Abstract:
A method of registering an electric device in a wireless control system includes: A. Input a device code of an electric device and a user code, and save them in an interpreter; B. Transmit the device code and the user code to a server; and C. Establish a connection between the device code and the user code in the server. With the connection between the device code and the user code the wireless control system may identify each registered electric device and the user who owns the electric device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to a system for controlling electric devices, and more particular to a method of establishing a connection in a wireless control system. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Remote control is more and more popular in present days to control electric appliances without having to walk to the devices. Typically, one remote control is matched with one electric appliance in a one-to-one relation, which means that each electric appliance has a specified remote control to control it. There may be electric devices of the same model in different rooms. For this situation, the user may control these electric devices with one remote control. However, we still provide a plurality of remote controls in each room for convenience. 
     A conventional remote control system is provided with an interpreter, which allows user to access the system through a remote control device, such as computer, and mobile phone. With such remote control system, user inputs a command on the remote control device, and this command is transmitted to the interpreter. The interpreter converts the command into a control signal, and transmits the control signal to the specified electric appliance through a network. As a result, user may control various electric appliances with one remote control device. 
     Some product providers provide a service to whom brought their products with the remote control system. With an approval of the customer, the product provider establishes a connection between the product in the customer&#39;s place and the service station through above system to monitor the product. However, there are various products sold to different customers, so it is difficult for the remote control system to identify each product and the owner of the product. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method of registering an electric device in a wireless remote control system, which may establish a connection between the electric device and the user of the electric device in a server. 
     The present invention provides a method of registering an electric device in a wireless control system; wherein the wireless control system includes a server, an access point, an interpreter, and an electric device; the server is connected to the access point through a network; the interpreter is connected to the access point through Wi-Fi signals; the electric device is connected to the interpreter; the method comprising the steps of: 
     A. Obtain a device code of the electric device, and save the device code in the interpreter, wherein the device code represents the electric device; 
     B. Transmit the device code and a user code from the interpreter to the server through the access point, wherein the user code represents an owner of the electric device; and 
     C. Establish a connection between the device code and the user code in the server. 
     With such design, it may establish a connection between the electric device and the user of the electric device in the server of the wireless control system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a sketch diagram of the remote control system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the control unit of the preferred embodiment of the present invention and 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the interpreter of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a wireless control system of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which includes a plurality of electric devices  10 , an interpreter  20 , an access point  30 , a remote control device  40 , and a server  50 . 
     The electric devices  10  are home appliances in an ordinary house, such as air condition, fireplace, and water heater. Each electric device  10  includes a control unit  12 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the control unit  12  has a RF transceiver  122 , a control circuit  124 , and a memory  126 . The RF transceiver  122  transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals. The control unit  12  is electrically connected to the RF transceiver  122  to receive RF signals from the RF transceiver  122 . The control unit  12  retrieves commands in the RF signals to control the electric devices  10  accordingly, such as turning the electric device  10  on/off and adjusting temperature. The control unit  12  also transmits RF signals to the RF transceiver  122 . The control unit  12  receives a running status of the electric device  10 , and converts it into a RF signal, and then the RF signal is transmitted to the interpreter  20  through the RF transceiver  122 . The running status includes power on/off, current temperature, and error code. Each electric device  10  has a device code to represent the electric device  10 , and the device codes are saved in the memory  126 . In an embodiment, the device code contains model and series number of the electric device  10 . The model and the series number are provided by the manufacturer of the electric device  10 , two electric devices  10  may have the same models, but the series numbers are different for sure. The device code is combined with the running status and converted into the RF signal for identification. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the interpreter  20  has a RF transceiver  202 , a converter  204 , a Wi-Fi transceiver  206 , and a memory  208 . The RF transceiver  202  receives the RF signals from the control units  12  of the electric devices  10  or transmits RF signals to the control units  12 . The converter  204  receives the RF signal from the RF transceiver  202 , and converts the RF signal into a corresponding Wi-Fi signal, and then the Wi-Fi signal is sent to the remote control device  40  through the Wi-Fi transceiver  206 . On the contrary, when the Wi-Fi transceiver  206  receives a Wi-Fi signal, it is transmitted to the converter  204  to be converted into a corresponding RF signal, and then the RF signal is transmitted to the control units  12  of the specified electric device  10  through the RF transceiver  202 . 
     The Wi-Fi transceiver  206  has a MAC address, and the converter  204  retrieves the MAC address and saves it in the memory  208 . The MAC address is taken as an interpreter code to represent the interpreter  20 . In an embodiment, each interpreter  20  is given a series number by the manufacturer, and the series number is saved in the memory  208  to be the interpreter code of the interpreter  20 . Any signal from the electric devices  10  and the remote control device  40  can be saved in the memory  208 . 
