Method and apparatus for registering a home appliance device in a wireless communication system

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is a home appliance device including a communication unit that receives information regarding an access point network profile and the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal provided with an application, and a control unit that controls to transmit information instructing at least one or more first home appliance devices to play a role of a bridge host and the access point network profile, and controls to transmit information instructing at least one or more second home appliance devices to play a role of a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile. The communication unit includes a WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device that processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices. The access point network profile is used when the at least one or more first home appliance devices are connected to an access point, and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one or more second home appliance devices are connected to a bridge host. It is a home appliance device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following description relates to a method and apparatus for collectively registering a plurality of home appliance devices.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, with the popularization of mobile terminals such as smartphones and the development of IoT (Internet of Things) technology, the popularity of home appliances equipped with communication functions has been increasing.

[0003] A home appliance equipped with a communication function is connected to a server or a mobile terminal via an AP (access point) such as a router in the home. Also, the user can easily check the status of the home appliance with a mobile terminal and can also control the operation of the home appliance remotely. Furthermore, the user can easily perform device registration for the home appliance with a mobile terminal.

[0004] Conventional registration of home appliances to a server was a method in which the main information of the device was transmitted by wired communication between devices. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to register a Wash Tower simultaneously, the main information of the device is transmitted by wired communication between devices, and a maximum of two devices can be registered simultaneously. However, such a method is for transmitting main information by wire, and without a wired connection between devices, registration becomes impossible, and both of the two devices are included as the number of STAs (stations) in the access point, which may cause problems in terms of access point performance.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention have a technical problem of providing a method and apparatus for collectively registering a plurality of home appliance devices based on grouping and BLE concurrency.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] In one embodiment, in a home appliance device, a communication unit that receives information regarding an access point network profile and the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal provided with an application, and controls to transmit information instructing at least one or more first home appliance devices to play the role of a bridge host and the access point network profile, and controls to transmit information instructing at least one or more second home appliance devices to play the role of a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile. The communication unit includes a WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device that processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices. The access point network profile is used when the at least one or more first home appliance devices are connected to an access point, and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one or more second home appliance devices are connected to a bridge host. It is a home appliance device.

[0007] One embodiment includes, in a method for registering a home appliance device, receiving, from a mobile terminal provided with an application, an access point network profile and information regarding the number of devices to be registered, transmitting information instructing at least one or more first home appliance devices to play the role of a bridge host and the access point network profile, and transmitting information instructing at least one or more second home appliance devices to play the role of a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile. The WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device of the home appliance processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices. The access point network profile is used when the at least one or more first home appliance devices connect to an access point, and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one or more second home appliance devices connect to a bridge host. This is the registration method.

[0008] The control unit receives a device information request from the mobile terminal, confirms the number of devices that can be registered, transmits information regarding the number of devices that can be registered and information regarding the home appliance device, and controls to perform an authentication procedure.

[0009] The WiFi BLE device is based on the time-division operation of a first logical interface related to signal transmission and reception regarding registration between the home appliance device and the mobile terminal and a second logical interface related to signal transmission and reception between the home appliance device and the at least one or more first home appliance devices.

[0010] The home appliance device connects to an access point using the access point network profile.

[0011] The maximum number of the first home appliance devices is four, and the maximum number of the second home appliance devices is three.

[0012] The information regarding the number of devices to be registered is the information input via the interface of the mobile terminal.

[0013] The bridge host is determined in descending order of RSSI among a plurality of home appliance devices.

[0014] The bridge guest corresponds to a home appliance device having an RSSI similar to that of the bridge host.

[0015] The home appliance is one of a shoe styler, a washing machine, and a refrigerator.

[0016] The at least one or more first home appliance devices are registered with the server via the access point, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices are registered with the server via the bridge host.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to one embodiment, a plurality of home appliance devices can be registered collectively (simultaneously) by one registration procedure. Also, since a plurality of home appliance devices are not regarded as STAs due to grouping, a decrease in access point performance can be prevented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] The drawings attached to this specification are for assisting the understanding of the embodiments, showing various embodiments, and explaining the principles together with the description in the specification.

