Apparatus and method of configuring a device in a network

• US 8,665,762 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Knibbe, Engel J., Stommen, Theodoor H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Application Number:
  US11/993,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,819 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/255, 370/282, 370/313, 370/328, 375/219, 398/151, 398/156, 398/165, 398/167.5, 455/3.03, 455/3.06, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/41.2, 455/88, 700/12, 700/13, 700 17- 19, 700/65, 700/66, 700/258, 700275-278, 709220-222, 718/1
• US Class Current: 370/282
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources

Abstract

The invention provides a method, apparatus and computer program product for ensuring that a device (26) operable in a network (1) is configured to operate according to documented functional requirements for the network. Positional information comprising the coordinates of each device (26, 9, 50) in the network (1) is received via a gateway (9, 50) at a data processing apparatus (10) storing the documented functional requirements. The coordinates of each device (26, 9) in the network (1) are used to deduce the required functionality of the device based on the stored functional requirements, instructions for implementing the functionality are generated and the instructions are sent via the gateway (9, 50) to the network. The invention has particular relevance in the commissioning stage of a lighting control network.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a physical device in a network to operate according to predetermined functional requirements for the network stored in a data processing apparatus external to the physical device, comprising the steps of:

defining functional requirements for a virtual device corresponding to the physical device, wherein the predetermined functional requirements comprise the defined functional requirements for the virtual device;

loading the functional requirements for the virtual device into a memory of the physical device;

receiving first positional information for the physical device at the data processing apparatus;

relating the first positional information to first functional requirements included in the predetermined functional requirements;

transmitting, by the data processing apparatus, the first functional requirements for the physical device to the network;

controlling the physical device by the data processing apparatus according to the first functional requirements; and

automatically determining, by the data processing apparatus, whether updated positional information for the physical device results in any change from the first functional requirements, in response to receiving a message indicating a change in a position of the physical device, and a determination of the updated positional information for the physical device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining coordinates of the physical device in the network based on the first positional information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the relating comprises deducing the first functional requirements of the physical device from the stored functional requirements for the network based on the obtained coordinates.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein relating the first positional information to first functional requirements comprises matching the obtained coordinates of the physical device with coordinates of a virtual device and deducing the first functional requirements for the physical device based on the functional requirements for the virtual device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the data processing apparatus at least one of a unique ID and a network address of the physical device and storing the at least one of a unique ID and a network address of the physical device in memory of the data processing apparatus.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the first functional requirements to the network comprises transmitting the first functional requirements to an address in the network based on the at least one of a unique ID and a network address.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of characteristics of the physical device and using the indication of the characteristics of the physical device to couple the first positional information of the physical device with the first functional requirements.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first positional information and transmitting the first functional requirements comprises receiving the first positional information from and transmitting the first functional requirements to a gateway connected to the physical device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the physical device and the gateway communicate using radio frequency signals.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising previously storing the first functional requirements in memory of the data processing apparatus.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising prior to storing the first functional requirements, deducing the first functional requirements from electrical wiring diagrams in architectural drawings.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code when executed on a processor-implementing the method of claim 1.

13. An apparatus for controlling an external physical device operable in a network to operate according to predetermined functional requirements for the external physical device in the network including first functional requirements for the external physical device, comprising:

a processor configured to define functional requirements for a virtual device corresponding to the external physical device, wherein the predetermined functional requirements comprise the defined functional requirements for the virtual device;

the processor further configured to transmit the functional requirements for the virtual device for loading into a memory of the external physical device;

a memory configured to store the first functional requirements for the external physical device;

a receiver configured to receive first positional information of the external physical device, wherein the first positional information of the external physical device is stored in the memory;

the processor further configured to relate the first positional information to the first functional requirements; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the first functional requirements for the external physical device to the network,

wherein the receiver is configured to automatically receive a message indicating a change in a position of the external physical device, and to automatically receive updated positional information from the external physical device, and

wherein the processor is configured to compare the updated positional information to the first positional information of the external physical device, in response to receiving the message indicating the change in the position of the external physical device, and to determine whether the updated positional information results in any change from the first functional requirements.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is operable to match the first positional information to the physical device with coordinates of one of the plurality of virtual devices.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a graphical user interface for allowing a user to define the first functional requirements, the graphical user interface further allowing the user to view the first functional requirements.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for importing architectural drawings including electrical wiring diagrams and means for deducing the functional requirements for the network from said architectural drawings including electrical wiring diagrams.

17. A physical device operable in a network,

comprising:

an application unit;

a receiver configured to receive defined functional requirements for a virtual device corresponding to the physical device, wherein the physical device is configured to operate according to predetermined functional requirements, and wherein the predetermined functional requirements comprise the defined functional requirements for the virtual device;

a processor configured to load the functional requirements for the virtual device into a memory of the physical device;

means for obtaining first positional information of the physical device with respect to at least three other physical devices in the network;

a transmitter configured to transmit the first positional information via the network to an apparatus configured to store the functional requirements including first functional requirements and second functional requirements;

the receiver further configured to receive first instructions via the network in response to transmission of the first positional information to the apparatus;

the processor further configured to process the first instructions and controlling the application unit for operating according to the first functional requirements; and

wherein the processor is configured to automatically determine a change of position of the physical device,

wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit each of a message indicating the change in the position of the physical device and the updated positional information via the network to the apparatus,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive second instructions via the network in response to the change of position of the physical device, the second instructions different than the first instructions, and

wherein the processor is further configured to process the second instructions and control the application unit to operate according to the second functional requirements.