Patent Description:
In the field of home automation devices and systems, it is known to use devices connected via radio links so as to build a mesh-type network. The known home automation devices can be divided into various kinds: sensor type devices or sensors, control type devices or controls, and actuator type devices or actuators.

Sensors can be considered as automatic control devices, unlike controls that are the devices actuated by an operator.

Controls allow controlling the state of the actuators, by performing different functions such as switching on or off, timing of the actuations, etc. Examples of controls are keys, pushbuttons, thermostats or touch-screen devices.

Actuators are devices performing the function of electrically actuating the commands received from a control device. Examples are relays or dimmers.

The prior art home automation devices to be used in a mesh-type network include a wireless interface, for instance a radio-frequency or Wi-Fi interface, and a memory, for instance integrated into the device.

Yet, the devices of the kind specified above have some drawbacks. A drawback is that the operation of adding a device to the network or modifying the device configurations is not so easy as to be performed by the user, and demands intervention of a qualified installer.

Another drawback is that, in order to enable execution of such operations, a management device or a computer or the like is to be provided in the network in order to store and modify the configuration of the automation device. Documents <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> represent relevant prior art.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a home automation device equipped with an NFC chip enabling setting the device through a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) equipped with an NFC connection and a dedicated application (APP).

It is another object of the invention to enable recognising the device as being part of a network, either an already existing network or a new one.

It is a further object of the invention to enable an easy, fast and safe configuration of the home automation device in the product manufacturing and test steps.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide for a sharing of the parameters of each device belonging to the network, so that the network composition can be obtained from any device.

The above and other objects are achieved by the present invention by providing home automation devices and a home automation system as claimed in the appended claims.

The claims are to be intended as being integral part of the technical teaching provided herein in respect of the invention.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Referring to the Figures, an exemplary embodiment of a device <NUM> of a home automation system <NUM> and of a method of configuring same is shown.

Referring to <FIG>, home automation device <NUM> according to the invention includes an automation module <NUM> associated with, preferably electrically connected to, a memory unit <NUM> that can be internal or external to the same automation module, a communication module <NUM> of the NFC (Near Field Communication) type and a wireless transceiver <NUM>.

Automation module <NUM> preferably consists of a sensor, e.g. a brightness sensor, a temperature sensor or the like, or of a control, e.g. a pushbutton or a key, or of an actuator, e.g. a relay, a dimmer and the like.

Home automation device <NUM> is configurable either through wireless transceiver <NUM> or through the NFC-type communication module <NUM> it is equipped with, by writing one or more table(s) stored in memory unit <NUM>. Home automation device <NUM> can be connected by means of wireless transceiver <NUM> to at least two home automation devices <NUM> in a mesh-type network.

A table stored in memory unit <NUM> (Table <NUM>) contains data of home automation devices <NUM> connected in the mesh-type network, and in particular the relationships among devices <NUM>. Hereinafter, an exemplary table is shown, which contains, for each device, the address, the addresses of the next device and the preceding device associated therewith in the mesh-type network, the addresses of the first neighbours among the network devices that are located within the radius of action of the device, as well as other static and dynamic parameters of the device.

Transceiver <NUM> is for instance a known RF module operating at <NUM> or <NUM>, or a Wi-Fi module.

NFC-type communication module <NUM> of home automation device <NUM> according to the invention includes a wireless communication module 16a, which integrates an antenna or is connected thereto and includes an NFC memory buffer 16b, which can be written and/or read by an external device, e.g. a smart-phone, which is similarly provided with an NFC-type communication module.

Preferably, in order to make transmission easier, the antenna is located close, and preferably as close as possible, to the face of home automation device <NUM> oriented outwards when home automation device <NUM> is installed, so that the external device provided with an NFC-type communication module can be brought close to the antenna in order to configure home automation device <NUM>.

Home automation system <NUM> according to the invention comprises at least three home automation devices <NUM> connected in a mesh-type network. Preferably, home automation system <NUM> according to the invention comprises a plurality of home automation devices <NUM> connected in a mesh-type network.

