Software architecture system and method for discovering components within an appliance using fuctionality identifiers

• US 20070160022A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: McCoy, Richard, Ebrom, Matthew, Kicklighter, Judith, Grosse, Alexandre
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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 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 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

A network comprising a plurality of nodes, and each of the nodes has at least one identifier from pre-determined group of identifiers, with each identifier identifying at least one functionality applicable such node. A method of identifying the nodes comprises at least one node sending over the network a message configured to ask for the presence of at least one identifier from the pre-determined group of identifiers. At least one other node sends a feedback message affirming the existence of the at least one identifier on the at least one other node.

Claims

1. A method of identifying nodes in a network having a plurality of nodes, each of the nodes having at least one identifier from pre-determined group of identifiers, with each identifier identifying at least one functionality applicable such node, the method comprising:

at least one node sending over the network a message configured to ask for the presence of at least one identifier from the pre-determined group of identifiers, and

at least one other node sending a feedback message affirming the existence of the at least one identifier on the at least one other node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a node will ignore a message asking for the presence of an inapplicable identifier.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the node ignores the message by failing to send a feedback message in response to the message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a message may be broadcast to one, some, or all of the nodes.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein a message is to a specific node.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein a node ignores messages asking for an inapplicable identifier if the message is broadcast to more than one node.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is a discovery query that requests information and the feedback message is a network message containing the requested information of the discovery query.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the feedback message is sent to one, some or all of the nodes.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the feedback message is directed to the node that sent the discovery query.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the feedback message relates to at least one of evaluating network integrity, enabling dynamic network behavior, and configuring the interactions between nodes.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein each identifier represents a group of common functionality.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the message may request information related to at least one of the functionality of an identifier and information about the identifier.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the identifier is implemented by a software module residing on the node and the message requests information regarding the functionality of the software module and the identity of the software module.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending of the message is initiated by a new node broadcasting a node alive message.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a node may send a message asking any other node for at least one of:

one, some, or all of the functional identifiers supported and unique identifier information.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the feedback message includes the number of instances of the existence of the requested identifiers.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the node sending the message may send a follow-up message in response to the feedback message asking for additional identification information to uniquely identify the duplicate instances of an identifier at a node.

18. A method of identifying nodes in an appliance having a plurality of interconnected nodes forming a communications network, at least some of the nodes having a corresponding component, wherein the components are operably coupled by the communications network to cooperatively perform a useful cycle of operation, each of the nodes having at least one identifier from pre-determined group of identifiers, with each identifier identifying at least one functionality applicable to the corresponding component, the method comprising:

at least one node sending over the network a command configured to ask for the presence of at least one identifier from the pre-determined group of identifiers, and

at least one other node sending a feedback message affirming the existence of the at least one identifier on the at least one other node.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein a message may be broadcast to one, some, or all of the nodes.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the command is a discovery query that requests information and the feedback message is a network message containing the requested information of the discovery query.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the feedback message relates to at least one of evaluating network integrity, enabling dynamic network behavior, and configuring the interactions between nodes.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the identifier is implemented by a software module residing on the component and the command requests information regarding the functionality of the component from the software module and the identity of the software module.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the sending of the command is initiated by a new node broadcasting a node alive message.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein a node may send a command asking any other node for at least one of:

one, some, or all of the functional identifiers supported and unique identifier information.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the feedback message includes the number of instances of the existence of the requested identifiers.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein the node sending the command may send a follow-up command in response to the feedback message asking for additional identification information to uniquely identify the duplicate instances of an identifier at a node.