Household Appliance External Control via Relay Node
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for controlling household appliances from an external location are resource-intensive due to the need for multiple open communication channels, which can be costly in terms of computing capacity, memory, and network bandwidth, especially when managing a large number of appliances, and are hindered by security settings and dynamic router addresses.
Innovation Solution
A method where two household appliances negotiate roles, with one acting as a secondary appliance to maintain a connection to the external location, reducing the number of open communication channels by forwarding messages and allowing direct communication between the external location and the primary appliance, thereby saving resources and maintaining high network security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each household appliance maintains an open communication connection to the external location, then the appliance can be controlled from outside, but the computing capacity, memory and network bandwidth required become considerable for a large number of appliances
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple household appliances are merged into a single communication group where they share one common communication connection to the external location. Instead of each appliance maintaining separate connections, they collectively use one connection managed by a designated appliance, thereby reducing the total number of connections and saving computing resources, memory, and network bandwidth.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication connection established by one appliance serves multiple functions: it enables control of the establishing appliance itself and simultaneously enables control of all other appliances in the household. This multi-functional approach allows a single connection to replace multiple individual connections, reducing resource consumption while maintaining comprehensive controllability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a router's address on the Internet is not permanent, then network flexibility is improved, but it becomes not readily possible to set up a connection from the external location to the household appliance
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having the household appliance actively establish and maintain the communication connection to the external location before any control commands are needed. This proactive approach ensures the connection is already in place and the external location has the necessary routing information, eliminating the problem of dynamic addresses preventing external connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of waiting for the external location to initiate a connection to the appliance (which fails due to dynamic addresses), the approach is inverted: the appliance initiates and maintains the connection to the external location. This reversal of connection initiation direction solves the address permanence problem while maintaining network flexibility.
3Ease of operation
If the household appliance opens and maintains a communication connection to the external location, then messages can be transmitted, but security settings often prevent a device within the home from offering service to a client on the network
Solution Approach 1:
The security issue is resolved by inverting the traditional client-server model. Instead of the household appliance acting as a server offering services to external clients (which is blocked by security settings), the appliance acts as a client initiating connections to the external location. This inversion allows message transmission while maintaining security, as the appliance is consuming network services rather than providing them externally.
Solution Approach 2:
The household appliance serves as an intermediary that receives control messages from the external location and forwards them to other appliances within the household. This intermediary role allows the external location to control household appliances without requiring direct connections or offering services from internal devices, thereby maintaining network security while enabling remote control functionality.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for controlling a first and a second household appliance in a household by an external entity comprises steps of providing two household appliances; establishing a first communication link between the two household appliances; negotiating between the two household appliances, which will act as the first and which as the second household appliance; establishing a second communication link from the second household appliance to the external entity; receiving a message from the external entity addressed to one of the household appliances by the second household appliance; and forwarding the message to the first household appliance, if the message is addressed to the first household appliance.