Abstract:
A method and an electronic device for selecting a home network device (HND) using a controller in a home network is disclosed. The method and the electronic device relate to a sensor network, Machine Type Communication (MTC), Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, and technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The method and the electronic device may be applied to intelligent services based on the above technologies, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. The method and the electronic device for selecting and controlling a home network device (HND) in a home network using a controller and a light source are provided. The method includes selecting the HND based on a light signal from a light source, and obtaining identification information of the HND.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of an Indian patent application filed on Oct. 7, 2014 in the Indian Patent Office and assigned Serial number 5021/CHE/2014, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to an appliance selection in a home network. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a visual selection of appliance using a laser beam in a home network. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and the Big Data processing technology through connection with a cloud server, has emerged. As technology elements, such as “sensing technology”, “wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure”, “service interface technology”, and “Security technology” have been demanded for IoT implementation, a sensor network, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), and so forth have been recently researched. 
     Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technology services that create a new value to human life by collecting and analyzing data generated among connected things. IoT may be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances and advanced medical services through convergence and combination between existing Information Technology (IT) and various industrial applications. 
     A home network is a network of devices at a home. The devices part of a network may include, but is not limited to, lights, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), appliances (e.g., television sets, washing machines, microwaves, etc.), security locks of gates and doors, and other systems. Connected devices in a home network may be able to talk to each other directly or through a home gateway. 
     In existing home networking solutions, users are provided with one or more control applications which may run on hand-held devices like a smart phone or tablet, on in home display (IHD) devices, and on traditional computers like a personal computer (PC). A control application helps in identifying a device by performing discovery within a home network, and then by listing the discovered devices. User then can select one of the devices from the list to obtain control of the device. Though the appliances might be near the user or in front of user or in sight of the user, the user must perform all the operations relating to discovery and selection of a device through a control application manually (typically, by using a smart phone). In an example scenario, consider a home equipped with 20-30 lights in a living room, 3-4 wall mounted fans, 7-8 Internet protocol (IP) cameras in a corridor, etc. In the example scenario, it is very difficult for a user to identify and select an appropriate appliance from the list of discovered appliances presented by the application. The difficulty in selecting an appropriate device is partly due to the cumbersome process of going through a list. Further, the difficulty is accentuated by the fact that multiple devices (for example, lights of the same model) can have similar identifying information. More specifically, a listing of devices generally includes display of a device&#39;s name or alias or other device specific information like a media access control (MAC) address, an IP address, etc. A device&#39;s name and other specific information is part of the device&#39;s own information, which is maintained by each device. So the device may have its name or alias as defined by device manufacturer, which is commonly a generic name. For this reason the list of devices of a same family generally will show will show same names after discovery, e.g., lights, switches, IP cameras with same models, etc. 
     Therefore, there is a need to simplify the process of discovering and selecting devices for control in a home network. 
     The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure. 
     SUMMARY 
     Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to enable methods and systems for visual selection of devices in a home network. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure is to enable methods and systems for visual selection of a device by pointing a laser beam onto the device. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure is to enable methods and systems for providing identification information of a device to a laser pointing device on detecting the laser beam from the laser pointing device. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure is to enable methods and systems for providing an appropriate control user interface (UI) corresponding to the device upon receiving identification information of the device. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method for selecting a home network device (HND) using a controller in a home network is provided. The method includes selecting the HND based on a light signal from a light source, and obtaining identification information of the HND. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for selecting and controlling a home network device (HND) using a controller and a light source is provided. The method includes selecting the HND based on a light signal using the light source, if a light beam event by the HND is detected, obtaining identification information from the HND by the controller, activating a control user interface (UI) for the HND, and sending control messages to the HND through the control UI. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of obtaining control information using a controller is provided. The method includes receiving at least one light signal from at least one light source, wherein the at least one light source is associated with at least one electronic device, sending identification information of a home network device (HND) to the at least one electronic device, and receiving the control information from the at least one electronic device. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device for selecting an HND in a home network is provided. The electronic device includes a controller and a light source. The controller is configured to select the HND based on a light signal from the light source, and obtain identification information of the HND. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device for selecting and controlling an HND is provided. The electronic device includes a controller and a light source. The controller is configured to select the HND based on a light signal using the light source, if a light beam event by the HND is detected, obtain identification information from the HND, activate a control User Interface (UI) for the HND, and send control messages to the HND by using the control UI. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device for obtaining control information is provided. The electronic device includes a controller configured to receive at least one light signal from at least one light source. The at least one light source is associated with at least one electronic device. The controller is configured to send identification information of an HND to at least one electronic device and obtain the control information from the at least one electronic device. 
     Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example representation of a home network environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example representation of a home network environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3A  is a schematic diagram of controlling a home network device from multiple controllers according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3B  is a schematic diagram of controlling home network devices using a separate controller according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an electronic device according to various embodiments as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of the home network device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a flow diagram illustrating a method of selecting and controlling the home network device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a sequence diagram showing operations involved in selecting and controlling the home network device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  is a sequence diagram showing operations involved in selecting and controlling the home network device including a gateway according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10A  is a sequence diagram depicting operations involved in selecting and controlling the home network device by subscribing to light detection event according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10B  is a sequence diagram depicting operations involved in selecting and controlling the home network device by subscribing to light detection event with gateway according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 11  is a sequence diagram depicting operations involved in selecting and controlling the home network device based on broadcast information according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 12  is a sequence diagram depicting selection operations involved in selecting and controlling the home network device based on broadcast information with a gateway according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a computing environment implementing the method for selecting and controlling the home network device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components, and structures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness. 
     The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces. 
     The term “or” as used herein, refers to a non-exclusive or, unless otherwise indicated. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the various embodiments herein. 
     In the foregoing discussion and below, the use of the words, “mobile device,” and an, “electronic device,” are often used interchangeably throughout the present disclosure. Also, the terms, “home network device,” “home appliance,” and, “home device,” are also often used interchangeably throughout the present disclosure. 
     The various embodiments herein achieve a method and system for selecting a home network device (HND) in a home network using a controller. 
     Another embodiment herein achieves a method and system for selecting and controlling an HND in a home network using a controller and a light source. 
     The method includes selecting the HND by pointing a light signal from a light source. Further, the method includes obtaining identification information of the HND. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source can be a laser or any other light source incorporating the properties of a laser. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification information is obtained by registering the controller as the light source, pointing the light signal from the light source towards the HND, and receiving, at the controller, the identification information from the HND. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification information is obtained by registering the controller as the light source, pointing the light signal from the light source towards the HND, and receiving, at the controller, the identification information of the HND through the gateway of the home network. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification information is obtained by registering the controller as the light source, pointing the light signal from the light source towards the HND, and receiving, at the controller, the identification information of the HND over the home network. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification information is obtained by registering the controller as the light emitting source, subscribing to beam detection events by the controller, pointing the light signal from the light source towards the HND, and receiving, at the controller, the beam detection event along with the identification information from the HND. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification information is obtained by registering the controller as the light emitting controller source, pointing the light signal from the light source towards the HND, and receiving, at the controller, a broadcast message with the identification information from the HND. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification information is obtained by registering the controller as the light source, pointing the light signal from the light source towards the HND, and receiving, at the controller, a broadcast message with identification information of the HND from the gateway of the home network. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example representation of a home network environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In  FIG. 1 , an electronic device  100  is connected to an HND through a gateway  106 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a light source  104  is utilized to allow the electronic device  100  to interact with various home devices within the home environment. For instance, the electronic device  100  may send a light signal to a door or window  110 , a ventilation device  120 , a lighting device  130 , an air conditioner  140 , a security device  150 , or a home appliance device  160 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source can be the laser, or any other light source with properties of a laser. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a home network environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a home network gateway  106  that is utilized to communicate between the electronic device  100  and a home network device, where the home network gateway  106  operates as a server, bridge, or middleware and is connectable with a network. The HND is connected to the electronic device  100  over a home network  170 . 
