SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMISSIONING DEVICES

• US 20130076491A1
• Filed: 09/19/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NX BV
• Inventors: Brandsma, Ewout, Syed, Aly Aamer, Moonen, Oswald, Hendricksen, Ruud, van Roermund, Timo, Pennings, Maarten Christiaan
• Granted Patent: US 9,762,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention a system for commissioning devices is provided, which system comprises: a first device and a second device; an RFID tag comprised in the first device; a host processor comprised in the first device; wherein the second device is arranged to generate an electromagnetic field; wherein the RFID tag is arranged to detect the electromagnetic field and to wake up the host processor upon detecting said electromagnetic field in order for the second device to communicate with the host processor. Furthermore, a corresponding method for commissioning devices is provided. Since the RFID tag comprised in the first device is arranged to wake up the host processor, an end-user does not have to switch on the first device manually. Therefore, the user interaction is simplified. Furthermore, there is no need for a separate power button on the first device. The latter reduces cost and simplifies the design of the first device.

Claims

1. A system for commissioning devices, the system comprising:

a first device and a second device;

an RFID tag comprised in the first device;

a host processor comprised in the first device;

wherein the second device is arranged to generate an electromagnetic field;

wherein the RFID tag is arranged to detect the electromagnetic field and to wake up the host processor upon detecting said electromagnetic field in order for the second device to communicate with the host processor

wherein the RFID tag comprises a tag controller which is configured to send a wake-up signal to the host processor in order to wake up the host processor, and

the tag controller is further configured to send the wake-up signal only if data are read from and/or written to a predetermined area of memory.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is configured to read out configuration data comprised in the RFID tag and to use said configuration data to commission the first device.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the configuration data comprise contact data and wherein the second device is configured to use said contact data for establishing a network connection with the first device.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the host processor comprises an interface unit and wherein the second device is configured to establish the network connection with the first device via the interface unit.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first device is a Bluetooth headset and the second device is a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless sensor network, the first device is a wireless sensor node and the second device is configured to commission the wireless sensor node.

16. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conditions that determine whether or not a wake-up signal is generated are reconfigurable.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second device is configured to write configuration parameters into a dedicated area of the tag memory in order to reconfigure said conditions, and/or wherein the host processor is arranged to write configuration parameters into said dedicated area by means of a host connection in order to reconfigure said conditions.

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

9. A method for commissioning a first device and a second device, the method comprising that an RFID tag comprised in the first device wakes up a host processor comprised in the first device upon detecting an electromagnetic field generated by the second device, in order for the second device to communicate with the host processor, wherein the RFID tag comprises a tag controller which sends a wake-up signal to the host processor in order to wake up the host processor, and the tag controller sends the wake-up signal only if data are read from and/or written to predetermined areas of a tag memory.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second device reads out configuration data comprised in the RFID tag and uses said configuration data to commission the first device.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the configuration data comprise contact data and wherein the second device uses said contact data for establishing a network connection with the first device.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the contact data comprise a Media Access Control address and a public key.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second device encrypts network parameters with the public key and subsequently sends the encrypted network parameters to the host processor utilizing the Media Access Control address, and wherein the host processor receives the encrypted network parameters and subsequently decrypts the encrypted network parameters with a private key corresponding to the public key.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the host processor uses the decrypted network parameters for establishing the network connection.

15. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein, subsequent to establishing the network connection, the first device sends a message to the second device for initiating a control relationship between the first device and the second device.

18. A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the second device writes configuration parameters into a dedicated area of the tag memory in order to reconfigure said conditions, and/or wherein the host processor writes configuration parameters into said dedicated area by means of a host connection in order to reconfigure said conditions.

19. A system for commissioning devices, the system comprising:

a first device and a second device;

an RFID tag comprised in the first device;

a host processor comprised in the first device;

wherein the second device is arranged to generate an electromagnetic field;

wherein the RFID tag is arranged to detect the electromagnetic field and to wake up the host processor upon detecting said electromagnetic field in order for the second device to communicate with the host processor,

characterized in that the RFID tag is arranged to detect said electromagnetic field and to wake up the host processor by means of a separate wake-up circuit.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the wake-up circuit shares an antenna coil with the RFID tag.

21. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the wake-up circuit comprises a tag selection detector capable of detecting whether the RFID tag continues interacting for a longer period of time after an initial field is detected in the antenna coil.