Intelligent online linkage management and control system and management and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of Internet of Things, in particular to system optimization of an online linkage link of intelligent equipment. According to the technical scheme, the intelligent online linkage management and control system comprises a control terminal and a plurality of equipment terminals, and further comprises a gateway arranged locally; each equipment terminal comprises a slave Bluetooth module; the gateway comprises a total Bluetooth module and a control module which are in communication connection with the slave Bluetooth module; the control module is configured to be connected with and control the equipment terminal through the total Bluetooth module, and the control module is in communication connection with the control terminal. According to the intelligent online linkage management and control system and the management and control method thereof, the applicability of an application scene is improved, the energy consumption of the whole system, especially all equipment terminals, is reduced, the timeliness of online linkage is improved, the time delay is reduced, and the operation experience feeling of a user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of the Internet of Things (IoT), specifically to system optimization of the online linkage process of smart devices. Background Technology

[0002] The Internet of Things (IoT) originated in the media field. It refers to connecting any object to a network through information sensing devices and according to agreed-upon protocols. Objects exchange and communicate information through information transmission media to achieve functions such as intelligent identification, positioning, tracking, and monitoring. Initially, IoT technology was mainly applied to logistics and warehousing, solving the problems of real-time inventory and intelligent monitoring in warehouses. With the maturity of sensors and internet hardware and software, coupled with the decrease in communication costs, IoT technology is now more widely used in various consumer markets. For example, in home or office settings, users can easily control a device through a terminal, such as adjusting the brightness of a light bulb using a mobile phone.

[0003] Furthermore, with the advancement of IoT technology, online linkage technology has emerged in this scenario. In IoT, online linkage specifically refers to multiple devices connecting in real-time via the cloud, sharing data, and collaboratively triggering automated operations to form a dynamically responsive intelligent network. Its core is to break down single-point control, enabling devices to achieve cross-scenario linkage based on preset rules without human intervention. Users can issue a command on a single terminal to achieve coordinated actions across multiple devices, supporting the order of these actions. For example, a user issuing a command on their phone to "enter reading mode" will close the smart curtains, raise the height of the adjustable desk to a set level, turn on the smart lamp to a preset brightness, and play background music at a preset volume using the smart speaker.

[0004] The online linkage function is implemented as follows: each device terminal connects to the public network via its own Wi-Fi module, the manufacturer sets up the control system in the cloud, and the user configures the APP on the operating terminal. The user first sets the action sequence and linkage logic of each device terminal in the APP, and the device terminal uploads its own data to the cloud via the Wi-Fi network. The control system verifies, judges, calculates and outputs the data, and then controls the next device terminal to turn on and off via Wi-Fi.

[0005] However, this technical solution has the following drawbacks: First, its application scenarios are limited. Since the control system is located in the cloud, the entire IoT network needs to be connected to the public internet, making it unsuitable for scenarios with only a local area network. Second, there are brand limitations. The operating system is often hosted on a specific brand's cloud platform, leading to access restrictions or even complete inability for other brands of smart devices. Third, power consumption is high. Each device terminal needs to maintain a constant Wi-Fi connection, resulting in significant power consumption, especially for battery-powered devices. Fourth, and most importantly, latency is long. This is because command data needs to pass sequentially through the device terminal, local router, carrier server, and finally to the manufacturer's cloud server, where it is processed and then transmitted back to the next device terminal. The entire communication path is complex and lengthy, extending the time required for coordinated actions. In cases of poor network quality, the latency can even exceed 3 seconds, resulting in a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an intelligent online linkage control system and its control method, which increases the applicability of application scenarios, reduces the energy consumption of the entire system, especially of each device terminal, increases the timeliness of online linkage, reduces latency, and enhances the user's operating experience.

[0007] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: an intelligent online linkage control system, comprising a control terminal and multiple device terminals, and also comprising a gateway deployed locally; Each of the aforementioned device terminals includes a Bluetooth module; The gateway includes a main Bluetooth module and a control module for communicating with the secondary Bluetooth module; the control module is configured to connect to and control the device terminal through the main Bluetooth module, and the control module communicates with the control terminal. The control module includes a linkage editing unit, which is used to customize the linkage actions of each device terminal.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control module includes a verification unit. When the device terminal is connected to the gateway, the verification unit is configured to verify the legitimacy of the device terminal. After successful verification, the device terminal is defined as a registered device, allowing the gateway to control it.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, during the process of the verification unit verifying the legitimacy of the device terminal, the device terminal sends device identity information to the verification unit, and the verification unit queries whether the identity information exists in the pre-authorization list. If it does not exist, the verification fails.