     The HND represents any electrical or mechanical appliance, system, or machine used to perform a household function. In the present example of  FIG. 1 , HNDs may include (not all shown) a television, a light fixtures/system, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), a smart dish washer, washing machine, a smart refrigerator, a printer, an air conditioner, a security camera, a facsimile machine, an illumination device, a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, a doorway, a phone set, a washing machine, or the like. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gateway  106  communicates with a controller  102  in the electronic device  100  through a wireless communication technology. The gateway  106  receives control signals for controlling target home devices from the controller  102  in the electronic device  100 , and sends the control signals to the target home devices. The gateway  106  also receives status information from the home devices, and sends the status information to the controller  102  in the electronic device  100  for reading status information of the home devices. Therefore, a user can operate the electronic device  100  in his hands to control each individual home device at anywhere and anytime, through the gateway  106 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the home network gateway  106  can be implemented in the form of a personal computer (PC) or operated as middleware between the electronic device and the home devices. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device  100  connected to the home network selects and controls the home devices by transferring the light signal. Here, the home network may be a general mobile communication network, 3G network, or wireless Internet. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device  100  can be, for example but is not limited to a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a consumer electronic device, or other electronic device with wireless communication capabilities. 
     The method and system can improve selection and control functions directly, since the method and system do not need to configure any device or appliance moved one room to another room in the home network. The method and system enable the device selection and control in a simple manner as the controller in the electronic device does not need to reconfigure for a device selection and control process, thus providing convenience to the user. The method and system do not require a high power laser beam such as is generally used in industrial applications. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device and the home device are communicated through a simple service discovery protocol (SSDP) and multicast domain name system (mDNS) for device discovery purposes, and a universal plug and play (UPnP) protocol, a living network control protocol (LnCP), a home audio video interoperability (HAVi) protocol, a Jini protocol, an intelligent grouping and resource sharing (IGRS) protocol, a digital living network alliance (DLNA) protocol, an Itophome protocol, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and constrained application protocol (CoAP) for messaging purpose for home network devices. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example representation of a home network environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.  FIG. 2  shows a scenario in which the home network device is directly controlled by the controller  102  in the electronic device  100  without requiring the gateway  106 . The electronic device directly selects and controls the home device by using the light source  104  without using the gateway  106 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source can be the laser, or any other light source with properties of a laser. 
       FIG. 3A  is a schematic diagram of controlling a home network device from multiple controllers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The home network device  300  can be directly controlled by the multiple electronic devices  100  by using the light source  104  with the controllers  102   1 - 102   n . 
       FIG. 3B  is a schematic diagram of controlling home network devices using a separate controller. Referring now to  FIG. 3B , each of individual home network devices  300   1 - 300   n  is controlled by an individual controller  102   1 - 102   n  in the electronic device  100  and an electronic device n according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source can be the laser, or any other light source with properties of a laser. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each electronic device  100  is provided with a unique identification (UID) so that it can be uniquely identified by the home network devices. In an example, a device mapping table is generated by using the UID in the home network device, where the device mapping table can be used to map the home network device based on light source event detection. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the electronic device  100  comprises the controller  102  operated with a laser transmitter circuit  402 , a laser sensor circuit  404 , and a communication interface  406 . The communication interface  406  is configured to perform communication with the gateway  106  for controlling the home devices  300  in the home network environment or to directly communicate with the HND  300  for controlling the home devices without using the gateway  106  in the home network environment. The laser sensor circuit  404  transmits the light beam towards the HND by using the laser transmitter circuit  402 . The electronic device  100  communicates with each home device  300  through a wireless communication means that enables short-range as well as long range wireless transfer of data between the electronic device  100  and HND  300 . Since an internal driver level communication is established between the electronic device  100  and the HND  300 , the controller  102  in the electronic device supports the long range communication. The near field wireless signals may include, but are not limited to, infrared, BLUETOOTH, Z-wave, ZigBee, and WiFi signals. The laser sensor circuit can be a photo detection sensor. 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the electronic device  100  includes a processing unit  504  coupled to the communication interface  406 , a display  506 , and an application layer  508 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing unit  504  represents a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), or logic configured to execute programming instructions associated with the electronic device  100 . The display  506  displays various kinds of display content and messages under the control of the controller  102  in the electronic device  100 . The display  506  may be provided through a liquid crystal display (LCD), thin film transistor (TFT), organic electroluminescence (EL), or the like. An application layer  508  includes a home network device control module  510  for controlling the HND. The communication interface  406  interfaces with communication interface  602  of the HND  300  through an HND control device  510  of the HND  300 . The communication interface  406  includes a graphical control user interface (UI) for enabling input interaction between an operating user and the electronic device  100 , where the UI allows for the user to select and control the individual home devices from the electronic device  100  by using the light source  104 . The display  506  of the electronic device  100  represents an electronic visual display configured to display images and graphics for viewing to control the home network device, such as controlling the temperature of the HVAC or toggling the light system on and off. 
