JPH06225360A - Home automation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily operate a ready-made electric appliance with a remote control function by home automation. CONSTITUTION:A home automation system is constituted of a universally known controller 10 for controlling each equipment 13 and the electric appliance 15 capable of being remote-controlled and a terminal 16 for operating the controller 10. The controller 10 is constituted so as to store the control signal of each electric appliance, and simultaneously, transmit the control signal from a transmitting and receiving device 14 arranged in the vicinity of the lighting fixture of each room. The terminal 16 is provided with a liquid crystal display and a keyboard, and is constituted so as to select the control item of the electric appliance displayed graphically on the liquid crystal display by the keyboard. Then, the selected control item is made to be transmitted by radio to the controller 10 through the transmitting and receiving device 14.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a home automation system for centrally managing a house, and more particularly to a home for controlling an off-the-shelf AV (audio / visual) device having a receiver for remote control, an air conditioner or the like. Regarding automation systems.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, home automation systems (HA systems) have attracted attention as a means of conserving and speeding up house management, for example, by intensively operating lighting, door locks, bath water heating, etc. Has been done.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a house for explaining a conventional HA system. A remote controller 3 is attached to a room where the user stays for a long time, for example, the living room 1, and the remote controller 3 is provided with a plurality of switches and display lamps (not shown). The remote controller 3 is wire-connected to a device or a sensor provided in each room, and can operate the monitor of the entrance 5, the closing of the door 7, the heating of the bath 9, the fire alarm, the air conditioner 11 and the like, and the operation state ( Whether or not it is operating) is indicated by the indicator lamp.

Thus, by making it possible to intensively operate the devices and the like dispersed in various parts of the house at one place, it is not necessary to visit or check the places one by one, which saves labor. And speed up,
The living environment can be made more rational.

In addition, in most AV products such as TVs, video and audio devices, and air conditioners, most products have a function of controlling the device from a remote place by a remote control that transmits an infrared signal. The AV device can be operated from the viewing position without going to the operation panel of the AV device.

[0006]

By the way, the AV equipment, the air conditioner and the like are designed so that various control functions can be operated from the outside for a remote controller. However, the conventional HA system can be finely controlled by using a bath water heater or central heating that is compatible with the HA system. Only the time can be set, and detailed control of AV equipment and air conditioners required the use of their dedicated remote control.

That is, although various AV equipments and air conditioners originally have an operation function from the outside, the conventional HA system is not compatible with it. In addition, the AV
A remote controller is provided for each device, and when an AV system is constructed from a plurality of devices, a plurality of remote controls are required to operate the AV system.

In order to solve such a problem, there is a programmable remote controller capable of accommodating a plurality of devices and storing a series of operations. Each AV device has, for example, image quality and sound quality. In many cases, the remote control can be used to control even detailed control items such as settings and timers (for turning the power on / off and setting recording / recording time), and switch the function of the remote control operation buttons for each device. However, the operation becomes complicated and it is difficult to cover all the control items with one remote controller.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to control an off-the-shelf device from an HA system by using the operation function of the device from the outside as it is. Another object of the present invention is to provide a home automation system that can improve the operability of the device.

[0010]

A home automation system according to the present invention includes a controller for controlling devices distributed in various parts of a house and a controller and the devices arranged in a plurality of parts of the house. The transmission / reception device comprises an input / output port to be connected, a transmission / reception device connected to the input / output port, and a movable terminal for transmitting an instruction for operating the controller to the transmission / reception device. Various kinds of ready-made equipment having a remote control receiver are provided with signal sending means for sending a control signal for remote control, and the coat roller has a storage means for storing the control signal for the ready-made equipment. And, based on the instructions from the terminal,
The remote control means for calling the control signal from the storage means and transmitting the called control signal from the transmission / reception device is provided as a means for solving the problems.

[0011] Here, the terminal graphically stores control item storage means for graphically storing control items of equipment controllable by the controller, and a display for graphically displaying the control items stored in the control item storage means. Means, an instruction means for selecting a control item displayed on the display means, and a transmission means for transmitting the selected control item to the transmission / reception device are integrally formed, and the control selected by the instruction means It is preferable that an item is transmitted from the transmitting means to the transmitting / receiving device, and the remote control means of the controller causes the transmitting / receiving device to transmit a control signal to each device corresponding to the transmitted control item.

