Remote communication with household appliances

0001The invention relates to a device for remote communication with home appliances according to the preamble of claim 1.

0002A generic device for remote communication with home appliances was from IBM under the name "Arigo" with data transmission over the Household power supply system (so-called Power Line Communication (PLC)) propagates (Computer Zeitung No 32 of 10.08.1995, p. 16: "The monitoring system Arigo and automates the budget; communicate IBM's modern brownies over the power grid). For remote control or for remote access to home appliances a home office is only a small amount of data transmitted. For the Transfer this amount of data in the form of data messages is therefore no high data rate is required. Appliances, such as clothes dryer or washing machines, feature for data communication via a communication module corresponding to the transmission standard Konnex PL132 works. Here is, for example, for the transmission of status and control signals between House headquarters and home appliances a maximum data rate of 2400 bits / s. In a data telegram but is only a fraction of the bits for user data available, a portion of the data message is for transmission control reserved. Accordingly, the user data rate is reduced. It can however, be necessary over the house panel to one or more home appliances a larger amount of data, such as a new version of an application software transfer or a change of home appliance software. Then one is with face the problem that this huge amount of data at a very low resulting user data must be transmitted. This results in worst case, lead to an unacceptable period of time of normal Operation of the general headquarters and the data traffic via the home network, ie, Communication with the connected home appliances Park, blocked. Only after Closing of complete data transfers required to transfer the software is again a normal operation possible. This is a not from a customer perspective tolerable state, because the customer does not know the technical necessity and relies on uninterrupted information on the home appliances Park.

0003The present invention is therefore based on the technical problem, a means for remote communication with domestic appliances, optionally via Data nodes to realize that to be transmitted even with large amounts of data after a short time the normal operation of the communication over the Home network enables.

0004This object is according to the combination of features disclosed in the main claim achieved in that the central unit, between different data rates is reversible. As a result, depending on the amount of data an adequate data rate be selected to transmit information without a long blockade of Traffic of Central House (via PLC or other wired or wireless communication, such as particular radio data communications) the accumulating in normal operation remote control and remote monitoring of home appliances accept to have. So can easily Hausgeräte different Performance related. Their communication in traffic through a common Home network to be integrated.

0005As a result, by means of this invention, for data transmission in the home network both the common standard PLC with the low data rate and a further Protocol with a higher data rate or eg radio standards with different Data rates are used. Konnex PL132 is mainly used for data transmission between home office and simple household appliances, such as refrigerators, Washing machines, dryers, etc., used the only one inexpensive communication module have, because here the focus of Data communication in general to the pure control and the Femabfrage is located on the operating state of the home appliance.

0006Moreover, an advantageous aspect of the invention that from the customer's perspective desirable device has become feasible, which makes it possible that means the same house with all Central, in relation to their data communication be communicated differently powered household appliances can. A PC always has interfaces, ie, communication modules, meet the highest data transfer requirements; This applies to both the PC structure in a controller, so here in the House Center, as well as an over PLC operated PC. These requirements are a to the interface Washing machine not found, because they respect to other aspects Price and technology is made. Therefore, a washing machine, a mostly Communication module that is only capable of relatively low data rates to process.

0007In addition, by the invention while maintaining the data telegram structure achieves a shortening of the transmission time with an increase in the data rate be because the Hauszentrale now opens up the possibility for an optimal switch data rate. This allows a simple house device with a digital signal processor (DSP), or with a customized, fast Powerline Interface (SPI) is retrofitted, or to a data node in a shorter time a large amount of data to be sent.

0008A data node in the sense of the present invention is an intermediate station understood that has a transmitting and receiving unit for data and for transmission of information to a selected one of several connected Household appliances makes.

0009Usually, the home office is a DSP or general with a SPI provided that make it possible that even higher data rate signals reliably detected will. For are compared to a means of a DSP in the Konnex PL132-based communication module additional evaluation and filtering method possible that an error-free data transfer, even at high data rates guarantee. Preferably, therefore, is also the home appliance and the data node equipped with a DSP or in case of need to transfer large Datasets retrofitted.

0010The invention thus a large amount of data without excessive cost, that is, without any noticeable impairment of the normal operation of the data traffic via the home network, between a home exchange and home appliances or data nodes transferable by depending on the amount of data to be transferred can be switched over by the central unit, to a suitable data rate. This can also be related. Their communication differently powerful Devices are integrated in a common home network.

0011It is advantageous that the domestic appliance upstream data nodes on is designed to be able to transmit with a plurality of different data rates. In this case, it is sufficient if only the data node with a communication module is equipped, which makes it possible also handle high data rates to be able to, when in the data nodes to be transferred total data amount can be cached. Because then from there to the relevant household appliance, if this example, only an integrated module for Konnex PL132 has transmitted at the relatively low data rate further will. By such a transfer process is the PLC-house network traffic or the Central House only during the transfer of the large amount of data to the data nodes not otherwise available. After that are of the blockade of the data communication only after the data node affected connected home appliances, as long as it is now with the low data rate the cached information to the addressed domestic appliance outputs.

0012It makes sense to send the Central House before each changeover to a Other data rate communication on from this point current data rate and preferably also on the (estimated) period of use This data rate to the connected home appliances and data nodes. After every such switching is also an adjustment of the clock frequency, with the data telegrams are received to date.

