Fully integrated web activated control and monitoring device

• US 7,203,736 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2000
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: ROKE Manor Research Limited (Chemring Group PLC)
• Inventors: Burnett, Alan Mark, Keogh, David Bryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US10/111,107
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709227-229, 715733-747
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• 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 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A web-enabled microcontroller device is provided with both web server functions (310) and generic control and monitoring functions (312). The web-enabled microcontroller device may be embedded in domestic, commercial and industrial hardware. Integrated software for remotely controlling hardware by means of the microcontroller device combines control application code (312) and HTTP server code (310). One implementation of the microcontroller device has a microprocessor coupled to a physical communications unit, a ROM and a RAM. The protocol stack (314) associated with the HTTP server may be permanently coded into the ROM or loaded into the RAM as required. In another implementation, the physical communications unit includes a digital signal processor and a wireless access unit, thereby providing a web-enabled digital wireless access device. In the wireless implementation, the processing of the wireless access physical layer (302) is performed by the digital signal processor and the higher layer processing (310, 312, 314) is performed on the microprocessor.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one physical device; and

a microcontroller which controls said at least one physical device in response to an incoming communication from a remote user, which incoming communication complies with a predetermined communications protocol;

wherein

said microcontroller includes a physical communication unit, a memory unit, and a microprocessor coupled to the physical communication unit and the memory unit,

the microcontroller is integrated with the at least one physical device that it controls;

the memory unit stores an integrated piece of software that executes a single processing thread and is configured i) to perform a server function and a control application function, and ii) to support protocol stacks;

in operation the integrated software is executed by the microprocessor, and the incoming communication is received at the physical communication unit, transmitted to the microprocessor, and processed in accordance with the integrated software;

the physical device is controlled by the control application function in accordance with commands generated from an interpreted communication;

feedback from the physical device is processed and transmitted back to the remote user via the server function;

thread mastery remains with the control application function in the absence of communication requirements, and is passed to the server function only when incoming communications are received and when response communications are transmitted; and

during processing of a communication, the server function periodically returns thread mastery to the control application function.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the physical communication unit includes a UART chip.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the physical communication unit includes a digital signal processor and a wireless access unit.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the digital signal processor is a baseband processor.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller device is embedded in a single integrated circuit.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit includes at least one non-volatile memory unit.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one non-volatile memory unit permanently stores the integrated piece of software.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one non-volatile memory unit is a read only memory unit.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit includes at least one volatile memory unit.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the integrated piece of software is stored as an image on the at least one volatile memory unit.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one volatile memory unit is a random access memory unit.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the server function provided by the integrated piece of software complies with the predetermined communications protocol.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein:

the communications protocol is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol; and

protocol stacks supported by the integrated piece of software are compatible with the Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein:

the communications protocol is a Wireless Application Protocol; and

protocol stacks supported by the integrated piece of software are compatible with the Wireless Application Protocol.

15. A method of operating a microcontroller device for remotely controlling a physical device having at least one function, the method including:

integrating said microcontroller device with said physical device;

receiving incoming communications from a remote user, the remote user communications complying with a predetermined communications protocol and including application-specific content;

registering a plurality of command handlers on a list, each command handler being provided to handle at least one portion of the application-specific content;

for the or each portion of the application-specific content of each respective remote user communication, calling a corresponding command handler from the list of registered command handlers;

generating an interpreted remote user communication by applying the called command handler to the content of the respective remote user communication;

generating control commands for the physical device for controlling the at least one function of the physical device in response to the interpreted remote user communication;

for said at least one portion of the application-specific content of each respective remote user communication, calling a corresponding command handler from the list of registered command handlers;

performing the at least one function on the physical device in response to the control commands;

receiving feedback from the physical device upon performance of the at least one commanded function;

calling an appropriate command handler to interpret the feedback;

generating a response communication compliant with the predetermined communications protocol from the interpreted feedback; and

transmitting the response communication to the remote user;

wherein,

upon receipt of incoming communications, a server function is called to process the communications;

once an interpreted remote user communication has been generated, thread mastery is passed from the server function to a control application for the generation of control commands; and

upon generation of the response communication thread mastery is passed from the control application to the server function;

during processing of a communication, the server function periodically returns thread mastery to the control application; and

said server function and said control application are combined in a single integrated software unit.

16. A memory unit having an integrated piece of software recorded thereon, wherein the integrated piece of software performs the method as claimed in claim 15.

17. A microcontroller device comprising:

a physical communication unit;

a memory unit; and

a microprocessor coupled to the physical communication unit and the memory unit;

wherein,

the microcontroller device is adapted to be coupled to an associated physical device, to provide a network identity to the physical device in a network which is compliant with a predetermined protocol, and which includes a plurality of microcontroller devices and associated physical devices;

the microcontroller device controls the associated physical device in response to an incoming communication from a remote user, which incoming communication complies with the predetermined protocol;

the memory unit stores an integrated piece of software that executes a single processing thread and is configured i) to perform a server function and a control application function, and ii) to support protocol stacks;

in operation the integrated software is executed by the microprocessor, and the incoming communication is received at the physical communication unit, transmitted to the microprocessor, and processed in accordance with the integrated software;

the physical device is controlled by the control application function in accordance with commands generated from an interpreted communication;

feedback from the physical device is processed and transmitted back to the remote user via the server function;

thread mastery remains with the control application function in the absence of communication requirements, and is passed to the server function which is executed only when incoming communications are received and when response communications are transmitted; and

during processing of a communication, the server function periodically returns thread mastery to the control application function.

18. A communications network comprising:

a plurality of microcontrollers and associated physical devices;

wherein,

each microcontroller has a network address in accordance with a communications protocol operating on the communications network, and is operably coupled to its associated physical device to control the associated physical device in response to an incoming communication from a remote user, which incoming communication complies with the predetermined protocol;

each of said microcontrollers comprises a physical communication unit, a memory unit; and

a microprocessor coupled to the physical communication unit and the memory unit;

the memory unit stores an integrated piece of software that executes a single processing thread and is configured i) to perform a server function and a control application function, and ii) to support protocol stacks;

in operation the integrated software is executed by the microprocessor, and the incoming communication is received at the physical communication unit, transmitted to the microprocessor, and processed in accordance with the integrated software;

the physical device is controlled by the control application function in accordance with commands generated from an interpreted communication;

feedback from the physical device is processed and transmitted back to the remote user via the server function;

thread mastery remains with the control application function in the absence of communication requirements, and is passed to the server function which is executed only when incoming communications are received and when response communications are transmitted; and

during processing of a communication, the server function periodically returns thread mastery to the control application function.