Patent Application
20160147506
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer systems. More particularly, the invention relates to Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, apparatuses, and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
The “Internet of Things” refers to the interconnection of uniquely-identifiable embedded devices within the Internet infrastructure. Ultimately, IoT is expected to result in new, wide-ranging types of applications in which virtually any type of physical thing may provide information about itself or its surroundings and/or may be controlled remotely via client devices over the Internet.
IoT development and adoption has been slow due to issues related to connectivity, power, and a lack of standardization. For example, one obstacle to IoT development and adoption is that no standard platform exists to allow developers to design and offer new IoT devices and services. In order enter into the IoT market, a developer must design the entire IoT platform from the ground up, including the network protocols and infrastructure, hardware, software and services required to support the desired IoT implementation. As a result, each provider of IoT devices uses proprietary techniques for designing and connecting the IoT devices, making the adoption of multiple types of IoT devices burdensome for end users. Another obstacle to IoT adoption is the difficulty associated with connecting and powering IoT devices. Connecting appliances such as refrigerators, garage door openers, environmental sensors, home security sensors/controllers, etc, for example, requires an electrical source to power each connected IoT device, and such an electrical source is often not conveniently located.
A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained from the following detailed description in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention described below. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the underlying principles of the embodiments of the invention.
One embodiment of the invention comprises an Internet of Things (IoT) platform which may be utilized by developers to design and build new IoT devices and applications. In particular, one embodiment includes a base hardware/software platform for IoT devices including a predefined networking protocol stack and an IoT hub through which the IoT devices are coupled to the Internet. In addition, one embodiment includes an IoT service through which the IoT hubs and connected IoT devices may be accessed and managed as described below. In addition, one embodiment of the IoT platform includes an IoT app or Web application (e.g., executed on a client device) to access and configured the IoT service, hub and connected devices. Existing online retailers and other Website operators may leverage the IoT platform described herein to readily provide unique IoT functionality to existing user bases.
The IoT devices 101-105 may be equipped with various types of sensors to collect information about themselves and their surroundings and provide the collected information to the IoT service 120, user devices 135 and/or external Websites 130 via the IoT hub 110. Some of the IoT devices 101-105 may perform a specified function in response to control commands sent through the IoT hub 110. Various specific examples of information collected by the IoT devices 101-105 and control commands are provided below. In one embodiment described below, the IoT device 101 is a user input device designed to record user selections and send the user selections to the IoT service 120 and/or Website.
In one embodiment, the IoT hub 110 includes a cellular radio to establish a connection to the Internet 220 via a cellular service 115 such as a 4G (e.g., Mobile WiMAX, LTE) or 5G cellular data service. Alternatively, or in addition, the IoT hub 110 may include a WiFi radio to establish a WiFi connection through a WiFi access point or router 116 which couples the IoT hub 110 to the Internet (e.g., via an Internet Service Provider providing Internet service to the end user). Of course, it should be noted that the underlying principles of the invention are not limited to any particular type of communication channel or protocol.
In one embodiment, the IoT devices 101-105 are ultra low-power devices capable of operating for extended periods of time on battery power (e.g., years). To conserve power, the local communication channels 130 may be implemented using a low-power wireless communication technology such as Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). In this embodiment, each of the IoT devices 101-105 and the IoT hub 110 are equipped with Bluetooth LE radios and protocol stacks.
As mentioned, in one embodiment, the IoT platform includes an IoT app or Web application executed on user devices 135 to allow users to access and configure the connected IoT devices 101-105, IoT hub 110, and/or IoT service 120. In one embodiment, the app or web application may be designed by the operator of a Website 130 to provide IoT functionality to its user base. As illustrated, the Website may maintain a user database 131 containing account records related to each user.
Regardless of how the IoT hubs 110-111 are connected, in one embodiment, the IoT service 120 will logically associate the hubs with the user and combine all of the attached IoT devices 101-105 under a single comprehensive user interface, accessible via a user device with the installed app 135 (and/or a browser-based interface).
