KR20120027687A - M2m module for supporting serial communication emulation through wibro network and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An M2M module and an operation method thereof are provided to support emulation in order to confirm whether serial communication is normally performed with a device through communication with a specific server. CONSTITUTION: A user inputs emulation information through a UI(User Interface). A host server transmits emulation information to an M2M(Machine to Machine) module according to TCP/IP(Internet Protocol)(S11). A control unit of the M2M module controls a device circuit in a communication mode(S13). The control unit transmits the emulation information(S14). The signal processing unit responses conversion information to the host server(S15~S17).

Description

M2M module for supporting serial communication emulation through WiBro network and operation method

The present invention relates to a machine-to-machine (M2M) module and a method of operating the same, and in particular, to connect to a WiBro network using various communication methods such as serial communication or Ethernet communication with an object (device) to connect a specific Internet server and necessary data. The present invention relates to an M2M module capable of transmitting and receiving and supporting emulation and a method of operating the same.

In general, the M2M module is also called a communication network and provides a communication function to an object (device), for example, a general home appliance. For example, information required by the user during the operation of a home appliance such as a coffee pot, an electric rice cooker, a vending machine, for example, whether on / off, temperature information, inventory, etc. may be transmitted to the Internet server through the M2M module. However, the general M2M module is not a subject that provides Internet service, and there is a lot of room for improvement since it provides only the function of unilaterally transmitting data to the Internet server by communicating with the device according to a predetermined program.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to operate as a subject that provides an Internet service for information related to an object (device) through wireless Internet communication such as WiBro communication with a specific server on the Internet. It is to provide an M2M module and its operation method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an M2M module and a method of operating the same to allow a user to exchange data with a specific Internet server by accessing a WiBro network using various communication methods such as serial communication or Ethernet communication.

In addition, an M2M module capable of supporting emulation to communicate with a specific Internet server that can be connected to a WiBro network to check whether various methods such as serial communication or Ethernet communication are properly performed, and an operation method thereof. To provide.

First, to summarize the features of the present invention, the operation method of the M2M module for providing the state information of the thing to the external device according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, the communication with the circuit of the thing Establishing at least one of a plurality of communication schemes for; And performing a two-way communication with an internet server by accessing a wireless internet network to provide state information of a thing using a set communication scheme.

The plurality of communication methods include a plurality of UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO methods.

The wireless Internet network includes any one of WiBro, WiFi, or WCDMA network.

The performing of the bidirectional communication may include receiving emulation information from the Internet server, controlling a circuit of the thing in the set communication method according to the emulation information, and responding to the Internet server with information on a corresponding control result. It includes.

After the emulation information is stored in a memory, the emulation information is transmitted in the set communication method and stored in the storage means included in the circuit of the thing, and the circuit of the thing operates according to the information stored in the storage means. Status information of can be generated.

Emulation request information may be received from the Internet server, and corresponding emulation information stored in the memory may be extracted and responded to the Internet server according to the emulation request information.

The method of operating the M2M module may further include converting state information of the thing represented by the operation of the circuit of the thing and storing the state information in a memory, and performing the bidirectional communication may include receiving state request information from the Internet server. Receiving, and extracting state information of the thing from the memory according to the state request information and responding to the Internet server.

In addition, the M2M module for providing the state information of the thing to the external device according to another aspect of the present invention, the control unit for setting any one or more of a plurality of communication schemes for communicating with the circuit of the thing; And an RF module for accessing a wireless internet network and performing bidirectional communication with an internet server to provide state information of a thing using a set communication scheme.

The M2M module further includes a signal processing unit, the RF module receives emulation information from the Internet server, the signal processing unit converts the emulation information into information compatible with the set communication method, and the control unit According to the converted information, the circuit of the thing may be controlled by the set communication method, and the information about the corresponding control result may be returned to the Internet server through the RF module.

The M2M module further includes a memory for storing the emulation information, and the controller transmits the converted information in the set communication method and stores the converted information in storage means included in the circuit of the thing. It may be operated according to the information stored in the storage means to generate state information of the thing.

The control unit may receive emulation request information from the Internet server, extract corresponding emulation information stored in the memory according to the emulation request information, and respond to the Internet server.

The M2M module further includes a signal processor, and when the controller receives the state information of the object represented by the circuit of the object, the signal processor converts the state information of the object into information compatible with the wireless Internet network. When the control unit receives the state request information from the Internet server, the controller may extract the state information of the thing from the memory according to the state request information and respond to the Internet server.

According to the M2M module and its operation method according to the present invention, it can operate as a subject providing an Internet service for information related to an object (device) through wireless Internet communication such as WiBro communication with a specific server on the Internet.

