Method and system for transmitting data blocks to node devices in a network

Abstract

A method of transferring a data block to a node device in a network is disclosed. The network includes a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each of which supports both long-range communication and short-range communication. The method includes the steps of receiving, by at least one node device selected to receive the data block, at least a portion of the data block via long-range communication, receiving, by other node devices, an indication to receive the at least a portion of the data block via short-range communication, transferring, by the at least one selected node device, the at least a portion of the data block to the other node devices via short-range communication, and receiving, by one of the other node devices, the at least a portion of the data block via short-range communication.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically, to methods and systems for transmitting data blocks to node devices in a network comprising a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices. BACKGROUND

[0002] Electrical or electronic devices, for example, such as lighting devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices and devices supporting enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC), which all comprise data communication capabilities, are often deployed in networks consisting of a plurality of interconnected devices.

[0003] These devices, often referred to as node devices or end devices, typically operate a long-range communication interface, such as a network adapter or transceiver module, for data exchange with remote devices, such as a backend server, and a short-range communication interface, such as a transceiver module, for communication between node devices only, also referred to as inter-node communication.

[0004] The long-range communication interface can operate according to wireless mobile communication standards, for example, such as specified 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G cellular communication, including Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and other long-range wireless communication technologies, like Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) or dedicated communication technologies.

[0005] The short-range communication interface can operate according to network protocols for exchanging data by networked devices or nodes, for example, such as specified ZigBee TM , Bluetooth TM , and WiFi-based protocols for wireless networks, and wired bus networks, such as DALI TM (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface), DSI (Digital Serial Interface), DMX (Digital Multiplex), KNX (and KNX-based systems) and dedicated communication technologies and protocols.

[0006] A lighting system can employ a microcontroller unit (MCU) equipped with a wireless local area network interface, for example supporting Zigbee, Bluetooth or a dedicated protocol, as a lighting controller, and can use, for example, a cellular modem to enable connection to remote devices via a cellular network. The cellular network enables lighting management applications through remote devices, such as a backend server. At the same time, the local area network is planned for applications such as on-demand lighting.

[0007] The firmware of the lighting application in the MCU and the firmware of the cellular modem can need to be updated from time to time. Note that these firmware updates are typically relatively large, such as from 500KB to 10MB. Since the lighting device typically has a limited cellular subscription plan (e.g. 2MB / year), the lighting device will have difficulty handling the firmware update relying on its available cellular subscription plan. As a result, additional fees for the firmware download can arise, which is not truly desirable.

[0008] CN213693768U relates to a lamp controller and a node controller, both physically arranged together and both having a long distance communication interface. There is also a short distance communication interface arranged for data exchange between the lamp controller and the node controller. One of the two long distance communication interfaces is selectively closed, data is exchanged over the short distance data exchange path and the other one of the long distance communication interfaces.

[0009] KR20170121911A relates to firmware update of IoT devices using P2P. A firmware server divides firmware into a plurality of blocks and generates a block map specifying seed blocks to be distributed by a first IoT device. Then, the first IoT device distributes the blocks to other IoT devices.

[0010] US10809999B2 discloses that firmware upgrades can be provided to CIoT devices via a firmware pusher device. The firmware pusher device places the CIoT device in a download mode by communicating with a first radio of the CIoT device, the first radio receiving a request to be placed in the download mode via an eNB. The firmware pusher device can push firmware to the CIoT device via a second radio of the CIoT device.

[0011] WO2021136719A1 discloses that configuration of network nodes is initiated by a backend server by exchanging provisioning information with selected node devices using a long distance communication interface. The selected configured node devices can operate as configurators or proxies for other nodes by using a short distance communication interface.

[0012] Thus, there is indeed a need for a method of transferring data blocks from, for example, a remote device to a node device in a network at reduced cost, while ensuring that the data blocks are reliably and correctly transferred to the target node device. SUMMARY

[0013] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method of transferring data blocks to a node device in a network is proposed, the network comprising a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long distance communication and short distance communication, the method comprising the steps of:

[0014] receiving, by the at least one selected node device, at least a part of the data block via long-range communication;

[0015] receiving, by the other node devices, via long-range communication, an indication to receive the at least part of the data block via short-range communication;

[0016] transmitting, by the at least one selected node device, the at least part of the data block to the other node devices via short-range communication; and

[0017] receiving, by one of the other node devices, the at least part of the data block.

