IP device discovery systems and methods

• US 8,635,350 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gutt, Gerald, Wood, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, ANDREW CHUNG SUK
• Application Number:
  US11/761,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20070286210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,415 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 709/229, 709/232
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• 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 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method for Internet Protocol (IP) device discovery implemented in a control network having a gateway device, a router, and an IP device at a location. A location management system including a IP device at a location having an IP address assigned by a router at the location. A gateway device for managing a set of two or more local management devices at a location.

Claims

1. A method for Internet Protocol (IP) device discovery implemented in a control network having a gateway device, a router, and an IP device, wherein the gateway device, the router, and the IP device are at a same location, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, in the gateway device, a gateway IP address assigned to the gateway device by the router from a pool of IP addresses smaller than a subnet of possible network IP addresses, wherein the gateway device is coupled to the network;

determining an IP address for the IP device at the location, the IP device coupled to the gateway, wherein the router has assigned the IP address to the IP device at the location from the pool, the determining including;

the gateway device choosing a subset of IP addresses from the subnet, wherein the subset comprises a continuous subset range, wherein the choosing the subset includes determining at least one boundary of the continuous subset range using the gateway IP address, wherein the continuous subset range includes the gateway IP address, and wherein the subset has a size that is smaller than a size of the subnet, and wherein the subset contains at least as many IP addresses as the total number of IP devices coupled to the gateway device, and

the gateway device querying IP addresses within the subset to determine the IP address of the IP device at the location; and

the gateway device communicating with the IP device at the location using the determined IP address of the IP device; and

managing the IP device at the location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes:

querying respective addresses in the chosen subset of IP addresses; and

if the querying of the IP addresses in the subset results in a response, wherein the response comprises an Ethernet address of the IP device and the IP address of the IP device, recording the response in the gateway device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if querying of the IP address within the subset results in no response, the determining comprises:

the gateway device repeating the querying at different IP addresses within the subset until either a response is received or all IP addresses of the subset have been queried; and

if the entire subset has been queried, and there is an IP device without an IP address determined,

the gateway device expanding the subset to an expanded subset within the subnet and

the gateway device querying at IP addresses within the expanded subset until either a response is received, or there all IP addresses of the expanded subset have been queried;

and the method further comprises;

the gateway device communicating with the IP device at the location using the determined IP address of the IP device; and

managing the IP device at the location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the expanded subset of IP addresses is greater in number than the subset, and wherein the expanded subset range includes the subset range.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining includes:

querying respective addresses in the chosen expanded subset of IP addresses; and

if the querying of the IP addresses in the expanded subset results in a response, wherein the response comprises an Ethernet address of the IP device and the IP address of the IP device, recording the response in the gateway device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein querying comprises using an Address Resolution Protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset range is centered at the gateway IP address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset range begins at a multiple of a selected number which is at the gateway IP address or is less than the selected number of sequential addresses from the gateway IP address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected number is the gateway address rounded to the nearest 5.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected number is the gateway address rounded to the nearest 2.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected number is the gateway address rounded to the nearest 10.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset range begins at a multiple of 25 which is at the gateway IP address or is less than 25 sequential addresses from the gateway IP address.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset range begins at a multiple of 50 which is at the gateway IP address or is less than 50 sequential addresses from the gateway IP address.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset range begins at a multiple of 100 which is at the gateway IP address or is less than 100 sequential addresses from the gateway IP address.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset range begins at a multiple of 150 which is at the gateway IP address or is less than 150 sequential addresses from the gateway IP address.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset comprises at least one of:

10 sequential IP addresses in the range, 25 sequential IP addresses in the range, 50 sequential IP addresses in the range, 100 sequential IP addresses in the range, 150 sequential IP addresses in the range, 200 sequential IP addresses in the range, and between 10 and 200 sequential IP addresses in the range.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset size comprises at least one of at most about 1/10 of the subnet size, at most about ⅓

of the subnet size, at most about 1/16 of the subnet size, at most about ¼

of the subnet size, at most about ⅓

of the subnet size, at most about ½

of the subnet size, and at most about ⅗

of the subnet size.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset comprises at least one of at most about 25% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, at most about 50% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, at most about 75% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, at most about 100% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, at most about 125% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, at most about 150% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, at most about 200% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, at most about 250% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool, and at most about 300% of the number of IP addresses in the router pool.

