Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP4841326B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-10-20 10:26:25
Document Index: 542177200

Matched Legal Cases: ['art, 13', 'art, 14', 'art, 15', 'art, 20', 'art, 22', 'art, 23', 'art, 24']

JP4841326B2 - Home network system - Google Patents
JP4841326B2
JP4841326B2 JP2006169589A JP2006169589A JP4841326B2 JP 4841326 B2 JP4841326 B2 JP 4841326B2 JP 2006169589 A JP2006169589 A JP 2006169589A JP 2006169589 A JP2006169589 A JP 2006169589A JP 4841326 B2 JP4841326 B2 JP 4841326B2
JP2006169589A
JP2008004975A (en
昌二 望月
2006-06-20 Application filed by 三菱電機株式会社 filed Critical 三菱電機株式会社
2006-06-20 Priority to JP2006169589A priority Critical patent/JP4841326B2/en
2008-01-10 Publication of JP2008004975A publication Critical patent/JP2008004975A/en
2011-12-21 Publication of JP4841326B2 publication Critical patent/JP4841326B2/en
The present invention relates g e beam network system.
In recent years, a wireless receiver is provided in an air conditioner, and control information transmitted to a mobile phone from a server or the like connected to a network is received by the wireless receiver from the mobile phone, and the control information in the air conditioner is changed. There is a technique that can be used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, attention has been focused on home networks (home networks) in which an environment where a network such as the Internet can be used in a home such as a house (in addition to an office building, for example) and an information terminal device such as a personal computer is connected. Yes. In recent years, a technology has also been introduced in which home appliances such as an air conditioner and a refrigerator are connected to such a home network, and maintenance of each product can be performed via the home network.
JP2003-35449 (FIG. 1, [0028] etc.)
However, when trying to add a newly purchased air conditioner to the home network, wireless settings are required for the air conditioner. There was a problem that it was difficult for home appliance installers to set it.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, provides Upon newly added air conditioner to the home network, the necessary radio conveniently g e beam network system capable of performing the setting.
A home network system according to the present invention includes an information terminal, an access point provided in the home network, and an air conditioner. The information terminal is connected to the access point in an infrastructure mode, and wireless setting information is transmitted from the access point. The wireless LAN communication unit that acquires the wireless setting information and the acquired wireless setting information is transmitted from the wireless LAN communication unit to the air conditioner that is newly added to the home network, and the air conditioner is configured to perform wireless LAN setting. And an air conditioner that receives the wireless setting information transmitted from the information terminal and automatically sets the received wireless setting information in its own wireless LAN setting unit. This completes the wireless LAN setting .
According to the present invention, since wireless setting information can be acquired from an access point provided in a home network and transmitted to an air conditioner for setting, the person who has no knowledge of the network can easily perform air conditioning. Wireless LAN setting for adding a machine to the home network can be performed.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network system configuration including a home network to which the information terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied.
In the first embodiment, when the air conditioner 10 as a device newly purchased by the user is newly added to the home network in the home, the wireless setting on the air conditioner 10 side required for the addition is added to the information terminal. 20 is to be implemented simply. An access point 40 that can be connected to the Internet 30 is installed in the home network, and home appliances (not shown) such as cooking appliances having a communication function can communicate with the access point 40 via wireless LAN. A home network is built in the dwelling unit. A server 50 provided by the manufacturer of the air conditioner 10 is connected to the Internet 30.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner.
Here, the air conditioner 10 of this example not only processes and controls the information acquired by the sensor group 11 such as the thermal image detection sensor or the image sensor inside the air conditioner 10 but also transmits it to the server 50. On the server 50 side, the operation status suitable for the situation of the room is grasped, the cause of failure is analyzed, the analysis result is fed back to the control of the air conditioner 10, and the control program of the air conditioner 10 is It is intended to be able to upgrade from the server 50 side via the Internet. In order to realize such processing, it is first necessary to add the air conditioner 10 to the home network. The present invention relates to a technique for adding the air conditioner 10 to the home network, and the processing after the addition to the home network is different from the gist of the present invention, and thus will be omitted.
The air conditioner 10 includes a sensor group 11 such as a thermal image detection sensor and an image sensor, a wireless LAN communication unit 12, and a wireless LAN setting unit 13 in which setting information for enabling communication using a wireless LAN is stored. And a control unit 14 configured by a microcomputer and controlling the entire air conditioner 10. The thermal image detection sensor is configured in an array of a plurality of thermal detection elements arranged in one dimension, and is attached so as to rotate in the left-right direction. To detect. The image sensor is a sensor that images a space in which an air conditioner is installed.
When a sensor with a small number of elements or a single element is used, the thermal image detection sensor images the installation space by moving the sensor in a predetermined direction and scanning the detection area. .
