IoT Middleware Broker Integration for Traffic Congestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

In IoT systems using a broker-based publish/subscribe model, traffic congestion between the broker and server occurs, leading to reliability issues, making it difficult to confirm message delivery, acquire device status information, and control devices effectively.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating the broker as a library into the IoT middleware, allowing the middleware and broker to operate as the same process, reducing network intervention and enabling direct function calls for message delivery confirmation, device status acquisition, and control command transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a server is provided between broker and application to manage messages, then message management capability is improved, but traffic congestion between broker and server increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage management capabilityVSAvoidsystem reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the broker and server functions into a single integrated system. The broker subscribes to messages and directly manages them without requiring separate server intermediaries, eliminating the traffic congestion between broker and server while maintaining message management capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If broker and server are provided as separate devices, then system architecture flexibility is improved, but network traffic congestion increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem architecture flexibilityVSAvoidnetwork traffic

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines broker and server functionalities within the same process or system boundary, eliminating network communication between them. This reduces network traffic and energy loss while maintaining the flexibility of having distinct functional responsibilities for message subscription and management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If broker subscribes to all messages and temporarily stores them, then message routing capability is improved, but traffic between broker and server increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage routing capabilityVSAvoidtraffic volume

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the message storage and management function from the server and integrates it directly into the broker. The broker subscribes to messages and manages them locally without forwarding to a separate server, eliminating the traffic volume between broker and server while maintaining full message routing capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3920035B1Message transmission/reception method, communication device, and program

Publication Date: 2023.11.15 NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP

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AI summary

A message transmitting and receiving method according to one aspect is performed by a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus including a middleware unit configured to manage a message published by a publisher in a publish/subscribe system in which a message is exchanged between the publisher and a subscriber via a broker, and a storage unit configured to store a library including functions configured to provide the broker, and includes the steps of performing, by the middleware unit, subscribing on the broker by setting a callback function, and upon receipt of a first message published by a device, passing, by the broker, the first message to the middleware unit by calling the callback function.