Automated commissioning of wireless devices

• US 8,422,401 B1
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daintree Networks Pty Ltd. (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Daintree Networks Pty Ltd. (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Choong, Jason Yew Choo, Buchanan, Dallas Ivanhoe III, Cobb, Peter Graeme
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): O CONNOR, BRIAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/900,960
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/254, 370/328, 370/338, 370/392
• US Class Current: 370/254
• 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

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for commissioning a wireless network in an automated fashion. The method includes accessing zone configuration data specifying zones in a wireless network and further specifying, for each zone, wireless devices that belong to the zone; in response to a first physical stimulus in an area, receiving sensor data from a first sensor device in the area and generating the sensor data in response to sensing the first physical stimulus, the first sensor device not belonging to a zone and the area being an area in which are located other wireless devices belonging to a first zone; generating a commissioning event for the first zone; and in response to the sensor data and the commissioning event, updating the zone configuration data so that the zone configuration data specifies that the first sensor device belongs to the first zone.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

accessing zone configuration data specifying a plurality of zones in a wireless network and further specifying, for each zone, one or more wireless devices of a plurality of wireless devices that belong to the zone;

generating a first physical stimulus in an area by instructing wireless lighting devices belonging to a first zone to change an illumination level, the first physical stimulus being a change in an illumination level in the area;

in response to the first physical stimulus, receiving sensor data from a photo sensor device that can sense the first physical stimulus in the area and generate the sensor data in response to sensing the first physical stimulus, the photo sensor device not belonging to a zone and the area being an area in which are located other wireless devices belonging to the first zone as specified by the zone configuration data;

generating a commissioning event for the first zone including;

determining, from the sensor data, if the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level of the area that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting devices; and

in response to determining that the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level of the area that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting devices, then generating the commissioning event; and

in response to the sensor data and the commissioning event, updating the zone configuration data so that the zone configuration data specifies that the photo sensor device belongs to the first zone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a confirmation request in response to updating the zone configuration data, the confirmation request identifying the photo sensor device and the first zone; and

persisting the update to the zone configuration data only in response to receiving a confirmation responsive to the confirmation request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

generating a confirmation request in response to updating the zone configuration data comprises;

generating a first physically perceptible identification signal that identifies the photo sensor device;

facilitating the identification of the first zone by a user; and

wherein receiving an identification of the first zone after the generation of the first physically perceptible identification signal constitutes a confirmation responsive to the confirmation request.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first physically perceptible identification signal that identifies the photo sensor device is an illumination of the photo sensor device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein facilitating the identification of the first zone by the user comprises identifying the first zone in response to a user actuation of a device belonging to the first zone.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein facilitating the identification of the first zone by the user comprises identifying the first zone in a graphical user interface on a user device, the graphical user interface including a selectable user input, and confirming the identification of the zone in response to a selection of the selectable user input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the photo sensor device includes a motion sensor, and the first physical stimulus includes a motion of an object in the first area.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the joining of a first wireless device to the wireless network;

in response to the monitoring, determining if the photo sensor device generates sensor data in response to sensing a second physical stimulus in the area within a first predetermined time period measured from the monitoring of the joining event;

in response to determining that the photo sensor device generates sensor data in response to sensing the second physical stimulus in the area within the first predetermined time period;

determining if a second sensor device belonging to a second zone generates sensor data in response to a physical stimulus within the first predetermined time period measured from the monitoring of the joining event; and

in response to determining that the second sensor device belonging to the second zone did not generate sensor data in response to the physical stimulus within the first predetermined time period measured from the monitoring of the joining event, updating the zone configuration data so that the zone configuration data specifies that the first wireless device belongs to the first zone.

