KR100684613B1 - Home network system and method for transmitting data for that - Google Patents

Abstract

A home network system and a data transfer method thereof are provided to selectively use a power line network according to communication states of a wireless node, thereby improving the throughput and coverage of a wireless network. A home network system comprises the followings: at least one wireless communication node(200); at least one PLC(Power Line Communication) node(300) which performs wired communication through a power line and which is capable of wireless interworking with the wireless communication node(200); and a home server(100) which monitors whether communication with the wireless communication node(200) is possible or not, and performs communication with the wireless communication node(200) by selecting one of the first communication path, for directly communicating with the wireless communication node(200), and the second communication paths, for communicating with the wireless communication node(200) via the PLC node(300), according to the monitoring result.

Description

Home Network System and Method for Transmitting Data for That}

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a home network system according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a primary communication path and a secondary communication path existing in the home network system shown in FIG. 1.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission operation process of the home network system illustrated in FIG. 1.

4A and 4B are exemplary diagrams illustrating one form of a Zigbee packet and a power line communication packet.

5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a home network system according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a home network system according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: home network system

101: control module

110: external interface module

120: Zigbee Coordinator

130: power line communication interface module

200: Zigbee Node

300: power line communication node

310: Zigbee Interface Module

400: external communication network

The present invention relates to a home network system and a data transmission method thereof, and more particularly, to improve the stability and efficiency of a network by using a power line communication node as a relay for transmission of a wireless communication node. The present invention relates to a home network system and a data transmission method thereof.

In recent years, as data communication technology is highly developed, there is an increasing demand for constructing a more efficient and convenient system by interconnecting a plurality of systems. The home network system is one of the most demanding systems.

The home network system is a concept developed from the existing home automation system. It is used to wire or wirelessly connect digital information appliances such as TV, audio, video, computer, refrigerator, washing machine, rice cooker, air conditioner and boiler installed in the home. It refers to a system that allows users to freely control any home appliance anytime and anywhere by connecting to a network.

By using such a home network system, users can not only get functions such as door opening, intruder detection, gas alarm, fire detection, etc., which are basically provided in the home automation system, but also upgraded forms of high quality multimedia service. Entertainment services such as online, distance education and video on demand services, information services such as personal and family information management, home shopping, e-commerce and home security Etc. may be provided with a communication service (Communication Service).

Typically, wired or wireless networking technology is used to construct such a home network system.

In this case, wired networking technology is used for power line communication (PLC) using a power line installed in a home, home phone networking alliance (HomePNA) using a telephone line installed in a home, and real-time high-speed data transmission of AV devices. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394.

Among these wired networking technologies, power line communication refers to a networking technology that provides data communication using a power line for supplying power to home appliances installed in a home.

Power line communication requires only a simple process of inserting a plug into an electrical outlet to connect a home appliance to a communication network, and is more competitive than other wired networking technologies given that power lines are already installed in almost all buildings. It is considered.

In particular, in the field of home networking technology, since power line communication has emerged as one of the technologies most suitable for the popularization and marketability of home network systems, many companies are currently accelerating the development and standardization of power line communication protocols.

On the other hand, wireless networking technologies include the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless LANs that use the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band, and the wireless access industry standard of the 2.4 GHz band for supporting communication between short-range devices. Ultra Wide Band (UWB), a broadband communication technology, and ZigBee, an industry standard for home automation and data networks with low data rates.

Among these home networking technologies, ZigBee is a wireless networking technology based on IEEE 802.15.4. In 2002, the Alliance for Research and Standardization was formed and version 1.0 was released in December 2004.

ZigBee is expected to lead the development of short-range wireless networks and sensor networks because of its low cost, low power consumption and low speed.

In general, such a ZigBee network installs a ZigBee chip to enable the transmission and reception of ZigBee packets to devices in the home, and sets one of them as a ZigBee Coordinator to transmit and receive ZigBee packets. At this time, the Zigbee coordinator serves as a master, and the remaining Zigbee nodes serve as slaves.

