SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR NETWORKING CONSUMER DEVICES

• US 20140023363A1
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Apte, Raj B., Paulson, Christopher, Hasenoehrl, Erik John
• Application Number:
  US13/943,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20140023363A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/43
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

Systems and methods for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure. Nodes within the ad hoc network comprise a communication module configured to communicate with the ad hoc network using at least one of room-limited communications and room-transparent communications.

Claims

1. A method for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure, each node comprising a communication module configured to communicate with the ad hoc network using at least one of room-limited communications and room-transparent communications, the method comprising:

transmitting by a first node in the ad hoc network a first room-limited communication by changing a modulated frequency of the first room-limited communication from a first modulated frequency to a second modulated frequency;

determining at each of the other nodes in the ad hoc network whether the first room-limited communication was received using a receiver tuned to the second modulated frequency;

segmenting the nodes in the ad hoc network based on whether the first room-limited communication was received; and

storing the segmentation of the nodes in a database, wherein the segmentation associates each node in the ad hoc network with a room of the multi-roomed structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is associated with a lighting product.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is associated with a consumer product.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is associated with one of a wall outlet and a wall switch.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the room-limiting communication is an optical signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the optical signal is a flashing light.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the flashing light is imperceptible to the human eye.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second modulated frequency of the flashing light is in the range of about 600 Hz to about 2000 Hz.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first room-limited communication comprises pulsating a lighting product at a predefined frequency.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a function of the room of the multi-roomed structure.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the function is based on an identifier received from a node segmented into the room.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier is at least one of a stock keeping unit (SKU) number, a network address, a bar code, and a presumed identity.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising:

subsequent to storing the segmentation of the nodes in the database, detecting the existence of a new node that is in room-limited communication with the first node; and

segmenting the new node into the same room as the first node.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

receiving an identifier from the new node via a room-transparent communication; and

determining a product type of the new node based on the identifier.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting by the first node in the ad hoc network the first room-limited communication is initiated by activation of a light switch associated with the first node.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining at each of the other nodes in the ad hoc network whether the first room-limited communication was received comprises determining a period of time between the transmitting of the room-limited communication by the first node and the receiving of the room-limited communication by the second node.

17. A method for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure, each node comprising a communication module configured to communicate with the ad hoc network using at least one of room-limited communications and room-transparent communications, the method comprising:

based on an activation of a light switch associated with a first node, transmitting by the first node in the ad hoc network a first room-limited communication;

determining at each of the other nodes in the ad hoc network whether the first room-limited communication was received;

segmenting the nodes in the ad hoc network based on whether the first room-limited communication was received; and

storing the segmentation of the nodes in a database, wherein the segmentation associates each node in the ad hoc network with a room of the multi-roomed structure.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining at each of the other nodes in the ad hoc network whether the first room-limited communication was received comprises determining a period of time between the transmitting of the room-limited communication by the first node and the receiving of the room-limited communication by the second node.

19. A method for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure, the method comprising:

sequentially transmitting by each node in the ad hoc network a room-limited communication;

for each sequentially transmitted room-limited communication, determining at each of the other nodes in the ad hoc network whether the sequentially transmitted room-limited communication was received;

segmenting the nodes in the ad hoc network based on whether the sequentially transmitted room-limited communication was received; and

storing the segmentation of the nodes in a database, wherein the segmentation associates each node in the ad hoc network with a room of the multi-roomed structure.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

receiving an identifier associated with each node in the ad hoc network.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising:

assigning a function to each room in the multi-roomed structure, wherein in the function is based on the received identifiers.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the room-limiting communication is an optical signal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the optical signal is imperceptible to the human eye.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein transmitting the optical signal comprises pulsating a lighting product at a predefined frequency.

25. A system, comprising:

an ad hoc network comprising a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes comprising a first node associated with a first non-lighting consumer product and a second node associated with a second non-lighting consumer product, wherein the first and second node each comprise a communication module configured to communicate using at least one of room-limited communications and room-transparent communications, wherein one of the plurality of nodes comprises a controller and memory, wherein the controller is configured to;

cause the transmission of the first node in the ad hoc network a room-limited communication;

determining whether the room-limited communication was received at the second node;

segmenting the first and second nodes in the ad hoc network based on whether the room-limited communication was received the second node; and

storing the segmentation of the nodes in a database, wherein the segmentation associates the first and second node in the ad hoc network with a respective room of the multi-roomed structure.

26. A method for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure, the method comprising:

transmitting by a first node in the ad hoc network a room-transparent communication;

determining a relative position of the first node within the multi-roomed structure;

determining whether a second node exists in physical proximity to the first node;

when a second node exists in physical proximity to the first node, determining a room associated with the second node; and

segmenting the first node to the room associated with the second node.