KR20060126039A - Controlling system for home-network - Google Patents

Abstract

A home network control system is provided to enable a manager to put messages for plural devices, which include contents about response time when each device has to transmit its response message, in a packet, thereby simultaneously commanding plural arbitrary devices and preventing false cross between a response message of the each device and a response message of the other device. A home network control system(70) comprises at least one or more devices(32~36) in which a micro computer is individually installed. A communication structure of a manager-executer type is defined in each device(32~36). According to the communication structure, communication is performed by a predetermined packet unit. The manager(12~16) controls a network constructed by the devices(32~36) so as to transmit a packet to plural executers(22~26) as a single packet. The packet includes two or more receiver codes and transmission contents.

Description

Home Network Control System {Controlling system for home-network}

1 is a configuration diagram of an entire home network system.

2 is a diagram illustrating a manager-executor communication structure in a home network control system according to the present invention.

3 is a communication packet structure of a home network control system according to the present invention.

4 is a block diagram of contents delivered in a communication packet structure.

5 is a block diagram of a home network control system according to the present invention;

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

10: admin 20: executor 30: device

40: gateway 50: network manager 60: communication bus

The present invention relates to a network system, and more particularly, to a home network control system.

In general, home network systems include information devices such as PCs (Personal Computers) used at home, communication devices such as telephones, broadcasting devices such as TVs (Television), and AVs including DVD (Digital Video Disc) players and digital cameras. (Audio and Video) refers to a technology for connecting a variety of devices such as appliances, home appliances, etc. to form a network and interworking with various external networks to enable a user to conveniently use.

Many microcomputers applied to home appliances have a built-in serial communication function so that they can communicate with other microcomputers or devices, and the size of resources that can be used for communication, such as memory, varies depending on the characteristics of the product. In the case of multimedia products such as PCs, TVs, and audio, high-performance hardware systems are adopted to operate various basic functions. Therefore, a specification for a large amount of data and high speed communication is required.

On the other hand, refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, lights, gas alarms, stands or boilers are generally simpler than the functions of the PC or multimedia products described above. In the case of home appliances adopting such low-function microcomputers, basic remote control and operation status monitoring are the main communication targets. Therefore, a standard for communication using a small microcomputer resource is required.

However, in the case of communication protocols used or ongoing for the purpose of communication between home appliances, a separate communication module such as a modem is additionally installed in each device or the high specification is used in order to use the high specification communication standards used in the PC or the multimedia device. There is a problem that some modification of the communication standard.

In response to the above problems, a home appliance network control system using a serial communication function of a low function micom used in home appliances has been introduced by applying a master-slave communication system and a simplified and standardized protocol.

That is, a master-slave communication structure is defined for each of the home appliances, and the home appliances have a predetermined communication event, that is, when a certain state change occurs in the home appliance, according to the communication structure. Communication is performed in a predetermined packet unit according to a predetermined communication standard. The communication packet structure in the home appliance network control system includes a preamble 100, a receiver code, a sender code 120, a packet type, and a control code.

In addition, in the home appliance network control system, any one device is configured to deliver a message to a specific or multiple devices while a plurality of devices are connected to each other through a communication line. It checks whether it is the message that called itself and responds by making a response message.

Therefore, due to the communication packet structure having only one receiver code, when monitoring the entire device, the individual device is called and responded to it, and simultaneous commands of all products or groups can be used. There is a problem that simultaneous commands cannot be done.

In addition, a device that responds to a plurality of commands has a problem that the transmission time is adjusted so that the response message does not cross the response message of another device by Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detect (CSMA / CD).

In addition, since the receiving device must process the received data continuously, the response message may be lost due to a data error during the input data processing.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and by using a manager and an executor-based communication system, an administrator can include a message of a plurality of devices in one packet. An object of the present invention is to propose a home network system capable of simultaneous command of multiple devices.

In addition, the message for a plurality of devices of the packet includes the content of the response time, which is the time each device (device, device) has to transmit its own response message, each device is not confused with the response message of the other device The purpose is to propose a home network control system.

In addition, an object receiving a response is to propose a home network control system that does not lose the response message due to a data error during data processing by receiving the data of each device at a specified time of each device.

Home network control system according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a communication structure of a manager-executor (Manager-Executer) method is defined for each of the at least one device equipped with a microcomputer; According to the communication by a predetermined packet (Packet) unit, the administrator controls the network network established by the devices to send the packet to a plurality of implementers.

By the home network control system as proposed, the manager and the operator-based communication system has the advantage that the administrator can hold a message of multiple devices in one packet, and can concurrently command any plurality of devices.

In addition, the message for a plurality of devices in the packet includes the content of the response time, which is the time each device should send its own response message, each device has the advantage that does not cause confusion with the response message of the other device.

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

1 is a configuration diagram of an entire home network system.

Referring to FIG. 1, the IT network 2 refers to a network type established for exchanging data or providing Internet services between a personal computer and peripheral devices, and the AV network 3 refers to a home appliance that handles audio or video information. Says the network type. The living network 4 is a network constructed for the purpose of simple control of home appliances, such as home automation and remote meter reading, and may include a refrigerator, a washing machine, a microwave oven, a light, a gas alarm, an air conditioner, a telephone, and the like.

