Control systems, commissioning tools, configuration adapters and method for wireless and wired networks design, installation and automatic formation

• US 8,437,276 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TriDiNetworks Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TriDiNetworks Ltd.
• Inventors: Dinur, Jehuda Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US12/680,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 370252-254, 370310-343, 455352-423, 340517-541, 709223-229
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources

Abstract

Design and control systems, commissioning tools, configuration adapters and a method for wireless and wired networks design, installation and automatic formation, including binding of the networks devices are provided. In the design system a scheme that uniquely identifies each network device by its type and its physical location is created and information for logical binding between the devices is prepared. In the design system is also created a device mapping that maps between the devices on the scheme and their network configuration data such as, radio IDs and startup attribute sets and wired communication link address. The data prepared in the design system is transferred to or accessed by a master controller and dedicated commissioning tools in the control system. According to devices'"'"' physical locations, appropriate configuration data is loaded from the commissioning tools into the devices through dedicated configuration adapters. The devices and their configuration adapters not necessarily have to be powered-up during configuration data loading. After power-up, the devices automatically update themselves with the loaded configuration data and the control system may initialize itself and identifies all the devices. The master controller in the control system uses the design system defined binding information and transmits binding commands for creating logical links between the devices and so networks may be automatically formed.

Claims

1. A method of design, installation, and formation, of a network that comprises wired and wireless devices and wired and wireless links, the method comprising the stages of:

creating a design of said network, said design comprising parameters and design configuration data of devices designed to be in said network and binding information defining bindings to allow connection between devices to run an application;

installing said devices according to said created design by accessing said created design by a commissioning tool and downloading data from said commissioning tool into a configuration adapter comprised in said devices before the devices are initialized; and

forming said network and bindings according to said created design by initializing said devices and by reading said downloaded data from the configuration adapter once the devices are initialized; and

wherein said commissioning tool comprises a configuration adapter for a complementary configuration link, wherein of the configuration adapters included in the system, only said configuration adapter of said commissioning tool must be powered-up during data communication between said at least one commissioning tool and said devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said forming said network is done automatically once the devices are initialized.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising after creating said design, storing said design of network in a design system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating a design of said network includes:

defining wired devices and wireless devices;

defining bindings between said wired devices;

defining a wired device mapping that maps a wired device to a wired network address; and

calculating an address translation sub-table of a wireless device, said calculation initiated by a master controller, and defining wireless device mapping that maps wireless logical identifier of a wireless device to its radio ID, start-up attribute set and address translation sub-table entries.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said forming said network includes accessing data created in said creating a design of said network, by a master controller through a standard communication link.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said installing said devices includes accessing data created in said creating a design of said network, by a commissioning tool through a standard communication link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said forming said network includes:

initializing at least one wireless device; and

initializing at least one wired device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein initializing at least one wireless device includes:

powering up the at least one wireless device;

reading an ID, which is downloaded from a commissioning tool into a configuration adapter of said at least one wireless device,

reading address translation sub-table entries, and using said entries to locate and communicate with each attached wired device, thus providing an indirect communication link between wireless and wired devices in said network; and

,

reading a startup attribute set, which is downloaded from said commissioning tool into said configuration adapter of said wireless device, and using said startup attribute set and said ID as a radio ID to join said network.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein initializing at least one wired device includes:

powering up the at least one wired device; and

reading data, which is downloaded from a commissioning tool into a configuration adapter of said wired device, and using a communication address for a specific wired communication protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming said network and bindings includes:

reading said binding information by a master controller and using a wireless device mapping, which maps wireless logical identifier of a wireless device to its radio ID, start-up attribute set and address translation sub-table entries, and an address translation sub-table in of the wireless device in order to translate wired logical IDs of wired devices attached to said wireless device to radio IDs and endpoints, said logical IDs included in said binding information; and

transmitting commands to said wireless device by said master controller to form the bindings based on said radio IDs and endpoints.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein forming said network and bindings includes:

