Appliance with a keep-alive unit for maintaining a communication connection

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical appliance (110), in particular a domestic appliance, which comprises at least one electrically operated component for providing a function of the appliance (110). The appliance (110) comprises a communication unit (112) which is designed to provide, via a physical transmission medium (203), a data transmission connection (113) to a corresponding external communication unit (122), and further comprises a control unit (111) which is designed to establish a communication connection to an external server (150) in the active mode via the data transmission connection (113) provided by the communication unit (112). The appliance (110) also comprises a keep-alive unit (300) which is designed, when the appliance (110) is on network standby, in which the control unit (111) is in sleep mode, to effect a keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection to the external server (150).

Description

[0001] Device with a keep-alive unit to maintain a communication connection

[0002] The invention relates to a device, in particular a household appliance, with a keep-alive unit for maintaining a communication connection, in particular an Internet communication connection, between the device and a server.

[0003] A device, in particular a household appliance, may optionally have a permanent communication connection, in particular a TCP / IP communication connection and / or a communication connection based on the WebSocket protocol, with an Internet server, e.g. to enable a user of the device to remotely control the device using a wireless electronic user device, such as a smartphone. The device may be coupled to a router, e.g. a NAT (Network Address Translation) router, via a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), and the router may be connected to the server via a WAN (Wide Area Network). The communication connection between the device and the server can thus be provided indirectly via a WLAN router.

[0004] The communication connection between the device and the server may be interrupted after a relatively long period of inactivity. This may be caused by the wireless router, for example, due to a limitation on the maximum number of communication connections that can be provided via the wireless router. The interruption of the communication connection may impair the convenience and / or reliability of remote control of the device.

[0005] This document addresses the technical task of maintaining an energy-efficient and reliable communication link between a device and a server, in particular to increase the convenience, reliability and energy efficiency of remote control of the device.

[0006] The object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent patent claim. Advantageous embodiments are defined in particular in the dependent patent claims, described in the following description, or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0007] According to one aspect, an electrical device is described that comprises at least one electrically operated component for providing a function of the device. The device can be a household appliance, in particular a washing machine, a dryer, a kitchen appliance, a cooking appliance, a dishwasher, an oven, a mop, a vacuum cleaner, and / or a refrigerator.

[0008] The device comprises a communication unit configured to provide a data transmission connection with a corresponding external communication unit via a physical transmission medium, in particular via radio or electromagnetic waves. The communication unit can be configured, for example, to provide a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) data transmission connection with the external communication unit, in particular with a WLAN access point. The external communication unit can be part of a router, in particular a NAT (Network Address Translation) router.

[0009] The device further comprises a control unit configured, in the active mode of the control unit, to establish a communication connection with an external server, in particular with an internet server, via the data transmission connection provided by the communication unit. The communication connection can be a TCP / IP communication connection. The communication connection can be designed for remote control of the device. The control unit is typically further configured, in the active mode, to control the electrically operated component to provide the function of the device (in order to provide the function of the device). The control unit can be implemented using a microprocessor (MPU) and / or microcontroller (MCU).

[0010] Furthermore, the device comprises a keep-alive unit (separate from the control unit) configured to initiate a keep-alive process to maintain the communication connection with the external server during a network standby of the device, in which the control unit is in sleep mode. The keep-alive process may comprise the (repeated) sending of keep-alive messages (in particular TCP messages and / or WegSocket messages) over the communication connection. In particular, the keep-alive process may be limited to sending keep-alive messages and, if applicable, corresponding confirmation messages. The term "maintenance" may be used instead of the term "keep-alive."

[0011] The control unit is typically configured such that the control unit has lower energy consumption in sleep mode than in active mode. Furthermore, the control unit can be configured such that the control unit does not perform and / or cannot perform any activity related to the communication connection with the external server in sleep mode.

[0012] As already explained above, the control unit can be configured to establish a TCP / IP communication connection with the external server. The keep-alive unit can then be configured to initiate a TCP keep-alive process to maintain the TCP / IP communication connection with the external server. Alternatively or additionally, a communication connection based on the WebSocket protocol can be established with the external server. The WebSocket protocol is a protocol located at the application layer. In this case, the keep-alive unit can be configured to initiate a WebSocket keep-alive process, in particular a WebSocket ping / pong process, to maintain the WebSocket-based communication connection with the external server.

