JPH0383480A - Home bus system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily and flexibly make correspondence even to the increase of terminals by inserting an IC card, which stores system configuration information intrinsic for a house, to a home controller and controlling the respective terminals based on the operating key selection of a graphic touch panel. CONSTITUTION:An IC card 8 stores the system configuration information intrinsic for the house such as the layout of the house, the kinds, number and fitting position of the terminal equipment and graphic display data, etc. The processor of a home controller 10 reads out the system configuration information from the IC card 18 inserted to an inserting port and based on the graphic display data out of the information, the operating key for the lighting terminal according to the layout, for example, is displayed on a graphic touch panel 16 and the respective terminals are controlled based on the touch selection of the terminal mark in respective zones of the figure by a user and the above mentioned system configuration information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Field of Industrial Application> The present invention relates to a home bus system in which various terminals and a home controller for controlling these terminals are connected to a home information transmission line.

<Prior Art> In general, a home bus system includes a home bus, video terminals such as cameras, antennas, and televisions, communication terminals such as telephones and intercoms, information terminals such as personal computers, smokers, etc. A home controller that connects security terminals such as detectors, gas detectors, security switches, electronic keys, home appliance terminals such as lighting and near conditioners, and manages the control of these terminals and communication with the outside world. It is configured by connecting.

Recently, with the spread of such home bus systems,
The Japan Electronics Industry Association announced the ``Home Bus System'' standard in an effort to standardize home bus systems, and decided on wiring forms and transmission protocols. However, the actual system construction method and device operation method are left to the uniqueness of each manufacturer, and for example, various home controllers for controlling each terminal device are commercially available.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the above home controller,
This home controller 50 includes a lighting control unit 51 that controls lighting terminals, an electric lock unit 52 that controls an electronic key, a security unit 53 that controls security terminals other than the electronic key, and a monitor that displays images such as a television set. A television unit 54, a telephone, an intercom, a telephone/intercom unit 55 for controlling calls with external telephones, and a telecontrol unit 56 for controlling each terminal from the external telephone are assembled into one flat information board. By manipulating and configuring the operation keys of each of these units in various ways, complex and sophisticated services that were not possible through independent control of each terminal are realized.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, the conventional home controller 50 described above has a problem in that the multiple units 51 to 56 that respectively control the terminals of each system are integrated into one.
Moreover, since each unit is a fixed model that is mass-produced by a manufacturer, information such as the floor plan and terminal device connection location specific to each house is specified in order to facilitate terminal control. The disadvantage is that it cannot be displayed. In addition, as is clear from Figure 6, there are a large number of operation keys for controlling each terminal, which makes the user's key operations complicated and difficult. The disadvantage is that it is limited within the range of , and cannot flexibly respond to the addition of new terminals. In other words, when you try to add a new terminal, the home controller 5
0 must be disassembled and hardware such as control units and operation keys added, which requires not only time and effort but also a considerable amount of space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make the key input section of the home controller a multifunctional, flexible, and programmable graphic touch panel, and to use an IC card that stores system configuration information specific to each house, thereby making the home controller compact. To provide a home bus system that is highly operable and can display the floor plan of a house on a configured home controller and can easily accommodate the addition of terminals.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the home bus system of the present invention includes a plurality of terminals such as information systems, security systems, home appliance systems, etc., and these terminals on an information transmission path in the home. An IC card that is connected to a home controller to control the home, and an IC card that stores system configuration information unique to the home, such as the floor plan of the home, types, numbers, and installation positions of terminal equipment, and graphic display data, and controls for each terminal. a graphic touch panel provided on the home controller for selectively inputting necessary information, and displaying various operation keys in sequence based on the graphic display data; and a graphic touch panel provided on the home controller that reads out information from an inserted IC card. The present invention is characterized by comprising a processor that controls each terminal based on the system configuration information and operation key selections on the graphic touch panel.

