Home automation system

A home automation system comprising:

• a controller for providing centralized control of a plurality of sub-systems in said home automation system;
• a host interface for interfacing said central controller to a network;
• a plurality of nodes connected to said network in a free form topology, said nodes being located in said sub-systems and being in asynchronous communication with said central controller;
• wherein said central controller transmits at periodic intervals a diagnostic message to each node on the network and each of said nodes replies to said message by transmitting an acknowledgement message;
• wherein said central controller is connected to a directory of all nodes that should be on said network and said central controller determines whether a node has been disconnected from said network based upon a comparison of all acknowledgement messages received from said nodes with said directory;
• and
• wherein said controller periodically supplies a signal to a watch dog timer circuit, said watch dog timer circuit including timer means which initiates a phone call to an off-site location when said operation signal is not received in a predetermined time interval thereby indicating to said off-site location that said processor is not operational.

A home automation system having a security sub-system, a lighting sub-system, and an environmental control sub-system, comprising:

• a controller for providing centralized control of a plurality of sub-systems in said home automation system;
• a host interface for interfacing said central controller to a network;
• a plurality of nodes connected to said network in a free form topology, said nodes being located in said sub-systems;
• wherein said controller and said nodes communicate with each other by transmitting messages, each message comprising a destination address designating a node to receive the message and wherein only said node having said destination address intercepts said transmitted message off of said network;
• wherein said controller periodically supplies a signal to a watch dog timer circuit, said watch dog timer circuit including timer means which initiates a phone call to an off-site location when said operation signal is not received in a predetermined time interval thereby indicating to said off-site location that said processor is not operational.

A home automation system having a plurality of sub-systems, such as a security sub-system, a lighting sub-system, and an environmental control sub-system, comprising:

• a controller for providing centralized control of said plurality of sub-systems in said home automation system, said plurality of sub-systems being similarly coupled in a network along a common signal path;
• a watch dog timer circuit, said controller periodically supplying a signal to said watch dog timer circuit which initiates a phone call to an off-site location when said operational signal is not received in a predetermined interval thereby indicating to said off-site location that said controller is not operational;
• a host interface for interfacing said central controller to said network;
• a first user interface connected to said network for enabling a user to interface with a first sub-system in said home automation system to control a first hardware device in a first and second manner respectively in response to a first user input and a second user input;
• and
• a second user interface connected to said network for enabling said user to interface with a second sub-system in said home automation system to control a second hardware device in said first and second manner respectively in response to said first user input and said second user input;
• wherein said first input from said user is used at said first user interface and said second user interface to respectively control both said first hardware device and said second hardware device in said first manner, and said second input from said user is used at said first user interface and said second user interface to respectively control said first hardware device and said second hardware device in said second manner;
• whereby said user similarly controls said first hardware device and said second hardware device in a consistent manner when interfacing with either of said first sub-system or said second sub-system.

A home automation system having a home security sub-system, a lighting sub-system, and an environmental control sub-system, comprising:

• a controller for providing centralized control of said plurality of sub-systems in said home automation system;
• a watch dog timer circuit, said controller periodically supplying a signal to said watch dog timer circuit which initiates a phone call to an off-site location when said operational signal is not received in a predetermined interval thereby indicating to said off-site location that said controller is not operational;
• a host interface for interfacing said central controller to a network;
• and
• a plurality of nodes connected to said network in a free form topology, said nodes being located in said sub-systems;
• wherein said environmental control sub-system includes a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) controller which controls operation of a HVAC unit according to a comparison of a first signal corresponding to a desired temperature and a second signal corresponding to an actual temperature value, said actual temperature value being obtained from a temperature sensor circuit.

A home automation system having a plurality of sub-systems, such as a security sub-system, a lighting sub-system, and an environmental control sub-system, comprising:

• a controller for providing centralized control of said plurality of sub-systems in said home automation system;
• a watch dog circuit, said controller periodically supplying a signal to said watch dog timer circuit which initiates a phone call to an off-site location when said operational signal is not received in a predetermined interval thereby indicating to said off-site location that said controller is not operational;
• a first status indicating means connected to a first sub-system in said home automation system and connected to said network for enabling a user to ascertain the status of a first set of objects in said first sub-system;
• and
• a second status indicating means connected to a second sub-system in said home automation system and connected to said network for enabling said user to ascertain the status of a second set of objects in said second sub-system;
• wherein said first status indicating means and said second status indicating means represent similar states of said first set of objects and said second set of objects with the same set of indicating signals;
• whereby said user ascertains the status of said first set of objects and of said second set of objects in a common, consistent manner with respect to both said first sub-system and said second sub-system.

A residential automation system utilizing a consistent interface comprising:

• a plurality of sub-systems including a home security sub-system, a lighting sub-system, and an environmental control sub-system, each being similarly coupled in a network along a common signal path;
• a plurality of logical objects automatically controlled with said system, each object being associated with one or more of said plurality of sub-systems;
• a controller for providing centralized control of said plurality of sub-systems in said home automation system;
• a watch dog circuit, said controller periodically supplying a signal to said watch dog timer circuit which initiates a phone call to an off-site location when said operational signal is not received in a predetermined interval thereby indicating to said off-site location that said controller is not operational;
• a host interface for interfacing said central controller to said network;
• a plurality of nodes connected to said network in a free form topology, said nodes being located in said sub-systems;
• interface means for controlling operation of each said logical object in a common, consistent manner, said interface means including a plurality of keypads each comprising a plurality of manually operable inputs for generating requests to control one of said plurality of logical objects.