WO2006018585A1

WO2006018585A1 - Method and system for controlling technical elements operating at home and/or at work

Info

Publication number: WO2006018585A1
Application number: PCT/FR2005/050635
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ludovic Clement
Original assignee: Ludovic Clement
Priority date: 2004-07-29
Filing date: 2005-07-29
Publication date: 2006-02-23
Also published as: FR2873827B1; EP1771974A1; FR2873827A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method for controlling technical elements (2x) operating at home and/or at work (3) and for transmitting activating and/or adjusting signals (5) to a control system (1). For this purpose, a training unit (10) operating in a transparent manner for a user who activates or adjusts said technical elements (2x) is used. Said training unit manages the definition and triggering of actions (11) for controlling the technical elements (2x).

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING TECHNICAL ELEMENTS FOR OPERATING IN A PLACE OF HABITATION AND / OR WORK

The present invention relates to a control system for controlling technical elements intended to operate in a residential and / or working place.

The term home automation, appeared in the 80s, includes all the technologies of electronics, computers and telecommunications used in homes. Home automation is designed to provide security, comfort, energy management and communications functions that can be found in the home. The appliances in the house are integrated into systems that must communicate with each other to manage automation. The invention is thus in the field of home automation.

Despite the interest of home automation for the comfort of life, we observe that the market has a low growth. The obstacles to the development of home automation are, mainly, the difficulty of installation, the fear of technology, the lack of time to learn the operation of the system and its programming. A major concern is also operational safety. Systems are known to partially automate the home automation functions, for example in the document FR 2 764 400. Such a system includes a sensitive key on which the user acts to determine a level of comfort. In such a system, the user must therefore manipulate a specific key, usually during a given learning period. The intended application is, more especially the heating. The system described thus makes it possible to automate the adjustment of the heating means as a function of temperature levels chosen by the user.

However, the system presented in this document has the disadvantage of requiring the actuation of a specific control element. Also, it is not possible to consider controlling a large number of domotic functions except by increasing specific keys. The system becomes more complex and becomes repulsive for the user.

The present invention makes it possible to automate the home automation functions for a plurality of technical elements without increasing the complexity of the system.

It relates to a control system for controlling technical elements intended to operate in a residential and / or working place, the technical elements being capable of transmitting activation and / or regulation signals to the control system . The terms activation and / or regulation designate in the patent the start, ignition, variation, display of information, the sound or visual transmission of information or any other command. The control system includes a signal receiving module for receiving the activation and / or regulation signals from the technical elements, the receiving means being also capable of receiving signals from external sources. The system also includes a control module connected to the technical elements for controlling their activation and / or regulation, an action learning module connected to the receiving module in order to receive the activation and / or regulation signals connected to the external sources in order to receive the signals from the external sources, an action corresponding to a sequence, defined in time by the learning, activation and / or regulation module of the technical elements, the learning module operating from seamless way for a user who activates or regulates technical elements and taking into account signals and actions previously stored, for example in a database. The system further includes an action management module, an action being triggered in response to at least one determined signal received by the receiving means, connected to the learning module to be informed of the actions as defined by the module of learning, connected to the receiving module to know the signals received and connected to the control module to give the order to trigger actions. Indeed, the technical elements, to be controlled, being themselves capable of sending activation and / or regulation signals, it is possible to perform training for the system in a manner that is transparent to the user who uses the signals. technical elements. In one embodiment, the learning module operates permanently.

This realization makes it possible to continuously trace the behaviors of the user (s) of the technical elements. The system may also be detachable punctually and / or for particular technical elements, the others continue to be tracked by the system to define actions and achieve learning habits of the user or users.

In one embodiment, an action is defined to be triggered when at least one determined signal is received by the receiving module.

In the case of this embodiment, a signal received by the receiving module triggers an action. This makes it possible to adapt the automation to the events taking place in the living or working place in relation to, in particular, the times at which these events occur.

In one embodiment, an external source is a sensor.

This realization makes it possible to take into account events other than those of activation and regulation of the technical elements such as the sound or light level or the presence of an individual in a room for example. A sensor may be independent of the technical elements or be integrated with one of them.

In one embodiment, an external source is a telecommunication system.

This realization makes it possible to take into account various external factors that can be communicated by a telecommunication system.

In one embodiment, the telecommunication system is a computer network, particularly the Internet network.

It is thus possible to receive data from the network, for example meteorological or news data.

In one embodiment, the system includes a module for regulating the learning module to make it possible to smooth the learning over time.