The home network system 1 connects the IT network 2, the AV network 3 and the living network 4 to the communication line 6 via bridges 5, respectively. In addition, the communication line 6 may be connected to the external Internet network 8 through a gateway 7 to receive various information, entertainment, and appliance services from the service / content provider 9.

2 is a diagram illustrating a manager-executor communication structure in a home network control system according to the present invention.

2, when the first device 30 manages a network when communicating between the first device 30 and the second device 31, the manager 10 of the first device 30 requests the request. The request packet is transmitted to the performer 20 of the second device 31. In addition, the manager 10 of the first device 30 receives a response packet transmitted by the executor 20 of the second device 31.

On the contrary, when the second device 31 manages the network, the manager 11 of the second device 31 transmits a request packet to the executor 21 of the first device 30. The response packet transmitted by the executor 21 of the one device 30 is received.

In detail, each device (30, 31) connected to the network is an external network by identifying the status of the device in the device and the Manager (Manager), which is a part having the ability to understand the device status and manage network information in the device The executor, which is a part that can transmit and operate the information required for the request from the user, is provided separately.

According to the invention in which the manager and implementer schemes are applied, all communication cycles are initiated by the managers 10 and 11 and terminated by the manager device. Any device can be an administrator (10, 11), but to do so must have the ability to understand the status of the device and manage network information.

In addition, each device (30, 31) is a direct communication between the devices, that is, peer-to-peer communication while maintaining the basic manager (10, 11) and executor (20, 21) communication scheme as described above Since the managers 10 and 11 and the executors 20 and 21 logically coexist so as to be possible, they are divided into the managers 10 and 11 and the executors 20 and 21 that are physically one device but are logically independent.

3 is a communication packet structure of a home network control system according to the present invention.

Referring to Figure 3, the detailed configuration of the request packet used in the manager of the packet is a preamble 100 for distinguishing the assumption that the network is formed, the packet length 110 for indicating the length of the packet, to indicate the sender A message including the sender code 120 which is an address for the packet, a packet priority 130 for indicating the priority of the transmission, a length of the message delivered to the first receiver, and a response time which is a time when the first receiver responds to the sender. 1 length / response time 140, Recipient 1 code 150, which is an address for indicating the first receiver, Delivery contents 1 160, which are contents of the message transmitted to the first receiver, and a message transmitted to the second receiver. Message2 length / response time 141 including the length of the message and the response time which is the time when the second receiver responds to the sender, the receiver 2 code 151 which is an address for indicating the second receiver, and the second number Message n length / response time 170 including the contents of the message delivered to the sender 2 (161), the length of the message delivered to the nth receiver and the response time, which is the time at which the nth receiver responds to the sender. Recipient n code 180, which is an address for indicating the nth receiver, delivery contents n 190, which are contents of a message delivered to the nth receiver, a CRC 200 for checking for an error, and an end of a packet. It includes an end emblem 210 for.

In detail, the preamble 100 is a code for logically distinguishing the assumption that the network is configured.

The packet length 110 informs the size of the buffer required for reception in advance and is used to detect an error of the received packet data.

The sender code 120 is an address for indicating a sender, and as described above, indicates an address of a device having a capability of identifying a device state and managing network information among devices connected to a network.

The packet priority 130 indicates a transmission priority in the physical layer by giving a priority to a message that should be sent urgently by the application layer or a message that is less important than general communication. to be. This field is used to indicate that each receiver or message is to be processed first when there are multiple packets in its memory.

The message 1 length / response time 140 includes a response time which is a length of a message delivered to a first receiver and a time when a first receiver responds to the sender, and the response time is a home network control system according to the present invention. In the case where the communication packet contains at least two recipients, it is preferable that each receiver is given so that no collision of data occurs in the process of responding to the sender. In addition, when there are n recipients, n message lengths / response times are provided.

The receiver 1 code 150 is an address for indicating a first receiver and is assigned to a network code, a product code, and an identical product identification code. In case of n recipients, n recipient codes are provided.

The content 1 160 is the content of the message delivered to the first recipient, and if there are n recipients, n recipient codes are provided.

Thus, as described above, the administrator can include the messages of multiple devices in one packet, and the performers selected for the packets transmitted by the administrator can respond to the given response time. In addition, since a plurality of receiver codes can be stored in one packet, the user can set only the device having the same network code value or product code value in a master-slave communication packet. Alternatively, it is possible to set the device in which the value of the product code is different. For example, in the case of a master-slave communication packet, if the value of the network code is '111', it indicates all the networks in the house, and if the value of the product code is '11111', it means all the devices in the network. If the value of the group address is '11111111', it means all devices corresponding to the corresponding network and product code, and only the simultaneous command of all products or groups is available.

On the other hand, in case of the communication packet by the manager-executor method, which is the communication packet structure of the home network control system according to the present invention, the message length / response time, the recipient code, and the contents of delivery may be changed even if the network or product code values are different. Two or more devices can be configured to simultaneously execute a plurality of devices.

The CRC 200 is a value for detecting an error in a received packet or allowing a receiver to detect a packet error when transmitting.