[0019]

Figure 1

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Figure 8

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0026] In various embodiments of the present invention, " / " and "," indicate "and / or". For example, "A / B" means "A and / or B". Also, "A, B" means "A and / or B". Further, "A / B / C" means "any one of A, B, and / or C". Also, "A, B, C" also means "any one of A, B, and / or C".

[0027] In various embodiments of the present invention, "or" indicates "and / or". For example, "A or B" includes "only A", "only B", and / or "both A and B". In other words, "or" can be interpreted as "further or alternatively".

[0028] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, a home appliance control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a home appliance control system that provides a home appliance control service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, the home appliance control system corresponds to a system that provides a service for remotely controlling home appliances 10a and 10b in a home via a mobile terminal 20.

[0031] This home appliance control system includes at least one home appliance 10a, 10b, a mobile terminal 20, an access point 30 (AP (Access Point)), and a server 40.

[0032] At least one home appliance 10a, 10b (collectively 10) is a device provided in a space such as a home and performs various operations. In FIG. 2, a shoe styler is shown as an example of at least one home appliance 10a, 10b, but the type and number of home appliances are not limited thereto.

[0033] The mobile terminal 20 includes terminals that can be carried while the user moves, such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartwatch, and smart glasses.

[0034] On the other hand, according to an embodiment, the home appliance control system may include not only a mobile terminal but also a fixed terminal such as a PC.

[0035] The mobile terminal 20 is provided with an application for using the services provided by the home appliance control system according to the embodiments of the present invention. The user can remotely control the operations of the home appliances 10a and 10b in the home or remotely check the states of the home appliances 10a and 10b through the application provided in the mobile terminal 20. The application may be provided not only in the mobile terminal but also in a personal computer or other home applications.

[0036] On the other hand, in order to use the services provided by the home appliance control system, the user registers the home appliances 10a and 10b with the server 40. At this time, the user uses the mobile terminal 20 to register the home appliances 10a and 10b with the server 40.

[0037] The access point 30 communicatively connects the home appliances 10a and 10b to the server 40. For example, the home appliances 10a and 10b include a WiFi BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) device that supports Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless communication, and are connected to the access point 30 via the Wi-Fi device. This access point 30 corresponds to an access point or a router generally provided in a home.

[0038] The server 40 is a device that provides a home appliance control service and is managed by a manufacturer or a service provider. The server 40 stores information about each user who uses the service. For example, the information about each user includes user accounts, terminal device information, access point information, registered home appliance information, and the like.

[0039] When the server 40 receives a control command for a specific home appliance (for example, the shoe styler 10b) from the mobile terminal 20, the server 40 transmits the received control command to the shoe styler 10b via the access point 30. At this time, the shoe styler 10b operates based on the received control command.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the home appliance of FIG. 2.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 2, the home appliance 10a includes a communication unit 110a, an input unit 120a, an output unit 130a, a drive unit 140a, a memory 150a, and a control unit 160a. However, the configuration of the home appliance 10a shown in FIG. 2 may be further added to or omitted in part according to the type of the home appliance 10a.

[0042] The communication unit 110a includes at least one communication device for connecting the home appliance 10a to the access point 30 or the registered home appliance 10b, etc. For example, the communication unit 110a includes a WiFi BLE device 112a that supports Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) wireless communication and a short-range communication device 114a such as NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0043] The WiFi BLE device 112a operates in either an access point mode or a station mode according to the control of the control unit 160a or a microcomputer in the WiFi BLE device 112a.

[0044] The access point mode is a mode in which the connection between the peripheral device and the home appliance 10a is established by other peripheral devices (for example, other peripheral home appliances, etc.) connecting to the WiFi BLE device 112a. On the other hand, the station mode is a mode in which the connection between the home appliance 10a and the access point 30 is established by the WiFi BLE device 112a connecting to the access point 30.

