System, method and apparatus for replacing wireless devices in a system

• US 8,677,342 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kidder, Kenneth, Nichols, Steven, Leen, Cary
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wei, Zheng
• Application Number:
  US12/253,698
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatuses for replacing communication devices in a system. Configuration data of a replacement device (which may include a sub-part of the device) that is requesting inclusion in the system is received by a receiving device, which determines whether the received configuration data matches existing configuration data stored for an existing device currently included in the system. Upon identifying a match of the relevant configuration data, the device data associated with the existing device is identified, and replaced with device data of the replacement device, thereby effecting a one-step replacement of the existing device by providing the configuration data of the replacement device.

Claims

1. A method for replacing communication devices in a system, comprising:

receiving device enrollment information including at least configuration data of a replacement device requesting inclusion in the system, the configuration data including binding information that defines message interactions between the replacement device and neighboring devices;

determining that the received configuration data matches existing configuration data stored for an existing device currently included in the system;

identifying existing device data associated with the configuration data for the existing device currently included in the system; and

replacing the device data for the existing device with second device data corresponding to the replacement device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing the existing device data comprises:

removing a storage record that includes the existing device data and the configuration data for the existing device, in response to determining that the received configuration data matches the existing configuration data stored for an existing device currently included in the system; and

adding a new storage record to replace the removed storage record, wherein the new storage record includes the received configuration data and the replacement device data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting an unenroll message to the existing device with an indication for the existing device to disassociate itself with the system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing the existing device data comprises modifying existing device-specific data for the existing device with replacement device-specific data for the replacement device, and retaining the existing configuration data as the configuration data for the replacement device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the existing device-specific data comprises updating one or more device-specific data fields of a storage record that includes at least the one or more device-specific data fields and the existing configuration data for the existing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the device-specific data fields of the storage record comprises a unique address identifier for the device associated with the storage record.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving device enrollment information comprises receiving identifying data that will identify the replacement device'"'"'s role in the system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying data comprises a device type identifier and an identification of where in the system the replacement device will operate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying existing device data associated with the configuration data comprises locating a storage record including the existing device data and the configuration data for the existing device currently in the system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the received configuration data matches existing configuration data comprises comparing the received configuration data to a data structure storing configuration data for each of a plurality of the devices in the system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises one or more of a device type indicator and a zone indicator.

12. A method for replacing wireless communication devices in a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HV AC) system, comprising:

transmitting at least replacement configuration data from a replacement client requesting inclusion in the HV AC system;

receiving the replacement configuration data at a host device;

comparing the received replacement configuration data to a data structure of configuration data for each of a plurality of existing clients in the system that communicate with the host; and

in response to determining via the comparing that the received replacement configuration data matches any configuration data in the data structure, automatically initiating a remove procedure to expunge a data record in the data structure for the existing client to which the matching configuration data corresponds, and adding a replacement data record to the data structure for the replacement client.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the replacement configuration data includes binding information that defines message interactions between the replacement device and neighboring devices.

14. An apparatus operable in a system of communication devices, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a wireless device enrollment request including at least configuration data of a replacement device requesting inclusion in the system, the configuration data including binding information that defines message interactions between the replacement device and neighboring devices;

storage storing a plurality of records for a corresponding plurality of devices in the system that communicate with the apparatus, each of the records including configuration data for its respective device;

a compare module coupled to the receiver and to the storage and configured to determine whether the received configuration data matches the configuration data in any of the stored records; and

a processor configured to, in response to the compare module'"'"'s determination of a match of the received configuration data and the configuration data in one of the stored records, invoke both a remove procedure to remove the matching one of the stored records and an add procedure to add a new record for the replacement device to include the replacement device in the system.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of records each including respective configuration data are structured in one or a combination of a list, table, or database of devices that have undergone communication binding with the apparatus to enable communication with the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a transmitter, and wherein the processor is further configured to direct the transmitter to transmit an unenroll message to the device associated with the removed one of the stored records, wherein the unenroll message includes an indication for the removed device to disassociate itself with the system.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the replacement device comprises an environmental device operable in a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HV AC) system.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the replacement device comprises a functional unit of another device.

19. A system comprising:

a plurality of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HV AC) client devices;

at least one HV AC host device comprising;

(a) a receiver configured to receive a wireless client enrollment request including at least configuration data of a replacement HV AC client requesting inclusion in the system;

(b) storage storing a plurality of records for the plurality of HV AC clients, each of the records including configuration data for its respective HV AC client;

(c) a compare module coupled to the receiver and to the storage and configured to identify a match of the received configuration data and the configuration data in one of the stored records; and

(d) a processor configured to automatically invoke both a remove procedure to remove the matching one of the stored records, and an add procedure to add a new record for the replacement HVAC client to replace the removed one of the stored records with the added new record, in response to identification of the match.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the configuration data includes binding information that defines message interactions between the replacement HV AC client and neighboring devices.