TW202537330A - Communication devices and network systems - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention provides a technology for multiple devices to acquire the status of home appliances. A communication device and network system that can be integrated into home appliances are provided. The communication device includes a communication unit and a control unit. When the control unit receives command data from a first device via the communication unit, it transmits it to the home appliance. When it receives status data from the home appliance, it sends it to the first device and also sends the status data to a second device.

Description

Communication devices and network systems

This invention relates to the technology of communication devices and network systems for communicating via a network.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-170938 discloses network systems, communication methods, servers, terminals, and communication programs.

According to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-170938, a network system having at least one terminal and a server is provided. The server sends information to the at least one terminal for suppressing the transmission of data from the at least one terminal. Each of the at least one terminal sends at least a portion of the acquired data to the server based on the information from the server.

One aspect of this invention relates to a technique for providing multiple devices to acquire the status of home appliances.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication device that can be incorporated into a home appliance is provided. The communication device includes a communication unit and a control unit. When the control unit receives command data from a first device via the communication unit, it transmits it to the home appliance. When it receives status data from the home appliance, it sends it to the first device and also sends the status data to a second device.

As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, a technique is provided that allows multiple devices to acquire the status of home appliances.

The embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same components are assigned the same symbols. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions of them will not be repeated. <First Embodiment> <Overview of Network System 1>

First, the overall structure of the network system 1 involved in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 1. The network system 1 involved in this embodiment mainly includes: home appliances such as air conditioner 100A, refrigerator 100B, microwave oven 100C, and television 100D; communication terminals such as smartphones 300; indoor controllers 400 for controlling home appliances; and wireless routers 600 and servers 500A and 500B for connecting home appliances to external networks such as the Internet.

Home appliances are not limited to air conditioners (100A), refrigerators (100B), microwave ovens (100C), televisions (100D), etc., but can also include washing machines, air purifiers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, vacuum cleaners, automatic cooking cookers, rice cookers, lighting, etc. They can also include personal computers, hard drive recorders, projectors, music players, game consoles, speakers, and other AV (audio-visual) equipment; solar power generation systems, battery systems, hot water supply systems, and other HEMS (Heat, Electricity, and Meters) equipment; recessed lighting, intercoms, electronic locks, water heaters, warm water toilet controllers, and other residential equipment. Hereinafter, they will all be collectively referred to as Home Appliances 100.

In addition, the communication terminal 300 is not limited to smartphones, but can also be a personal computer, tablet computer, game console, speaker, wearable terminal, etc.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, a communication module 200 is integrated into the home appliance 100. The communication module 200, for example, utilizes protocols such as ECHONET Lite (registered trademark) to connect to a first server 500A used to control the home appliance 100 via a first communication network 601, such as a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless router 600A or the Internet. In particular, in this embodiment, in addition to this function, the communication module 200 can also connect to a communication terminal 300, such as a smartphone, an indoor controller 400, or other home appliances 100 via a second communication network 602, such as one utilizing a Matter (registered trademark) protocol. Additionally, the communication module 200 can also connect to a second server 500B, which has other functions, via a Wi-Fi wireless router 600B or the Internet.

The following is a detailed description of the specific structure of network system 1 used to implement this function. <Structure of Home Appliance and Communication Modules>

First, the composition of the home appliance 100 constituting the network system 1 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG3. The home appliance 100 of this embodiment, as a main component, includes a control unit 110, a display 130, an operation unit 140, a communication connector 160, a speaker 170, a microphone 180, an equipment driver 190, and a communication module 200.

The control unit 110 controls various parts of the home appliance 100. More specifically, the control unit 110 consists of a CPU 111 and a memory 112.

CPU 111 controls various parts of server 100 by executing programs stored in memory 112.

Memory 112 is implemented using various types of RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory). Memory 112 stores programs executed by CPU 111, data generated by the CPU 111 executing programs, data input via operation unit 140, data received from remote control, data received from servers 500A and 500B via router 600 and the Internet, the address of the first server 500A in the cloud corresponding to home appliance 100, and other information required for various services.

The display 130 outputs text and images based on signals from the CPU 111. Alternatively, the display 130 may simply be an LED light or the like.