[0045] The input unit 120a includes at least one input means for inputting a predetermined signal or data into the home appliance 10a by a user's operation. For example, the at least one input means includes a button, a dial, a touch pad, a microphone, etc.

[0046] On the other hand, the input unit 120a includes an interface for connecting to a remote control device (not shown). That is, the input unit 120a receives a control signal from the remote control device via the interface.

[0047] The output unit 130a includes output means for notifying a user of various information regarding the operation of the home appliance 10a. For example, the output unit 130a includes a display and a light output unit as graphic or text output means, and includes a speaker and a buzzer as audio output means.

[0048] The drive unit 140a is configured to perform operations related to the functions provided by the home appliance 10a, and differs from each other according to the type of the home appliance 10a. For example, when the home appliance 10a is a washing machine, the drive unit 140a includes a drum motor, a water supply device, etc.

[0049] The memory 150a stores various algorithms for the operation of the home appliance 10a, control data for the control of the home appliance 10a, data for determining whether an error has occurred in the home appliance 10a, various data such as a hidden SSID list, etc.

[0050] The control unit 160a controls the overall operation of the home appliance 10a. The control unit 160a controls the drive unit 140a based on a control command input from a user, an execution command of a function, etc. The control unit 160a includes at least one CPU, a microcomputer, a processor, an integrated circuit, etc.

[0051] On the one hand, in order for the user to control the home appliance 10a by the service provided by the home appliance control system in FIG. 2, it is necessary to register information about the home appliance 10a with the server 40.

[0052] In order to register information about the home appliance 10a with the server 40, a communication connection between the home appliance 10a and the server 40 must be established. For this purpose, the WiFi BLE device 112a of the home appliance 10a connects to the access point 30, and then connects to the server 40 via the access point 30.

[0053] In order for the home appliance 10a to connect to the access point 30, it is necessary to obtain information about the access point 30. Generally, the user is provided with information about the access point 30 for the home appliance 10a via the mobile terminal 20.

[0054] On the other hand, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the WiFi BLE device 112a of the home appliance 10a is embodied to have at least one virtual interface. Thereby, the home appliance 10a can be connected to two devices simultaneously by the WiFi BLE device 112a having at least one virtual interface.

[0055] Since at least one virtual interface is a virtual interface added by time-division of one physical Wi-Fi interface, the WiFi BLE device 112a can perform communication functions as if two physical Wi-Fi interfaces are operating via this at least one virtual interface.

[0056] Thereby, the home appliance 10a can be connected to the registered home appliance 10b, obtain information about the access point 30, and attempt to connect to the access point 30 while maintaining the connection with the registered home appliance 10b.

[0057] Here, the information about the access point 30 includes the SSID (Service Set Identifier) and password of the access point 30.

[0058] Of course, when attempting to connect to the access point 30, the home appliance 10a does not necessarily have to use at least one virtual interface. That is, the home appliance 10a can connect to the registered home appliance 10b to obtain information about the access point 30, and after terminating the connection with the registered home appliance 10b, attempt to connect to the access point 30.

[0059] For reference, the authentication operation during the connection (i.e., communication connection) between the home appliance 10a and the registered home appliance 10b is performed via a certificate-based server for security. That is, the communication between the home appliance 10a and the registered home appliance 10b is performed via a security channel (e.g., the communication channel used by the registered home appliance 10b).

[0060]

[0061] Based on the above-described content, a home appliance device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit that receives information regarding an access point network profile and the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal provided with an application, and a control unit that controls to transmit information instructing a role of a bridge host to at least one or more first home appliance devices and the access point network profile, and controls to transmit information instructing a role of a bridge guest to at least one or more second home appliance devices and the bridge host network profile. The home appliance device, the first home appliance device, and the second home appliance device may all be hair straighteners. Alternatively, the home appliance device, the first home appliance device, and the second home appliance device may be household appliances such as a refrigerator and a washing machine, and these may be composed of different types of household appliances.

