Patent Application
20210176083
The present invention generally relates to a method, system, device, apparatus, and program for remotely communicating with cleaning units, and more particularly to a method, system, device, apparatus, and program for enabling users to remotely communicate with and control cleaning units to configure the units, to receive reports from the units, and to submit payments to the units.
Conventional systems are limited in their ability to provide vended laundry payments to users. Historically, third party add-on systems have been used to provide such vended laundry payment capability. In conventional systems, reporting and configuration is available directly through a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) connection from a PC (personal computer) or machines directly connected to the Internet. These methods are lacking in performance and security, and no device ties all functionality together in one device. An improved approach is therefore needed.
The foregoing and other problems are overcome by a method for enabling users and/or administrators to remotely communicate with cleaning units to configure the units (e.g., by programming a wash or dry cycle), to receive reports from the units (e.g., reports related to the progress or completion of a wash or dry cycle), and to submit payments to the units for such wash or dry cycles. The present invention also provides a system, device, apparatus, and program that operate in accordance with the method.
In an example aspect, the present invention provides a device that operates as a laundry room “gateway.” The gateway comprises a single board computer with two Wi-Fi chipsets and a cellular radio chipset. The gateway wirelessly and directly connects cleaning (e.g., laundry) equipment using the IEEE 802.11 protocol to provide internet-based machine reporting and machine configuration while also enabling users to pay for vended laundry from a mobile device or smartphone. The cellular chipset provides an automatic backup to the upstream internet connection.
By virtue of the features of the present invention, users can obtain reporting from and configure laundry equipment from any internet-connected device, including a mobile device such as a smartphone, iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Galaxy, tablet, notebook, or others. Users can also pay for vended laundry from such a mobile device. The gateway device of the present invention allows laundry equipment to communicate wirelessly with servers on the internet securely.
The present invention overcomes drawbacks of prior techniques and packages everything into a single board computer. No other current laundry system provides a device which can communicate to laundry equipment over the 802.11 protocol, translate the data, and send the data to the internet to make it available in real-time while also allowing payments and configuration of the equipment without the need of a full personal computer or server computer on site.
In one example aspect of the invention translating the data involves gathering the data into a data stream. The data is then decoded from the machine byte arrays into human readable form and sent to the cloud. This translation is done by a piece of software that recognizes the machine type and size based on the data in the byte array and then pulls the relevant data out of the gathered array. The final form is JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) which is then sent to the cloud. Of course, this example is not meant to be limiting, and various other suitable techniques could be used.
In a first embodiment disclosed herein, a system for remotely communicating with one or more cleaning units comprises one or more cleaning units, each cleaning unit comprising a control unit coupled to the cleaning unit for operating the cleaning unit, and a Wi-Fi device coupled to the control unit, a gateway unit comprising two Wi-Fi protocol devices, and a cellular radio chipset, wherein the gateway unit is nearby each of the cleaning units, and an internet connected device wirelessly coupled to the Wi-Fi protocol device, wherein the cleaning unit Wi-Fi device is wirelessly coupled to the gateway Wi-Fi device, and wherein the gateway unit enables the internet connected device to communicate wirelessly with each of the cleaning units thereby enabling the internet connected device to wirelessly configure or control each of the cleaning units.
In another embodiment disclosed herein, a method for remotely communicating with one or more cleaning units comprises using one or more cleaning units, each cleaning unit comprising a control unit coupled to the cleaning unit for operating the cleaning unit, and a first Wi-Fi device coupled to the control unit, providing a gateway unit comprising a Wi-Fi protocol device, and a second Wi-Fi device coupled to the cleaning unit Wi-Fi protocol device, wherein the gateway unit is nearby each of the cleaning units; using an internet connected device wirelessly coupled to the Wi-Fi protocol device, and using the internet connected device to configure or control a respective one of the cleaning units, wherein the first Wi-Fi device is wirelessly coupled to the second Wi-Fi device.
