Home Automation Network Addressing for Flexible Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Home automation systems face limitations in flexibility and scalability due to wired connections, leading to high installation costs and latency issues, especially when managing a large number of devices, and require complex reconfiguration for equipment changes or movements.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical communication network architecture with network nodes, gateways, and routers, allowing for flexible management and addressing of devices, and the storage of previous network addresses to simplify communication changes, such as when equipment is moved or replaced.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wired connections are used to connect equipment to a control unit via a common data bus, then network stability and reliability are improved, but flexibility and adaptability deteriorate because any modification after installation requires rewiring the network
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wired connection system with a wireless communication system. Equipment communicates with the control unit via wireless signals instead of physical wired connections to a common data bus, eliminating the need for rewiring when modifications are needed while maintaining network stability through established wireless communication protocols
2Device complexity
If a centralized control unit supervises all equipment via a common data bus, then system control is simplified, but latency increases because information must travel back to the bus to be processed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized control architecture into distributed control units, where each equipment can have its own intelligent controller that processes information locally before communicating with the central system. This reduces latency by eliminating the need for all information to travel back to a central bus for processing, while maintaining simplified control through hierarchical management
3Device complexity
If a common data bus is used to connect equipment, then network implementation is simplified, but the number of devices that can be accommodated is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-dimension common data bus architecture to a multi-dimensional wireless network architecture. Instead of all devices competing for bandwidth on a single bus, the system uses wireless communication channels that can accommodate many more devices simultaneously through frequency division, time division, or spatial division multiplexing, greatly expanding device capacity while maintaining implementation simplicity
4Ease of repair
If equipment is moved or replaced in a wired network, then system maintenance is enabled, but network traffic overload occurs due to necessary reconfiguration communications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service capabilities where equipment automatically performs reconfiguration when moved or replaced. The system uses automatic address assignment and peer-to-peer communication protocols that allow devices to self-register and update their positions in the network without generating excessive reconfiguration traffic, enabling maintenance while avoiding network overload
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for communicating between communicating elements forming part of a home automation system for a building, each communicating element being connected in a communication network allowing communication according to a predefined communication protocol. Each communicating element of the communication network stores a current network address (50) in a memory (44) of the communicating element, the current network address (50) being used for point-to-point addressing in said communication network, and each communicating element stores at least one preceding network address (501,..., 50P) of said communicating element in said memory (44) of the communicating element.