The operation unit 140 is implemented by buttons, touch panels, etc., and accepts commands from the user and inputs the commands to the CPU 111. For example, it includes buttons required for connecting to Wi-Fi. Alternatively, it may be composed of a touch panel 150 that has the functions of both the display 130 and the operation unit 140.

A communication connector 160 is mounted on the control board and is connected to a wireless communication module 200. The wireless communication module 200 will be described later.

The speaker 170 outputs audio messages based on audio data from the CPU 111. The microphone 180 acquires the user's voice and registers the audio data with the CPU 111.

The device drive unit 190 controls various parts of the home appliance 100 (motor, heater, sensor, antenna, etc.) based on signals from the CPU 111. For example, for the air conditioner 100A and the refrigerator, it controls the compressor, fan, and airflow adjustment mechanism. For the washing machine, it controls the motor; for the microwave oven, it controls the antenna and turntable used for heating and cooking.

The wireless communication module 200 mainly includes an antenna 260 for Wi-Fi-based wireless communication, BLE-based wireless communication, etc., a connector for wired communication, and a communication control unit 210. Furthermore, the wireless communication module 200 can also be installed separately from the main control board of the home appliance 100 on a communication adapter board. The communication control unit 210, according to the instructions of the main control unit 110 of the home appliance 100, transmits and receives data with the wireless router 600, servers 500A and 500B, and communication terminal 300 via Wi-Fi-based communication.

In particular, in this embodiment, the communication control unit 210 of the wireless communication module 200 uses the wireless communication antenna 260 to perform data transmission and reception between the router 600 and the home appliance server 500A based on a first communication protocol such as ECHONET Lite, and to perform data transmission and reception between the router 600, the server 500B used by other applications, and the indoor controller 400 based on a second communication protocol such as Matter.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communication control unit 210 of the wireless communication module 200 functions as a first command bridge 221 for a first communication protocol and a second command bridge 222 for a second protocol. The first command bridge 221 transmits data exchanged according to the first protocol to the second command bridge 222, or conversely, receives data exchanged according to the second protocol from the second command bridge 222. On the other hand, the second command bridge 222 transmits data exchanged according to the second protocol to the first command bridge 221, or conversely, receives data exchanged according to the first protocol from the first command bridge 221.

For example, the communication control unit 210 of the wireless communication module 200 includes a CPU 211 that, according to a program in memory 212, implements the functions of a first instruction bridge 221 for ECHONET Lite that can be interpreted by the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100, and a second instruction bridge 222 for other protocols such as Matter that the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 cannot interpret. The first instruction bridge 221 for ECHONET Lite transmits data exchanged according to ECHONET Lite to the second instruction bridge 222 for Matter, or conversely, receives data exchanged according to Matter from the second instruction bridge 222 for Matter. On the other hand, the second instruction bridge 222 for Matter transmits data exchanged according to Matter to the first instruction bridge 221 for ECHONET Lite, or conversely, receives data exchanged according to ECHONET Lite from the first instruction bridge 221 for ECHONET Lite. <Information Processing in Network Systems>

The following describes the information processing in the network system 1 using the communication module 200 of this embodiment, with reference to Figure 4.

First, in this embodiment, when the power supply of the home appliance 100 is turned on, the control unit 110 uses the communication module 200 to connect to a pre-configured cloud service server.

Furthermore, when the communication module 200 is connected to the communication connector 160 and powered on for the first time, the control unit 110 of the device communicates with the communication control unit 210 of the communication module 200. This allows various device information stored in memory 112 to be stored in memory 212, enabling the communication module 200 to identify which type of device 100 is connected. The communication module 200 can use this information to pair and register the device 100 with the cloud server 500 and the smartphone 300. Further, after setting up the home appliance 100 and connecting it to the power supply, using the smartphone 300, etc., the device 100 can be paired and registered with the cloud server 500, enabling an initial connection to the cloud server 500. Subsequently, the communication module 200 notifies the service servers (first server 500A and second server 500B) on the cloud of various device information and device status for the first time.

For example, the first server 500A, acting as a service server, sends data for a status setting request to the appliance 100 (step S112). Furthermore, this data is sent via the Internet and the wireless router 600, according to the protocol based on the first protocol.

The first command bridge 221 of the communication module 200 installed in the home appliance 100 receives the data via the communication antenna 260 and transmits the data to the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 in the state of data based on the first protocol (step S114).

