Method and apparatus for discovering component in at least one sub-network

• US 20080144631A1
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Sang Do, Kim, Jun Hyeong
• Granted Patent: US 7,940,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method of discovering a component in a sub-network, the method including: receiving unique information on at least one component included in a first sub-network of a network by a first component in the first sub-network; and broadcasting the unique information on the at least one component to a second sub-network of the network, by joining the first component in the second sub-network.

Claims

1. A method of discovering a component in a sub-network, the method comprising:

receiving first information on at least one component included in a first sub-network of a network by a first component in the first sub-network; and

broadcasting the first information on the at least one component to a second sub-network of the network by the first component if the first component joins the second sub-network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, an identifier, and a port number of the at least one component.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving second information on the first sub-network; and

storing at least one of the first information and the second information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second information comprises at least one of a location, a structure, an address and a predetermined name of the first sub-network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the first information and the second information is stored in a storage space allocated to each sub-network of the network.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

mapping the first information to the second information; and

storing a result of the mapping.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the storing of the at least one of the first information and the second information comprises:

determining whether a storage space for the second information exists;

determining whether another information which identifies the at least one component exists in the storage space, if the storage space exists; and

determining whether the other information comprises the first information, if the other information exists in the storage space.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating the storage space for the second information, if the storage space does not exist; and

storing the at least one of the first information and the second information in the storage space.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing the at least one of the first information and the second information in the storage space, if the other information does not exist in the storage space.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the other information in the storage space with the at least one of the first information and the second information, if the other information in the storage space does not comprise the first information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting of the first information in the second sub-network comprises:

acquiring connection status information of the at least one component;

updating the first information using the connection status information; and

broadcasting the updated first information.

12. The method of claim 11,

wherein the connection status information is acquired by a local information center included in the first sub-network, and

wherein information on the local information center with respect to the first sub-network is not changed.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an identification of a component from the at least one component included in the first sub-network; and

determining whether the component corresponds to a local information center using the identification.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the acquiring of the connection status information comprises:

transmitting a message, which requests the connection status information, to the local information center, if the component corresponds to the local information center; and

receiving the connection status information.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the acquiring of the connection status information comprises:

transmitting a confirmation message, which confirms a connection status of the at least one component, to each of the at least one component, if the component does not correspond to the local information center; and

receiving a response message with respect to the confirmation message.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first component is the local information center.

17. The method of claim 1, the broadcasting of the first information in the second sub-network comprises transmitting the first information to at least one component included in the second sub-network.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein the transmitting of the first information is performed via a local information center included in the second sub-network, and

wherein information on the local information center with respect to the second sub-network is not changed.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sub-network uses a multicast discovery method in receiving the first information.

20. A method of discovering a component in a sub-network, the method comprising:

receiving first information on at least one component included in a first sub-network of a network by a first component in the first sub-network; and

broadcasting the first information on the at least one component to a second sub-network of the network, using a wireless communication method.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the wireless communication method comprises at least one of a Bluetooth, a Zigbee, a radio frequency identification (RFID) method, and an infrared communication.

22. An apparatus for discovering a component in a sub-network, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit which receives first information on at least one component included in a first sub-network of a network, and second information on the first sub-network;

a storage unit which stores at least one of the first information and the second information; and

a control unit which broadcasts the at least one of the first information and the second information if the apparatus joins a second sub-network of the network.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first information comprises at least one of an IP address, an identifier, and a port number of the at least one component.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second information comprises at least one of a location, a sub-structure, an address and a predetermined name of the first sub-network.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one of the first information and the second information is stored in a storage space allocated to each sub-network of the network.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus for discovering a component in a sub-network operates as a collector in the first network, and operates as A distributor in the second network.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sub-network comprises at least one of an ad hoc network and a home network.