[0013] Thus, a device is described that, in addition to a control unit (for establishing a communication connection), has a dedicated keep-alive unit (if applicable) for performing the keep-alive process to maintain the communication connection (which allows the control unit to be put into sleep mode). This allows the communication connection to be maintained in an energy-efficient and reliable manner, enabling reliable remote control of the device.

[0014] The control unit and the keep-alive unit are preferably each implemented on different microprocessors and / or microcontrollers, in particular such that the keep-alive unit and the control unit can be operated independently of each other in the respective active mode or sleep mode. Due to its limited range of functions, the keep-alive unit can typically be implemented on a relatively small microprocessor and / or microcontroller, thereby enabling a particularly energy-efficient network standby of the device.

[0015] The communication unit and the keep-alive unit can, if necessary, be implemented on a common chip, microprocessor, and / or microcontroller. This can result in a particularly efficient implementation of the keep-alive unit.

[0016] The keep-alive unit can be configured such that the keep-alive unit performs no activities other than the keep-alive process, in particular no activities related to the communication connection with the external server. Alternatively or additionally, the keep-alive unit can be limited to performing the keep-alive process to maintain the communication connection with the external server. By providing a keep-alive unit with a limited range of functions (to the keep-alive process), a particularly energy-efficient network standby mode of the device can be achieved.

[0017] The keep-alive unit may be configured, as part of the keep-alive process, to repeat, in particular at a specified repetition rate,

[0018] • to send keep-alive messages via the communication connection to the server, in particular to the server’s IP address; and / or

[0019] • to receive keep-alive messages sent from the server via the communication connection and, in response thereto, to send a confirmation message to confirm receipt of the respective keep-alive message via the communication connection to the server, in particular to the IP address of the server.

[0020] The keep-alive process can be limited to one or more of these activities (especially sending keep-alive messages). This can further increase the device's energy efficiency in network standby.

[0021] The control unit can be configured to determine one or more operating parameters for the keep-alive process in the active mode, particularly when establishing the communication connection with the external server. The one or more operating parameters can include:

[0022] • the repetition rate for sending keep-alive messages; and / or

[0023] • the confirmation time for receiving a confirmation message in

[0024] Response to the sending of a keep-alive message; and / or

[0025] • the address, in particular the IP address, of the external server for a keep-alive message to be sent.

[0026] Furthermore, the control unit can be configured to store one or more operating parameters for the keep-alive process in a memory module of the keep-alive unit. This enables the keep-alive unit to reliably perform the keep-alive process autonomously (without involvement of the control unit) to maintain the communication connection with the external server.

[0027] The control unit can optionally be configured to carry out the keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection with the external server in the active mode itself. Alternatively or additionally, the device can be designed such that the keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection with the external server is carried out by the control unit itself when the control unit is in the active mode. Alternatively or additionally, the device can be designed such that the keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection with the external server is carried out by the keep-alive unit when, in particular only when, the control unit is in the sleep mode.

[0028] The device can, for example, be designed to transfer the keep-alive unit to sleep mode (in order to reduce the energy consumption of the keep-alive unit) when the control unit is in active mode. The activities relating to the communication connection (in particular relating to the keep-alive process) can then be carried out by the control unit. By transferring the keep-alive unit to sleep mode and / or by selectively using the keep-alive unit only when the control unit is in sleep mode, the energy consumption of the device can be further reduced. The communication unit can be designed to provide a data transmission connection with the external communication unit that is limited to the data link layer (i.e. the data link layer) and / or the physical layer (i.e. the bit transmission layer) of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) layer model. The IEEE 802.3af standard can be used, for example.11 protocol for the data transmission connection.

[0029] The control unit can be configured to provide, based on the data transmission connection provided by the communication unit, a communication connection with the external server based on the transport layer and / or the network layer and / or the application layer of the OSI layer model. An example of a communication connection based on the transport layer is a TCP / IP communication connection. An example of a communication connection based on the application layer is a communication connection based on the WebSocket protocol.

[0030] Furthermore, the keep-alive unit can be configured to effect a keep-alive process based on the transport layer and / or the network layer and / or the application layer of the OSI layer model based on the data transmission connection provided by the communication unit.

[0031] This ensures that the communication connection is maintained in a particularly efficient and reliable manner.

