Software architecture system and method for communication with, and management of, components within an appliance utilizing functionality identifiers

• US 8,345,686 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: McCoy, Richard A., Ebrom, Matthew P., Feldbruegge, Robert J., Kmet, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUADALUPE CRUZ, AIXA AMYR
• Application Number:
  US11/571,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20090103535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0063 using remote monitoring or controlling of the dishwasher operation, e.g. networking systems
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/04 Signal transfer or data transmission arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 7/02 by radio
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/26 the radio signal being a near-field communication signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• 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 12/282 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 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• 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 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 : Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/688 : for thawing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 : Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A network system comprising a system of devices having a plurality of nodes defining a communications network. At least one identifier from a pre-determined group of identifiers is associated with each of the nodes and identifies the functionalities that are applicable to that node or device associated with that node. In one embodiment, at least one of the nodes can transmit the at least one identifier by a message sent over the communications network for receipt by at least one of the nodes to thereby publish the functionalities over the communications network.

Claims

1. An appliance for performing a useful cycle of operation on a physical article comprising:

at least one control board having software architecture configured for communication on a network including other control boards or clients, and having a message architecture and at least one functionality associated with the cycle of operation from a universe of functionalities;

wherein each functionality from the universe of functionalities is associated with a unique identifier, this unique identifier comprising an Application Programming Interface identifier (API ID), and wherein each API ID comprises one or more instances;

wherein each instance of the at least one API ID on the network is associated with a dynamically assigned unique instance identifier; and

wherein the message architecture includes at least one byte predefined to contain a unique API ID value and at least one byte predefined to contain a unique instance identifier value;

the message being communicable over the network so that one instance of the at least one functionality is uniquely identifiable among more than one instance of the same functionality on the network.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the control board further comprises an addressing identifier to facilitate communicating the functional identifier.

3. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the at least one control board is in communication with a node on a network and wherein the at least one functionality is discoverable by response to a discovery query.

4. The appliance of claim 3 wherein the unique identifier is cached and indexed to an address identifier.

5. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the at least one control board discovers its own functionality.

6. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the discovery query seeks at least one of an acknowledgement of the relevance of a specified second identifier, an identification of multiple unique second identifiers relevant to at least one control board, and an identification of all unique second identifiers relevant to a specific control board.

7. The appliance of claim 1 further comprising a network of at least one other appliance wherein each functionality in a universe of functionalities in the network is uniquely identified.

8. An appliance for performing a useful cycle of operation on a physical article comprising:

at least one control board having software architecture configured for communication on a network including other control boards or clients, and having at least one functionality from a universe of functionalities;

wherein the software architecture associates the at least one functionality with a first identifier, said identifier being an Operational Code (Op Code), and associates the first identifier with at least one second identifier that represents a logical group of functionalities, the second identifier being an Application Programming Interface identifier (API ID),

wherein each API ID comprises one or more instances, and

wherein the first identifier need only be unique within the context of the second identifier, so that the software architecture and the plurality of functionalities is modular and reusable without modification because the at least one functionality within the logical group of functionalities has a unique API ID, and the one or more instances comprise a unique instance identifier, and the software architecture enables the appliance to include multiple functionalities simultaneously without changing the values of any of the second identifier.

9. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the at least one control board comprises a component selected from a sensor, a dispenser, a light, a filter, a motor, a defroster, a heater, an evaporator, a solenoid, a relay, a chiller, a motor controller, a key pad controller, and a user interface.

10. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the functionality applicable to an identifier is configurable by way of a network message.

11. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the functionality is configurable by assigning the identifier a new function.

12. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the second identifier comprises a class identifier.

13. The appliance of claim 12 wherein the software architecture associates at least one third identifier with the second identifier, wherein the second identifier comprises a sub-class identifier.

14. The appliance of claim 12 wherein the software architecture associates at least one third identifier with the second identifier wherein the third identifier comprises at least one instance ID so that multiple instances of the same functionality may be addressed on the network by the other control boards and clients.

15. The appliance of claim 14 wherein the at least one third identifier is cached and indexed to the second identifier to establish an association between the instance and the functionality.

16. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the appliance comprises two identical functionalities and the software architecture assigns a unique instance ID to each of the identical functionalities by associating the second identifier of the functionalities to each of the unique instance IDs.

17. The appliance of claim 8 further comprising at least one of a model number and a serial number of the appliance or components of the appliance.

18. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the functionality applicable to the second identifier is assignable by way of a message with the control board.

19. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the second identifier comprises a instance identifier so that multiple instances of the same functionality may be addressed on the network by the other control boards and clients.

20. The appliance of claim 19 wherein the software architecture associates a third identifier with each second identifier wherein the third identifier represents a class identifier defining the message contract, rules for interaction, and compatibility concerns of the second identifier.

21. The appliance of claim 20 wherein the third identifier comprises a Type and Version identifier.

22. The appliance of claim 20 wherein the third identifier is further comprised with the second identifier.

23. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the software architecture publishes its presence on startup or discovery of another node on the network.

24. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the communication of the second identifier further defines a message comprising one of the first identifier, a request for information relating to the first identifier, a response to a request message having the first identifier, and an acknowledgement of receipt of command having a the first identifier.

25. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the at least one control board is in communication with a node on a network and wherein the at least one functionality is discoverable by response to a discovery query.