Home Network Service Proxy for Device Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home network service technologies face challenges in connecting home electronic devices to the Internet due to the limitations of HTTP and CoAP protocols, particularly in message transfer reliability and complexity of network environments, making it difficult for users to set up and manage these devices.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for providing a home network service using a RESTful web service, which includes creating user accounts, transmitting initial setting information, registering devices, and managing user authentication, utilizing a combination of CoAP and HTTP protocols to facilitate device connectivity and management through a proxy and server system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If HTTP protocol is used for home electronic devices, then web service functionality is improved, but device complexity increases due to TCP requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the network protocol requirements by separating HTTP/TCP usage for server-side operations from CoAP/UDP usage for device-side operations. This allows web service functionality to be implemented where needed without imposing TCP requirements on resource-constrained devices, thus resolving the contradiction between web service adaptability and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A gateway device acts as an intermediary between CoAP-based home electronic devices and HTTP-based cloud servers. The gateway translates CoAP messages to HTTP requests and vice versa, enabling devices to use simple CoAP protocols while still accessing full HTTP web service functionality through the mediator, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining versatility.
2Device complexity
If CoAP protocol is used for home electronic devices, then device complexity is reduced, but message transfer reliability deteriorates due to UDP basis
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a reliability intermediary that receives unreliable UDP-based CoAP messages from devices and retransmits them using reliable HTTP/TCP to the server. This mediator absorbs the reliability requirements, allowing devices to use simple CoAP while the gateway ensures message transfer reliability through HTTP's built-in reliability mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements application-layer acknowledgment and retransmission mechanisms in the CoAP communication path at the gateway, providing beforehand cushioning against UDP's unreliability. The gateway monitors message delivery and performs retransmissions before critical failures occur, thus maintaining reliability while allowing devices to use lightweight CoAP protocols.
3Ease of operation
If middleware protocol technology is used for device management, then ease of operation is improved, but implementation complexity increases due to network environment complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses universal RESTful HTTP interfaces at the server and gateway levels that can manage diverse home electronic devices through a common protocol. This universal approach simplifies operation for users while the underlying complexity of different device protocols is abstracted away, allowing ease of operation without proportionally increasing implementation complexity through standardized multi-functional interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for providing a home network service are provided. The method may include creating a user account in a server, receiving first initial setting information from an electronic device, transmitting second initial setting information to the electronic device, and receiving a message regarding registration of the electronic device from the server.