Communication gateway and communication system including said communication gateway

• US 9,578,685 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Gassion, Romain, Coutelou, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): MAPA, MICHAEL Y
• Application Number:
  US14/416,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 412, 455418-420, 455/426.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0702 the arrangement including a battery
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07741 comprising a first part operating as a regular record carrier and a second attachable part that changes the functional appearance of said record carrier, e.g. a contact-based smart card with an adapter part which, when attached to the contact card makes the contact card function as a non-contact card
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A communication gateway including: a first communication interface for communicating, over a first communication network, with a mobile terminal; a second wireless communication interface for communicating, over a second communication network, with at least one external device. The communication gateway; an electrical energy recovery mechanism configured to recover electrical energy supplied by the mobile terminal; and a non-volatile memory powered by the electrical energy recovered and a microcontroller connected to the non-volatile memory and configured to exchange data with the mobile terminal over the first communication network and with the external device over the second communication network.

Claims

1. A communication gateway comprising:

a first communication interface for communicating, over a first communication network, with a mobile terminal;

a second wireless communication interface for communicating, over a second communication network, with at least one external device;

electrical energy recovery means for recovering electrical energy supplied by the mobile terminal;

a non-volatile memory powered by the electrical energy recovered; and

a microcontroller connected to the non-volatile memory and configured to exchange data with the mobile terminal over the first communication network and with the external device over the second communication network, wherein

the communication gateway includes the electrical energy recovery means, without including an electrical power supply source,

the communication gateway is configured to be powered by the mobile terminal via a first power supply channel and a second power supply channel different from the first power supply channel,

the communication gateway is configured to receive, from the mobile terminal and while powered via the first power supply channel, a request for the external device, and

the communication gateway is configured to transmit, while powered via the second power supply channel and after the first power supply channel has been cut, the request to the external device.

2. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication interface comprises an RF tag comprising an antenna and operating according to a near-field communications technology or of RFID type.

3. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a support configured to receive the mobile terminal, the support incorporating the antenna.

4. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 2, wherein the non-volatile memory is included in the RF tag.

5. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a power supply link between the RF tag, the microcontroller, and the second communication interface.

6. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for managing the electrical energy recovered by the electrical energy recovery means, the means for managing the electrical energy being configured to supply power to the microcontroller and the second communication interface.

7. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electrical energy recovery means comprises a photovoltaic module and means for storing the electrical energy connected to the means for managing the electrical energy.

8. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electrical energy recovery means comprises an antenna configured to supply power to the communication gateway by magnetic coupling.

9. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second communication interface comprises an electronic circuit operating according to a protocol of the Zigbee or Zigbee Green Power type and an antenna connected to the electronic circuit.

10. A communication system comprising:

a mobile terminal comprising a communication interface for communicating over a first communication network and a first electrical power supply interface and a second electrical power supply interface for providing a supply of electrical energy, the first electrical power supply interface being different from the second electrical power supply interface;

at least one external device comprising a wireless communication interface for communicating over a second communication network; and

a communication gateway including

a first communication interface for communicating with the mobile terminal over the first communication network,

a second wireless communication interface for communicating with the external device over the second communication network,

means for recovering electrical energy supplied by the first electrical power supply interface and the second electrical power supply interface of the mobile terminal,

a non-volatile memory powered by the electrical energy recovered, and

a microcontroller connected to the non-volatile memory and configured to exchange data with the mobile terminal over the first communication network and with the external device over the second communication network, wherein

the communication gateway includes the means for recovering electrical energy, without including an electrical power supply source,

the communication gateway is configured to receive, from the mobile terminal and while powered via the first electrical power supply channel, a request for the external device, and

the communication gateway is configured to transmit, while powered via the second electrical power supply channel and after the first electrical power supply channel has been cut, the request to the external device.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a reader/encoder operating in near-field mode or in RFID mode.

12. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the non-volatile memory stores a unique identifier of the communication gateway and the mobile terminal associates a software application dedicated to controlling, reading, and/or monitoring of the external device with the unique identifier stored in the non-volatile memory of the communication gateway.

13. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a human-machine interface allowing controlling, reading, and/or monitoring of the external device.

14. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the external device comprises a sensor or a coordination unit connected to several sensors.

15. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store in memory a unique identifier of the mobile terminal and to associate access rights with the unique identifier.

16. A communication gateway comprising:

a first communication interface configured to communicate, over a first communication network, with a mobile terminal;

a second wireless communication interface configured to communicate, over a second communication network, with at least one external device;

an electrical energy recovery device configured to recover electrical energy supplied by the mobile terminal;

a non-volatile memory powered by the electrical energy recovered; and

a microcontroller connected to the non-volatile memory and configured to exchange data with the mobile terminal over the first communication network and with the external device over the second communication network, wherein

the communication gateway includes the electrical energy recovery device, without including an electrical power supply source,

the communication gateway is configured to be powered by the mobile terminal via a first power supply channel and a second power supply channel that is different from the first power supply channel,

the communication gateway is configured to receive, from the mobile terminal and while powered via the first power supply channel, a request for the external device, and

the communication gateway is configured to transmit, while powered via the second power supply channel and after the first power supply channel has been cut, the request to the external device.

17. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 16, wherein the electrical energy recovery device includes an antenna configured to supply power to the communication gateway by magnetic coupling.

18. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 16, wherein the electrical power supply source corresponds to a battery.

19. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 16, wherein

the first communication interface includes an antenna that is incorporated in a support, which is configured to receive the mobile terminal, and

the non-volatile memory is configured to store in memory a unique identifier of the mobile terminal and to associate access rights with the unique identifier.

20. The communication gateway as claimed in claim 16, wherein the communication gateway is configured to be powered via the first power supply channel by magnetic coupling between a reader/encoder of the mobile terminal operating in near-field more or in RFID mode and the communication gateway, and the communication gateway is configured to be powered via the second power supply channel by magnetic coupling between a communications and power supply device of the mobile terminal and the communication gateway.