The end label 210 provides a method of detecting a packet error without using a CRC together with a packet length field at the time of reception as a communication character indicating the end of a packet. That is, when the byte length of the packet length 110 is received, if the last byte is not the end label, it may be determined as a packet error. In this case, the packet error check using the CRC can be omitted.

4 is a diagram illustrating the contents of delivery in a communication packet structure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the communication content in the communication packet includes a command (191), a response type and / or a transfer type (response type and / or transfer type) 192, 193, and data (data 194). Even when the network structure or communication line conditions are not good, smooth packet transmission and reception can be achieved.

In detail, the response type 192 includes information on whether the device receiving the delivery content should respond to the administrator.

The transfer type 193 includes a content of whether a device receiving the transmission should transfer the transmission to another device.

The command (191) indicates the operation of the target device through the response type / transfer type (192, 193), and the data (data, 193) indicates the contents of how the target device should operate. Include.

In addition, the contents 160, 161, and 190 may include only one or both of the leaf type 192 and the transfer type 193.

If a flag is set such that the delivery contents 160, 161 and 190 perform the response type 192 and the transfer type 193 together, the device receiving the transmission contents 160, 161 and 190 may receive the data 194. A response is made to the device set in step S, and the data 194 is transmitted. Accordingly, as described above, the device can transmit the communication packet transmitted by the manager to another device, so that the manager can smoothly transmit the communication packet to each device even when the network or the communication line is not good.

5 is a block diagram of a home network control system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a home network system 70 provided in a home includes managers 12 to 16 and performers 22 to 26 connected by a communication bus 60. In addition, it includes a gateway 40 for connecting to the external Internet, and is connected to the gateway 40 to provide Internet services and functions such as configuration of the devices 32 to 36 in the home network system 70. The network manager 50 may be additionally included.

In detail, the managers 12 to 16 and the performers 22 to 26 are logically configured in each device 32 to 36 and any device can be an administrator as described above, but in order to do this, And it should have the ability to manage the network information, for the convenience of the description will be described below on the assumption that the manager 12 of the PC 32 of the devices 32 to 36 are the above-described manager.

First, when an event for the PC 32 to communicate with the refrigerator 35 and the air conditioner 36 occurs, if the network of the refrigerator 35 and the air conditioner 36 and the value of the product code is different, the present invention Since the first receiver and the second receiver are required in the communication packet structure according to the present invention, the packet transmitted by the manager 12 includes the message length / response time of the refrigerator 35, the receiver code and the contents of the message, and the message length of the air conditioner 36. Include response time, recipient code and delivery.

If the response time of the refrigerator 35 is 1 second and the response time of the air conditioner 36 is 3 seconds, the manager 12 responds to the response message from the executor 25 of the refrigerator 35 after 1 second. 3 seconds later, a response message is received from the executor 26 of the air conditioner 36.

Therefore, it is possible to monitor and control any of a plurality of devices, and there is no case where a collision does not occur even in the data processing between the devices, so that the response message is not lost.

The communication bus 60 may be a wired medium such as a power line or a telephone line that is installed in a separate line or is already installed in each home, or may be a wireless-based transmission medium. However, as shown, the home network control system 70 according to the present invention constitutes a closed network that connects devices in an independent home with a wired or wireless transmission medium. The closed network here includes a network that is physically connected or logically separated.

With the proposed home network control system, a manager and an operator-type communication system can store a message of multiple devices in one packet, thereby enabling simultaneous multiple device commands.

In addition, the message for a plurality of devices of the packet includes the content of the response time, which is the time each device should send its own response message, so that each device does not get confused with the response messages of other devices.

In addition, the device receiving the response allows the data of each device to be received at a specified time of each device so that the response message is not lost due to a data error during data processing.

Claims (10)

At least one device equipped with a microcomputer; A manager-executor communication structure is defined for each of the devices, and communication is performed in a predetermined packet unit according to the communication structure, and the manager divides the packet into a single packet. A home network control system for controlling a network established by the devices for sending to an implementer of the device. The method of claim 1, And said packet includes at least two recipient codes and delivery contents. The method of claim 1, The packet includes a length of a transmission message transmitted by the manager, And a response time for the administrator to receive a response message of the performer. The method of claim 3, wherein The packet includes a packet priority (130) for the administrator to ignore the response time for receiving the response message of the performer and to cause the administrator to receive the response message according to the priority of the performer. The method of claim 1, And said packet is configured with a sender code prior to a receiver code. The method of claim 2, And the transfer content includes a transfer type, which is a content for causing a device that receives the packet to transfer data to another device. The method of claim 6, And the forwarding content includes a device receiving the packet to forward a response message to the administrator. The method of claim 6, And the forwarding information includes a device for receiving data by the device receiving the packet to transmit a response message to the administrator. The method of claim 6, A home network control system for smoothly transmitting the packet even when the network or communication line conditions are not good by using the transfer type included in the transmission contents. The method of claim 1, The packet includes two or more receiver codes and a response time for the administrator to receive a response message of the performer. And controlling the receiver code and response time to enable simultaneous commands to any of a plurality of devices.

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