reading said binding information by said master controller and using a wireless device mapping, which maps wireless logical identifier of a wireless device to its radio ID, start-up attribute set and address translation sub-table entries, and an address translation sub-table of the wireless device in order to translate wired logical IDs of wired devices attached to said wireless device to radio IDs and endpoints, said logical IDs included in said binding information; and

downloading said translation and binding information from a commissioning tool into a configuration adapter of said wired device, and using said binding information and translation to form the bindings based on said radio IDs and endpoints.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein said defining a wired device mapping includes:

automatically inserting by said master controller a wired logical ID of a wired device to said wired device mapping; and

automatically allocating by said master controller an address for said wired device.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein said defining a wireless device mapping includes:

defining a startup attribute set for each of said wireless devices on a network scheme;

automatically creating by said master controller said wireless device mapping from wireless logical IDs and startup attribute sets of each of said wireless devices;

allocating by said master controller a radio ID for each of said wireless logical IDs; and

forming an additional address translation sub-table which specifies wired communication link address and an endpoint for each of said wired devices attached to each one of said wireless devices.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein said calculating an address translation sub-table includes:

automatically taking by said master controller a wired logical sub-ID and wired communication link address for each wired device attached to a wireless device from said wired device mapping and fill it in said address translation sub-table; and

automatically calculating by said master controller endpoint identifiers of said attached wired devices.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said installing comprises installation of at least one wireless device includes:

physically installing the at least one wireless device according to type and location taken from said design of said network accessed by said commissioning tool;

marking said physically installed at least one wireless device on said commissioning tool; and

downloading data from said commissioning tool to a configuration adapter comprised in a wireless device using a user interface comprised in said commissioning tool.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said installing comprises installation of at least one wired device, including:

physically installing the at least one wired device according to type and location taken from said design of said network accessed by said commissioning tool;

marking said physically installed at least one wired device on said commissioning tool; and

downloading data from said commissioning tool to said at least one wired device using a user interface comprised in said commissioning tool.

17. A system for forming and controlling of networks that comprises wired and wireless devices and wired and wireless links, the system comprising:

a design system for creating and storing a design of a network, said design comprises parameters and design configuration data of devices designed to be in said network and binding information defining bindings to allow connection between devices to run an application;

configuration adapters comprised in devices to be installed according to said design; and

a control system comprising at least one commissioning tool, the control system is for installing said devices by accessing said created design by a commissioning tool and downloading data from said commissioning tool into said configuration adapters before the devices are initialized, so that the installed devices form the network and the bindings according to the created design by reading said downloaded data from the configuration adapters once the devices are initialized; and

wherein said commissioning tool comprises a configuration adapter for a complementary configuration link, wherein of the configuration adapters included in the system, only said configuration adapter of said commissioning tool must be powered-up during data communication between said at least one commissioning tool and said devices.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said created design of a network comprises a wired communication link to connect at least one wired device in a wired network to a wireless device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said wired communication link is for connecting said at least one wired device in said wired network to an access point.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said created design of a network comprises:

a wireless device, wherein said wireless device has a wired communication interface for communicating with said wired network through said wired communication link;

a wireless network, said wireless network including at least one wireless device; and

a wireless communication link, wherein said wireless communication link is interconnecting said at least one wireless device in said wireless network.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein said configuration adapters comprise a configuration interface and a device contact interface.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein:

said created design of a network comprises at least one wired device having a configuration adapter, at least one wireless device having a configuration adapter and an access point having a configuration adapter,

wherein said control system comprises a master controller for accessing said created design and forming the network once said devices are initialized according to said design and binding information comprised in said design.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein each of said configuration adapters comprises a configuration interface for loading data and a device contact interface for reading data, wherein said configuration interface is operating with no need to power-up the corresponding configuration adapter.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein said created design of a network comprises:

a wireless device, wherein said wireless device has a wired communication interface for communicating with said wired network through said wired communication link;

a wireless network, said wireless network including at least one wireless device; and

a wireless communication link, wherein said wireless communication link is interconnecting said at least one wireless device in said wireless network.

25. The system of claim 17, comprising:

an access point operatively connected to said master controller through a design/control system interface.