Abstract:
A method for controlling grouped devices is disclosed. The method includes receiving a group setting from a group switch on each of the electronic devices, the electronic devices being divided into a plurality of groups according to the group setting of the group switch; a control device emitting a wireless signal comprising group data and operation data to the electronic devices; each of the electronic devices determining whether the group data matches the group setting of the group switch; and if the group data matches the group setting of the group switch, the electronic devices with the group setting matching the group data performing an operation according to the operation data.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a method for controlling grouped devices, and more particularly, to a method for controlling grouped devices according to a group switch. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    As related technology keeps improving, functions of an electronic device become more and more powerful. The current electronic device is capable of wirelessly surfing Internet, transmitting data, and even remote-controlling electrical appliance, etc. For the general home use, a remote control of electrical appliance is a widely used technology. The remote control can remotely control the electrical appliance by emitting infrared signals or other types of wireless signals. However, each electrical appliance has a corresponding remote-control frequency band, such that a user needs to use different remote control emitting different remote control signals corresponding to the predefined frequency bands in order to control different electrical appliances. In addition, when the user uses a remote control corresponding to a plurality of identical electrical appliances, the user is not able to solely control a particular electrical appliance due to the electrical appliances having the same remote-control frequency band. Therefore, in the prior art, the user can not utilize the remote control to respectively control different groups of electrical appliances with a same predefined frequency band. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides a method for controlling grouped devices. The method comprises receiving a group setting from a group switch on each of the electronic devices, the electronic devices being divided into a plurality of groups according to the group setting of the group switch; a control device emitting a wireless signal comprising group data and operation data to the electronic devices; each of the electronic devices determining whether the group data matches the group setting of the group switch; and if the group data matches the group setting of the group switch, the electronic devices with the group setting matching the group data performing an operation according to the operation data. 
         [0006]    The present invention further provides a grouping control system. The grouping control system comprises a master control device and a plurality of slave devices. The master control device comprises a control circuit for generating group data and operation data, and a first wireless unit for wirelessly transmitting the group data and the operation data. Each of the plurality of slave devices comprises a second wireless unit, a group switch, and a controller. The second wireless unit is for receiving the group data and the operation data. The group switch is switchable to one of a plurality of group settings. The controller is electrically connected to the second wireless unit and the group switch, and the controller controls the slave device performing an operation according to the operation data if the group data matches the group setting of the group switch. 
         [0007]    The present invention further provides an electronic device. The electronic device comprises a wireless unit, a group switch, and a controller. The wireless unit is for receiving a wireless signal including group data and operation data. The group switch is switchable to one of a plurality of group settings. The controller is electrically connected to the wireless unit and the group switch, and the controller is for controlling the electronic device performing an operation according to the operation data if the group data matches the group setting of the group switch. 
         [0008]    In contrast to the prior art, the present invention provides a method for controlling grouped devices. The present invention can easily configure the slave devices into different groups by setting the group switch, and the present invention can respectively control the different group of slave devices at a same predetermined frequency band. The control method and the control system of the present invention can control the grouped devices easily and efficiently. 
         [0009]    These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a diagram showing a master control device of a grouping control system according to the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a slave device of the grouping control system according to the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the grouping control system according to the present invention during operation. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing another embodiment of the grouping control system according to the present invention during operation. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing a method for controlling the grouped devices according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Please refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 1  is a diagram showing a master control device of a grouping control system according to the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a slave device of the grouping control system according to the present invention. The master control device  110  of the present invention comprises a control circuit  112 , and a first wireless unit  114 . The control circuit  112  generates group data and operation data according to commands transmitted from other electronic devices. The first wireless unit  114  wirelessly transmits the group data and the operation data generated by the control circuit  112 . The slave device  120  of the present invention comprises a second wireless unit  122 , a group switch  124 , and a controller  126 . The second wireless unit  122  receives the group data and the operation data from the first wireless unit  114 . The group switch  124  comprises a plurality of pins P 1 , P 2 , P 3 , P 4 , and each pin corresponds to a predetermined group setting. A user can define any of the slave devices  120  as belonging to one group by setting the pin corresponding to the group to be conducted. That is, the user can control the group setting of the slave device  120  via the group switch  124 . The controller  126  is electrically connected to the second wireless unit  122  and the group switch  124 . The controller  126  controls the slave device  120  according to the conducted pin of the group switch  124 , the received group data, and the received operation data. The group switch  124  can be a turntable, a wheel, a button, a drawstring, or other type of switch installed on the slave device. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, the slave device  120  is a light bulb, and the group switch  124  is arranged on the light bulb. The user can set the group setting of the light bulb by setting the group switch  124  and then installs the light bulb onto a light fixture, or the user can directly adjust the group switch  124  of the light bulb at the light fixture for adjusting the group setting of the light bulb. 
