KR100427697B1 - Apparatus for converting protocols and method for controlling devices of home network system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A hybrid protocol conversion unit for converting a protocol between first and second home networks using different protocols is provided to enable digital devices of the first and second home networks to control operations of each other.

The first home network device recognition unit recognizes the digital device provided in the first home network, and the second home network device recognition unit recognizes the digital device provided in the second home network, so that the recognized digital device of the first home network Providing to the second home network and the digital device of the second home network determines whether data to be transmitted from the first or second home network to the second or first home network, respectively, is provided to the first home network and When data to be transmitted from the first home network to the second home network is input as a result of the determination, the data is converted into a format used by the second network and transferred to the second home network. The data to be transmitted from the first home network to the first home network. Converted to the format of the data used by the network will be transmitted to the first home network.

Description

Apparatus for converting protocols and method for controlling devices of home network system using the same}

The present invention connects a first home network and a second home network that operate with different protocols, so that digital devices provided in the first home network and digital devices provided in the second home network can control the operation of each other. The present invention relates to a protocol conversion device and a device control method of a home network system using the same.

With the development of digital technology, digital video / audio devices such as digital television receivers, digital video home systems (DVHS) and digital video disc (DVD) players, and household appliances such as digital refrigerators, digital air conditioners and digital washing machines, etc. Digital devices are emerging.

With the advent of the digital devices, in order to enable the user to operate the digital devices more conveniently, the user may connect the interface cables of the digital devices and control the operation of other digital devices through a digital television receiver or a computer system having a display screen. Various home network technologies have been proposed to enable this.

Home audio / video interoperability (HAVi) and universal plug and play (UPnP) are known as home network technologies for connecting the digital devices.

The HAVi has a hardware, a Real Time OS (RTOS), an IEEE 1394-1995 transaction layer, a serial bus manager (SBM), an IEC 61883 function control protocol (FCP) layer, and a CMP as shown in FIG. Based on the IEEE 1394 interface, the standard is proposed to transmit digital video / audio devices to ISO (International Standardization Organization) streams and control commands. Java is adopted as the execution engine, and seven system software elements, 1394 Communication Media Manager (CMM), messaging system, event manager, registry, and stream manager, are used to ensure the interoperability of digital devices connected to the home network. It has a resource manager and a device control module (DCM) manager, and defines DCM and FCM that represent the functions of each device. In particular, the DCM includes UI (User Interface) information for controlling each device, the UI information is delivered to the controller by the DDI (Data Driven Interaction) protocol prescribed by HAVi.

The UPnP is a protocol for exchanging UI and control information between digital devices based on HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language) widely used on the Internet, as shown in FIG. Physical media (TCP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), UDP, General Event Notification Architecture (GENA), Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP), and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

However, since the above-mentioned HAVi and UPnP use different protocols, even if the HAVi and UPnP-based digital devices are connected to each other by cable, there is a problem in that the operation information cannot be controlled because the HAVi and UPnP are not recognized. .

In addition to the above-mentioned HAVi and UPnP, various home network technologies have been proposed, and these various home network technologies also use different protocols. It could not control the operation of each other because it did not recognize the control information transmitted to the.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a protocol conversion device for controlling digital devices of a first and a second home network using different protocols and mutually controlling operations, and a device control method of a home network system using the same.

The present invention having such an object includes a hybrid protocol converter capable of understanding and converting a first home network protocol and a second home network protocol, wherein the hybrid protocol converter is configured to recognize a plurality of digital devices connected to the first home network. A first home network device recognition unit, a second home network device recognition unit that recognizes a plurality of digital devices connected to the second home network, and a protocol used by the first home network devices and the second home network devices It has a protocol interpreter.

The first home network device recognizing unit enables a plurality of digital devices connected to the second home network to recognize a plurality of digital devices connected to the first home network, and the second home network device recognizing unit is configured to perform a second recognition. The plurality of digital devices connected to the first home network may be recognized by the plurality of digital devices connected to the home network. The protocol analyzer converts data of the first home network and data of the second home network to each other, and also converts events of the first and second home networks to each other.