However, in such a master / slave method, a range and a data throughput that can be covered by a Zigbee network in a home may decrease due to reasons such as interference with other frequencies and deterioration of a communication environment due to physical obstacles. In fact, the 2.4G frequency used in ZigBee communication may interfere with the frequency used by another wireless communication frequency, IEEE 802.11b.

Due to this problem, techniques for improving the coverage of a Zigbee network have been disclosed by transmitting a Zigbee packet through a communication path using a ZigBee Relay.

However, in this case, when the communication obstacles increase, the installation of the Zigbee relay must increase, resulting in problems such as deterioration of communication efficiency and excessive consumption of batteries. Therefore, there is no fundamental improvement in throughput and coverage of the Zigbee network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a home network system that can improve throughput and coverage of a wireless network by selectively using a power line network according to a communication state of a wireless node. .

It is also a second object of the present invention to provide a data transmission method of a home network system that can check a communication state of a wireless node and selectively perform data transmission to a wireless node via a powerline network.

Home network system according to the present invention for achieving the first object of the present invention, at least one wireless communication node; At least one power line communication node performing wired communication through a power line and wirelessly interworking with the wireless communication node; And a primary communication path for monitoring communication with the wireless communication node and communicating with the wireless communication node via the power line communication node and a primary communication path for direct communication to the wireless communication node according to the monitoring result. Selecting any one includes a home server for communicating with the wireless communication node.

In this case, the wireless communication node may be a Zigbee node for transmitting and receiving data through the Zigbee protocol. In this case, the power line communication node includes a ZigBee interface module that performs a ZigBee packet transmission / reception function to enable wireless interworking with the ZigBee node.

The home server may include: a Zigbee coordinator configured to determine whether communication with the Zigbee node is possible, and to generate and transmit / receive Zigbee packets for communication with the Zigbee node; A power line communication interface module for generating and transmitting / receiving a power line packet for communicating with the power line communication node; And requesting whether the Zigbee coordinator can communicate with the Zigbee node, selecting the primary communication path when direct wireless communication with the Zigbee node is enabled, and when direct wireless communication with the Zigbee node is impossible. It may include a control module for selecting a secondary communication path. In addition, the home server, an external interface module for performing an interface function to transmit and receive data with the external network; And a database storing information on the primary communication path and the secondary communication path.

The control module transmits data to the Zigbee coordinator when direct wireless communication with the Zigbee node is possible, and transmits data to the power line communication interface module when direct wireless communication with the Zigbee node is not possible.

On the other hand, the data transmission method of the home network system according to the present invention for achieving the second object of the present invention described above, using at least one wireless communication node and at least one power line communication node capable of wireless interworking with the wireless communication node. A method for transmitting data to a wireless communication node, the method comprising: monitoring availability of communication with the wireless communication node; Selecting one of a primary communication path communicating directly to the wireless communication node and a secondary communication path communicating to the wireless communication node via the power line communication node according to the monitoring result; And transmitting data according to the selected communication path.

In this step, the communication path selection step selects the primary communication path when wireless communication with the wireless communication node is possible, and selects the secondary communication path when wireless communication with the wireless communication node is impossible. Can be.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. In addition, in describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, specific technical terms are used for clarity of content. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these specific selected terms, and that each specific term includes all technical synonyms that operate in a similar manner to achieve a similar purpose.

<Example 1>

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a home network system according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a home network system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a home server 100, a Zigbee node 200, and a power line communication node 300.

The Zigbee node 200 refers to a home appliance, a sensor, a security device, etc. capable of transmitting and receiving a Zigbee packet according to the Zigbee protocol. That is, the Zigbee node 200 may mean a device including a Zigbee module for wireless communication.

At this time, the Zigbee protocol follows the standard defined in IEEE802.15.4, and adopts a carrier sensing multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) scheme for channel allocation as in the IEEE802-based wireless network. In addition, the frequency used may be one of 898MHz, 915MHz, 2.4GHz, ZigBee packet transmission rate is less than 250Kbps, the maximum transmission distance may be around 15M.

