Patent Publication Number: US-9414180-B2

Title: Fixed mobile convergence home control system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/494,662 filed Jun. 30, 2009, entitled “Fixed Mobile Convergence Home Control System” and incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to building automation systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods of remotely controlling a building automation system with a standard fixed mobile convergence (FMC) cellular device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many buildings today incorporate a building control or automation system. Building control or automation systems could be a security system, an HVAC system, or a home entertainment system, for example. By incorporating communication technology, building control systems can provide a user with real time alerts regarding the status of the monitored building. Similarly, building control systems can receive commands from a user via communication technology. 
     Signals and commands can be transmitted to and from a controller and/or sensor of the building automation system to a control panel of the system. Similarly, components of the system can communicate with a user via a remote control. Remote controls known to those of skill in the art can use infrared, radio, or other wireless technology, for example, to issue commands and receive or send signals. Remote control devices may be one-way or two-way as desired. 
     However, traditional remote control devices used in home control systems are proprietary, expensive, and may not provide an optimal user experience. It would be desirable to interface with, monitor, and control a home automation system without the use of such a remote control. It would be most desirable to interface with, monitor, and control a home automation system with the use of standard FMC cellular device. 
     There is thus a continuing, ongoing need for systems and methods of remotely controlling a building control or automation system with a standard FMC cellular device. Preferably, such systems and methods interface the FMC cellular device with the building automation system via Generic Access Network (GAN) enabled access points. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an FMC cellular device locally interfacing with a home automation system via a femtocell base station or wireless access point, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a cellular device interfacing with a home automation system over a wide area network via a macrocell base station on a mobile network, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of an FMC cellular device interfacing with a home automation system via a GAN enabled wireless access point, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While this invention is susceptible of an embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention. It is not intended to limit the invention to the specific illustrated embodiments. 
     Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods of remotely controlling a building control or automation system with a standard FMC cellular device. Preferably, such systems and methods interface the FMC cellular device with the building automation system via femtocells, wireless access points (WAPs) and/or cellular base stations. 
     In accordance with systems and methods of the present invention, fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) technology is employed to connect a mobile or cellular device to a fixed network. Systems that incorporate FMC technology are advantageous because end users can connect and communicate via the lowest cost network available. 
     Femtocells can deliver the benefits of FMC technology by acting as an interface between a cellular device and a fixed network. A femtocell is a very low power cellular base station that can be located within a building or a home and can act as the building or home base station. 
     Femtocell technology enables a cellular device to connect to a fixed network via a broadband connection rather than via a traditional cellular network connection. This is advantageous because data transport is often more expensive over a cellular network connection as compared to a broadband connection. Additionally, coverage within buildings or where radio propagation is difficult is improved with femtocells and/or smaller cells by allowing a cellular carrier to re-use channels more effectively. 
     In embodiments of the present invention, a femtocell base station can include base station functionality as well as means to communicate with a fixed network such as the Internet. To access the Internet, a femtocell base station can be connected to a broadband modem or can incorporate an Ethernet or equivalent port to communicate with a fixed network. 
     A fixed network as explained and described herein is any network system that is accessible via physical connections installed in a structure. For instance, the Internet is a fixed network because at some point, there is a physical connection to the network of an Internet service provider&#39;s network (ISP). Thus, fixed networks can include ISP networks, telecommunication operator&#39;s core networks, local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), and other networks as known by those of skill in the art. 
     In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, an FMC cellular device can include at least one, and preferably two, transceivers. The transceivers may be cellular or Wi-Fi® transceivers. Further, at least one component of a building control system can include a transceiver that is capable of wireless and/or wired communication on a fixed local network. A router can be employed in the building control system to enable communication between multiple components of the system. 
     Wireless access points (WAPs) can also deliver the benefits of FMC technology by acting as an interface between an FMC cellular device and a fixed network. A WAP base station is a very low power Wi-Fi® base station that can be located within a building or a home and can act as the wireless connection into the building or home local area network (LAN). 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic diagram of an FMC cellular device  40  interfacing with a home automation system  100  via a femtocell base station  30  or LAN wireless access point  31  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As seen in  FIG. 1 , the LAN wireless access point  31  is an 802.11 Wi-Fi® enabled router, but the LAN wireless access point  31  could be any LAN wireless access point as known by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The home automation system  100  includes a control panel  10 , a router  20 , and a plurality of sensors and/or controllers  12 ,  14 ,  16 . In embodiments of the present invention, the home automation system  100  could also include a wireless sensor/controller  18 . Components of the home automation system  100  can be connected to one another on a fixed network  150 , for example, a local area network. 
     As seen in  FIG. 1 , the home automation system  100 , the femtocell base station  30 , and the cellular device  40  can be located in a building  60 . The control panel  10  can communicate with the sensors  12 ,  14 ,  16  of the system  100  via a sensor bus or direct wired connection, and the control panel  10  can communicate with a router  20  via a local fixed network  150 . The wireless sensor  18  can be coupled to the control panel  10  via a transceiver  10   a  of the control panel  10 . 
     The router  20  can communicate with the femtocell base station  30  over the local fixed network  150 . The femtocell base station  30  acts as a base station to the cellular device  40  and provides the cellular device  40  with access to the home automation system  100  for monitoring or controlling the system  100 . 
     The router  20  can also communicate with the wireless access point (WAP)  31  over the local fixed network  150 . The WAP  31  acts as a base station to the Wi-Fi® connection of the FMC cellular device  40  and provides the FMC cellular device  40  with access to the home automation system  100  for monitoring or controlling the system  100 . 
     In systems and methods of the present invention, at least one of the sensors  12 ,  14 ,  16 , the wireless sensor  18 , or the control panel  10  can generate an alert signal. Sensors and alert signals can be any type of sensor or signal as would be known by those of skill in the art. 