     The communication interface  406  can be a wireless communication interface such as wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, BLUETOOTH interface, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) interface, a ZigBee interface, and a wireless universal serial bus (USB) interface, and a wired network interface. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an HND according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the HND  300  includes an HND control module  606  operated with a laser beam detection circuit  604  and the communication interface  602 . The HND control module  606  facilitates communication with the electronic device  100 . The HND control module  606  is configured to receive the light signal and control operations on the home network device  300  such as controlling the temperature of the HVAC or toggling the light system on and off. The home network control module  606 , after receiving the light signal from the electronic device  100 , sends acknowledgement information to the electronic device  100 . The laser beam detection circuit  604  detects the light signal detection event from the controller  102  in the electronic device  100  and sends the light signal detection event notification to the controller  102  in the electronic device  100 . In an example, the electronic device  100  can establish communication with the HND controller module  606  of an associated HND respectively, through light signal transmission from the electronic device  100  to the laser beam detection circuit  604  of an associated HND  300 . The communication interface  602  is configured to operate with the HND control module  510  and the laser beam detection circuit  604 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage module (not shown) is integrated in the HND  300 . The storage module can be an independent physical device, or be contained in the home network control module  606 . The storage module registers a number of mobile devices UID. The storage module generates and sends a unique response code to the electronic device  100  in order to obtain information from the home devices. The storage module further generates and sends a response code to the home devices in order to control the home devices to register their configuration information with the electronic device  100 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each electronic device  100  is provided with the UID so that it can be uniquely identified by the HNDs. In an example, the device mapping table is generated by using the UID in the HND, where the device mapping table can be used to map the HND based on the light source event detection function. 
       FIG. 7  is a flow diagram illustrating a method  700  of selecting and controlling an HND according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , at operation  702 , a user points a light source onto the home device using a light source pointing device. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source can be a laser. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method  700  allows the laser transmitter circuit  402  to transmit the laser beam towards the HND. At operation  704 , the HND detects the beam and triggers a beam detection event. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method allows the laser sensor circuit  404  to detect the beam and triggers the beam detection event. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the home device receives the light beam from a plurality of light sources and triggers the beam detection event for all of the plurality of light sources. 
     At operation  706 , the HND sends identification information to the light source pointing device. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method allows the home device control module  606  to send the identification information to the controller  102  through the communication interface  602 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the home device sends the identification information to each of the light sources after triggering the beam detection event for all the plurality of light sources. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control module  606  sends the identification information to each light source by identifying each light source using the unique identifier associated with each light source. 
     At operation  708 , the controller in the electronic device receives the identification information from the home device and uses the identification information to start the operation of the control UI of the electronic device. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method allows the controller  102  in the electronic device  100  to receive the identification information from the home device and opening the control UI in the electronic device. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, display  506  in the electronic device  100  opens the control UI. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the home device is controlled using a plurality of controllers (as shown in  FIG. 3A ), then the controller in each electronic device opens the control UI in the respective device. 
     At operation  710 , the user controls the home device over the home network. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method allows the controller  102  to control the home device, and the display  506  displays the control UI to the user. 
     For example, the home device is the lighting system and user controls brightness of the light system using the control UI displayed in the electronic device. 
     Further, the various actions, units, operations, blocks, or acts described in the method can be performed in the order presented, in a different order, simultaneously, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, some of the actions, units, operations, blocks, or acts listed in  FIG. 7  may be omitted. 
       FIG. 8  is a sequence diagram showing operations involved in selecting and controlling the HND according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Initially, at operation  802 , the controller  102  joins into the home network. The HND  300  also joins into the network at operation  804 . The controller  102  advertises itself as light source emitting device at operation  806 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller  102  is associated with the UID. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , at operation  808 , the HND  300  maintains a list of advertised electronic devices. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the home device maintains the list of advertised electronic device in a storage module. The HND  300  maintains the list by mapping each advertised device against its UID. When the user intends to select the home device  300 , the user points the light beam from the light source  104  to enable visual selection of the home device  300 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, at operation  810 , the controller  102  sends the light beam to the home device  300 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light beam can be a laser, or any other light beam with properties of a laser. The HND  300  detects the light beam at operation  812 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the HND  300  detects the light beam using the laser beam detection circuit  604 . Further, the home device  300  sends the detection event to the control module  606  at operation  814 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the HND control module  606  maps the beam against the advertised device and sends identification information of the HND  300  to the controller  102  at operation  816 . After receiving the identification information of the HND  300 , the controller  102  triggers the application control UI on the display  506  of the electronic device  100 . Further, the user controls the HND  300  using the control UI at operation  818 . For example, user controls the temperature of the HVAC from the displayed UI. 