9. The method of claim 8, in response to determining that the second sensor device belonging to the second zone did generate sensor data in response to the physical stimulus within the first predetermined time period measured from the monitoring of the joining event:

monitoring for a zone confirmation signal for each of the first and second zones; and

in response to the monitoring of a zone confirmation signal, updating the zone configuration data so that the zone configuration data for the zone for which the zone confirmation signal was received specifies that the first wireless device belongs to the zone.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

monitoring for a zone confirmation signal comprises monitoring for a zone confirmation signal from second wireless devices belonging to the first zone and second wireless devices belonging to the second zone within a second predetermined time period; and

updating the zone configuration data comprises updating the zone configuration data so that the zone configuration data specifies that the first wireless device belongs to the zone to which the second wireless device belongs.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

monitoring, by one or more data processors, the joining of wireless photo sensor devices to a wireless network and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network and that do not belong to a zone, and in response to the monitoring of the joining of wireless photo sensor devices and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network;

selecting, by the one or more data processors, the wireless photo sensor devices;

selecting, by the one or more data processors, the wireless lighting devices;

assigning, by the one or more data processors, the wireless photo sensor devices and wireless lighting devices to respective zones, each respective zone based on one or more couplings between one or more wireless photo sensor devices and the wireless lighting devices in the respective zone, wherein the assigning comprises;

sequentially instructing wireless lighting devices that joined the network to change an illumination level so that only one wireless lighting device that joined the network changes an illumination level at any one time;

receiving photo sensor data from the wireless photo sensor devices;

determining, for each wireless photo sensor device from the photo sensor data for the wireless photo sensor device, if the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting device;

in response to determining that the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting device, assigning the photo sensor device and the wireless lighting device to a zone; and

storing in a zone configuration data store zone configuration data specifying one or more zones to which the photo sensor devices and wireless lighting devices are assigned, the zone configuration data specifying, for each zone, wireless devices that belong to the zone.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the assigning the photo sensor device and the wireless lighting device to a zone comprises:

determining if either of the wireless photo sensor device or the wireless lighting device have been assigned to a zone;

in response to determining that the wireless photo sensor device has been assigned to a particular zone, assigning the wireless lighting device to the same zone; and

in response to determining that neither of the wireless photo sensor device nor the wireless lighting device have been assigned to a particular zone, generating a new zone and assigning the wireless photo sensor device and wireless lighting device to the new zone.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising in response to determining that the wireless lighting device has been assigned to a particular zone, assigning the wireless photo sensor device to the same zone.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

at least one of the wireless photo sensor devices includes a motion sensor, and wherein the motion sensor is assigned to the same zone as the wireless photo sensor device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless photo sensor device and the motion sensor have a coincident field of view, and wherein the wireless photo sensor device is further configured to provide sensor only in response to a commissioning request.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

monitoring, by one or more data processors, the joining of wireless photo sensor devices to a wireless network and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network and that do not belong to a zone, and in response to the monitoring of the joining of wireless photo sensor devices and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network;

selecting, by the one or more data processors, the wireless photo sensor devices;

selecting, by the one or more data processors, the wireless lighting devices;

assigning, by the one or more data processors, the wireless photo sensor devices and wireless lighting devices to respective zones, each respective zone based on one or more couplings between one or more wireless photo sensor devices and the wireless lighting devices in the respective zone, wherein the assigning comprises;

determining if either of the wireless photo sensor device or the wireless lighting device have been assigned to a zone;

in response to determining that the wireless photo sensor device has been assigned to a particular zone, assigning the wireless lighting device to the same zone; and

in response to determining that neither of the wireless photo sensor device nor the wireless lighting device have been assigned to a particular zone, generating a new zone and assigning the wireless photo sensor device and wireless lighting device to the new zone;

monitoring the joining of other wireless devices to the wireless network, and in response to the monitoring of the joining of an other wireless device to the wireless network;

for each zone that includes wireless lighting devices in response to the monitoring of the wireless lighting devices joining the network;

sequentially selecting each zone and instructing the wireless lighting devices belonging to that zone to change an illumination level so that only the wireless lighting devices of one zone change an illumination level at any one time;

monitoring for a zone confirmation signal for each the sequentially selected zone; and

in response to the monitoring of a zone confirmation signal, updating zone configuration data, specifying one or more zones to which wireless devices are assigned, so that the zone configuration data for the zone for which the zone confirmation signal was received specifies that the other wireless device belongs to the zone.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein monitoring for the zone confirmation signal comprises monitoring for a signal from the other wireless device.

