Abstract:
A wireless remote control system and method thereof use a server for real-time controlling a remote monitoring device and a register. When the data retrieved by the remote monitoring device, such as image, voice or text data are abnormal, the register sends an informing message to the server to request a parameter correction so as to keep the data correctness. In order to complete the data retrieving, the register stores the data until a predetermined time is up. Releasing the registered data from the register to the server when the predetermined time is up allows the reduction of mistaken data transmission.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a data processing system and its method, and more particularly, to a system and a method of controlling a remote device by using a server and a wireless LAN.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     A remote control system allows the user to monitor and control remote devices via a user interface of a local site device. Since the remote control system is not affected by time and location, it offers all-day monitoring, controlling and management. Therefore, the applications of the remote control system have been broadened.  
         [0005]     However, in some specific remote control systems, such as ecological field research, the data transmission of the remote control system is often blocked due to the topography. This is because the remote control system uses a wire network for data transmission. Not only building the wire network is difficult, the data transmission failure also frequently results from the break down of the wiring. Furthermore, since the remote device is far away from the local site device, the transmission and retrieving of real-time data is unstable, causing data incompleteness. Furthermore, the conventional remote control system lacks an effective real-time feeding-back mechanism, which cannot immediately inform the user when any error occurs during data transmission or retrieving.  
         [0006]     Therefore, there is a need for a remote control system that overcomes the prior problems, improves data monitoring, controlling and management, and increases its performance and stability by adding a data correcting and improved mechanism.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is therefore an objective of the invention to provide a wireless remote control system and process that can overcome the prior problem. The remote control system implements wireless LAN and uses a user interface to allow the user to complete all the monitoring procedures. Furthermore, a data comparison mechanism, a device real-time correction mechanism and a data feed back mechanism are included for data retrieving and transmitting.  
         [0008]     In the data comparison mechanism, it is determined whether retrieved data are corrected via data analysis and parameter comparison. Thereby, the data correctness is ensured and incorrect data retrieving is avoided.  
         [0009]     In the device real-time correction mechanism, when the data retrieved by the remote device are not correct, the user is immediately informed and it is requested to correct the parameters of the device. Therefore, the remote device can be corrected in a short time to reduce error operation and obtain complete data retrieving.  
         [0010]     In the data feed back mechanism, using a predetermined time parameter controls the intervals between each time of remote fed back data. This allows safe fed back data that should be limited to geographical factor, and further makes sure the data completeness.  
         [0011]     In addition to the above mechanisms, the remote control system further includes an Application Programming Interface (API) to link with application programs for data share and extended application range.  
         [0012]     In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the remote control system of the invention includes a remote monitoring device, a register, and a local site server, having a user interface and a database.  
         [0013]     The remote control process of the invention includes initializing the server, real-time retrieving data by the monitoring device. When the data retrieved by the register are correct and the predetermined time setting is up, the retrieved data are fed back to the server. When a termination command is received, the process ends.  
         [0014]     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow illustration only, and thus is not limitative of the present invention, and:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a schematic block diagram of a remote control system according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a remote control process according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart of an initialization of a server according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of parameter correction according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the operation of parameter correction according to one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6B  are schematic views of real-time monitoring by a user interface of a remote control system according to one embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a data analysis performed by an external application program, connected to a remote control system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]     The invention provides a wireless remote control system and a process thereof. A remote control system  100  of the invention includes a local site server  30 , a remote site monitoring device  10  and a register  20 . The remote control system  100  is implemented via wireless LAN.  
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of the operation of a remote control system  100  according to one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0025]     The remote site monitoring device  10  connects to the register  20  and performs real-time data retrieving of an object according to parameters transmitted from the local site server  30 . The monitoring device  10  includes various data retrieving modules for different types of data retrieving such as image retrieving, voice retrieving, text retrieving, etc.  
         [0026]     The register  20  connected to the monitoring device  10  performs analyzing, registering and transmitting of data from the monitoring device  10  according to the settings of the server  30 . The data and parameter settings are transmitted via wireless LAN. The communication between the register  20  and the server  30  is conducted via wireless LAN. While the register  20  performs a data analysis and comparison, when an incorrect data are found, a correcting request is sent to the server  30 , to ask the user to execute a parameter correction to reduce data incorrectness. Furthermore, the register  20  temporarily saves the data retrieved by the monitoring device  10 . The register  20  does not release the data to the server  30  until a predetermined time is up, so that any error due to real-time transmission is avoided and the data completeness is increased.  
         [0027]     The server  30  performs data transmission and information communication via the wireless LAN and the register. The server  30  real-time controls the remote site monitoring device  10  and stores fed-back data. The server  30  includes a database  31  and a user interface  32 .  