The air conditioner 10 having such a configuration is configured to sequentially output the thermal image detection sensor and the sensor information acquired by the image sensor to the information terminal 20 via the wireless LAN communication unit 23 after completing the setting of the wireless LAN. .
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information terminal.
Specifically, the information terminal 20 is configured by, for example, a personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, or a PDA. Here, the information terminal 20 is configured by a PC having a wireless LAN function. As a configuration of the information terminal 20 which is common in any device, as shown in FIG. 3, a display unit 21 for performing various displays, an input unit 22 having various keys, a wireless LAN communication unit 23, an initial stage An infrared communication unit 24 as a communication unit that does not require setting, a storage unit 25, and a control unit (CPU) 26 that controls the entire information terminal 20 are provided.
The storage unit 25 stores a control program for controlling the information terminal 20, wireless setting software, various programs such as a Web browser, data necessary for processing, and the like. The wireless setting software automatically generates a program for acquiring wireless setting information from the access point 40 and a setting file for setting wireless setting information in the wireless LAN setting unit 13 of the air conditioner 10 according to the model of the air conditioner 10. The program includes a program to be generated, a program for displaying a screen as shown in FIG. 5 described later, and the like, and these programs are executed by the CPU to perform processing described later.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the information terminal according to the first embodiment. In particular, FIG. 4 shows the flow of processing when initial setting of wireless communication is performed for the air conditioner 10. Here, a case where an installer of the air conditioner 10 brings the information terminal 20 and performs wireless LAN setting on the air conditioner 10 using the information terminal 20 will be described as an example.
First, the installer operates the information terminal 20 and activates the wireless setting software. Then, the control unit 26 of the information terminal 20 displays on the display unit 21 a screen that prompts the user to enter a wireless LAN encryption password. Since the installer cannot know this password, the user of the home network, that is, the purchase user of the air conditioner 10 inputs it. When the password is input, the control unit 26 recognizes a wireless function in the information terminal 20 such as a wireless LAN card or a built-in wireless LAN (S1), and accesses in infrastructure mode using the wireless LAN communication unit 12. Connect to the point 40 (S2). Here, the infrastructure mode is a mode in which communication is performed via the access point 40.
Then, wireless setting information is acquired from the access point 40, and a wireless setting information screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display unit 21 (S3). Here, the wireless setting information is the ESSID of the access point 40 and the wireless channel used by the access point 40. The ESSID is an extended service set identifier, which is one of network identifiers in an IEEE 802.11 series wireless LAN, and is a network name given to avoid interference.
The installer confirms the wireless setting information screen and then presses the execution button (S4). When recognizing this operation input, the control unit 26 of the information terminal 20 automatically sets a setting file for setting the wireless setting information shown on the wireless setting information screen in the wireless LAN setting unit 13 of the air conditioner 10. (S5). Then, the generated setting file is transmitted from the wireless LAN communication unit 23 to the wireless LAN communication unit 12 of the air conditioner 10 in the ad hoc mode (S6). Here, the ad hoc mode is one of wireless LAN communication methods, and is a mode in which devices directly communicate with each other without using a terminal such as the access point 40. When connecting the information terminal 20 to the air conditioner 10 in the ad hoc mode, the control unit 26 automatically designates the factory-set ESSID that is initially set in the air conditioner 10 and connects to the air conditioner 10. It is. The ESSID at the time of shipment is an ID assigned by the manufacturer, and is set in advance in the wireless setting software.
When the setting file is transmitted from the information terminal 20, the air conditioner 10 automatically enters the reception mode, and automatically sets the wireless setting information described in the setting file in the wireless LAN setting unit 13. That is, the setting of the ESSID is changed from the ESSID at the time of shipment to the ESSID of the access point 40, the wireless channel is set to the wireless channel used by the access point 40, and the encryption key is also set.
As described above, setting of wireless LAN communication in the air conditioner 10 can be completed, and the air conditioner 10 can be added to the home network.
Here, the setting file set in the wireless LAN setting unit 13 of the air conditioner 10 needs to be a setting file suitable for the air conditioner 10. In other words, conforming to the air conditioner 10 means whether or not the description format of the wireless LAN setting file of the air conditioner 10 matches, for example, “ESSID =“ ESSID A ”, CH = 14”. , “CH: 14, ESSID:“ ESSID A ”” or the like. If the description format is different, setting cannot be performed correctly in the wireless LAN setting unit 13, and a setting file suitable for the air conditioner 10 needs to be created.