[0062] Here, the communication unit includes a WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device that processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices. Specifically, the WiFi BLE device included in the home appliance device is based on a time-division operation of a first logical interface (or virtual interface) related to signal transmission and reception regarding registration between the home appliance device and the application, and a second logical interface related to signal transmission and reception between the home appliance device and the at least one or more first home appliance devices. In other words, the home appliance device and the application transmit and receive signals via the first logical interface, and the home appliance device and the first home appliance device transmit and receive signals via the second logical interface, but the first logical interface and the second logical interface time-division use the physically single WiFi BLE device. Similarly, the home appliance device and the second home appliance device transmit and receive signals via a third logical interface, and the third logical interface also uses the WiFi BLE device based on time division. A home appliance device that performs such a function corresponds to a master device.

[0063] The access point network profile is used when the at least one or more first home appliance devices are connected to the access point, and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one or more second home appliance devices are connected to the bridge host.

[0064] Further, the control unit receives a device information request from the mobile terminal, checks the number of devices that can be registered, transmits information regarding the number of devices that can be registered and information regarding the home appliance device, and controls to perform an authentication procedure.

[0065] The WiFi BLE device is based on a time-division operation of a first logical interface related to signal transmission and reception regarding registration between the home appliance device and the mobile terminal, and a second logical interface related to signal transmission and reception between the home appliance device and the at least one or more first home appliance devices.

[0066] The home appliance device connects to an access point using the access point network profile. Further, the at least one or more first home appliance devices are registered with the server via the access point, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices are registered with the server via the bridge host.

[0067] The at least one or more first home appliance devices connect to an access point using the access point network profile, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices connect to a bridge host using the bridge host network profile. The home appliance device connects to an access point using the access point network profile. The at least one or more first home appliance devices are registered with the server via the access point, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices are registered with the server via the bridge host.

[0068] That is, the devices are grouped into sets of four, a representative device of the bridge host is selected, which is directly connected to the access point and provides a Hotspot function at the same time, enabling other devices within the group to provide network services through it. Here, the maximum number of the first home appliance devices is four, and the maximum number of the second home appliance devices is three. (However, this is exemplary, and the number of devices can be extended / changed.) FIG. 5 illustrates a network configuration when the connection is completed in such a manner. Referring to FIG. 5, each of the four bridge master devices is connected to the access point, and three bridge guest devices are connected to each bridge master device.

[0069]

[0070] Hereinafter, the registration method of the home appliance device based on the above description will be described in detail. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart regarding the registration method of the home appliance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, this is exemplary, and steps supported by the entire content of the present invention may be added or specific steps may be excluded. Also, the procedures of each step are exemplary, and the procedures of each step may be changed as necessary.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 4, the home appliance device receives information regarding the access point network profile and the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal provided with an application. It transmits information instructing the role of the bridge host to at least one or more first home appliance devices and the access point network profile. It also transmits information instructing the role of the bridge guest to at least one or more second home appliance devices and the bridge host network profile.

[0072] Here, the WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device of the home appliance processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices.

[0073] The at least one or more first home appliance devices connect to the access point using the access point network profile, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices connect to the bridge host using the bridge host network profile. The home appliance device connects to the access point using the access point network profile. The at least one or more first home appliance devices are registered with the server via the access point, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices are registered with the server via the bridge host.

[0074]

[0075] As shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d), the method further includes receiving a device information request from the application (S601); checking the number of registrable devices (S602); transmitting information regarding the number of registrable devices and information regarding the home appliance device (S603); and executing an authentication procedure (S605 to S606). The information regarding the number of devices to be registered is the information input via the interface of the UE. In FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d), ThinQServer corresponds to the aforementioned server, ThinQapp corresponds to the application, Scenario_MASTER corresponds to the master device, Scenario_BRIDGE_HOST corresponds to the bridge host device, and Scenario_BRIDGE_GUEST corresponds to the bridge guest device.

