Method and apparatus for registering home appliance devices 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] Home appliances equipped with communication functions are 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 by the 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 by the 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 the transmission of 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 can be a problem in terms of access point performance.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention have as a technical problem 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] One embodiment is a home appliance device that 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 on which an application is installed, and a control unit that controls at least one first home appliance device to transmit information instructing it to act as a bridge host and the access point network profile, and controls at least one second home appliance device to transmit information instructing it to act as a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile, wherein the communication unit includes a WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device that processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function between the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one first home appliance device, and the at least one second home appliance device, the access point network profile is used when the at least one first home appliance device connects to an access point, and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one second home appliance device connects to a bridge host.

[0007] One embodiment of the home appliance registration method includes receiving information regarding an access point network profile and the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal on which an application is installed, transmitting information instructing at least one first home appliance device to act as a bridge host and the access point network profile, and transmitting information instructing at least one second home appliance device to act as a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile, wherein the WiFi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device of the home appliance processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function between the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one first home appliance device, and the at least one second home appliance device, the access point network profile is used when the at least one first home appliance device connects to an access point, and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one second home appliance device connects as a bridge host.

[0008] The control unit receives a request for device information 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 the system to perform the authentication procedure.

[0009] The WiFi BLE device is based on a time-division operation of a first logical interface involved in the transmission and reception of registration signals between the home appliance device and the mobile terminal, and a second logical interface involved in the transmission and reception of signals between the home appliance device and at least one of the first home appliance devices.

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

[0011] The first home appliance device can consist of up to four units, and the second home appliance device can consist of up to three units.

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

[0013] The aforementioned bridge host is determined from among multiple home appliance devices in descending order of RSSI.

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

[0015] The aforementioned home appliance is one of the following: a shoe styler, a washing machine, or a refrigerator.

[0016] The at least one first home appliance device is registered with the server via the access point, and the at least one second home appliance device is registered with the server via the bridge host. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to one embodiment, multiple home appliance devices can be registered simultaneously with a single registration procedure. Furthermore, because multiple home appliance devices are not considered as STAs due to the grouping, a decrease in access point performance can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] The drawings accompanying this specification are intended to aid in understanding the embodiments, illustrating various examples and explaining the principles in conjunction with the description in the specification.

[0019] [Figure 1]It is a diagram for explaining the registration of a conventional home appliance to a server.

[0020] [Figure 2] It is a conceptual diagram for explaining a home appliance control system that provides a home appliance control service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] [Figure 3] It is a block diagram for explaining the home appliance in FIG. 2.

[0022] [Figure 4] It is a flowchart related to a method for registering a home appliance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] [Figure 5] It is an illustration of a network configuration when the connection is completed.

[0024] [Figure 6-7] It is a flowchart according to an embodiment.

[0025] [Figure 8] It is a WiFi BLE device according to an embodiment.

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". Furthermore, "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 "A only", "B only", and / or "both A and B". In other words, "or" can be interpreted as "further or alternatively".

[0028] A home appliance control system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figure 2.

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

[0030] Referring to Figure 2, the home appliance control system corresponds to a system that provides a service for remotely controlling home appliances 10a and 10b in the 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), and a server 40.

[0032] At least one home appliance 10a, 10b (collectively referred to as 10) is a device installed in a space such as a home and performs various functions. Figure 2 shows a shoe styler as an example of at least one home appliance 10a, 10b, but the type and number of home appliances are not limited to this.

[0033] The mobile terminal 20 includes terminals that a user can carry while on the move, such as smartphones, tablet PCs, smartwatches, and smart glasses.

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

[0035] The mobile terminal 20 is equipped with an application for using the services provided by the home appliance control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The user can remotely control the operation of home appliances 10a and 10b within the home, or remotely check the status of home appliances 10a and 10b, using the application provided on the mobile terminal 20. This application may be provided not only on the mobile terminal, but also on a personal computer or other home application.

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

[0037] Access point 30 connects home appliances 10a and 10b to server 40 for communication. For example, home appliances 10a and 10b include WiFi BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy) devices that support Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless communication, and connect to access point 30 via the Wi-Fi devices. This access point 30 is equivalent to a typical access point or router found in a home.

[0038] Server 40 is a device that provides home appliance control services and is managed by the manufacturer or service provider. Server 40 stores information for each user who uses the service. For example, the information for each user includes user account, terminal information, access point information, and registered home appliance information.

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

[0040] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the home appliance shown in Figure 2.

[0041] Referring to Figure 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 Figure 2 may be further modified by adding or omitting some components depending on the type of home appliance 10a.

