KR20020078935A - A household electric appliance cyber remote control system using switching system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A cyber remote control system for household appliances using a switching system is provided to remotely control the household appliances on cyber through Internet connection. CONSTITUTION: A switching system having a main switch(40A) and a plurality of sub-switches(40B-40F) manually and remotely controls the on/off states of household appliances. An ARS(Automatic Response System) connection unit(30) connects the switching system to an ARS, and remotely controls the household appliances using a telephone. A PC connection unit(20) connects the switching system to a PC(10B), and remotely controls the household appliances on an Internet cyber. PCs(10A,10B) receive all states of the household appliances from the PC connection unit(20), select a control object, and transmit a corresponding control value to the PC connection unit(20).

Description

A household electric appliance cyber remote control system using switching system

The present invention relates to a home appliance control using a switching system, and more particularly, to a home appliance cyber remote control system using a switching system that can be controlled remotely over the cyber via an Internet connection.

As a switch for switching the power, a manual switch or a remote control switch using a remote controller has been generally used. However, such a conventional switch has been inconvenient to perform the switching operation only when the user operates the switch in a place where the switch is installed.

Thus, the "switching system" of registration number 163940, filed earlier by the same applicant and published on March 20, 1999, has been presented. This is a remote control using manual and remote control without the user having to go directly to the place where the power lighting is controlled in the indoor lighting lamp and various electric and electronic products. A technique is disclosed for enabling control over the same.

On the other hand, as computers (PCs) are widely used, the number of Internet users is increasing rapidly. With the rapid development and spread of the Internet, e-commerce, home banking, and telecommuting are increasing, and the related information industry is developing.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance cyber remote control system using a switching system that can be controlled remotely on the cyber via an internet connection when controlling the home appliance using the above-described switching system.

1 is a block diagram showing a home appliance cyber remote control system using a switching system according to the present invention,

2 is a detailed view showing the PC connection of the system of FIG.

3 and 4 are detailed views showing the home appliance control unit of the system of FIG.

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

10A, 10B: Computer 20: PC Connection

30: ARS connection part 40A,... , 40F: Switching System

50A, 50B, 50C: control part 60: power supply part

The home appliance cyber remote control system using the switching system of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the home appliance remote control system using a switching system, the "ON / OFF (OFF) state of the home appliance; Switching system for manual and remote control, ARS connection unit for remote control of the home appliance by ARS connection with the switching system, and remote control of the home appliance over the Internet by connecting the switching system and a PC. And a computer (PC) for receiving an overall state of the home appliance from the PC connection through mutual Internet connection, selecting a control target, and transferring the control value to the PC connection.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a home appliance cyber remote control system using a switching system according to the present invention. The cyber remote control system shown in FIG. 1 includes a switching system for "on / off" switch control of home appliances such as lighting lamps, air conditioners and boilers. The switching system is composed of a plurality of main switches 40A and a plurality of sub switches 40B to 40F. Here, the sub-switches 40C to 40F that are connected to home appliances such as a fan, a boiler, an air conditioner, and a gas valve breaker are manufactured by transforming them into outlets. The cyber remote control system of FIG. 1 also provides a computer (PC) 10A, 10B, which is installed indoors and outdoors, a PC connection unit 20 for connecting between a switching system and an indoor user PC 10B, and telephone connection. An ARS connection unit 30 is provided for remote control. Detailed configuration of the PC connection unit 20 will be described later with reference to FIG. The PC 10A, 10B is connected to the Internet. Of course, in the outdoors, instead of the PC 10A, the user may use a mobile communication terminal capable of accessing the Internet, such as a mobile phone or a PDA. Meanwhile, in the cyber remote control system of FIG. 1, the control units 50A to 50C are connected between the subswitch modified outlets 40D to 40F and the corresponding home appliances. Detailed configurations of the control units 50A to 50C will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the PC connection unit 20 of FIG. 1, which includes a terminal 21 and a communication unit 22 for connection and communication with the PC 10B. The PC connection portion 20 of FIG. 2 also includes a terminal 26 and a communication portion 25 for connection and communication with the switching system side. The CPU 23 transmits the overall control state of the home appliance to the PC 10B and transfers the received control value to the switching system, and the microcomputer that monitors the home appliance control state and notifies the CPU 23 when there is a change. 24 is provided.