       FIG. 9  is a sequence diagram showing operations involved in selecting and controlling the HND including a gateway according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , initially, the controller  102  searches the home network at operation  902  and the HND  300  also searches the home network at operation  904 . Further, at operation  906 , the controller  102  joins into the home network through the gateway  106  and the HND  300  also joins into the home network through the gateway  106  at operation  908 . When the user intends to select the HND  300 , the user points the light beam from the light source  104  to enable visual selection of the HND  300 . At operation  910 , the controller  102  sends a light beam from the light source  104  to the home device  300  to select the home device  300  through the gateway  106 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source can be the laser, or any other light source with the properties of a laser. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the home device  300  is selected by the controllers  102   1 - 102   n  (as shown in  FIG. 3A ), the controllers  102   1 - 102   n  send the light beam of the light source  104  to the home device  300  to select the home device  300  through the gateway  106 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the HND  300  discovers the light beam using the laser beam detection circuit  604  at operation  912 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the HND  300  sends the home device identification information to the gateway  106  at operation  914 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device identification information is the UID. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gateway  106  sends the home device identification information to the controller  102  at operation  916 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the identification information of the HND  300 , the controller  102  triggers the application control UI on the display  506  of the electronic device  100 . At operation  918 , the user sends a control command by using the control UI on the display  506  of the electronic device  100 , when the user wants to control the HND  300 . For example, if the HND is a lighting device, the user controls the ON and OFF state of the lighting device from the control UI. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control module  606  in the home device receives the control commands and performs necessary control actions in the home device  300 . For example, the control commands can be ON/OFF, temperature range, or the like. 
       FIG. 10A  is a sequence diagram depicting operations involved in selecting and controlling the HND by subscribing to light detection events according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10A , the controller  102  joins into the home network at operation  1002   a . The HND  300  also joins into the home network at operation  1004   a . At operation  1006   a , the controller  102  sends the light source detection event subscription request to the home device  300 . After receiving the light source detection event subscription request, at operation  1008   a , the home device  300  sends the light source detection event accept response to the controller  102 . The subscription ensures that the controller  102  desires to control the home device  300 . When the user intends to select the HND  300 , the user points the light beam from the light source  104  to enable visual selection of the HND  300 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller  102  sends the light beam to select the home device  300  at operation  1010   a.    
     The laser beam detection circuit  604  in the home device  300  detects the light beam at operation  1012   a . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the laser beam detection circuit  604  sends the detection event to the HND control module  510  at operation  1014   a.    
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, at operation  1016   a , the home device  300  notifies the light signal detection event along with identification information to the controller  102 . 
     The controller  100  triggers the control UI though which user controls the HND  300  at operation  1018   a . For example, the user controls the temperature of the HVAC from the control UI. 
       FIG. 10B  is a sequence diagram depicting operations involved in selecting and controlling the HND by subscribing to light detection events with the gateway according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10B , initially, the controller  102  searches the home network at operation  1002   b  and the home device  300  also searches the home network at operation  1004   b . At operation  1006   b , the controller  102  joins into the home network and the HND  300  also joins into the home network at operation  1008   b.    
     At operation  1010   b , the controller  102  sends the light source detection event subscription request to the gateway  106 . At operation  1012   b , the gateway  106  passes the light source detection event subscription request to the home device  300 . After receiving the light source detection event subscription request, the home device  300  sends the light source detection event accept response to the gateway  106  at operation  1014   b . At operation  1016   b , the gateway  106  passes the light source detection event accept response to the controller  102 . 
     The light source detection events accept response ensures that the controller  102  desires to control the home device  300 . When the user intends to select the HND  300 , the user points the light beam from the light source  104  to enable visual selection of the HND  300 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller  102  sends the light beam to select the home device  300  at operation  1018   b.    
     The laser beam detection circuit  604  in the home device  300  detects the light beam at operation  1020   b . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the laser beam detection circuit  604  sends the detection event to the HND control module  510  at operation  1022   b.    