In this embodiment, the master IoT hub 110 and one or more slave IoT hubs 111 may connect over a local network which may be a WiFi network 116, an Ethernet network, and/or a using power-line communications (PLC) networking (e.g., where all or portions of the network are run through the user's power lines). In addition, to the IoT hubs 110-111, each of the IoT devices 101-105 may be interconnected with the IoT hubs 110-111 using any type of local network channel such as WiFi, Ethernet, PLC, or Bluetooth LE, to name a few.
As illustrated in
As illustrated, the program code may include application program code 203 defining an application-specific set of functions to be performed by the IoT device 201 and library code 202 comprising a set of predefined building blocks which may be utilized by the application developer of the IoT device 101. In one embodiment, the library code 202 comprises a set of basic functions required to implement an IoT device such as a communication protocol stack 201 for enabling communication between each IoT device 101 and the IoT hub 110. As mentioned, in one embodiment, the communication protocol stack 201 comprises a Bluetooth LE protocol stack. In this embodiment, Bluetooth LE radio and antenna 207 may be integrated within the low power microcontroller 200. However, the underlying principles of the invention are not limited to any particular communication protocol.
The particular embodiment shown in
In addition, the illustrated embodiment includes a battery 208 for supplying power to the low power microcontroller. In one embodiment, a non-chargeable coin cell battery is used. However, in an alternate embodiment, an integrated rechargeable battery may be used (e.g., rechargeable by connecting the IoT device to an AC power supply (not shown)).
A speaker 205 is also provided for generating audio. In one embodiment, the low power microcontroller 299 includes audio decoding logic for decoding a compressed audio stream (e.g., such as an MPEG-4/Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) stream) to generate audio on the speaker 205. Alternatively, the low power microcontroller 200 and/or the application code/data 203 may include digitally sampled snippets of audio to provide verbal feedback to the end user as the user enters selections via the input devices 210.
In one embodiment, one or more other/alternate I/O devices or sensors 250 may be included on the IoT device 101 based on the particular application for which the IoT device 101 is designed. For example, an environmental sensor may be included to measure temperature, pressure, humidity, etc. A security sensor and/or door lock opener may be included if the IoT device is used as a security device. Of course, these examples are provided merely for the purposes of illustration. The underlying principles of the invention are not limited to any particular type of IoT device. In fact, given the highly programmable nature of the low power microcontroller 200 equipped with the library code 202, an application developer may readily develop new application code 203 and new I/O devices 250 to interface with the low power microcontroller for virtually any type of IoT application.
In one embodiment, the low power microcontroller 200 also includes a secure key store for storing encryption keys used by the embodiments described below (see, e.g.,
A wakeup receiver 207 is included in one embodiment to wake the IoT device from an ultra low power state in which it is consuming virtually no power. In one embodiment, the wakeup receiver 207 is configured to cause the IoT device 101 to exit this low power state in response to a wakeup signal received from a wakeup transmitter 307 configured on the IoT hub 110 as shown in
As illustrated in
A local communication interface 303 and antenna 311 establishes local communication channels with each of the IoT devices 101-105. As mentioned above, in one embodiment, the local communication interface 303/antenna 311 implements the Bluetooth LE standard. However, the underlying principles of the invention are not limited to any particular protocols for establishing the local communication channels with the IoT devices 101-105. Although illustrated as separate units in
In one embodiment, the program code and data includes a communication protocol stack 308 which may include separate stacks for communicating over the local communication interface 303 and the WAN interface 302. In addition, device pairing program code and data 306 may be stored in the memory to allow the IoT hub to pair with new IoT devices. In one embodiment, each new IoT device 101-105 is assigned a unique code which is communicated to the IoT hub 110 during the pairing process. For example, the unique code may be embedded in a barcode on the IoT device and may be read by the barcode reader 106 or may be communicated over the local communication channel 130. In an alternate embodiment, the unique ID code is embedded magnetically on the IoT device and the IoT hub has a magnetic sensor such as an radio frequency ID (RFID) or near field communication (NFC) sensor to detect the code when the IoT device 101 is moved within a few inches of the IoT hub 110.