In addition, by connecting to the WiBro network using various communication methods such as serial communication or Ethernet communication with things (devices), it is possible to bidirectionally communicate with a specific Internet server.

In addition, emulation may be supported so that various types of communication such as serial communication or Ethernet communication with an object (device) can be performed by communicating with a specific Internet server that can be connected to a WiBro network.

1 is a view for explaining the M2M module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of an M2M module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 illustrates a protocol stack of programs required for communication of an M2M module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining an environment of a communication system using an M2M module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an emulation of an M2M module in the thing communication system of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a thing control, an inquiry of a control command, and an inquiry of state information of an M2M module in the thing communication system of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout.

1 is a view for explaining the M2M module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the M2M module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be mounted on an object (device) such as a coffee pot, an electric rice cooker, a vending machine, or other home appliances, and a communication scheme such as WiBro. In order to communicate with external devices such as an internet server through the wireless Internet network according to the present invention, the UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter), USB (Universal Serial Bus), Ethernet (Ethernet) according to the interface type of the thing ), Or GPIO (General Purpose Input output) can communicate with the internal circuitry of the thing.

Here, the method in which the M2M module 100 communicates with an external Internet server is described as an example of a WiBro method, but is not limited thereto. In some cases, the M2M module 100 may be another communication method capable of wireless Internet such as WiFi and WCDMA.

2 is a block diagram of the M2M module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the M2M module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a controller 110, a memory 111, an interface 120, a signal processor 130, and an RF module 140. do.

The memory 111 stores programs necessary for communication of the M2M module as shown in FIG. 3. For example, the memory 111 may support each MAC (Media Access Control) protocol for driving the RF module 140, UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO interface 120 of the physical layer. A program or a program for supporting TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) is stored in the upper layer.

The controller 110 is responsible for the overall control of the above components of the M2M module 100 based on the information stored in the memory 111.

The interface 120 may include a circuit for supporting UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO, a socket or a connector for connecting to a thing circuit, and the like.

The RF module 140 may include a modem for WiBro communication, and in some cases, may include a modem for another communication method capable of wireless Internet such as WiFi and WCDMA.

The signal processor 130 is compatible with a communication scheme set up to interface information of TCP / IP from an Internet server received from the RF module 140 with a circuit of an object such as UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO. On the contrary, information received from a circuit of an object in a set manner such as UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO can be converted into information according to TCP / IP.

4 is a diagram illustrating an environment of a thing communication system 200 using the M2M module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the thing communication system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention communicates with the M2M module 100, the thing circuit 210, and the M2M module 100 as illustrated in FIG. 2 through an internet network. Host server 220 is included. Here, the Internet network includes a wired and wireless Internet network, and includes, for example, a wireless Internet network capable of accessing the Internet through a wireless communication method such as WiBro, WiFi, WCDMA, etc. through an access point (AP), a base station, or the like.

The M2M module 100 may be set to any one or more of a plurality of communication methods such as UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO through the control unit 110 according to the interface method of the thing circuit 210. ) Can be communicated with. For example, when the thing circuit 210 has a UART interface, the M2M module 100 may perform serial communication with the thing circuit 210 in a UART manner. In addition, when the thing circuit 210 has another interface such as USB, Ethernet, or GPIO, the M2M module 100 may communicate with the thing circuit 210 in a corresponding communication method.

When the communication scheme with the thing circuit 210 is set as described above, the state information of the thing (for example, coffee pot, electric rice cooker, vending machine, etc., as information generated during the operation of the home appliance using the communication scheme set as described above, RF module 140 of the M2M module 100 accesses a wireless Internet network such as WiBro to provide on / off status, temperature information, and stock of materials contained in the vending machine tray. Bidirectional communication can be performed. For example, the thing circuit 210 may transmit the state information of the thing to the M2M module 100 in a communication scheme (for example, UART) set as described above, and the M2M module 100 may be connected to a wireless Internet network such as WiBro. By connecting and performing bi-directional communication with the host server 220 on the Internet, it is possible to provide state information of the thing to the host server 220. The host server 220 may also transmit information necessary for controlling the thing circuit 210 to the M2M module 100, and other details will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6.

Here, the state information of the object is described by taking information related to the operating state of the home appliance, such as a coffee pot, an electric rice cooker, a vending machine as an example, but is not limited to this, people, patients, animals needing state management from a remote place It refers to all information that can be managed for various types of things, such as plants and plants.

The M2M module 100 according to the present invention operates as a subject that provides an Internet service for the above state information of the thing related to the thing (device) through the wireless Internet communication such as WiBro communication with the host server 220 on the Internet. It operates so that it can be connected to WiBro network using various communication methods such as serial communication or Ethernet communication with things (devices) to exchange necessary data with a specific host server 220 and bi-directional communication is possible.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an emulation of the M2M module 100 in the thing communication system 200 of FIG. 4.