Since it is the wireless setting software that creates the setting file, the wireless setting software installed in the information terminal 20 needs to be compatible with the model of the air conditioner 10 that is the target of the wireless LAN setting. The server 50 holds wireless setting software corresponding to all models, and the installer installs in advance wireless setting software from the server 50 to the information terminal 20 according to the model of the air conditioner 10 that is the target of wireless LAN setting. The above-described setting operation is performed after the corresponding wireless setting software is installed in the information terminal 20 by downloading to the user's house or by downloading it when visiting the user's home.
Here, when downloading the wireless setting software from the server 50 to the information terminal 20, the information terminal 20 accesses a wireless setting software download site provided by the server 50, and the model of the air conditioner 10 or the model of the information terminal 20. Etc., and the corresponding wireless setting software selected by the server 50 based on the input information may be downloaded.
Note that the setting file may be a file format such as text that can be easily created by the information terminal 20 or another file format (GIF, JPEG, BMP file, etc.).
Further, the setting file may be created on the server 50 side instead of being created on the information terminal 20. That is, first, the setting file creation site of the server 50 is accessed from the information terminal 20 to select the model of the air conditioner 10 and the file format (text, GIF, JPEG, BMP file) that can be used by the information terminal 20. Enter the information required to generate Further, the wireless setting information acquired from the access point 40 is transmitted to the server 50. The server 50 creates a setting file suitable for the air conditioner 10 based on the information acquired from the information terminal 20 and transmits the setting file to the information terminal 20. The subsequent operation is the same as described above. In this way, a program for generating a setting file from the wireless setting software installed in the information terminal 20 becomes unnecessary, and the wireless setting software can be simplified.
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the wireless setting information is automatically acquired by connecting to the access point 40 from the information terminal 20, and the wireless setting information is transmitted to the air conditioner 10 for setting. Thus, the wireless LAN setting for the air conditioner 10 can be easily performed, and the addition to the home network can be easily performed.
If the air conditioner 10 and the information terminal 20 support UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) or http, information can be obtained by simply clicking on the air conditioner icon automatically displayed on the information terminal 20. The terminal 20 can recognize the air conditioner 10 and can transmit the setting file to the recognized air conditioner 10 in the ad hoc mode. Here, when there are a plurality of devices that can be connected in the ad hoc mode (that is, a device that matches the ESSID specified on the information terminal 20 side), icons of the plurality of devices are displayed on the information terminal 20. In addition, it is possible to automatically identify the corresponding device by displaying an icon, and when there are a plurality of air conditioners 10 themselves, the MAC address, device ID, etc. are displayed to identify the air conditioner 10 to be set this time. It is possible to connect.
When ad hoc communication is started between the information terminal 20 and the air conditioner 10, a button is provided on the air conditioner 10 to improve security, and a certain time such as several minutes after the button is pressed. It is also possible to make ad hoc communication possible (for a predetermined period), or to make it possible to set only a MAC address for which a link has been established while being pressed for a certain period of time. Moreover, in the model of the air conditioner 10 without a button, the existing buttons of the remote controller 70 attached to the air conditioner may be used, and may be substituted by pressing for a long time or by combining a plurality of buttons.
The file format of the setting file that can be supported by the air conditioner 10 is several at the time of shipment. However, after the wireless LAN setting of the air conditioner 10 is completed and added to the home network, the home network It is also possible to automatically or manually upgrade the types of file formats that can be supported using. That is, this can be dealt with by upgrading the control program itself of the air conditioner 10.
Here, as described above, the present invention is characterized in that the information terminal 20 is connected to the access point 40 to acquire wireless setting information, and the wireless setting information is transmitted to the air conditioner 10 for setting. The communication method for transmitting the wireless setting information acquired by the information terminal 20 to the air conditioner 10 is limited to the communication in the ad hoc mode using the wireless LAN communication unit 23 as described above. Instead, any communication method can be adopted. Specifically, it is not limited to wireless, but may be wired. In the case of wireless, wireless LAN or infrared communication such as Bluetooth or IrDA may be used. Further, if the wireless LAN communication unit 23 is an external adapter as shown in FIG. 7 described later, the method can be changed after the air conditioner 10 is purchased. It can also be set by inserting it into a wired cable or PCMCIA card. In this case, the wired communication method may be Ethernet (registered trademark), USB, or the like, or may be a card type or a cassette type in the case of a removal type.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a network system configuration including a home network according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG.
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 15 denotes a communication unit that does not need to be set in advance, and specifically includes an infrared communication unit using, for example, IrDA. IrDA is an abbreviation for Infrared Data Association, and is a standard for performing short-distance data communication using infrared rays. Reference numeral 60 denotes a mobile phone having an infrared communication function.
