Device Communication Gateway for Mesh Network Protocol Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a challenge in communicating with mesh devices that lack the processing power and memory to handle network protocols directly, as they often rely on user devices for internet connectivity, leading to difficulties in firmware updates, security patches, and user interactions across diverse mesh networks and device management systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that enables user devices to act as hubs for mesh devices, facilitating communication between mesh devices and device management systems through a device-communication system, allowing for firmware updates, security patches, and user commands by translating between different network protocols and handling the processing requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If mesh devices use simpler network interfaces to reduce manufacturing cost and power consumption, then device complexity and energy use are reduced, but communication capability and protocol handling ability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between mesh devices with simple network interfaces and the external network. The gateway handles complex network protocols, firmware updates, and communication translation, allowing mesh devices to maintain simplicity while achieving full communication capability through the gateway's mediating functions.
2Device complexity
If mesh devices rely on user devices for internet connectivity, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability of firmware updates and security patches deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a reliable intermediary that directly receives firmware updates and security patches from the external network and distributes them to mesh devices. This eliminates dependence on user devices for update delivery, ensuring reliable and timely updates while keeping mesh devices simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway pre-processes and prepares firmware updates before distributing them to mesh devices. It validates, converts, and stages update packages in advance, ensuring that when updates are deployed to mesh devices, they are ready-to-install and reliable, reducing the risk of update failures.
3Use of energy by moving object
If device-to-device networks are used instead of Wi-Fi, then manufacturing cost and power consumption are reduced, but bandwidth and network features are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments network functions between mesh devices and the gateway. Mesh devices handle only simple local communication at low power, while the gateway handles high-bandwidth tasks like firmware updates, security patch distribution, and external network communication. This segmentation allows low-power device-to-device links while maintaining high bandwidth where needed through the gateway.
Data Source
AI summary
A device-communication system may receive, from a user device via a first network, communication data originating from a first device connected to the user device via a second network having a type different from that of the first network. The device-communication system may process the communication data to determine a corresponding device-management system, and may communicate further with the user device for additional identification information, if necessary. The device-communication system determines which of a plurality of device-management systems should receive the communication data and sends the data to the appropriate system.