Remote control system, in-home device, relay apparatus, device management method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016223997-A1
Application number	US-201315021954-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 14, 2013
Priority date	Nov 14, 2013
Publication date	Aug 4, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A remote control system ( 100 ) includes a home appliance ( 10 ) and a relay device ( 20, 30 ) for relaying transmission of an operation instruction for controlling the home appliance ( 10 ). The home appliance ( 10 ) includes a first detector for detecting a communication interruption on a first communication line ( 41, 42 ) for transmission of the operation instruction from the relay device ( 20, 30 ) to the home appliance ( 10 ), a receiver for receiving, from the relay device, an interruption signal indicating a communication interruption on a second communication line ( 42, 43 ) for transmitting the operation instruction from a communication device to the relay device ( 20, 30 ), and a state changer for changing a state of the home appliance in accordance with a duration of at least one of the communication interruption detected by the first detector or the communication interruption indicated by the interruption signal. The relay device ( 20, 30 ) includes a second detector for detecting the communication interruption on the second communication line ( 42, 43 ), and a transmitter for transmitting the interruption signal to the home appliance ( 10 ) when the communication interruption is detected by the second detector.

First claim

1 . A remote control system, comprising:
a home appliance; and a relay device configured to relay transmission of an operation instruction to remotely control the home appliance, the home appliance comprising:
a first detector configured to detect a communication interruption on a first communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from the relay device to the home appliance;
a receiver configured to receive, from the relay device, an interruption signal indicating a communication interruption on a second communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from a communication device to the relay device; and
a state changer configured to change a state of the home appliance in accordance with a duration of at least one of the communication interruption detected by the first detector or the communication interruption indicated by the interruption signal received by the receiver,
the relay device comprising:
a second detector configured to detect the communication interruption on the second communication line; and
a transmitter configured to transmit the interruption signal to the home appliance when the communication interruption is detected by the second detector.

2 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the state changer changes the state of the home appliance in accordance with the duration of the communication interruption only when the home appliance is operated according to the operation instruction transmitted via the relay device.

3 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the state changer changes the state of the home appliance to a preset state when the duration of the communication interruption exceeds a threshold.

4 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the home appliance further comprises a measurer configured to measure, using a single timer, the duration of the at least one of the communication interruption detected by the first detector or the communication interruption indicated by the interruption signal, and the state changer changes the state of the home appliance in accordance with the duration measured by the measurer.

5 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the home appliance further comprises a first measurer configured to measure the duration of the communication interruption detected by the first detector, the relay device further comprises a second measurer configured to measure the duration of the communication interruption detected by the second detector, the transmitter repeatedly transmits the interruption signal indicating the duration measured by the second measurer, and the state changer changes the state of the home appliance in accordance with at least one of the duration measured by the first measurer or the duration indicated by the interruption signal.

6 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
a control command for controlling the home appliance is transmitted through the second communication line as an operation instruction, the control command generated by the communication device, and the relay device is an adapter for connection of the home appliance to the communication device.

7 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
an operating signal indicating details of an operation is transmitted through the second communication line as an operation instruction, and the relay device generates the control command for controlling the home appliance based on the details of the operation indicated by the operating signal, and transmits, as the operation instruction, the control command to the home appliance.

8 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second detector detects the communication interruption on the second communication line by repeatedly transmitting a test signal to the communication device and determining whether there is a response of the communication device to the test signal.

9 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second detector detects the communication interruption on the second communication line by determining whether there is a periodic signal transmitted periodically by the communication device.

10 . The remote control system according to claim 9 , wherein
the relay device inquires of the communication device whether the communication device is capable of transmitting the periodic signal, and relays the transmission of the operation instruction only when acquiring a response that the communication device is capable of transmitting the periodic signal.

11 . The remote control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the relay device inquires of the communication device whether the communication device is capable of notifying, to the home appliance or the relay device, a duration of a communication interruption on a third communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from an external device to the communication device, and relays the transmission of the operation instruction only when acquiring a response that the communication device is capable of notifying the duration.

12 . A home appliance configured to be remotely controlled according to an operation instruction transmitted via a relay device, the home appliance comprising:
a first detector configured to detect a communication interruption on a first communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from the relay device to the home appliance; a receiver configured to receive, from the relay device, an interruption signal indicating a communication interruption on a second communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from a communication device to the relay device; and a state changer configured to change a state of the home appliance in accordance with a duration of at least one of the communication interruption detected by the first detector or the communication interruption indicated by the interruption signal received by the receiver.

13 . The relay device for relaying the transmission of the operation instruction for remotely controlling the home appliance according to claim 12 , the relay device comprising:
a second detector configured to detect the communication interruption on the communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from the communication device to the relay device; and a transmitter configured to transmit, to the home appliance, the interruption signal indicating the communication interruption on the communication line when the communication interruption is detected by the second detector.

14 . An appliance management method for managing a home appliance to be remotely controlled according to an operation instruction transmitted via a relay device, the method comprising:
detecting a communication interruption on a first communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from the relay device to the home appliance; detecting a communication interruption on a second communication line for transmission of the operation instruction from a communication device to the relay device; transmitting an interruption signal from the relay device to the home appliance, the interruption signal indicating the communication interruption on the second communication line detected in the detecting; and changing a state of the home appliance in accordance with a duration of at least one of the communication interruption on the first communication line detected in the detecting or the communication interruption indicated by the interruption signal transmitted in the transmitting.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Minezawa Satoshi
• Yano Hirotoshi
• Yabe Masaaki
• Maruyama Ichiro

Classifications

• H04L12/2816

  Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities (arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00) · CPC title

• H04L12/283

  Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• H04L12/2818

  from a device located outside both the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007) · CPC title

• G08C2201/40

  Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways · CPC title