         [0028]     The database  31  stores the fed-back data. In one embodiment of the invention, the database  31  is a multimedia database that is capable of storing at least one type of data.  
         [0029]     The user interface  32  enables the user to make the parameter settings. In one embodiment of the invention, the user interface  32  is a web-based interface and provides JAVA-compatible display. Via the user interface  32 , the user can set the parameters of each remote device such as the monitoring device  10  and the register  20  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) and real-time display of the data from the register  20  (as shown in  FIG. 6A ) or periodically display of the data from the server  30  (as shown in  FIG. 6B ). The type of data displayed and the manner to display the data are not limited to those described above.  
         [0030]     The remote control system  100  has a specific feature in the parameter settings when the system is initialized. The parameter settings include at least one initial parameter for controlling the monitoring device  10  or the register  20  so that each remote device can normally operate when the remote control system  100  is initialized. In general, the settings include those for retrieving data by the monitoring device  10 , such as an image viewing angle, resolution, and voice sampling frequency, or those for operating the register  20 , such as the capacity and the intervals between the registered data. The settings further include two other features: a comparison parameter and a time parameter.  
         [0031]     The comparison parameter is used to determine the data correctness when the register  20  analyzes the data. When the analysis result exceeds the comparison parameter, it means that the compared data are not correct and need correction.  
         [0032]     The time parameter is used to control whether the register  20  feeds back the registered data to the server  30 . When the time set by the time parameter is up, the registered data are fed back to the server  30 .  
         [0033]     The remote control system  100  can be further combined with other applications programs  200  to share the data. The server  30  has an Application Programming Interface (API) to connect to an external application program  200  via INTERNET to retrieve any type of data from the database  31 . After the application program  200  has retrieved the data, respective analysis can be performed as shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a remote controlling process according to one embodiment of the invention. The server is initialized (step  310 ) which is described later with reference to  FIG. 3 . After initialization, the monitoring device  10  starts data retrieving (step  320 ). The retrieved data include at least one type of data such as an image, voice or text. During data retrieving, the register  20  continuously compares newly retrieved data with the comparison parameter to determine whether the retrieved data are correct (step  330 ). If the retrieved data are not correct, then go to step  370  to execute parameter correction.  FIG. 4  illustrates the detailed description of the step  370 . Otherwise, the retrieved data are determined whether the time set by the time parameter is up (step  340 ). If the time is not up, then the retrieved data are stored in the register and the process goes back to step  320  for continuously retrieving the real-time data. If the time is up, then the registered data are sent back to the server  30  (step  350 ). In this process, the steps  320  to  350  repeat until the remote control system  100  receives a termination command to end the operation (step  360 ).  
         [0035]     At the step  310 , when the initialization begins to enter the parts of  FIG. 3 , the remote control system  100  partially actuates parts of the server  30  (step  311 ), including actuating the user interface  32 . The server  30  transmits the parameter settings to the remote site monitoring device  10  and the register  20  (step  312 ). The user completes the parameter settings via the user interface  32 . At least one parameter is used for the initialization of the monitoring device  10  and the register  20 . The monitoring device  10  and the register  20  are actuated after receiving the initialization parameters and other parameters such as the comparison parameter and the time parameter are stored (step  313 ). The comparison parameter is used to determine the data correctness. The time parameter is used to control when the register transmits the registered data back to the server  30 . Finally, it is determined whether the initialization is complete or not (step  314 ). If the initialization is complete, then a success message is transmitted to the server  30  (step  315 ). Otherwise, a failure message is transmitted to the server  30  (step  316 ) and then the process goes back to the step  311  to re-initialize the server  30 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart of the data correction of step  370 . The register  20  transmits a data correction message to the server  30  (step  371 ). After receiving the massage, the server  30  immediately informs the user (step  372 ) to warn the user that the data are incorrect and ask the user to correct the parameters via the user interface  32 . The way of informing the user by the server  30  includes an e-mail or a short message. Then, it is determined whether the user has executed the data correction (step  373 ). If the correction has to be done, then the corrected parameters are transmitted to the remote device (step  374 ). Otherwise, the step  372  is repeated. After the register  20  and the monitoring device  10  receive the new parameters, the old parameters are updated and re-start the process (step  373 ). Thereby, the data incorrectness can be avoided.  
         [0037]     The process of the invention further includes a step to connect to other application programs  200  via INTERNET. The API of the server  30  connects to an external application program  200  to retrieve any type of data stored in the server  30 .  
         [0038]     Data transmission and information communication between the server  30  and the register  20  are performed via the wireless LAN. The link between the server  30  and other application programs  200  is also performed via the wireless LAN.  
         [0039]     It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the invention as described above may be varied in many ways, and notwithstanding remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.