[0032] The device may have a network standby mode in which the control unit is in sleep mode and the communication connection with the external server (via the keep-alive unit) is maintained, particularly for remote control of the device. Furthermore, the device may have an additional standby mode in which the control unit is in sleep mode and the communication connection with the external server is interrupted. In the standby mode, the keep-alive unit may also be in sleep mode. This allows the device's energy consumption to be further reduced. It should be noted that any aspects of the device described in this document may be combined in a variety of ways. In particular, the features of the patent claims may be combined in a variety of ways.

[0033] The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for remotely controlling a household appliance;

[0035] Figure 2 shows an example keep-alive process; and

[0036] Figure 3 shows an example energy-efficient keep-alive process.

[0037] As stated at the outset, this document deals with the energy-efficient and reliable maintenance of a communication connection between a device, in particular a household appliance, and an internet server, in particular to enable convenient and reliable remote control of the device. In this context, Fig. 1 shows an exemplary system 100 with a household appliance 110 (as an example of a general electrical device) and a server 150. The household appliance 110 comprises a control unit 111 that is configured to control one or more functions and / or components of the household appliance 110. The control unit 111 can comprise at least one processor, e.g., an MPU (microprocessor) or an MCU (microcontroller). The household appliance 110 further comprises a communication unit 112, e.g., a WLAN chip, that is configured to provide a physical data transmission connection 113 to a corresponding communication unit 122.The communication units 112, 122 can provide data transmission according to the physical layer of the OSI layer model. In particular, the communication units 112, 122 can provide transmission according to the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The corresponding communication unit 122 can be part of a router 120, in particular a NAT router.

[0038] The router 120 may be configured to provide a further physical data transmission connection 123 with the server 150, so that the data transmission between the communication unit 112 of the household appliance 110 and the server 150 is effected via several sections of different physical data transmission connections 113, 123.

[0039] The system 100 may further comprise an electronic user device 130, such as a smartphone, configured to communicate with the server 150 via a network connection 133. Thus, remote control of the household appliance 110 by the user device 130 may be enabled indirectly via the server 150.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 2, further protocol layers of the OSI layer model are involved in a communication connection between the household appliance 110 and the server 150. In particular, the end-to-end connection between the household appliance 110 and the server 150 can be provided by a transport layer protocol and / or by an application layer protocol. An exemplary transport layer protocol is TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), which can be used, for example, together with IP (Internet Protocol) as a network layer protocol. An example of an application layer protocol is the WebSocket protocol. The household appliance 110 can thus have a network unit 201 that is designed to establish and maintain the end-to-end connection between the household appliance 110 and the server 150. For this purpose, for example, the IP addresses of the household appliance 110 and the server 150 can be used.Furthermore, the household appliance 110 can have a transmission unit 202 configured to transmit data messages between two communication units 112, 122 via a physical transmission medium 203. The transmission unit 202 can be based, for example, on the Ethernet protocol and / or the IEEE 802.11 protocol. Similarly, the server 150 can also have a transmission unit 202 and a network unit 201.

[0041] In the household appliance 110, the transmission unit 202 can be implemented by the communication unit 112, in particular by a dedicated WLAN chip. The network unit 201 can be implemented by a software module executing on the control unit 111, in particular on an MPU or MCU.

[0042] As explained above, the communication connection between the household appliance

[0043] 110 and the server 150 are automatically terminated when not in use, e.g. by the router 120. As a consequence, the quality of the remote control of the household appliance 110 may be impaired. The network unit 201 of the household appliance 110 can be designed to repeatedly, in particular periodically, send a keep-alive message 211 via the communication connection to the server 150, in particular to the network unit 201 of the server 150. The network unit 201 of the server 150 can then send a confirmation message 212 to the network unit 201 of the household appliance 110. Alternatively or additionally, the network unit 201 of the household appliance 110 can repeatedly, in particular periodically, receive a keep-alive message 211 sent by the server 150 via the communication connection. The network unit 201 of the household appliance 110 can then send a confirmation message 212 to the network unit 201 of the server 150.

[0044] The network unit 201 of the home appliance 110 can check whether a confirmation message 212 for the transmitted keep-alive message 211 is received within a predefined confirmation period. If this is the case, it can be determined that the communication connection still exists. On the other hand, if no confirmation message 212 is received, or if the confirmation message 212 is not received in time before the expiration of the confirmation period, it can be determined that the communication connection no longer exists.