The control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 controls the device drive unit 190 according to the status setting request. The control unit 110 transmits information related to the latest status after the execution of the status setting request command as a status setting completion response to the first command bridge 221 in the form of data based on the first protocol (step S116). Here, depending on the type of command, it is also possible to return the status setting completion response as if the status setting request has been accepted without waiting for the execution to be completed, and then continue to execute the command.

The first command bridge 221 sends the status setting completion response data based on the first protocol back to the first server 500A via the communication antenna 260 (step S118).

In particular, in this embodiment, the first command bridge 221 completes the response based on the status setting and transmits information related to the latest status of the home appliance 100 as a status change notification to the second command bridge 222 (step S120).

The second command bridge 222 sends the status change notification data according to the second protocol (step S122) to the second server 500B via the communication antenna 260.

Additionally, for example, the first server 500A, acting as the service server, sends a status read request to the appliance 100 (step S125). Furthermore, this data is sent via the Internet and the wireless router 600, according to the protocol based on the first protocol.

The first command bridge 221 of the communication module 200 installed in the home appliance 100 receives the data via the communication antenna 260 and transmits the data to the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 in the state of data based on the first protocol (step S126).

The control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 reads the latest status information according to the status read request, and transmits it to the first command bridge 221 as a status setting completion response in the form of data according to the first protocol (step S127).

The first command bridge 221, via the communication antenna 260, reads the completion response data according to the first protocol and sends it back to the first server 500A (step S128).

In particular, in this embodiment, the first command bridge 221 reads out a response based on the status setting and transmits information related to the latest status of the home appliance 100 as a status notification to the second command bridge 222 (step S130).

The second command bridge 222 sends status notification data according to the second protocol to the second server 500B via the communication antenna 260 (step S132).

Preferably, the second command bridge 222 may also have a unit that stores the latest status of the home appliance 100, such as the status notification (step S132), status change notification (steps S122, S152), status read response (step S194), and status setting completion response (step S174) sent to the second server 500B last time. Only when the status of the home appliance 100 changes from that value will the status change notification data according to the second protocol be sent to the second server 500B (step S132).

That is, if the status of the home appliance 100 does not change in the status notification (step S130), the second command bridge 222 may not be connected to the second server 500B (step S132).

This judgment can also be made by the first command bridge 221. That is, the first command bridge 221 can also be a unit that stores the latest status of the home appliance 100 with data such as the status notification (step S130) sent to the second command bridge 222 last time, status change notification (step S120, step S150), status readout response (step S192), and status setting completion response (step S172). Based on the status readout response, if the home appliance 100 has not changed from the last status, the status notification (step S130) will not be transmitted to the second command bridge 222.

Furthermore, the change in status is sometimes triggered by the control unit 110 of the appliance 100 based on specified conditions, and sometimes initiated by the user inside the appliance 100 through the operation unit 140 or the controller.

In this case, the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 controls the device drive unit 190. The control unit 110 transmits information related to the latest status after the command is executed as a status change notification to the first command bridge 221 in the form of data according to the first protocol (step S146).

The first command bridge 221 sends status change notification data according to the first protocol to the first server 500A via the communication antenna 260 (step S148).

In particular, in this embodiment, the first command bridge 221 transmits information related to the latest status of the home appliance 100 to the second command bridge 222 based on the status change notification (step S150).

The second command bridge 222 sends status change notification data according to the second protocol to the second server 500B via the communication antenna 260 (step S152).

On the other hand, sometimes the second server 500B sends status setting request data to the home appliance 100 (step S162). Furthermore, this data is sent via the Internet and the wireless router 600 according to the protocol of the second protocol. Here, it is assumed that the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 cannot interpret the second protocol.

The second command bridge 222 of the communication module 200 installed in the home appliance 100 receives the data via the communication antenna 260 and transmits it as a status setting request to the first command bridge 221 (step S164).

The first command bridge 221 converts the status setting request into data according to the first protocol and transmits it to the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 (step S166).

The control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 controls the device drive unit 190 according to the status setting request. The control unit 110 transmits information related to the latest status after the execution of the status setting request command as a status setting completion response to the first command bridge 221 in the form of data according to the first protocol (step S168). Here, depending on the type of command, it is also possible to return as a status setting completion response if the status setting request has been accepted without waiting for execution completion, and then continue to execute commands thereafter.

