting the connector 10 and the package 7. The communication harness part 11 has a plurality of bent parts 11a, and a distance between the household electric appliance main body 1 and the packaged 7, a direction of the package 7, that is, a direction of a transmission / reception antenna 18 can be revised by adjusting the bent state of the bent parts 11a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system for home appliances that can be equipped with a network function.

In recent years, home appliances equipped with a network function for receiving various information and transmitting various information by accessing a website published on the Internet, so-called network home appliances have been developed and provided. .
JP 2003-199181 A

  The information received and transmitted by such network home appliances includes information on individual home appliances as well as information on a plurality of home appliances, for example, for managing the power consumption of the entire home appliance in the home Information, recipe information obtained from a combination of food management information in the refrigerator and function information of the microwave oven, and the like are included. Such information on a plurality of home appliances is effective only when each home appliance has a network function.

  However, network home appliances have a communication control function, so the product price is higher than conventional home appliances. For this reason, it is economically expensive to replace all household electrical appliances already owned by each household with network household electrical appliances at once, and only some household electrical appliances have a network function as described above. However, the reality is that the spread of network home appliances has been delayed due to the fact that it cannot be used effectively.

  On the other hand, for example, it is conceivable that a communication function can be added to the home appliance as necessary by detachably attaching a card-like communication device having a communication control function to the home appliance. However, unlike information devices such as personal computers, home appliances are arranged with priority on the original functions of home appliances and the layout in the home. For this reason, even if a communication function is added, it is difficult to change the arrangement of home appliances in consideration of the communication performance and the directivity of the communication antenna.

  This invention is made in view of the said situation, The objective is the household appliance which can prevent the fall of the communication performance when mounting | wearing a household appliance with the removable communication apparatus without changing the arrangement | positioning of household appliances. It is to provide a communication system for equipment.

  The present invention provides a communication device having a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from an external device via a communication network, and a communication control interface unit that mediates transmission and reception of information between the wireless communication unit and home appliances The communication antenna unit is configured so that the direction of the communication antenna when the communication interface unit is connected to the home appliance can be selected from a plurality of directions. In this case, if a plurality of connection portions of the communication interface unit are provided in the home appliance, or if at least one movable member is provided in a portion of the communication device located closer to the home appliance than the communication antenna, communication at the time of mounting the communication device is performed. You can change the direction of the antenna.

  According to the above configuration, the direction of the communication antenna can be changed so that the sensitivity of the communication antenna is good without changing the arrangement of the home appliances.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a communication system for network home appliances according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a control circuit 2 mainly composed of a microcomputer is built in a main body 1 of a home appliance such as a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a washing machine, and a rice cooker. The microcomputer operates home appliances based on a control program stored in storage means (not shown) in the control circuit. The control circuit 2 is connected with a connector portion 3 and an indicator lamp 4 composed of a two-color LED.

  The connector portion 3 is provided on the outer surface, for example, the front surface of the home appliance body 1, and the communication device 5 is detachably connected thereto. The connector portion 3 is hermetically closed by a cover or the like in a state where the communication device 5 is not connected, and water intrusion into the home appliance main body 1 is prevented. The connector unit 3 and the control circuit 2 are connected via four communication lines.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the communication device 5 includes a communication interface unit 8 and a wireless communication unit 9 enclosed in a card-like package 7, and a connector unit 10 (connection unit) corresponding to the connector unit 3. And a communication harness part 11 (corresponding to a movable member) for connecting the connector part 10 and the package 7 to each other. Four communication lines (not shown) for connecting the connector unit 10 and the communication interface unit 8 are accommodated in the communication harness unit 11, and the connector unit 10 is connected to the connector unit 3 on the main body 1 side. When attached, the communication line 6 is connected to the communication line in the communication harness portion 11.

Between the communication interface unit 8 and the wireless communication unit 9, four communication lines 19 and one power line 20 are connected. Although not shown, the communication device 5 includes a power adapter, and the adapter is connected to a household outlet to obtain a driving power source.
The communication interface unit 8 includes a controller 12 and a communication circuit unit 13. The communication circuit unit 13 includes a transmission / reception data buffer 14, a post-modulation circuit 15, and an RF circuit 16. On the other hand, the wireless communication unit 9 includes a transmission / reception switching circuit 17 and a transmission / reception antenna 18 (corresponding to a communication antenna).