18. A system, comprising:

a data processing apparatus; and

a computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program containing instructions that when executed by the data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations including;

accessing zone configuration data specifying a plurality of zones in a wireless network and further specifying, for each zone, one or more wireless devices of a plurality of wireless devices that belong to the zone;

generating a first physical stimulus in an area by instructing wireless lighting devices belonging to a first zone to change an illumination level, the first physical stimulus being a change in an illumination level in the area;

in response to the first physical stimulus, receiving sensor data from a photo sensor device that can sense the first physical stimulus in the area and generate the sensor data in response to sensing the first physical stimulus, the photo sensor device not belonging to a zone and the area being an area in which are located other wireless devices belonging to the first zone as specified by the zone configuration data;

generating a commissioning event for the first zone including

determining, from the sensor data, if the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level of the area that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting devices; and

in response to determining that the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level of the area that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting devices, then generating the commissioning event; and

in response to the sensor data and the commissioning event, updating the zone configuration data so that the zone configuration data specifies that the photo sensor device belongs to the first zone.

19. A system, comprising:

a data processing apparatus; and

a computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program containing instructions that when executed by the data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations including;

monitoring the joining of wireless photo sensor devices to a wireless network and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network and that do not belong to a zone, and in response to the monitoring of the joining of wireless photo sensor devices and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network;

selecting the wireless photo sensor devices;

selecting the wireless lighting devices;

assigning the wireless photo sensor devices and wireless lighting devices to respective zones, each respective zone based on one or more couplings between one or more wireless photo sensor devices and the wireless lighting devices in the respective zone, wherein the assigning comprises;

sequentially instructing wireless lighting devices that joined the network to change an illumination level so that only one wireless lighting device that joined the network changes an illumination level at any one time;

receiving photo sensor data from the wireless photo sensor devices;

determining, for each wireless photo sensor device from the photo sensor data for the wireless photo sensor device, if the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting device;

in response to determining that the photo sensor device senses a change in the illumination level that is proportional to the changing of the illumination level of the wireless lighting device, assigning the photo sensor device and the wireless lighting device to a zone; and

storing in a zone configuration data store zone configuration data specifying one or more zones to which the photo sensor devices and wireless lighting devices are assigned, the zone configuration data specifying, for each zone, wireless devices that belong to the zone.

20. A system, comprising:

a data processing apparatus; and

a computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program containing instructions that when executed by the data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations including;

monitoring the joining of wireless photo sensor devices to a wireless network and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network and that do not belong to a zone, and in response to the monitoring of the joining of wireless photo sensor devices and the joining of wireless lighting devices to the network;

selecting the wireless photo sensor devices;

selecting the wireless lighting devices;

assigning the wireless photo sensor devices and wireless lighting devices to respective zones, each respective zone based on one or more couplings between one or more wireless photo sensor devices and the wireless lighting devices in the respective zone, wherein the assigning comprises;

determining if either of the wireless photo sensor device or the wireless lighting device have been assigned to a zone;

in response to determining that the wireless photo sensor device has been assigned to a particular zone, assigning the wireless lighting device to the same zone; and

in response to determining that neither of the wireless photo sensor device nor the wireless lighting device have been assigned to a particular zone, generating a new zone and assigning the wireless photo sensor device and wireless lighting device to the new zone;

monitoring the joining of other wireless devices to the wireless network, and in response to the monitoring of the joining of an other wireless device to the wireless network;

for each zone that includes wireless lighting devices in response to the monitoring of the wireless lighting devices joining the network;

sequentially selecting each zone and instructing the wireless lighting devices belonging to that zone to change an illumination level so that only the wireless lighting devices of one zone change an illumination level at any one time

monitoring for a zone confirmation signal for each the sequentially selected zone; and

in response to the monitoring of a zone confirmation signal, updating zone configuration data, specifying one or more zones to which wireless devices are assigned, so that the zone configuration data for the zone for which the zone confirmation signal was received specifies that the other wireless device belongs to the zone.