In one embodiment, once the unique ID has been communicated, the IoT hub 110 may verify the unique ID by querying a local database (not shown), performing a hash to verify that the code is acceptable, and/or communicating with the IoT service 120, user device 135 and/or Website 130 to validate the ID code. Once validated, in one embodiment, the IoT hub 110 pairs the IoT device 101 and stores the pairing data in memory 317 (which, as mentioned, may include non-volatile memory). Once pairing is complete, the IoT hub 110 may connect with the IoT device 101 to perform the various IoT functions described herein.
In one embodiment, the organization running the IoT service 120 may provide the IoT hub 110 and a basic hardware/software platform to allow developers to easily design new IoT services. In particular, in addition to the IoT hub 110, developers may be provided with a software development kit (SDK) to update the program code and data 305 executed within the hub 110. In addition, for IoT devices 101, the SDK may include an extensive set of library code 202 designed for the base IoT hardware (e.g., the low power microcontroller 200 and other components shown in
In one embodiment, the IoT hub 110 manages a continuous bi-directional stream of data between the IoT devices 101-105 and the IoT service 120. In circumstances where updates to/from the IoT devices 101-105 are required in real time (e.g., where a user needs to view the current status of security devices or environmental readings), the IoT hub may maintain an open TCP socket to provide regular updates to the user device 135 and/or external Websites 130. The specific networking protocol used to provide updates may be tweaked based on the needs of the underlying application. For example, in some cases, where may not make sense to have a continuous bi-directional stream, a simple request/response protocol may be used to gather information when needed.
In one embodiment, both the IoT hub 110 and the IoT devices 101-105 are automatically upgradeable over the network. In particular, when a new update is available for the IoT hub 110 it may automatically download and install the update from the IoT service 120. It may first copy the updated code into a local memory, run and verify the update before swapping out the older program code. Similarly, when updates are available for each of the IoT devices 101-105, they may initially be downloaded by the IoT hub 110 and pushed out to each of the IoT devices 101-105. Each IoT device 101-105 may then apply the update in a similar manner as described above for the IoT hub and report back the results of the update to the IoT hub 110. If the update is successful, then the IoT hub 110 may delete the update from its memory and record the latest version of code installed on each IoT device (e.g., so that it may continue to check for new updates for each IoT device).
In one embodiment, the IoT hub 110 is powered via NC power. In particular, the IoT hub 110 may include a power unit 390 with a transformer for transforming NC voltage supplied via an A/C power cord to a lower DC voltage.
As mentioned,
The illustrated IoT device 400 is particularly suitable for elderly users or other users who are not technically savvy (and/or do not have access to a full-featured client). In one embodiment, the son/daughter or other relative of the end user may establish an account on a grocery Website and uniquely design a set of cards 410 on behalf of the end user, based on the grocery items commonly ordered by the end user. The grocery Website 130 in this example may have an established business arrangement with the IoT service 120 such that the IoT service 120 manages the IoT devices 400 and cards 410 on behalf of the grocery Website 130. Thus, once items have been selected for each of the cards, the IoT service may send the end user (or the user's relatives) a new IoT device 400, an IoT hub 110 (if the end user does not already have one installed), and the set of cards 410.
In one embodiment, the IoT device 400 is pre-provisioned by the IoT service 120 with a unique ID embedded which is known by the IoT service. When the end user inserts a card 410 in the slot and selects one or more buttons 401-405 corresponding to items 411-415 displayed on the card, the unique ID associated with the device 400 and identification data identifying the items selected by the end user are transmitted over the cellular service 115 (or WiFi) to the IoT service and/or directly to the grocery Website 130. In one embodiment, the grocery Website maintains a mapping between the end user's account and the device ID which may be communicated to the grocery service by the IoT service 120 after provisioning the new device 400. Consequently, the grocery Website 130 identifies the end user with the device ID and fulfills the order for the items selected by the end user. For example, the grocery service may schedule delivery for the items to the end user's home address which may be stored in the end user database 121 along with the association of the user's device ID with the end user's account. Thus, in this embodiment, the IoT service 120 does not need to maintain a database containing any user account data (thereby protecting the end user's privacy and simplifying the implementation of the IoT service). Rather, the IoT service may only track the device ID for each of the IoT devices provisioned to end users.
