Modular Platform Enabling Heterogeneous Devices, Sensors and Actuators to Integrate Automatically Into Heterogeneous Networks

• US 20070236346A1
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rokiot USA LLC
• Original Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Bose, Raja, Helal, Abdelsalam, King, Jeffrey, El Zabadani, Hicham, Ploeg, Steve, Al Kouche, Ahmed, Pickles, Steven, Russo, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,895,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

A system includes a hardware platform, at least one driver, a plurality of devices connected to the hardware platform, a middleware interface, and a plurality of software services. Each of the plurality of devices is selected from the group consisting of sensors and actuators. The plurality of software services is generated by the at least one driver, wherein a software service associates with a device, and wherein each of the software services complies with the middleware interface. A method for interfacing a plurality of devices to a hardware platform includes communicably connecting each of the plurality of devices to the hardware platform, converting each of the plurality of devices into a programmable software service using a driver, and programming each of the software services to comply with a middleware interface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a hardware platform;

at least one driver;

a plurality of devices connected to the hardware platform, each of the plurality of devices selected from the group consisting of sensors and actuators;

a middleware interface; and

a plurality of software services generated by the at least one driver, wherein a software service associates with a device, and wherein each of the software services complies with the middleware interface.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the hardware platform consists of a plurality of layered boards.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the plurality of layered boards comprise:

a processor board;

a communication board; and

an interface board.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the processor board comprises a microprocessor.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the communication board comprises a network interface controller.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the network interface controller is a CrystalLAN CS8900a network interface controller.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the network interface controller is configured for wireless communication.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the network interface controller supports a standard Internet Protocol (IP), an ad-hoc networking protocol, a mesh networking protocol, or a combination of said protocols.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein the communication board is configured to use ZIGBEE™

wireless communication.

10. The system of claim 3 wherein the communication board is configured to use 802.11b wireless communication.

11. The system of claim 3 wherein the interface board is a passively powered wireless connection layer.

12. The system of claim 2 wherein the plurality of layered boards comprise a stack of layered boards, and a board may be added to or removed from the stack.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the driver is stored on the hardware platform, one of the plurality of devices, a local repository, or a remote repository.

14. A method for interfacing a plurality of devices to a hardware platform, the method comprising:

communicably connecting each of the plurality of devices to the hardware platform, each of the plurality of devices being selected from the group consisting of sensors and actuators;

converting each of the plurality of devices into a programmable software service using a driver; and

programming each of the software services to comply with a middleware interface.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each of the software services is registered and hosted in an industry-standard service framework.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the service framework is based on either OSGi standard specifications or is a .net environment.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising editing a software service.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of editing the software service is performed remotely.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

communicably connecting an additional device to the hardware platform, the additional device being selected from the group consisting of sensors and actuators,

converting the additional device into an additional programmable software service; and

programming the additional software service.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising disconnecting one of the plurality of devices from the hardware platform.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

monitoring one of the plurality of devices using a sensor; and

generating sensor data for the monitored device.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising using an actuator to control the monitored device wherein the actuator responds to the sensor data.

23. The method of claim 14 further comprising using an actuator to control one of the plurality of devices.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein the driver is downloaded from a remote repository.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein the driver is uploaded from the hardware platform, one of the plurality of devices, or a media storage device.

26. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of programming a software service comprises using a standard Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the IDE is selected from the group consisting of an Eclipse Development Environment and a .net development environment.

28. The method of claim 14 further comprising performing a process, wherein a server decomposes the process into a first set of instructions performed by the hardware platform and a second set of instructions performed by the server.