The communication harness portion 11 has a plurality of bent portions 11a. By adjusting the bent state of the bent portion 11a, the distance between the home appliance main body 1 and the package 7, the orientation of the package 7, that is, transmission / reception The direction of the antenna 18 can be changed.
Although not described in detail, the communication device 5 has a wireless communication function based on the SDI / O standard, for example, a short-range wireless communication function based on the communication standard of Bluetooth (registered trademark of “BluetoothTM” Ericsson). The home appliance control circuit 2 controls the communication circuit 13 and the wireless communication unit 9 via the controller 12 by an SDI / O command.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. In a home where the home appliance has been purchased, a home LAN can be constructed by purchasing a communication device 5 and connecting it to the home appliance body 1. In this case, when the connector unit 10 of the communication device 5 is connected to the connector unit 3 of the home appliance, the indicator lamp 4 is turned on. The indicator lamp 4 lights up in green when the connection of the communication device 5 to the home appliance is completed, for example, and lights up in red when communication between the home appliance and the external device via the communication device 5 is performed. It is configured. Thereby, the user can recognize that the communication device 5 is correctly attached to the home appliance main body and that communication is correctly performed between the home appliance and the external device.

Further, when connecting the home appliance main body 1 and the communication device 5, the direction of the package 7 and the distance between the home appliance main body 1 and the package 7 are changed by adjusting the bending state of the communication harness portion 11. The sensitivity of 18 can be made good.
The home LAN includes a plurality of home appliances such as a microwave oven, a refrigerator, and a washing machine, and a terminal device that functions as a server for the home LAN. The terminal device communicates with each home appliance via Bluetooth, and also accesses a Web server as an external device and transmits / receives information via the Internet.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, after the user purchases the home appliance, an appropriate timing, for example, the number of home appliances that can be equipped with a communication function becomes a number corresponding to the construction of the home LAN. The communication device 5 can be purchased. In addition, even when the specification of the communication device 5 is changed, it can be dealt with by purchasing only the communication device 5, and the economic burden on the user can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the communication harness part 11 was provided between the connector part 10 and the package 7, and it was comprised so that the direction of the package 7 could be adjusted so that the sensitivity of the transmission / reception antenna 18 might become good. Accordingly, even if the communication device is configured to be detachably attached to the home appliance, the communication performance is less restricted by the arrangement of the home appliance, and the communication device is not required to change the arrangement of the home appliance. 5 communication performance can be improved.

  FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and different points from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the present embodiment, an indicator lamp 4 for notifying that the communication device 5 is connected to the home appliance main body 1 and that communication via the communication device 5 is being performed between the home appliance and the external device. Is provided in the package 7 of the communication device 5 instead of the home appliance body 1. Even in such a configuration, the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and different points from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the third embodiment, the communication device 5 is connected to the home appliance main body 1 by the speaker 21 instead of the indicator lamp 4, and communication via the communication device 5 is performed between the home appliance and the external device. It is configured to notify that it has been broken. When the communication device 5 is correctly connected to the home appliance body 1, for example, a message “Communication device connected” is output from the speaker 21. When communication is performed, a “beep” sound is intermittently output. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the user is away from the home appliance main body 1, the operating state of the communication device 5 can be recognized by listening to the message or voice output from the speaker 21.

  FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the fourth embodiment, a plurality of, for example, three connector portions 3 are provided in the home appliance main body 1. Each connector part 3 is provided, for example in the front surface, the upper surface, and the rear surface of the household appliance main body 1, respectively. The structure of each connector part 3 and the connection part between each connector part 3 and the control circuit 2 is the same as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the communication harness portion 31 of the communication device 5 is composed of a rod-shaped member that does not have a bent portion. Therefore, in the communication device 5 according to the present embodiment, the positional relationship between the connector unit 10 and the package 7 is constant.
According to the above configuration, the connection part of the communication device 5 in which the sensitivity of the transmission / reception antenna 18 is good can be selected from the three connector units 3. Further, when good communication performance is obtained regardless of which of the three connector parts 3 is connected, the communication device 5 is connected to the connector part 3 on the rear surface so that the appearance of the home appliance main body 1 is not impaired. It is also possible. Furthermore, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the communication device 5 can be increased, for example, it is possible to select an arbitrary connector portion 3 that is easy to attach and detach the communication device 5 according to the size of the space around the three connector portions 3. .

  FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the fifth embodiment, only the transmission / reception switching circuit 19 of the wireless communication unit 9 is provided in the package 7, and the transmission / reception antenna 18 is connected to the package 7 via an antenna harness unit 41. The antenna harness portion 41 has a plurality of bent portions 41a. The transmitting / receiving antenna 18 is composed of a half-wave rod antenna having excellent communication performance.

On the other hand, the connector unit 10 is provided integrally with the package 7 of the communication device 5. That is, the connector portion 10 and the package 7 are not bent.
According to the said structure, the communication apparatus 5 connected to the household appliance main body 1 adjusts the bending state of the antenna harness part 41, and changes the direction of the transmission / reception antenna 18, so that the sensitivity of the transmission / reception antenna 18 may become good. can do.

  FIG. 7 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the sixth embodiment, the connector 10 and the package 7 are connected via a flexible communication cable 51 instead of the communication harness 11. Even in such a configuration, the orientation of the package 7 can be changed so that the sensitivity of the transmission / reception antenna 18 is good. Unlike the communication harness portion 11, the communication cable 51 cannot be bent, but for example, an engagement means (engagement claw, magnet, etc.) for engaging the package 7 with the home appliance body 1 is packaged. 7 and the home appliance main body 1 can hold the direction of the transmission / reception antenna 18.

