Method and system for master to master communication in control systems

• US 6,744,771 B1
• Filed: 06/09/1999
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harman Professional, Inc. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Amx Corporation (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Myer, Aaron L., Barber, Ronald W., Partridge, Charles W., McGrane, William B., Lee, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven H. D
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, DUC T
• Application Number:
  US09/328,926
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/390, 370/400, 370/401, 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 709/208, 709/209, 709/211, 709/223, 709/217
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• 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 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/46 Interconnection of networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A master controller (28) in a control area network system in a larger control area network (16, 18) may have a plurality of devices (33) coupled thereto. The devices generate data which the master controller directs to a destination device coupled to the same master controller, a different master controller in the same control area network or to a different master controller in a different control area network. The master controller directs the data using a connections table acquired from one or more other master controllers to which the master controller may communicate with.

Claims

1. A control network comprising;

a communications network;

a first master controller and a second master controller, said first and second master controllers being coupled to said communications network;

a plurality of devices, a first set of devices being coupled to said first master controller and a second set of devices being coupled to said second master controller via said communications network, each device having at least one port;

a first device manager associated with said first master controller and a second device manager associated with said second master controller, said first device manager maintaining first device status data associated with said first set of devices, said second device manager maintaining second device status data associated with said second set of devices, and said first and second device status data including the number of ports on respective devices in said respective sets and a status of each said port, the number and a status of a plurality of levels associated with each said port, and the number and status of a plurality of channels associated with each said port; and

a first connection manager associated with said first master controller and a second connection manager associated with said second master controller, said first connection manager being operable to accept data from said first set of devices and route said data to said second master controller, said second connection manager being operable to accept said data from said first master controller and send said data to said second set of devices.

2. The control network according to claim 1, wherein said second connection manager is operable to accept data from said second set of devices and route said data to said first master controller, said first connection manager being operable to accept said data from said second master controller and send said data to said first set of devices.

3. The control network according to claim 1,

wherein said first connection manager includes a first connections table and said second connection manager includes a second connections table.

4. The control network according to claim 3, wherein an external device communicates with said port.

5. The control network according to claim 4, wherein said port controls said external device.

6. The control network according to claim 1, wherein said device is a slave device controlled by said master controller.

7. The control network according to claim 3, wherein said first connections table includes a plurality of entries, each said entry representing a path from said first master controller to a remote master controller distinct from said first master controller.

8. The control network according to claim 7, wherein said path is a sequence of at least two master controllers that is traversed to get from said first master controller to said remote master controller.

9. The control network according to claim 8, wherein the sequence further includes a cost associated with each element in the sequence.

10. The control network according to claim 8, wherein said remote master controller is said second master controller.

11. The control network according to claim 8, wherein said remote master controller is distinct from said second master controller.

12. The control network according to claim 8, wherein the sequence is ordered.

13. The control network according to claim 7, further including a fallback master controller coupled to said first master controller and wherein said first connections table further includes a fallback entry, said fallback entry representing said fallback master controller, and wherein said fallback entry is used by said first master controller to route data when said entries in said first connections table lack said second master controller.

14. The control network according to claim 3, wherein said second connections table includes a plurality of entries, each said entry representing a path from said second master controller to a remote master controller distinct from said second master controller.

15. The control network according to claim 14, wherein said path is a sequence of master controllers that is traversed to get from said second master controller to said remote master controller.

16. The control network according to claim 15, wherein said remote master controller is said first master controller.

17. The control network according to claim 14, wherein said remote master controller is distinct from said first master controller.

18. The control network according to claim 14, further including a fallback master controller coupled to said second master controller and wherein said second connections table further includes a fallback entry, said fallback entry representing said fallback master controller, and wherein said fallback entry is used by said second master controller to route data when said entries in said second connections table lack said first master controller.

19. A method for routing data in a control network including a plurality of master controllers, a first master controller having a first set of devices coupled thereto, and a second master controller having a second set of devices coupled thereto, the second master controller directly coupled to the first master controller, and the method comprising:

maintaining routing information, including maintaining a connections table associated with the first master controller, the connections table including a plurality of table entries wherein each entry represents a path from the first master controller to a remote master controller, the connections table further including a fallback entry representing another master controller, distinct from the first master controller, to which data will be routed when a destination device is unknown to the first master controller;

generating data at a first selected one of the first set of devices;

transmitting the data from the first selected device to the first master controller;

receiving the data at the first master controller;

inspecting the data at the first master controller to determine a destination device for the data;

determining which of the first and second set of devices includes the destination device;

sending the data to the second master controller, upon determining that the destination device is in the second set;

receiving the data at the second master controller to determine which device in the second set is the destination device; and

sending the data to the destination device.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein inspecting the data further includes determining the destination based on a system identifier and a device identifier in the data.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein routing the data to the destination device includes sending the data to the destination device in the first set of devices.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the connections table further includes a fallback entry used by the first master controller to route data when the destination device of the data is unrepresented in the entries of the connections table.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the path includes a sequence of at least two master controllers that is traversed to get from the first master controller to the remote master controller.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the destination device is in the second set, wherein the second master controller is coupled to the first master controller through at least one further master controller distinct from the first and second master controllers and wherein routing the data to the destination device includes:

selecting one entry from the connections table which has the second master controller as the remote master controller;

sending the data to the second controller over the selected path;

receiving the data at the second master controller from one of the further master controllers along the selected path;

inspecting the data at the second master controller to determine which device in the second plurality is the destination device; and

sending the data to the destination device.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein sending the data to the second controller over the selected path includes:

sending the data along the selected path to the further master controller which is directly coupled to the first master controller;

determining whether the further master controller is directly coupled to the second master controller; and

sending the data based on said determining whether the further master controller is directly coupled to the second master controller step.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein sending the data based on said determining whether the further master controller is directly coupled to the second master controller step includes:

sending the data to the second master controller when the second master controller is directly coupled to the further master controller and otherwise sending the data to the further master controller which is the next further master controller along the path; and

repeating said sending the data to the second master controller when the second master controller is directly coupled to the further master controller and otherwise sending the data to the further master controller which is the next further master controller along the path step until the data is sent to the second master controller.

27. The method according to claim 19, wherein said maintaining the routing data step includes maintaining a connections table associated with the second master controller and wherein the connections table includes a plurality of entries, each entry representing a path from the second master controller to a remote master controller distinct from the second master controller.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the connections table further includes a fallback entry used by the first master controller to route data when the destination device of the data is unrepresented in the entries of the connections table.