System and method for server based control

Abstract

A system and method in a building or vehicle for an actuator operation in response to a sensor according to a control logic, the system comprising a router or a gateway communicating with a device associated with the sensor and a device associated with the actuator over in-building or in-vehicle networks, and an external Internet-connected control server associated with the control logic implementing a PID closed linear control loop and communicating with the router over external network for controlling the in-building or in-vehicle phenomenon. The sensor may be a microphone or a camera, and the system may include voice or image processing as part of the control logic. A redundancy is used by using multiple sensors or actuators, or by using multiple data paths over the building or vehicle internal or external communication. The networks may be wired or wireless, and may be BAN, PAN, LAN, WAN, or home networks.

1 . A system for use with a wireless network in a building, the system comprising first and second devices in the building and an Internet-connected server device external to the building,
 the first device comprising in a first single enclosure:
 a first wireless transceiver for communicating with the server device over the wireless network; and 
 multiple microphones for capturing human voice data, the multiple microphones are coupled to the first wireless transceiver for sending the captured human voice data to the server device, 
   and the second device comprising in a second single enclosure:
 a second wireless transceiver for communicating with the server device over the wireless network for receiving an actuator command therefrom; and 
 an actuator coupled to the second wireless transceiver for being activated, operated, or controlled in response to the received actuator command, 
   wherein the server device is operative to receive over the Internet the captured human voice data from the first device, to process the captured human voice data using a voice processing, and to send the actuator command in response to the processing.   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first single enclosure is the same as the second single enclosure. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the voice processing by the server device comprises performing a voice recognition algorithm for identifying the voice of a specific person. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first device further comprises a sensor coupled to the first wireless transceiver that outputs sensor data that responds to a physical phenomenon, wherein the first device is further operative to send to the server device via the wireless network the sensor data, and wherein the actuator command is further in response to the sensor data. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 4 , wherein the sensor is a thermoelectric sensor that responds to a temperature or to a temperature gradient of an object using conduction, convection, or radiation. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 4 , wherein the sensor comprises a photoelectric sensor that responds to a visible or an invisible light, the invisible light is infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, or gamma rays, wherein the photoelectric sensor is based on the photoelectric or photovoltaic effect, and consists of, or comprises, a semiconductor component that consists of, or comprises, a photodiode, a phototransistor, or a solar cell, or wherein the photoelectric sensor is based on Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) element. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuator is directly or indirectly affecting, changing, producing, or creating a physical phenomenon. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 7 , wherein the physical phenomenon comprises temperature, humidity, pressure, audio, vibration, light, motion, sound, proximity, flow rate, electrical voltage, or electrical current. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the multiple microphones are arranged as a directional microphones array operative to estimate a number, magnitude, frequency, Direction-Of-Arrival (DOA), distance, or speed of the human voice impinging the microphones array. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the microphones is an omnidirectional, unidirectional, or bidirectional microphone that is based on the sensing an incident sound based motion of a diaphragm or a ribbon. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the microphones consists of, or comprises, a condenser, an electret, a dynamic, a ribbon, a carbon, or a piezoelectric microphone. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first device and the second device are each addressable in the wireless network or the Internet using distinct locally administered addresses or a universally administered digital addresses stored in a volatile or non-volatile memory of the respective device and uniquely identifying the respective device in the wireless network or in the Internet. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the digital address is a MAC layer address that is MAC-48, EUI-48, or EUI-64 address type or wherein the digital address is a layer 3 address and comprises static or dynamic IP address that is IPv4 or IPv6 type address. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the wireless network is a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), that is according to, or based on, Bluetooth™ or IEEE 802.15.1-2005 standards. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the wireless network is a wireless control network that is according to, or based on, Zigbee™, IEEE 802.15.4-2003, or Z-Wave™ standards. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the wireless network is a Wireless LAN (WLAN) that is according to, or base on, IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, or IEEE 802.11ac. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the wireless network uses a wireless communication over a licensed or an unlicensed radio frequency band, that is an Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio band. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the wireless network is a cellular telephone network, that is a Third Generation (3G) network that uses UMTS W-CDMA, UMTS HSPA, UMTS TDD, CDMA2000 1×RTT, CDMA2000 EV-DO, or GSM EDGE-Evolution, or wherein the cellular telephone network is a Fourth Generation (4G) network that uses HSPA+, Mobile WiMAX, LTE, LTE-Advanced, MBWA, or is based on IEEE 802.20-2008. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first device or the second device is integrated in, is part or, or is entirely included in, an appliance that is activated or controlled in response to the actuator command. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the primary functionality of the appliance is associated with food storage, handling, or preparation. 
     