[0018] The present disclosure is based on the insight that a wireless local area network can be used to transmit data blocks between node devices in a network of interconnected node devices using short-range communication. Thereby, the approach allows a data block downloaded to one of the node devices in the network using long-range communication to be transmitted or forwarded to other node devices in the network using short-range communication without incurring additional long-range communication costs, such as costs for wireless communication.

[0019] This can conveniently be implemented in a network of interconnected node devices, wherein each node device supports both long-range communication and short-range communication. The node devices together with one or more remote devices providing the data block, such as a backend server, form a system for transmitting the data block, such as an over-the-air (OTA) firmware update typically of large size, to the node devices.

[0020] In particular, as a preparatory step, the backend device can first select a node device for receiving the data block using long-range communication. At the same time, the other node devices in the network that also have to receive the data block are informed by the remote device, e.g. by identifying the data block transmitted from the backend device to the other node devices also using long-range communication.

[0021] The data block is then transmitted, via long-range communication, in whole or in part from the same remote device or a different remote device to the selected node device, which then will transmit the received data block to the other node devices using short-range communication. The other node devices can thereby receive the data block using short-range communication without consuming the limited available bandwidth of long-range communication. If the other node devices cannot obtain the complete data from short-range communication, they can receive a small part of the data block using long-range communication.

[0022] Based on the above method, only the selected node devices will have a large amount of data traffic involving long distance communication, while the other node devices can save the available cellular subscription plan, as they use a local area network involving short distance communication to receive the data blocks.

[0023] Thus, the total data traffic via long distance communication, such as a cellular network, and the average data traffic per node device via the cellular network is greatly reduced, and also the cost of the mobile subscription fees is reduced.

[0024] As an example of the present disclosure, the at least one selected node device is selected by the remote device based on at least one of: a location of the node devices, a long distance communication data consumption, a long distance communication plan, and a short distance / long distance communication quality of service.

[0025] The remote device, such as a backend server in a lighting system, typically has the location coordinates of all node devices in the network. Thus, the server can decide, based on the location of the node devices, which node device should receive the data blocks by using long distance cellular network, and which nodes will receive the data blocks from peer nodes by using a wireless local area network.

[0026] Furthermore, the communication plan and data consumption status of the node devices can also be taken into account, allowing the remote device to select one or more node devices suitable for receiving the data blocks using long distance communication, without severely impairing other communication tasks involving long distance communication.

[0027] It is contemplated by the skilled person that other factors, such as the long distance and short distance communication quality of service of the node devices in the network, can also be taken into account by the remote device in order to ensure reliable transmission of the data blocks on both long distance communication and short distance communication, while avoiding transmission failures or waste of communication resources.

[0028] As an example of the present disclosure, two or more node devices are selected for receiving the data blocks via long distance communication, respectively;

[0029] The step of receiving, by the at least one selected node device, the at least part of the data blocks via long distance communication comprises receiving, by the selected node devices, different parts of the data blocks via long distance communication, respectively;

[0030] The step of transmitting, by the at least one selected node device, the at least part of the data blocks to the other node devices via short distance communication comprises transmitting, by each of the at least one selected node device, a respective received part of the data blocks via short distance communication; and

[0031] The step of receiving, by one of the other node devices, the at least one part of the data block comprises receiving, by one of the node devices, a different part of the data block from each of the at least one selected node device.

[0032] It can happen that a subscription plan of a cellular operator can have a limit on the maximum data volume per year or per month. It can also happen that the system needs to optimize the data traffic to be distributed to different nodes. In these cases, the remote device can split the data block into several parts and transmit these parts to different node devices selected for receiving the data block (via their cellular interface). These node devices will then transmit the data block parts they received to other node devices by using wireless local area network communication.

[0033] Thereby it is avoided that only one specific node consumes the data packets and still it is possible to download the data block to the node devices in the network without exceeding the data volume limit.