The table stored in memory unit <NUM> contains the parameters of each home automation device <NUM> associated with the mesh-type network. The different home automation devices <NUM>, and more particularly automation modules <NUM>, mutually interact according to the modalities contained in the table(s) stored in memory unit <NUM>. The table(s) can be loaded with default data during manufacturing of home automation device <NUM>, or through memory buffer 16b during the installation/configuration step, as it will be disclosed in detail later on.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the table stored in memory unit <NUM> (Table <NUM>) contains the list of the devices connected to the network and the respective data. Such data include, besides the logical addresses as disclosed above, also sub-networks to which the devices belong (as it will be disclosed later on), the list of the devices forming the sub-networks, the revision level for each device and the number of devices forming the network. The table also contains, for each device, command lists and parameter lists, expressed as sequences or strings of command bytes and parameter bytes. Such sequences are compact and dynamic, and they are composed and decoded by each device depending on its own characteristics. More particularly, in each byte of the command and parameter byte sequences, bit #<NUM> denotes the start of a command (if the bit is <NUM>) or a parameter (if the bit is <NUM>), whereas bit #<NUM>, when it is <NUM>, indicates that a data byte is followed by a parameter byte. Bits #<NUM> to #<NUM> contain the information (i.e. the command or parameter to be applied).

In accordance with the present exemplary embodiment, possible command and parameter sequences are given hereinbelow. In the sequences, a bit numbering of the "LSB <NUM>" type, i.e. a numbering in which bit #<NUM> is the least significant bit, has been adopted by way of example only.

Advantageously, the bytes composing the sequences are linked together in a simple, flexible and dynamic manner. Moreover, since information is compact and is transmitted in dynamic manner, the band it occupies is reduced and the performance of home automation system <NUM> is better. This is particularly advantageous since home automation devices <NUM> generally are not provided with a high computational capability.

The operation of home automation device <NUM> and home automation system <NUM> according to the invention is as follows.

During the manufacturing step of a home automation device <NUM> according to the invention, starting parameters, both functional parameters (e.g. concerning the operation typology: on/off relays, step-by-step relays, etc.) and operational ones (e.g., timing duration), are loaded into the table(s) stored in memory unit <NUM>, thereby enabling devices <NUM> to connect themselves with one another thereby forming a mesh-type network as soon as they are switched on, without need to program them and without intervention of an operator. In the same manner, a home automation device <NUM> according to the invention, thanks to the starting parameters loaded into the table(s), can connect itself to an already existing mesh-type network of a home automation system <NUM> consisting of multiple devices <NUM>.

Moreover, also commands are loaded into the table(s) stored in memory unit <NUM> during the manufacturing step of a home automation device <NUM> according to the invention.

Parameters and commands are loaded as sequences or strings of dynamically connected command bytes and parameter bytes. More particularly, as disclosed above, a first bit (e.g. bit #<NUM>) in each byte is arranged to distinguish command bytes from parameter bytes and a second bit (e.g. bit #<NUM>) in each said byte is arranged to indicate whether said bytes are followed, in the respective sequences, by a parameter byte.

Moreover, in a home automation device <NUM> according to the invention, the data (including parameters and commands) contained in the table(s) stored in the memory unit <NUM> can be modified at the user's level, without the need for the intervention of a skilled operator, for instance by using a device with an NFC module, such as a smartphone, a computer or the like. More particularly, the NFC module contained in a device external to home automation device <NUM>, e.g. contained in a smartphone, is put in communication with wireless communication module 16a of home automation device <NUM> by means of an application "APP" installed on the smartphone. The "APP" writes data into specific sectors of NFC memory buffers 16b, e.g. that a device is tagged for being connected with one or more devices belonging to the mesh-type network of home automation system <NUM>, or that a key is associated with a plurality of switches (date, hour, geographical location, programmed on or off times, timing duration, dimmed entity.