[0010] As a preference of the present invention, the identity information includes the serial number, identification code, product category information, and local MAC address information of the device terminal.

[0011] As a preference of the present invention, the verification unit also verifies whether the information format of the identity information conforms to the communication format specified by the gateway. If not, the verification fails.

[0012] As a preference of the present invention, the master Bluetooth module is a high-power Bluetooth module, and the slave Bluetooth module is a BLE Bluetooth module.

[0013] As a preference of the present invention, when each control terminal completes the linkage action, the action data of each control terminal is relayed through the gateway, and the control terminals do not communicate directly with each other.

[0014] As a preference of the present invention, the local gateway further includes a cloud communication module for connecting to a cloud server, and the control terminal is communicatively connected to the cloud server.

[0015] As a preference of the present invention, the communication data between the gateway and the device terminal adopts the JSON data format.

[0016] The control method of the intelligent online linkage control system The gateway enters the scanning mode, the device terminal enters the pairing mode, and the device terminal is communicatively connected to the gateway; The gateway sets all the connected device terminals as registered devices; The control terminal is communicatively connected to the linkage editing unit to set the linkage actions of each device terminal; The gateway controls the operation of each device terminal in sequence according to the linkage action.

[0017] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. Under this technical solution, since the verification, calculation, transfer, and control of data are not completed by the cloud, but by the local gateway as the calculation entity, there is no need to rely on connecting to the Internet, increasing the applicability.

[0018] 2. The transfer of data is between local intelligent devices and the local gateway, with low latency, increasing the speed of linkage actions and improving the user experience.

[0019] 3. The intelligent device and the local gateway rely on Bluetooth communication instead of WIFI communication, and the Bluetooth energy consumption is greatly reduced compared to WIFI communication.

[0020] 4. The intelligent device adopts BLE Bluetooth, reducing the procurement cost and usage energy consumption of the Bluetooth module of the intelligent device.

[0021] 5. The local gateway uses high-power Bluetooth to ensure a long communication distance and strong gateway performance in the technical solution, thereby increasing the stability of the implementation of the technical solution.

[0022] 6. The local gateway uses a high-power Bluetooth module, which is compatible with older devices and improves the system's scalability and versatility.

[0023] 7. The local gateway verifies the legitimacy of smart devices, which can prevent unpurchased / unauthorized devices from accessing the network, and also prevent forged data packets or malicious attacks.

[0024] 8. Linkage records, usage records, and offline / online records can all be stored locally on the gateway to ensure user privacy. Additionally, since the gateway is connected to the internet, all records can also be stored in the cloud to ensure data security.

[0025] 9. Multiple local gateways can be connected using routers or switches to improve system scalability. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a system schematic diagram of Example 1; Figure 2 This is a system schematic diagram of the gateway in Implementation Example 1; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the method flow of Example 1. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] This specific embodiment is merely an explanation of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art can make modifications to this embodiment without contributing any inventive step, but such modifications are protected by patent law as long as they are within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0029] Example 1, such as Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 A hardware schematic diagram of an intelligent online linkage control system has been drawn. The diagram includes multiple device terminals, namely intelligent devices 1-6 in the diagram. Each intelligent device is an Internet of Things (IoT) intelligent device equipped with sensors. Taking an office scenario as an example, intelligent device 1 is an intelligent access control system, intelligent device 2 is an intelligent office chair, intelligent device 3 is an intelligent automatic window, intelligent device 4 is an air conditioner, intelligent device 5 is a computer, and intelligent device 6 is a projector.

[0030] A cloud server is a remote computing service based on cloud computing technology. It is a virtual computer located in a data center and accessible anytime via the internet. Through resource pooling, distributed architecture, and elastic scaling technology, it provides users with on-demand computing power. Cloud servers possess abundant computing resources and are a core infrastructure of the digital age. In this embodiment, mature cloud servers on the market can be selected, such as Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, and Huawei Cloud; this document does not impose any restrictions.

[0031] A control terminal is a device held by the user for sending control commands and viewing system status. Examples include PDAs, smartphones, and mobile computers; this article uses a smartphone as an example. The core device is... Figure 1 The gateway in the middle. In terms of hardware, a gateway is an embedded computer, typically housing a central processing unit, storage unit, security encryption chip, communication module, etc. Depending on the application scenario, there are consumer-grade smart gateways, such as the Xiaomi multi-functional gateway, and industrial-grade smart gateways, such as Advantech gateways and Huawei gateways.

[0032] A key feature of this embodiment is that the data processing center is located in the local gateway, rather than in the cloud server. The local gateway is configured as follows in this case: Figure 2 As shown, in addition to some conventional hardware and software modules, such as alarm module, heat dissipation module and storage unit, the most important module in this case is the inclusion of three important modules: main Bluetooth module, control module and cloud communication module.

