JP2008131403A - Interface unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an interface unit (IFU) which does not impair living convenience by providing the IFU with a home automation (HA) control discriminating means for discriminating that control has been performed by the HA system, thereby inexpensively and surely discriminating that the control has been performed by the HA system at least when changing an operating state of a terminal apparatus near a place where the terminal apparatus is installed. <P>SOLUTION: The IFU used for the HA system includes: a control signal conversion section for receiving a signal of control outputted from a controller via a common transmission line and converting the signal into a control signal for controlling terminal apparatus; and a monitor signal conversion section for receiving a monitor signal from the terminal apparatus and converting the signal into a signal of monitor to be received by the controller via the common transmission line. The IFU further includes a control signal output discriminating means for discriminating that the signal of control has been outputted from the controller. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an interface unit used in a home automation system, and more particularly to an interface unit having a function capable of determining that a terminal device is controlled by the home automation system in the vicinity of the terminal device.

The home automation system is a system for organically linking home appliances defined by the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association standard JEM1427 HA terminal (JEM-A), and has the functions of device control and monitoring. A home bus which is a common transmission path serving as a transmission path for control and monitoring signals, a controller for controlling and monitoring the terminal device via the home bus, and the home bus existing between the home bus and the terminal device A home automation system (hereinafter referred to as HA system) comprising an interface unit (hereinafter referred to as IFU) having a function for ensuring the consistency of interface conditions of terminal devices, and terminal equipment of household devices controlled and monitored by the controller. ) Is known (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

A control system using the HA system is currently widely used, but a controller in the HA system is provided in one place in a residence to which the HA system is applied, and the terminal device in each room is connected to the IFU. In general, the controller and the terminal device are provided at different locations in different rooms (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

JP-A-4-368092 FIG. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-67119 FIG. 1 and FIG. Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association Standard JEM1427 HA Terminal (JEM-A) Established on June 5, 1987

When attention is paid to the on / off state of the terminal device, the on / off state of the terminal device changes when the normal manual on / off operation, on / off operation with the remote control attached to the terminal device, For example, six on / off operations, such as when a main breaker or branch breaker is operating, such as when an overcurrent occurs in the power source, when a power failure occurs due to power transmission from the power station being stopped, and when an on / off operation is controlled by the HA system. There are factors that change the state.

Here, aside from normal manual on / off, when the on / off state changed due to other factors, it was not easy to immediately determine which factor caused the on / off state to change. In other words, when the operation state is changed to the stop state, the power supply is stopped because the circuit breaker is activated due to an overcurrent, etc. Whether it is a cut-off operation due to a power failure due to the stoppage of power transmission from the power station, or a cut-off operation due to the control by the HA system has been turned off. Depending on the time of day, it was not possible to make a determination immediately, and for the residents there was a problem that it was not convenient to recover because it was not possible to immediately grasp what caused the disconnection. .

In addition, whether the control is performed by the HA system even though the power supply to devices that require constant power supply (for example, refrigerators, timer devices, pumps, air conditioners, etc.) has been stopped by determining the cause of the turning-off operation and making an error. It is difficult to know whether the main circuit breaker or branch circuit breaker has stopped due to an overcurrent in the circuit, or the power transmission from the power station has stopped. There was a problem that the convenience of life was impaired.

Therefore, the object of the present invention was made in view of the problems described above,
By providing the IFU with an HA control discriminating means capable of discriminating that control has been performed in the HA system, at least the HA system has been controlled in the vicinity of the location where the terminal device is installed when the operating state of the terminal device is changed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an IFU that can be reliably discriminated at a low cost and does not impair the convenience of life.

In order to achieve the above object, claim 1 of the present invention provides:
In an interface unit used in a home automation system in which home devices are organically linked to each other and control and monitor terminal devices from the controller via the interface unit, control signals output from the controller are transmitted to a common transmission line. A control signal converting unit that receives the signal from the terminal device and converts the control signal into a control signal for controlling the terminal device, and receives a monitor signal from the terminal device and outputs a monitor signal to be received by the controller via the common transmission path. An interface unit is provided, characterized in that a control signal output discriminating means for discriminating that a control signal is output from the controller is provided in an interface unit including a monitor signal converting unit for converting. .