When the data contained in the table(s) stored in memory unit <NUM> of a home automation device <NUM> according to the invention have been modified, also the tables stored in memory units <NUM> of the other home automation devices <NUM> connected in the mesh-type network of home automation system <NUM> are automatically updated. Through the APP, the tables can also be made available at a remote location, for instance to the person in charge of the system management.

Automation module <NUM> periodically checks whether a data update command, activated by the application in the smartphone, is present in NFC memory buffer 16b. Automation module <NUM>, when it finds the data update command, interprets it and updates internal memory <NUM>, adjusts the operation modality of home automation device <NUM> among the ones provided for (daily or weekly, manual or automatic, etc.) and compiles a return buffer provided in NFC-type communication module <NUM> for the APP, containing information about the operations carried out (programming, localisation, recording, copying, reading etc.), in order the smartphone can read such information.

Each parameter and/or command having been modified compiles the return buffer in NFC-type communication module <NUM> for the APP.

Preferably, the device external to home automation device <NUM>, e.g. the smartphone, transfers the data into NFC memory buffer 16b without need for being supplied with further power, hence also when the home automation device is not connected to the electric mains or when it has no battery or its battery is flat.

The operating manner of home automation device <NUM> and home automation system <NUM> according to the invention provides that home automation devices <NUM> are preset at the factory for associating with one another and establishing a specific network. When being switched on, each device <NUM> emits a signal, which is read and recognised by the other devices <NUM>, which therefore become associated in the specific network. Each device is therefore capable of recognising a specific network and of configuring itself in that network: the user only has to switch on the device and to ensure that the device is within the radio range of at least another device in the same network.

Within the specific network, sub-networks can be created, which exploit the facilities of the main network but have different associations and characteristics.

For instance, by means of an APP (by using the NFC of each device), in a network consisting of all devices in a school, sub-networks including the whole of the first classes, the second classes and the third classes, respectively, can be established. In this way, the devices concerning the third classes form a network, but they do not need to be all within their respective ranges.

Advantageously, home automation device <NUM> according to the present invention allows getting access to the network composition without need for paper documents.

Another advantage of home automation device <NUM> according to the present invention is that it allows configuring only the desired devices in the networks, thereby preventing insertion, by mistake, also of devices belonging to adjacent networks.

A further advantage of home automation device <NUM> according to the present invention is as follows: thanks to the little power the NFC chip is capable of receiving from the smartphone transmission, it can transfer the data without the need for being supplied with further power, hence, potentially, even when the home automation device is not connected to the electric mains or when it has no battery or its battery is flat.

Yet another advantage of home automation device <NUM> according to the present invention is that it exploits existing facilities (other networks) to widen the coverage of its own network, by using the other networks as routers/repeaters,.

Still another advantage of home automation device <NUM> according to the present invention is that it makes available data for a targeted preventive maintenance.

Claim 1:
Home automation system comprising at least three home automation devices (<NUM>) connected in a mesh-type network, each of said home automation devices (<NUM>) comprising an automation module (<NUM>) associated with a memory unit (<NUM>), with an NFC-type communication module (<NUM>) and with a wireless transceiver (<NUM>), each of said home automation devices (<NUM>) being configurable either through the wireless transceiver (<NUM>) or through the NFC-type communication module (<NUM>) with which it is provided, by writing one or more table(s) stored in the memory unit (<NUM>), wherein said one or more tables stored in the memory unit (<NUM>) of each of said home automation devices (<NUM>) contains a list of the other home automation devices (<NUM>) of the home automation system connected in the mesh-type network and their respective data, said data comprising the relationships between each of said home automation devices (<NUM>), and wherein said one or more tables stored in the memory unit (<NUM>) of each of said home automation devices (<NUM>) contain commands and parameters loaded as sequences of compact and dynamically connected command bytes and parameter bytes, wherein a first bit in each said byte is arranged to distinguish command bytes from parameter bytes, and in that a second bit in each said byte is arranged to indicate whether said bytes are followed, in the respective sequences, by a parameter byte.