Method for configuring a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9860127-B2
Application number	US-201214119293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2012
Priority date	Jun 9, 2011
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for configuring a network comprising a maintenance entity and a plurality of nodes, the method comprising at the maintenance entity, the steps of: (a) detecting a potential presence in the network of at least one limited node, said limited node being able to receive data only within time periods; (b) determining that an updated network configuration parameter value is required, said network configuration parameter being common to the at least one limited node and to the plurality nodes of the network; (c) postponing a transmission of a signal for updating the network configuration parameter value at the plurality of nodes, based on the detection of the potential presence of the at least one limited node in the network; (d) transmitting a triggering signal for triggering delivery of the updated network configuration parameter value to the limited device; (e) transmitting the signal for updating the updated network configuration parameter value at the plurality of nodes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for configuring a network comprising a maintenance entity and a plurality of nodes, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) determining that at least one node present on the network is at least one limited node, wherein the limited node is limited in that the limited node is incapable of receiving data within time periods and wherein the limited node is a ZigBee Green Power Device;
(b) determining that an update to a network configuration parameter value is required, said network configuration parameter being common to the least one limited node and to the plurality of nodes of the network, which are distinct from the at least one limited node;
(c) postponing, in response to the determining that at least one node present on the network is at least one limited node, a transmission of a first signal, wherein the first signal is for updating the network configuration parameter value at the plurality of nodes;
(d) transmitting a triggering signal for triggering delivery of an updated network configuration parameter value to the limited node; and
(e) transmitting the first signal to update the network configuration parameter value at the plurality of nodes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) further comprises the maintenance entity checking within an internal register whether the at least one limited node is operational in the network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein step (a) further comprises finding whether a proxy node is linked to the at least one limited node, and deciding whether to initiate a new proxy node election for the limited node.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein a proxy node is linked to the at least one limited node, and wherein step (d) contains a substep (d1) of transmitting the triggering signal for triggering delivery of the updated network configuration parameter value to the at least one limited node to exactly one proxy node per each of the at least one limited node.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one limited node is a set of limited nodes and wherein step (d) comprises the sub-step of:
(d2) transmitting, at the maintenance entity, to a set of first nodes, a signal for triggering delivery of the updated network configuration parameter value to the limited nodes, each of the nodes in said set of first nodes being arranged to communicate with the limited nodes, said triggering signal causing the set of first nodes to appoint a proxy node for each limited node from the set of limited nodes, said proxy node being responsible for delivering the updated network configuration parameter value to the corresponding limited node.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises the sub-step of:
(d3) at the maintenance entity, initiating a proxy node election for the at least one limited node by transmitting the updated network configuration parameter value to a proxy election device,
(d4) at said proxy election device, carrying out the proxy node election and forwarding the updated network configuration parameter value to a set of selected proxies, said forwarding making each of the selected proxies responsible for delivering the updated network configuration parameter value to the limited node for which it proxies.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising sub-step of:
(c6) postponing forwarding of the updated network configuration parameter value to the plurality of nodes until at least one update criterion related to an update of the at least one limited node is fulfilled.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the update criterion is based at least partly on reception of an update confirmation message at the maintenance entity, said update confirmation message being indicative of a successful reception by the limited node of the updated network configuration parameter value.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the update criterion is based at least partly on at least one of the following criteria: the amount of time elapsed since step (b), the amount of time elapsed since step (d), a priority level of the network configuration parameter update, a property of the limited node including an application function, a location, a capability or a reporting behavior, number/properties of the at least one limited node for which an update confirmation message was received, number/properties of the at least one limited node for which an update confirmation message indicative of an update being sent/delivery process being triggered was received, number/properties of limited nodes for which an update confirmation message that is indicative of an updated parameter being used was received.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the limited node is a batteryless device, comprising energy harvesting means, said device being able to receive a data message only within a time window following an actuation of the energy harvesting means by a user or within a time window following harvesting of energy from the environment.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the updated network configuration parameter value includes at least one of a channel identifier, a security key, a security key type, a network identifier, a reporting interval, an operation mode, or a maintenance entity identifier.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein steps (c) and step (d) are omitted, if in step (a) or step (b) at least one of the following conditions is met: no limited nodes are present in the network, no limited nodes capable of over the air reception of updated network configuration parameter are present in the network, the updated network configuration parameter is not applicable to the limited nodes, the updated network configuration parameter is not applicable to the limited nodes capable of over the air parameter reception.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the maintenance entity is split in two parts, the first part being located in a first coordination entity and carrying out at least steps (a), (b), (c) and (e) and the second part being located in a second coordination entity for limited nodes and carrying out at least step (d).

14. A maintenance entity for configuring a network comprising a plurality of nodes, said maintenance entity comprising:
at least one hardware processor configured to: (a) determine that at least one node present on the network is at least one limited node, wherein the limited node is limited in that the limited node is incapable of receiving data within time periods and wherein the limited node is a ZigBee Green Power Device, (b) determine that an update to a network configuration parameter value is required, said network configuration parameter being common to the at least one limited node and to the plurality of nodes of the network, which are distinct from the at least one limited node and (c) perform, in response to the determination that at least one node present on the network is at least one limited node, a postponement of a transmission of a first signal, wherein the first signal is for updating the network configuration parameter value at the plurality of nodes; and
at least one transmitter configured to (d) transmit a triggering signal for triggering delivery of an updated network configuration parameter value to the limited node, and (e) transmit the first signal to update the network configuration parameter value at the plurality of nodes.

15. A communication network comprising the maintenance entity of claim 14 and a plurality of nodes.

16. The maintenance entity of claim 14 , wherein the postponement comprises determining a time for performing said updating the network configuration paramet

Assignees

• Erdmann Bozena
• Tolhuizen Ludovicus Marinus Gerardus Maria
• Lelkens Armand Michel Marie
• Philips Lighting Holding Bv

Inventors

• Erdmann Bozena
• Tolhuizen Ludovicus Marinus Gerardus Maria
• Lelkens Armand Michel Marie

Classifications

• H04L41/0816 Primary

  the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events · CPC title

• H04L41/12

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04L41/0853 Primary

  by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information · CPC title