Home automation system including hub device determined time slot wireless communications and related methods

• US 10,536,291 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2018
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K4Connect, Inc.
• Original Assignee: K4Connect, Inc.
• Inventors: Gould, Jonathan Andrew, Tunstall, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Levitan, Dmitry
• Application Number:
  US15/990,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20190363902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 370310, 370328, 370329, 370336
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

A home automation (HA) system may include HA operation devices within a structure and HA user interface devices within the structure for respective users. Each HA user interface device may wirelessly communicate with at least one of the HA operation devices to perform at least one HA operation. The HA system may also include HA hub devices to provide communications within the structure for the HA user interface devices and HA operation devices. The HA hub devices may each have an HA hub device identifier associated therewith and determine a wireless communications time slot for wirelessly communicating with corresponding ones of the HA operation devices. Each wireless communications time slot may be determined relative to a reference time with a corresponding time offset based upon the associated HA hub device identifier so that the wireless communications time slot is non-overlapping in time with other wireless communications time slots.

Claims

1. A home automation (HA) system comprising:

a plurality of HA operation devices within a building structure;

a plurality of HA hub devices;

a plurality of HA user interface devices within the building structure, each HA user interface device configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one of the plurality of HA operation devices via a respective one of the plurality of HA hub devices to perform at least one HA operation; and

said plurality of HA hub devices to provide communications within the building structure for the plurality of HA user interface devices and the plurality of HA operation devices, the plurality of HA hub devices each having an HA hub device identifier associated therewith and configured to determine a wireless communications time slot for wirelessly communicating with corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices, each wireless communications time slot being determined relative to a same reference time with a corresponding different time offset relative to other time offsets, each different time offset being determined based upon a corresponding HA hub device identifier so that a given wireless communications time slot is non-overlapping in time with other wireless communications time slots.

2. The HA system of claim 1 wherein each HA hub device is configured to wirelessly poll the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the respective wireless communications time slot.

3. The HA system of claim 1 wherein each HA hub device is configured to wirelessly configure the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the respective wireless communications time slot.

4. The HA system of claim 1 wherein each HA hub device is configured to wirelessly communicate status data for the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the respective wireless communications time slot.

5. The HA system of claim 1 wherein the reference time comprises a start of an hour.

6. The HA system of claim 1 wherein the reference time comprises a start of a minute.

7. The HA system of claim 1 wherein the HA hub device identifier comprises an HA hub device serial number.

8. The HA system of claim 1 wherein the HA hub device identifier comprises a media access control (MAC) address.

9. The HA system of claim 1 wherein each HA hub device is configured to determine a further wireless communications time slot, each further wireless communications time slot being determined relative to the reference time with a same time offset among the plurality of HA hub devices.

10. A home automation (HA) hub device from among a plurality thereof for an HA system comprising a plurality of HA operation devices within a building structure, a plurality of HA user interface devices within the building structure, each HA user interface device configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one of the plurality of HA operation devices via a respective one of the plurality of HA hub devices to perform at least one HA operation, the HA hub device having an HA hub device identifier associated therewith and comprising:

a processor and a memory cooperating therewith to

provide communications within the building structure for the plurality of HA user interface devices and the plurality of HA operation devices, and

determine a wireless communications time slot for wirelessly communicating with corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices, the wireless communications time slot being determined relative to a same reference time with a corresponding different time offset relative to other time offsets, each different time slot being determined based upon a corresponding HA hub device identifier so that the wireless communications time slot is non-overlapping in time with other wireless communications time slots.

11. The HA hub device of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to wirelessly poll the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

12. The HA hub device of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to wirelessly configure the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

13. The HA hub device of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to wirelessly communicate status data for the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

14. The HA hub device of claim 10 wherein the reference time comprises one of a start of an hour and a start of a minute.

15. The HA hub device of claim 10 wherein the HA hub device identifier comprises one of an HA hub device serial number and a media access control (MAC) address.

16. A method of communication in a home automation (HA) system comprising a plurality of HA operation devices within a building structure, a plurality of HA hub devices, and a plurality of HA user interface devices within the building structure, each HA user interface device configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one of the plurality of HA operation devices via a respective one of the plurality of HA hub devices to perform at least one HA operation, the plurality of HA hub devices to provide communications within the building structure for the plurality of HA user interface devices and the plurality of HA operation devices, the plurality of HA hub devices each having an HA hub device identifier associated therewith, the method comprising:

using an HA hub device from among the plurality thereof to

determine a wireless communications time slot for wirelessly communicating with corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices, the wireless communications time slot being determined relative to a same reference time with a corresponding different time offset relative to other time offsets, each different time offset being determined based upon a corresponding HA hub device identifier so that the wireless communications time slot is non-overlapping in time with other wireless communications time slots.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein using the HA hub device comprises using the HA hub device to wirelessly poll the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein using the HA hub device comprises using the HA hub device to wirelessly configure the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein using the HA hub device comprises using the HA hub device to wirelessly communicate status data for the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium for a home automation (HA) hub device from among a plurality thereof in an HA system comprising a plurality of HA operation devices within a building structure, a plurality of HA user interface devices within the building structure, each HA user interface device configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one of the plurality of HA operation devices to perform at least one HA operation, the plurality of HA hub devices to provide communications within the building structure for the plurality of HA user interface devices and the plurality of HA operation devices, the plurality of HA hub devices each having an HA hub device identifier associated therewith, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor of the HA hub device cause the HA hub device to perform operations comprising:

determining a wireless communications time slot for wirelessly communicating with corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices, the wireless communications time slot being determined relative to a same reference time with a corresponding different time offset relative to other time offsets, each different time offset being determined based upon a corresponding HA hub device identifier so that the wireless communications time slot is non-overlapping in time with other wireless communications time slots.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the operations comprise wirelessly polling the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the operations comprise wirelessly configuring the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the operations comprise wirelessly communicating status data for the corresponding ones of the plurality of HA operation devices during the wireless communications time slot.