0013From the other claims and the following description of the Drawing on the type of a block diagram strongly abstracted realization example for an inventive device results in additional benefits and developments of the invention. To simplify this description, and the claim formulations is a fast data interface below always as a digital signal processor (DSP) referred to, although this interface of apparatus can also be configured differently.

0014The sole figure of the drawing shows the structure of a home network, comprising a home office and a its networked data nodes and home appliances, which are designed to provide data transfer with different data rates.

0015In the illustrated here - designed for the PLC process - means 10 for remote communication are a power cable of the home network 9 one hand, House Center 11 and on the other, directly or via a data node 16, very various household appliances 17, 18, 19, 20, connected 21st The Central House 11 is in this example case via a switching device 12 between two Data rates 13, 14 can be switched. At the data rate 13 may be on the Konnex PL132 based data rate of 2400 bits / s act. At the data rate 14 is higher compared to the data rate 13 value. On error-free reception and transmission of signals at the higher data rate is 14 a signal processor or another Powerline Interface, hereinafter commonly referred to as DSP 15, is ensured.

0016Also the home appliance 18 can communicate directly via the home network. 9 in the Embodiment, but provided that the two home appliance 17 and 18 are connected via a data node 16 to the home network. 9 The data node 16 has a DSP 15 to handle higher data rates. The household appliance 17, such as a refrigerator, has in contrast to the household appliance 18, as a washing machine, do not have a DSP 15, but only a simpler communication module 22. This communication module 22 it may be an integrated module for the Konnex PL132 Standard. The refrigerator (17) can therefore only amounts of data with the low data rate send and receive. 13 The washer (18), however, may vary due their DSP 15 receive both data rates 13, 14 and Send.

0017About 24 power lines may result connected at their ends Hausgeräte 18, 19, 20 or 16 data nodes and Hauszentrale 11 datasets with the Data rate are transmitted 13 or 14th To illustrate, other Power lines with 23 designated to indicate that here an information transfer only low data rate 13 is possible because and as long as the connected Domestic appliance (17, 21) does not have a faster interface.

0018Must of the house center 11 from a large amount of data, such as a new application software, , Are sent to the home appliance 19, such as a microwave oven, so 19,20,21, the house center 11 to all home appliances 17, 18, the message Send that from this time and for a specific time period Data rate 14 is current and switch to these. It is expedient that the devices 17, 21 locked with slower interface 22 for data traffic in order not to include misinformation. Furthermore, is also a Adjusting the clock frequency at the current data rate. Then, the application software in a shorter time compared to the time required to lower Standard data rate 13 to the microwave oven (19) with a DSP is stocked 15, are sent. An impairment of the data traffic remaining home appliances 17, 18, 20, 21 is shortened accordingly.

0019Even the home appliance 20, a PC, due to the switchover of 12 House Central 11 integrated into the traffic over the home network 9 will. For since the House Central 11 send even at the high data rate and 14 can receive, can also usually large amounts of data as in a PC (20) be mastered in a short time without it to be engraved Impairments of data traffic via the home network 9 comes. For simplification the representation is in the sketch and the PC (20) with a DSP 15 equipped as a fast interface; for all devices is valid under the present his invention that instead of a DSP interface also interpreted differently can.

0020Data with each between the central unit, 11 and the data node 16 sent and received by both data rates 13, 14th If the sent home center 11 about the refrigerator (17) a large amount of data is to be, then, under the condition that the data node 16 via a latch for the large amount of data has and how the Haus Central 11 send and receive at the low data rate 13 can usefully switched from the central unit, 11 of the high data rate and 14 within a short time the amount of data on the data node 16 for intermediate storage transferred. This data can then node 16 using low data rate 13 to the refrigerator (17) Tell the dataset. Therefore is due to the low transmission rate 13 a long time is required. Blocks over the data stream on the home network 9 are in this However, the example, only the two data nodes 16 downstream Hausgeräte 17 and 18. To understand is again emphasized that the House unit 18 via a fast interface, a DSP 15 has, and thus a connection of the household appliance 18 for the data node 16 not necessary would.

0021To transfer a large amount of data from the central unit, 11 to the Washing machine (18) via the data node 16 may in front of and behind the data node 16, the high data rate are used 14, since all three of the transmission participating stations, namely Hauszentrale 11, data nodes 16 and Washing machine (18), are equipped with a DSP 15, the error-free one enables data transfer even at a high transmission speed. This eliminates a caching the information in the data node 16, the data stream is simply passed through.

0022At the household appliance 21, such as a clothes dryer, data are only of minor Data Transfer Rate 13 are received, since it only has a low performance Communication module 22 has. Must example, a change one software, that a large amount of data from the central unit, 11 from are transmitted via the home network 9 directly to the laundry dryer (21), so this means blocking the rest of the traffic on the home network 9. Cleverly is home appliance 21, such as the dryer (18), a data node 16 to connect to the central unit, 11, of the incoming telegrams receiving in real time and caches, the data rate too high for the connected device is.

0023A designed for the PLC process means 10 with a central unit, 11 to direct remote communication and / or remote communication via data node 16 household appliances 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, which with a communication in terms of traffic differently powered household appliances 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 permits without long blockade of traffic over a home network 9, therefore results in accordance with the invention, when the house center 11 between differs high data rates 13, 14 can be switched. This allows Hausgeräte 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 with very different data rates 13, 14 via the same House network 9 and the same House Central are 11 addressed, where appropriate, under buffering of the data to be transmitted in a data node 16, the addressable with high data rate and low data rate 14 13 can be read.