Alarm profile for a fabric network

• US 9,311,811 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Logue, Jay D., Szewczyk, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgdorf, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/588,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/33 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• 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 12/2823 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 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 : the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 : Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 : by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 : Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 : Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 : using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 : Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 : using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 : Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 : for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 : specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 : Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 : using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 : Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 : for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods and systems for transferring alarm information by sending an alarm message containing information about an alarm. The alarm message includes an alarm counter indicator that indicates whether an alarm status has changed from a previous alarm message. The alarm message also includes one or more indications of alarm conditions indicating an alarm state or an alarm source. Furthermore, the alarm message includes an alarm length that indicates a number of alarm conditions included in the alarm message.

Claims

1. A method for transferring alarm information between devices in a mesh network, comprising:

sending an alarm message containing information about an alarm, wherein the alarm message comprises;

an alarm counter indicator that includes a value that is configured to be changed to indicate that an alarm status has changed from a previous alarm message;

one or more indications of alarm conditions indicating an alarm state or an alarm source; and

an alarm length that indicates a number of alarm conditions included in the alarm message; and

hushing the alarm using an alarm status update message, wherein hushing the alarm comprises;

allowing a first remote device or a first remote device type to hush the alarm through a remote connection via a first alarm status update message; and

blocking a second remote device or a second remote device type from hushing the alarm through the remote connection via a second alarm status update message, wherein each alarm status update message comprises;

an alarm update counter indicator that matches to the alarm counter indicator of the alarm message corresponding to the alarm to which the alarm status update is updating; and

one or more update indications of alarm conditions being updated.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

propagating the alarm to one or more devices in a fabric, wherein propagating the alarm within the fabric comprises sending the alarm message to a first device type without sending the alarm message to a second device type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an originating node identifier that identifies an originating device within a fabric or network that originated the alarm, wherein the originating node identifier comprises a 64-bit Internet Protocol (IP) unique identifier used to identify the originating device to a specific device within a specific fabric or network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an extended location identifier for an originating device within a fabric or network that originated the alarm, wherein the extended location identifier comprises an 128-bit identifier of the originating device as a specific device within a specific fabric and a specific network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the value comprises an 8-bit value that indicates an alarm version for the alarm message indicating whether the alarm state has been updated, wherein the alarm counter indicator starts at an initial value and, the alarm counter indicator is incremented each time the alarm status is updated.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

resolving the alarm that corresponds to the alarm message; and

in response to resolving the alarm, resetting the alarm counter indicator to the initial once the alarm has been resolved, wherein the initial value indicates that no current alarm exists or the alarm has been resolved.

7. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause a processor to:

send an alarm message containing information about an alarm, wherein the alarm message comprises;

an alarm counter indicator that includes a value that is configured to be changed to indicate that an alarm status has changed from a previous alarm message;

one or more indications of alarm conditions indicating an alarm state or an alarm source; and

an alarm length that indicates a number of alarm conditions included in the alarm message; and

hush the alarm using an alarm status update message, wherein hushing the alarm comprises;

allow a first remote device or a first remote device type to hush the alarm through a remote connection via a first alarm status update message; and

block a second remote device or a second remote device type from hushing the alarm through the remote connection via a second alarm status update message, wherein each alarm status update message comprises;

an alarm update counter indicator that matches to the alarm counter indicator of the alarm message corresponding to the alarm to which the alarm status update is updating; and

one or more update indications of alarm conditions being updated.

8. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the alarm source indicates a sensor type from which the alarm originated, wherein the sensor type comprises a smoke sensor, a temperature sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, a natural gas sensor, a humidity sensor, and a security alarm.

9. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein sending the alarm message comprises resending the alarm message periodically while the alarm has not been resolved and a threshold duration for alarm resending has not been surpassed.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein when the alarm source is null or not explicitly listed in the an alarm condition of the one or more alarm conditions, the alarm state for the alarm condition comprises a standby state for the alarm that indicates that a current alarm is not active.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein when the one or more indications of alarm conditions comprise an implicit indication of alarm condition when explicit indications of alarm conditions are missing from the alarm message when the alarm length is set, wherein an implicit indication of alarm conditions indicate that the alarm message comprises an all clear signal.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein sending the alarm message comprises:

sending the alarm message as a multicast message that is to be propagated to neighboring devices to which communication may be established;

or

sending the alarm message as a unicast message that is addressed to one or more destination devices.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a network interface;

memory; and

a processor configured to;

send an alarm message containing information about an alarm, wherein the alarm message comprises;

an alarm counter indicator includes a value that is configured to be changed to indicate that an alarm status has changed from a previous alarm message;

one or more indications of alarm conditions indicating an alarm state or an alarm source; and

an alarm length that indicates a number of alarm conditions included in the alarm message; and

hush the alarm using an alarm status update message, wherein hushing the alarm comprises;

allow a first remote device or a first remote device type to hush the alarm through a remote connection via a first alarm status update message; and

block a second remote device or a second remote device type from hushing the alarm through the remote connection via a second alarm status update message, wherein each alarm status update message comprises;

an alarm update counter indicator that matches to the alarm counter indicator of the alarm message corresponding to the alarm to which the alarm status update is updating; and

one or more update indications of alarm conditions being updated.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to receive, via the network interface from another device, an incoming alarm message that comprises:

an incoming alarm counter indicator that corresponds to the alarm counter indicator;

one or more indications of incoming alarm conditions corresponding to the one or more indications of alarm conditions; and

an incoming alarm length that corresponds to the alarm length.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to propagate the incoming alarm message as the sent alarm message, wherein the processor is configured to wait to send the alarm message until a timer has elapsed that manages how quickly message should be propagated through the network.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to rebroadcast the alarm message after a rebroadcast timer has elapsed, and wherein the processor is configured to limit a number of rebroadcasts to based on device rebroadcast limit value for the electronic device, based on a fabric rebroadcast limit value for a fabric on which the electronic device resides, or based on a network rebroadcast limit value for a network on which the electronic device resides.

17. The electronic device of claim 13, comprising one or more sensors configured to measure conditions around the electronic device, wherein when a condition of the conditions exceeds a threshold value, the processor is configured to include an indication for the condition in the one or more indications of alarm conditions to alarm other devices in the network about the status of the condition.

18. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the alarm counter indicator is configured to be incremented when a new alarm state occurs and decremented when a current alarm state has been resolved.