The M2M module 100 communicates with a host server 220 connected through wireless Internet communication such as WiBro communication, and various methods such as serial communication or Ethernet communication, such as an object (device) and UART, USB, Ethernet (Ethernet), or GPIO. Emulation may be supported to check whether or not communication is properly performed.

To this end, first, the host server 220 may be connected to the M2M module 100 through a wireless Internet communication such as WiBro communication, the user through the UI (User Interface) of the host server 220 to the M2M module 100 In order to control the stored object circuit 210, the stored information may be inquired. In addition, in order to check whether the M2M module 100 is properly performing various types of communication such as preset serial communication such as UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO, Ethernet communication, etc. The emulation information may be input through a UI (User Interface), and the host server 220 transmits the input emulation information to the M2M module 100 according to TCP / IP, and the RF module 140 does this. Can be received (S11). The emulation information received by the RF module 140 may be, for example, various information for controlling the thing circuit 210 through the M2M module 100 to operate the thing circuit 210 according to the information.

The signal processing unit 130 of the M2M module 100 may convert the emulation information received through the RF module 140 into a communication method such as preset serial communication or Ethernet communication such as UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO. Information can be converted (S12). For example, when the M2M module 100 is connected to the thing circuit 210 and the UART interface, the signal processing unit 130 may convert the signal into a serial communication method according to the UART standard. In addition, the M2M module 100 ) May be converted into a signal of a communication method according to a corresponding standard when the thing circuit 210 is connected to a communication interface such as USB, Ethernet, or GPIO.

Accordingly, the controller 110 of the M2M module 100 may control the thing circuit 210 by using the corresponding communication scheme (UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO) according to the information converted by the signal processor 130 ( S13). As such, the controller 110 transmits the (converted) emulation information to the thing circuit 210 so that the thing circuit 210 may operate according to a corresponding command (S14). For example, according to the command, the circuit of the home appliance 210 such as a coffee pot, an electric rice cooker, a vending machine, or the like may be used to determine whether to turn on / off, temperature information, and stock the material contained in the vending machine tray. The condition for detecting the information may be changed, and the object state information may be generated when the condition is satisfied by operating according to the changed condition. The control unit 110 transmits the (converted) emulation information in this way to the thing circuit 210 and immediately after the information on the control result (for example, whether the emulation information is normally transmitted to the thing circuit 210). Normal or non-conformance information) may be responded to the host server 220 on the Internet through the RF module 140, but in some cases, the thing circuit 210 operates as described above, so that the control result information (for example, In the case of notifying normal or non-compliant information (S15), the signal processor 130 may convert the information converted into TCP / IP (S16) to the host server 220 on the Internet through the RF module 140. It may be (S17).

6 is a flowchart illustrating a thing control, an inquiry of a control command, and an inquiry of state information of an object of the M2M module 100 in the thing communication system 200 of FIG. 4.

The M2M module 100 controls things so that the thing circuit 210 is information generated during operation of home appliances such as coffee pots, electric rice cookers, vending machines, and the like. Information, whether the material contained in the vending machine tray, etc.) may be provided to the host server 220.

To this end, first, the controller 110 may store the emulation information received from the host server 220 in the memory 111 (S21), and the signal processor 130 may convert the emulation information stored in the memory 111 into a UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO can be converted into information compatible with a communication method such as a preset serial communication or Ethernet communication (S22), the control unit 110 converts the information thus converted to UART, USB, Ethernet (Ethernet) or GPIO and the like may be transmitted in the set communication method (S23) and stored in the storage means included in the circuit 210 of the thing (S24). Accordingly, the thing circuit 210 operates according to the information stored in the storage means to generate state information of the thing (for example, information generated during the operation of a home appliance such as a coffee pot, an electric rice cooker, a vending machine, etc., whether on / off, Temperature information, whether the stock of the material contained in the vending machine tray, etc.) can be generated (S26). The state information of the thing received from the thing circuit 210 is converted into information according to TCP / IP compatible with a wireless Internet network such as a WiBro network by the signal processor 130 (S28) and is controlled by the host server (S28). 220 may be provided (S29).

In addition, the M2M module 100 may store and manage state information of the thing received from the thing circuit 210 so that the host server 220 may inquire the state information of the thing (S30). For example, as described above, the signal processor 130 may convert the state information of the object received from the thing circuit 210 into information based on TCP / IP compatible with a wireless Internet network such as a WiBro network and store it in the memory 111. have. The state information of the object is information on the state of the operation of the object, such as whether it is on or off, temperature information, and whether the material in the vending machine tray is in stock. Can be updated.

