KR20090019473A - Ubiquitous-Home Implementation System - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a ubiquitous-home implementation system capable of selectively providing various multimedia, home network, and communication services using a digital TV. In the ubiquitous-home implementation system for implementing a home network function for providing various multimedia and living services using a digital television (TV), broadcast, internet, multimedia, home network is installed by connecting to various home appliances. And a set-top box for transmitting and receiving an external control signal through the digital TV to provide a ubiquitous-home service including contents, and an integrated gateway for converting the external control signal through an interface between an external network and a wired / wireless home network. The home network system providing a living service including control of the home appliance, security / access control / lighting / heating / ventilation, and information related to the ubiquitous-home service connected to the set-top box or the home network system; Four servers to serve content The. In this way, by loading a ubiquitous-home service-related menu on a digital TV and watching TV, various multimedia, media life services, home networks, and the like can be simply used as a remote controller.

Description

Ubiquitous Home System {Ubiquitous Home System}

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a ubiquitous-home implementation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a logical configuration of a set top box which is a part of FIG. 1.

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a ubiquitous-home implementation system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating an operation structure of a program mounted in a set-top box which is a part of FIG. 3.

5A and 5B are flowcharts illustrating a method of identifying a visitor and receiving content from a content server in the ubiquitous-home implementation system of the present invention.

6 to 12 illustrate screens provided with ubiquitous-home services using the ubiquitous-home implementation system according to the first to seventh embodiments of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a system for providing a media life service using a home network, and more particularly, to provide a ubiquitous-home implementation system capable of selectively providing various multimedia, home networks, and communication services using a digital TV.

In general, a home network refers to a future home environment in which home appliances, including PCs, are integrated into a single network to provide services regardless of device, time, or place. In addition, the demand for home networks is increasing due to the development of networking technology, infrastructure software and information appliances, changes in domestic communication and infrastructure environment, and increasing consumer's desire for intelligent home networking.

A home network is a network configured to provide various types of digital home appliances to provide high-speed intercommunication in the home. The home network system using the video network includes video compression technology, digital signal processing technology, and information technology operating system technology. With the development, the necessity of high-definition video, video conferencing, digital film, and electronic control system in the home has emerged. For this purpose, home appliances are gradually digitalized and network technology is being introduced.

The media living service using the home network is an intelligent apartment that uses a universal or combined display device such as a television (hereinafter referred to as a TV) and a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) to control the media living service. Such as those provided to group dwellings.

In the method of providing a media life service using such a home network, a method and system for providing a media life service using a home network according to the related art are disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-0096221 in a home network in an IP protocol set top box. It is easy to use by remote control operation by connecting general TV which is general purpose or combined device as well as using PLC gateway, and provides a certain paid service in various residential facilities such as apartments. To make your business a success.

However, the method and system for providing a media life service using the home network are still at the stage where only technical functionality has been verified, and many technical problems must still be solved in order to install and universalize the home network in every home.

Above all, the above-described method and system is not possible to exchange information between home sensors despite the fact that digital home appliances are becoming intelligent and gradually developed into ubiquitous homes, and various sensors are connected and intelligent to home networks, and based on ubiquitous technology There is a problem that it does not provide a variety of information.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a ubiquitous-home implementation system and method for loading a ubiquitous-home related menu into a digital TV so that a user can easily use various multimedia, home networks, etc. with a remote controller.

The present invention for achieving the above object of the present invention is a ubiquitous-home implementation system for implementing a home network function for providing various multimedia and life services using a digital television (TV), is installed in the home A set-top box that transmits and receives an external control signal through the digital TV to provide a ubiquitous-home service including a broadcast, the Internet, a multimedia, a home network, and contents by being connected to a home appliance; By providing an integrated gateway for converting the external control signal through the interface between the external network and the wired or wireless home network, providing a living service including control of home appliances, crime prevention / access control / gas / lighting / heating / ventilation / fire detection A home network system; A server connected with the set top box or the home network system to provide information and content related to the ubiquitous-home service; And an external device of a user connected to the integrated gateway or a network interface of the set-top box to check information of a home.

Preferably, the server comprises a home server physically connected with the home appliance connected with the home network; A server that controls the home appliance via the home server and is equipped with an application for controlling the home appliance; And an integrated management server that provides operation control and contents of the home network system and the ubiquitous-home system.