Further features and advantages of the present invention as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from a detailed description of the exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the following figures:
The invention will next be described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments; however, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications, additions, and subtractions can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims.
The control unit 116 of each cleaning unit 114 and the local user device 118 are communicatively coupled to the gateway device 102 via one or more wireless communication channels. In an embodiment, the control unit 116 of each cleaning unit 114 and the local user device 118 are wirelessly communicate with the first Wi-Fi chipset 108 via any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication. As further described herein, the control unit 116 of each cleaning unit 114 wirelessly communicates with the first Wi-Fi chipset 108 via any of the IEEE 802.11 protocols for provisioning and binding the control units 116. The gateway device 102 is communicatively coupled to the remote user device/administrator device 122 via the internet servers and interconnected devices 120. The communicative connection between the gateway device 102 and the internet servers and interconnected devices 120 and remote user device/administrator device 122 can include wired networks, wireless networks, or any combination thereof. For example, the gateway device 102 can wirelessly communicate with the internet servers and interconnected devices 120 via the second Wi-Fi chipset 110 and/or the cellular radio chipset 112.
In an embodiment, the gateway device 102 operates as a laundry room “gateway” that provides a communication link between the control units 116 of the cleaning units 114 and the Internet (e.g., internet servers and interconnected devices 120, the cloud, etc.). Details regarding the gateway device 102 and the components that comprise the gateway device 102 (e.g., the single board computer 104, the daughterboard 106, etc.) are further described herein. The cleaning units 114 are operable to launder clothing and other items. The cleaning units 114 may be located in commercial laundry settings, including but not limited to, laundromats and the like. The local user device 118 is operable by a user to control operation of the cleaning units 114, obtain status information for the cleaning units 114, pay for usage of the cleaning units 114, and the like. Example local user devices 118 include, but are not limited to, smartphones, tablet computing devices, smartwatches, laptop computers, mobile computing devices, and the like. The remote user device/administrator device 122 is operable by a user remotely located from the cleaning units 114 to control operation of the cleaning units 114, obtain status information for the cleaning units 114, pay for usage of the cleaning units 114, and the like. The remote user device/administrator device 122 is operable by an administrator to control operation of the cleaning units 114, configure the cleaning units 114, obtain status information and reports from the cleaning units 114, and the like. Example remote user devices/administrator devices 122 include, but are not limited to, smartphones, tablet computing devices, smartwatches, laptop computers, desktop computers, mobile computing devices, and the like.
The gateway device 102 communicates with the internet services and interconnected devices 120 and a mobile or PC-based local (e.g., Wi-Fi based) user device 118, which can act as a user or administrator device, in order to control or remotely communicate with the cleaning units 114 through the gateway device 102. Accordingly, the gateway device 102 enables cleaning units 114 to communicate wirelessly with servers 120 on the internet, thereby enabling users or administrators (e.g., using remote user device/administrator device 122, etc.) to communicate with and remotely control the cleaning units 114 through the mobile or PC-based local user device 118. The cleaning units 114 may be for example a washer unit and/or a dryer unit, whether these units are standalone or combined. Other appliances are contemplated as well, such as dishwasher units.
“Reporting” includes features such as whether a wash/dry cycle is done or when it will be done; the status of one or more cleaning units 114 (i.e., whether the machine or unit 114 is available or already in use); the types of wash/dry cycles available, etc. “Reporting” may also include, for an administrator, the overall performance of one or more units 114, how many hours of usage the one or more units 114 have, whether the one or more units 114 are in need of repair or an error/service indicator is on; etc.
Referring to
The single board computer 104 in one embodiment may include (not shown) an operating system (OS) on local embedded Multi-Media Controller (eMMIC) storage, a central processing unit (CPU), a memory/random access memory (RAM), storage, graphics, ports such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) and High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), etc. An example of a suitable single board computer 104 that can be modified in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention is Avid Technologies part number: 90004024 Rev A. The single board computer 104 may use a local Secure Digital (SD) card for storage rather than eMMIC storage. The single board computer 104 includes wired input/output and network interfaces (e.g., Ethernet, HDMI, etc.).
