JP2005098560A - Access point and refrigerator in home network system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an access point device that reduces the arrangement space of an access point device, a charger, and the like and integrates the power sources of these devices when configuring a home network system.
A home network having a home terminal for transmitting and receiving data to and from a refrigerator, an access point device for transmitting and receiving data to and from the home terminal via a wireless LAN, and for transmitting and receiving to and from a server via an Internet network. In the system, the access point device 22 is provided with a charger for the home terminal 20.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an access point device and a refrigerator in a home network system.

  Recently, a technology has been proposed in which an in-home network is constructed and electric appliances such as a refrigerator, a microwave oven, and a rice cooker in the home are controlled using a home terminal (Patent Document 1).

In such a home network system, an access point device is required to connect a home terminal and an external server. This access point device is connected to a server via the Internet and to a home terminal via a wireless LAN or the like.
JP 2002-162149 A

  In the home network system as described above, a charger for charging the home terminal is also required in addition to the home terminal and the access point device. In addition, a space for placing the access point device is also required.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an access point device and a refrigerator that reduce the arrangement space of an access point device, a charger, and the like and integrate power sources of these devices when configuring a home network system. .

  The invention according to claim 1 is a portable information terminal that transmits / receives data to / from home appliances via short-range wireless data communication means, and transmits / receives data via the portable information terminal and short-range wireless data communication means. In addition, in an access point device in a home network system having an access point device that transmits and receives the data to and from a server via a communication means of a telecommunication line, the access point device is a built-in mobile information terminal. An access point device having a charger for charging a battery.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the access point device according to claim 1, wherein the access point device is provided integrally with the telephone, a telephone with a fax function, or a security device.

  The invention according to claim 3 is a refrigerator having short-range wireless data communication means, a portable information terminal that transmits / receives data via the refrigerator and the short-range wireless data communication means, and the portable information terminal and short-range wireless data communication. An access point device that transmits and receives data via a means and transmits and receives the data to and from a server via a communication means of a telecommunication line, wherein the refrigerator includes the access point device. It is a refrigerator characterized by having.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the refrigerator includes a charger that charges a rechargeable battery built in the portable information terminal.

  Since the access point device of the invention according to claim 1 integrally has a charger for charging the portable information terminal, it is not necessary to arrange a charger other than the access point device, and the space is reduced. In addition, the power source of the access point device and the power source of the charger can be integrated.

  In the access point device of the invention according to claim 2, since the access point device having the charger of the portable information terminal is provided integrally with the telephone, the telephone with the fax function, or the security device, the access point The space for arranging the devices can be reduced, and the power sources of these devices can be integrated.

  In the refrigerator of the invention according to claim 3, since the refrigerator has an access point device, the space for arranging the access point device can be reduced, and the power source of the refrigerator and the power source of the access point device are integrated. can do. In addition, since the refrigerator is always in a state where the power cord is inserted, the access point device is also always in a state where the power cord is inserted and can always operate.

  When the refrigerator of the invention according to claim 4, the refrigerator can reduce the space for arranging the charger by incorporating the access point device and the charger for charging the rechargeable battery of the portable information terminal, Charger power can also be integrated.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(1) Configuration of Home Network System 10 FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the home network system 10 according to the present embodiment.

  In the home, a refrigerator 12, a microwave oven 14, an IH cooker 16, and a rice cooker 18 are provided as electrical products.

  In addition, a home terminal 20 that is a portable information terminal serving as a home gateway is provided in the home.

  Further, in the home, an access point device 22 which is a communication device for connecting the data of the home terminal 20 to the WWW server 24 via the Internet network is arranged.

  Hereinafter, these devices will be described in order.

(1) Configuration of Home Terminal 20 First, the configuration of the home terminal 20 will be described.

  As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2, the home terminal 20 has a thin panel shape that is portable.

  On the front surface of the home terminal 20, an operation display unit 26 serving as a display unit made of a liquid crystal display device and a touch sensor unit provided on the surface of the display unit is provided. Around the operation display unit 26, speakers 30, 30 and an operation unit 38 including a switch group such as a power switch and a volume of the speaker 30 and a lamp group are provided.

  As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, a terminal control unit 32, a terminal communication unit 34, and an antenna unit 36 of the home terminal 20 are provided inside the home terminal 20.

  The home terminal 20 can transmit / receive data to / from an electrical product such as the refrigerator 12 and the access point device 22 through the terminal communication unit 34. In addition, the contents of the data can be displayed on the operation display unit 26, and the displayed contents can be operated by touching with a finger. It is the terminal control unit 32 that performs these controls.