In one embodiment, when a user has selected a particular item, the LED 209 in that button may be illuminated to reflect the selection. In one embodiment, to order multiple instances of an item, the user may select a particular button 401-405 multiple times. In this case, the LEDs may change colors to reflect the number of each item ordered. Alternatively, each button may have a small LCD (or other electronic visual display) configured to show the number of items selected by the end user. In one embodiment, the user may insert multiple cards 410 to select items in this manner and, when complete, select a completion button 406 which completes the transaction. In addition, the transaction may be completed automatically after a specified period of time has passed with no additional user input. Once the transaction is completed, in one embodiment, the LED within button 406 (or a separate “order on route” LED) may remain illuminated until a delivery is made to indicate that the ordered items are on the way.
In response, the low power microcontroller 200 transmits the device ID with identification data for each of the selected items (and the number selected) to the IoT hub 110 which forwards the user's selections to the IoT service 120 and/or directly to the grocery website 130. As mentioned, the address and other account information of the user may be associated with the device ID in an end user database 121. Accordingly, upon receipt of the transaction details, the user's account may be debited by an amount equal to the cost of the selected items, and delivery to the user's home may be scheduled. Upon delivery, the IoT device 400 may be reset to reflect that no new orders are currently pending.
In one embodiment, audio feedback is used to communicate the items ordered and the amounts for each item. For example, in one embodiment, digital audio samples for each item on each of the cards 410 may be transmitted to the device 400 via the IoT hub 410. The audio samples may then be played back using the audio decoder in the low power microcontroller 200 and the speaker 205. For example, when the user selects one package of water 411, the application program code 203 executed on the low power microcontroller 200 may identify the item (based on the barcode) and further identify a digital audio sample associated with the selected item. It may then cause the low power microcontroller 200 to render the digital audio sample on the speaker 205 along with a digital audio sample indicating the number ordered.
In an alternate embodiment, the application program code 203 executed on the low power microcontroller 200 may be capable of speech synthesis. In this case, a text description of each item may be provided to the IoT device 400, which will perform text-to-speech synthesis to verbally speak the text description upon selection of each item by the end user.
In one embodiment, once the user has finished selecting items and presses the completion button 406, details of the transaction may be audibly read back to the user through the speaker. This may include, for example, a description of the items ordered and/or an anticipated delivery date. In one embodiment, the delivery date information is transmitted to the IoT device 400 by the grocery Website 130 after the order details have been received and evaluated by the Website.
Although described above in the context of a grocery application, the IoT device 400 may be used for virtually any application which requires a user to select among a set of options. For example, a set of such devices may be placed outside of an apartment complex and cards may be inserted listing the names of the residences of each apartment. In response to a selection, the IoT device 400 may transmit a notification to the IoT service 120 (potentially with a picture of the user who made the selection if a network camera is available at the location). The IoT service 120 may then ring the doorbell of the appropriate residence and/or send a text or voice call to the user device 135 of the user in the residence. In one embodiment, the doorbell is implemented as another IoT device communicatively coupled to the IoT service via an IoT hub as described herein.
As another example, the IoT device 400 may be implemented as a toy or educational device. For example, a listing of different types of dinosaurs, animals, or other subjects may be printed on cards. In response to selection of a button, a description of the corresponding subject may be audibly generated for the end user. A virtually unlimited number of applications are possible in which a user is required to select from a set of displayed options.
In one embodiment, illustrated in
A time scale 565 is shown to provide a visual indication of the time at which each of the calendar events are scheduled to occur and, as illustrated, different graphics are used to connote different types of calendar events. In the specific example shown in
In one embodiment, the IoT clock hub 550 will connect to the user's social networking service to download recently posted pictures and/or comments form the user's social networking account. These may include postings made by the user and/or made by friends and/or family members specified by the user. For example, the user may configured the IoT clock hub 550 to display new postings only made by certain specified “friends” of the user on the social networking site.