Further, it is preferable that the transmitting / receiving device is provided in each room of the house in the vicinity of an illuminating device that illuminates the entire room.

[0013]

According to the above construction, it becomes possible to operate the controller from the movable terminal and control various off-the-shelf devices having the remote control receiving section from the controller, and the conventional movable terminal can be operated from one movable terminal. In addition to devices compatible with the HA system, AV devices and air conditioners can be controlled.

Further, the above-mentioned equipment can be operated by the terminal between the rooms where the transmitting / receiving device is provided, and it is not always necessary to move the terminal to the room where the equipment to be controlled is arranged. It is possible to make a video recording reservation from a room that is not located.

Further, the operation from the terminal is as simple as selecting the control item of each device previously stored in the terminal using the instructing means on the display screen of the displaying means. Further, since the transmitting / receiving device is provided in the vicinity of the lighting device in the room, even if the terminal is moved to any position in the room and the device having the receiving unit is arranged in any position in the room, The communication between the transmitter / receiver and the transmitter / receiver and the device is not disturbed.

[0016]

The preferred embodiments of the home automation system (HA system) according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an HA system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an HA system,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the HA system in the room where the AV system is arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
The A system is connected to a controller 10 composed of a personal computer (personal computer), an input / output port 12 ... Connected to the controller 10 by a data bus 11 and arranged at various places in a house, and the input / output port 12 ... .. and transmitter / receiver 14 ..., AV equipment 15 ... (illustrated in FIG. 2) controlled by control signals transmitted from the transmitter / receiver 14, and a terminal 16 for operating the controller 10. Is configured as.

The controller 10 is a well-known personal computer, and has a mouse 10b and a keyboard 10c as an instruction means and an input means, and a CRT 10d as a display means.
Personal computer main body 10a having a central processing unit, memory, etc.
And a known input / output interface 10e for exchanging data with the input / output port 12,
The hard disk 10f serves as an external storage means.

The hard disk 10f stores control items and control methods as programs for each of the devices 13 ..., 15 ... Controlled by the controller 10. Then, like the conventional HA system, the personal computer main body 10a, which serves as a central processing unit, controls each of the devices 13, ..., 15 ... Based on the logical expression incorporated in the device control program.

In the present embodiment, the hard disk 10f is provided with a ready-made electric product having a remote control function (in the present embodiment, the AV equipment 15 ...
Other information such as lighting fixtures, air conditioners, etc.) are stored. That is, as the information, control items that can be controlled from the outside of the electric product, control signals for each control item, and frequencies for the control signals are stored.

Further, each of the above-mentioned data is loaded into the memory (not shown) of the personal computer main body 10a as needed, and the data such as the control signal which requires quick processing is loaded. , Is loaded in the memory in advance.

Then, the controller 10 calls the control signal and the frequency for the control signal from the hard disk 10f or the memory based on the instruction from the terminal 16, and the transmission / reception device 14 transmits the control signal at the frequency. It has become so.

The input / output ports 12 ... Are well known, and connect the controller 10 to the devices 13 ... And the transmission / reception devices 14 ... It is something to convey. Further, the input / output ports 12 ... Are provided with A / D converters and D / A converters as necessary, and convert analog signals from sensors or the like into digital signals to be transmitted to the controller 10 or from the personal computer main body 10a. The digital signal is converted into an analog signal to control the motor and the like of the equipment 14 ...

Each of the input / output ports 12, ... As equipment 13, lighting equipment in each room, a person detection sensor at the entrance, a water supply motor in the bathroom, a temperature sensor, a water level measurement sensor, and a shutter drive. The motor limit sensor, the solenoid in the lock mechanism at the entrance, the fire sensor, the vibration sensor, and other devices are connected.