[0034] As can be expected by the skilled person, different nodes can receive and transmit the same part of the data block, which will help to improve the reliability of the transmission to other node devices using short distance communication.

[0035] In the above example, the step of transmitting by the at least one selected node device comprises transmitting, by the at least one selected node device, the different parts of the data block in a specific order.

[0036] This helps to ensure that the other node devices will receive the different parts of the data block in the correct order, which is advantageous to ensure the integrity of the data block.

[0037] In one example of the disclosure, the step of transmitting by the at least one selected node device is performed using a broadcast or multicast, which is preferably repeated multiple times.

[0038] In case of application scenarios involving relatively long inter-node distances and lower node density, such as streetlight applications, it can be convenient to use a broadcast or multicast type of message for distributing the data block from one node device to many other node devices, taking into account the fact that the data block has to be distributed from one or a few node devices to many other node devices.

[0039] In fact, the broadcast or multicast can be repeated multiple times. Since the transmission of the data block (part or whole) from the node device receiving the data from the backend device to the other node devices involves a one-to-many communication, a request and acknowledgement mechanism is not suitable to check if the delivery was successful. To enhance the robustness of long inter-node distance environments, each broadcast or multicast message can be repeated multiple times. If any of the repeated messages is received at the target node device, the message is successfully delivered.

[0040] The data block can be encrypted and protected via encryption and integrity checks by keys and signatures transmitted over the cellular network.

[0041] In one example of the disclosure, the at least a portion of the data block transmitted by the at least one selected node device is relayed by node devices in the network via short-range communication.

[0042] To extend the coverage of the messages used to transmit data blocks between node devices in a local area network, messages can be relayed by other nodes. The relaying feature can utilize a selected wireless communication protocol, with Bluetooth mesh being one example. Relay nodes are defined in the protocol and can be enabled or disabled by commands from the cellular network or the wireless local area network.

[0043] In one example of the disclosure, the method further comprises:

[0044] requesting, by one of the other node devices, the missing portion of the data block from the remote device; and

[0045] transmitting, by the remote device, the requested missing portion of the data block directly to one of the other node devices via long-range communication.

[0046] It can happen that one of the node devices that should receive a data block does not receive a portion of the data block due to, for example, loss of packets or disruption of the local area network. In that case, since the missing portion of the data block is relatively small, the node device can request the remote device to transmit the missing portion directly to it using long-range communication. This does not put too much of a burden on the data subscription plan available to the node device, while ensuring that the missing portion is obtained in a reliable manner.

[0047] Note that long-range communication and short-range communication can work simultaneously. As an example, the node device request for the backend server to send the missing piece of the data block using the cellular network can be between broadcast messages to transmit other portions of the data block to the node devices, or at the end of all broadcast messages.

[0048] In one example of the disclosure, the method further comprises:

[0049] storing, by one of the other node devices, the received portion of the data block to an internal or external storage device.

[0050] When the data block comprises a firmware update, the data block is stored locally so that any updates required by the firmware can be performed later (when the entire update file is received).

[0051] It can also happen that the data block is too large to be stored locally in the node device, for example in the internal or external memory of the MCU of the node device. In that case, in one example of the disclosure, the data block comprises a plurality of consecutive data segments, each data segment being stored by one of the other node devices upon reception of the data segment by the other node device via short-range communication, the method further comprising the steps of:

[0052] requesting the missing data segment directly from the remote device by one of the other node devices;

[0053] transmitting the requested missing data segment to the one of the other node devices by the remote device; and

[0054] transmitting at least one consecutive portion of the plurality of consecutive data segments to the external storage device by the one of the other node devices.

[0055] The external storage device can for example be the storage space of the long-range communication module of the node device, such as a cellular modem. The entire file can be transferred into the external storage module at once.

[0056] A possible way of operation would comprise the following steps: the node device receives a data segment from a peer node via the local area network. The MCU of the node device stores the received data segment in the buffer of the embedded or external flash memory. The missing segment is requested directly from the remote device by the node device. Then, the node device transmits the consecutive data segment to the external storage device. It can repeat the above steps to store the entire file in the external storage device.