The power line communication node 300 refers to a home appliance, a sensor, a security device, etc. capable of performing wired communication with the home server 100 through a power line. That is, the power line communication node 300 may refer to a device having a power line modem. The power line communication protocol is used in the communication between the power line communication node 300 and the home server 100.

In addition, the power line communication node 300 includes a Zigbee interface module 310 to enable wireless interworking with the Zigbee node 200. At this time, the Zigbee interface module 310 converts the power line communication packet transmitted from the home server 100 to a Zigbee packet and transmits it to the Zigbee node 200, and the Zigbee packet transmitted from the Zigbee node 200 is a power line communication packet. Perform the function of converting.

Accordingly, the power line communication node 300 may interwork with the home server 100 and the Zigbee node 200 in a wired and wireless manner, respectively.

The home server 100 monitors communication with the Zigbee node 200 and selects one of the primary communication path and the secondary communication path to communicate with the Zigbee node 200 according to the monitoring result. do.

In this case, the primary communication path means a path for communicating with the Zigbee node 200 through a wireless line directly, and the secondary communication path is a path for communicating with the Zigbee node 200 via the power line communication node 300. Means. That is, the secondary communication path is a concept of using a wired node as a relay node for wireless communication.

2 is an exemplary view showing such a primary communication path and a secondary communication path.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the primary communication path, the home server 100 and the Zigbee node 200 are directly connected through a wireless line. On the other hand, in the secondary communication path, there is a power line communication node 300 for performing a relay function between the home server 100 and the Zigbee node 200.

The home server 100 may include an external interface module 110, a Zigbee coordinator 120, a power line communication interface module 130, a database 140, and a control module 101.

The external interface module 110 provides an external interface function to enable data exchange with the external communication network 400. In this case, the external communication network 400 may be a wired or wireless Internet, a telephone network, a mobile communication network, or the like. Accordingly, the user may access the home server 100 using a computer terminal or a mobile communication terminal to control the functions of the Zigbee node 200 or obtain status information.

The ZigBee coordinator 120 is a ZigBee module that performs a master role for the ZigBee node 200. The ZigBee coordinator 120 determines whether the ZigBee node 200 can communicate with the ZigBee node 200 and generates a ZigBee packet for communication with the ZigBee node 200. And a transmission / reception interface.

The ZigBee coordinator 120 may detect a ZigBee node 200 existing in its connection area by transmitting a beacon signal periodically or at the request of a home server. In the first embodiment, the case in which the Zigbee coordinator 120 is included in the home server 100 will be described. However, the Zigbee coordinator 120 may be configured as a separate device interworking with the home server 100.

The power line communication interface module 130 performs a generation and transmission / reception interface of a power line packet for communication with the power line communication node 300. In this case, the power line communication interface module 130 may be a power line communication modem.

The control module 101 controls the overall interaction and data flow of the respective modules 110 to 130. In particular, the control module 101 requests the ZigBee coordinator 120 about whether the ZigBee node 200 can communicate with the ZigBee node 200, and when the wireless communication is possible directly with the ZigBee node 200, communication is performed through the primary communication path. If the direct communication with the Zigbee node 200 is impossible, the control is performed so that the communication is performed through the secondary communication path.

In this case, the primary communication path and the secondary communication path may be set in the database 140. In general, a plurality of ZigBee nodes 200 and powerline communication nodes 300 exist in a home network environment, and thus, a plurality of communication paths may be formed in various forms of the primary communication path and the secondary communication path. have. In this case, the control module 101 may search the database 140 to find a preset communication path. The case where a plurality of primary communication paths and secondary communication paths exist will be described later in the second and third embodiments.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission operation process of the home network system illustrated in FIG. 1, and functions of the elements of FIG. 1 will be described more clearly by the following operation description.

First, when a data packet destined for the Zigbee node 200 is transmitted from the external communication network 400, the external interface module 110 receives the transmitted data packet (step: S1).

Subsequently, the control module 101 requests the detection of whether the Zigbee coordinator 120 can communicate with the Zigbee node 200 (step: S2). The Zigbee coordinator 120 detects whether the communication with the Zigbee node 200 is possible, and notifies the control module 101 of the result (step: S3).