  The terminal communication unit 34 communicates with the refrigerator 12 and the access point device 22 using a wireless LAN, which is one of short-range wireless data communication systems, or a Bluetooth (trademark, hereinafter the same) protocol. Bluetooth is a short-range wireless data communication technology that standardization activities began in May 1998 by Sweden's Ericsson, IBM's IBM, Intel's Intel, FinLAN's Nokia, and Toshiba. That is.

  The home terminal 20 is operated by a rechargeable battery 28 provided therein, and the rechargeable battery 28 can be charged via a connector 40.

(2) Configuration of Access Point Device 22 The configuration of the access point device 22 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the access point device 22 includes a control unit 42, a communication unit 44, a wireless module unit 46, an antenna unit 48, a power supply unit 50, a memory holding unit 52, and a display unit 54.

  This access point device 22 also serves as a charger for the home terminal 20 in addition to the function of connecting to the server 24 via the Internet network.

  The communication unit 44 has a function of connecting to the server 24 via the Internet network. The communication unit 44 is connected to the Internet network using a general analog public line or a communication line such as ISDN, CATV, ADSL, DSL, or optical fiber. Connects to a server 24 existing in the network.

  The wireless module unit 46 performs short-range wireless data communication with the home terminal 20 via the antenna unit 48, and performs communication using a wireless LAN or the like as described above.

  The storage holding unit 52 is formed of a recording medium such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and stores data transmitted from the home terminal 20.

  The power supply unit 50 converts alternating current supplied from an AC 100V power source into direct current and supplies the power to each device. The power supply unit 50 is provided with a connector 56 for connecting to the connector 40 of the home terminal 20. When the connector 40 of the home terminal 20 is connected to the connector 56, the power supply unit 50 supplies DC power to the rechargeable battery 28 of the home terminal 20 to supply the rechargeable battery 28.

  The control unit 42 for controlling these devices is connected to the server 24 using the communication unit 44 and transmits / receives data to / from the home terminal 20 using the wireless module unit 46. Then, the data instructed from the home terminal 20 is recorded in the storage holding unit 52. If the home terminal 20 and the server 24 are communicating, the LED or LCD of the display unit 54 is displayed. Further, if the power supply unit 50 is charging the rechargeable battery 28 of the home terminal 20, the control unit 42 turns on the display unit 54.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when charging the home terminal 20, the connector 40 and the connector 56 are connected when the home terminal 20 is placed in the recess 62 of the main body 60 of the access point device 22. .

(3) Configuration of Refrigerator 12 Inside the refrigerator 12, a communication unit for communicating with the home terminal 20 is provided, and this communication unit is connected to a control unit of the refrigerator. Data from the home terminal 20 is sent to the control unit via the communication unit, and the refrigerator 12 can be controlled from the outside.

(4) Configuration of Server 24 The server 24 transmits and receives data to and from the home terminal 20 via the Internet network and the access point device 22.

  The server 24 has an ASP function. ASP is an abbreviation for application service provider. According to the definition of ASP Industry Consortium, “ASP is an operator that manages application functions and provides them to multiple locations from a data center via a wide area network (Internet, VPN, etc.). It means that an application program that can be jointly used by a plurality of users having a connection environment to the Internet or the like is prepared on the center and provided free of charge or free of charge.

  The data sent from the server 24 is, for example, cooking data for a cooking apparatus such as the refrigerator 12 or inventory data in the refrigerator 12.

(5) Method of using home terminal 20 A user can connect to the server 24 using the touch panel of the operation display unit 26 of the home terminal 20, obtain data from the server 24, and cause the operation display unit 26 to display the data. . Moreover, the refrigerator 12 can be operated using this data, and cooking can be performed using the other microwave oven 14, the IH cooker 16, and the rice cooker 18. About this cooking system, the cooking system described in patent document 1 is used.

  In this case, the access point device 22 is connected to the server 24 through a communication line, but the connection cord 62 extending from the access point device 22 is inserted into a modular jacket provided on a household wall or the like. Yes. Furthermore, the power cord 64 extending from the access point device 22 is inserted into a power outlet provided on the wall surface of the home. The access point device 22 can communicate as long as the power cord 64 is plugged into the outlet and the connection cord 62 is plugged into the telephone modular jacket.

  When the user wants to charge the home terminal 20, the user can charge the home terminal 20 by attaching the home terminal 20 to the access point device 22. In this case, since the access point device 22 and the charger are integrated, the arrangement space of the charger can be reduced, and the power cord of the charger and the power cord 64 of the access point device 22 are integrated. Therefore, the usage status of the power outlet can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
The access point apparatus 22 of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated based on FIG.

  The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that an access point unit 66 corresponding to the access point device is built in the refrigerator 12. However, the access point unit 66 does not have a charging function for the home terminal 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerator 12 includes an access point unit 66 and a refrigerator control unit 68.