[0057] In this way, a large file can be downloaded and stored in the node device despite the limited storage space of the MCU.

[0058] In one example of the disclosure, the long-range communication comprises wireless mobile communication.

[0059] In one example of the disclosure, the short-range communication comprises Bluetooth communication, Zigbee communication, Z-Wave communication or a proprietary communication.

[0060] In one example of the disclosure, the node device is a lighting device and the file is a firmware update to be received by the lighting device.

[0061] The method can advantageously be applied to a lighting system, such as a street lighting system involving many lighting devices, for downloading a firmware update to the MCU controller and the cellular modem of the lighting devices.

[0062] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a system for transferring a data block from a remote device to a node device in a network comprising a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long-range communication and short-range communication, wherein:

[0063] The at least one node device selected to receive the data block is configured to receive at least a portion of the data block via the long-range communication;

[0064] The other node devices are configured to receive, via the long-range communication, an indication to receive the at least a portion of the data block via the short-range communication;

[0065] The at least one selected node device is further configured to transfer, via the short-range communication, the at least a portion of the data block to the other node devices; and

[0066] Each of the other node devices is configured to receive the at least a portion of the data block from the at least one selected node device.

[0067] In one example, the system further comprises at least one remote device configured to:

[0068] The at least one node device is selected based on at least one of: a location of the node device, a long-range communication data consumption, a long-range communication plan, and a short-range / long-range communication quality of service.

[0069] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the one or more remote devices, such as a backend server, also coordinate with each other to transfer the data block partially or entirely to the selected node device, and also to transfer a small portion of the data block to one of the other node devices that requested the small portion from the remote device.

[0070] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0071] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be best understood from the following description with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts or components having the same or similar function or operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0072] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the system comprising a remote device, and a network comprising a plurality of interconnected node devices.

[0073] Figure 2An embodiment of a method of transmitting data blocks from a remote device to a node device in a network as shown in Figure 1

[0074] Figure 3 a and Figure 3 b schematically illustrates a remote device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which transmits data blocks to selected node devices in a network.

[0075] Figure 4 a and Figure 4 b schematically illustrates a selected node device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which transmits data blocks received from a remote device to other node devices in a network.

[0076] Figure 5 schematically illustrates a further module in a node device according to the present disclosure, which transmits a received portion of a data block to the node device.

[0077] Figure 6 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a node device according to the present disclosure, which is arranged to operate in a network of operably interconnected node devices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] Embodiments contemplated by the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The disclosed subject matter is not to be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the shown embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0079] In the following description, like reference numerals refer to same or similar parts of the system. Furthermore, the terms "file" and "data block" are used interchangeably.

[0080] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, which comprises a remote device 101 and a network 110 comprising a plurality of interconnected node devices 111-118. The network 110 can be, for example, a street lighting system comprising many lighting devices deployed along streets and roads in a city.

[0081] Each node device 111-118 comprises a short-range communication interface for supporting short-range communication with other node devices in the network 110 to enable, for example, on-demand lighting services. Each node device 111-118 further comprises a long-range communication interface for supporting long-range communication with the remote device 101, such as a backend server, for example via a telecommunication network or the Internet 102, in order to enable, for example, a light management application.

[0082] ​Firmware within a device, such as a micro control unit, MCU, implementing a short range communication interface, or a cellular modem implementing a long range communication interface, can be updated from time to time to facilitate smooth and normal operation of applications on the node device. The update can involve downloading a file including an update package to the node device from a remote device 101 or a different node device via a cellular network or the Internet 102.

[0083] Figure 2 An embodiment of a method 20 of transmitting a file from a remote device to a node device in a network as shown in Figure 1 Fig. 1 according to the present disclosure is schematically illustrated in the form of a flow chart.

[0084] At a preparation step 21, the remote device 101 selects at least one node device for receiving a file from the remote device 101 or from another remote device via long range communication, such as via a cellular network or the Internet 102.

[0085] In an exemplary lighting system, the backend server 101 has location coordinates of all node devices, i.e. lighting devices, in the network. Thus, the server 101 can decide, based on the location of the node devices, which node device should receive the file by using long range cellular network, and which nodes will receive the file by using short range communication via a local area network.