3 is a detailed view of the control unit 50A, 50B of FIG. 1, the terminal 31 and the communication unit 32, the boiler / air conditioner operation switch 33 for connecting and communicating with the sub-switch modified outlets 40D and 40E. It is provided. The control units 50A and 50B are provided with a light emitting diode LED indicating that the heating / cooling operation of the boiler / air conditioner is in operation, a switch SW1 for cooling and heating operation, and a switch SW2 for going out mode of the boiler. Cooling and heating LED input terminal 37 is connected to the light emitting diode LED, and relays 38 and 39 are connected to each of the switches SW1 and SW2. The control unit 50A, 50B of FIG. 3 also monitors the states of the LEDs and the switches SW1 and SW2, outputs them to the operation switch 33, and switches the CPU 35 and the mode according to the received control values. A dip switch 36 for setting is provided.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the control part 50C of FIG. 1, which has a terminal 41 for connecting and communicating with the subswitch modified outlet 40F, a communication part 42, and a gas valve breaker operation switch 43. As shown in FIG. This control part 50C is provided with the opening / closing switch 55 of the gas valve, the closing confirmation switch 48, and the display part 56 which shows a switch state. The control unit 50C of FIG. 4 also includes a sensor input stage 53 for detecting gas leakage, a gas detector 54, a driving unit 51 for closing the valve, and a motor 52. The current sensing unit 49 is connected to the driving unit 51. On the other hand, the control unit 50C of FIG. 4 monitors the switch state, outputs it to the operation switch 43, and operates the CPU 51 for operating the drive unit 51 according to the received control value, and by remote control and gas leakage. It is provided with a buzzer output unit 47 for distinguishing the valve closing and ringing the buzzer. In addition, a battery 46 is provided in preparation for power failure.

The operation of the home appliance cyber remote control system using the switching system having such a configuration will be described in detail below.

Typically, a user directly controls a plurality of main switches 40A or sub-switches 40B to 40F or remotely controls a desired load through a remote controller (not shown). The main switch 40A or the subswitches 40B to 40F decode a signal input by a user's direct operation or a remote controller to control the "on / off" switching of the load. Of course, even when the load is installed in a room other than the own room, the switching function is controlled through communication with the switch in which the load is installed through the communication function of the main switch 40A or the sub switches 40B to 40F. When the user is out, the user connects to the ARS connection unit 30 via a telephone call and transmits a control signal to the switch system 40A to 40F. Since these contents are described in the aforementioned earlier application specification, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

On the other hand, the user connects the PC 10B installed in his home and the switch system 40A to 40F through the PC connection unit 20. The microcomputer 24 of the PC connection unit 20 constantly monitors the states of the switches 40A to 40F connected through the switching system connection terminal 26 and transmits them to the CPU 23 whenever there is a change. That is, on the switching systems 40A to 40F side, the load state of the lamp or the home appliance to be controlled is transmitted to the PC connection unit 20 via communication. Here, the communication unit 25 serves as an intermediate buffer between the microcomputer 24 and the switching system connection terminal 26, and filters out weak signals or noise. The CPU 23 transmits the overall state of the loads to the PC 10B connected to the PC connection terminal 21 through the PC communication unit 22. The PC 10B transmits the overall state of the loads to the external user PC 10A via the Internet in a state of being connected to the external user PC 10A via the Internet. The external user PC 10A displays the status of the loads received in a browser window so that the user can see at a glance whether the home lights are turned on at home or outside the home. The user sees the switch state displayed in the browser window of the PC 10A with a mouse (not shown), and clicks a desired load to operate the switch of the load. For example, if the user wants to turn on the lamp 1 in the currently off state, the user clicks and selects the number corresponding to the lamp 1 on the screen of the PC 10A with a mouse. The PC 10A is connected to the PC 10B in which the PC connection unit 20 is installed via the Internet, and transmits a control value for controlling the first lamp to the CPU 23 of the PC connection unit 20. Here, the PC communication unit 22 of the PC connection unit 20 serves to buffer the CPU 23 because the CPU 23 is damaged when the PC 10B side signal is immediately transmitted to the CPU 23. Since the signal of the CPU 23 is 0 to 5V and the signal of the PC 10B side is -10 to 10V, the PC communication unit 22 changes the signal of the CPU 23 to -10 to 10V so that the PC connection terminal 21 is used. The signal from the PC connection terminal 21 is changed to 0-5V and transmitted to the CPU 23. The CPU 23 of the PC connection unit 20 analyzes the received data and outputs a control value for turning on the lamp 1 connected to the main switch 40A to the microcomputer 24. The microcomputer 24 transmits the control value applied from the CPU 23 through communication with the main switch 40A. The main switch 40A receives the control values and analyzes them to control " ON / OFF " The rest of the lights can be remotely controlled in cyberspace via the Internet as well.

