Home automation system having user controlled definition function

A home automation system for controlling operation of a plurality of appliances each connected to a respective one of a plurality of power line controller modules, said system comprising:

• input means for entering an alphanumeric name of one of said plurality of appliances to be controlled, a house code representative of a household corresponding to said one of said plurality of appliances to be controlled, a unit code representative of one of said plurality of power line controller modules to be controlled, a control code representative of one of an ON and OFF function of said one of said plurality of appliances to be controlled and a user defined number representative of a memory address where said alphanumeric name, said house code, said unit code and said control code are stored after entry;
• controller means for providing character code corresponding to said user defined number, said alphanumeric name, said house code, said unit code and said control code to video display processing means, said video display processing means for accessing font data received from a font memory corresponding to said character code in response to receipt of said character code and providing a video signal corresponding to accessed font data to variable visual display means;
• and
• interfacing means for receiving said house code, said unit code and said control code from said controller means, and transmitting said house code, said unit code and said control code to said plurality of power line controller modules to enable control of said one of said plurality of appliances in response to input of said user defined number.

A method for controlling a home automation system having input means for entering key data, variable visual display means for displaying said key data, control means for controlling operation of said system, a plurality of appliances and a corresponding plurality of power line controller modules, said method comprising the steps of:

• entering for one of said plurality of appliances, via said input means, a user defined number, an alphanumeric designation representative of a user defined name for said one of said plurality of appliances, a control code representative of one of an ON function and an OFF function of said one of said plurality of appliances, a house code representative of a household corresponding to said one of said plurality of appliances, and a unit code representative of one of said plurality of power line controller modules corresponding to said one of said plurality of appliances;
• displaying, on said variable visual display means, said user defined number, said alphanumeric designation, said control code, said house code and said unit code for said one of said plurality of appliances;
• storing said alphanumeric designation, said control code, said house code and said unit code in a memory address represented by said user defined number in response to entry of a data storage key;
• transmitting said house code, said unit code and said control code to said one of said plurality of power line controller modules in response to input of said user defined number;
• and
• performing one of said ON and OFF functions of said one of said plurality of appliances in dependence upon said control code.