The protocol conversion apparatus of the present invention includes hardware for interfacing data transmission and reception between a first home network and a second home network, and first communication for communicating with the first home network and the second home network through the hardware. An execution unit and a second communication execution unit, a first home network protocol storage unit and a second home network protocol storage unit for storing protocols of the first home network and the second home network in advance;

Transmitting and receiving data to and from the first home network through the first communication unit and hardware; transmitting and receiving data to and from the second home network through the second communication unit and hardware; And a hybrid protocol conversion unit converting the protocol format of the second home network to the second home network and converting the data of the second home network into the protocol format of the first home network and providing the data to the first home network. It is done.

The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid protocol conversion unit, the first home network devices provided in the first home network, the second home network devices provided in the second home network by using the protocol of the first home network A first home network device recognizing unit configured to reconstruct a recognizable software element, and second home network devices provided in the second home network by using the protocol of the second home network. A second home network device recognizing unit reconfiguring the software element recognizable by the first home network devices, and the second home network device recognizing unit and the first home network device recognizing unit reconfigure the devices into the software element. Interpret each other's protocols And a portion configured to convert the protocol analysis to the feature.

In the device control method of the home network system using the protocol conversion apparatus of the present invention, the first home network device recognition unit recognizes a digital device included in the first home network, and the second home network device recognition unit is provided in the second home network. The first or second home network after recognizing the digital device, providing the recognized digital device of the first home network to the second home network, and providing the recognized digital device of the second home network to the first home network. Determines whether data to be transmitted to the second or first home network is input, respectively, and when the data to be transmitted from the first home network to the second home network is input, the data used by the second network. The second home network is converted to the When data to be transmitted from the second home network to the first home network is input, a fourth process of converting the data into a format of data used in the first network and transferring the data to the first home network is provided.

The format conversion of the data converts the event and DDI data input from the first home network into XML and HTML, respectively, and transmits the event and DDI data to the second home network. And convert each to a first home network.

1 is a diagram showing a typical HAVi home network protocol specification,

2 is a diagram illustrating a general UPnP home network protocol specification,

3 is a view showing the configuration of the protocol conversion device of the present invention,

4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a hybrid protocol converter of FIG. 3.

5A and 5B are views showing a display screen for explaining the operation of the protocol conversion device of the present invention as an example;

6 is a signal flow diagram showing a control method of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100, 200: first and second home network

300: protocol converter 310: hardware

320, 330: first and second communication unit

340 and 350: first and second home network protocol storage

360: hybrid protocol converter

361 and 363: second and first home network device recognition unit

363: protocol analysis unit

Hereinafter, a protocol conversion apparatus of the present invention and a device control method of a home network system using the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of FIGS. 3 to 6, wherein the first home network protocol is based on HAVi, and 2 It is assumed that the home network protocol is based on UPnP.

3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the protocol conversion device of the present invention. Here, reference numerals 100 and 200 are first and second home networks based on different protocols. For example, the first home network 100 operates based on HAVi, and the second home network operates based on UPnP.

The first home network 100 is equipped with a first home network device, for example digital video / audio devices such as a digital television receiver 101, a DVHS 103, and a DVD player 105.

The second home network 200 may be a second home network including various household appliances except for the digital video / audio device such as, for example, the digital refrigerator 201, the digital air conditioner 203, the digital washing machine 205, and the like. The device is provided.

Reference numeral 300 denotes a protocol conversion device of the present invention, which is provided between the first home network 100 and the second home network 200 and used in the first home network 100 and the second home network 200, respectively. Convert protocols to each other.

The protocol converter 300 may include hardware 310 connected to the first home network 100 and the second home network 200 to interface predetermined data, and the first through the hardware 310. A first communication performing unit 320 for communicating with the home network 100 using the IEEE 1394 protocol, and the second home network 200 and the TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) through the hardware 310. A second communication performing unit 330 which is a network protocol for communicating with the second home network, a first home network protocol storage unit 340 storing the HAVi protocol used by the first home network, and the second home network The second home network protocol storage 350 storing the TCP / IP protocol used by the user and the protocols of the first home network protocol storage 340 and the second home network protocol storage 350; Stools Which comprises a hybrid protocol converter 360.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hybrid protocol converter 360 includes a second home network device recognizer 361, a first home network device recognizer 363, and a protocol analyzer 365. .

