Remote monitoring and control of devices connected to an IEEE 1394 bus via a gateway device

• US 6,496,862 B1
• Filed: 04/29/1999
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Akatsu, Shinji, Miura, Shin, Matsubara, Fernando Masami
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/304,213
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 370/474, 370/475, 709/245, 709/238, 709/246, 709/249, 709/227, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 725/20
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A method is provided for remote monitoring and control of device (nodes) in a network system including a gateway device bridging the network system to an external network, wherein the method comprises: maintaining an address mapping table within the network system, the address mapping table comprising a node unique identifier column and node attribute information, receiving an input data packet from the external network at the gateway device, parsing the input data packet into an output request and input data, mapping the input data to a particular node on an internal network connected to the gateway device, transmitting the input data to the particular node, receiving a response from the particular node, generating an output data packet comprising the response from the particular node, and forwarding the output data packet to the external network.

Claims

1. A method for remote monitoring and control in a network system comprising an IEEE 1394 bus and including a gateway device bridging the network system to an external network, comprising:

resetting the IEEE 1394 bus;

polling particular local nodes in the internal network;

gathering addresses and associated attributes from the local nodes;

storing the addresses and attributes in a memory;

receiving an input data packet from the external network at the gateway device, the input data packet including input data related to a request made by the external network to monitor and control a particular local node on the network system;

separating the input data packet into an output request and input data;

mapping the input data to the particular local node;

transmitting the input data to the particular local node;

receiving a response from the particular local node;

generating an output data packet comprising the response from the particular local node; and

forwarding the output data packet to the external network to satisfy the output request to monitor and control the particular local node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the external network comprises a packet data network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the external network comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein addresses of the external network use a different protocol than the addresses of the internal network, further comprising:

mapping between the addresses of the external network and node addresses of the internal network in the gateway device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory is located in the gateway device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network system comprises a home entertainment system and the gateway device is a home gateway.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the node attributes include ATM, MPEG, IEEE 1394 and IP service information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein input packets are received from the remote node over a virtual circuit, further comprising:

maintaining a virtual channel identifier and a virtual path identifier for each local node.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the virtual circuit is a permanent virtual circuit.