[0033] The following text combines Figure 1 and Figure 2 Hardware settings to Figure 3 The workflow shown is explained in detail.

[0034] like Figure 3As shown, step 101 establishes the communication connection between the device terminal and the gateway. Each smart device includes a secondary Bluetooth module for communicating with the main Bluetooth module of the local gateway. In terms of hardware structure, the former uses BLE Bluetooth, meaning it uses the Bluetooth Low Energy communication protocol; in terms of hardware chips, it uses physical chips that support the BLE protocol, such as the Nordic nRF5340 or TI CC2652R7, which support BLE 5.4 and BLE 5.3 respectively, offering the advantage of very low power consumption. The latter, the main Bluetooth module, uses a high-power Bluetooth module. The high-power Bluetooth module is compatible with the classic Bluetooth BR / EDR protocol or the dual-mode Bluetooth 4.0+ Classic protocol; in terms of hardware chips, it uses high-power RF chips, such as the Qualcomm QCC5151 or Cypress CYW20706. This setup offers three technical advantages: First, reduced costs. These costs include both usage and procurement costs. The number of device terminals is large; in this embodiment, there are only six, but in some large-scale industrial applications, the number would be much greater. The procurement cost of BLE chips is relatively low, and the operating cost is low because the power consumption of BLE Bluetooth on these numerous devices is controllable, significantly reducing power consumption compared to existing Wi-Fi communication modules. Secondly, using a high-power Bluetooth module in the local gateway ensures a long communication distance and strong gateway performance, increasing the stability of the solution. Thirdly, using a high-power Bluetooth module in the local gateway ensures compatibility with older devices, such as Bluetooth 2.0 printers.

[0035] The gateway enters Bluetooth scanning mode, and the device enters Bluetooth pairing mode. They can automatically discover and connect, thus initiating the registration process.

[0036] After the two connections are successfully established, the verification process begins. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the control module includes a verification unit. The device terminal sends an identity information data packet to the gateway, which includes the device's SN number, UID number, product category, and local MAC address.

[0037] After receiving the identity information data packet via Bluetooth communication, the verification unit verifies the data. If the verification is successful, it sends a gateway data packet to the device terminal. If the verification fails, the connection is closed.

[0038] The verification process in this embodiment involves two aspects: verification of the device's identity legitimacy and verification of the communication protocol compliance. The former checks whether the device terminal's SN, UID, and MAC address are in the gateway's pre-stored database of legitimate devices, preventing unauthorized or unpurchased devices from accessing the network. The latter ensures that the data packets sent by the device terminal conform to the communication format specified by the gateway, such as field order and encryption method, to prevent forged data packets or malicious attacks.

[0039] If the verification passes, the gateway sends a gateway data packet to the device terminal. This packet may contain the current network time, gateway description information, and gateway MAC address information. Upon receiving this data, the device terminal returns a response. At this point, in step 102, the gateway has set the connected and verified device terminal as a registered device, and the device terminal has also obtained some calibration information, such as network time. Figure 1 As shown, smart devices 1-5 successfully passed authentication and became registered devices, while smart device 6 failed authentication and disconnected.

[0040] In this embodiment, the data format between the device terminal and the gateway is JSON. JSON, JavaScript Object Notation, is a lightweight data exchange format primarily used for storing and transmitting structured data. JSON is language and platform independent; JSON parsers and libraries support different programming languages, and the syntax is highly extensible, facilitating future feature upgrades without requiring modifications to the protocol stack.

[0041] Then, in step 103, the control terminal communicates with the linkage editing unit to set the linkage actions of each device terminal. Specifically, in this embodiment, the control terminal can be a user's mobile phone with a built-in APP. The user's mobile phone can connect to the gateway via various wireless methods, which are not limited herein. The user edits the linkage actions through the linkage editing unit. For example, in this embodiment, the linkage action is: when smart device 1, the smart access control system, detects a person entering the conference room, then smart device 2, the smart office chair, rises and falls to a preset height, and smart device 3, the window closes. After the window closes, smart device 4 turns on the air conditioner, and smart device 5 turns on the television. The entire above action constitutes the linkage action. Some actions depend on the completion of the previous action, while others are independent. Both independence and dependence can be adjusted and set through the APP.

[0042] At this point, all setup work is complete, and step 104 is the usage step. In this step, the conditions for the linkage action mentioned above are triggered, that is, the smart access control recognizes that a person has entered the conference room. Then, the gateway will control each device terminal to implement the linkage action set in the linkage editing unit in sequence.