As a result, in the vicinity of the place where the terminal device to be controlled is installed, it is possible to determine whether or not control has been performed at least by the HA system when the operation state of the terminal device is changed, thereby making it easier to identify the operating factor. It is possible to provide an IFU that does not impair the convenience of life.

The control signal output determining means may be configured to be connected to a transmission line through which the control signal is transmitted in the common transmission path, and may provide an interface unit.

As a result, when a control signal is output from the controller to the terminal device, it becomes possible to operate the control signal output discriminating means by using the control signal transmitted through the common transmission path as a trigger. Can be possible.

Further, the control signal output determining means may be configured to be driven by receiving a drive signal directly from the controller, and may provide an interface unit.

Thus, when the controller outputs a control signal, the control signal output discriminating means can be driven by outputting the drive signal at the same time, and the control signal output discriminating means can be independently operated without outputting the control signal. Since it can be driven, it is possible not only to discriminate control but also to discriminate a plurality of information such as information at the time of abnormality, and an interface unit with higher added value can be provided.

According to the present invention, by providing HA control discriminating means capable of discriminating that control has been performed in the HA system, control is performed at least by the HA system when the operating state of the terminal device is changed near the location where the terminal device is installed. It is possible to provide an HA system that can be reliably discriminated at low cost and does not impair the convenience of life.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a home automation system. As described above, as defined by the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association standard JEM 1427 HA terminal (JEM-A), the home bus 40, which is a common transmission path serving as a transmission path for control and monitoring signals, is passed through the home bus 40. Controller 1 for controlling and monitoring the terminal devices 3, 7, 11, existing between the home bus 40 and the terminal devices 3, 7, 11, and interface conditions between the home bus 40 and the terminal devices 3, 7, 11 And IFUs 2, 6, 10 having a function for ensuring the consistency of the devices, and terminal devices 3, 7, 11, etc. of home devices controlled and monitored by the controller 1. In FIG. 1, the controller 1 is connected to IFUs 2, 5, and 8 via a home bus (control signal line) 40, and the IFUs 2, 5, and 8 are controlled via connection lines 5, 9, and 13, respectively. It is connected to the target terminal devices 3, 7, and 11.

An internal block diagram of the IFU 2 of the present invention is shown in FIG. The IFU 2 according to the present invention basically has a HA terminal configuration in accordance with the JEM-A standard. The IFU includes two sets of photocouplers that perform signal conversion for control and monitoring, and control signals. Control terminals C1 and C2 and monitor terminals M1 and M2 for connecting the line and the monitor signal line. A communication line for connecting to the home bus 40 (control signal line) is provided upstream of the photocoupler. Other IFUs and terminal devices have the same configuration.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the logical conditions of the IFU are in accordance with the logical conditions of the HA terminal according to the JEM-A standard. FIG. 3A shows the transmission condition of the control signal, and a pulse of Tp = 200 to 300 ms is transmitted. The terminal device reverses the operating state by this signal. The pulse interval is defined as Ti = 200 ms or more. FIG. 3B shows the monitor signal condition, and it is defined that the signal is inverted when Tr = 350 ms or less after receiving the control signal pulse. By monitoring this monitor signal, it can be confirmed on the controller side that the terminal device has reversed the operating state. In this way, the basic configuration and logical conditions in the home automation system are configured to conform to the JEM-A standard.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a control signal conversion unit configured by a photocoupler that receives a control signal output from the controller 1 via the common transmission path 40 and converts the signal into a control signal for controlling the terminal device 3. Reference numeral 22 denotes a monitor signal conversion unit configured by a photocoupler that receives a monitor signal from the terminal device 3 and converts it into a monitor signal to be received by the controller 1 via the common transmission path 40.