In the second embodiment, the infrared communication unit 15 is provided in the air conditioner 10 to enable infrared communication, and the information terminal 20 acquires the generated setting file from the access point 40 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and generates the generated configuration file by infrared communication. Thus, it can be transmitted to the air conditioner 10. This has the following advantages. For example, when the installation location of the information terminal 20 is at a distance from the air conditioner 10, the setting file held by the information terminal 20 is transmitted from the information terminal 20 to the mobile phone 60 by infrared communication, and the mobile phone 60 It is possible to perform wireless LAN setting by transmitting to the air conditioner 10 by infrared communication.
Although the information terminal 20 has been described as a PC in this example, when the information terminal 20 is a mobile phone, the setting file is transmitted directly to the air conditioner 10 using the infrared communication unit 24 using the mobile phone. It is also possible to set.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the home network.
In this configuration example, the setting file is transferred from the information terminal 20 to the remote controller 70 attached to the air conditioner via the USB cable 71 and transmitted from the remote controller 70 to the air conditioner 10 by infrared communication. Here, the remote controller 70 may only transfer the setting file received from the information terminal 20 to the air conditioner 10, but all the processes performed by the information terminal 20 may be performed by the remote controller 70. In addition, the remote controller 70 can be upgraded in the control program of the remote controller 70 in the same manner as the air conditioner 10. In this case, a rewritable memory such as a Flash-ROM may be mounted on the remote controller 70.
In addition, the infrared communication unit of the air conditioner 10 or the remote controller 70 does not always wait for reception, but can perform communication only for a predetermined time (predetermined period) such as a state where a predetermined button is pressed or several minutes after the button is pressed. By doing so, it is possible to suppress power consumption and prevent malfunction. The predetermined button may be provided in the vicinity of the infrared communication unit of the air conditioner 10, or the button of the remote controller 70 attached to the air conditioner 10 may be used. The infrared communication unit itself may be a button using a push type or a touch sensor. In this case, it is effective to use a material resistant to dirt.
It is a figure which shows the network system structure containing the home network to which the information terminal of Embodiment 1 is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the air conditioner of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an information terminal. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow in a home network system including the information terminal according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a radio | wireless setting information screen. 6 is a diagram illustrating a network system configuration including a home network according to a second embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a home network.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air conditioner, 11 Sensor group, 12 Wireless LAN communication part, 13 Wireless LAN setting part, 14 Control part, 15 Infrared communication part, 20 Information terminal, 21 Display part, 22 Input part, 23 Wireless LAN communication part, 24 Infrared Communication unit, 25 storage unit, 26 control unit, 30 Internet, 40 access point, 50 server, 60 mobile phone, 70 remote control, 71 USB cable.
An information terminal, an access point provided in the home network, and an air conditioner,
A wireless LAN communication unit, wherein the connecting in the infrastructure mode to the access point, acquires the wireless setting information from the access point,
The acquired wireless setting information is transmitted from the wireless LAN communication unit to the air conditioner newly added to the home network to perform wireless LAN setting on the air conditioner, and the air conditioner is connected to the access point. and a control unit which can connect to,
The air conditioner receives the wireless setting information transmitted from the information terminal, and automatically sets the received wireless setting information in its own wireless LAN setting unit to complete the wireless LAN setting. A home network system characterized by the above.
The control unit of the information terminal includes means for automatically generating a setting file for setting the wireless setting information in the air conditioner according to a model of the air conditioner, and the generated setting file is the air 2. The home network system according to claim 1, wherein wireless LAN setting is performed by transmitting to the harmony device.
The control unit of the information terminal, when transmitting the setting file to the air conditioner, uses the wireless LAN communication unit to connect to the air conditioner in an ad hoc mode and transmit the connection file. Item 3. The home network system according to item 2.
3. The home according to claim 2, wherein the information terminal further includes an infrared communication unit, and the control unit transmits the setting file to the air conditioner by infrared communication by the infrared communication unit. Network system .
The communication unit that receives the setting file in the air conditioner is configured to permit wireless communication only for a predetermined period, and the information terminal wirelessly communicates with the air conditioner within the predetermined period to set a wireless LAN. 5. The home network system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
The air conditioner, when the the predetermined switch operation provided in an air conditioner body or the air conditioner included remote control, according to claim 4 or claim and permits the predetermined period of the infrared communication 5. The home network system according to 5 .
Comprising a remote control of the air conditioner comes, the remote control, according to the wireless setting information to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a communication unit for transmitting to the air conditioner Home network system.
JP2006169589A 2006-06-20 2006-06-20 Home network system Expired - Fee Related JP4841326B2 (en)
JP2006169589A JP4841326B2 (en) 2006-06-20 2006-06-20 Home network system
JP2008004975A JP2008004975A (en) 2008-01-10
JP4841326B2 true JP4841326B2 (en) 2011-12-21
ID=39009048
JP2006169589A Expired - Fee Related JP4841326B2 (en) 2006-06-20 2006-06-20 Home network system
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