Outdoor Lighting Protocol Translation for Multi-Vendor CMS Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor lighting networks (OLNs) require multiple proprietary control and communication protocols, forcing customers to use a single vendor or maintain separate systems for management, which is inefficient and costly due to the complexity of integrating multiple vendor-specific features and capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A unified central management system (CMS) that communicates with multiple outdoor lighting networks from different vendors, using a common application protocol stack and vendor-specific protocol stacks to manage lighting configurations, including dimming, scheduling, and color control, while allowing vendor management systems to verify and manage vendor-specific functionalities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single CMS is used to manage multiple outdoor lighting networks from different vendors, then interoperability and ease of operation are improved, but device complexity and integration effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a standardized interface layer and common application protocol stack that acts as an intermediary between the CMS and vendor-specific lighting networks. This intermediary translates vendor-specific protocols into a unified interface, allowing the CMS to manage multiple networks without directly integrating with each vendor's proprietary system, thus reducing the complexity burden on the CMS while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The management system is segmented into distinct layers: a vendor-neutral CMS layer and vendor-specific adaptation layers. Each lighting network is managed through its own vendor management system that handles proprietary protocols, while the CMS operates at a higher abstraction level. This segmentation isolates complexity to specific modules rather than requiring the entire system to handle all vendor variations simultaneously.
2Adaptability or versatility
If vendor-specific features and capabilities are fully integrated into a unified CMS, then adaptability and functionality are improved, but system complexity and operational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The CMS is designed with universal functionality to manage common lighting operations across all vendor networks through a standardized interface. Vendor-specific features are accessed through the same unified interface without requiring separate integration logic in the CMS. This allows the CMS to maintain adaptability to vendor-specific capabilities while presenting a consistent, simplified operational interface.
Solution Approach 2:
A protocol translation layer serves as an intermediary that handles vendor-specific feature integration. This layer translates proprietary vendor protocols and features into the standardized interface expected by the CMS, allowing full adaptability to vendor capabilities without embedding vendor-specific complexity within the CMS itself.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple proprietary protocols are supported across different vendor networks, then adaptability is improved, but loss of information and communication reliability deteriorate due to protocol incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
The common application protocol stack acts as a reliable intermediary communication layer between the CMS and vendor-specific networks. All communications pass through this standardized protocol layer, which ensures consistent data formatting, error handling, and transmission rules. This intermediary layer prevents protocol incompatibility issues while maintaining the ability to adapt to different vendor capabilities through the same reliable communication channel.
Data Source
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AI summary
An outdoor lighting network device for operating in an outdoor lighting network comprises a vendor-specific protocol stack for communication with a vendor-specific management system and a common network protocol stack for communication with a central management system. The outdoor lighting network device is adapted to translate communication messages from a common application protocol to a vendor-specific application protocol and vice versa, allowing both the central management system and the vendor-specific management system to establish direct communication with the outdoor lighting network device to manage the outdoor lighting network device.