Such an embodiment makes it possible in particular to avoid that specific actions, such as for example a child playing with the system, are not taken into account too quickly by the system affecting its regular operation.

In a particular embodiment, the system can also control external technical elements at the place of residence and / or work.

Such technical elements can also send signals to the system.

In one embodiment, a technical element may implement a remote control.

The invention also relates to a method as implemented in a system presented above.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent with the description given below, the latter being carried out for descriptive and non-limiting purposes with reference to the following drawings in which: FIG. 1 represents a system according to the invention . Figure 2 illustrates an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a control system 1 for controlling 2x technical elements intended to operate in a residential and / or working place 3 and capable of transmitting activation and / or regulation signals 5 intended for the system order 1. The 2x technical elements may belong in particular to the electrical system: lighting, electric heating, control of doors, shutters, locks ... They may also have a monitoring role: alarm, presence simulation, remote monitoring . Technical elements concerned by the invention can also control the water supply circuit and / or gas, the non-electric heating system, in particular by gas or by fuel oil. The technical elements can also be HiFi or multimedia elements, household items: washing machine or dishes, coffee maker, oven, stove ...

The technical elements are connected to the system 1 by known means, for example, a wireless link, an electric wire, etc. Depending on the technical elements and in particular the bit rates required, the following types of links may for example be used: transponder RFID link, an infrared link, an HF radio link (BlueTooth for example), the carrier current (X10, X2D, EIB ...), radio waves (UWB ...), a cable or a dedicated bus ( CAD, Ethernet ...), a telephone link by modem, a link by mobile phone, a WiFi connection.

The signals sent from the technical elements 2x to the system 1 can be a simple activation signal, for example a switch, technical element, or a regulation signal including a command, for example the setting of a radiator or a store.

The control system 1 includes a signal receiving module 6 for receiving the activation and / or regulation signals 5 from the technical elements 2 ×, the receiving means 6 being also capable of receiving signals. the

signals 7 from external sources 8. The activation / regulation signals 5 relate to the requests of the user (on / off in particular), a precise request

(target temperature), a variation (brightness), an access control, the triggering by the user of a previously defined action ...

The signals that can be received by the reception module 6 can thus be measurement signals, information, for example, meteorological forecasts, and any commands. The signals can be qualitative or quantitative: presence detection, burglary, opening, light intensity, temperature, air humidity, flood, wind ... The external sources 8 can therefore be binary sensors, for example, motion detection or not, or producing measurements, for example temperature. Such sensors may also be controlled by the system 1, which in this case sends commands 13 to its destination. The external source 8 can also be a telecommunication system. The telecommunication system can also receive commands 13 from the system 1 in order, for example, to go searching for particular data available in the telecommunication system.

The system 1 also includes a control module 9 connected to the technical elements 2x to control their activation and / or regulation.

The link between the system 1 and the technical elements 2x is in two directions and this link allows the system 1 to control activation and / or regulation of the technical elements 2x. In the following will be explained how these commands are performed automatically by means of actions 11 learned by the system 1.

For this purpose, the system 1 includes an action learning module 10 connected to the receiving module 6 in order to receive the activation and / or regulation signals 5 connected to the external sources 8 in order to receive the signals 7 in from the external sources 8. An action 11 corresponds to a sequence, defined in time by the learning module 10, of activation and / or regulation of the technical elements 2x. The actions 11 can be temperature control, including remote control, automation of the opening and closing of shutters and blinds, brightness control, control of lighting, control of watering , a control of the alarm system, functions of entry / exit of the home, departure / return on vacation or weekend, sleeping or raising, the activation of an answering machine, a server mel , extinguishing the lights of a room (where one is / where one is not / of all those where one is not / building), configuration night and day ... Simple actions can also be isolated such as watching television, taking a bath or shower ... Thus are controlled according to the invention, the switches (lamp, alarm, shutter, watering, shutters shutters , curtains, blinds, canopy, garage door, grill, door, pool curtain ...), variations in light intensity se (lighting), numerical control elements (position of three-position valve for heating for example, control of convectors ...), control elements of HiFi and multimedia equipment, household electrical appliances ...

It should be noted that the actions 11 can notably be used for the simulation of presence by being implemented whether or not there is a presence.