Most preferably, the integrated management server, the integrated management server is a DB server for storing data applied to the home network system and ubiquitous-home system, a network server that functions to relay the information of the home server to an external device through a network interface It includes a web server that supports the Internet service provided by the ubiquitous-home system, and a content server that collects and modifies various contents to provide a ubiquitous-home system.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set top box is connected to a LAN using a wired or wireless router.

Preferably, the ubiquitous-home service is digital TV viewing, video, movie (Divx), music (MP3) playback, home network, Internet search, short message transmission, flash-based user interface, program automatic update, external resource sharing It is configured to include other convenience features such as functions, map search, weather information, and just my CCTV camera viewer function.

More preferably, the set top box includes a main board for providing the ubiquitous-home service; And a TV receiving module for receiving an external control signal transmitted through a remote controller, receiving a TV broadcast signal, and controlling the digital TV.

Most preferably, the set-top box is configured to display / hide the ubiquitous-home service related menu on the screen of the digital TV through the TV receiving module.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the ubiquitous-home implementation system is configured to include a camera connection terminal and a camera service support application in the set-top box to provide video information services such as video telephony, video education, and home monitoring. .

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. The term and / or includes a combination of a plurality of related items or any item of a plurality of related items.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar components.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and redundant description of the same components is omitted.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a ubiquitous-home implementation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a logical configuration of a set-top box which is a part of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a ubiquitous-home implementation system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a set-top box 100, a home network system 200, a central server 300 as a customer service center, and content provision. Includes, but is not limited to, business 400.

The set-top box 100 is installed in the home and connected to the digital TV 10, various home appliances 20, or the communication terminal 30, thereby providing a ubiquitous home service including broadcasting, the Internet, multimedia, a home network, and contents. The external control signal is transmitted and received through the digital TV 10 so that it can be provided. At this time, the set-top box 100 is connected to the LAN using a wired or wireless router (Router) (150).

2, the set top box 100 includes a main board 110 for providing ubiquitous-home services and a TV receiving module 120 for controlling the digital TV 10. Doing.

The set-top box 100 receives an external control signal through the main board 110, and provides an over-the-air TV signal and a video and audio signal of an external AV device to the main board 110 through the TV receiving module 120. 110 supports HDMI, VGA, audio terminal, digital audio terminal (COAXIAL), etc. to the TV.

In addition, the set-top box 100 may be provided with a camera connection terminal and a camera service support application to provide video information services such as video telephony, video education, and home monitoring.

In addition, the set-top box 100 includes a game terminal, a DVD / CD read / write terminal, a radio connection function, a PC function, a PVR function, a voice recognition system, and a function to support a multichannel system.

On the other hand, ubiquitous-home service can be used for various multimedia devices related to digital TV viewing and control functions (①), video, movie (Divx), and music (MP3) playback such as channel and volume control and real time broadcasting time shift / section repeat function. Interlocking and playing function (②), home network function (③) related to lighting / heating, entrance, gas control, Internet search function (④), short message transmission function (⑤) to mobile communication terminal of designated number, and various kinds -Based user interface for automatic download and change of Flash user interface skins (⑥), new features via update LAUNCHER Program automatic update function (⑦) for automatic patching, movie / music data stored in home PC Including other convenient functions (⑨), such as external resource sharing function (⑧), map search, weather information, CCTV camera viewer function in the complex .

The home network system 200 includes an integrated gateway installed between the home server 220 and the server 230 and converting external control signals through an interface between an external network and a wired or wireless home network.

The home server 220 is physically connected to a lobby phone, a digital door lock, a gas sensor, a fuselage detector, a humidity sensor, a dust sensor, a carbon dioxide detection sensor, and an illumination / heating switch.

Only the server 230 controls the various home appliances via the home server 220, and the application for controlling the home appliances is mounted.

When the central server 300 operates the service differently for each complex, only the server is installed for each complex, and each complex server 230 is connected to the complex server 230 to provide information and content for each complex server. Manage separate or integrated operations.

The content provider 400 is connected to the set-top box 100 through the central server 300, only the server 230, wired and wireless router 150 by accessing the Internet, news, stocks, weather, map information, electronic dictionary, It provides various contents such as video phone system, video education, golf, medical common sense and traffic information.

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a ubiquitous-home implementation system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a ubiquitous-home implementation system according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a set-top box connected to a home TV, a living room TV, a kitchen or a bathroom TV, a home network system including an integrated gateway, an integrated gateway, or a set-top box. Connected via the network interface of the integrated management server, integrated gateway or set-top box that provides the information necessary for ubiquitous-home implementation, and checks the information in the home with mobile terminals such as mobile phones, PCs, PDAs, etc. Can be done with the user's external device.

