Zigbee/IP Gateway

• US 20080056261A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Jesse W., Osborn, William Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/618 Details of network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/681 using addresses for wireless personal area networks or wireless sensor networks, e.g. Zigbee addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A gateway enables communications between a personal area network, such as a Zigbee network, and an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The gateway includes a first interface device for connecting to the personal area network, a second interface device for connecting to the IP network, and a gateway controller. In one embodiment, the gateway controller allocates ports on an IP interface to one or more clients in said personal area network, stores a routing table in memory for relating said clients in said personal area network with their corresponding ports, and transfers messages between said personal area network clients and said IP network based on entries in said routing table. In other embodiments, the gateway may function in conjunction with a gateway proxy.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting messages between a personal area network (PAN) and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said method comprising:

allocating ports on an IP interface to one or more PAN clients in said PAN;

storing a routing table in memory for relating said PAN clients in said PAN with their corresponding ports; and

transferring messages between said PAN clients and said IP network based on said routing table.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transferring messages between said PAN clients and said IP network based on said routing table comprises transferring messages originating in said IP network to a corresponding client in said PAN based on which port said message was received.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said message is encapsulated in an IP packet and further comprising decapsulating said message and sending said decapsulated message to said client.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein transferring messages between said PAN clients and said IP network based on said routing table comprises outputting messages received from an originating client in said PAN to a port allocated to said originating client.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising encapsulating said message in an IP packet and outputting said IP packet to said corresponding port.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said IP interface is located at a gateway between said PAN and said IP network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said routing table includes an indication of the device types of said PAN clients in said routing table.

8. A gateway for connecting a personal area network (PAN) with an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said gateway comprising:

a PAN interface for connecting to said PAN;

an IP interface for connecting to said IP network, said IP interface including one or more ports;

a gateway controller for assigning ports on said IP interface to respective clients in said PAN and for transferring data between said clients in said PAN and said IP network; and

memory for storing routing information associating said clients in said PAN with corresponding ports on said IP interface.

9. The gateway of claim 8 wherein said gateway controller transfers messages from said IP network to a corresponding client in said PAN based the port on which said data is received.

10. The gateway controller of claim 9 wherein said gateway controller further decapsulates said messages received from said IP network.

11. The gateway of claim 8 wherein said gateway controller outputs messages from a client in said PAN to a corresponding port based on the identity of said client.

12. The gateway of claim 8 wherein said gateway controller further encapsulates said messages in IP packets.

13. The gateway of claim 8 wherein said routing table includes an indication of the device types of said PAN clients in said routing table.

14. A method of communicating with a client in a personal area network (PAN), said method comprising:

creating a PAN agent on said PAN for communicating with said clients in said PAN; and

communicating with said clients in said PAN through said PAN agent.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said PAN agent resides on a gateway.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said PAN is a Zigbee network.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising creating a presence for said PAN agent in an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein creating a presence for said PAN agent in the IP network comprises creating a user agent for said PAN agent in the IP network.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said user agent comprises an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) user agent.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein communicating with said clients in said PAN through said PAN agent comprises communicating with said user agent.

21. A gateway for connecting a personal area network (PAN) with an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said gateway comprising:

a first interface device for connecting to said PAN;

a second interface device for connecting to said IP network; and

a gateway controller including a node manager for creating PAN agents capable of communication with clients connected to said PAN.

22. The gateway of claim 21 wherein said node manager is configured to create PAN agents responsive to request form IP clients received over said second interface.

23. The gateway of claim 22 wherein said requests include parameters defining the type of PAN agent to be created.

24. The gateway of claim 23 wherein said PAN comprises a Zigbee network and wherein said parameters include a Zigbee profile ID.

25. The gateway of claim 22 wherein said node manager configures said PAN agent to communicate with a user agent in said IP network, and wherein IP clients communicate with said PAN agent through said user agent.

26. The gateway of claim 25 wherein said user agent comprises an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) user agent for communicating with IMS clients.