Method for operating and commissioning devices in a ZigBee network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9961512-B2
Application number	US-201213985164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2012
Priority date	Feb 28, 2011
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A method for operating devices in a ZigBee network comprising ZigBee Green Power (ZGP)-capable devices and non-ZGP-capable devices, both to be controlled by at least one ZGPD device, is disclosed. In one example, the ZGPD device transmits a ZGPD command frame, and, upon reception of the ZGPD command frame from the ZGPD device, a ZGP-capable device: translates the received ZGPD command to a regular ZigBee command compatible with non-ZGP-capable devices, forwards the translated command, and tunnels the ZGPD command using a ZGP tunneling mechanism, wherein the ZGP-capable devices controlled by the ZGPD device execute only the tunneled command, if the controlled application functionality is supported, and wherein the non-ZGP-capable devices controlled by the ZGPD device execute only the translated command, if the controlled application functionality is supported.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Method for operating devices in a ZigBee network comprising a plurality of ZigBee Green Power (ZGP)-capable devices and a plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices, both under control of at least one ZGP device (ZGPD device), the method comprising the following steps:
the ZGPD device transmitting a ZGPD command frame,
upon reception of the ZGPD command frame from the ZGPD device, at least one ZGP-capable device of said plurality of ZGP-capable devices:
translating a received ZGPD command in said frame to a regular ZigBee command compatible with the non-ZGP-capable devices, and forwarding the regular ZigBee command to at least one non-ZGP-capable device of the plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices, and
tunneling the ZGPD command using a ZGP tunneling mechanism,

the at least one ZGP-capable device executing only the tunneled command,
the at least one non-ZGP-capable device executing only the regular ZigBee command.

2. Method according to claim 1 , further comprising: a commissioning device identifying the plurality of ZGP-capable devices and the plurality of non-ZGP capable devices for control by the ZGPD device the commissioning device generating a first ZigBee group ID and instructing all of the identified devices to become members of a first ZGPD group corresponding to the first ZigBee group ID; all of the identified devices becoming members of first ZGPD group corresponding to the first ZigBee group ID the commissioning device obtaining information about the ZGPD device, comprising a ZGPD SrcID.

3. Method according to claim 2 , comprising a pairing step, wherein pairing commands are sent from the commissioning device to the members of the first ZGPD group.

4. Method according to claim 3 , wherein all devices under control of the ZGPD device are members of a single ZigBee group,
wherein the forwarding comprises forwarding the regular ZigBee command to members of said ZigBee group,
wherein the tunneling comprises tunneling the ZGPD command to members of the ZigBee group, and wherein the ZGP-capable devices of said ZigBee group, on reception of the regular ZigBee ZGPD command sent to the ZigBee group, silently drop the regular ZigBee command.

5. Method according to claim 4 , further the steps of:
for any given ZGP-capable device being a member of the first ZGPD group, having at least one non-ZGP-capable application endpoint being a member of the ZGPD group, upon reception of the pairing commands,
adding a ZGP endpoint of the given ZGP-capable device to the first ZGPD group,
creating a ZGP Sink Table entry for the SrcID,
storing numbers identifying non-ZGP endpoints as being members of the first ZGPD group in a ZGP Command Translation Table of the given ZGP-capable device,
and removing the non-ZGP endpoints from the first ZGPD group.

6. Method according to claim 1 , wherein each device under control of the ZGPD device is a member of one of two ZGPD groups consisting of a first group and a second group, the first group comprising a set of the plurality of ZGP-capable devices and the second group comprising a set of the plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices
wherein the forwarding comprises forwarding the regular ZigBee command to devices of the second group and
the tunneling comprises tunneling the ZGPD command to device members of the first group.

7. Method according to claim 6 , further comprising the step of generating a second ZigBee group ID, wherein the devices of the second group correspond to the second ZigBee group ID.

8. Method according to claim 6 , wherein the devices assigned to the first group are devices identified by a commissioning device as being ZGP capable in an identifying step.

9. Method according to claim 6 , comprising
for any given ZGP-capable device being a member of the first group, having at least one non-ZGP-capable application endpoint being a member of the first ZGPD group,
adding a ZGP endpoint to the second group,
creating a ZGP Sink Table entry for a SrcID,
storing numbers identifying non-ZGP endpoints as being members of the first group in a ZGP Command Translation Table,
removing the non-ZGP endpoints from the first group, and
for a user, setting the commissioning device in a commissioning mode and/or performing a commissioning action on the ZGPD device.

10. Method according to claim 9 , comprising the step of removing any previous group membership of any device in the network related to the ZGPD device.

11. Method according to claim 10 , comprising of the following steps:
the step of the commissioning device performing an application functionality matching between the ZGPD device and the plurality of ZGP-capable devices and between the ZGPD device and the plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices,
the step of the commissioning device sending a command to configure the translation of ZGPD command into the regular ZigBee command compatible with the plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices for translation for non-ZGP-capable devices of the plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices in the operational phase, and
the step, for at least one ZGP-capable device of the plurality of ZGP-capable devices with ZGP proxy capabilities, of locally storing translation for the ZGPD command into the regular ZigBee command and information on a group ID to which the regular Zigbee command is forwarded,
wherein the forwarding of the regular ZigBee command uses a ZGP aliasing mechanism.

12. Method according to claim 11 , where the commissioning device is a device selected from the group consisting of: a dedicated ZigBee Commissioning Tool device, any ZGP-capable device, a regular remote control device, having also ZGP capabilities, a ZigBee PAN Coordinator, a ZigBee Network Manager, a ZigBee Trust Center, an application software on a device behind a ZigBee bridge or gateway.

13. Method according to claim 12 wherein the identifying step is performed by using at least one of: graphical grouping of any one or more of the plurality of the ZGP-capable devices and/or any one or more of the plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices; a ZigBee device and service discovery method; ZigBee identification of devices matching clusters; default groups based on predetermined criteria; previously established control groups; explicit user action on selected devices; or an out-of-band method.

14. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one ZGP-capable device comprises a first actuator configured to actuate a first appliance independently of a second appliance, which is different from the first appliance, and wherein the at least one non-ZGP-capable device comprises a second actuator configured to actuate the second appliance, wherein the first and second appliances, when actuated, alter environmental conditions of an environment in which the first and second appliances are disposed.

15. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one ZGP-capable device comprises a first actuator configured to actuate a first lamp independently of a second lamp, which is different from the first lamp, and wherein the at least one non-ZGP-capable device comprises a second actuator configured to actuate the second lamp.

16. A system for operating devices in a ZigBee network comprising a plurality of ZigBee Green Power (ZGP)-capable devices and a plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices, the system comprising:
at least one ZigBee Green Power Device (ZGPD) switch configured to control the plurality of ZGP capable devices and the plurality of non-ZGP-capable devices and configured to transmit a ZGPD command frame;
at least one ZGP-capable device of the plurality of ZGP-capable devic

Assignees

• Tolhuizen Marinus Gerardus Maria
• Erdmann Bozena
• Houtepen Robert Cornelis
• Philips Lighting Holding Bv

Inventors

• Tolhuizen Marinus Gerardus Maria
• Erdmann Bozena
• Houtepen Robert Cornelis

Classifications

• H04L12/2818

  from a device located outside both the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007) · CPC title

• H04L12/46 Primary

  Interconnection of networks · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• H04W4/08 Primary

  User group management · CPC title