In one embodiment, updates to the data displayed on the clock is transmitted from the IoT service 120, one or more Websites 130 on which the user has accounts, and/or directly from an app on the user's device 135. For example, the calendar data may be provided by a calendar managed by the user via an app on the user device 135 and/or may be provided via a server-side calendar such as a Microsoft Exchange Server or a cloud-based server on which the user maintains a calendar (e.g., run on the IoT service 120 or Website 130). The current time and temperature may also be provided by network servers such as the IoT service 120 and/or may be read from one or more IoT devices 101-105 coupled to the IoT clock hub 550. For example, one of the IoT devices 101-105 may be an environmental sensor and may provide the IoT clock hub 550 with the current temperature, pressure, humidity, etc.
In one embodiment, the clock hub 550 is further configured to play back a user's audio playlist from an external server and/or the user's mobile device. For example, the IoT clock 550 may retrieve the playlist from the user's music library (e.g., using the protocols common to that library) and may then stream and play back the music in the playlist using the built in audio decoder and speaker 205. In one embodiment, the IoT clock hub 550 establishes a direct local connection with the user's mobile device 135 using the same network protocols that it uses to communicate with the IoT devices 101-105. For example, it may establish a Bluetooth LE audio connection with the user's mobile device 135 and then operate as a connected audio output for the mobile device.
In one embodiment, to keep the cost of the IoT clock hub 550 low, it does not include an input device to enter new entries directly on the clock. That is, the IoT clock hub 550 receives data from network sources but not directly from the user who updates entries via the app on the mobile device 135. Alternately, in one embodiment, the user may interact directly with the IoT clock hub 550 itself to enter new data (e.g., via a touchscreen built in to the IoT clock hub 550).
In addition to audio, one embodiment of the IoT clock hub 550 may download pictures to be displayed, either directly from the user's mobile device 135, from the IoT service 120, and/or from one or more other external servers (e.g., Website 130) on which the user stores pictures. The specific pictures, audio and other content to be displayed on the IoT clock hub 550 may be specified by the user interacting with and configuring the hub via the IoT service 120 (which, as mentioned, may be accessible via an app installed on the user's computing device 135).
In one embodiment, the IoT clock hub 550 may be configured to receive and display electronic messages sent by the end user. For example, it may be configured with an email message address or a text message address. For example, if the IoT clock hub 550 is in a highly visible location in the user's home, the user may send a message to the entire family by sending a text message or an email message to the IoT clock hub 550. In one embodiment, if the message contains a photo, then the IoT clock hub 550 may display the photo.
In one embodiment, the IoT service 120 acts as a translator for content to be displayed or played back on the IoT hub 110 and/or IoT devices 101-105. For example, in one embodiment, photos transmitted from the user's mobile device 135 are converted by the IoT service 120 into a format/resolution which the IoT hub 110 and/or IoT devices 101-105 are capable of rendering. Similarly, with respect to audio, the IoT service 120 may convert the audio into a format (potentially at a lower bitrate or different type of compression) that the IoT hub 110 and/or IoT devices 101-105 are configured to play back.
As mentioned above, the IoT clock hub 550 may be designed with mounting brackets or holes so that it may be mounted on a wall in a convenient location such as the user's kitchen. In addition, in one embodiment illustrated in
In one embodiment, the style of the information displayed within the IoT clock hub display may automatically be modified based on the type of frame being attached. For example, if a frame with a “modern” style is attached, then the colors/fonts/graphical styles used to display information on the IoT clock hub 550 may automatically switch to match the modern frame style. Similarly, if a frame with a “traditional” style is attached, then the colors/fonts/graphical styles used to display information on the IoT clock hub 550 may automatically switch to match the traditional frame style. One embodiment of the frame 501 may be designed for use in a child's room (e.g., a Hello Kitty™ frame or a Cuckoo clock may be designed). In response, the IoT clock hub 550 may be configured to display an appropriate background to match the frame type (e.g., displaying pictures of Hello Kitty or a Cuckoo on the hour). Moreover, while a rectangular frame is shown in
As mentioned, in one embodiment, the frame 501 is equipped with a set of high quality speakers 505 for generating audio provided over the audio interface from the IoT clock hub 550. For example, in an embodiment in which the IoT clock hub 550 downloads a user's audio playlist (as discussed above) and streams/decodes the audio identified in the playlist, the audio may be played through the high quality speakers 505 rather than the speaker 205 built in to the IoT clock hub 550.