[0086] Furthermore, the communication resources available to each node device, such as the cellular communication plan, the data consumption status of the node device, and the short range communication quality of service between the node devices, can also be considered by the backend server 101, allowing the backend server 101 to select node devices suitable for receiving the file using long range communication without severely compromising other communication tasks involving long range communication.

[0087] As an example, the backend server 101 can select the node device 111 in the network 110 for receiving the file via its long range communication interface.

[0088] As another example, the backend server 101 can select two or even more node devices, such as the nodes 111 and 114, for receiving the file via their long range communication interfaces. This is in view of a scenario where the cellular subscription plan of the node devices can have a limit on the maximum data volume per year or per month. It can also be the case that the system requires optimizing data traffic by distributing the traffic to different node devices.

[0089] Thereafter, at a step 22, the selected node device receives at least a part of the file from the remote device via long range communication. It can be contemplated by the skilled person that the file can be transmitted in part or in whole to the selected node device.

[0090] Reference is made to Figure 3 (a), as an example, when multiple node devices, such as 111 and 114, are selected for receiving the file, the remote device, such as the backend server 101, splits the file to be transmitted into several parts and transmits each part to a different selected node device through long distance communication between the remote device and the node devices. This complies with the requirement of distributing the network traffic to different node devices. The transmission of the file from the backend server 101 to the selected node devices is illustrated by the dashed lines in the figure.

[0091] To ensure a more reliable transmission, the remote server can also transmit the same part of the file to two selected node devices.

[0092] Alternatively, reference is made to Figure 3 (b), the file can be transmitted to a single selected node device 111, which is advantageous for maintaining the integrity of the file.

[0093] At the same time, at step 23, other node devices in the network 110 that are also to receive the file, receive an indication of the file from the backend server.

[0094] As an example, in the case of Figure 3 (a), the node devices 112, 113, 115-117 that require the firmware update will receive an indication of the file from the backend server, such as a version number of the firmware and a length or size, which allows these node devices to know that they are waiting for this file.

[0095] As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the indication can also optionally include an identifier of the selected node device, which can facilitate the transmission of the file from the selected node device to the other node devices thereafter.

[0096] Alternatively, the indication can just be a simple instruction that the file update / data is to be sent by the node devices in the network, and each of the other node devices can decide for itself whether to receive the file or update.

[0097] In the case of Figure 3 (b), the node devices 112-116 will receive an indication of the file.

[0098] At step 24, one or more selected node devices, such as node device 111 or 114 or both, transmit the file (part thereof) they received from the backend device to the other node devices via short distance communication.

[0099] The short distance communication can be, for example, Bluetooth communication utilizing a Bluetooth mesh network. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other short distance communication protocols can be used, such as ZigBee, Z-Wave communication or a dedicated communication protocol.

[0100] For application scenarios such as streetlight applications, there are long pole-to-pole distances, low node device density, one-to-many communication between node devices. For such applications, it can be advantageous to use broadcast or multicast type messages to distribute a file from one node to many other nodes. Thus, one or more selected node devices can broadcast received file parts or the entire file to other node devices.

[0101] Reference Figure 4 (a) When multiple node devices, such as 111 and 114, are selected to receive a file from the backend server 101, each of the selected node devices 111 and 114 will broadcast a portion of the file it receives from the backend server 101 in the network. Figure 4 (b) Illustrates a scenario where only one selected node device 111 broadcasts the received file in the network.

[0102] To extend the coverage of the node devices 111 and 114, the file can be relayed by other nodes. The relaying feature can utilize a selected wireless communication protocol, such as a Bluetooth mesh network. The relaying nodes are defined in the protocol and can be enabled or disabled by commands from the cellular network or wireless local area network.

[0103] Due to the one-to-many communication for transmitting the file, a request and acknowledgement mechanism is not suitable to check for successful delivery. To enhance the robustness of the long pole-to-pole environment, each broadcast / multicast message is repeated multiple times. If any of the repeated messages is received at a target node, the message is considered to have been successfully transmitted. The file can be encrypted and protected by encryption and integrity checks via keys transmitted over the cellular network.