[0043] It should be noted that in the communication management of this embodiment, direct communication does not occur between device terminals. This is because the BLE Bluetooth used only supports one-to-one communication. Additionally, if direct communication occurred between device terminals, the gateway device would be unable to record behaviors.

[0044] Therefore, to meet all functional requirements, communication between device terminals is all forwarded by the gateway. Using this method, all linkage actions will be recorded on the gateway, meeting the requirements for historical records. Due to the low latency in Bluetooth communication, even though the communication path involves a forwarding action, the user will not feel the latency in terms of user experience.

[0045] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, in addition to supporting direct connection between the control terminal and the local gateway, remote connection is also supported. The gateway contains a cloud communication module, which includes wireless communication and wired communication, namely the WLAN module and the RJ45 interface, enabling the control unit to communicate with the cloud server wirelessly or by wire. The gateway can run a web service, and the control panel can be accessed using the https method, and linkage configuration can also be performed on its panel. Linkage records, usage records, offline / online records, etc. can all be stored locally on the gateway to ensure user privacy. At the same time, since the gateway can be connected to the network, all records can also be optionally stored in the cloud to ensure data security.

[0046] This invention also supports centralized management. In an office scenario or a factory scenario, sometimes it is necessary to uniformly control all devices to turn on or off a certain function. In the linkage mode of this product, all devices connected to the gateway can be uniformly controlled in the administrator mode of the gateway. Example: In a meeting room scenario, after the meeting ends, the meeting table is uniformly adjusted to the same height, and the office chairs uniformly turn off the massage mode, etc.

[0047] In summary, under this technical solution, since the verification, calculation, transfer, and control of data are not completed by the cloud, but rather the local gateway serves as the calculation entity, there is no need to rely on connecting to the Internet, increasing applicability. And the transfer of data is between local intelligent devices and the local gateway, with low latency, increasing the speed of linkage actions and enhancing the user experience. The intelligent device and the local gateway rely on Bluetooth communication rather than WIFI communication, and the energy consumption of Bluetooth is greatly reduced compared to WIFI communication. Additionally, since the intelligent device uses BLE Bluetooth, the energy consumption is further reduced.

[0048] Example 2 differs from Example 1 in that it further increases the system scale by using gateway cascading. In office or factory scenarios, since all devices are widely distributed, possibly in different rooms or even different factory buildings, the connection distance is limited if these devices are connected to the same gateway, leading to unstable connections or disconnections. Therefore, the gateway devices support interconnection via wired and wireless LANs, meaning multiple gateway devices can be connected using a router or switch. An Ethernet LAN is then created on top of the Bluetooth LAN composed of multiple smart devices. Thus, a larger number of smart devices can be supported within the same interconnected LAN.

Claims

1. An intelligent online linkage control system, comprising a control terminal and multiple device terminals, characterized in that: It also includes a locally deployed gateway; Each of the aforementioned device terminals includes a Bluetooth module; The gateway includes a main Bluetooth module and a control module for communicating with the secondary Bluetooth module; the control module is configured to connect to and control the device terminal through the main Bluetooth module, and the control module communicates with the control terminal. The control module includes a linkage editing unit, which is used to customize the linkage actions of each device terminal.

2. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module includes a verification unit. When the device terminal connects to the gateway, the verification unit is configured to verify the legitimacy of the device terminal. If the verification is successful, the device terminal is defined as a registered device, allowing the gateway to control it.

3. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: During the process of the verification unit verifying the legitimacy of the device terminal, the device terminal sends device identity information to the verification unit. The verification unit queries whether the identity information exists in the pre-authorization list. If it does not exist, the verification fails.

4. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The identity information includes the device terminal's serial number, identification code, product category information, and local MAC address information.

5. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The verification unit also verifies whether the information format of the identity information conforms to the communication format specified by the gateway. If it does not conform, the verification fails.

6. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main Bluetooth module is a high-power Bluetooth module, and the slave Bluetooth module is a BLE Bluetooth module.

7. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When each of the control terminals completes the linkage action, the action data of each control terminal is forwarded through the gateway, and the control terminals do not communicate directly with each other.

8. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The local gateway also includes a cloud communication module, which is used to connect to a cloud server, and the control terminal communicates with the cloud server.

9. The intelligent online linkage control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication data between the gateway and the device terminal uses JSON data format.

10. The control method of the intelligent online linkage control system according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: The gateway enters scanning mode, the device terminal enters pairing mode, and the device terminal establishes a communication connection with the gateway. The gateway sets all connected device terminals as registered devices. The control terminal is communicatively connected to the linkage editing unit, and the linkage actions of each device terminal are set. The gateway controls the operation of each device terminal in sequence according to the linkage action.

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