Home monitoring method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided is a home monitoring method and apparatus. A home gateway executes receiving, from a mobile terminal, a request message for requesting home monitoring, providing, to the mobile terminal in response to the request message, monitoring information associated with a camera module included in at least one home device registered in advance and/or a position to be monitored, receiving, from the mobile terminal, selection information indicating a first camera module selected based on the monitoring information, transmitting, to the mobile terminal, image data captured and collected by the first camera module in response to the reception of the selection information, receiving, from the mobile terminal, a control command with respect to the first camera module, and transmitting the control command to a first home device including the first camera module.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A home monitoring method by a home gateway included in a home network system, the method comprising:
 receiving, from a mobile terminal, a request message for requesting home monitoring;   providing, to the mobile terminal in response to the request message, monitoring information associated with a camera module included in at least one home device registered in advance and/or a position to be monitored;   receiving, from the mobile terminal, selection information indicating a first camera module selected based on the monitoring information;   transmitting, to the mobile terminal, image data captured and collected by the first camera module in response to the reception of the selection information;   receiving, from the mobile terminal, a control command with respect to the first camera module; and   transmitting the control command to a first home device including the first camera module.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving an abnormal signal indicating that an abnormal circumstance is sensed, from at least one sensing module registered in the home network system;   transmitting, to the mobile terminal, a warning message indicating that an abnormal circumstance occurs in response to the reception of the abnormal signal; and   transmitting, to the mobile terminal, image data captured by a second camera module located in a section where the abnormal circumstance is sensed.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring information includes at least one of identification information of a place to be monitored, a position, a type, and a state of each camera module, a thumbnail still image or a thumbnail video of image data collected by each camera module. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the control command includes at least one of an adjusting command for adjusting a direction and a zooming-in/out command for a stationary camera, and a left/right rotation command, a forward/backward movement command, and a zooming in/out command for a mobile camera. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the mobile terminal, a control command with respect to the second camera module; and   transmitting the control command to a second home device including the second camera module.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein, when the occurrence of the abnormal signal does not belong to at least one normal scenario registered in advance, the method includes determining transmission of the warning message to the mobile terminal in response to the reception of the abnormal signal. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising at least one of:
 storing movement commands to enable at least one mobile home device that is included in the home network system and includes a camera module to arrive on at least one position set in advance; and   controlling at least one mobile home device including a camera module to move to a position where the abnormal circumstance is sensed, in response to the reception of the abnormal signal.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, from at least one sensing module registered in the home network system, an abnormal signal indicating that an abnormal circumstance is sensed;   commanding at least one camera module included in the home network system to record and report image data, in response to the reception of the abnormal signal;   determining whether the abnormal circumstance occurs by analyzing the image data collected from the at least one camera module and a state of the at least one sensing module included in the home network system; and   transmitting, to the mobile terminal, a warning message indicating that an abnormal circumstance occurs and/or the image data when it is determined that the abnormal circumstance occurs.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
 storing movement commands to enable at least one mobile home device that is included in the home network system and includes a camera module to arrive on at least one position set in advance;   controlling the at least one mobile device to move to the at least one position set in advance so as to record image data and execute a sensing function when a security mode is executed; and   controlling the at least one mobile device to patrol between a docking position and the at least one position set in advance so as to record image data and execute a sensing function when the security mode is executed.   
     