Subsequently, the user may request status information through the UI of the host server 220. Accordingly, when the host server 220 transmits predetermined state request information (S31), the controller 110 receives a request from the host server 220. After receiving the state request information, the state information of the thing may be extracted from the memory 111 (S32), and the host server 220 may respond (S33).

In addition, the host server 220 stores and manages the emulation information (see S21) transmitted to the thing circuit 210 so that the host server 220 can inquire the state (operation state of the thing) being controlled by the M2M module 100. To this end, the user may request emulation information through the UI of the host server 220. Accordingly, when the host server 220 transmits the emulation request information to the M2M module 100 (S41), the controller ( 110 may receive corresponding emulation request information from the host server 220, extract emulation information from the memory 111 (S42), and respond to the host server 220 (S43).

As described above, in the present invention, the M2M module 100 connected to the thing communicates with an external device, that is, the host server 220 on the Internet, and provides status information of the thing to the host server 220 through a wireless Internet network such as WiBro. In order to communicate with the circuit 210 of the thing, any one or more of a plurality of communication methods such as UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO is set up, and the wireless communication network such as WiBro By connecting to the host server 220 to perform a two-way communication.

Accordingly, the M2M module 100 may operate as a subject that provides an Internet service for information related to an object (device) through wireless Internet communication such as WiBro communication with the host server 220 on the Internet. Device) and a variety of communication methods such as serial communication or Ethernet communication to connect to the WiBro network to exchange the necessary data with the host server 220 to enable bidirectional communication. In addition, the M2M module 100 communicates with a specific host server 220 that can be connected to the WiBro network to emulate the emulation so that various types of communication such as serial communication or Ethernet communication with the thing (device) can be properly performed. Can support

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications and variations from such descriptions. This is possible. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the claims below but also by the equivalents of the claims.

M2M Module (100)
Control unit 110
Memory (111)
Interface socket (120)
Signal processor 130
RF Modules (140)
Circuit of things (210)
Host server (220)

Claims (12)

In the operation method of the M2M module for providing the state information of the thing to the external device,
Establishing at least one of a plurality of communication schemes for communicating with a circuit of things; And
Performing bidirectional communication with an internet server by accessing a wireless internet network to provide status information of an object using a set communication method;
Method of operation of the M2M module comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of communication methods include a plurality of UART, USB, Ethernet, or GPIO methods. The method of claim 1,
The wireless Internet network, WiBro, WiFi, WCDMA network operation method of the M2M module characterized in that it comprises any one. The method of claim 1,
Performing the bidirectional communication,
Receiving emulation information from the Internet server, controlling the circuit of the thing in the set communication method according to the emulation information and responding to the Internet server information on the corresponding control result
Method of operation of the M2M module comprising a. The method of claim 4, wherein
After storing the emulation information in a memory, the emulation information is transmitted in the set communication method and stored in the storage means included in the circuit of the thing, the circuit of the thing operates according to the information stored in the storage means Method for operating the M2M module, characterized in that for generating state information of. The method of claim 5,
Receiving emulation request information from the internet server, extracting the corresponding emulation information stored in the memory according to the emulation request information, and responding to the internet server; The method of claim 1,
Converting the state information of the thing represented by the operation of the circuit of the thing and storing in the memory;
Performing the bidirectional communication,
Receiving status request information from the Internet server, extracting status information of the object from the memory according to the status request information, and responding to the Internet server;
Method of operation of the M2M module comprising a. In the M2M module for providing the status information of the thing to the external device,
A control unit for setting any one or more of a plurality of communication schemes for communicating with a circuit of things; And
RF module for bidirectional communication with an Internet server by accessing a wireless Internet network to provide status information of things using a set communication method
M2M module comprising a. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a signal processor,
The RF module receives emulation information from the Internet server,
The signal processor converts the emulation information into information compatible with the set communication method,
The control unit controls the circuit of the thing in the set communication method according to the converted information, M2M module, characterized in that for responding to the Internet server via the RF module information on the control result. 10. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising a memory for storing the emulation information,
The controller transmits the converted information in the set communication method and stores the converted information in the storage means included in the circuit of the thing, and the circuit of the thing operates according to the information stored in the storage means to generate state information of the thing. M2M module, characterized in that. The method of claim 10,
The control unit receives the emulation request information from the Internet server, M2M module, characterized in that for extracting the corresponding emulation information stored in the memory according to the emulation request information to the Internet server. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a signal processor,
When the controller receives the state information of the thing indicated by the circuit of the thing, the signal processor converts the state information of the thing into information compatible with the wireless Internet network and stores in the memory,
When the control unit receives the status request information from the Internet server, M2M module, characterized in that for extracting the status information of the thing from the memory in response to the status request information to the Internet server.

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