The learning module 10 operates in a transparent manner for a user who activates or regulates the 2x technical elements. In particular, the notion of temporality is taken into account: for example, if an activation of a technical element has occurred and then, within 15 minutes, an activation of another technical element has occurred, a triggering action 11 and not if the gap between the two activations is most important. Thus, the system 1 retains timestamped values and takes them into account. These values are included in the signals or are associated with them when they are received by the system 1. In order for the system 1 to be able in particular to define actions 11, generally by complex analysis of the situations, the system 1 of course includes at least a memory 14 for storing these data and call them if necessary for analysis. Such a memory 14 stores the received signals 5.7 as well as, for example, a corresponding time indication (date, time of reception) in order to be able to use them in the analyzes. The actions 11 are, of course, stored.

Advantageously, the system 1 includes a user friendly interface that can be fixed, for example on a wall or be a remote control and be with or without a screen. This interface can be managed automatically according to the activations / regulations detected and in particular be a support for the definition of actions 11. Indeed, a sequence of events being detected by the system 1, it can ask in a user-friendly way how the user wants to call this sequence of events or choose a name himself. It is possible to propose this action 11 on the interface so that the user can himself trigger the action 11 manually. The definition of the actions 11 and the fact of proposing the actions 11 on an interface, thus make it possible to offer the user to activate himself an action 11. Thus, the interface is also the object of a kind learning since the actions 11 can be proposed there if necessary, in particular according to their frequency of activation, or depending on the circumstances (time, day of the week, temperature ...). Practically, on a screen for example, icons appear more or less visible or disappear. The names of the actions 11 may be to be chosen from a list given in advance or to be chosen in an original manner by the user. For example, the names can be Hello, Night, Day, Holidays, Good night ... The name can also be given automatically by the system 1, in particular by recognition relative to a model.

Example of Action Definition 11: System 1 notes that every day at the same time an identical manual input sequence (turn on some lights, turn on the heat, turn on the coffee maker) takes place. This allows him to deduce that an action of the type "I get up" is judicious. The system 1 can then propose it systematically to the user. If the action already existed, and if it is activated every morning, but the user systematically lights a complementary lamp, the system 1 makes it possible to change the content of the action to incorporate this modification. Knowing the history of input and output data makes it easier to manage a notion of time. If we note that a departure (which is deduced for example from the start of the alarm) the system 1 can act accordingly, by launching an action "I go out". System 1 may notice that the start is at variable time but always 40 minutes after the lift (detected by an action "I get up"), he can then deduce that the heating must be lowered 15 minutes before the departure time estimated. The data history also makes it possible to calculate a thermal model, thus the thermal inertia of each part of the building.

With the aid of the invention, the user is prevented from programming the operation of the system 1: he merely makes requests (lighting, heating, shutters, etc.) over time and these are the requests themselves. The same are used to program the system 1 by crossing them with data already known by the system 1 (for example a list of predefined actions 11 and which may or may not be refined / adapted by the system), the data of the system 1. automatic type (sensors ...) and the output data history of the system 1. The system 1 finally includes a management module 12 of the actions 11, an action 11 to be triggered in response to at least one determined signal received by the reception means 6, connected to the learning module 10 to be informed of the actions 11 such defined by the learning module 10, connected to the receiving module 6 to know the received signals 5.7 and connected to the control module 9 to give the order to trigger actions 11.

The triggering of an action 11 can thus be actuated by receiving a signal from the technical elements. An action 11 can also be triggered at a date and / or at a given time, according to a given periodicity or not. Thus the system 1 stores both information on a trigger signal and timestamped values and takes them into account for the definition of the actions 11 as well as for the triggering of the actions 11.

The triggering of the actions 11 is also automatically managed by analyzing behaviors and defining complex actions. Thus, the heating can start automatically at a given time to receive residents usually returning 20 minutes after this time, the event "arrival of the inhabitants" is learned automatically by the system 1.

Once an action 11 is triggered, it undergoes the learning process again and it is therefore possible to modify or complete the parameters of the action 11. Thus, if a user systematically turns off the light after turning on the television, television action can end up including after learning, the extinction of lights. For example, learning is done with the help of the binder technology, which has many advantages. Indeed, the rule list is easy to edit, it is easy to add rules, the rules can trigger actions 11 defined completely independently. Modeling of such an implementation of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2.