19. A location management system comprising:

at least one IP device at a location assigned an IP address by a router at the same location; and

a gateway device at the same location comprising;

an interface that allows connectivity to a network over which the gateway can communicate to remote systems which are remote to the location,

an interface for communication with the IP device,

logic that receives a gateway IP address assigned to the gateway device by the router from a pool of IP addresses smaller than a subnet of possible network IP addresses available to the router to assign addresses, wherein the gateway is coupled to the network;

logic that determines the IP address for the IP device coupled to the gateway, wherein the router has assigned an IP address to the IP device coupled to the gateway from the pool, comprising;

logic that chooses a subset of IP addresses from the subnet, wherein the subset comprises a continuous subset range, wherein the choosing the subset includes determining at least one boundary of the continuous subset range using the gateway IP address, wherein the continuous subset range includes the gateway IP address, and wherein the subset has a size that is smaller than a size of the subnet, and wherein the subset contains at least as many IP addresses as the total number of IP devices coupled to the gateway; and

logic that queries IP addresses within the subset to determine the IP address of the IP device at the location; and

logic that communicates with and manages the IP device using the IP address of the IP device.

20. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein managing the IP device includes monitoring the IP device coupled to the gateway device at the location.

21. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein managing the IP device includes controlling the IP device coupled to the gateway device at the location.

22. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein the location management system includes a non-IP device coupled to the gateway.

23. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein the location management system includes a Z-wave device coupled to the gateway.

24. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein the location management system includes a radio frequency device coupled to the gateway.

25. The gateway device of claim 19 comprising:

logic that queries whether an IP address within the subset has been assigned; and

if the querying of the IP address in the subset results in a response, wherein the response comprises an Ethernet address of the IP device and the IP address of the IP device, logic that records the response in the gateway device.

26. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein the logic comprises computer program code stored in a memory on the gateway.

27. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein the logic comprises computer electronic circuitry included in the gateway.

28. The gateway device of claim 19, wherein the logic comprises electronic circuitry and computer program code in the gateway.

29. A gateway device for managing a set of local management devices at a same location, wherein the gateway device comprises:

a processor;

an interface coupled to the processor, wherein the interface couples to remote systems that are remote to the location via a network, wherein the interface couples to at least one IP device;

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory includes logic executed by the processor that comprises,

logic for monitoring and controlling a set of local management devices coupled to a local network located at the same location, wherein the set of local management devices comprises the at least one IP device;

logic that receives a gateway IP address assigned to the gateway device by the router from a pool of IP addresses smaller than a subnet of possible network IP addresses available to the router to assign addresses;

logic that determines the IP address for the at least one IP device, wherein the router has assigned an IP address to the at least one IP device from the pool, the logic comprising;

logic that chooses a subset of IP addresses from the subnet, wherein the subset comprises a continuous subset range, wherein the choosing the subset includes determining at least one boundary of the continuous subset range using the gateway IP address, wherein the continuous subset range includes the gateway IP address, and wherein the subset has a size that is smaller than a size of the subnet, and wherein the subset size contains at least as many IP addresses as the total number of IP devices coupled to the gateway device,

logic that queries whether an IP address within the subset has been assigned, and if the querying of the IP address in the subset results in a response, wherein the response comprises an Ethernet address of the at least one IP device and the IP address of the at least one IP device, logic that records the response in the gateway device;

logic that allows communication with the at least one IP device using the recorded IP address for the at least one IP device; and

logic that allows management of the at least one IP device at the location, wherein the management comprises at least one of monitoring the IP device coupled to the gateway device at the location, and controlling the at least one IP device coupled to the gateway device at the location.