Software architecture system with embedded virtual router

• US 8,621,049 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Ebrom, Matthew P., Glotzbach, Mark E., McCoy, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US11/953,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20080104212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,213 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/212, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/220
• 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

The invention relates to a network system of at least two appliances, each appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation on an article, and each appliance having its own software architecture. An embedded virtual router enables communication among appliance components independent of the architecture of the software.

Claims

1. An appliance configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article, comprising

at least one controller connected to at least one memory location,

at least two software components in different locations, configured to collaborate with each other by message in at least one method of access or exposure to each other to facilitate the cycle of operation through the at least one controller, and

in one of the at least one controller or the memory location that encapsulates routing information about the locations of the at least two software components wherein collaboration between the at least two software components is uniform and identical whether the collaboration is over a network or within a shared runtime environment.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on the same hardware component.

3. The appliance of claim 1 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on a second hardware component connected to the first hardware component by a network.

4. The appliance of claim 1 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on a second hardware component connected to the first hardware component by a network and the second hardware component is in a second appliance connected to the appliance by the network.

5. The appliance of claim 1 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on a second hardware component connected to the first hardware component by at least two networks.

6. The appliance of claim 1 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component in the appliance and a second software component is on a second hardware component in a second appliance, the hardware components being connected to each other by at least two networks.

7. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller or memory location comprises structures that are populated with identification and routing information from at least one of the at least two software components.

8. The appliance of claim 7 wherein the structure is populated based on one of a discovery query containing a request for access to at least one of the at least two software components, or an invocation by at least one of the at least two software components onto the other of the at least two software components.

9. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the appliance is selected from a group including refrigerators, cooktops, dishwashers, dryers, and clothes washers.

10. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the collaboration comprises a message between the at least two software components that invokes a software function.

11. The appliance of claim 10 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on the same hardware component.

12. The appliance of claim 10 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on a second hardware component connected to the first hardware component by a network.

13. The appliance of claim 10 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on a second hardware component connected to the first hardware component by a network and the second hardware component is in a second appliance connected to the appliance by the network.

14. The appliance of claim 10 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component and a second software component is on a second hardware component connected to the first hardware component by at least two networks.

15. The appliance of claim 10 wherein a first software component is on a first hardware component in the appliance and a second software component is on a second hardware component in a second appliance, the hardware components being connected to each other by at least two networks.

16. The appliance of claim 10 wherein the at least one controller or memory location comprises structures that are populated with the routing information from at least one of the at least two software components.

17. The appliance of claim 16 wherein the structure is populated based on one of a discovery query containing a request for access to at least one of the at least two software components, or an invocation by at least one of the at least two software components onto the other of the at least two software components.

18. The appliance of claim 10 wherein one of the software components is part of a hardware abstraction layer.

19. An appliance configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article, comprising:

at least one embedded client in collaboration with at least one embedded component in different locations to facilitate the physical cycle of operation, and

routing information about the locations of the at least one embedded component and the at least one embedded client wherein collaboration between the at least one embedded client and at least one embedded component is uniform and identical whether the collaboration is over a network or within a shared runtime environment.

20. The appliance of claim 19 wherein one of the software components is part of a hardware abstraction layer.

21. The appliance of claim 19 wherein the appliance is selected from a group including refrigerators, cooktops, dishwashers, dryers, and clothes washers.