The second home network device recognizing unit 361 may reconfigure the second home network devices included in the second home network 200 into a software element by using the protocol of the second home network, so as to form the first element. First home network devices included in the home network 100 may be recognized.

The first home network device recognizing unit 363 may reconfigure the first home network devices included in the first home network 100 into a software element by using the protocol of the first home network to perform the second home network device reconstruction. The second home network devices included in the home network 200 may be recognized.

The protocol analyzer 365 may configure the second home network device recognizer 361 and the first home network device recognizer 363 to reconfigure the second home network device and the first home network devices into software elements. In this case, the protocol of the counterpart is interpreted, and when a situation occurs in which predetermined information is provided to an application such as a network protocol, the corresponding event is converted to each other.

The operation of the protocol conversion device of the present invention configured as described above is operated by the digital television receiver 103 of the first home network 100 having the display screen by the user. It demonstrates taking control as an example.

First, the second home network device recognition unit 361 included in the hybrid protocol converter 360 recognizes the second home network devices of the second home network 200 using the UPnP protocol. That is, the digital refrigerator 201, the digital air conditioner 203, and the digital washing machine 205 included in the second home network 200 are recognized. When the second home network devices of the second home network 200 are recognized, the second home network device recognition unit 361 may recognize the recognized digital refrigerator 201, the digital air conditioner 203, and the digital washing machine 205. To the first home network devices of the first home network 200 by using the protocol analyzer 365, that is, the digital refrigerator DCM, the digital air conditioner DCM, the digital washing machine DCM. The DCMs are provided to the first home network 100 through the first communication performer 320 and the hardware 310 using the HAVi protocol stored in the first home network protocol storage 340.

Therefore, when the user operates the remote control transmitter of the digital television receiver 103 or the like to command the control of the digital devices, the digital television receiver 103 is the first home network using the HAVi protocol, which is a protocol of the first home network therein. Recognizing the digital devices DVHS 101 and DVD player 105 of 100, the digital refrigerator 201, digital air conditioner 203 and digital washing machine 205, which are digital devices of the second home network 200, The protocol conversion device 300 recognizes the DCM and displays the recognized devices on the screen, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A.

When the user selects the digital air conditioner 203 by operating a remote control transmitter or the like in this state, the digital television receiver 103 is a built-in HAVi protocol and requests the UI of the digital air conditioner 203 from the digital air conditioner DCM. The HAVi command is generated and transmitted to the protocol converter 300.

Then, the first home network device recognition unit 340 of the protocol conversion device 300 receives a HAVi command for requesting the UI of the digital air conditioner 203, and transmits the received HAVi command to the protocol analyzer 365. Through the second communication performing unit 330 and the hardware 310 by using the UPnP protocol stored in the second home network protocol storage unit 350 is converted into XML that is a command of the second home network 200 through 2 to be transmitted to the home network 200, the digital air conditioner 203 is received.

The digital air conditioner 203 uses the hybrid protocol converter 360 of the protocol converter 300 to convert UI information of the HTML format stored therein according to the received XML command of the protocol format of the second home network 200. To the second home network device recognition unit 361. The second home network device recognition unit 361 converts the provided UI information into DDI data through the protocol analyzer 365. 1 is transmitted to the digital television receiver 203 of the home network 100.

Then, the digital television receiver 203 receives the UI information of the HTML format to be transmitted, and, for example, according to the received UI information of the HTML format, for example, displays the UI of the digital air conditioner 203 as shown in FIG. 5B. Displayed on the screen to confirm the current set state of the digital air conditioner 203 to the user, and to adjust the set temperature and the like.

In this state, when the user operates the remote control transmitter or the like to adjust the set temperature of the digital air conditioner 203, the adjusted value is converted into XML in the protocol conversion device 300 as the request for the UI information. The digital air conditioner 203 is transmitted to adjust the set temperature and the like of the digital air conditioner 203.

6 is a signal flow diagram showing a control method of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 400, the first home network device recognition unit 363 of the hybrid protocol converter 360 recognizes a digital device included in the first home network 100, and the second home network device. The recognition unit 361 recognizes each of the digital devices provided in the second home network 200. When the recognition of the digital device is completed in step 400, the information of the digital devices of the first home network 100 recognized by the first home network device recognition unit 363 is provided to the second home network 200. The information on the digital devices of the second home network 200 recognized by the second home network device recognition unit 361 is provided to the first home network 100.