The user can control various home appliances such as a fan, a boiler, an air conditioner, and a gas valve breaker through the Internet. That is, the home appliance control units 50A to 50C grasp the "ON / OFF" state of the home appliance and transmit the state to the PC connection unit 20 through communication. The microcomputer 24 of the PC connection unit 20 transmits the entire control state to the CPU 23, and the CPU 23 transfers it to the PC 10B to which the PC connection unit 20 is connected. The PC 10B transmits the entire control state to the external user's PC 10A via the Internet so that the entire " ON / OFF " state is displayed on the screen. When the user wants to control the fan, the user selects by clicking the number corresponding to the fan in the browser window of the PC 10A. When the fan 10A is selected, the PC 10A transmits it to the PC 10B having the PC connection unit 20 installed thereon. When the control target is selected as the fan through the Internet, the PC 10B notifies the CPU 23 via the PC connection unit 20. Recognizing this, the CPU 23 is connected to the fan through the microcomputer 24 and outputs a control value to the sub-switch 40C. The sub-switch 40C connected to the fan is transformed into an outlet shape, and the fan plug is plugged in. Thus, the subswitch 40C into which the fan is plugged is "ON" or "OFF" according to the fan control value to transfer or cut off the power supplied from the power supply unit 60 to the fan. Accordingly, the fan is turned or stopped. Here, the fan operates when the power is turned on, but other boilers or air conditioners do not operate even when the power is turned on. Thus, the present invention connects directly to the switch of the device without controlling the power so that a person can operate the same as operating the device.

For example, when the user wants to remotely control the boiler in cyberspace, the CPU 35 of the boiler control unit 50A monitors the heating LED state through the input terminal 37, and then goes on. ), The operation switch 33 signals the " ON / OFF " button to turn on the switch 33. The CPU 35 keeps monitoring and turns off the switch 33 by giving a signal to the operation switch 33 " ON / OFF " button when the LED state is changed to " OFF ". The state of the switch 33 is transmitted to the external user PC 10A connected to the Internet via the communication unit 32 via the sub-switch deformation outlet 40D, the PC connection unit 20, and the PC 10B. The user selects the number corresponding to the boiler by looking at the overall state displayed in the browser window of the PC 10A. The PC 10A notifies the PC 10B via the Internet, and the PC 10B transfers it to the CPU 23 of the PC connection unit 20. The CPU 23 outputs a control value for turning on or off the boiler to the microcomputer 24. The microcomputer 24 communicates with the sub-switch 40D to which the boiler control unit 50A is connected through the communication unit 25 to transmit the control value. The boiler control unit 50A, which is plugged into the sub-switch deformation outlet 40D, receives the control value through the operation switch 33 and the user presses the switch 33 " ON / OFF " button. The switch is controlled as if directly operated. The CPU 35 monitors the output of the operation switch 33 and drives the heating relay 38 when the output changes to " ON ". As the relay 38 is driven, the heating switch SW1 is " ON " to bring the boiler to a heating state. In addition, when the switch 33 is turned "OFF", the CPU 35 drives the outgoing relay 39 to bring the boiler out.

In the case of air conditioning is also controlled through the same process as in the case of a boiler. In this case, when there is no going out state like the boiler, when the switch 33 is changed to "OFF", the air conditioner is stopped by driving the cooling relay 38. For the boiler and the air conditioner, the dip switch 36 may be used to set the mode in one control unit.