[0104] At step 25, the node devices that received the indication of the file at step 23 receive the file from the selected node device(s).

[0105] In the case of Figure 4 (a), the node device 111 that only received a portion of the file from the backend server 101 receives additional portions of the file from the node device 114, while it also receives the file portions transmitted by the node device 111. The other node devices 112, 113, 115 to 117 will receive file portions from both node devices 111 and 114. The node device 118 can also receive file portions from the node devices 111 and 114. It will not take any further action as the backend server did not inform it that it needs the file.

[0106] Each node device that requires a file and selects to receive it stores the file in a buffer in the MCU's embedded or external flash memory. Once all portions of the file have been successfully received by the node device, it will continue updating the MCU's firmware.

[0107] A fragment or portion of a file may not be received by the node device and is therefore considered lost. In this case, at step 26, the node device can request the backend server 101 to send that portion of the file directly to it using long-distance communication. Since only a portion of the file is transmitted directly from the backend server 101 to the node device, this will not consume many long-distance data packets available to the node device.

[0108] Figure 5 Other modules for transmitting files to a node device according to this disclosure are schematically illustrated.

[0109] Other modules may be, for example, the cellular modem 63 of node device 116, for receiving files via short-range communication. Typically, files are stored in the embedded or external flash memory 62 of the MCU 61 that supports the short-range communication interface of the node device. If a file is too large to be stored in the MCU's internal or external memory, it can be immediately transferred to another module of node device 116, such as the cellular modem 63.

[0110] Those skilled in the art will anticipate that the data blocks constituting a large file comprise multiple consecutive data segments. When node device 111 (which has received 64 files (such as a portion of a file comprising multiple consecutive data segments) from backend device 101 via long-distance communication) transmits 65 of that portion of the file to node device 116 via short-distance communication, the MCU of node device 116 will store or buffer the consecutive data segments in its internal or external memory 62.

[0111] When node device 116 detects a missing data segment, it continues to request the missing data segment directly from backend server 101. Backend server 101 will then directly transmit the requested missing data segment to node device 116. Then, when node device 116 has buffered enough segments, it can transmit at least one consecutive portion of multiple consecutive data segments to an external storage device, such as node device 116's cellular modem 63. The above steps can be repeated to transmit the entire file to another module of the node device. This allows node devices with limited MCU memory to store larger files.

[0112] Figure 6 An embodiment of a node device 40 configured according to the present disclosure is illustrated schematically. The node device 40 is arranged to operate in a network of operatively interconnected node devices.

[0113] The node device 40 comprises a control component or control device 410, and comprises a load such as a lighting luminaire or lighting device 420, including a lighting module 421 (preferably a light emitting diode (LED) lighting module or a plurality of LED lighting modules), the operation of which can be controlled from a remote control device (e.g. such as a remote or backend server (not shown)) or by a remote control device by the control device 410.

[0114] The control device 410 operates a long-range communication interface 441 (such as a first network adapter or transceiver Tx / Rx 1 module), which is for example implemented as part of a cellular modem, and which is arranged for direct wireless message exchange or data packets 442 with a remote control device or backend server. The long-range communication interface 441 is typically operated according to mobile communication system technology in licensed frequency bands (such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G cellular communication) and other long-range wireless communication technology (for example such as referred to as LoRaWAN communication). However, the long-range communication interface 441 can also operate according to a proprietary wireless communication protocol or technology.

[0115] The long-range communication interface 441 can also be arranged for wired message exchange 443, such as for data exchange over an Ethernet connection and the Internet, etc.

[0116] The control device 410 further operates a short-range communication interface 451 (such as a second network adapter or transceiver Tx / Rx 2 module), which is for example implemented as part of an MCU, and which is arranged for short-range wireless 452 or wired 453 message or data packet exchange with another node device in the network, i.e. so-called inter-node communication. Network protocols for exchanging data by networked devices or nodes can include ZigBee TM , Bluetooth TM , and WiFi-based protocols for wireless networks, as well as wired bus networks such as DALI TM (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface), DSI (Digital Serial Interface), DMX (Digital Multiplex), and KNX (or KNX-based systems) and other proprietary protocols.