A variety of different types of frames 501 may be coupled to the IoT hub 550 to provide various different I/O capabilities. For example, a frame with an embedded camera may be installed to take pictures or capture video in response to commands sent to the IoT hub 550 from the user's mobile device/app 135. Thus, the frame 501 may act as a local security camera in the user's home. In another embodiment, the frame may have an integrated IR blaster to act as a remote control device, controllable via the user device/app (e.g., to control local AN equipment such as the user's TV and receiver). In another embodiment, the frame 501 may be equipped with a heat sensor, smoke sensor, and/or carbon monoxide detector. In this embodiment, the IoT clock hub 550 may generate an alarm in response to any of the sensors indicating levels above acceptable thresholds. It may also be configured to transmit the alarm to a service such as a home monitoring service and/or the local fire department.
Another embodiment of the IoT clock hub 550 is illustrated in
A circular plate 510 is particularly beneficial for wall mounting because a user may affix the circular plate 510 to the wall in any orientation (i.e., without using a level). The user may then magnetically affix and IoT clock hub 550 to the wall by magnetically engaging the circular plate 510 with the circular cavity 513 on the back of the IoT clock hub 550 and rotating the IoT clock hub 550 as needed to achieve the correct level.
In addition, as shown in
Thus, a single support element—the circular plate 510—may be used for both wall mounting of the IoT clock hub 550 and for supporting the IoT clock hub 550 on a table or other surface.
Various other sensors may be integrated within IoT devices 101-105 to collect various different types of information. For example, in one embodiment, IoT devices with heat sensors may be configured on or near a stove to detect when the stove's burners are on. In one embodiment, the IoT devices may also be configured to control the stove (e.g., turn it on/off) in response to signals transmitted from the app on the user's device 135. As another example, IoT devices may include accelerometers and be coupled to devices around the user's home and/or to the user himself to detect motion (to detect, for example, the number of steps taken by the user, or the frequency with which certain objects in the user's home are used, etc). The underlying principles of the invention may be implemented in a virtually unlimited number of applications and contexts.
Embodiments of the invention may include various steps, which have been described above. The steps may be embodied in machine-executable instructions which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor to perform the steps. Alternatively, these steps may be performed by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom hardware components.
As described herein, instructions may refer to specific configurations of hardware such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) configured to perform certain operations or having a predetermined functionality or software instructions stored in memory embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium. Thus, the techniques shown in the figures can be implemented using code and data stored and executed on one or more electronic devices (e.g., an end station, a network element, etc.). Such electronic devices store and communicate (internally and/or with other electronic devices over a network) code and data using computer machine-readable media, such as non-transitory computer machine-readable storage media (e.g., magnetic disks; optical disks; random access memory; read only memory; flash memory devices; phase-change memory) and transitory computer machine-readable communication media (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals—such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). In addition, such electronic devices typically include a set of one or more processors coupled to one or more other components, such as one or more storage devices (non-transitory machine-readable storage media), user input/output devices (e.g., a keyboard, a touchscreen, and/or a display), and network connections. The coupling of the set of processors and other components is typically through one or more busses and bridges (also termed as bus controllers). The storage device and signals carrying the network traffic respectively represent one or more machine-readable storage media and machine-readable communication media. Thus, the storage device of a given electronic device typically stores code and/or data for execution on the set of one or more processors of that electronic device. Of course, one or more parts of an embodiment of the invention may be implemented using different combinations of software, firmware, and/or hardware. Throughout this detailed description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details were set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In certain instances, well known structures and functions were not described in elaborate detail in order to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope and spirit of the invention should be judged in terms of the claims which follow.