In this FIG. 2, an execution heart 20 implements an automaton through which all the information flows. For example, an interface does not have the right to act directly on an actuator, it will have to go through this heart of execution. A house log 22 includes the system history. It makes it possible to deduce the habits of the users in order to specify the interface, to add actions and to add rules for triggering actions in a rule base 21. Advantageously the system includes a database of users making it possible to list users who can use the system and refine actions that are associated with each user. It may also include hardware bases 24 or other various bases 23. Finally, the entirety of the technical elements 2x and other external sources 8 is listed in the equipment tree 25. Nodes between these devices make it possible to organize the Apparatus under the control of the execution core 20. The actuators of the 2x technical elements are organized in a tree structure representing the rooms of the house and the interfaces are organized according to the technologies. Thus to identify a technical element 2x, we use a data constructed according to a list of nodes. For example, to execute the "light" action on a kitchen lamp, the "RDC.Cuisine.Lamp.ON ()" command will be sent to the execution heart.

Advantageously, the system 1 includes a regulation module which controls the learning module 10. This regulation module determines the learning periods, that is to say the time / number of times from which the system 1 modifies its behaviour. In addition, it also deals with situations where the behavior of the system 1 must not be modified, particularly when someone, for example a child playing, excites the system 1 over a short period of time. It will be possible to forbid, for example, that an apprenticeship be made in less than 24 hours, or more than N learning is done in one minute, one hour, 24 hours ... This module also allows you to disable the learning module for a period and / or for some users, for example, a cleaning lady, the presence of visitors, the loan of the place, children alone ... The regulation module can also allow to return to the state of the system 1 at a given date / time, so as to forget the learning has been doing since, or canceling a specific apprenticeship. For settings and possible maintenance, the system 1 can be controlled locally, for example through an interface: touch screen, remote control, simple switch or push button ... It can also be accessible for remote commands such as a telephone laptop or Internet. This is done in parallel with the automatic programming described according to the invention as well as responses to events detected by sensors.

Initial primitive programming where a minimum of data must be entered into the system can be requested in a system according to the invention. The system then uses the functions according to the invention for an adjustment to the actual habits of the place.

As described here, the invention therefore allows the user to keep a simple relationship with the technical elements. In addition, the system according to the invention has many advantages such as comfort, remote access, energy savings, high security.

It is also noted that the system can be implemented in a single physical element or be physically separated on several physical elements.

Claims

REVENDIC-VTIONS

1. Control system (1) for controlling technical elements (2x) intended to operate in a residential and / or working place (3) and capable of emitting activation and / or regulation signals (5) ) to the control system (1), the control system (1) includes: a signal receiving module (6) for receiving the activation and / or regulation signals (5) from the technical elements ( 2x), the receiving means (6) being also capable of receiving signals (7) from external sources (8), a control module (9) connected to the technical elements (2x) for controlling their activation and / or regulation a learning module (10) of actions (11) connected to the receiving module for receiving the activation and / or regulation signals (5) connected to the external sources (8) in order to receive the signals ( 7) from the external sources (8), an action (11) corresponding to a sequence defined in the e time by the learning module (10), activation and / or regulation of the technical elements (2x), the learning module (10) operating in a transparent manner for a user who activates or regulates the technical elements, and taking into account the signals (5, 7) and / or the actions (11) previously stored in a memory (14), a management module (12) of the actions (11), an action (11) being triggered in response to at least one determined signal received by the receiving means (6), connected to the learning module (10) to be informed of the actions (11) as defined by the learning module (10), connected to the receiving module (6) for the received signals (5, 7) and connected to the control module (9) to give the command to trigger actions (11).

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the learning module operates permanently.

3. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an external source is a sensor, the signals (7) being measurements.

4. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an external source is a telecommunication system, the signals (7) being received information.

5. System according to claim 4, wherein the telecommunication system is a computer network, including the Internet.

6. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system includes a control module of the learning module for smoothing learning over time.

7. System according to one of the preceding claims, such that it can also control the technical elements outside the place of residence and / or work.

8. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a technical element implements a remote control.

9. Technical element for operating in connection with a system according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an activation and / or regulation signal transmission module and linked to the system so as to receive activation commands / regulation on the part of the latter.

10. A method of controlling technical elements intended to operate in a residential and / or working place and capable of transmitting activation and / or regulation signals to the control system, the method includes: a step of receiving activation and / or regulation signals from the technical elements, a step of controlling the activation and / or regulation of the technical elements, an action learning step related to the step for receiving the activation and / or regulation signals, an action corresponding to a sequence, defined in time during the learning step, activation and / or regulation of the technical elements, the step of learning in a transparent way for a user who activates or regulates the technical elements and taking into account the signals and / or the actions stored previously, a step of management of the actions, an action being triggered in response to at least one determined signal received in a signal receiving step.