Further, transmission / reception devices 14 ... Are connected to the input / output ports 12 so that they can be arranged in each room of the house. The transmitter / receiver 14 is adapted to communicate with the terminal 16 by an infrared pulse signal, and to a ready-made electric product (for example, an AV device 15 ...) Having a remote control function, a frequency corresponding to the electric product ( It has a transmitting means (for example, an infrared transmitter) for transmitting a control signal mainly by infrared rays.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transmitter / receiver 14 is arranged in the vicinity of an illumination 18 provided on the ceiling for illuminating the entire room, as shown in FIG. In the terminal 16, an SRAM (not shown) provided as control item storage means, an input / instruction means, and a keyboard 16a including at least a numeric keypad, a cursor movement key, and an on / off key, and a display means. Is provided with a liquid crystal display 16b, a CPU (not shown) for controlling them, and a transmitting / receiving means (not shown) for communicating with the transmitting / receiving device 14 ... Infrared pulse signals, and these are integrated. There is.

In the SRAM, electric products (AV equipment 15 ...) Which can be controlled by the remote control function are provided.
And the control items of the devices 14 ... Which are directly connected to the input / output ports 12 ... Specifically, first, as the graphic of the menu screen, each device 14 ..., 15 ...
A push button-like figure and a device name are stored for each. In addition, various control functions are stored as graphics of one screen to several screens for each of the devices 14 ..., 15 ..., On each screen, push button-shaped graphics and characters indicating the control functions are drawn for each control function. . Then, the pointer drawn on the screen is moved onto the push button-like figure by the cursor movement key, and the ON / OFF key is pressed, whereby the control device and the control function are selected.

The CPU of the terminal 16 is
Each of the devices 14 ..., 15 ... And the control function thereof selected as described above is converted into a code number predetermined for each of the devices 14 ..., 15 ... and the control function, and this is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving means to the transmitting / receiving device. It is supposed to do.

Then, the transmitted code number is transmitted from the transmitter / receiver 14 via the input / output port 12 to the controller 1
0, the controller 10 causes the devices 14 ...
The control signal is transmitted to the input / output port 12 ... Or via the input / output port 12 ... And the transmitting / receiving device 14.

Further, in the terminal 16, the operation of inputting a numerical value such as a timer is also supported. For the control function which requires inputting a numerical value, after selecting a control item by the graphic, inputting a numerical value. The screen is displayed and you can enter the numerical values from the numeric keypad. In addition, the terminal 16 turns on the power supply of the TV, the video recorder, the AV amplifier, etc. when a series of operations, for example, operating the AV equipment 15 ... , Has a well-known program function of storing various operations for selecting various items of the AV amplifier for video and reproducing the video recorder and performing the operation with one button operation.

An AV system operating method using the HA system will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, in the room where the AV system is arranged, the AV devices 15 ...
Devices such as various amplifiers, various tuners, various recorders, and various players are installed in a rack, and a projector 15a is set on the ceiling. In the room, a sofa 20 is arranged toward the screen 19, a table 21 is arranged in front of the sofa 20, and a terminal 16 is arranged on the table 21. A transmitter / receiver 14 is installed on the ceiling next to the lighting 18.

Then, the AV system, while sitting on the sofa 20, displays the liquid crystal display 16b of the terminal 16.
You can operate it while watching. That is, by selecting the device 15 to be operated and its control item while observing the push button-like figure displayed on the liquid crystal display 16b of the terminal 16, the control item becomes a code number, and the transmitter / receiver 14 is controlled. Sent. Then, the code number is from the transmitting / receiving device 14 to the input / output port 1
2 to the controller 10 and the controller 1
0 indicates a control signal corresponding to the code number
To each device 15 ...

Further, the controller can be moved to a room without AV equipment, for example, a dining room or a bedroom, and recording reservation or recording reservation can be made in that room while watching the program section of the newspaper using the controller. .

The control signals and the like of the devices 13, ..., 15 are registered in the hard disk 10f in advance, and the devices 13 ..., 15 ...
Is selected in the controller 10, the selected device and its control items are graphically stored in the SRAM of the terminal 16. Further, when a device 15 ... Which has not been registered in the hard disk 10f in advance is purchased, the device 10 ...
The control signal and the like can be registered in the hard disk 10f.

