Device and method for automatic switching of communication protocol of network devices based on user action

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9762445-B2
Application number	US-201414282631-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	May 20, 2013
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A computer implemented method for automatically switching communication protocols. The method includes detecting a user input, determining, based on the user input, a first communication protocol needed to address the user input, and creating a virtualized network wherein devices that use a second communication protocol are represented via virtualized devices according to the first communication protocol.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for automatic communication protocol switching between devices connected to a computer network system, comprising:
a processor;
a network interface connected to the processor; and
a memory connected to the processor, including computer-readable and processor executable computer instructions:
for communicating in a first communication protocol requiring a first bandwidth and in a second communication protocol requiring a second bandwidth, the second bandwidth being larger than the first bandwidth, and
for switching between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol for communicating data via the network interface based on a size of the data compared to the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth,
wherein when the processor executes the computer instructions, the processor compares the size of data to the first bandwidth and to the second bandwidth, determines which of the first bandwidth or the second bandwidth is to be selected based on the comparison, and communicates the data to a second computer network device using the selected one of the first communication protocol or the via the network interface,
when the second computer network device is not able to receive the data transmitted from the processor using the first communication protocol, the processor transmits the data to the second computer network device using the second communication protocol, and the second computer network device receives the data from the processor sent via the second communication protocol.

2. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the computer network system includes a HVAC system.

3. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the first communication protocol is a BACnet protocol, and the second communication protocol is a non-BACnet protocol.

4. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the first communication protocol is a non-BACnet protocol, and the second communication protocol is a BACnet protocol.

5. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the processor receives data according to the second communication protocol via the network interface, the processor executes the computer instructions and determines that the size of the data does not require the second bandwidth, and the processor transmits the data received in the first communication protocol for reducing network traffic of unnecessary data.

6. The device as in claim 5 , wherein the processor transmits the data using the first communication protocol to another device via the network interface and reduces network traffic of unnecessary data.

7. A computer network system, comprising:
a network;
a first computer network device connected to the network; and
a second computer network device connected to the network,
wherein the first computer network device is configured to use a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, the first computer network device selects one of the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol based on a comparison of a size of data to be communicated to a first bandwidth of the first communication protocol and a second bandwidth of the second communication protocol, the second bandwidth being larger than the first bandwidth,
the first computer network selecting the first bandwidth and communicating the data using the first communication protocol based on the comparison of the size of the data to a second computer network device, and reduces network traffic of unnecessary data,
wherein, when the first computer network device transmits the data to the second computer network device using the first communication protocol, and the second computer network device cannot receive the data transmitted from the first computer network device using the first communication protocol, the first computer network device transmits the data to the second computer network device using the second communication protocol, and the second computer network device receives the data from the first computer network device using the second communication protocol.

8. The computer network system as in claim 7 , wherein the first communication protocol is a BACnet protocol, and the second communication protocol is a non-BACnet protocol.

9. The computer network system as in claim 7 , wherein the computer network system further comprises a HVAC system connected to the network.

10. A computer implemented method for automatically switching communication protocols, the method comprising:
a processor detecting a user input to a computer device connected to a network;
the processor converting the user input to data;
the processor determining, based on the size of the data, a bandwidth requirement needed to communicate the data via the network; and
the processor selecting one of a first communication protocol having a first bandwidth or a second communication protocol having a second bandwidth, the second bandwidth being larger than the first bandwidth, based on the bandwidth requirement of the size of the data,
the processor communicating the data to a second computer network device using the selected one of the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol via the network and reducing network traffic of unnecessary data,
wherein when the second computer network device cannot receive the data transmitted from the processor using the first communication protocol, the processor transmitting the data to the second computer network device using the second communication protocol, and the second computer network device receiving the data from the processor sent via using the second communication protocol.

11. The computer implemented method as in claim 10 , wherein the first communication protocol is a BACnet protocol.

12. The computer implemented method as in claim 10 , wherein the first communication protocol is a non-BACnet protocol.

13. The computer implemented method as in claim 10 , wherein the second communication protocol is a BACnet protocol.

14. The computer implemented method as in claim 10 , wherein the second communication protocol is a non-BACnet protocol.

Assignees

• Trane Int Inc

Inventors

• Coleman Howard
• Glaser Jonathan
• Hartman John L
• Mahendran Maheshwaran
• Dishop Timothy James
• Opatz Aaron
• Amyotte David
• Vanderzee Joel C

Classifications

• H04L69/08

  Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion · CPC title

• H04L12/2836 Primary

  Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network (controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24) · CPC title

• H04L41/0886 Primary

  Fully automatic configuration · CPC title

• H04L2012/285

  Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title