Home Automation Communication Link Device for Energy Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
In home automation systems, maintaining active communication channels between local equipment units and remote servers consumes significant electrical energy, especially for battery-powered devices, and existing configurations are complex for non-IT professionals to implement, leading to inefficient resource usage and increased network traffic.
Innovation Solution
A communication sharing method that determines a communication link device based on characteristic features of home automation equipment units, maintaining a shared communication link with a remote equipment unit, reducing energy and resource consumption by designating a single communication link device to manage the connection for all units, thereby reducing the need for continuous 'keep alive' packets and optimizing network traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each local equipment unit maintains an active communication channel with the remote equipment unit, then communication reliability is improved, but electrical energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple local equipment units share a single communication channel through a designated communication link device. Instead of each unit maintaining its own active channel to the remote equipment unit, they consolidate through one device that maintains the channel and relays communications, thereby reducing total energy consumption while preserving communication reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication link device performs multiple functions: it acts as a regular local equipment unit, maintains the communication channel with the remote equipment unit, and serves as a relay for other local units. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate communication channels for each unit, reducing overall energy consumption.
2Reliability
If TCP protocol is used to maintain active communication sessions, then communication reliability is improved, but electrical energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple TCP communication sessions are consolidated through a single communication link device. Instead of each local unit maintaining its own TCP session with the remote equipment unit (consuming significant energy), they share one TCP session maintained by the link device, reducing total energy consumption while maintaining session reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If communication ports are opened on the network equipment unit to allow remote servers to communicate with local equipment units, then communication capability is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of configuration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The communication link device acts as an intermediary between remote equipment units and other local equipment units. It handles the communication channel maintenance and data relay, eliminating the need for complex port forwarding configurations on the network equipment unit. This simplifies configuration while maintaining communication capability.
4Use of energy by moving object
If UDP hole punching is used to create communication channels, then energy consumption is reduced compared to TCP, but network traffic increases due to keep alive packets
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple UDP communication channels are consolidated into a single channel maintained by the communication link device. Instead of each local unit sending its own keep alive packets to maintain UDP channels (generating excessive network traffic), they share one channel where the link device sends a single keep alive packet, reducing network traffic while maintaining energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method and a system for sharing communication between connected home-automation devices belonging to a first communication network and a remote device connected to a second communication network, the first communication network being connected to the second communication network by a network device, the network device being suitable for allowing communication between at least one connected home-automation device of the first network and the remote device. The method includes determining a communication link device among the connected home-automation devices of the first communication network, as a function of at least one feature of the connected home-automation devices, and maintaining, by the communication link device, a communication channel between the first communication network and the remote device via the network device for the benefit of the other connected home-automation devices of the first communication network.