The first Wi-Fi chipset 108 and the second Wi-Fi chipset 110 may use any of the IEEE 802.11 protocols for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication. The IEEE 802.11 protocols are created and maintained by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802). Any of the IEEE 802.11 protocol standards may be used for the first Wi-Fi chipset 108 and the second Wi-Fi chipset 110. For example, the 802.11a protocol operates in the 5-6 GHz frequency band and has a data transfer rate of 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) (1.5×106 bits per second) to 54 Mbps (54×106 bits per second), the 802.11b protocol operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and has a maximum data transfer rate of 11 Mbps, the 802.11g protocol operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and has a maximum data transfer rate of 11 Mbps, the 802.11n protocol operates in the 5 GHz frequency band and has a maximum theoretical data transfer rate of 600 Mbps, and the 802.11ac protocol operates in the 5 GHz frequency band and has a maximum data transfer rate of 1.3 Gbps. An example of a suitable chipset employing the Wi-Fi protocol 108 is chipset LM TECHNOLOGIES, LM820-0462, WLAN, 802.3/U, 802.11B/G/N, 2.4 GHZ, USB.
The gateway device 102 also includes a memory and processor and further comprises the following components: a local database, a communication software module, a parser software module, a maintenance website, a status update and command software module, a redundancy software module, a failover software module, a monitoring and control software module, and a provisioning software module on the single board computer 104.
The local database on the single board computer 104 contains configuration information and current audit/programming data for the cleaning units 114. In an embodiment, the local database allows the system (e.g., the gateway device 102) to recover in case of internet outage because data is stored locally until the connection is restored.
The communication software module is operable to decode and encode communication between the gateway device 102 and the cleaning units 114.
The parser software module is operable to parse binary data from the cleaning units 114 and transform it into human-readable JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) text which can then be used for reporting the status of one or more cleaning units 114 (e.g., to remote user device/administrator device 122, etc.).
The maintenance website is locally stored on the gateway device 102 and is operable to be used for setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting of the gateway device 102 and/or the cleaning units 114.
The status update and command software module is operable to allow real-time status updates and real-time commands from the maintenance website. The status update and command software module connects to a real-time web service which allows all connected devices to stay synchronized. This allows user devices (e.g., local user device 118, remote user device/administrator device 122, etc.) to display updates immediately from the cleaning units 114 as they provide status updates, events, and errors.
The redundancy software module is operable to, in conjunction with a second gateway device 102 (not shown), use a proprietary keep-alive system which is used for active redundancy which will provide continuous operation in the case of device failure of the first gateway device 102.
The failover software module is operable to, in conjunction with the cellular radio chipset 112, automatically failover from a local internet connection (e.g., an Ethernet or Wi-Fi internet connection, etc.) to a cellular internet connection in the case of a local internet outage. This failover functionality provides continuous internet connectivity to the gateway device 102. The gateway device 102 automatically reverts back to the local internet connection (e.g., Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.) once internet connectivity has been restored.
The monitoring and control software module is operable to monitor and control all other software modules on the system (e.g., gateway device 102), providing logging, reporting, and recovery as necessary.
The provisioning software module is operable to provision the control unit 116 of each cleaning unit 114 and makes it available for use in the system 100 by: setting the gateway device 102 as an access point in a default network known by the control unit 116 of each cleaning unit 114, transferring credentials to use in a secure connection, and authenticating the control units 116 of the cleaning units 114 to access cloud backend infrastructure (e.g., internet servers and interconnected devices 120, etc.).
