System And Method For Dynamic Device Discovery And Address Assignment

• US 20140336821A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hayward Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hayward Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Murdock, James, Sawyer, Douglas M. Jr., Brunetti, Carl, Blaine, David M., White, Kenneth W. Jr., Horrocks, Craig Andrew, Heon, Robert Donald, Rivera, Lynnette
• Granted Patent: US 11,426,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/0083 Illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5007 computer controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/501 connected to external computer devices or networks
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5012 using the internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5015 using specific interfaces or standards, e.g. USB, serial, parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5043 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5097 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/005 Electrical circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/0095 Arrangements for varying the temperature of the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21081 At start up, check I-O configuration and store addresses in ram
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25096 Detect addresses of connected I-O, modules
• 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 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network address by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Claims

1. A pool or spa system including a plurality of components operatively coupled via a communications network supporting dynamic device discovery, the system comprising:

a pool or spa;

a plurality of slave devices, each of the plurality of slave devices being configured to perform one or more operations with respect to the pool or spa, each of the plurality of devices being un-configured and having a unique device identifier; and

a master controller operative coupled to the plurality of slave devices to form a network, the master controller being programmed to assign each of the slave devices a network address based on the unique identifier of each of the plurality of slave devices and in response to bidirectional communication between the master controller and the plurality of slave devices to configure the plurality of slave devices and enable addressed communication between the controller and the plurality of slave devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the master controller broadcasts a device discovery request on the network requesting a response from the plurality of slave devices and receives, in response to the device discovery request, a response from a first device of the plurality of slave devices including the unique identifier associated with the first device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the master controller correlates the device identifier received from the first device with an available network address, assigns the network address to the first device, and transmits a message on the network that includes the device identifier and the network address.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first device receives the message, compares the device identifier in the message to the device identifier of the first device, and stores the network address as the network address of the first device based on a determination that the device identifier included in the message matches the device identifier of the first device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of slave devices does not retain the network address assigned by the master controller when the at least one of the plurality of slave devices is powered down.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the master controller is programmed to periodically determine whether the network includes a slave device requiring configuration.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the master controller maintains at least one table correlating the unique device identifier of each of the plurality of slave devices with the network address assigned to each of the plurality of slave devices.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a gateway device operatively coupled between at least one of the plurality of slave devices and the master controller, wherein the gateway communicates with the master controller on behalf of the at least one of the plurality of slave devices to facilitate assignment of the network address to the at least one of the plurality of slave devices.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of slave devices include at least one of a pump, a filter, a sensor, or a heater.

10. A system for dynamic discovery of networked devices in a pool or spa system, the system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions for a process of dynamically discovering networked devices in a pool or spa system;

a processing device programmed to execute the computer executable instructions to;

transmit a broadcast message to networked devices in the pool or spa system, the message including a device discovery request;

receive a response message from an un-configured pool or spa device in the pool or spa system, the response including a unique device identifier associated with the un-configured device;

correlate the unique device identifier with a network address; and

transmit the network address to the un-configured pool or spa device to transform the un-configured pool or spa device to a configured pool or spa device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing device transmits the broadcast message with a time period that defines a quantity of time after the broadcast message that the processing device waits for a response from the networked devices.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing device receives the response message from an un-configured pool or spa device through a gateway device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing device correlates the unique device identifier with the network address in at least one table maintained by processing device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing device transmits the network address to the un-configured pool or spa device via a message that includes the unique device identifier associated with the un-configured pool or spa device.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing device is programmed to execute the computer executable instructions to periodically transmit the broadcast message to discover further un-configured pool or spa devices in the pool or spa system.

16. A method of dynamically discovering networked devices in a pool or spa system, the method comprising:

transmitting a broadcast message to networked devices in the pool or spa system, the message including a device discovery request;

receiving a response message from an un-configured pool or spa device in the pool or spa system, the response including a unique device identifier associated with the un-configured device;

correlating the unique device identifier with a network address; and

transmitting the network address to the un-configured pool or spa device to transform the un-configured pool or spa device to a configured pool or spa device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the broadcast message comprises transmitting the broadcast message with a time period that defines a quantity of time after the broadcast message that the processing device waits for a response from the networked devices.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the response message from an un-configured pool or spa device comprising receiving the response message through a gateway device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the network address to the un-configured pool or spa device comprises transmitting a message that includes the unique device identifier associated with the un-configured pool or spa device.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising periodically transmitting the broadcast message to discover further un-configured pool or spa devices in the pool or spa system.