Broker Provisioning for Multi-Server Control Device Reconfiguration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing load control systems face inefficiencies in managing connections with remote servers, particularly when servers malfunction or change services, requiring time-consuming reconfiguration and patching across multiple devices, and lack the ability to adapt quickly to changes in communication conditions.

Innovation Solution

A control device establishes communication channels with remote servers via a broker service, such as a Broker Provisioner Service (BPS), which provisions connections, facilitates communication updates, and enables multi-server firmware to manage parallel connections across multiple services, ensuring seamless communication even if individual servers become unavailable.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If control devices directly connect to remote servers, then communication is straightforward, but system reconfiguration is time-consuming when servers malfunction or change services

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem reconfiguration speedVSAvoidtime for reconfiguration and patching
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a broker service as an intermediary component that sits between control devices and remote servers. The broker service receives connection requests from control devices, manages the provisioning process, and coordinates with remote servers. This intermediary architecture enables centralized management of connections, allowing the system to rapidly reconfigure by redirecting traffic through the broker without requiring direct reconfiguration of individual device-server connections, thus resolving the contradiction between straightforward communication and fast reconfiguration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If control devices establish individual connections to multiple remote servers, then communication redundancy is achieved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidconnection management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple individual device-to-server connections into a unified broker-mediated connection model. Instead of each control device maintaining separate connections to multiple remote servers, all communication is routed through the broker service. This consolidation maintains communication redundancy and reliability while significantly reducing the complexity of connection management, as the broker handles server availability, failover, and routing centrally rather than requiring each device to manage multiple independent connections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4005189B1Provisioning multiple cloud-based services to control devices
Publication Date: 2024.10.23 LUTRON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LLC
  • EP4005189B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4005189B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4005189B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for a provisioning service, such as a broker provisioner service (BPS), for provisioning a device (e.g, such as a control device and/or a mobile device) to one or more remote servers. The device may send a connection request message to the BPS to be provisioned with the remote servers (e.g, one or more services offered by the remote servers). The BPS may determine one or more services and/or brokers associated with the corresponding remote servers with which the device may be provisioned, e.g, based on provisioning rules. The BPS may apply the provisioning rules to determine the appropriate services and/or brokers and the corresponding remote servers with which the device may be provisioned. The BPS may send a provision message to the device. The device may establish communications with the provisioned services and/or brokers and/or the corresponding remote servers.