         [0016]    According to the above arrangement, the grouping control system of the present invention can respectively control the slave devices of different groups according to the settings of the conducted pins of the group switches. Please refer to  FIG. 3 , and refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  as well.  FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the grouping control system according to the present invention during operation. For example, the grouping control system of the present invention can be an illumination system. Each of the slave devices, such as  120 A,  120 B,  120 C, is an illumination device. The pin of the group switch  124  in the illumination device  120 A corresponding to a first group G 1  is the first pin P 1 , the pin of the group switch  124  in the illumination device  120 B corresponding to a second group G 2  is the second pin P 2 , and the pin of the group switch  124  in the illumination device  120 C corresponding to a third group G 3  is the third pin P 3 . When the user try to reduce brightness of the illumination devices  120 B belonging to the second group G 2 , the user can utilize a remote control  210  or a smart phone  220  for transmitting commands to the control circuit  112  of the master control device  110 . The control circuit  112  then generates group data and operation data according to the received commands, wherein the illumination device  120 B of the second group G 2  is one of the controlled targets indicated by the group data, and the operation to be performed indicated by the operation data is reducing brightness. Thereafter, the first wireless unit  114  will emit a wireless signal in a predetermined frequency band wherein the wireless signal comprises the group data and the operation data generated by the control circuit  112 . Therefore, only the illumination devices in the same group corresponding to the group data included in the wireless signal will react according to the operation data. The illumination devices of other groups will not react according to the wireless signal. When all the illumination devices, including  120 A,  120 B,  120 C, of the groups G 1 , G 2 , G 3  receive the wireless signal, the controller  126  of the illumination devices will determine whether the received group data corresponds to the conducted pin of the group switch  124  in the illumination devices. When the group data matches the conducted pin of the group switch  124 , the controller  126  of the illumination device performs a corresponding operation according to the operation data. For example, the controller  126  of the illumination device  120 B in the second group G 2  will reduce the brightness. When the group data does not match the conducted pin of the group switch  124 , the controller  126  of the illumination device will not perform the operation of the operation data. For example, the controllers  126  of the illumination device  120 A in the first group G 1  and the controllers  126  of the illumination device  120 C in the third group G 3  will remain in original illumination status. 
         [0017]    In addition, there are different ways for transmitting the commands to the control circuit  112  of the master control device  110 . For example, a web page  113  can be embedded within the control circuit  112  of the master control device  110 , wherein the web page  113  is provided with group options and operation options. The user can utilize the smart phone  220  or other devices to browse the web page  113  via Internet  230 , and then select remote controlled group and operation to be performed by the selected group on the web page  113 . Then the control circuit  112  will generate the group data and the operation data according to the user&#39;s command on the web page  113 . Or the user can press number keys  212  on the remote control  210  to select the remote controlled group, and press the number keys  212  or function keys  214  on the remote control  210  to select the operation to be performed. After the control circuit  112  receives wireless control signals transmitted from the remote control  210 , the control circuit  112  generates the group data and the operation data according to the wireless control signals. 
         [0018]    Please refer to  FIG. 4 , and refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  as well.  FIG. 4  is a diagram showing another embodiment of the grouping control system according to the present invention during operation. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the control circuit  112  of the master control device  110  can also communicate with a display device  240  via Internet  230  or the first wireless unit  114 . The control circuit  112  can generate the group data and the operation data according to the settings for different scenarios of the display device  240  when displaying video and images. For example, when the display device  240  is set to display video in a movie mode, the control circuit  112  can correspondingly generate the group data and the operation data for dimming the illumination device  120 A, or changing color of light, of the first group G 1  which is near the display device  240 . The illumination device  120 B of the second group G 2  and the illumination device  120 C of the third group G 3  located in other areas will remain in the original illumination status, such that the activities of the users in other areas will not be affected. 
         [0019]    In the above embodiment, the group data comprises indicator of a group. However, in other embodiments, the group data can also comprise indicators of a plurality of groups for simultaneously remote controlling the plurality of groups. In addition, the slave devices  120  are not limited to the illumination devices. The slave devices  120  can be other types of electronic devices, and the slave devices belonging to a group are not required to be the same devices. Also, the slave devices of different groups can be different types of electronic devices, as long as the electronic device comprises a group switch for being controlled by the wireless signal having the group data. The master control device  110  can further provide different types of settings for controlling a combination of different types of electronic devices, so the user can select one type of the settings for simultaneously controlling the different types of electronic devices. Therefore, the user can utilize the same master control device to control the different types of electronic devices in the same predetermined frequency band, and the different types of electronic devices can be interactive via the links to master control device. For example, the display device  240  and the illumination devices  120 A,  120 B,  120 C can be simultaneously controlled by the master control device  110 . When the user utilizes the master control device  110  to set the scenario setting in a movie mode, the master control device  110  can correspondingly generate the group data and the operation data for setting the display device  240  to display video in the movie mode, and simultaneously generates the group data and the operation data for controlling the illumination device  120 A belonging to the first group G 1  near the display device  240 , so the illumination mode of the illumination device  120 A can be adjusted according to the display mode of the display device  240 . The above example is one of the embodiments of the present invention. The combination of the master control device  1110  and the slave device  120  of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The slave device  120  can be other electronic devices, such as a stereo, a computer, a handheld device, etc., and the group settings and function settings of these slave devices can still be set through the master control device  110 . 
         [0020]    Please refer to  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  is a flowchart  500  showing a method for controlling the grouped devices of the present invention. The flowchart of the method for controlling the grouped devices of the present invention comprises the following steps: 
         [0021]    Step  510 : Set a pin of a group switch in an electronic device to be conducted, wherein the conducted pin is corresponding to the group that the electronic device belongs to; 
         [0022]    Step  520 : A control device emits a wireless signal comprising group data and operation data; 
         [0023]    Step  530 : The electronic device receives the wireless signal; 
         [0024]    Step  540 : The electronic device determines whether the group data matches the conducted pin of the group switch; 
         [0025]    Step  550 : When the group data matches the conducted pin of the group switch, the electronic device performs an operation according to the operation data; and 
         [0026]    Step  560 : When the group data does not match the conducted pin of the group switch, the electronic device does not perform the operation according to the operation data. 
         [0027]    In contrast to the prior art, the present invention provides a method for controlling grouped devices. The present invention can easily configure the slave devices into different groups by setting the group switch, and the present invention can respectively control the different group of slave devices at a same predetermined frequency band. The control method and the control system of the present invention can control the grouped devices easily and efficiently. 
         [0028]    Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.