In this state, the hybrid protocol converter 360 of the protocol converter 300 determines whether a signal is input from the first home network 100 and the second home network 200. As a result of the determination, in step 404, when a predetermined event such as a request for UI information and a setting control value is input from the first home network 100, the second home network device recognition unit 361 receives the received event. In step 406, the XML descriptor used in the second home network 200 is converted, and in step 408, the XML descriptor is transmitted to the second home network 200 to perform a corresponding operation.

When a predetermined XML descriptor such as UI information request, UI information, and setting control value is input from the second home network 200 in step 410, the first XML device recognizes the received XML descriptor. The unit 363 converts an event to be used in the first home network in step 412, and transmits the event to the first home network 100 in step 408 to perform the operation.

In addition, when predetermined DDI data such as UI information is input from the first home network 100 in the determination result step 416, the second home network device recognition unit 361 may convert the DDI information into a protocol analyzer 365. ) Is converted into HTML for use in the second home network 200 in step 418 and transmitted to the second home network 200 in step 420.

When a predetermined HTML such as UI information is input from the second home network 200 in step 422, the first home network device recognition unit 363 may convert the protocol analysis unit 365 into the HTML. In step 424, the DDI data is converted into DDI data used in the first home network 200, and is transmitted to the first home network 100 in step 426.

On the other hand, while the present invention has been shown and described with respect to specific preferred embodiments, various modifications and changes of the present invention without departing from the spirit or field of the invention provided by the claims below It can be easily understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the above description, the first home network is based on HAVi and the second home network is based on UPnP, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Can be used between.

As described in detail above, the present invention is provided between a first home network and a second home network, and converts and provides protocols of the first home network and the second home network to each other. Devices in the network and the second home network can remotely control operation with each other.

Claims (4)

Hardware for interfacing the transmission and reception of data between the first home network and the second home network; A first communication unit and a second communication unit which respectively communicate with the first home network and the second home network through the hardware; A first home network protocol storage unit and a second home network protocol storage unit respectively storing protocols of the first home network and the second home network; And Send and receive data to and from the first home network through the first communication unit and hardware, send and receive data to and from the second home network through the second communication unit and hardware, and transmit data of the first home network. A hybrid protocol conversion unit converting the protocol format of the second home network to provide to the second home network and converting data of the second home network into the protocol format of the first home network and providing the data to the first home network; , The hybrid protocol converter; A first home reconfiguring the first home network devices provided in the first home network into a software element recognizable by the second home network devices provided in the second home network using the protocol of the first home network; A network device recognition unit; A second home reconfiguring second home network devices provided in the second home network into a software element recognizable by the first home network devices provided in the first home network using the protocol of the second home network; A network device recognition unit; And And the second home network device recognizer and the first home network device recognizer, when reconfiguring the corresponding devices with software elements, interpret a protocol of the counterpart and convert each other. delete A first process of recognizing a digital device provided in the first home network by the first home network device recognizing unit and recognizing a digital device provided in the second home network by the second home network device recognizing unit; After providing the digital device of the first home network recognized in the first process to the second home network and providing the digital device of the recognized second home network to the first home network, the second device in the first or second home network Or a second step of determining whether data to be transmitted to each of the first home networks is input; A third step of converting the data into a format of data used by the second network when the data to be transmitted from the first home network to the second home network is input as a result of the determination in the second step; And As a result of the determination in the second step, when data to be transmitted from the second home network to the first home network is input, the fourth step of converting the data into a format of data used in the first network and transferring the data to the first home network. Device control method of a home network system using a protocol conversion device, characterized in that made. The method of claim 3, wherein In the third process, the event input from the first home network and DDI (Data Driven Interaction) data are converted into XML (Extensible Markup Language) and HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), respectively, and transmitted to the second home network. The fourth step is a device control method of a home network system using a protocol conversion device, characterized in that for converting the XML and HTML input from the second home network to the event and DDI data respectively to the first home network.