[0045] In a corresponding manner, the network unit 201 of the server 110 can also check the existence of the communication connection by sending keep-alive messages 211 and by receiving corresponding confirmation messages 212. The repetition rate for sending keep-alive messages 211 and / or the confirmation period can, for example, have been specified during the original establishment of the communication connection between the household appliance 110 and the server 150.

[0046] The repeated transmission of keep-alive messages 211 and / or corresponding confirmation messages 212 causes the communication connection to be used, which reliably prevents the communication connection from being interrupted by a router 120. The control unit 111 of the household appliance 110 is typically transferred to sleep mode when the household appliance 110 is not in use in order to reduce the energy consumption of the household appliance 110. Sending and / or receiving keep-alive messages 211 or confirmation messages 212 typically requires the control unit 111 to be transferred from sleep mode to active mode. As a result, the energy consumption of the household appliance 110 increases.

[0047] To reduce energy consumption, as shown by way of example in Fig. 3, a keep-alive unit 300 can be provided, which is preferably exclusively focused on carrying out the keep-alive process, in which keep-alive messages 211 and / or confirmation messages 212 are repeatedly sent or received. The keep-alive process of the network unit 201 of the household appliance 110 can thus be outsourced to a dedicated keep-alive unit 300 (at least for phases in which the control unit 111 is in sleep mode). The one or more operating parameters 301 of the keep-alive process, such as the repetition rate of the keep-alive messages 211 and / or the confirmation time period for receiving the corresponding confirmation messages 212, can be determined by the network unit 201, e.g.as part of establishing the communication connection between the household appliance 110 and the server 150, and can be stored in a memory module of the keep-alive unit 300.

[0048] The keep-alive unit 300 is preferably implemented separately from the network unit 201. The network unit 201 can be implemented on the control unit 111 of the household appliance 110. Alternatively, the keep-alive unit 300 can be implemented directly on the communication unit 112, in particular on the WLAN chip, of the household appliance 110. Alternatively, the keep-alive unit 300 can be implemented on a dedicated processor, which, due to the limited functionality of the keep-alive unit 300, can be designed to be relatively small and thus relatively energy-efficient. By providing a dedicated keep-alive unit 300 for the keep-alive process to maintain the communication connection between the household appliance 110 and the server 150, the communication connection can be maintained in a particularly energy-efficient manner.As already explained above, for use cases such as remote control of a household appliance 110, it may be necessary for the household appliance 110 to have constant access to the Internet and for an open communication connection between the household appliance 110 and the backend server 150. The Internet infrastructure can be configured such that a communication connection is closed after a certain period of time if the communication connection is not used. To keep the connection open, continuous keep-alive messages 211 can be sent to the backend server 150.

[0049] During network standby of the home appliance 110, the goal is typically to reduce the energy consumption of the home appliance 110 while simultaneously keeping the communication connection to the backend server 150 open. The latter results in the control unit 111 of the home appliance 110 repeatedly waking up to send a keep-alive message 211. This increases the energy consumption during network standby.

[0050] The network standby and the standby of the household appliance 110 typically differ in that in the network standby the WLAN connection 113 of the household appliance 110 is kept active so that remote control of the household appliance 110 is still possible, while in the standby the WLAN connection 113 is deactivated so that remote control is not possible.

[0051] As described in this document, a dedicated keep-alive unit 300 can be provided, e.g., as part of the WLAN chip, which is configured to send keep-alive messages 211 repeatedly, in particular periodically, to the internet address of the backend server 150. By offloading the task of "sending keep-alive message 211" from the control unit 111, in particular from the controller, of the household appliance 110 to the WLAN chip (i.e., to the communication unit 112), it can be ensured that the control unit 111 does not have to wake up repeatedly (i.e., be transferred to active mode), so that the energy consumption of the household appliance 110 in network standby can be reduced.

[0052] If necessary, the WLAN chip can be housed within the MPU / MCU, but typically in such a way that the operation of the WLAN chip does not require the activation of the entire MPU / MCU. Alternatively, the task of sending the keep-alive message 211 can be outsourced to a dedicated controller (separate from the control unit 111).

[0053] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. In particular, it should be noted that the description and figures are intended only to illustrate the principle of the proposed device.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Electrical device (110) comprising - at least one electrically operated component for providing a function of the device (110); - a communication unit (112) configured to provide a data transmission connection (113) with a corresponding external communication unit (122) via a physical transmission medium (203); - a control unit (111) which is configured to establish a communication connection with an external server (150) in an active mode via the data transmission connection (113) provided by the communication unit (112); and - a keep-alive unit (300) configured to effect a keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection with the external server (150) during a network standby of the device (110) in which the control unit (111) is in a sleep mode.

