ZIGBEE GATEWAY AND MESSAGE IDENTIFICATION METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20110149932A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: KIM, Hyun Hak, Jun, Jong Arm, Heo, Tae Wook
• Application Number:
  US12/887,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149932A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless

Abstract

A ZigBee gateway includes: an IP network communication unit supporting communications with an IP network; a ZigBee network communication unit supporting communications with a ZigBee network; and a message processing unit generating a forwarding entry containing a service request ID and a transaction sequence ID corresponding to a service request message, when the service request message is received from the IP network, and performing a forwarding operation between the service request message and a response message transmitted from the ZigBee network in response to the service request message, by referring to the forwarding entry.

Claims

1. A ZigBee gateway comprising:

an IP network communication unit supporting communications with an IP network;

a ZigBee network communication unit supporting communications with a ZigBee network; and

a message processing unit generating a forwarding entry containing a service request ID and a transaction sequence ID corresponding to a service request message, when the service request message is received from the IP network, and performing a forwarding operation between the service request message and a response message transmitted from the ZigBee network in response to the service request message, by referring to the forwarding entry.

2. The ZigBee gateway of claim 1, wherein the message processing unit further comprises a function of maintaining the forwarding entry when the response message is one of multiple response messages, and deleting the forwarding entry when the response message is a one-time response message or a final response message of multiple response messages.

3. The ZigBee gateway of claim 2, wherein the message processing unit comprises:

a forwarding table management section generating the forwarding entry when the service request message is received and transmitted, and deciding whether or not to delete the forwarding entry when the response message is received and transmitted; and

a message conversion section attaching a transaction sequence ID to the service request message so as to transmit the service request message to the ZigBee network when the service request message is received, and attaching a service request ID to the response message by referring to the forwarding entry so as to transmit the response message to the IP network when the response message is received.

4. The ZigBee gateway of claim 3, wherein the message conversion section acquires a forwarding entry corresponding to the response message by using the transaction sequence ID and service respondent information contained in the response message.

5. The ZigBee gateway of claim 1, further comprising a forwarding table storing and managing a service request ID, a transaction sequence ID, service requester information, and service respondent information for guaranteeing the uniqueness of a service request message for each forwarding entry.

6. A network system comprising:

one or more IP hosts positioned in an IP network and generating and outputting a service request message;

a ZigBee gateway generating a forwarding entry containing a service request ID and a transaction sequence ID corresponding to the service request message when the service request message is received, and performing a forwarding operation between the service request message and a response message corresponding to the service request message by referring to the forwarding entry; and

one or more ZigBee devices positioned in a ZigBee network and generating and outputting the response message corresponding to the service request message.

7. The network system of claim 6, wherein the ZigBee gateway comprises:

an IP network communication unit supporting communications with the one or more IP hosts;

a ZigBee network communication unit supporting communications with the one or more ZigBee devices;

a message processing unit generating the forwarding entry containing the service request ID and the transaction sequence ID corresponding to the service request message, when the service request message is received, and performing a forwarding operation between the service request message and the response message, which correspond to each other, by referring to the forwarding entry; and

a forwarding table storing and managing a service request ID, a transaction sequence ID, service requester information, and service respondent information for guaranteeing the uniqueness of a service request message for each forwarding entry.

8. The network system of claim 7, wherein the message processing unit further comprises a function of maintaining the forwarding entry when the response message is one of multiple response messages, and deleting the forwarding entry when the response message is a one-time response message or a final response message of multiple response messages.

9. The network system of claim 8, wherein the message processing unit comprises:

a forwarding table management section generating the forwarding entry when the service request message is received and transmitted, and deciding whether or not to delete the forwarding entry when the response message is received and transmitted; and

a message conversion section attaching a transaction sequence ID to the service request message so as to transmit the service request message to the ZigBee network when the service request message is received, and attaching a service request ID to the response message by referring to the forwarding entry corresponding to the service request message so as to transmit the response message to the IP network when the response message is received.

10. The network system of claim 9, wherein the message conversion section acquires a forwarding entry corresponding to the response message by using the transaction sequence ID and service respondent information contained in the response message.

11. The network system of claim 9, wherein the ZigBee device generates a response message corresponding to the service request message, attaches the transaction sequence ID contained in the service request message to the response message, and transmits the response message to the ZigBee gateway.

12. A message identification method of a ZigBee gateway, comprising:

receiving a service request message transmitted from an IP network;

generating a forwarding entry containing a service request ID, a transaction sequence ID, service requester information, and service respondent information corresponding to the service request message, while transmitting the service request message to a ZigBee network;

acquiring the forwarding entry by using the transaction ID and the service respondent information contained in a response message, when the response message corresponding to the service request message is received from the ZigBee network; and

transmitting the response message to the IP network by referring to the forwarding entry.

13. The message identification method of claim 12, further comprising maintaining the forwarding entry when the response message is one of multiple response messages, and deleting the forwarding entry when the response message is a one-time response message or a final response message of multiple response messages.

14. The message identification method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the forwarding entry comprises:

generating the service request ID corresponding to the service request message, generating the forwarding entry containing the service request ID and the service requester information contained in the service request message, and registering the forwarding entry in a forwarding table;

generating the transaction sequence ID corresponding to the service request message, attaching the transaction sequence ID to the Service request message, and transmitting the service request message to the ZigBee network; and

additionally storing the service respondent information contained in the transaction sequence ID and the service request message into the forwarding entry.