[0076] In step S605, as described above, the master device receives information regarding the access point network profile and the number of devices to be registered from the application.

[0077] In step S631, the master device transmits information instructing at least one or more first home appliance devices to play the role of bridge host and the access point network profile. Through the illustrated process, the first home appliance device registers with the access point and the server using the access point network profile.

[0078] In step S651, the master device transmits information instructing at least one or more second home appliance devices to play the role of bridge guest and the bridge host network profile. Through the illustrated process, the second home appliance device registers with the bridge host using the bridge host network profile and then registers with the access point and the server via this bridge host.

[0079] In this way, the registration procedure for the bridge host device is performed for a maximum of 4 devices, and the registration procedure for the bridge guest device is performed for a maximum of 3 devices. For such repeated registration procedures, refer to FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d).

[0080] FIG. 8 illustrates a WiFi BLE device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the WiFi BLE device in FIG. 8 processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices. That is, in FIG. 8, the WiFi BLE device communicates with the mobile phone App by the BLE Concurrency function and simultaneously performs communication between products. The Wifi Bridge mode operates as a Wi-Fi Station and simultaneously operates in the Wi-Fi AP mode, meaning a function that allows other products to connect to its AP mode to provide Internet services. The registration tasks of multiple products refer to tasks that configure a network through communication between products, etc., according to the roles of Master, Bridge Host, and Bridge Geust in order to perform product registration.

[0081]

[0082] The home appliance is a household appliance device including a WiFi BLE device. For example, the home appliance is one of household appliances such as a hair straightener, a washing machine, and a refrigerator.

Industrial Applicability

[0083] The above embodiments can be applied to various home appliance devices.

Claims

1. In a home appliance device, a communication unit that receives information regarding an access point network profile and the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal provided with an application; a control unit that controls to transmit information instructing at least one or more first home appliance devices to play the role of a bridge host and the access point network profile, and controls to transmit information instructing at least one or more second home appliance devices to play the role of a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile; comprising: the communication unit includes a WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device that processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices; the access point network profile is used when the at least one or more first home appliance devices connect to an access point, and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one or more second home appliance devices connect to a bridge host, a home appliance device.

2. The control unit: receives a device information request from the mobile terminal, confirms the number of registrable devices, transmits information regarding the number of registrable devices and information regarding the home appliance device, and controls to perform an authentication procedure, the home appliance device according to claim 1.

3. The WiFi BLE device: is based on a time-division operation of a first logical interface related to signal transmission and reception regarding registration between the home appliance device and the mobile terminal, and a second logical interface related to signal transmission and reception between the home appliance device and the at least one or more first home appliance devices, the home appliance device according to claim 1.

4. The home appliance device connects to an access point using the access point network profile, the home appliance device according to claim 1.

5. The first home appliance device is at most four, and the second home appliance device is at most three. The home appliance device according to claim 1.

6. The information regarding the number of devices to be registered is information input via the interface of the mobile terminal. The home appliance device according to claim 1.

7. The bridge host is determined in descending order of RSSI among a plurality of home appliance devices. The home appliance device according to claim 1.

8. The bridge guest corresponds to a home appliance device having an RSSI similar to that of the bridge host. The home appliance device according to claim 7.

9. The home appliance is one of a shoe styler, a washing machine, and a refrigerator. The home appliance device according to claim 1.

10. The at least one or more first home appliance devices are registered with a server via the access point, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices are registered with the server via the bridge host. The home appliance device according to claim 1.

11. In a method for registering a home appliance device, receiving an access point network profile and information regarding the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal provided with an application; transmitting information instructing the role of a bridge host and the access point network profile to at least one or more first home appliance devices; transmitting information instructing the role of a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile to at least one or more second home appliance devices; including The WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device of the home appliance processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function among the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the at least one or more second home appliance devices. A registration method, wherein the access point network profile is used when connecting an access point of the at least one or more first home appliance devices, and the bridge host network profile is used when connecting a bridge host of the at least one or more second home appliance devices.

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