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

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

[0044] Access point mode is a mode in which other peripheral devices (for example, other peripheral home appliances) connect to the WiFi BLE device 112a, thereby establishing a connection between the peripheral devices and the home appliance 10a. On the other hand, station mode is a mode in which the WiFi BLE device 112a connects to the access point 30, thereby establishing a connection between the home appliance 10a and the access point 30.

[0045] The input unit 120a includes at least one input means for inputting a predetermined signal or data to the home appliance 10a through user operation. For example, the at least one input means may include a button, a dial, a touchpad, 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 control signals from the remote control device via the interface.

[0047] The output unit 130a includes output means for notifying the user of various information regarding the operation of the home appliance 10a. For example, the output unit 130a includes a display or optical output unit as graphic or text output means, and a speaker or 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 one another depending on the type of home appliance 10a. For example, if the home appliance 10a is a washing machine, the drive unit 140a includes a drum motor, a water supply device, and the like.

[0049] Memory 150a stores various data, including algorithms for the operation of the home appliance 10a, control data for controlling the home appliance 10a, data for determining whether or not an error has occurred in the home appliance 10a, and a hidden SSID list.

[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 control commands and function execution commands input by the user. The control unit 160a includes at least one CPU, microcontroller, processor, integrated circuit, etc.

[0051] On the other hand, in order for the user to control the home appliance 10a using the services provided by the home appliance control system shown in Figure 2, the user needs 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 must be established between the home appliance 10a and the server 40. To achieve this, the WiFi BLE device 112a of the home appliance 10a connects to the access point 30, thereby connecting 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 needs to obtain information about the access point 30. Generally, the user is provided with information about the access point 30 to 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. As a result, the home appliance 10a can connect 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-sharing one physical Wi-Fi interface, the Wi-Fi BLE device 112a can perform communication functions through this at least one virtual interface as if two physical Wi-Fi interfaces were operating.

[0056] As a result, the home appliance 10a can connect to the already 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 already registered home appliance 10b.

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

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

[0059] For reference, the authentication process during the connection (i.e., communication connection) between home appliance 10a and the registered home appliance 10b is performed via the authentication infrastructure server for security reasons. In other words, communication between home appliance 10a and the registered home appliance 10b is performed via a security channel (for example, the communication channel used by the registered home appliance 10b).

[0060]

[0061] Based on the above, a home appliance device according to one 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 on which an application is installed, and a control unit that controls at least one first home appliance device to transmit information instructing it to act as a bridge host and the access point network profile, and controls at least one second home appliance device to transmit information instructing it to act as a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile. The home appliance device, the first home appliance device, and the second home appliance device may all be shoe stylers. Alternatively, the home appliance device, the first home appliance device, and the second home appliance device may be home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, and these may be composed of different types of home 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 between the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one first home appliance device, and the at least one second home appliance device. Specifically, the WiFi BLE device included in the home appliance device is based on the time-division operation of a first logical interface (or virtual interface) related to signal transmission and reception for 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 first home appliance device. 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 and second logical interfaces use the WiFi BLE device, which is physically one, in a time-division manner. 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 on a time-division basis. A home appliance that performs these functions corresponds to a master device.

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

[0064] Furthermore, the control unit receives a request for device information 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 the system to perform the authentication procedure.

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

[0066] The home appliance device connects to the access point using the access point network profile. Furthermore, at least one of the first home appliance devices is registered with the server via the access point, and at least one of the second home appliance devices is registered with the server via the bridge host.

[0067] The at least one first home appliance device connects to the access point using the access point network profile, and the at least one second home appliance device connects 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 first home appliance device is registered with the server via the access point, and the at least one second home appliance device is registered with the server via the bridge host.

[0068] In other words, the devices are grouped into sets of four, a bridge host representative device is selected, and it connects directly to the access point while simultaneously providing a hotspot function so that other devices in the group can provide network services through it. Here, the first home appliance device can consist of a maximum of four units, and the second home appliance device can consist of a maximum of three units. (However, this is an example, and the number of devices can be expanded / changed.) Figure 5 illustrates the network configuration when the connection is completed using this method. Referring to Figure 5, each of the four bridge master devices is connected to the access point, and each bridge master device is connected to three bridge guest devices.

[0069]

[0070] The following describes in detail the method for registering a home appliance device based on the explanation above. Figure 4 shows a flowchart of the method for registering a home appliance device according to one embodiment of the present invention. However, this is illustrative, and additional steps supported by the entirety of the present invention may be added or certain steps may be omitted. Also, the procedure for each step is illustrative, and the procedure for each step may be changed as needed.

[0071] Referring to Figure 4, the home appliance device receives information regarding the access point network profile and the number of devices to register from a mobile terminal on which the application is installed. It transmits information instructing at least one first home appliance device to act as a bridge host and the access point network profile. It also transmits information instructing at least one second home appliance device to act as a bridge guest 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 between the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one first home appliance device, and the at least one second home appliance device.