The diagram of the gateway device 102 provided in
The gateway device 102 wirelessly and directly connects to the control unit 116 of each cleaning unit 114a, 114b, . . . , 114n using the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The gateway device 102 is preferably located within 30 meters of each of the cleaning units 114a, 114b, . . . , 114n if the IEEE 802.11 protocol is used. Typically, the gateway device 102 is located nearby the cleaning units 114, or within a distance of 30 meters of the cleaning units 114. The gateway device 102 provides internet-based machine reporting and machine configuration while also enabling users to pay for vended laundry from a mobile device or phone.
The control unit 116 also comprises a main control unit 412 which connects to an 802.11 network daughterboard 404 also located in the control unit 116. The gateway device 102 requests information from the main control unit 412 through the network daughterboard 404. The main control unit 412 contains audit history and programs which are reported to the gateway device 102. The gateway device 102 can request all data or only data changed since the last request. Programs include the types of cycles that the machine (i.e., the cleaning unit 114) can run and the details of those cycles. Audit history includes the information regarding cycles run in the machine's lifetime and error/maintenance history.
In step S502, the gateway device 102 requests information from the control unit 116 of cleaning units 114 connected using the 802.11 protocol, for example in response to a prompt or request by a user or administrator (e.g., via local user device 118, remote user/administrator device 122, etc.). More specifically, as noted above the control unit 116 of each cleaning unit 114 has a main control unit 412 which connects to an 802.11 network daughterboard 404 also located in the control unit 116 as shown in
In step S504 the gateway device 102 receives from the control unit 116 of the cleaning units 114 data representing the information requested.
In step S506 the gateway device 102 processes the data received from the control unit 116 of the cleaning units 114 into digestible form. More specifically, the data is in a byte array which is then decoded into human readable form. This is done using a module that uses byte stream information to determine the type and size of a machine (e.g. cleaning unit 114) and then decodes the rest of the byte array into human readable form.
In step S508 the gateway device 102 sends the processed data or information to servers on the internet 120 over, e.g., Wi-Fi or Ethernet. This information can then be used for reporting.
The gateway device 102 facilitates user machine requests. These requests may take the form of: machine configuration, remote payments, or remote commands. This allows the cleaning units 114 to be controlled from a remote location, thereby enabling users to pay for laundry from an internet-connected device (e.g. local user device 118, remote user device 122, etc.), or location owners/administrators to send configuration or commands to a unit or machine 114 via an internet-connected device (e.g., local user device 118, remote administrator device 122, etc.).
As to location owners/administrators being enabled to send configuration or commands to a unit or machine 114 via an internet-connected device (e.g., local user device 118, remote administrator device 122, etc.), this can be done via the management portal that is reflected in the configuration screens of
Accordingly, as discussed above, the gateway device 102 of the present invention contains a single board computer 104 with added pieces of hardware and software added to achieve its goals. The single board computer 104 has a Wi-Fi chipset (e.g., the first Wi-Fi chipset 108) which allows the gateway device 102 to communicate with the control unit 116 of the cleaning units 114. As also discussed above there is a daughterboard 106 added to the gateway device 102 which contains an 802.11 chipset (e.g., the second Wi-Fi chipset 110) which broadcasts a Wi-Fi network for user setup. In some embodiments, the first Wi-Fi chipset 108 communicates with control units 116 and the second Wi-Fi chipset 110 broadcasts a network for user setup upon coupling (e.g., plugging in, etc.) a default gateway device 102 to internet servers and interconnected devices 120 via a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet, etc.). In other embodiments, the gateway device 102 is coupled to internet servers and interconnected devices 120 via a wireless connection from the second Wi-Fi chipset 110 and the first Wi-Fi chipset 108 communicates with control units 116. In these embodiments, there is no broadcast network and a user must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the second Wi-Fi chipset 110 to access the interface of gateway device 102. There are pieces of software to allow for a user to set up the gateway device 102 and to facilitate the collection, temporary storage, and transmission of data. More specifically, the communication software module, the cloud software module, and the maintenance website described above in connection with an example embodiment describe the functionality that facilitates collection, storage, and transmission. The software that allows for the setup is an embedded web server on the gateway device 102 itself—similar in appearance and functionality to the setup routine used to configure a consumer wireless router in the home. Accordingly, the functions and capabilities available to the user or administrator as described herein can be provided to the user or administrator in the form of a mobile app or “app” available for download to the mobile or PC-based local Wi-Fi device (e.g., via local user device 118, remote user/administrator device 122, etc.).