In the case of gas valves, it is only possible to lock them for safety reasons. In this case, the CPU 45 periodically checks the operation switch 43, the detector input terminal 53, and the open / close switch 55. The CPU 45 monitors the output of the operation switch 43 and, when the output changes, supplies 12V to drive the driving unit 51 to operate the motor 52. As described above, the operation switch 43 receives a control value transmitted from the PCs 10A and 10B connected to the Internet through the PC connection unit 20 as if the user manually operated the output, and its output was " OFF ". Will change to The CPU 45 sends a closing signal to the drive unit 51 when the output of the operation switch 43 changes to “OFF” or the gas leak is detected by the gas detector 54 to operate the motor 52 to operate the gas. Be sure to lock the valve. At this time, the CPU 45 flashes the closed LED on the display unit 56 to indicate that the gas valve is locked, and sends a valve lock signal to the buzzer output unit 47. The CPU 45 sends a current detection unit 49 to the current sensor unit 49. When the closing check switch 48 is operated or a signal is input to the current detecting unit 49, the gas valve is completely locked and the driving of the driving unit 51 is stopped. The CPU 45 then sends a signal to the operation switch 43 to turn off the operation switch 43. The buzzer output unit 47 outputs a buzzer that the valve is locked with different sounds so as to distinguish between the case where the gas valve is locked by the remote control and the case where the gas valve is locked by the gas leak. The buzzer output periodically stops until the open / close switch 55 is pressed and stops to fix the LED of the display unit 56.

As described above, the home appliance cyber remote control system using the switching system of the present invention connects the switching system and the PC and controls the switching system on the cyber anywhere through the Internet connection with the external user PC to turn on the desired home appliance. (ON) / OFF (OFF) ", and the control status can be confirmed.

Claims (11)

In the home appliance remote control system using a switching system, A switching system for manually and remotely controlling the " ON / OFF " state of the home appliance; An ARS connection unit for remotely controlling the home appliance by telephone through ARS connection with the switching system; A PC connection unit for connecting the switching system and a PC to remotely control the home appliance on the Internet cyber; And And a computer (PC) for receiving an overall state of the home appliance from the PC connection unit by connecting to the Internet, selecting a control target, and transferring the control value to the PC connection unit. The cyber remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the PC is divided into a PC connected to the PC connection unit and an external user PC connected to the PC and the Internet. According to claim 2, wherein the external user PC is displayed on the whole control state of the switching system connected to the PC connection, the control according to the home appliance "ON / OFF (OFF) is selected on the display screen Cyber remote control system characterized in that the value is transmitted to the Internet. 4. The cyber remote control system according to claim 3, wherein the external user PC is a personal mobile communication terminal including a mobile phone and a PDA. The method of claim 2, wherein the PC connection portion A terminal and a communication unit for connecting and communicating with the PC; A terminal and a communication unit for connecting and communicating with the switching system; A microcomputer that communicates with the switching system through the communication unit to monitor the entire state of home appliances and outputs control values of the home appliances; And And a CPU configured to perform communication with the PC through the communication unit to output the entire state of the home appliance according to the monitoring of the microcomputer, and to output the control value of the home appliance selected as the control target to the microcomputer. Control system. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching system is composed of a plurality of main switches and a plurality of sub-switches, The sub-switch is a cyber remote control system, characterized in that the modification is made in the form of an outlet. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sub-switch modified outlet is plugged into the fan, and when the fan "ON / OFF" control value is input from the PC connection unit, the power supply to the fan to "supply / cut off" Cyber remote control system characterized by operating / stopping the fan. The cyber remote control system of claim 6, wherein the switching system further comprises a control unit between the home appliance and the sub switch. The method of claim 8, wherein the control unit for boiler / air conditioning control, A terminal and a communication unit for connecting and communicating with the sub switch; LED to indicate the heating and cooling; Switch for air conditioning operation; A relay for driving the switch; Dip switch for boiler / air conditioner mode setting; An operation switch in which the " ON / OFF " state is changed according to the LED state and a control value through the Internet or a telephone connection; And And a CPU for operating the relay when the state is changed by monitoring the state of the operation switch. 10. The cyber remote control system according to claim 9, wherein the CPU of the control unit controls the outgoing mode when the operation switch is changed to an "off" state in the boiler mode. The method of claim 8, wherein the control unit for controlling the gas valve breaker, A terminal and a communication unit for connecting and communicating with the sub switch; A gas detector for detecting a gas leak; Gas valve open / close switch; Gas valve closing confirmation switch; A display unit for displaying a gas valve closed state LED; A buzzer output unit which sounds a buzzer by distinguishing the gas valve from being locked by remote control and gas leakage; A motor for locking the gas valve; A driving unit for operating the motor; A current sensing unit sensing a current of the driving unit; An operation switch in which an "ON / OFF" state is changed by receiving a remote control value; And And a CPU for driving the driving unit when the state of the operation switch is changed and monitoring the current sensing unit and the closing confirmation switch to stop the driving when the gas valve is closed.