[0117] The control device 410 further comprises at least one microprocessor μP or controller 445 and at least one data repository or storage or memory 446, in particular for storing address information of the node device itself and of other node devices, such as an identifier 447, ID, media access control, MAC, address and subscriber information of the node device. The repository 446 further stores network credentials of the network comprising the node device 40. Instead of the repository 446, a separate memory or storage accessible by the at least one processor or controller 445 can be provided.

[0118] The at least one microprocessor or controller 445 communicates with and controls the long-range communication interface 441, the short-range communication interface 451 and the at least one repository or storage 446 via an internal data communication and control bus 448 of the control device 410.

[0119] The at least one microprocessor or controller 445 can operate to perform the above-described methods when the node device 40 is deployed in a network as described with reference to the present disclosure.

[0120] The lighting luminaire or lighting device 420 is connected 444 to the data communication and control bus 448 and is controlled by the at least one microprocessor or controller 410 from the data communication and control bus 448.

[0121] The skilled person will understand that any electrical load, such as an access point device or a geo-routing device, can be connected 444 to the control bus in addition to or in addition to the lighting luminaire or lighting device 420.

[0122] The present disclosure is not limited to the examples disclosed above and can be modified and enhanced by the skilled person outside the scope of the present disclosure disclosed in the attached claims without necessarily applying the inventive technique and for any data communication, data exchange and data processing environment, system or network.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a data block in a network, the network comprising a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long-range communication and short-range communication, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, by a node device, via long-range communication, an indication to receive the data block via short-range communication; receiving, by the node device, via short-range communication, the data block from at least one other node device; and wherein the method further comprises: requesting, by the node device, via long-range communication, missing parts of the data block; and directly receiving, by the node device, via long-range communication, the requested missing parts of the data block.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other node device is selected by the remote device based on at least one of: a location of the node device, long-range communication data consumption, long-range communication plan, and short-range communication / long-range communication quality of service.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein two or more other node devices are selected for receiving the data block via long-range communication; receiving, by different selected node devices, via long-range communication, different parts of the data block; transmitting, by each of the selected node devices, via short-range communication, a respective received part of the data block; and receiving, by the node device, via short-range communication, the different parts of the data block from each of the selected node devices. the selected node devices transmit the different parts of the data block in a specific order.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of transmitting by the selected node devices is performed using a broadcast or multicast, which is repeated a number of times.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one part of the data block transmitted by at least one of the selected node devices is relayed via short-range communication by node devices in the network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of transmitting by each of the selected node devices comprises:

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: storing, by the node device, a received part of the data block to an internal or external storage device.

8. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the long-range communication comprises wireless mobile communication.

9. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the short-range communication comprises Bluetooth communication, Zigbee communication, Z-Wave communication, or a proprietary communication.

10. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the node devices are lighting devices, and the data block is a firmware update to be received by the lighting devices.

11. A system for transmitting a data block from a remote device to a node device in a network, the network comprising a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long-range communication and short-range communication, wherein: a node device is configured to receive, via long-range communication, an indication to receive the data block via short-range communication from at least one other device; ​ ​ ​ the at least one other node device is configured to receive at least a portion of the data block via long-range communication; the at least one other node device is configured to transmit the at least a portion of the data block to the node device via short-range communication; and the node device is configured to receive the at least a portion of the data block from the at least one other node device; wherein the node device is configured to request a missing portion of the data block via long-range communication; and the node device is configured to receive the missing portion of the data block via long-range communication.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein two or more other node devices are selected for receiving the data block via long-range communication; different selected node devices are configured to receive different portions of the data block via long-range communication; each of the selected node devices is configured to transmit a respective received portion of the data block via short-range communication; and the node device is configured to receive the different portions of the data block from each of the selected node devices via short-range communication.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the node device is configured to store a received portion of the data block to an internal storage device or an external storage device.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one remote device configured to: select the at least one other node device based on at least one of: a location of the node device, long-range communication data consumption, long-range communication plan, and short-range communication / long-range communication quality of service.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

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