At this time, as a result of the determination according to the notification (step: S4), if the communication state with the Zigbee node 200 is good, the control module 101 selects the primary communication path (step: S5). That is, the received data packet is transmitted to the Zigbee coordinator 120. Subsequently, the Zigbee coordinator 120 converts the data packet transmitted from the control module 101 into a Zigbee packet and wirelessly transmits the data packet to the Zigbee node 200.

Accordingly, the Zigbee node 200 may receive the information of the data packet transmitted from the external communication network 400. In addition, the response information of the Zigbee node 200 with respect to the received information may be transmitted to the control module 101 through an inverse process of the above-described process through the primary communication path and then transmitted to the external communication network 400. There will be.

On the other hand, when the determination (step: S4) results in poor communication with the Zigbee node 200 and thus direct communication is not possible, the control module 101 selects the primary communication path (step: S6). That is, the received data packet is transmitted to the power line communication interface module 130. Subsequently, the power line communication interface module 130 converts the data packet transmitted from the control module 101 into a power line packet and transmits the data packet to the power line communication node 130 through the power line.

The power line communication node 130 receives the transmitted power line packet, converts the Zigbee packet using the Zigbee interface module 300, and transmits the converted Zigbee packet to the Zigbee node 200 through the wireless line. Therefore, the Zigbee node 200 may receive the information of the data packet transmitted from the external communication network 400.

4A and 4B are exemplary diagrams illustrating one form of a Zigbee packet and a power line communication packet.

Referring to FIG. 4A, a Zigbee packet includes a "STX" field indicating the start of a packet, a "ZigBee ID" field into which ZigBee ID information is inserted, a "Home Code" field into which home code information is inserted, and a "LEN" indicating the length of the packet. "Field," CMD "field into which control information is inserted," ADR "field into which address information is inserted," DATA "field into which actual data information (header and data information about actual packet contents, destination address, etc.) is inserted, "CRC" field for error correction, "ETX" field indicating the end of the packet, and the like.

In addition, the power line communication packet may have the same structure as the packet shown in FIG. 4A as shown in FIG. 4B, and the "PLC ID" field is inserted instead of the "ZigBee ID" field.

That is, the Zigbee packet and the power line communication packet may be distinguished through the "ZigBee ID" field or the "PLC ID" field. For example, the Zigbee packet inserts a "OxFF" value indicating a Zigbee packet in the "ZigBee ID" field, and the powerline packet inserts a "0x00" value indicating the power line communication packet in the "PLC ID" field. It can distinguish the packet of the scheme.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the power line communication node 300 may be used as a relay to provide a selective communication path according to the communication state of the Zigbee node 200. However, as mentioned above, a number of Zigbee nodes 200 and powerline communication nodes 300 are often present in a home network environment. Therefore, in the second embodiment to be described below, a home network system in which a plurality of primary communication paths and secondary communication paths exist will be described.

<Example 2>

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a home network system according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a case where one power line communication node provides a communication path to a plurality of Zigbee nodes.

Referring to FIG. 5, the home network system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes two ZigBee nodes 200a and 200b, that is, a first ZigBee node 200a and a second ZigBee node 200b.

At this time, the home server 100 as a communication path for transmitting and receiving data with the first ZigBee node 200a, the primary communication path 1 is directly connected to the first ZigBee node 200a through a wireless line, There may be a secondary communication path 2 that communicates with the first Zigbee node 200a via the powerline communication node 300.

In addition, as a communication path for the home server 100 to transmit and receive data with the second Zigbee node 200b, a primary communication path 3 directly connected to the second Zigbee node 200b through a wireless line, There may be a secondary communication path 4 that communicates with the second Zigbee node 200b via the powerline communication node 300.

Therefore, when a data packet destined for the first ZigBee node 200a or the second ZigBee node 200b is received from an external communication network, the home server 100 indicates a communication state of the corresponding ZigBee nodes 200a and 200b. After the determination, the appropriate path can be selected and transmitted.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a home network system according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a case where a plurality of power line nodes are used to form a communication path for communicating with one Zigbee node. have.