As described above, according to the HA system of this embodiment, the ready-made device 1 having the remote control function is provided.
5 can be controlled, and the operation can be performed from one movable terminal 16, and it is not necessary to use a plurality of remote controllers, and the transmitter / receiver 14 can be installed in each room of the house. By providing, A
It is possible to make a recording reservation or the like from a room in which the V device 15 ... Is not installed.

Further, the terminal 16 has a liquid crystal display 16b, and the control items of the respective devices 13 ..., 14 ... Are displayed graphically, and the control items can be selected on this display screen. Even if the user operates the device, there is no need to make the operation complicated or to be confused as to which operation button corresponds to which control item. Further, by switching the display screen, even when a large number of control items can be operated in a ready-made electric product, it is possible to easily operate all the control items that can be operated from the terminal 16.

By arranging the transmitter / receiver 14 in the vicinity of the illumination for illuminating the entire room, no matter where in the room the devices 15 ...
5 and the terminal 16 and the transmitter / receiver 14 are less likely to form an obstacle, and communication between the device 15 and the terminal 16 and the transmitter / receiver 14 is not disabled.

[0038]

As described above in detail, according to the home automation system of the present invention, an off-the-shelf device having a remote control function can be provided without providing a special control device for the home automation system.
Using the remote control function, each device can be controlled as-is.

Also, since a plurality of devices can be controlled from one terminal via the controller of the home automation system, it is necessary to use a plurality of remote controllers or operate a plurality of remote controllers at the same time when controlling each device. Therefore, the operability of each device is improved.

By providing a transmitter / receiver in each room, recording, recording reservation, etc. can be operated from a room where a recorder is not installed, and AV equipment is installed in a room for recording and recording reservation. There is no need to go out. further,
Since each device can be operated from the terminal by selecting the control item while looking at the display device of the terminal, it is possible to prevent deterioration of operability by operating many devices with one terminal. it can.

Also, by switching the display screen of the display device, the number of control items that can be operated can be increased, and all control items that can be operated in each device can be operated from the terminal. Also, by installing the transceiver device near the lighting device that illuminates the entire room,
No matter where the devices and terminals are placed in the room, communication between the devices and terminals and the transceiver is not disturbed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a home automation system of the above embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the home automation system.

[FIG. 3] A according to the above home automation system
It is a perspective view for explaining operation of V equipment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the conventional home automation system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Controller 10a Personal Computer Main Body (Remote Control Means) 10f Hard Disk (Storage Means) 12 Input / Output Port 13 Equipment 14 Transmitter / Receiver 15 AV Equipment (Off-the-shelf Equipment) 16 Terminal 16a Terminal Keyboard (Instruction Means) 16b Liquid Crystal Display (Display Means) 18 Lighting equipment

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A home automation system for centrally controlling a plurality of devices dispersedly arranged in a house, the controller for controlling the devices, and the controller arranged at a plurality of positions in the house. And an input / output port for connecting the device to the device, a transmitter / receiver connected to the input / output port, and a movable terminal for transmitting an instruction for operating the controller to the transmitter / receiver. The transmission / reception device is provided with signal transmission means for transmitting a control signal for remote control to various off-the-shelf devices having a receiver for remote control, and the coat roller is provided with a control signal for the off-the-shelf device. And a storage unit that stores the control signal from the storage unit based on an instruction from the terminal. Home automation system, characterized in that the remote control means for transmission is provided a control signal from the transceiver apparatus. 2. The terminal comprises a control item storage means for graphically storing control items of equipment controllable by the controller, and a display means for graphically displaying the control items stored in the control item storage means. And an instruction means for selecting the control item displayed on the display means, and a transmission means for transmitting the selected control item to the transmission / reception device are integrally formed, and the control item selected by the instruction means 2. The home automation system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control means of the controller causes the transmitter / receiver to transmit a control signal to each device in response to the transmitted control item from the transmitter to the transmitter / receiver. . 3. The home automation system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting / receiving device is provided in each room of the house in the vicinity of a lighting device that illuminates the entire room.