Local Communication Link Establishment for Smart Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mobile hotspot (WIFI) smart home scenarios, the communication link between a mobile phone application, a cloud server, and a WIFI-enabled home appliance is often delayed due to the need for interactions to be transferred through a cloud server, resulting in long response times.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to establish a local communication link by generating and sending a local communication negotiation request to a cloud server, which instructs a smart device to allocate a TCP port, and then sending a link request with the port number to establish a direct TCP link between the client and the smart device, bypassing the need for cloud server forwarding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If communication between mobile phone APP and home appliance is transferred through cloud server, then device compatibility and remote access are improved, but communication response time deteriorates due to long link through multiple gateways
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication path into two modes: cloud-server-mediated communication for device discovery and compatibility management, and direct peer-to-peer TCP communication for actual data transmission. This segmentation allows the system to maintain device compatibility through cloud coordination while achieving fast local communication through direct links, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and response time.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud server acts as an intermediary for initial device pairing and TCP port negotiation, but once the direct TCP link is established, the intermediary role is removed for subsequent communications. The cloud server mediates the establishment phase to ensure compatibility and security, then the direct link phase eliminates mediation overhead for fast response, resolving the time loss contradiction.
2Speed
If direct TCP link is established between client and smart device, then communication speed is improved, but system complexity increases due to need for port allocation and link management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex port allocation and link management procedures into a standardized negotiation protocol that is executed automatically during initial device pairing. Once the direct TCP link is established with allocated ports, the complexity is 'taken out' from ongoing communications, allowing fast direct communication without repeated management overhead, thus improving speed while containing complexity in the initialization phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions of TCP port allocation, link negotiation, and direct connection establishment during the initial device pairing phase through cloud-mediated communication. By completing these complex management tasks in advance, the system eliminates the need for repeated link management during actual communications, achieving fast speed while confining complexity to the preliminary setup phase.
3Reliability
If cloud server forwards all communications, then security and resource management are improved, but communication efficiency deteriorates due to extended communication path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic communication architecture that transitions from cloud-server-mediated communication to direct peer-to-peer TCP communication after initial pairing. The system dynamically adjusts the communication path based on the connection phase: using cloud forwarding for secure initial setup and device management, then switching to direct links for efficient data transmission, thus achieving both security and efficiency at different stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic cloud-mediated actions for critical functions such as device discovery, authentication, and link re-negotiation, while using direct local communication for routine data exchange. This periodic use of cloud server for security-critical operations combined with continuous direct communication for efficiency resolves the contradiction between security reliability and communication productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for establishing a local communication link includes: generating and sending a local communication negotiation request to a cloud server in response to detecting a first local communication operation between the client and a smart device. The local communication negotiation request is configured to instruct the smart device to allocate a TCP port and feed back a local communication negotiation response carrying a port number of the TCP port to the cloud server, and the local communication negotiation response is forwarded by the cloud server to the client. The method also includes after receiving the local communication negotiation response from the cloud server, sending a first link request carrying the port number to the smart device, and establishing a first TCP link with the smart device, the TCP link being a local communication link.