Communication system, communication initialization apparatus and program storage medium
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorKoji Iwamoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention discloses a structure which uses a communication system which comprises a communication initialization apparatus and communication terminals, such as an air conditioner and a humidifier, which mutually communicate with each other through a network. In the system, the communication initialization apparatus updates installation place information at predetermined timing and checks states of addresses of the communication terminals based on setting-regarding information which consists of the addresses of the communication terminals and equipment type information, whereby initial communication setting is updated. This allows communication between the communication terminals even when a communication terminal to communicate with is changed.
Claims10
In a network having a plurality of electrical appliances communicating with an initialization terminal, each appliance storing at least (a) an installation place address which identifies a location of each appliance and (b) a terminal address which uniquely identifies each appliance, a method for initializing an appliance in the plurality of appliances on the network, comprising the steps of:
- (a) storing in the initialization terminal a designated installation place address and an official terminal address of the appliance;
- (b) sending from the initialization terminal to the appliance the designated installation place address;
- (c) receiving and matching the designated installation place address sent from the initialization terminal with the installation place address stored in the
- (d) changing the installation place address stored in the appliance to the designated installation place address received from the initialization terminal sent in step (b), if a match is not present in step (c);
- (e) requesting, by the appliance, the initialization terminal to send the official terminal address to the appliance, in response to changing the installation place address stored in the appliance in step (d);
- (f) sending from the initialization terminal to the appliance the official terminal address in response to the request in step (e);
- and
- (g) replacing the stored terminal address in the appliance with the official terminal address received from the initialization terminal.
A communication system comprising:
- a bus for transmission of data;
- a plurality of terminals which are connected to said bus and include inherent-in-equipment information containing equipment type information;
- and
- communication initialization means which sets up addresses of said plurality of terminals via said bus,
- wherein said communication initialization means comprises:
- setting-regarding information holding part which holds setting-regarding information which contains information associating said addresses with said equipment type information and information indicative of whether said addresses are used or not;
- first setting-regarding information updating means which, upon receipt of address setting request from a terminal of said terminals and in the case that an address is not used in setting-regarding information which has the same equipment type information as said equipment type information of said terminal, updates said setting-regarding information by associating said address as used address of said terminal;
- and
- second setting-regarding information updating means which determines, at predetermined time intervals, whether said terminals associated with said used address contained in said setting-regarding information are connected to said bus or not, and in the case that said terminals associated with said used address is found unconnected to said bus, updates said setting-regarding information by setting up said used address as unused address.
A communication initialization apparatus, used in a communication system for communications between a plurality of terminals which are connected to said bus for transmission of data and include inherent-in-equipment information containing equipment type information, for setting up addresses of said plurality of terminals via said bus, comprising;
- setting-regarding information holding part which holds setting-regarding information which contains information associating said addresses with said equipment type information and information indicative of whether said addresses are used or not;
- first setting-regarding information updating means which, upon receipt of address setting request from a terminal of said terminals and in the case that an address is not used in setting-regarding information which has the same equipment type information as said equipment type information of said terminals, updates said setting-regarding information by associating said address as used address of said terminal;
- and
- second setting-regarding information updating means which determines, at predetermined time intervals, whether said terminals associated with said used address contained in said setting-regarding information are connected to said bus nor not, and in the case that said terminals associated with said used address is found unconnected to said bus, updates said setting-regarding information by setting up said used address as unused address.
An address setting method, used in a communication system for communications between a plurality of terminals which are connected to said bus for transmission of data and include inherent-in-equipment information containing equipment type information, for setting up addresses of said plurality of terminals via said bus, comprising:
- a step of holding setting-regarding information which contains information associating said addresses with said equipment type information and information indicative of whether said addresses are used or not;
- a step of, upon receipt of address setting request from a terminal of said terminals and in the case that an address is not used in setting-regarding information which has the same equipment type information as said equipment type information of said terminal, updating said setting-regarding information by associating said address as used address of said terminal;
- a step of determining at predetermined time intervals whether said terminals associated with said used address contained in said setting-regarding information are connected to said bus or not;
- and
- a step of, in the case that said terminals associated with said used address is found unconnected to said bus, updating said setting-regarding information by setting up said used address as unused address.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.