M2M Device Manager Horizontal Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing M2M communication systems employ a purely vertical communication structure, which limits inter-operability between M2M devices from different utility companies and types, making comprehensive consumption information and control across utilities infeasible.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a horizontal communication structure between M2M device managers in a local area network (LAN), where M2M device managers coordinate the operation of different M2M devices using policy-based rules and control signaling, allowing for inter-operability across devices and utilities without a centralized server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a purely vertical communication structure is used between M2M devices and centralized server, then the system structure remains simple to implement, but inter-operability between M2M devices from different utility companies and types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces M2M device managers as intermediary components that facilitate horizontal communication between M2M devices from different utility companies and types. These managers act as mediators that enable inter-operability without requiring direct integration between all devices, thus maintaining system simplicity while improving adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a horizontal communication dimension to the traditional vertical communication structure. By implementing both vertical (device-to-server) and horizontal (device-manager-to-device-manager) communication paths, the system achieves enhanced inter-operability while preserving the simplicity of the original vertical architecture.
2Device complexity
If a purely vertical communication structure is used, then communication flow between M2M device and centralized server is simple, but comprehensive consumption information and control across different utilities is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized server functionality into distributed M2M device managers that operate horizontally across the network. This segmentation enables comprehensive consumption information collection from multiple utility companies and device types while maintaining manageable communication complexity through localized management functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The M2M device managers are designed with multi-functional capabilities to handle communication with diverse M2M devices from different utility companies. They can process various types of consumption information and control commands universally, ensuring comprehensive information collection without proportionally increasing communication structure complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If M2M devices are required to be inter-operable with the same centralized server, then the communication structure remains simple, but the requirement is practically infeasible amongst multiple utility companies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses M2M device managers as intermediaries that handle the complexity of inter-operability between devices from different utility companies. Instead of requiring direct inter-operability between all devices and the centralized server, the managers mediate communications, translating and coordinating between different device protocols and the central system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the inter-operability complexity from the centralized server and places it in distributed M2M device managers. This extraction allows the centralized server to maintain simple vertical communication while the managers handle the complex horizontal coordination needed for multi-utility inter-operability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Teachings herein include a first machine-to-machine (M2M) device manager in a local area network (LAN). The first manager receives operating information for a first M2M device managed by the first manager. This operating information may indicate, for example, the operating state (e.g., on or off) of the first device. Responsive to receiving this operating information, the first manager coordinates operation of a second M2M device that is managed by a second M2M device manager in the LAN. The first manager effectively does so by evaluating the received operating information according to a set of policy-based rules, generating control signaling according to that evaluation, and then sending the generated control signaling to the second manager. Because this control signaling is sent horizontally between different M2M device managers, rather than vertically to some centralized server, such operation coordination can occur across M2M devices that would not otherwise be inter-operable.