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US 2002/0047774 A1Published application
RF home automation system with replicable controllers
AssigneeZensys A/S
InventorsCarlos Melia Christensen, Jesper Knudsen
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AssigneeZensys A/S
InventorsCarlos Melia Christensen, Jesper Knudsen
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates to a wireless home automation system having a controller for controlling a broad variety of functions via two ways communication with a plurality of devices. More specifically, the invention relates to systems having two or more controllers for controlling devices, wherein information related to the system can be shared between controllers, e.g. by updating a second controller with the newly learned information of a first controller, or by replicating a controller by making a second controller a complete copy of a first controller. The information can be shared by, in a first controller, generating and transmitting signals comprising device identifiers of devices controlled by the first controller, receiving said signals at a second controller, and storing said device identifiers in an organized data structure in a memory of the second controller. This function proves advantageous when new controllers are introduced in the system or if a controller is lost, worn out, or destroyed.
An automation system for controlling and monitoring a plurality of devices using controllers,
An automation system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first memory of the first controller comprises a routing table indicating, for each device, other devices which can receive and process a signal transmitted by said device, and wherein the one or more signals generated by the first controller further comprises the routing table of the first controller, and wherein the processor of the second controller is further adapted to store said routing table in the first memory and wherein the processor of the second controller comprises means for identifying device identifiers in the routing table of devices for repeating a transmitted signal having a predetermined destination identifier and to include said device identifiers as repeater identifiers in the transmitted signal.
An automation system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said one or more signals comprises a frame comprising a command in relation to each device identifier instructing the processor of the second controller as to where in the organised data structure of its first memory to store the device identifier.
An automation system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the processor of the first or the second controller further comprises means for, before storing said device identifiers in the first memory of the second controller, erasing all information related to device identifiers in the first memory of the second controller.
An automation system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the processor of the second controller is adapted to, when storing said device identifiers correspondingly in the organized data structure of the first memory of the second controller, overwrite all information related to device identifiers in the first memory.
An automation system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the processors of the first and second controllers further comprise means for dynamically assigning controller identifiers to a controller upon introduction of the controller in the system, said means assigning controller identifiers using a predetermined sequence of controller identifiers.
An automation system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the processors of the first and second controllers further comprise means for dynamically assigning device identifiers to a device upon introduction of the device in the system, said means assigning device identifiers using a predetermined sequence of device identifiers.
A method for sharing information between a first and a second controller in a wireless automation system for controlling and monitoring a plurality of devices using controllers, so as for the second controller to have at least the same functionality as the first controller in terms of controlling the devices of the system, the first controller comprising a memory holding an organized data structure comprising device identifiers of devices controlled by the first controller, the method comprising the steps of generating and transmitting one or more signals comprising the device identifiers of devices controlled by the first controller, receiving said one or more signals at the second controller and storing said device identifiers in an equivalent organized data structure in a memory of the second controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.