In more detail, as shown in
“Configuration” includes features such as a user being able to configure or program a wash/dry cycle; a user being enabled to pay for use of a cleaning unit 114; an administrator being able to program a machine; etc.
As illustrated in
At 902, the gateway device 102 requests a unique certificate from a server device in the cloud (e.g., internet servers and interconnected devices 120). At 904, the cloud server 120 signs the certificate 804 with the private key 802 to generate the unique certificate 806. At 906, the cloud server 120 returns the unique certificate 806 to the gateway device 102.
At 908, the gateway device 102 creates an unbound connection with the control unit 116 of a cleaning unit 114. For example, the gateway device 102 can create the unbound connection by utilizing the first Wi-Fi chipset 108 to broadcast a default SSID that the 802.11 network board 404 of the control unit 116 connects to by default. At 910, the gateway device 102 provisions the control unit 116. In an embodiment, a user utilizes a user device (e.g., local user device 118, etc.) to put the gateway device 102 into a provisioning mode via a web interface of the gateway device 102. At this point, the gateway device 102 broadcasts the default SSID and alerts devices (e.g., control units 116, etc.) that connect to the default SSID of the existence of the unique/private SSID. Those devices then disconnect from the default SSID and move to the unique/private SSID. The gateway device 102 can then be taken out of provisioning mode using the web interface, at which point it returns to broadcasting the unique/private SSID. On the initial unbound connection the control unit 116 verifies that the unique certificate 806 possessed by the gateway device 102 was issued by the cloud server 120. When the control unit 116 determines that the unique certificate 806 possessed by the gateway device 102 was not issued by the cloud server 120, the unbound connection is dropped and the method ends. At 912, the gateway device 102 requests unique information for binding from the control unit 116. Examples of unique information include, but are not limited to, a serial number of the cleaning unit 114 and/or control unit 116, an identification (ID) number of the cleaning unit 114 and/or control unit 116, a current time, and the like. At 914, the control unit 116 returns the unique information for binding to the gateway device 102.
Using the returned unique information, the gateway device 102 generates a binding token at 916. The binding token contains the unique certificate 806 of the gateway device 102. At 918, the gateway device 102 sends the binding token to the cloud server 120. At 920, the cloud server 120 signs the binding token with the private key 802. The cloud server 120 sends the signed binding token to the control unit 116 at 922. For example, the cloud server 120 sends the signed binding token to the gateway device 102, which it turn sends the signed binding token to the control unit 116. At 924, the control unit 116 verifies the binding token. For example, the control unit 116 can be programmed with the public key 808 during manufacturing of the control unit 116 and/or cleaning unit 114, and when the control unit 116 receives the binding token the control unit 116 validates that the binding token originated from the cloud server 120. Furthermore, the control unit 116 validates that an identifier (e.g., a Machine ID, etc.) sent from the cloud server 120 with the binding token is the same identifier of the control unit 116 to confirm the binding token (e.g., the message) is meant for this particular control unit 116. As part of the binding token verification, the control unit 116 also compares a timestamp in the binding token with a current time (e.g., a time the control unit 116 receives the binding token) to ensure the received binding token was generated within a predetermined time period (e.g., within five minutes of the current time, etc.). When the control unit 116 determines that the binding token is invalid, the control unit 116 is unable to bind to the cloud server 120 and the gateway device 102 does not acquire the control unit 116. The control unit 116 will not send any of its information and only certain types of messages (e.g., messages to generate the binding token) are allowed to be transmitted between the control unit 116 and the cloud server 120. When the control unit 116 determines that the binding token is valid, it saves the unique certificate 806 of the gateway device 102 to verify future connections. Furthermore, when the binding token is valid, the gateway device 102 reconnects to the control unit 116 to establish a secure (e.g., “bound”) connection at 926. The gateway device 102 decrypts the packet (e.g., the packet that includes the binding token) and validates the time is valid. The gateway device 102 then requests the identifier (e.g., Machine ID) from the control unit 116 and verifies that it is present in a listing of identifiers inside the binding token. When the binding token is valid, the gateway device 102 saves the included “long-lived” certificate and uses it to verify all future connections. When a new connection is made (e.g., a new control unit 116 connects to the gateway device) the gateway device 102 compares the unique information of the new control unit 116 with the saved “long-lived” certificate. When the unique information of the new control unit 116 matches the saved “long-lived” certificate then the gateway device 102 sets the “bound” status to true and the control unit 116 checks this status in a Wi-Fi status packet sent by the gateway device 102 to determine what communications are allowed from the control unit 116. The gateway device 102 uses the secure connection to create an elliptic-curve binding between the control unit 116 and the cloud server 120.