     The access point  30  is connected to the server  50  through a network, which is Internet I, and connected to the remote control device  40  and the interpreter  20  through Wi-Fi. In an embodiment, the remote control device  40  is a tablet, and the tablet is installed with an application for user to operate. While the tablet  40  is connected to the interpreter  20 , the interpreter  20  transmits the interpreter code of the interpreter  20  and the device codes of the electric devices  10  to the tablet  40  to be saved in a memory of the tablet  40 . Therefore, user may operate the tablet  40  to control any electric devices  10 . First, the user has to select the electric device  10  to be controlled, and input a control command on the tablet  40 . The tablet  40  converts the control command into a Wi-Fi signal, and transmits the Wi-Fi signal to the access point  30 , and then the access point  30  transfers the Wi-Fi signal to the interpreter  20 . The same as above, the interpreter  20  converts the Wi-Fi signal into a corresponding RF signal by the converter  204 , and then transmits the RF signal to the specified electric device  10  through the RF transceiver  202  to control the electric device  10 . On the contrary, the running status of each electric device  10  is transmitted to the tablet  40  in the reverse way to show the statuses of the electric devices  10  on a screen of the tablet  40 . In an embodiment, the remote control device may be smartphone, computer, PDA, or any device which may transmit and receive Wi-Fi signals. 
     The server  50  has a database  52  to save the running statuses of the electric devices  10  for monitoring the electric devices  10 . The present invention provides a method to register the interpreter  20  and the electric devices  10 , which are connected to the interpreter  20 , in the wireless control system. The method includes the following steps: 
     Once the electric devices  10  are connected to the interpreter  20 , the control unit  12  of each electric device  10  transmits the device code, which is saved in the memory  126 , to the interpreter  20  through the RF transceiver  122 . The interpreter  20  saves the devices codes of the electric devices  10  in the memory  208 . 
     The user operates the tablet  40  to select a connection command, and then the application will ask the user to input a user code. In an embodiment, the user code includes an account and a password. The tablet  40  transmits the connection command and the user code to the interpreter  20  in the way as described above. The interpreter  20  retrieves the connection command and the user code from the Wi-F-signal, and saves the user code in the memory  208 . Next, the converter  204  of the interpreter  20  generates a start command, and transmits the start command to the access point  30  through the Wi-Fi transceiver  206 , and then the access point  30  transfers the start command to the server  50 . After receiving the start command, the server  50  generates a confirmation command, and sends it back to the interpreter  20 . With the confirmation command, the converter  204  of the interpreter  20  starts to upload. The converter  204  transmits the user code, the interpreter code of the interpreter  20 , and the device codes of the electric devices  10 , which are saved in the memory  208 , to the server  50  through the Wi-Fi transceiver  206  and the access point  30 . 
     Above codes will be saved in the database  52  of the server  50 , and then a connection between the user code and the interpreter code of the interpreter  20 , and a connection between the device codes of the electric devices  10  and the interpreter code will be established. 
     After the connections are established, the running statuses of the electric devices  10  are transmitted to the server  50 , and saved in the database  52 . With the connection between the user code and the identification of the interpreter  20 , it may acquire which electric device(s)  10  is/are connected to the interpreter  20  and a condition of the connection between each electric device  10  and the interpreter  20 . The electric devices  10  may be sorted if there are a large number of electric devices  10 . In an embodiment, there are more than one interpreters connected to the electric devices  10  respectively, and each interpreter has the same function as above. In practice, the interpreter code of the interpreter  20  is not transmitted to the server  50 , and the connection between the user code and the identifying codes of the electric devices  10  is established directly. 
     With the method as described above, it may establish a connection between the user and the electric devices  10  belonging to him/her. Therefore, even there are a large number of users, it still may establish the connections between the users and the electric devices  10  belonging to each of them. For the services of the electric devices  10 , they may obtain the running statuses of the electric devices  10 , and warn the users to provide their customers a better service. 
     While the tablet  40  is unable to connect to the access point  30 , the user still may connect to the server  50  through Internet I to obtain the current running statuses of the electric devices  10  and the running statuses saved in the server  50 . At the same time, the user may send a control command to the server  50 , and the server  50  transfers the control command to the interpreter  20  through Internet I and the access point  30  to control the specific electric device(s). 
     In an embodiment, once the access point  30  is connected to the server  50 , the interpreter  20  may send the start command to the server  50 , and wait for the confirmation command. The interpreter  20  transmits the interpreter code and the device codes to the server  50 , and saves them in the memory  52  of the server  50  after the confirmation command is received. The user also may send the acquiring command from the tablet  40  to the interpreter  20  to control the converter  204  to send the interpreter code back to the tablet  40 , so that with the interpreter code the user may input the user code on the tablet  40  to transmit the user code and the interpreter code to the server  50  through the access point  30 . 
     In an embodiment, the user may manually input the interpreter code of the interpreter  20  on the tablet  40 , and the interpreter code and the user code will be transmitted to the server  50  through Internet I, and saved in the memory  52  to register the interpreter  20  and the electric device(s)  10  which is/are connected to the interpreter  20 . 
     It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.