Discovery of electronic devices in a combined network

• US 8,504,672 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lattice Semiconductor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Silicon Image, Inc. (Lattice Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Brian K., Detert, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US12/950,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to discovery of electronic devices in a combined network. An embodiment of a method includes determining an identifier for a first device in a combined network according to a first network protocol, the combined network including a first network using the first network protocol and a second network using a second network protocol, where the identifier is determined based on a unique designation for the first device, and determining addressing information for the first device according to the second network protocol, where determining the addressing information includes establishing a physical address and a logical address for the first device. The method further includes broadcasting one or more messages containing identification information and capabilities of the first device to devices in the first network and to devices in the second network. The first device records and processes information from messages received by the first device, the messages being one or more messages under the first network protocol and one or more message under the second network protocol.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining an identifier for a first device in a combined network according to a first network protocol, the combined network including a first network using the first network protocol and a second network using a second network protocol, wherein devices that are within the second network are also within the first network, and wherein determining the identifier includes establishing the identifier based on a unique designation for the first device;

determining addressing information for the first device according to the second network protocol, wherein determining the addressing information includes establishing a physical address and a logical address for the first device;

broadcasting using one or more transmitters one or more messages containing identification information and capabilities of the first device to devices in the first network and to devices in the second network, wherein the one or more messages include a first message broadcast according to the first network protocol including the identifier for the first device according to the first network protocol and a second message broadcast according to the second network protocol including addressing information for the first device according to the second network protocol;

recording and processing information from messages received by the first device, the messages including one or more messages received according to the first network protocol and one or more messages received according to the second network protocol, the information being recorded in a storage of the first device, the processing being performed by a processor of the first device; and

generating by the processor a map of devices of the combined network based upon the information from the messages received by the first device, including the messages received according to the first network protocol and the second network protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the map includes determining whether a second device is in the second network with the first device, wherein the determination is based on whether the first device receives both a message according to the first network protocol from the second device and a message according to the second network protocol from the second device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network protocol is IP (Internet Protocol).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier under the first network protocol for the first device is based on a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network protocol is HDMI™

(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical address is based on the device'"'"'s relative position with regard to one or more other devices in the second network and establishing a logical address is based on a type of the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical addresses and logical addresses of the first device for the second network are not unique with regard to devices of other networks in the combined network that are also under the second network protocol.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a first port for connection to a first network of a combined network, the first network operating under a first network protocol, wherein the apparatus receives one or more messages broadcast from devices on the first network according to the first network protocol, each of the one or more messages broadcast according to the first network protocol having data including identification information and capabilities of a sending device on the first network;

a second port for connection to a second network of the combined network, the second network operating under a second network protocol, wherein the apparatus receives one or more messages broadcast from devices on the second network according to the second network protocol, each of the one or more messages broadcast according to the second network protocol having data including identification information and capabilities of a sending device on the second network, wherein the combined network includes the first network and the second network, and wherein devices that are within the second network are also within the first network;

storage for a unique device identifier for the apparatus according to the first network protocol and addressing information for the apparatus according to the second network protocol, the addressing information including a physical address and a logical address for the apparatus; and

a processor to process the information from the messages from the one or more devices on the first network and the one or more devices on the second network, wherein processing the information includes the processor to generate a listing of devices in the combined network based on the messages received according to the first network protocol and the messages received according to the second network protocol.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first network protocol is IP (Internet Protocol).

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second network protocol is HDMI™

(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) protocol, and the second network defines an HDMI tree of connected nodes.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the physical address of each device is based on the device'"'"'s relative position with regard to a particular device in the second network and wherein the logical address of each device is based on a type of the device.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the listing includes the unique device identifier for each device in the combined network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the listing further includes the physical address and logical address for each device in the second network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the listing further includes the capabilities of each device of the combined network.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the combined network is a consumer entertainment network.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor to generate the listing of devices in the combined network includes determining whether a certain device is in the second network with the apparatus, wherein the determination is based on whether the apparatus receives both a message according to the first network protocol from the device and a message according to the second network protocol from the device.

17. A combined network system comprising:

a first network of a combined network having a plurality of electronic devices, the first network operating under a first network protocol;

one or more additional networks of the combined network each having one or more electronic devices, the one or more additional networks including a second network, each of the one or more additional networks operating under a second network protocol, where each of the one or more additional networks is included within the first network; and

a discovery protocol for discovery of devices in the combined network;

wherein the first network protocol provides for determining a unique identifier based on a unique designation for each device operating under the first network protocol, and wherein the second network protocol provides for determining a physical address and a logical address for each device operating under the second network protocol;

wherein each of the plurality of devices in the first network transmits messages according to the first network protocol providing identification and capability information to each other device in the first network, and wherein each of the one or more devices in the second network transmits messages according to the second network protocol providing identification and capability information to each other device in the second network;

wherein the discovery protocol includes generation b a first device of a listing of the devices in the combined network based on one or more messages received by the first device according to the first network protocol and one or more messages received by the first device according to the second network protocol.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first network protocol is IP (Internet Protocol).

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the second network protocol is HDMI™

(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) protocol, and the second network defines an HDMI tree of connected nodes.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the physical address of each device is based on the device'"'"'s relative position with regard to a particular device in the second network and wherein the logical address of each device is based on a type of the device.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the combined network is a consumer entertainment network.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the generation by the first device of the listing of devices in the combined network includes determining whether a second device is in the second network with the first device, wherein the determination is based on whether the first device receives both a message according to the first network protocol from the second device and a message according to the second network protocol from the second device.

23. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining an identifier for a first device in a combined network according to a first network protocol, the combined network including a first network using the first network protocol and a second network using a second network protocol, wherein devices that are within the second network are also within the first network, and wherein determining the identifier includes establishing the identifier based on a unique designation for the first device;

determining addressing information for the first device according to the second network protocol, wherein determining the addressing information includes establishing a physical address and a logical address for the first device;

broadcasting using one or more transmitters one or more messages containing identification information and capabilities of the first device to devices in the first network and to devices in the second network, wherein the one or more messages include a first message broadcast according to the first network protocol including the identifier for the first device according to the first network protocol and a second message broadcast according to the second network protocol including addressing information for the first device according to the second network protocol;

recording and processing information from messages received by the first device, the messages including one or more messages received according to the first network protocol and one or more messages received according to the second network protocol, the information being recorded in a storage of the first device, the processing being performed by a processor of the first device; and

generating by the processor a map of devices of the combined network based upon the information from the messages received by the first device, including the messages received according to the first network protocol and the second network protocol.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein generating the map includes determining whether a second device is in the second network with the first device, wherein the determination is based on whether the first device receives both a message according to the first network protocol from the second device and a message according to the second network protocol from the second device.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first network protocol is IP (Internet Protocol).

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the second network protocol is HDMI™

(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) protocol.