Reference numeral 200 denotes a control signal output discriminating means for discriminating that a control signal is output from the controller 1 and is provided on the control line 401. The control signal output discriminating means 200 includes a latch relay 201 that inverts the state when an input is input and holds the state, a light emitting diode 201, and a power source 203. When the latch relay 201 operates, When the circuit is closed, a power source 204 is supplied to the light emitting diode 202 so as to light up. Note that a control signal transmitted through the control line 401 can be obtained by connecting the photocoupler input section of the control signal converter 21 and the latch relay input section of the control signal output discriminating means 200 in series. The structure is as follows.

That is, when a control signal is output from the controller 1, a pulse signal is output to the control line 401 of the common transmission path 40, and the pulse signal is input to the control signal conversion unit 21 and the control signal output determination unit 200. . The control signal conversion unit 21 converts the control signal into a control signal for controlling the terminal device by the photocoupler, and the control signal output determination unit 200 operates the latch relay 201 with the pulse signal as a trigger to turn on the light emitting diode 202.

Thus, when a control signal is output from the controller 1, the light emitting diode 202 is turned on in the IFU 2, so that the resident can easily determine that the control by the HA system has been performed.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment. The second embodiment is an example in which the control is performed using the microcomputer 300 instead of the configuration using the latch relay 201 of the control signal output discriminating means 200 in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, a photocoupler 301 is interposed on the control line 401 and a photocoupler 302 is interposed on the monitor line 402, and the control signal and the monitor signal are operated as triggers. It is configured to be input. Further, the photocoupler input section of the control signal conversion section 21 and the input section of the photocoupler 301, and the photocoupler input section of the monitor signal conversion section 22 and the input section of the photocoupler 302 are connected in series, respectively, and the control The signal and the monitor signal can be acquired.

A light emitting diode 303 is connected to the microcomputer 300, and after receiving an output from the photocoupler 301, there is a predetermined change in the monitor signal from the terminal device within a predetermined time, and the output from the photocoupler 302. It is configured to determine whether or not the light emitting diode 303 is turned on when the terminal device is operated by HA control.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment. The third embodiment shows an example in which the control signal output discriminating means 210 is driven by receiving a drive signal directly from the controller 1.

The configuration of the third embodiment is such that the control signal output discriminating means 210 is separately provided in the IFU 2 while maintaining the configuration of the HA terminal according to the JEM-A standard. The control signal output discriminating means 210 is constituted by a circuit in which a light emitting diode 211 and a power source 212 are connected in series, and a part of the circuit is extended to the controller 1 as a signal line. When the control signal is transmitted from the controller 1, the circuit is closed so that the power supply 212 is supplied to the light emitting diode 211. As a result, when the controller 1 outputs a control signal, the control signal output discriminating means 210 is driven at the same time so that the light emitting diode 211 can be turned on / off.

As a modification of the third embodiment, instead of the control signal output discriminating means 210, the control signal output discriminating means 200 described in the first embodiment is used to directly connect the input portion of the latch relay 201 from the controller 1. Alternatively, the latch relay 201 may be driven to turn on or off the light emitting diode by giving a driving signal.

In addition, when a control signal is transmitted from the controller 1 to the terminal device 3, if the monitor signal state does not invert even after a predetermined time has passed, some abnormality (terminal device side abnormality, common transmission) It is assumed that there is a fault in the road, a fault in the controller, etc.), so it is configured with a plurality of light emitting diodes that emit light by driving the latch relay described above, and there is an abnormality You may comprise so that it may distinguish and to light. As a result, it is possible not only to discriminate control but also to discriminate a plurality of information such as information at the time of abnormality, and an interface unit with higher added value can be provided.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and can be freely improved and modified as necessary without departing from the gist of the invention. Instead of the used light emitting diode, a speaker as a sounding means may be used. In this case, a control signal output determination unit may be configured by newly providing an audio data processing unit that operates in response to the drive signal transmitted from the controller. Further, a voice data storage unit and a voice data processing unit may be provided on the controller side, and a voice, a buzzer sound, etc. may be issued from a speaker provided on the IFU side. As a result, it is possible to clearly and audibly recognize the control by the controller in the vicinity of the terminal device, and it is possible to provide a low-cost interface unit by using a general voice IC or microcomputer.