The integrated management server is a DB server for storing data applied to a home network system and a ubiquitous-home system, a network server functioning to relay information of a home server to an external device through a network interface, and an internet provided by a ubiquitous-home system. It consists of a web server supporting the service and a content server that collects various contents and changes them to suit the ubiquitous-home system.

4 is a diagram illustrating an operation structure of a program mounted in a set-top box which is a part of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, the UHome base process (main process) delivers a corresponding command to each function, that is, a TV process, an Internet process, a video process, and the like so that the process is activated and displayed through the flash UI. That is, the UHome base processor receives a command of a remote controller and transmits a message to a process for each function, and at the same time, functions as an administrator to manage processes for each function. In the present invention, since each function operated by the UHome base process is configured to be separated into independent function-specific processes, various function-specific services can be newly and newly configured, and the service can be easily upgraded by simply adding additional function-specific services. There is an advantage to this. That is, in the present invention, each function is not implemented by one integrated program, but individual function processes are excellent in terms of stability and management by forming each independent EXE executable file.

5A and 5B are flowcharts illustrating a method of identifying a visitor and receiving content from a content server in the ubiquitous-home implementation system of the present invention.

 Referring to FIG. 5A, FIG. 5A illustrates an operation sequence for displaying a visitor as an image. When the program starts, it connects to the home server and is in visitor standby mode. When the visitor event message is received, the video data socket of the home server is connected to display the video data. In this case, PIP is displayed on the screen simultaneously with a function currently being performed when displaying image data, for example, a TV, the Internet, or a movie watching screen. After checking the video data of the visitor displayed on the screen, if the user releases the door lock with the remote control, the door lock open message is transmitted to allow the door lock to be opened. Referring to FIG. 5B, FIG. 5B illustrates an operation sequence in which a ubiquitous-home system displays content provided from a content server. When the program starts, the flash UI is displayed on the screen so that the user can select a content menu through the flash UI. When the user selects the content, it connects to the content server, checks whether the service is provided by U-Home through authentication, and transmits the content requested content to display on the screen.

Hereinafter, a ubiquitous-home implementation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6 to 12 illustrate screens provided with ubiquitous-home services using the ubiquitous-home implementation system according to the first to seventh embodiments of the present invention.

6 to 12, in the ubiquitous-home implementation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a ubiquitous-home service related menu is displayed on a monitor of the digital TV 10 so that a user uses an external control signal using a remote control. You can select the menu you want.

In this case, the external control signal may be generated using a remote controller, a remote controller including a voice recognition function, a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse, a wireless electronic pen, a wireless headphone (including a microphone), and the like.

 When the external control signal is received, the set-top box 100 accesses a LAN through the wired / wireless router 150 or controls various home appliances in order to execute a ubiquitous-home service corresponding to the external control signal.

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when a user requests an Internet search to search for relevant knowledge information, price, and product information while watching a quiz program or home shopping, the screen size may be adjusted according to user selection. The TV screen and the Internet search screen can be displayed simultaneously, and the TV screen and the Internet search screen can be quickly switched to display individually.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, while watching digital TV, it is possible to maximize the function of the PC by switching to a window screen using a hotkey. For example, you can implement PC functions such as Internet browsing, document creation using Korean or Office, and playing online and arcade games.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a digital video recording (PVR) can be stored for later viewing by storing a currently broadcast channel or a reserved recording broadcasting channel on a hard disk while watching digital TV, and can also view breaking news in a subtitle format. Do. If you click or select the news while watching the breaking news, you can go to the homepage of the news provider for more detailed news information.

In the above, the hard disk can be expanded according to the capacity of the built-in hard disk so that the SD / HD-level TV program can be stored, the recording function is recorded by the hot key (HOT-KEY) of the remote control, the currently recorded content By adding to the recording list and saving, you can select and play the required recording contents through the pre-stored recording list.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10, when the user selects the lighting control menu in the home network menu, the lighting control status screen is displayed on the screen of the digital TV, the user is to illuminate the lighting currently set in the home with the desired illumination Can be controlled.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, when a visitor's call occurs during digital TV viewing, a visitor image is displayed on the screen of the TV, and a screen waiting for a door opening command is displayed.

Therefore, the home server is physically connected to the front door phone so that the user can open the front door or the common front door by executing a door open command as needed, and can also call with the visitor.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the user selects the gas valve menu from the home network menu regardless of whether the user is present in the home, the current state of the gas valve is displayed, and if the gas valve is open, the gas valve close command may be executed. .