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

[0074]

[0075] The method described above further includes receiving a device information request from the application (S601); confirming the number of devices that can be registered (S602); transmitting information regarding the number of devices that can be registered and information regarding the home appliance device (S603); and performing an authentication procedure (S605-606), as shown in Figures 6(a) to 6(d). The information regarding the number of devices to be registered is information entered via the interface of the UE. In Figures 6(a) to 6(d), ThinQServer corresponds to the server described above, ThinQapp corresponds to the application, Shoecase_MASTER corresponds to the master device, Shoecase_BRIDGE_HOST corresponds to the bridge host device, and Shoecase_BRIDGE_GUEST corresponds to the bridge guest device.

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

[0077] In step S631, the master device transmits information instructing at least one or more first home appliance devices to act as bridge hosts, along with the access point network profile. Through the illustrated process, the first home appliance devices register with the access point and server using the access point network profile.

[0078] In step S651, the master device transmits information instructing at least one second home appliance device to assume the role of bridge guest, along with 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 server via this bridge host.

[0079] Thus, the registration procedure for bridge host devices is performed for a maximum of four devices, and the registration procedure for bridge guest devices is performed for a maximum of three devices. For details on this repetitive registration procedure, please refer to Figures 7(a) to 7(d).

[0080] Figure 8 illustrates a WiFi BLE device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the WiFi BLE device in Figure 8 processes signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrency function between the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one first home appliance device, and the at least one second home appliance device. That is, in Figure 8, the WiFi BLE device communicates with the mobile phone app and simultaneously communicates with other products using the BLE Concurrency function. Wifi Bridge mode means that it operates as a Wifi Station and simultaneously as a Wifi AP mode, and that other products connect to its AP mode to provide internet services. The multiple product registration task means that in order to register products, the network is configured through communication between products, etc., according to the roles of Master, Bridge Host, and Bridge Guest.

[0081]

[0082] The aforementioned home appliance is a home appliance that includes a WiFi BLE device. For example, the home appliance is one of the home appliances such as a shoe styler, washing machine, or refrigerator. [Industrial applicability]

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

Claims

1. In a home appliance device, A communication unit configured to receive information related to the access point (AP) network profile and information related to the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal on which an application is installed, A control unit configured to transmit to at least one first home appliance device information instructing it to act as a bridge host and the access point (AP) network profile to the at least one first home appliance device, and to transmit to at least one second home appliance device information instructing it to act as a bridge guest and the bridge host network profile to the at least one second home appliance device, Includes, The communication unit includes a Wi-Fi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device configured to process signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrence function between the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one first home appliance device, and the at least one second home appliance device. A home appliance device wherein the access point (AP) network profile is used when the at least one first home appliance device connects to an access point (AP), and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one second home appliance device connects to the bridge host.

2. The control unit, Upon receiving a request for device information from the aforementioned mobile terminal, Check the number of devices that can be registered. Information related to the number of devices that can be registered and information related to the home appliance device are transmitted. A home appliance device according to claim 1, configured to perform an authentication procedure.

3. The home appliance device according to claim 1, wherein the Wi-Fi BLE device is configured to operate based on a time-division operation between a first logical interface related to the transmission and reception of signals related to registration between the home appliance device and the application, and a second logical interface related to the transmission and reception of signals between the home appliance device and the at least one first home appliance device.

4. The home appliance device according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance device is connected to an access point (AP) using the access point (AP) network profile.

5. The home appliance device according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of the first home appliance devices is 4, and the maximum number of the second home appliance devices is 3.

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

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

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

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

10. The at least one first home appliance device is registered with the server via the access point (AP), The home appliance device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second home appliance device is registered with the server via the bridge host.

11. In a method for registering a home appliance device, The steps include receiving information related to the access point (AP) network profile and information related to the number of devices to be registered from a mobile terminal on which the application is installed, The steps include transmitting information instructing at least one first home appliance device to act as a bridge host and the access point (AP) network profile to the at least one first home appliance device, The steps include sending information instructing at least one second home appliance device to act as a bridge guest and a bridge host network profile to the at least one second home appliance device, Includes, The Wi-Fi BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) device of the home appliance device is configured to process signal transmission and reception based on the BLE Concurrence function between the home appliance device, the mobile terminal, the at least one first home appliance device, and the at least one second home appliance device. A registration method wherein the access point (AP) network profile is used when the at least one first home appliance device connects to the access point (AP), and the bridge host network profile is used when the at least one second home appliance device connects to the bridge host.

Images