Multi-Protocol Gateway for Sensor Cloud Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Many sensor devices in IoT deployments are resource-constrained and cannot implement standard protocols like HTTP, making it difficult for them to upload data to cloud services.
Innovation Solution
A gateway device is introduced that receives data from sensor devices using available communication protocols and translates it into network protocols usable by cloud services, using sensor adaptors and a common message format like JSON to facilitate efficient protocol translation and data augmentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If sensor devices use resource-constrained communication protocols, then device complexity and energy consumption are reduced, but compatibility with cloud services requiring standard protocols like HTTP deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between sensor devices and cloud services. The gateway receives data from sensor devices using resource-constrained protocols (keeping device complexity low) and translates it into standard protocols like HTTP for cloud service compatibility. This mediator resolves the contradiction by handling protocol conversion externally rather than requiring sensor devices to implement complex protocols themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the protocol conversion function from the sensor devices and places it in the gateway. This segmentation allows sensor devices to remain simple while the gateway handles the complexity of multiple protocol translations. The gateway acts as a separate functional unit that bridges the gap between constrained sensor protocols and standard cloud protocols.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sensor devices implement standard protocols like HTTP, then cloud service compatibility is improved, but device complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as an intermediary that performs protocol translation, allowing sensor devices to communicate using simple protocols while the gateway handles the conversion to standard HTTP protocols for cloud service compatibility. This eliminates the need for sensor devices to implement complex standard protocols themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway provides self-service by automatically performing protocol translation and data formatting. Instead of requiring sensor devices to understand multiple protocols, the gateway autonomously handles the conversion process, making the system easier to deploy and maintain.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a gateway device translates protocols between sensor devices and cloud services, then protocol compatibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is designed as a universal device that can handle multiple sensor protocols and translate them to multiple cloud service protocols. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple specialized devices, actually reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high protocol compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway dynamically changes protocol parameters based on the source and destination requirements. It adapts message formats, data types, and communication protocols according to the specific sensor device and cloud service being connected, enabling flexible translation without requiring hard-coded solutions for each protocol pair.
4Reliability
If sensor data is processed and augmented before transmission to cloud, then data quality and usefulness are improved, but processing time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and augmenting sensor data before transmission to the cloud. It adds metadata, validates data formats, and performs initial filtering, which improves data quality and reduces the need for extensive processing on the cloud side, ultimately saving time in the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway performs partial processing of sensor data - not all data requires the same level of processing. It applies selective augmentation and validation based on data type and cloud service requirements, avoiding unnecessary processing steps that would waste time while ensuring sufficient data quality for cloud analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for connecting sensor devices to cloud servers by a gateway device. The gateway device includes a plurality of sensor adaptors, a sensor data processor, and a network communication interface. The sensor adaptors are configured to receive sensor data in communication signals from sensor devices. Each sensor adaptor is configured to extract sensor data encapsulated according to a respective sensor communication protocol. The sensor data processor is configured to process the extracted sensor data for transmission to a cloud service, such as by extracting unneeded messages data, or inserting additional data such as a time stamp. The network communication interface is configured to transmit the processed sensor data to the cloud service over a network according to a network communication protocol. Sensor data of different types may be transmitted according to corresponding types of network communication protocols.