The first command bridge 221 sends status change notification data according to the first protocol to the first server 500A via the communication antenna 260 (step S170).

In particular, in this embodiment, the first command bridge 221, based on the status setting completion response, transmits information related to the latest status of the home appliance 100 as the status setting completion response to the second command bridge 222 (step S172).

The second command bridge 222 sends status setting completion data according to the second protocol to the second server 500B via the communication antenna 260 (step S174).

In addition, the second server 500B sometimes sends status read request data to the appliance 100 (step S182). Furthermore, this data is sent via the Internet and the wireless router 600 in accordance with the protocol of the second protocol.

The second command bridge 222 of the communication module 200 installed in the home appliance 100 receives the data via the communication antenna 260 and transmits the data as a status read request to the first command bridge 221 (step S184).

The first command bridge 221 converts the status read request into data according to the first protocol and transmits it to the control unit 110 of the home appliance 100 (step S186).

The control unit 110 will read out information related to the latest status as a status response and transmit it to the first command bridge 221 in the form of data according to the first protocol (step S188).

The first command bridge 221 sends state change notification data according to the first protocol to the first server 500A via the communication antenna 260 (step S190). Preferably, the first command bridge 221 has a unit that stores the latest state of the home appliance 100 based on data such as the state change notification last sent to the first server 500A (steps S190, S170, S148), the state read response (step S128), and the state setting completion response (step S118). Only when the state of the home appliance 100 changes from that value, the state change notification data based on the first protocol is sent to the first server 500A via the communication antenna 260 (step S190).

In particular, in this embodiment, the first command bridge 221 transmits information related to the latest status of the home appliance 100 as a status read response to the second command bridge 222 (step S192).

The second command bridge 222 sends status read response data according to the second protocol to the second server 500B via communication antenna 260 (step S194). <Second Embodiment>

The above embodiments illustrate the scenario where home appliance 100 can connect to the first server 500A via the first wireless router 600A, or to the second server 500B via the second wireless router 600B. However, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, either server can be an indoor controller 400 based on Matter or similar devices configured indoors; both can also be controllers or other communication equipment. <Third Embodiment>

In the above embodiment, the communication module 200 installed in the home appliance 100 has one wireless communication antenna 260. However, as shown in Figure 5, the communication module 200 may also have two wireless communication antennas (261, 262).

In this embodiment, the communication control unit 210 of the wireless communication module 200 uses the second wireless communication antenna 262 to provide data exchanged with the first device via the first wireless communication antenna 261 to the second device. Conversely, the communication control unit 210 uses the first wireless communication antenna 261 to provide data exchanged with the second device via the second wireless communication antenna 262 to the first device. <Fourth Embodiment>

In the above embodiment, the communication module 200 installed in the home appliance 100 includes a wireless communication antenna 260. The communication module 200 can also replace the wireless communication antenna 260, or, based on the wireless communication antenna 260, have a communication interface for wired communication. <Summary>

To date, for sensor devices, actuator devices, and home appliances that do not support IoT (Internet of Things), the communication capabilities have been expanded by jointly developing and installing communication modules with specific communication protocols corresponding to the cloud servers of the connected objects, thereby effectively promoting IoT adoption. Furthermore, to connect IoT-enabled devices to different communication networks, methods have been adopted such as exchanging the aforementioned communication modules with items corresponding to the aforementioned communication protocols, or connecting them via gateways for converting communication protocols or conversion devices with bridging functions.

Furthermore, if an existing IoT-enabled device needs to be connected to a different communication network by replacing its previous module with one that supports a different communication protocol, it will be unable to connect to the previously connected cloud server, resulting in the inability to inherit previously accumulated assets. Additionally, developing and configuring a new conversion device with gateway and bridging functions to accommodate the desired new communication protocol incurs significant costs in development, maintenance, and operation.

Therefore, in the above implementation, a communication module with the following characteristics is provided, which can jointly cope with various devices.

(1) Its features are: a module has multiple cloud servers and communication protocol control units between the connected devices, and has a unit that converts the communication content between the cloud and the device using a communication protocol into other communication protocol control units, and notifies other clouds of the status of the aforementioned devices.