2. Device (110) according to claim 1, wherein the keep-alive unit (300) and the control unit (111) are each implemented on different microprocessors and / or microcontrollers, in particular such that the keep-alive unit (300) and the control unit (111) can be operated independently of one another in the respective active mode or sleep mode.

3. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication unit (112) and the keep-alive unit (300) are implemented on a common chip, microprocessor and / or microcontroller.

4. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the keep-alive unit (300) is configured, as part of the keep-alive process, to repeat, in particular at a fixed repetition rate, - to send keep-alive messages (211) via the communication connection to the server (150), in particular to an IP address of the server (150); and / or - to receive keep-alive messages (211) sent from the server (150) via the communication connection, and in response thereto to send a confirmation message (212) for confirming the receipt of the respective keep-alive message (211) via the communication connection to the server (150), in particular to the IP address of the server (150).

5. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the control unit (111) is configured to establish a TCP / IP communication connection with the external server (150); and - the keep-alive unit (300) is configured to effect a TCP keep-alive process to maintain the TCP / IP communication connection with the external server (150); and / or - the control unit (111) is configured to establish a WebSocket communication connection with the external server (150); and - the keep-alive unit (300) is configured to initiate a WebSocket keep-alive process, in particular a WebSocket ping / pong process, to maintain the WebSocket communication connection with the external server (150).

6. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (111) is designed such that the control unit (112) does not and / or cannot perform any activity in relation to the communication connection with the external server (150) in the sleep mode.

7. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (111) is configured to control the electrically operated component in the active mode to provide the function of the device (110).

8. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (111) is configured, in the active mode, in particular in the context of establishing the communication connection with the external server (150), - to determine one or more operating parameters (301) for the keep-alive process; wherein the one or more operating parameters (301) comprise in particular, - a repetition rate for sending keep-alive messages (211); and / or - a confirmation period for receiving a confirmation message (212) in response to sending a keep-alive message (211); and / or - an address, in particular an IP address, of the external server (150) for a keep-alive message (211) to be sent; and - to store the one or more operating parameters (301) for the keep-alive process in a memory module of the keep-alive unit (300).

9. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication unit (112) is configured to provide a WLAN data transmission connection (113) with the external communication unit (122), in particular with a WLAN access point.

10. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the keep-alive unit (300) is designed such that the keep-alive unit (300) does not perform any activities with respect to the communication connection with the external server (150) apart from the keep-alive process; and / or - the keep-alive unit (300) is limited to performing the keep-alive process to maintain the communication connection with the external server (150).

11. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the control unit (111) is configured to carry out the keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection with the external server (150) in the active mode itself; and / or - the device (110) is designed such that the keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection with the external server (150) is carried out by the control unit (111) itself when the control unit (111) is in the active mode; and / or - the device (110) is designed such that the keep-alive process for maintaining the communication connection with the external server (150) is carried out by the keep-alive unit (300) when, in particular only when, the control unit (111) is in sleep mode.

12. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the communication unit (112) is configured to provide a data transmission connection (113) limited to the data link layer and / or the physical layer of the OSI layer model with the external communication unit (122); - the control unit (111) is configured to provide, based on the data transmission connection (113) provided by the communication unit (112), a communication connection with the external server (150) based on the transport layer and / or the network layer and / or the application layer of the OSI layer model; and - the keep-alive unit (300) is configured to effect a keep-alive process based on the transport layer and / or the network layer and / or the application layer of the OSI layer model based on the data transmission connection (113) provided by the communication unit (112).

13. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (111) is designed such that the control unit (111) has a lower energy consumption in the sleep mode than in the active mode.

14. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (110) comprises - the network standby, in which the control unit (111) is in sleep mode and in which the communication connection with the external server (150) is maintained, in particular for remote control of the device (110); and - a standby in which the control unit (111) is in sleep mode and in which the communication connection with the external server (150) is interrupted.

15. Device (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (110) is a household appliance, in particular a washing machine, a dryer, a kitchen appliance, a cooking appliance, a dishwasher, an oven, a mopping device, a vacuum cleaner and / or a cooling device.

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