Fabric Network Control Profile for Remote Device Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart home networks often lack user-friendly interfaces and robust control mechanisms, making it difficult to remotely access and control various devices efficiently, and there is a need for a communication system that allows devices to communicate effectively across different logical networks while minimizing power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A fabric network that enables devices to communicate using a list of protocols and profiles, allowing specific actions based on message types, with a message format that enables communication regardless of the logical network, and includes a device control profile for remote device control and status reporting, using IPv6 for unique local addresses and low power communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If devices use diverse network protocols and communication methods to achieve versatile device integration, then adaptability and device compatibility improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a gateway device that acts as an intermediary between devices using different communication protocols. The gateway translates messages between various protocols (WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc.) and a standardized internal format, enabling devices from different networks to communicate without direct protocol compatibility. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining high adaptability while managing complexity centrally in the gateway rather than in each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments communication functionality into modular components: protocol-specific adapters, message format converters, and application logic layers. Each device type has its own adapter module that handles protocol-specific complexity, while the core system uses a unified message structure. This segmentation allows the system to support multiple protocols without increasing overall complexity, as each segment handles only its specific protocol independently.
2Ease of operation
If devices continuously monitor and communicate status to enable real-time control, then responsiveness and control capability improve, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic status reporting where devices transmit their status at predetermined intervals rather than continuously. The gateway maintains a connection monitor that tracks device availability at these periodic intervals. This approach enables real-time control capability while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous monitoring, as devices can enter low-power states between reporting intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway's connection monitor automatically tracks device availability and manages communication sessions without requiring constant active connections from controlled devices. Devices can maintain minimal listening states while the gateway handles connection management, status tracking, and message routing. This self-service approach to connection management reduces the power burden on controlled devices while maintaining responsiveness.
3Ease of operation
If a centralized control system is implemented to manage multiple devices, then ease of operation and user accessibility improve, but device autonomy and system reliability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes communication paths and authentication credentials between devices and the gateway during device provisioning. Connection policies, message formats, and control permissions are configured in advance. This preliminary setup enables the gateway to provide centralized control and user accessibility while devices maintain their autonomous operation capabilities, as the communication framework is already in place and devices can independently initiate communications within predefined parameters.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for controlling a remote device that includes receiving, at an assisting device, a remote passive rendezvous request from a commissioning device. The commissioning device manages access to a fabric on which the assisting device resides, and the assisting device is configured to assist a joining device in joining the network. Moreover, the assisting device passively waits to rendezvous with the joining device remotely through its network interface. The remote passive rendezvous request includes a rendezvous timeout field that indicates how long a remote passive rendezvous attempt may remain open before the assisting device is to close the attempt. Furthermore, the remote passive rendezvous request includes a filter address that indicates a device to which device is to serve as the joining device.