Control Gateway Base Driver Automation for Smart Home Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital home architectures lack a standard method for integrating and controlling devices connected to a control gateway, leading to inefficient and time-consuming processes due to the need for entire bundle driver updates with device additions or removals, and inability to directly communicate with devices through the open service platform.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that automatically downloads and generates control gateway base drivers based on device type information, enabling automatic conversion and registration of device services on an open platform, allowing indirect control of devices connected to the control gateway through a control gateway wire administration module, service proxy, and instruction management module.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the Device Access standard is used to treat the control gateway and connected devices as a virtual device bundle, then integration of devices is achieved, but the entire bundle driver needs to be downloaded whenever a device is added or removed, which is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bundle driver into individual device drivers. Instead of downloading a complete bundle driver that covers all possible devices, the system downloads only the specific device driver needed for the particular device being connected. This segmentation allows incremental driver acquisition rather than requiring full bundle driver downloads, significantly reducing time loss when devices are added or removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining device types and their corresponding driver locations in a configuration file before devices are actually connected. When a device is connected, the system can quickly determine which driver to download by matching the device type against the predefined configurations, rather than needing to analyze and download entire bundle drivers on demand.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the control gateway acts as an intermediary to control simple devices, then devices with limited network capability can be controlled, but direct communication between the open service platform and connected devices is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the control gateway as an intermediary that translates between different communication protocols. The gateway receives commands from the open service platform in OSGi protocol format, converts them to the appropriate protocol for the connected device (such as LonWorks, Zigbee, or other proprietary protocols), and forwards them to the device. This intermediary approach enables communication between devices with limited network capability and the open service platform without requiring direct protocol compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes communication parameters by implementing protocol translation at the control gateway. Different device types have different communication parameters (protocols, data formats, addressing schemes), and the gateway dynamically adjusts these parameters based on the target device type, enabling efficient communication while maintaining platform independence.
3Extent of automation
If UPnP base driver mechanism is used to automatically register device services, then UPnP device services can be integrated, but no mechanism exists for controlling devices connected through control gateway
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal device service registration mechanism that handles both direct-connected devices and control gateway-connected devices through the same automated process. The system defines a standardized device service interface that works for all device types, and the control gateway translates device-specific services into this universal interface, allowing the same automated registration mechanism to serve multiple device connection scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the control gateway as an intermediary that exposes connected devices as virtual device services to the open service platform. The gateway maintains a mapping between physical devices and virtual service interfaces, allowing the automated registration mechanism to discover and register devices through the gateway without needing to understand the specific device protocols directly.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling the devices connected to a control gateway includes one or more devices, a control gateway, a server and an open platform. The control gateway is electrically coupled to the devices. The server provides a plurality of control gateway base drivers. The open platform is electrically connected to the control gateway. According to the device's description and type information provided by the control gateway, the system automatically downloads a corresponding control gateway base driver from the server, and converts a first device service type into a second device service type automatically by the control gateway base driver. Thereby, other internal bundles on the open platform or external control devices with the second device service type can use the devices connected to the control gateway.