The following is a description of an example implementation according to one example aspect of the invention, although it is of course to be understood that this is just an example and the invention is not limited thereto.
According to this example aspect of the invention, a user would use a mobile device such as a smartphone to download an app to use the invention. For example an end user (User Type 2) would download an iOS or Android app.
The user would have two initial configuration tasks: (1) the creation of a user account, and (2) the entering of the location (e.g., laundromat, apartment complex, college dorm, etc.) that the user is in. At that point the app can be used for two purposes:
Pay for usage (e.g., a washing or drying cycle, etc.) of a cleaning unit 114:
Look at the availability of cleaning units 114 at the location.
In the foregoing description, the invention is described with reference to specific example embodiment(s) thereof. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, e.g., in a computer program product or software, hardware, or any combination thereof, without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention.
The present invention or any part(s) or function(s) thereof, including, e.g., the gateway device 102, the single board computer 104, the daughterboard 106, the first Wi-Fi chipset 108, the second Wi-Fi chipset 110, the cellular radio chipset 112, or others, the control unit 116 of a cleaning unit 114 may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof, and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. A computer system for performing the operations of the present invention and capable of carrying out the functionality described herein can include one or more processors connected to a communications infrastructure (e.g., a communications bus, a cross-over bar, or a network). Various software embodiments are described in terms of such an exemplary computer system. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the invention using other computer systems and/or architectures.
The computer system can include a display interface that forwards graphics, text, and other data from the communication infrastructure (or from a frame buffer) for display on a display unit. The display interface can communicate with a browser. The computer system also includes a main memory, preferably a random access memory, and may also include a secondary memory and a database. The secondary memory may include, for example, a hard disk drive and/or a removable storage drive, representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit in a well-known manner. The removable storage unit can represent a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc. which is read by and written to by the removable storage drive. As will be appreciated, the removable storage unit can include a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data.
The computer system may also include a communications interface which allows software and data to be transferred between the computer system and external devices. The terms “computer program medium” and “computer usable medium” are used to refer generally to media such as the removable storage drive, a hard disk installed in the hard disk drive, and signals. These computer program products provide software to the computer system.
Computer programs or control logic are stored in the main memory and/or the secondary memory. Computer programs may also be received via the communications interface. Such computer programs or control logic (software), when executed, cause the computer system or its processor to perform the features and functions of the present invention, as discussed herein. It is common in the art to speak of software, in one form or another (e.g., program, procedure, process, application, module, unit, logic, and so on) as taking an action or causing a result. Such expressions are merely a shorthand way of stating that the execution of the software by a processing system causes the processor to perform an action to produce a result.
In addition, it should be understood that the figures illustrated in the attachments, which highlight the functionality and advantages of the present invention, are presented for example purposes only. The architecture of the present invention is sufficiently flexible and configurable, such that it may be utilized (and navigated) in ways other than that shown in the accompanying figures.