<Function> Currently, the home controller that controls the various terminals connected to the home information transmission line is equipped with system configurations specific to the home, such as the floor plan of the home, types and numbers of terminal devices, installation locations, and graphic display data. The IC card with the information written on it is
Suppose you are attacked by someone. Then, the processor of the home controller reads out the graphic display data from the IC card, displays various operation keys in sequence on the graphic touch panel based on this data, and also displays the user's selection of operation keys on the graphic touch panel and the IC card. Each terminal is controlled based on the system configuration information read from the system configuration information. In this way, the user can easily select a desired operation key while viewing the floor plan of his or her home, terminal layout, etc. on the graphic touch panel, and can control each terminal with good operability. In addition, compared to the case where mechanical operation keys are provided, the installation space of the port controller is smaller.
Home controllers become smaller. Furthermore, the addition of terminals can be easily handled by simply adding the system configuration information of the IC card, without adding hardware such as operation keys.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is an overall block diagram showing an embodiment of the home bath system of the present invention.
Living room 4. Western-style room 5. Japanese-style room 6. Toilet 7, washroom 8. Bathroom 9
Lights 31 to 3 are installed as home appliance terminals in each zone.
9. Dining room 3. Living room 4. Western-style room 5. Japanese-style room 6. Intrusion sensors 43, 44, 4 as security terminals are installed in the bathroom 9, respectively.
5°46.49 respectively, and 2 video door phones at the entrance 1.
2, an electric lock 23, and a fire sensor 24 in the dining room 3, these terminals are connected by a home bus 20 which is a home information transmission path, and a main controller 21 and a home controller 10 that control the above terminals are installed. is connected to the home bus 20.

The main controller 21 controls the entire system including each terminal, while the home controller 10
It is installed in the cafeteria 3 and serves as an input/output unit where users input information necessary to control each terminal and check the status of each terminal.

As shown in the external view of FIG. 2, the home controller 10 has a power switch 11. A power lamp 12 that indicates that the power is on, a liquid crystal display 13 that displays images from a video door phone 22 or a television (not shown), an audio signal from the video door phone 22, and an electric lock 23. A speaker 14 that reproduces detection signals from the fire sensor 24 and intrusion sensors 43 to 46 and 49 as an alarm sound, a handset 15 that makes calls to the video intercom 22 and an external telephone (not shown), and other devices necessary for controlling each terminal. It has a graphic touch panel 16 that sequentially displays various operation keys for selectively inputting information, and also displays the specific content and generation zone of the detection signal, an insertion slot 17 for inserting an IC card 18, and a processor (not shown). .

The IC card 18 contains the floor plan of the house (see Figure 3),
It stores system configuration information specific to the home, such as the type, number, and installation location of terminal equipment (see Figure 1.5) and graphic display data.The system configuration information can be input to the home bus using a dedicated input device. The store that sells the system and the construction method can be written based on the user's request, or the user himself can write using the home controller 10. On the other hand, the processor of the home controller 10 reads system configuration information from the IC card 18 inserted into the insertion slot 17, and based on the graphic display data thereof, displays a floor plan, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 on the graphic touch panel 16. The operation keys 19 of the lighting terminal are displayed, and each terminal is controlled based on the user's touch selection of the terminal mark in each zone in the figure and the system configuration information. Also, IC
When rewriting the system configuration information of the card 18, necessary information keys are displayed on the graphic touch panel 16, and the system configuration information is updated based on the user's operation of the information keys. In addition, the fourth
The numbers in parentheses for each zone in the figure represent the numbers assigned to the lights provided in the corresponding zones in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a list showing an example of system configuration information stored in the IC card 18, and FIG. 5(a) shows the total number of rooms and zone names and numbers in the floor plan.
b) represents the system and type of each terminal device installed in each zone, and the total number of each terminal device. Note that if various terminals other than those shown in FIG. 1, such as telephones, near conditioners, baths, and personal computers, are added to each zone of the floor plan and the system configuration information of the IC card 18 is updated accordingly, the Of course, the contents of the list shown in Figure 5 will increase.

The operation of the home bus system having the above configuration will now be described using the lighting terminal shown in FIG. 4 as an example.

Assume that the IC card 18 storing system configuration information is inserted into the insertion slot of the home controller 10, and the user selects a lighting terminal as a terminal to be controlled on the graphic touch panel 16.