  The access point unit 66 includes the control unit 42, the communication unit 44, the memory holding unit 52, the antenna unit 48, and the wireless module unit 46 described above.

  The storage holding unit 52 stores data displayed on the home terminal 20.

  The refrigerator control unit 68 includes a power supply unit 70, a communication control unit 72, a central control unit 74, a compressor control unit 76, and an operation display control unit 78.

  The communication control unit 72 is connected to the control unit 44 of the access point unit 66 and can transmit and receive data to and from the home terminal 20 via the wireless module unit 46 of the access point unit 66. The central control unit 74 controls the compressor control unit 76, the operation display control unit 78, and the communication control unit 72, and controls the compressor 80, the defrost heater 82, the damper 88, and the display device 90. In this case, on / off of the compressor 80 is controlled based on the data of the compressor control unit 76. Further, the data sent from the communication control unit 72 is input to the central control unit 74 and signals from the temperature sensor 84 and the door switch 86 are input. A relay switch 96 is provided between the compressor 80 and the central control unit 74.

  The operation display control unit 78 is connected to a display device 90 including a liquid crystal display device provided on the front surface of the refrigerator 12 and a switch unit 92 provided in the vicinity thereof, and displays data on the display device 90. At the same time, an instruction signal from the switch 92 is input by the user.

  In addition, a communication display unit 94 for displaying a communication state in the access point unit 66 is provided in the vicinity of the display device 90.

  The power supply unit 70 supplies power to the access point unit 66 and the refrigerator control unit 68.

  In the refrigerator 12 having the above configuration, since the access point unit 22 is configured integrally with the refrigerator 12, a space for installing the access point unit 22 can be reduced. Further, since the refrigerator 12 is always in a state where the power cord is inserted, the access point unit 66 is always supplied with power, and the access point unit 66 can always operate.

(Third embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the access point unit 66 is provided inside the refrigerator 12, but in addition to this, the charger 12 of the home terminal 20 may be provided in the refrigerator 12. For example, the home terminal 20 can be attached to the front face of the door of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator 12, and the home terminal 20 can be charged in this attached state.

  By doing so, the arrangement space of the charger can be reduced, and the power source of the charger can be integrated with the power source of the refrigerator.

(Modification 1)
In the first embodiment, the access point device 22 is provided with a charger. However, in addition to this, the access point device 22 having a charger may be built in the telephone.

  Since the connection cord 62 is always connected to the telephone and the power cord 64 is also connected, the placement space of the access point device 22 and the charger can be reduced by simply placing the telephone. The power supply can also be integrated with that of the phone.

  This telephone may be a telephone with a fax machine.

(Modification 2)
In recent homes, a security device is provided, and this security device is connected to a telephone line.

  Therefore, you may provide the access point apparatus 22 which has a charger in parts, such as an intercom which comprises this security apparatus.

  The present invention can be used for an access point device or a refrigerator in a home network.

It is a block diagram of a home terminal and an access point device. It is a perspective view of a home terminal and an access point device. It is a block diagram of a home network. It is a block diagram of the refrigerator which has an access point part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Home network system 12 Refrigerator 14 Microwave oven 16 IH cooker 18 Rice cooker 20 Home terminal 22 Access point apparatus 24 Server 26 Operation display part 28 Rechargeable battery 30 Speaker 32 Terminal control part 34 Terminal communication part 36 Antenna part 38 Operation part 40 Connector 42 Control unit 44 Communication unit 46 Wireless module unit 48 Antenna unit 50 Power supply unit 52 Memory holding unit 54 Display unit 56 Connector

Claims (4)

A portable information terminal that transmits and receives data to and from home appliances via short-range wireless data communication means;
An access point device that transmits and receives data to and from the portable information terminal via short-range wireless data communication means, and transmits and receives the data to and from a server via communication means on a telecommunication line,
In an access point device in a home network system having
The access point device is
An access point device comprising a charger for charging a rechargeable battery built in the portable information terminal. The access point device is
The access point apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the access point apparatus is provided integrally with the telephone, the telephone with a fax function, or the security apparatus. A refrigerator having short-range wireless data communication means;
A portable information terminal that transmits and receives data via the refrigerator and short-range wireless data communication means;
An access point device that transmits and receives data to and from the portable information terminal via short-range wireless data communication means, and transmits and receives the data to and from a server via communication means on a telecommunication line,
In the refrigerator of the home network system having
The refrigerator is
A refrigerator comprising the access point device. The refrigerator is
The refrigerator according to claim 3, further comprising a charger that charges a rechargeable battery built in the portable information terminal.

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