Further, the controller and the control signal output determining means are provided with a wireless transmission / reception unit capable of wireless communication with each other, and a signal line connecting the control signal output determining means and the controller described in the third embodiment. It is good also as a structure which carried out wireless. The wireless transmitter / receiver is intended to operate the control signal output discriminating means wirelessly. Therefore, in addition to the specific low power wireless method and the weak radio wave method that are generally used, the IEEE802.15.4 standard. You may comprise using various radio | wireless systems, such as the ZigBee system and the Bluetooth system currently used. Since it is possible to arrange the control signal output discriminating means at a desired position of the resident in the vicinity of the terminal device by configuring it so that wireless communication is possible, it is possible to recognize the control by the controller while at the original HA terminal. It is possible to provide an interface unit that can determine that control has been performed by an HA system that is very convenient to use because an electric wire to be laid out other than the common transmission line is unnecessary.

Further, instead of the light emitting diode in the control signal output discriminating means described above, for example, an organic EL panel or a liquid crystal panel is used, and the fact that the control is performed from the controller is displayed by a picture or a character. When driving the control signal output discriminating means from the controller, by transmitting the drive signal to another path, for example, the controller and the mail server can send a signal via a LAN or a communication line (such as RS232C or RS485 system). By connecting to a mobile phone or computer owned by a resident by sending a predetermined signal to send mail to a predetermined mail address from a mail server connected to the Internet network separately. You may comprise so that it may notify by e-mail that control was made.

Moreover, it may replace with the battery used in the above-mentioned Example, and you may comprise so that it may supply from the terminal device side connected with the said IFU. The problem of battery consumption can be solved. In addition, if the battery is a rechargeable battery and a charging circuit is provided as appropriate, the state of the control signal output discriminating means can be maintained and the control state can be confirmed in the event of a power failure.

The interface unit in the present invention may be flexibly applied to a conventional home automation system.

It is a block diagram of a home automation system. It is an internal block diagram of the interface unit of a 1st Example. It is the figure which showed the logical condition by JEM-A standard. It is an internal block diagram of the interface unit of a 2nd Example. It is an internal block diagram of the interface unit of a 3rd Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Controller 2 IFU
3 Terminal equipment 4 HA control discrimination means 5 Connection line 6 IFU
7 Terminal equipment 8 HA control discrimination means 9 Connection line 10 IFU
11 Terminal equipment 12 HA control discrimination means 13 Connection line 40 Common transmission path (home bus)
41 signal line 81 signal line 121 signal line 21 control signal conversion unit 22 monitor signal conversion unit 200 control signal output determination means 201 latch relay 202 light emitting diode 203 power supply 210 control signal output determination means 211 light emitting diode 212 power supply 401 control line 402 monitor line 300 Microcomputer 301 Photocoupler 302 Photocoupler 303 Light emitting diode

Claims (3)

In an interface unit used in a home automation system in which home devices are organically linked to each other and control and monitor terminal devices from the controller via the interface unit.
A control signal conversion unit that receives a control signal output from the controller via a common transmission line and converts the control signal into a control signal for controlling the terminal device;
An interface unit including a monitor signal conversion unit that receives a monitor signal from the terminal device and converts the monitor signal into a monitor signal to be received by the controller via the common transmission path;
An interface unit comprising control signal output determining means for determining that a control signal is output from the controller. 2. The interface unit according to claim 1, wherein the control signal output discrimination means is connected to a transmission line through which the control signal is transmitted in the common transmission path. 2. The interface unit according to claim 1, wherein the control signal output discriminating unit is configured to be driven by receiving a drive signal directly from the controller.

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