Then, the processor of the home controller IO
The graphic display data regarding the lighting terminal is read out from the card 1B and displayed on the graphic touch panel 16.
The upper part is represented as the operation keys 19 of the lighting terminal according to the floor plan as shown in Fig. 4, and the main controller 21 (
The on/off status of the lighting terminals in each zone is monitored via
6) are white, and the lights are off (31, 35, 37, 3).
8 and 39) are respectively displayed in black. In the case of the figure, hall 21
Dining room 3. Living room 4. The lights in Japanese-style room 6 are on, and the entrance 1. Western-style room 5 degrees, toilet 7, washroom 8. The lights in bathroom 9 are off.

Next, for example, when turning on the lighting 3I in the entrance 1, the user presses the lighting terminal mark (31) at the entrance in FIG. 4 on the graphic touch panel 16 with his or her finger. Then, the processor of the home controller IO connects the home bus 20. Entrance lighting 31 via main controller 21
An operation inversion signal, that is, an ON signal is output to the lamp 31, and upon receiving this, the lighting 31 turns on and sends back a signal indicating the lighting state. The processor that received the lighting state signal then
The illumination terminal mark (31) at the entrance in Fig. 4 is changed to a white display indicating the lighting state.

As with ε above, even when controlling other types of terminals such as intrusion sensors, it is possible to use floor plan displays, pictograms to indicate the status of the terminal, touch panel input, etc., making it extremely easy for users to operate. Furthermore, even if there are changes or additions to the number of terminals, installation zones, or service content, you can simply update the system configuration information on the IC card 18 without adding additional hardware such as operation keys to the home controller IO. It is possible to respond easily and flexibly. Furthermore, compared to the conventional example in which mechanical operation keys are provided, the home controller 10 can be made smaller and more compact by reducing the key installation space.

In other words, the user can easily control each terminal with good operability by simply selecting the desired operation key while viewing the floor plan of his or her home or terminal layout on the graphic touch panel 16. . In this way, [C card 18] stores system configuration information specific to each house.
By using this, it is possible to create a home bath system dedicated to the home with no waste and excellent operability.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

<Effects of the Invention> As is clear from the above description, the home bus system of the present invention allows the home controller that controls the various terminals connected to the home information transmission path to transmit information necessary for controlling each terminal. In addition to providing a graphic touch panel that sequentially displays operation keys for inputting selections, the floor plan of the house,
Storing system configuration information specific to the house, such as terminal equipment arrangement and graphic display data1. The IC card is inserted into the home controller, and the processor installed in the home controller controls each terminal based on the system configuration information read from the IC card and the operation key selection on the graphic touch panel. allows you to easily select the desired operation key while looking at the terminal layout diagram on the graphic touch panel of the small and compact home controller, allowing you to control each terminal with good operability, and also allows you to store system configuration information on an IC card. You can easily and flexibly add more terminals by simply making changes.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall block diagram showing one embodiment of the home bus system of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external view of the home controller I/roller shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a floor plan of the house of the above embodiment. Fourth
The figure shows the operation keys of the lighting terminal displayed on the graphic touch panel of the above embodiment, Fig. 5 is a list showing the system configuration information stored in the IC card of the above embodiment, and Fig. 6 shows the conventional home FIG. 3 is an external view of the controller. IO... Home controller, 16... Graphic touch panel, 17... Insertion slot, 18... IC card, 20... Home bus,
22...TV door phone, 23...Electronic lock, 24.
...Fire sensor, 31-39...Lighting, 43.44,45,46.49...Intrusion sensor. Patent applicant: Sharp Corporation Agent
1 patent attorney Aoi Haka Figure 2 Figure S Figure m4 (37) 9

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Information systems, security systems,
In a home bus system that connects multiple terminals such as home appliances and a home controller that controls these terminals, information unique to the house such as the floor plan of the house, the type, number, and installation location of terminal devices, and graphic display data is used. an IC card that stores system configuration information, and a graphic touch panel that is provided in the home controller to selectively input information necessary for controlling each terminal and that sequentially displays various operation keys based on the graphic display data. A home bus system, comprising: a processor provided in the home controller and controlling each terminal based on the system configuration information read from the inserted IC card and operation key selections on the graphic touch panel.