Robust communication protocol for home networks

• US 8,619,819 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolink Intelligent Technology Inc. (Universal Electronics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolink Intelligent Technology Inc. (Universal Electronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seelman, George, Bailey, Michael, Stone, Jay, Lamb, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Application Number:
  US13/214,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.3, 370/471, 370/472, 370/476
• US Class Current: 370/476
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5408 using protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• 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 12/2809 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sending messages from a first network device to a second network device is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises constructing a data packet, the data packet comprising a House Code field for identifying a house code relating to the first and second network devices, the house code for identifying an address common to the first network device and the second network device. The data packet further comprises a Long/Short field for indicating whether the data packet is a long data packet or a short data packet and a Command field comprising a command, the command for instructing the second network device to perform an action. The data packet further comprises a Data field comprising information for use by the second network device to execute the action associated with the command, and an Error Check field comprising error checking information. The data packet is then modulated and transmitting over one or more communication channels.

Claims

1. A method for sending messages from a first network device to a second network device, comprising:

constructing a data packet, the data packet comprising;

a House Code field for identifying a house code relating to the first and second network devices, the house code for identifying an address common to the first network device and the second network device;

a Long/Short field for indicating whether the data packet is a long data packet or a short data packet;

a Command field comprising a command, the command for instructing the second network device to perform an action;

a Data field comprising information for use by the second network device to execute the action associated with the command; and

an Error Check field comprising error checking information;

modulating the data packet to form a modulated data packet; and

transmitting the modulated data packet from the first network device to the second network device over at least two communication channels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packet further comprises:

a Sequence field comprising sequence information indicating whether the long data packet is part of a series of related data packets;

a Last field used to indicate that the data packet is a last data packet in the series of related data packets;

an Acknowledgment field comprising acknowledgement information; and

a Data Size field comprising an indication of the size of the Data field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the data packet over at least two channels comprises:

transmitting the modulated data packet over-the-air; and

transmitting the modulated data packet over a powerline.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the powerline comprises an energized wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire, and transmitting the modulated data packet over the powerline comprises:

transmitting the modulated data packet as an electrical signal between the energized wire and the neutral wire; and

transmitting the modulated data packet as an electrical signal between the energized wire and the ground wire.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the command comprises a query to determine whether another network device having the same house code as the first network device is active.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

changing the house code of the first network device to a second house code if another network device having the same house code as the first network device is active; and

transmitting a second data packet from the first network device having a second command to determine whether another network device has been assigned the second house code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the command comprises a query to determine identification information of each network device having the same house code as the first network device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identification information comprises a network device serial number.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the identification information comprises a network device status.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the Command field comprises, alternative to the command, a response, the response formed in response to receiving a command from another network device, and the Data field comprising information requested by the another network device.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Command field comprises, alternative to the command, a response, the response formed in response to receiving a command from another network device, and the Data field comprising information requested by the another network device.

11. An apparatus for transmitting messages between a first network device and a second network device, comprising:

a processor for constructing a data packet, the data packet comprising;

a House Code field for identifying a house code relating to the first and second network devices, the house code for identifying an address common to the first network device and the second network device;

a Long/Short field for indicating whether the data packet is a long data packet or a short data packet;

a Command field comprising either a command, the command for instructing the second network device to perform an action;

a Data field comprising information for use by the second network device to execute the action associated with the command; and

an Error Check field comprising error checking information;

a modulator for modulating the data packet; and

a transmitter for sending the modulated data packet over at least two communication channels.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data packet further comprises:

a Sequence field comprising sequence information indicating whether the long data packet is part of a series of related data packets;

a Last field used to indicate that the data packet is a last data packet in the series of related data packets;

an Acknowledgement field comprising acknowledgement information; and

a Data Size field comprising an indication of the size of the Data field.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transmitter comprises:

an RF transmitter for transmitting the modulated data packet over-the-air; and

a powerline transmitter for transmitting the modulated data packet over a powerline.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the powerline transmitter comprises:

means for transmitting the modulated data packet as an electrical signal between an energized wire and a neutral wire of the powerline; and

means for transmitting the modulated data packet as an electrical signal between the energized wire and a ground wire of the powerline.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the command comprises a query to determine whether another network device having the same house code as the first network device is active.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

change the house code of the first network device to a second house code if another network device having the same house code as the first network device is active; and

transmit a second data packet from the first network device having a second command to determine whether another network device has been assigned the second house code.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the command comprises a query to determine identification information of each network device having the same house code as the first network device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the identification information comprises a network device serial number.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a user interface for receiving a user command instructing the second network device to perform the action, wherein the processor is further configured to;

receive the user command and construct the data packet in accordance with the user command.