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, at operation  1024   b , the home device  300  notifies the light signal detection event along with identification information to the gateway  106 . At operation  1026   b , the gateway  106  passes the light signal detection event notification along with identification information to the controller  106 . 
     The controller  100  triggers the control UI though which user controls the HND at operation  1028   b . For example, the user controls the temperature of the HVAC from the control UI. 
       FIG. 11  is a sequence diagram depicting operations involved in selecting and controlling the HND based on broadcast information according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , initially, the controller  102  joins into the home network at operation  1102  and the home device  300  also joins into the home network at operation  1104 . When the user intends to select the home device  300 , the user points the light beam from the light source  104  to enable visual selection of the home network device  300 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller  102  sends the light beam to the home device  300  to select the home device  300  at operation  1106 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, plurality of controllers  102   1 - 102   n  send the light beam to the home device  300  to select the home device  300 . 
     The laser beam detection circuit  604  detects the light signal in the HND  300  at operation  1108 . At operation  1110 , the laser beam detection circuit  604  sends the detection event to the home network control module  510  in the HND  300 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the HND  300  broadcasts the identification information to the controller  102  at operation  1112 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the home device  300  broadcasts the identification information into the multiple controllers. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the identification information is the UID. The controller  102  processes the broadcast message at operation  1114 . The broadcasted identification information is used to identify each home device in the home network. The controller  102  triggers the control UI to the user to control the home device  300 . Further, at operation  1116 , the user controls the home device  300  through the application control UI. 
       FIG. 12  is a sequence diagram depicting selection operations involved in selecting and controlling the HND based on broadcast information with a gateway according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , initially, the controller  102  searches the home network at operation  1202  and the home device  300  also searches the home network at operation  1204 . The controller  102  joins into the home network at operation  1206  and the HND  300  also joins into the home network at operation  1208 . When the user intends to select the home device  300 , the user points the light beam from the light source  104  to enable visual selection of the HND  300 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller  102  sends the light beam to the home device  300  to select the home device  300  at operation  1210 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source can be the laser, or any other light source with the properties of a laser. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of controllers  102   1 - 102   n  send the light beam to the HND  300  to select the HND  300 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the home device  300  notifies the light beam detection event to the gateway  106  at operation  1212 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller in each electronic device  100  is assigned UID so that it can be uniquely identified by home devices. In an example, a device mapping table is generated by using the UID in the home device  300  and is used to map the home network device based on the light beam from the controller  102 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gateway  106  broadcasts the identification information to the controller  102  at operation  1214 . The controller  102  processes the broadcast message at operation  1216 . 
     The broadcast identification information is used to identify each home device in the home network. The controller  102  triggers the control UI to the user to control the home device. 
     Further, the user controls the home device  300  through the application control UI at operation  1218 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the home device is controlled using the plurality of controllers (as shown in  FIG. 3A ), then the controller in each electronic device triggers the control UI in the electronic device and user controls the home device through the application control UI. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a computing environment implementing the method for selecting and controlling an HND according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , a computing environment  1301  comprises at least one processing unit  1304  that is equipped with a control unit  1302  and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU)  1303 , a memory  1305 , a storage unit  1306 , a plurality of networking devices  1308  and a plurality input/output (I/O) devices  1307 . The processing unit  1304  is responsible for processing the instructions of the algorithm. The processing unit  1304  receives commands from the control unit in order to perform its processing. Further, any logical and arithmetic operations involved in the execution of the instructions are computed with the help of the ALU  1303 . 
     The overall computing environment  1301  can be composed of multiple homogeneous and/or heterogeneous cores, multiple CPUs of different kinds, special media, and other accelerators. The processing unit  1304  is responsible for processing the instructions of the algorithm. Further, the plurality of processing units  1304  may be located on a single chip or distributed over multiple chips. 
     The algorithm comprising of instructions and codes required for the implementation are stored in either the memory unit  1305  or the storage  1306  or both. At the time of execution, the instructions may be fetched from the corresponding memory  1305  and/or storage  1306 , and executed by the processing unit  1304 . 
     In the case of any hardware implementations various networking devices  1308  or external I/O devices  1307  may be connected to the computing environment to support the implementation through the networking unit and the I/O device unit. 
     The various embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the elements. The elements shown in  FIGS. 1 to 13  include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module. 
     While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.