Z-wave controller shift in thermostats

• US 10,489,055 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Jayaram, Ashwini, Krishnamurthy, Thyagarajan, Singamsetty, Sasikanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corcoran, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US15/143,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20160330565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• 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 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A Z-Wave networking device is disclosed having a processor, a WiFi transceiver, a Z-Wave network transceiver, and a flash memory from which the processor boots a startup image. The processor can boot a first startup image that configures the Z-Wave network transceiver as a Z-Wave network controller, and the processor can boot a second startup image that configures the Z-Wave network transceiver as a Z-Wave repeater node. An Internet server receives registration information for the device, and instructs the device to boot from the first startup image upon determining that a Z-Wave network controller is not present in the Z-Wave network, or from the second startup image upon determining that a Z-Wave network controller is already present in the Z-Wave network. In embodiments, the Z-Wave networking device comprises an HVAC thermostat.

Claims

1. A networking device, comprising:

a processor;

an Internet WiFi transceiver configured to communicate with devices of a first network;

a network transceiver configured to communicate with devices of a second network, wherein the devices of the second network comprise a group of nodes, comprising at least one node, and a network controller that determines membership of the group of nodes;

a first boot image that configures the network transceiver as the network controller that determines membership of the group of nodes;

a second boot image that configures the network transceiver as a repeater node that does not determine membership of the group of nodes; and

a flash memory storing the first boot image from which the processor boots to configure the network transceiver as the network controller; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

transmitting, via the Internet WiFi transceiver, a request for the network transceiver to operate as the network controller; and

in response to a command received via the Internet WiFi transceiver, storing the second boot image to the flash memory and rebooting the networking device using the second boot image that configures the network transceiver as a repeater node.

2. The networking device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the networking device includes a thermostat.

3. The networking device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the network transceiver is a Z-Wave network transceiver.

4. The networking device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the first boot image configures the network transceiver as a Z-Wave network controller.

5. The networking device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the second boot image configures the network transceiver as a Z-Wave repeater node.

6. A system for adding a Z-Wave networking device to a Z-Wave network, the system comprising:

a remote server comprising a processor; and

the Z-Wave networking device in communication with the remote server, wherein the Z-Wave networking device comprises;

a WiFi transceiver configured to communicate with the remote server;

a Z-Wave network transceiver configured to communicate with devices of a mesh network, wherein the devices of the mesh network comprise a group of nodes, comprising at least one node, and a network controller that determines membership of the group of nodes;

selectable boot images comprising;

a first boot image that configures the Z-Wave networking device as the network controller that determines membership of the group of nodes and a second boot image that configures the Z-Wave networking device as a repeater node that does not determine the membership; and

a flash memory that stores a boot image from which the Z Wave networking device boots;

wherein the remote server selects, from among the selectable boot images, the boot image to be stored to the flash memory based on a determination of whether the Z-Wave network comprises a device configured as the network controller.

7. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the remote server instructs the Z-Wave networking device to load the first boot image into the flash memory and to reboot, resulting in the Z-Wave network transceiver joining the Z-Wave network configured as a Z-Wave controller node when the remote server determines that the Z-Wave network does not comprise the device configured as the network controller.

8. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the remote server instructs the Z-Wave networking device to load the second boot image into the flash memory and to reboot, resulting in the Z-Wave network transceiver joining the Z-Wave network configured as a Z-Wave repeater node when the remote server determines that the Z-Wave network already comprises the device configured as the network controller.

9. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the Z-Wave networking device is a thermostat.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device comprising a processor, registration information that identifies a networking device and a user identity to which the networking device is being registered;

performing, by the device, a status procedure that determines whether a Z-Wave network, comprising a group of nodes and a network controller that determines membership of the group of nodes, is already associated with the user identity;

in response to the Z-Wave network not being associated with the user identity, associating, by the device, the Z-Wave network with the user identity;

receiving, by the device, a request to enroll the networking device in in the Z-Wave network, wherein the request indicates a role of the networking device, and wherein the role being requested is determined by a boot image currently stored to a memory of the networking device; and

in response to determining that the role being requested conflicts with information determined by the status procedure, instructing, by the device, the networking device to load a different boot image into the memory and to reboot.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the status procedure further determines whether the Z-Wave network is already associated with the user identity at a specified location associated with the user identity.

12. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the determining that the role being requested conflicts with information determined by the status procedure comprises determining, from the status procedure that the Z-Wave network is already associated with the user identity and further determining that networking device has requested to enroll as the network controller that determines the membership.

13. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the determining that the role being requested conflicts with information determined by the status procedure comprises determining, from the status procedure that the Z-Wave network is not already associated with the user identity and further determining that networking device has requested to enroll as repeater node that does not determine the membership.