     The alert signal or message can be triggered by an event detected by a sensor  12 ,  14 ,  16 , or  18 , or the control panel  10 , or the alert message can be periodically generated to report that no new events have been detected. For example, one of the sensors  12  could be a smoke or gas detector, for example, a carbon monoxide (CO) detector. If the sensor  12  detects a dangerous level of CO, the sensor  12  could generate an alert signal to be transmitted to the control panel  10 . 
     Alternatively, the control panel  10  can periodically generate an alert signal to indicate the status or any change in status of the building  60 . For example, one of the sensors  14  could be a door alarm sensor or a glass break detector. A user can activate a door alarm sensor  14  by entering or leaving the building  60  and can arm or disarm the security system by typing in a code on a keypad or touch screen. The activation of the door alarm sensor  14  could trigger the control panel  10  to generate an alert signal that the door alarm sensor  14  has been activated or deactivated, or that the system has been placed in an armed or disarmed state. 
     In embodiments of the invention, an alert signal can include event-related data recorded by a user. For example, one of the sensors  16  could be a motion-sensing camera or motion detector that transmits an alert signal to the control panel  10  including video footage from the camera  16 . Other multimedia information can be transmitted as part of the alert message as would be known by those of skill in the art. 
     The router  20  can be a standard IP router and/or gateway as known by those of ordinary skill in the art, and can communicate with the femtocell base station  30  or WAP  31 . The router  20  can also be connected to the Internet  50  via a broadband modem  80 , for example. 
     In some embodiments of the present invention, when the control panel  10  generates or receives an alert signal, the control panel  10  transmits the alert signal to the router  20 . The router  20  transmits the alert signal to the femtocell base station  30 , and the femtocell base station  30  transmits the alert signal to the cellular device  40  via, for example, radio waves. Communication between the femtocell base station  30  and the cellular device  40  can employ cellular technology as known by those of skill in the art, for example, GPRS, CDMA, or the like. 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, when the control panel  10  generates or receives an alert signal, the control panel  10  transmits the alert signal to the router  20 . The router  20  then transmits the alert signal to the WAP  31 , and the WAP  31  transmits the alert signal to the cellular device  40  via, for example, radio waves. Communication between the WAP  31  and the cellular device  40  can employ Wi-Fi® technology as known by those of skill in the art, for example, the 802.11 standard or the like. 
     In some embodiments of the present invention, a handset of the cellular device  40  can be programmed to dial a phantom or local phone number. The building automation system  100  can then monitor or “snoop” the data transmitted from the femtocell base station  30  or WAP  31  to the system  100 . Responsive thereto, the control panel  10  can transmit commands to the cellular device  40  via the femtocell base station  30  or the WAP  31  as short messaging service (SMS) or data, for example. 
     The handset of the cellular device  40  can display data and messages received related to the building automation system status, for example. In some embodiments, the femtocell base station  30  or the WAP  31  can be part of the home automation system  100  so that the system  100  can directly interface with the cellular device  40 . 
     With respect to wide area operation,  FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic diagram of a cellular device  240  interfacing with a home automation system  200  over a wide area via a macrocell base station  270  on a mobile network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A macrocell base station is a standard cellular base station employed by cellular network operators. Macrocell base stations can comprise a base station controller, an antenna, and a radio network controller, wherein the radio network controller carries out radio resource management and connects to the core network. 
     As seen in  FIG. 2 , the home automation system  200  includes a control panel  210 , a router  220 , and a plurality of sensors and/or controllers  212 ,  214 ,  216 . Components of the home automation system  200  can be located in a building  260  and connected to one another on a fixed network  205 , for example, a local area network. The sensors  212 ,  214 ,  216  can communicate with the control panel  210  via a sensor bus or a direct wired connection, and the control panel  210  can also communicate with a router  220  via a local fixed network  205  and an interface of the control panel  210 . 
     The router  220  can communicate with a remotely located macrocell base station  270 ; the router  220  is coupled to a broadband modem  280 , and the macrocell base station  270  is coupled to the mobile core network  285  and therefore, to a GAN/UMA interface  290 . Both the broadband modem  280  and the GAN/UMA interface  290  are interconnected via the mobile core network  285  and the Internet  250 . Communication between the router  220  and the macrocell base station  270  can occur over the Internet  250 . 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of an FMC cellular device  340  interfacing with a home automation system  300  via a remote WAP  330  over a wide area network using GAN enabled technology, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The home automation system  300  includes a control panel  310 , a router  310 , and a plurality of sensors  312 ,  314 , and  316 . Components of the home automation system  300  can be located in a building  360  and connected to one another on a fixed network  305 , for example, a local area network. The sensors  312 ,  314 , and  316  can communicate with the control panel  310  via a sensor bus or direct wired connection, and the control panel  310  can also communicate with a router  320  via a local fixed network  305  and an interface of the control panel  310 . 
     The router  320  can communicate with a remotely located WAP  330  via the Internet  350 ; the router  320  is coupled to a first broadband modem  380 , and the WAP  330  is coupled to a second broadband modem  380 ′ via a router  320 ′. The first and second broadband modems  380  and  380 ′ can be coupled to one another via the Internet  350  and a mobile core network  385 . In embodiments of the present invention, the WAP  330  is an 802.11 access point. 
     The WAP  330  can also be coupled to a wired device  370 , for example, a personal computer via a LAN  390  and the router  320 ′. The WAP  330  can act as a base station to the FMC cellular device  340  and provide the FMC cellular device  340  with access to the home automation system  300  via the Internet  350  and a GAN controller of the mobile core network  385 . 
     From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific system or method illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.