     
         21 . The system according to  claim 20 , wherein the primary function of the appliance is heating food, and wherein the appliance is a microwave oven, an electric mixer, a stove, an oven, or an induction cooker. 
     
     
         22 . The system according to  claim 20 , wherein the appliance is a refrigerator, a freezer, a food processor, a dishwashers, a food blender, a beverage maker, a coffeemaker, or an iced-tea maker. 
     
     
         23 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the primary function of the appliance is associated with environmental control, and the appliance consists of, or is part of, an HVAC system. 
     
     
         24 . The system according to  claim 23 , wherein the primary function of the appliance is associated with temperature control, and wherein the appliance is an air conditioner or a heater. 
     
     
         25 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the primary function of the appliance is associated with cleaning, wherein the appliance primary function is associated with clothes cleaning and the appliance is a washing machine or a clothes dryer, or wherein the appliance is a vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         26 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the appliance is an answering machine, a telephone set, a home cinema system, a HiFi system, a CD or DVD player, an electric furnace, a trash compactor, a smoke detector, a light fixture, or a dehumidifier. 
     
     
         27 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuator is an electric light source for converting electrical energy into light. 
     
     
         28 . The system according to  claim 27 , wherein the electric light source emits, in response to the actuator command, a visible light for illumination or indication. 
     
     
         29 . The system according to  claim 27 , wherein the electric light source emits, in response to the actuator command, a non-visible light for illumination or indication, and wherein the non-visible light is infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, or gamma rays. 
     
     
         30 . The system according to  claim 27 , wherein the electric light source consists of, or comprises, a lamp, an incandescent lamp, a gas discharge lamp, a fluorescent lamp, a Solid-State Lighting (SSL), a Light Emitting Diode (LED), an Organic LED (OLED), a polymer LED (PLED), or a laser diode. 
     
     
         31 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a motion actuator that causes linear or rotary motion in response to the actuator command. 
     
     
         32 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a sounder for converting an electrical energy to omnidirectional, unidirectional, or bidirectional pattern emitted, audible or inaudible, sound waves in response to the actuator command. 
     
     
         33 . The system according to  claim 32 , wherein the sounder comprises an electromagnetic loudspeaker, a piezoelectric speaker, an electrostatic loudspeaker (ESL), a ribbon or planar magnetic loudspeaker, or a bending wave loudspeaker, or wherein the sounder comprises an electric bell, a buzzer (or beeper), a chime, a whistle or a ringer. 
     
     
         34 . The system according to  claim 32 , wherein the operating of the actuator in response to the actuator command comprises playing digital audio content that is pre-recorded or synthesized voice. 
     
     
         35 . The system according to  claim 32 , wherein the operating of the actuator in response to the actuator command comprises simulating the voice of a human being or generating music, or wherein the operating of the actuator comprises sounding a syllable, a word, a phrase, a sentence, a short story, or a long story, using male or female voice. 
     
     
         36 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first device further comprising an additional actuator coupled to the first wireless transceiver for being activated, operated, or controlled, in response to receiving an additional actuator command, and wherein the server device is operative to send the additional actuator command in response to the voice processing.