Referring to FIG. 6, a home network system according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes two power line communication nodes, that is, a first power line communication node and a second power line communication node.

At this time, the home server 100 as a communication path for transmitting and receiving data with the Zigbee node 200, the first communication path 10 is directly connected to the first Zigbee node 200 via a wireless line, and Secondary first communication path 12 communicating with the Zigbee node 200 via the first power line communication node 12 and secondary agent communicating with the Zigbee node 200 via the second powerline communication node 300b. Two communication paths 14 may be formed.

Therefore, when a data packet destined for the Zigbee node 200 is received from an external communication network, the home server 100 determines whether direct communication with the Zigbee node 200 is possible, and if direct wireless interworking is difficult, secondary Data may be transmitted by selecting the first communication path 12 or the second secondary communication path 14.

In this case, the first power line communication node 300a and the second power line communication node 300b may provide a home server 100 with a communication state with the Zigbee node 200, and the home server 100 may provide a communication state with the second server. One of the primary first communication path 12 or the secondary second communication path 14 can be selected.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to its preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will variously modify the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. And can be practiced with modification.

In particular, in the above-described first to third embodiments, a case in which the power line communication node can be used as a relay of a Zigbee node has been described. Various technical applications will be possible using the technical idea.

For example, a power line communication node may be used as a relay in a conventional Zigbee network type using a Zigbee node as a relay, and relay between power line communication nodes may be possible depending on a wired network environment. Accordingly, modifications to future embodiments of the present invention will not depart from the technology of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, by using a power line communication node as a relay concept for communication with a Zigbee node, communication failure due to communication obstacles that may exist in a home, for example, walls, furniture, home appliances, etc. It can overcome and reduce the degradation of service quality due to radio frequency interference. In addition, the Zigbee relay has an advantage that can prevent the degradation of the network stability and efficiency due to excessive.

Claims (7)

At least one wireless communication node; At least one power line communication node performing wired communication through a power line and wirelessly interworking with the wireless communication node; And Monitoring of communication with the wireless communication node, and a primary communication path for directly communicating with the wireless communication node according to the monitoring result, and a second communication path for communicating with the wireless communication node via the power line communication node. And a home server selecting any one to communicate with the wireless communication node. The home network system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication node is a Zigbee node that transmits and receives data through a ZigBee protocol. The home network system of claim 2, wherein the power line communication node comprises a ZigBee interface module that performs a ZigBee packet transmission / reception function to enable wireless interworking with the ZigBee node. The method of claim 2, wherein the home server, A Zigbee coordinator for determining whether to communicate with the Zigbee node and for generating and transmitting a Zigbee packet for communicating with the Zigbee node; A power line communication interface module for generating and transmitting / receiving a power line packet for communicating with the power line communication node; An external interface module performing an interface function to transmit and receive data to and from an external network; Request the ZigBee coordinator to detect whether the ZigBee node can communicate with the ZigBee node, and if the detection results in direct wireless communication with the ZigBee node, select the primary communication path, and direct wireless communication with the ZigBee node is performed. A control module for selecting the secondary communication path if not possible; And And a database storing information of the primary communication path and the secondary communication path. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control module transmits data to the Zigbee coordinator when direct wireless communication with the Zigbee node is possible, and transmits data to the powerline communication interface module when direct wireless communication with the Zigbee node is impossible. Home network system, characterized in that. 1. A method for transmitting data to a wireless communication node using at least one wireless communication node and at least one power line communication node wirelessly interoperable with the wireless communication node. Monitoring the possibility of communication with the wireless communication node; Selecting one of a primary communication path communicating directly to the wireless communication node and a secondary communication path communicating to the wireless communication node via the power line communication node according to the monitoring result; And And transmitting data according to the selected communication path. The method of claim 6, wherein the communication path selection step, The primary network path is selected when wireless communication with the wireless communication node is possible as a result of the monitoring, and the second communication path is selected when wireless communication with the wireless communication node is impossible. Method of data transfer.

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