Cloud Virtual Gateway Merging Provider Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

The duplication of devices and gateways from multiple service providers at a location leads to increased installation and management costs, as each provider installs its own physical gateway and devices, resulting in inefficiency and redundancy.

Innovation Solution

A cloud-enabled virtual gateway is introduced, which appears as a physical gateway to cloud-based applications, allowing service providers to access and control devices without installing physical gateways, by leveraging existing third-party devices and systems, and using device drivers to translate protocols for communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If each service provider installs its own physical gateway at the location, then the service provider can access and control its devices, but the quantity of devices increases and installation and management costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice accessVSAvoidquantity of gateways

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple service providers share a single physical gateway through virtualization. The gateway executes multiple virtual gateway instances, each providing dedicated access for a specific service provider. This merging approach eliminates the need for multiple separate physical gateways while maintaining independent access for each provider, directly resolving the contradiction between service reliability and gateway quantity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The physical gateway is designed with multi-functionality to serve multiple service providers simultaneously. By implementing virtual gateway technology, a single gateway can provide dedicated services to multiple providers through virtual instances, making the gateway universal rather than provider-specific. This reduces the total number of gateways needed while ensuring each provider maintains reliable access to their devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If each service provider installs its own physical gateway at the location, then the service provider can access and control its devices, but installation and management costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice accessVSAvoidinstallation and management cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If each service provider installs its own physical gateway at the location, then the service provider can access and control its devices, but space and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice accessVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If devices from one service provider only communicate with that provider's gateway, then service provider security is maintained, but device complexity and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice provider securityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway system is segmented into multiple virtual gateway instances, each dedicated to a specific service provider. This segmentation maintains security boundaries where devices from one provider communicate only with their designated virtual gateway instance. The virtualization layer isolates communication channels while sharing the underlying physical infrastructure, reducing overall system complexity compared to having completely separate physical gateways for each provider.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2528302B1Cloud enabled virtual gateway

Publication Date: 2016.05.11 DIGI INTERNATIONAL

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Figure 2A
Figure 2B~3

AI summary

Various embodiments include methods and systems for a cloud enabled virtual gateway. The virtual gateway can masquerade to a cloud-based application as a gateway at a geographic location. The virtual gateway can also receive a request from the cloud-based application for a device at the geographic location. The virtual gateway can then communicate with a third-party system to satisfy the request where the third-party system is communicatively coupled to the device.