  FIG. 8 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described. In the seventh embodiment, commercial power is supplied to the communication device 5. Specifically, in the connector section 3, in addition to the communication line 6, two wires for supplying power (two wires connecting the power supply line and GND) 61 and 62 are connected to the control circuit 2. It is connected to the.

  On the other hand, the communication device 5 is provided with a voltage conversion transformer 63. Between the connector portion 10 of the communication device 5 and the voltage conversion transformer 63, two wires 64, 62 connected to the wires 61, 62 when the connector portion 10 is connected to the connector portion 3 of the home appliance body 1 65 is connected. The commercial power supplied to the voltage conversion transformer 63 via the home appliance main body 1 is stepped down and then supplied to the communication interface unit 8 and the wireless communication unit 9. That is, in the present embodiment, the commercial power before passing through the voltage converter inside the home electric appliance main body 1 becomes the driving power for the communication device 5.

In FIG. 8, the two wirings 64 and 65 are shown as being individually routed between the connector section 10 and the voltage conversion transformer 63, but in reality, the wirings 64 and 65 are bundled together. It is configured as a single cable.
According to the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained. That is, as the drive power source of the home appliance main body, a commercial power source that is stepped down through a voltage converter inside the home appliance is used. Therefore, when the power source after being stepped down by the voltage converter inside the home appliance main body 1 is supplied to the communication device, the voltage converter that can secure the amount of power used by the communication device as a margin value is provided. It is necessary to mount on.

However, whether or not the user who purchased the home appliance connects the communication device has not been determined, and setting a margin for the voltage converter for such a communication device may be useless. is there. In addition, the power used by the communication device 5 may exceed the margin value of the voltage converter set at the time of manufacturing the home appliance due to a specification change or the like.
On the other hand, in the said structure, since the commercial power source pressure | voltage-reduced by the voltage conversion transformer 63 with which the communication apparatus 5 is provided is utilized as a drive power supply, the capacity shortage of the voltage converter in the household appliances main body 1 is not caused. . In addition, the configuration of a voltage converter included in a conventional home appliance can be used as it is, although the configuration can add a communication function.

Moreover, since the power source is acquired through the home appliance main body 1, a power adapter for the communication device 5 can be dispensed with.
FIG. 9 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described. In the eighth embodiment, the communication device 5 includes a connector unit 10, a communication interface unit 8 connected to the connector unit 10 via a flexible communication cable 71, and the communication interface unit 8 to be flexible. It is comprised from the radio | wireless communication part 9 connected via the wiring cable 72 which has. The communication cable 71 is composed of four communication lines 73, and the wiring cable 72 is composed of four communication lines 19 and one power line 20. That is, in this embodiment, the communication interface unit 8 and the wireless communication unit 9 are configured separately, and between the connector unit 10 and the communication interface unit 8 and between the interface unit 8 and the wireless communication unit 9. There are cables 71 and 72 as movable parts, respectively.

  According to the above configuration, the sensitivity of the transmission / reception antenna 18 can be improved by bending the cables 71 and 72 and changing the direction of the communication interface unit 8 and the wireless communication unit 9.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and for example, the following modifications are possible.
The connector terminal itself may be insulated from the live part in the home appliance by photocoupler insulation or an insulation transformer. In particular, in the case of home appliances that require grounding in order to use a high voltage, such as a microwave oven, the above configuration is effective.

Schematic whole block diagram of the household appliance cooker which shows 1st Example of this invention The figure which shows the structure in the package of the communication apparatus FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention FIG. 1 equivalent diagram showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

In the drawings, 1 is a home appliance main body, 5 is a communication device, 7 is a package, 8 is a communication interface unit, 9 is a wireless communication unit, 10 is a connector unit (connection unit), 11 is a communication harness unit (movable member), 18 Indicates a transmission / reception antenna (communication antenna).

Claims (3)

Home appliances,
The communication antenna is configured to receive information on the home appliance transmitted from the external device via the communication network and to transmit the home appliance information to the external device via the communication network. A wireless communication unit, and a communication interface unit connected to the wireless communication unit and detachably attached to the home appliance to intervene information exchange between the wireless communication unit and the home appliance A communication device,
A communication system for home appliances, wherein a direction of the communication antenna when the communication interface unit is connected to the home appliances can be selected from a plurality of directions.   A connection unit for connecting a communication interface unit to a home appliance, between the connection unit and the communication interface unit, between the communication interface unit and a wireless communication unit, between the wireless communication unit and a communication antenna 2. The communication system for home electric appliances according to claim 1, wherein at least one is connected through a movable member. The communication system for home appliances according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface unit and the wireless communication unit are housed in a package.

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