Therefore, in order to connect to multiple cloud servers, each module has a corresponding communication protocol control unit, so there is no need to replace it with a module of other specifications or prepare a separate conversion device with gate or bridging functions.

(2) Its feature is that the communication module of (1) above can connect to various devices, so as to obtain information such as the type/status/control unit of the connected device when the power is initially turned on.

Therefore, when this communication module is installed on various devices and the power is initially turned on, the module can obtain information such as the type/status/control unit of the connected device. As a result, this communication module can be used in various devices.

(3) Its feature is that it has a unit that registers the device to the cloud server based on the device information obtained by the unit through (2) above.

Therefore, various devices equipped with the aforementioned communication modules can be connected and registered to the cloud server.

(4) Its feature is that: based on the information connected and registered through the unit in (3) above, the status information of the device can be obtained through the cloud server connected to the device, and remote control can be performed.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain status information of various devices or perform remote control via cloud servers.

(5) Its feature is that it has a unit that connects the device to a cloud server via other networks through the units mentioned in (1) and (2) above.

This also allows various devices to be connected and registered to the cloud server via other networks.

(6) Based on the information registered through the unit connected to (5) above, the status information of the device can be obtained or remotely controlled through other cloud servers of (1) above connected to the device.

It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of this invention is indicated by the scope of the claims, not by the foregoing description, and includes the same meaning as the claims and all variations within the scope.

1: Network System 100: Home Appliances 100A: Air Conditioner 100B: Refrigerator 100C: Microwave Oven 100D: Television 110: Main Control Unit 111: CPU 112: Memory 130: Display 140: Operation Unit 150: Touch Panel 160: Communication Connector 170: Speaker 180: Microphone 190: Equipment Driver 200: Wireless Communication Module 210: Communication Control Unit 211: CPU 212: Memory 221: First Instruction Bridge 222: Second Instruction Bridge 260: Communication Antenna 261: First Wireless Communication Antenna 262: Second Wireless Communication Antenna 300: Communication Terminal 400: Indoor Controller 500A: First Server 500B: Second Server 600: Wireless Router 600A: First Wireless Router 600B: Second Wireless Router 601: First Communication Network 602: Second Communication Network S112~S194: Steps

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall structure of the network system according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the overall functions and operation summary of the network system according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the home appliance according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing the overall control of the network system according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the structure of the home appliance according to the second embodiment.

100: Home Appliances

221: First Command Bridge

222: Second Command Bridge

500A: First Server

500B: Second Server

S112~S194: Steps

Claims (9)

A communication device that can be integrated into a home appliance includes: a communication unit; and a control unit. When the control unit receives command data from a first device via the communication unit, it transmits the command data to the home appliance. When it receives status data from the home appliance, it sends the status data to the first device and also sends the status data to a second device. According to the communication device of claim 1, the control unit includes: a first bridging function that, when the control unit receives the command data from the device, transmits it to the home appliance, and when the control unit receives status data from the home appliance, sends it to the first device; and a second bridging function that receives the status data from the first bridging function and sends the status data to the second device via the communication unit. According to claim 1, the communication device includes: a first communication interface for transmitting and receiving data with the first device; and a second communication interface for transmitting and receiving data with the second device. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein data is exchanged with the first device according to a first communication protocol and data is exchanged with the second device according to a second communication protocol. According to the communication device of claim 1, when the control unit receives command data from the second device via the communication unit, it transmits the command data to the home appliance. When it receives status data from the home appliance, it sends the status data to the second device and also sends the status data to the first device. According to the communication device of claim 1, the first device is a server for controlling the aforementioned home appliance, and the second device is an indoor controller for controlling the aforementioned home appliance or a server different from the aforementioned server. According to the communication device of claim 1, the first device is an indoor controller for controlling the aforementioned home appliance, and the second device is a server for controlling the aforementioned home appliance. According to the communication device of claim 1, the aforementioned control unit stores equipment information related to the aforementioned home appliance and registers the aforementioned equipment information in the aforementioned first device and the aforementioned second device. A network system includes: a first device for sending commands; a second device; and a home appliance that can be connected to the first device and the second device via a network, wherein the home appliance performs an operation according to the command from the first device and sends information indicating the status after the command is received to the first device and the second device.