     
         10 . A home monitoring method by a mobile terminal that is registered in a home gateway included in a home network system, the method comprising:
 transmitting a request message for requesting home monitoring to the home gateway;   receiving, from the home gateway, monitoring information associated with a camera module included in at least one home device registered in advance and/or a position where sensing is to be performed, in response to the transmission of the request message;   transmitting, to the home gateway, selection information indicating a first camera module selected based on the monitoring information;   receiving, from the home gateway, image data captured and collected by the first camera module, in response to the transmission of the selection information; and   transmitting, to the home gateway, a control command input by a user with respect to the first camera module.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the home gateway, a warning message indicating that an abnormal circumstance is sensed by at least one sensing module registered in the home network system;   executing an alarm operation to enable a user to recognize that the abnormal circumstance occurs in the home network system, in response to the reception of the warning message; and   receiving, from the home gateway, image data captured by a second camera module located in a section where the abnormal circumstance is sensed, together with the warning message, and displaying the image data on a screen.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the monitoring information includes at least one of a position, a type, and a state of each camera module registered in the home network system, a thumbnail still image or a thumbnail video of image data collected by each camera module. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 displaying thumbnail images of image data collected by a plurality of camera modules registered in the home network system, based on the monitoring information;   displaying a title area including at least one of a position, a type, and a state of each camera module, together with each thumbnail image;   displaying, in an enlarged size, image data of a corresponding third camera module when a user gesture is sensed on one of the thumbnail images or titles;   displaying a title area including at least one of a position, a type, and a state of the third camera module, together with image data provided in the enlarged size; and   displaying at least one of a list area including a thumbnail image of image data collected by at least one different camera module and a title area, and a control area that receives an input of a control command for the third camera module, together with the image data provided in the enlarged size.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the control command includes at least one of an adjusting command for adjusting a direction and a zooming-in/out command for a stationary camera, and a left/right rotation command, a forward/backward movement command, and a zooming in/out command for a mobile camera. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein executing the alarm operation comprises at least one of:
 displaying a text message on a screen;   flashing a Light Emitting Diode (LED);   generating a warning sound;   generating a vibration;   automatically executing a remote controlling application for home monitoring; and   displaying a shortcut for executing the remote controlling application.   
     
     
         16 . A home gateway apparatus that supports home monitoring in a home network system, the apparatus comprising:
 a network interface module that receives a request message for requesting home monitoring from a mobile terminal, provides, to the mobile terminal, monitoring information associated with a camera module included in at least one home device registered in advance and/or a position to be monitored, in response to the request message, receives, from the mobile terminal, selection information indicating a first camera module selected based on the monitoring information, transmits, to the mobile terminal, image data captured and collected from the first camera module in response to the reception of the selection information, and receives a control command with respect to the first camera module from the mobile terminal; and   at least one communication module that is configured to enable communication with a camera module included in at least one home device registered in the home network system, and that transmits the control command to a first home device equipped with the first camera module.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein, when an abnormal signal indicating that an abnormal circumstance is sensed is received from at least one sensing module registered in the home network system through the communication module, the network interface module transmits, to the mobile terminal, a warning message indicating that an abnormal circumstance occurs in response to reception of the abnormal signal, and transmits, to the mobile terminal, image data captured by a second camera module located in a section where the abnormal circumstance is sensed, together with the warning message. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a storage unit that stores movement commands to enable at least one mobile home device that is included in the home network system and includes a camera module to arrive on at least one position set in advance; and   a controller that controls at least one mobile home device including a camera module to move to a position where the abnormal circumstance is sensed, in response to the reception of the abnormal signal.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a storage unit that stores movement commands to enable at least one mobile home device that is included in the home network system and includes a camera module to arrive on at least one position set in advance; and   a controller that controls the at least one mobile device to move to the at least one position set in advance so as to record image data and to execute a sensing function when a security mode is executed, and that controls the at least one mobile device to patrol between a docking position and the at least one position set in advance so as to record image data and to execute a sensing function when the security mode is executed.   
     
     
         20 . A mobile terminal apparatus that executes home monitoring through a home gateway included in a home network system, the mobile terminal apparatus comprising:
 a mobile communication module that transmits a request message for requesting home monitoring to the home gateway through wireless and wired networks, receives, from the home gateway, monitoring information associated with a camera module included in at least one home device registered in advance and/or a position to be monitored, in response to the transmission of the request message, transmits, to the home gateway, selection information indicating a first camera module selected based on the monitoring information, receives, from the home gateway, image data captured and collected by the first camera module, in response to the transmission of the selection information, and transmits, to the home gateway, a control command input by a user with respect to the first camera module; and   a display module that displays the image data.   
     
     
         21 . The mobile terminal apparatus of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 a controller that receives, from the home gateway through the mobile communication module, a warning message indicating that an abnormal circumstance is sensed by at least one sensing module registered in the home network, executes an alarm operation to enable a user to recognize that the abnormal circumstance occurs in the home network system, in response to the reception of the warning message, receives, from the home gateway, image data captured by a second camera located in a section where the abnormal circumstance is sensed, together with the warning message, and controls the display module to display the image data.