In addition, the home network menu includes on / off of the light switch, confirmation of announcements in the complex, CCTV check when the CCTV and home network are connected, security function using the fuselage detector, air cleaning and ventilation function using various sensors, air conditioning / color Various home appliance control functions such as tableware and white appliances are included.

 On the other hand, ubiquitous-home service can easily run a variety of multimedia such as DVD, CD, video files, movies, music stored on the hard disk of the set-top box, electronic album, weather information, map information, video phone function, electronic dictionary, various By providing various schedule management programs such as anniversaries or events, it is possible to provide a voice message and event program (video firecrackers, congratulation songs, etc.) on the date.

In addition, the ubiquitous-home service provides a memo or SMS function between the family so that when the mother goes out, the child turns on the TV or set-top box after returning home and selects the memo menu to check the text message and the video message when the camera is connected. . In this case, in the case of SMS, a short message may be transmitted to the other party's mobile communication terminal or another display device during digital TV viewing.

In addition, ubiquitous-home service enables one to use a set-top box without a separate PC to use the internet in a small room, kitchen, or room with only a monitor or network terminal. For example, to enable the image information service for golf swing analysis).

At this time, the video information service can be a two-way conversation with the education or leader when connected to the Internet.

As such, the ubiquitous home-implementation system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a karaoke function, medical common sense or cooking, mall information providing function, in-house anti-community providing function, set-top box, in addition to the above services, even when the set-top box is turned on. It is possible to create various services such as TV watching function using the set-top box in the home through the Internet connection.

As described above, the ubiquitous-home implementation system of the present invention has an effect of simply loading a ubiquitous-home service-related menu on a digital TV and easily using various multimedia, media life services, home networks, etc. while watching TV. .

In addition, the ubiquitous-home implementation system of the present invention is connected to digital home appliances or various sensors that are being intelligent, and exchange information between home sensors, and provides a variety of information and services based on ubiquitous technology compared to existing home network systems. There is an effect that it can provide.

Although described with reference to the embodiments above, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be variously modified and changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Could be.

Claims (8)

In the ubiquitous-home implementation system for implementing a home network function for providing various multimedia and living services using a digital television (TV), Set-top box that transmits and receives external control signals through the digital TV to provide ubiquitous-home service including broadcasting, internet, multimedia, home network, and contents by connecting to various home appliances Box); By providing an integrated gateway for converting the external control signal through the interface between the external network and the wired or wireless home network, providing a living service including control of home appliances, crime prevention / access control / gas / lighting / heating / ventilation / fire detection A home network system; A server connected with the set top box or the home network system to provide information and content related to the ubiquitous-home service; And A user's external device that is connected through a network interface of the integrated gateway or set-top box to check information in a home; Ubiquitous-home implementation system comprising a. The method of claim 1, The server is A home server physically connected to the home appliance connected to the home network; A server that controls the home appliance via the home server and is equipped with an application for controlling the home appliance; And An integrated management server providing operation control and contents of the home network system and the ubiquitous-home system; Ubiquitous-home implementation system comprising a. The method of claim 2, The integrated management server, the integrated management server is a DB server that stores data applied to the home network system and ubiquitous-home system, a network server that functions to relay the information of the home server to an external device through a network interface, ubiquitous-home system Ubiquitous-home implementation system, characterized in that it comprises a web server supporting the Internet service provided by and a content server that collects and provides a variety of content to match the ubiquitous-home system. The method of claim 1, The set-top box is a ubiquitous-home implementation system, characterized in that connected to the LAN using a wired or wireless router (Router). The method of claim 1, The ubiquitous home service includes digital TV viewing, video, movie (Divx), music (MP3) playback, home network, Internet search, short message transmission, flash-based user interface, program automatic update, external resource sharing function, map search Ubiquitous-home implementation system, characterized in that it includes other convenience features, such as weather information, just CCTV camera viewer function. The method of claim 1, The set top box, A main board for providing the ubiquitous-home service; And a TV receiving module for receiving an external control signal transmitted through a remote controller and receiving a TV broadcast signal to control the digital TV. The method of claim 6, The set top box, A ubiquitous-home implementation system for displaying / hiding the ubiquitous-home service-related menu on the screen of the digital TV through the TV receiving module. The method of claim 1, The ubiquitous-home implementation system is a ubiquitous-home implementation system, characterized in that the set-top box with a camera connection terminal and a camera service support application to provide a video information service, such as video telephony, video education, home monitoring.

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